Tearing through the warped space of the Endless Fog Sea at incomprehensible speed, Yun Che flew like a bolt of divine judgment, carrying Hua Caili and Pan Buwang in his wake.
His power—no longer just overwhelming, but now comparable to that of a Supreme Ancient True God—shredded the surrounding void as effortlessly as paper. As they traveled, the chains binding Pan Buwang shattered with a single wave of Yun Che's hand, falling away like dust.
Neither Hua Caili nor Pan Buwang spoke a word.
They didn't ask where he was taking them.
They didn't question his silence.
They simply entrusted everything to him—his will, his power—letting it carry them through the sea of chaos that was the Abyss.
Suddenly—Yun Che stopped.
Without warning, he threw something forward with every ounce of his strength, his arm cutting through the air like a divine blade.
"BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!"
Whatever he had hurled ripped through the fabric of space, bypassing the resistance of the Abyssal Dust entirely as it shot forward with terrifying speed, cutting deeper and deeper into the uncharted depths of the Endless Fog Sea.
"???"
Hua Caili and Pan Buwang looked on in confusion, eyes flicking toward the fading streak of divine energy that disappeared into the distance. Just as their questions began to form, Yun Che finally spoke, his voice low and steady.
"That's our way out… in case others choose to come after us."
He paused for a heartbeat, then added:
"It's the Eye of the World Piercer."
"Ugh..."
Just as Yun Che finished speaking, a groan of pain escaped his lips. His body trembled—and in the next instant, he coughed out a mouthful of blood, staining the gray void with crimson mist.
"Brother Yun Che!"
"Master!"
Hua Caili and Pan Buwang rushed to his side, catching him before he collapsed. One supported him from the left, the other from the right, their divine energy instinctively flowing into him.
Yun Che's power had plummeted as fast as it came. From Divine Limited… now back to Divine Extinction Realm—Level One as the power of the Othershore faded.
True to Li Suo's word, Yun Che's soul had not been burned away by the use of Othershore Asura. But even if his soul remained intact, the cost had been immense.
The technique had placed an unimaginable burden on him—one that tore at the edges of his spirit with every breath he took.
And now, even Li Suo herself needed time to recover.
Her presence within him, once vibrant and watchful, had grown faint. To heal, she would have to enter a deep slumber—leaving Yun Che to endure the aftermath alone.
In the quiet of his soul, Yun Che whispered a simple thought:
"Thank you."
He looked inward—into the deepest part of himself—where her light dwelled.
There, he saw her.
Li Suo, wrapped in radiance, her form cloaked in the purest light in existence, began to drift toward a cocoon of divine brilliance.
A cradle of peace and silence.
He watched as her light entered the cocoon—slowly, gently—until it sealed around her like a divine womb.
And then… She was still. Sleeping.
Before Yun Che's mind fully returned to the present—just as the last flicker of her presence was fading—he heard her voice one final time.
Soft.
Faint.
But firm.
"Don't do anything stupid… Don't die, Yun Che."
And with those words, she drifted completely into slumber.
Her light vanished into the cocoon.
And silence returned to his soul.
But her final words lingered, echoing within him like a vow etched into the marrow of his being.
With his soul frayed and his mind exhausted, his current strength wasn't even comparable to a peak Divine Limited cultivator.
He was drained. Looking at the two, Yun Che then said out.
"I'm fine," Yun Che muttered, his voice strained but steady. "But we need to keep going. It's not far… just ahead, in that direction."
He gestured weakly.
The two nodded without hesitation, channeling their power to sustain him as they began moving once more.
Yun Che could have hidden his weakness—could have pretended.
But he chose not to.
By allowing them to see him in this vulnerable state, to remain at his side when he could no longer protect himself, Yun Che had made a silent declaration.
That if they wished to—they could kill him here and now.
He had given up the façade, the mask, the distance.
All to show one thing:
He trusted them.
Fully. Completely. Without condition.
Hua Caili's chest tightened as warmth filled her heart, and Pan Buwang let out a faint smile. They didn't speak, but the message had been received.
They still didn't know why Yun Che had brought them here with such urgency—why he had risked everything to reach this place.
But they knew this much:
Whatever lay ahead… it mattered to him.
And now, he had entrusted them to carry him there.
Perhaps… their bond as master and disciple had always been more real than they realized.
And so, through the gray and silent world, two gods carried Yun Che forward—toward the outer area of the Endless Fog Sea.
----------
"CLANG… SHING!!!! BOOOOMMMM!!!!"
Golden light exploded as two divine figures clashed again and again, their strikes sending shockwaves rippling through the void. After the final blow, they separated once more, golden auras flaring in opposite directions.
Standing across from his opponent, Dian Xiang let out a silent sigh as his gaze fell on the woman before him.
Qianye Ying'er.
Just a short time ago, she had only been in the realm of Peak Divine Master Realm. But now—after being taken in by his brother that fateful day—barely a month had passed, and she had already broken through to the Divine Extinction Realm.
Her rise was nothing short of terrifying.
He remembered that day clearly. His brother had invited him to come along… but Dian Xiang refused.
There were wounds that hadn't healed. Wounds that went beyond words—matters of the heart he simply could not forgive.
So, instead of following, he had returned home to his mother. And soon after, the three of them—his mother, his master, and himself—made the quiet decision to leave that place behind.
He just wanted to live, peacefully and simply, far away from everything that reminded him of the past.
In the weeks that followed, he traveled far and wide, occasionally searching for spiritual herbs and rare beasts to sustain their quiet life. That journey eventually brought him here—to the outer rim of the Endless Fog Sea.
He had come only to hunt, to gather, to stay unseen.
But fate had other plans.
And now, against all odds, he stood face to face with the very woman he once assumed was long gone—living in luxury, perhaps, within the Boundless Divine Kingdom.
Instead… she was here.
And she was stronger than ever.
Of course, Dian Xiang—like everyone else here—had no idea what had truly transpired between Dian Jiuzhi and Qianye Ying'er. Whatever had happened, it was clearly a grave insult to Dian Jiuzhi's pride… and so, naturally, he had kept the matter hidden from all.
What surprised Dian Xiang, however, was not her presence—but her strength.
Her combat prowess was nearly on par with his own.
Even though his profound veins had long since been crippled, and his cultivation had fallen from its former height, Dian Xiang was still a former prince of a Divine Kingdom—not some wandering Level One Divine Extinction cultivator off the street. The fact that she could stand her ground against him...
It spoke volumes.
Her talent… was terrifying.
Right now, Dian Xiang felt a headache coming on.
He and Qianye Ying'er had never been close.
They were merely two people who had once shared the same roof—nothing more. There was no reason for them to keep interacting if they didn't want to.
Unfortunately, his master seemed to think otherwise.
He believed Qianye Ying'er could reignite his long-dead fighting spirit—and insisted on pairing them together.
And then, as if that wasn't enough, he had even forced her to fight him, going so far as to prevent Qianye Ying'er from leaving until they clashed.
"Life is such," Dian Xiang sighed inwardly, wincing as another strike from Qianye Ying'er's Divine Oracle came crashing down on him.
He parried the blow—but the weight behind it was far heavier than he anticipated.
His disheartened mindset and refusal to fight seriously began to show. His movements lacked sharpness. His defense grew sloppier.
And as time passed, the golden blade of Qianye Ying'er found its mark again and again, landing precise, stinging hits that carved small wounds across his body.
Each time her blade struck him, it wasn't just pain he felt.
It was something more.
With every wound, his eyes sharpened.
With every injury, the fog in his mind cleared a little more.
He didn't want this fight.
He didn't ask for it.
But little by little… he was being dragged back into it.
"More, more, more!"
On the side, Master Chen's eyes gleamed with delight as he watched Dian Xiang's fighting spirit being rekindled—little by little, wound by wound. His excitement grew with every clash, every flash of golden light, every drop of blood.
Then—
"AHHHHHH—THAT'S IT!!"
With a roar that shook the sky, Dian Xiang exploded.
His long-suppressed battle spirit finally ignited, bursting forth like a dormant volcano finally awakened. His aura surged, doubling—no, tripling in intensity compared to everything he had shown before.
The air around him cracked under the pressure.
And with a single, devastating strike—his full strength bore down upon Qianye Ying'er.
She was sent flying, her body crashing through the void, blood trailing in her wake.
"Shit!" Dian Xiang's eyes widened. Realizing what he had just done, he immediately prepared to rush after her.
But just before he could move—
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
"That's enough! Haha! That's enough!"
Master Chen's laughter echoed like thunder, his joy uncontained. With one raised hand, he forcefully stopped Dian Xiang mid-air using an invisible force.
With the other, he gently extended his power toward Qianye Ying'er, catching her before she could fall further, and brought her back with ease.
She didn't resist.
Her golden eyes only flickered with bitterness as she was pulled through the air like a defeated bird.
To think…
Even after everything—even after she had broken through to a new realm using the resources she stole from the Divine Kingdom—she was still powerless before this old man.
Still… at least he hadn't killed her.
They didn't seem to harbor any truly vicious plans for her.
Their only request?
That she spar with Dian Xiang for the next few years.
To help him recover his confidence, his battle spirit, or whatever shattered remnants they hoped to restore.
In exchange for her cooperation, they promised to keep her informed about the world's events and, once it was all over, to let her go.
They even offered her a place to stay during that time—simple, quiet, and untouched by malice. It wasn't a terrible offer. Dian Xiang showed no signs of lust, nor did the old man. Their intentions, at least on the surface, seemed genuine.
But to Qianye Ying'er, it wasn't a good thing.
Because for her—
Time was running out.
She needed to find Yun Che.
And now, this unexpected detour had become a chain around her ankle, delaying what little hope she still clung to.
But just as she was being pulled toward Master Chen—
A soft voice suddenly rang out.
Young. Feminine.
And yet, so powerful that the very laws of the world around them trembled.
In an instant, Master Chen's power crumbled.
Qianye Ying'er's body went still—not by choice.
Her heart stopped.
Her breath caught.
Her world froze.
Even Dian Xiang and his mother were paralyzed on the spot, their bodies locked in place by a divine force beyond comprehension.
It was godly. Crushing. Absolute.
Then came a voice, soft as silk, yet heavy enough to shatter stars.
"She… definitely is… as beautiful as me..."
Another voice followed immediately, gentle and youthful, yet filled with awe:
"Mn… she really is. I agree."
It was Pan Buwang.
His eyes were wide with admiration, but only for a moment. As his gaze passed over Qianye Ying'er's beauty, another image—a deeper, warmer image—took hold in his heart.
A different figure.
The one who now occupied all of it.
So while he spoke out of surprise, that was all it was—surprise. Nothing more.
But to Qianye Ying'er…
Each voice that touched her ears felt like a divine decree.
Her soul quaked violently, as if she stood before the very heavens. Though no hostility was directed at her, the divine might imbued in their words alone was enough to nearly shatter her weakened Divine Extinction Soul.
Her body trembled.
Her spirit flickered.
And in that moment, she understood—
Whoever these people were...
They stood far beyond anything she had imagined.
"Who is she, Big Brother Yun?"
The woman's voice was soft and curious, yet to Qianye Ying'er, it struck like thunder.
The moment she heard the name—"Yun"—her heart, which had just been swallowed by dread, suddenly lurched.
It beat wildly.
Longingly.
That voice… that name… it couldn't be—
No… right?
It couldn't be him...
Right?!
But fate, as always, had its own sense of cruelty.
Because the moment that followed shattered every last ounce of doubt.
A voice—low, exhausted, and unmistakably his—answered from the void below:
"She's Qianye Ying'er… my wife. Your elder sister, if you must call her."
The world fell silent.
Qianye Ying'er's body froze as her vision blurred. Her knees weakened. Her soul—already trembling—now seemed to completely unravel.
It was him.
Yun Che.
Supported by Hua Caili and Pan Buwang, he slowly descended from the sky, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sigh as he spoke. His feet touched the ground beside Qianye Ying'er, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime—
He stood before her again.
Her gaze locked onto him.
Breath caught.
In the sky, Hua Caili stood stunned, her expression dazed, her lips trembling.
Her thoughts spiraled, trying—failing—to make sense of what she had just heard.
"It's okay… Big Brother Yun Che is the Emperor of the Eternal Pure Land… of course, as an emperor… he must have many wives… many wives… it's okay… he's still a good man… not a bad man…"
She didn't even realize what she was thinking anymore.
Her heart whispered one thing. Her mind tried to scream another. But none of it made sense.
Below her, Pan Buwang coughed awkwardly and turned his head away.
"As… as expected of Master…" he muttered with a dry voice, trying to act composed.
But in his heart—
"What the fuck… You already have someone as beautiful as her… now you've got the literal Goddess of the Abyss too? Wait—wasn't that Shen Wuyi?! She's even prettier than both of them combined… This… This fucker…"
The thought came uninvited, yet it lodged itself firmly in his mind.
And then—the godly pressure vanished.
The air cleared. But no one moved. No one spoke.
Because all of them were still reeling—emotionally, mentally, spiritually—trying to grasp what had just happened.
"Yun… Che…"
Her voice trembled as she spoke his name, her lips quivering, her golden eyes locked onto the face she had longed for—day and night.
The face.
The man.
The heart of everything she had been chasing across the Abyss.
The one who had filled her soul with fear, longing, and love—without rest, without pause.
The man who held all of her heart.
She could feel his warmth now—real and undeniable—as Yun Che gently stepped forward and reached out to her. His hand, steady and familiar, softly wiped the blood from her face. A warm light profound energy flowed from his fingertips, soothing her wounds with a gentle touch.
"Are you alright?" Yun Che asked, concern in every syllable.
"I'm… fine. Are you…?" Qianye Ying'er answered, her voice tight, as if she were speaking inside a dream—a dream too beautiful to be real.
Yun Che smiled gently.
"Nothing's missing, is there? I'm all good."
His smile was soft, his tone calm—but his eyes, as they looked at her, held nothing but genuine care.
Then, his gaze slowly turned toward the trio watching in the distance—Dian Xiang, his mother, and Master Chen—all three frozen, their bodies trembling slightly.
They hadn't done anything yet.
But they didn't need to.
Because they already knew.
Even after retreating from the Divine Kingdom, even after living in self-imposed isolation, news of Yun Che the Fog Monarch had still reached them—swiftly and mercilessly.
And now… that Fog Monarch stood before them.
Though Yun Che's aura was faintly unstable, his soul slightly weakened from exhaustion, it didn't matter.
Because even now—even injured—his presence dwarfed the trio here. His power was many times stronger than even Master Chen's.
And beside him…
Hua Caili, now a Perfect True God.
Pan Buwang, another Perfect True God.
Both of them stood silently at Yun Che's side.
And for the trio before them, still shaken to their core…
This realization filled all three of them with a creeping sense of dread.
Yes—Dian Xiang had once harbored hatred for the man who had essentially led to his father's death.
But in truth…
The one who had truly delivered the killing blow was his brother.
Yun Che's role… was merely the necessary for his survival. Still, that didn't change what stood before them now.
Power. Sovereignty. Judgment.
Though Yun Che's eyes were soft—almost tender—as they looked at Qianye Ying'er, the moment his gaze shifted to the trio…
All warmth vanished.
His expression turned cold.
Unforgiving.
Without a word, Yun Che slowly raised his hand.
From his palm, a darkness deeper than the Abyss itself began to stir—quiet at first, then thick and heavy like a stormcloud on the verge of release.
Tendrils of pitch-black energy swirled upward, wrapping around his fingers like serpents. The air turned dense, suffocating, as if reality itself feared what was about to come.