Chapter 2051: Separation

Swish! A sharp, yet subtle, sound of a blade tearing through the air echoed. A small abyssal beast was sliced into several pieces mid-air, scattering as it fell from its original pounce and crashed to the ground. The young girl sheathed her sword and continued walking silently.

Just half a month ago, she moved with such stealth that she was virtually undetectable, yet this very strike had now produced a discernible sound of a blade cutting through the air. Still, she seemed oblivious, continuing her silent walk forward, without direction or destination.

Seven days had passed since she parted ways with Yun Che. The day he left, she felt as if a void had been gouged out of her heart—a profound sense of loss, suffocation, and heavy dread… a sorrow she had never experienced, nor could she describe.

Though her understanding was rapidly expanding, her still-developing rationality was enough to tell her that Yun Che's decisive departure had been logical, indeed the most correct choice. As the Divine Maiden of the Heaven Crushing God Realm, she absolutely could not, for personal desires, do anything that would harm her realm.

She thought this painful emptiness was merely the discomfort of a sudden loss, and that as the Divine Maiden of Heaven Crushing, she would quickly dispel it. But one day, two days, three days… five days passed…

The void gouged from her heart remained. Everywhere she looked—the grey wood she could lean on, the dim, hazy sky, the sword marks, the abyssal ground they had traversed together—all conjured Yun Che's image.

The chilling wind brushing past her ears, the distant howls… and even the most desolate silence, all seemed to subtly carry Yun Che's voice.

Hua Qingying watched her silently. From beginning to end, she did not appear, nor did she offer a single word of guidance or comfort.

She was like a pure white scroll, and Yun Che, a brush steeped in the myriad colors of the world, had layered her pristine life with shades of crimson and vibrant hues… every tint so clearly etched into her soul.

She was originally a skylark leaving its nest for the first time. Yun Che had adorned her with colorful feathers, allowing her to feel the beauty of the world deeply for the first time, yet just as she wished to fully immerse herself, he had cruelly torn it away.

What seemed like a mere return to her original state had left behind agonizing pain and scars that would take an unknown time to heal.

“That’s good,” Hua Qingying murmured softly. “Once she overcomes this tribulation, her state of mind will surely mature.” Wasn’t this precisely her intention in insisting that Hua Cai Li travel alone before her marriage?

Hua Cai Li’s steps grew slower and slower. Finally, she stopped, staring blankly at a broken black log ahead. She walked over and slowly sat down, leaning against the log.

During their rest, he would guard her, heal her injuries with the warmest profound light energy, meditate quietly, then secretly glance at her, and answer her various questions in a gentle voice, never showing even a hint of impatience, no matter how persistent her inquiries were…

When abyssal beasts appeared, his first subconscious reaction was always to shield her within his aura. While practicing his sword, his gaze was never on his blade, but on her… In fierce battles with abyssal beasts, his swordplay was utterly ferocious, yet he always maintained the deepest gentleness for her… never allowing even a drop of abyssal beast blood to touch her body.

And now, he was gone, leaving her all alone. She unconsciously extended her arms and gently hugged herself. The light in her eyes was dim, heartbreakingly so.

Yet when she first entered the Misty Ocean, she had also been alone. Facing the vast Misty Ocean, she had felt a slight tremor, a touch of fear, but mostly anticipation and a hint of excitement. She had merely returned to being alone, so why did it… hurt so much?

Footsteps approached from behind, within a hundred paces. Startled from her daze, Hua Cai Li quickly rose, her Li Yun Sword flashing brightly behind her. The newcomers were two profound practitioners traveling together. Facing the suddenly wary Hua Cai Li, the one in front asked, “Madam, are you injured?”

Hua Cai Li did not reply. She turned and walked away, quickly disappearing from their sight. The two exchanged glances. Though deeply impressed by her partially veiled grace, they did not pursue her. After all, most people in the Misty Ocean preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.

As the Divine Maiden of Heaven Crushing, her character was pure and kind, and her cultivation flawless. In the past, when faced with greetings from others, whether benevolent or with hidden motives, her excellent upbringing would lead her to respond politely and kindly. But these days, her soul seemed to be adrift, disinclined to react to anyone else.

Just then, Hua Qingying’s crescent-like brows furrowed slightly, and her gaze followed a faint aura stretching into the distance. In an instant, she pinpointed Yun Che's figure. He was walking towards this direction, precisely where Hua Cai Li was headed. For days, Hua Cai Li had been disoriented, wandering aimlessly through the Misty Ocean, not even knowing her own destination. This impending unexpected encounter with Yun Che could only be an accident. In the vast Misty Ocean, to reunite so quickly after just parting ways could almost be described as a karmic entanglement.

However, this was not what Hua Qingying wanted to see. Just as Hua Qingying hesitated whether to interfere with Hua Cai Li's direction, a swarm of abyssal beasts suddenly surged out from Yun Che's location, charging directly at him. These abyssal beasts were all at the Divine Master level; while they would pose a tough battle for Hua Cai Li, they would undoubtedly pose no threat to Yun Che. The crimson greatsword named "Yun Li" flashed, unleashing powerful ice storms with each swing. Within seconds, it shattered the approaching abyssal beasts, then annihilated them one by one. His brutal and merciless technique was a stark contrast to how he behaved when Hua Cai Li was present.

Walking forward, Hua Cai Li suddenly stopped, lifted her head sharply, and her beautiful eyes, silent for so long, rippled with emotion. "This aura…" she whispered. "Young Master Yun…" She murmured softly, her body already moving before her reason or thoughts, rushing straight towards that dream-like aura.

“…” Hua Qingying, too late to intervene, could only sigh softly, helplessly watching the impending reunion of the two. But her “expectation” quickly fell through.

After dispatching the last abyssal beast, Yun Che's movement as he sheathed his sword suddenly paused. His gaze turned towards Hua Cai Li's direction, clearly having sensed her aura. His face revealed a mix of surprise and alarm… followed by a flicker of painful struggle. Then, he abruptly turned and darted away in the opposite direction with extreme speed. He moved at full speed, far surpassing Hua Cai Li, and the distance between them rapidly widened. He soon vanished from Hua Cai Li's sensory range.

Hua Qingying: "..."

When Hua Cai Li reached Yun Che's previous location, she saw only the frozen, shattered corpses of abyssal beasts scattered across the ground. The unique icy aura confirmed that her sensation was not mistaken; he had indeed stood on this very ground just a short while ago. “Young Master Yun!” she cried, repeatedly turning and searching frantically in various directions for Yun Che's aura. “Come out… I found you, please come out…” “Even if you must leave… and we may never meet again, there should at least be a proper farewell… Young Master Yun!” There was no response.

She did not give up. Instead, she followed the hastily ploughed sword marks on the ground, pursuing Yun Che in the direction he had fled. She chased for a very long time, passing through layer after layer of abyssal dust, having long lost her sense of direction. Yet, she did not stop… because a frightening voice within her kept saying: if she stopped, perhaps she would truly never see him again in this life.

Just then, a curtain of snow, utterly out of place and eerily dreamlike, suddenly appeared in the perpetually gray world. Hua Cai Li's gaze instantly became mesmerized. Her steps unconsciously slowed, and she gently walked into the curtain of snow.

Snow… with the same aura, the same snowflakes as that day. Shallow footprints were left behind her in the snow. She held out her hand, letting the snowflakes drift into her palm, settle on her white robe, and fall upon her dark hair.

Within the snowy curtain, upon a stone platform lightly covered in snow, floated a long black sash. It bore Yun Che's aura, clearly having been shed recently. She stepped forward, slowly extended her hand, and took the sash into her grasp.

On it, faint words were inscribed with profound light energy: “To have met is the best of fortunes, why spend the remaining years in longing?”

Her jade-like fingers trembled slightly with her eyes. The sash turned over, and on the other side, there was a similar inscription of light: “Today we shared the falling snow, in this life we have already grown old together.”

Her hands, holding the sash, covered her cheeks. Her body sank weakly into a crouch, her shoulders trembling violently.

The snow continued to fall, subtly muffling her desperate, suppressed sobs.

A faint sword gleam flashed in Hua Qingying’s eyes… An abyssal beast about to pounce on Hua Cai Li silently turned to dust. It was less than ten zhang away from Hua Cai Li, yet she remained utterly oblivious.

“Alas,” Hua Qingying finally sighed softly. She knew that at this moment, she had to appear and guide her. Hua Cai Li was now approaching the limit of what her fragile heart could endure.

Her figure descended, gently alighting before Hua Cai Li. Hua Cai Li lifted her tear-filled eyes, and the moment she saw her aunt, it was as if a string snapped within her. She lunged into Hua Qingying's embrace, her desperately suppressed tears and cries instantly breaking forth like a dam, weeping freely and hysterically, heartbroken.

Hua Qingying said nothing. The jade-like hand that wielded the Abyss's strongest sword gently stroked the girl's back, letting her release and vent her emotions freely.

She cried for a very long time, shedding more tears than she had ever cried before. She wept until the curtain of snow ceased, punctuated by at least dozens of mournful cries from abyssal beasts. If anyone else had caused the girl to weep, Hua Qingying would have decisively slain them. But Yun Che… not only could she not bring herself to slay him, she couldn't even bring herself to blame him.

The girl’s sobs in her arms finally began to subside. The Sword Immortal lowered her gaze slightly and said, “The most severe punishment I ever gave you, you only stubbornly shed two tears. Today, it seems you've cried back all the tears you held back before.”

Hua Cai Li lifted her head from her aunt's chest, her slightly reddened eyes filled with a heartbreaking misty light. “Aunt… I… I… I'm really so sad…” As soon as the words left her lips, the tears she had so painstakingly held back for so long welled up and fell once more.

“I know,” Hua Qingying said softly. “Don't feel ashamed, and certainly don't deny or doubt yourself because of this. Although it hurts, it was also a very beautiful experience, wasn't it?”

The girl looked at her through teary eyes. “Aunt… have you experienced this too?”

Hua Qingying shook her head. “No, I haven't. But, I cannot forget your mother back then…”

The word "mother" made the girl freeze.

Her aura slightly disturbed, Hua Qingying briefly closed her eyes and said, “Cai Li, do you remember the question I asked you before this journey?”

The girl parted her lips, and through tear-filled eyes, asked, “Was it… about the extent of my resolve?”

Hua Qingying shook her head, but she wasn't surprised by Hua Cai Li's answer. She knew that the question she had originally asked had never truly resonated with her.

“I asked you if you truly liked Dian Jiuzhi.”

“…” The teary glint in Hua Cai Li's eyes stopped trembling.

Hua Qingying answered for her: “You said you liked him. I asked you how, and you replied that he was excellent in appearance and talent, and treated you very well. Especially, that he was someone even the Divine Father approved of.”

Hua Cai Li vaguely recalled at that moment that her aunt had indeed asked that, and she had indeed replied in that manner.

“Then I asked you: ‘Before you met him, did you ever deeply yearn for him?’ Do you remember your answer?”

The girl, tracing her memory, softly said, “He is the Divine Son of the Senluo God Realm. Naturally, all is well with him, so why would I yearn for him?”

“Indeed.” This was Hua Cai Li's answer then, and it was this answer that made her determined to send Hua Cai Li into the world alone. “But, even when you weren't with Yun Che, you would think of him day and night, wouldn't you?”

Upon hearing the name “Yun Che” from her aunt's lips, Hua Cai Li's beautiful eyes instantly turned red. She sniffled hard, barely suppressing her tears. “Aunt, I… I…”

“It's alright, you don't need to say it,” she said. She knew Hua Cai Li understood now.

She spoke in the gentlest tone possible: “Your body has fully recovered now, and you no longer need to return to the Pure Land for slumber. The Senluo God Realm learned of this when you last left the Pure Land. Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi of the Senluo God Realm has waited for you with such devotion for so many years. Now that he knows, he will surely be eager to bring up your engagement during his next audience with the Abyssal Emperor. At that time, your wedding date will surely be set soon. But your feelings for Dian Jiuzhi are clearly not romantic love. I simply… cannot bear to watch you bind your life in such ignorance.”

“Is it… because of Mother?” the girl asked softly.

“Yes,” Hua Qingying said, raising her gaze. In the eyes of this usually emotionless Sword Immortal, a deep sorrow flickered. “Your mother's temperament was as gentle as water, yet her emotions burned like fire. Though her life was brief, she loved and hated without regret, even unto death…” Her voice trailed off, unable to continue. After a brief silence, she resumed, “You are her… Qu Wanxin’s daughter. Perhaps, your deeply hidden soul is also like hers.”

“Therefore, I hoped that before your marriage, you would observe the myriad forms of mortal life with your own eyes, to understand what true romantic love is, rather than merely living in ignorance.”

She knew well that Hua Fuchen had always hoped Hua Cai Li would not experience romantic love, and that Dian Jiuzhi was the most suitable partner for her in this world… He never wanted his daughter to follow in his own footsteps, or her mother's. Whether this action was right or wrong, she herself did not know. She only knew that her persistence stemmed from her unwillingness to accept what had happened back then…

“I just didn't expect that you would walk into such a tribulation yourself.”

“But this is also good,” Hua Qingying said, wiping away the girl's tears. “Although it hurts, once you overcome this tribulation, your emotions and soul will become more complete. When you eventually marry Dian Jiuzhi, you may have regrets or feel sorrow, but at least you won't be left with remorse and emptiness.”

“Overcome this tribulation…” the girl murmured, then shook her head. “But I…”

“You will,” she gently reassured her. “The first time is always etched deeply in memory. But time heals all things. You will eventually forget, you will let go, you will learn reason, choice, and balance. This is also, as he put it… growth forged on thorns.”