Chapter 1819: Decision to Break the Dike

The wind and snow suddenly stopped. In the snow-covered expanse connecting heaven and earth, faint, chaotic heartbeats echoed from an unknown direction.

“Hate.”

The calm voice and indifferent reply left Xia Yuanba feeling hollow inside. He knew Yun Che could surely hear it.

“How could I not hate?”

She didn't turn around, simply gazing straight ahead. Her voice was even colder than the endless snow before her. “He didn't witness my birth, nor accompany my growth. Even my eighteenth birthday ceremony... he wasn't there.”

“He said I was his whole world… He said he would never let my mother and me be hurt or shed tears again… He said he would return very soon… He said he would watch over me, accompany me as I grew up, and make up for all he owed me…”

“But… he broke his promises again and again… over and over.”

“He is the most untrustworthy, most unqualified… most detestable father in this world!”

Her tone was very light and faint. Aside from a slight ethereal quality, no emotion could be detected in her voice.

High in the sky, too far for her to sense, Yun Che's eyes were closed, and a trickle of blood slowly seeped from between his tightly clenched teeth.

Shui Meiyin reached out, catching a falling drop of blood in her palm. She then gently closed her hand.

“He clearly said… he wouldn't let anyone take me away from him… Why… then did he abandon me repeatedly?”

“I hate him, I truly hate him.”

She whispered, and slowly walked away.

Xia Yuanba couldn't see her expression, but her cold voice made him feel a little suffocated. He reached out, but couldn't say anything more.

Just then, Yun Wuxin suddenly stopped and turned around.

“Uncle Xia,” she said, looking into Xia Yuanba's eyes, her gaze like a clear, dustless pond, “Have you already seen him?”

Xia Yuanba, who had been lost in thought, shuddered. He quickly waved his hands. “No, no, no, no! Absolutely not! Otherwise, I... I would definitely have brought him back.”

Watching Xia Yuanba's reaction, a glint like shimmering glass appeared in Yun Wuxin's beautiful eyes. She parted her lips, and after a moment, slowly said, “You... you really saw him? You saw... he's still alive... right?”

Xia Yuanba was not good at lying. He couldn't even compare to an ordinary mortal, let alone reach Yun Che's level of composure when fabricating a lie.

It would have been better if he hadn't denied it. His denial was full of holes, and in Yun Wuxin's eyes, it was tantamount to an admission.

“Uh... this... I…”

Facing Yun Wuxin's gaze, Xia Yuanba actually took half a step back. He had just intended to forcefully deny it again, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he deflated immediately and lowered his head in frustration.

“Phew…” He let out a long breath. He dared not look in Yun Che's direction, his gaze evasive, and said resignedly, “Yes, actually… I successfully reached the God Realm, and by a great coincidence, I ran into your father.”

These truthful words naturally bore no trace of falsehood.

After speaking, although he felt ashamed towards Yun Che, Xia Yuanba felt much more relieved.

Silence… a long silence. Xia Yuanba, with trepidation, looked up. He saw Yun Wuxin standing there, as cool and calm as before, showing no emotional turmoil.

Yun Wuxin finally spoke. “Then why didn't he come back with you? Why is he still hiding? Did he suffer some… debilitating injury?”

“No, no, absolutely not. He's perfectly fine, not a single injury, I can guarantee that.”

Since things had come to this, Xia Yuanba no longer concealed anything and said seriously, “He just has something very important unfinished. It must be something so important… that I cannot comprehend it.”

“Wuxin,” Xia Yuanba continued, “I know your father. The reason he hasn't returned all these years must be due to unavoidable difficulties and hardships. After all, the place called the God Realm is a world so vast we can't even imagine it. He must have been held back by something.”

“But he promised me he would be back very soon… He said it himself, a very serious promise.”

Having exhausted his thoughts, Xia Yuanba nervously awaited Yun Wuxin's reaction.

“Is that so…”

Yun Wuxin murmured, then she turned around, once again presenting her back to Xia Yuanba.

“I understand. Since he doesn't want us to know you found him, I won't tell my mother or my master.”

“Uncle Xia, you've been away for several months, and the Imperial Extreme Sacred Realm has been worried about your safety. You should go back as soon as possible and put their minds at ease.”

As she spoke, her back faded into the falling snow.

“Wuxin, are you... alright?” Xia Yuanba asked, somewhat worried.

He received no reply. Yun Wuxin's figure gradually blurred until it completely merged with the wind and snow.

With a glance full of apology towards the sky above, Xia Yuanba hesitated for a long time, then turned and flew south.

After all, the Frozen Cloud Asgard had always forbidden men other than Yun Che from entering, and he was no exception.

The wind and snow intensified. Since the tremor that descended upon the entire Blue Pole Star more than four years ago, the Ice Phoenix Snow Region seemed to have grown a bit colder than before.

Yun Wuxin's steps grew slower and slower. Unconsciously, her direction shifted away from the Frozen Cloud Asgard.

Her foot suddenly faltered, and she collapsed to her knees in the ice and snow.

For a long time, her figure did not rise. Her delicate shoulders trembled slightly, the trembling gradually growing more intense...

Amidst the wind and snow, stifled sobs could be heard.

“Father… Father…”

A soft call, each word filled with sorrow. A tear escaped from her tightly closed eyes, transforming into the world's most brilliant, jade-like ice crystal, silently merging into the ancient, unmelting snowfield.

“As long as you're safe… you… safe… is all that matters…”

“As long as you're… safe… no matter how long… I… will… wait… for you…”

“Father… I hate you… but I… truly… miss… you… so much…”

Finally, her sobs and tears burst forth like a broken dam. She knelt in the snow, clutching her chest. In this boundless snowfield, concealed by the howling wind and snow, she cried with heart-wrenching anguish, as if the world had turned dark.

Every tear, every cry of pain, carried the endless yearning, grievances, sorrow, worry, and fear accumulated over the years.

Above the clouds, Yun Che's hand tightly clutched his chest, his fingers nearly digging into his flesh.

“Let's... go.”

The four short words were so trembling that even he himself could barely hear them.

Every moment he lingered there brought another degree of danger to the Blue Pole Star.

The nightmare scene from back then could absolutely not be repeated. He could not, under any circumstances, allow anyone to perceive its existence, not even a possibility as tiny as cosmic dust.

He could not meet her, could not stay, and could not even come closer... until there were no more threats in this world.

Shui Meiyin picked up the Cosmic Piercer and lightly swiped it.

Light and space shifted simultaneously. They had returned to the Seven Star Realm, exactly where they were before.

Because he had discovered Xia Yuanba, Yun Che's agitated state had left too obvious a trace. Therefore, by returning to this place, even if someone tracked his traces, they wouldn't find a “fault line.”

Yun Che knelt heavily to the ground. His hand still clutched his chest tightly, his face was contorted, and his shoulders and entire body trembled wildly. From his mouth came a grating, heart-piercing sound of teeth grinding.

Shui Meiyin knelt down and gently called out, “Brother Yun Che, it's just me here. No one else can get close.”

Those few words instantly broke the Devil Master who ruled the Northern Divine Region and stained two Divine Regions with blood. He slammed his head to the ground and sobbed like a broken child. Tears quickly soaked a large patch of the ground.

Homeland, loved ones, clansmen, wives, confidantes, daughter...

So, they were all still there.

He had never truly lost them...

There was no greater blessing or surprise in the world than this.

But the extreme of great joy triggered profound sorrow.

In two different worlds, father and daughter both knelt on the ground, both clutching their chests, and both cried as if the world had turned dark.

Inside the Sky Poison Pearl's world, He Ling covered her mouth with her hands, already sobbing like a pear blossom bathed in rain.

“Wuwu… This is wonderful… wonderful… wuwu…” Amidst her choked sobs, she was already crying uncontrollably.

“Wahhh!” Hong'er cried loudly, her tears pouring down.

You'er looked at them with a bewildered expression, at a loss.

“So, that means the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor gave you the Cosmic Piercer a long time ago?”

Yun Che cried inconsolably for over half an hour before gradually stopping.

Even now, his eyes were severely red. Although it greatly harmed his dignity as the Devil Master, he did not wish to wipe them away with profound energy.

Anyway, only Shui Meiyin was by his side, so his unsightly appearance had been fully witnessed by her anyway.

As he spoke, his hand gently covered his chest… It was no longer cold there, but warm and pulsating.

“Yes, a long time ago.” Shui Meiyin nodded. She held up the Cosmic Piercer, gently caressing it with a slender, jade-like finger.

Anyone who saw the ordinary, aura-less black spike in her hand would never have imagined that it was the Cosmic Piercer, ranked sixth among the seven Great Profound Heavenly Treasures of ancient legend.

“No wonder you said before that the Moon God Emperor couldn't actually imprison you. So that's how it is.” Yun Che smiled faintly.

Shui Meiyin said, “But for the safety of the Glazed Light Realm, and to avoid exposing the Cosmic Piercer, I obediently stayed imprisoned inside. Only when I was sure I wouldn't be discovered did I occasionally use the Cosmic Piercer to slip out for brief periods.”

“Brother Yun Che, actually, Senior Devil Emperor originally intended to leave the Cosmic Piercer for you,” Shui Meiyin suddenly said.

Regarding this statement, Yun Che did not show too much surprise.

Once he calmed down and looked at the Cosmic Piercer in Shui Meiyin's hand again, his first reaction was rather one of surprise: since the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor hadn't taken it out of the Primal Chaos, why hadn't she kept it for herself!?

After all, her two daughters were in his hands!

The Void Illusion Orb was widely recognized as the strongest spatial treasure. Its power lay in its ability to teleport instantly without leaving any traceable marks. Its flaw, however, was that no one knew where they would be transported.

Back at the Wall of Primal Chaos, Yun Che had escaped by relying on a Void Illusion Orb thrown to him by the enslaved Qianye Ying'er.

Outside the Blue Pole Star back then, Yun Che, holding Mu Xuanyin's remains, also escaped with a Void Illusion Orb.

According to records, the power of the Void Illusion Orb originated from the Cosmic Piercer. Its current quantity in the world was extremely scarce and non-renewable; using one meant one less forever.

As for the Cosmic Piercer, not only could it instantly slice through space without leaving any spatial traces, but it could also perform targeted teleportation! And it could be used at any time!

Such a heaven-defying supreme treasure for evasion, he truly couldn't understand why the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor hadn't kept it for herself.

Moreover, in the Age of Gods, the Cosmic Piercer originally belonged to the Heretic God, Ni Xuan. It was later given as a token of love to the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, Jie Yuan. Jie Yuan, in turn, gave the Sky Poison Pearl to Ni Xuan.

He looked at Shui Meiyin, listening intently. Although he didn't quite understand, he was also particularly clear that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor must have had a special reason for doing so.