Chapter 831: Forever Goodbye

Space fractured, and Jasmine’s figure appeared above the Southern Sea of Heavenly Profound.

The vast, boundless green sea stretched to the horizon. Jasmine floated motionless above it, her icy, emotionless eyes quickly softened, dissolving into a mist that blurred her vision and the entire world around her.

And just like that... it was goodbye forever.

This was all too sudden for Yun Che, but it was no less sudden for her.

Yun Che would only feel the piercing pain of her departure. But for her, there was a helplessness and cruelty that Yun Che could never understand.

“Perhaps... this is for the best...”

In a world without Yun Che, she whispered softly to herself...

“Even without me, he can grow rapidly now...”

“In just a few more years, he’ll be able to exact his revenge... fulfill all his desires... and no one in this world will be able to threaten or defy him again...”

“He might miss me, perhaps even feel sad... but he has loving parents, so many friends, and so many women... It won’t be long until he... slowly forgets about me...”

Jasmine slowly closed her eyes, her hand still pressed against her chest, unable to move it. A heavy, suffocating sensation gripped her there. This was only the third time in her life she had felt this way.

The first was when her mother passed away.

The second was when her brother fell.

And the third was now...

A warm sensation simultaneously welled up at the corners of her eyes and lips. She instinctively reached out to touch them...

Tears from her eyes, blood from her lips.

Because they would never meet again.

Seven years, like a fleeting dream.

Slowly, she cupped her small hands together. She murmured, lost in thought, “So, this... this is my greatest tribulation, destined by fate...”

A tearing sound from space echoed from behind her, followed by Yu Luo’s delicate voice: “Princess, would you like to take one last look at the scenery before we depart?”

“No interest.” Jasmine’s gaze instantly turned cold. Without turning to face her, she said flatly, “Remember what you promised me, or else... I will keep my word!”

“The princess always tries to scare me,” Yu Luo said, half-fearful, half-resentful. “After I bring Your Highness back, I absolutely, absolutely will not mention that handsome young man to our King. If I lie, Your Highness may punish me however you wish.”

“Hmph! Let’s go!”

Jasmine’s figure flickered. She once again disappeared into the void before Yu Luo could.

She had kept her back to Yu Luo the entire time, and thus did not see the sinister glint that shimmered deep within Yu Luo’s eyes as she spoke.

The main hall at the heart of Phoenix City lay utterly destroyed. This grand engagement banquet, which had gathered major sects, powers, royal families, and noble clans from across the continent, concluded with an outcome no one could have foreseen.

After Jasmine left, Yun Che remained standing there, his eyes and mind in turmoil, his brain almost completely unable to process thoughts. Around him, the many people swept away by Jasmine’s power exchanged bewildered glances. Some were still in a daze, their understanding of the Profound Way having been shaken by an unprecedented upheaval.

“Brother-in-law’s master... she’s from another world?” Xia Yuanba murmured, dazed, “The Realm... of Gods?”

“We were already certain that she came from another world, because the recorded history of the Profound Sky Continent has never seen power of that level.” True Monarch Ancient Azure sighed, “But I never expected her to be from the legendary God Realm... No wonder her power is so terrifying.”

“The God Realm?” Xia Yuanba turned to his master. “Is that what she and Brother-in-law called the ‘Realm of Gods’? Master, do you know of this place?”

True Monarch Ancient Azure shook his head. “The greater world is vast and boundless; our world is but a drop in the ocean. Legends say that if one can break through the Sovereign Profound bottleneck and achieve the Divine Profound Realm, they step onto the fringes of the Divine Path. At that point, one’s spiritual perception will also transcend limits, allowing them to sense the existence of other worlds. In ancient legends, the highest plane within the greater world is referred to as the God Realm. The Heaven-Seizing Elder, who vanished ten thousand years ago, was rumored to have had his profound energy break through to the Divine Path and ascend to the God Realm.”

“The Heaven-Seizing Elder’s so-called ‘ascension’ was merely a vague legend and conjecture. However, the name ‘Realm of Gods’ is precisely recorded in several ancient texts. And today, we heard this name directly from Yun Che’s master, who came from another world... It seems that the ‘Realm of Gods’ described in ancient texts truly exists.”

“Ah...” Xia Yuanba’s jaw dropped as he mumbled, “Brother-in-law said his master is even younger than Sister Xue’er, yet she’s so powerful. And that strange woman who just arrived seemed even stronger than Brother-in-law’s master. That God Realm... just how terrifying must it be?”

“That plane is beyond our comprehension. However, to witness a person from the legendary God Realm with my own eyes in this lifetime, I suppose I haven’t lived in vain. It’s just that...”

True Monarch Ancient Azure quietly surveyed his surroundings. The surprise in the eyes of the Extreme Royal Sacred Land disciples had yet to fade. The Supreme Ocean Palace, having just lost three Venerables, was gripped by a mix of grief and alarm. Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Divine Hall, along with Xuanyuan Wentian and his son, stared intently at Yun Che, their expressions constantly shifting.

“From their final words, it seems they will never return after leaving,” True Monarch Ancient Azure sighed. “Yuanba, you should know that this engagement banquet was so grand not because of Yun Che, nor because of the Phoenix Divine Sect, but solely because of Yun Che’s master. Now that Yun Che’s master has departed under everyone’s gaze, Yun Che’s situation... alas.”

Xia Yuanba was startled, instantly snapping out of his daze.

Yun Che’s identity had been unchallengeable because of his master; his possession of the Samsara Mirror, known throughout the world, had also been unassailable because of his master. Now that his master had left, the protective barrier that had shielded him, preventing even the Four Sacred Grounds from touching him, had vanished.

Furthermore, the three Venerables of the Heavenly Might Sword Region who died, the destruction of their northern domain, and the humiliation suffered by Ye Miexie and Qu Fengyi... they dared not seek revenge on Yun Che’s master, but it was highly probable they would unleash all their vengeance and frustration upon Yun Che himself!

“I don’t believe it...” Yun Che whispered softly. “You clearly didn’t want to leave. I don’t believe you don’t want to see me again... I don’t believe it...”

“Brother Yun...”

Feng Xue’er hurried to Yun Che’s side. She could feel his sadness and despondency. She gently comforted him, “Although I don’t know what happened... that day at the Supreme Ocean Palace, she worked so hard to protect you. So I believe you and your master will definitely meet again one day.”

Yun Che slowly lifted his head and smiled. “Xue’er, you’re right. How could I not understand in my heart, after all these years, whether she treated me well or not? Her last words must have been out of fear that I would recklessly endanger myself trying to find her... After all, she’s scolded me many times before for similar things.”

“Mhm!” Feng Xue’er nodded vigorously.

“Brother-in-law!” Xia Yuanba rushed over, lowering his voice. “Please be extremely careful. Now that your master is gone, I’m afraid Xuanyuan Wentian and those others will...”

“I know,” Yun Che replied, utterly calm and without a hint of panic. “But don’t worry, they won’t do anything now. With so many people present, they still want to save face. If they decide to make a move against me, it will be after everyone has left.”

“Yuanba, you don’t need to worry about me.” Yun Che suppressed his emotions, a relaxed smile on his face. “Don’t forget, I have the Primordial Profound Ark. If I want to leave, even ten Xuanyuan Wentians combined couldn’t stop me. In a little while, I’ll leave with Xue’er... We’ll just have to return to the Illusory Demon Realm for now.”

Hearing Yun Che’s words, Xia Yuanba also felt relieved.

On the other side, seeing Yun Che and Feng Xue’er standing together, Feng Hengkong’s mood had shifted more dramatically than heaven and earth compared to before the banquet. He let out a heavy sigh. “To think something like this would happen, and precisely today... This is terrible.”

All the disciples and elders of the Phoenix Divine Sect, including Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui, were completely dumbfounded at this moment.

Yun Che’s master had suddenly left, never to return. Yun Che had lost this enormous backing... And the Phoenix Divine Sect had held this grand engagement banquet today precisely to proclaim to the world that they had allied themselves with a power no one dared to offend.

But the grand banquet was far from complete, and everything had suddenly turned into an illusion...

After entering Phoenix City, Xuanyuan Wendao had been devoid of arrogance. He, who previously barely acknowledged the Phoenix Sect Master, had shown extreme deference before Feng Hengkong. To appease Yun Che’s wrath and secure his own survival, he had even stooped low, willingly casting his dignity at Yun Che’s feet. But witnessing the conclusion of everything, and looking at Yun Che’s retreating figure, his gaze and aura completely transformed. The resentment and humiliation he had fiercely suppressed within his heart now burst forth like a freed beast, making his entire body tremble uncontrollably.

“Father...”

Xuanyuan Wentian, however, raised a hand and gave him a warning glance. He then walked to Feng Hengkong’s side and said faintly, “Who would have thought a joyous occasion would turn into such a farce. The Phoenix Sect Master has just gained a fine son-in-law, yet his master has flown away... what a pity, indeed.”

Feng Hengkong’s chest tightened. He recalled Xuanyuan Wentian’s arrival just a few hours earlier, when he had respectfully bowed and personally presented lavish gifts, even humbly requesting to allow Xuanyuan Wendao a private audience with Yun Che. But now, Xuanyuan Wentian spoke with the clear tone of a superior addressing an inferior, his words laced with mockery that even a fool could discern.

“Haha,” Feng Hengkong forced a helpless smile. “Alas, human affairs are unpredictable. It seems we’ve dampened the spirits of our esteemed guests.”

“Not at all. After all, this wasn’t the Phoenix Sect Master’s intention, was it?” Xuanyuan Wentian said with a smile, then turned his head away. “Phoenix City, once so splendid, has been reduced to ruins. It seems the Phoenix Sect Master will need quite some time to clean up this mess. Given that, it would be rather inconvenient for us to remain here.”

“Wendao, let’s go.”

Before his words fully faded, Xuanyuan Wentian had already soared into the sky, flying off into the distance without a backward glance. Xuanyuan Wendao’s face twitched several times. He glared viciously at Yun Che before immediately following his father.

Xuanyuan Wentian’s indifferent departure, utterly disregarding the Phoenix Divine Sect’s dignity, went uncommented upon by the powers of the Six Nations. However, a sinister glint simultaneously flickered in the eyes of the other three Sacred Masters.