Chapter 1476: Chiba's Flaw

A personality flaw? Could someone as utterly ruthless and cold-hearted as Qianye Ying'er actually possess such a weakness?

“Are you suggesting that the weakness is... Qianye Fantian’s significant importance to Qianye Ying’er?” Yun Che asked.

Naturally, a father holds great importance in his daughter’s heart, an irreplaceable and incomparable bond. But... this is Qianye Ying’er! Yun Che uttered these words with profound disbelief.

“He is extremely important!” Xia Qingyue stated.

“You may have heard that Qianye Ying’er was born to Qianye Fantian’s primary consort, the Brahma Monarch God Realm’s Empress. However, her birth mother was actually just an ordinary concubine at the time, and the Empress then was someone else, the mother of the Brahma Monarch Crown Prince.”

Yun Che raised an eyebrow. (Brahma Monarch Crown Prince? I don’t recall hearing that title.)

“After Qianye Ying’er was born, at a very young age, she displayed astonishing talent and even more astonishing ambition in the profound way. Her ambition in the profound way was partly due to her environment, and partly for her birth mother.”

“At that time, Qianye Fantian had two thousand concubines, and given the cruel laws of survival in the Brahma Monarch God Realm, the status of an ordinary concubine was self-evident. As a child, Qianye Ying’er relied solely on her birth mother. To secure a higher status and more influence for her mother in the Brahma Monarch God Realm, she trained desperately. To compete for resources and opportunities, she increasingly displayed cunning and ruthlessness. Coupled with her already exceptionally high profound talent... naturally, her rate of growth astonished the Brahma Monarch God Realm and Qianye Fantian himself.”

“At that time, Qianye Ying’er was not as utterly self-serving as she is now. On the contrary, half... or rather, a large part of her existence then was for her mother.”

“Subsequently, Qianye Ying’er garnered increasing attention from Qianye Fantian, and her birth mother’s status naturally rose day by day. Qianye Ying’er’s growth did not slow down because of this; on the contrary, Qianye Fantian’s attention granted her more opportunities and resources, making her already terrifying growth rate even more astonishing... Afterward, Qianye Fantian even issued a secret decree within the Brahma Monarch God Realm.”

“This decree forbade anyone in the Brahma Monarch God Realm from revealing or discussing anything about Qianye Ying’er to outsiders.” Xia Qingyue’s gaze shifted slightly. “Do you know what this secret decree signified?”

“It was both a form of protection for her and... an indication of special high hopes,” Yun Che replied.

“Precisely. The moment this decree was issued, the entire Brahma Monarch God Realm sensed something unique. The most uneasy individuals were undoubtedly the Brahma Monarch Crown Prince and... the then-Empress! At that time, rumors were already circulating within the Brahma Monarch God Realm that Emperor Fantian was clearly indicating his intent to pour all his efforts into cultivating Qianye Ying’er, naturally intending for her to inherit the position of God Emperor in the future. In that case, the Brahma Monarch Crown Prince’s title might soon be abolished, and the Empress would likely be simultaneously deposed, with Qianye Ying’er’s birth mother becoming the new Empress.”

“Then... just four days after that secret decree was issued, Qianye Ying’er’s birth mother died.”

“Qianye Ying’er also suffered an assassination attempt. However, her profound strength was already at the late Divine Sovereign Realm, and she maintained strong vigilance. She also always wore a protective profound artifact personally bestowed by Qianye Fantian, so she escaped unharmed... But she failed to protect her mother, or perhaps, being still naive then, she hadn’t fully grasped the horrors of human nature and the cruelty of the laws of survival.”

“To dare make a move even within the Brahma Monarch God Realm,” Yun Che shook his head. “The people of the Brahma Monarch God Realm are indeed a bunch of lunatics.”

“Although no clear evidence or traces were found, everyone knew that only the Empress and the Crown Prince would dare take such a drastic, poisonous step, risking so much.”

“It is said that Qianye Ying’er was utterly devastated that day... You have experienced Qianye Ying’er’s sinister ruthlessness, so it must be hard to imagine her breaking down for someone. But the Qianye Ying’er of that time was not the Qianye Ying’er of today. Or perhaps, that upheaval created the Qianye Ying’er of today.”

“And that very day, Qianye Fantian’s fury reverberated throughout the entire Brahma Monarch God Realm. He did something that shocked everyone... He personally executed the Empress and the Crown Prince!”

“What?!” Yun Che exclaimed, astonished.

That very day... by his own hands... he executed his Empress, his own son... who was also the Crown Prince!

“He further declared that their names would be forever erased from the Brahma Monarch ancestral records, and no one would ever be permitted to mention them again. Qianye Ying’er’s birth mother was then posthumously honored as the new Empress.”

“There was... such a thing,” Yun Che murmured.

“Do you understand now?” Xia Qingyue asked.

Yun Che nodded slightly. “Her mother was originally the most important person in her life, and most of her efforts were for her mother. When her mother was murdered, and her father avenged her in the most ruthless and brutal way, granting her mother the greatest honor and comfort, then her affection and dependence on her mother would undoubtedly be partially, or even entirely, transferred to Qianye Fantian... along with an additional layer of deep-seated gratitude.”

“Therefore...” Xia Qingyue subtly averted her gaze, seemingly unwilling to let Yun Che see the cold glint flickering deep within her eyes. “Qianye Fantian represents the only familial affection and warmth in her humanity. When she is indifferent to everything else, then this sole source of affection and warmth becomes the one thing she cannot afford to lose.”

“At the same time, it became her only weakness!”

“Yet, this weakness belongs to the number one God Emperor of the Eastern Divine Region. Even if everyone in the world knew about it, probably no one would consider it a weakness. But... a weakness is a weakness, after all.”

Someone as powerful as Qianye Fantian having a weakness? Probably no one in the world, except Xia Qingyue, would think so; they would likely dismiss such a statement as a joke.

But she genuinely...

A certain secret of the Brahma Monarch God Realm... Qianye Ying’er’s personality flaw... Qianye Fantian’s character traits... the Evil Infant’s Devil Qi he was afflicted with... the deduction that Yun Che could control dark profound energy... Yun Che’s Heaven Poison power...

How did she integrate all of these things!?

“Qingyue,” Yun Che suddenly said, “Can you answer a question for me?”

Xia Qingyue raised an eyebrow.

“Am I... considered your weakness?” Yun Che gazed into her eyes.

“I used to be.” Without any hesitation or even a flicker in her eyes, she spoke calmly: “Back then, I could betray my foster father and the Moon God Realm for you, and I could offer everything I possessed to seek help from Senior Shen Xi.”

“...And now?”

Xia Qingyue met his gaze with her stunningly serene eyes. “The current me has no weaknesses.”

“While you have countless ones!”

Yun Che stood there, speechless for a long time.

Xia Qingyue turned and slowly walked away. “Calm your mind here and think carefully about what you need to do. Although this act is me using your strength to get revenge on Qianye Ying’er, if it succeeds, it will also greatly benefit you. After all, as the Moon God Emperor, I would not borrow your time and power for nothing.”

“Oh, right,” her steps paused slightly, and she asked a strange question. “How many people have you killed in total?”

“...A few million, I suppose,” Yun Che replied.

“And in the last three years?” Xia Qingyue asked again.

Yun Che pondered, then answered, “Four.”

“Indeed,” Xia Qingyue closed her eyes slightly. “The scent of blood on you has faded to a surprising degree. Why is that?”

“No particular reason, it’s just that in recent years, I haven't wanted to get too much blood on my hands,” Yun Che said with a faint smile. “You'll probably find that amusing, but you'll understand once you have children of your own.”

“On the contrary, the number of people I've saved from the Crimson Catastrophe in recent years is far greater than all the people I've ever killed. Because of this, my mindset has also become increasingly peaceful in these past few years, especially when I'm with my daughter.”

Xia Qingyue moved her steps lightly, and a beautiful violet silhouette silently receded into the distance, without another word.

Stepping out of the bedchamber, Xia Qingyue let out a faint sigh, then softly called, “Lianyue.”

A maiden's silhouette, clad in a sea-blue moon robe, appeared before her and gracefully bowed.

“Go personally to the Everlasting Heaven God Realm and invite the Everlasting Heaven God Emperor to come as a guest to my Moon God Realm in three days. Remember to inform him that Yun Che is here; he certainly won't refuse then.”

“Yes,” Lianyue replied softly, her figure vanishing into the moonlight.

“I hope it succeeds,” Xia Qingyue murmured. “Even if it fails, backed by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, he won't suffer any ill consequences, but...”

She raised her beautiful head. Above the firmament, the bright moon hung high. It existed in the vast night sky, yet no one ever knew from where it originated, or to where it would ultimately return.

In the Southern Divine Region, there was a dangerous place no one dared approach.

This place was known as the Evil God’s Remains. According to records, it was where the Evil God secluded himself after forsaking the title of Creation God in ancient times, and also where Jasmine obtained the Evil God’s blood of destruction.

However, now it was merely a desolate expanse with no special aura, haunted instead by terrifying profound beasts that inspired fear.

High in the distant sky, Jie Yuan floated silently.

She had been there for a full day and night, motionless the entire time, simply watching in silence.

She wanted to find something, but only desolation and emptiness remained, with not a single trace or aura of his past existence.

Knowing it was the Evil God's Remains and having heard that the Heavens Wounding Star God found some kind of Evil God inheritance here, every inch of this land had long been overturned countless times; how could anything be left?

Finally, she withdrew her gaze and spiritual perception. Instead of returning to accompany You'er, she chose a random direction and flew straight ahead.

She wanted to try and find any traces he might have left in nearby star regions.

Passing through barren lands, forests, and rivers... she spotted a human city. However, this human city was currently experiencing a sudden disaster.

“How could the profound beasts from the Serene Forest... Argh!”

“Is this a profound beast riot... just like in the Eastern Divine Region!?”

“Run... Run!!”

Facing the sudden profound beast rampage, the unprepared humans plunged into immense panic. Their resistance was clearly powerless against the overwhelming tide of profound beasts, like terrifying waves... Fear, screams, and despair spread rapidly throughout the city like a plague.

“Xiner, run! Run!!”

A couple, while fleeing with their daughter, who was just over ten years old, desperately fended off the constantly pursuing profound beasts, gradually nearing exhaustion.

Boom!

With a resounding crash, the couple blocked the profound beast's attack, but couldn't entirely stop the residual force. Their daughter was swept up as if by a hurricane, flung high into the distant sky, and then fell towards the claws of a massive profound beast in the distance.

The girl's shriek and the couple's desperate roars echoed in the air.

At that moment, a black light flashed, and a dark figure appeared between the girl and the profound beast. The profound beast behind instantly turned into black smoke, while the little girl was already held in the figure's hand, all force on her body completely dissipated. She was unharmed, aside from being startled.

Jie Yuan waved her arm, tossing the little girl back to her parents, then prepared to leave.

Receiving their unharmed daughter, the couple's faces showed not gratitude, but endless terror. They stared at Jie Yuan, their bodies trembling as they retreated. “A devil... a devil person! It’s a devil person!!”

Jie Yuan: “...”

“Daddy, she saved me, she's my savior!” The little girl, though still frightened, spoke with remarkable clarity.

“No! She's a devil person!” The woman shielded her daughter, retreating step by step, her eyes wide with terror... and seemingly hatred. “She’s the most terrifying, filthiest, most sinful devil person your mother has told you about many times!!”

“Quick! Inform the city lord! Not only are there profound beasts, but a devil person has appeared here!!”

“These rampaging profound beasts might... No! They must be connected to these devil people! Quick! Inform the city lord... and the Great Realm King! We absolutely cannot let the devil person leave alive!”

Jie Yuan closed her eyes and vanished from the spot, leaving behind only the clamor of disaster, unsure when it would cease.