Chapter 1346: Star Light Extinguished

Yun Che died, shattered to pieces under the starlight, in the sight of all Star Gods and Star Guards, and before Jasmine and Caizhi's eyes.

Caizhi's sobbing ceased. She stared blankly, her face and starry eyes drained of all color. Her slender body slowly sagged within the barrier, and she knelt on the ground as if her soul had departed.

His death had been predestined the moment he forcefully activated "Nirvana Asura," for that was a power of despair obtained by burning his life, profound veins, soul, will, belief... everything he had. And with his death, Hong'er and Heling, who were connected to his life and soul, also vanished.

Yun Che's death, however, brought an indelible nightmare and immense loss to the Star God Realm. It also failed to completely vent the Star God Emperor's rage and terror. He had long forgotten the ceremony, stood up from the barrier, and roared, "Destroy his corpse! Not a single strand of hair, not a single drop of blood is to be left behind!"

"...Yes!" The Star Guards were startled, then quickly responded. Several rays of starlight gathered once more, but before they could act, Yun Che's shattered body suddenly burst into crimson flames. It seemed his divine blood, after his demise, released its final divine light.

The flames quickly merged as they burned, forming a small sea of fire. Within it, Yun Che's body fragments were rapidly incinerated, disappearing piece by piece until completely reduced to ash and nothingness.

As the Star God Emperor wished, not a single strand of hair or drop of blood remained; he was truly, utterly annihilated.

Sighs echoed in the hearts of different people. Some felt relief, others deep regret, but most felt a complex, unnamable emotion.

It wasn't just Yun Che who had died. It was also a divinely talented individual, possessing the power of a Creation God, capable of merging Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame, releasing the Phantom God, summoning the Nine-layered Heavenly Tribulation, controlling Heavenly Dao Tribulation Lightning, and a Divine King capable of unleashing Divine Master power—a prodigy unprecedented throughout eternity and certainly impossible to see again.

"My King," Star God Tianyuan reminded him, "Yun Che is dead, and the ceremony has now begun. For Your Majesty and the Star God Realm, there is nothing more important than this. Once the ceremony is complete and Your Majesty attains supreme divine power, the spirits of the thirty-seven elders and the Star Guards in heaven will surely be greatly comforted."

The Star God Emperor closed his eyes. It took several breaths for the heaving of his chest to truly subside. He nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Forget everything that just happened. Concentrate your minds and proceed with the ceremony!"

All the Star Gods and elders closed their eyes as instructed, striving to calm the turmoil in their hearts.

Caizhi's face was ashen, and her entire body felt cold. Even when she was met with cold stares from everyone in her childhood, she had never felt this cold. She looked at Jasmine—her last warmth and reliance in life—but found her still staring blankly.

"Sister..."

Caizhi called out, but Jasmine gave no response. She stared forward, her starry eyes reflecting no scenery, but instead slowly losing their luster.

"Little sister, I don't really understand what you're saying, but you've slept in the Sky Poison Pearl for so long, can you tell me your name?"

"Jasmine."

She still remembered how cold and disdainful she had been towards Yun Che back then. She was the Heaven Smiting Star God, while he was merely a humble being from the lower realms, his profound veins even crippled. In terms of status, even a glance or a single word from her was a great favor.

"Jasmine... Jasmine flowers are lovely and petite, fragrant and pure white, a very fitting name for you."

"Pure white? Heh... I am Jasmine, a jasmine flower dyed blood-red by countless streams of blood!"

"Third condition: kneel and kowtow, and take me as your master!"

"What? You don't want to?"

Given her status, taking Yun Che as a disciple was the greatest condescension in the world. Yet, Yun Che's first reaction was reluctance; he even stubbornly displayed what he considered his unyielding pride before her.

"How... old are you this year?"

"Thirteen!"

"Thi... rteen?! You're younger than me. Isn't it inappropriate for you to be my master..."

"Alright, I can take you as my master, but I won't kowtow to you. I, Yun Che, can kneel before elders, benefactors, uh... and it's not impossible to kneel before my wife. But to kneel before a little girl I've only known for a few days, I can't do it!"

"This is the most basic dignity of a man!"

"Hmph... that's not up to you!"

Jasmine's expression finally changed. Her lips gently stretched into a very light, very beautiful faint smile, one Yun Che hadn't seen for many years.

But he would never be fortunate enough to see it again.

Thump...Thump...

For some reason, the world became unusually quiet. She could hear the sound of her own heart beating with extreme clarity.

"Idiot! Idiot! You lecher who ignores his own life for women, you idiot! If you ever die a miserable death, it will definitely be because of a woman!"

"Ah hehe... If... that woman were you, I might even be willing."

"Heh! Save such foolish words to coax those idiotic women!"

Thump...Thump... thump...

Her heart seemed to pound faster and more violently.

"Jasmine, to reshape your body, this was your request on the very first day we met, and it has been your only request ever since..."

"Because I met you, I, who was originally a cripple, gained a new life and regained my dignity. Because of you, I could protect my grandfather and little aunt from being bullied. Because of you, I learned my true origins and found my biological parents. All the power, status, dignity, and reputation I possess today are because of you. If I hadn't met you back then, I might have already died a miserable death... Even if I were still alive, I might just be a lonely ghost wandering on the brink of despair..."

"Yet, I've always been unable to help you achieve your only desire..."

"Yun Che! How long will you continue to be so foolish... If you're risking your life like this just to repay my kindness for the reasons you just mentioned, then you don't have to! Everything I've done was for myself! You don't need to fight so desperately for a mere Netherworld Udumbara Flower! Don't even mention that you absolutely won't succeed today... Even if you actually obtained it, I wouldn't be grateful; I'd only think you utterly foolish!"

"Re... pay kindness? How could it be... repaying kindness... Jasmine, to me... how could you... just be a benefactor?"

"You're... younger than me... yet from... such a young age... you've had to... rely on one person to live... I know... how much... pain... and sorrow... that is..."

"Even though you're... arrogant... stubborn... ill-tempered... and prone to scolding... you never let me... feel pity for you... But... I know... you must yearn immensely for... freedom..."

"A master's command cannot be disobeyed... But in my heart... you are not just... my master..."

"You are still... my... Jasmine!!!"

That day, that Netherworld Udumbara Flower with only scattered petals remaining, that roar from him at the brink of his soul's collapse, etched Yun Che's image firmly into every corner of her soul... Or perhaps, he had long been etched into her world, but she had never perceived it.

Thump...Thump-thump...Thump-thump-thump...

"Foolish or suicidal, it doesn't matter; seeing you, nothing else matters."

"Jasmine, I truly... shouldn't have presumptuously assumed your thoughts, thinking you'd want to see me as much as I missed you. But at least... for these past three years in the God Realm, I've desperately strived every day to find you. Finally, I even risked entering the Conferred God Battle just so you would hear my name. Even if you truly despise me now, at least... let me see you, let me tell you everything I want to say to you in person, and also..."

"Jasmine, from the first day I met you here, I sensed that your body and heart seemed weighed down by heavy shackles... Including the day you resolutely tried to send me away, I was certain it wasn't solely for my safety; otherwise, you clearly had many better methods... But rest assured, I won't ask."

"If it's a heavy burden that even you find difficult to handle, then even if you tell me, with my current meager strength, I wouldn't be able to help you, and would only become a hindrance and burden..."

"After entering the Cosmic Heaven Pearl, I won't allow myself any slack. Three years from now, I will grow strong enough for you to be willing to tell me everything, and I can break the shackles on you with you. Ideally... I can also protect you... forever."

"Yun Che... why... did you have to... meet me..."

"Probably so you'd marry Caizhi to me, haha..."

"Jasmine... I'm not here to save you. I'm just a cripple; I can't save you. All I can do is be with you."

"If there's a next life... will we... meet... again...?"

Yun Che, after we parted ways on the Profound Sky Continent, you pursued me all the way to the Eastern Divine Region, then to the Cosmic Heaven God Realm. And because of a single word from me, you risked everything to win first place in the Conferred God Battle. Then for me, you broke into the Star God Realm regardless of the consequences, just to die with me...

You're still that idiot, the biggest, most foolish, most incurable idiot I've ever met in my life.

From your humble obscurity upon first entering the God Realm, to your initial success in the divine path, and then to your world-shaking renown, every step of your growth wasn't to see a broader world or to reach higher planes, but simply to pursue and draw closer to me...

Yet I was always afraid, always avoiding, always trying every means to push you away. I thought it was for your own good. I thought I could save you, save Caizhi...

But I harmed you, harmed Caizhi, and harmed myself...

It was I who harmed you... It was I who harmed Caizhi... If only I hadn't been so presumptuous, if only I had been a little braver like you...

It was all because of me.

Yun Che... I don't deserve you to treat me like this...

Crack...In Jasmine's sea of consciousness, it was as if tiny crystals and stars shattered, dispersing into a rapidly fading light.

Yun Che died, turning to ash and smoke before her eyes, taking away the last warmth and color from her life... and extinguishing all her hesitation, all her weakness, all her longing, all her hope, all her good thoughts...

Thump!Thump!

The sound echoed throughout Jasmine's world... and also resounded in everyone's ears.

The Star Gods and elders within the barrier, and the Star Guards outside it, all suddenly looked up at this moment, staring blankly at the sky.

The atmosphere suddenly became inexplicably oppressive. Between heaven and earth, it was as if a gigantic heart was violently pounding, emitting throbs that struck directly at the soul.

"This... is?"

"What's happening? What is that sound?!"

"Who... Who is it!?"

Thump!Thump!!Thump!!!

Growing louder and closer, gradually, it felt as if it were vibrating within their own hearts.

This was Star God City, isolated by the Star Soul Barrier. Yun Che, having received Jasmine's mark, was able to breach it, which was already a tremendous surprise... What was this dull, eerie sound?!

Not only was it the sound of a heart beating, but an extremely unsettling emotion also rapidly grew and spread like a plague in everyone's hearts.

The Star God Emperor and the Star Gods, who had just slightly composed themselves, all looked up, their brows furrowed as they sought the source of the sound. And their expressions were rapidly changing... because even they distinctly felt a great and growing unease.

"Sis... sister?" Caizhi looked at Jasmine, calling out distractedly. Her body was pressed against Jasmine's, and she clearly felt that this enormous heartbeat, audible throughout Star God City... was coming from Jasmine!

"Sister... Sister? Ah!!"

She called out several times in succession, then suddenly let out a startled cry.

Because she saw Jasmine's eyes.

Her pair of eyes were pitch black, displaying an incredibly terrifying emptiness, not a trace of the usual brilliance that surpassed the stars remained...