Chapter 1928: Endgame

The Northern Realm invasion unleashed a fierce war, plunging the northern reaches of the Eastern Divine Region into chaos, with blood staining the sky.

Xia Qingyue arrived at the Moon Prison for what would be her final meeting with Shui Meiyin.

“Sister Qingyue,” Shui Meiyin said, walking towards her, her eyes trembling as if she had a premonition.

The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword and the stone tablet inscribed with the World-Defying Heaven Manual appeared in Xia Qingyue’s hand. She then gently pushed them towards Shui Meiyin.

“From today, you are the new, and sole, master of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword. And this incomplete World-Defying Heaven Manual, I ask that you deliver it to him.”

Shui Meiyin gently took them, asking, “Is Brother Yun Che coming?”

Xia Qingyue replied, “The chaos in the Northern Divine Region seems grand in scale, but it has dragged on for too long. It is clearly meant to draw attention, while their core forces have likely already quietly infiltrated the Southern Divine Region.”

“Under his command, the profound practitioners of the Northern Divine Region have completed their transformation. The profound practitioners of the Eastern Divine Region are completely unaware that the dark profound energy of the Northern Divine Region is no longer as prone to outward overflow as they commonly believe. This vast discrepancy in their understanding is enough to inflict a devastating blow upon the unprepared Eastern Divine Region when the Northern forces launch their surprise attack.”

“That moment must be very near. It is also time for you to leave.”

“I understand.” She held the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword in her hand, but she did not immediately move it. Instead, she looked at Xia Qingyue, her lips slightly parting, about to speak, then hesitating, again and again.

Xia Qingyue smiled and shook her head. “Do not try to persuade me further. You should be happy for me… happy that I will finally find release.”

“But… it’s…” Shui Meiyin’s hand, clutching the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, trembled incessantly.

“At the appropriate moment, give him those four Illusory Heart Glazed Shadow Jades. If the Brahma Heaven Realm can be captured, it would be ideal to use its unique Brahma Heaven Projection to reveal everything to the world. The truths inscribed within them will be enough to shatter the convictions of the Eastern Divine Region’s resisting profound practitioners, causing their will to fight to collapse completely. The Western and Southern Divine Regions will also be profoundly affected.”

“After you leave, I will make every effort to spread the news of your escape, and everything will then align perfectly, seamlessly.”

Tears slowly streamed down her face. Shui Meiyin could only nod gently yet firmly. “I will… do it.”

“And the people of the Moon God Realm… I entrust them to you as well.” Xia Qingyue smiled. “I will dismiss all core forces of the Moon God Realm outside its borders, and Moon Wuji will then quietly lead them to a space that will not be discovered.”

“The Moon God Realm will be handed over to him completely. There will be no resistance from anyone, and thus no slaughter or destruction. Coupled with my death, everything within the Moon God Realm can at least be preserved.”

“In ten… or perhaps a hundred years, when he stands at the pinnacle and his heart is free of hatred, you may ask him to return the Moon God Realm to Moon Wuji and his people. You saved the Blue Pole Star, and you preserved everything for him; he will not refuse. Moreover, I trust that someone as intelligent as you will surely find better words, better methods, and achieve a better outcome.”

Shui Meiyin looked into her eyes and said, word by word, “Sister Qingyue, rest assured, I will… I will definitely do it.”

However, she was unable to do so.

Because Yun Che gave her, and the Moon God Realm, not even the slightest chance.

Shui Meiyin left. Subsequently, her “escape” was discovered. In a fit of rage, Xia Qingyue used “intentionally letting Shui Meiyin escape” as a pretext to banish Jinyue, then dispatched Lian Yue to search the surrounding star realms, and Yaoyue to the Glazed Light Realm…

A host of Moon Gods and Moon God Envoys were successively sent out by her, almost as if she had lost her mind in anger.

Meanwhile, she herself silently returned to her bedchamber.

Soon, her words proved true. In the Southern Divine Region, the dark profound practitioners who had quietly infiltrated and lain dormant suddenly bared their dark fangs, savagely piercing one unprepared star realm of the Eastern Divine Region after another.

At the Brahma Heaven Divine Realm, Zhou Xuzi had just managed to gather his forces and teleport to the Northern Divine Region when the dimensional formation was destroyed… The most terrifying dark shadow descended upon the now desolate lands of Brahma Heaven.

The Great Devil Calamity truly descended at that moment, plunging the Eastern Divine Region into immense chaos instantly.

In the Moon God Emperor’s bedchamber, Moon Wuji arrived in a hurry.

Outside, heaven and earth were in turmoil, but the Moon God Emperor remained silent for a long time.

Moon Wuji, rushing in, had no time for pleasantries. He urgently exclaimed, “Divine Emperor, countless star realms in the Eastern Divine Region are now suffering calamity, and the Brahma Heaven Divine Realm is being massacred! We must immediately recall all Moon Gods and Moon God Envoys to aid Brahma Heaven!”

“Even if not for Brahma Heaven, we must immediately recall all our forces to defend our realm! The devils clearly had this planned long ago, and they are far more terrifying than we imagined. It’s possible… they could engulf our Moon God Realm at any moment!”

He had already been uneasy with Xia Qingyue’s previous drastic actions following Shui Meiyin’s escape. Now, with disaster suddenly striking, her prolonged inaction only intensified his dissatisfaction and confusion, leaving him consumed by anxiety.

“Wuji,” she said, her voice as serene and profound as the cold moonlight, a stark contrast to the Golden Moon God’s panic. “I have something to give you.”

“...?” Moon Wuji was about to ask, when an endlessly pure moon-glow entered his eyes, making him freeze in place.

In Xia Qingyue’s hand was the Moon God Realm’s inherited artifact, and the very core of the Moon God lineage: the Moon Imperial Glaze.

“Moon Wuji,” Xia Qingyue said slowly, “From today, you shall be the successor Divine Emperor of the Moon God Realm.”

“…” Moon Wuji’s knees visibly trembled, and he nearly dropped to his knees in shock.

“Divine Emperor, what… what are you saying?” He took a step back, exclaiming in shock.

“I am not joking.” Xia Qingyue extended her palm, causing the Moon Imperial Glaze to float before Moon Wuji. Simultaneously, a faint glow condensed into a soul imprint at her fingertips, which then shot towards Moon Wuji’s brow.

Within the soul imprint was recorded the location of a distant lower realm space.

“After you receive the Moon Imperial Glaze, immediately use it to transmit messages to all Moon Gods and God Envoys. Then lead them, with the utmost speed and secrecy, to this designated space. Afterward, you must not step a single half-step outside it until someone actively comes to receive you.”

Clearly, Moon Wuji could neither understand nor accept Xia Qingyue’s words. He shook his head. “Divine Emperor, would this not be tantamount to abandoning our realm and fleeing?”

“Yes, it is indeed abandoning the realm and fleeing.”

Moon Wuji received no explanation, only Xia Qingyue’s admission.

“This Northern Realm invasion has achieved the momentum of a surprise attack, and it is unstoppable. If we engage in direct battle, we will undoubtedly be defeated, and the Moon God Realm will be trampled. Only this method can ensure the Moon God Realm’s survival.”

“Divine Emperor, what you say is gravely mistaken!” Moon Wuji countered loudly. “Our Moon God Realm has dominated the Eastern Divine Region for hundreds of thousands of years; why should we fear mere devils? Even if we concede ten thousand steps and the devils’ power is truly irresistible, we must still fight first, only then will we uphold the name of a King Realm and the dignity of the Moon God lineage!”

“To abandon our realm and flee without fighting—when the devils are purged in the future, will our Moon God lineage not become the laughingstock of the entire world?!”

Xia Qingyue was unsurprised by Moon Wuji’s words. She sighed softly and said, “Everything you have said is not wrong, but… I cannot explain too much. You only need to remember one thing.”

The purple light in her eyes reflected in Moon Wuji’s pupils, piercing directly into his soul. “I received immense kindness from the former Emperor, a debt that ten thousand deaths could not repay. Moreover, protecting the Moon God Realm is a solemn oath I swore before the former Emperor’s tomb. Therefore, no matter what, I would never betray the Moon God Realm… This retreat, which may seem dishonorable and self-humiliating, is in fact the best arrangement for the Moon God Realm.”

“…” Moon Wuji wanted to say more, but looking into Xia Qingyue’s eyes, he found himself unable to question any of her words, and for a moment, he was speechless.

He believed that she would never betray the Moon God Realm.

“This dark calamity will be far more brutal than you can imagine. The fate of all King Realms in the Eastern Divine Region is already uncertain. I believe it won’t be long before you understand what I am saying now. And now…”

Her gaze held both the majesty of a Divine Emperor and a profound plea. “As long as you have not received the Moon Imperial Glaze, I remain the Moon God Emperor, and this is an imperial decree that cannot be defied… Once you take the Moon Imperial Glaze, you will simultaneously inherit the future of the Moon God lineage. The safety of the Moon God lineage must take precedence over everything else.”

After a long silence, Moon Wuji finally slowly knelt down.

“Wuji… respectfully obeys the Divine Emperor’s command!”

With a trembling voice, he reached out, extremely slowly, and took the Moon Imperial Glaze into his hands.

Xia Qingyue turned around and whispered softly, “Everything is entrusted to you… Uncle.”

“…?!” Moon Wuji’s head snapped up, his dilated pupils fixedly staring at her back.

The voice that had just reached his ears was so faint, that for a moment he couldn’t tell if it was real or an illusion.

“Go now. This is no time for hesitation or delay.”

Moon Wuji departed.

At that moment, Xia Qingyue was no longer the Moon God Emperor; she was simply Xia Qingyue.

She left her bedchamber, standing above Divine Moon City, silently watching the projection from the Brahma Heaven Divine Realm, watching it stain the sky with blood, watching its lands become strewn with corpses, watching the Brahma Heaven Grand Ancestor forced to reveal himself, watching even the Brahma Heaven Grand Ancestor suffer humiliation and destruction… She was witnessing the final fate of this King Realm of the Eastern Divine Region.

Divine Moon City was exceptionally quiet that day, and the lingering crescent moon above was exceptionally bright and pure, draping Divine Moon City in a layer of splendid silver frost.

Then, at a certain moment, her gaze suddenly turned cold and sinister.

This was because Qianye Ying’er’s aura radiated directly from a nearby star realm.

So soon, she is here…

His hatred for me is already so strong, so impatient.

Moonlight shone like frost. Her purple robes, symbolizing her identity as the Moon God Emperor, slipped from her body, revealing a fleeting glimpse of skin as pristine as immortal jade and white snow, which was then immediately covered by a splash of crimson.

Crimson robes fluttered, and her long hair danced, stunning the bright moon and eclipsing its splendor.

“I cannot decide the beginning, but I can at least… decide my own end!”

With a soft murmur, her jade fingers opened, and the Purple Heaven Divine Sword radiated a deep purple glow.

Her jade arm lifted, but her gaze did not fall on the sword itself, but on her arm.

Her red sleeve reflected her purple eyes. When the dream dispersed, this was, unexpectedly, the first color of her life.

An object slowly fell from her sleeve, but was immediately lifted by a wisp of aura, and floated into her hand.

It was a marriage contract… the very one Xia Qingyue had definitively “destroyed” in front of him all those years ago.

As it settled in her palm, the marriage contract unfurled in the breeze.

She stared blankly at it… On it were inscribed “Azure Wind, Flowing Cloud,” and the names “Xiao Che, Qingyue.”

Still the same handwriting, the same names.

“Why… you are… not fake…”

She murmured softly, her fingers slowly tightening… only to suddenly release their grip at a certain moment.

The marriage contract folded, then was tucked into the sash that cinched her slender waist.

Her purple eyes turned chillingly profound. Her crimson figure surged forth with majestic purple light, charging alone towards the distant star realm until she completely vanished beneath the moonlight.

She saw Yun Che, and she saw Qianye Ying’er, who was prepared to burn her life force, intent on killing.

But…

Boom—

At that instant, Yun Che painfully sealed off all his senses…

Once, the sight of the Moon God Realm turning to ash had filled him with such pleasure, making him laugh wildly, almost to the point of madness.

Now, he dared not let his sight… or hearing… touch it.

“Is fate truly so irresistible?”

Within the sea of his soul, he heard her faint, distraught murmur from that time, and saw her colorless eyes…

Scene after scene of her void memories unfolded. Yun Che could hardly bear to imagine how utterly heartbroken and soul-shattered she must have been when facing the Moon God Realm reduced to ash…

The images of void memory ceased at this moment.

Because every subsequent image was one they had experienced together. And now, re-watching these scenes, every moment was nearly torture for Yun Che.

Leaning against the stone wall, Yun Che’s entire body trembled. His teeth chattered, and tears crisscrossed his face… Each tear flowed ceaselessly, even as he clenched his jaw so hard he nearly bit through his teeth.

“Do you regret knowing all this?”

This was no longer the soul sea space; it was the real world. Yet within his heart, the voice of that ethereal, dream-like woman still echoed.