Chapter 1612: Taichu Divine Fruit

“Fine, have it your way.”

After more than two years of constant companionship, Qianye Ying’er was intimately familiar with Yun Che’s temperament. Seeing his current demeanor, she knew it was impossible to dissuade him. And with their combined concealment abilities, as long as they didn’t deliberately court disaster, the risk of exposure was truly minimal. After all, the concealment provided by the Nirvana Stone was impenetrable to others, and as for Yun Che... setting aside his perfectly altered appearance and voice, in the perception of the three God Regions, he possessed no storm power, nor could he possibly have reached the mid-level Divine Master realm in just two years. Had she not been by Yun Che's side, even she wouldn't have believed it.

Qianye Ying’er’s profound energy shifted, suppressing her aura to match Yun Che’s, a level four Divine Master. Just as she was about to change her hair color, Yun Che suddenly said, “No need to change your hair; it’s perfect as it is.”

Qianye Ying’er was speechless.

Against the grey sky, two figures slowly flew into view, moving at a deliberate pace and keeping their aura as contained as possible. These two were Honored Quhui of the Brahma Heaven God Realm and Crown Prince Zhou Qingchen.

“My young master, although the Lord has already provided you with memories of this place, this is your first personal visit to the Primordial Divine Realm. It is fraught with danger and numerous strange beasts, so remember not to stray too far from me,” Quhui cautioned repeatedly.

Zhou Qingchen looked into the distance and smiled slightly. “Father sent me here for experience. Wouldn’t relying too much on Uncle Quhui go against his original intention?”

“That may be so, but the young master’s safety always outweighs everything else. After all, the young master bears the future of Brahma Heaven, and indeed, the entire Eastern Divine Region,” Quhui stated. “However, although the young master possesses exceptional profound cultivation talent, he has never truly experienced perilous situations. His practical combat experience is indeed shallow, and this place is now the perfect training ground.”

“Therefore, during this time, unless your life is in danger, I will not intervene, no matter what happens. Does this align with your wishes, young master?”

“That would be ideal,” Zhou Qingchen nodded, then asked, “Uncle Quhui, what exactly happened to Father? Two years ago, he frequently admonished me for my shallow mindset and lack of experience, but in these past two years, he has repeatedly expressed his desire to pass on the position of Realm King and his power to me.”

“I know I am still very far from meeting Father’s expectations, and I am unqualified for either the position of Realm King or his power... yet Father’s intentions are becoming clearer, though he never wishes to tell me the reason.”

A rare, faint smile appeared on Quhui’s rigid face. “The young master’s experience is indeed somewhat shallow, but there’s no need to belittle yourself so much. If you weren’t exceptional enough, why would the Lord choose you as his successor? As for the Lord’s unusual state...”

He frowned slightly. “The Lord has always been upright throughout his life, despising betrayal above all else. Yet, his actions against the Heretic God’s infant ultimately let Yun Che down... even after Yun Che revealed his demonic identity.”

“Later, when the Blue Pole Star was destroyed by the Moon God Emperor, countless lives were lost, and the Lord attributed this sin to himself. For all these years, his heart and soul must have been deeply burdened by it,” Quhui sighed. “Or perhaps, the Lord is truly weary.”

“Alas,” Zhou Qingchen echoed with a sigh. “He sacrificed his reputation to eliminate the Heretic God’s infant, with no selfish motives, preserving peace for the entire God Realm. Everyone praises him, yet Father himself...”

“The Lord’s greatness is unparalleled in this age,” Quhui said, looking at Zhou Qingchen. “His sacred name should be remembered for all eternity. After you inherit the position of Realm King, young master, you must also inherit the Lord’s will.”

“I will,” Zhou Qingchen replied. He seemed to discern something from Quhui’s words and fell silent for a while before asking again, “Uncle Quhui, is Father... truly going to pass his power to me?”

For many years, Zhou Qingchen had anticipated and worked towards this day. However, it had arrived too soon, too suddenly, leaving him unable to believe it and feeling at a loss.

The aura of the Primordial Divine Realm was unique, suppressing spiritual senses far more effectively than the God Realm. Xia Qingyue had mentioned this to Yun Che when he was first brought here. Therefore, neither Quhui nor Zhou Qingchen noticed that two figures had approached within five miles of them. The conversation between the two also clearly reached the ears of the newcomers.

“Brahma Heaven is abdicating to Zhou Qingchen? How peculiar,” Qianye Ying’er remarked with surprise. “The entire God Realm knows he personally eradicated the Heretic God’s infant, and his prestige is at its peak. Why would he choose this moment to pass his position to his useless son?”

Yun Che remained silent.

Quhui turned to Zhou Qingchen. “I know this matter is too sudden for you, and even we are still somewhat at a loss. But the Lord seems to have made up his mind. Furthermore, coming to the Primordial Divine Realm today for experience is only one objective. Do you know why Honored Taiyin and Honored Zhuliu are secretly accompanying us on this trip?”

“Taiyin and Zhuliu!?” Qianye Ying’er’s golden brows furrowed sharply.

“Guardians?” Yun Che asked.

“Yes,” Qianye Ying’er confirmed. “Honored Taiyin is the sixth-ranked Brahma Heaven Guardian, a Level Nine Divine Master, with unparalleled mastery of spatial laws. Honored Zhuliu is the thirteenth-ranked Brahma Heaven Guardian, a Level Eight Divine Master, and among the guardians, he is, apart from Wuyin, the other person most skilled in spatial power.”

After speaking, Qianye Ying’er murmured to herself, “As long as he doesn’t recklessly venture too deep, having one guardian by his side would be more than enough to ensure Zhou Qingchen’s safety. Why deploy two... And if two guardians were deployed, why have Quhui accompany them as well?”

“You just said they are the two most skilled in spatial power among the guardians,” Yun Che said in a deep voice. “It’s highly likely their primary objective isn’t to protect Zhou Qingchen.”

“Are Uncle Taiyin and Uncle Zhuliu not solely here to secretly protect me?” Zhou Qingchen asked.

“The young master’s safety naturally takes precedence, but there is another important matter,” Quhui said, glancing around and lowering his voice. “The Brahma Heaven Divine Spirit probes the Primordial Divine Realm periodically. About half a month ago, when the Lord guided the Brahma Heaven Divine Spirit’s divine sense into the Primordial Divine Realm, it detected an extremely high-level aura.”

For an existence like the Brahma Heaven Pearl, an aura it deemed “high-level” and directly captured was certainly extraordinary. Quhui slowly continued, “It was the aura of the Primordial Divine Fruit.”

“The Primordial Divine Fruit!?” Zhou Qingchen gasped in astonishment.

Although Quhui had deliberately lowered his voice, it was still clear enough for Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er to hear everything... not to mention Zhou Qingchen’s startled cry. The two exchanged glances, both sensing a momentary soul tremor in the other. The Primordial Divine Fruit was precisely what they most desired at this moment!

“Is it... is it really the Primordial Divine Fruit?” Zhou Qingchen asked with immense excitement, only consciously lowering his voice halfway through his sentence.

“Yes,” Quhui nodded. “Actually, for nearly a thousand years, the Brahma Heaven Divine Spirit has been probing the Primordial Divine Realm with extreme frequency, primarily to search for the aura of the Primordial Divine Fruit. The objective, naturally, is to achieve the most perfect Divine Emperor inheritance for you.”

“Finally, the Lord’s great deed was blessed by heaven, and the aura of the Primordial Divine Fruit was captured half a month ago,” Quhui continued. “Each day’s delay increases the risk of it being discovered by others, so the Lord enacted this strategy: outwardly sending you to the Primordial Divine Realm for training, with the two Honored Ones secretly protecting you. In reality, they will quietly proceed directly to the location of the Primordial Divine Fruit.”

“The few historical records of the Primordial Divine Fruit in the God Realm all place it within the territory of the ‘Primordial Dragon Clan.’ That place is extremely dangerous; Father said even he wouldn’t dare approach it lightly. Especially when the Primordial Divine Fruit forms, its spiritual energy nourishes dragon souls, leading countless dragons to guard it... Can the two uncles truly retrieve it?”

Zhou Qingchen was three parts uneasy, seven parts excited... because it was the Primordial Divine Fruit!

The Primordial Divine Realm possessed countless resources, all of an extremely high level. The Primordial Divine Fruit, in a place like the Primordial Divine Realm, was a divine artifact among divine artifacts. It was condensed from the most core and purest spiritual energy of the Primordial Divine Realm; although not comparable to the heavenly treasures formed from primordial chaos energy, it was not far off. In the million-year history of the God Realm, the Primordial Divine Fruit had been harvested only six times, each occurrence separated by tens of thousands of years. To encounter it even once was considered a divine blessing. Not to mention Zhou Qingchen, even the various Divine Emperors would be incredibly excited by it.

“Rest assured, young master,” Quhui said, seemingly quite confident. “The Lord cannot act personally, as it would surely attract attention from other realms. However, Honored Taiyin and Honored Zhuliu are extremely skilled in spatial divine power. They can approach the Primordial Divine Fruit before being detected by the Primordial Dragon Clan. Even if surrounded by countless dragons after obtaining the fruit, they can easily escape.”

“In the history of the God Realm, the Primordial Divine Fruit has been harvested six times by various realms, with three of those times by our Brahma Heaven,” Quhui said, a hint of pride appearing on his face. “The reappearance of the Primordial Divine Fruit’s divine aura at this time feels, in the grand scheme of things, like heaven’s pity for the Lord’s great deeds, and also a fulfillment for the young master and for our Brahma Heaven.”

“Since it is a divine blessing, success is assured.”

“Hoo...” Zhou Qingchen exhaled slowly. “Does that mean the two uncles have already...”

“Yes,” Quhui nodded. “By my reckoning, Honored Taiyin and Honored Zhuliu should already be near the territory of the Primordial Dragon Clan.”

In the distance, Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er both frowned simultaneously.

“Is this good news or bad news?” Qianye Ying’er asked.

They had unexpectedly obtained the Desolate Divine Marrow hidden for ten thousand years within the Burning Moon Royal Realm. If they could also acquire the Primordial Divine Fruit, they could merge them into the legendary Desolate World Pill, which possessed miraculous power. However, obtaining the Desolate Divine Marrow was already a colossal surprise, and the Primordial Divine Fruit was even more elusive, something one could only hope to encounter. Now, they had personally confirmed that a Primordial Divine Fruit was forming in the Primordial Divine Realm... but even setting aside the Primordial Dragon Clan, whom they certainly couldn't contend with, this Primordial Divine Fruit had already been discovered and targeted early on by the Brahma Heaven God Realm. Currently, the two Brahma Heaven Guardians, both exceptionally skilled in spatial power, were likely already at the Primordial Divine Fruit’s location. Although Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er had made rapid progress, those were Brahma Heaven Guardians! Even if they joined forces, they would have absolutely no chance of fighting against one. If the guardians succeeded in obtaining it, trying to seize it from them would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

“It’s good news, of course,” Yun Che said slowly.

“Oh?” Qianye Ying’er turned her beautiful eyes to him.

“With our current strength, even if we knew the location of the Primordial Divine Fruit, we wouldn’t be able to retrieve it. But those two guardians might be able to,” Yun Che said in a slow, deep voice. “So let them risk their lives; they absolutely mustn’t fail.”

“And then?” Qianye Ying’er’s lips curved slightly.

“Then isn’t it simple?” Yun Che’s gaze fixed on Zhou Qingchen in the distance. “Tell me, for people like them, who supposedly uphold righteousness and disdain selfishness, which is more important: a Primordial Divine Fruit or Zhou Qingchen’s life?”

There was no expression on Yun Che’s face, but his eyes held a terrifying chill. Watching Yun Che in that moment, Qianye Ying’er’s smile blossomed, and she spoke softly, “Your current way of doing things is truly growing on me.”