Chapter 2158: Princess of the Dragons

Seeing his daughter's actions, Yun Che remained silent.

He did not call out to her.

He did not force his presence upon her.

But with Xia Qingyue's gentle push, he took a deep breath and began walking toward her.

—

The father and daughter moved through the serene world—

One walking forward without direction, as if she were simply wandering, with no destination in mind.

And one following silently, keeping his distance, unwilling to push past the fragile boundary between them.

Neither spoke.

Neither reached out.

Yet his presence lingered, a quiet yet persistent shadow.

—

From a distance, Xia Qingyue watched everything unfold.

She took in the sight of the two figures—so close, yet so impossibly far apart.

A quiet sigh left her lips.

She said nothing, offered no more words of encouragement.

Some wounds could not be healed with words alone.

With that thought, she settled herself on the grass, closing her eyes.

And as the gentle breeze brushed past her, she let her mind drift into meditation.

------------

"Father, have your injuries fully healed?"

In the vast Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range, the deep voice of Long Wangchu carried across the air, his gaze steady as he looked toward his father.

It had been nearly a year since his father's battle against the Dreamless Divine Regent—a battle that had left lasting wounds.

Outwardly, the Dragon Lord appeared unharmed, his towering presence unchanged, his aura as vast and boundless as ever.

But Long Wangchu knew the truth.

The Dreamless Divine Regent was a soul cultivator.

His soul attacks were devastating, their effects far more profound than physical wounds.

Even though his father was the Dragon Lord, standing at the Peak of the Divine Limited Realm, even though his physical body had healed long ago—

His soul had been gravely wounded.

And for nearly a year, he had been recovering in silence.

The Dragon Lord met his son's gaze.

A flicker of something passed through his golden dragon eyes, but his voice remained steady.

"I am finally fully healed, son."

—

Since the kidnapping of Meng Jianyuan, the entire Abyss had changed.

The Divine Kingdoms and the Ancestral Dragon Clan had all returned to their respective territories.

Each power had issued decrees, each had sent out forces to hunt down the Fog Monarch.

Yet—

Even with the entire Abyss searching for him, the Fog Monarch had never reappeared.

Not even once.

—

"Do you really have to go to the Endless Fog Sea?"

Long Wangchu's voice was steady, but the concern in his eyes was undeniable.

Of all places—why there?

—

The Dragon Lord let out a quiet sigh.

He was helpless in this matter.

"Yes."

His voice carried the weight of unshakable resolve.

He had no choice.

—

The relationship between the Dragon Clan and Meng Jianyuan had already been strained.

If he did nothing, the fragile ties between the Divine Kingdoms and the Dragon Clan would only worsen.

But more than that—

There was something else.

A calling deep inside his soul.

A force he could not ignore.

The slave seal—the one that bound him to his master—was stirring, screaming at him…

Telling him to find Yun Che.

Since the slave seal still remained inside his soul, there was only one undeniable truth—

Meng Jianyuan was still alive.

If his master had perished, the seal would have disappeared.

But it hadn't.

And as his slave, the Dragon Lord had no choice.

He had to find his master.

—

He had already made his decision.

He would gather all the elders of the Dragon Clan and lead them into the Fog Sea.

He wasn't sure if he would ever find the Fog Monarch.

He wasn't even sure if the journey would lead anywhere.

But one thing was certain—

He could no longer resist the pull of the slave seal.

—

"Let me go with you, Father."

Long Wangchu spoke firmly, his golden dragon eyes filled with determination as he gazed at his father.

But the Dragon Lord shook his head.

The depths of the Fog Sea were not a place suitable for him.

It wasn't just about strength.

It wasn't just about experience.

It was about the unknown horrors lurking within.

Even the strongest of Divine Limited Realm beings feared venturing too deep into that abyss.

Long Wangchu was not ready.

—

"Stay here."

His father's voice was final, his decision unshakable.

And so, Long Wangchu could only watch as the Dragon Lord and the elders of the Dragon Clan took to the skies, their figures disappearing into the vast distance.

------------

"The Dragons have moved, Father."

Meng Jianxi's voice was steady, yet beneath it lay an undercurrent of emotion.

Standing before Meng Kongchan, he delivered his report.

"Since they're so eager to head into the Endless Fog, it must be because of Brother Yuan's slave seal on the Dragon Lord."

—

His once handsome face was now marred with scars, a bitter testament to all he had endured.

His cultivation had fallen—from the fourth level of Divine Extinction to the third.

The cost of his failure.

The price of his weakness.

His body bore the marks of countless wounds, his very presence a reflection of the suffering he had endured since that day.

And yet—

His eyes had not lost their light.

Even with his fall, even with his wounds, his resolve remained unbroken.

—

Meng Kongchan's gaze darkened as he took in his son's words.

The moment he had lost Meng Jianyuan, he knew this day would come.

And now—it was here.

—

"Then we move too."

His voice was sharp, commanding.

"Prepare for departure as soon as possible!"

—

"Yes, Divine Regent!"

The gathered elders responded in unison, their voices filled with determination.

Yet, as they bowed and turned to leave, a somber air hung over them.

Their expressions carried not just duty, but grief.

Even as they moved to fulfill Meng Kongchan's orders, the pain of the past year weighed heavily upon them all.

—

Once the room was empty, once only father and son remained, Meng Kongchan slowly walked forward.

The divine might of a True God was gone.

What remained—was only a broken man.

—

"Today...

Today should have been Jianze's four-thousandth birthday."

—

His voice cracked, raw with pain and sorrow.

A single silver tear fell from his eyes as he looked at his remaining son.

—

"But instead… the Abyssal Dust…

It took him…

Why… why… WHY!!!"

—

The Divine Regent of the Dreamless Divine Kingdom, a being who had stood above countless others for millennia, now sobbed openly, his grief too overwhelming to contain.

—

"Father."

Meng Jianxi's voice trembled, his own eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Brother Jianze may be gone… but you still have me.

And Brother Yuan is still somewhere out there, waiting for our rescue.

Please… don't make this any harder than it already is."

—

His words, though strong, carried the weight of his own pain.

A pain only they could understand.

—

In that moment, they were not Divine Regent and Former Divine Son.

Not rulers of the Dreamless Divine Kingdom.

They were simply a father and son—

Trying to hold each other together in the face of unbearable loss.

Because of the explosion of power and Abyssal Dust that day, the corruption had invaded both Meng Jianxi and Meng Jianze's bodies.

The Gods were powerful—but they were not the Fog Monarch.

They could not control Abyssal Dust.

They could not stop its corrosion.

—

In the end, after making a painful decision, Meng Jianxi had destroyed a part of his profound veins—the portion that had been infected.

He had cut away his own future, but at least he survived.

But Meng Jianze…

He had always been weaker.

His cultivation was lower.

His protection was lesser.

And so, in the end—

The Abyssal Dust claimed his life.

—

The Dreamless Divine Regent had loved and hated many throughout his long life.

There were those who had betrayed him.

There were those he had wished to destroy.

But even if he combined all the hatred he had ever felt—

It could not compare.

Not even close.

To the hatred he now bore for the Fog Monarch.

-----------

"Big sister... I... I give up...!!!!"

A pained, trembling voice rang out across the training grounds.

The young woman's body was riddled with bloody scars—though none were life-threatening, the pain was undeniable.

She had fought with everything she had.

And yet—she had lost.

As someone at Level Five of the Divine Extinction Realm, she had cultivated for seven thousand years.

Her strength was acknowledged, her talent respected.

But today—

She had been defeated by her elder sister.

A woman only twenty-four years old.

A woman who had only reached Level One of the Divine Extinction Realm.

This was beyond reason.

It defied logic.

—

"....."

Silence filled the air.

At the side, various princes and princesses of the Heaven Breaker Divine Kingdom stood stiffly, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Cold sweat ran down their backs as they took in the scene before them.

What they had just witnessed should not have been possible.

—

"That's... enough, Caili."

Hua Qingying's voice finally broke the silence, calling out to her niece.

—

"Yes, Auntie."

Hua Caili's expression remained calm, as if the fight had meant nothing to her.

Slowly, she walked toward her fallen little sister and reached out her hand.

Without hesitation, she pulled her up.

"There a news from the Dreamweaver!" The voice of Hua Fuchen suddenly rang over as Hua Caili's eyes lit up.

-------------

In the midst of a vast field of flowers, where vibrant petals of every color swayed gently in the breeze, a solitary figure lay in quiet contemplation.

She breathed in the clean, untainted air, letting its purity wash over her.

At times, she would walk toward the nearby crystal-clear lake, gazing into its still waters, watching the way her reflection rippled in the surface.

Other times, she would wander through the orchard, plucking fresh fruit from the trees, tasting the sweetness that felt almost unreal in this secluded world.

It was peaceful.

Too peaceful.

—

Above her, high in the distant sky, Yun Che stood.

His arms were crossed, his gaze calm as he observed the figure below.

And finally—after what felt like an eternity—

He spoke.

—

"Enough, Xi'er."

His voice was firm, unwavering.

"You won't be able to break through my barrier."

As he said this, his gaze shifted—turning toward a particular spot in the sky.

A moment later, a second figure materialized.

—

She was the exact same woman who stood below.

And yet, she wasn't.

Even as she appeared high above in the sky, the version of herself below continued to move, following the same pattern she had set.

She wandered through the flower fields.

She looked at her reflection in the lake.

She plucked fruits from the trees and ate them.

An illusion?

No.

A projection of her existence.

—

"Let me out."

Her voice was quiet at first.

But her eyes—her expression—

It was filled with bitterness.

—

"Let me out!"

Long Xi finally voiced what she had been holding back all this time.

Half a year.

It had been half a year since she had been trapped in this place, kept inside this barrier, inside this world Yun Che had created.

And she hated it.

She wanted to leave.

She needed to leave.

There was something she had to do.

The final piece she needed to revive her mother was still out there.

And yet, she was stuck here.

Locked away.

Protected by the man she wanted nothing to do with.

She didn't need this "father."

She didn't need his protection.

She didn't want him!

Without replying to her, Yun Che slowly descended, his figure appearing beside the projection of Long Xi.

With a single wave of his hand—

The illusion shattered as Golden glow return to Long Xi.

—

He then gestured silently for the real Long Xi, still lingering in the sky, to come down.

She huffed, her lips twitching in frustration.

She wanted to ignore him, to rebel, but in the end—

She could only descend, landing next to her father.

—

Even though he was technically younger than her, having grown up in an entirely different world, he always made her feel as if she were dealing with an old man.

A man too experienced.

A man who always remained in control.

It was infuriating.

—

For the past several months, she had sensed his presence, following her from afar like a quiet shadow.

Yet, maybe because he had been able to see through her illusions, he had sealed this world with a barrier.

One she could not break through.

No matter how many times she tried, no matter how much she fought against it—

She could not escape.

And somehow, she even felt like it was getting stronger.

—

With an angry huff, she dropped down beside him, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Hmph!"

A childish sound, one she hadn't made in years.

—

The Abyssal Core that once marred her face had long since been removed.

Now, her face—

It was identical to Shen Xi's.

As beautiful as divine jade, as ethereal as a fairy from another world.

A face that could steal the breath of any man.

Yet—

When Yun Che looked at her…

He felt no admiration.

No pride in her beauty.

Only pain.

—

The scars on her face were gone.

But the rift between father and daughter—

That wound still remained.

And Yun Che…

He wanted to heal it.

--------

"Xi'er, can you tell me what happened to your mother?"

Yun Che's voice was calm, yet beneath its steadiness was a quiet urgency.

This was not the first time he had asked.

The first time, he had still been at the Divine Sovereign Realm, far weaker than he was now.

At that time, she had refused to answer him.

"Even if you knew, you wouldn't be able to do anything anyway."

And then—she had left.

But now—

Time had passed.

Things had changed.

He had proven himself to her.

He had shown her that his cultivation speed defied all reason, that his strength, while not yet absolute, was enough to stand tall in the world.

This time—she could no longer ignore him.

A long, long silence stretched between them.

For a moment, Yun Che thought she would refuse again.

But then—

Long Xi finally spoke.

—

"Around a hundred years ago… tens of years in God Realm time… my mother, who was pregnant with me, was injured by Long Bai."

—

Her voice was distant, carrying the weight of memories that had long been buried.

Her gaze softened, as if she could see the past unfolding before her eyes once more.

Yun Che said nothing, but his hands clenched at his sides.

His knuckles turned white.

The anger in his heart surged like a tidal wave, but he forced himself to remain still.

He needed to hear it all.

—

"Because of our dragon race's strength, I was conscious but yet born at the time."

Her words were quiet, but every syllable stabbed into Yun Che's heart like a blade.

"When my mother was injured, I was unconscious."

"And when I woke up…

I was already in this world."

Yun Che's breath stilled.

A storm of rage, sorrow, and regret swirled inside him, yet he forced himself to remain silent, waiting for her to continue.

But she did not.

—

"That's all?"

Yun Che's voice carried undisguised confusion as he looked at his daughter.

Something wasn't right.

The way she spoke—the hesitation, the shifting of her emotions—

She wasn't telling him everything.

—

"Promise to let me out of here if I tell you everything."

Long Xi's voice was steady, but there was a hardness to it.

—

Yun Che narrowed his eyes.

For a brief moment, silence stretched between them.

Then—

"...Yes."

A single word.

A single promise.

—

"When I regained consciousness…

Mother's body and soul were weak.

Weak to an extreme.

I remember… she told me she would need a long, long time to rest. To recuperate from what happened."**

—

Long Xi's voice was quiet, her golden dragon eyes flickering with emotions.

Yun Che's heart tightened.

His fists clenched even harder, but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

—

"She mentioned something… about a sword spirit…"

Her voice grew softer—

Then—she stopped.

A tremble ran through her frame, her fingers tightening into fists at her sides.

Her throat bobbed, as if she were about to say something she didn't want to say.

And then—

"No!"

Her voice broke.

Her entire body shook.

"Mother is still alive! She's still alive!"

Before she could finish her previous sentence, she had already changed her words.

Her eyes turned red, moisture gathering at the edges.

Tears threatened to fall, but she stubbornly held them back.

—

Yun Che felt as if his heart had been torn open.

A sword spirit?

Resting for a long time?

Long Xi's reaction?

The pieces slotted together in his mind.

—

His voice was hoarse, thick with a weight he did not want to carry.

"Where is Shen Xi… your mother… right now?"

Every word was spoken with difficulty, each syllable feeling like a blade against his throat.

—

He could already guess the truth.

Shen Xi had been injured.

But the one most injured…

Was Yun Xi.

His daughter—their daughter—who had not yet even been born.

To save her, Shen Xi must have used some secret technique, sacrificing her own life force to pull her daughter back from the brink of death.

And now—

She was paying the price.

—

But resting was not the same as being dead!

—

Yun Che's gaze sharpened, determination blazing within.

He would not accept this.

Not now.

Not ever.

—

He was no longer the man he once was.

He possessed the most powerful Light Profound Energy in existence.

And inside his soul sea…

Resided Li Suo—the very Goddess of Life!

With his power and hers combined—

They would bring Shen Xi back!

No matter what it took.

No matter what the cost.

"Mother… is resting at the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Sacred Ground. The Ancestral Dragon Tomb."

Long Xi's voice was firm, but the underlying emotions were undeniable.

"Now that you know where Mother is, let me out!"

—

Yun Che stared at her, processing the information she had just revealed.

Shen Xi was… in the Ancestral Dragon Tomb?

His mind raced, countless thoughts flashing through his consciousness, but Long Xi's impatient demand brought him back to the present.

"...Of course."

He lifted his hand, and the barrier surrounding the world parted.

Without a moment's hesitation, Long Xi burst forward, her power erupting as she shot toward the exit of the Profound Ark's world.

—

"ROARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!"

The moment she stepped outside—

She was immediately greeted by the dense, corrosive Abyss Dust, its burning sensation searing against her skin.

Her body trembled, reacting to the toxic energy eating away at her already depleted blood essence.

And then—

The Abyssal Beasts came.

Surrounding her from all directions, their eyes gleaming with primal hunger.

Yet…

Despite being so deep in the Endless Fog Sea, these beasts only have the cultivation of Divine Master with the strongest one at Late Stage Divine Master Realm cultivation.

It didn't make sense.

But Long Xi had no time to think.

—

"HAAAHH!!!!"

She erupted with power, profound energy surging as she threw herself into battle.

But—

Her blood essence was depleted.

Her profound circulation was weak.

And in this deep region of the Fog Sea, where even the strongest cultivators could barely exert a fraction of their true power, she found herself completely overwhelmed.

—

Her vision blurred.

Her body ached, battered and bruised.

Even with her pride and will, she could not stand against the endless onslaught.

And in the end—

She lost.

—

When she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was the familiar endless sky of Yun Che's sealed world.

The first thing she felt—was the undeniable softness of the bed beneath her.

And she immediately knew—

She was back inside the world within the Profound Ark.

Again.