Chapter 1880: Sealing Emperor Ceremony (Part 1)

Mu Xuanyin’s words, while making Yun Che feel guilty, brought him more relief. He suddenly took Mu Xuanyin’s hand and smiled, "The relationship between women is truly subtle. I always thought you could never forgive her… It turns out, not only do you not hate her, but you seem to even appreciate her."

"Truly experiencing life and death can suddenly make one see many things clearly. For instance, what is actually unimportant, and what is actually very important." She murmured softly, then her hand weakly tried to pull away, but Yun Che held it even tighter.

"And the Ice Phoenix God Spirit, you don't resent her either, do you?" Yun Che turned his gaze to the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake. Without the Ice Phoenix God Spirit, the cold energy of the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake had dissipated by nearly half in just a few years.

Mu Xuanyin shook her head. "Without the Ice Phoenix God Spirit, there would be no Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, and certainly no second life for me. She has bestowed upon me a kindness that is impossible to repay even across ten thousand lifetimes. What right do I have to resent her?"

Yun Che slowly closed his eyes and sighed. "It's the same for me… All grudges have been settled, but some kindnesses can never be repaid. Now, the only way we can show our gratitude is to quickly have a large number of children inheriting the Ice Phoenix bloodline. Ten or eight children would be enough to transform the Snow Song Realm into a true King Realm admired by all beings!"

Mu Xuanyin: "…"

While Yun Che stayed in the Snow Song Realm, neighboring star realms, upon hearing of his presence, frantically came to pay their respects, but all were denied entry.

The situation in the Eastern, Western, and Southern Divine Regions continued to shift. The demonic might brought by the title "Devil Master" was like a dark, floating colossal stone, pressing down on everyone, making it hard to breathe in their trepidation.

All King Realms in the three Divine Regions bowed to the Devil Master, and the upper star realms, one by one, region by region, knelt in submission…

The prevailing momentum driven by these events did not alleviate the heavy demonic might looming overhead; instead, it grew heavier day by day, until it became so immense that there was no possibility of it being overturned. The already weak sparks of resistance, which had barely managed to stir a ripple, were instantly extinguished.

Two months later, in the Ten Directions Deep Ocean Realm.

Under the profound light formation left by Yun Che, Cang Shuhe's life force was almost fully restored, and her profound energy was surging at an astonishing rate, far beyond comprehension. Cang Shitian and Ruiyi, who had always attended her, were almost daily astonished by her changes, yet Cang Shuhe herself remained as composed as ever.

However, full recovery from her illness combined with her Deep Ocean royal bloodline was far from enough. To possess the most basic qualification to become the Deep Ocean Emperor, she needed to bear the Deep Ocean Divine Power.

Today, Yun Che once again set foot in the Ten Directions Deep Ocean Realm, and it was for this very purpose. It was the same place as when he first met Cang Shuhe, but now there was no cold energy.

Cang Shuhe knelt on the ground, while Yun Che stood before her, his finger touching her glabella. Floating on the back of his hand was the Deep Ocean Divine Pearl, the divine relic of the Ten Directions Deep Ocean Realm. Wisps of blue light, like flowing water, emanated from the Deep Ocean Divine Pearl, surging along Yun Che's palm towards Cang Shuhe's glabella.

Cang Shitian and Ruiyi watched from a distance, holding their breath for a long time. Cang Shitian, in particular, was inexpressibly shocked. As the Deep Ocean Divine Emperor, the Deep Ocean Divine Pearl had been in his hands for years. Therefore, he was undoubtedly the person in the world who understood the Deep Ocean Divine Pearl the most... Yet, at this moment, he searched through all his knowledge, even ancient memories, but could not comprehend how Yun Che could forcefully guide the power of the Deep Ocean Divine Pearl.

That was the divine relic of his Ten Directions Deep Ocean Realm, a remnant left by an ancient True God! The Deep Ocean Divine Power had always only been bestowed actively by the Pearl after its recognition; no Deep Ocean Divine Emperor, throughout history, had ever been able to forcefully interfere with its power by any means. The divine relics of other King Realms were similar.

Cang Shitian's heart trembled, and his gaze showed an undeniable complexity... It was hard to imagine how many terrifying secrets Yun Che still concealed. To force such a terrifying monster to become an enemy and a devil—thinking back now, the actions of those Divine Emperors and Realm Kings, led by Long Bai and Zhou Xuzi, were utterly foolish.

With the power of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, Yun Che could easily achieve the "grafting" of dark power. Tian Guhu, who bore the power of the Yama Devil, was a product of this process, not even requiring him to possess Yama Devil bloodline. The consequence of such forced grafting was a drastic shortening of lifespan.

The forced assimilation of Deep Ocean Divine Power, on the other hand, was achieved by him through the Law of Nothingness. However, his understanding of the Law of Nothingness was ultimately too shallow and ethereal, making his forceful interference with the Deep Ocean Divine Power far less dominant than his mastery over dark power. Consequently, this forced assimilation not only required the corresponding Deep Ocean bloodline but also resulted in a more severe reduction of lifespan.

It didn't last too long; just one hour later, with a resonance from the Deep Ocean Divine Pearl, the blue light completely dissipated. Yun Che's finger abruptly moved away from Cang Shuhe's glabella. He secretly let out a breath of relief, then turned aside, his face expressionless.

Cang Shitian's body trembled, and he quickly stepped forward. "Devil Master... how is it?"

At that moment, Cang Shuhe slowly opened her eyes, and a pure, flawless Deep Ocean divine radiance shone within her beautiful pupils. Cang Shitian's gaze suddenly shifted... Accompanying the Deep Ocean divine radiance was a Deep Ocean divine aura abruptly released from Cang Shuhe's body!

"Miss..." Ruiyi softly called out, her joy mixed with a hint of sorrow, for she knew the price Cang Shuhe had paid to obtain the Deep Ocean Divine Power.

Cang Shuhe bowed slightly and whispered, "The Devil Master's benevolence, Shuhe can only repay with the remainder of her life."

"No need, it was merely a mutual exchange." Yun Che said in a deep voice. As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Cang Shuhe out of the corner of his eye.

While the forced assimilation of ancient divine power resulted in a severe reduction of lifespan, it undoubtedly came with immense pain. Under such agony, even the extremely strong-willed Tian Guhu had his face contorted, body trembling, and sweat pouring down like rain. Yet Cang Shuhe showed not the slightest change in expression from beginning to end, remaining as calm as if she were not enduring flesh-rending pain, but merely bathing in a gentle breeze.

Such willpower... was truly unsettling.

"As expected of the Devil Master," Cang Shitian said, suppressing his excitement. "Such a miracle could only be achieved by the Devil Master. Though Shuhe has lived in seclusion for years, she has secretly observed all realms and read countless ancient texts. After becoming the Deep Ocean Divine Emperor, she will certainly not bear an empty title. The Deep Ocean Realm under her rule, and its influence on the entire Southern Divine Region... will surely not disappoint the Devil Master!"

"Is that so?" Yun Che responded indifferently. "Cang Shitian, prepare the succession ceremony. The sooner, the better." He suddenly turned his gaze to Cang Shuhe and said, "You should understand that all I want is a vase. And a vase should look the part. Besides, your current lifespan..."

"Now that Shuhe bears the Deep Ocean Divine Power, her lifespan is naturally far greater than before, perhaps no less than my brother's," Cang Shuhe suddenly interjected, cutting off Yun Che. "However long the years ahead may be, Shuhe would not dare to forget for a moment that everything is the Devil Master's benevolence, and she will not forget the promise just made."

Yun Che: "…"

Cang Shitian hastily said, "Under the Devil Master's divine might, all beings in the world dare not disobey. Shuhe, moreover, values benevolence and righteousness immensely. I, Cang Shitian, swear on my life that no matter what the future holds, Shuhe will never harbor any disloyalty towards the Devil Master. Otherwise, there will be no need for the Devil Master to act; Shitian will personally purge the family."

Cang Shitian's words were decisive and firm. Having witnessed Yun Che's terrifying and unfathomable nature time and again, he knew better than anyone that in the current situation, loyalty to Yun Che was the wisest choice... Disloyalty? That would be incurable folly.

Yun Che cast a deep glance at Cang Shuhe, then turned and left.

"Farewell, Devil Master!" Cang Shitian quickly followed, his demeanor utterly humble.

"Miss!" As soon as Yun Che and Cang Shitian left, Ruiyi quickly stepped forward to carefully help Cang Shuhe up. Only then did she realize that Cang Shuhe's entire body was soaked in sweat, making it clear what excruciating pain she had silently endured.

Cang Shuhe slowly raised her hand, sensing the surging Deep Ocean divine power within her, and gave a faint, gentle smile. "With this, I can bear my brother's title of Divine Emperor... Worldly affairs are like a dream, yet even more profound than an illusory one."

"Miss, could you tell me..." Ruiyi lowered her voice, trembling slightly, "How much lifespan do you have left?"

If it were a reduction of twenty or thirty percent, she could still accept it. But as Qianye Ying'er had said, forcefully assimilating the Deep Ocean Divine Power would drastically shorten her lifespan to... even less than when she was previously frail.

Facing Ruiyi's worry and apprehension, Cang Shuhe smiled gently, not hiding anything. "I hope I can last through the tenth sexagenary cycle."

"..." Ruiyi stood stunned, speechless for a long time.

"Ruiyi, there's no need to grieve for me. This is not a detriment but a true gift for me." Cang Shuhe raised her head slightly and spoke softly, "The title of Divine Emperor might be a mere empty name in the eyes of the Devil Master and countless others, but for me, it is rebirth."

"To preside over the world for a single day is better than to cling to life for ten thousand years. And these ten sexagenary cycles, a gift from heaven, I am destined not to waste... At the very least, I will ensure that future generations forever remember the name Cang Shuhe!"

The faint blue light in her eyes had, at some point, condensed into a cold star whose radiance pierced the soul. From her pale pink lips, a soft whisper escaped: "That dark net left by my brother... I will now personally gather it."

Western Divine Region, Azure Dragon Realm.

Chi Wuyao slowly walked out of the Azure Dragon Emperor's bedchamber. At that moment, Huajin, who had been waiting for her for a long time, slowly appeared.

"Still no results?" Chi Wuyao murmured, glancing at Huajin's expression.

"Replying, Master," Huajin bowed. "The forces mobilized in the three Divine Regions this past month were several times greater than last month. All remnants of the Southern Sea have been purged, and the Dragon God bloodline has been thoroughly dealt with, with all remaining young dragons left half-crippled. Only the Moon Gods... are nowhere to be found."

"That's odd," Chi Wuyao frowned slightly.

The power that had shattered the Moon God Realm certainly shouldn't have killed all Moon Gods. Yet, strangely, after that, there had been no trace or aura of the Moon Gods in the world.

"Huajin speculates they either fled to a distant lower realm, or... facing the current irreversible tide, they feared falling into our hands and suffering humiliation, thus crippling their Moon God divine power for self-preservation."

Chi Wuyao fell into thought... Fleeing to a distant lower realm was indeed the most likely possibility. But for beings like the Moon Gods, unless absolutely driven to a dead end, there was no way they would willingly descend to a lower plane, a place that would cause them extreme loss of dignity. When the Moon God Realm collapsed, the most natural reaction for Moon Gods would have been furious revenge... But from that moment on, all Moon Gods had completely vanished.

Could it be that they fled directly to the lower realms from that very moment?!

"..." Chi Wuyao remained silent for a long time, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Master, should we expand the search area and continue looking?" Huajin asked.

Yun Che's enthronement ceremony was approaching. The Southern Sea remnants and Dragon God bloodline had been purged, and resistance forces were swiftly annihilated, posing no significant threat. However, the mysteriously vanished Moon Gods became the biggest unsettling factor.

After a brief silence, Chi Wuyao said, "No need. Temporarily suspend the search for the Moon Gods' whereabouts. You will accompany me to the Southern Divine Region and focus all efforts on preparing for the enthronement ceremony."

"Yes!" Huajin acknowledged the order, then added, "There's another matter: Luo Guxie's hiding place has been discovered in the south of the Eastern Region."

"Oh?" Chi Wuyao turned her gaze, then gave a faint smile. "Don't touch her. Withdraw all those monitoring her, and don't stop her from sneaking into the enthronement ceremony."

"Master, what do you mean?"

"I was just wondering how to establish my might through bloodshed at the grand ceremony," Chi Wuyao's eyes gleamed with dark light. "How could such a suitable tool be wasted?"

Amidst the continuous turmoil of demonic clouds, half a year had passed since the destruction of the Dragon God Realm, once the hegemon of the God Realm. And starting from the fifth day, the auras of the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Divine Regions continually shifted, with countless star realms and innumerable auras converging towards the same direction in the Southern Divine Region.

Today, Yun Che's enthronement ceremony, a momentous event that would determine the future supreme ruler of the God Realm and the destiny of later generations, finally arrived.