Chapter 1934: When the Bright Moon Was There

What is the heaviest thing in this world?

For Yun Che, it was a debt of love that could never be repaid.

Xia Qingyue had devoted her entire life to him, yet all she had left for herself was endless guilt, sorrow, ill repute, and an old bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror in his hand was soaked with tears. Yun Che gently held it... This was now the closest he could be to her. For the rest of his life, the hope of embracing her again was a luxury only dreams could grant.

She had once cherished this bronze mirror so much, wearing it around her neck day and night. But later, this mirror became a constant reminder of her "true nature" and the cruelty behind it...

Perhaps, when she handed it to Jin Yue, instructing her to destroy it, her subconscious secretly hoped Jin Yue would subtly disobey... After all, she was so intelligent and knew Jin Yue so well.

Tormented by and resentful of her fate, yet cherishing her mother's memento, she entrusted this "choice" to Jin Yue, her closest and most trusted confidante.

Later, she no longer allowed Jin Yue near her, speaking to her even through a curtain, fearing she might bring disaster upon her. Her final, resolute act of sending Jin Yue away, rather than letting her follow Yue Wuji and the others, was also a form of favoritism.

And he himself had almost...

He slowly straightened his body, which had been rigidly seated for a long time. In his vision, it was the same scenery, yet a different world.

A world without the Ancestral God's Will, without Xia Qingyue, and without the Chains of Destiny.

"So, you don't have the right to live poorly."

Without these words from the Ancestral God's Will, he didn't know how long it would have taken him to escape that suffocating mental cage.

Holding the bronze mirror to his chest, Yun Che looked forward and softly said, "Qingyue, from Xiao Che, whom everyone could despise, to Emperor Yun, whom everyone must revere, I once thought the ladder I climbed began with the Heretic God's legacy as my destiny. It turns out, that was your entire life."

"Meiyin once said she hoped I would treat this world kindly... I know that was your wish. Even after being treated and harmed so cruelly by fate, you still wished to repay it with the greatest kindness."

"Qingyue, watch me... I will live my life in the best way possible, better than anyone else... I will also protect... this world that once linked our fates, where we met and became husband and wife."

Years later, when "Emperor Yun" became an eternal faith etched into the beliefs of all beings, a towering monument in all star realms and lower realms, inviolable by anything... no one knew that behind all this lay his unyielding vow to Xia Qingyue.

Through spatial transfer, he appeared before Chi Wuyao, Qianye Ying'er, Shui Meiyin, and Mu Xuanyin, who had been watching him from a distance for days. Facing their collective astonishment, he smiled faintly, his slightly sore throat uttering the gentlest voice, "I've made you all worry again."

"I had a very long dream. I finally understood why dreams are always so dim: because someone quietly projected the light from their dream into my world, until their own world plunged into eternal darkness."

"Therefore," he opened his arms to them, "I no longer have any reason to betray every ray of light in this world."

His gentle words deeply moved their hearts, slowly melting away the heavy worry and suppression within them.

"Big Brother Yun Che!" Shui Meiyin powerfully threw herself onto Yun Che's chest, bursting into tears... She had cried too much these past days, each time adding to her inner suppression and pain. This time, she could finally release and vent it all.

Yun Che extended his arms, holding Meiyin tightly to his chest. Over the years, she had truly endured too much... From now on, he never wanted the painful sting that pierced her soul to lie behind every one of her smiles.

He looked at Chi Wuyao and suddenly asked, "Wuyao, as an emperor, is it permissible to have two empresses?"

Chi Wuyao was stunned for a moment, then smiled slightly, "If other emperors wished to set such a precedent, they would indeed have much to consider. But you... with your imperial might, it is only a matter of whether you wish to, not whether you can!"

She understood in her heart that Yun Che asking her first, instead of making a direct decision, showed his consideration for her feelings and dignity.

"You want to name Xia Qingyue as empress?" Mu Xuanyin asked directly, using the most straightforward tone.

"Yes." Yun Che nodded, "What I owe her, I can never... never... never repay. I can only... only..."

His previously calm state of mind still pained him to the point of suffocation when he touched upon the subject. He shook his head and said, "My marriage to her had a grand banquet, a master of ceremonies, blessings from elders, and half the city as witnesses... the bridal procession... stepping over the brazier... bowing in the hall... tying the knot of shared destiny... It was a complete wedding ceremony. My bond with her as husband and wife is unquestionable in every way, by anyone."

"And the divorce letter from that year... it was merely an act of venting anger with spilled blood, not in accordance with rites or etiquette... utterly useless!"

"My name and hers are still on the marriage registry of Flowing Cloud City at this moment. Therefore, our bond as husband and wife has never been broken, never changed... until this very moment."

After becoming Emperor Yun and returning to the Azure Cloud Continent, he had never instructed anyone to remove his and Xia Qingyue's names from the Flowing Cloud City marriage registry... It seemed he had completely forgotten about it then, only remembering it now.

"I wish to... posthumously confer upon her the title of Empress."

"Good." Chi Wuyao nodded slightly. Although she only uttered one word, there was no hesitation.

"And also..." Yun Che continued, "The future Imperial Realm, I want to..."

"How about naming it 'Yun Yue'?" Chi Wuyao said with a smile, speaking his unspoken wish.

The current Yun Che was clearly trying everything, almost desperately, to make amends and be good to Xia Qingyue. But her graceful figure was gone; no amount of remembrance or remedy could change the emptiness.

Qianye Ying'er, who had remained silent, quietly turned and descended without a sound.

But her hand was firmly grasped at that moment.

Her eyes trembled violently... Only Yun Che could have caught her so completely off guard.

"Where are you going?" Yun Che's voice came from behind her, his tone unreadable.

Without turning around, Qianye Ying'er said faintly, "You probably don't wish to see me now. Come find me in the Brahma Monarch God Realm when you do."

As the voice of this extremely proud woman, so cold and imposing, trailed off, it inadvertently carried a momentary tremor.

The hand holding her wrist lightened its grip slightly but did not release. The voice that sounded in her ear, however, became exceptionally gentle:

"She was my moon in the darkness, leading me to bathe in light once more."

"And you, you are my shadow in the darkness... Even in the darkest hour, you remained by my side. Now, do you think... I would let you escape from me?"

"..." Qianye Ying'er froze, a violent daze washing over her.

"In the Northern Divine Region, I spoke of a 'future'..." He gazed at her golden hair and profile, softly saying, "I have never forgotten it, and neither should you."

Chi Wuyao: "..."

Mu Xuanyin: "..."

"..." Qianye Ying'er did not respond. The wind whistled softly; though it was a warm, gentle breeze, it caused her body to shiver slightly, and then her shoulders began to tremble... becoming increasingly violent... she couldn't stop them.

Still not letting go of Qianye Ying'er, he patted Shui Meiyin's back as she lay in his arms and whispered, "Meiyin, take me to... that place."

"Qianying, you come too."

Qianye Ying'er, however, did not obey. With a sharp flick of her hand, she instantly vanished into the distance without a backward glance, determined not to let Yun Che see her current state.

There was no need to explain; intelligent as Shui Meiyin was, she naturally knew what place he was referring to.

"Mm!" she softly affirmed. The Profound Sky Spire appeared in her small hands, radiating a faint crimson divine light.

In an instant, their figures vanished from their original spot.

Mu Xuanyin and Chi Wuyao exchanged glances.

"He's changed," Mu Xuanyin murmured, half a sigh, half a release.

"It's not that he's changed, but that the world in his eyes has changed," Chi Wuyao said with a slight smile. "And it's changed completely, profoundly."

"Mm," Mu Xuanyin nodded in agreement.

"Do you think we should tell him about 'Yun Xi'?" Chi Wuyao suddenly asked.

She, who was always decisive in her thoughts, was now seeking another's opinion. She didn't know if this was a suitable time... or perhaps, there would never be a suitable time.

"..." Mu Xuanyin shook her head and said, "Let's forget about this matter. As Empress, you should think more about the Imperial Son."

Chi Wuyao pursed her lips and smiled, "If it were your child, I would be very willing to name them Crown Prince."

"..." Mu Xuanyin turned around. "Wuxin must be worried, having been gone for so many days. Those matters he spoke of, I'll leave them to you."

Mu Xuanyin departed, but Chi Wuyao did not follow. Instead, she stood quietly for a very long time, gazing into the distant sky.

"Xia Qingyue, I truly... never misjudged you," she murmured with a faint smile, releasing the long-held obsession in her heart.

"But why exactly did you choose to leave... You wouldn't say, and he won't say either..."

"Secrets," she mused with a smile, "are truly two words, beautiful yet vexing. Perhaps I'll never be able to let go of you, not in this lifetime."

Southern Divine Region, a distant corner.

Ahead lay an isolation barrier, built upon the spatial divine power of the Profound Sky Spire and forged with the unique Hidden Moon energy of the Moon God Realm. Though only a thin layer, it could isolate auras to an extreme degree.

It was precisely because of this special barrier that Chi Wuyao, who could now mobilize the power of the four realms, had been unable to locate the vanished Moon Gods.

Now that he was closer, Yun Che clearly sensed the aura of the Moon Gods... all eight distinct Moon God auras were within.

There were also the auras of twenty-seven Moon God Envoys.

"Sister Qingyue found this planet a long time ago. This barrier was also set up very early," Shui Meiyin said softly. "She told me that after Big Brother Yun Che returned, she would hide the core of the Moon God Realm here. Then, in the future, when Big Brother Yun Che became the master of the God Realm, I would then petition Big Brother Yun Che to pardon them and return the Moon God Realm to them."

"Meiyin, you saved his family and his life, so if it's a request from you, he will surely agree. And I believe that, as intelligent as you are, you would have thought of better excuses and better methods by then."

Shui Meiyin had not forgotten a single word of what Xia Qingyue had said back then.

But...

Yun Che said nothing, moving forward... With a gentle sweep of the Profound Sky Spire in Shui Meiyin's hand, they passed through the barrier silently and without a trace, not causing the slightest ripple.

Upon entering the barrier, the auras of the Moon Gods immediately became incredibly clear. All eight Moon Gods were gathered together at this moment, with the Moon God Envoys also present.

Following the auras forward, even before drawing near, intense arguments mixed with faintly uncontrolled Moon God auras drifted from a distance.