Chapter 2157: Shaken Abyss!
Soon, an earth-shattering piece of news erupted, roaring through the Abyss like a divine decree.
It did not spread through whispers.
It did not pass through rumors.
It was declared by the Pure Land itself.
—
The entire Abyss trembled.
No matter who they were— Divine Kings, Sovereigns, or mortals—no one was spared from the shock.
Even those who stood at the very peak of power, those who had witnessed countless cataclysms and legendary battles, could not remain unaffected.
Because this was not just any news.
—
It was an absolute humiliation.
—
Every being in the Abyss knew of the Pure Land Meeting—the gathering of the Abyss' strongest Gods, a sacred event where the mightiest Divine Kingdoms and the Ancestral Dragon Clan showcased their power and talents.
The details of what happened within the Pure Land were always elusive, kept secret from the common masses.
But one thing was known.
Every single person who stepped into the Pure Land was among the most important figures in the Abyss.
And yet…
Under their very noses—
Under the watch of the strongest beings in the Abyss—
This happened?!!
—
The announcement rang like heavenly thunder, shattering the pride of all those who believed the Pure Land was untouchable.
The Divine Son, Meng Jianyuan.
The Divine Daughter, Shen Wuyi.
Kidnapped.
By the Fog Monarch.
—
Right in the heart of the Pure Land.
Right in front of the most powerful beings in the Abyss.
The news sent shockwaves across every corner of existence.
The entire Abyss shook to its very core!
Soon, more shocking news spread from the Pure Land—the Gods had declared an official hunt for the Fog Monarch.
The rewards promised were beyond anything ever offered before, enough to drive even the weakest cultivators into a frenzy.
Anyone who could locate the Fog Monarch's trace would be rewarded greatly. Even those who merely provided information would be granted the right to live in a Divine Kingdom—a privilege that countless beings had dreamed of but never dared to hope for.
But that was only the beginning.
If someone provided information that led to the actual discovery of the Fog Monarch, their entire family would be granted permanent residence in a Divine Kingdom—a reward so great that even powerful sects and clans were shaken.
—
The moment the decree spread, the Abyss descended into madness.
For countless eons, the Divine Kingdoms had been untouchable, their lands unreachable to anyone outside of the most powerful clans and ancient bloodlines. Now, a mere piece of information could grant what generations of families had fought and died for.
The weak saw hope.
The ambitious saw opportunity.
And the greedy saw a path to the heavens.
Chaos erupted.
—
Yet not everyone rushed blindly.
Among the countless cultivators who prepared to set off in search of the Fog Monarch, there were those who hesitated.
They understood the truth.
The Fog Monarch had done the impossible.
He had infiltrated the Pure Land, the most sacred and secure domain in all the Abyss, right under the watch of the Gods. He had taken Meng Jianyuan and Shen Wuyi without leaving a single trace behind.
If even the True Gods could not stop him—what could mere mortals hope to do?
—
Still, greed overpowered reason.
Cultivators in the millions poured into the Fog Sea, each one hoping to change their fate.
Most never returned.
Some were devoured by Abyssal Beasts, their bodies torn apart in an instant.
Others succumbed to the Abyssal Dust, their bodies and souls corroded until nothing remained.
And then there were those who suffered the worst fate of all—
They became Abyssal Ghosts themselves.
—
Despite the countless deaths, the hunt did not stop.
The outer regions of the Fog Sea soon became a war zone.
Powerful cultivators of the Divine Extinction Realm staked their claim, setting up encampments and forming temporary alliances, each hoping to be the one to find the first trace of the Fog Monarch.
It had become a battlefield.
------------------
Deep within the Endless Fog Sea, where even Divine Limited Realm cultivators would hesitate to tread, three figures moved through the boundless abyss, pressing ever deeper into the forbidden depths.
A beast, its presence alone enough to shake the world, carried a heavy air of silent vigilance.
A man, his face as flawless as fine jade, exuded a noble yet weary grace.
A woman, her ethereal beauty so breathtaking that a single glance could steal the soul, carried an air of quiet determination.
—
But no matter how striking they appeared, their handsomeness and beauty could not mask the truth.
They were wounded.
Terribly wounded.
Their once majestic auras had weakened to a terrifying degree, their profound energy unstable, their bodies riddled with injuries both inside and out.
Yet still—
They pressed forward.
No hesitation. No retreat.
Because they had no choice.
For now—they could not afford to reveal themselves to the world.
And so, through the endless gray-yellow abyss, beneath the weight of the suffocating fog, they disappeared deeper into the unknown.
When Mo Su attacked the Qilin God, even though the attack wasn't directly aimed at them, the sheer force of his divine might still inflicted serious injuries on all three of them—especially Xia Qingyue.
Even though Yun Che had immediately activated the teleportation stone in his hand the moment the world believed he had been kidnapped, it had almost been too late.
Too close.
For the first time, he truly felt the horror of facing the Gods.
Their speed. Their reaction time. Their absolute suppression over all things.
For a brief moment, his entire plan had teetered on the edge of collapse.
Had he been even a fraction of a second slower, everything would have fallen apart.
—
The Qilin God, despite its terrifying resilience, had been on the verge of complete annihilation.
Had it been any other entity, even one of similar power, it would have ceased to exist under Mo Su's overwhelming divine force.
But the Qilin God was different.
Its entire body was composed of Abyssal Dust.
And here—within the Endless Fog Sea, where Abyssal Dust was at its densest—it was able to reform itself.
Even so, its injuries had been severe. Had they been anywhere else, even the Qilin God might not have survived.
Still, of the three, it was the first to fully recover, thanks to the overwhelming presence of dense Abyssal Dust in this forsaken land.
—
If Xia Qingyue's identity had never been exposed, Yun Che would have never been forced into this desperate plan.
It had been risky. Too risky.
But now, as he gazed at the woman in front of him—silent, withdrawn, her injuries weighing heavily upon her—
He had already made a vow deep within his heart.
He would never let her be hurt again.
No matter what.
—
Their figures slowly disappeared, sinking deeper and deeper into the gray abyss of the Endless Fog Sea.
The Abyssal Dust here was so thick that even a cultivator at the Mid-Stages Divine Limited Realm would fear stepping into it.
Here, profound energy suppression was so extreme that even the strongest cultivators would struggle to unleash ten percent of their true strength.
Here, Divine Limited Realm Beasts roamed freely, dominating the abyss like nightmare predators.
Yet—
None dared to approach.
Because the Qilin God was with them.
One of the strongest beings within the Endless Fog Sea.
And in its presence—anything that dared to draw near would be torn to nothing.
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"ROARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!"
A terrifying, bone-shaking roar thundered through the depths of the Endless Fog Sea, sending shockwaves rippling through the abyss of gray-yellow dust.
A monstrous Abyssal Beast, its body so colossal that it seemed to blot out the sky, descended upon the trio like a calamity.
It was a creature that had reached the Second Level of the Divine Limited Realm—an entity so powerful that even the strongest elites of the Abyss would hesitate before facing it.
Its form ripped through space itself, its massive body carving apart the swirling Abyssal Dust like a predator lunging for the kill.
—
It had sensed something.
Life.
An anomaly in the land of destruction.
To it—life had no place here.
To it—all things living must be turned to nothingness.
And so, it had come.
Driven by the very nature of its being—to destroy.
—
Yet—
Before it could even release its destructive might…
Its mind was stripped away.
Its roaring fury faded into eerie silence.
Its titanic form trembled.
And then—
It knelt.
A monster of supreme destruction, an existence that should have been an unstoppable nightmare—now lay prostrate before the trio, motionless, awaiting its master's will.
—
This had happened before.
Many times.
Again and again, Abyssal Beasts of terrifying power had come seeking to devour them—only to have their will shattered before they could even make a move.
Because now—Yun Che was different.
—
Since stepping into the Fog Sea, his cultivation had risen at an unnatural rate.
His had now reached Divine Master Level Seven, Peak of Level Seven!
And with it—his ability to control Abyssal Dust had ascended to a whole new level.
Now, he could dominate the minds of Abyssal Beasts up to the early stages of the Divine Limited Realm.
And for those who exceeded his control…
They never even got close.
Because of the Qilin God.
Any beast that approached beyond his threshold was annihilated instantly, reduced to nothing before it could even attempt to attack.
—
Xia Qingyue stood in silence, watching the scene unfold yet again.
No matter how many times she had seen it…
No matter how much she had already come to expect it…
It still shook her.
—
"Your ability to control Abyssal Dust is truly… beyond divine."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of something indescribable.
There was no arrogance, no skepticism, no pride.
Only awe.
Even for someone as composed and intelligent as her, it was impossible to fully grasp the scope of what she was witnessing.
—
A power that should not exist.
A power that not even the Abyssal Monarch could control.
And yet—Yun Che wielded it as if it was his birthright.
Even though she could control Abyssal Dust as well, her ability was limited—barely a fingertip's worth, at best enough to manipulate the dust within a small room-sized space.
Yet Yun Che—
He could control entire landscapes.
He could bend the very world of the Abyssal Dust to his will.
—
Half a year had passed since their "kidnapped" from the Pure Land.
In that time, Yun Che's cultivation had skyrocketed.
Not long ago, he had broken through the seventh level of Divine Master, and now—he was already on the verge of stepping into the eighth.
His progress was nothing short of monstrous.
In this place—**the Endless Fog Sea—**his growth was limitless.
Because he could do what no one else could.
He could convert Abyssal Dust into pure profound energy, absorbing it directly to advance his cultivation.
For others, this place was a graveyard of corrosion and death.
For him, it was a heaven of limitless power.
—
As another Abyssal Beast knelt before him, subdued by his overwhelming control, Yun Che casually extended his hand.
Without resistance, the beast opened its core, revealing an Abyssal Stone embedded deep within.
—
"This one has a 'Divine Jade of Revelation' as well. Here."
With a flick of his wrist, Yun Che withdrew the jade, inspecting it briefly before handing it to Xia Qingyue.
—
She accepted it with quiet grace.
"Thank you."
Her voice was calm, yet beneath it lay an emotion she could no longer suppress.
A single thank you was not enough to convey the depth of her thoughts.
Because in these past six months, she had seen things that defied all logic.
She had witnessed too many impossibilities.
She had watched Yun Che overturn everything the Abyssal world believed to be absolute.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Not only had the man before her shown her his memories, proving that his claims were true, but he had also revealed all of his hidden powers to her.
Controlling Abyssal Dust was only one of them.
Absorbing Abyssal Dust as profound energy to advance his cultivation was another.
And then there was his ability to see through the bodies of Abyssal Beasts, instantly discerning which ones contained Divine Stones within them.
—
Each time Yun Che revealed more of himself to her—
Each time he shared their memories together—
Something within her stirred.
The sleeping fragments of her past—the memories that had long been buried—slowly surfaced.
Scenes of their time together flickered into her mind, vivid yet distant, like reflections on rippling water.
The name she once hesitated to believe in—
She finally accepted it.
She was Xia Qingyue.
She was his wife.
Yet even as more memories returned, others remained shrouded in mist, still too faint to grasp.
And somewhere deep inside, she could feel it.
Yun Che was hiding something.
He had only shown her the happy moments—the times they had shared warmth, love, and tenderness.
But what about the rest?
What about the pain?
What about the sorrow?
What about the truth he refused to show her?
Yet still—
With the Heart of Glazed Glass, she could see through him in ways no one else could.
And she trusted him.
No matter what he was hiding, no matter what he had chosen not to reveal—she trusted him.
—
"What's there to thank between husband and wife?"
Yun Che grumbled, his tone gruff and annoyed, but the warmth in his voice betrayed his true feelings.
"I'll stand guard. You can break through using these stones."
As if handing her one Divine Jade of Revelation wasn't already enough, Yun Che suddenly pulled out even more stones.
Each one shimmered in different colors, yet every single one of them radiated a power no less than the Divine Jade of Revelation itself.
—
Xia Qingyue's gaze flickered as she took in the sight of the precious stones.
Before she could even process the sheer value of what he was offering—
She shook her head.
—
"Keep it for yourself. You'll need it."
Her voice was calm but firm, a quiet refusal that held no room for argument.
She had long come to understand her position.
Here, in the Abyss, they were outsiders.
No matter how hidden they remained, no matter how deep they went into the Fog Sea, the moment they were discovered, the moment Yun Che true identity were reveals—they would be enemies of the entire Abyss.
And Yun Che…
Her husband.
The man who claimed to be the Emperor of the Eternal Pure Land—the God Realm as he called it.
For someone like him, someone who carried the weight of an entire world on his shoulders, he had far greater need for these resources than she did.
She would not—could not—take something that could be vital to his survival.
—
Seeing her rejection, Yun Che paused for a brief moment.
Then, without another word, he quietly put them away.
His expression did not change, but in the depths of his eyes, there was a hint of understanding—
And perhaps, a touch of helplessness.
"How's Long Xi?"
Xia Qingyue's voice cut through the silence, drawing Yun Che's attention.
It was a simple question, yet one that carried layers of meaning.
Three months had passed since Long Xi awoke.
After escaping the Pure Land, Yun Che had revealed to her that he had also taken his daughter when staging his own kidnapping.
But ever since then…
Something between father and daughter had remained distant.
—
Long Xi wanted nothing to do with Yun Che.
It wasn't open hostility—but rather, an unspoken rejection.
And the distance between them only grew.
—
After learning that Yun Che possessed a profound treasure capable of housing an independent world, Long Xi chose to reside there, isolating herself from him as much as possible.
Even when Yun Che entered that space, her interactions with him remained cold and distant.
—
"Xi'er has recovered from all her injuries."
His words were calm, but there was a weight in them.
He hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.
"But… because she lost most of her Blood Essence, her cultivation speed will be greatly affected.
His heart felt heavy as he spoke.
Even if she resented him—he was still her father.
Even if she wanted nothing to do with him—he still wanted to be a father to her.
But what could he do, when she refused to even acknowledge him?
—
Xia Qingyue watched him quietly.
She could see the subtle change in his mood, the way his expression darkened just slightly, the way his gaze carried an unfamiliar trace of helplessness.
She had never seen Yun Che like this before.
"She'll open up to you one day."
Her voice was softer, gentler, carrying a warmth that even she did not understand.
Perhaps it was because of the memories Yun Che had shown her.
Perhaps it was because of their supposed husband-and-wife relationship.
Or perhaps… it was something deeper—something she could not yet grasp.
—
Xia Qingyue had changed in these past six months.
She had become warmer toward Yun Che.
Her heart felt less guarded, her words flowed more naturally.
And yet—there was a contradiction inside her.
Something she could not put into words.
Because somewhere deep in her soul, something told her she shouldn't be like this.
She should be cold. She should be distant.
But why?
If her heart claimed it loved him…
Shouldn't she be warm? Shouldn't she be open?
Why did it feel like something was missing?
Like a part of her was lost in the mist of her memories…
-----------
Inside a vast world untouched by corruption, where lush trees swayed in the gentle wind and vibrant flowers bloomed under a sky free of Abyssal Dust, a solitary figure walked forward in silence.
This place—a world within a Profound Ark—was unlike anything else in the Abyss.
Here, the sky was clear, the air was calm, and the land was peaceful.
No suffocating Abyssal Dust.
No endless decay.
No reminders of the world outside.
For the past three months, she had lived here, separated from everything beyond these borders.
It was a world of tranquility, just like the Pure Land.
Yet, to her—it was nothing more than a prison.
—
Suddenly, she stopped.
A shift in the air.
A familiar presence.
Her gaze slowly lifted, eyes cold and unreadable as she turned toward the distant sky.
Even without seeing, even without sensing directly—she knew.
Her father was here.
For a brief moment, a flicker of something crossed her eyes—
But just as quickly, it was gone.
Without a word, she turned away.
And then—
She quietly walked in the opposite direction.