Chapter 1199: Heart Demon
[More than five thousand words again, didn't expect that!!]
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Lengchuan, I will be careful," Yun Che nodded, but his heart remained largely undisturbed.
He had personally witnessed the battle between Shui Meiyin and Meng Duanxi. Her spiritual power was indeed astonishingly extraordinary; strong as Meng Duanxi was, she had almost no power to resist. He estimated that if Shui Meiyin hadn't held back, he wouldn't have realized until his defeat that he had long fallen under Shui Meiyin's spiritual attack.
Such a Shui Meiyin absolutely could not be taken lightly. However, he possessed four divine souls, and he had at least basic confidence... no matter what, he wouldn't lose to this little girl in terms of spiritual power.
As for profound strength... Shui Meiyin was undoubtedly the weakest of the entire field. As long as he suppressed her spiritual attacks, the rest wouldn't be much different from fighting a three-year-old child.
Glancing at Yun Che's expression, Lu Lengchuan said, "It seems you are quite confident about tomorrow's battle. That's best... Although I don't think you can defeat Jun Xilei in your current state, I am extremely looking forward to witnessing your battle with her."
With that, Lu Lengchuan reached out and grabbed three glowing objects, sending them flying toward Yun Che.
Yun Che reached out and caught them. They were three Time Wheel Pearls.
"This is useless to me now, but on you... a few months' time might work some miracles," Lu Lengchuan said with a smile.
Yun Che did not decline. He gripped them tightly and put them away, saying gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Lengchuan. I really need these right now."
"No need," Lu Lengchuan turned around and suddenly said in a low voice, "Brother Yun, thank you."
"Thank... me?" Yun Che looked puzzled.
"Two reasons," Lu Lengchuan's voice carried emotion. "First, when you unleashed Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath, in the final moment... you deliberately dispersed the power of the Blazing Suns, didn't you?"
"..." Yun Che was startled, said nothing, and did not shake his head in denial.
When he had released Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath and the two suns descended upon the world, he had, in a single thought, separated the overlapping suns, thereby weakening the core power... because he had already exhausted his profound strength, and after the two suns descended, he had no strength left to control them. There was a high possibility that he might have killed Lu Lengchuan.
Yesterday, Lu Lengchuan had slapped Lu Chenyuan for him, and the words he had said afterward made him, in that final moment, do something that, for his goal, he absolutely should not have done.
"Indeed," Lu Lengchuan smiled. "You clearly have a deep desire for victory, yet you are unwilling to be ruthless and unscrupulous to achieve it. And you never mentioned this matter, obviously for the sake of my pride... With unparalleled strength and talent, yet possessing such a character, the Eastern Divine Region is fortunate to have produced a talent like you."
Yun Che shook his head. "Brother Lengchuan flatters me too much. Even if I hadn't done that, Brother Lengchuan would definitely have been able to block it. Moreover, I think my character is not worthy of such praise. I have done many unscrupulous things. As for Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath... if it were to happen again, I probably wouldn't do the same thing."
Lu Lengchuan chuckled, neither confirming nor denying. "The second thing I want to thank you for... In a few more years, I will have lived a full sixty years, and I will no longer be part of the younger generation. To have been able to fight with you at the end, this period of my life is already perfect, with no regrets."
As he spoke, Lu Lengchuan was already walking away. "If you have free time in the future, you are welcome to visit the Futi Realm as a guest. My father, the Realm King, is full of praise for you. If you come, he will be extremely delighted."
To be "full of praise" from the Futi Realm King—how many people in the entire Eastern Divine Region could receive such an honor?
Yun Che did not leave immediately but stayed where he was, silent for a long time.
"Far from it..." Thinking about Lu Lengchuan's words, Yun Che sighed inwardly.
Jun Xilei, whom Lu Lengchuan himself claimed to be "far from matching," he, in his current state, could never defeat her no matter what.
If there was any hope... it was that the six Time Wheel Pearls in his hand could give him at most six months of variable time.
"It seems I must find every possible way to improve my strength within these two days," Yun Che muttered to himself, glancing at his left hand. "And then there's Hong'er... Hong'er's current sword power can no longer keep up with my strength. It seems I still have a small half of the swords I got from Ji Ruyan last time that haven't been eaten... but after all, they are swords from a lower star realm. Even if I eat them all, there won't be a qualitative improvement. I'll have to try other methods."
He looked up at the sky and murmured absentmindedly, "Mo Li, did you see me today?"
Today's Zhoutian Realm was as quiet as ever. As soon as Yun Che returned to the courtyard, he saw Huo Rulie and Huo Poyun, master and disciple, obviously waiting for him.
"Brother Yun!" Huo Poyun hurriedly greeted him, his face full of excitement. "Now the entire Eastern Divine Region knows that you defeated Lu Lengchuan, and I... actually missed the opportunity to witness it in person. I'm practically dying of regret. Uh... your injuries, are they alright?"
"Haha, it's nothing, just minor injuries," Yun Che said casually. Seeing that Huo Poyun's mental state was clearly much better, he felt relieved.
"Yun boy," Huo Rulie walked over and said cheerfully, "Your opponents from now on will only get stronger. Every single one of them is the top existence among the younger generation of the Eastern Divine Region. Although your current achievements are enough to be proud of the world... I believe everyone expects to see you reach even greater heights. So, you must go all out in the upcoming matches... we can talk about other matters after the Divine Revelation Assembly concludes."
Yun Che nodded. "Rest assured, Sect Master Huo, this junior will do his utmost... on behalf of Brother Poyun as well."
"Brother Yun..." Huo Poyun looked at Yun Che, his eyes trembling. "In this victory over Lu Lengchuan, you also greatly exalted the might of our Golden Crow Flame. This should have been my responsibility... but I am so unworthy."
"Haha, Yun'er, now you understand, don't you? Our Golden Crow Flame is not weak at all, on the contrary, it is extremely, extremely powerful, absolutely worthy of the name 'strongest divine flame'. Especially Yun boy's final Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath; even those upper star realms were stunned for a long time, hahahaha."
Thinking back to the moment when the Golden Crow Flame blazed across the world, Huo Rulie couldn't control his pride and excitement, bursting into laughter.
This was absolutely the most glorious time for Golden Crow Flame in the Eastern Divine Region in his lifetime.
"Mm!" Huo Poyun nodded heavily. "Brother Yun used Golden Crow Flame to defeat Lu Lengchuan, one of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain, and the entire Eastern Divine Region witnessed the power of Golden Crow Flame. I finally understand that my crushing defeat to Jun Xilei was not because Golden Crow Flame is weak, but simply because my training is far from enough... I actually fell into such a ridiculous demonic barrier... Master, your disciple must have greatly disappointed you."
"Hahaha," Huo Rulie waved his hand with a smile. "No, no. Yun'er, that day Yun boy was right. You are still just a young child; it's perfectly normal to have such confusion. That you can break free from the demonic barrier so quickly only makes me happy for you and proud of you. Where is the disappointment?"
"This, hehe... If it weren't for Brother Yun, I don't know how long I would have remained in a slump. I used to think I could stand on my own, even believed I could support the future of the Yanshen Realm. It seems I was still too naive and immature. From now on, I must train even harder... not only diligently cultivate the Golden Crow Flame but also temper my mind."
Huo Poyun extended his hand and brought out a Time Wheel Pearl. "Brother Yun, this is my last remaining Time Wheel Pearl. Although... it is only a meager effort."
Yun Che took it and looked at him firmly. "Brother Poyun, just wait and see. I will collect that debt from Jun Xilei on your behalf... and I'll do it with the Golden Crow Flame."
Huo Poyun's eyes flickered, and he nodded heavily.
Adding Lu Lengchuan's three pearls and Huo Poyun's one, Yun Che now had seven Time Wheel Pearls in total, which could convert seven hours into seven months.
Huo Rulie and his disciple left. Neither Huo Rulie nor Huo Poyun asked why Yun Che possessed the Golden Crow bloodline. As Huo Rulie had said, he wanted Yun Che to focus solely on the upcoming battles... everything else could wait till later.
Clutching the Time Wheel Pearl given by Huo Poyun, Yun Che stood still, his brows twitching several times.
Huo Poyun had apparently shaken off his depression and regained his usual vitality, but somehow, Yun Che vaguely felt that something was off about him.
Yet he couldn't figure out or articulate what was wrong; he just had that inexplicable feeling.
Perhaps... he still hadn't truly let go. After all, such a heavy blow. Even if today's battle had dispelled his doubts about the Golden Crow Flame, it would still take time to fully recover.
Night fell. Returning to his residence, Huo Rulie noticed that Huo Poyun kept his head down, silent for a long time.
Huo Rulie raised an eyebrow. "Yun'er?"
Huo Poyun gave a slight start and looked up. "Ah?"
"What are you thinking about? Are you still regretting missing the chance to witness Yun boy's battle with Lu Lengchuan?" Huo Rulie asked with a smile. "It doesn't matter. Someone will have recorded that battle with a Mysterious Shadow Stone. If you want to see it, there are plenty of ways."
Huo Poyun bit his lip slightly and suddenly asked, "Master, were Brother Yun's Golden Crow bloodline and Golden Crow divine soul granted by you?"
This was far from the first time someone had asked him this question today. Huo Rulie directly shook his head. "Of course not. Yun'er, do you remember that the Golden Crow Deity once mentioned that there was another Golden Crow inheritance somewhere outside the divine realm?"
Huo Poyun was startled, then said in surprise, "Master, you mean..."
Huo Rulie nodded. "To be able to unleash such pure Golden Crow Flame, the Golden Crow bloodline he carries is no ordinary inheritance. It is only possible that, like you, it is Golden Crow Origin Blood."
Huo Poyun: "..."
"The Golden Crow Deity bestowed its final Golden Crow Origin Blood and Golden Crow Divine Soul upon you. There should have been no more Golden Crow Origin Blood or Golden Crow Divine Soul left in the world. Then, his Golden Crow bloodline and Golden Crow divine soul can only have come from that 'other Golden Crow inheritance.'"
Huo Rulie looked up, his gaze filled with excitement and emotion. "This, perhaps, is also the guidance of the Golden Crow Deity. Although he is not a disciple of our Golden Crow Sect, it is he who made the Golden Crow Flame shine so brightly for the first time in the Eastern Divine Region. Now, I'm afraid all the disciples of our Golden Crow Sect deeply admire him, and the elders and hall masters are full of praise. As for why he possesses the Golden Crow bloodline, it doesn't matter anymore, hahahaha..."
Huo Rulie laughed heartily. His depression from Huo Poyun's crushing defeat and mental trauma had been thoroughly dispelled by Yun Che's battle today. He felt so refreshed he couldn't describe it, laughing loudly countless times throughout the day.
What Huo Rulie didn't notice was that while he was laughing, Huo Poyun wasn't laughing. Instead, he lowered his gaze.
"Master," Huo Poyun said, "Brother Yun's profound strength cultivation is only at the eighth level of the Divine Tribulation Realm... yet he used the Golden Crow Flame to defeat Lu Lengchuan, who is at the tenth level of the Divine Spirit Realm. His Golden Crow bloodline must be much purer than mine, right?"
"No, no," Huo Rulie shook his head seriously. "The Golden Crow Deity said that after its passing, you would become the new Golden Crow Deity. There is absolutely no one in this world with purer Golden Crow blood than yours. As for Yun Che..."
He paused, then continued, "Yun'er, do you still remember three years ago in the Yinxue Realm when Yun Che withstood your 'Golden Annihilation' head-on and emerged unscathed from your Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath?"
Huo Poyun: "..."
"After that, I was actually puzzled. Given his profound strength at the time, no matter how strong his control over ice profound power was, he should never have been able to completely and easily resist your Golden Crow Flame. But today, I finally understood... His ability to withstand your power unharmed that day was not just due to his extremely high ice power, but also his mastery of flame control, which was equally extreme... absolutely far above yours."
"Moreover, he also possessed the Golden Crow bloodline, so he could indeed perfectly resist your Golden Crow Flame."
"..." Huo Poyun was silent for a long time.
"I also finally understood why Mu Xuanyin that day demanded the 'Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record' as a bet. So that's it..." Huo Rulie shook his head and couldn't help but laugh.
If he had known back then, he would have been furious. But seeing today's outcome... thinking that a large part of it was due to his loss to Mu Xuanyin back then, he felt quite fortunate and proud, with no displeasure at all from being thoroughly outmaneuvered by Mu Xuanyin.
"I see," Huo Poyun murmured, then slowly said, "The Yinxue Realm King won the Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record from Master for Brother Yun's sake. That means Brother Yun had the Golden Crow bloodline back then but probably hadn't cultivated the Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record. If that's the case, he has only been cultivating the Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record for at most three years... yet he can unleash Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath..."
Huo Poyun's words made Huo Ruli suddenly freeze. He stood there, staring blankly for a long time. "Come to think of it... that brat... really is a... monster..."
He had cultivated for nearly ten thousand years and, as the Sect Master of the Golden Crow Sect, had still not mastered the Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath. Yun Che... damn it, only three years!! Three years!!
If he wasn't so fond of Yun Che now, he might have been infuriated to death.
"Yes," Huo Poyun said. "Brother Yun is truly remarkable. Only today do I truly realize that I am far, far beneath him in every aspect. I should say I don't even have the right to be mentioned in the same breath as him. How laughable that I once thought I was..."
"Haha, Yun'er, there's no need for such self-deprecation. Yun Che is definitely a little monster that even the divine emperors marvel at. This God Ascension Battle will surely make his name known across the world, and no praise will be too much for him. Such little monsters only appear once every hundred thousand or eighty thousand years. You don't need to compare yourself to him. Just know that you will always be my greatest pride."
Huo Poyun took a deep breath. "Master, rest assured. Your disciple will never disappoint you again."
"Good! With these words, my heart is greatly comforted. And that Yun boy, though not a disciple of our Golden Crow Sect, it is fact that he carries the Golden Crow bloodline, and the entire Eastern Divine Region knows it now. He is also a close friend of yours, and I find him extremely agreeable. Strictly speaking, he can be considered half a member of our Golden Crow Sect. For this generation of the Golden Crow Sect to have the two of you, even if I drop dead right now, I can go smiling to meet our ancestors, hahahaha..."
Huo Rulie's laughter shook the sky as he strode away. Anyone could see that his mood couldn't be better.
Huo Poyun watched Huo Rulie leave, and a sense of inexplicable restlessness suddenly surged in his heart.
He turned and walked out of the courtyard, his mind heavy. He didn't know how long he walked or where he was heading, until he nearly bumped into an ancient tree and stopped.
"Sigh." Huo Poyun suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh, shook his head, and a look of shame appeared on his face. He looked up and murmured to himself, "Master's praise, the admiration of fellow disciples, fame across the Eastern Divine Region... these are all what Brother Yun deserves. He also took my place, letting the Golden Crow Flame continue to burn on the Sealing God Platform..."
"I should be happy for him, grateful to him, and proud to be associated with him. He considers me a friend. When I fell into the demonic barrier, he was the first to comfort and enlighten me. Today, his victory over Lu Lengchuan with the Golden Crow Flame was undoubtedly also partly intended to help me regain my confidence."
"Brother Yun, a prodigy favored by heaven, yet never arrogant or proud. He has always treated me with sincerity. To have made friends with him is the fortune of my life... And yet, just now, I actually felt a terrible jealousy toward him."
He let out a long breath. "It seems that all these years, I've focused only on the path of profound power, and my mental cultivation has fallen far, far short. A person like me probably isn't even qualified to call him brother."
After breathing the outside air for a while, Huo Poyun's lips curled into a smile, and his mood became much lighter and more relaxed.
Yun Che's Golden Crow Flame that had stunned the Eastern Divine Region, Huo Rulie and Yan Juehai's endless praise, the disciples of the Three Flame God Sects unable to suppress their admiration and reverence when discussing Yun Che... these had indeed uncontrollably stirred jealousy within him.
If Yun Che had achieved all this with other powers, he would have simply felt happy for him and cheered him on.
But it was precisely the Golden Crow Flame...
The one who carried the purest and most abundant Golden Crow bloodline and Golden Crow divine soul, who carried the hopes and future of the Yanshen Realm, who could burn the most dazzling Golden Crow Flame—that should have been him. He had always firmly believed that he was the only one...
This oppressive feeling of depression and jealousy, which he had never experienced before, also made him feel fear, shame, and guilt.
At the same time, it made him realize the deficiency in his mental cultivation.
Just as his depression began to ease and he was about to return, two white figures approached from the distance. Both were dressed in Ice Phoenix snow robes, obviously Ice Phoenix disciples. They walked while talking excitedly.
"Everyone is talking about Brother Yun now. Brother Yun actually defeated Lu Lengchuan! Whew... I still feel like it's a dream."
"Just now, those people from the upper star realms looked at our clothes, and even their gazes changed. Just a dream? Before, I didn't even dare to dream of it."
"Haha, come to think of it, when the Sect Master accepted Brother Yun as a personal disciple and betrothed Junior Sister Feixue to him as a dual cultivation partner, I once felt indignant for Mu Hanyi and thought it was a pity for Junior Sister Feixue. Now thinking about it, tsk, I actually questioned the Sect Master's judgment out of stupidity."
"That's right, what kind of person is our Sect Master, after all."
"..." Huo Poyun suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. His whole body trembled, and his steps stopped abruptly...
After a long time, he started walking again, silently moving away. But his steps seemed somewhat unsteady...