Unlike the quiet, romantic warmth blooming between Wu Qing and Pan Buwang elsewhere in the Primordial Profound Ark, the atmosphere surrounding Yun Che, Xia Qingyue, Hua Caili, and Qianye Ying'er was thick with tension—quiet, coiled, and suffocating.
Not a word was spoken aloud.
Yet the silence itself felt sharper than blades.
Xia Qingyue stood calm and composed, her expression unreadable beneath her veil, but her gaze… it lingered on Qianye Ying'er like moonlight turned to ice—chilling, unwavering, impossible to ignore.
Qianye Ying'er, to her credit, did not flinch.
She met that gaze with golden eyes that did not yield. But beneath her flawless exterior, her spiritual energy remained carefully guarded—drawn inward like a coiled serpent, one that knew any misstep might trigger something irreparable.
And beside them, Hua Caili watched.
Confusion flickered in her violet eyes as she looked from one woman to the other. She couldn't name it, but she felt it—something fierce and silent stretched between them.
Turning slightly, she tilted her head toward Yun Che, her voice slipping into his mind like a whisper carried by the breeze.
"Brother Yun… what's going on?" she asked gently.
"There seems to be… bad blood between the two?"
Yun Che didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained forward, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and helplessness.
And then he replied, not with words of wisdom or explanation, but with a weary smile transmitted quietly into her mind.
"…You could say that."
It was all he could offer.
Because bad blood didn't even begin to describe it.
Rumble...
Without warning, the skies above the Primordial Profound Ark trembled, not in violence, but with a deep resonance—as if the very world was shifting to make way for something sacred.
From the horizon, a figure streaked through the air, her aura pure yet pulsing with divine energy. It was Long Xi.
Her expression, as she descended, was unreadable—part shock, part confusion, part restrained emotion. And the moment her gaze fell upon Yun Che, her heart clenched.
He had returned.
But her mother… was nowhere to be seen.
She scanned the world with divine sense, searching for even the faintest flicker of the aura she longed for, but it was absent—completely and utterly absent.
Questions surged within her—why was he here alone? What had happened? Where was her mother? But as her feet touched the earth and her gaze swept across the scene before her—the tension between the women, the quiet, controlled conflict weighing down the air—she understood enough.
Now was not the time to ask.
Yun Che turned toward her, his expression softening. The sight of his daughter filled his chest with warmth. He gave her a gentle smile and nodded once, a silent promise passed between them.
Then he turned back.
His eyes settled on Xia Qingyue, the calm stillness on her face like a frozen sea.
"Qingyue… let me explain," Yun Che said at last, his voice calm but carrying the weight of too many untold truths. Whatever had passed between them—past lives, heartbreak, fate—he was ready now to speak it aloud.
But before another word could leave his lips—
"Your daughter must have missed you. Please, take the Goddess of the Abyss and accompany her for now," Qianye Ying'er spoke, her voice poised and unexpected.
Her tone was light, but her meaning was clear. She was giving him space... and the matter between her and Xia Qingyue... she will deal with it herself.
Yun Che had long told her of Yun Xi, the daughter born of a woman he once loved deeply. And now, with Long Xi's aura resonating so closely to his own, Qianye Ying'er had recognized her instantly—without needing to ask.
As much as Qianye Ying'er wanted to speak up—wanted to marvel aloud at the grace and beauty of Yun Che's daughter, and even more so, to indulge in a fleeting fantasy of the day she herself might bear a child equally radiant—she knew with absolute clarity that this was not the time for such thoughts, not in this moment where tensions still quietly simmered beneath the surface and where deeper matters were about to unfold. She had made her choice, resolved her role in all of this, and though her heart burned with silent longing and unspoken dreams, she understood where her attention needed to be.
The future she imagined could wait. Right now, this was her battlefield.
Yun Che, sensing that subtle shift in her expression, gave the smallest nod.
At last, he turned toward Hua Caili, and with a voice that carried only to her ears and heart, he spoke softly, "Please help me fortify the world"
Hua Caili, though still absorbing the unspoken emotions circling between the other two women, nodded calmly. Her divine sense expanded gently, weaving her aura into the world like a painter adding the lightest touches to an already-perfect canvas. She understood that this world was delicate, a sanctuary Yun Che had crafted with both precision and care.
With her focus now stabilizing the laws of the Ark with her Perfect True God power, Yun Che took her hand in his, his grip warm and assured—not commanding, but steady and comforting. Together, the two of them walked toward the figure who waited quietly nearby, her presence not loud, but unmistakable—their daughter, Yun Xi.
Though she said nothing, her eyes spoke volumes. There was longing, confusion, and restrained disappointment within them, the silent ache of a child who had hoped for something else—for someone else. She had expected her father to return with her mother by his side, to bring closure to the part of her soul that had been left open for so long. But as her gaze swept the group, as her divine sense quietly reached out across the world around her, she felt nothing that answered to the one she was waiting for.
Yun Che, though he had no answers to give her yet, offered her a gentle smile—loving, if slightly pained—and reached out to place his hand on her shoulder.
And just as he began to guide them away, Qianye Ying'er's voice reached his ears one last time, carried not on divine sense but spoken aloud, her tone quiet and composed, but filled with meaning deeper than the words themselves.
"Don't look. Everything will be fine."
Her words were more than reassurance—they were a signal, a quiet message not just to keep moving forward, but also a subtle reminder that she do not wish for Yun Che to see or hear whats about to happen.
Yun Che didn't respond aloud.
But as he turned away, he sighed inwardly, the weight in his chest heavier than before. There were things he could face, battles he could win, storms he could endure—but the winds that stirred between Xia Qingyue and Qianye Ying'er were not the kind he could control.
And so, guiding Hua Caili with one hand and placing the other protectively at Long Xi's back, Yun Che led them away—further from the gathering storm—bringing them to the distant edges of the Ark where silence reigned, where the flowers still bloomed undisturbed, and where they could speak freely as father, daughter, and companion without the tension that had settled over everything else.
As they departed, he carefully suppressed his aura, dimming his divine pressure so that nothing within the Ark would be disrupted, and with a soft voice, he reminded the others around him to do the same.
--------
"So… the Well of Samsara… it lies in the deepest part of the Endless Fog Sea?" Yun Xi's voice was quiet, almost a whisper carried by the breeze, as she lowered her gaze and slowly processed everything her father had just revealed. Her words were not laced with disbelief, but with solemn acceptance—as if her heart already knew the answer, but needed to hear it spoken aloud.
"Yes… and I intend to travel there. I will bring your mother back."
Yun Che's reply came without hesitation, yet behind the strength in his voice, there was a softness—an unmistakable pleading that echoed through every word, a desperate hope that she would understand, that she would wait for him just a little longer.
"Just give me a little more time..."
But even as he said it, he knew the words were hollow. He had said them before.
He had promised her before—that the next time he returned, he would not come alone. That he would return with Shen Xi at his side. That the long wait, the aching hope within his daughter's heart, would finally be answered.
But once again… he had broken that promise.
And the guilt weighed heavily on him.
"...."
Yun Xi remained silent for a long time, her expression unreadable, her thoughts buried behind the calm mask she had learned to wear. The silence stretched endlessly, filled with all the things she did not say—grief, disappointment, understanding, and something deeper still.
Then, at last, she asked the question that had taken root in her heart the moment he mentioned that place.
"Is it dangerous?"
Her voice was gentle, but it trembled faintly—just enough that Yun Che felt his breath catch in his throat. He didn't try to reassure her with empty words, didn't cloak the truth in false certainty.
"I don't know," he answered honestly, his voice low, heavy with the weight of a father who wished he could promise safety but had no such assurance to give. "No one—not even those who've lived in the Abyss for countless years—have truly reached the deepest depth of the Endless Fog Sea."
Another moment passed.
Then came her second question—so immediate, so piercing, it felt like a blade pressed gently to the heart.
"Will they be going with you?"
Her eyes remained steady, but Yun Che could feel what lay beneath the words. She was asking about the Gods. She was asking if he would be walking into the unknown alone again.
Hua Caili lowered her eyes, guilt clear in her expression, as she gave a small shake of her head.
And beside her, Yun Che mirrored that motion, unable to meet his daughter's gaze for a breath.
No matter how far the others could go, the true depth of the Endless Fog Sea—where the laws twisted, where space unraveled, where even Ancient True Gods could not freely tread—was a place only he could reach.
Yun Che, his body having long transformed to be compatible with the Abyssal Dust. While he had shared that transformation with a select few—allowing them to resist the corrosive might of the Endless Fog Sea—it had always been within limits. They were compatible, yes… but only to a certain extent.
Unlike himself—whose body bore the divine bloods, Creation God's Profound Vein and Divine Void Body of the Ancestral Goddess, whose existence was a vessel of perfect balance between law and chaos—those he had changed were not born of origin, but refined through intervention. He could grant them the ability to walk paths others could not, to endure regions no god had dared venture into for countless ages… but compatibility was not the same as mastery.
He could not gift them what he alone possessed.
And in the deepest reaches of the Endless Fog Sea, where the world no longer followed mortal rhythm, where time twisted and space fractured, where the Laws of Destruction, the Laws of Death, the Law of Reincarnation, and many others bled together into their purest, rawest essence—no amount of borrowed compatibility would be enough.
For when those laws reached a level of purity beyond balance, they would cease to acknowledge compromise. And in such a place, even a whisper of imperfection would be erased, for the laws did not bend.
They consumed.
And anything incompatible with their truth—living or divine—would eventually be reduced to nothing.
Yun Che bitterly shook his head, the motion subtle yet filled with sorrow he did not voice aloud.
Seeing that, Yun Xi simply nodded in silent understanding, then turned away and flew off into the distance. Her expression remained unreadable, her flight steady, her back straight—but something in her departure felt heavier than any words they had exchanged.
"Wait… Xi'er!" Yun Che called after her, his voice catching with emotion, his arm half-lifting as if he could still reach her—yet his plea sounded powerless against the wind.
But then, her voice echoed back, clear and unwavering across the vast sky.
"You haven't broken your promise… not yet. But next time—next time, you better come back with Mother!"
Yun Che froze.
The words struck his chest like a blade and a balm all at once. And for a moment, the wind around him felt still.
Then, suddenly, his eyes lit with fire as he lifted his head and called out with all the conviction in his heart.
"I will! That's my promise!"
His voice echoed across the open world, bold and unshaken.
And far ahead, her figure grew smaller and smaller, until she disappeared into the horizon—leaving only the sound of his promise lingering in the quiet air, hanging above the flower-strewn earth like the last light before twilight.
RUMBLEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Shortly after Yun Xi had vanished into the distant sky, the serene and dreamlike world of the Primordial Profound Ark suddenly trembled with terrifying force. The heavens split open without warning, clouds rolling chaotically in every direction like frightened beasts scattering before an unseen predator.
"AH!!!!" Hua Caili cried out, her voice rising in alarm as she instinctively extended her arms, releasing wave after wave of divine power into the world. Without hesitation, she poured her strength into reinforcing the already fortified space, layer upon layer of divine barriers forming like blooming lotuses across the heavens. Her divine sense, which had instinctively begun to reach out to identify the cause, was immediately severed as she dared not probe deeper into the storm.
Yun Che spun around, eyes narrowing as his instincts surged. He was on the verge of extending his divine sense, but in the instant before it left his body, Qianye Ying'er's earlier words echoed in his mind with undeniable weight.
"Don't look, everything will be okay."
It had been both a warning… and a plea.
Grinding his teeth, Yun Che forced himself to stop. He clenched his fists tightly as his heart thundered, yet he stood still, his divine sense restrained by will alone.
But even without extending it, he could still feel the force behind the eruption.
The pressure surging from that direction… it was on par with the Peak of the Mid-Stage Divine Limited Realm, a realm of power not easily reached by anyone in the Abyss.
And the owner of that terrifying aura—there was no mistaking it.
Xia Qingyue.
It had only been a few short months since Yun Che last parted with her, at a time when she had just barely broken through into the Divine Limited Realm. Back then, her aura was still new and unstable… and yet now, without question, her cultivation had reached the Third Level of the Divine Limited Realm, but her combat power had already surged far beyond it, touching the very peak of the mid-stage—bordering on the late-stage threshold.
It was an impossible growth—unthinkable for even the most monstrous prodigies of the Abyss.
And yet, here it was.
If not for the countless protective barriers Yun Che had personally laid, and if not for Hua Caili—whose strength as a Perfect True God allowed her to endlessly reinforce the world—they would have been torn apart from within by the violent surge alone.
Even with all the precautions taken, the world still trembled beneath their feet.
As the sky dimmed and the very air seemed to crackle with divine energy, Yun Che could only stare in the direction of the chaos, his heart growing heavier with each breath.
And though his lips remained shut, inwardly, he offered a silent prayer.
A prayer that whatever storm was raging between the two women he cared for… would not end in tragedy.
RUMBLEEEEEEEEE
BOOOOOOMMMMMMM
The tremors persisted for quite some time, the skies above continuously tearing open as though the very heavens were being split apart by an unseen storm of divine fury. Waves of chaotic energy rippled across the Primordial Profound Ark's world, making the reinforced land shudder and quake beneath their feet.
By this point, Pan Buwang had already sent several voice transmissions in growing alarm, each one more frantic than the last. Yet Yun Che, standing solemnly at the edge of the world he had forged, merely responded with quiet calm, telling him to let everything happen… it will end eventually. And eventually, it did.
Despite the oppressive tension that weighed on his chest, Yun Che truly did not believe that things would escalate to the point of life and death. He knew there was a painful, unresolved history between Xia Qingyue and Qianye Ying'er—one drenched in betrayal, blood, and heartbreak—but he also knew that Qianye Ying'er had told him, with unwavering conviction, that everything would be fine. Given her current cultivation as a Perfect True God, Yun Che chose to place his trust in her words.
And in time, the divine storm that raged within the secluded realm began to subside. The barriers that had sealed off the distant region trembled… then slowly parted like curtains at the end of a play.
Through the dissipating divine mist, a graceful silhouette stepped forward with ethereal calm—Xia Qingyue.
She emerged without a single wound upon her body. Her robes, unwrinkled. Her aura, pristine. There was not even the faintest ripple of exhaustion in her breath.
Yun Che's eyes widened at the sight, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he exhaled a deep, long sigh of relief. But just as that breath escaped him, a surge of bitterness and sorrow twisted within his chest, for the instant his divine sense extended past Xia Qingyue and reached the second figure… his heart sank.
Bruised. Bloodied. Battered in a way that chilled his soul to its very core.
"Slave Ying, what are you waiting for? Come over."
Xia Qingyue's voice was like ice—calm, commanding, laced with a frigid arrogance that chilled the air around her.
And then, through the veil of fading light, Qianye Ying'er stepped forward.
Her steps were slow, but unwavering. Blood stained her golden robes, deep cuts marred her flawless skin, and even her divine aura was dim and fractured. Yet despite all that, her spine remained straight, her gaze calm.
"Ah…!" Hua Caili gasped sharply, her voice trembling with alarm as her gaze fell upon Qianye Ying'er's condition. With her cultivation having long ascended to the level of a Perfect True God, it should have been impossible—utterly unthinkable—for someone beneath that realm, even a Peak Divine Limited Realm, to wound her in any meaningful way.
And yet, Qianye Ying'er stood there, bloodied and bruised, her once radiant presence dimmed beneath the weight of injury and humiliation.
There was only one explanation.
She had allowed it.
"Brother Yun Che… this…" Hua Caili's voice entered Yun Che's mind, filled with confusion and deep unease. The memory of Xia Qingyue calling Qianye Ying'er 'Slave' still echoed in her ears, making the whole situation even more disturbing. But her question remained unanswered, for Yun Che was staring at Qianye Ying'er in silence—his jaw clenched, his hands trembling at his sides.
Light profound energy surged within his palm as he instinctively stepped forward to heal her, his soul aching at the sight of her battered form.
But before he could reach her, Qianye Ying'er gently shook her head.
"This slave… apologizes for making Master wait."
With those words spoken in a quiet, composed voice, she lowered her head respectfully—not to Yun Che, but to Xia Qingyue—before slowly, silently walking to stand beside him.
Yun Che's heart twisted at the sight, yet seeing the quiet resolve in her eyes, he understood she would not permit healing. After a long breath, he withdrew his hand, the light in his palm dissipating with silent reluctance.
Turning toward Xia Qingyue, his eyes narrowed slightly as he asked with a low, steady voice, "Did you place a slave seal on her?"
Without hesitation, Xia Qingyue responded.
"No."
Yun Che's brow furrowed in confusion. "Then…?"
"We made an agreement," Xia Qingyue said calmly, her tone as composed and cold as ever. "Once the original agreed period during which she was to serve as a slave is fulfilled, I will regard everything between us—every grudge, every scar, every pain—as something of the past. That is what we decided."
She then added, with emphasis and finality, "But until that day comes, I ask you to refer to her by her proper title: Slave Ying."
Qianye Ying'er's body trembled ever so slightly. Whether from humiliation, guilt, or conviction—none could say. But in the end, she did not utter a word.
"???????"
Hua Caili's thoughts swirled in disarray, a fog of confusion clouding her mind as she tried to piece together the unseen history between Qianye Ying'er and Xia Qingyue. She had no part in their past, no understanding of the deep, tangled emotions that bound them—and yet, the storm of tension she had sensed earlier seemed to have settled. From Yun Che's expression, subtle but telling, it appeared that—somehow—things were alright now. Still, a part of her heart whispered that she would find the time, sooner or later, to ask Yun Che the truth behind everything.
As for Yun Che, the tempest in his soul—the raging tide of anxiety and anticipation—was finally beginning to calm.
It was over.
The knot that had long twisted within him, the fear that the two women he loved might never accept one another, had finally loosened. He knew… he knew very well that there were countless things hidden between Qianye Ying'er and Xia Qingyue. Words unsaid, emotions buried, pain swallowed in silence. But somehow… against all odds, this day had brought an end to that silent war.
All because of one truth—that both women, proud beyond measure, powerful beyond compare—loved him deeply enough to take a step back, to give way, to yield despite their pride, their hurt, and the towering weight of history between them. It was no longer about conquest. It was about a future—their future, together.
In a moment of peace hard-won, Yun Che stepped forward and wrapped his arms around both women. One to his right, one to his left, he pulled them close as the warmth of their bodies pressed against him—one cold and noble like the moon, the other intense and passionate like fire.
!!!!!!
Not to be left behind, Hua Caili suddenly surged forward, her delicate frame nestling between them as she buried her face into Yun Che's chest with an endearing pout. Her sudden boldness drew a surprised but affectionate smile from Yun Che, and he leaned down gently to place a soft kiss on her forehead.
And just as his lips brushed her skin, he felt it.
A terrifying, synchronized twist from both Xia Qingyue and Qianye Ying'er—one from each side.
Yun Che's body trembled.
"Ah..." he almost whimpered inwardly as he realized that his guts had just been mercilessly knotted into oblivion by two very jealous goddesses in perfect harmony.
"T-this... might be harder than I thought..." he laughed dryly in his mind, all while keeping his smile bright and serene for the women he loved.
Hua Caili slowly lifted her head, her soft eyes catching the gentle curve of Yun Che's smile. That small, unguarded smile—warm, genuine, and filled with the quiet relief of someone who had just emerged from a long, uncertain storm—stirred something deep within her chest. Without a word, she tightened her arms around him, pressing herself even closer, as if hoping to fuse her heartbeat with his.
And just like that, the embrace deepened. Qianye Ying'er and Xia Qingyue, despite everything, despite the pain they had carried, leaned closer too, their elegant forms enveloping Yun Che from both sides. In that single moment, surrounded by women whose beauty could overturn empires and whose strength could shake the heavens, Yun Che stood as if he were the rightful emperor of all creation—crowned not by jewels or gold, but by the love and loyalty of those who had chosen him above all else.
He looked like a man who held the entire world in his arms.
Of course, behind that majestic image was a truth far more painful—literally. Every few seconds, Yun Che's body would tremble ever so slightly, and the faintest wince would flicker across his face as his internal organs screamed in silent agony.
And yet, he endured it all with a smile. Perhaps this too was a kind of happiness.
Far off in the distance, quietly watching, stood Yun Xi. She had returned just long enough to catch sight of this scene, and her gaze lingered not with envy or sadness—but with amusement and silent resolve. Without uttering a sound, she committed every second of her father's joyous torment to memory—the glances, the embraces, the silent suffering hidden beneath his grin.
"When Mother returns…" she swore in her heart, her lips curling into a mischievous smile, "I'll make sure she sees all of this… and truly understands what kind of lecherous man she falls for!"
"Harder! Harder!!"Far in the distance, Pan Buwang's voice rang out with overwhelming satisfaction, echoing across the tranquil meadow in a rather… questionable tone.
"????"
Shenwu Qing froze in place, her fingers gently hovering above a cluster of delicate flowers she had been carefully gathering to study. Her brows furrowed in confusion as her gaze shifted toward the odd figure of Pan Buwang standing not too far away—his body tense, his fists clenched, and on his face… an expression of unexplainable bliss.
His smile was wide, too wide.
"Twist it harder!! Just like that—twist it! YES!!!! HARDER!!!!!"
"????"