"Uncle-Master, perhaps you misunderstand the Heaven-Slaying Divine Emperor," Yun Che said steadily, carefully watching Mo Su's reaction.
"What did you just say?" Mo Su's voice suddenly turned cold. "What could you possibly know that would make you defend him?"
"The God-Slaying Emperor is a rigid man," Yun Che replied, his voice calm but firm. "He clings to rules, obsessed with maintaining balance. For that goal, he was willing to sacrifice not just himself, but everyone around him."
Mo Su scoffed, as if Yun Che had said something absurd. "You're far too naive. You weren't there—you couldn't possibly understand the cruelty he showed. Just because Xiaodie and I were in love, it was as if we'd committed a crime against heaven itself. No explanation, no words, no action could change his judgment!"
"I was once the most gifted among the God Clan's younger generation. In comprehension, cultivation, temperament—none could rival me. But because I loved a demon, a relationship he had arbitrarily declared forbidden, I lost everything. I had to pay the price for love, and those who followed and cared for me were punished as well. Why? Why did we all have to suffer?"
His voice trembled—not with fear, but with the burden of long-suppressed grief and rage. Though this was only a projection, his expression was vivid and raw, far more human than the lifeless puppet form he wore in the Pure Land's Inner Hall.
"Perhaps I can't change your view with words alone," Yun Che said softly. "But what if I show you the final battle—between the Elemental Creation God and the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor?"
With a wave of his hand, a memory fragment from the Heretic God appeared.
In the vision, the Elemental Creation God—Ni Xuan—stood in ruins. His once-pristine hair hung in tangled clumps. His elegant features were marred by countless wounds. His robe, soaked in blood, clung to his frail frame. He looked more like a dying old man than a god.
Facing him stood a figure deeply engraved in Mo Su's memories: dressed in golden robes, face stern and unreadable, wielding the colossal Zhutian Ancestral Sword. He was none other than the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor—Mo'e.
The two clashed not just in combat, but in philosophy. Mo'e held firmly to the principle of balance through separation and restraint. Ni Xuan, on the other hand, believed that fusion could bring about a new, more harmonious equilibrium.
To Mo Su's astonishment, Mo'e had not rejected this theory outright. He admitted that fusion might work—but he could not allow gods and demons, the highest of beings, to test it. The potential for chaos was too great. The balance of the world was too delicate.
Then came the true revelation.
The Zhutian Ancestral Sword and the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations—they were not mere artifacts. They were divine tools created by the Ancestral God to maintain balance. Mo'e had bound himself to an ancient promise: never to break that balance, no matter the cost.
"All of it… was because of this?" Mo Su's voice was barely a whisper.
He fell silent for a long time. His heart, once consumed by bitterness, now throbbed with confusion and sorrow. He had never known the weight Mo'e carried alone—misunderstood by all, bound by duty.
To the world, Mo'e had always seemed stern, inflexible, and self-righteous. But now, Mo Su realized the truth. As the Creation God forged by the Ancestral God herself, Mo'e had no right to follow his own heart. His mission had been clear: uphold the rules, even at the cost of love.
"My father… he always valued love and honor. I knew that. I always knew that..."
Mo Su's tone softened, his words no longer laced with blame. Unconsciously, he had begun calling Mo'e "Father" again. Despite everything, a part of him had always longed to meet Mo'e again—to prove to him that what happened back then was not a mistake.
But he would never have that chance.
Yun Che's memory fragment rang with undeniable truth. The vision perfectly matched Mo Su's own recollections of the Primordial Divine Realm. If not recorded firsthand, it would be impossible for anyone to reproduce it so precisely.
"So in the end... everything was the result of the Ancestral Sword Spirit's will alone. Father was likely manipulated. Just because of a vague prophecy, a possible brighter future was cast aside. It's laughable… tragic!"
Mo Su's mind raced. Piece by piece, the puzzle came together. The one most responsible for the tragedy… was not Mo'e, but the Ancestral Sword Spirit itself—refusing change, clinging stubbornly to the past.
Because of that rigid will, Mo'e had made the cruelest decision of his life. And from that decision, everything had spiraled into ruin.
Hatred once aimed at Mo'e now redirected—tenfold, a hundredfold—toward the Ancestral Sword Spirit. Even so, Mo Su couldn't completely absolve Mo'e, who had ultimately been the final judge.
"After the battle, the Elemental Creation God fell into despair," Yun Che continued. "He believed everything was his fault. That if he hadn't encouraged you, none of this would have happened. So he sealed himself away, gave up his name, and called himself the Heretic God. He no longer believed he was worthy of being the Elemental Creation God."
"Heretic God…? Big Brother was always like that. Too kind. It wasn't his fault!" Mo Su's eyes dimmed. "We were both right. We simply dared to take a step the world wasn't ready for. Why should he bear all the guilt?"
"I never blamed him. I was grateful. If not for Big Brother Ni Xuan, I would never have known what it meant to feel love, to feel alive. Those were the most precious moments of my life. Nothing else compares."
He smiled faintly, eyes distant, as he recalled the days when he was free—no longer a prince shackled by duty, but simply Mo Su, a man in love.
"Just now, the memory fragment mentioned that Big Brother had a daughter?" Mo Su's eyes sharpened. "What happened to her? Is she… still alive?"
"I only know that the Heaven-Slaying God Emperor didn't harm her," Yun Che replied. "He left her with part of her divine essence intact, just as he promised. Master never mentioned anything else, so I can't say more."
He intentionally hid the truth about Hong'er and You'er. They were Yun Che's final trump card—far too important to reveal.
Mo Su sighed. Even Ni Xuan's child had been caught in that storm. A newborn… what sin could she possibly bear?
He looked deeply at Yun Che. This meeting had brought far more than he expected. Originally, he just wanted to learn about Ni Xuan. Instead, he had unearthed a truth that had haunted him for millennia. His heart was in turmoil.
"Is there anything else you want to say?" Mo Su asked quietly.
Yun Che took a breath. This was the moment he'd been working toward.
"Uncle-Master, you must know that the current laws of the God Realm are fragile—nothing like before. Today, the world cannot bear the presence of a True God. If one were to descend from the Abyss, the realm would collapse. It would become no different than the Abyss itself."
"The Abyss, the Divine Kingdom, the Pure Land—they're all relatively stable now. People live without being eroded by Abyssal Dust. So why… why go through so much trouble to open the Abyssal Transmission Channel?"
His words struck a chord in Mo Su's heart.
"When the Pioneer Knight returned and described the current God Realm, I hesitated," Mo Su admitted. "My main reason for going back was gone. My father is dead. There's no point in clinging to the past."
"But... there are still things I care about. People. Memories. I don't want to spend what remains of my life buried in the Abyss. Returning to the God Realm has become an obsession."
He gave a small, knowing smile. "Your question confirms something for me."
Yun Che froze.
"You never actually dreamed about Yuan, did you?"
His heart thundered. For a moment, his mind went completely blank.
"Uncle-Master, I… I truly don't remember anything from before I was ten. My master gave me the name Yun Che, so I still use it."
"Hahaha." Mo Su laughed. "Even now, you still try to talk your way out. You've done well, truly. But since you inherited the Elemental Creation God's legacy, you must know—there are five elemental seeds. Only by gathering all five can one form the complete elemental vein and ascend to perfect godhood."
"I've explored every inch of the Abyss. The only seed here belongs to the Abyssal Qilin God—the Earth element. The special environment of the Qilin God Realm comes from that seed alone."
He stepped forward, gaze sharp as blades.
"So tell me, Yun Che. Where did the other elemental seeds in your body come from?"
Yun Che stood frozen, unable to speak.
He had believed his plan flawless. Every move carefully calculated, every risk accounted for. But from the very beginning—from the moment he stood before Emperor Yuan—he had been exposed.
He had survived Xuanyuan Wentian, Ming Wang, Luo Changsheng, Qianye Ying'er, the Heaven-Smiting Demon Emperor, Long Bai, Mo Beichen…
But never—never—had he felt as powerless as he did now.
"Don't try to tell me they came from the Abyss," Mo Su sneered. "I followed Ni Xuan for thousands of years. I know his power better than anyone. The true Abyss is filled only with death and decay. There is no trace of Ni Xuan's legacy there."
"So there is only one answer. You're from the current God Realm. You probably killed Mo Beichen and the others. You learned about the Abyss from them."
"You're the strongest in the God Realm. You came here… to stop me. To protect your world. Isn't that right?"
Each word pierced Yun Che's heart like a dagger.
In that moment, under Mo Su's gaze, Yun Che felt utterly exposed.
Everything—his secrets, his plans, his lies—were laid bare. All his struggles, all his careful moves... crumbled before the overwhelming might of truth.
He had never expected that this meeting with Emperor Yuan would unravel him so completely.
He was unprepared. And now, utterly cornered.
(End of Chapter)