CHAPTER 636: GOING HUNTING

"Where is Han Xin?" he asked, voice low but urgent.

Lian sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I don’t know..."

Mei added quickly, "We just woke up and we were here. You were still asleep."

Xiang Yu bit his lower lip, brows furrowing. His thoughts spun, but he forced himself to stay calm. Panic wouldn’t help. He sat down slowly, and Lian hurried to pour him a cup of water.

Mei settled beside him, her voice trembling. "Master... what are you going to do?"

Xiang Yu drank the water, the coolness grounding him. He set the cup down and said, "I am going to have to speak to that old man."

He closed his eyes and reached out within his spiritual consciousness, calling for the Divine Emperor. He called once, twice and again but there was nothing. No response. It was as though he was never present in this realm.

Xiang Yu’s jaw tightened. That old man had used him to achieve his goals. And now that he had Han Xin back, he discarded him like a spent tool. His fingers curled around the teacup before he threw it down in anger.

The porcelain teacup shattered against the floor, fragments skittering across the polished obsidian tiles like fleeing insects. The sound echoed through the chamber, sharp and final.

Lian and Mei flinched, eyes wide. They had seen their master angry before, cold, silent and brooding but never like this. Never so visibly shaken, so raw.

They opened their mouths, wanting to say something, anything to soothe him. But there was nothing in this world that could reach him now.

Xiang Yu stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating.

Inside, he paced like a caged beast, fingers tangled in his hair, pulling it back as frustration clawed at his chest. He didn’t even know where to begin. Where was Han Xin? How could he reach him? The Divine Realm felt impossibly distant.Then he paused. Something about his room was different.

His eyes fell on to something at the side of his bed. There, resting like a relic from another world, was a jade phoenix.

Carved from translucent emerald jade, the phoenix was captured mid-flight, wings arched, ruby eyes pulsing with divine energy. It sat atop a black sandalwood pedestal, inlaid with gold filigree that shimmered with the Mandate of Heaven.

The aura it radiated was warm, subtle, yet unmistakably powerful.

Xiang Yu stepped closer, his heart in his throat.

Infused with the Divine Emperor’s essence, this was no ordinary artifact. It didn’t just deliver messages. It conveyed emotion, intent, and divine will directly into the soul-space of the recipient.

Fingers trembling, Xiang Yu reached out and picked up the whispering jade phoenix. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, the artifact shimmered and dissolved into a stream of emerald light, wrapping around him like a cocoon. In the blink of an eye, he was transported into the spiritual realm, a place of endless mist and floating lanterns, where time bent and divine energy pulsed in the air.

Before him stood the Divine Emperor, his expression more solemn than usual, robes trailing threads of law and starlight.

Xiang Yu’s voice was sharp, trembling with fury. "So that’s what you do? Use this pathetic little demon to do your bidding and discard me when I am no longer useful?"

Han Jun blinked, surprised by the depth of emotion in Xiang Yu’s tone. "I can’t interfere directly anymore. Now that Han Xin is expelled from the Divine Realm, I have to—"

"What?!" Xiang Yu cut him off, eyes wide. "What do you mean expelled? Is it because of me?"

His body trembled, divine and demonic energies clashing within him. The thought of being the cause of Han Xin’s punishment made his breath hitch.

Han Jun hesitated. "Yes... well, not exactly. He executed Xue Wuheng. That act required his expulsion, for one year."

Xiang Yu surged forward, impatient. "Where is he?"

Han Jun’s gaze darkened. "I can’t tell you. But you have the ability to find him."

Xiang Yu’s fury boiled over. "You are the most powerful being in the entire universe, and you can’t tell me where he is?"

Han Jun was flabbergasted. For once, he had no words. Its not like he didn’t want to break the rules and help his son. It was that he had to be careful now. More especially after what Han Xin did. The council’s eyes were sharper than ever, and one misstep could drag his son into deeper punishment.

"I will forgive your outburst," Han Jun said, voice calm but edged with warning. "I have fulfilled my end of the bargain. Your father and mother’s souls are both sealed within the mirror and their suffering is infinite and turtorous. As for Peng Xiu... her divine core is shattered. She’s weak. But she will come looking for you."

Xiang Yu clenched and unclenched his fists, the tension in his shoulders refusing to ease.

"If you still wish to borrow my power to destroy them," Han Jun continued, "light an incense stick and put forth your request. That’s all it takes."

Xiang Yu narrowed his eyes. "Is that all?"

Han Jun’s gaze deepened. "No. There’s one more thing. Little Bai... he is your only brother who hasn’t perished. It’s up to you whether you want to meet him when the time comes."

Xiang Yu’s breath caught. He had always assumed Little Bai was just a kindred spirit from the first world, someone he got along with by chance and was brought along to the other worlds because of that. But now... it made sense. That strange familiarity, the ease between them, it was blood.

His heart stirred with something fragile and uncertain. He had family yet he didn’t know about it.

"The Divine Emperor’s voice echoed one last time through the spiritual mist: ’Take care of my son for me. I will return in a year to reinstate his position in the Divine Realm.’"

Then Han Jun vanished, his presence dissolving into threads of light.

Xiang Yu’s eyes snapped open.

He was back in his room. The jade phoenix was gone, leaving only a faint warmth in the air. He stood motionless, long hair cascading over his shoulders as his mind raced. What did Han Jun mean when he said he had the ability to find him?

His bloodshot eyes welled with tears, hands trembling as emotion surged through him. He had felt so helpless, so lost. But then his gaze fell on the ring around his finger. A soft glow pulsed from it.

His breath hitched. The frustration, the anger, the despair he felt, all melted away. Of course, the ring was bound to Han Xin’s soul. He could find him. Joy bloomed in his chest, wild and uncontainable. He rushed out of his room, heart pounding.

Lian and Mei were sitting by the window, sulking in silence. When they saw him, they perked up.

"You two want to go hunting for your other father?" Xiang Yu asked, grinning.

"Yes!" they cried, springing to their feet.

"Then let’s go," he said.

The girls squealed with excitement and dashed off to their rooms to prepare, laughter trailing behind them like music. Xiang Yu stood there, smiling to himself. He couldn’t wait to run into the arms of his most beloved.