Chapter 1187: Melancholy
"This... this... this..."
"How could... such a thing happen!"
"Am I not dreaming? Yun Che... defeated Wu Guike?"
"Hiss... not just defeat, this is a crushing, a frontal crushing!"
"Is Yun Che's profound strength really only at the eighth level of the Divine Tribulation Realm? No... impossible, right? How could it be!"
On the Feng Shen Platform, and even the entire Dong Shen Domain, everyone who witnessed this battle was stunned. Yesterday, Yun Che's overwhelming defeat of Luo Chang'an had already dropped countless jaws, but the visual and soul-shocking impact of this battle was countless times greater than yesterday's battle. Even those supreme mighty ones who look down on the world were all shocked into disbelief.
Because in the understanding of these mighty ones who have lived for tens of thousands of years, this was absolutely impossible!
"No wonder he was so certain." Mu Bingyun whispered softly, gently pursing her lips, but then a layer of worry surfaced on her jade-like face.
Yun Che had gone all out from the start, sweeping Wu Guike with seven sword strikes and easily breaking his Divine Martial Domain. While this was shocking to the world... Mu Bingyun also keenly sensed that he seemed to be venting something.
And only when stimulated by something would one vent.
"His cultivation of profound strength is indeed at the eighth level of the Divine Tribulation Realm, absolutely not concealing any illusion." Yue Shen Di slightly frowned. "And this is what makes people unavoidably astonished."
"Lord Dragon Emperor, in your Xi Shen Domain, has there ever been a similar person?" Zhou Tian Shen Di asked. This God Emperor who stood at the pinnacle of profound strength, status, and prestige in Dong Shen Domain had smiled in praise at Luo Changsheng and Shui Meiyin, but now his eyes were full of shock.
The Dragon Emperor slowly shook his head: "Divine Soul Realm defeating Divine Tribulation Realm across an entire major realm has happened before. But late stage Divine Tribulation Realm defeating late stage Divine Spirit Realm — at least in our Xi Shen Domain, it has never happened since ancient times!"
And not just defeat, but a major defeat. What's more... Wu Guike was not an ordinary eighth level Divine Spirit Realm cultivator; he was the son of the Shenwu Realm King. Among those at the same level, even if not without rivals, it was close to that.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Cang Shitian pinched his chin, his eyes emitting an unprecedented strange light. "This king previously said it wouldn't be bad to take him as a disciple for fun, most of it was a joke. But now it seems... Zhou Tian Shen Di, you were always displeased with this kid before. This king plans to take him back to Nan Shen Domain. Surely you won't object?"
"Hehe," Zhou Tian Shen Di smiled faintly. "Although he is from a lower realm, he now belongs to our Dong Shen Domain's Yin Xue Realm. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to take him away."
"Hahaha, a mere Yin Xue Realm, how can it be compared to this king? As long as this king speaks, how could he refuse?" Shi Tian Shen Di laughed loudly.
"Hmph!" Zhou Tian Shen Di's expression turned unpleasant. "Since he entered our Dong Shen Domain's star realm, he is already a person of Dong Shen Domain. If you want to take him away, even if this old man agrees, I'm afraid Dong Shen Domain will not agree."
"Heh." Shi Tian Shen Di let out a strange laugh, stopped speaking, but his eyes slowly narrowed.
The Dragon Emperor slightly turned his gaze and smiled faintly for some unknown reason.
From the distant sky, an old man's calm voice floated.
"Late Divine Tribulation defeats late Divine Spirit head-on. This old man has lived in vain for a hundred and twenty thousand years, yet at this moment, I witness such an unprecedented miracle."
The old man's voice was hoarse and flat, but anyone who knew of his existence understood the weight of his evaluation. And his words "lived in vain for a hundred and twenty thousand years" would be taken as a joke by anyone who heard.
"Then can you see how he achieved this level?" Qianye Ying'er asked. Her reaction, on the contrary, was much calmer than the old man's.
"I do not know. But it seems you already have an answer."
"Continue watching." Qianye Ying'er's golden hair fluttered, her voice like drifting catkins. "My interest in him now is no less than the Heaven-Defying World Scripture!"
"..." The old man was silent for a long time, then said in a low voice: "His sword... its aura seems strange?"
"Sword?" Qianye Ying'er frowned slightly. "On the Feng Shen Platform, there are countless divine weapons and heavenly blades. His sword's aura is almost at the bottom. What is strange about it?"
"I don't know, just a strange feeling." The old man's gaze locked onto Yun Che. "Although Wu Guike's Divine Martial Domain was hastily released while wounded, it was shattered by Yun Che in two breaths. This alone shows Yun Che is far above Wu Guike. After the battle, his aura was only slightly disordered, indicating his true strength is more than this."
"Uncle Gu, in your opinion, what level can his limit reach?" Qianye Ying'er asked.
"Above Meng Duanxi, below Lu Lengchuan," the old man said slowly. "Or perhaps close to Lu Lengchuan."
The old man's few words precisely detected Yun Che's limit.
"Close to Lu Lengchuan?" Qianye Ying'er's gaze condensed, clearly unable to believe.
"If he can compensate for the disadvantage of his weapon and has other tricks, he might be able to fight Lu Lengchuan. But to win... it's absolutely impossible. If he encounters other opponents in the losers' bracket, he can defeat them all. But if he meets Lu Lengchuan, he will have to stop at the Xuan Shen Convention."
Uncle Gu's words were hoarse and faint, like a verdict from the Heavenly Dao.
Wu Guike was critically injured and unconscious, hastily taken away by the Shenwu Realm. The two Shenwu Realm elders who took him away looked at Yun Che not with anger or coldness, but with undeniable shock.
"Meiyin, what you said was indeed correct." Shui Yingyue said slowly. "After this battle, he has become the biggest focus of this Xuan Shen Convention."
"Not really." Shui Meiyin's eyes sparkled like diamonds. "I didn't expect him to be this powerful either."
Under the stunned or amazed gazes of everyone, Yun Che left the Feng Shen Platform, but did not return to the Yin Xue Realm seats, instead flying away.
"Palace Master Bingyun, I'm going to check on Huo Poyun. Please help me retrieve the Time Wheel Pearl."
The next three matches in the losers' bracket, he had no heart to watch, and basically had no need.
Leaving the Feng Shen Platform, Yun Che sped up and headed straight for the Yan Shen Realm's residence.
Because Huo Poyun had shone brilliantly at the Xuan Shen Convention, the atmosphere in the courtyard where Yan Shen Realm was staying had been exceptionally warm. But today, as soon as Yun Che approached, he felt a sense of gloom.
Although Huo Poyun's complexion looked weak, his injuries had healed. Apparently, Huo Rulie had been treating him in the Time Wheel Pearl. But much more serious than his physical injuries was his mental state. He was leaning against a thick tree in the corner of the courtyard, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost his soul.
Around him, Huo Rulie, along with a group of elders and disciples from the Golden Crow Sect, all had worried expressions.
Seeing Yun Che, Huo Rulie's eyes lit up. He quickly rushed over, grabbed him, and whispered: "Yun boy, you came just in time. You comfort him; it might be better... Sigh."
Yun Che nodded and came to Huo Poyun's side.
Sensing Yun Che's presence, Huo Poyun looked up and smiled extremely reluctantly: "Brother Yun... sorry for letting you see my disgrace. Don't worry, I'm fine."
Approaching Huo Poyun, Yun Che clearly felt a thick layer of gloom covering him.
It was like a thick, dark smoke firmly covering his heart and soul, unable to dissipate.
Yun Che crouched down and after a long while said slowly: "Brother Poyun, do you still remember what I said to you this morning? Jun Xilei would vent her resentment towards me onto you because of our friendship. That sword of hers was definitely not casually swung; it deliberately used an extremely high level of sword intent... Most likely, she released her utmost power from the start to achieve this result."
"Whether it's true or not, what difference does it make?" Huo Poyun gave a bitter laugh. "She only used one sword... one sword..."
"I knew I would lose. So, I prepared to hold nothing back. I wanted to show the true form of the Golden Crow Flame to Dong Shen Domain to my fullest... I thought I could at least last twenty exchanges, even at worst, at least ten exchanges..."
"But... but..." Huo Poyun's hands clenched, his knuckles turning white, unable to continue.
Huo Poyun was absolutely not unable to accept defeat; he had even fully prepared for it. But Jun Xilei only used one sword, and it made him utterly defeated. That single sword not only shattered his flames and heavily wounded his body, but also completely crushed his faith and pride.
"...Brother Poyun," Yun Che frowned. "Are you beginning to doubt... that the Golden Crow Flame you once took pride in is not as powerful as you always believed?"
Not far away, Huo Rulie turned sharply at Yun Che's words, his gaze wavering.
Yun Che's words struck Huo Poyun's soul heavily. He lowered his head and took a deep breath. "I was born in Yan Shen Realm. I have flame talent far surpassing others, and my life has been accompanied by countless praises. I was fortunate to be accepted as a personal disciple by my master... and I also received the blessing of the Golden Crow deity, granting me... the most extreme Golden Crow bloodline."
Yun Che: "..."
"All of this, I deeply pride myself on. From childhood to adulthood, I always believed that the Golden Crow Flame was the most powerful force in this world, and after receiving the Golden Crow deity's blessing, I became even more firmly convinced... My master also told me that I possess the purest and most extreme Golden Crow Flame force in the history of Yan Shen Realm."
"But before Jun Xilei, it was so fragile that it couldn't even block a single sword of hers."
The deep pride in his own power and bloodline had long been as solid as faith in Huo Poyun's life. What struck Huo Poyun heavily was not defeat, but the collapse of his faith.
"Jun Xilei is not an ordinary person," Yun Che said softly. "After all, her profound strength surpasses yours by three minor realms. Profound strength suppression most of the time cannot be compensated by powerful mystical arts. Moreover, you rarely leave Yan Shen Realm and have probably never fought against a true sword master. That is the most important reason."
Huo Poyun shook his head and gave another forced smile: "Brother Yun, you don't need to comfort me. I know I've unfortunately fallen into a quagmire. Don't worry, I just can't convince myself for the moment... Give me time, I'll recover."
"I actually never worried," Yun Che smiled. "Brother Poyun, you really don't need to blame yourself for your current state, nor be ashamed of it. Because we are not those old men who have lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years and seen countless changes. We've only been in this world for a mere twenty or thirty years. We haven't even had time to clearly see the world, so how could we not have moments of confusion?"
Huo Poyun gently looked up: "Brother Yun, have you also... been like this?"
"Of course," Yun Che nodded, his gaze turning deep. "And more than once. The last time was just a few years ago."
"At that time, I was still in a lower realm. I encountered a person I could never defeat no matter what. And he was not an opponent like Jun Xilei, but a mortal enemy. If I couldn't defeat him, not only I, but my wife, my family, and everyone close to me would fall into the most terrible calamity."
What Yun Che spoke of was naturally Xuanyuan Wentian.
"During that time, I fell into severe depression, muddled every day, every thought filled with darkness and despair, far worse than you now. However, in less than half a month, I successfully emerged from it." Yun Che smiled easily. "If I can do it, Brother Poyun certainly can too."
"Moreover, for us, this is not a bad thing, because every time we break free from the shadows, it is a growth or even a nirvana. If we hadn't experienced such confusion at our age, I would rather think it is a lack in life."
"So, Brother Poyun, you really don't need to care about your current state, nor rush to forcefully break free. Just listen and follow your heart."
Huo Poyun's gaze trembled. Silently, the melancholy between his brows quietly relaxed.
"Brother Yun, thank you." He smiled, and this time it was no longer forced. Beneath the smile, a glimmer of tears appeared. "To have met you in this life... it's really wonderful."
"Me too." Yun Che also smiled. "But no need for thanks. We are friends."
"Mm, friends." Huo Poyun nodded heavily.
Huo Rulie stared at the two of them. Although Huo Poyun's depression had not completely dispersed, his mental state had visibly changed. The heavy stone in his heart had mostly fallen, and he felt endless gratitude towards Yun Che once again.