Chapter 1950: Dawn

Boom!

Shui Meiyin's face went ashen, and Yun Che's mind was instantly bombarded by a thunderclap.

Shui Meiyin hastily put away the sound transmission formation, her mind and spirit utterly distraught. She had never imagined that, of all days and moments, the news from Shui Yingyue would be such dreadful tidings—the worst possible news Yun Che could receive.

Only she could save Yun Wuxin. Indeed, as long as Wuxin hadn't fallen into Mo Beichen's hands and her current location was confirmed, there was a high chance of rescuing her using the power of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool.

However, doing so would inevitably further deplete the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool's spatial divine power, which had already suffered repeated heavy losses over the past few days. Every bit of spatial divine power the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool lost would intensify Yun Che's peril. She hadn't forgotten Chi Wuyao's instructions: the last of the spatial divine power was to be used only in the most desperate situation, and only on Yun Che himself. Yun Che was the only hope; everything else could be sacrificed.

But by a cruel twist of fate, Yun Che, who had just regained consciousness, heard the transmission himself! If Yun Wuxin wasn't saved, he certainly wouldn't be able to recuperate calmly. It was even highly probable that...

"Brother Yun Che, don't worry," Shui Meiyin said, composing herself with no other choice, her voice as calm as possible. "I'll immediately ascertain Wuxin's location and bring her back very soon."

The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool materialized in her hand, but before its scarlet divine glow could even fully emanate, her hand was gently, yet firmly, clasped by Yun Che.

"The Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool's power must be nearly depleted, right?" Yun Che's voice was eerily calm.

Shui Meiyin stared blankly at Yun Che's face and could only nod. Yun Che's hand did not release its grip; it was an action to stop her. He didn't, surprisingly, urge her to save Yun Wuxin at all costs, as quickly as possible.

Recalling the voices that had echoed in his soul sea repeatedly, Yun Che said in his still calm voice, "Devil Empress, Xuanyin, Qianying, Caizhi... Have they just left? I heard their voices while I was unconscious."

"...Yes." Shui Meiyin could only nod, the tearful glint in her eyes no longer suppressible. "They... they've gone to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning." Her efforts to perfectly conceal everything from Yun Che, which she had repeatedly impressed upon herself, had utterly failed from the start.

"Is Mo Beichen there?" Yun Che closed his eyes, his previously rapid breathing slowly becoming more even. Shui Yingyue's transmission mentioned that Cang Shitian was taking Yun Wuxin to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning to offer her to Mo Beichen. Why would he be in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning?

"Yes." There was no point in hiding anything now. Shui Meiyin could only reveal everything. "Mo Beichen's perception ability is truly terrifying. Over the past sixteen days, he found us seven times, and each time we escaped using the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool."

It was imaginable how strained their nerves must have been during this period; they couldn't relax for a single moment. Mo Beichen's perception range was too vast. Each time they escaped, they undoubtedly had to traverse extremely distant star regions. Naturally, this greatly consumed the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool's spatial divine power.

"After their last distant escape, Sister Devil Empress said that their presence was too strong and easily detected by Mo Beichen. Staying by your side continuously increased the risk of you being discovered."

"Teleporting six people each time also consumed far more of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Tool's power than teleporting only two."

"So... so..." Shui Meiyin said sorrowfully, "They decided to leave your side, Brother Yun Che. And also... a special event was set to occur today, so they proactively went to seek out Mo Beichen."

Yun Che's eyes closed, and he remained silent for a long time. Strangely, he didn't ask anything further. This almost eerie calm and composure left Shui Meiyin feeling bewildered. The water flowed slowly, the wind blew softly, just like Yun Che's expression and gaze, as still as stagnant water.

However, only Heling knew that his soul was so turbulent it could splinter into a myriad of fragments at any moment.

"Heling," Yun Che's soul voice rang out. Within his turbulent, almost shattering soul space, his voice was exceptionally cold and clear. "Is there any possibility, however minute... that the Heaven Smiting Devil Pearl's recovered poison power could kill Mo Beichen?"

The Heaven Smiting Devil Pearl's poison power was the only possibility that came to mind when confronting the terrifying Mo Beichen.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths... A long time passed, but he received no answer from Heling.

"Heh," Yun Che chuckled self-deprecatingly, murmuring, "As expected, I was just fantasizing."

"No," Heling's voice finally echoed, "The Heaven Smiting Devil Pearl's current poison power is enough to kill Mo Beichen!"

Yun Che's soul sea violently trembled. "Heling, are you... certain?"

"I am certain." Heling's ethereal form materialized; her emerald eyes and gentle voice both exuded an almost unprecedented firmness. "No matter how strong Mo Beichen is, the level of his physical body and power cannot compare to the Heaven Smiting Devil Pearl's poison."

"There's just one very important prerequisite: to kill Mo Beichen, the poison must erupt within his body, directly striking his heart and soul." Heling's emerald eyes, clear as water, and her voice, clear as a bell, pierced Yun Che's heart with every word. "Master needs to thrust a sword into him... ideally piercing his body. A single instant will be enough!"

To pierce Mo Beichen's body with a sword, to pierce the body of a demigod. This prerequisite was so arduous that it would cause anyone in the current world to utterly despair. But for Yun Che, it was at least a glimmer of light that had finally appeared in the endless darkness.

The trembling of his soul sea grew more violent. This time, it was more out of profound excitement.

"Heling, answer me honestly. If I can truly pierce his body with a sword, what is your certainty... of poisoning him to death?"

Heling looked up and said without hesitation, "Complete certainty!"

The trembling of Yun Che's soul sea abruptly stopped. Heling would never lie to him, not ever. While Yun Che was the master of the Heaven Smiting Devil Pearl, Heling, as its spirit, undoubtedly possessed a far greater understanding of its poison's power than he did. Heling's two-word answer instantly transformed that single faint glimmer of light into a brilliant star, capable of bursting forth with miraculous radiance at any moment.

As long as... as long as he plunged a sword into Mo Beichen's body!

Thump!Thump!Thump—

Yun Che could clearly hear the sound of his own heart beating. Under his unhealed severe injuries, his consciousness was still shrouded in a layer of chaos, but it rapidly sharpened into cold clarity, until there were no longer any chaotic ripples within his soul sea.

After a long time, he spoke again. "Heling, I need thirty days."

"Given the current restored power of the Eternal Heaven Pearl, how short can this time be compressed?"

After a brief deliberation, Heling answered seriously, "At its absolute limit, it can be compressed to half an hour."

A month in the Eternal Heaven, half an hour outside—nearly a thousandfold time release! This was undoubtedly Heling's most extreme exertion of Eternal Heaven divine power since she took control of the Eternal Heaven Pearl, far surpassing the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm that Yun Che and Shui Meiyin entered before the battle with the Western Divine Region years ago.

"Good! Now, release all the power of the Eternal Heaven Pearl... there's no need to hold anything back anymore." He opened his eyes, then he firmly grasped Shui Meiyin's wrist. "Meiyin, enter the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm with me!"

Yun Che didn't have to wait long. Dozens of breaths later, an ultimate Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, imbued with all the Eternal Heaven Pearl's remaining power, was constructed by Heling. Without a moment's delay, Yun Che took Shui Meiyin's hand and entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm directly.

The vast white world was not unfamiliar; it wasn't too long ago that he and Shui Meiyin had stayed there for three years. His severe injuries prevented Yun Che from sitting up by himself. In the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, he still leaned against Shui Meiyin. A faint, pure white glow appeared on his body surface; his weakened power slowly drove the Miracle of Life.

For these thirty days, the first thing he needed to do was to recover from his injuries and regain his power. And... another equally important matter. As his consciousness revived, the healing of his injuries naturally accelerated significantly. Under the Miracle of Life, the intense pain throughout his body also quickly subsided.

"Meiyin," he closed his eyes and asked, "You mentioned earlier that something 'special' was going to happen in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning today. What exactly is it?"

Shui Meiyin said, "These past few days, Mo Beichen hasn't been solely focused on finding us. He's been primarily pressuring the entire God Realm."

"Sixteen days ago, after we escaped from him, Mo Beichen seemed very enraged. Within a single day, he destroyed a total of six hundred star realms across the Four Divine Regions, completely alarming them."

"After that, Cang Shitian voluntarily surrendered to Mo Beichen. Then, through the Order Keepers of various realms, he informed the God Realm of Mo Beichen's identity and that this world was about to be taken over by the Abyss."

Yun Che's eyebrows twitched. It was imaginable how great the fear and panic currently gripping the God Realm was. Cang Shitian... Because he was exceptionally useful, Chi Wuyao had granted him a special status and too much authority. The Order Keepers were spread throughout every corner of the God Realm. As their supreme commander, he could now completely leverage them for Mo Beichen, becoming Mo Beichen's most loyal and useful subordinate. His current status must undoubtedly far exceed that of Qilin Tianli.

"However, after that day, Mo Beichen did not commit any more such brutal acts." Shui Meiyin continued, "Many things were just as Sister Devil Empress had conjectured. Though terrifying, Mo Beichen was likely just an advance pawn of the Abyss. He was very eager to bring the God Realm fully under his control, but he clearly dared not arbitrarily dictate the God Realm's fate. He didn't even dare to excessively disrupt its existing fundamental structure."

"Sister Devil Empress said that he likely wanted to quickly bring the God Realm into submission. Then, leading a subjugated God Realm, he would welcome the Abyss Emperor who would arrive later, thus completing his great pioneering feat."

"The Abyss Emperor might not be a cruel individual, or perhaps he had issued some strict order to his pioneers. Although Mo Beichen was eager to rule the God Realm, after destroying six hundred star realms and terrifying the Four Divine Regions, he hasn't made any further excessive moves."

"But... his aura was simply too terrifying, making it impossible for any star realm to even conceive of struggle or resistance. Coupled with Qilin Tianli and Cang Shitian leading the way in submission, and the fact that most star realms didn't truly possess much loyalty to Brother Yun Che..."

Though it was harsh to hear, Yun Che knew better than anyone that Shui Meiyin was stating the fundamental truth. Among the Four Divine Regions, only the Northern Divine Region was truly loyal to Emperor Yun. The other three Divine Regions were driven more by fear, a submission to an irresistible power. Moreover, it had only been a few short years. When someone stronger—someone an entire dimension stronger—appeared, their defection was effortless, and one could even say, entirely expected.

"'Emperor Yun was easily forced into a desperate situation, now only able to hide everywhere'... This news had long since spread throughout the entire God Realm. Therefore... throughout the God Realm, there were virtually no acts of resistance, nor even any sounds of defiance to be heard."

"Today, the reason Mo Beichen is in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning is due to a proposal Cang Shitian made to Mo Beichen about ten days ago... And this proposal was, in fact, the same one Sister Devil Empress had given Brother Yun Che back then."

Yun Che frowned slightly, then understood. "Are you saying... that the upper star realms of the Four Divine Regions should proactively surrender to Mo Beichen and the Abyss!?"

"Those who complied would be spared; those who failed to appear would die!"

"And use this spectacle to declare to the world, completely crushing all hope and defiance."

"Yes," Shui Meiyin nodded. "The location chosen, the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, was also reportedly Cang Shitian's idea. Since the God Realm of Absolute Beginning is closest to the Abyss, their presence there would also be considered an act of loyalty to the Abyss."

"...I understand," Yun Che exhaled softly. His breathing then became remarkably even and gentle, showing neither joy nor sorrow, and he said no more.

Shui Meiyin parted her lips, but sensing the change in Yun Che's aura, she ultimately held her tongue. He didn't ask if anything had happened to the star realms she cared about. He didn't ask what Chi Wuyao and the others intended to do by going to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning this time. For a long time, he asked nothing further.

Time slowly flowed by. Yun Che remained motionless the entire time. Shui Meiyin quietly accompanied him.

Seven days later, Yun Che slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head. His gaze was no longer weak, only a profound depth, like the endless void itself. His injuries had completely healed, and his profound energy had also recovered by eighty percent. He raised his palm, and the Southern Sea Divine Pearl materialized in his palm. Eighteen distinct Southern Sea divine lights slowly circulated within it.

"Brother Yun Che?" Shui Meiyin softly spoke.

"Previously, wielding four divine source powers was my limit." Yun Che lowered his gaze, the shifting Southern Sea divine lights reflected in his pupils. "It was still the same when we were in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm last time. After I annihilated Long Bai, I never tried to control divine sources again." Because at that time, there was no one in the world who could force him to destroy divine sources in exchange for world-breaking power.

"However, sixteen days ago, while I was controlling those four Southern Sea divine sources, I suddenly realized something... Perhaps four is no longer my limit." After all, after ruling the Four Regions, although Yun Che's cultivation did not advance, an imperceptible change had occurred within him: that Heaven Defying World Book, given by Xia Qingyue to Shui Meiyin, which allowed him to cultivate the complete Ancestor God Art!