Chapter 1897: Unwilling to Engage with the World (Part 2)

Before the main hall, immense divine might permeated the air. The intimidating aura emanating from each guard was enough to make even a Star Realm King tremble with fear. As Yun Che stepped in, the atmosphere of the entire space suddenly solidified.

Boom! As far as the eye could see, every figure knelt on one knee, bowing in reverence.

“Welcome back, Emperor Yun, to the city!”“Emperor Yun, with a single hand dominating the heavens, uniting the Four Regions, his might reigning supreme through all eternity, unmatched across the Primal Chaos, divine majesty eternally reigns, his rule everlasting over the world!”

Every word made space tremble, every word stirred heaven and earth.

Yun Wuxin’s lips slightly parted, her expression a mix of nervousness, shock, and a hint of strangeness.

Quietly glancing at his daughter, Yun Che secretly transmitted his voice, “Wufei, who came up with these praises?”

“Of course, it was I,” Chi Wuyao replied, her charming eyes gently turning. “Do you not like them?”

“!#￥…” Without a doubt, Chi Wuyao was the most astute and formidable woman he knew in the world. Yet these praises, crafted by her, made his scalp tingle with awkwardness. He felt as if his imperial might had been instantly diminished by several levels. She actually had such an area of… incompetence.

“It’s not that I dislike them,” Yun Che said unhurriedly, carefully choosing his words. “It’s just that such things, which only mundane emperors would favor, are not really necessary for us.”

“…I see, I understand,” Chi Wuyao said, nodding slightly. Then, a faint sigh echoed in her heart:

Were they really that bad…?

Just then, air currents surged in the distance, revealing Cang Shitian’s aura. Sensing Yun Che’s presence, he swiftly reined in his profound energy and imperial might. As he approached, before even landing, his upper body was already half-bowed, showing utmost reverence.

Thud! Cang Shitian knelt down, bowing loudly. “Cang Shitian greets Emperor Yun and Empress! Emperor Yun, with a single hand dominating the heavens, uniting the Four Regions, his might reigning supreme through all eternity, unmatched across the Primal Chaos…”

“Alright, alright,” Yun Che interrupted. His scalp, which had just relaxed, began to tingle again.

“Huh?” Cang Shitian paused, startled. When he looked up, he suddenly saw Yun Wuxin standing to Yun Che’s left, almost pressing half her body against him out of nervousness. Emperor Yun had returned to Imperial Cloud City for the first time in several months, bringing this woman, and even with the Empress by his side, they were so intimate… How extraordinarily favored she must be!

Cang Shitian’s heart lurched. He immediately bowed again, shouting loudly, “Congratulations, Emperor Yun, for acquiring another Divine Consort! Divine Consort, your beauty is like heavenly jade, your aura like an immortal's arrival, truly a perfect match with Emperor Yun, like a pair of flawless jades…”

“This is my daughter,” Yun Che said coldly.

Cang Shitian’s shouting abruptly stopped. He then raised his arm and slapped himself hard on the face, collapsing to the ground. Trembling, he stammered, “Shitian deserves to die. Please, Your Majesty… and Princess, mete out punishment.”

“Hmph!” Yun Che strode forward, his gaze cold. “With your abilities, Cang Shitian, you mean to say you’ve been completely ignorant of my wife and daughter in the lower realm for all these months!?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty,” Cang Shitian replied, his expression terrified, yet his gaze met Yun Che’s cold stare openly. “Shitian has always prided himself as Your Majesty’s most loyal mad dog. To serve Your Majesty, Shitian will reach into the most secret and filthy places. But places Your Majesty does not wish to be touched, even if Shitian had a thousand times the ability and ten thousand times the courage, he would never approach even half a step! Furthermore, he would absolutely not allow anyone else to touch them!”

Cang Shitian spoke these words with an almost soul-piercing sincerity. In front of everyone, not only Yun Che and Chi Wuyao, but all the Imperial City guards heard him clearly. Once a Divine Emperor of a King Realm, he could now debase himself to such an extent to show loyalty. Cang Shitian was indeed the first such person in all eternity.

Yun Wuxin was left wide-eyed for a long time.

Yun Che looked deeply at Cang Shitian for a moment, then, seemingly no longer intending to pursue the matter, turned and said, “Let’s speak inside the hall.”

Almost every palace, large or small, in Imperial Cloud City had an independent space built within, making their interiors far larger than they appeared from the outside. The main hall, located at the core of Imperial Cloud City, was especially so.

Inside the grand hall, Yun Che sat formally on the imperial throne, which symbolized the highest authority in the world, listening to Cang Shitian report on the recent major events in the Three Divine Regions and the progress of the Order Maintenance Department’s expansion. Frankly speaking, he was quite uncomfortable with such a somewhat solemn scene.

“…Within a hundred days, there were a total of one thousand nine hundred and twenty-three rebellions of various types within the Three Regions. Half of them were in the Western Divine Region, thirty-five percent in the Eastern Divine Region, and fifteen percent in the Southern Divine Region. One thousand nine hundred and twenty-one small rebellions, and two relatively large rebellions, were all suppressed within seventy-two hours. The rebels included one Divine Sovereign, thirteen Divine Kings, one hundred and one Divine Spirits, and the rest were below the Divine Spirit Realm.”

These numbers were much lower than Yun Che had expected, but they didn’t surprise him too much. The changing of eras and sudden shifts in rules are always accompanied by turbulent waves. Especially, the Three Divine Regions' deeply ingrained perception of darkness, which had lasted for a million years, could not be changed overnight. There would always be those who held onto their beliefs and resisted to the death. However, the strongest powers in the world were now all under Yun Che’s command. Even if the number and scale of these rebellions were a thousand or hundred times larger, they would not pose even a tiny threat. Especially, the more powerful and higher-level a person was, the more they would understand how foolish it was to go against Yun Che’s current might. Therefore, among all the rebellions that occurred in these hundred days, the strongest profound practitioners were merely one Divine Sovereign and a dozen Divine Kings.

“How were these people dealt with?” Yun Che asked.

Cang Shitian replied, “By the Empress’s decree, ninety percent were executed and their three clans implicated, ten percent were crippled, and a hundred or so were granted amnesty.” After speaking, he immediately added, “For the rebels whose three clans were executed, their other clans outside the main three are also under control. The same applies to those crippled or granted amnesty; there are absolutely no oversights. If Your Majesty wishes to change the disposition, you may issue a decree at any time.”

“No need,” Yun Che said. “Everything can proceed according to the Empress’s will.”

Yun Wuxin, who was curiously listening from the side, quietly stuck out her tongue. Listening to all this, her ‘Aunt Wuyao’ truly wasn’t easy at all. Bearing the title of Empress, she performed all the duties of an emperor.

“It’s not surprising that the Western Divine Region had the most rebellions. But the Southern Divine Region accounts for less than twenty percent?” Yun Che furrowed his brow. “Are you certain of this?”

Cang Shitian replied immediately, without any panic or hesitation, “Your Majesty is discerning. Although Shitian hails from the Southern Divine Region, serving under Your Majesty brings ten thousand times more glory than the name of Canglan Emperor! I would never dare to show any partiality or concealment regarding matters of the Southern Divine Region. When Your Majesty overturned the heavens back then, you purged the Eastern Divine Region, killing the most Eastern Region profound practitioners. Hence, a small portion of the Eastern Region rebels are driven by the hatred of their annihilated sects and deceased kin from that time. As for the Southern Divine Region, Shuhe… Shitian misspoke! Even before Concubine He married, though she rarely left her chambers, everything in the Southern Divine Region was held in her grasp and heart. Now, many of the Southern Divine Region’s star realms have been directly manipulated by her, becoming threads in her hands, and she has laid out a vast net that completely controls the Southern Divine Region.”

“Hmm?” Yun Che murmured, “Cang Shuhe clearly hasn’t seen the light of day for a long time, yet she possesses such ability?”

Cang Shitian slightly lowered his head. “That vast net was woven by Concubine He over several millennia, with all her heart and soul, for Shitian. Yet, it ultimately spread out in her hands and was used for Your Majesty. If Your Majesty has time, perhaps… perhaps you should get to know Concubine He better. At that time, Your Majesty will surely know that she will never disgrace the name ‘Concubine He’ bestowed by Your Majesty.”

“…Is there anything else?” Yun Che asked.

“Shitian has finished reporting.”

Yun Che stood up and said faintly, “If there’s nothing else, you may withdraw.”

“Yes, Shitian takes his leave.” Cang Shitian bowed and departed. Chi Wuyao, who had been silently observing, smiled leisurely. “What a perfectly loyal dog. If this loyal dog were to suddenly disappear one day, I would truly have a headache for quite some time.”

“I know, I know,” Yun Che said helplessly. “I’ll find time to go to the Canglan Realm.”

“That would be for the best.” Chi Wuyao gracefully walked up to Yun Che, parting her lips to say, “I also have something to report.”

“…Just say it.” Given Chi Wuyao’s formal choice of words, Yun Che knew it was definitely not a serious matter.

Chi Wuyao smiled ambiguously, speaking softly. “Imperial Cloud City is bathed in divine light, with palaces standing in abundance, but most are empty, making it feel a bit lonely. Beneath Imperial Cloud City, the Imperial Cloud Divine Realm, rebuilt from the former Southern Sea Divine Realm, has also begun to take shape. Once completed, its core hundred thousand li will all be Your Majesty’s private domain. Among the various realms of the Four Regions, thousands of temporary palaces have also been built for Your Majesty. However, Your Majesty, as the first emperor of all eternity, your imperial harem is truly too sparse. Even a lower realm ruler commands three thousand beauties, while the imperial consorts established by Your Majesty, including attendants, number only a dozen or so.”

Yun Che: “…”Yun Wuxin: “…………”

Chi Wuyao said sadly, “This is my dereliction of duty. I do not fear the world’s judgment, but I cannot bear to see Your Majesty’s imperial might diminished because of this…”

“Stop, stop talking!” Yun Che quickly raised a hand to stop Chi Wuyao’s words. After a guilty glance at Yun Wuxin from the corner of his eye, he said seriously, “This matter can be discussed later.” Even before he was officially crowned Emperor, Chi Wuyao had been nagging him about having too few women around him, far too few to match his imperial status. She had brought it up multiple times since… and sure enough, he couldn’t escape it this time either. Moreover, she wasn’t joking or teasing him; this was evident from the fact that on the night of his enthronement, she directly sent the Nine Devil Girls, whom she had painstakingly nurtured, into his chambers.

“‘Discuss later’ means Your Majesty already has this intention,” Chi Wuyao said, her eyebrows slightly lowered, her charming eyes shimmering as if with water. “In these past few months, I have already ordered people to select nine thousand women from the Four Regions, all of excellent background, talent, and beauty. When Your Majesty is ready, you only need to…”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough!!” With his back to Yun Wuxin, Yun Che repeatedly signaled Chi Wuyao with his eyes. “Discuss later! Discuss later!!” He was certain Chi Wuyao was doing this on purpose, probably as punishment for his attachment to his homeland and for not returning to the God Realm for so long.

“Father, Aunt Wuyao, I… should I go out and explore for a while by myself?” Yun Wuxin said weakly.

Yun Che quickly reached out and took Yun Wuxin’s small hand. “The aura here is too different from the lower realm. Don’t stray too far from me. Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you there in a bit.” With Yun Wuxin just entering the God Realm, Yun Che wouldn't dare to leave her side.

“Alright, then this matter can be ‘discussed later’,” Chi Wuyao said, seemingly letting him off the hook. She then added, “There’s another matter that requires Your Majesty’s decision.”

Yun Che’s face was full of vigilance.

Chi Wuyao slowly said, “For Dark Profound practitioners to leave the Northern Divine Region, Your Majesty still needs to bestow Dark Assimilation with the Eternal Calamity of Darkness. I truly cannot do this on your behalf; it requires Your Majesty’s personal effort.”

Yun Che secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodding. “I haven’t forgotten about this. Two months from now, I will go to the Northern Divine Region. After that, every ten years, I will gather those who wish to leave the Northern Divine Region to complete their Dark Assimilation.”

“Good, I will have the people in the Northern Region make the arrangements immediately.”

“By the way,” Yun Che suddenly said, “What about that matter I mentioned to you earlier… how is it progressing?”

“That matter…” Chi Wuyao slightly drew out her words, smiling faintly. “How could I dare to neglect something Your Majesty personally instructed? If Your Majesty has no other urgent matters, perhaps you could go and take a look now.” He never needed to worry about anything entrusted to Chi Wuyao. She would always complete it better than expected.

After a brief hesitation, Yun Che placed his daughter’s hand into Chi Wuyao’s. “Wuxin, let your Aunt Wuyao accompany you for a while. I’ll be back soon.”