# Chapter 1080: Massacre
The storm stirred up by Yun Che's extreme speed snapped the treetops beneath him layer by layer.
He had experienced countless dangers and storms, and could always regain complete calm in an instant, but this time, the chaos within him simply could not be stopped.
His soul felt as if it were being gripped and locked by something, trembling in unbearable agony.
Following the trail eastward, finally, within his spiritual sense, the aura of humans appeared—and not just one person. Yun Che's focus sharpened, releasing his spiritual perception to its maximum extent... Less than ten li ahead, seventeen powerful auras abruptly appeared.
And... one weak Wood Spirit aura.
He Lin!?
Yun Che quickly suppressed his aura, sinking his body into the dense forest below, but still moving at considerable speed as he gradually closed in on the auras ahead. When he was close enough, he had already fully activated Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, going completely undetected.
Seventeen people, all dressed in black robes, with black serpent insignias clearly visible on different parts of their attire. Among them, sixteen exuded the aura of the Divine Soul Realm, while the leading figure's aura was unmistakably that of the Divine Tribulation Realm—though apparently only a recent breakthrough, his aura slightly weaker than the black-clad middle-aged man he had severely wounded the previous night.
Yun Che's gaze locked tightly onto the person at the center of the group... In his hands, he firmly gripped a young Wood Spirit.
He Lin!
He Lin's profound force hadn't been sealed, and there were no obvious signs of injury on his body. However, held in the black-clad man's grasp, he remained motionless, his eyes wide open yet devoid of any emerald light—instead, a deathly gray-white, as if he had no pupils.
He was like a living being whose soul had been stripped away, leaving only an empty shell.
"He Lin..." Yun Che murmured under his breath. Confirming that He Lin was still alive, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, but upon meeting He Lin's eyes, his heart and soul sank several times heavier.
"Hahahaha!" The harsh, grating laughter came from the black-clad man holding He Lin. "I never expected such an unexpected windfall! Tsk tsk, this time, not only will the hall master not fly into a rage, he'll definitely reward us handsomely!"
"It's just a pity those Wood Spirits were all so stubborn, rushing to destroy their own spirit pearls. With so many Wood Spirits, we only got these few Wood Spirit Pearls," another person said.
"This is already the biggest harvest in many years. From many years ago, these Wood Spirits all seemed to have conspired together—once they're about to fall into human hands, they immediately destroy their Wood Spirit Pearls. Tsk tsk. But this little Wood Spirit... Oh, boss, just what is his background? Why must we capture him alive? The hall master even flew into a rage because of him."
The leading black-clad man at the front glanced back sideways and said coldly, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. Just keep a good watch on him. If he escapes again, it won't just be us—the hall master will die too!"
These words startled everyone. The man holding He Lin tightened his grip and exclaimed in shock, "Th-this... what exactly is going on? Could it be... he's something the sect master wants?"
"Hmph!" The leading black-clad man snorted heavily. "I'm afraid it's even more serious. Last night, when the hall master personally brought back the man who was severely wounded at the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce, I vaguely heard the name 'Shenwu Realm.'"
"What!? S-Shenwu Realm!?"
"Shut up!" The leading man barked sharply. "Keep it to yourselves. Don't speak of it again, and don't ask further. If you don't want to die, stay alert. Once we rendezvous with the hall master, we must immediately return to the sect and hand him over to the sect master—not a single mistake allowed. If this kid is lost again, I guarantee not one of us will survive!"
"Yes." The group's faces changed color as they quickly acknowledged. The man holding He Lin said, "Rest assured, boss. In Heiya Realm, no one has the ability or the guts to dare..."
BOOM!!!
Before his voice faded, a blurry shadow suddenly materialized from the void less than two zhang beneath him. Amidst the explosive eruption of thunderous profound force, the shadow shot past him like a streak of fleeting light.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The man couldn't react in time before his hand suddenly felt lighter.
But Yun Che, who had snatched He Lin away in an instant, did not flee far. Instead, after charging past, he abruptly halted and turned around. His tightly suppressed profound aura and murderous intent erupted like an awakened savage beast from his body and pupils. His left arm protected He Lin, while his right hand gripped the Heaven-Defying Sword with a single hand. The sword's body seethed with boiling profound force, its killing intent piercing the heavens.
The sudden change threw all the black-clad men into panic. They scrambled to a halt... but before they could even utter a single syllable, Yun Che's profound aura exploded once more—he directly activated Heaven-Shattering, then pounced toward these Wood Spirit-murdering black-clad men, his profound aura blazing crimson.
Against these Divine Soul Realm profound practitioners, he could easily crush them in his Purgatory state without resorting to Heaven-Shattering. But it wasn't just his profound force that was boiling to the extreme—it was the rage and brutality flooding his entire being, desperate for release!
Even with one hand, the power of his sword under Heaven-Shattering remained terrifying as a nightmare.
BANG!!
The sword was like a thunderbolt. The nearest black-clad man, who hadn't even seen Yun Che's face clearly, was brutally severed by a single sword strike.
BOOM!!
His arm and sword turned in a sweeping arc, a flaming sword beam blasting through the air, directly obliterating three panicked black-clad men to his left. Flesh, severed limbs, and bloody rain splattered mercilessly, the air quickly filling with a pungent, nauseating stench of blood.
Snatching the Wood Spirit in an instant, then turning back to slaughter four men with two sword strikes—all within less than half a breath. The remaining black-clad men had just barely registered the alarm before they were already scared out of their wits.
Appearing like a ghost, without a word, then suddenly striking with such ruthless ferocity—never in their lives had they encountered anything so terrifying.
"You..."
A terrified roar barely escaped before the Heaven-Defying Sword, seething with bloody brutality, crashed down again. The black-clad man's pupils dilated as he raised his weapon at the fastest speed of his life...
BOOM!!
The Black Soul Spear was directly shattered. The Heaven-Defying Sword crushed through the broken spear and slammed mercilessly into the man's chest. This powerful Divine Soul profound practitioner, under the catastrophic force of the Heaven-Defying Sword, was like fragile tofu, exploding into a mist of blood and flesh.
Yun Che's figure had already vanished, reappearing behind another black-clad man. Before the man could even turn around, his entire body was severed at the waist.
BANG!!
BANG!!
BOOM—
His feet treading Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, his hand wielding the brutal sword, Yun Che was like a demon completely unleashed in his bloodlust. With every flicker of movement and every strike, the heavens trembled and blood rain scattered, leaving not a shred of mercy or hesitation. With his power at its limit, how could ordinary Divine Soul profound practitioners possibly withstand it?
By the time his ninth sword struck down, the sixteen black-clad men had already been pulverized in the bloody rain. Not only were there no intact bodies—not even mutilated remains remained. Not one had even managed to scream in their final moments.
Only four short breaths had passed.
The leading black-clad man's pupils contracted, his entire body trembling like a sieve.
Just a few breaths ago, they had been smug and satisfied, having not only accomplished great merit but also reaped an enormous unexpected windfall.
But in the blink of an eye, it was as if they had fallen into hell. Everyone behind him had died without a burial place. Most of these men were at the middle or late stage of the Divine Soul Realm, undoubtedly among the elite in Heiya Realm. Yet before this suddenly appearing demon, they were like sixteen pitiful larvae, turned to dust in an instant.
When Yun Che's gaze suddenly turned to him, he shuddered, his face instantly turning deathly pale... The other's profound aura was clearly only at Level 2 of the Divine Soul Realm, a full major realm weaker than him. But under his gaze and presence, he was almost immediately scared out of his wits.
Slaughtering sixteen of his fellow disciples in a few breaths with one hand... Even if he were an idiot, he wouldn't naively think he could defeat this demon who was only at the early Divine Soul Realm.
"You... you... who are you..." He retreated step by step, his voice the most terrified he had ever uttered in his life... But then, he suddenly remembered the description of the profound force and traits of the person who had stolen the Wood Spirit last night, and exclaimed in shock, "You're Ling Yun!!"
Yun Che showed no surprise at the other's sudden shout of the name "Ling Yun." The surging brutality still boiled in his chest. Without a single word of response, he swung his sword.
"AHH!!"
The black-clad man's face twisted in terror as all his profound force surged madly, not daring to hold back even a shred. He raised his Black Soul Spear, which flashed with pitch-black lightning, and desperately blocked.
CLANG!!
If Yun Che had been in his Purgatory state, he might have barely held his ground. But under Heaven-Shattering, even with just one hand, it was far beyond his ability to withstand. With a thunderous crash, the Black Soul Spear snapped with a resounding crack. The black-clad man let out a muffled groan and was viciously sent flying, tumbling dozens of somersaults across the ground before finally stopping.
Pfft...
The black-clad man coughed up several mouthfuls of fresh blood. He desperately turned over and stammered in terror, "W-wait! We are members of the Black Soul Divine Sect! You... offending us will not end well for you! A-and! We not only know your name is Ling Yun, we also know you come from Jingyue Realm! If... if you let me go now and hand over that little Wood Spirit to our sect master... the sect master will surely... surely let bygones be bygones... oh no, he will reward you!"
The Black Feather Chamber of Commerce had extremely strict control over the information of underground transaction targets. This man shouting the name "Ling Yun" didn't surprise him at all, nor would he have been surprised if he had said he came from the Flame God Realm...
But what he shouted was... "Jingyue Realm"?
Yun Che said nothing. With He Lin, who remained completely unresponsive, under his left arm, he dragged the Heaven-Defying Sword and stepped closer step by step.
With every step Yun Che took, the terrifying aura made the man feel as if he had come one step closer to the abyss of death. He scrambled backward, crying out in fear, "No! Don't come closer! Our Soul Sect has... has the protection of the Shenwu Realm! Offending the Soul Sect means offending the Shenwu Realm! Then... then you will have no place to hide! Even your star realm absolutely cannot protect you! If... if you stop now... AHHHHHH!"
BOOM!!
Phoenix flame burst from the sword body, blasting the black-clad man into the air. Yun Che's figure flickered, and the Heaven-Defying Sword, coiled with dense bloody aura, viciously pierced the man engulfed in flames.
BANG!!
The sword energy erupted with a deafening blast, and the black-clad man's entire body shattered into pieces, blood and gore splattering several li away.
These butchers who had cruelly massacred innocent Wood Spirits were now completely annihilated.
Hoo...
The crimson profound aura faded, and Yun Che's body swayed slightly. It took him a long while to barely suppress the murderous aura throughout his body. He set He Lin down, supporting his shoulders with both hands, looking into his eyes: "He Lin... are you hurt?"
He Lin shook his head. There was no agitation, no tears, not even visible grief. His eyes were only hollow emptiness, and then, he actually revealed a faint smile: "I'm fine. Thank you, Brother Yun Che. You saved my life again."
"..." Yun Che stared blankly at He Lin. How he wished that after being rescued, He Lin would release his pain and grief, weep his heart out, even cry himself unconscious... But instead of tears, he smiled gently, instead of crying, he thanked him...
Yun Che's hands gripping He Lin's shoulders suddenly tightened, an intense unease surging within him: "He Lin... I'm sorry. It's my fault that your people died... If it weren't for me..."
He Lin gently shook his head. "No, this isn't Brother Yun Che's fault. You are my benefactor... my lifesaver, and the kindest person I have ever met."
Yun Che: "..."
He Lin turned around, gazing into the distance... the direction of the Wood Spirit secret ground. "Brother Yun Che... can you... take me home one more time? I... want to give them a proper burial."
"...Alright." Yun Che nodded heavily, lifted He Lin, and flew westward.
Though danger could descend there at any moment—and after he killed these seventeen men from the Soul Sect, the danger had increased greatly, making it absolutely unwise to stay—he simply could not refuse.
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[Apologies, I originally planned to take at most three days off during the New Year, but due to some strange reasons, it seems I've been gone for over a month...]