"Calm yourself, Liu Xiao."
Beside him, the Chief Priest moved swiftly, placing a firm hand on Liu Xiao's shoulder. Divine light surged gently from his palm—not to suppress, but to steady the raging storm of divine power that had erupted moments ago.
Liu Xiao's body trembled, his jaw clenched tight, his burning gaze still fixed upon the Monarch above. But the Chief Priest turned his own eyes upward, his expression grave.
"My Lord…?" he asked, his voice carrying disbelief, confusion, and a flicker of hesitation.
The Abyssal Monarch did not look away.
His gaze remained fixed—unyielding—as he repeated,
"Yun Che is the Fog Monarch."
His words fell like a divine edict.
And once more, the world froze.
Stunned silence descended over the Sacred Platform. Not even a breath was heard. Countless cultivators, Divine Sons, Gods, and elders stood motionless, their minds struggling to comprehend what had just been spoken aloud a second time.
Yun Che… was the Fog Monarch?
At the heart of the Sacred Platform, all eyes turned to him.
Yun Che's eyes trembled.
His composure wavered for the first time.
This wasn't a test. It wasn't a misunderstanding.
The Monarch had come today with the full intent to expose him.
Hearing the words "Yun Che is the Fog Monarch", the world around Hua Caili collapsed all over again.
Her heart, which had just begun to steady after the previous storm, now trembled uncontrollably, as if pierced by an invisible blade.
"Your Majesty… what… what are you talking about?!"
Her voice rang out across the platform, cracked with disbelief and desperation.
"How could Big Brother Yun Che be the Fog Monarch?!!"
It wasn't just a question—it was a scream of refusal. A cry from the deepest part of her soul that refused to accept the weight of those words.
Beside her, Meng Kongchan stepped forward, his face pale with shock, his voice rising with urgency.
"Your Majesty, that's impossible! Yuan'er can't be the Fog Monarch!"
One disaster had just been weathered, the dark cloud of doubt seemingly lifted… only for an even darker one to fall upon them without warning.
Why?
Why was the Abyssal Monarch so determined to tear down everything here today? Why was he so intent on turning this sacred day into chaos and despair?
"Your Majesty! How can Yun Che be the Fog Monarch?!"
A third voice rose sharply—this time from Hua Qingying.
She had remained silent throughout, her thoughts guarded, her emotions restrained. But now, even she could no longer hold back.
Her eyes blazed with disbelief and indignation as she stared up at the Monarch.
Hua Caili and Yun Che's relationship had been anything but smooth. From misunderstandings to heartbreak, they had nearly gone their separate ways.
But it was precisely because of the Fog Monarch—that dreadful shadow looming over the Abyss—that they had found their way back to one another.
They had faced peril together, shed tears for each other, and forged a bond deeper than either had ever imagined.
Yun Che himself had nearly died at the hands of the Qilin God, while under the direct command of the Fog Monarch. Back during the Pure Land Meeting, he was even kidnapped by the Fog Monarch, only to be rescued later after a large-scale divine operation.
How could the Monarch now say he was the Fog Monarch himself?!
It defied all logic.
"Your Majesty!"
Hua Qingying's voice rang out with rare sharpness and urgency.
"The Fog Monarch is the vilest, most dreadful existence within the Abyss! He controls the Abyssal Beasts, the Abyssal Ghosts, and rules over the Endless Fog Sea—an ancient terror cloaked in darkness."
Her words hung heavy in the air.
"He resides in the Endless Fog Sea. That much is known to all of us!"
She pointed to Yun Che standing beside Hua Caili.
"But Yun Che has always been here—within the Dreamweaver Divine Kingdom! Under our watch, beside his family, among his peers. How could he possibly be the Fog Monarch?"
Her question wasn't just for the Monarch. It was for everyone who had heard the accusation.
And once more, the heavy weight of disbelief began to swell throughout the Sacred Platform.
It made no sense.
From the lowest servants to the highest beings gathered on the Sacred Platform, not a single soul could deny the reason in Hua Qingying's words.
Even those who had only heard tales of the Fog Monarch's terror felt a chill crawl up their spine at the memory, while others—those who had personally faced the nightmare—clenched their fists unconsciously.
And yet, they turned their eyes toward Yun Che—no, Meng Jianyuan—whose cultivation was currently only at the First Level of the Divine Extinction Realm.
How could that man possibly be the Fog Monarch?
A being of dread that controlled Abyssal Beasts and Ghosts, a sovereign of the Endless Fog Sea itself?
The two images simply could not be reconciled.
Even Liu Xiao, still simmering with divine power, began to frown.
When the Monarch had first spoken—when he claimed Yun Che was the one who killed Ling Xian—he had lost all composure. His rage had burst forth without restraint.
But now, as Hua Qingying's words echoed in his ears, a wave of clarity slowly washed over his heart.
He trusted his Lord. He believed in him with all his being.
But this...
Why would Yun Che—if he truly were the Fog Monarch—go so far as to kidnap himself, place himself in mortal danger, and then require the Gods to launch a rescue mission... from himself?
It made no sense.
It was like forcing two opposite ends of logic to collide—and finding only chaos.
A silent pressure expanded over the Sacred Platform as doubt now spread like wildfire through even the strongest wills.
"Your Majesty, what exactly are you trying to say?!"
Meng Kongchan's voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the heavy silence like a blade. His eyes were sharp, his tone laced with restrained fury and disbelief.
"You first claimed that Yuan'er isn't my son… and now you say he's the Fog Monarch?"
He shook his head, emotions surging within him.
"That's impossible! Yuan'er has always been here, residing openly in the Divine Son Palace. Every time we received news or reports of the Fog Monarch's activity, Yuan'er was present—right here, in plain sight!"
His words were firm, and many nodded in agreement. It was the same question echoing in countless hearts.
How could someone live openly among them and also be the most feared being in the Endless Fog?
But just then, the Monarch's voice calmly broke the murmurs.
"Did you all forget?"
His gaze swept over the crowd, as if he were reprimanding naive children.
"The Fog Monarch possesses a spatial ability that allows him to traverse millions… even hundreds of millions of miles in an instant."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That single reminder sent a fresh wave of silence washing over the platform.
The words were true—terrifyingly so. It was a known fact that the Fog Monarch had evaded pursuit, reappeared without warning, and escaped from divine encirclement again and again.
And now, with that reminder…
A tremor of uncertainty took root in the hearts of even those who had doubted the Monarch just moments ago.
"This…"
Hua Qingying's voice faltered, her composure beginning to crack. She turned her gaze toward Yun Che and Hua Caili, still standing hand in hand, a united front in the eye of an unraveling storm.
The Monarch's short sentence, so simple and so calm, echoed again and again in her mind—yet its weight was enough to fracture the certainty she had clung to.
She tried—desperately—to recall the events of that day, the day they had fought the Qilin God, the day the Fog Monarch first made his terrifying appearance.
But the more she searched, the more her memories blurred.
That day, after the initial appearance of the Fog Monarch—when he unleashed the Qilin God—the Monarch himself never showed again.
And Yun Che…
She blinked, her thoughts scattering.
She couldn't remember when exactly Yun Che had arrived.
Had he always been there? Or had he appeared sometime after the Qilin God was summoned?
That moment… the sequence… As if her mind had skipped a frame.
And now, the more she tried to deny the Monarch's claim, the more uncertain her heart became. The doubts she tried to cast out only returned sharper and colder.
If Yun Che truly was the Fog Monarch… then it would explain everything.
It would make sense—how he was able to cloak his aura so completely that even Hua Qingying, didn't notice his presence at first that day.
How he had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, untraceable and silent.
If he really was the Fog Monarch…
Her soul—usually clear as a divine mirror—began to ripple with chaos.
Within the Owl Butterfly Divine Kingdom's seating area, Pan Buwang had already risen from his seat, his expression grim and unreadable.
His thoughts, like everyone else's, were in chaos—but unlike the others, his turmoil stemmed from something far more personal.
If Yun Che… was truly the Fog Monarch…
Then everything he believed—everything he felt—would be shaken to the core.
He clenched his fists unconsciously; his sharp eyes fixed on the young man standing beneath the weight of countless stares and accusations.
Around him, divine beings whispered, some in shock, others in disbelief. The atmosphere was suffocating, a storm of doubt and fear pressing down on the Sacred Platform.
Everyone's thoughts were unraveling.
The foundation of their reality—what they knew, what they trusted—was crumbling under the Monarch's declaration.
Then—
"That still isn't enough to say he's the Fog Monarch… is it, Your Majesty?"
A steady voice broke the silence.
The Chief Priest stepped forward, calm and composed, his divine robes gently billowing with power, his eyes sharp yet respectful.
He had known the Abyssal Monarch longer than anyone else present. He understood his temperament—his caution, his patience, and above all, his refusal to act without absolute certainty.
If the Monarch had dared to speak such a claim in public, amidst all the Divine Kingdoms and Ancient True Gods, then there had to be more. Something irrefutable.
And so, though his voice questioned, his heart held belief.
He did not waver.
He stood, quietly waiting—for the Monarch to reveal what he must have in hand: the undeniable truth.
Smiling faintly, the Abyssal Monarch raised his hand and silently pointed toward the sky.
In the next moment, a projection formed in the heavens above—a divine image so clear and vivid that it silenced even the whispers across the platform.
What appeared was a scene burned into many minds, but now shown from a different angle—the day of Yun Che's kidnapping in the Pure Land.
Gasps rippled through the crowd as they watched Yun Che being taken, as everyone had believed… until the image shifted.
More scenes followed.
This time, they were not public memories, but hidden truths.
After the event, the Monarch's voice finally accompanied the vision, steady and cold:
"Following that day, I personally entered the Endless Fog Sea to chase after the Fog Monarch. By chance… I came across Yun Che. The one that supposed to have been taken."
The projection showed the Monarch's perspective: Yun Che, the one who had supposedly been kidnapped and nearly perished, was traveling deep within the fog—calm, uninjured, and walking side-by-side with Shen Wuyi.
But what froze everyone's hearts was what came next.
Yun Che lifted his hand—
And the Abyssal Dust obeyed.
It swirled around him like a loyal beast. The corrupted fog that devoured gods and spirits bent to his will.
A moment later, dozens of Abyssal Beasts emerged—and not in attack, but in deference, lowering their heads toward Yun Che in obedience.
Yet Yun Che, in the image, looked completely normal. No signs of possession. No loss of consciousness.
He stood there—fully aware, fully himself—and controlled the abyss.
Silence fell like a blade.
The gods know that when the Fog Monarch had possessed Yun Che's body, it too can use his body to control the Abyssal Dust. But here? This was Yun Che in his own body, commanding the Dust as if it were a natural extension of himself.
It was not possession. In was Yun Che through and through. A chill spread across the Sacred Platform and the entire Divine Kingdom.
More and more scenes unfolded in the sky above—each one sharper, heavier, and more devastating than the last.
Every image seemed to dig deeper into the hearts of those watching, and the silence that blanketed the Sacred Platform was broken only by the sound of cold gulps, audible even amidst the divine.
Terror, disbelief, and confusion churned in the hearts of everyone below.
Even Yun Che, standing at the center of it all, felt his breath catch. His pupils trembled as he stared at the unfolding images, his thoughts scattering like shattered glass. These were memories, moments he had buried or never even realized had been seen—yet here they were, projected for all to witness.
And then… the Abyssal Monarch spoke.
His voice was calm. Controlled. But the undertone—one of bitter betrayal—rang clearly through every syllable.
"With Yun Che being my Big Brother's inheritor, I was deeply concerned for his safety," the Monarch began. "So I used every method available to me—divine senses, folded space, the deepest secrets of the Abyss—to find him. To find the Fog Monarch. And I did."
He looked down toward Yun Che, his expression unreadable.
"From the void between spaces, I watched you. I prepared a rescue, in case the Fog Monarch was nearby. But as I watched... I learned your identity. Your origin."
His voice deepened, laced with something that almost sounded like regret.
"I was truly shocked by it as well."
"At first, I considered letting it go. You are, after all, my brother's inheritor. You didn't seem to harbor ill will toward the Abyss. I thought… perhaps there was still a path forward."
Gasps echoed among the divine seats. The weight of his words stunned even the Ancient True Gods.
The Monarch had been willing to forgive. Willing to overlook.
But then—
His tone shifted.
Colder. Sharper. Final.
"And then… you killed Dian Rahu."
"And then… you killed Ling Xian."
Those words fell like thunder, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.
Yun Che trembled.
His breathing grew ragged, his body stiff, and his soul shook under the crushing truth that had now been laid bare before all.
The Monarch's eyes narrowed, piercing through him like a blade.
"That… you cannot be forgiven for. That… is the line you crossed."
------
The words of the Abyssal Monarch, the overwhelming scenes in the sky, the lingering silence among the crowd…
Everything.
Everything led to a single, inescapable conclusion.
Though many details remained unsaid—unexplained—the weight of what had been shown and spoken was already too much to deny.
The divine, the mortals, the Gods and Ancient True Gods alike—none could refute it any longer.
Yun Che… no… Meng Jianyuan…
He was the Fog Monarch.
A truth that crashed like a divine calamity across the Sacred Platform.
And beside him—her hand still barely holding onto his—Hua Caili stood frozen.
"Big... Brother... Yun...?"
Her voice trembled like falling snow in a silent blizzard.
Her heart and soul were in chaos beyond words.
Everything between them—every moment of closeness, trust, and growing love—had bloomed in the shadow of the Fog Monarch's threat. He had protected her, stood by her, suffered beside her…
But if he was the Fog Monarch…
If he was the very being who summoned those abyssal monsters... who terrified the realms…
Then what did it all mean?
Their bond, their love, their shared dreams... Was any of it ever real?
Tears welled at the edge of her vision, her grip on his hand loosening as her world threatened to collapse.
Staring up at the sky, watching the damning scenes continue to unfold, Yun Che finally let out a slow, heavy sigh—a sigh not of resistance, but of quiet defeat.
It echoed softly beneath the vast silence, yet it weighed heavier than any divine roar.
In that breath, there was resignation.
He understood now—today, the Abyssal Monarch was truly determined to expose everything.
Every secret.
Every truth.
Every mask he had worn.
Yun Che clenched his fists at his sides.
He had made mistakes.
Mistakes born not out of malice, but of arrogance—of thinking he could remain unseen, untouchable within the veiled horrors of the Endless Fog Sea.
He should have expected this.
After all, even though the World Piercer's power was unparalleled—able to bypass all forms of spatial restriction and trace—it was not the only divine artifact of its kind.
There existed another—a Heavenly Treasure once belonging to the Devil Race. One that possessed an equally terrifying ability: to silently cross space and observe the unseen.
And Mo Su had wielded it.
Driven by worry for Yun Che's safety, the Monarch had used that artifact—not out of suspicion, but out of care.
Yet what he discovered was not the boy he swore to protect…
But the shattering truth.
Yun Che could tell… the Monarch hadn't even revealed everything. There were still pieces of the puzzle hidden, truths unsaid.
But even so—what had already been shown was more than enough.
Enough to tear off his last layer of disguise.
Enough to expose him completely as the Fog Monarch.
Yun Che slowly turned his gaze to the side.
To the pale, trembling face of Hua Caili, her eyes wide with pain and disbelief.
To Meng Kongchan, the man who had called him son with such pride and love, now standing motionless in stunned silence.
To the countless divine eyes that bore into him, some with rage, others with pity, and many with confusion.
And finally—
His eyes rose.
To the figure standing above them all.
To the Monarch who had cast judgment.
To the one who knew too much.
And then, with a calmness that sent chills down the spine of every listener, Yun Che finally spoke:
"As expected of you… the Abyssal Monarch. No—
The Prince of the Heaven Punishment God Race.
The son of the Creation God Mo E…
Prince Mo Su."
His voice was quiet. But it rang across the entire Sacred Platform like a divine bell tolling the end of an era.
Silence.
Even the skies above—the projections still flickering in the air—froze for a breath.
With just that sentence, Yun Che hadn't only acknowledged the accusations against himself—
He had admitted, in his own way, that he was indeed the Fog Monarch.
But more than that…
He had pulled the veil off the Abyssal Monarch's true identity—
A name so ancient, so exalted, so terrifying—
That even Gods stood still.
Prince Mo Su.
Son of the Creation God.
Heaven Punishment Royalty.
Gasps swept across the gathered crowd like a divine storm.
Two revelations.
Two unfathomable truths.
Unleashed in a single breath.