Chapter 1286: Dun Yue

Boom—

Yun Che's words weren't loud, but they exploded like a shocking thunderclap in everyone's minds once more... They had come today for the Moon God Emperor's momentous wedding ceremony, never imagining that before it even began, they would be successively stunned by revelations that shook them to their very souls. The God Empress the Moon God Emperor intended to marry was Yun Che's lawfully wedded wife?! What the hell...

Even if all the geniuses in the world put their heads together, they could never devise such a script.

Everyone's mouths hung wide open. Those from the Snow Song and Flame God realms were so shocked their eyes bulged and their souls felt like they were leaving their bodies. Huo Rulie, in particular, had his mouth open wide enough to fit a Huo Poyun inside.

The Moon God Emperor's gaze wavered dramatically. He stared at Yun Che for a long time before slowly saying, "You... are you truly...?"

"Yes, it is I," Yun Che responded stiffly, then looked at the Star God Emperor. "However, there's something I must clarify. What the Moon God Emperor just said wasn't deceit or sophistry. Eight years ago, I truly 'died'."

The Moon God Emperor: "..."

The Star God Emperor frowned deeply.

"At that time, everyone believed I was dead, including Xia Qingyue. After that, she came to the God Realm and never saw me again, so naturally, she didn't know I was still alive," Yun Che stated expressionlessly. "In other words, until today, Xia Qingyue had no idea I was alive."

He wasn't saying these things to help the Moon God Emperor. Because of Jasmine, he harbored no goodwill towards the Star God Emperor. And since the Star God Emperor had intercepted his marriage contract and was clearly using him on this occasion, how could he willingly be a mere pawn for the Star God Emperor?

"Therefore, my being alive is merely an 'unwanted' surprise for her."

"I gave this marriage contract to Xia Qingyue's maid, Jinyue, asking her to pass it to Xia Qingyue so she could erase this 'surprise' herself. After all, though we were once husband and wife, our affections were always shallow. And with eight years separating us by 'life and death,' hah... any faint emotion likely vanished long ago. This marriage contract, which should have turned to dust already, was barely a final shred of connection."

Yun Che's voice was cold, almost devoid of emotion. He looked at the Star God Emperor, his gaze still chillingly clear even when facing a God Emperor directly. "I've said all I need to say. Now, I have a question for the Star God Emperor... Why is this marriage contract in your possession!? And how did you determine that 'Xiao Che' on the contract was me?"

The Moon God Emperor looked at Yun Che, his gaze filled with a complexity no one else could understand.

Yun Che's explanation was unexpected for the Star God Emperor and clearly disrupted his plans. His expression stiffened slightly, and he gave a faint smile. "If I said I found it, would you believe me?"

"Believe it? Of course, I believe it," Yun Che nodded. "A dignified God Emperor of a realm would, of course, never stoop to secretly stealing another's possessions."

Everyone's minds were reeling from the shocks, so they didn't even have time to be alarmed by Yun Che's blatant questioning and veiled mockery of the Star God Emperor.

"So, it's the 'resurrected' former husband. It seems the 'forcible seizure' accusation won't stick," Qianye Ying'er remarked with a hint of disappointment. "Furthermore, with Xia Qingyue's primordial yin still intact, Xing Juekong won't be able to make Yue Wuya suffer a major setback this time."

Her words made it sound as if the whole affair had nothing to do with her. "Still, it's good to disgust Yue Wuya a little. But as for Yun Che... things are about to get ugly for him."

"It's getting more interesting, isn't it?" Qianye Ying'er smiled faintly.

At that moment, a gust of air stirred. The Moon Evasion Immortal Palace, which had been quietly floating beneath the Divine Moon, suddenly shimmered with mystic light and slowly flew towards them. It came to a stop directly above Yun Che and the others.

The light barrier opened, and Xia Qingyue stepped out, descending gracefully as if a fairy from the moon palace had drifted down to the mortal world.

A distant glance had already caused countless gasps of awe, but her appearance before them now brought an unspeakable sense of breathtaking beauty.

Today was her wedding ceremony to become the God Empress, yet her long, moon-white gown was remarkably simple, even less ornate than the Moon God Attire worn by the Moon God Emperor's daughters. However, this very simplicity radiated an extraordinarily dazzling elegance because of her.

Her eyes were incredibly placid, like a deep, serene pool that would never ripple, yet they seemed to embody all the spiritual grace of the world.

She simply stood there quietly, without a glance or a smile, yet all eyes converged on her. Even the two great God Emperors, the Star God Emperor and the Moon God Emperor, became unconsciously overlooked backdrops beside her.

Yun Che looked at her, then slowly averted his gaze. She was still Xia Qingyue, but compared to years ago, she had undergone a complete transformation. Though she was right before him, she exuded a strange sense of unreality, as if she were a goddess stepping out of an ancient painting... and not meant to exist in the mundane, polluted world.

A thought silently crossed almost everyone's mind: perhaps, solely with her ethereal beauty, even without the Glazed Heart, she was worthy of becoming the God Empress. The world's most ultimate and exquisite divine charm had been bestowed not only upon the Dragon Queen Goddess but also upon her.

"Qingyue," the Moon God Emperor said, looking at her with a complex gaze, "Is Yun Che truly the 'former husband' you once mentioned to me?"

"...Yes," Xia Qingyue softly nodded.

Yun Che: "..."

Sounds of gulping echoed throughout the crowd. While everyone else's words could be conjecture, Xia Qingyue's single word was the most undeniable confirmation.

Everything they had heard was, astonishingly, true.

The Moon God Emperor was speechless for a moment, then cast a deep glance at Yun Che.

Xia Qingyue's gaze shifted slightly. "Star God Emperor, would you please return the marriage contract to me?"

"Heh heh, it's your possession to begin with; it should naturally return to its owner," the Star God Emperor said with a faint smile, giving a push with his finger.

The marriage contract floated lightly towards her and was caught by Xia Qingyue.

"This is my matter; I will resolve it," Xia Qingyue said softly.

The Moon God Emperor nodded, his gaze sweeping over Xia Qingyue and Yun Che in turn, then he uttered a rather strange remark: "If it's him, then he is indeed worthy of you."

Having said that, he was the first to retreat.

Following his gesture, everyone else hastily stepped back, quickly creating a large empty space. In this cleared area, only Yun Che and Xia Qingyue stood quietly at the center... along with the Moon Evasion Immortal Palace silently floating above.

"To think such a thing would happen," the Heaven Smiting God Emperor sighed deeply. "Yun Che is the 'Son of the Heavenly Way,' and Xia Qingyue, bearing the Glazed Heart, is truly the 'Daughter of the Heavenly Way.' And they were once husband and wife, meaning they came from the same place."

Azure Cloud Continent...

"Yet neither of them was born in the God Realm. What kind of existence could that lower-realm planet, called 'Neptune,' truly be?"

"Heh heh," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor chuckled faintly. "During this time, Brahma Heaven sent people to search throughout the lower realms, hoping to find this planet named 'Neptune.' We thought that with countless stars in the vast universe, finding it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, incredibly difficult. But surprisingly, Brahma Heaven had good fortune and indeed found this planet."

"Oh?" The Heaven Smiting God Emperor turned his gaze, though without much expectation.

"Everything was as the Heaven Smiting God Emperor surmised; that 'Neptune' was a dead planet, devoid of any life."

"Heh heh heh," the Heaven Smiting God Emperor chuckled calmly, showing no surprise whatsoever. "Yun Che is a very clever man; why would he truly reveal his origins? It was only natural for him to use 'Neptune' as a cover. But you, Brahma Heaven God Emperor, knowing it was false, still spent vast amounts of effort searching. It seems you truly 'favor' Yun Che quite a lot."

"Hahahahahaha," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor laughed heartily. "If I didn't 'favor' him enough, why would I be willing to marry Ying'er to him?"

"The Divine Daughter's will is something even you, Brahma Heaven God Emperor, likely cannot interfere with. Your desire to take Yun Che as your direct disciple is true, but her so-called 'condescending marriage' could only be the Divine Daughter's own wish." The Heaven Smiting God Emperor's gaze was deep and unfathomable. The Brahma Heaven God Realm's actions on the last day of the Conferred God Battle might have deceived others, but how could they deceive him? "However, from my limited understanding of the Divine Daughter, her 'condescending marriage' was also unlikely to be sincere. Instead, her single statement has drawn countless resentments upon Yun Che, resentments that spread throughout the entire God Realm."

"And any one of them is far beyond what Yun Che can bear."

"The Heaven Smiting God Emperor worries too much," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor smiled faintly.

"Yun Che might not be able to bear it, but this old man can," the Heaven Smiting God Emperor said slowly, his voice calm and implying a deeper meaning. "At least for these three years, no one shall harm him in the slightest. As for after three years, that will depend on his own choices and fortune."

The Heaven Smiting God Emperor greatly admired Yun Che. Therefore, although Yun Che refused to become his direct disciple, he was still willing to protect him with all his might, for he was a miracle of the Eastern Divine Region.

The Brahma Heaven God Emperor merely smiled without speaking.

As everyone watched with bated breath, Xia Qingyue walked towards Yun Che. When she stopped, they were incredibly close, barely a step apart.

Their eyes finally met. Their gazes were equally calm, and their faces showed no ripples of emotion... but only they knew the turmoil within their souls.

"Long time no see," Xia Qingyue said, her voice ethereal, like a dream.

"Indeed, long time no see," Yun Che nodded.

"You've hardly changed at all."

"But you've changed a great deal."

"Is the sect doing well?" she asked.

"Very well."

"That's good to hear."

Every word, every phrase, every subtle expression, every glance between the two was clearly visible to everyone. They had once been husband and wife, yet their words and emotions were as indifferent as two strangers who had never crossed paths.

Everyone clearly understood what Xia Qingyue intended to do and what would happen next.

On one side was a former husband, resurrected from the dead, with extremely shallow affections, just beginning to make his mark in the Eastern Divine Region.

On the other side was the Realm King of the Moon God Realm, one of the four God Emperors of the Eastern Region, an existence at the highest echelon of the entire God Realm and the world.

In this world, there was no simpler choice.

Even if one were to retreat a million steps, even if Xia Qingyue genuinely still harbored feelings for Yun Che — the undying kind — in this situation, at a God Emperor's wedding, she could not possibly make a second choice. Because if she were to abandon this wedding, it would undoubtedly cause the Moon God Emperor to lose all face and dignity. It would subject him, who could have finally washed away the humiliation of Yue Wugou from years past, to even greater shame, truly making him the laughingstock of the entire world.

The consequences: under the Moon God Emperor's thunderous wrath, she would die, and Yun Che would certainly die.

She would not, dared not, and could not.

Therefore, what would follow was Xia Qingyue and Yun Che severing their final ties, destroying the marriage contract, and going their separate ways.

There was no other possibility.

"These two are truly a golden boy and jade girl, what a pity," Gu Zhu sighed, a rare display of emotion.

"Uncle Gu," everyone was watching Yun Che and Xia Qingyue, but Qianye Ying'er's gaze was fixed on the Moon God Emperor. "Don't you find Yue Wuya's reaction a bit strange? What man could be so magnanimous when faced with something like this? Especially Yue Wuya, who suffered the humiliation of Yue Wugou back then."

Gu Zhu: "..."

"It's been over eight years," Yun Che said. "I never imagined seeing you again in this place."

"Neither did I."

The conversation between them remained calm and unruffled, devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Have you been in the Moon God Realm all this time?"

"Yes, I've never left. And you? When did you arrive here?"

"Three years ago. Mostly in the Snow Song Realm."

"The God Realm is vast, and the Eastern Divine Region is just one part of it. Have you visited any other divine regions?"

"No," Yun Che replied.

"Neither have I. In that case..." Xia Qingyue suddenly extended her hand and took Yun Che's.

Yun Che was momentarily stunned as Xia Qingyue's dream-like voice whispered in his ear, "Then let's go see them together."

With her ethereal voice still echoing in his ears, Yun Che was lifted by Xia Qingyue, transforming into a rapidly flashing stream of light, and vanished above the Moon Evasion Immortal Palace's light barrier.

The Moon Evasion Immortal Palace then released mystic light, stirring vast currents of air, and swept away into the distance, vanishing from everyone's sight in an instant.