Chapter 1649: The Celestial Stakes

At the bottom of the Brahma Heaven Tower, in the Brahma Heaven God Realm of the Eastern Divine Region.

It was gloomy here, with only a few pieces of profound jade emitting faint light.

Not only the light, but everything here was isolated from the outside world, including sound and even aura.

Even though this was the most crucial area within the Brahma Heaven God Realm, no one was allowed to enter without the Brahma Heaven God Emperor's personal permission. Yet, layers upon layers of profound formations were still in place.

In the center of the dim space, Zhou Qingchen sat quietly. This was his two hundred and twenty-ninth day here.

He remembered it perfectly, because every day spent here felt longer than his entire past millennium.

In the past, he had spent years in secluded cultivation, always with a peaceful mind. But these short few months made him feel the terrifying passage of time.

With a soft sound, the long-closed door was carefully and slowly pushed open, and the initial faint noise was immediately suppressed.

As the door opened, a sliver of bright light shone in. It wasn't intense, but Zhou Qingchen instinctively raised his hand to shield himself.

Imprisoned here, he should have yearned for light. Yet, even this faint light felt blinding to him.

This was because he was now a devil.

"Father King," Zhou Qingchen stood up and bowed respectfully.

Zhou Xuzi slowed his steps as he approached. In just a few months, he seemed to have aged a bit more, but a gentle, wind-like smile still graced his face. "Qingchen, how have you been recently?"

Zhou Qingchen replied, "Replying to Father King, for the past half month, the dark profound energy has shown no signs of unrest, and my heart has become much calmer."

"That's good," Zhou Xuzi smiled and nodded. "The situation is much better than expected, which shows that our ancestors have been secretly protecting you. Therefore, you must have even stronger faith that the darkness within you will one day be purified."

This time, Zhou Qingchen did not respond as usual. Instead, he suddenly said, "Father King, I have been meditating these past days, and some thoughts have arisen in my heart... perhaps thoughts I shouldn't have. I don't know if I should ask you about them."

"Heh heh, ask whatever you wish," Zhou Xuzi said. Zhou Qingchen's current predicament stemmed from him. Under the pain and deep guilt in his heart, his attitude towards Zhou Qingchen had become much gentler than before.

"I wish to ask..." Just as he was about to speak, Zhou Qingchen hesitated. Facing his father's gentle gaze, he finally asked, "Is dark profound energy truly so unforgivable?"

"Oh?" Zhou Xuzi's brows furrowed slightly, but he maintained his gentle demeanor, smiling as he said, "Dark profound energy symbolizes negative power. When there is no dark profound energy in the world, there will be no power of evil. Especially for us, who inherit the residual power of gods, eradicating dark profound energy from the world is a mission passed down through generations, one that doesn't need to be explicitly stated."

"Why do you suddenly ask this?"

Zhou Qingchen had heard these words countless times from Zhou Xuzi and many others since he first began cultivating the profound way. He had never questioned them, as it was a fundamental understanding, like water and fire being incompatible.

Facing his father's gaze, he voiced his deepest doubts: "Devils possessing dark profound energy are said to have their humanity extinguished by it, becoming fierce, bloodthirsty, and cruel, willing to commit any evil for their own gain... Dark profound energy is an aberration in this world, and as profound practitioners of the God Realm, we must exert all our strength to destroy any devils, demonic beasts, or demonic spirits we encounter."

"Therefore, after becoming a devil, I have constantly lived in fear, afraid of turning into a monster whose humanity gradually disappears, leaving no conscience."

Zhou Xuzi: "..."

He raised his hands, and as profound energy circulated, a layer of black qi slowly emerged from his palms. His fingers were not trembling, and his eyes and voice remained calm. "It's been over seven months now. The frequency of the dark profound energy's surges has become lower and lower, and my body has completely adapted to its presence. Compared to the beginning, I am now more truly a devil."

"But..." He slowly closed his eyes. "Why is it that I don't feel myself turning into such a beast? My rationality, my sense of guilt, still clearly exist. Things I didn't want to do or couldn't do before, I still don't want to do and can't do now."

"The only negative change I can clearly perceive is that my emotions also become irritable when the dark profound energy surges..."

He raised his hands slightly higher, and the dark profound energy between his fingers grew more intense. "Father King, is dark profound energy really not that terrifying? Could our long-held understanding of dark profound energy, and of devils... have been wrong from the very beginning?"

"Enough!"

A furious roar dispelled all the gentleness from Zhou Xuzi's face. As a God Emperor who upheld the righteous path and whose life mission was to obliterate darkness and evil, he could not believe or accept such words coming from his own son, from his chosen successor to Brahma Heaven.

This was utterly blasphemous!

Zhou Xuzi, who rarely showed anger, had his brows furrowed, and was about to slap Zhou Qingchen... but his gaze caught sight of the black qi in Zhou Qingchen's hands. His eyes flickered, and he forcefully suppressed his rising fury. He extended his palm, instantly dispelling the dark aura Zhou Qingchen had released.

"Qingchen, how could you say such things?" Zhou Xuzi forced his expression to remain calm, but his voice trembled slightly. "Darkness is an aberration that cannot be tolerated in this world; this is the eternal truth! It is the instruction of our ancestors! It is what the Heavenly Dao dictates!"

Facing Zhou Xuzi's reprimand, Zhou Qingchen, usually respectful and obedient, suddenly took a step back, his tone now several shades heavier than before. "If darkness truly is an unforgivable evil, then why... did the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor sacrifice herself and her entire clan for the safety of this world?!"

"Why did the Heaven Punishing Star God, who controls the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations, risk being besieged to appear and seal the Wall of Primordial Chaos?!"

"Why did Yun Che, who possesses dark profound energy, face the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor alone to save the world..."

"Stop talking!"

He flung his sleeve, and an extremely heavy slap sent Zhou Qingchen flying far away. Zhou Xuzi's hair and beard bristled, and his whole body trembled. "Qingchen, you... do you know what you're saying?! You've gone mad! You're already being devoured by the dark profound energy, losing your rationality and true nature! Snap out of it!"

"Cough... cough, cough." Zhou Qingchen leaned on the wall, slowly rising. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his finger, lowered his head, and slowly said, "Someone who is not clear-headed would only be delirious and babble nonsense. But what I just said, Father King, is what both you and I have witnessed with our own eyes and experienced firsthand..."

"Still not stopping!!"

Zhou Xuzi's blood rushed to his head, and the profound jade beneath his feet cracked into large pieces, sending dust flying.

Zhou Qingchen's long hair was disheveled, and he was gasping heavily. Slowly, he knelt down, his head bowed low. "I spoke out of turn and offended you... Father King, please forgive me."

For Zhou Qingchen, these two hundred-plus dark days had become his most clear-headed period.

Only by bearing darkness did he truly understand it.

Perhaps, this was the most cruel aspect of Yun Che's first retaliation against Brahma Heaven.

It not only destroyed the body of this Brahma Heaven successor but also shattered the beliefs he had always held and firmly adhered to.

Drops of blood slowly fell from the corner of Zhou Qingchen's lips, each one piercing Zhou Xuzi's heart and soul. All anger was replaced by a sharp pain. He sighed deeply, stepped forward slowly, and with a flick of his finger, a faint profound light flashed, fading the red mark on Zhou Qingchen's face.

"Qingchen," he said slowly, "don't worry, I have found a way to restore you. No matter what, no matter the cost, I will definitely achieve it."

"This is a father's promise to his most important son."

"I... believe Father King," Zhou Qingchen softly responded, but his head remained bowed, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, never lifting.

Zhou Xuzi turned and left, his footsteps silent but immensely heavy.

Stepping out of the layers of profound formations, Zhou Xuzi did not leave the Brahma Heaven Tower directly. Instead, he headed towards the lowest level, the most secretive place in the Brahma Heaven God Realm.

That was where the Brahma Heaven Pearl was located.

However, his steps were at times heavy, at times wavering.

"Ancestral instructions... the will of Brahma Heaven... what I've sought all my life... what I've fought for half my life... how could it be wrong, how could it be wrong..." He murmured, over and over again.

During this time, he had come to the spirit of the Brahma Heaven Pearl repeatedly, hoping it could recall some ancient memories and find a way to save Zhou Qingchen. But each time, the answer was the same: "If Yun Che could forcibly impose it, he might be able to remove it... and that is the only possibility."

Just as he was about to step into the forbidden zone where the Brahma Heaven Pearl resided, a sudden voice transmission reached his soul.

This transmission made him stop dead in his tracks. His entire body trembled violently, and he abruptly turned around, flying away at an incredibly fast speed.

Leaving the Brahma Heaven Tower, Revered Taiyu was already waiting for him in the main hall. Zhou Xuzi landed directly in front of him, asking in a grave voice, "Taiyu, is what you said true!?"

"Absolutely true," Revered Taiyu slowly nodded. Given his esteemed position, he would not use the phrase "absolutely true" unless he was entirely certain, not even with 99.9% certainty.

"Do you know the details?" Zhou Xuzi asked.

Revered Taiyu shook his head. "The details are hard to ascertain. Yun Che has indeed fallen into the hands of the Soul Stealing Devil Empress, and the Yama Devil Realm has also requested him from the Devil Empress because of this."

"The Yama Devil Realm?" Zhou Xuzi frowned slightly.

"Yes," Revered Taiyu said. "Although Yun Che possesses dark profound energy, for the Northern Divine Region, he is still from the Eastern Divine Region after all. They have harbored ancient animosity towards the Eastern Divine Region, so after identifying Yun Che, they would naturally view him as an external aberration."

"Furthermore, with the Heretic God's inheritance and the Sky Poison Pearl on him, it's possible the Northern Divine Region's King Realms have also heard about him. Therefore, once Yun Che's identity is exposed in the Northern Divine Region, he will definitely not have an easy time."

"His previous appearance in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning must have been due to his identity being exposed, forcing him to flee into the God Realm of Absolute Beginning to escape pursuit. After harming Qingchen and exposing his whereabouts, he was then forced to return to the Northern Divine Region."

"Before falling into the Devil Empress's hands, he seemed to have deeply offended her. As for the Yama Devil Realm, he killed a very important figure there. Thus, it appears that while Yun Che's changes in power are indeed strange, he is also surrounded by enemies in the Northern Divine Region."

This outcome was not surprising in the slightest, whether due to Yun Che's identity or the secrets he carried.

Zhou Xuzi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Approximately when did this happen?"

"It should have been about a month ago," Revered Taiyu said, then frowned. "The Devil Empress had clearly agreed to this matter, yet after obtaining him, she has made no move for an entire month. Perhaps, after capturing Yun Che, she never intended to 'trade' him away. After all, how could she let go of the secrets on Yun Che?"

"No," Zhou Xuzi slowly shook his head. "Secrets are, in the end, just secrets—invisible and intangible. But my bargaining chip is something she cannot refuse. Moreover, all I proposed was to force Yun Che to remove the darkness from Zhou Qingchen, promising not to suddenly kill him or bring him back to the Eastern Divine Region... she has even less reason to refuse."

"She is certain that I would get the news sooner or later and is waiting for me to contact her proactively."

Revered Taiyu sighed softly. He knew that even if he became entirely passive, Zhou Xuzi would certainly yield.

"Devil empresses are cunning and greedy. The more urgent I am, the higher she will demand... But Qingchen cannot wait. His sanity has already begun to be eroded by darkness; every extra day brings more variables. If it's too late, there might be no possibility of complete recovery, alas." Zhou Xuzi's face was full of weariness. "But thankfully, she truly has captured Yun Che."

Revered Taiyu looked at Zhou Xuzi and said, "However, it seems, Master, that you are not overly concerned about this transaction."

Zhou Xuzi gazed forward and slowly said, "That bargaining chip is something she cannot refuse. No one... can refuse it."

Revered Taiyu frowned deeply and asked, "Master, what exactly is the bargaining chip you are using?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly thought of something, his expression drastically changed, and he exclaimed in shock, "Could it be... could it be..."

Zhou Xuzi closed his eyes, remaining silent.

The look of shock remained frozen on Revered Taiyu's face, only slowly easing after a long time. He let out a prolonged sigh and said, "Master, you have dedicated half your life to Brahma Heaven and to this world; it is time for you to live for yourself, just once."

Zhou Xuzi slowly said, "After this matter, I will no longer be the Emperor of Brahma Heaven. Let Qingchen himself repay this price."

"Taiyu... thank you for what you just said." He said sincerely. Although Revered Taiyu's words were brief, they brought him immense spiritual comfort.

Revered Taiyu smiled and shook his head. "Between us brothers, there's no need for such superfluous words. However, that Devil Empress is not only incredibly cunning, but her soul power is also bizarre and terrifying; I've experienced it firsthand years ago. You must be extremely cautious."

"Don't worry," Zhou Xuzi said. "If I wasn't sufficiently prepared, why would I step into the Northern Region's border? Before that, concealing my whereabouts is the most important matter... Taiyu, I'm relying on you."

"Rest assured, Master."

Putting away the soundproof profound formation, Taiyu departed. In his memory, this was the first time since Zhou Xuzi became God Emperor that he had truly acted out of personal self-interest.

Perhaps, only Zhou Qingchen could make him act this way.