Chapter 2070: Clear Shadow Pierces the Heart

As Yun Che stepped out of the Sword Pavilion, Hua Caili rushed over, grabbing his arm and examining him closely. "Brother Yun, are you... alright?"

"Of course, I'm fine." Yun Che smiled, his expression relaxed. "Your Royal Father is indeed as you described—a very gentle person. Not only did he not make things difficult for me, but he even deliberately controlled his divine pressure when speaking to me."

Hua Caili bit her lip and whispered, "Actually, I heard everything you two said."

"Brother Yun, please go back with Lianzhi first. There are some things... I want to discuss with Royal Father."

As if having made up her mind, she called out ahead without waiting for Yun Che's reply, "Lianzhi, please take Brother Yun back to my Sword Pavilion."

Hua Lianzhi's figure quickly approached. She acknowledged the instruction and stood before Yun Che, saying, "Young Master Yun, please."

"Caili, don't get into a conflict with your Royal Father. Every decision he makes is truly for your sake," Yun Che advised.

"I understand."

Watching Yun Che depart with Hua Lianzhi, Hua Caili then hurried into the Heart Reminiscence Sword Pavilion.

Hua Fuchen looked up, his expression gentle. "You heard everything."

Hua Caili slowly walked closer. "Royal Father, I..."

"How long have you been with him in total?" Hua Fuchen asked.

Hua Caili replied directly, "For these four months, Brother Yun and I have been together constantly, never parting."

"Four months." Hua Fuchen's voice held a trace of melancholy. "Do you know how long it takes to truly understand a person? Not just four months, but even four years, four hundred years... perhaps an entire lifetime, and you might still never truly understand someone."

"And your understanding of him is more than just superficial. He doesn't even have a verifiable background; the 'master' who supposedly saved him exists only in his words, with no proof of truth or falsehood, and no one to corroborate his story."

"I understand everything Royal Father has said," Hua Caili stated earnestly. "However, I trust Brother Yun. Whatever he says, I am willing to believe."

Hua Fuchen's voice grew slightly heavier. "The word 'trust' should never be given lightly. Although you are not yet twenty, you have seen many men in your life, from divine sons to royal heirs, all of whom are among the most supreme beings in this era. What exactly about him makes him so worthy of your trust?"

Hua Caili did not answer directly. Instead, she echoed Yun Che's earlier manner of speaking and countered, "Then, Royal Father, what do you think Brother Yun was fighting for when he risked his own life to protect me?"

Hua Fuchen was silent.

"At that time, we faced the Ancestral Kylin God, whom even Aunt could not defeat. For Brother Yun, that wasn't just danger; it was an almost certain death situation. He could have stayed out of it, yet he rushed in, using his body and all his power to protect me... Royal Father, you cannot imagine the enormous price he paid and the extent of his injuries."

For a Level Three Divine Master to willingly charge at the Ancestral Kylin God, describing it as an "almost certain death situation" is no exaggeration. Hua Fuchen could not refute this point; Yun Che's act of saving her life was beyond question.

Hua Fuchen's voice softened. "Regarding that incident, I am indeed grateful to him. That's why, despite my extreme resentment towards that young man, I have shown him such patience. However, there are a myriad ways to repay a debt of gratitude..."

"This has nothing to do with gratitude!" Hua Caili interrupted Hua Fuchen directly. "I truly wish... I truly wish to spend my entire life with Brother Yun. In this life, my heart can no longer hold anyone else."

Hua Fuchen lowered his gaze and said slowly, "You are still young, and this is the time when your emotions are most fervent. But you must understand that in this long life, the affection between a man and a woman will only be a very small... almost insignificant part. Your current passionate feelings might only last for a few short years. If you alter your entire life for a fleeting moment of emotion, you will surely regret it in the future."

"Royal Father is lying." Hua Caili looked into her father's eyes. "If it were truly as you say, then why do you still often gaze at Mother's portrait, lost in thought? Why have you never stepped into the imperial harem again since I awakened my divine lineage?"

Hua Fuchen's lips trembled. After a long pause, he said with difficulty, "Precisely because of what happened between your mother and me back then, I... will absolutely not allow your life to be swept into uncontrollable turmoil as well."

Hua Caili's eyes wavered, filled with sorrow. "So, even though Brother Yun and I are both so determined, Royal Father is still unwilling... to annul my engagement with Dian Jiuzhi?"

The desolation in Hua Caili's eyes pierced his heart, but he could not back down. "Caili, you are still too young. You haven't even fully grasped human nature, let alone the full scope of the Pure Land and the Divine Kingdoms. Your engagement to Dian Jiuzhi has never been just an engagement; it involves far more than you can comprehend. If you insist on being with Yun Che, the consequences and opposition, once exposed to the world, will be far more complex than you imagine."

Her father never lied to her, yet his words did not instill any fear in her heart. "Back then, Royal Father was willing to abandon the title of 'Divine Son' for Mother. If my status as 'Divine Daughter' causes you such difficulty, Royal Father, I too can relinquish it without hesitation."

"Nonsense!" Hua Fuchen exclaimed softly, then immediately softened his tone. "Caili, you absolutely cannot be headstrong about this. You should have clearly seen over the years how vast the difference is between a Divine Son or Divine Daughter and the children of other Divine Sovereigns. This is not just about status; it also determines whether you can inherit your father's True God power in the future, thereby possessing absolute power to protect yourself."

As for the inheritance of the Divine Kingdom, that is secondary.

Hua Caili still shook her head. "None of these are what I desire. Aunt also abandoned her title as Divine Daughter back then, resolutely pursuing her own life. That's why Aunt is more extraordinary than anyone now."

"If Royal Father is unwilling, I will personally go to the Divine Kingdom of Senluo and ask Divine Sovereign Jueluo to annul my engagement with the Divine Son of Senluo!"

Having said this, she turned her head and walked away.

Hua Fuchen slammed his hand on the table and roared in anger, "How dare you!"

The thunderous voice rang in her ears, and Hua Caili's figure froze. Hua Fuchen was also stunned for a moment.

In his entire life, he had never spoken a single angry word to Hua Caili.

As if suddenly losing all strength, Hua Fuchen slowly sat back down. He looked at his daughter's retreating back, his voice wavering. "Caili, if I, your father, insist on separating you two, will you... hate me?"

Hua Caili turned her gaze. She slowly walked back to Hua Fuchen's side, knelt gently by his knee, and softly said, "No."

"Even if everyone in this world hates Royal Father, I never will." Her eyes filled with tears, each word spoken with deep emotion. "The year I was born, Royal Father held me and knelt before the Pure Land for seven days and seven nights, striking his head until his skull fractured and blood stained the ground nine feet around him."

"Every time Royal Father refined my soul, he endured immense pain. Aunt said that pain was like having one's heart torn out and soul separated, unbearable for any human, yet Royal Father endured it twenty times for me... And after each soul refinement, despite such agony, you always smiled so joyfully, because your suffering made me 'more complete' by another fraction."

"I know all of Royal Father's kindness and all his favoritism towards me, which is why I have always been most willing to listen to your words. I also know that all of Royal Father's decisions are for me to have the smoothest possible future. You don't want me to be with Brother Yun because you're afraid we might repeat the mistakes you and Mother made back then..."

"But I am not my mother, and Brother Yun is not Royal Father. This time... just this once, please allow me to be willful... Please, Royal Father, try to trust me, trust Brother Yun..."

Hua Fuchen closed his eyes and breathed deeply... After a long while, he murmured, "You may withdraw."

Yun Che followed Hua Lianzhi unhurriedly; neither of them spoke.

"You seem to have failed," Li Sa's voice echoed in his soul sea.

Yun Che's attention shifted. "Oh? How so?"

Li Sa slowly explained, "From your conversation with Hua Fuchen, I sensed no wavering in his resolve."

"What else did you expect?" Yun Che raised an eyebrow. "You didn't really think I could persuade Hua Fuchen, did you? You must understand, I am ultimately a complete stranger. No matter how eloquent I might be, it's absolutely impossible to sway the will of a Divine Sovereign of a Divine Kingdom."

His gaze sharpened slightly. "The only ones who can truly influence Divine Sovereign Huaxin are Caili and her aunt."

"I see." Li Sa seemed to understand. "No wonder you appeared so calm... or rather, overly calm."

Yun Che smiled. "If even you find me overly calm, imagine what Divine Sovereign Huaxin must think."

Li Sa gave a questioning sound.

A mysterious curve appeared at the corner of Yun Che's mouth. "Acting too calm, too perfect, can sometimes breed unease in others."

"What do you mean?" Li Sa did not understand.

"You'll know soon enough." Yun Che maintained his unhurried expression. "My previous confidence was only about sixty percent, but after meeting Divine Sovereign Huaxin, my current confidence is over eighty percent."

"He... will certainly take that step."

At this moment, a female figure swiftly approached from ahead, accompanied by an extremely formidable sword aura.

Hua Lianzhi stopped and bowed from a distance. "Lianzhi greets Sword Sovereign Yaoguang."

The woman nodded slightly, then suddenly paused mid-stride and turned her gaze to the side. "Lianzhi, I heard Caili has successfully broken through to the Divine Extinction Realm. The initial breakthrough of a major realm is a crucial time to consolidate the foundation of the new realm, yet the Venerable One forbids us from seeing Caili... Do you know why?"

Hua Lianzhi immediately replied, "To Sword Sovereign Yaoguang, Her Highness the Divine Daughter has been preoccupied with other matters recently. The foundation consolidation needs to be postponed. At that time, Royal Father will naturally trouble the seven Sword Sovereigns for their assistance."

It was not a very satisfactory answer, but Sword Sovereign Yaoguang did not press further. She nodded slightly and vanished in an instant.

"Um... Princess Lianzhi, who was that senior just now?" Yun Che asked opportunely.

Hua Lianzhi replied softly, "She is Sword Sovereign Yaoguang, one of our Divine Kingdom's Seven Sword Sovereigns."

"Seven Sword Sovereigns?" Yun Che murmured, then said with a hint of embarrassment, "My apologies, I hail from a remote region and know very little about the matters of the Divine Kingdom. Caili... Her Highness the Divine Daughter also never mentioned it, so I must seem foolish to Princess Lianzhi."

"Not at all," Hua Lianzhi said, pursing her lips into a smile. She then patiently explained, "The Seven Sword Sovereigns are the seven strongest individuals in our Heaven Defying Divine Kingdom, apart from Royal Father and Aunt. All of them possess Divine Extreme Realm cultivation and each commands a sword domain. Their titles are Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang. If Young Master Yun resides in our Divine Kingdom for a long time, you will certainly meet them all."

Yun Che nodded. "Thank you, Princess Lianzhi, for the information."

All Seven Sword Sovereigns are at the Divine Extreme Realm, and with Hua Qingying, this Heaven Defying Divine Kingdom alone has eight Divine Extreme Realm experts beneath the True Gods... truly formidable.

"There's no need for 'Princess,' Young Master Yun. Just call me Lianzhi, like my elder sister does."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Yun Che, then quickly averted her gaze as if escaping.

When Hua Qingying entered the Sword Pavilion, Hua Fuchen was sitting upright, his eyes clouded with confusion.

"How was it?" Hua Qingying asked.

Hua Fuchen lifted his gaze slightly and sighed softly. "You heard it all. You should understand my resolve."

"What do you think of Yun Che?" Hua Qingying asked again.

"He is indeed an unexpected young man," Hua Fuchen commented. "Among all the people I have met, none have ever stood before me as a Divine Master and remained so calm. During our conversation, I even subtly applied some soul pressure, yet it only disturbed his breathing slightly before he quickly returned to normal."

"With such a mental state, is he truly only a hundred and twenty years old?"

Hua Caili's nature was so pure, yet Yun Che was... This left him with a lingering sense of doubt and unease.

Hua Qingying, however, showed no surprise at this. "His extraordinary qualities are far more than that. Recalling everything, it's truly not surprising that Caili would like him so much."

Hua Fuchen gave her a deep look, his gaze complex. "Qingying, your words are all leaning towards that young man."

"Yes," Hua Qingying admitted without hesitation.

"Are you going to join in this foolishness too?" Hua Fuchen shook his head, his expression grim. "Caili doesn't understand, that boy knows nothing, but don't you understand either?"

Hua Qingying slowly stepped forward, approaching Hua Fuchen, and asked a rather strange question, "Brother, in your eyes, what is Caili?"

Hua Fuchen frowned. "Caili... is my daughter, of course."

Hua Qingying nodded slightly. "Yes, she is your daughter, your and Wanxin's only child, Wanxin's sole bloodline left in the world, the Divine Daughter of the Heaven Defying Divine Kingdom... You have transferred and compensated all your love and guilt for Wanxin onto Caili. You've paved every step of her life, carefully guiding her to avoid all possible risks, and even for her future, you have already built what you believe to be the best path for her."

"However, you seem to have forgotten that before all these identities, Caili... is first and foremost herself!"

Hua Fuchen was speechless.

Hua Qingying continued, "When you were young, you complained to me more than once that you hated it most when people interfered with or dictated your life. But what about Caili? Her life has always been lived within the framework you wove for her, never stepping outside. Before this experience, even when she occasionally left the Divine Kingdom, you would invariably follow her every step of the way."

"In your eyes, you are doing everything to protect her life, but for Caili, isn't this also a magnificent cage?"

Hua Fuchen sighed softly. "A person's thoughts always change little by little with time, sometimes even completely overturning. You know best that my actions stem from fear. Wanxin suffered the most cruel fate; how could I allow our daughter, her daughter, to suffer even the slightest harm again!"

"Is that so?" Hua Qingying closed her eyes slightly and whispered, "After the catastrophe involving the Ancestral Kylin God in the Misty Sea, what I kept thinking about was how to face you, and how to separate the two of them to stop the mistake early."

"But, gradually, that thought of mine began to disappear... In just a few short days, I no longer had the intention of forcibly separating them."

"Brother, you cannot imagine how Caili is when she is with him. Every moment, she is so joyful; I feel as if every wisp of her life aura is glowing."

"So," she turned her gaze to Hua Fuchen, "as a father who doesn't want his daughter to suffer any harm, are you still determined to forcibly tear away these glowing life auras from Caili and imprison her once more in the cage you wove for her?"

Hua Fuchen's body visibly trembled.

"Or is it... that you fear more than just Caili getting hurt?" Hua Qingying's voice gradually became cold and chilling to the soul. "Are you afraid that the Heaven Defying Divine Kingdom will be disgraced? Are you afraid that your relationship with the Divine Kingdom of Senluo will worsen? Are you afraid of displeasing the Abyss Emperor?"