"Where is she now?" His tone was gentle and his expression calm, showing none of the urgency and anxiety surging in his heart.

Meng Zhiyuan replied, "Xi Divine Son¹ has arranged a temporary residence for her. Additionally, he has issued orders stating that Long Jiang is an old friend of the Divine Son from before his return to the Divine Kingdom. Since it concerns the Divine Son, no one is permitted to approach or pry until he emerges from seclusion."

Meng Jianxi’s actions were indeed meticulous. Yun Che felt a heavy weight lift from his heart. He then turned his gaze aside and spoke aloud, "Laisheng, go to Xi Divine Son's place personally. In my name, bring Long Jiang here."

"Yes!" In the distance, Lu Laisheng responded and departed quickly.

When he saw "Long Jiang" again, she was still dressed as she had been during their first meeting—wrapped in a baggy grey robe that covered her entire body, with a hood that completely shielded her face. That peerless grace inherited from Shen Xi, which should have stunned the world and captivated all living beings, had been cruelly and ruthlessly ravaged by her own hands. Yun Xi’s aura remained as cold and detached as ever. Facing Yun Che, she remained silent for a long time.

Yun Che also gazed at her fixedly... his daughter with Shen Xi. It had only been three years, yet it felt like a lifetime had passed. A faint smile appeared at the corners of Yun Che’s mouth, as if he were seeing a long-lost friend.

He turned around and walked toward the inner hall. "Follow me."

"Helu, Zhanyi, you may withdraw for now. There is no need for attendants. Give word that no one is to approach."

Yun Xi remained silent, following closely behind Yun Che. The doors to the inner hall slowly closed, sealing off everything from the outside world.

Yun Che spoke softly, "Shouyuan, you withdraw as well. Until I proactively open these doors, no person and no divine sense is permitted to approach this place."

"Understood." Meng Shouyuan’s response came from afar, and a heavy barrier subsequently enveloped the inner hall.

As the world fell into silence, Yun Che turned around. He gazed at her for several breaths before calling out softly, "Xi’er..."

"I need a Primordial Flame Crystal²!" Yun Xi spoke. Every word was incredibly cold and hard, carrying almost no emotional fluctuation.

Yun Che was startled, instantly understanding why she had sought him out.

Before he could respond, Yun Xi continued, "Rumor has it that in the Pure Land, you gave a Primordial Flame Crystal to the Spirit Immortal Divine Official. Since it was sent by you, you must have a way to get it back."

Yun Che looked at her but shook his head. "That Primordial Flame Crystal has already been used by the Spirit Immortal Divine Official. It cannot be recovered."

The stiff, cold aura around her body collapsed instantly. Even the gaze emanating from beneath her hood became dazed and scattered. Following this, she turned coldly, intending to leave without a word.

"If I could find the first Primordial Flame Crystal, I naturally have a way to find a second."

Yun Che’s voice caused Yun Xi’s steps to halt. He walked forward, stopping just a single step away from her. At that moment, the sense of brokenness leaking from her as her hope crumbled caused a sharp, uncontrollable sting in his chest.

"You are searching for the Primordial Flame Crystal to awaken your mother, just as you did with the Kirin Bone Spirit Orchid³?" he asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible.

"Yes." Her answer was as cold as before. "However, you do not need to carry any psychological burden because of this. Awakening Mother is my own business; it has nothing to do with you! You can go on being your Dreamweaver Divine Son in peace. As for the Primordial Flame Crystal... if you truly can find another, I will not take it for nothing. You may name any condition you wish!"

Her words remained hard and devoid of emotion—no resentment, no hatred, and certainly none of the intimacy or warmth that should exist between a father and daughter. Although they stood extremely close, they were separated by an indifference and detachment that seemed insurmountable.

"Fine." Yun Che nodded slowly. "Finding another Primordial Flame Crystal is not that difficult for me. In the Pure Land, the Dragon Lord invited me to visit the Ancestral Dragon Mountains. Once I find the crystal, I will personally visit the Dragon Clan and hand it to you."

"There is only one condition."

"Speak." Yun Xi’s response was without hesitation, her tone carrying a decisiveness that ordinary people would find hard to comprehend. "Anything is fine, regardless of whether I can do it!"

"You can do it." Yun Che smiled slightly. His gaze was not wounded by her cold detachment; instead, it became increasingly tender. "My condition is... to let me have a good look at you."

"..." Yun Xi seemed to freeze there, speechless for a long time.

Yun Che gently raised his hand, his gaze soft enough to melt all things. "Our last meeting and parting were too rushed. I was heavily injured, and my vision and soul were blurred. I didn't even get to have a proper look at you... a proper look at my daughter."

As Yun Che’s palm drew near, a strange, faint warmth brushed against her face, reaching straight into her heart in a peculiar way. She instinctively tilted her head back... but after only a moment of resistance, she stopped moving. The coarse, heavy grey hood was slowly lifted away by Yun Che’s fingers, revealing a face that would cause anyone's expression to change upon seeing it.

Her skin was so similar to Shen Xi’s—like translucent white snow covered in a faint divine radiance, possessing unparalleled refinement and a holiness that worldly words could not define. But those two hideous, terrifying corrosive scars had utterly destroyed it, as if the heavens would not allow such a perfect creation to exist, cruelly branding her with marks of ruin.

He watched silently, from her hairline to her eyes, to her scars... engraving every feature deep into his heart. His palm unconsciously drew closer again, bit by bit... Yun Xi did not avoid him. But just as his fingertips were about to touch her cheek, they stopped, and his half-open fingers slowly curled into a fist.

He withdrew both his hand and his gaze simultaneously. He suddenly turned around, his voice calm and rippleless. "Within three months, I will definitely find a new Primordial Flame Crystal. I will not break my word... You may go."

These words were not merely to comfort Yun Xi. When he was in the Sea of Mist⁴, he could easily perceive the Abyssal Crystals condensed within the Abyss Beasts and Abyss Ghosts over a large area. When he had previously attempted to step into the depths of the Sea of Mist, he had sensed the aura of a Primordial Flame Crystal again, but because danger was imminent then, he had to flee immediately.

Yun Xi seemed momentarily stunned. She covered her face again and turned to leave. As her hand touched the hall door and she was about to push it open, she suddenly turned back. "You’ve changed! Last time, you were clearly..."

Her lips twitched slightly, but she did not continue.

The corners of Yun Che’s lips tilted up in a soft smile. "So, you still care, don't you?"

"..." Yun Xi’s brows knitted slightly. She jerked her gaze away, intending to leave, but her arm was gently caught by a warm palm.

From behind her came his calm, gentle voice: "You have an older sister. Her name is Yun Wuxin."

Yun Xi did not turn her head, but she did not struggle either, seemingly frozen in place.

"Just like with you, before she even entered this world, I failed to protect her and her mother. For a time, I thought I had lost her forever. It wasn't until she was ten years old that she appeared in my life, like a miracle from a dream."

"It was originally a dark period of my life, yet it glowed with a light I had never seen before because of her arrival. During that time, I was incredibly grateful to the heavens and to fate. I even became weary of all struggles and grudges, loathing the blood that had once stained my hands."

Yun Xi listened quietly. She did not look at her father's current expression, but her mind unconsciously sketched what her sister might look like.

"At that time, I made a vow to her that I would never leave her again, and never let her suffer any more harm. But..." The voice behind Yun Xi stopped, and it was a good while before it resumed.

"I made similar vows to your sister three times... and three times, I broke them all."

She heard a faint laugh, but it wasn't a warm chuckle; it sounded more like a self-mocking sneer.

"Every time I made a vow, it was from the heart. I desperately and urgently wanted to protect and make amends to her. But in the end, every vow turned into deep harm. Before coming to this world, I finally understood completely—the things I possess and the burdens I carry mean that I am destined... to be unworthy of being a qualified father."

Yun Xi: "..."

Yun Che slowly released his grip on her arm, his voice like a vanishing wind. "Therefore, I indeed have no right to let you call me father, nor do I have the right to ask anything of you. Not now... and certainly not in the future."

"...?"

Yun Xi’s brow twitched slightly, and confusion filled her heart, yet she did not ask. Yun Che lowered his head, silently looking at his own palm. In the depths of his eyes was a darkness no one could see... because very soon, these hands of his would once again be stained with countless lives' worth of blood, and every drop would be an eternal, ineradicable sin.

"I only hope... you protect yourself well and treat yourself kindly. If one day I achieve what I desire, I will take you and your mother home together."

"If... I ultimately fall in this abyss, you must take your mother and follow the Dragon Clan to the 'Eternal Pure Land.' Then, forget my existence forever, and never mention your blood relation to me to anyone."

Soon, he would head to the Dragon Clan to pave every possible retreat for her.

The hall fell into a long silence, save for the sound of their synchronized heartbeats. With a muffled thud, the hall doors were finally pushed open. Yun Xi walked out and soon disappeared from Yun Che’s sight.

After standing in the inner hall for a long time, Yun Che finally calmed his emotions and walked out with a leisurely gait.

"Young Master!"

Pleasant, light voices brushed past him. Shangguan Helu, Liu Zhanyi, and Meng Zhiyuan approached together. As they bowed their heads slightly, they each stole glances at him.

"Hmm?" Yun Che raised an eyebrow, speaking with a half-smile. "Has something grown on me? Why are your gazes so strange?"

Meng Zhiyuan gave a playful smile and uttered a shocking question: "When does the Young Master plan to marry the Zhetian Divine Daughter⁵?"

Yun Che looked helpless and shook his head with a laugh. "So even you all know."

Shangguan Helu stole a glance at him and said timidly, "The whole world probably knows about the Young Master and the Zhetian Divine Daughter by now. I heard that the Zhetian Divine Daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world. As expected... only such a woman is worthy of the Young Master."

Liu Zhanyi covered her mouth slightly, her eyes curving into crescents. "Zhiyuan was happier than anyone when she found out. She said that if the Young Master has a primary wife, she can find a way to become the Young Master’s concubine."

Meng Zhiyuan said with open candor, "That’s right! That is exactly what I’m thinking. Anyway, I’ve already decided to stick by the Young Master’s side for the rest of my life. I heard the Zhetian Divine Daughter is not only as beautiful as an immortal but also exceptionally kind and gentle. I will definitely work hard to make her like me."

"You girls..." Yun Che shook his head with a smile, feeling a bit of a headache.

"However, there is someone who isn't happy," Liu Zhanyi suddenly said. "The Senluo Divine Son⁶ came specifically to find the Young Master. It surely isn't for anything good. We should tell Xi Divine Son to send him away as soon as possible."

"Oh?" Yun Che’s gaze sharpened. "You mean Dian Jiuzhi is still in the Dreamweaver Divine Kingdom?"

"Yes," Meng Zhiyuan said. "The Senluo Divine Son arrived ten days ago and has not left yet."

Yun Che pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "Laisheng, go to Xi Divine Son again. Tell him I wish to have a talk with the Senluo Divine Son."