Chapter 1597: Above the Nine Shining Heavens
"..." Yun Che still didn't answer, but his foot was slightly blocked by a heavy dragon bone beneath him.
Qianye Ying'er's golden eyes, which had been carrying a hint of mockery, changed visibly. She turned her body to block in front of Yun Che: "Did you really... did you really mess around with the Dragon Queen!?"
Yun Che's brows tightened slightly, and he said coldly, "That's none of your business!"
"..." Qianye Ying'er's jade-like face froze. Then, the corners of her lips tilted up, and she burst into wild, unrestrained laughter: "Hahahaha... hahahahahaha..."
"No wonder, no wonder! Hahahahahaha..."
She laughed until her slender waist swayed and her snow-white chest trembled... Since coming to the Northern Divine Region, this was the first time she had laughed so freely, so wantonly. There was no bitterness or gloom in her laughter, only pure joy and the sheer desire to laugh out loud.
In the Divine Realm, especially at the level of the King Realms, no one was unaware that the Dragon Emperor's life had been greatly influenced by the Dragon Queen. Having become the Emperor of the Dragon God Clan and the Empress of the Chaos, he had always followed the righteous path, despised petty individuals, and possessed a heart as vast as the heavens. This made the Dragon God Clan not only renowned and awe-inspiring but also respected by all realms.
During the God-Enfeoffment Battle, everyone clearly saw the Dragon Emperor's appreciation for Yun Che, even his protective stance. In the end, he even publicly declared his intention to make Yun Che his adopted son.
For someone like the Dragon Emperor, it was extremely difficult for him to appreciate someone, and equally difficult for his will to undergo significant changes. But his change in attitude toward Yun Che was truly bizarre.
After the Demon Emperor left and the Evil Infant was driven out of the Chaos, it was the Dragon Emperor who suddenly stepped forward with cold, decisive words, pushing Yun Che to the opposition of everyone and forcing him to fall into darkness.
The only one who could cause such a drastic change in the Dragon Emperor's will seemed to be the Dragon Queen.
The Dragon Queen had gone into a mysterious seclusion just before that.
The Dragon Queen, who never liked to interact with the outside world, had not only taken Yun Che in back then but also taught him to cultivate Light Profound Force... This could not be explained by the mere reason of "cherishing talent."
Yun Che's brutality toward the Desolate Heaven Dragon Clan made her casually recall the enmity between Yun Che and the Dragon Emperor. She inadvertently combined these thoughts and arrived at a most bizarre notion, one that would seem utterly impossible to anyone.
But no matter how absurd the matter, it could happen to Yun Che.
The question she had suddenly asked was originally only one-tenth probing and nine-tenths mockery, with the follow-up taunt being: "If you hadn't slept with the Dragon Queen, why would the Dragon Emperor suddenly be so ruthless toward you?"
But the reaction she got wasn't Yun Che's cold snort, but a silence clearly tinged with strangeness, and a reprimand that was tantamount to a tacit admission.
The figure of Shen Xi undoubtedly existed in the deepest, most painful, and most guilt-ridden place in Yun Che's heart. His brows sank, and his eyes blazed with anger: "What's so funny!"
If Shen Xi hadn't encountered him back then, she wouldn't have suffered the subsequent calamities.
But he refused to believe that Shen Xi was dead. He preferred to believe that everything Xia Qingyue had said was a lie.
Qianye Ying'er's laughter gradually subsided, but the smile still lingered at the corners of her lips: "Why can't I laugh? The Dragon Emperor's consort, the Dragon Queen of the Chaos, a Dragon Queen of equal fame to me, a woman who made the Dragon Emperor humble as a loyal dog and appeared as noble and holy as a celestial immortal in the eyes of all men under heaven—turns out she's also a lewd slut hiding purity beneath a veneer of chastity!"
The flames of rage exploded in Yun Che's pupils. He suddenly reached out, grabbed Qianye Ying'er by the collar, and roared in a low voice: "Say... that... again!"
"Did I say something wrong?" Qianye Ying'er was still sneering coldly. This matter had nothing to do with her at all, but for some reason, an indescribable pleasure welled up in her heart.
"If you... dare speak another word against her," Yun Che's hand trembled slightly, "I'll cripple you!"
"Would you be willing to?" Qianye Ying'er's eyes were cold, deep, and stunningly beautiful, but there was not a trace of fear in them. "If I were crippled, there would be no woman left in this world with the blood of the Demon Emperor. Who would help you cultivate the Dark Eternal Calamity? Who would help you turn the three Divine Regions into demonic realms?"
"... Yun Qianying, without you, I can still trample the three Divine Regions in the future. But without me, you'll never be able to take revenge." Yun Che responded in a low voice, but he abruptly threw off the hand gripping Qianye Ying'er. "And remember this: she is Shen Xi, not the Dragon Queen!"
"..." Qianye Ying'er's jade hand brushed her chest, and she gracefully smoothed her skirt. Yun Che's words made her thoughtful, but her lips still dripped with sarcasm: "Not only did you sleep with her, but you actually developed feelings?"
She took a step forward, her orchid-like breath lightly brushing against Yun Che's lips: "No wonder the Dragon Emperor treated you like that. The Dragon Queen, Shen Xi, and the Divine Maiden Qianye have all become the playthings between your legs. You really... deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!"
"She is not the Dragon Queen," Yun Che repeated coldly. "And definitely not a plaything! You're not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as her!"
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er wasn't angry at all. In this world, the one who could give her the strongest "sense of fateful balance" was undoubtedly Shen Xi. She tilted her head forward, her jade-like lips almost touching Yun Che's ear: "Then tell me, when Shen Xi was messing around with you, was she still wearing that lofty, holy expression?"
Yun Che's palm clenched slightly, but just before his anger erupted, he suddenly suppressed it. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face: "She is the most perfect woman in the world. Before me, she can be as holy as a snow lotus, or as wanton as a seductress."
"During the time I was with her, I wished I could spend every moment... die in her embrace. Even in this alone, you can't compare."
"You are, after all, just a tool for my cultivation and an exceptional plaything. Understand?"
"..." The smile on Qianye Ying'er's face slowly faded, but her lips didn't leave his ear, and her voice became much softer: "Yun Che, rest assured, I will do my duty as a tool and a plaything... And so will you."
"Hmph!" Yun Che turned and quickly moved out of the thunder domain.
Qianye Ying'er followed slowly behind, but her state of mind was clearly unsettled.
"Not the Dragon Queen..." Qianye Ying'er didn't simply gloss over those few words of Yun Che. She laughed, but this time, her laughter was full of mockery: "So it turns out that the so-called number one man of the Chaos is nothing but a pathetic joke."
"In this world, who has truly seen anyone clearly?"
...
After leaving the Tiangang Cloud Clan, Yun Che activated his full speed, charging straight south without any hesitation or preparation.
He had told Yun Ting that he would go and destroy the Thousand Wastelands Divine Cult. But in reality, even with Qianye Ying'er's help, there was no way he could actually destroy the Thousand Wastelands Divine Cult at his current strength.
As the realm king sect of the Thousand Wastelands Realm, its prestige was immense, its foundations were deep, and its experts were numerous... Any one of them was undoubtedly a mountain peak too high to see the top.
Moreover, the chief patriarch of the Thousand Wastelands Divine Cult, the great realm king of the Thousand Wastelands Divine Realm, was a true Divine Lord!
But Yun Che still said that to Yun Ting. And he only gave himself a very short time. After all, the news of Shenxu Daoist's death in the Tiangang Cloud Clan had surely already reached the Thousand Wastelands Divine Cult. Such a major event—they would go to the Tiangang Cloud Clan to demand an accounting at most in a few days.
The reason was simple.
During his time in the Tiangang Cloud Clan, he had clearly touched the bottleneck of the Divine Sovereign Realm.
All he needed was an opportunity... no, not even an opportunity. He just needed a little push forward, and he could directly break through and become a Divine Sovereign!
That was why he had said to Qianye Ying'er, "I'll help you recover to the Divine Lord realm within three days."
A breakthrough in a major realm, for any Xuan practitioner, would bring about a qualitative change in Xuan force and a massive increase in cultivation. For Yun Che, the increase in strength was even more earth-shattering.
The Nine Shining Heavens, a small world floating above ten thousand peaks, housed the renowned Nine Shining Heaven Palace of the Thousand Wastelands Realm.
In the Thousand Wastelands Realm, the Nine Shining Heaven Palace was one of the strongest sects under the Thousand Wastelands Divine Cult. It was a Xuan path holy land that countless Xuan practitioners in the Thousand Wastelands longed for. Being able to enter any one of the nine palaces was a lifelong honor.
But today, the Nine Shining Heaven Palace was extremely unsettled.
Because the chief palace master, who had personally gone to the Tiangang Cloud Clan to fish in troubled waters, had actually died in the Tiangang Cloud Clan!
The Nine Shining Heaven Palace was shrouded in black aura, filled with a panic that had never been seen before.
Cangyu Venerable, the head of the nine sub-palace masters of the Nine Shining Heaven Palace, was second only to the Nine Shining Heavenly Venerable in status. Now that the Nine Shining Heavenly Venerable had died violently, and his descendants were not yet mature, it was only natural for Cangyu Venerable to inherit the position of chief palace master.
But even now, he was still in shock.
Today, he had accompanied the Nine Shining Heavenly Venerable to the Tiangang Cloud Clan. He had witnessed with his own eyes the Desolate Heaven Dragon Clan being slaughtered like lowly crawling insects, seen Shenxu Daoist kicked to death, and watched the Nine Shining Heaven Palace shattered into eight pieces in an instant...
He had seen too many scenes of death in his life, but those were Desolate Heaven Dark Dragons! Those were peak Divine Sovereigns!
"Chief Palace Master, the various sub-palace masters are waiting in the Nine Shining Palace for you to preside over the great matter." Cangyu Venerable's chief disciple bowed his head, flattering, and directly addressed him as "Chief Palace Master," using the word "preside" instead of "discuss."
Cangyu Venerable nodded, took a deep breath, and stood up.
As he was about to move, he instinctively glanced up at the sky... And in that one glance, his whole body trembled, and he crashed heavily back from midair, letting out a terrified roar like a wild beast: "Y-Yun-Yun... Yun Che!!"
Above the Nine Shining Heavens, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er were floating in the air, coldly gazing at the vast and magnificent Nine Shining Heaven Palace.