Chapter 1369: Choice?

Yun Wuxin's eyes snapped open. She shot up from Chu Yuechan's embrace, and without a word, her small hand quickly reached out and pressed against her mother's chest. A surge of incredibly gentle profound energy protected her heart meridian and worked to suppress her turbulent qi and blood.

She concentrated with all her might, but her face was pale with fright. "Mother, it will... it will be all right soon..."

The blood splattering on Yun Che's hand was warm, yet it carried an unsettling chill. Struck with alarm, Yun Che lurched forward, dropping to his knees. Without attempting to stand, he quickly gripped Chu Yuechan's wrist. He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to calm himself, but his hands still trembled uncontrollably.

Chu Yuechan's face was pale, but her expression was much calmer than theirs. She lightly wiped the corner of her mouth and said, "Don't worry, it only happens occasionally. I'm fine now."

Yun Che said nothing. His fingers, gripping Chu Yuechan's wrist, tightened and loosened rhythmically. Though he had lost his profound strength, he was still well-versed in pulse diagnosis and medical theory.

Her qi and blood were extremely weak, and profoundly cold!

He quickly understood. Chu Yuechan had cultivated ice-element profound arts her entire life, filling her body with cold qi. Even though she later crippled her profound veins, the cold qi accumulated over decades wouldn't dissipate quickly. With her profound strength at the Sovereign Profound Realm back then, this cold qi wouldn't have harmed her; it could have been easily dispelled by guiding her profound energy for a short time.

But then, while pregnant, Chu Yuechan was severely injured. All her power was used to protect the unborn Yun Wuxin, until her profound veins withered and died, followed by Yun Wuxin's birth...

Having lost all profound strength and being extremely weak, the cold qi in her body had undoubtedly become a terrifying harbinger of death.

Fortunately, although Chu Yuechan no longer had profound strength, she still possessed a small amount of his Dragon God aura, which allowed her to endure for many years. But even so...

His gaze shifted slightly, landing on Yun Wuxin's small hand pressed against Chu Yuechan's chest. He was absolutely certain that if Yun Wuxin hadn't acquired profound energy so early and grown at an abnormal rate, Chu Yuechan would surely have... years ago.

He released Chu Yuechan's wrist, a slight sigh of relief escaping him, followed by a mix of gratitude and dread. He was grateful that the situation wasn't irreparable, yet dreadful that if he had found mother and daughter a few years later, he would have only found a solitary Yun Wuxin.

Chu Yuechan's complexion finally improved slightly. Only then did Yun Wuxin carefully withdraw her hand, anxiously asking, "Mother, are you feeling better? Is there still any pain?"

Chu Yuechan shook her head, gently stroking her daughter's long hair. Her beautiful eyes were filled with warmth and a profound reluctance to part. She knew her own physical condition best; she knew her time was running out. Being able to accompany her daughter into her teens and to see Yun Che again, she was already grateful for Heaven's compassion. There was only reluctance, no resentment.

"Wuxin, don't worry, your mother will be fine," Yun Che said.

His words made Yun Wuxin turn her head abruptly. Chu Yuechan also raised her beautiful eyes, looking at him in surprise.

"Father, is what you said... true?" the girl asked softly. In her eyes, tears welled up and shimmered, which she had been trying hard to hold back.

"Of course," Yun Che smiled. "Hasn't your mother told you that your father is a divine physician?"

"Divine... physician?" Yun Wuxin murmured softly, unsure if she found it hard to believe or was simply unfamiliar with the words.

"Is there really a way?" Hope flickered in Chu Yuechan's beautiful eyes.

Yun Che nodded, giving them the most reassuring gaze. "You have my Dragon God's power. Even without profound strength, the cold qi in your body won't easily destroy your vital energy. I have a way to restore you to your former self. Even if I can't, there's Ling'er, and my master in medicine... My master is the greatest healer in this world, the only one worthy of the title 'Medical Saint'. He's in the Illusory Demon Realm right now. With him, not only can your body recover, but even your withered profound veins can be fully restored."

He spoke these words without hesitation, because they weren't mere words of comfort. With Yun Gu's abilities, it was absolutely achievable.

The Little Demon Empress's condition back then was a hundred times worse than Chu Yuechan's current state, leaving him helpless. Yet Yun Gu, with just a few words and Su Ling'er's help, freed her from the peril of death.

It was a pity, however, that he could no longer use the Sky Poison Pearl. Otherwise, just one drop of the spiritual liquid given by the Divine Aura within it could not only heal Chu Yuechan in a short time but also elevate her profound strength directly into the Divine Dao.

After all, that was a divine item coveted by King Realms, something that even realm kings, let alone profound practitioners, in ordinary star realms weren't qualified to even sniff. Yet the Divine Aura had bestowed upon him everything it had accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years.

Listening to Yun Che's words, Yun Wuxin's eyes sparkled like stars, and the tears she had been holding back finally streamed down. "Is it true... Is it really true...?"

"A father wouldn't lie to his daughter," Yun Che said, gently touching her head.

"Your father, he is indeed a divine physician. Your mother and father met because of that," Chu Yuechan murmured softly. Back then, with just one glance from afar, he had seen that she was afflicted with cold poison. At that time, she couldn't have possibly imagined that a fleeting encounter would completely change her life. "Since he said so, it's definitely true."

"Mother will get better... and stay with... Wuxin forever?" For Yun Wuxin, the words she heard were undoubtedly the most beautiful sounds in the world, so beautiful that she couldn't believe them for a moment... as if she were in a dream.

Yun Che smiled, but his heart ached fiercely. She was only eleven this year, and for all these years, she had undoubtedly been silently bearing the heavy burden and fear of losing her mother at any moment. For such a young girl, this was a cruelty beyond words.

Therefore, she was so careful and cautious, never letting anyone step foot into the bamboo forest, unwilling to let anyone, even slightly, harm her mother.

"Of course, she will," Yun Che said, looking into her eyes and nodding emphatically. "Your mother will stay with you forever; for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, she won't leave."

"Then Father... will also stay with us, right?" Her voice grew more ethereal. In her misty eyes, Yun Che's figure was reflected... along with an incredibly dazzling and brilliant light.

Daughters always idolize their fathers; there's no need for a reason, it's more like an instinct. A father's slightest brilliance can be magnified several, even tens or hundreds of times in his daughter's heart. Even if the father before her was destined to be a cripple forever, in her heart at that moment, he was as tall as a mountain.

"Of course, I will," he nodded again, though...

He took Chu Yuechan's and Yun Wuxin's hands, his gaze fixed on the distance. His heart was now free of hesitation and gloom. "Yuechan, Wuxin, come with me, let's leave this place. The outside world no longer holds danger. There will only be our family and those who protect us. Master and Ling'er will heal you completely, and Xue'er and Caiyi will help Wuxin grow up better. We'll take Wuxin to meet her ancestors; her grandparents will surely be delighted..."

"Back then, after my mother learned about you, she cried and implored me to find you no matter what. Though it's been so many years, I can finally... relieve her of the heavy burden in her heart..."

"The outside world, Grandfather... Grandmother..." The light in Yun Wuxin's eyes intensified, but she quickly suppressed it. She turned and looked at her mother...

"All right." Without any hesitation, Chu Yuechan nodded gently, igniting the brightest starlight in Yun Wuxin's eyes.

Phoenix Remains, Trial Zone.

In the dark world before him, the Phoenix's crimson eyes slowly opened. Yun Che stood there once more and solemnly bowed forward. "Phoenix Soul, thank you for granting me a second life. However, Yun Che is now merely an ordinary person and does not know how to repay your kindness, save by engraving it deep within my heart."

The crimson gaze lingered on him for a moment. Then the Phoenix's voice resonated throughout the dark space: "Your state of mind has changed. It seems you have found them."

Yun Che looked up and said with a hint of helplessness, "You already knew she was my daughter, didn't you?"

"On her, there is not only the pure Phoenix aura inherited from the source blood, but also the Dragon God aura and... a faint Evil God aura," the Phoenix Soul said. "She could only be your descendant."

"Why didn't you tell me initially?" Yun Che asked, though he could roughly guess the answer.

"Falling from the highest peak into the abyss, this cruel blow was also a tempering of your state of mind," the Phoenix Soul said. "The heavier the darkness you experienced, the more dazzling the light you would see when you found them. If it were possible, I would have wished for that period to last even longer..."

Yun Che gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "If it had lasted any longer, I'm afraid I would have broken down."

"Today, I've come to bid you farewell," Yun Che said, his tone becoming serious. "My life, though short, has been blessed with your great Phoenix grace. Although I can no longer ignite the Phoenix Flames in this life, Wuxin has inherited my Phoenix bloodline. In the future, a Phoenix flame even more dazzling than mine will surely ignite within her."

"Heh heh..." The Phoenix Soul smiled, but compared to the gentle majesty of the past, its faint smile now conveyed a deep weakness. "My time is also running out. I fear I won't live to see that day. However..."

Its voice paused slightly, then it spoke with extreme slowness: "Are you... truly willing to simply return to an ordinary life?"

Yun Che's gaze froze. After a full ten breaths, he spoke with a faint smile: "I will search for hope, but even if I don't find it, it doesn't matter. Because I have many things by my side that are far more important than power."

The Phoenix Soul suddenly fell silent at this moment. But its crimson eyes flickered slightly, as if... it was hesitating about something.

This silence lasted for a long time.

Just as Yun Che was about to speak his farewell, the Phoenix Soul's voice suddenly rang out: "There is a method that might be able to reawaken your power."

These words made Yun Che's heart stop instantly. Immediately, the face that had just calmly uttered "it doesn't matter" began to tremble uncontrollably, and with extreme intensity. "Are you... telling... the truth?"

"What method... What method!?"

Yes, he had accepted his current situation.

But... was he willing?

How could he possibly be willing!?

"I told you before that only your most basic life was reborn under the Nirvana Flames, and all the powers you possessed died. In other words, they are still within you; they died with your death but did not revive with your rebirth."

"What is the method, then?!" Yun Che roared out, utterly impatient. "Tell me quickly! No matter how difficult, I will find a way to achieve it!"

"It's not difficult; in fact, one could say... it's quite easy. However, for you... it will be an extremely cruel choice."

Yun Che was left stunned by the Phoenix Soul's words. He clearly remembered the Phoenix Soul previously stating that no power could awaken the deceased Evil God's power unless another drop of the Evil God's Undying Blood was found. Now it was saying it was easy?