Chapter 1430: To Be The Enemy Of The World
Arriving at the Ice Phoenix Holy Hall, Yun Che did not immediately go to find Mu Xuanyin. He stood amidst the falling snow, lifting his head to gaze at the sky, his heart feeling as though a thousand jun of weight were pressing down upon it, leaving him unable to catch his breath for a long while.
Gone was the calm and composure he had shown when facing Huo Poyun.
His life on the Cangyun Continent had greatly influenced his temperament. Because of Su Ling'er's untimely death, he would always be willing to cherish and protect the women who treated him well, regardless of the cost. And because of that lifetime of being the enemy of the world, he rarely truly accepted or trusted anyone, and thus rarely had friends.
In the lower realm, the only ones he truly considered friends were Xia Yuanba and Ling Jie.
In the God Realm, only Huo Poyun.
His fondness for Huo Poyun initially stemmed from his Golden Crow inheritance... because the Golden Crow Soul Spirit had shown him great kindness on several occasions, and even after it dissipated, he had no way to repay it. On the other hand, if one's character were not upright, they would never have received the complete inheritance of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit of the God Realm.
Therefore, Huo Poyun was the only person Yun Che had not been guarded against at first meeting since arriving in the God Realm.
The two had become acquainted through battle, from the Yinxue Realm to the Yanshen Realm, both appreciating and admiring each other. Later, they entered Zhutian together, and then...
Yun Che shook his head several times, forcing himself not to think about these things anymore.
He could feel Huo Poyun's remorse. He had witnessed with his own eyes how Huo Poyun had stood in front of him without hesitation when facing Luo Guxie's power. He also believed that although Huo Poyun had changed greatly, his nature had never truly changed... but, what was done was done. There was no turning back, no changing it.
Whether it was a breakdown or a loss of sanity, at least when he transmitted his voice to Luo Changsheng... Huo Poyun had wanted him dead.
This was a rift that could never be erased.
Throughout all this, Yun Che's reaction seemed very calm... but the blow it dealt him was far greater than it appeared on the surface.
Mu Feixue approached with silent footsteps. Seeing Yun Che's somewhat dazed expression, her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she did not ask. Instead, she said softly, "Senior brother Yun, Master is waiting for you."
"...Ah, I understand." Yun Che snapped back to reality and nodded slightly. He took two steps, then suddenly stopped and said to Mu Feixue, "Junior sister Feixue, you..."
Mu Feixue: "?"
"..." Yun Che's voice halted. His expression shifted several times before he shook his head with a smile. "It's nothing. I'll go see Master now."
Mu Feixue stood in place, silently watching his figure recede into the distance. Her gaze grew distant as her mind once again recalled the words Mu Bingyun had spoken to her...
Letting out a turbid breath, Yun Che suppressed his emotions and stepped into the Ice Phoenix Holy Hall, arriving before Mu Xuanyin. "Master."
Mu Xuanyin's heart was like a clear mirror, but she did not ask about Huo Poyun. Instead, she said directly, "You asked earlier why Xia Qingyue became the Moon God Emperor. Before I give you all the answers, you had best prepare yourself mentally. Don't let me see too ugly a display."
"..." Mu Xuanyin's words made Yun Che's heart tighten involuntarily. "What exactly happened?"
"The former Moon God Emperor, Yue Wuya, died three years ago." Mu Xuanyin stated flatly a fact known throughout the God Realm.
"Died...?" Although he had a vague premonition, hearing Mu Xuanyin say it with his own ears still shook Yun Che greatly. "How did he die? Does power capable of killing a God Emperor truly exist in this world?"
Back then, Xia Qingyue had told him in the Dunyue Immortal Palace that Yue Wuya had received a heavenly prophecy that he would die within five years. That grand wedding that deceived the world was one of the preparations and final wishes he had made... Although Yue Wuya firmly believed in the prophecy, Yun Che had scoffed at it.
But he had actually truly died!
"Not just Yue Wuya," Mu Xuanyin continued. "On the same day, several Star Gods, Moon Gods, Guardians, and Brahma Kings all fell one after another. The Star God Emperor, Zhutian God Emperor, and Fantian God Emperor were all severely wounded. The Zhutian God Emperor being tormented by demonic energy—this is the reason."
Yun Che was dumbfounded.
"The most tragic was the Star God Realm. Nearly the entire realm was destroyed. The surviving Star Gods and elders currently reside in subsidiary star realms. In other words, the Star God Realm as it exists now can be said to exist in name only."
"Is there... truly such power in this world?" Every word he heard forced Yun Che to be deeply shocked. And if these words had not come from Mu Xuanyin's own mouth, he would never have believed them. "Is it related to the Crimson Calamity?"
"No, it has nothing to do with the Crimson Calamity." Mu Xuanyin looked directly at him. "It is related to you."
"...Me?" Yun Che pointed at himself, utterly bewildered.
Even with a hundred more brains, he could not imagine how this inconceivable matter had even the slightest connection to him.
"Do you know who destroyed the Star God Realm, killed the Moon God Emperor, severely wounded the other three God Emperors, and killed a host of Star Gods and Moon Gods?"
"The Zhutian God Emperor seemed to mention that the demonic energy on his body came from... the 'Evil Infant'?" Yun Che thought for a moment and said.
"Then do you know who the 'Evil Infant' is?"
"..." Yun Che shook his head. "With such terrifying power, and using dark profound energy, could it be that an extremely fearsome demon suddenly appeared in the Northern Divine Region?"
"No, it has nothing to do with the Northern Divine Region." Mu Xuanyin's voice deepened. "When you hear 'Evil Infant,' what comes to mind?"
Evil Infant... Yun Che frowned. A terrifying name suddenly flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "The Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel?!"
No matter how shallow his knowledge, he could not be unaware of the name of the World-Destroying Demon Wheel.
"Correct." Mu Xuanyin narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to discern something from his gaze. "The one who killed the Moon God Emperor, destroyed the Star God Realm, and cast a terrifying shadow over the Eastern Divine Region—it was indeed the power of the Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel. And the one wielding the Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel naturally became the incarnation of the 'Evil Infant.' However, judging by your expression, you truly seem to know nothing about this."
Yun Che shook his head blankly... He was undoubtedly the person who had spent the most time with and been closest to Moli... but he truly knew nothing about the Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel being on Moli.
Moli had never told him, and had never intended for anyone to know.
"In that case, I will tell you directly." Mu Xuanyin did not elaborate further. "The one who wields the Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel, the 'Evil Infant' as the Zhutian God Emperor called him, is none other than the Heavenly Slaughter Star God!"
These four earth-shattering words struck Yun Che like a heavy hammer to the chest. His pupils suddenly dilated, and he was stunned for a full two breaths before asking a question that others would find somewhat ridiculous: "Which... Heavenly Slaughter Star God?"
"There's no need for you to deny or doubt yourself. It's the one that surfaced in your mind—the person you believed had long since died."
Yun Che: "..."
Seeing Yun Che's face lose all expression in an instant, Mu Xuanyin knew without thinking what was going through his mind. She continued, "Three years ago, she did not die. Instead, after your death, she awakened the Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel within her, transformed into the Evil Infant, and turned the Star God Realm—which sought to take her life—into a hell of destruction!"
"..." Yun Che stood there in a daze, his mind as if ten thousand great bells and thunderclaps were colliding in chaos, almost losing the ability to think... It was only after a long while—a full dozen or so breaths—that he finally managed to speak with difficulty: "Moli... she... she... she... is still... alive?"
He spoke these words with immense difficulty, his gaze drifting wildly... as if the voice came from within a dream.
The Evil Infant, the Star God Realm—none of it mattered... The only information frantically churning in his mind was that... Moli was not dead...
When he had followed Mu Bingyun to the God Realm back then, everyone around him knew he was going to find Moli. But in the three years since returning to the lower realm, apart from his reunion with Chu Yuechan, he had never once mentioned anything about Moli...
Because that was a name he no longer dared to touch.
Like a thorn lodged in the deepest part of his soul—the slightest touch would bring unbearable pain.
But it was also a thorn he would never want to remove... even if the pain were ten or a hundred times worse.
Although he had died before Moli, had not witnessed the "sacrificial ritual" taking place, nor seen the scene of Moli and Caizhi losing their lives, in his understanding, the deaths of Moli and Caizhi were already a foregone conclusion... A barrier and ritual infused with all the top-level power of the Star God Realm could not possibly be altered by any force.
Not even the slightest possibility.
"She's alive... she's alive... she's alive..." His pupils trembled, his lips quivered. One moment he was utterly dejected, the next his aura was in complete chaos as he roared hoarsely, "Moli is really still alive?!"
Faced with such an unsightly reaction, Mu Xuanyin frowned and was about to rebuke him, but before the words left her mouth, her heart inexplicably ached. In the end, she did not scold him, and her voice even softened slightly: "Yes, she is still alive."
Hearing Mu Xuanyin's clear confirmation, Yun Che's body swayed, stumbling backward and nearly falling flat on his back. He raised his hand and gripped his own head fiercely. The pain from his clenched fingers told him he was not dreaming.
"Moli is still alive... Moli... heh... hehe... ha... hahaha..." He muttered, shook his head, and laughed foolishly. "Right... she must still be alive... Heaven could not be so cruel to her... Even a person like me who deserves to go to hell didn't die... I should have known she must still be alive..."
Just from Yun Che's reaction at this moment, one could tell what the Heavenly Slaughter Star God meant in his life. She said coldly, "Now that you know she's still alive, what do you plan to do?"
Yun Che slowly raised his head. He steadied his chaotic breathing and emotions, trying to calm himself, but the blood throughout his body continued to surge wildly: "Master, where is she now?"
"No one knows where she is." Mu Xuanyin said. "However, there are rumors that she is most likely within the Taichu Divine Realm."
"Taichu Divine Realm..." Yun Che murmured the name. It was a name that had left an extremely deep shadow on him—it was there that Qianye Ying'er had planted the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Seal on him.
"Even if you knew where she was, so what? Surely you're not thinking of going to find her?" Mu Xuanyin's voice turned cold. An invisible chill enveloped Yun Che, causing his restless aura to condense and his mind to suddenly clear considerably. "While you know she is still alive, use your brain to think about her current situation!"
Yun Che's gaze froze, then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. To me, the fact that she's still alive is already the best news in the world. Everything else is fine however it is..."
"Naive!" Mu Xuanyin snorted coldly. "In the eyes of the world, she is no longer the Heavenly Slaughter Star God—she is the Evil Infant!"
"The Evil Infant Ten-Thousand Calamity Wheel is the World-Destroying Demon Wheel, and the Evil Infant is the most terrifying world-destroying demon spirit in existence—it was what brought about the end of the Age of Gods! On the very first day the 'Evil Infant' appeared in the world, it killed a God Emperor and destroyed a King Realm. Can you imagine what kind of terrifying shadow this has cast over the God Realm?!"
Yun Che: "..."
"The God Realm despises dark profound energy above all else, and the power of the Evil Infant is the ultimate form of dark profound energy. Coupled with the terrifying shadow her emergence has cast, as long as she is not destroyed, the divine regions will never truly be at ease. For the past three years, the King Realms of the three divine regions have all mobilized, even calling upon upper, middle, and lower star realms to search different star regions, even extending their search to the lower realms! All to find traces of the Evil Infant. Once found, they will surround and annihilate her with full force."
"In other words, she is now the enemy of the entire world! Do you understand the meaning of those four words?"