Chapter 1472: Initial Arrival at Venti

“Father King, it’s quite rare to see you upset over that old man Nanming.”

Qianye Ying’er appeared in the divine hall at some point, or perhaps she had been there all along—her ability to conceal her presence had, after all, once perfectly fooled even Jasmine.

“I cannot help but be angry,” Qianye Fantian said, his rage unyielding. “If he hadn’t found a way to exploit my weakness, why would he personally travel all the way from the Southern Divine Region?”

“For years, Nanming and I have been secretly competing for the position of the second King Realm, yet neither of us could truly overpower the other. Now that we’ve lost three Brahma Gods, it’s only natural for him to seize this opportunity to strike.”

“Father King, there’s no need to worry,” Qianye Ying’er said coolly. “This is the Eastern Divine Region; his influence won’t extend here so easily. Moreover, that old man Nanming is merely a scoundrel who will sooner or later perish because of his fixation on women; he’s not worthy of your anger. Hmph, and he’s certainly not worthy of approaching me, Qianye Ying’er.”

“No,” Qianye Fantian slowly shook his head. “Ying’er, there’s something you must remember: you have never seen the true Nanming God Emperor. The persona he presents to you is never his real self. He is infatuated with you and allows himself to be manipulated, but only because he chooses to be.”

“Furthermore, that was his only means of approaching and obtaining you. But now, he has found another, better method! This matter requires careful consideration.”

“Hah, a joke,” Qianye Ying’er sneered. “Him? He’d better be all talk. If he truly provokes me, even as the Nanming God Emperor, I will make sure he understands the consequences.”

The person who understood Qianye Ying’er best was undoubtedly Qianye Fantian. And Qianye Fantian understood the Nanming God Emperor better than anyone else. His voice deepened slightly: “I’ll say it again: do not compare Nan Wansheng to your previous playthings. To be the foremost God Emperor of the Southern Divine Region, his cunning and stratagems are certainly on par with anyone in this age.”

“What was the outcome of your visit to the Snow Song Realm?” Qianye Ying’er asked.

“Not good news,” Qianye Fantian said, taking a few slow breaths to suppress his anger. He frowned and continued, “Let’s set that aside for now. Before I left the Snow Song Realm, Yun Che suddenly offered to purify the Evil Infant’s demonic energy for me and to visit the Brahma Emperor God Realm on the way... Ying’er, what do you think he’s planning?”

“For me?” Qianye Ying’er’s golden eyes flashed with a strange light.

“I thought about it the entire way back, and there’s no other reason,” Qianye Fantian stated. “You branded him with the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark back then—that’s an unpardonable hatred. Even if he ultimately recovered, there’s absolutely no way he could ever let go. And now, with the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor as his backer, what do you think he’ll do?”

Qianye Ying’er, however, let out a cold laugh. Far from showing any worry, her slightly curved lips were full of scorn and disdain: “Could he really command the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor to kill me? Even if he could, someone who needs to borrow others’ power to exact revenge and display strength, even if he inherits the power of a Creation God, is still just a useless wretch! Is he truly worthy of my apprehension?”

“Father King, you should tell me about the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor instead; I’m far more interested in that. As for Yun Che...” Qianye Ying’er’s golden eyes narrowed. “He’d better dare to show his face!”

“We’re almost there,” Xia Qingyue said, gazing at the starry expanse outside.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“The Brahma Emperor God Realm!” Xia Qingyue’s aura stirred subtly, and a faint purple glimmer flickered in her exquisite eyes.

“As I suspected,” Yun Che mused. “The words you had me say to Qianye Fantian were all for this, weren’t they?”

“On this trip to the Brahma Emperor God Realm, you only need to do one thing,” Xia Qingyue said slowly, watching the space rapidly streak by outside the profound ark. “Just like last time, use your profound light energy to purify the Evil Infant’s demonic energy for Qianye Fantian. Don’t think about anything else, and don’t make any superfluous moves. Also, when purifying, remember not to use your full power, but don’t make it too obvious either; aim for about seventy to eighty percent of the effect you achieved last time.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes!”

“Alright,” Yun Che nodded. Although he had no idea what Xia Qingyue was planning, he didn’t ask further. As Xia Qingyue had warned, if he knew too much, he would inevitably be affected and thus expose vulnerabilities... Qianye Fantian was no ordinary figure; before him, there could be absolutely no room for error.

“You’re truly not going to press for more details?” Yun Che’s straightforward agreement slightly surprised Xia Qingyue.

“There should always be trust between husband and wife,” Yun Che said with a smile.

“Childish.” He had expected Xia Qingyue to be at least a little moved, but all he received were her two faint, indifferent words.

Yun Che wasn’t having it. “Is it wrong for me to trust you!?”

“Don’t easily trust anyone... anyone.” Her voice was very soft, but for some reason, the last word was repeated.

“Does that include you?” Yun Che eyed her sideways.

“Yes,” Xia Qingyue replied without hesitation. “Yun Che, you are no ordinary person. The world you face is far, far more complex than what most people encounter. The very last thing you should possess is excessive trust in others.”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Xia Qingyue began lecturing him again, almost like a senior figure. Yun Che twisted his mouth, but then the image of Huo Poyun flashed before his eyes, and he couldn’t help but sigh, saying, “Trust is indeed a very luxurious thing, because it’s too easily shattered, and once shattered, even if just once, it can never truly be mended again.”

Xia Qingyue: “...”

“Some of my past experiences have made it very difficult for me to truly trust anyone; you don’t need to worry about me in that regard. However, my wife, parents, and daughter should always be exceptions, right?” Yun Che gazed intently at Xia Qingyue’s profile, unwilling to look away for a long time, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Daughter... The two words Yun Che casually uttered made Xia Qingyue’s brows twitch violently.

“How old is your daughter with Master-Aunt Yuechan now?” Xia Qingyue asked.

“She’s fourteen. In another year and a half, she’ll be an adult, the same age you were when you married me,” Yun Che said with a sigh. “Time truly flies.”

“What’s her name?” Xia Qingyue asked again.

“Yun Wuxin,” Yun Che replied. “Her mother gave her that name. Incidentally, the first time I met her, I didn’t know she was my daughter and even made fun of her name.”

Xia Qingyue silently turned her gaze, observing Yun Che’s current demeanor. When he spoke of his daughter, his tone, expression, and the very light in his eyes visibly changed. Even from her side, Xia Qingyue could distinctly sense an incredibly gentle, heartwarming, and proud sentiment.

Yun Che: “...?”

Her long hair swayed as Xia Qingyue turned her head. “You can consider it me simply having idle thoughts,” she said. “I, too, hope that those ‘extremely minute possibilities’ won’t come to pass. I hope you can safely mature to the stature you promised your daughter, and I also hope you can casually discard the talisman I found for you.”

“Hmm...” Yun Che tapped his chin.

Last time, he had complained that Xia Qingyue left without saying a single word. This time, she had spoken quite a lot to him, but... most of it was very strange.

Worrying without reason?

Yun Che had always put considerable faith in things like soul warnings. However, those were almost instinctive defensive reactions made by the body and soul before an impending crisis, after experiencing countless near-death situations... Yet Xia Qingyue’s worries were unfounded and appeared almost impossible to anyone else. Still, her demeanor suggested she placed immense belief in these baseless anxieties.

Although Xia Qingyue had coldly stated that she was using Yun Che to achieve a certain objective, and that the ‘talisman’ was merely a bonus after his usefulness, some of her subsequent remarks revealed that the ‘talisman’ was in fact her primary goal.

“Hmm...” Yun Che fell into deep thought.

“We’ve arrived!”

Following Xia Qingyue’s soft murmur, a vast star realm rapidly drew closer into Yun Che’s view.

Simultaneously, the surrounding aura and space abruptly shifted. The profound ark, as it traversed, seemed to be scraped by thousands of sheets of sandpaper, emitting piercing, grating screeches and beginning to tremble slightly.

“What is this?” Even from within the profound ark, Yun Che sensed an extraordinarily violent aura.

“Let’s go!” Xia Qingyue offered no explanation, flashing to Yun Che’s side. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the Brahma Emperor God Realm, which was now almost upon them.

Brahma Heaven Divine Hall.

“So, the true calamity is still to come?” Qianye Ying’er’s golden brows furrowed, and she murmured, “Nearly a hundred ancient devil gods...”

Anyone hearing such news couldn’t help but be shocked.

“The last hope still rests solely with Yun Che,” Qianye Fantian said gravely. “However, hope is clearly slim. Yun Che is, after all, merely a mortal who inherited the Evil God’s divine power; his ability to influence the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor’s will has not yet reached that extent. Therefore, we must prepare to face a grand tribulation... how to survive this grand tribulation is what we should be prioritizing right now.”

At that moment, a message from a Brahma Emperor Divine Envoy suddenly arrived from outside the hall: “Reporting, God Emperor, Yun Che has arrived.”

He had already given instructions upon his arrival that he must be informed immediately if Yun Che were to come.

Qianye Fantian and Qianye Ying’er both turned their gazes at the same time.

“So fast?” Qianye Fantian murmured, then asked, “Is he alone?”

“No, the person accompanying him... we’ve just confirmed it’s the Moon God Emperor!”

“Hmm?” Qianye Fantian’s brows subtly furrowed, clearly surprised.

“Xia Qingyue?” Qianye Ying’er’s eyes narrowed, dangerous golden light shimmering within them. “Yun Che and Xia Qingyue have, as expected, come for me.”

“Yun Che is one thing, but Xia Qingyue being so impetuous... did I overestimate her?” Qianye Ying’er scoffed. “Hmph, very well. Let me see what they, with the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor as their backer, can possibly do to me here!”