56: I will never let down Yan Ge.

After the imperial edict was read, the entire Heaven-Worshiping Square fell into a terrifying silence.

Almost simultaneously, a single thought popped into everyone's mind: Stealing a woman!

Emperor Yan was going to snatch away the Human Emperor's woman right in front of all the experts of the Five Evolutions True Realm!

What would the Human Emperor do?

Everyone's gaze turned nervously toward Xuanyuan Che.

But the scene that followed left everyone dumbfounded.

The Human Emperor didn't get angry or lash out. Instead... he was crying?

That's right, Xuanyuan Che was actually crying!

Many rubbed their eyes, suspecting they had misseen.

Ye Xuan and Ling Long exchanged a look, their faces full of confusion.

"Why is Big Brother crying?" Ling Long whispered via sound transmission. "Even if Emperor Yan is incredibly powerful and Big Brother is wary of him, he shouldn't be crying."

Ye Xuan frowned, equally unable to understand.

Only Chen Yue, seeing Xuanyuan Che's tear-streaked face, felt her heart skip a beat.

Could there be some relationship between Di Yan and Xuanyuan Che that she didn't know about?

No!

Di Yan, his name is Di Yan!

An unbelievable thought welled up in Chen Yue's heart.

Could this Di Yan be that Big Brother Di Yan of Xuanyuan Che?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

At this moment, Xuanyuan Che was completely immersed in his memories:

It was a cold, snowy night. Heavy snow fluttered through the air, painting the world in a blanket of white.

As a young child, he curled up beside his parents' corpses. His lips were purple from the cold, his stomach growled with hunger, and his consciousness was fading; he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Hey, kid, still alive?" a young boy's voice rang out.

Xuanyuan Che forced his eyes open and saw a boy of twelve or thirteen squatting in front of him.

The boy wore a tattered fur coat, his face bearing a maturity beyond his years.

That was the first time he met Di Yan.

"Father, Mother," young Xuanyuan Che called out weakly.

Di Yan looked at the tragic scene around them, a flicker of sympathy passing through his eyes.

He brought Xuanyuan Che back to a crude camp, gave him food and clothes, and helped him ward off the cold.

"What's your name?" Di Yan asked softly, sitting beside him.

"G-Gouwa."

Little Xuanyuan Che lowered his head, his voice barely audible.

That was a lowly name the villagers had given him, saying it would make him easier to raise.

Di Yan was silent for a moment, then patted his head. "From today on, your name shall be Xuanyuan Che."

"Xuanyuan is the surname of the ancient Human Emperor, and Che means clear and thorough."

"You must be like that Human Emperor—protect the people and distinguish right from wrong."

He didn't just give him a name; he gave him hope for a new life and the courage to live on.

From then on, Xuanyuan Che followed Di Yan everywhere.

Di Yan taught him how to read and write, taught him to Cultivate and use Cultivation Techniques, and taught him the principles of being a person.

In Xuanyuan Che's heart, Di Yan was an elder brother, a father, and his only reliance in this cold world.

Once, the two encountered bandits. The enemy was numerous and armed with weapons.

The young Di Yan gripped his hand tightly as they sprinted through the snow, the shouts of the pursuers drawing closer and closer.

Just as a cleaver was about to strike Xuanyuan Che's back, Di Yan suddenly spun around and took the fatal blow with his own back.

Mottled bloodstains spread across the tattered fur coat, making Xuanyuan Che's eyes sting with pain.

"Brother Yan, don't worry about me, just run!" Little Xuanyuan Che pleaded through tears, his face smeared with a mixture of tears and blood.

"Nonsense!" Di Yan gasped, his face pale, but his gaze grew even more determined. "Since I saved you, I will make sure you live. We promised to survive together and make something of ourselves!"

As the years passed, the two grew up, their personalities differing.

Xuanyuan Che was impulsive and hot-blooded, often acting without regard for consequences.

Di Yan was meticulous, calm, and resolute. He would always silently clean up the mess after Xuanyuan Che's impulsive troubles, shielding him from all difficulties.

Once, in order to snatch a Cultivation Technique, Xuanyuan Che offended Disciples of a great Sect and was besieged by many.

"AChe! Run!"

Covered in blood, Di Yan suddenly rushed out and took a fatal blow for him.

Several of his ribs were broken, yet he desperately clung to someone's leg to create an opportunity for Xuanyuan Che to escape.

"Brother Yan!"

Xuanyuan Che's eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down his face as he nearly lost his mind.

"Go!" Di Yan spat out a mouthful of blood and roared, "Live! You have to live well, for my sake too! Remember, only by staying alive do you have a chance to become strong!"

That night, Xuanyuan Che carried the dying Di Yan on his back, walking a hundred miles through the snow.

He knelt before various medical clinics, kowtowing until his head bled and his knees were raw. After begging countless people, he finally found an old physician willing to help, barely saving Di Yan's life.

From that moment on, Xuanyuan Che made a vow in his heart: For all eternity, I will never betray Brother Yan!

Later, during an adventure, the two obtained an ancient Legacy.

Xuanyuan Che was exceptionally gifted, and his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.

Di Yan focused his energy on building their influence, silently paving the way for Xuanyuan Che and handling all sorts of troubles for him.

"AChe, your goal is to reach the Peak and claim the throne of the Human Emperor. Leave these mundane matters to me," Di Yan would often say.

In Xuanyuan Che's eyes, Di Yan's back grew ever more imposing, becoming his most solid support and the one person he could trust without reservation.

Until that time, in order to seize the human emperor seal—the key treasure for condensing the human emperor fate imprint—they broke into an ancient forbidden land.

At the final moment, a fatal Restriction was triggered, and a wave of destructive light swept toward them.

"AChe! Catch the seal!"

Di Yan used all his strength to push the human emperor seal to Xuanyuan Che, while he himself turned to face the destructive light.

"No! Brother Yan! We leave together!" Xuanyuan Che roared frantically, reaching out to grab him, but was pushed away by Di Yan.

"Go—!" Di Yan looked back at him one last time, his gaze complex and hard to decipher—filled with reluctance, expectation, and a faint, imperceptible resolve. "Take my hopes and become the Human Emperor! Live well! Don't let me down!"

Boom!

The Restriction erupted, and a blinding light swallowed everything.

Xuanyuan Che only had time to grab the human emperor seal before being sent flying by the violent energy.

Turning his head mid-air, he watched helplessly as Di Yan was pulverized in the light, leaving not a single trace behind.

At that moment, Xuanyuan Che felt as if his heart had been torn to shreds, his grief unbearable.

"Brother Yan—!!!"

Holding the human emperor seal, he cried outside the forbidden land for three days and nights until his voice went hoarse.

To him, Di Yan was a savior, a guide, and a big brother to whom he could entrust his life!

Without Di Yan, there would be no Xuanyuan Che today!

On the Heaven-Worshiping Platform, hot tears gushed out, streaming down Xuanyuan Che's cheeks.

The brother he thought had suffered Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering had actually reappeared before him in such a dominant fashion!

Stealing a woman?

Breaking up a marriage?

Compared to the life Di Yan had sacrificed for him, these things were not worth mentioning at all!

Let alone one Chen Yue—even if Di Yan wanted his empire or for him to cripple his own cultivation right now, Xuanyuan Che wouldn't hesitate for a second!

That was his Brother Yan!

The Brother Yan who had died for him and valued him more than his own life!

Xuanyuan Che could no longer restrain the excitement in his heart and shouted at the phantom of Di Yan in the sky, "Brother Yan!!!"