Chapter 1538: Demon Contract
The world fell into a terrifying dead silence, the very air turning piercingly cold.
A Divine Spirit realm powerhouse was annihilated by a single finger, leaving not even a trace of ash.
"D-Divine King!" The black-robed elder beside Princess Hanwei exclaimed, his eyes wide and voice trembling. These words sent a violent tremor through everyone present.
A Divine King, in this plane, was at the level of a major sect's Sect Master!
But even more terrifying than the words "Divine King" were his eyes. They had never seen such dark pupils. When he turned around, his gloomy gaze swept over them, bringing a terrifying sense of oppression and suffocation… like a demon with open eyes tightening its claws around their throats and souls.
But Mingyang was no ordinary person after all; he was not as wary of a Divine King as ordinary people would be, since his father was one of the strongest Divine Kings in this region.
Suppressing the inexplicable terror in his heart, he stepped forward, wore a smile, and bowed respectfully: "Junior Mingyang is truly fortunate to encounter a senior of such caliber in this desolate place. Earlier, my subordinates failed to recognize a Divine King and dared to offend you. I thank the senior for punishing them on my behalf."
"By the way, my father is Mingxiao, the Patriarch of the Mingpeng Clan. I believe the senior may have heard of him. If the senior does not mind, you could be a guest at Mingpeng Mountain. I will eagerly await and prepare a grand feast."
These few words displayed both respect and dignity. Especially when he mentioned his clan and father's name, his tone subtly changed. After all, not just in this region but across the entire star realm, who didn't know the Mingpeng Clan and Mingxiao's name?!
But…
What shocked Mingyang was that, upon hearing his words, the black-clothed man's expression did not change at all. In response, he merely raised his finger again… and then flicked it lightly once more.
Puff Boom!!
Three bursts of fire simultaneously exploded beside Mingyang.
In his pupils that dilated nearly to bursting, the other three people beside him — also three Divine Spirit realm powerhouses — in that same instant, their divine bodies exploded in the flames. No scream escaped, not a single drop of blood splattered. They simply burst into fiery fragments that scattered around him, covering the ground with ashes.
This completely unexpected scene caused Mingyang's features to twitch violently. His previous certainty turned into uncontrollable tremors: "You…"
He uttered that single word and could no longer speak.
Yun Che stepped forward, walking toward him step by step. With each step closer, Mingyang's pupils shrank further. The gradually approaching, terrifyingly oppressive pressure almost crushed all his will.
His mouth opened wide, moving repeatedly, but he couldn't make a single sound. Finally, he thought of fleeing… but he couldn't gather even a wisp of profound energy. He couldn't even feel his legs anymore. His entire body softened like mud, gradually collapsing… until he slumped to his knees.
He was by no means a coward. On the contrary, given his status and position, even when facing Divine King Sect Masters of other major sects, he was always neither servile nor arrogant.
But facing Yun Che, all his courage seemed utterly crushed by something intangible.
In a daze, Yun Che was already standing before him. His pupils had shrunk to the size of a needle's eye… He didn't understand why he was so terrified. Even when he had the fortune to meet a Great Realm King in the past, he had never been so fearful.
His lips trembled as they moved. He wanted to say that he was the Young Master of the Mingpeng Clan, that Yun Che couldn't kill him. But the two words he forced out with all his will were blurred and trembling to the extreme: "Spa…re me… ugh!"
A hand grabbed his throat, lifting him directly from the ground, strangling all his sounds.
In his ear, the final sounds of his life rang out… a whisper more terrifying than a demon:
"Those who defy me, those who offend me, those who harm me… all deserve to die!"
A wisp of black gas rose from Mingyang's neck, spreading across his entire body in an instant. In a single moment… it consumed his body into a puff of black smoke and ashes.
This was the first time Yun Che had used Dark Profound Force so naturally.
He lowered his hand… ahead, Mingyang had vanished, leaving only a wisp of black smoke slowly dissipating in the cold wind.
No one could understand how terrifying the darkness, hatred, and killing intent lurking beneath his cold exterior were. And Mingyang was like an overconfident ant that had provoked a god of death who had just stepped out of the endless abyss.
The black smoke dissipated. Yun Che turned and walked northward… without a single glance at the purple-clad young girl and the black-robed elder.
The purple-clad young girl stood there completely stunned, as if in a dream.
Mingyang was not only the son of the Mingpeng Clan's Patriarch but also the widely known Young Master of the Mingpeng Clan, a figure who could run rampant in this Eastern Domain without anyone daring to provoke him… and yet he had died just like that?!
So simply, like dust casually brushed away?!
And this happened after Mingyang had clearly stated his identity, as if… the Mingpeng Clan, renowned across the Eastern Domain, was utterly beneath his notice?!
The black-robed elder struggled to recollect himself. With his experience, the shock in his heart was even greater than that of the purple-clad girl, but there was more relief at surviving the disaster. He collapsed to the ground, unable to stand, yet a smile appeared on his face: "It seems the heavens favor Your Highness, sending a master to save us… Your Highness, you must leave quickly. With Mingyang dead, the Mingpeng Clan will surely sense it… Once this old servant recovers a little, I will catch up to Your Highness."
However, she did not respond to his words. Her gaze was fixed on the back of that black-clothed man, her eyes trembling continuously… trembling again.
"Senior, please wait!"
She suddenly spoke, startling the black-robed elder beside her: "Y-Your Highness!"
His instincts told him that this black-clothed man was absolutely not someone to provoke.
He even casually killed the Young Master of the Mingpeng Clan, let alone others!
But to her call, Yun Che showed no reaction at all, walking further away in her sight.
"Senior!" The purple-clad young girl's voice grew several times louder: "I am Dongfang Hanwei, the Nineteenth Princess of the Donghan Kingdom. I thank the senior for the great kindness of saving my life."
She stepped forward and suddenly knelt on the ground, her voice carrying deep sorrow and pleading: "My motherland is suffering a great calamity. The royal capital is on the verge of being captured. My father the king and mother the queen are still in the capital… I am at my wit's end. Shamelessly, I beg the senior to act. If the senior can rescue my father and mother, I am willing to repay you with everything I have!"
"Your Highness, no… impossible!" The black-robed elder struggled to rise and stop her.
That Dongfang Hanwei would do this did not surprise him much, because she was truly at the end of her rope. This was also something her personality would likely drive her to do.
She did not dare to hope that he would resolve the crisis of the royal capital; saving her parents would already be a heaven-bestowed grace.
She did not know Yun Che at all, and knew nothing of his background, not even whether he was good or evil. But like a drowning person on the verge of death, she would desperately grab anything she could… This black-clothed man of unknown origin and eerie aura, who had crushed the Mingpeng Clan's Young Master like an ant, made her see, in her despair, a lifeline glimmering with dark light.
Yun Che showed no reaction.
"Senior… Senior!"
Yun Che's indifference did not disappoint or deter her. She mobilized her remaining profound energy and rushed forward, throwing herself behind Yun Che. Her bloodstained arm tightly grabbed the corner of his robe, and her sorrowful words carried a sobbing tone: "Junior begs you to save us. As long as you are willing to act, any condition…"
Yun Che swung his robe backward.
Bang!!
With a dull thud, Dongfang Hanwei, like a purple butterfly caught in a hurricane, was sent flying far away. Her frail body heavily crashed back beside the black-robed elder, blood trickling from the corners of her lips.
"Your Highness… Your Highness!" The black-robed elder shook his head desperately: "Don't force it. Protecting yourself is the greatest comfort to His Majesty and the Queen."
Dongfang Hanwei lowered her head, droplets of blood falling from her lips to the ground. That thread of already faint hope… or rather, fantasy, was thus shattered.
Just then, she suddenly felt a shadow fall over her vision… She instinctively looked up and saw that the black-clothed man had appeared before her like a ghost, his eyes, cold to the point of evil, staring at her indifferently.
"…" She was dumbfounded, staring at him speechlessly.
"Any condition will be agreed to, right?" Yun Che said, like a demon forging a contract with a desperate mortal.
The black-robed elder's face changed drastically. He wanted to stop her… but couldn't make a sound, his raised hand frozen in midair.
How could one dare to offend a terrifying figure who had casually annihilated four Divine Spirit realm cultivators and the Mingpeng Clan's Young Master!
But in Dongfang Hanwei's eyes, a desperate hope lit up. She looked at Yun Che and nodded slowly and resolutely: "As long as the senior can save my father and mother… I will comply with any condition. Otherwise, the senior may take my life."
"Good." Yun Che half-closed his eyes. Facing the breathtakingly beautiful and moving Princess Hanwei, who had caused the Mingpeng Clan's Young Master to covet and obsess over her, his gaze was as cold as if he were looking at a dead person. "Lead the way."
"… Thank you for your great kindness, Senior." Dongfang Hanwei deeply bowed her head. In an instant, her beautiful eyes were filled with a mist of tears. It was unclear whether these were tears of joy at grabbing a lifeline or tears of sorrow for her own fate.
The black-robed elder's hand fell limply. From the moment Yun Che agreed, everything was irreversible. He could only say: "Venerable One, I am deeply grateful for your great kindness… I entrust Her Highness to you. I beg you, in light of Her Highness's sincere devotion, treat her well… In my next life, I will surely repay you with grass knots and rings."
"Hmph." Yun Che turned slightly and pointed his finger. Wisps of heaven and earth spiritual energy poured into the elder's body.
Immediately, the black-robed elder's expression changed. He felt as if countless clear springs had poured into his utterly depleted body. His vitality recovered at an unbelievable speed, his mind quickly cleared, and his previously numb wounds began to feel increasingly sharp pain.
His exhausted profound veins also rapidly surged with wisps of profound energy.
Testing his limbs, the black-robed elder stood up without effort. He looked at Yun Che, his aged eyes trembling as if gazing at a descending deity. Then, suddenly, his whole body shook, and he hurriedly bowed deeply: "This old servant Qin Jian pays respects to the Venerable One. The Venerable One's great kindness today, this old servant will never forget as long as he lives."
"Lead the way!" Yun Che's tone hardened, clearly impatient with their rambling.