Chapter 1062: Return of the Star in a Desperate Land
[I heard this chapter is 5500 words. I was too hungry to hold out and write 6000 words to make two chapters... so I'll just post it as one chapter.]
Yun Che's words made Yan Wancang and the others turn their heads. The only thing they could think of was the same as Huo Rulie... He wanted to go and die as a sacrificial offering.
But Yun Che's gaze was cold and still: "Sacrificial offering? I'm not that stupid! I'm going to save my master!"
"Save your ass!" Huo Rulie roared. "Unless an Upper Realm King suddenly descends from the sky right now, no one can save your master! With your level of cultivation, you're not even qualified to go and die!"
Yun Che, however, stared straight into Huo Rulie's eyes. "Three days ago, you thought it was impossible and refused to believe me, but I succeeded."
"Just now, I told you again and again that there were two ancient flood dragons, even swearing a deadly oath, but you still didn't believe me... and now?"
"Your arrogance has repeatedly become a slap to your own face! Now, what right do you have to believe that I can't save my master? Just because you have no ability to save her, why do you think I have no ability either?"
Huo Rulie was momentarily stunned.
"Just today, a few short hours ago, you swore to me with certainty, personally telling me that you owe me a huge favor, and that if I wanted anything or made any request, you wouldn't even blink. Hah..." Yun Che let out a sarcastic, faint laugh. "I actually felt respect for you back then. Turns out, your 'repay kindness' and 'action follows word' are nothing but farts casually let out!!"
"Bastard!!"
Who would dare to curse the head of the Golden Crow Sect like that? The Golden Crow elder, Huo Rujin, was immediately enraged: "You little bastard from the Yin Xue Realm dare to insult our sect master? I think you've lived long enough..."
"You shut the hell up!!"
Huo Rulie let out a violent roar, startling Huo Rujin back two steps. His profound energy suddenly exploded, the sleeves of both arms tearing apart, revealing arms like fire rock.
"I, Huo Rulie... have been a coward before, but I have never been a petty man who doesn't keep his word!" Huo Rulie panted heavily. "Fine! Since you want to go die... then I'll just die with you! A life for a life!"
"Let's go!!" He grabbed Yun Che, wrapped in a violent windstorm, and charged into the Burial God Fire Prison.
"Master!"
"Sect Master!"
"Sect Master Huo!"
Everyone shouted in alarm, but Huo Rulie paid no heed. In the blink of an eye, his figure had disappeared from sight.
The speed under a Divine Sovereign's power was terrifying. The windstorm alone felt like it was tearing Yun Che's body apart. Fortunately, Huo Rulie immediately wrapped a layer of profound energy around him, allowing him to slowly calm down.
"Sect Master Huo, hurry... use your fastest speed!"
A full seven thousand miles away. If Yun Che went on his own, even if he could approach alive, it would take several hours with all his might. But Huo Rulie was of a different caliber. At Yun Che's words, he cursed under his breath, reached out, and his flames tore through space, passing through spatial rifts at extreme speed.
The energy density of the Burial God Fire Prison was terrifying. Huo Rulie's ability to travel by tearing through space was severely limited, but it was still incredibly fast, quickly covering a thousand miles. At that moment, Yun Che slowly took out a blood-red jade in his hand.
The scorching aura of the jade made Huo Rulie turn his head: "Vermilion Bird Jade!?"
Months ago, at the Ice Phoenix God Sect's grand assembly, the three Flame God Sect Masters had "visited" and presented it to Mu Xuanyin, who had then casually tossed it to Yun Che!
Yun Che closed his eyes, his consciousness quickly sinking, and the Vermilion Bird Jade disappeared from his hand.
*Slap!*
Inside the Heavenly Poison Pearl's space, Yun Che slapped Hong'er's little bottom. The sleeping Hong'er cried "waa" and jumped up, covering her bottom, her face full of grievance: "Master, you you you... why did you hit my bottom?"
This little girl... Yun Che's teeth itched. Outside, heaven and earth were turning upside down, and she could still sleep so soundly!
*Hoo... calm! Steady! This girl is a little ancestor. Can't provoke her, can't afford to.*
Yun Che immediately put on an extremely gentle smile and raised the Vermilion Bird Jade in his hand: "Hong'er, after I came to the God Realm, I haven't had much time to play with you properly. I've always felt guilty, so..."
"Wow! Such a good smell!!"
Before Yun Che could finish, Hong'er's eyes were already shining like stars, fixed straight on the Vermilion Bird Jade in his hand. Then, a red flash passed before Yun Che's eyes... his hand suddenly felt lighter.
Hong'er was gone, and the Vermilion Bird Jade was gone too!
*Crack! Crack!*
The crisp sound of biting came from behind him. Yun Che turned around and watched speechlessly as Hong'er bit the jade, which contained extremely terrifying power, into pieces, then swallowed it after two or three bites.
"~!@#$%^..." Yun Che's eyes twitched. I was even thinking about how to coax her into eating it. I was overthinking it!
"Heehee!" Hong'er squinted her eyes and spread her little hands: "There's nothing left... Huh? Huh?"
Before her eyes, Yun Che had already disappeared.
"Hmm..." Hong'er wiggled her finger, a thoughtful expression on her little face: "Why did he leave all of a sudden? Could it be that master is angry with me?"
"Sect Master Huo, how much further?" Yun Che regained his consciousness and shouted loudly.
As they got closer, the boiling of the fire sea and the surging of the power storm increased several times over.
"Still far!"
"Then go faster! As fast as possible! My master can't hold on much longer!"
"Damn it!" Huo Rulie cursed loudly, his flame force surging, directly cutting a several-zhang-high spatial rift in front of him, accelerating their continuous travel.
"Boy! Since you're not going to die, at least tell me what the hell you're going to do!"
Even if Huo Rulie racked his brains, he couldn't imagine what Yun Che could use to save Mu Xuanyin.
Yun Che gritted his teeth slightly and said nothing.
"Then tell me, how sure are you?" Huo Rulie shouted again as he struggled to tear through space.
"No certainty at all!" Yun Che said grimly. "Just... a tiny possibility."
"What? You... you boy." Huo Rulie's eyes widened.
"But she's my master!" Yun Che clenched his fists. "And the person who has treated me best since I came to the God Realm. Even if it's just a possibility... I absolutely cannot watch my master die."
"...Tch. I don't know what kind of sorcery that woman used on you to make you so devoted." Huo Rulie suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Strange. You're dragging me to die, and I'm supposed to be gritting my teeth with hatred, but instead, I kind of like you a bit more, hahahaha... Hold on tight!"
Tearing through the space of the Burial God Fire Prison, even for Huo Rulie, required his full effort every time.
When they got to within four thousand miles, the power storm was already deafening.
When they got to within three thousand miles, every instant brought wind and clouds changing color.
When they got to within two thousand miles, the constant onslaught of power aftershocks and pressure hit Yun Che's chest like heavy hammers, making him miserable and close to death. But Huo Rulie's arm holding him surged with profound energy, forming a faint red flame barrier around his entire body, completely isolating everything around.
Yun Che's face quickly returned to normal, and he said urgently: "Sect Master Huo, I beg you!"
Approaching two thousand miles, Huo Rulie had watched this battle many times over the years but had never been this close. He didn't slow down, bringing Yun Che layer by layer closer.
Soon...
Fifteen hundred miles...
A thousand miles!
The roars of the dragon shook heaven and earth. The apocalyptic power storm never paused for a moment, which at least proved that Mu Xuanyin had not yet completely fallen. Huo Rulie gritted his teeth and added more power to the flame barrier around Yun Che, then continued charging forward.
Nine hundred miles...
Eight hundred miles...
Seven hundred miles...
Six hundred miles...
Five hundred miles!!
Huo Rulie finally stopped and said heavily: "Can't get any closer. If the ancient flood dragon suddenly shifts its target and attacks us, we'll both die for sure."
The space here was shaking, twisting layer by layer. Huo Rulie used half his power to protect himself and half to protect Yun Che... At this distance, if the barrier on Yun Che were removed, he would be instantly destroyed into dust.
No, not even dust would remain. He would be directly annihilated into nothingness.
"No, it won't!" Yun Che said with absolute certainty. "Master killed its companion. In its madness, it only wants to kill Master at all costs, sparing no effort to give her any chance to breathe!"
"And besides, you are at least a Divine Sovereign! This flood dragon and my master's powers have already declined so much. You won't die that easily!"
"Damn!" Huo Rulie cursed loudly, but grabbed Yun Che and continued forward. "I've fallen into your hands, boy... But it's because you saved my Ye'er's life! Let's go all out!!"
They were getting closer and closer to the center of the battle between the two Divine Lords. Even through the powerful protection barrier, Yun Che could feel a terror beyond any words, something he had never experienced before.
As they approached, even the flame barrier protecting him, infused with half of Huo Rulie's power, began to shake violently.
"Sect Master Huo, what's the maximum distance you can send a sound transmission from here?" Yun Che tried to remain calm.
"Anywhere else, tens of thousands of miles would be no problem. But here, with the fire prison's flame force plus the interference from the two Divine Lords' powers, three hundred miles is the limit!" Huo Rulie shouted.
Four hundred and fifty miles!
Four hundred miles!
"Good! Then get as close as three hundred miles!" Yun Che said.
Huo Rulie didn't waste words, carrying Yun Che forward, but cursing inwardly: Three hundred miles? Three hundred miles my ass! This is risking our lives!
Three hundred and fifty miles...
Three hundred miles!!
BOOM!!!
Thousands of fire pillars exploded around them, one of which engulfed Huo Rulie and Yun Che. When it subsided, Huo Rulie's hair was standing on end, and his body had several scorched black spots. He pressed one hand on Yun Che and held the other out in front, using all his strength to withstand the power aftershocks from the two Divine Lords: "We're about three hundred miles away. Whatever you need to do, say it fast! I can't hold out much longer!"
"Tell me the exact distance and direction... Preferably to the nearest zhang!" Yun Che said.
"Damn it, boy!" Huo Rulie gritted his teeth, pushing his spiritual power to the limit. Then he quickly reached out and tapped Yun Che's forehead: "This is their distance and direction! But they're constantly moving."
"Good!" Yun Che's brow furrowed. "Now send a sound transmission to my master immediately, preferably a soul sound!"
BOOM!!
An invisible shockwave from afar hit Huo Rulie's chest. His face paled, and he nearly spat blood: "Quick! Put your hand on my head and do it yourself! I can't hold on much longer!"
Yun Che quickly reached out, pressing his finger on Huo Rulie's forehead. A strand of soul sound passed through Huo Rulie's vast spiritual power and reached Mu Xuanyin's heart soul.
"Master! Hold on! Your disciple will be by your side soon. Don't scold me for leaving. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say... Five breaths after my soul sound ends, a small mystic ark will appear near you. Immediately shield the mystic ark and me when I step out with your power... Your disciple will create an opportunity for you to kill it!"
"Trust your disciple!!"
Before Mu Xuanyin could respond, Yun Che's soul sound had already ended. Within the protection barrier, he held the Primordial Mystic Ark in his hand, quickly enlarging it to about one zhang in size.
"Sect Master Huo, don't remove the barrier. Once the mystic ark disappears, you leave immediately!"
"If I live... I will repay this debt!!"
After shouting, Yun Che disappeared, entering the Primordial Mystic Ark.
Inside the space of the Primordial Mystic Ark, the infusion of the Vermilion Bird Jade's power had brought some vitality back to this world.
However, whether the energy of the Vermilion Bird Jade could bring him through these three hundred miles, he didn't know... Even whether it could travel at all, he couldn't be sure.
Because the Primordial Mystic Ark required an enormous amount of energy per unit to move an entire world, and the level of that energy was extremely high... In the ancient times, it belonged to the Divine Clan, so naturally, it needed divine-level energy.
The energy from the Golden Crow Jade he had used before was exhausted shortly after his round trip to the Cang Yun Continent.
After that, he hadn't used the Primordial Mystic Ark again, let alone in the God Realm. Because he never believed it could traverse the God Realm's space without finding suitable energy.
With the Golden Crow Jade as energy, it couldn't cross the dark space of the Slay Moon Demon Cave or the dark world below Jueyun Cliff. The God Realm's space was only tougher than those. With the same level of energy, it should be nearly impossible to cross.
And the Vermilion Bird Jade was clearly the same level of energy as the Golden Crow Jade. When he got it, he thought he could use it as energy for the Primordial Mystic Ark when he returned to the lower realm.
But now... he had no choice! He had to gamble!
Inside the mystic ark's world, Yun Che held the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword, counting the time in his heart while silently praying: Primordial Mystic Ark, you were once a divine artifact of the ancient sword spirit divine clan! Please, for once, live up to your name! It's only three hundred miles. Even if you exhaust all the power of the Vermilion Bird Jade in one go, you must cross it!!
Otherwise... if I die, you die with me! If I live, I'll smash you!!
Three breaths...
Four breaths...
Five breaths!!
Instantly, the space outside switched.
It worked?
It worked!!!
The power of the whole Vermilion Bird Jade, perhaps combined with Yun Che's will, the Primordial Mystic Ark, in this soul-stirring moment, had successfully completed its first spatial crossing in the God Realm.
Though it was only a short three hundred miles, for Yun Che, it was a radiant miracle.
If possible, the best outcome would be to bring Mu Xuanyin into the Primordial Mystic Ark and flee... But Yun Che didn't dare to hope for such an opportunity. His gamble was just beginning.
The moment the space switched, Yun Che activated "Heaven-Shattering" instantly, pushing his profound energy to its limit. Gripping the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword, he rushed out of the Primordial Mystic Ark, charging toward the center of the battle between the two Divine Lords—a place of terror that could utterly erase him in an instant. But he had no hesitation, because he trusted Mu Xuanyin, and he believed that Mu Xuanyin would trust him!
When the Primordial Mystic Ark appeared, a huge ice barrier enveloped it... This was from the last traces of Mu Xuanyin's dying power.
As an ancient divine object, Yun Che was sure it wouldn't be easily destroyed. What needed protection was not the Primordial Mystic Ark, but him.
The moment Yun Che rushed out of the Primordial Mystic Ark, he was instantly encased in ice crystal. The first thing he saw was Mu Xuanyin's eyes. Her body crashed straight into his, her blood-stained hand firmly gripping his shoulder, pouring almost all her remaining power into the ice crystal protecting him.
"You..." She seemed about to curse, but the rampaging ancient flood dragon would not give them even a moment's respite. As Mu Xuanyin lunged with all her might toward the Primordial Mystic Ark and Yun Che, the ancient flood dragon roared and pounced, its massive claw wrapped in towering dragon flames, smashing down fiercely at Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che.
Mu Xuanyin's blood quickly stained Yun Che's outer robe. Faced with the destructive power of the ancient flood dragon closing in, she used most of her power to protect Yun Che, unable to defend herself, let alone shake off the dragon's oppressive aura and escape with him—because once the power she exerted on Yun Che disappeared or weakened, even without being touched by the aftershocks, the mere pressure from the flood dragon would instantly destroy him.
She didn't know why he had rushed over!
Yun Che slowly looked up, watching the dragon claw that seemed to fall from the sky. His eyes were as calm as an ice lake, and then he closed them directly.
As he concentrated his mind, time seemed to slow down.
The Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword rose, its tip pointing straight upward, then slowly traced... tracing a perfect arc in the air.
As the sword tip moved silently, the laws and order of the space it pointed to suddenly became chaotic.
Succeed, and there's a thread of hope. Fail, and certain death!
Grandfather, mother and father, Yuanba, Lingxi, Caiyi, Yue'er, Xue'er, Linger... bless me!
I must succeed... I have to succeed!!
Time seemed to freeze. The world became extremely quiet. As the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword completed a full arc, a colorless, formless, silent, traceless profound formation instantly took shape—one that only Yun Che in all the world could sense its existence.
At that moment, his eyes snapped open, releasing a resolute, cold light.
"Evil God's Fourth Form..."
"Moon Drawing Star Return!!"
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[Many readers read the book... well, it's hard to describe. I'm normally a very normal person, but reading the comments directly gives me terminal embarrassment. Things like sneaking from under the fire prison, charging straight with the Primordial Mystic Ark, forcibly activating the Yama Emperor... That's the power of the Divine Lord Realm! The text has repeatedly emphasized that touching even a speck of it from a thousand miles away would lead to certain death! To get close, it required a combination of Huo Rulie's Divine Sovereign power, the Primordial Mystic Ark, calculation of distance and time, Mu Xuanyin's instantaneous protection, and so on. One moment of negligence, and Yun Che would be dead! And forcibly activating the Yama Emperor? Even if he opened ten thousand Yama Emperors and multiplied his strength ten thousand times, he couldn't hurt a single hair of that flood dragon! If the Divine Lord Realm were that weak, what's the point of messing around in the God Realm!]
[That's fine. I'm used to it by now. But the key point is, some people come up with their own ideas and then say I have a hole in my brain! Among all authors, I write the slowest. A chapter takes an average of three to four hours. Sometimes I sit all day and can't finish one chapter. It's probably a kind of writing OCD. Every time there's a conversation, I spend a long time simulating and immersing myself in the situation and the mindset of each character. When advancing the plot, I have to comprehensively consider all elements to avoid omissions and bugs. A few young ladies, before jumping to conclusions, should also learn from this uncle... Think carefully, think carefully!]
[Oh... forget it. I'm getting worked up again. As a greasy middle-aged man of thirty, it's better to eat more goji berries and less fire... I won't complain anymore from now on. You guys have fun (╯﹏╰)b]
[Well, actually, these things don't matter. Sometimes I can even find them quite amusing. The worst type of people, though, say that I update slowly. To those people, hehehe, I only have three words to say... You know too much!]
[Also, the release time for the next chapter is... oh! What was it again?]