Chapter 1972: This Trip, Uncertain Fate of Stars and Moon (Part 2)

When she was eleven, he found her and held her close, promising with every fiber of his being that he would spend the rest of his life making amends for his neglect, vowing never to lose her from his life again.

But he failed.

Before returning to the God Realm, he solemnly promised her that once everything was resolved, he would quickly return and remain by her side forever, never to be separated again.

But once he left, he was never heard from again.

After becoming the Cloud Emperor, he made another promise to her, filled with endless guilt and an unwavering conviction in his voice: this time, he would never leave again, nor would he allow anyone to harm her.

Yet...

He disappointed the one person he never wished to disappoint, time and again.

"Whether you're a good father is not for you to decide," she said, lifting her head, her voice trembling with suppressed tears. "Only I can make that judgment."

Yun Che was silent.

"All your past promises, you can disregard them," she said, her gaze piercing through the mist of her tears directly into Yun Che's eyes. "But this time... this time... you must return safely and completely unharmed."

"No matter how difficult... no matter how long it takes, you must come back."

Despite her desperate attempts to hold them back, tears streamed down her face. She truly couldn't imagine, nor did she dare to contemplate, what would happen after her father fell into that terrifying abyss.

"As long as you can do that," she sobbed, her voice trembling as she emphasized each word, "you will be... the best father in this world."

Yun Che's breath hitched, becoming rapid and uneven, and his fingers clenched almost imperceptibly.

Yun Wuxin leaned forward, pressing her delicate body tightly against Yun Che's chest. "Father, you are willing to be a capable emperor. Then, you must also be willing to be the best father for me, right?"

Yun Che gathered his arms, silently embracing his daughter tightly. He closed his eyes and whispered softly into her ear, "Of course, I will return. Because in this world, there is a connection I can never bear to part with."

"Mmm!"

Yun Wuxin reached out, her fingertips resting on the three-colored Glazed Sound Stone that Yun Che always wore around his neck. "When you don't feel like cherishing your own life, listen to the soft hum of the Glazed Sound Stone, and remember everything you told me today."

"All right," Yun Che nodded firmly.

Leaving the Southern Divine Region, Yun Che brought Yun Wuxin back to the Azure Cloud Continent, arriving in the Illusory Demon Realm.

"Wuxin, go and tell your mother and master about this first."

The Cloud Emperor, who commanded the heavens and earth, now showed a flicker of unconcealed apprehension. "Especially your Aunt Caiyi; she's the most stubborn, so it's best if you tell her first."

This departure was unlike any before it, for from the moment he fell into the abyss, it would be a struggle for survival against overwhelming odds.

"I know," Yun Wuxin said with a sweet smile, soothing Yun Che's anxious mind. "Father is best at coaxing women, so you must put in your best effort later."

Yun Che let out a laugh, half-melancholy, half-bitter.

Yun Wuxin flew away. Yun Che looked up, gazing at the clear blue sky... When would his world, his life, finally find true peace?

"Che'er, you're back," a warm, deep voice resonated from behind him.

Yun Che turned, seeing Yun Qinghong's smiling face. "Father."

Yun Qinghong nodded. "I've heard about what happened in the God Realm," he said. "However, I also understand that the real situation must have been a thousand times more perilous than what they told me."

"It was indeed incredibly perilous," Yun Che admitted. "But fortunately, it's over now."

"It's not over," Yun Qinghong said, looking at him. "For your eyes to be so clouded... that's not an end, merely a beginning, isn't it?"

A father knows his son best.

Even though he was the Cloud Emperor, he remained his father.

Yun Qinghong walked closer, his demeanor calm. "Just speak your mind," he said. "You don't need to hold back or hide anything from me, even if it's something I might not fully comprehend."

Yun Che was silent for a long moment, then asked, "Father, back when you and Mother faced your toughest times, how did you manage to remain so composed?"

"Composure?" Yun Qinghong shook his head with a smile. "Do you know that what brings composure isn't necessarily having everything under control, but sometimes, it's complete hopelessness."

Yun Che remained silent.

"Back then, your mother and I were poisoned, with little power or life left. Prince Huai held power, the Yun family was plagued by endless internal strife, and the Little Demon Empress's fate hung precariously. I observed everything, and all I saw was 'hopelessness'."

"Because there was no hope, there was no fear."

"Your arrival was a heaven-sent gift, beyond all our calculations and struggles."

He reached out and clapped Yun Che firmly on the shoulder. "And you, at least you still have hope, and the opportunity to fight with all your might for it, don't you?"

"Yes," Yun Che looked up slightly. "At least there's still hope."

"That's enough," Yun Qinghong said with a smile. "Decide what needs to be done next, then put forth your utmost effort. As for whether the final outcome will be as you wish, that's something no one can truly foresee. Given that, there's no need to dwell on the distant future; just strive in the present."

"You might even consider it a journey to expand your understanding and horizons."

"Furthermore, your most significant identity at this moment is that of the World Emperor. What you are about to do, and indeed must do, is to save the world from peril."

"Therefore, once you've made a decision, the first thing you must discard is hesitation and worrying about gains and losses."

Yun Qinghong met his son's gaze, his broad hand resting on his own shoulder. "You must believe that the people around you are far stronger than you imagine. At least, though your father may be weak, his shoulders are still firm enough to continue supporting the fate of our Yun family for at least ten thousand years."

Yun Che's expression shifted subtly, as if a dense fog had lifted from his chest. "Father, I understand."

Yun Qinghong nodded, and father and son exchanged smiles.

Just then, a rapid rumbling approached from a distance, accompanied by a sudden surge in air temperature.

Yun Qinghong raised an eyebrow, and his figure vanished almost instantly, leaving behind only a lighthearted remark: "You're on your own with this one, son. Your old man can't help you, hahaha!"

*Boom!*

The Little Demon Empress descended amidst a frenzied wave of scorching heat, causing the entire Yun family grounds to tremble...

Eastern Divine Region, Flame God Realm.

Huo Poyun's tombstone stood before the Buried God Burning Abyss.

It was here that he received the blessing of the Golden Crow soul, and he had once stated his wish to rest alongside the Buried God Burning Abyss.

Without Huo Poyun, the eternal scorching aura of the Flame God Realm seemed to have quieted considerably.

The Flame God King Hall, built in Huo Poyun's honor, was now utterly desolate.

Yan Wancang, Yan Juehai, and Huo Roulie were all present, but despite the gathering of the three sect masters, the hall was filled with a profound and chilling desolation.

"Poyun is gone; the Flame God Realm has no king," Huo Roulie said, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the hall's ceiling, visions of Huo Poyun's enthronement floating through his mind. "Once the gates of this royal hall are sealed, who knows how many years it will be before they see the light of day again."

Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai both remained silent.

They were acutely aware that Huo Poyun's inheritance could never reappear; indeed, he had not even left behind a single offspring to carry his Golden Crow bloodline.

In future generations, it would be difficult for another Divine Master to emerge in the Flame God Realm.

This also meant that once the hall was sealed, it might never open again.

Even if, by some incredible stroke of luck, another Divine Master were to appear, they would never reach Huo Poyun's level.

The Flame God Realm's peak was as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus.

However, among the myriad realms of the four regions, even a thousand generations from now, no one would dare to belittle the suddenly declining Flame God Realm. For the Flame God Realm King, at the cost of his premature death, had unleashed the world-saving flames.

Just then, soft, even footsteps came from the hall's entrance.

The three sect masters had not sensed the person's approach at all. Only when the footsteps distinctly reached their ears did they all turn back in shock, their expressions drastically changing.

The three simultaneously knelt. "Greetings, Cloud Emperor," they intoned. "We are deeply ashamed for failing to welcome your esteemed presence."

The arrival was none other than Yun Che.

He was not alone; by his side stood a woman in red whom they had never seen before.

Her bearing was ethereal, her face like a dream... their gazes met hers for a fleeting moment, then they dared not look again.

Yet they were certain that a woman of such peerless grace, standing so closely to the Cloud Emperor, could not possibly be of ordinary status.

"Rise, there's no need for such formality."

Yun Che made no movement, yet an invisible aura lifted the three sect masters to their feet. His gaze then shifted to the back of the hall, resting on the Flame God Hall, which belonged to Huo Poyun.

This was his first time stepping inside.

"May we ask what brings the Cloud Emperor here?" Yan Wancang inquired. He, who typically felt apprehensive in Yun Che's presence, now bore a solemn demeanor.

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart; just as Yun Qinghong had said, hopelessness naturally led to fearlessness.

Yan Juehai unconsciously looked up, his peripheral vision repeatedly scanning the woman in red beside Yun Che. For upon her splendid, crimson-cloud-like red attire, the divine phoenix pattern was emblazoned.

Yun Che withdrew his gaze. "The magnificent fiery power of this grand hall is clearly the culmination of your tireless efforts," he said. "It would be a great pity to seal it off just like this."

"Alas," Huo Roulie sighed, shaking his head. "This hall exists for the Flame God Realm King. Since there is no king, it should also return to dormancy."

Indeed, the three of them had poured their hearts and souls into this Flame God King Hall. In their subconscious, no one after Huo Poyun was worthy to reside within it.

"There's no need for such pessimism, three sect masters," Yun Che said. "The Flame God Realm's loss of Brother Poyun doesn't mean its future is entirely severed."

"The Vermilion Bird, Phoenix, and Golden Crow souls that still existed in the world have all passed on," Huo Roulie said in anguish. "Poyun left no offspring, and his Golden Crow inheritance is now permanently severed... Where is the hope for the Flame God Realm?"

Yun Che turned, a flash of fiery light in his eyes as he dispelled the barrier protecting Feng Xue'er.

A pure phoenix divine aura emanated from her, causing the three Flame God sect masters to suddenly turn their heads.

Feng Xue'er said nothing. Her beautiful eyes transformed into fiery light, and a scarlet aura shone brightly around her, instantly condensing into a dense, almost corporeal phoenix divine silhouette, accompanied by a mighty and clear phoenix cry.

"Ah... ah!!"

The three sect masters simultaneously gasped in uncontrolled astonishment, the crimson flame light reflecting in their pupils, which had instantly dilated to the point of almost bursting.

"Three sect masters," Yun Che said, looking at the utterly stunned trio. "How does the phoenix aura on her compare to Brother Poyun's Golden Crow aura?"

Yan Juehai's mouth hung open. Yun Che's voice registered in his ears, and he turned his neck with difficulty, as if it had stiffened. After several long breaths, he finally managed to stammer, "She... she... who is she?"

"Her name is Feng Xue'er," Yun Che said, taking Xue'er's hand. "She is one of my wives."

*Gulp!*

The throats of the three sect masters convulsed simultaneously, yet they managed not to forget their manners, quickly bowing down. "Greetings, Imperial Concubine."

"There's no need for such formality, three seniors," Feng Xue'er said. "I am but a junior and can hardly accept such a greeting."

Facing the three, whose minds were now reeling from shock, Yun Che slowly explained, "Like Brother Poyun, she carries the complete bestowal of a phoenix soul."

Yan Juehai's lips parted and closed repeatedly, but he was utterly speechless due to extreme excitement.

"Her phoenix bloodline and phoenix divine soul are no less potent than Brother Poyun's Golden Crow inheritance. Her profound cultivation was merely limited by the lower realm's scope, as she had always resided there."

Had it not been for Huo Poyun's demise, he might never have allowed Feng Xue'er to become entangled in the murky affairs of the God Realm.