Against the Gods

Chapter 1429 - Broken Heart

“...” Yun Che’s head jerked upwards as he said with a stupefied expression on his face, “Master, this matter…”

“There is no need to say another word!” Mu Xuanyin cut off his words in a cold voice, “I am not asking for your opinion in regards to this matter. Whether you personally want to or not, you have no choice but to agree in the end!”

Yun Che, “...”

“As a man, you must never make promises so rashly. Marriage concerns one’s life, and even more than that, it concerns the reputation of the girl in question as well, and that is something that can’t ever be taken lightly! Since you have already made a promise and this matter is known to all, then you must not break your word. What’s more…”

“When it comes to family backgrounds, she is the little princess of the Glazed Light Realm and as long as she is willing, she will definitely become the Glazed Light Realm King in the future. When it comes to aptitude and innate talent, she possesses the only Stainless Divine Soul in the entire universe and she is already a seventh level Divine Master despite being only three thousand years old. As such, everyone says that she will definitely reach the level of the god emperors based on her own power alone in the future. When it comes to looks, I’m afraid that she is second only to the Qianye in the Eastern Divine Region.”

“You just returned to the God Realm, so it’s natural that you do not understand what the two words ‘Goddess Meiyin’ mean in the Eastern Divine Region. Her fame and reputation has long since far surpassed her father’s reputation, has long since far surpassed the fame of all of the other upper realm kings by leaps and bounds… Before her, the only other person in the Eastern Divine Region who truly held the moniker of ‘Goddess’ had been Qianye Ying’er alone.”

“...” Yun Che’s mouth parted slightly. To think that girl who had been so outrageously infatuated with him back then, the woman who still giggled and smiled like a young girl, had actually become such a dazzling figure now that they had met again.

“No matter how you look at it, she is worth more than a hundred of you. What’s even more admirable is that she has deep feelings for you and there definitely isn’t any falsity in those emotions. Furthermore, her own father doesn’t have any intention of objecting to this. So for the current you…” A complex look flashed through Mu Xuanyin’s eyes as she proceeded, “At the very least, there are absolutely no downsides.”

This was just the second day since Yun Che had returned to the God Realm and before he could even get started on what he wanted to do, an engagement he had agreed to thanks to his “quick wit” back then had now come crashing down on his head, completely catching him off guard. Furthermore, the most important thing was that the person who was suddenly forcing this engagement was not the other party, it was Mu Xuanyin herself.

“But, this matter…”

“There are no buts!” Mu Xuanyin was clearly not giving him any opportunity to refuse and her voice was strangely cold and mighty as she spoke, “Listen here, the fact that you are still alive has already been exposed to the world and very soon, everyone will come to know of it. So think about how you had been afflicted by the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark all those years ago and think about the circumstances that forced you to enter the Dragon God Realm.”

Yun Che, “...” (To think that she actually knows about the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark. Did Qingyue tell her?)

“Among your peers, you are indeed unrivaled. However, never forget just how scary the people who have targeted you are. Just like with Luo Guxie today, if no other person had been by your side, you would have long ago died a dog’s death if you had to rely on your power alone! Furthermore, the current strength of her disciple is far beyond your own. In fact, Luo Changsheng’s strength is so far above yours that you barely have the qualifications to admire him… Let alone that Brahma Monarch Goddess whose power, ability to scheme, and methods are all extremely terrifying!”

“After the past few years, you should understand better than anyone else the meaning behind the words ‘an innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth’.” Mu Xuanyin’s words were heavy; each and every one of them were filled with an extremely deep admonishment, “Since you lack the ability to protect yourself, then you must do your utmost to find a good and reliable patron!”

“Currently, the Moon God Emperor is your backer, but that is only in her own personal capacity and her support does not represent the support of the Moon God Realm! Since you also helped the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, he will definitely protect you, but he will also only protect you. This ‘debt of gratitude’ isn’t so deep that he will be willing to protect you to the point of harming the Eternal Heaven God Realm. However, if you marry the little princess of the Glazed Light Realm, then, the entire Glazed Light Realm—this upper star realm that is currently ranked first among all upper star realms—will be your patron… Do you understand now?”

“...” Yun Che was rooted in place. He did not quite know how to answer Mu Xuanyin.

“This is indeed meant to make use of the Glazed Light Realm’s little princess. However, even though she clearly knows we have such an intention, she is still willing to go along with it wholeheartedly.” As she recalled Shui Meiyin’s eyes, eyes which resembled a pair of black onyxes, Mu Xuanyin’s emotions grew complicated for a moment as she said, “Do you understand what I mean?”

Yun Che nodded in a rather stupefied manner, “... I understand.”

“In regards to the emotional aspect of this, you can slowly cultivate a relationship with her.” Mu Xuanyin’s eyes faintly slanted as she suddenly gave a cold snort, “Hmph, for someone like you, a person for whom lasciviousness is second nature and who loves any and all women, given the charming beauty of the Glazed Light Realm’s little princess, I can believe that you don’t have any feelings for her, but I definitely won’t believe that you don’t have any designs on her!”

“...” Yun Che’s head drooped low… This tone and the implication behind her words, why was it so similar to Jasmine’s back then?

“I will discuss the matter of your engagement with the Glazed Light Realm King during the Eternal Heaven General Assembly to be held nineteen days from now. There’s no need to trouble yourself with this, you just need to be obedient and listen.”

Yun Che pressed down on the tip of his nose as he said in a small voice, “Master, didn’t you say before that I was already no longer your disciple?”

“...” Mu Xuanyin slowly turned around, her absolutely beautiful icy eyes narrowing into long slits as she said, “Even if I am not your master, you still need to obediently listen to me! Those two things have nothing to do with each other!”

Yun Che could not find a rebuttal to that statement.

“Huo Poyun has been waiting for you over there all this while, he probably has something he wants to say to you.” With a single turn, Mu Xuanyin’s figure had already disappeared from Yun Che’s sight and only her voice still rang in the air, “After you’ve ‘resolved’ this, come and look for me in the Sacred Hall!”

Yun Che had long ago noticed Huo Poyun’s presence and since everyone else had already left this place, he was the only one who was still waiting there.

Yun Che walked over and Huo Poyun also turned around at the same time. The gazes of the two people met before Yun Che said, “Brother Poyun, how are your injuries?”

Huo Poyun laughed as he shook his head and spoke in a nonchalant manner, “They’ve stopped troubling me for a while now, there’s no need for you to worry. Brother Yun, I truly find it hard to believe that you’re really still alive.”

“Actually, I was also not able to believe that I had survived back then,” Yun Che said with a laugh. He arrived at Huo Poyun’s side as he said in a heartfelt voice, “Brother Poyun, congratulations on becoming a Divine Master. The Flame God Realm will forever hold you in glory and honor.”

Huo Poyun was not the least bit complacent or arrogant. He merely gave a gentle smile as he said, “At least I didn’t disappoint Master and the others. I also never imagined that I would actually be able to scale such heights within three thousand years. Speaking of which, this was not solely due to the Golden Crow Divine Spirit’s gift and the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm’s extremely high-grade spiritual energy, it was also because of you.”

“Me?”

“Mnn.” Huo Poyun nodded his head solemnly, “Back then, before I entered the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, if you had not helped me resolve my emotional knots and my inner demons time and time again, the me who would have carried these emotional knots and inner demons into the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, would definitely have run into extremely huge impediments along my path of cultivation. Master also told me that Brother Yun is my great benefactor, that you are also the great benefactor of our Flame God Realm, and that no amount of recompense would ever clear our debt to you.”

“Heh heh…” Yun Che chuckled as he shook his head, “there’s no need for that. At that time, you were the only friend I had in the God Realm. No matter whether it was ruthlessly suppressing Jun Xilei in order to help you vent your anger or helping you resolve your inner demons, these are all things that I should have done anyways. So you never ever need to mention the word ‘recompense’ to me.”

“...” Huo Poyun’s eyes swiveled as he said, “At that… time?”

Yun Che did not follow his gaze. Instead, he kept staring into the distance and there was a calm and profound look in his eyes as he said, “What’s more, a person’s mental state and way of thinking will gradually change over time. Even if I had not been there back then, you would have been able to resolve your own emotional knots and inner demons by yourself when you were in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm. That’s right, I guess that… your relationships with Luo Changsheng and the others shouldn’t have been too bad during the three thousand years all of you spent in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm.”

“...” Huo Poyun’s lips parted as his gaze shook violently.

“If you were able to become a Divine Master, then the Flame God Realm, which already had a mighty overall strength along with three top level Divine Sovereigns, would undoubtedly rise up to become an upper star realm,” Yun Che said with a faint smile, “and you would also definitely become the supreme ruler of the Flame God Realm in the future. Once you have reached the level of an upper star realm, in order to gain your footing and stabilize your position, it was undoubtedly the most wise and correct choice to build good relationships with those people who would also stand at the top of their realms once they exited the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm… Especially someone like Luo Changsheng.”

“To the you whose heart was solely focused on the profound way back then, the you who would grow despondent if you suffered a defeat in a contest of profound strength, the current you has truly been reborn… and this rebirth is far from limited to your cultivation in the profound way. The way you are now, perhaps you already have the qualifications to take responsibility for the future of the Flame God Realm and become the Flame God Realm King.”

Every single word that came from Yun Che’s lips was a word of acknowledgement and praise. But when Huo Poyun heard those words, the pupils of his eyes started to shake, and after that, they had even begun to contract slightly… Yet he could not say a single word even though a long period of time had passed.

Yun Che seemed to have not noticed his incomparably bizarre reaction at all. Instead, he turned around and calmly said, “Master summoned me for some matter, so I will have to take my leave first. Send my regards to Sect Master Huo. If I have some free time in the future, I will definitely pay a visit to the Flame God Realm.”

After saying his piece, Yun Che did not tarry any longer and began to walk away.

“Wait a moment!”

Huo Poyun’s voice rang out behind him… Those three short words had been yelled out and they were accompanied by the sound of Huo Poyun’s rough and heavy breathing.

Yun Che’s footsteps halted.

“It was me… I was the one who sent a sound transmission to Luo Changsheng telling him that you were still alive! It was me!!” he yelled loudly at Yun Che’s back, his voice trembling.

“I know.” Yun Che’s expression did not change as he calmly replied, “When we were in Illusory Smoke City, you eavesdropped on the conversation between Mu Feixue and I.”

Luo Guxie’s arrival had been too swift and too sudden, so there was only one possible explanation… and it was that his identity had already been exposed before he returned to the sect.

Moreover, before he returned to the sect, the only person who had known of his identity was Mu Feixue.

When he had admitted who he was to Mu Feixue, he had not only suppressed his voice as much as he could, he had also used his spiritual perception to sweep the surroundings in order to confirm that no one else was nearby.

However, the only possible exception was Huo Poyun himself.

For Huo Poyun, who had already become a Divine Master, evading Yun Che’s spiritual perception was simply far too simple a task.

He was not willing to believe this conclusion… but it just so happened to be the only possible conclusion.

“Then why did you not expose me!?” Huo Poyun exclaimed, his voice growing hoarse, “Are you taking pity on me… or are you simply looking down on me!?”

“Then what should I have done? Yell and roar hysterically like you are doing right now?” Yun Che’s expression and tone still remained extremely calm. It was as if he was talking about someone else’s business.

“...” Huo Poyun took a single step forward, his hands knotted into fists, his face distorted by pain, “Luo Guxie is the person who wants to kill you the most! The entire Eastern Divine Region knows this! I told Luo Changsheng so that Luo Guxie would come and kill you… Come and kill you! Do you understand!? Do you!!? And you… You’re letting me off just like that? Your master is so powerful that she can even defeat the likes of Luo Guxie, that she would even dare to kill Luo Guxie. With a single word from you, she could easily cripple me, kill you, you… Why did you… Why did you…”

His voice was becoming increasingly hoarse and towards the end, he had gritted his teeth so hard that they were about to crack. Two trail of tears actually flowed down his face as he spoke.

He slowly sank to the snowy ground, his body trembling in an incomparably violent manner. When he spoke, his words came out in a garbled murmur, “When I… became a Divine Master back then… The first person I wanted to tell this news to wasn’t Master… It was you… Yet what I obtained was the news of your death… I had never felt as grieved as I felt in that moment…”

“But… why are you still alive… and why did you return… Why…”

“...” Yun Che let out a long breath before he spoke in a low voice, “The reason why I did not expose you in front of everyone was because I know that when a person’s heart and emotions are thrown into extreme chaos, they will do things that are completely irrational, things that they dare not believe that they had done afterwards… The reason you came to the Snow Song Realm was because you regretted your actions. When Luo Guxie suddenly launched her attack against me, the reason why you protected me with your life was partly because of guilt but it was also because you truly wanted to.”

“Also, the most important reason is that…” Yun Che said as he closed his eyes, “you were previously the only friend I had in the God Realm.”

Huo Poyun lowered his head as a cold and bleak laugh leaked from his mouth, “Friend… Friend… He… Hehe… Have you ever truly… regarded me as your friend?”

“...” Yun Che’s eyebrows furrowed when he heard those words.

“Back then, in the Eternal Heaven Realm, when I was attracted to Mu Feixue, do you still remember… the words you said to comfort me?”

Yun Che, “...?”

“Yet…” Huo Poyun raised his head, his breathing growing rougher and heavier by the second, “yet… I personally heard… from a discussion between two Ice Phoenix disciples that she had long ago been given to you by your master as a dual cultivation partner!! That was something that I personally heard… Personally heard! Yet you did not mention a single word of this to me! You only gave me your insincere consolation, you were basically… basically seeing my joke play out!”

Yun Che turned around, his brows were deeply furrowed as he spoke, “Listen, after I had just finished the ceremony of taking her as my master back then, Master did indeed nominate Feixue to be my dual cultivation partner and she even announced it in front of everyone. However… I rejected it after that and Master consented to my decision as well.”

“...” A shudder went through Huo Poyun’s entire body, his eyes growing blank.

“But because Master had announced this thing in front of everyone, if she were to then announce publicly that I had rejected Mu Feixue, it would have undoubtedly led to Mu Feixue being ridiculed by others. As a result, this was not announced to the public. But Feixue and I never had a relationship as dual cultivation partners and the amount of time I spent interacting with her during the years I spent in the Snow Song Realm did not even amount to the few words exchanged between us in the Illusory Smoke City!”

“If you don’t believe me, you can go straight to my master and ask for proof right now!”

“...” Huo Poyin stood there completely rooted in place, it was as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He had gone completely silent and it was as if he had lost his very soul.

“It’s fine,” Yun Che turned around and did not spare him another look, “Whether you believe it or not is up to you. This is no longer something important to me. Also, this is the last time I will call you Brother Poyun.”

His steps were heavy as he left without turning his head back, “Young Sect Master Huo… See you some other time.”