Chapter 1400: Ghost Child (Part 2)

Yun Che raised his hand and waved it in the darkness. "The aura here has changed significantly; you must feel it. In fact, it's not just here—the outside world has also undergone some kind of change, and it's growing stronger."

The girl with the unusual eyes listened silently. She had no physical body, and even her soul was incomplete, lacking both the ability to speak and to express emotions.

"When I last came, you were in this sea of Netherworld flowers, and you still are this time. It seems you not only can't leave this dark world, but you also rarely leave this flower sea," Yun Che said with a faint smile. He wondered if she truly liked these flowers or if her form prevented her from moving too far from them. It was likely the latter; after unimaginably long years, even the most beloved things could become tiresome.

His only answer was the deep silence of the darkness and the girl's strikingly colored yet lifeless eyes.

"Perhaps you're very accustomed to, and even fond of, the darkness," Yun Che said, his voice unusually soft as he looked at the girl. "But loneliness is a terrible thing for any living being, and for you to be here alone is truly heartbreaking... The reason I haven't been able to visit you these past few years is that I traveled to another world. When I returned, I lost my power, only regaining it a few days ago... but it came at the cost of my daughter losing her talents forever... *Sigh*."

"After hearing that, you must think I'm a terrible, failed father, right?" Yun Che chuckled bitterly. Though he had been acting normal, even cheerful, in front of Yun Wuxin and others lately, as a father, he knew he could never shake off this deep guilt—not in the short term, and perhaps not even in his entire life.

The girl subtly shook her head, her bewitching eyes fixed on him, never once wavering from their gaze.

"I promise you," Yun Che said, a smile returning to his face. "From now on, I'll visit you often."

The girl's lips parted slightly, and her luminous white hand rose, gently reaching for Yun Che's chest... but passed right through him.

Yet, Yun Che clearly felt what she was trying to convey: she was happy because of his words.

It was a subtle feeling—they knew nothing about each other and had only met once, yet there was an inexplicable sense of closeness between them.

"Oh, right, you know my name is Yun Che, but I still don't know yours." Yun Che finished, looking at the girl's bewildered, colorful eyes. He paused, then asked softly, "Do you remember your name?"

The girl shook her head.

"Hmm..." Yun Che tapped his chin. "Then... how about I give you a name?"

The girl paused, then nodded obediently.

"Let me think..." Yun Che's gaze swept over the girl, then he smiled. "You exist as a phantom, dwelling in darkness, resting in the netherworld. So, from now on, I'll call you 'You'er.' How does that sound?"

The girl's hand, shimmering with pure, luminous light, reached out toward Yun Che, as if straining to touch him. The colors in her eyes intensified, becoming even more brilliant.

She nodded, her long silver hair fluttering gracefully. Yun Che could feel her happiness, though he wasn't sure if it was for the name itself or for him giving her one.

"Alright, You'er... You'er. Yes, it feels absolutely perfect for you."

Yun Che repeated the name twice, gazing at the girl's face and eyes. His vision gradually blurred as the image of another girl, with the same features but crimson eyes and long red hair, always vibrant and spirited, emerged from the depths of his mind.

"Red palace dress, red hair, red eyes... and she herself said she liked red the most... Hmm... let's call her Hong'er!""Hong'er... Hong'er... Hong'er... Hong'er... So I'll be called Hong'er from now on... Hehe! I have a name! Hong'er, Hong'er... You can't call me 'little sister' or 'little girl' anymore, not even 'little beauty'—only Hong'er!"

He shook his head slightly, trying to banish her spirited image from his mind. But immediately, the scene of her appearing beside him, sobbing uncontrollably, at the very end of the Star God Realm, resurfaced vividly... The heaviness in his heart lingered, refusing to lift.

"Do you still remember... the girl who looks a lot like you, with beautiful red eyes and red hair?" he found himself saying. "Back then, an old man, much like you with only a remnant soul, entrusted her and the Primordial Profound Ark to me. When Jasmine left, she also instructed me to take good care of her... For all these years, she's been by my side constantly, not just a partner who granted me immense power, but also my most cherished Hong'er... But..."

He shook his head, his gaze growing distant. He had been trying to avoid thinking about Hong'er lately, but seeing You'er, who looked exactly like her, made it impossible to suppress the pain he had tried so hard to bury. "I've always been... a wretched jinx. I wanted so desperately to protect them, yet I ended up harming one person after another around me."

You'er remained silent.

Regaining his composure slightly, Yun Che managed a faint smile. "I came to visit you, but I ended up talking about a lot of unpleasant things. Let me think... Ah! Next time I come, I'll bring you a gift. I just hope you'll like it."

As he spoke, Yun Che already had a plan. Before his next visit, he would instruct the Black Moon Merchant Guild to prepare some inscribed Profound Shadow Stones for him. These would allow You'er to see the outside world and hopefully alleviate some of her loneliness.

You'er's lips parted slightly, and she reached out her hand once more. This time, however, she didn't reach for Yun Che's chest, but for his left hand.

Her hand, like shimmering crystal, touched Yun Che's palm, passing through it without resistance. Then, her fingers rested on the back of his hand.

"You'er?" Yun Che looked down, not moving his left hand, but a question formed on his face.

No sooner had he spoken than a dark, black glow suddenly flickered on You'er's fingertip.

What had been a world shimmering with purple light instantly plunged into utter darkness the moment the black glow appeared. The light emitted by the Netherworld flowers wasn't ordinary; it was a soul-capturing radiance with immense penetrative power, and this was not just a few plants, but a vast sea of them...

Yet, in a mere instant, all the purple light of the Netherworld flowers was completely swallowed!

Yun Che's expression shifted. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed a sword mark slowly appearing on the back of his left hand, beneath the black glow emanating from You'er's fingertip.

"...!!" The sight instantly rendered him speechless, and his body gave a violent tremor.

This sword mark, in its shape and form, was unmistakably identical to the sword mark of the Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword, into which Hong'er had transformed!

It was the very sword mark that had ceased to appear after he regained his powers, the one he believed had been obliterated forever!

The difference, however, was that the original sword mark was vermilion, matching Hong'er's eyes and hair. But the one appearing now was pitch-black. Under You'er's slender finger, the mark gradually solidified from a blurry form, its light deepening until it was as profoundly dark as the black glow at You'er's fingertip.

"What... is this?" Yun Che dared not move, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

The girl remained silent. After several breaths, the black glow at her fingertip slowly faded. Her finger then lifted from Yun Che's hand, leaving behind a distinct, pitch-black sword mark clearly imprinted on the back of his hand.

You'er's small frame trembled gently, and her figure momentarily blurred. Her face also became a few shades paler than before.

His gaze lingered on the pitch-black sword mark on the back of his hand for a moment. When he finally looked up, about to ask a question, he caught sight of You'er's condition. His heart seized with alarm, and forgetting his question, he asked urgently, "You'er, are you... alright?"

The girl gently shook her head. Then, her colorful eyes slowly closed, and then closed further... She tried to resist, but ultimately they shut completely, and her body slowly slumped down, her silver hair flowing around her.

"You'er!" Yun Che moved forward, intending to embrace her... but his hands passed powerlessly through an illusion.

She lay quietly on the cold ground, having fallen into a helpless, deep sleep. Though she was only a remnant soul of unknown age, Yun Che could clearly sense her profound weakness.

Yun Che was at a loss, his gaze returning to the sword mark on the back of his hand. It was clear that creating this mark had consumed an immense amount of her soul power. However, he had no idea what You'er had done to him or what this pitch-black sword mark, identical in shape to Hong'er's, signified.

As he stood there, perplexed and uncertain, the black glow of the sword mark on his hand suddenly began to dissipate silently, gradually fading away. In its place, a trace of... increasingly deep vermilion light emerged!

Yun Che's gaze froze, utterly unable to look away.

The black glow dissipated as the red light emerged... until, as if a black outer shell had been peeled away, the vermilion sword mark that Yun Che knew so well—Hong'er's mark, the mark of the Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword—was fully revealed!

At that moment, He Ling's incredibly excited cry echoed within his soul: "Master... Hong'er, it's Hong'er!"

His heart throbbed violently as if struck by an invisible force, shaking uncontrollably. Yun Che quickly composed himself, closed his eyes, and plunged his consciousness into the Sky Poison Pearl.

The world within the Sky Poison Pearl was pure and emerald green. He Ling stood gracefully, and before her, a girl in a red palace dress was curled up, her long red hair serving as a pillow, sleeping soundly and sweetly. Even He Ling's excited cries hadn't woken her.

"Hong... 'er..." Yun Che stood there, stunned, uttering the name softly, as if in a dream.

It was Hong'er, the living Hong'er. Her sword mark had reappeared on him, and her form had returned to the Sky Poison Pearl, back into his world.

A vast emptiness in his soul and heart was mended. Yun Che's inner turmoil was indescribable; he exhaled heavily for a long time, confirming that none of this was an illusion. Then, he walked to Hong'er, gently picked up her delicate, petite body, and placed her on the small bed where she usually loved to nest while sleeping.

She was indeed fast asleep. When Yun Che lifted and then lowered her, a soft murmur escaped her lips, but she didn't wake, only letting out soft, even snores.

The two most wonderful things in the world are a false alarm and the joy of regaining something lost.

Hong'er was his sword, but also his Hong'er. She was always present in his world. He had thought that Hong'er, connected to his very life and soul, would never leave him. He had long grown accustomed to her presence, and in an unseen way, he had come to rely on her.

It was only after losing her that he realized, with undeniable clarity, that Hong'er had long been an indispensable part of his life.

Now, with her returned... his finger gently touched Hong'er's soft, pale face. The touch, as delicate as fine jade, was an indescribably, dreamlike beauty.