Chapter 997: The Only Hope

In your memory, there are some legends from the era of the ancient gods. Among them is the secret about how the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E, using the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, banished a Demon Emperor and his nine hundred demon gods to beyond the primordial chaos.

Yun Che nodded. This was what the Golden Crow Spirit had told him: Mo E used a fragment of the World-Defying Heaven Manual as bait, inviting the Demon Emperor under the pretense of jointly studying the manual. Then, he used the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword to blast open the wall of primordial chaos and banished that Demon Emperor and all the demon gods he brought with him to beyond the chaos.

Beyond the primordial chaos lay eternal nothingness. Falling into it meant never returning; perhaps the only outcome was to dissipate into nothingness.

“Then do you know why the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E forcibly annihilated that Demon Emperor?”

The girl's voice was soft and delicate, like a whisper under the moonlight.

Yun Che pondered for a moment and replied, “The Golden Crow Spirit told me that the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E was extremely righteous and hated evil. He believed that demons, who used negative profound energy, were sinful beings, and that the fragment of the World-Defying Heaven Manual was left behind by the Ancestral God at the dawn of chaos and absolutely could not fall into the hands of the demon race. So, he used this method to forcibly seize it.”

“Alas,” the girl sighed softly, a hint of ancient resignation in her voice. “Back then, this was indeed the widespread rumor among both gods and demons, the ‘truth’ known to all gods and devils of that era. But… the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E was a god of extreme rectitude and hatred for evil, and naturally, he disdained treacherous acts. It was precisely because of this that the Demon Emperor attended the meeting openly, without much caution. Yet, Mo E used the World-Defying Heaven Manual as bait and ambushed the Demon Emperor.”

Yun Che's mouth fell open, his heart slightly shaken.

“The Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E could not fully control the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword. Each time he used its power, it significantly reduced his lifespan. Although he could defeat that Demon Emperor, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to defeat the Demon Emperor plus nine hundred demon gods without relying on the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword's power. Yet, he still used the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword, risking a massive reduction in his lifespan.”

Yun Che: “…”

“The Demon Emperor ambushed by Mo E was called the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor, one of the Four Demon Emperors. She was an existence equivalent to a Creation God in the God Race. Although the God and Demon Realms had always been incompatible, they had never truly become completely hostile. Ambushing and annihilating a Demon Emperor would undoubtedly provoke the wrath of the entire Demon Realm, and the consequences could very likely lead to complete animosity between the two realms and trigger a devastating war… That would be an unimaginable catastrophe. The Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E could not have failed to foresee this.”

Yun Che: “…”

“To resort to a treacherous ambush, to sacrifice a vast amount of lifespan, to disregard the consequences of a complete rupture and mutual hatred between gods and demons, all just to annihilate the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor… How could the reason for this merely be a fragment of the World-Defying Heaven Manual that already belonged to the demon race?”

“Then… what exactly was the reason?” Yun Che’s brows furrowed deeply, his heart quickening… The girl was clearly revealing a secret unknown even to the Golden Crow Spirit, let alone the ancient gods.

Although he didn't know why the girl was telling him this, he faintly sensed that what he was about to hear would be an earth-shattering ancient secret.

The girl’s voice echoed in his mind, each word deeply imprinted into the deepest reaches of his soul: “That banished Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor was the only female among the Four Demon Emperors of the demon race. She had another identity…”

“The Heretic God’s wife.”

Five words, each one a thunderbolt.

“Wha… What!?!?” Yun Che froze for a full ten breaths before letting out an uncontrolled roar.

The Heretic God… a god, who was then still a Creation God.

The Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor… the Emperor of Demons, the most powerful demon of the demon race!

The God Race and the Demon Race, inhabiting opposing worlds, two incompatible races…

Yet these two, the pinnacle of the God Race and the Demon Race, were actually… husband and wife!?

How could this be!?

What… what is going on?

“Not only that, they even had a descendant… a forbidden descendant, born from the union of a god and a demon!”

“…” Yun Che’s jaw dropped further. After a long moment of stunned silence, he murmured, “This is… the true reason why the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E would stop at nothing, regardless of the consequences, to kill the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor… that Demon Emperor was actually the Heretic God’s… Hiss, no wonder the Heretic God fought a fierce battle with Mo E afterward.”

How could the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E, righteous and hateful of evil, utterly intolerant of the demon race, allow a god—a Creation God, no less—to fall in love with a Demon Emperor and even have a descendant? In his eyes, this must have been the greatest disgrace to the God Race, a shame that could only be truly cleansed by the eternal disappearance of the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor.

“This forbidden secret was known only to the Creation Gods within the God Race. During those years, I had the fortune to serve under the Life Creation God Lisha, and I learned of this matter on an extremely rare occasion. The Life Creation God Lisha made me swear a solemn oath never to reveal a single word of it… and so, I became the only divine being besides the Creation Gods to know this forbidden secret.”

“Ultimately, it also became the reason why I, even while humbly surviving in this form, remained unwilling to dissipate.”

Indeed, from the perspective of gods and demons in the ancient era, this was truly a forbidden secret, one that absolutely could not be known by other gods. Therefore, the so-called ‘truth’ that circulated at the time was that the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E ambushed the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor for the World-Defying Heaven Manual fragment, and the Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E would certainly not have clarified it.

Oh, right, it was also after that incident that the Heretic God discarded the title of Creation God and proclaimed himself the Heretic God… So, behind this, there was actually such a forbidden reason.

The girl’s voice continued to resonate in his mind: “You already know about the fierce battle between the Heretic God and Mo E that followed. However, the Heretic God understood Mo E’s character: he was simply too upright, too hateful of evil, too incompatible with demons. His forceful killing of the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor was also for the dignity and prestige of the God Race, and to prevent turmoil among the gods if the truth were exposed. If Mo E were a wicked and despicable person, he would never have gained the acknowledgment of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Sword.”

“Therefore, he knew he could never fully retaliate against Mo E… That fierce battle was not entirely an act of the Heretic God’s vengeance. I vaguely heard from the Life Creation God Lisha that that decisive battle would determine the fate of the descendant born to the Heretic God and the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor.”

“The fate of the descendant? Then who won? And what happened to that descendant?” Yun Che pressed, somewhat eagerly.

A descendant of a Creation God and a Demon Emperor… a truly forbidden existence.

“I don’t know,” the girl gently replied. “At that time, the most prevalent rumor in the God Realm was that the Heretic God won. However, besides Mo E and the Heretic God, no one truly knew the final outcome. All that is known is that afterward, the Heretic God renounced his title as the Elemental Creation God, proclaimed himself the Heretic God, and subsequently became extremely reclusive and withdrawn, rarely appearing and no longer interfering in any matters of the God Race. As for his and the Heaven Smiting Demon Emperor’s forbidden descendant… they never appeared, nor were there any rumors related to them. Even those who knew of their existence were likely only the Creation Gods and I.”

“…” Yun Che slowly processed this information in his mind, secrets that were colossal even in ancient times. Then he questioned, “Since these are forbidden, and you swore a solemn oath to the Life Creation God never to tell anyone… why are you voluntarily telling me all this?”

“Because, you must know.”

“I… must know?” Yun Che pointed at himself, his face full of bewilderment.

“The Heaven Punishing God Emperor Mo E never knew, even until his death, what earth-shattering consequences his decision, made for the dignity of the God Race, would bring. And these consequences have not truly ended even today… A million years ago, it led to the annihilation of both the God and Demon Races. After that… even the human race might be destroyed because of it.”

“And if that day truly comes, you, bearing the Heretic God’s power… will be the only hope.”

The soft, delicate voice of the girl left Yun Che stunned, as if he had heard a celestial illusion.

“What exactly do you mean? What is ‘that day’ you speak of?” Yun Che's tone became urgent and much heavier.

She could recognize his Heretic God's power; even if she wasn't the Ice Phoenix's true form, she must be a genuine divine being… So, her words, at the very least, wouldn't be false.

“I cannot tell you now, because you are too weak to bear that terrifying truth. What you need most right now is to grow; bearing it too early would severely hinder your development. You only need to know two things: first, grow as quickly as possible and make your Heretic God’s power strong enough; second, cherish your life and make sure you live well. If you die, the last hope will be completely extinguished.”

Me? The last hope…

Why do I feel… strangely chosen by heaven to be a savior? Is this real or fake?

Aside from surprise and bewilderment, Yun Che didn’t feel excited; instead, he felt a bit perplexed.

Yun Che thought for a moment and finally decided not to press further. He nodded and said, “I understand. Although I have no idea what will happen in the future, at least I’ve always cherished my life.”

“…” The girl was silent for a while, then said faintly, “You are the least life-cherishing person I have ever seen.”

Yun Che: “…”

“Your life is too short, your experience too shallow, and your power and soul are far too weak. But if one day you feel that your power is strong enough, and your will and resolve can bear sufficient turmoil and immense responsibility, then come find me. I will tell you all the truth…”

“And I will bestow all my power upon you.”

“You… give all your power to me? Then what about you…” Yun Che stared at the girl in the ice, his face filled with shock. This wasn't just about bestowing power; the accompanying consequence would undoubtedly be her complete and utter dissipation.

The girl murmured softly, as if reciting: “I cannot be as great as the Heretic God, but this is the last thing I can do, and it is… the best ending I can imagine.”

Although he had no idea what the truth was, an inexpressible reverence for the girl in the ice had already arisen in his heart. He nodded with utmost solemnity: “Alright! If that day truly comes… I will definitely come back for you.”

“I will quietly await that day here. I also believe that fate will not be so cruel as to destroy the human race after annihilating both gods and demons… Knowing of your existence, heir of the Heretic God, has given me unprecedented peace of mind. Go now, someone is waiting for you above.”

Yun Che nodded, though he didn't know that outside the Celestial Pond, everyone else had already left, and only the Snow Song Realm King was waiting.

“Can… can you answer one question for me?” Before leaving, Yun Che asked hesitantly.

“Are you asking how to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm, as you understand it, before the Profound God Convention?” The girl’s single sentence revealed his thoughts.

Yun Che nodded.

“I cannot help you, as this is no longer my world, my era. However, having the current Snow Song Realm King as your master is indeed your best choice. She possesses immense strength and great wisdom; she is more suitable to be a profound dao master than your previous one. It's just that…”

“It’s just that what?” Yun Che's eyes widened.

“She often cultivates in the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, and my divine sense can perceive everything about her. Her temperament is quite peculiar, possessing two different extremes… My words can hardly explain it; you will understand once you spend time with her in the future.”

Temperament… two extremes?

What the hell??

Extreme means tending very strongly in one direction; two extremes are inherently a paradox… especially concerning temperament.

Yun Che slowly nodded. “I understand. Although I don’t know what the future holds, and I’ve never thought I could be great enough to bear some… uh, strange mission, I still hope I won’t disappoint you when the time comes.”

With that, Yun Che no longer lingered. Releasing his profound energy, he ascended against the current.