Chapter 1403: The Emergence of the Demon Shadow (Part 1)
Southern Sea of the Tian Xuan Continent.
The sky darkened, and the fishing competition between Yun Che and Yun Wuxin came to an end. As for the result... Yun Wuxin had won a great victory.
Though it was meant to be a form of mental cultivation, it was more of a pastime for the father and daughter. Yun Wuxin, who rarely won, did not rejoice and jump for joy. Instead, she came before her father, took his hand, and asked, "Father, are you unhappy today?"
"Eh? No, I'm not." Yun Che wore a beaming smile. "What makes you think I'm unhappy?"
Yun Wuxin stared at him seriously for a long time, then said with certainty, "Father definitely has something on his mind. I think... is it about the place called the 'Shen Realm'?"
"..." Being struck to the very core of his heart by his own daughter's words, Yun Che's gaze froze. He instinctively wanted to deny it, but when he met her pure eyes full of concern, the words that were about to leave his mouth changed. "I do miss it a little."
After the sharp sting in his heart, he had been restless, feeling as if... somewhere, something extremely bad must have happened.
"I knew it." Having guessed her father's thoughts, Yun Wuxin's brows relaxed into a smile. "Master says that Father is a person who easily forms attachments. In the few years you were in the Shen Realm, you must have left behind many ties. For instance..."
"For instance?"
"For instance..." Yun Wuxin rolled her starry eyes and counted on her fingers. "Mo Li... Cai Zhi... Shen Xi... Master..."
With each name Yun Wuxin uttered, Yun Che's eyes widened a fraction. When she even said "Shen Xi" and "Master," Yun Che could no longer remain calm. "Wait... wait! Where did you hear those names from?"
"Hehe," Yun Wuxin tilted her head, her starry eyes curving into crescents. "Mom told me. Mom said that Father mentioned those names many, many times in his sleep. Hmm! And Master also said so!"
"..." Yun Che covered his forehead, long silent.
"But it's really strange," Yun Wuxin wore the puzzled expression she had shown long ago. "After reaching the divine path of profound strength, one shouldn't need sleep. Father is so powerful, yet he still often sleeps and talks in his sleep."
"Cough... cough..." Yun Che couldn't explain this even if he were beaten to death. A bit flustered, he said, "Well... sleeping is never a bad thing. It's getting dark soon. Let's go back."
"Is Father going back to sleep again?"
"That's right... ah, no. Father also cultivates at night, just like you!"
"Oh..." Yun Wuxin was dubious.
Just as they were about to leave, Yun Che's Sound Transmission Jade suddenly pulsed. He quickly picked it up, and Feng Xue'er's slightly urgent voice came through: "Brother Yun, come quickly. There's another serious beast rampage."
During this period, the range of the beast rampages had been shifting westward, at a speed neither fast nor slow, and the frequency had been increasing. But after Yun Che had recovered his power, he could calm the rampage in an instant by purifying it with Light Profound Force.
Thus, the frequency of beast rampages in public awareness had become quite low. When they did occur, they would quickly settle down.
"Where this time?" Yun Che asked calmly. Yun Wuxin beside him also showed no surprise.
"The whole territory... the whole territory!" Feng Xue'er's words made Yun Che frown slightly. "All the places that have never erupted and haven't been purified by Brother Yun—just now, they all suffered beast rampages at once."
"It's not just the Tian Xuan Continent; the Huan Yao Realm is the same! It all happened without any warning. Now there are beast disasters everywhere..."
"I understand. Don't worry, it'll be fine soon."
A full-scale outbreak of beast rampages across the entire territory was undoubtedly an immensely terrible calamity for the Tian Xuan Continent and the Huan Yao Realm. But for Yun Che, it was indeed a trivial matter. To him, the world of Lan Ji Star was already too small. Even if he tried his utmost to compress his power, it wouldn't take long to purify both continents with Light Profound Force.
But his brows were tightly furrowed, and he did not relax for a long time.
Half a year ago, on the Cang Yun Continent, faced with its tragic state, he had thought: Could today of the Cang Yun Continent be tomorrow of the Tian Xuan Continent and Huan Yao Realm?
That thought at the time had now become reality.
Yun Che's brows were furrowed not because it had come so soon, but because it had come so suddenly!
Earlier, the beast rampages had been sporadic in the eastern regions, but now, without any warning, they had suddenly erupted across the entire territory.
"Let's go."
Taking Yun Wuxin's small hand, Yun Che was about to head toward Feng Xue'er when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look east.
In the eastern sky was imprinted a crimson star, visible both day and night. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Tian Xuan Continent and the Huan Yao Realm had both grown accustomed to its existence, even spawning various strange speculations and legends.
At this moment, a patch of dark clouds covered the east, but that red star was not obscured in the slightest. Its crimson light pierced straight down, stabbing deep into Yun Che's pupils... It was far more dazzling than at any time before.
"..." Yun Che's brows tightened more and more.
He observed this red star every day, and he was absolutely certain that just an hour ago, its light had not been this intense. It had clearly undergone some huge change at a certain moment.
The red light pierced through his pupils into his heart and soul, stirring endless waves that would not subside for a long time...
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"He gave up surviving for another six hundred thousand years with divine power under 'Myriad Tribulations of Oblivion,' instead using all his divine power and life to condense that drop of the Evil God's Indestructible Blood. All to leave behind his source of power... At the end of his life, he was still worried about the arrival of that day, and did not hesitate to sacrifice his life to leave the only hope for future generations. Perhaps only he deserves to be called the greatest god."
"And if that day truly comes, you, bearing the power of the Evil God, will be the only hope."
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"I cannot tell you now, because you are still too weak and cannot bear the terrible truth. What you need most now is growth. Bearing that burden too early will only severely hinder your growth. You only need to know two things for now. First, grow as fast as possible and make your Evil God power strong enough. Second, cherish your life and live well. If you die, the last hope will be completely extinguished."
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"Your life is too short, your experience too shallow, your power and soul far too weak. But if one day you feel that your power is strong enough, that your will and awareness can bear enough storms and heavy responsibilities, then come to me. I will tell you all the truth..."
"And bestow upon you all my power."
…………
At the bottom of Minghan Heavenly Lake, the words of the Ice Phoenix maiden echoed in his sea of consciousness. Not a single word or phrase had he forgotten.
Back then, he had only just entered the divine path and knew nothing of the Shen Realm.
But as his power grew, his state of mind changed, and his experiences broadened—especially the various anomalies that had occurred in the Shen Realm and Lan Ji Star over the years—when he recalled those words now, his feelings were entirely different.
"Hope" and "mission"—words he had once dismissed as hollow—were now becoming clearer and clearer in his world.
What changes might be happening in the Shen Realm now? Would they affect the Yin Xue Realm?
These changes were not gradual; they would suddenly and without warning intensify. If this continued, what would happen in the future? And what was the "terrible truth" behind that red star...
"Father? Father... Father!"
Yun Wuxin called several times before Yun Che finally snapped back. He swept his arm up, holding his daughter at his side. "Let's go. We'll purify the entire Tian Xuan Continent and Huan Yao Realm together. Let me show you how amazing your father is."
Space shifted, and soon Yun Che appeared above Shenhuang City. Without any visible action, Light Profound Force silently spread down, covering all the berserk profound beasts below...
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Divine Region, Yin Xue Realm, Ice Phoenix Sacred Hall.
A flash of icy shadow appeared, and Mu Bingyun's ethereal figure materialized.
"What happened?" Mu Xuanyin asked.
"Half an hour ago, a large-scale beast tide suddenly erupted in the eastern border of the Northern Ice Wind Empire. Within just half an hour, it had spread to nearly one-tenth of the empire's territory, and dozens of sects suffered severe calamities. I have already dispatched the masters of the second and third palaces to lead disciples to suppress it."
"Beast tide?" Mu Xuanyin turned, her icy brows slightly furrowed. "What caused it?"
Mu Bingyun shook her head. "Unknown. It's only heard that all the profound beasts in the Ice Wind Mountains have swarmed out, their auras extremely ferocious, but there was no warning beforehand."
Mu Xuanyin: "..."
"But there's no need to worry. The two palace masters have gone personally; it will be suppressed soon."
As Mu Bingyun finished speaking, she noticed that Mu Xuanyin's expression was exceptionally solemn, and her gaze was chillingly cold.
Just then, the Ice Phoenix inscription jade on her body flashed with cold light. She touched it with her finger, and her expression shifted abruptly.
"Sister, something is not quite right." Mu Bingyun's voice became much more serious than before. "Just now, at almost the same time, a beast tide also erupted at the northeastern border of the Yan Shen Realm."
"..." Mu Xuanyin said nothing. She thought of what she had seen on Lan Ji Star.
"Inform everyone," Mu Xuanyin suddenly said coldly, "From today onward, the entire sect is to be on combat readiness!"
"...What?" Mu Bingyun was startled.
"Also, immediately notify all elders. Within three days—no, today—reinforce the barrier of Mist Abyss Valley tenfold!"
Mu Xuanyin's orders left Mu Bingyun greatly confused: "Sister, what exactly is going on? Do you know something?"
Mu Xuanyin's icy eyes grew even colder: "I only know that our Eastern Divine Region... is about to fall into complete chaos."
Mu Bingyun: "..."
"Outside, has there been any news regarding the Northern Divine Region?" Mu Xuanyin suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.
Mu Bingyun thought for a moment, then answered, "There is a very strange rumor. This year, the 'territory' of the Northern Divine Region has not shrunk but has instead expanded slightly... But it's impossible to confirm the truth of this rumor."
"..." Mu Xuanyin fell silent again. After a full quarter-hour, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Go and issue the orders. All elders, palace masters, hall masters, and disciples in closed-door cultivation are also to be ordered to cease their seclusion."
"I understand." Mu Bingyun nodded but did not leave immediately. Instead, she suddenly asked, "Sister, could this sudden eruption of beast tides be related to the Northern Divine Region?"
"No, they are not that capable." Mu Xuanyin said coldly. "It is a strange dark aura that is enveloping the entire Eastern Divine Region. In the future, it might even spread to the Southern and Western Divine Regions. For us three divine regions, this will be a calamity whose development and outcome cannot be predicted. But for the Northern Divine Region... they harbor a deep hatred for the three divine regions, and this is very likely to be their opportunity to break free from their 'cage.' They will definitely act!"
"Our Yin Xue Realm is almost the closest place in the Eastern Divine Region to the Northern Divine Region. We must be extremely cautious!"
The Northern Divine Region is one of the four divine regions of the Shen Realm, but it is also called the "Demon Realm," and at the same time, a true cage.
A "cage" where countless demons, demonic beasts, and demon spirits survive, because once they leave the Northern Divine Region and are discovered by the people of the other three divine regions, they will be hunted down and killed without mercy.
And due to the gradual thinning of the Yin energy of the Chaos, the dark demonic qi left from the ancient era recedes year by year, the "territory" of the Northern Divine Region also shrinks gradually. They desperately want to escape, to seek greater space and a chance to survive, but they simply cannot escape... The Northern Divine Region is already the weakest of the four divine regions in terms of strength, and facing the irreconcilable hostility of the other three divine regions, they have absolutely no power to resist. They can only cower eternally.
But this year, the demonic qi shrouding the Northern Divine Region did not weaken, nor did its territory shrink. Instead, it had actually expanded slightly!
This was absolutely the first time in a million years for the Northern Divine Region, filled with an incomprehensible strangeness.