Chapter 1450: Big Shots Gather

The Heaven Smiting Assembly was convened at the Conferred God Stage, the very place where the Battle of the Conferred Gods took place.

When Yun Che entered the Conferred God Stage with Mu Xuanyin, powerful Divine Masters from the major star realms had almost all arrived. Though hundreds of people were seated across the vast stage, making them appear sparse from a distance, it was precisely these few hundred individuals who imbued the entire Conferred God Stage with an incredibly weighty aura.

These few hundred people represented the collective might of the Eastern Divine Region's most powerful beings! Each one was the absolute ruler of a star realm, standing at the pinnacle of this world, revered by all living beings like gods descended to earth.

Out of over twenty thousand star realms and trillions of living beings in the Eastern Divine Region, there were only five hundred Upper Star Realms, and a mere seven hundred Divine Masters. Nearly all of them were gathered today at the Heaven Smiting Conferred God Stage.

This was a spectacle beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Upon Yun Che and Mu Xuanyin's arrival, the already quiet scene instantly became even more silent. Over seven hundred gazes swept across them almost in unison—but with a few exceptions, these gazes were not directed at Mu Xuanyin. Instead, they were fixed intently on Yun Che.

Who exactly were these individuals present?

To be noticed so intensely by these top figures at such a young age, perhaps Yun Che was the only one in the entire God Realm.

The news of Yun Che's demise in the Star God Realm had once been known throughout the world, eliciting countless sighs of regret. Half a month ago, rumors of his survival began to spread, and now, seeing him with their own eyes, they couldn't help but be astonished.

They were also surprised as to why he was permitted to attend the Heaven Smiting Assembly, an event explicitly exclusive to Divine Masters.

As he approached the Conferred God Stage, Yun Che felt a tightness in his chest, and his complexion became somewhat abnormal. Under the concentrated gazes and aura of these formidable Divine Masters, Yun Che's body swayed slightly, and he nearly spat out blood on the spot.

Mu Xuanyin reached out and lightly touched Yun Che's back. Instantly, the immense pressure weighing down on Yun Che vanished without a trace. His complexion improved, and his breathing became steady.

"Brother Yun Che, over here!"

In this place where powerful figures converged and even scattered clouds dared not drift, a girl's voice rang out with remarkable clarity. Shui Meiyin stood up, bouncing and waving to Yun Che, completely oblivious to the strange looks from others.

Next to her sat Shui Qianheng and her elder sister, Shui Yingyue.

All three Divine Masters of the Glazed Light Realm, now the Upper Star Realm with the most Divine Masters, were present.

Mu Xuanyin brought Yun Che with her. With a flash of blue light, they were already seated beside the Glazed Light Realm's designated area.

Shui Yingyue turned her eyes, glanced at Yun Che, and gave him a slight nod. She looked exactly as she had back then, with almost no changes; even her outer garment was still the same blue, water-patterned robe.

Yun Che was not surprised in the slightest by Shui Yingyue's presence. As one of the Four God Children of the Eastern Region back then, it would have been odd if she weren't among the nineteen new Divine Masters in the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm.

Yun Che greeted Shui Qianheng and the Shui Yingyue sisters, then obediently took a seat beside Mu Xuanyin. The moment he settled down, Shui Meiyin, like a fluttering butterfly, moved to sit beside him, her face beaming with a slightly shy, joyful smile.

Over the past three days in the Heaven Smiting Realm, her relationship with Yun Che had grown much closer.

Furthermore, with Shui Qianheng and Mu Xuanyin already discussing a wedding date, she had essentially begun to consider herself Yun Che's woman.

This girl, who smiled so charmingly, radiant as a painting, and stuck to a man like glue despite others being present—if one didn't know her true identity, no one would believe she was one of the most prominent figures here, someone whom ninety percent of Upper Realm Kings wouldn't dare meet eye to eye—a Level Seven Divine Master with an untainted Divine Soul!

Shui Meiyin's behavior, akin to a girl deeply in love, caused countless hearts to flutter incessantly.

Shui Qianheng sighed softly, shook his head, and wore a helpless expression. Shui Yingyue, however, looked surprised, constantly observing the subtle interactions between Yun Che and Shui Meiyin out of the corner of her eye.

As Shui Meiyin's elder sister and the person who had spent the most time with her, Shui Yingyue simply could not understand why Shui Meiyin was so utterly infatuated with Yun Che. After a full three thousand years, her feelings had not only failed to fade but seemed even stronger than before.

It made her wonder if such a thing as "bewitchment" truly existed in this world.

Yun Che's gaze swept around. He knew the identities of everyone present and understood how frightening it was for him to be in such a setting.

Among these individuals, he saw many familiar faces.

Huo Poyun!

Since Yun Che's arrival, he had kept his head lowered. When Yun Che's gaze fell upon him, he remained motionless, as if completely unaware of Yun Che's presence or gaze.

Jun Xilei... no doubt! When Yun Che's gaze met hers, he instantly felt as if a sword had pierced his soul, causing him to grimace...

This vengeful little brat, this three-thousand-year-old hag! With that foul temper of yours, you'll never get married in this life!

Lu Lengchuan... seeing him, Yun Che was also not surprised in the least.

Their gazes met, and they exchanged nods and smiles.

"Brother Yun, seeing you safe and sound is truly a great blessing," Lu Lengchuan transmitted.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu, on achieving the Great Dao," Yun Che transmitted back.

"It's a pity you didn't enter the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm. Every time I think of it, I feel a deep regret," Lu Lengchuan said regretfully.

"Haha, everyone has their own destiny, no need to dwell on it."

Next to the Heaven Covering Realm was the Sacred Universe Realm, and Yun Che immediately spotted Luo Changsheng.

Compared to back then, Luo Changsheng's appearance had noticeably changed; he had matured significantly. Gone was his former delicate elegance, and his arrogance was no longer outwardly displayed. His entire being, from his gaze to his aura, was exceptionally restrained, like a fierce tiger accustomed to quietly conserving its strength, never willing to bare its claws or fangs.

He appeared remarkably composed regarding Yun Che's arrival. When Yun Che's gaze swept over him, he offered a slight smile and even a nod of greeting, seemingly having completely forgotten the humiliation from back then, or perhaps entirely unaware of what had transpired half a month ago.

Beside Luo Changsheng was only the Sacred Universe Realm King, Luo Shangchen; Luo Guxie was nowhere to be seen.

At this time, her arm likely hadn't been reformed yet. Why would she come out and embarrass herself...? Yun Che thought to himself.

"Brother Yun Che," Shui Meiyin whispered in his ear, "You still haven't told me why you came to this assembly?"

"To watch the show, of course. After all, a grand event like this will probably only happen once in a lifetime," Yun Che replied, half-truthfully.

"Liar!" Shui Meiyin playfully stuck out her tongue, then leaned in closer, her soft lips almost touching Yun Che's ear. "Brother Yun Che, on the day you defeated me, who were those two sisters kneeling beneath you?"

"!" Yun Che's body trembled.

Mu Xuanyin subtly cast a glance.

"That question, we'll discuss it later, much later!" Yun Che's old face slightly flushed.

"Pfft..." Shui Meiyin covered her lips with her hand, gazing infatuatedly at Yun Che's twitching face. She whispered, "Actually, Brother Yun Che is much naughtier than he looks, to make such beautiful sisters do those kinds of things. In the future... he'll definitely bully me like that too, hmph, he's just awful."

As she spoke, the image seemed to reappear in her mind, and her face instantly flushed with a rosy glow, making her irresistibly charming.

"..." Yun Che obediently fell silent. This was the Conferred God Stage of the Heaven Smiting Realm, surrounded by powerful figures, and this little girl actually... she was practically a mischievous fairy deliberately teasing his heart!

Yun Che, feeling particularly guilty, subtly glanced around... if her father or sister heard this, what a disaster that would be!

"Oh, right," she whispered again. This time, her nose brushed against Yun Che's ear, soft and ticklish. "Have you ever bullied your Master like that?"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..." Yun Che's entire body shivered, and he instantly choked on his own saliva, struggling to catch his breath for a long time.

Mu Xuanyin: "............"

"No, no, no, no, no, don't talk nonsense! Sh-sh-she's my Master... you-you-you-you-you..."

Yun Che seemed as if someone had grabbed his head and pressed his face to the ground, his words coming out in a complete stammer.

After all, he felt guilty...

"Ohh..." Shui Meiyin drew out a long sound, finally letting Yun Che off the hook.

But after wiping away his cold sweat, Yun Che immediately counterattacked. Mimicking Shui Meiyin, he leaned close to her ear and whispered in a voice he believed no one else could possibly hear, "Let me tell you, what those two 'sisters' did is called... something you'll have to do every day after you marry me. Got it?"

"..." Shui Meiyin's face instantly turned bright red. Beside her, Shui Yingyue turned her gaze and casually asked, "Han Xiao? What's that? Are you two discussing some kind of cultivation technique?"

Shui Meiyin: "..."

Mu Xuanyin: "..."

Shui Qianheng: "..."

Yun Che numbly raised his head, feeling as if his internal organs had been hoisted up and were trembling violently. "No... no... you... you heard wrong."

"Heard wrong?" Shui Yingyue was about to ask further when she suddenly saw Shui Meiyin's abnormal complexion, so red it seemed to be burning. Her delicate brows furrowed, and she asked with concern, "Meiyin, what's wrong with you? Why is your face so flushed?"

"Ahem, never mind her. Focus on the important matter at hand," Shui Qianheng said with a serious expression.

"..." Shui Yingyue turned her gaze back and instantly noticed that everyone's complexions seemed somewhat off. She felt puzzled, suspicious, and also thought... perhaps she shouldn't ask?

"Bad person! You even bully my sister," Shui Meiyin mumbled, covering her still-burning face.

"I clearly only bullied you," Yun Che said with a resentful expression.

Shui Meiyin's lips subtly moved, her pink tongue lightly touching her lips. Then, she suddenly leaned close to Yun Che's ear again and softly said, "For Brother Yun Che, I'll study hard and definitely do it better than those sisters. But you have to teach me properly, okay?"

After saying this, she buried her face, not daring to look at Yun Che for a long time.

"..." Yun Che felt every cell in his body revolt, his blood vessels throbbing as if they might burst. He closed his eyes, bit the tip of his tongue, and frantically recited the Ice Heart Arts in his mind... It was a long time before his complexion finally returned to normal.

This girl... she was definitely a reincarnated succubus!

On the other side, Shui Qianheng clutched his face, burying it in his hands, a strange sorrow welling up in his heart: For whom had he raised this daughter of his?

His precious "cabbage," whom he had painstakingly nurtured with all his heart, was actually offering herself up to be "gnawed on"...

"They're here!" Shui Yingyue suddenly murmured.

At the same time, the aura around the Conferred God Stage abruptly solidified.

The scattered clouds, which had been still for a long time in the sky, slowly parted. Space rippled gently like water, and then an old man's figure slowly emerged. Dressed in grey robes, with a benevolent but authoritative face, it was none other than the Heaven Smiting God Emperor.

As he appeared, fifteen figures in identical attire simultaneously emerged behind him.

The Heaven Smiting God Emperor's arrival caused the various Eastern Region magnates to rise in greeting. However, upon clearly seeing the fifteen individuals behind him, everyone was greatly astonished, their hearts trembling.

These fifteen figures... were all Heaven Smiting Guardians!

During the Calamity of the Evil Infant years ago, the Heaven Smiting Realm lost two Guardians, leaving fifteen of the original seventeen. And all fifteen of these Guardians, led by Revered Taoyu, had appeared!

This was certainly a grand display, far exceeding everyone's expectations.

"Heh heh, I am late and have kept you all waiting," the Heaven Smiting God Emperor said, looking around. He then raised his hand. "Esteemed guests, please be seated so we may discuss this important matter."

The moment his voice fell, the Conferred God Stage, whose aura was already unimaginably profound for ordinary people, suddenly emanated one terrifying and unparalleled aura after another.

At the Star God Realm's exclusive seating area, six streaks of profound light in different colors descended from the sky—they were the Six Great Star Gods!

During the Calamity of the Evil Infant, the Star God Realm had undoubtedly suffered heavy losses; its core territory was completely destroyed, and the Star God Emperor's whereabouts were unknown. Of the original twelve Star Gods, some had died and others had left, leaving only six now, who could only temporarily reside in an affiliated star realm. Compared to its former glory, the Star God Realm was now in a truly desolate state.

However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Regardless of other factors, the remaining six Star Gods and sixteen Star God Elders alone constituted a force beyond the reach of any Upper Star Realm, still capable of influencing the entire Eastern Divine Region's power structure.

The moment the Six Star Gods took their seats, their gazes, as if by prior agreement, simultaneously fixed upon Yun Che.

Yun Che's brows darkened, and his eyes turned cold. Far from avoiding their gaze, he stared directly back at them.

Ultimately, it was the Six Star Gods who quickly averted their eyes, and a different, complex change appeared on each of their faces.

Yun Che's death back then was, after all, only a rumor to others. While they were surprised to hear he was alive, it was merely surprise.

But these Six Star Gods had personally witnessed Yun Che's tragic death!

Even his remains were completely destroyed, leaving not a single trace.

Therefore, their shock upon hearing the news of Yun Che's survival and seeing him with their own eyes was immense.

Alongside the horror, a sense of unease and dread, comprehensible only to them, arose.

Yun Che's death back then was caused by the Star God Realm, not by the Evil Infant. He also clearly knew about the "ritual" from that time... and could even know why the Evil Infant descended.

And if these truths were to become known and believed by the world, the consequences for the Star God Realm would be unimaginable.