Chapter 1964: Separation, Awakening

Inside the Sky Poison Pearl, it was an emerald green world.

You'er curled up on the soft bed like a cat, her nose twitching slightly with each breath.

It wasn't just Yun Che's body that bore the power of God Ash; the Heaven Smiting Sword did too.

During the battle with Mo Beichen, Yun Che had continuously used his Devil Emperor Sword form. As Yun Che completely fell into a coma, You'er also seemed to fall into a deep sleep, apparently due to the prolonged exposure to the God Ash power. Hong'er shook her for a long time but couldn't wake her.

“Master is so severely injured; he must be sleeping for a very long time again.” Hong'er’s small hands kept scratching You'er's palm, and she mumbled softly, “Even You'er looks so tired.”

“Master is so strong; he will surely be fine.” He Ling walked over slowly. With a gentle push of her palm, over a dozen swords, each glowing with a different light, appeared before Hong'er. “Hong'er, you must be hungry too. Hurry and eat.”

“Wow! So many!” He Ling usually kept strict control over her "diet" to prevent the Heaven Smiting Sword's growth from outpacing Yun Che's. Such a lavish meal hadn't been seen in years.

Stars shone in Hong'er's eyes as she cried out joyfully and pounced. She immediately grabbed two swords, gnawing at them with her sparkling teeth, left and right, eating with unrestrained delight. She no longer needed to slowly savor each bite as she usually did.

He Ling rested her chin on her hand, gazing tenderly at the joyfully eating Hong'er and the quietly sleeping You'er.

Before long, five swords had completely vanished between Hong'er's tender lips amidst gnawing sounds that would make any profound practitioner tremble. She wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, picked up the sixth sword, and then mumbled indistinctly, “Sister He Ling, today… is very strange.”

“What’s strange?” He Ling looked at her, her voice always gentle and soft, but at this moment, it seemed even softer than usual.

“It just feels strange.” Hong'er continued gnawing, her vermilion eyes turning to the emerald green space above. “I just feel like everything is different somehow.”

He Ling’s eyes rippled slightly, revealing a hint of sorrow, but it was quickly hidden by a gentle smile. She instinctively reached out to touch Hong'er’s cheek, but then suddenly, her fingers nervously recoiled and clasped tightly over her chest.

“The world changes every day,” she said with a smile. “But no matter how the world changes, you, You'er, and Master must all become better and better, okay?”

Drip…

A crystal clear tear fell along with her soft words, creating a sorrowful dripping sound in this quiet, emerald world.

“Ah?” Hong'er’s lips parted. “Sister He Ling, why are you crying?” After a moment’s thought, she immediately grinned. “I know, you must be worried about Master. Don't worry, Sister Jasmine used to say that Master is an unkillable bug. Even if his injuries are scary, as long as he’s not dead, he’ll get better quickly. Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Having long grown accustomed to Yun Che suffering all sorts of near-fatal injuries, Hong'er truly wasn't worried at all. As she tried to comfort her, she reached out to wipe away her tears.

Her fingers reached He Ling's cheek, but instead of the familiar smooth, jade-like touch, they passed right through…

“…Huh?”

Hong'er’s fingers froze in mid-air, and the light in her vermilion eyes also became fixed.

Clang…

The large sword she had been gnawing on, half-eaten, fell weakly from her arms. Yet, she seemed oblivious, just staring blankly at He Ling.

He Ling frantically turned her head, dodging Hong'er's small hand, not wanting Hong'er to see the mist in her emerald eyes. She wanted to say something more to Hong'er, but for a long time, the words wouldn't come.

Time, however, was relentlessly slipping away… She suddenly stood up and walked away in a hurried and flustered manner.

“Sister He Ling, where… are you going?” Hong'er watched her retreating back, her nose suddenly stinging, and an unknown sadness heavily weighed upon her heart.

“I’m going to check on Master,” she replied softly, her voice like the thin mist at the break of dawn. “I want to… see him for a little longer…”

True Gods…

This realm, which was believed to have vanished forever from common knowledge, had always existed in a world beyond this one.

The Abyss…

Even in ancient lore, it was considered a void destined for eternal nothingness. Yet, at some unknown point, it had evolved into another world.

Yun Che was in a deep coma, but his consciousness was turbulent. This wasn't a sign of waking up; rather, his soul was under too much immense pressure, unable to find peace even in unconsciousness.

Mo Beichen…

He was a Half-God.

To generate even a fleeting moment of Half-God power in this world, Cang Shitian had to pay the price of Canglan's eternal destruction, and Huo Poyun burned away everything he had, along with the future of the Blazing Heaven Realm. Even Yun Che's God Ash power came at the cost of his divine source's collapse. Yet, Mo Beichen was merely a sacrificial pioneer from the Abyss.

Among the Abyss Knights, he was ranked seven hundred seventy-ninth. If Abyss Knights were ranked by strength, then there were at least seven hundred seventy-eight Abyss Knights more powerful than him. How ridiculous… And the Abyss Knights themselves were merely servants.

Dealing with a single Half-God had already come at such a cost. If the True Gods of the Abyss were to truly descend one day, how could they possibly cope… Was there truly any chance of fighting back… even a sliver of one…?

Click… click…

In his hazy consciousness, he could vaguely hear the sound of his bones tightening even while he was comatose.

I had clearly become the Emperor of this world.

Why, in the blink of an eye… had I become so insignificant and powerless again?

“Master, wake up…”

In the heavy, hazy world, a soft, weak female voice reached him. It was He Ling's voice, one he knew all too well. But it was unusually faint and distant, as if from a dream within a dream.

“Master, please wake up. I want to talk to you for a little while… just a short while, okay?”

In his hazy state, his weak consciousness responded, “So tired… Let me sleep a little longer…”

“…Okay.” The voice, always so compliant with him, gave the most gentle and obedient reply, “Then Master, rest well. I’m going to find my father, mother, and Lin’er. I’ll tell them many, many things about you.”

“Mmm… go on.” His consciousness responded out of habit. Lin’er… so familiar, yet he couldn't clearly remember who it was.

“Master, this is the best ending for me. So please, don't be sad for me, okay…”

The last words were hazy, as if spoken through a thousand layers of mist. Following that, his consciousness sank into a dark silence.

Consciousness awakened, followed by a gradually sharpening pain. Yun Che slowly opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was a familiar sight: Imperial Cloud City, his bedchamber.

“You’re awake, as expected.”

Chi Wuyao’s voice approached from a distance. She had sensed the tremor in Yun Che's soul instantly and quickly moved to his side.

The pain was very clear. Yun Che wiggled his fingers, then successfully raised his right hand. The extent of his injury recovery upon waking was far greater than expected.

“How long have I been asleep?” Yun Che asked. He sensed the meridians in his spine; they were similarly intact and clear.

“Six days,” Chi Wuyao replied.

“...?!” Yun Che was startled. “Six days?” The last time he was severely wounded by Mo Beichen, he had been in a coma for sixteen days, waking up in a semi-conscious state, and only gradually recovered in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. This time, in the battle against Mo Beichen, he had endured over thirty breaths of the God Ash state and then suffered Mo Beichen’s desperate final strike. The severity of his injuries far surpassed the previous time… or any time in his life. Yet, he had only been in a coma for… six days?

Moreover, the recovery of his bones and meridians was noticeably much better than after his last awakening. And in this world, no healing method could surpass his body’s self-healing.

“I’m also surprised you woke up so quickly.” Chi Wuyao sat beside him. She reached out, and a gentle demonic aura carefully flowed through Yun Che's body. Surprise reappeared in her demonic eyes.

“Perhaps bearing the Half-God power for so long caused some kind of mutation in your body?” Chi Wuyao said half-jokingly. “Regardless, it’s a good thing.”

Now was not the time to ponder why he woke up so quickly. Yun Che tried to struggle a bit and slowly managed to sit himself up.

Chi Wuyao’s lips parted slightly. Compared to Yun Che’s recovery speed from his last severe injury, this time… it was extremely abnormal.

“Is Mo Beichen dead?” Yun Che asked. If he was alive, then Mo Beichen must be dead. But he needed to hear the definite answer for himself.

“He’s dead. He was consumed by the poison, not even a speck of bone marrow remained,” Chi Wuyao replied.

“What about Wuxin?” Yun Che urgently asked.

“Completely unharmed. She’s in her own bedchamber now,” Chi Wuyao said. “She stayed by your side day and night these past few days. Only half an hour ago did I finally manage to get her to go back and rest.”

Yun Che shook his head, trying to clear his still cloudy thoughts as much as possible. “Cang Shitian, and Huo Poyun…” His voice paused, and he only managed to utter three difficult words: “What happened to them?”

Chi Wuyao said, “Cang Shitian’s body was completely annihilated. Only a small fragment of the Canglan Divine Pearl, stained with a trace of his blood, was found. Shuhe has taken it back to the Canglan Realm for burial.”

“As for Huo Poyun,” Chi Wuyao shook her head slightly, “everything about him returned to flame, leaving no trace whatsoever. Or rather… that abyss scorched into existence, that is his trace.”

“Is that… so…” Yun Che stared blankly ahead.

“Cang Shitian’s ruthlessness was also beyond my expectation. Perhaps, from beginning to end, no one truly understood him except for Cang Shuhe,” Chi Wuyao remarked with a sigh. “As for Huo Poyun, I am not at all surprised by his actions.”

“These past few days, I often wondered if Huo Poyun did what he did more to preserve the dignity of this world, or more to prove himself to you.”

Yun Che remained in a daze for a long time. After a while, he asked, “While I was unconscious, was there any unrest?”

Chi Wuyao knew what he was referring to and shook her head. “No. However, the terrifying nature of the Abyss and the news of its imminent descent upon this world have already spread throughout the entire God Realm. Therefore, all the realms are now in a state of unease.”

“No movement from the Qilin Realm either?” Yun Che frowned. Everyone would be well aware that once he awoke, he would certainly not spare the Qilin Realm. After all, the Qilin Realm was the first to kneel before Mo Beichen, and to show their allegiance, they had thoroughly betrayed him.

Now, with the Three Yama Ancestors dead, the Two Brahma Ancestors dead, and Cang Shitian, the leader of the Order Maintainers, also dead… his most important allies were largely gone, and he himself was severely injured and comatose. If the Qilin Realm didn't seize this opportunity to rally the terrified realms and kick him while he was down, they would surely never get another chance.

Chi Wuyao’s gaze turned subtle. “Qi Tianli is currently in Imperial Cloud City. He bound his own profound energy and has been kneeling outside the main hall for four days and four nights.”

“...?!” Yun Che’s face showed doubt, then turned deeply grim. “He had the guts to be a traitor, but not the guts to resist? The Qilin lineage’s backbone is truly softer than maggots!”

“This old fool, he doesn’t actually think I’ll let them off the hook like this, does he?”

“You will let him go,” Chi Wuyao exhaled softly.

“...?!” Yun Che frowned, looking at Chi Wuyao with utter confusion. Chi Wuyao was one of the people who understood his nature best, and for her to say that, he couldn't help but be surprised.

“Qi Tianli and Zhou Xuzi are fundamentally different after all,” Chi Wuyao slowly explained. “Zhou Xuzi prided himself on upholding the righteous path and possessing a 'sacred heart.' For his so-called righteous path, he would betray trust and sacrifice others without hesitation, all while not forgetting to use guilt and atonement to complete his own 'sacred heart.' He was truly pathetic, laughable, and nauseating.”

“As for Qi Tianli, the most important thing in his life and belief has always been the survival and continuation of the Qilin lineage. He doesn't seek fame, never interferes with others, and never fears death… If his death could ensure the peace and safety of the Qilin lineage, he would undoubtedly sacrifice himself without hesitation.”

“Put yourself in his shoes. When Mo Beichen approached the Qilin Realm, what would have been the consequences for Qi Tianli and the Qilin lineage if he had made a different choice? Without a doubt, they would have been annihilated without a trace. So, Qi Tianli actually had no other choice…”

“Stop,” Yun Che interrupted with a frown. “None of these are reasons.”

“Moreover, regardless of the reason, he is a traitor, and a complete one at that!”

Through his hazy eyes, a bone-chilling glint appeared. “If betrayal is not punished, then loyalty will only become a joke!”

“Don't you want to hear the most important reason?” Chi Wuyao said with a half-smile.

“I don’t,” Yun Che averted his gaze. “I know you’ll be able to persuade me. So it’s better not to say anything.”

Chi Wuyao immediately chuckled, then said with a faint smile, “It’s not me who wants you to let Qi Tianli go. It’s…”

“The Azure Dragon Emperor.”

The scenes and whispers from before he fell into a coma replayed chaotically in his mind. Yun Che’s gaze slowly turned back, and he asked in a daze, “She… isn’t dead?” Although his consciousness had been extremely hazy at the time, the Azure Dragon Emperor had been pressed against his body, their blood intermingling, and the rapid dissipation of her life force had been so clear… She simply couldn't have survived. Unless, it was a miracle of life fully unleashed by him at his peak.

“Indeed, she’s not dead, and she already woke up,” Chi Wuyao continued, puzzled by Yun Che’s reaction. “It was the profound light energy you left in her body at the last moment that saved her.”

What appeared on Yun Che's face was not relief, but deeper confusion. “Profound light energy? Me?”

“My power was so depleted then that I couldn’t even lift my hand; how could I possibly have had any leftover energy to give her profound light energy!”