Chapter 1966: Chaotic Souls (Part 2)

"Back then, Long Bai suddenly returned to the Realm and launched a surprise attack on the Azure Cloud Realm with the Heaven and Earth Dragon City. Yet, what you saw was our forces already prepared and waiting." Chi Wuyao's gaze slanted downwards. "Why do you think that was?"

"..." Qilin Tianli couldn't answer, nor did he dare. This was indeed a question he had often pondered over the years but never dared to ask.

"Because Zhou Xuzi's eyes are the Queen's eyes."

Chi Wuyao's voice grew increasingly soft and eerie. For a moment, Qilin Tianli couldn't tell if it was echoing in his ears or originating from the depths of his soul. "His ability to leave the Eastern Divine Region alive and escape to the Dragon God Realm wasn't due to luck; it was because this Queen allowed him to live."

"A sliver of this Queen's demonic soul was attached to his own. From then on, everything he saw, everything he heard, and even every fleeting thought, was known to this Queen without reservation."

"And he himself remained completely unaware."

Demonic whispers entangled his soul, lingering relentlessly. Just then, a terrifying demonic roar, seemingly from ancient times, suddenly resounded within Qilin Tianli's soul sea, instantly shaking his very being into submission.

He dared not resist, nor did he have time to. With a thunderous tremor within his soul sea, his world instantly plunged into endless darkness...

He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps mere moments, or perhaps several years... Qilin Tianli's vision slowly cleared.

Beneath his feet was still the Imperial Cloud City. Before him, Chi Wuyao remained, her demonic eyes looking down upon him.

The Devil Queen's voice slowly echoed in his ears: "From this moment on, you are the second Zhou Xuzi."

"From now on, everything you see, hear, think, and do will be completely under this Queen's control, without omission."

"If you dare to harbor any treacherous intentions again, or even a single thought of defiance, this Queen will immediately know. At that time..." Chi Wuyao's voice was calm, yet every word pierced his soul: "Ten Azure Dragon Emperors combined won't be able to protect your Qilin lineage!"

A slave seal was naturally a nightmare no one dared to touch. While those branded with it would die to serve their master, they would feel no sorrow or shame; instead, they would consider such loyalty their life's greatest honor.

However, for Chi Wuyao to seize his soul meant living perpetually under her demonic gaze and shadow, trembling day and night, without a moment's peace.

For a figure like Qilin Tianli, the latter was undoubtedly far more cruel.

But it was all his own doing. Qilin Tianli was overwhelmed with grief, yet he could only prostrate himself and express his gratitude.

Chi Wuyao turned away, stating coldly, "This Queen will announce to all realms that your soul has been seized by me, as a warning to others. Now, return to your Qilin Realm. For a while, you'd best not let the Cloud Emperor see your face, otherwise, this Queen cannot guarantee he won't change his mind."

Qilin Tianli lowered his head and rose, stumbling as he straightened his knees, nearly collapsing back to the ground.

"Thank you, Devil Queen... this old man takes his leave."

He bowed and stepped back, his voice hoarse. Just as he was about to turn, he suddenly stopped, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Devil Queen, this old man... dares to speak plainly."

"Speak," Chi Wuyao replied, her back still turned.

Qilin Tianli took a deep breath and said, "Mo Beichen had described the Abyss Emperor to this old man several times. The Abyss Emperor he spoke of was a gentle and benevolent ruler of the Abyss, one who detested conflict and bullying. The Abyss was originally a world filled with endless calamity and death; it was only through the Abyss Emperor's guidance that it gradually became stable."

"So?" Chi Wuyao narrowed her eyes.

"Mo Beichen would not bother to lie in front of this old man. If the Abyss Emperor is a gentle and benevolent individual, and their invasion of this world is merely for the survival of the Abyss's inhabitants, then perhaps the arrival of the Abyss might not bring about terrible calamity."

"This old man dares to suggest... while the Cloud Emperor is supremely powerful in this world, Mo Beichen alone proved to be formidable. If the Abyss truly descends one day, even if the Cloud Emperor were ten times stronger, there would be no possibility of resistance."

"Therefore, this old man still believes that for the peace of this world and the survival of all beings, it would be better to attempt a peaceful integration rather than outright rejection."

"Hmph!" Chi Wuyao let out a faint laugh. She raised her eyes to the distance, her pupils shimmering with an eerie demonic light. "This Queen would never hand over the initiative of fate to anyone else!" "Furthermore, you've made an even greater mistake."

The demonic light condensed into a cold glint in her eyes. "You underestimate the Cloud Emperor too much! He is the inheritor of the Heretic God and the Devil Emperor. Do you think his current strength is his limit? Do you think the mere Abyss is worthy of making him bow!?"

"Begone!"

She suddenly thrust her palm backward, and a dark storm, catching Qilin Tianli by surprise, sent him flying far away, plummeting straight down from Imperial Cloud City.

With her palm retracted, Chi Wuyao stood silently for a long time.

She had not actually performed soul seizure on Qilin Tianli.

The essence of soul seizure was to separate a wisp of her Nirvana Devil Soul and secretly attach it to another person's soul.

She disdained wasting a portion of her devil soul on a spineless individual at such a moment.

However, the psychological suggestion she had implanted was enough to bind Qilin Tianli until his death.

However, her final words to Qilin Tianli were not baseless claims spoken merely to intimidate him.

The ancient knowledge retained within her Nirvana Devil Soul made her understand better than anyone the true nature of the Heretic God's and Devil Emperor's inheritances carried by Yun Che.

The Abyss's power could indeed drive anyone in this world to despair at the thought of it.

But Yun Che had the potential to become a massive variable.

The prerequisite was that he developed sufficient enlightenment and resolve.

"Father!"

The door burst open, and Yun Wuxin rushed in, followed by Qianye Ying'er, who looked remarkably composed.

"..." Yun Che, curled up on the bed, slowly raised his head and softly called out, clearly somewhat dazed, "Wuxin."

Seeing her father indeed awake, Yun Wuxin quickly blinked back the tears welling in her eyes and carefully took Yun Che's hand. "Father, how... how are you?"

Looking at his daughter, Yun Che offered a very gentle smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Once I can circulate profound energy even a little, I'll be fully recovered in just a few days."

"..." Qianye Ying'er frowned. She glanced at Yun Wuxin, about to speak but stopping herself.

Yun Che's emotional state was clearly highly abnormal. If Yun Wuxin hadn't noticed, how could she not?

"Mm!" Yun Wuxin nodded vigorously. "As long as Father is alright, that's all that matters. I... I'll go tell Mother and Master now."

Yun Che neither shook nor nodded his head. Instead, he raised his arm, his gaze somewhat distant as he looked forward. "Wuxin, Qianying, help me up first. I want to go for a walk."

"Ah? Now?" Yun Wuxin looked at Yun Che's condition with concern. "But you've suffered such severe injuries and just woke up..."

"Come on." Qianye Ying'er, however, reached out and directly pulled Yun Che's arm up. "Don't worry, your father isn't that fragile. Once he's awake, nothing else will happen."

As Yun Che rose, an abnormal sensation of bone joints transmitted through Qianye Ying'er's palm, yet Yun Che's expression remained utterly blank, as if he felt no pain at all.

Aided by Qianye Ying'er and Yun Wuxin, Yun Che walked out of the bedchamber.

A slightly chilly breeze swept over him. Before his eyes was the familiar Imperial Cloud City, the supreme imperial domain of this world, exclusively his.

Nothing had changed, yet everything seemed different.

It felt like another lifetime.

What was once "supreme" could, it turned out, be so humble and powerless...

He Ling was gone...

Hong'er said she had vanished on the first day of his unconsciousness and never reappeared.

She hadn't even had time to say goodbye.

"Master, this is the best ending for me. So please, don't be sad for me, okay...?"

How could he not be...?

How could he not be sad...?

They had been together day and night, their lives intertwined, their souls connected.

She saw everything he saw, experienced all his experiences, felt his every emotion, and provided him with companionship that never left him for a single moment.

Subconsciously, he had never imagined He Ling would leave him, nor had he ever realized how profoundly dependent he was on her.

Yet, she had suddenly departed, vanished forever from his world, leaving his consciousness, no matter how frantically it searched through the Sky Poison Pearl and the Eternal Heaven Pearl, unable to detect even a trace of her former presence.

In his body, in his soul sea, there seemed to be two sudden, gaping voids, an inexpressible pain and emptiness.

"Father... Father?" Yun Wuxin gently shook Yun Che's arm, but despite her two consecutive calls, Yun Che remained staring blankly ahead, unresponsive.

At this point, she finally realized something was wrong with her father.

Qianye Ying'er shook her head at her.

Yun Che was rarely so absent-minded. At this moment, he was undoubtedly enduring immense soul trauma.

Qianye Ying'er's golden brows furrowed... Was it due to the impact of the battle with Mo Beichen, or the deaths of Cang Shitian and Huo Poyun?

Neither seemed likely, did they?

Yun Che's thoughts grew increasingly chaotic.

Yama One, Yama Two, and Yama Three were gone. Without them, his deterrent power as the Cloud Emperor would undoubtedly decrease significantly.

Although they were loyal due to the slave seal, their presence was no longer beside him; they would no longer appear at his casual summons...

When he subdued them in the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea all those years ago, he never would have imagined that one day he would feel a touch of reluctance and sorrow at their absence.

With Cang Shitian's death, the Canglan lineage was forever broken, the Ten Directions Canglan Realm existed in name only, and his control over the Southern Divine Region had undoubtedly plummeted to its lowest point... Coupled with the widespread panic across all realms, the pressure Cang Shuhuo would endure in the future was unimaginable.

The impending arrival of "the Abyss" had already fully spread throughout the God Realm. Although Chi Wuyao had only offered a brief description, the current level of turmoil in the God Realm was evident.

After all, even he, the emperor of this world, felt such despair and powerlessness.

Mo Beichen alone had pushed him to such a state, even causing him to lose He Ling forever.

When the Abyss arrived, what would he use to resist...?

Did he truly possess even a shred of qualification to resist?

Heh... Yun Che closed his eyes and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

At this moment, the figure that emerged in his mind was that of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor.

If the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had not left, powerful as she was, Mo Beichen would have been nothing more than an ant before her. Even if the Abyss descended with all its might, she could certainly have resolved it with ease.

It was laughable that he had strived so hard back then, that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had not hesitated to sacrifice herself to preserve the current world, and that Jasmine had even been ambushed by Zhou Xuzi because of it...

In the end, it turned out that...

His chaotic soul suddenly paused.

In that instant, a flicker of dark light, long forgotten, seemed to flash past.

He swiftly cast aside distracting thoughts and strained to focus his mind... Finally, in one particular moment, he recalled a voice from the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, a voice he had kept sealed away in a corner of his memory for a very long time:

"The current Primal Chaos has a colossal secret and a colossal hidden danger.

This memory fragment has a seal I placed upon it. One day, when you have perfectly fused with my Devil Emperor's Source Blood and can perfectly control the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, you will be able to easily break its seal!"

"Wuxin, Qianying!" Yun Che opened his eyes and suddenly spoke.

His completely different tone startled Yun Wuxin.

"Help me back to my bedchamber, then set up the barrier again," Yun Che said in a deep voice.

His intuition told him that at this very moment, nothing was more important than this.

"I need some time for quiet contemplation."