Chapter 2109: Loss of Balance

The breakthrough training of the Star and Moon Divine Sons collapsed before it even truly began.

With Divine Star Lord Tiangang nearby, Yun Che dared not get too close. He stepped out of the shadows, a grim, low chuckle slowly spreading across his face.

"Why did you do this?" Li Sa asked.

Yun Che dispelled the Abyssal Dust from his body, returning to the aura and state of an ordinary profound practitioner. "I'm simply creating an opportunity for one of them to come to the Mist Sea alone."

"Alone?" Li Sa rejected the idea, based on her understanding of the Abyssal Divine Sons. "As the bearers of the Divine Kingdom's future, their safety overrides all else. A Divine Son would never be alone outside, especially not in the Mist Sea."

"He will," Yun Che said with absolute certainty. "Given the time it will take for them to return from here to the Star-Moon Divine Kingdom, the Abyssal Corrosion I planted will be enough to deeply infiltrate their profound veins. By then, even the two Divine Sovereigns of Star and Moon won't be able to perfectly dispel it without damaging the profound veins."

"You mean..." Li Sa seemed to grasp his intent. "Forcing him to come to the Mist Sea to seek the legendary Mist Emperor, who can perfectly remove the Abyssal Corrosion?"

"Yes."

However, Yun Che's response failed to convince Li Sa. After a brief thought, she murmured, "The Mist Emperor is still too mysterious and ethereal in the world's perception. The only certainty is the Mist Emperor's opposition to the Pure Land... After all, your contempt and vile words towards the Pure Land and the Abyssal Emperor that day should now be known throughout the world."

"Moreover, the six Divine Kingdoms exist because of the Abyssal Emperor and are sustained by the divine power he bestowed. Although the Abyssal Corrosion suffered by the Star Divine Son must damage his profound veins to be fully eradicated, with the power of two True Gods, even permanent damage wouldn't be too severe."

"Therefore, I don't believe a Divine Son of a Divine Kingdom would choose to betray the Pure Land because of this... Moreover, searching for the Mist Emperor is inherently an ethereal matter."

Yun Che smiled and said calmly, "If it were a Divine Son from any other Divine Kingdom, your words would be entirely valid. But only the Star-Moon Divine Kingdom..."

Li Sa: "...?"

"Let me ask you a question," Yun Che suddenly said. "A multiple-choice question."

"Which situation would a person find harder to accept: First, someone superior suddenly reaching a height they cannot attain; second, someone who has always been their equal gradually surpassing them; or third, someone originally inferior gradually rising above them?"

"The third," Li Sa answered as soon as Yun Che finished speaking.

"A very human answer," Yun Che said. "But for Sha Xing and Xuan Yue, the answer is the second."

"Why?"

Yun Che looked ahead, a fleeting complexity in the depths of his eyes. "If it were many years ago, facing this question, my answer would definitely have been the same as yours. Until... when I first entered the God Realm, I briefly had a friend."

"His name was Huo Poyun."

Li Sa knew Huo Poyun; at that time, through Yun Che's eyes, she had personally witnessed his tragic and resolute self-destruction... but she couldn't understand the words he shouted then.

"Huo Poyun cried bitterly over news of my death, developed hatred upon my return, yet saved my life when I was an enemy of the world, wished to die by my hand when I became a devil sweeping across the world... and ultimately, met his tragic end when I was in despair."

He didn't elaborate on the complex shifts in Huo Poyun's emotions towards him, knowing Li Sa wouldn't understand. "All his actions were never within my expectations, and all his strange behaviors stemmed from the word 'imbalance.'"

"As for Sha Xing and Xuan Yue, the coordination of their powers just now showed how terrifyingly synchronized they are. And once such beings become 'imbalanced'... the internal turmoil it would unleash would absolutely far surpass Huo Poyun's."

Li Sa remained silent for a long time, seemingly re-examining her understanding of human nature through Yun Che's words.

"I am also greatly looking forward to the wicked flower that this seed will bloom into. Star Divine Son, you who carry the divine power of Sirius and possess the dignity and pride of a Divine Son, you must not disappoint me."

When he emerged from the Abyssal Mist again, a fierce battle was raging endlessly ahead.

Pan Buwang was enveloped in black qi, but the foul blood staining his entire body was denser than the dark demonic qi, and the violent, fierce light in his eyes was even more ferocious and soul-piercing than the Abyssal Beasts' abyssal eyes.

A dark storm suddenly rose, layer by layer devouring the abyssal power of the two Divine Annihilation Abyssal Beasts, and then their bodies. Pan Buwang let out a low roar; his pitch-black spear left a suspended black trail, piercing through the two Abyssal Beasts in an instant. The black trail then erupted into a dense dark storm, dragging the bisected Abyssal Beasts completely into the abyss of death.

He slowly placed the spear in his hand on the ground. Pan Buwang was already half-kneeling, bowing his head and saying, "Your disciple, Buwang, respectfully greets Master."

Drip... drip drip...

The sound of blood dripping onto the ground was incredibly clear in the deathly silent Mist Sea.

But there was no expression on his face, nor did he spare a glance at his own bloodstains. Though his entire body was exhausted, his half-kneeling posture remained straight and unmoving.

"Very good," the Mist Emperor praised briefly. "It seems you are already proficient in the transformed fourth stage. The obsession with revenge truly is the most miraculous power in this world."

"Today, this Emperor can grant you the fifth stage of transformation."

Pan Buwang raised his eyes, the fatigue in them instantly transforming into a demonic glint of excitement and longing. He bowed deeply in gratitude and suddenly said, "Master, may this disciple be so fortunate as to... glimpse your true face?"

"My true face? Hahahahaha!" The Mist Emperor sneered. "This Emperor is the Imperial Spirit nurtured by the Abyssal power of the Mist Sea and has never had what you humans call a 'true face.' Or perhaps, every particle of Abyssal Dust in this Mist Sea is this Emperor's true face."

"No," Pan Buwang said, looking at the alien eyes writhing within the Abyssal Mist, "Your disciple knows that Master is actually human."

The Mist Emperor: "..."

Pan Buwang maintained his kneeling posture and said frankly, "The demonic art I cultivate is already the strongest dark profound art in this world. And Master, by simply watching my demonstration once and reciting a profound formula, you can transform it into an even more powerful demonic art within a few days."

"Moreover, the transformed demonic art becomes even more compatible with my body and profound veins. At the same time, to maximize its power, each transformed stage of the demonic art, when unleashed, perfectly mobilizes all fifty-four profound gates in the profound veins."

"When Master transforms the demonic art, you must first adapt and change it to your own profound veins... And the fifty-four profound gates only belong to the human race. The power circulation of beast races and spirit races is completely different from that of humans. If Master were not a human possessing fifty-four profound gates, how could you transform each stage of the demonic art to perfectly align with these fifty-four profound gates?"

Yun Che secretly drew a sharp breath.

How could this possibly be a flaw...

For a few moments, he wanted to silence him permanently.

"Heh heh heh!" The Mist Emperor sneered; he did not deny it, but his already hoarse voice suddenly turned several times colder. "Pan Buwang, you are indeed smarter than I thought. But since you are so intelligent, you should know when to pretend to be foolish."

In a trance... he remembered his master saying the same words to him once.

"Your disciple naturally knows."

Facing the sudden chill, Pan Buwang showed no fear. Instead, he raised his head to directly face the Mist Emperor's eyes. "If not for Master's salvation, even if your disciple were not dead, I would be no different from a living corpse."

"My mother taught me that as a man, one must not betray affection, nor forget kindness... Master's grace towards your disciple, saving and recreating me, is as immense as that of reborn parents. How could your disciple speak with a false heart and false words before Master?"

When facing Abyssal Beasts, his eyes were full of ferocity; when facing darkness, his eyes were like a dead abyss. Only when facing the Mist Emperor, his gaze was clear like a human's... a clarity almost without impurity.

He is indeed a person of deep emotion; otherwise, how could he have done so much for his mother and beloved?

He said sincerely, "Your disciple truly wishes to know what kind of person Master is, who granted this disciple grace and bestowed teachings... This is your disciple's greatest desire, besides revenge."

He did not explicitly say he would never reveal the Mist Emperor's true identity beneath the abyssal mist. But every word, every shift in expression and gaze, conveyed to the Mist Emperor that even if he were to die ten thousand deaths, he would never betray his Master in the slightest.

Cold winds swirled, carrying a pungent scent of blood.

The Mist Emperor responded, "You will know. And by then, perhaps you will have completed your revenge."

"This Emperor permits you this one time today. Do not speak such words again! Do not forget what you should be doing most!"

Pan Buwang lowered his head and answered heavily without any resistance, "Yes."

He slowly stood up from the ground, his long spear returning to his hand and gleaming with black light again. Bearing a body full of wounds and bloodstains, he did not suggest resting for a while. Instead, he looked at the Mist Emperor with burning eyes and said, "Please, Master, bestow your teachings!"

Time flowed unsteadily under the insensible dark tide. It stirred change, propelled growth, healed wounds, cleansed souls... yet it tormented the Star Divine Son.

Sha Xing's palm was once again tightly clutching his chest. Six months had passed, and when his profound energy circulated, the excruciating pain from the Abyssal Corrosion remained as piercing as ever.

What was more terrifying than the severe pain was the obstruction in his profound energy circulation and the almost complete stagnation of his profound strength's progress.

And today, an inspiring piece of news spread throughout the entire Star-Moon Divine Kingdom.

Moon Divine Son Xuan Yue successfully broke through to the fourth level of the Divine Annihilation Realm this morning.

Every breakthrough of a Star-Moon Divine Son was always a major event that shook the Star-Moon Divine Kingdom. But this time was vastly different from before... because it wasn't the two Divine Sons breaking through simultaneously as they always did, but only the Moon Divine Son's breakthrough.

When the news arrived, Sha Xing had a smile on his face, but blood dripped from between his fingers.

He arrived at the Star God Temple where Heavenly Star Divine Sovereign resided, but encountered Divine Star Lord Tiangang who had just walked out.

He saw through Sha Xing's thoughts at a glance and sighed. "If you are asking the Divine Sovereign to sever the Abyssal Corrosion for you, I will not stop you. If you still harbor fantasies... it's better not to disturb the Divine Sovereign. It's been half a year; you should face reality."

"Reality..." Sha Xing gritted his teeth tightly. "The Divine Sovereign is so powerful; there must be a way, there must be..."

Divine Star Lord Tiangang glanced at him and said, "For your sake, His Holiness has repeatedly sent messages to the Spirit Immortal Divine Officials and even personally visited the Pure Land once; the result of which you already know. His Holiness's divine might is boundless, but when it comes to Abyssal Corrosion that has infiltrated profound veins to this extent... no one can resolve it."

He reached out and patted Sha Xing's shoulder. "To seal off the invading Abyssal Corrosion and prevent it from worsening, His Holiness has expended countless efforts and abyssal crystals over the past six months. If this continues, you will simply not get the turning point you desire, and it will only continue to increase needless consumption... You should know that because of this matter, many Divine Star Lords and Star Officials are already displeased with you."

Sha Xing's lips trembled slightly. He immediately lowered his head, determined not to let anyone see his emotional turmoil.

Divine Star Lord Tiangang continued to persuade him. "Severing a tail to survive is not cowardice; it is a necessary and helpless measure. Furthermore, His Holiness has said that by combining the powers of both His Holinesses, the permanent damage to your profound veins when forcibly removing the Abyssal Corrosion can be controlled to within ten percent."

"One... tenth... heh." He softly muttered, followed by a self-deprecating and painful low laugh.

Ten percent permanent damage to his profound veins would mean that his cultivation, progress, profound energy circulation, and his future potential... all would be cut off, and permanently lost.

As one of the Star and Moon Twins, who were meant to be perfectly matched and balanced, he would from then on forever... forever become a burden to Xuan Yue.

Not stepping into the Star God Temple again, Sha Xing turned around and said in a low voice, "I understand. I will seriously consider this matter and and will no longer cause trouble for the Divine Sovereign and the Divine Star Lords."

"Yes," Divine Star Lord Tiangang nodded and said nothing more. As the one who secretly protected them during their training, he also felt deeply guilty.