âAh!â A sweet cry rang beside him. âYouâre awake, husband!â
Yun Che looked up. Su Lingâerâs face was just inches away from his own, and Caizhi and Little Demon Empress were right beside her. They had clearly been watching over him for a very long time.
He actually wasnât sure if he had woken up from his slumber. The dreams were that realistic, and he had never remembered them as clearly as he was now.
âWhat happened?â Caizhi asked. âWhy did you seal your senses for such a long time?â
âItâs nothing. Itâs a special state of enlightenment,â replied Yun Che while returning his gaze to the courtyard. Still a little out of it, he asked, âSo, how long was I out this time?â
âSeven days,â Su Lingâer replied.
At least it wasnât half a month like last time.
Before he could relax though, Su Lingâer dropped another bomb. âHusband, you need to check on sister Lingxi now.â
âLingxi?â Her panicky tone jolted him like lightning. He rose to his feet and asked, âWhat happened to her?â
âShe fainted when you sealed away your own senses. I wasnât able to wake her up no matter what I tried, and⌠she still hasnât woken up yet.â
Yun Che was already gone before Su Lingâer finished her sentence.
Xiao Lingxi was lying quietly on her bed and breathing evenly. Her face looked pale, but thankfully it wasnât so sickly that it was cause for worry.
However, her brow was knitted into a small but permanent frown. It was as if an invisible string was tugging at her mind and keeping her from true rest.
Yun Che grabbed her right wrist with one hand and tapped her solar plexus with the other. He slowly injected a vast amount of profound energy into her body in the gentlest way he could.
A careful examination later, Yun Cheâs own brow relaxed for a second before knitting again in doubt.
Xiao Lingxiâs vitality and soul sea were perfectly normal. There were no internal or external injuries to be found either. If she was someone else, he wouldâve assumed that they were pretending to be unconscious already. However, Xiao Lingxi would never pull something like that.
âHow is she?â Su Lingâer asked nervously.
Yun Che rose up and answered, âSheâs⌠fine. Sheâll probably awaken very soon.â
Noticing Yun Cheâs odd tone and expression, Su Lingâer hesitated for a moment before saying, âTo tell you the truth, this isnât the first or even the tenth time sister Lingxi has fallen into an unnatural sleep like this. It is the longest she has ever been unconscious though.â
âWhat?â Yun Cheâs eyes narrowed. âWhen was that?â
âIt began when you first left for the God Realm,â Su Lingâer said. âShe fainted the moment you left with Senior Mu Bingyun.â
Yun Che: ââŚâ
âShe woke up really quickly that time, but her heart rate and pulse had become ten times faster than a normal personâs.â
âWhat!?â Yun Che exclaimed in shock.
Xiao Lingxiâs cultivation was extremely weak back then. Her heart rate and pulse should never be able to jump that high!
Su Lingâer continued, âHowever, it wasnât long before she fully returned to normal, so I simply assumed that it was a case of excessive worry and didnât pay it too much attention.â
âI was wrong. Since that day, she would fall unconscious from time to time, and the duration kept growing longer and longer. I was never able to find out the cause⌠after her thirty third coma though, the mysterious ailment suddenly vanished. She has been fine ever since.â
âBut now, itâs starting againâŚâ
Su Lingâer clenched her hands like she could somehow squeeze out her worries.
âWhy didnât I know about this sooner?â A deep sense of unease grew in Yun Cheâs heart.
She replied, âYou were gone for years, and when you returned you had lost all of your profound energy. How could we burden you with even more worry?â
âSister Lingxi had already made a full recovery by then too. She told us again and again not to tell you about it and make you worry.â
Xiao Lingxi had always been like this. Even when they were younger, she had never been willing to burden him or add to his worries.
A heavy rock sat in Yun Cheâs chest. He thought to himself in frustration, what is happening to Lingxi?
Please, just please donât let it be harmful to her.
No. No. If it isnât harmful, then all is well. If it is, then I will neutralize it no matter what it is.
I am the Great Emperor of the God Realm and the cultivator of the Divine Miracle of Life⌠there is nothing I canât solve!
He exhaled slowly to enter a state of perfect calmness and sobriety. Then, he began his questions, âBesides the obvious, what other symptoms did she display during that time?â
Su Lingâer thought for a moment before replying, âThere were a couple of times she would say weird things after she awoke from her slumber.â
âLike what?â Yun Che asked urgently.
âFor example, on the day she saw you off to the God Realm she said⌠she said she saw you scattering into ashes amidst a terrible explosion of fire and starlight.â[1]
â!!!â Yun Cheâs expression didnât change, but his mind had become as turbulent as a sea storm.
He had in fact perished during his first trip to the Star God Realm.
The Star Gods of the Star God Realm had killed him with their starlight powersâŚ
⌠and the flames of nirvana had claimed him in those final moments.
âŚâŚ
Illusion?
Coincidence?
ProphecyâŚ
âŚâŚ
âLittle⌠CheâŚâ
A quiet voice abruptly brought him back down to earth. He looked down and saw Xiao Lingxi opening her eyes slowly.
âLingxi!â
Yun Che immediately leaned forward and placed an arm across her back. He slowly helped her to a sitting position on her bed.
âAre you alright, Sister Lingxi? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?â Su Lingâer asked both worriedly and concernedly.
Xiao Lingxi shook her head. âIâm fine. I just⌠had a very long dream.â
â⌠a dream?â Yun Cheâs features twitched a little. It so happened that he had woken up from a long dream himself.
âIt was so long that I cannot even begin to describe how long it was.â Xiao Lingxiâs murmur was tinged with deep exhaustion. âBut I canât recall even a single bit now that Iâm awake.â
âWhat⌠is happening⌠to meâŚâ
âIt was just a dream. Itâs perfectly normal to forget the contents of a dream. You donât need to recall it, much less pay it any heed,â Yun Che said smilingly. âIf you feel tired, feel free to take a short nap.â
âLittle Che.â Suddenly, Xiao Lingxi grasped Yun Cheâs palms tightly. âWill⌠will you forgive me if one day, you realized that I had hurt you terribly?â
Her fingers were cold and trembling.
Yun Che returned the grip. âWhy do you say that when you know that you can never bear to hurt me?â
His vision blurred the second the words escaped his lips.
He remembered saying something similar to a certain person.
However, that person had become someone who had wounded him like no other.
âI donât know.â A shimmer of heartbreaking tears coated Xiao Lingxiâs eyes. âI⌠I keep hearing a voice telling me⌠that I did something terribly wrong and selfish⌠and it led to a most cruel and irreversible outcomeâŚâ
âYou must be mistaken.â Yun Che shook her hands a little. âYou donât actually think that dreams are real, do you? Just⌠take a short nap. The strange thoughts will disappear when youâve gotten over your sleepiness.â
âA dreamâŚâ Xiao Lingxi murmured, âYes, it was a dream. So why⌠do I keep thinking of it as reality?â
ââŚâ Yun Che didnât say anything after that, much less demand answers from her. He simply embraced her in silence.
Yes, it was all just a dream.
Nothing was wrong, and nothing would go wrong ever again.
After Xiao Lingxi had shaken off her initial daze, she seemed to have fully returned to normal. Yun Che couldnât detect anything wrong with her.
Once in a while when she was all alone, a vacant expression would overcome her features. She never stopped trying to recall her dreams.
To date, all three parts of the World-Defying Heavenly Manual were fully engraved into Yun Cheâs mind.
Just like the previous times, he had entered a strange state of enlightenment, but he couldnât even begin to identify what he had learned from the experience.
One thing was certain, however. The inheritance of the Ancestral God, the World-Defying Heavenly Manual and the Ancestral Divine Art were finally complete. According to the ancient records, it was an existence that transcended even the Creation Gods and the Devil Emperors!
Yun Che might be the strongest profound practitioner in the universe already, but that hardly meant that he wasnât deeply curious about it.
However, he still couldnât detect any change in his body or his soul.
Perhaps this utterly illogical power of ânothingnessâ would show itself on its own time just like before.[2]
In the meantime, he decided to visit a place he never thought he would ever visit in his life, at least not intentionally.
When Situ Nan first saw Yun Che floating above his residence, he had blanked out for three full breaths before he finally broke out of his stupor.
The simple greeting had taken nearly every ounce of strength and willpower he possessed.
Moreover, he only remembered that he had forgotten to kneel after saying the last word. He hurriedly did so and hoped it wasnât too late.
His sweat wet the ground as his body shook.
All around him, people were dropping to their knees and holding their breath as well.
As the governor of Floating Cloud City, Situ Nan was bestowed with great authority and good sense. He might not understand just how high Yun Che stood above the clouds, but he knew that Yun Che could crush him without even exhaling his breath.
Although Situ Nan resided in Floating Cloud City, he never hoped to meet Yun Che. Now that the legend had actually shown himself, he wondered if he should be honored or terrified.
âGovernor Situ,â Yun Che started in an indifferent tone, âit has been a while since weâve met.â
Situ Nan hurriedly said, âIt is this humble servantâs honor to be remembered by Spiritual Master Yun. Everyone knows that the prosperity of Floating Cloud City and the peace of the entire world is thanks to Spiritual Master Yun, and this humble servant makes sure to thank your divine image at least once every day and night.â
âWhere is your daughter, Situ Xuan right now?â Yun Che asked suddenly.
The question came out of nowhere, and again Situ Nan was frozen for three breaths before he looked behind himself and roared, âGet Xuanâer now! Go!â
Yun Che: ââŚâ
âAh⌠as you command!â One of the servants answered while half-crawling toward the exit.
Meanwhile, Situ Nan had bowed his head again and kept his silence. He didnât dare to ask what Spiritual Master Yun wanted to do with his daughter as a matter of course, but he couldnât stop himself from wondering about it.
Yun Che was practically heaven itself, and he had visited personally⌠to see his daughter!?
Could it be⌠no! It was impossible!
Although Yun Che was rumored to be extremely lecherous, all his women were a million times better than Situ Xuan in every way!
His daughter was a beauty among mortals, but that was only among mortals! There was no way she would fall into his crosshairs!
Did Situ Xuan offend him then?
That was even more impossible!
Forget that Situ Xuan utterly lacked the strength to offend Yun Che, why would he show up personally to enact her punishment? All he needed to do was to say one sentence, and everyone across the world would rush over to carry out the deed themselves!
It wasnât long before the servant returned. Following right beside him was a fragile-looking woman and a maid supporting her.
âThis humble girl Situ Xuan greets Spiritual Master Yun.â
She was between thirty to forty years old, and she was dressed rather sumptuously. She had a thin physique, and her life aura and profound aura were unusually weak. It was probably why she looked much older than another woman of her age.
She was soft spoken not because she chose to be, but because she lacked the strength to do so. He could tell that she would not live to a century even with the governorâs great wealth to sustain her.
Yun Che stared at her briefly.
Despite her aging features, she definitely matched her younger self in his memories.
She was definitely the Situ Xuan who had appeared in his dreams again and again.
1. Chapter 944 Goodbye, Blue Pole Star
2. (T/N:first dibs on theorycrafting, but I bet he can now traverse the Wall freely)
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