Chapter 1401: Lost and Found

"That's wonderful," He Ling whispered, her eyes misty as she watched Yun Che's uncontrollable excitement.

Yun Che turned to He Ling and suddenly asked, "He Ling, I must have frightened you, didn't I?"

He Ling lowered her head slightly and finally admitted, "Just a little..."

"Don't worry," Yun Che said, his gaze soft and sincere. "Dark profound energy is merely a power I possess; it doesn't twist my nature. I understand what it means to have dark profound energy in the God Realm. So, I will never use this power in the presence of others, nor will I ever let anyone know I possess it."

"Mm-hmm," He Ling nodded, her pure eyes showing no repulsion toward Yun Che despite his dark profound energy. "I've followed you for so long, Master, so of course I know you aren't the kind of fiend described in legends."

Yun Che shook his head and chuckled. "Possessing dark profound energy makes one a fiend... By the God Realm's standards, I truly am one. Uh... but this is my greatest secret. If I ever return to the Dragon God Realm, please, don't tell Shen Xi."

Shen Xi wielded light profound energy and undoubtedly abhorred dark profound energy. If she were to find out, the consequences would be unpredictable.

He wouldn't be surprised if Shen Xi wanted to eliminate him.

"Yes," He Ling affirmed, raising her head to look at Yun Che. "The day I began to follow you, I said that no matter where you go, Master—whether good or evil, alive or dead—I would follow you for all eternity, without regret."

Yun Che smiled, meeting her gaze. He said, word by word, "He Ling, I'll repeat the same promise: I will certainly avenge your grievances, He Lin's grievances, and the grievances of your Wood Spirit Royal Clan... No, we will avenge them together. The vengeance you pursue is also the vengeance I pursue."

He Ling nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly moist.

Yun Che glanced at Hong'er, unable to tear his gaze away for a long moment before finally withdrawing his consciousness and leaving the Sky Poison Pearl.

In the darkness, the girl slowly awoke.

She opened her colorful eyes to a surrounding expanse of glowing purple Netherworld Udumbara flowers. She was enveloped in purple nether light, which even cast a luminous purple tint on her bright silver hair.

She blinked, then quickly looked around, as if desperately searching for something. Just then, the voice she longed to hear reached her ears:

"You'er, you're awake," Yun Che said with a smile, sitting beside her.

The girl's colorful eyes stared at him, unblinking as before.

"I thought these Netherworld flowers might aid your recovery, so I gathered some," Yun Che explained. "I hope you don't mind."

The girl's colorful eyes flickered. She stood up, and with a delicate touch of her small finger, the Netherworld flower petals scattered around her gently lifted. They then floated back into the vast sea of Netherworld flowers. To Yun Che's astonishment, all the previously picked petals reattached themselves to their stems, restoring the Netherworld Udumbara flowers to their perfect state.

Yun Che was momentarily dumbfounded.

The girl lowered her hand, her movements settling into stillness. She stood quietly and obediently before Yun Che, like an exquisitely carved porcelain doll.

Whether it was their first encounter or this one, the girl's gaze never left him. Yun Che couldn't decipher the meaning in her eyes, yet he sensed her closeness... especially how, upon waking, her clearly flustered movements were a search for his presence.

Was it because she was too lonely here and yearned for company, or was it... just because of him?

Could she have... brought Hong'er back?

That black light, that sword mark, and Hong'er, who had been lost yet perfectly reappeared in his world...

What exactly was going on?

Her identity, the dark seed she had given him previously, and the reason for her existence in this world...

You'er's very existence was profoundly mysterious and eerie, shrouded in too many enigmas. Yet, she was unable to speak, making even the most basic expressions incredibly difficult, which prevented him from getting any answers.

But one thing, Yun Che was now absolutely certain of.

That her identical appearance to Hong'er could not have been the coincidence he initially believed.

"You'er, thank you for bringing Hong'er back to me." Yun Che knelt down to face the girl, unsure how to express his gratitude. After a moment's thought, he asked, "You must know Hong'er... don't you?"

He had asked this question once before, and both she and Hong'er had denied it.

This time, however...

You'er still shook her head.

Yun Che was stunned into prolonged silence.

Last time, Hong'er had appeared without his summons and burst into tears upon seeing You'er, claiming she didn't know why she was crying or who You'er was. This time, the black sword mark and Hong'er's return were undeniably due to You'er... yet You'er still claimed not to know Hong'er?

Could all this simply be an instinct they themselves didn't understand?

"Alright, that's fine," Yun Che said with a gentle smile. "You slept for a long time and must be very weak now. Rest well here for a while in your favorite sea of Netherworld flowers. Your soul body must not suffer any damage."

Jasmine had told him more than once that a damaged soul body was harder to mend than ascending to heaven.

"I should return now."

As he spoke, he saw the girl's hand urgently reach out, touching the corner of his clothing.

Yun Che's voice softened further as he reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll come to see you often. Next time, I promise it won't be so long. How about this: from now on, I'll visit you once every month, alright?"

You'er stared at him with unblinking, colorful eyes, then finally nodded softly.

"It's a pity you can't leave here; otherwise, I would truly want to keep you by my side and always look after you." Yun Che reached out and gently touched her soul form. He spoke these words from the heart, not just because You'er had saved him and Hong'er, but also because of a subtle, hard-to-describe sense of closeness, and the urge to protect her.

Bidding You'er farewell, Yun Che ascended through the dark world, escaping both the realm of shadows and the Profound Cloud Abyss. He returned to the edge of the Profound Cloud Cliff, enveloped in a long-missed glimmer of light.

The roars of profound beasts and chaotic auras filled the air, which even carried a faint, lingering scent of blood.

The current Azure Cloud Continent was perhaps even more terrifying than the dark world within the Profound Cloud Abyss.

Yun Che didn't leave immediately. He released his divine sense, letting it encompass his surroundings. After a long silence, he finally soared into the air, a gradually intensifying pure white profound light gleaming around him.

"Master, are you going to 'purify' this place?" He Ling asked, a hint of unease in her voice. She knew that releasing the extremely unique power of light profound energy carried a risk of exposure. Although the chance of someone from the God Realm being nearby was incredibly low, given Yun Che's current condition, the consequences of exposure would be dire. No potential risk, no matter how small, should be taken.

"This place, after all, once held my entire life," Yun Che said calmly. "Though I have no lingering attachments here, I cannot simply stand by and do nothing."

"Don't worry, I will limit the scope of my power and purify it piece by piece. While the root cause won't be removed, and the peace won't last forever, this... is the last thing I'll do for the Azure Cloud Continent."

As he spoke, the brilliant profound light descended from the sky, enveloping the continent that had been transformed into a disaster zone.

As promised, he minimized the purification area as much as possible to avoid releasing overly potent divine aura and light profound energy. He continuously teleported across the Azure Cloud Continent's skies, performing dozens of long-distance spatial transfers and dozens of light releases, until the brilliant profound light finally covered the entire continent.

This included the neighboring seas.

Having completed this, Yun Che felt a significant weight lifted from his heart. In a way, it was a partial repayment for the accumulated blood debts he had incurred here in the past.

Although the Azure Cloud Continent's timeline had been altered by the Samsara Mirror, causing those "blood debts" to be erased as if they "never happened," this erasure was limited to the continent itself. They could never be erased from Yun Che's heart.

The roars of the profound beasts had significantly weakened, and the ambient ferocity in the air was noticeably fading. Yun Che couldn't predict what the Azure Cloud Continent would be like after today. However, he might purify it again the next time he returned to visit You'er.

With everything completed, Yun Che turned west, ready to depart.

Just then, a red light suddenly flashed before him, revealing Hong'er's dainty and petite figure.

As soon as she appeared, she let out a long yawn and stretched her small waist vigorously. "Ugh, I'm hungry! So hungry! Master, I'm practically starving to death! Hurry and get me something to eat!"

"Grrr..."

No sooner had she spoken than her stomach rumbled in perfect cooperation.

"Hong'er..." Watching her energetic movements and listening to her ethereal, melodious, and all-too-familiar voice, Yun Che's heart stirred. He stepped forward and gently pulled her into an embrace. "It's good that you're back; I thought..."

Before he could finish his heartfelt words, Hong'er darted out of his embrace. With her small hands rubbing her stomach, she pouted and cried, "Woo... I'm practically starving, and all you can think about is hugging me... Hurry up and bring food! Faster, faster, faster!"

"Uh... alright, alright," Yun Che quickly nodded. He reached out and produced a few small pieces of Purple Vein Divine Crystal. But before he could hand them to Hong'er, a red flash occurred, and the crystals were already in her hands. She popped them into her mouth like candy, crunching them loudly.

Yun Che reached out again, retrieving a longsword that radiated an icy aura. This time, before Yun Che could even register the sword's form, Hong'er snatched it away with terrifying speed. Her sharp little fangs bit into the blade, creating a series of crackling sounds, and the originally pristine, icy sword body was now marred with a long row of tooth-shaped indentations.

Yun Che was long accustomed to this sight; any other person would likely have been left jaw-dropped on the spot.

Hong'er hugged the ice sword and devoured it ravenously, her face radiating pure happiness and satisfaction. She didn't mention her recent "dormancy" at all. Yun Che stood by, silently watching her until she had consumed the entire sword and contentedly patted her flat little belly. Only then did he smile and ask, "Hong'er, have you been sleeping this whole time?"

"Of course!" Hong'er burped, full of vigor. "Sleeping is what Hong'er loves most."

"Uh..." Yun Che's eyes widened. "You haven't forgotten... what happened earlier, have you?"

"Huh?" Hong'er blinked her crimson eyes. "What are you talking about, Master? It's so hard to understand."

"I mean... in the Star God Realm, I was killed, and you also... uh, have you forgotten all that?" Yun Che asked tentatively. After He Ling "awoke," she had cried in his arms, overcome with emotion and lingering fear, but Hong'er... she was acting as if nothing had happened!

"Oh, of course I didn't forget! I'm not a silly goose like Master." Hong'er tilted her small head and smiled. "But Master is fine now, and I'm fine too, and I'm so full! So it doesn't matter anymore. Why would Master bring that up?"

"Argh..." Yun Che suddenly remembered that Hong'er's thought process had never aligned with that of a normal human. He twisted his mouth and said weakly, "Then that day, you cried and vowed that if I, your Master, returned safely, you'd be obedient, listen to everything I say, and never be willful or throw tantrums again... You surely haven't forgotten that, have you?"

"Huh?" Hong'er bit her finger, then her brows arched. "I was just too hungry, so I completely forgot, hehe."

"I... knew... it," Yun Che muttered, gritting his teeth in exasperation.

"Oh, right! I have a secret to tell you, Master," Hong'er said, her brows still arched, her rosy cheeks like a freshly bloomed lotus. "After such a long, long sleep, Hong'er seems to like Master even more!"

She suddenly floated forward, pressing her lips—which had just devoured a sword yet remained remarkably soft—firmly against Yun Che's cheek. Then, with a giggle, she transformed into a red light and vanished into the sword mark on the back of Yun Che's hand.

Yun Che instinctively touched his cheek, then shook his head with a smile. "This little girl, who taught her that...?"