Chapter 1361: Gray and Dim

At sixteen, Jasmine reforged his profound veins, granting him a new life.

At seventeen, for Cang Yue, he represented the Azure Wind Imperial Family in the Azure Wind Ranking Battle, securing an unprecedented first place and stunning the entire nation with a single battle.

At nineteen, in a fit of rage, he single-handedly destroyed the Burning Heaven Clan, one of the four major sects of Azure Wind.

In the same year, he represented the Azure Wind Nation at the Seven Nations Ranking Battle in the Divine Phoenix Empire, single-handedly sweeping aside all the geniuses from the other six nations and shaking the entire Profound Sky Continent.

At twenty-one, he survived the calamity of the Profound Ark and arrived in the Illusionary Demon Realm. At the Demon Queen's Grand Ceremony, he fought six consecutive battles alone, publicly reprimanded the seven families, reassembled the Illusionary Demon Heart, thwarted Prince Huai's conspiracy, and saved the Yun Family and the Demon Emperor lineage from the brink of annihilation.

At twenty-two, he returned to the Profound Sky Continent, single-handedly stormed the Divine Phoenix Sect, forced them to cease hostilities and apologize, thereby saving the Azure Wind Nation from imminent destruction.

At twenty-four, he defeated Xuanyuan Wentian, whose profound strength had entered the Divine Dao, saving both the Profound Sky Continent and the Illusionary Demon Realm from peril. He was hailed as the 'First Person of All Ages'.

At twenty-five, he followed Mu Bingyun to the Snow Song Realm in the God Realm, defeated all the geniuses of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect in the Frozen Cloud Heavenly Pool, and became Mu Xuanyin's direct disciple.

At twenty-six, he escaped to the Black Soul Realm and single-handedly threw the Black Soul Divine Sect, a King Realm sect within Black Soul, into utter chaos, indirectly leading to its demise.

At twenty-eight, he participated in the Profound God Convention of the Eastern Divine Region, defeated the Four God Children of the Eastern Region, triggered the Nine-Stage Heavenly Tribulation, shook the entire God Realm, and prompted various God Emperors to vie for his favor.

At twenty-nine—just ten days ago—he single-handedly stormed the Star God Realm, unleashing forbidden power from his Divine King body, and slaughtered an elder and fifteen hundred Star Guards of the Star God Realm.

For a profound practitioner, thirteen years is a short span. In the God Realm, it's so fleeting it might be just a few moments casually passed during cultivation. Yet, in these mere thirteen years, Yun Che became the foremost figure on a continent in eight years, and in four years, he shook the entire vast God Realm.

From the lower realms to the God Realm, from the God Realm's lower star realms to the supreme King Realms, every step he took was world-shaking, and each step was bound to shake a corner of the world. Indeed, it could be said that every step he took created a miracle.

The divine power inheritances of the five ancient True Gods—the Evil God, Dragon God, Phoenix, Golden Crow, and Ice Phoenix—along with the divine arts of the Life Creation God, Desolate God, and Sirius Star God, all converged within one person. This in itself was an unprecedented and irreplicable miracle.

But now, all of them were gone, completely and irrevocably dead.

The red sword mark on his arm was gone; the Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword could not be summoned, and he would never see Hong'er again.

And the Sky Poison Pearl, along with He Ling, who had just poured all her belief into becoming its spirit...

All had vanished with his death in the Star God Realm.

The Nirvana Flame within him had only barely revived his fundamental life, but it could not revive Hong'er or He Ling.

"Because I had enough power, I saved the Azure Wind Nation for Yue'er, rescued Grandpa and Lingxi, found my parents in the Illusionary Demon Realm, met Xue'er, saved Caiyi, the Demon Emperor lineage, and the Illusionary Demon Realm, and returned to the Cangyun Continent to find Ling'er and Master..."

"Grandpa... Father... Mother... Yuanba... Yue'er... Lingxi... Xue'er... Caiyi... Ling'er..."

"I'm back..."

"But now that I am a cripple, how can I face you all...?"

While in the God Realm, he had yearned to return but couldn't. If he, targeted by Qianye Ying'er and countless other God Realm powerhouses, were to rashly return to the Blue Pole Star, his discovery would surely bring colossal disaster upon those around him and even the entire Blue Pole Star.

Now, however, his return was flawless. He left no traces, and in the God Realm's perception, he was undeniably dead.

The pressure and dangers from the God Realm were completely gone.

But...

He raised his arm, little by little... until, for the first time, his arm lifted completely.

A withered leaf drifted with the wind and landed on his arm. This leaf had lost its last vestige of green; even in the gentle breeze, it bore no sign of life's murmur.

Yun Che watched silently, his gaze lost and empty.

From the day he met Jasmine, the subsequent thirteen years felt like a grand dream...

A dream from which he had now awakened. After awakening, he was still the crippled Yun Che from back then—a useless invalid, subjected to scorn and cold stares, dependent only on Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi's protection.

Even harder to accept than this immense disparity was the fact that all his countless efforts over the years, his repeated struggles on the brink of life and death, and all his beliefs and pursuits... had all turned to dust.

If they had merely turned to dust, it would have been fine; he could have pursued and fought again, just like thirteen years ago...

But he no longer even had the chance to dream again.

Time flowed silently, and Yun Che's world remained cloaked in gray.

"What do I still possess now?"

"Life..."

"But what is life?"

"Throughout this life, countless efforts and breakthroughs were made to survive, to live better. Yet, there were also people and things for whom I would willingly disregard or even sacrifice my life."

"And now..."

"The life I regained is merely existence..."

"Benefactor Brother!"

The girl's voice drifted from afar, incredibly ethereal and pleasant, but it failed to stir the slightest ripple in Yun Che's eyes.

Feng Xian'er descended lightly... The most basic profound skill, Profound Void Transversal, achievable even by those in the Mortal Profound Realm, was now an eternally unattainable luxury for Yun Che.

She came to Yun Che's side, wanting to help him up: "You've been here for a long time. If you stay any longer, you'll catch a cold. Let's go back now."

"Catch a cold..."

He, who once could stand unmoving amidst mountain-destroying storms, was now so humbled that he had to guard against the chill wind...

"Don't bother with me." He used what little strength he had to push Feng Xian'er's hand away.

"Benefactor Brother," Feng Xian'er gently took hold of him again: "Please, listen. Everyone is very worried about you. You haven't eaten anything since you woke up; you must be hungry now. Mother not only made bamboo soup but also prepared many delicious dishes..."

"Don't bother with me!" Yun Che's voice suddenly grew heavier. Every gentle word from Feng Xian'er was a cold jab to him. He said coldly, "Don't call me ‘Benefactor Brother’ anymore... That person is dead. What's before you now is just a... useless cripple, understand?!"

"..." Feng Xian'er's lips parted, her beautiful eyes wide with shock. She was clearly frightened by Yun Che's reaction. Then, a veil of mist silently spread across her eyes. She bit her lip, trying hard not to cry out: "Benefactor Brother, you... don't be like this, you... you'll get better... you definitely will get better..."

"You don't understand," Yun Che averted his gaze, "You don't understand anything... Go, leave me alone."

"Benefactor Brother, I..."

"Can't you understand my words?!" Yun Che's voice grew even sterner: "Go!!"

"Cough... cough, cough..."

The mountain wind rushed into his chest, making him cough violently in pain.

"..." The girl watched him helplessly, tears finally slowly sliding down from her beautiful eyes. She would never forget the gentle, mighty figure who had saved them like a divine being descending from the heavens. Since then, her entire life had been an effort to get closer to him...

"But why..."

"No... you're not like this..." Feng Xian'er shook her head, tears silently streaming down her pretty face: "Back then, even with such severe injuries, you weren't afraid of those wicked people... You didn't hesitate during such difficult Phoenix trials..."

"Benefactor Brother..." Her lips bit tighter and tighter, finally turning into a heartbroken sob: "I hate you like this!"

The girl covered her lips, turned, and flew away, leaving faint trails of starlight in the air.

"..." Yun Che closed his eyes, a desolate, bitter smile playing on his lips.

Heh... I actually said such harsh words to a girl who cared for me with all her heart...

It turns out my state of mind, which I always believed to be resilient, was actually so fragile.

A tall figure walked slowly, stopping beside the old tree.

Feng Baichuan.

"I'm sorry," Yun Che said weakly.

Feng Baichuan shook his head: "No need to apologize. She has only truly experienced the mortal world for less than two years; she hasn't been through great storms or real twists of fate, so she doesn't understand."

Yun Che: "..."

"Back then, our ancestor made a grave mistake and was cursed by the Phoenix God, his profound strength forever limited to the Elementary Profound Realm. He led our entire clan to hide here. The reason I told you back then was for atonement and to protect our clansmen, but in truth..." Feng Baichuan sighed softly, "The more significant reason was the ancestor's complete despair after losing all his profound strength."

Yun Che: "..."

"Although I have never experienced such a rise and fall of fate, the heights you reached far surpassed those of our ancestor, and the abyss into which you've fallen is even darker than his. Therefore, what you endure is a 'complete despair' a hundred or even a thousand times greater than his."

"Our ancestor never escaped that nightmare throughout his life and died early from melancholy." Feng Baichuan turned his gaze to him: "So, what about you?"

"..." Yun Che was speechless.

The sky gradually darkened. It was almost dusk, and the mountain wind grew cooler.

"For you to achieve the widely acclaimed title of 'First Person of All Ages' at such a young age, it's clear you must have experienced countless perilous trials throughout your life. But perhaps, what you face now is the greatest test of your life."

"In the days you were unconscious, you spoke many names. I believe that since you have so many lingering affections and concerns in your heart... you will not be content to wallow in despair."

"...Give me time," Yun Che murmured.

Feng Baichuan nodded and turned to leave: "We won't disclose your presence here... until the day you choose to leave."

The sky grew darker and darker. The bright moon had risen at some unknown time, and the pervasive starlight fell upon Yun Che, making his heart feel even more desolate and cold.

No one else came to disturb him. He remained motionless, as if dead. Only his eyes continued to stare blankly ahead.

"Benefactor Brother..."

The girl's timid voice sounded beside him. She held a steaming bowl of soup, her eyes red, clearly having cried for a long time: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things to you... Please... please don't be angry with me, okay?"

"..." Yun Che remained motionless.

The girl moved closer, her voice soft and timid, like a child who had just made a big mistake: "You just woke up and you've been hungry all day... This is bamboo soup that Mother and I just made. Will you drink a little?"

Yun Che's cracked lips quivered slightly: "I'm not hungry."

His voice was weak and hoarse.

His body was no longer a divine physique that didn't require food or drink. Waking up in weakness, enduring the wind all day, and having no food or water for another day, he was now far weaker than when he first awoke, his vision long since blurred.

Feng Xian'er did not press further. She knelt gently beside Yun Che, quietly accompanying him. She held the soup bowl in her arms, carefully protecting it with profound energy, preventing the night wind from blowing any dust into it.