Chapter 1555: Princess Yan
Eastern Waste Realm, Eastern Border Region.
"This is the Donghan Kingdom? Surprisingly quiet and elegant."
In front of the Donghan Royal City, a young woman halted. She was dressed in green attire, her tall and slender figure rivaling that of a man, yet exceptionally graceful and curvaceous. As she walked, countless people turned their heads and stared. Her face was exceedingly beautiful, and her temperament could be described as outstanding—cold and proud but not overbearing.
Behind her followed an old man in black robes. The old man's appearance was unremarkable, easily forgotten. At first glance, his eyes seemed rather murky, but upon closer inspection, one would surely feel a cold gleam that occasionally flashed, piercing directly into the soul.
"The Donghan Kingdom is one of the thirty-six nations of the Eastern Border Region. Recently, due to Yun Che's stay, its reputation has skyrocketed, far surpassing the other thirty-five nations. There are rumors that Yun Che has some kind of connection with the Donghan Kingdom, and others say he is captivated by the beauty of the Donghan Kingdom's nineteenth princess and has remained here," the old man said slowly.
"Hmph," the green-clad woman let out a disdainful snort. "Another lecherous glutton."
"Regardless, his strength cannot be doubted," the old man continued. "He single-handedly defeated the Sun-Sinking Sword Master and the long-secluded Pengming Patriarch. Countless profound practitioners witnessed it personally—this cannot be false. Based on the gathered reports, his profound strength should be at the late stage of the tenth level of the Divine King Realm, or even half-step Divine Sovereign."
"I hope so. Don't let me make this trip for nothing," the woman said.
"Furthermore, I've heard that his temperament is extremely brutal. He had no prior grievances with the nine great sects, yet he showed no mercy. The Sun-Sinking Sword Master was reduced to nothing, and the Pengming Patriarch's wings were torn off, his body shattered, with a rain of blood drenching the Hantan Mountain. And he has dominated the Eastern Border Region for over a month without showing any intention of paying respects to the Great Realm King. He is certainly not someone easy to deal with. Xueyan, you should also be more cautious."
"Rest assured, Ninth Uncle. I am here to bestow favor upon him, not to deliver punishment on behalf of Father King. As long as his mind isn't twisted, he should know what an enormous opportunity and honor Father King has given him."
"Besides, with Ninth Uncle here, even if he were a madman, what is there to fear? ... Let's go."
The two entered the royal city, heading straight for the central palace. They were stopped by guard profound practitioners: "This is the Donghan Imperial Palace; no unauthorized entry allowed."
The woman did not force her way in. She halted and said flatly, "Inform your nation's lord. Have him come personally to welcome me!"
Such a brief statement showed that she held their nation's lord in no regard at all. Yet the guard profound practitioners did not laugh or grow angry, because the hidden majesty in her calm eyes deeply unsettled them. The guard at the front changed expression several times and said in a cautious tone, "May I ask your esteemed name?"
"Dong Xueyan!"
Three short words. The crowd froze, then their expressions shifted dramatically. The astonishment that instantly multiplied countless times was as if they had heard a divine decree.
"Or... originally... it's... it's... it's... This lowly one... will go report immediately..."
The palace guards, who had been poised and composed, turned deathly pale in an instant, sweat pouring like a waterfall, and their words became halting. They hurriedly retreated, and with trembling hands, took out a sound transmission jade...
Dong Xueyan turned her body and said flatly, "Let me see with my own eyes this Yun Che who has silently trampled the Eastern Border Region. I wonder just what kind of divine being he is. He better not disappoint me."
"Yun Che, hmm..." The old man mused, as if lost in thought.
"Oh?" Dong Xueyan glanced sideways. "Is Ninth Uncle thinking of something?"
"No," the old man shook his head. "The surname Yun is quite rare. It just reminds me of that family burdened with eternal sin."
Dong Xueyan naturally knew what the old man was referring to. She said casually, "The Yun Clan, you mean... I heard Father King mention it recently. Their final 'deadline' is approaching. It seems that family, which once flourished for countless generations, will also be completely consigned to history."
"If the Yun Clan is annihilated, there will no longer be the power of 'Demon Firmament' in this world. That is truly a pity," the old man sighed softly.
"Heh, carrying an ancient supreme treasure and defecting to the Northern Divine Region, even the Three Divine Emperors were enraged. They brought this upon themselves. No one else is to blame."
As they spoke, a wisp of aura approached rapidly... It was the Donghan Nation's Lord. Upon hearing the name "Dong Xueyan," this nation's lord was so startled he jumped up on the spot, practically scrambling and crawling as he rushed over.
"This lowly king, Dongfang Zhuo... pays respects to Princess Yan!"
From a great distance, the Donghan Nation's Lord had already lowered his posture, shouting respectfully. He had never seen Dong Xueyan before, but in the Eastern Waste Realm, who would dare to impersonate the name "Princess Yan"? And even with his behind, he could guess the purpose of Dong Xueyan's personal visit to the Donghan Kingdom—it must be related to Yun Che.
Because he, a mere nation's lord, simply lacked this qualification.
At the same time, within the Donghan Imperial Palace.
Another round of yin-yang interaction had been completed. Qianye Ying'er rose from Yun Che's body, and in the very first instant, her blue clothes covered her body, while she instinctively assumed a defensive posture—because Yun Che had more than once, after finishing, suddenly unleashed his beastly desires upon her, with a terrifying look in his eyes, as if venting his hatred toward the Brahma Emperor Divine Realm and the Eastern Divine Region.
Yun Che also opened his eyes. This time, his gaze was rather calm: "Qian Ying, as a tool, you have truly given me surprise after surprise. Not only is your flavor exquisite, but you are also so easy to use. In just half a month, with barely a hundred times, you've managed to fuse the demon blood to such a degree."
"Heh, the feeling is mutual." Yun Che's words seemed like praise, but they also carried humiliation. Qianye Ying'er responded with a cold smile. "It's just a pity that your focus and self-control are still far too lacking. In essence, you are no different from a livestock that frequently goes into heat."
The two were tools for each other, but how could their former hatred truly be buried so easily?
Yun Che smiled. "Well said. I will certainly live up to your evaluation."
Qianye Ying'er: "..."
"It seems that in another half month, the demon blood will achieve initial fusion. Then you can begin to cultivate the demonic arts..." A black light flashed in Yun Che's eyes. "A unique demonic art!"
Qianye Ying'er raised her right arm. In the center of her snow-white, flawless palm, wisps of black mist rose—this was the dark power originating from the Demon Emperor's blood. It seemed like a thin black mist, but it was so deep and shadowy that it instilled fear. "From now on, I will be a demon forever... This feeling is unexpectedly not bad."
"However, this mere Divine Sovereign level power is disgustingly weak." Qianye Ying'er frowned and muttered.
The Divine Sovereign Realm—a realm that countless profound practitioners in the Divine Realm would never dare to aspire to in their entire lives—was described by her as "disgustingly weak."
No one in the Donghan Kingdom, the Eastern Border Region, or even the entire Eastern Waste Realm knew or could imagine that this land was hosting a figure who had once reached the Divine Emperor Realm.
"Focus on fusing the demon blood," Yun Che said coldly. "The lower your cultivation level, the greater the effect the demon blood will have on your body and profound veins. This is also why I have been forcibly suppressing my realm. The same goes for you! Once the demon blood achieves initial fusion... returning to the Divine Lord Realm will be as easy as turning your hand."
"...!?" Qianye Ying'er's head shot up. "What did you say?"
"Your profound veins were half-destroyed by Qianye Fantian when you were at the fifth level of the Divine Lord Realm." Facing Qianye Ying'er's intensely shifting gaze, Yun Che's expression remained cold. "Do you think that my light profound energy's repair of your profound veins only stopped your profound energy from dispersing? Ha... you underestimate the 'Miracle of Life' far too much."
"You mean... you have a way to restore my cultivation to what it was before it was crippled?" Qianye Ying'er leaned forward. She was excited, incredulous.
If she had to cultivate again from the third level of the Divine Sovereign Realm to the mid-stage Divine Lord Realm, even with her extraordinary talent and understanding of the profound way, it would take at least several hundred years. And in the Northern Divine Region, it would be absolutely impossible for her to obtain resources comparable to those she had in the Brahma Emperor Divine Realm. This time would be greatly extended.
"Within three years!" Yun Che said, as if stating the simplest of matters.
Back then, his dead Evil God profound veins, under the power of the Miracle of Life, had directly recovered from a state of complete death to their peak.
Let alone Qianye Ying'er's, which was only half-crippled.
Although the Miracle of Life acting on oneself and acting on another person were not the same, three years was Yun Che's most conservative estimate. Given his own profound strength, which was sure to grow rapidly, and Qianye Ying'er's demon body, which was sure to transform qualitatively under the source blood of the Demon Emperor, the time would likely be far shorter than three years.
"..." Qianye Ying'er was silent. Yun Che would often say things that defied logic, but every single time, they came true. Facing Yun Che now, she was no longer even able to doubt. She quickly suppressed her surging emotions and suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Although you treat me as a tool for revenge, and a stronger tool is easier to use, aren't you afraid that if I recover so quickly, I might easily turn the tables and control you?"
"Heh," Yun Che smiled contemptuously. He turned to look at Qianye Ying'er. "Are you so sure... that my speed of growth will be slower than your speed of recovery!?"
"...?" Yun Che's words, along with his dark and cold gaze, caused Qianye Ying'er's golden brows to twitch slightly.
He means... his speed of growth will not be slower than her speed of recovery?
In other words, he has a way to grow his strength to the mid-stage Divine Lord Realm within just three years!?
This was too absurd. Even coming from Yun Che, she simply could not believe it.
"I know you don't believe it. Even I myself dare not believe it." Yun Che said slowly, his speaking pace very slow, his voice carrying a hint of ethereality.
He waved his hand. A black light flashed, and suddenly a large number of black profound crystals appeared around them. These were the demon crystals that Yun Che had extorted from the nine sects a month ago.
Standing in the center of the piled demon crystals, Yun Che spread his arms and slightly closed his eyes. Without any visible movement from him, nor any release of profound energy, an incredibly unbelievable scene unfolded before Qianye Ying'er's eyes.
Countless streams of spiritual energy surged forth from these demon crystals, converging into torrents of spiritual energy that rapidly flowed toward Yun Che's body. They then directly merged into his body without any obstruction—there wasn't even a process. It was like dewdrops silently and naturally blending into an ocean.
"You..." Qianye Ying'er stood up, unable to remain calm. The shock blooming on her face surpassed any moment during this period.
Profound crystals, aside from being used for artifact forging and formation casting, were most commonly used to assist cultivation. The method was to release the spiritual energy within, either refining it into one's own profound energy or using it to aid in breaking through bottlenecks. This was the most basic knowledge in profound way cultivation, from the lower realms to the Divine Realm. Although the tier of profound crystals differed greatly, the essence was the same.
However, this type of refinement was an extremely slow and arduous process, with an extremely low refinement rate. Most of the time, all the precious profound crystals would be fully expended, yet the profound way would show no progress at all—this was a perfectly normal occurrence.
Throughout her life in the Brahma Emperor Divine Realm, Qianye Ying'er had always enjoyed the most abundant and highest-grade resources. The amount of high-grade profound crystals she had consumed in her life was simply incalculable. She believed that in refining the spiritual energy of profound crystals, she was second to none.
But what she saw now... right before her eyes, less than a few feet away, was not the refinement of the profound crystals' spiritual energy but clearly...
Absorption!?
Yun Che opened his eyes and lowered his arms. The streams of spiritual energy instantly disappeared. He looked at Qianye Ying'er, whose face was full of shock, and said slowly, "Cultivation? That's just the method used by mortals like you."
Qianye Ying'er could not speak.
"Before the Calamity Demon Emperor left, she said some strange things to me. She said that I am a 'monster'," Yun Che's expression flickered subtly. "As a supreme and lofty Demon Emperor, calling me a 'monster'—how absurd and ridiculous... at least, I thought so at the time."
"But when I had no more attachments, put aside all concerns and hesitations, and was left with only the thirst for power... especially when I actually touched 'that power'..." Yun Che let out a soft breath. "Only then did I realize that I... really am a monster."
"That... power?" Qianye Ying'er asked, somewhat dazedly.