Chapter 2061: Past Memories

Breaking through in the mist sea was a major taboo, but with Hua Qingying by her side, this "taboo" naturally ceased to exist.

Hua Qingying's sword array barrier lasted only a few breaths before all the sword shadows vanished. However, Yun Che, who was nearby, felt a terrifying chill seep directly into his soul with just a slight shift of his body. "What a fine invisible sword array barrier. These sword cultivators just love their flashy tricks..." Yun Che secretly grumbled to himself, a retort to her having just sent him flying with a palm strike.

Within the sword array barrier, Hua Caili had already settled into a seated position, her aura gradually stabilizing. The surrounding qi currents had transformed into a massive profound energy storm. Perhaps Hua Caili's profound strength talent was simply too high, as there were no signs of the various crises that commonly arise during a major realm breakthrough.

Hua Qingying's tension gradually eased, allowing her the leisure to glance indifferently at Yun Che. Sensing the Sword Immortal senior's gaze, Yun Che immediately straightened up, his expression serious, though he couldn't hide his excitement: "Caili is truly worthy of being the divine being of the Heaven-Folding Divine Kingdom..."

"Go and rest," Hua Qingying said, cutting him off before he could continue. She clearly had no interest in hearing what he had to say. "I am here; you can rest assured."

After the Calamity of the Abyss Scale God that day, Hua Caili had been continuously protected, cared for, and healed by Yun Che. Although Yun Che's own injuries were more severe, he had never relaxed for a moment, all for Hua Caili's sake. Towards Yun Che, she found it difficult to feel joy, yet also difficult to feel hatred.

Yun Che wasted no words. "Yes, I am grateful for your trouble, senior." He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes in contemplation.

"You are indeed too tired," Lisha whispered. "It's good to rest here." Hua Caili's heart was pure and untainted, and she was carefree and ethereal when with him. However, he not only had to suppress his injuries but also maintain extreme caution and calculation at every moment, weighing every word he spoke...

Lisha's light words gave Yun Che a reason to temporarily relax. He let out a long breath, and as his mental defenses dropped, an increasingly irresistible weariness swept over him...

Mountains and seas pierced through clouds, imbued with an ethereal aura. A white-robed man, with his hands clasped behind his back, trod upon the clouds, gazing at the mountains. The vast world seemed to lie beneath his feet.

Nixuan, the Elemental Creation God.

"Brother Nixuan!"

The clouds parted as a young man, also clad in white, arrived with the wind. He was exceptionally handsome, but his long hair was disheveled, and his face was full of indignation. His robes, adorned with strange divine patterns, were torn in multiple places, making him appear utterly disheveled.

"Hmm... oh?" Nixuan looked sideways, then his interest greatly piqued. "Well, well! Who roughed you up like this? Don't tell me you developed an interest in women after traveling with me and went after one of your old man's concubines? Let me see... is that a shoe print on your backside?"

"Huh? Where? Hiss... Brother, you're teasing me again."

Mosu unceremoniously plopped down beside Nixuan, indignation practically overflowing from his eyes. "On my way here, I encountered a deviless. I fought her... and the result... it actually... it actually..." He raised a hand to cover his face, too ashamed to speak.

"Oh?" Nixuan was four parts surprised and six parts intrigued. "Your Heaven-Folding Ninety-Nine Swords have already reached grand completion. Among your divine peers, none are your match, and I imagine the same holds true for the devil race. Could it be that you encountered a high-level Devil God?"

Mosu shook his head, then lowered it even further. "She... she... that deviless, her life aura was similar to mine..." As the Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince, even a defeat by a divine peer would have been utterly unacceptable to him. Let alone facing a devil, and a woman at that. This was, quite simply, the most devastating blow of his life.

Nixuan frowned. A peer... defeated Mosu? When did the devil race produce such a character? Could it be the one little Yuan'er mentioned...

"Do you know her identity?" Nixuan patted his shoulder in comfort.

"No," Mosu gritted his teeth. "She said... the loser isn't worthy of knowing her name."

"That's not an unreasonable thing to say." Nixuan agreed profoundly. "What else did she say?"

"She... she also said," Mosu's voice began to tremble, "that the Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince is just a good-for-nothing, a complete loser, and that I should hurry back to my dad and cry."

"Hmm..." Nixuan glanced at the red, swollen mark on Mosu's left cheek, which had already subsided. "You didn't need to repeat it in such detail."

"Brother!" Mosu suddenly looked up, his face beet red, eyes purple. "In my entire life, I have never suffered such a humiliating disgrace! A mere deviless, how could she... how dare she..."

"You not only underestimated the devil race but also underestimated women, so your fall was well-deserved." Nixuan offered no comfort, every word seeming to add fuel to the fire. "I know you feel disgraced, but I actually think this isn't a bad thing for you."

After Mosu's Heaven-Folding Swordsmanship reached grand completion, even his father, the God Emperor Mo E's perpetually rigid face would occasionally soften slightly. The gods of the divine race showered him with exaggerated praise. This would undoubtedly lead to complacency.

"With today's defeat, given your nature, I imagine you'll be anything but resigned."

"Exactly, how can I be resigned?" Mosu clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "That damned devil woman even stepped on my head with her foot..." Taking a sharp breath, he said bitterly, "I've already arranged with her to fight again in five hundred years, in the same place!"

"My self-created Grand Dao Pagoda Art can be perfected in at most three hundred years. By then, it will definitely advance my Great Desolate power even further." His gaze steadily hardened. "The so-called 'completion' of the Heaven-Folding Ninety-Nine Swords is actually just the beginning. I feel I've vaguely touched upon the 'skill-less' realm you mentioned, Brother. In short... though five hundred years is short, it will surely allow me to wash away today's disgrace!"

"Your morale is excellent." Nixuan nodded with satisfaction. "That's how the Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince should be."

"What Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince?" Mosu waved his hand dismissively. "It's more comfortable being Brother Nixuan's little brother."

"However." He sprang up, twisting his still-sore neck. "Today's agreement to accompany Brother to the lower realms is off for now. I can't wait a moment longer to go back into seclusion and cultivate. Brother, next time I definitely will..."

"Alright, alright, alright." Nixuan waved his hand indifferently. "Go do whatever you want. I'm freer traveling alone. Every time a woman gets close to you, you act like your backside's on fire; people probably think we're lovers."

"Lovers? What's that?"

"Scram, scram, scram! If you keep blabbering, I'll kick your other cheek too."

The same scene, the same cloud-sea fairyland, the same two people. Mosu sat on the clouds, his body slumped, his head drooping. In such a posture, no one would believe that this was the son of the First Creation God, the Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince, known to all in the divine race.

Nixuan arrived, gently treading on wisps of cloud, swaying slightly. He scrutinized Mosu, deep in thought. "You, the esteemed Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince, even if you were ravaged by hundreds of sows in turn, you wouldn't be reduced to such a state."

"Bro...ther." Mosu looked up, his call carrying a hint of sorrow.

"Defeated again?" Nixuan stepped forward, speaking calmly. "In just five hundred years, your progress has been so great that even I am astonished. But while you advanced, your opponent also did not stop. No need to worry too much; learn from your shame and then strive for courage."

"If only it were just a defeat... then it would be fine." Mosu covered his face with his hands, seemingly too ashamed to be seen.

"Hmm?" Nixuan's eyes widened slightly as he cautiously examined Mosu, who was once again in a sorry state. "You, you, you... don't tell me that deviless actually... you're still a virgin!"

"Uh?" Mosu was stunned for a moment, then hastily denied it. "No, no, no, Brother, what are you thinking? It's just... it's just..." His voice grew weaker and weaker, his head almost sinking to his knees. After a long while, he finally said with extreme difficulty: "This time, when I went to battle, I brought... I brought Great Desolate and Small Desolate."

"..." Nixuan fell silent.

Mosu said in vexation, "I thought... that all devils are treacherous and cunning, and hostile towards the divine race, so during a challenge, they would definitely hide people to ambush me. That's why I brought Great Desolate and Small Desolate as a precaution, but the result... the result..."

Nixuan realized, "So, she came alone, and you were the treacherous and cunning one?"

"Yes..." Mosu's entire body was practically curled into a shrimp. He had never dreamed that he would one day be associated with the words 'treacherous and cunning.'

"What happened then?" Nixuan asked.

Mosu said agonizingly, "I repeatedly explained that Great Desolate and Small Desolate were just attendants and wouldn't intervene. As soon as I ordered Great Desolate and Small Desolate to leave, she attacked... I lost, and even Great Desolate and Small Desolate were injured by her."

"Huh? With your progress, even with two Desolate Gods, you still lost to her?" Nixuan was genuinely shocked.

"No, it's because I felt guilty inside, my morale weakened by three points before the battle, which is why..."

"A defeat is a defeat, stop making excuses." Nixuan directly cut off Mosu's remaining words. "I suppose after this battle, her evaluation of you 'improved' even further, didn't it?"

At these words, Mosu's head, which was already sunk to his knees, practically wished it could burrow into the soles of his shoes. "She... she said... that the Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince is not only a good-for-nothing, but also untrustworthy, despicable, shameless, and of low character... No, her curses were too vulgar, I can't repeat them."

"She then added that if the so-called Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince is like this, then the entire divine race must be a bunch of conniving and contemptible individuals."

"Hey, hey, hey, that's going too far!" Nixuan said, indignant. "How can one person's fault implicate our entire divine race?"

"Right, it's really too much." Mosu's head lifted slightly.

"I said *you* were too much."

His just-lifted head shrank back down.

"Hahahahaha!" Nixuan finally burst out laughing. He walked over and pulled the crouching Mosu to his feet. "Fixed perceptions are very difficult to change. You've spent your entire life under the tutelage of that old stubborn Mo E, so your understanding of the devil race as 'evil,' 'despicable,' and 'intolerable' is naturally much deeper than others. It's not surprising that you would act as you did today."

"Is it really just... fixed perceptions?" Mosu's eyes showed confusion.

"What I say doesn't count, and what anyone else says doesn't count." Nixuan smiled. "Go out and see more of the world. Don't be like that old stubborn man, always guarding his dilapidated divine palace like a weathered, smelly rock."

Mosu took several deep breaths, then faced Nixuan with a serious expression. "I understand. Don't worry, Brother, I've already arranged to fight her again in five hundred years. Next time... no matter what, I will wash away this disgrace."

"Hmm?" Nixuan looked surprised. "She agreed?"

"At first, she didn't agree." Mosu's gaze darted away.

"Of course not, I wouldn't agree either." Nixuan grimaced, then suddenly thought of something, his eyes becoming strange. "You didn't... beg her, did you?"

"..." Mosu's throat made a heavy gulp. Then he raised his voice, forcing a brave demeanor. "Anyway... I've already lost all face today. A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall. As long as she agrees to fight me again and help me wash away today's shame, begging her was worth it."

"Hmm... mm-hmm." Nixuan nodded, and then...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His unrestrained laughter echoed for thousands of miles, shaking the mountains beneath their feet.

Mosu's expression finally couldn't hold. In just a few breaths, his face turned crimson, then purple. "Brother, stop laughing. If I hadn't begged her, what if... what if she told others about today's events? My own disgrace would be one thing, but implicating the entire divine race... that would... that would..." He couldn't continue speaking.

After his great laughter, when Nixuan turned his head, his face held a hint of satisfaction. "Knowing when to bend and when to stand tall, very good, very good. You and your father, the God Emperor, are finally becoming less and less alike. My efforts all these years haven't been in vain... Hehehe."

"Uh... Brother, are you... praising me?" Mosu asked weakly.

"Don't think about it." Nixuan put an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, I've recently discovered a great place. I guarantee you'll feel completely refreshed once we get there."

"Okay. Brother, believe me, in five hundred years, I will, I will, I will definitely..."

"I believe, I believe! Let's go!"

"Brother, I've lost again... but this battle was exhilarating. I used all my powers; though unwilling, I have no regrets."

"This time, she's the one who challenged me to another fight in five hundred years."

"Damn it... just by a little, I still lost."

"However, during this battle, I had an epiphany about where the Grand Dao Pagoda Art can be improved... I plan to test it on Great Desolate and Small Desolate first."

"Three hundred years from now, to fight again, this is only the... uh, fourth time. I definitely won't lose again."

"Hahahahaha, what a thrill! These three hundred years of arduous cultivation were absolutely worth it! Suddenly, I feel that having such an opponent is truly a blessing."

"This time, we've agreed to fight again in two hundred years!"

"We fought fiercely for fifteen days with no clear victor. Hmph, that woman won't dare to mock me now. Her progress is clearly not as fast as mine; next time, she's sure to lose!"

"I directly challenged her to another fight in a hundred years... I still can't let Father God know about this. Once I defeat that deviless, I'll go boast to him."

"...Another fight in a hundred years!"

"...Another fight in fifty years!"

"...Another fight in ten years!"

"...She and I have already agreed to fight annually from now on!"

Everyone in the divine race knew that the Heaven-Punishing Crown Prince, Mosu, had undergone a drastic change in temperament. He cultivated diligently day and night, his progress unceasing. His self-created Grand Dao Pagoda Art had given birth to the supremely powerful Desolate God race, and his Heaven-Folding Ninety-Nine Swords had reached a profound state, evolving into swords beyond swords. The entire divine race was filled with awe and praise. The Heaven-Punishing God Emperor, Mo E, was also greatly comforted.