Chapter 1648: Thousand Leaves "Crisis"

In my view, if Zhou Xuzi truly valued Zhou Qingchen that much, then after his death, he would most likely not forcefully attack the Northern Divine Realm.

Zhou Qingchen's death would not only enrage and madden him but also fill him with guilt! Since the person is already dead, the last thing he could do would be to diligently protect his reputation, ensuring the world never learns that he became a 'demon'.

An enraged, forceful attack might vent his anger for a moment, but it would also cause damage to the Brahma Heaven God Realm, and likely expose the secret of Zhou Qingchen being a demon, reveal the forbidden fact that he actively dealt with me, and lead to many unforeseeable consequences.

Whereas, keeping it hidden, despite the burning rage, would preserve Zhou Qingchen's final reputation and avoid any of the aforementioned consequences.

Chi Wuyao moved a bit closer to Qianye Ying'er: "You must understand far better than I do how much the Brahma Heaven God Realm despises the word 'demon', and what a disgrace it is to become one."

"So, which path do you think he would be more inclined towards?"

"Oh, right." Without waiting for Qianye Ying'er's reply, Chi Wuyao suddenly added, "Let me help you recall something important... Zhou Xuzi's longevity, experience, and time as Emperor far surpass those of Qianye Fantian."

"Moreover, during his reign, he has always been the most respected and renowned God Emperor in the Eastern Divine Region... no, in all three divine regions."

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

"What are the chances of such a person losing control in a fit of extreme rage?"

Qianye Ying'er's hands remained tightly clenched. Although filled with anger, she was not someone who easily lost her reason. Yet, Chi Wuyao's words rendered her momentarily speechless.

When she had described the situation to Yun Che, she had said that given Zhou Qingchen's unique importance to Zhou Xuzi, there was about a sixty percent chance Zhou Xuzi would lose control, and she would find a way to make it one hundred percent, with enough time.

But now, listening to Chi Wuyao's words, though she didn't want to agree, she suddenly felt that the possibility might indeed be only about ten percent, or even lower.

She was familiar with Zhou Xuzi's past with his main wife and was therefore certain that Zhou Qingchen was Zhou Xuzi's greatest, and possibly only, weakness. However, she had overlooked a crucial point... Zhou Qingchen's "reputation" after his death.

And Chi Wuyao, after merely hearing her brief description, in just half a day, had directly pinpointed this "flaw" that she had consistently overlooked.

This woman...

"Since that's the case, why would you deliberately make Yun Che's presence here public and actively let the Eastern Divine Region know?" Qianye Ying'er asked.

"Naturally, it's to use your 'prompt' to lure him, with Zhou Qingchen, to meet me," Chi Wuyao replied.

"Now?"

"Of course."

Qianye Ying'er didn't immediately react. She pondered briefly, then said gravely, "Forget about uniting the three King Realms; we haven't even taken the first step. Provoking the Brahma Heaven God Realm now would mean pointlessly wasting a most likely effective opportunity."

"And if he were to lose control in a furious rage and forcefully attack the Northern Region, we haven't even gained a foothold. Any counterattack using that momentum would be a massive joke."

"He won't," Chi Wuyao said with a faint smile. "Even if he did, it wouldn't matter. If this dark land were so easy to invade, how could it have survived until today?"

"Then what exactly is the meaning of your actions?" Qianye Ying'er quickly considered several possibilities, none of which made sense.

"It's very simple. As long as he comes here, that's enough," was Chi Wuyao's answer.

Yun Che, who had been quietly listening to Chi Wuyao, spoke, "What do you mean?"

"There's a very apt proverb, which I'm sure you've heard," Chi Wuyao said, her eyebrows arching slightly, a soft breath escaping her lips:

"When yellow mud lands in your crotch, even if it isn't shit, it looks like it."

A long silence fell over Soul Sky Realm.

When Qianye Ying'er finally raised her eyes again, she understood Chi Wuyao's meaning. She let out a low laugh: "When it comes to being despicable and shameless, I'm indeed far behind you."

The remark was both sarcastic and a sigh.

Chi Wuyao's smile remained, her melodic demonic voice flowing: "Relying on others to hand you opportunities versus forging them with your own hands, being passive versus being proactive—I still prefer to be proactive. After all, taking active control and passively enduring are completely different, wouldn't you agree, Yun Qianying?"

Qianye Ying'er's eyebrows twitched, and she sharply averted her gaze, but her whole body involuntarily felt a slight tingle.

The smile vanished, and Chi Wuyao turned around, saying something somewhat ambiguous: "I've always disdained such petty and malicious tricks. But when it comes to Zhou Xuzi... that's a different matter entirely."

The last sentence faintly carried a deeply hidden killing intent.

"Yun Che, you will cooperate with this, right?" Chi Wuyao asked. She didn't need Yun Che to answer; she already knew the reply.

Because of this matter, Yun Che was more impatient than anyone.

"When?" Yun Che asked.

Qianye Ying'er did not object.

Chi Wuyao smiled faintly and said, "Given the extent of isolation between the Northern Divine Region and the Eastern Divine Region, it will take at most a month for Zhou Xuzi to receive news that you are in my hands, along with some rumors of you repeatedly provoking me. At that time, he will surely send a sound transmission to arrange a meeting."

"As for the meeting time, it should neither be too long nor too short."

"Too long, and his patience will gradually wear thin, and 'the longer the night, the more dreams'."

"Too short... and if I don't take this opportunity to demand exorbitant prices and press him step by step, it will instead make him suspicious."

"How about a hundred days from now?" Her gaze swept over Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er, and she was surprised to find that when she mentioned this timeframe, both their auras showed abnormal shifts.

"Oh?" She narrowed her eyes. "Could it be that this timing doesn't suit your wishes?"

"No," Yun Che said, his expression and tone completely normal. "This timing... is very good."

Chi Wuyao: "...?"

Qianye Ying'er quietly glanced at Yun Che, swallowing the words she was about to say.

Just then, a gentle breeze wafted in, and a woman radiating colorful light gracefully descended. It was the Seventh Devil Maiden, Huajin.

With her arrival, all nine Soul Stealing Devil Maidens were gathered before Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er.

"Reporting to Master," Huajin bowed, "Young Master Yun's chambers are ready."

"Mm." Chi Wuyao lightly responded. Facing Yun Che, she smiled faintly: "Yun Che, you have wandered for years. Now that you've found a temporary home here, allow yourself a day to rest. Starting tomorrow, even a moment of ease will be difficult for you."

"Chanyi, you are to take Yun Che and Yun Qianying to their chambers. Today, you shall serve outside their palace, and if they wish to tour the holy grounds, you will lead them."

"Yes," Chanyi obeyed the command. Serving as an "attendant" as a Devil Maiden, she felt no strong aversion in her heart. After all, the grace Yun Che had bestowed upon her was truly impossible to repay.

Yun Che nodded faintly.

Chi Wuyao's demonic body lightly turned, her gaze lingering on each of the nine Devil Maidens: "Jiexin, Jieling, Yeli, Yaodie, Qingying, Lanting, Huajin, Yuwu, Chanyi."

She recited the names of the nine Devil Maidens one by one, her voice carrying a unique tenderness: "I have repeatedly described the vision I yearned for, once believing it could only be an eternal fantasy, but... this day has suddenly arrived, starting today."

"I cannot predict the future, nor can I guarantee anything. Even your lives and deaths may be beyond my protection, so..."

"Master, there's no need to say more," Jiexin said. "Your life, your wishes, are the reason for our existence."

The other eight Devil Maidens did not speak, but their eyes conveyed the same message.

"Good." Chi Wuyao smiled and nodded. Indeed, between her and them, there was no need for extra words. "You may go."

The Devil Maidens departed. From this day forward, their destinies and the world they were about to face would be completely transformed.

Because of Yun Che's arrival.

"Young Master Yun, please."

Chanyi came to Yun Che's side, her posture carrying a hint of deference.

Recalling their encounter in the Middle Ruin Realm back then, her heart was filled with endless emotion and sighs.

Yun Che glanced at Chi Wuyao but said nothing. He took a step and moved, then directly descended from the Soul Sky Realm with Chanyi.

Qianye Ying'er, who had been walking alongside Yun Che, suddenly stopped as he descended. She half-turned and said coldly to Chi Wuyao, "Chi Wuyao, you certainly know how to pick a time."

"What exactly is wrong with that time?" Chi Wuyao asked.

A flicker of complexity crossed Qianye Ying'er's eyes. She gave a soft hmph and said, "That day, a hundred days from now, is his daughter's eighteenth birthday."

"...?" Chi Wuyao was stunned for a moment.

"Also, get this straight," Qianye Ying'er said, her back to Chi Wuyao, her voice icy: "I admit that in certain aspects, I am inferior to you."

"Oh?" Chi Wuyao's eyebrows rose, her face full of interest.

"But that's only because I am far younger than you. If I were your age, I would far surpass you!"

Chi Wuyao chuckled, saying softly, "The gap between you and me is not merely age, is it?"

Qianye Ying'er's eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Brahma Emperor Goddess, a name known to everyone in the Northern Divine Realm," Chi Wuyao slowly articulated. "The rumored Brahma Emperor Goddess possesses extraordinary talent and is always successful. There's nothing you can't obtain, no one you can't scheme against."

"But are all these achievements due more to your cunning and ruthless schemes, or... to the Brahma Heaven God Realm behind you that no one dares offend?"

"Then what about you?" Qianye Ying'er retorted, "Northern Region Demon Queen Chi Wuyao, rising from a Mid-tier Realm King to a High-tier Realm King, then to a God Emperor, by clinging to one man after another—how brilliant!"

"Hahahaha," Chi Wuyao let out a hearty laugh, yet the meaning within her laughter was something no one in the world could even remotely grasp. She looked up at the sky and declared freely, "In this world, men in high positions always see women as mere accessories to men. Then why can't women use men as accessories, as tools?"

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

"I, from a mere mortal woman, have raised my own feet, step by step, treading upon the stepping stones these men personally laid for me, be it their sects, their lives, their families, or their... King Realms!"

"Until no man in this world dared to look down on me even a bit."

"And you, who were born at the pinnacle and had everything from birth, seem to be the least qualified person in this world to look down on me."

Qianye Ying'er stood rooted to the spot, silent for a long time.

"However," Chi Wuyao's tone changed again, carrying a hint of playful mockery. The emotions she released seemed to change as she pleased; no one could fathom or predict them: "You have no need to bear such hostility towards me, nor to feel such a strong sense of crisis. After all, during his darkest years, you were by his side day and night. That is something no one can change or replace."

"And the reverse is also true."

"...What do you mean?" Qianye Ying'er sharply turned back.

"Well asked," Chi Wuyao said with a faint smile, her feet already on the edge of the Soul Sky Realm. "The answer to that question, posed by you, can only be given most accurately by you. I was merely speaking nonsense."

With a seductive, bone-melting chuckle, Chi Wuyao's figure was already far away, leaving Qianye Ying'er standing alone on the Soul Sky Realm, lingering for a long time.