The Abyssal Beast's claws descended in an instant—blindingly fast and brimming with lethal force. Yun Che immediately reacted with instinctive speed. Despite his spiritual resistance obstructing the attack, it was clearly not enough to fully halt the blow.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the gate to the Hell Emperor Realm, and a brilliant arc of vermilion sword light cleaved upward like a divine stroke of annihilation. The sword energy surged forth, splitting the air—and even the omnipresent Yuan Dust parted obediently, as if not daring to block its path.
Using the Star God's Broken Shadow, Yun Che propelled himself forward with explosive speed, heading straight for Shen Wuyi. His aura flared without restraint. He had completely abandoned any effort to remain hidden—determined to save her at any cost.
Yet as he closed in, Yun Che's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Shen Wuyi's expression remained utterly calm—no fear, no urgency. It was as if she had anticipated everything… as if this entire encounter had been under her control from the very beginning.
A day had passed since the battle in the Sea of Fog.
Within the Inner Hall of the Pure Land, only eleven stars still glimmered in the projection above.
Dian Liuzhi, the one person who had not returned via teleportation, had clearly perished in the fog. However, Lord Jueluo showed no signs of grief or concern. Instead, he sat alone, sipping tea in perfect peace. After all, Dian Liuzhi had slain more than two hundred Abyssal Beasts in a single day, securing nearly two hundred Abyssal Cores and placing himself firmly at the top of the leaderboard.
Two others had returned via teleportation: Pan Buxiao and Shenwu Fanghua.
Pan Buxiao had no choice. Faced with a God-Destroying Realm Abyssal Beast, his strength simply wasn't enough, and he had to withdraw. While his superior, God Qi Heng, was displeased, he didn't blame him—there was nothing more that could be expected under such circumstances.
But Shenwu Fanghua wasn't so lucky.
"You useless waste!"
The usually aloof Shenwu Yanye, ruler of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, flew into a rage. "You couldn't even last a single day! You're worse than a common man! Why does the Eternal Night Kingdom still harbor trash like you!?"
Shenwu Yanye had always been harsh with Shen Wuyi—never mind Shenwu Fanghua, whose performance had fallen far short of expectations.
The fury of a god was not something a mere Divine Destroyer could endure.
In the blink of an eye, Shenwu Fanghua vanished from existence—not even a speck of her soul remained.
"Trash," Shenwu Yanye spat coldly. "You're not worthy of being a citizen of Eternal Night."
The other divine rulers frowned slightly at her ruthlessness, but none spoke up to protest. This was the Eternal Night Kingdom's way—and interfering in another divine realm's authority would only invite conflict.
"So you noticed me long ago?" Yun Che said with a hint of grievance.
This encounter was supposed to be his grand moment—his carefully orchestrated meeting with Xia Qingyue, now Shen Wuyi. But instead of him playing the lead role, it felt like she had taken control, and he was the one dancing to her tune.
He had risked exposing his strength just to save her. Did she really not care?
Yun Che grumbled inwardly. This was not how he had imagined their reunion. He had hoped for a moment of destiny rekindled—not this cold, calculated exchange.
But Shen Wuyi didn't answer his question. Instead, she looked at him thoughtfully.
"Have we met before?" she asked softly. "The moment I saw you, I felt... something. A strange sense of familiarity. It made me feel calm. Safe."
"If we're talking about this world, then no," Yun Che replied, his expression dimming. "This is only the second time we've encountered each other in the Abyss. We haven't even exchanged proper words before."
A pause. Then he added, "But in another world... we were very close. You were my wife. My legal, wedded wife."
Shen Wuyi's eyes flickered with surprise. For a brief moment, she seemed to search her memories—but found only emptiness.
"…The Mother Goddess once said," she replied calmly, "that 'a man's tongue is full of lies.' She taught us never to trust the words of men."
She raised the Holy Feather Ice Crystal Silk, its shimmering end pointing directly at Yun Che. Her eyes were cool, unwavering. "You said you're my husband. But what kind of husband would stand by and watch his wife fall into danger—only to act at the last moment?"
"Your own actions contradict your words. If what you said were true, how could I trust you?"
Yun Che gave a wry smile. He hadn't expected his planned reunion to backfire like this.
But even so, he found some solace—because even without her memories, Xia Qingyue's intelligence and sharpness were exactly as he remembered.
"I didn't mean to hesitate," he said gently. "I just… got distracted. The moment I saw you using a weapon like the Ice Phoenix Jade Silk, memories came rushing back. That year, at the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament, you descended like a goddess. Your beauty and grace stunned everyone. No one could take their eyes off you."
"Do you believe me now?"
"Ice Phoenix... Jade Silk…" Shen Wuyi whispered. She glanced down at the divine silk in her hand—the Holy Feather Ice Crystal Silk.
She had always wondered why she had chosen this weapon over countless others in the Eternal Night treasury. Now, upon hearing that name, her heart began to stir with emotions she couldn't name.
She had never spoken to a man like this before. In fact, she couldn't recall speaking to any man at all—not even before she lost her memory. And yet… Yun Che didn't repel her. He felt warm. Familiar.
This went against everything the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom taught.
For the first time in her life, the Goddess of Eternal Night hesitated.
Her weapon slowly lowered, and the tense air between them began to ease.
"This is for you," Yun Che said, handing her the Abyss Core from the slain beast. "You deserve it. You did most of the work."
"You delivered the final blow," she replied coolly. "It belongs to you."
"No. I'm only at the fourth level of the Divine Lord Realm. No Divine Lord, Priest, or Abyss Emperor would ever believe I could kill an eighth-level Divine Destroyer Beast. It defies logic."
He smiled. "And honestly, even if I hadn't shown up, I think you could've handled it yourself. This core should rightfully be yours."
After a moment, Shen Wuyi nodded and accepted it.
Then she reached into her storage and tossed him two Abyss Cores of the fourth level Divine Destroyer Realm.
"With the strength you just showed, beasts at this level should be easy for you."
Yun Che accepted them and then looked at her seriously. "Can I ask you something? Why didn't you try to kill me? And even gave me these cores?"
"This competition is brutal. We represent different divine kingdoms, and our final rankings affect our future paths. Wouldn't it have been more logical to eliminate a competitor like me?"
"I don't know," she replied quietly. "As the Goddess of Eternal Night, I'm supposed to hate men. But I don't hate you."
"Maybe it's because of the past you spoke of."
She looked him in the eyes.
"Tell me... are you really the prince of the Dreamweaver Kingdom? Is your name Meng Jianyuan?"
Yun Che shook his head. "No. My name is Yun Che."
….
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