Chapter 1310: Inclined Moon and Mysterious Sound

Eastern Divine Region, Moon God Realm.

After traversing the Eastern and Western Divine Regions and a long period of solitude, Xia Qingyue finally returned to the Moon God Realm. Gazing at the Moon God Realm, now within reach, her state of mind was entirely different from any moment before.

Passing through the Moon God Realm's barrier without hindrance, she hadn't gone far when two Moon Guards detected her presence.

"Xia Qingyue!?"

Two streaks of white light flashed, and the two Moon Guards appeared before Xia Qingyue, their formidable auras locking onto her. "You dare to return!"

Just as their furious shouts left their lips, a deep voice came from behind them: "Step down."

As space fluctuated, a slender man, clad in golden armor, appeared out of thin air. His eyes emitted two intense golden glows, difficult to look at directly, accompanied by a terrifying pressure that seemed to freeze space.

The moment he appeared, the two Moon Guards stiffened, hastily bowing down. "Greetings, Golden Moon God!"

The Golden Moon God, Yue Wuji, cast a complex glance at Xia Qingyue and said indifferently, "My King has been waiting for you for many days."

"..." Xia Qingyue remained silent, gave a slight nod, and flew past, heading towards God Moon City.

The vast and empty main hall, where even the soft moonlight could not dispel the cold stillness. At the far end of the hall, the Moon God Emperor sat emotionlessly on his throne.

Xia Qingyue slowly approached, stopped in the center of the hall, and slowly knelt.

"Qingyue..." The Moon God Emperor let out a cold, faint sigh. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you, returning this time?"

"Foster Father won't kill me," she replied softly from her kneeling position.

"..." The Moon God Emperor's face twitched slightly, then he could no longer maintain his composure, saying with a wry smile, "Qingyue, can't you just beg for mercy, or act a little sweet? Your stubbornness is nothing like your mother's back then."

Xia Qingyue closed her beautiful eyes and softly said, "Foster Father's kindness to Qingyue is as deep as the sea, yet Qingyue has tarnished Foster Father's lifelong reputation. Although I know Foster Father will surely not kill me, I... I am too ashamed to ask Foster Father for forgiveness."

The Moon God Emperor frowned, then sighed. "Decades ago, I might indeed have killed you and that boy Yun Che in my extreme rage. I remember back then, I lost my mind in a frenzy, and it took years to calm down, even committing many acts that now seem utterly deranged.

"But you are not your mother, and I am no longer the man I was back then.

"This time, my anger lasted less than an hour before completely subsiding. The marriage ceremony that day, though ostensibly for the future of the Moon God Realm, was in truth... still a preposterous act driven by my anxiety and selfishness. You were also bound by the kindness I showed you over the years. Perhaps the appearance of that boy Yun Che was also divine will... It's good that it was ruined. Thinking it over these past few days, if you hadn't made that choice then, I... especially your mother, might have been disappointed instead."

Xia Qingyue looked up, her eyes trembling. "Foster Father..."

"Haha," the Moon God Emperor shook his head. "Are you surprised that I would think this way? I am too. Perhaps... my time is truly drawing near, and there's nothing left to be troubled about."

"Foster Father, you..."

"No need to say more." The Moon God Emperor waved his hand, his expression serene. "It's not that I fully believe the words of the Heavenly Mystery Realm, but rather that lately, similar feelings have become more frequent and intense.

"Qingyue, if you wish to atone for what you feel you owe me, and repay the kindness I've shown you over these years..." The Moon God Emperor's chest rose and fell, his gaze heavy. "...then inherit my divine power. All these years, I have poured all my efforts into being good to you, precisely so that when I pass on my divine power to you, I can do so with a clear conscience. I know this has always been an 'imposition' on you, but... this is the one selfish desire I cannot let go of.

"However, fortunately, after the 'marriage ceremony' incident, you no longer need to, nor can you, become the Moon God Emperor. Though it's a great regret for me, I imagine you will find it easier to accept... and I can also feel much more at ease."

"..." Xia Qingyue did not reply.

"Tomorrow, I will announce publicly that I have adopted you as my foster daughter..." The Moon God Emperor had intended to continue, but hesitated, then changed his tone slightly. "Go see your mother. She's been worrying about you these past few days. Let her put her mind at ease first. We can discuss other matters tomorrow."

"Yes," Xia Qingyue softly responded, then stood up and slowly walked out of the hall.

"By the way, where is Yun Che?" the Moon God Emperor suddenly asked. "He didn't enter the Eternal Heaven Pearl, and there's been no news of him since. The Eternal Heaven Realm must be deeply regretful about this."

Xia Qingyue stood silently, offering no reply.

The Moon God Emperor waved his hand. "Never mind, never mind. Go see your mother quickly."

Xia Qingyue, however, did not leave. Instead, she suddenly said, "Foster Father, I truly understand now the words you spoke to me exactly three years ago today. I also suddenly realized that the true barrier preventing me from 'returning' all these years was never you, Foster Father, but myself."

Having said this, she took a step and quietly departed.

The Moon God Emperor froze, a look of confusion on his face. Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up, and he abruptly stood, his face revealing a rarely seen expression of excitement and ecstasy.

"Qingyue, if you truly understand, then I... would have no regrets, even if I were to die ten thousand times!"

The small world where Yue Wugou resided was always a secret within the Moon God Realm, rarely approached by anyone. As Xia Qingyue neared it, the surroundings were quiet and peaceful.

Xia Qingyue's steps were slow and heavy; no one could understand her thoughts at that moment. Ever since seeing Yun Che again, her soul had been subjected to one earth-shattering shock after another... choices, betrayal, escape, fear, helplessness, death, despair, hope...

A chill ran through her body, and her steps suddenly halted. An irresistible and terrifying force firmly suppressed her, and an incredibly cold female voice sounded in her ear:

"Where is Yun Che!"

Xia Qingyue couldn't turn around. She shifted her gaze sideways and saw the hem of a snow-white skirt and a few strands of icy-blue hair.

This was definitely not someone from the Moon God Realm, yet they could infiltrate the Moon God Realm undetected!?

"Who are you?" Xia Qingyue countered.

"Answer my question... Where is Yun Che!" The woman's voice grew colder, and an ice spike extended from behind, pressing against Xia Qingyue's throat.

"..." Xia Qingyue fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "So, you are Senior Mu Xuanyin, Yun Che's master."

The air instantly solidified a few degrees. After several seconds of silence, the ice spike pressing against Xia Qingyue's throat slowly melted away, and the power sealing her body also vanished.

Xia Qingyue turned, seeing a face of icy beauty that could eclipse the world. She wore snow-white robes similar to those Yun Che wore that day, her exquisite features covered by a layer of frigid power and coldness that seemed to have frozen all emotions. She bowed slightly. "Junior Xia Qingyue greets Senior Mu."

Raising her eyes again, a strange light flickered within them. She hadn't expected the Snow Song Realm King, Yun Che's master, to be such a beauty.

"Why did you guess it was me?" Mu Xuanyin's icy gaze fixed on Xia Qingyue from close range as she asked coldly.

Xia Qingyue replied, "Yun Che mentioned to me that Senior Mu is his greatest benefactor in the God Realm. Although she appears cold and merciless, she cares for him deeply.

"And you risked great danger to infiltrate the Moon God Realm just to find his whereabouts, possessing profound strength of the highest caliber and extremely cold profound energy... In Yun Che's short few years in the Eastern Divine Region, the only one who fits this description is Senior Mu." She continued, "Moreover, the person outside the God Realm of Absolute Beginning... that was also Senior Mu, wasn't it?"

"..." Mu Xuanyin's icy brows subtly twitched.

"To enter the Moon God Realm undetected, such strength is naturally enough to withstand the grey-robed figures accompanying Qianye Ying'er. It seems the vast Eastern Divine Region has gravely underestimated Senior Mu's power."

Mu Xuanyin's icy brows narrowed slightly, and she stared at Xia Qingyue fixedly for a while.

Facing her chilling and intimidating gaze, Xia Qingyue did not avert her eyes. Instead, she deliberately met Mu Xuanyin's eyes, which glowed with an icy-blue light. "Senior, rest assured. This junior knows what should be said and what should not."

Mu Xuanyin did not deny it, nor did she utter a single unnecessary word. She asked coldly, "Answer my question, where is Yun Che? Why are you the only one who returned?"

"He is in the Dragon God Realm," Xia Qingyue replied.

"Why did you leave him in the Dragon God Realm?"

"He was afflicted by Qianye Ying'er's Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark."

"...What!?" Mu Xuanyin's expression changed abruptly, and her usually extremely restrained aura underwent violent fluctuations.

"Senior, rest assured. The reason he remained in the Dragon God Realm is that there's someone there removing the Death-Wishing Mark for him." Watching Mu Xuanyin's changing expression, Xia Qingyue felt a slight melancholy in her heart: Yun Che had only been in the Snow Song Realm for a little over three years, yet he had made this Snow Song Realm King, a woman of peerless grace and extraordinary power, worry for him so deeply...

Could it truly be just a master-disciple relationship?

"Impossible..." Cold light flickered in Mu Xuanyin's eyes, and her icy face could not remain calm. "If it truly is the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark, no one can resolve it except Qianye Ying'er! How could this be..."

Suddenly, her icy brows twitched as she thought of someone. "Are you saying..."

"Shen Xi," Xia Qingyue softly uttered the two words.

"..." Mu Xuanyin's icy gaze remained fixed on Xia Qingyue, yet she found that under her own pressure, Xia Qingyue remained incredibly calm—a calmness that a woman of her age should not possess... it was almost unnervingly serene.

Conversely... she wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt a faint, subtle... sense of pressure emanating from Xia Qingyue?

"Can she truly resolve the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark? And why would she keep Yun Che?" Mu Xuanyin asked. It was perhaps possible that Shen Xi could resolve the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark. However, her dwelling, the Forbidden Land of Samsara, never allowed any living creature to approach, let alone enter. Yet, Mu Xuanyin detected no trace of falsehood in Xia Qingyue's words.

"Senior Shen Xi herself stated that she can resolve the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark, and it will only take fifty years." Xia Qingyue's reply remained gentle and calm. "As for why she would keep Yun Che, it is a benevolent fruit of the good karma he sowed in the past.

"While being unable to enter the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm is indeed a great pity, for Yun Che, staying by Senior Shen Xi's side is another equally rare opportunity, even as he sheds the Death-Wishing Mark. Therefore, please rest assured, Senior Mu... At least, within these fifty years, he is absolutely safe."

Mu Xuanyin's slightly disturbed aura slowly calmed down. Indeed, being taken in by Shen Xi was a tremendous opportunity for Yun Che. While the short-term gains might not compare to three thousand years in the Eternal Heaven, in the long run, it would surpass even three millennia there.

Because that was Shen Xi... the most unique existence in the entire God Realm.

The premise, however, was whether he could earn Shen Xi's favor.

But... it was rumored that Shen Xi was extremely graceful and gentle, yet behind her gentleness lay a complete absence of emotion. She was utterly indifferent, seeming to be born without any desires or feelings.

Could such a person truly win her favor... even just a little?