Chapter 1433: Crimson Origin

The world against her – this was Jasmine's current situation. And, because she had transformed into the "Evil Infant," this situation would never change... until her death!

Hearing that Jasmine was still alive, Yun Che was undoubtedly ecstatic, as if in a dream. However, Mu Xuanyin's few words immediately cast an extremely dark shadow over the immense joy in Yun Che's heart.

His joy slowly cooled. Yun Che let out a deep breath, muttering to himself, yet also asking, "Jasmine... how could she be the Evil Infant... how could this be..."

"You truly didn't know that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Wheel resided within her?" Mu Xuanyin asked.

Yun Che shook his head... completely unaware, not knowing a single thing: "Master, you said earlier... it was because of me?"

"Yes." Mu Xuanyin slightly furrowed her brows. Aside from those in the Star God Realm, she was the only one in the world who knew why the "Evil Infant" had come into existence.

As an artifact possessing the most extreme and terrifying negative power in the world, it was obvious to anyone that its awakening must have been triggered by negative power amplified to a certain limit.

Back then, even when both she and Caizhi became sacrifices, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Wheel showed no sign of awakening... and all the drastic changes occurred after Yun Che's death.

Although she hadn't witnessed it firsthand, Mu Xuanyin understood the reason for the Evil Infant's appearance as soon as she received the news.

"Clearly, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Wheel must have been within her for a long time," Mu Xuanyin slowly stated, "but it never revealed any trace or aura. This means that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Wheel was originally completely dormant... and after your death, its power awakened, and she transformed into the Evil Infant. What do you think... could be the reason?"

Yun Che stood there, once again lost in thought for a long time... Then, he closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and his whole body trembled slightly.

"After destroying the Star God Realm back then, the Evil Infant never reappeared. The three Divine Region King Realms, along with countless star realms in the Eastern Divine Region, searched exhaustively but could never find her exact whereabouts... Do you think you can find her?" Mu Xuanyin said coldly. "Even if you do find her, she is now the Evil Infant, a devil god more terrifying than any demon! If you get close to her, do you know what the consequences will be? By then, there will be no place for you in this world!"

Yun Che: "..."

"The people of the Star God Realm haven't revealed your relationship with her to anyone, because they wouldn't dare! That sacrificial ritual itself went against the heavenly way and human ethics. If the world were to know that they forced out the Evil Infant, they would become sinners denounced by all, and the other King Realms would wish to grind their bones to dust. Therefore, if you are asked why you went to the Star God Realm back then, absolutely do not say it was related to her. Now, you absolutely cannot go looking for her; in fact, the further away you stay from her, the better!"

"Moreover, if her soul hasn't been completely hijacked and the will of the Heaven Smiting Star God still remains, she would also definitely not let you find her!"

Mu Xuanyin said a lot, giving many earnest warnings... She knew Yun Che too well, and even more so, she knew he would stop at nothing for Jasmine. Therefore, she had to warn him repeatedly.

Yun Che opened his eyes and said slowly but firmly, "I will definitely find her... definitely!"

Mu Xuanyin's brows furrowed tightly.

"However, not now. The current me isn't qualified to look for her," Yun Che continued. He seemed to have calmed down; at least, the trembling in his eyes was less severe. "She's still alive. For me, that's a tremendous blessing. As for the rest... whether she's the Evil Infant or the world's enemy, no matter how great the obstacles... at least, I can see her again."

Mu Xuanyin heard the firmness in his words, and also the desolation.

Between him and Jasmine, reunions were always so difficult. Separated by realms... separated by life and death... and after overcoming all of that, the greatest obstacle in the world now stood between them.

Mu Xuanyin could say no more. Facing Yun Che, who was resolute enough to die with Jasmine, any advice was futile; he would only follow his own choice. She turned around and said, "I've said everything I needed to. As for what to do next... the matter of Little Princess Glazed Light, the matter of the Heaven Smiting Star God, you should think it over carefully yourself."

"The Frozen Cloud Heavenly Lake has already opened. If you want to enter, you may do so at any time."

"Yes... Disciple takes his leave."

Yun Che turned and left with wavering steps... As he was about to step out of the Sacred Hall, he stopped again and asked, "Master, Caizhi... the Heavenly Wolf Star God, she..."

"She's also still alive, and it's confirmed that she's within the God Realm of Absolute Beginning," Mu Xuanyin said expressionlessly.

Stepping out of the Sacred Hall and standing in the wind and snow, Yun Che felt an endless bewilderment in his heart.

He had returned to the God Realm with determination, and today was only his second day... The constant unexpected events made him feel as if the entire world had changed.

Luo Guxie, Huo Poyun, and even the Crimson Calamity... all were now cast to the back of his mind. His heart and soul were filled solely with Jasmine's image.

She's still alive...

The Evil Infant...

The Evil Infant...

Because of me... she became the Evil Infant...

No, you're still alive. That's the most wonderful thing in the world. What kind of demon or Evil Infant you are, it doesn't matter!

Back then, you promised that if there were a next life, we would definitely meet again... Now, this life isn't over, there's no need for a next life. No matter what, I will find you!

Bathing in the cold wind for a long time, Yun Che's resolve gradually solidified, and his mind cleared. He knew that Jasmine must know he was still alive, because she had known long ago about the Nirvana Flame bestowed upon him by the Phoenix soul. Even if she didn't realize it at the time, she would surely remember it at some point.

And Caizhi. It was unimaginable what kind of distortion and drastic changes her heart, soul, and temperament would have undergone after experiencing all of this, especially since Jasmine had described her as already having her "heart on the edge of an abyss."

Yun Che shook his head and looked north... towards the location of the Frozen Cloud Heavenly Lake.

He needed power now... by any means, by any method!

With his resolve set, he rose and flew towards the Frozen Cloud Heavenly Lake.

Arriving before the Frozen Cloud Heavenly Lake, with a slight movement of his will, the barrier opened directly, just as it had years ago.

During his years in the Snow Song Realm, he had spent the most time in the Frozen Cloud Heavenly Lake, and Mu Xuanyin had accompanied him the longest. Entering the Heavenly Lake area again now, ice light shimmered, ice spirits danced, and everything was exactly as he remembered it.

Suppressing all the tumultuous thoughts, Yun Che took a slight breath, leaped into the Heavenly Lake, and plunged straight down.

Compared to his previous cautious and gentle descents, this time Yun Che went down at full speed, heading straight for the bottom of the lake. Soon, his feet landed on a layer of crystal-like fine sand, and a deep blue arc of light appeared in his vision.

This was his third time reaching the bottom of the lake.

Following the direction of the blue light arc, Yun Che quickly moved forward. Soon, within the azure world, the translucent, rhombus-shaped ice crystal came into view.

Inside the ice crystal, a dreamlike young girl's figure was curled up. Her jade arms embraced her knees, and her delicate head was buried between them. Her entire body was nude, her snowy legs long and gleaming white, her jade feet small like lotus buds, and her skin was as flawless and lustrous as jade, radiating a starlight-like glow.

Her ice-blue hair, translucent white, flowed down, obscuring her face and concealing the most forbidden glimpses of the young girl's charm.

"Yun Che, you've finally arrived."

A young girl's voice echoed in his heart, soft as water, ethereal as a dream.

Yun Che stepped forward, stopping just a few steps from the girl, clearly able to see every inch of her jade-like skin: "Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit, long time no see. You once said, 'When the world is enveloped in crimson despair,' I must come find you... At that time, I was ignorant and unaware. But now, the Eastern Divine Region's situation is precisely like the 'crimson despair' you spoke of, so I have come."

"So, you have acquired sufficient resolve?" she softly uttered.

"Yes." Yun Che slowly nodded. "Since I've returned to the God Realm and come here, I've already made sufficient preparations and gained enough resolve. I will no longer question or evade the 'mission' you spoke of back then."

"Good... Then I shall tell you the truth of this crimson calamity, and the sliver of hope entrusted to you... This calamity is approaching far too quickly, so fast that even I was caught unprepared. Regardless of whether you are ready, it is now time I must tell you."

"And I thank you for arriving before everything becomes irreversible."

Yun Che took a light breath, his face solemn: "I want to confirm once more, is the crimson despair you speak of the crack originating from the Eastern End of Chaos?"

"Yes," the Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit replied.

Yun Che's brows twitched. He said, "Currently, the Eastern Divine Region is gathering all its strength, preparing to face the crimson calamity that could erupt at any moment. With the Eastern Divine Region's power, is there any possibility of withstanding it?"

The Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit sighed softly: "Back then, I said more than once that you are the only hope... and this 'only' is in the absolute sense. Only you, who inherited the Heretic God's divine power, have the possibility of resolving this calamity. The current power of the Divine Regions, even if it were ten times stronger, would have absolutely no chance of coping."

"This is also why the Heretic God, back then, chose to shorten his own existence just to leave behind a sliver of hope."

The only hope... and absolutely the only one.

A calamity that the Eastern Divine Region couldn't cope with even if it were ten times stronger!?

His heart suddenly grew heavy, then quickly became clear and empty. Yun Che nodded: "Alright, I understand. Please tell me, what exactly is this calamity? And what can I do?"

At the bottom of the Frozen Cloud Heavenly Lake, every inch of space was intensely cold. The Ice Phoenix girl... the only ancient divine spirit remaining in the world, slowly began her narration.

"At the beginning of Chaos, before the Ancestral God dissipated, she left behind a 'Divine Decree of the Ancestral God' which was split into three parts and spread throughout the various realms. One of these parts fell into the hands of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, one of the four Devil Emperors of the Devil Race."

"And in the era of the Ancient Gods, the beginning of that disaster... the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E used another part of the Divine Decree of the Ancestral God as bait, luring the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor under the pretense of jointly comprehending the decree. Then, he used the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword to blast open the Wall of Primal Chaos, sending that Devil Emperor and all the Devil Gods she brought with her outside of Primal Chaos."

Yun Che listened quietly... He already knew this past event, as it was recorded in some ancient texts left over from the era of the Ancient Gods. It was also widely known in the current God Realm.

The first to tell him these things was the Golden Crow Soul Spirit from the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. At that time, the Golden Crow Soul Spirit told him that the Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E was exceedingly righteous and detested evil, believing that devils who used negative profound energy were sinful beings. Since the fragments of the Divine Decree of the Ancestral God were left by the Ancestral God at the beginning of chaos, they absolutely could not fall into the hands of the Devil Race, so he used this method to forcefully seize them.

However, after encountering the Ice Phoenix girl, she told him another truth... a truth known to very few even in the era of the Ancient Gods: The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E's primary reason for using the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword and resorting to despicable means to execute the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor was absolutely not because of the fragments of the Divine Decree of the Ancestral God, but because... the Heretic God and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had long since fallen in love in secret and become husband and wife.

Moreover, they also had a forbidden offspring.

The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E, who was righteous, detested evil, and utterly intolerant of the Devil Race, absolutely could not tolerate a god... let alone a Creation God, falling in love with a Devil Emperor and even having a child! In his eyes, this was undoubtedly the greatest disgrace to the God Race, and this disgrace could only truly be cleansed by making the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor disappear forever.

This was the true reason he used the Ancestral Sword to break open the Wall of Primal Chaos and banish the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor and her accompanying Devil Gods.

According to what the Ice Phoenix girl had said earlier, this secret, which could not be revealed, was known only to the Four Creation Gods in the ancient God Race. The Ice Phoenix girl herself only happened to learn a little about it because she served under the Life Creation God, Lisha.

"That event, that was the origin of this crimson calamity. The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor Mo E back then could never have imagined what an enormous disaster his one sword strike — which tore open the Wall of Primal Chaos and banished the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor and nine hundred Devil Gods — had buried for later generations."

Yun Che froze at these words.

The Heaven Punishing Divine Emperor banishing the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor... was the... origin... of the crimson calamity!?

He racked his brain, drawing on all his knowledge and imagination from both his lives, yet he couldn't comprehend these words.