Chapter 1817: 隔世冰云

Heh heh… Yun Che chuckled softly, his eyes darkening with a glint of coldness. "Though I don't know what methods you used to disguise yourself so perfectly, you are not Yuanba… You have incredible nerve to… mock… this Devil Master!" As he spoke these words, Yun Che's mind seemed both remarkably clear and utterly chaotic. He unleashed killing intent and rage, yet controlled them with extreme caution, fearing he might genuinely harm Xia Yuanba. He was certain the person before him was Xia Yuanba, yet utterly disbelieved it at the same time. His appearance, aura, expression, gaze, and even the Tyrannical Emperor Divine Veins… everything proved he was Xia Yuanba. Yet, everything Yuanba said was utter nonsense! The most extreme nonsense! And it touched upon his greatest taboo! Xia Yuanba had never lied to him. His mind was in a state of near-schizophrenic confusion.

It wasn't just Yun Che; Xia Yuanba's mind was also on the verge of breaking. His arrival in the God Realm and immediate encounter with Yun Che felt like a miraculous surprise, dispelling the greatest worries and fears he had harbored for years. His initial hesitation to acknowledge him turned into ecstatic joy the moment Yun Che called out his name. However, Yun Che's subsequent behavior and words threw him into disarray… particularly Yun Che's denial of his identity and the cold killing intent directed at him.

After a moment of bewilderment, Xia Yuanba stared intently at Yun Che's visibly distorted face and said with the utmost resolve, "Brother-in-law, I don't know what's gone wrong, but I am Xia Yuanba! If you are truly my brother-in-law, then you couldn't possibly mistake me." He held out his hands; in his left was a jade token gleaming with golden light, and in his right, a short ruler emanating an ancient aura. "These are the Saint Emperor Seal and the Primeval Heavenly Ruler from the Supreme Ocean Palace. The former Saint Emperor, Huangji Wuyu, handed them to me in front of you back then."

…Looking at the Saint Emperor Seal and Primeval Heavenly Ruler in Xia Yuanba's hands, Yun Che's chaotic gaze suddenly sharpened.

With a flip of his hand, Xia Yuanba produced another snow-white pill radiating a frosty aura. "And this is the Snow-Beauty Pill you gave me back then, telling me to use it to help my future wife retain her beauty… Uh, but just thinking about women is so troublesome, so I still haven't… *cough cough*!"

"Oh, right!" He suddenly raised a hand and pointed at Yun Che's neck. "The three-colored Glazed Sound Stone you're wearing around your neck was a gift from Wuxin before you left. You even specifically showed it off to me back then."

"Also, when I asked you about my sister, you told me that if I could establish myself in the Divine Origin Realm within two years, you'd bring me to the God Realm… But more than four years have passed, and you never came back."

"And the year you married my sister, you were both sixteen… Then you and I entered the New Moon Profound Palace together, where you met Cang Yue, who was using the alias 'Lan Xueruo'…"

"When you were seventeen, you defeated my sister in the Azure Wind Ranking Battle at Heavenly Sword Villa…"

"Later, to save me, you were gravely wounded by a devil and sealed beneath the Sword Discourse Arena with him, and that devil was your grandfather, Yun Canghai…"

"And there's more…"

Xia Yuanba recounted event after event, panting slightly but without pause. Each detail was a shared experience between him and Yun Che… many of them things only the two of them could have known. This thoroughly shattered Yun Che's forced skepticism. He was Xia Yuanba; there was no longer any reason to deny it.

But why were his words… The Blue Pole Star, clearly in the Eastern Divine Region… The Blue Pole Star, clearly destroyed before his eyes… Wuxin, clearly lost forever…

Coldness and killing intent diffused from him as his hand once again gripped Xia Yuanba's arm, stopping his words. "Yuanba." Yun Che forced himself to remain calm. "Our Blue Pole Star… it was clearly east of the Eastern Divine Region! And… it was destroyed four and a half years ago! Wuxin and the others… they've been gone for a long time!"

…This time, Xia Yuanba's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Brother-in-law, what are you saying? I only left the Blue Pole Star four months ago! Before that, I was always on the Blue Pole Star! Most of the time in the Profound Sky Continent, occasionally visiting the Illusionary Demon Realm. Oh, and twice, out of curiosity, I even snuck a peek at the Azure Cloud Continent you mentioned."

"Every single continent is perfectly fine! And after you left, even the beast tides quickly disappeared. Destroyed… what do you mean by that?"

…The light in Yun Che's pupils froze, his aura froze… he stood there as if petrified.

"For the first two years, Wuxin longed for you to return every day. In the last two years, she started cultivating desperately, wanting to come to the God Realm to find you. And Little Demon Empress, Immortal Maiden Chu Yuechan, Feng Xue'er… though they're all trying to hide it and comfort each other, even I can see that each of them carries a heavy heart, and they're all cultivating in silence, hoping to personally come to the God Realm to search for you!"

"Uncle Yun and Aunt Mu… every time I visit them, I can feel their profound sorrow. Grandpa Xiao and your maternal grandfather, Old Man Mu, ask almost every day if you've returned…"

"Back then, you clearly said you'd return soon. But one year… two years… three years… four years… at first it was worry, but then, although no one dared to say it aloud, everyone was afraid, and that fear grew stronger and stronger, fearing that in the God Realm you had already… already…"

…Yun Che staggered back half a step, a thousand thunderclaps seeming to explode in his mind.

"Why haven't you been willing to go back and take a look all these years? Why do you say the Blue Pole Star was destroyed? And that Wuxin and the others are gone?" Xia Yuanba stepped forward half a pace. "Brother-in-law, has something gone wrong? What happened? I don't understand your words, what exactly happened?!"

Endless thunderclaps exploded in Yun Che's mind, tearing his soul apart, making him unable to think, unable to calm down, even his vision became blurred and kaleidoscopic. The destruction of the Blue Pole Star had shattered his heart and soul. It was the nightmare that had plunged his life, his soul, his beliefs… everything, into a dark abyss. Hatred and vengeance had forged a new soul for him, and they were also the greatest pillars supporting his current life and convictions. They had stripped him of all kindness, all hesitation, all attachments, all reverence for the Heavenly Way, human nature, and life… leading him to frantically pursue power, frantically spill blood, frantically slaughter, frantically destroy, frantically vent… Even just moments ago, he had been able to mercilessly inflict murderous intent and humiliation upon a woman he knew was innocent.

And now… Xia Yuanba's voice in his ears, every word like a bursting star, brutally shattered his entire soul world. He clutched his head with both hands, his fingers nearly digging into his skull in spasm.

The Blue Pole Star… intact…Yun Wuxin, Little Demon Empress, Chu Yuechan… Father, Mother… Grandfather, Maternal Grandfather…They're all there…? All there…?Where is this voice coming from…?The reality he had witnessed back then…And now, Xia Yuanba's personal account…Was it a dream… was it chaos… or had he suddenly fallen into a completely different world…?What have I heard… Where am I… Is it real… No, it's fake… What in the world…?

"Big Brother Yun Che." A soft call, ethereal as jade beads scattering on a plate, resonated in the deepest part of his soul. The pure and pristine Immaculate Soul Sound instantly dispelled all confusion, gradually restoring clarity to his consciousness and vision.

He raised his head and looked at Shui Meiyin, his pupils contracting. Reflected in his eyes was an intensely crimson light, piercing to the soul. This light was enough to make countless Realm Kings and God Emperors tremble to their very souls the moment they saw it. Because it bore an uncanny resemblance to the crimson crack that had been carved into the Wall of Primordial Chaos long ago!

In Shui Meiyin's hand was a black, pointed spike, only as long as her forearm, half an inch wide at one end and uniformly tapering to a sharp tip. It was entirely black, with no distinct features in its shape. The crimson glow emanated from its tip. Yun Che had seen this short spike before, as had a large number of High-Rank Realm Kings and God Emperors. Because it had once been held by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, who emerged from the crimson crack! It was what she used to forcefully cleave open the Wall of Primordial Chaos from beyond the chaos… The Universe Piercing Needle!

This profound heavenly treasure, which everyone, including Yun Che, had believed was taken out of the primordial chaos by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor and lost forever, had now appeared in Shui Meiyin's hands!

Xia Yuanba's mouth hung open, his eyes fixed on the crimson light, as if his soul had been sucked into it.

"How did you—"

"Big Brother Yun Che," Shui Meiyin's soft voice resonated. "Don't think anything, don't ask anything. I'm taking you somewhere now, and once we're there, you will understand everything. And I will explain to you the complete cause and effect of everything that has led to this."

Xia Yuanba vigorously shook his head, finally freeing his mind from the crimson light, and then took a good look at Shui Meiyin. Sure enough, it was another woman as beautiful as a fairy. The Tyrannical Emperor Divine Veins were born for battle. As his power grew and the divine veins gradually awakened, his desire for combat would intensify, eventually turning him into a battle maniac. Conversely, other desires would be consumed by his lust for battle. Therefore, he particularly couldn't understand how Yun Che always seemed to acquire more women… Just thinking about being with women, let alone being controlled by them, gave him a headache. Let alone multiple women!

"Before that, gather all your aura and suppress it to the absolute minimum. It's best if not a single trace overflows… I know, Big Brother Yun Che can definitely do it." Shui Meiyin knew Yun Che's mind must be incredibly chaotic at this moment, so she poured her soul power into every word, her unique Immaculate Soul Sound resonating throughout the space. At that moment, no matter how chaotic Yun Che's mind was, he began to sense something. Without asking or thinking further, guided by Shui Meiyin, he simultaneously activated Flowing Light Thunder Shadow and Broken Moon Severing Shadow, gradually withdrawing his aura completely until it was almost imperceptible.

Shui Meiyin let out a soft sigh. Her small, jade-white hand, holding the Universe Piercing Needle with its flowing crimson light, gently made a stroke. Without a sound or any spatial fluctuation, that section of space, along with Yun Che, Shui Meiyin, and Xia Yuanba, silently vanished.

In an instant, the space before their eyes dramatically shifted. A wave of cold air washed over them. This cold was several levels weaker than that of the Snow Song Realm, barely affecting even the lowest-level Divine Path profound practitioners. Yet, it made Yun Che tremble from head to toe in an instant. Because this cold was far too familiar to him, yet also impossibly distant and illusory.

The world below was a vast expanse of white, with endless snow and ice stretching to the horizon. Only in the far distance was a continuous palace complex made of ice and snow. It appeared sacred and lonely amidst this snowy expanse. Yun Che's vision spun wildly.

Because beneath him was the Ice Pole Snow Region. In the distance was the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, which he and the Ice Cloud Fairies had jointly rebuilt years ago.