Chapter 1750: "Secret"

When the will to defend collapses, so too do the defensive lines. The battle in the Eastern Divine Region, which had momentarily stalled, saw its defenses crumble rapidly as the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor's projections spread. Within a single day, ninety percent of its strongholds were breached.

Once all strongholds are captured by the devil people, the Northern Divine Region will have a firm grip on the core lifeline of the Eastern Divine Region.

***

The Brahma Heaven Realm.

A dark profound ark, large enough to obscure the sun, descended slowly from the sky, landing on the still desolate and ruined lands of the Brahma Heaven Realm.

"Brother Yun Che!"

Before the profound light of the ark had fully dissipated, an ethereal shout rang out urgently. A maiden's figure, like a falling black butterfly, swiftly darted towards Yun Che, scattering specks of crystalline light in mid-air.

"How dare you!"

A Burning Moon Divine Envoy immediately stepped forward upon seeing this... but was instantly kicked back by Fen Daoqi, who cursed under his breath, "Are you blind?! That's the Soul Sky Ship! Do you think anyone who descends from it is ordinary?!"

Yun Che turned, his eyes reflecting Shui Meiyin's bright, flawless, tear-streaked face.

She threw herself heavily into Yun Che's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. From the first glistening drop, her tears completely breached their dam, and in an instant, a large patch of warmth and wetness spread across Yun Che's chest.

"Hmph!" Qianye Ying'er crossed her arms, averting her gaze.

The girl before him still had familiar black eyes, black hair, and a dark long dress. Even her laughter and tears were exactly as he remembered of Shui Meiyin in his heart.

He had transformed from a savior godchild into a dark devil master; his heart was filled with hatred for the three divine regions, and his hands were freshly stained with the blood of countless Eastern Divine Region beings... yet she still held him very, very tightly, without any fear, estrangement, or blemish arising from his transformation or the demonic acts he had committed in recent days.

Yun Che reached out, gently caressing the girl's night-dark hair.

From the Soul Sky Ship, several more figures slowly descended.

The Moon Eaters and Burning Moon Divine Envoys bowed in unison: "Greetings, Devil Empress!"

Chi Wuyao's figure slowly descended, smiling as she watched Yun Che and Shui Meiyin embracing. Behind her, however, were not Jie Xin and Jie Ling, but an exquisitely beautiful woman in a sky-blue ethereal robe, with eyes like the moon over a vast sea, and a middle-aged man in a blue robe.

Shui Yingyue, Shui Qianheng.

The non-dark aura of a Level Five Divine Master caused the Burning Moon profound practitioners to frown slightly, but since they were brought by Chi Wuyao, no one dared to act rashly.

Yun Che looked up at the two, his gaze devoid of gloom, instead showing a rare gentleness.

Shui Qianheng's aura was now only at the mid-Divine Sovereign Realm. The rumor that Shui Qianheng had been crippled by Xia Qingyue was indeed true.

Shui Yingyue glanced at Yun Che, then bowed with a complex expression, saying, "Shui Yingyue of the Glazed Light Realm greets the Devil Master of the Northern Region."

Shui Qianheng also raised his hands, intending to bow... but Yun Che extended a hand to stop him, saying, "Senior Shui, I've implicated you."

That single, brief sentence made both Shui Yingyue and Shui Qianheng look up simultaneously, their eyes trembling.

How cruel and terrifying Yun Che had been when he massacred the Brahma Heaven Realm in front of the entire Eastern Divine Region! Anyone who saw him then would not doubt for a moment that he had transformed into a true devil under the weight of hatred and resentment.

But this sincere apology made them instantly realize that the abyssal darkness had not completely consumed his original humanity.

Shui Qianheng shook his head, a pleased smile appearing on his face: "There's no question of implication. Our Glazed Light Realm simply made the choice that felt most right."

"Moreover, I knew you would return. It's just..." The smile at the corner of his mouth became somewhat complex: "I never imagined it would be so soon, or so earth-shattering. I thought it would take at least a thousand years."

In Yun Che's arms, Shui Meiyin finally lifted her head. She looked up with her milky-white face, gazing at Yun Che dazedly from the closest possible distance... completely oblivious to her surroundings or how many people were present. She just kept looking at him with deep affection, as if wanting to make up for all the years of longing, worry, and concern.

Shui Meiyin was still so ethereally beautiful that one almost dared not meet her eyes... The Burning Moon profound practitioners glanced at Chi Wuyao, then secretly at Qianye Ying'er, and instinctively lowered their gazes.

"Brother Yun Che, it's so good that you're safe..." she murmured softly. "All these years, I worried every single day... I thought it would be a very, very long time before I could see you again... It's so good..."

Qianye Ying'er couldn't listen anymore and abruptly said, "Were those four Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jades yours?"

"Apart from our Glazed Light Realm, there are no other Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jades in this world," Shui Yingyue stated coolly.

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

Yun Che reached out, gently wiping away the tears from Shui Meiyin's face, and looking into her eyes, asked, "Meiyin, were those four projections really recorded by you?"

Although everything pointed to Shui Meiyin, he still wanted to hear the answer from her directly. Because these four Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jades... their purpose, and the hidden intentions and even kindness behind them, were simply too profound.

"Yes!" Shui Meiyin nodded vigorously, her eyebrows curving, and her black eyes sparkling like stars. "Although the Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jades leave no aura when recording, I was still very nervous at the time. Thankfully, I was never discovered."

Her answer sent a shockwave through the hearts of all the dark profound practitioners present, their gazes towards Shui Meiyin instantly changing completely.

"..." Yun Che's expression became complex, and he asked, slightly distracted, "Why did you think of using the Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jades to record these images?"

"Actually, the first time I recorded, it was just to secretly capture the scene at the edge of primal chaos, because everyone said that crimson rift likely concerned the fate of the God Realm. But accidentally, I recorded the return of Senior Devil Emperor to this world."

"And after that, Brother Yun Che successfully influenced Senior Devil Emperor, becoming the savior godchild praised and thanked by all Divine Emperors and Realm Kings. But every time I saw Brother Yun Che, my soul always had an inexplicable sense of unease. So, I continued to use the Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jades to secretly record everything..."

"It seems I truly did the right thing."

The reason Shui Meiyin gave was not a profound scheme or calculation, but rather, under a vague sense of unease, it was done out of an exceptionally strong desire to protect Yun Che.

A warm current surged through Yun Che's heart. Although he was now in bottomless darkness, at least in this world, there was still a warm, bright light firmly attached to him.

"Thank..."

It had been too long since he had spoken words of gratitude, but just as the first syllable left his lips, a small hand, warm like jade, covered them. Her eyes sparkling, she shook her head: "Brother Yun Che is my fiancé. It's only right for me to protect my future husband. I don't want your thanks."

Yun Che smiled, reaching out to touch her cheek: "Alright, no thanks then."

"These past years, were you imprisoned in the Moon God Realm?" Yun Che asked.

"Yes." Shui Meiyin nodded: "Xia... Qingyue imprisoned me in the lowest level of the Moon Prison. But actually, she couldn't truly keep me confined. The reason I stayed there was to protect Father and the Glazed Light Realm."

"Hm?" Yun Che's eyebrow twitched.

Shui Meiyin continued, "After learning of some strange actions taken by the Northern Divine Region, I suspected Brother Yun Che might be returning, so I secretly left the Moon God Realm. Finally, I managed to deliver these images to Brother Yun Che's hands just in time."

"Xia Qingyue couldn't truly confine you? Why?" Yun Che asked.

"It's a secret. I'll tell you later... along with a very, very big surprise, hee hee!" She narrowed her eyes and smiled, her charm radiating.

Yun Che did not press further, smiling, "Alright. And don't worry, Xia Qingyue, who harmed your father and imprisoned you, is dead. The Moon God Realm has also been annihilated. You no longer need to fear harassment from them."

"..." The starlight in her enchanting eyes suddenly ceased to sparkle, and a faint sound escaped her slightly parted lips: "Dead...?"

"Yes," Yun Che said. "She died in the Abyss of Nothingness. It's a pity I couldn't kill her myself; she forcibly preserved her last bit of strength and jumped directly into the Abyss of Nothingness... Huh? What's wrong?"

Tears suddenly streamed down Shui Meiyin's face.

Shui Meiyin quickly raised her hand, vigorously wiping away the tears from her face. When she opened her eyes again, her smile had returned: "That's wonderful, she's finally dead... She treated Brother Yun Che so badly, and Father so badly... She was the worst... the absolute worst person in this world..."

"She finally... finally..."

Suddenly, Shui Meiyin lunged forward, burying her head deeply into Yun Che's chest once more. Her shoulders trembled violently, and she continued to emit muffled sobs, desperately trying to hold them back.

Yun Che reached out, steadying her shoulders and feeling the warmth and wetness quickly spreading across his chest again. He said, somewhat amused, "Why are you crying again?"

He even wanted to tease her: *You're over three thousand years old... yet you're still like a child.*

Shui Meiyin vigorously shook her head in his embrace, her voice broken by sobs: "I... I'm just... too happy... Brother Yun Che is finally back... Xia Qingyue... is finally dead... I... I'm truly so happy... so happy...呜..."

On the other side, Chi Wuyao quietly watched Shui Meiyin's back, a slight hint of doubt forming between her brows.

After a while, Shui Meiyin finally calmed down. She rose from Yun Che's embrace, then suddenly glared around warningly, putting on a fierce expression: "Brother Yun Che is my fiancé. No matter how excited I get, no matter how much I cry, it's not excessive! None of you... are allowed to laugh at me!"

"No, we wouldn't dare," Fen Daoqi quickly said, lowering his head.

"Hahahaha!" Shui Qianheng, however, burst into hearty laughter.

Qianye Ying'er scoffed.

"Meiyin, why did the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor meet with you alone?" Yun Che asked.

Like Qianye Ying'er, he was deeply puzzled by the existence of the fourth projection. At the very least, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had never mentioned meeting Shui Meiyin alone to him.

"Senior Devil Emperor always knew I was secretly recording images," Shui Meiyin replied. This statement came as no surprise to anyone present.

As an extremely high-grade Profound Shadow Jade, the Illusionary Heart Glazed Shadow Jade could evade the spiritual senses of Divine Masters and Divine Emperors, but it was impossible to conceal anything from an existence like the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor.

"After she decided to leave, her greatest concern was that Brother Yun Che might be betrayed. So, she found me and entrusted me with something very important, something that only a pure, unblemished soul could control. She wanted me to use it to help Brother Yun Che if a bad outcome ever occurred in the future."

"What is it?" Yun Che asked... Something that only a pure, unblemished soul could control?

Shui Meiyin, however, shook her head, a mysterious smile on her face: "I can't tell you yet."

"Brother Yun Che," before Yun Che could press further, she looked up into his eyes, her gaze becoming incredibly clear and profound: "I never want to see similar things happen again. So, please become the master of this Primal Chaos, the one who sets the rules of the world, alright?"

"With the inheritances of the Evil God and Senior Devil Emperor, you can certainly achieve it. Only you truly possess such qualifications."

"On that day, I will definitely tell Brother Yun Che all my secrets... alright?"