Chapter 1545: Stepping Stone
"Ah!" Yun Che's words caused Dongfang Hanwei's heartstrings to violently tremble. She then lowered her head, bit her lip, and her delicate body lightly quivered, her heart uncertain whether it was fear or desolation.
Finally, was this moment going to come after all...
She knew her own appearance, and she knew even more that if Yun Che made such a demand, she absolutely had neither the ability nor the qualification to refuse. Moreover, as long as he was willing to save Donghan Kingdom, she was willing to give everything... this was also the promise she had personally shouted out back then.
Her beautiful face paled, but whether in words or in action, she showed no resistance whatsoever. She softly acknowledged with a "yes," stood up, and her slightly trembling fingers fell on her sash.
The sash was gently untied, and her light purple palace robe slid down her fragrant shoulders... Her lips bit tighter and tighter. Finally, the inner garment and undergarment were also slowly untied between her jade fingers. The incomparably beautiful jade body that had aroused the desire of countless men but had never been seen by anyone was completely and unobstructedly presented before Yun Che.
A chill spread, and she subconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, tightly closing her eyes, waiting for the fate that was to come. But after a long while, there was no movement.
She opened her eyes in confusion and looked at Yun Che, only to find that he had his eyes closed and was not looking at her at all.
"Yun... Senior?" she asked in confusion.
"...I told you to take off your upper garment. Why did you take everything off?" Yun Che said. He kept his eyes closed, but how could Dongfang Hanwei's movements escape his spiritual perception.
"..." Dongfang Hanwei stood there, at a loss.
"Forget it, sit down." Yun Che said with closed eyes.
"Yes." Dongfang Hanwei had no choice but to obey, her hands still firmly guarding her chest.
As soon as she sat down, Yun Che's finger suddenly shot out. Her arms crossed over her chest were directly knocked away, and Yun Che's finger landed without obstruction on her heart. A dark profound light flashed and instantly invaded her profound vein.
Dongfang Hanwei's entire body shook. Then, she suddenly felt countless unfamiliar auras flowing out from her profound vein, instantly spreading throughout her body. On the surface of her jade-white, flawless body, a very faint layer of black profound light also formed.
These black profound lights lasted for only a few breaths before quickly dissipating. At the same time, Yun Che's finger moved away from her heart. The dark profound energy at his fingertip also vanished without a trace, and he returned to calm.
On the opposite side, Dongfang Hanwei's lips parted wide. Sensing the profound vein and the strange changes throughout her body, she was lost for a long time, as if in a dream.
After a long time, she raised her palm. Dark profound energy circulated, and a ball of black profound light ignited in her hand... Extremely quiet, extremely calm, and pure like a clear black crystal.
"Senior..." She raised her eyes to look at Yun Che, her gaze trembling intensely, as if she could not wake from the dream for a long time.
"From now on, when you cultivate dark profound force, you will never need to worry about being backlashed by it. Your cultivation speed and the upper limit you can reach will far surpass what they were before." Yun Che said slowly.
What he did to Dongfang Hanwei was very simple... He corrected her dark profound force! More accurately, he changed her "demon body" and the dark laws it carried.
And the means to accomplish this "correction" was the Dark Eternal Calamity!
Before arriving in the God Realm, Yun Che had already come into contact with dark profound force. One was Fen Juechen, the other was Xuanyuan Wentian. After obtaining dark profound force, both became much more powerful than before, but at the same time, they also paid an extremely heavy price.
At that time, the impression dark profound force gave Yun Che was that cultivating it required paying the price of life and humanity.
Later, when he arrived in the God Realm, his understanding of dark profound force became more thorough. The common knowledge, or the most basic point, was that "demons" who cultivated dark profound force would become more irritable and bloodthirsty, with distorted personalities, and their lifespans would be far shorter than "normal" profound practitioners of the same level.
This sounded like a dual backlash of dark profound force on the cultivator's life and spirit.
However, as Yun Che's dark profound force fully awakened and he released it without any further restraint, along with his comprehension of the "Dark Eternal Calamity," he suddenly discovered a strange problem.
That was... the dark profound force of this world seemed to be distorted!
The dark profound aura circulating in Fen Juechen and Xuanyuan Wentian of the Lan Ji Star, as well as everyone he had encountered in the Northern Divine Region, had a considerable difference from the most primitive and purest dark profound aura he had inherited from the Evil God.
He originally thought that perhaps the dark profound force had undergone some kind of mutation during its long inheritance, but he then rejected this idea because it could not explain the extreme distortion of dark profound force in Fen Juechen and Xuanyuan Wentian.
Then, the most likely reason was perhaps not the dark profound force itself, but rather... that this power, which in ancient times only belonged to demon gods and demon beasts, could not easily achieve a perfect fit with the mortal body.
If that was the case, then the beings who entered the Northern Divine Region to cultivate the ancient demon god's power, or those who spontaneously developed dark profound force due to drastic changes in fate, the dark profound force they cultivated and carried was, from the very beginning, a power that was not suitable for them.
The main attribute of dark profound force is "residual devouring." And when this power cannot perfectly fit with oneself, it will undoubtedly continue to devour oneself... including life and soul.
The more severe this "misfit," the heavier the self-devouring would be.
And this misfit was determined from the very beginning of cultivation, from the root and essence. In the later stages, with the increase in profound force and control ability, it might be suppressed to a minimum, but it could never be completely eliminated. It was even regarded by "demons" as common sense and a normal state of dark profound force, and they would never find it strange.
But the Dark Eternal Calamity, this dark power that belonged to the Demon Emperor, with its unique and bizarre laws—Yun Che had only touched a tiny bit of its surface, but it could directly interfere with the state of another's "demon body" and correct it to perfectly fit with their own dark profound force, so that it would no longer backlash against themselves.
And at the same time as perfect fit, cultivation naturally became much smoother and easier than before. What Yun Che said, that Dongfang Hanwei's future cultivation speed and upper limit would far surpass before, was by no means an empty statement.
This was absolutely a terrifying ability that completely transcended the current world's understanding, something that no one could possibly comprehend.
Dongfang Hanwei naturally perceived this magical, dreamlike feeling clearly. Not to mention her, even a dark profound master who had cultivated dark profound force for tens of thousands of years would be stunned as if in a dream upon sensing the changes in themselves... Their reaction would be even greater than Dongfang Hanwei's.
She did not know how Yun Che had done it, nor could she perceive at all what kind of power it was that Yun Che had infused into her body. But she knew extremely clearly that from this moment on, she had truly undergone a complete transformation.
After a long period of excitement and disbelief, she finally awoke from her dream. She knelt on both knees and made a deep bow, her overly excited voice carrying a slight sob: "Hanwei... thanks Senior for the grace of rebirth."
"No need. I was just using you as a test subject casually." Yun Che said indifferently. He opened his eyes and looked at Dongfang Hanwei's jade body with cold, emotionless eyes: "This was my first attempt, so I didn't dare to do it through clothes. But it seems it wasn't as difficult as I thought. Not to mention through clothes, even through the air seems fine."
Dongfang Hanwei was startled. She suddenly realized that she was not wearing a single thread. She let out a startled cry and hurriedly huddled her arms, bending down, not daring to raise her head again.
"You may go." Yun Che said. "Tell your father not to waste his thoughts. If I need anything, I will tell him myself."
Dongfang Hanwei was silent for a moment, then softly replied, "Yes."
She grabbed her palace robe, a profound light flickered, and she had already put it back on. She breathed a sigh of relief, but in her heart, there was a complex feeling of loss.
Because from beginning to end, even when he opened his eyes and looked directly at her body, there was not a single ripple in Yun Che's gaze.
"Senior," she did not leave immediately but spoke instead: "I dare not inquire about your affairs. But... please be careful, Senior. Perhaps Senior does not fear the Nine Great Sects, but... but if the matter becomes too big, it might very well alert the Great Realm King."
When she said the words "Great Realm King," Dongfang Hanwei's face revealed a reverence that had long been deeply etched into her soul, as if she were speaking the name of a god.
"Isn't that better?" Yun Che said coldly, not even asking who the Great Realm King of Dongxu Realm was.
Dongfang Hanwei was taken aback. She said no more. She made a deep bow, stepped back a few paces, turned, and left.
Just as she was about to push open the door and leave, Dongfang Hanwei paused for a moment, then turned back. Lowering her head, she softly asked: "Yun Senior, I would like to ask... why did you agree to my plea that day?"
At that time, she thought Yun Che was an ordinary Divine King, a lifeline that could save her parents' lives. But he effortlessly crushed the Nine Great Sects' Divine Kings and made her undergo a complete transformation in just a few breaths... All of these told her that Yun Che was definitely a terrifying figure far beyond her and everyone else's imagination.
Such a figure, in whose eyes the Donghan Kingdom was perhaps as insignificant as dust, why would he be willing to come with her to the Donghan Kingdom?
She knew she should not ask, and she knew even more that Yun Che would not answer her, but she inexplicably wanted to know the answer.
Unexpectedly, Yun Che gave her an answer: "Because I need a stepping stone. Understand?"
"..." She looked at him for a long, long time. She did not know what answer she had been expecting, but she clearly knew that she and he were from two different worlds.
"I have disturbed Senior. Hanwei takes her leave."
Closing the door and sealing the barrier, no longer needing to face the pressure, she should have taken a long breath and then rejoiced at the great fortune she had obtained. But for some reason, her heart suddenly felt completely empty, an emptiness she had never felt before and could not explain.
After Dongfang Hanwei left, Yun Che picked up the jade plate filled with palace pastries, a gentle smile appearing on his face: "You Er, here's something delicious."
The figure of the girl with colored pupils appeared. She held a piece of rose-red pastry in her small hand, eating it with great joy and satisfaction.
"How strange. Why would You Er like to eat such disgusting food?" Hong'er tilted her head, propped up her cheek, her face full of confusion and doubt.
Unlike Hong'er, You Er, after gradually gaining a body and beginning to recover her sense of taste, liked sweets the most... This was not the first time she had made such a complaint.
Yun Che gave Hong'er a sidelong glance... You are the strange one!
"Master, is this really okay? Is it a little too rushed?"
Yun Che's heart sea echoed with He Ling's voice. She was the one who best understood what he wanted to do.
"It's fine." A deep, dark light flickered in the depths of Yun Che's eyes: "To achieve the fastest improvement, the assistance of vast resources is indispensable. The initial resources will be taken from this 'Youxu Five Realms'!"
"I don't want to wait... even one more day!"
...
These past few days had been the most turbulent time in the Eastern Domain of Dongxu Realm in many years.
In just three days, countless profound practitioners had arrived after hearing the news. The Donghan Kingdom, which had originally occupied a mediocre position among the thirty-six countries, also experienced its busiest few days. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the Hantan Peak at the Donghan Kingdom's border, speculating about Yun Che's origin and purpose, and wondering whether the people of the Nine Great Sects would come.
At the same time, many people in their hearts had a vague premonition... that this domain might be about to change.
And that day... the day Yun Che had "ordered" the Nine Great Sects to come to Hantan Peak, had finally arrived.
At the foot of Hantan Peak, countless sects and countless profound practitioners were focused on the peak. They all wanted to witness with their own eyes the person who had killed the Taiyin God Mansion's Vice Mansion Master and Great Protector, and killed the Mingpeng Clan's Young Master and Grand Elder... And whether the pattern of this domain would undergo some change today.
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Chapter 1546: Submit, or Die
The peak of Hantan Peak had been shrouded in clouds since time immemorial, but today it was very different. At the summit, a dense array of profound ships and profound vessels of various sizes and shapes had already gathered. The intertwined aura of these profound ships and vessels pushed away all the clouds within a radius of several hundred li, and the airflow was in a constant state of chaos.
At the foot of Hantan Peak, the Donghan Kingdom's ruler and Dongfang Hanwei and her company had also quietly arrived. The Donghan Kingdom's ruler looked at his daughter several times and found that her eyes were full of worry and unease.
"Father, will the people of the Nine Great Sects... really come?" Dongfang Hanwei asked. She knew that Yun Che's strength must be beyond imagination. But these were the nine most powerful sects of this domain. Each had a deep foundation and terrifying experts.
Could Yun Che possibly face one, two, or even three of them? But if the top figures of all nine sects truly arrived together, could he, one man alone, really have a chance to contend?
Moreover, he had already dealt lethal blows to three Divine Kings from two of the Nine Great Sects! At the very least, with the Taiyin God Mansion and the Mingpeng Clan, it was already an irreconcilable enmity.
The Donghan Kingdom's ruler shook his head: "Decisions of this level, made by the Nine Great Sects, are beyond our ability to fathom. However, the Yunyang Sword Master will certainly not come. The Yunyang Sword Domain might not attend either."
The Yunyang Sword Domain was the head of the Nine Great Sects of the Eastern Domain!
The Yunyang Sword Master was the number one figure in the sword dao of this domain, and also the number one in the profound dao! And his title of "number one" had remained unshaken for several thousand years in this domain!
Hearing the Donghan Kingdom's ruler's words, Dongfang Hanwei breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Indeed, the Yunyang Sword Master would definitely not come... In that case, Yun Che would at least be slightly less in danger.
The Donghan Kingdom's ruler observed her expression and said, "Hanwei, it seems you are quite concerned about Lord Yun's safety."
"...Lord Yun is my savior and has resolved Donghan's crisis. I should be grateful." Dongfang Hanwei said.
"Mm." The Donghan Kingdom's ruler nodded slightly, then gave her a deep look. He turned his gaze away, his expression somewhat complicated for a moment.
Had the crisis of Donghan Kingdom really been resolved? No, of course not.
Yun Che alone had challenged the Nine Great Sects, causing the Eastern Domain to shake and boil. And the place where all this happened and the "cause" was Donghan Kingdom. For these three days, Yun Che had also been residing in Donghan Kingdom. Invisibly, Donghan Kingdom's position was forced to be tied to Yun Che's.
If Yun Che were to fall today at the hands of the Nine Great Sects, the Taiyin God Mansion and Mingpeng Clan would inevitably vent their wrath on Donghan Kingdom. The consequences would be even more cruel and desperate than when the Tianwu Kingdom's army had been at the royal city's gates.
But if Yun Che were truly able to suppress the Nine Great Sects alone...
Thinking of that dreamlike outcome, the Donghan Kingdom's ruler's hands unconsciously clenched, trembling slightly.
Today's outcome would also decide Donghan Kingdom's fate! Although... the Donghan Kingdom's ruler was deeply aware in his heart that Yun Che likely did not care at all about Donghan Kingdom's survival.
Wasn't this also a kind of sorrow for the weak?
At the foot of the mountain and on the peak, all kinds of discussions were buzzing.
"Who exactly is Yun Che? Still no reliable information?"
"Don't know. They say he might be from another star realm, and he practices some kind of strange profound fire."
"Heard he killed Zixuan Fairy and the Mingpeng Great Elder alone, and even Mingxiao was defeated by him. What level of cultivation does he really have?"
"It's said to be a first-level Divine King, but that claim must be wrong. To be able to defeat Mingxiao and Zixuan Fairy, he's likely an eighth-level... or even ninth-level Divine King!"
"Ni-ninth-level Divine King? That would be comparable to the Yunyang Sword Master!"
"Just a guess. Also, I heard recently that the Yunyang Sword Master is in seclusion, trying to break through to the tenth-level Divine King. Not sure if he succeeded, or if he's even come out of seclusion yet."
"A tenth-level Divine King... If the Yunyang Sword Master can reach that level, it would undoubtedly create another myth."
"But regardless of whether the Yunyang Sword Master has come out of seclusion or succeeded, it's impossible for him to come today."
"Of course! If he personally showed up just because of some arrogant brat's provocation, wouldn't that be beneath his dignity?"
...
...
Since the Nine Great Sects had dominated the Eastern Domain, those who dared to challenge even one of them were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, and the consequences were always merciless annihilation. But to dare to challenge all nine sects at once, and even leave the cruel ultimatum of "those who do not come will have their entire sect exterminated," was absolutely the first time, the first person.
The onlookers grew more numerous. The Hantan Mountain Range, rarely visited, was now crowded with figures. The sky above was filled with an increasing number of profound ships and vessels, dimming the light over the entire mountain range considerably.
At that moment, a surge of air stirred in the sky. The tide of profound ships in the eastern direction quickly parted.
One figure after another stepped out from the tide of ships and slowly landed atop Hantan Peak.
A moment of silence fell over the Hantan Mountain Range. Then, an uproar dozens of times louder than before erupted.
"The Supreme Grand Elder of Ku Hun Temple!"
"Behind him is... the Sui Yue Temple Master... the Yan Xing Tower Master... the Hei Sha Sect Master... the Blood Hand Poison Lord... the Qingxuan Zhenren... the Yecha Demon Venerable..."
Seven figures landed one after another on Hantan Peak. The appearance of each one triggered a huge commotion.
The eighth figure walked out. Although his aura was imposing, his body was covered in injuries, and there was a strong medicinal smell about him... He was unmistakably Mingxiao, the Mingpeng Clan Chief.
With Mingxiao's arrival, the parted tide of profound ships also closed again.
On Hantan Peak, eight figures stood proudly. With their arrival, the numerous profound ships and vessels that had been hovering above the peak hurriedly descended, not daring to remain above them.
These eight people... Although there were only eight of them, each one carried immense weight. The appearance of any one of them alone would have caused a huge shock.
Ku Hun Temple, Sui Yue Temple, Yan Xing Tower, Mingpeng Mountain, Blood Hand Villa, Hei Sha Poison Sect, Yecha Demon Sect, Taiyin God Mansion... These eight people came from eight of the Nine Great Sects!
Only one person came from each of the eight great sects, but six of them were their respective Sect Masters! The other two were a Supreme Grand Elder and a person known as the "Demon Venerable," who was the Sect Master's own master!
The head of the Nine Great Sects, the Yunyang Sword Domain, had not arrived, which was also within everyone's expectations.
"Six Sect Masters, two Supreme Grand Elders... Sigh." Continuous gasps of cold air were heard. To witness such a shocking lineup, they felt their trip had been more than worthwhile.
Clearly, the fact that these eight great sects had each sent only one person was not a coincidence but had been prearranged. They did not bring large numbers to avoid losing face and diminishing their own prestige... After all, their opponent was just one person!
And the fact that the Sect Masters and Supreme Grand Elders had come in person undoubtedly indicated that they were by no means underestimating Yun Che.
After all, the deaths of Zixuan Fairy and Ming'ao, and Mingxiao's miserable state, were not false!
"This..." Although he had mentally prepared himself, seeing the eight people on Hantan Peak, the Donghan Kingdom's ruler still changed expression several times.
Six Sect Masters, two Supreme Grand Elders, a force so terrifying that not even a kingdom's ruler could fathom it. Was it possible for Yun Che, alone, to contend with them?
Beside him, Dongfang Hanwei was already so nervous she could not speak.
"Six Sect Masters in person, and the Ku Hun Supreme Grand Elder and Yecha Demon Venerable are no weaker than Sect Masters—all top-tier figures! This... this is too exaggerated."
"Aren't they? It's Yun Che asking for it."
"Yun Che hasn't arrived yet... Could it be that he doesn't dare to come?"
"Very possible!"
"The Yunyang Sword Domain indeed hasn't come."
"Isn't that only natural?"
Just as the crowd was shocked, excited, and speculating, a black ray of light suddenly fell from the sky, straight down onto Hantan Peak.
It was like a black lightning bolt striking down from the heavens onto Hantan Peak, accompanied by a deafening roar.
BOOM——
That instant of thunder brought with it a terrifyingly powerful air wave, overturning all the profound ships within a radius of several tens of li. Some profound practitioners with weaker cultivation saw their vision go black, their ears and entire bodies violently aching as if splitting apart, and some even fainted on the spot with blood oozing from their seven orifices.
The entire Hantan Peak shook noticeably. A huge crack split from the peak straight down, creating a shocking cliff.
And at the edge of that cliff, a black figure had appeared. Facing the top-notch experts from the eight great sects, his gaze was extremely distant, cold, and deep.
Shouts of terror rang out across the land. Deep horror appeared on everyone's faces. They looked up at that black figure on the peak, and waves of shock surged in their hearts.
So that was Yun Che, the one who had single-handedly challenged the Nine Great Sects... Just his arrival alone already had such terrifying momentum.
Compared to the horrified crowd, the eight people on the peak showed no change in expression. Only Mingxiao... subconsciously took half a step back with his left foot.
The others had only heard about it, but he had witnessed it with his own eyes and experienced Yun Che's terror firsthand.
He should have been recuperating in his clan, but he had come in person today. Naturally, he had his own plans.
"You are Yun Che!?"
Facing Yun Che, a man in blue robes slowly stepped forward. His face was gloomy and fierce, and his eyes were also covered with an obviously abnormal black aura: "Since you dare to come today, that's excellent. It saves me the trouble of spending more time!"
This blue-robed man was none other than the Taiyin God Mansion Mansion Master, the Qingxuan Zhenren, known to all in this domain!
But Yun Che acted as if he hadn't heard a word. His gaze swept over the eight people, eight completely different auras—clearly from eight different sects. Slowly, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he uttered lowly: "Eight people, one short. Very good. There is one sect that should be erased from Dongxu Realm."
That faint sneer and the judgment-like whisper caused a chill to pierce through everyone's hearts.
"What an arrogant brat." The Yecha Demon Venerable squinted: "Oh? His profound aura is only at the first-level Divine King. Mingxiao Clan Chief, are you sure it's this person?"
"Hmph. Underestimate him, and you will suffer a great loss." Mingxiao said coldly. Before he could clearly understand Yun Che's purpose today, he did not dare to provoke Yun Che rashly again. But in front of the world, he certainly could not bow down and call Yun Che "Master" again.
"Hmph. If we underestimated him, we wouldn't have come in person. However, this brat is far more arrogant than expected..." The Blood Hand Poison Lord extended his right hand, and between his curling five fingers flickered a strange blue-black light: "Therefore, his fate will be far more miserable than he imagines!"
Their words and expressions were completely undisguised, enough for Yun Che to see and hear clearly. But he did not react or pay them any attention at all. Instead, he slowly walked towards the eight, stopping only when he stood about ten zhang in front of them.
Eight people, six seventh-level Divine Kings, two sixth-level Divine Kings. In this domain, aside from the Yunyang Sword Master, no one could face such a force.
Stopping, Yun Che spoke indifferently: "I ordered you to come today to announce something to you."
"From today onward, I, Yun Che, am the sovereign of the Eastern Domain!"
A single sentence caused everyone's expressions to change drastically.
Yun Che slowly raised his hand, looking at the eight, his eyes half-lidded: "You have two choices: submit, or die!"