novel against the - Chapter 2073

Chapter 2073: Bitter Separation

Huanghuāng.¹

Hua Fuchen² didn’t say another word, leaving directly, leaving Hua Cai Li filled with anxiety and fear.

“Yun Gege³, are you… really going to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom?” She looked at Yun Che, her eyes full of worry and fear. Shaking her head as she spoke, she continued, “No, no. The Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom is an extremely dangerous place. The people there are incredibly skilled in soul power; they can easily trap you in illusions. You can’t… you can’t go there.”

“I’ll go find my aunt; there must still be a way.”

Hua Cai Li was about to turn around when Yun Che gently pulled her back. “Cai Li, I already promised your father supreme-ruler, and I can’t go back on my word.”

“But…” Hua Cai Li’s eyes shimmered, like a dissipating mist. She, who could frolic freely in the Pure Land, would never have associated the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom with the word “terrible” before. But thinking of Yun Che having to go alone and establish himself there for five years, all her previous perceptions of the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom were suddenly shrouded in a terrifying gloom.

Yun Che shook his head, his face devoid of any worry. “Actually, the trial your father supreme-ruler gave me far exceeded my expectations. Given his status, position, and standpoint, even if he gave me a trial a hundred times more difficult than this, it would still be reasonable.”

“Cai Li, do you remember what I told you before?” Yun Che raised his hand, gently cupping the girl’s cheek. “The things your father supreme-ruler needs to weigh and bear are far heavier than ours. Besides your feelings for me, I have nothing, I rely on nothing. Yet your father supreme-ruler has conceded to this extent for us… This is a blessing I wouldn’t have dared to dream of before entering the Zhetian Divine Kingdom.”

“Five years. What your father supreme-ruler wants to test is whether our feelings will gradually cool down over time if we are not together; he also wants to test whether I have the ability to establish myself, even carve out my own territory, in a supreme kingdom without any help.

“This trial is incredibly merciful to me, because this is the proof I must provide. Otherwise… if I don’t even have this ability, how could I be worthy of my Cai Li, the Divine Maiden?”

Hua Cai Li shook her head. “I don’t need any proof from you, as long as you’re safe, anything is fine…”

“But I do,” Yun Che said softly. “I will never allow my Cai Li to be ridiculed by others because of me.”

Hua Cai Li blinked, as if to herself, as if confiding, “I knew… you would say that.”

“Five years is long and short, and quite subtle.”

“Sub…tle?” Hua Cai Li murmured.

Yun Che smiled slightly. “Remember you mentioned before that in three years, it will be the time for the Six Divine Kingdoms and the Dragon Clan to go to the Pure Land to pay their respects to the Yuanhuang⁴. Your father supreme-ruler wants us to separate temporarily before then to avoid potential risks. After all, if we stay together for three years, no matter how well we hide it, people will eventually notice. At that time, pressure from the Pure Land and Senluo⁵, as well as from within the Zhetian Divine Kingdom, will come crashing down. Even if your father supreme-ruler is powerful, he will find it difficult to cope. The pressure at the Pure Land gathering will be unimaginable.”

“My time in the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom is a test for us, but also a protection for us. I believe that your father supreme-ruler, who loves you more than life itself, also needs these years to buffer, consider, weigh, and prepare, so that he can find the most perfect solution.”

“There’s one more thing. You once said that the Dreamless Divine Venerable and the Jue Luo Divine Venerable are your father supreme-ruler’s best friends. Your father supreme-ruler specifically sent me to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom, perhaps… he’s also planning for our future.”

Hua Cai Li stared at him痴痴地, the anxiety and mist in her eyes slowly melting away.

“Okay…” She stepped forward, tightly hugging Yun Che. Her arms poured with all her strength, as if she couldn’t bear to not meld into his body. “Five years… I’ll wait for you. You must… no, you will, like before, complete the trial tenfold, a hundredfold. You will be safe and sound… you will definitely become better…”

Her voice gradually turned into a sob, until she couldn’t utter another word, only her shoulders shaking more and more violently.

Their words fell without omission into the ears of Hua Xin Divine Venerable⁶, who was leaving.

“This kid…” Fu Chen murmured softly, a momentary haziness appearing in his eyes, which shone with supreme light.

“You sent him to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom, is it so that the people there will use the Falling Dream⁷ technique on him?”

Hua Qing Ying’s⁸ voice suddenly rang out, and then her figure slowly appeared.

“Yes.” Hua Fu Chen readily admitted. “No matter what, I must confirm his sincerity towards Cai Li, otherwise… how could he be worthy of my concessions?”

Hua Qing Ying frowned slightly. “How he treats Cai Li, I witnessed it all. Don’t you think Yun Che can hide his deception under my supreme sense?”

“Qing Ying, you are the person I trust most in this world, how could I not believe you?” Hua Fu Chen sighed softly. “But, I cannot completely trust people’s hearts.”

Hua Qing Ying’s expression remained unchanged. “You want to confirm his sincerity towards Cai Li, I have no objections. But once the Falling Dream technique is used, all secrets will be exposed. The strangeness about him… especially that ‘master’ he mentioned, is likely to be something that could shock the world…”

“Rest assured.” Hua Fu Chen smiled slightly. “Meng Kong Chan⁹ will personally investigate; it won’t be left to others.”

Hua Qing Ying’s expression visibly relaxed, and she didn’t say anything more.

Three days passed in a flash.

A small Xuanzhou¹⁰ hovered in front of Yun Che, emitting a not-so-strong aura.

“Father supreme-ruler,” Hua Cai Li held Yun Che’s hand tightly, each finger intertwined with his. “At least… let me send Yun Gege to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom.”

Her eyes were filled with tears, her appearance both well-behaved and pleading. Hua Fu Chen turned his face away, his tone harsh. “No!”

In the Zhetian Divine Kingdom, he could still fully control things. But if the two of them went to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom together… there would be too much chance of exposure.

“Father supreme-ruler, Yun Gege has never been to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom, he doesn’t know the exact location. This Xuanzhou needs to be controlled with sword energy, Yun Gege will definitely not be able to control it, it’s too easy to have accidents along the way… Father supreme-ruler, I promise I’ll send Yun Gege to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom and come back immediately, not a moment’s delay, okay?”

Hua Fu Chen still turned his face away, not wanting… or perhaps not daring to meet his daughter’s overly pitiful gaze.

“Cai Li’s words are not unreasonable.” Hua Qing Ying spoke. “This journey, I will send Yun Che there.”

“Thank you, Aunt!” Hua Cai Li was overjoyed, nodding vigorously. “Yes! Thank you, Aunt!”

“Hmph!” Hua Fu Chen snorted, but didn’t object.

With Hua Qing Ying escorting him, Hua Cai Li felt slightly relieved. She looked at Yun Che, his entire face reflected in her starry eyes. Although everything about him was already deeply engraved in her soul, she still gazed at him lovingly, unwilling to let her gaze wander even for a moment:

“Yun Gege, remember what I said these days. Once you arrive at the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom, don’t get into any disputes, don’t do anything dangerous, you must, must protect yourself…”

“That ‘carving out a territory’ thing is really not important at all. You must always remember that your safety is more important than anything else…”

“Don’t go near the Dream Whispering Creek, don’t go near that place called ‘Sinking Dream Valley’, don’t look into those people’s eyes for too long…”

“If possible, it’s best… best to find a cultivation boundary, and then cultivate inside for five years, don’t go anywhere, don’t contact anyone…”

“…I…”

“Okay, okay, I remember everything.” Yun Che listened carefully to her repeatedly emphasized words. “Now I’m not just carrying my own destiny, but our future, so I will definitely, definitely protect myself well. I promise you, when I return to your side after five years, not a single hair will be missing.”

Hua Fu Chen covered his face. “A mere five years, yet it’s made to seem like a parting of life and death.”

Hua Qing Ying said, “Five years is just a fleeting moment for us, but although Cai Li was born ten thousand years ago, she has only truly lived for less than twenty years. Plus, her feelings for Yun Che are at their most intense, so five years will naturally be incredibly long and difficult for her.”

“Sigh.” Hua Fu Chen shook his head. “You’ll spoil her sooner or later.”

In Yun Che’s hand, there was a small orb, inside which countless purple light stars floated, like purple butterflies freely flying in the night. “Five years, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days. Inside, I’ve carved one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five soul butterflies. Each one is imprinted with my words to you. When you miss me, release a soul butterfly; it will carry my voice and my feelings, replacing me to be by your side.”

He picked up the Longevity Pearl¹¹ Hua Cai Li had given him, his fingers lightly touching the soul light belonging to Hua Cai Li on it. “With this, I can touch your soul at any time, just like you are by my side every moment. So, although five years is long, I will not be lonely. If at any moment, you feel a little warmth in your soul, it must be me missing my Cai…”

“~!@#¥%…” Hua Fu Chen tightened his five fingers, wishing he could gouge out his own features.

How could such shameful words come out of that mouth!

And to his daughter!!

“It’s time, go quickly!!” Hua Fu Chen, unable to bear it any longer, suddenly waved his hand, losing his composure and roaring.

Hua Qing Ying’s figure flickered, already appearing on the Xuanzhou. Then, with a wave of her hand, Yun Che was lifted by a gentle breeze and landed on the Xuanzhou.

“Let’s go.”

With two short words, sword energy surged, and the Xuanzhou soared into the air. Hua Qing Ying knew that if she didn’t act decisively, Hua Cai Li’s tightly clinging hand might not let go until tomorrow.

“Yun Gege!!!”

In an instant, the Xuanzhou was already far away, but the girl’s cries continued to come:

“Yun Gege… you must protect yourself…”

“You can’t forget to miss me… not even for a day…”

“I’ll be here waiting obediently, I won’t go anywhere…”

“I won’t get close to any man… I won’t call anyone Gege again…”

“Yun Gege… remember your words… our future…”

The girl’s voice grew fainter and fainter, with increasingly uncontrolled sobs.

“…At the moment the voice completely disappeared, Yun Che finally looked back.

It was only for a moment, then he forcefully turned his gaze away.

Bang!

Hua Cai Li’s body, chasing after him, heavily collided with the boundary. She fell to the ground, but didn’t get up, instead staring blankly at the small Xuanzhou as it slowly, completely disappeared from sight.

Her world seemed to be empty all at once.

Her fingers could no longer touch Yun Che’s figure; her laughter, her complaints, no longer had those ever-warm bright eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, she slowly got up, biting her lip, trying not to let out a sob, but the mist in her eyes could not be dispelled no matter what.

Hua Fu Chen watched silently, his heart filled with countless complex emotions.

At this time, Hua Cai Li turned around and faced him.

Her snow-white face was stained with tears, her eyes misty, her sorrow enough to shatter the souls of ten thousand beings.

Only her beautiful eyes had lost too much color, as if the countless stars originally contained in her eyes had all gone with Yun Che’s figure.

“Father supreme-ruler.” She spoke, her voice hoarse. “I want to enter the Seven Star Zhetian Array¹²!”

The short sentence sent a shock through Hua Fu Chen’s heart.

Because he clearly felt a determination he had never seen in Hua Cai Li before.

Looking into his daughter’s eyes, he slowly spoke. “Once you enter the Seven Star Zhetian Array, if you cannot pass the tests of all seven Sword Venerables, you will never be able to get out… Have you really thought it through?”

The Zhetian Seven Sword Venerables, each upholding seven ultimate sword paths.

Hua Cai Li’s lips moved slightly, her voice like a dream. “Yun Gege is not a rootless duckweed, he is a brilliant light of the world, free and outstanding. Yet for me, he returned to the Zhetian Divine Kingdom with me, and for me, he went alone to a completely unfamiliar and distant place.”

“Our future shouldn’t be borne by him alone.”

Hua Fu Chen nodded very slowly, his lips lightly uttering the words that agreed to this cruel decision. “Good.”

“He actually did as you said… sent you to the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom.” Li Suo¹³ murmured.

When Hua Fu Chen proposed the final test, although Hua Cai Li reacted the most, it was more a worry about Yun Che’s safety and fear of separation. The most shocked was undoubtedly Li Suo.

“Could it be that you thought my words before were nonsense?” Yun Che said.

Li Suo whispered, “I was somewhat… quite surprised, I couldn’t understand how you could predict Hua Fu Chen’s decision so accurately so early on.”

Yun Che narrowed his eyes. “To be honest, everything went much smoother than I expected.”

“Li Suo, have you noticed something? Although the people of the supreme kingdoms have a much higher level of power than those in the supreme-ruler Realm, they seem to be… ” Yun Che pondered for a moment, then used that slightly strange word, “…simpler.”

“Simpler?” Li Suo repeated softly, only showing incomprehension.

“Let me put it another way.” Yun Che said. “If Cai Li’s father were someone like Xing Jue Kong¹⁴ and Qian Ye Fan Tian¹⁵, do you think the difficulty of my approach would be several times higher?”

“Oh!” As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Che reacted. “When you ‘fell’ into my hands, Xing Jue Kong was already crippled, and Qian Ye Fan Tian was already dead, you weren’t really familiar with them.”

**Translation Notes:**

1. **Huanghuāng (惶惶):** A reduplicated word expressing extreme anxiety, fear, and trepidation.

2. **Hua Fuchen (画浮沉):** A proper name, likely a title or designation. The name itself suggests someone who experiences the ups and downs of life.

3. **Yun Gege (云哥哥):** A term of endearment. “Gege” is used to address an older brother, but in this context, it’s a term of affection used by Hua Cai Li for Yun Che.

4. **Yuanhuang (渊皇):** A title suggesting a powerful ruler or emperor, likely of the Pure Land.

5. **Senluo (森罗):** This likely refers to a powerful entity or realm, possibly a rival power to the Pure Land or Zhetian Divine Kingdom. More context is needed for a precise definition.

6. **Hua Xin Divine Venerable (画心神尊):** A proper name and title, likely a high-ranking figure in the Zhetian Divine Kingdom.

7. **Falling Dream (坠梦):** A technique or ability to induce illusions or manipulate someone’s dreams, likely a powerful skill in the Weaving Dreams Divine Kingdom.

8. **Hua Qing Ying (画清影):** A proper name, likely a relative or close associate of Hua Fu Chen.

9. **Meng Kong Chan (梦空蝉):** A proper name, likely a skilled individual capable of discerning truth from falsehood, perhaps through dream manipulation or other means.

10. **Xuanzhou (玄舟):** A type of magical flying vessel or boat.

11. **Longevity Pearl (长命珠):** A magical artifact, likely imbued with spiritual energy or possessing protective properties.

12. **Seven Star Zhetian Array (七星折天阵):** A powerful and dangerous array or formation, likely requiring significant skill and strength to overcome.

13. **Li Suo (黎娑):** A proper name, likely a close confidante or advisor to Yun Che.

14. **Xing Jue Kong (星绝空):** A proper name, likely a powerful figure mentioned in passing.

15. **Qian Ye Fan Tian (千叶梵天):** A proper name, likely a powerful figure mentioned in passing.