Chapter 1617: Forced Dark Transformation
Zhou Qingchen gritted his teeth fiercely. Facing Yun Che's gaze, he forced himself to muster a trace of backbone from the unending trembling: "All realms of the God Realm view lower realm life as insignificant ants, annihilating them like cutting grass. Among all realms, only my Zhou Tian, and among all emperors, only my father, never indiscriminately kills any innocent lower realm life! Should we encounter such, we will do our best to protect and safeguard them."
"Your homeland... that lower realm planet named Lan Ji Star was not destroyed by my father. The one who destroyed it was Yue Shen Di. What my father targeted was always only you alone!"
To another person, they might have admired Zhou Qingchen's words and the look in his eyes at this moment.
If there were bystanders, they would surely sigh in indignation for him. Because regardless of the grievances between Yun Che and Zhou Tian God Realm, Zhou Qingchen was completely and utterly innocent. He had never done anything, never participated in anything; he was merely Zhou Xuzi's son.
So innocent and pitiful... just like all of Yun Che's family!
"Well said. Very well said." Yun Che raised his hand and patted Zhou Qingchen's head. "Your words, along with that 'magnanimity' that pities the heavens and the people, really do resemble that old dog Zhou Tian. Back then, I was swayed and deeply respected him because of these very things. Especially his 'benevolence' and 'promises'—I once believed they were the most sacred and unbreakable things in the Eastern Divine Realm. Tsk, tsk..."
"Yun Che!" Qianye Ying'er suddenly spoke, her tone unfriendly: "Whatever you plan to do with him, get on with it. Don't waste time on a piece of trash!"
"..." Zhou Qingchen's pupils trembled violently. He turned his head with difficulty, the corner of his eye barely catching a glimpse of Qianye Ying'er's silhouette: "Divine Maiden, you—"
"Trash? He's the esteemed Crown Prince of Zhou Tian." Yun Che looked at Zhou Qingchen with a smile, his eyes full of amusement. Zhou Qingchen could still force himself to be tough under Yun Che's resentful gaze, but a single sentence from Qianye Ying'er seemed to shatter nearly all the light in his eyes.
"Hmph!" Qianye Ying'er gave a cold snort, never once turning her gaze back to even glance at Zhou Qingchen: "Besides the title of Zhou Tian Crown Prince, what is he? He's not even as good as that poor dead Yue Shen Crown Prince of the Yue Shen Realm. At least Yue Xuange had ambition and means. But this person... is just the son of an old dog, a naive, foolish little puppy who thinks himself noble and extraordinary."
"..." Zhou Qingchen's entire body shook violently. His face instantly turned deathly pale. The gaze desperately chasing the shadow of her profile became utterly turbid, and his heart, suddenly clenched, seemed to be cracking open with countless fissures.
"Someone who has sworn to turn the God Realm into a dark hell is actually wasting so much breath on a piece of trash like this." Qianye Ying'er sneered. "Is this the extent of your standards?"
Yun Che stared at her: "Can you not go a single day without taking a jab at me?!"
"You gave me the opportunity yourself." Qianye Ying'er's brow sank slightly. "With Zhu Liu and Tai Yin dead, Zhou Tian will surely sense it. We can't stay here any longer. Finish him off quickly!"
"..." Hearing the exchange between the two—especially Qianye Ying'er's words—the light in Zhou Qingchen's eyes, and even in his soul, seemed to be ruthlessly shattered. He stood frozen, his pupils lifeless, unable to speak.
Yun Che placed his hand on Zhou Qingchen's head and said slowly, "Brother Qingchen, if a person becomes a demon, even if they have done nothing wrong, they are still a sinful heretic who cannot be tolerated by the world. Remember your own words well. Never forget them for the rest of your life!"
Boom!
Zhou Qingchen's mind exploded. His consciousness completely collapsed, and he fell unconscious.
"How are you going to deal with him?" Qianye Ying'er asked casually.
Yun Che said nothing. He raised his hand, fingers spread apart. A mass of extremely deep black light coalesced in his palm. Instantly, the light of the surrounding world rapidly dimmed, as if night had suddenly fallen.
Dark Eternal Calamity? Qianye Ying'er turned her gaze... Why would he need to use the power of Dark Eternal Calamity to torment a mere Zhou Qingchen?
Moreover, the circulation of the Eternal Calamity power on Yun Che's body was giving her a sense of increasingly heavy oppression. Clearly, this Dark Eternal Calamity power was not used casually; he was exerting nearly all his strength.
After several breaths, the darkness had completely enveloped Yun Che, and the light for dozens of miles around was almost entirely devoured.
Then, Yun Che's hand finally descended. The Eternal Calamity black light, capable of devouring the world, pressed down onto Zhou Qingchen's chest. The spreading darkness completely engulfed him.
Qianye Ying'er felt a flicker of confusion. With Yun Che's current strength, he had ten thousand ways to destroy Zhou Qingchen without leaving even a trace of residue. There was no reason for him to go to such lengths to devour him in darkness.
But then, she suddenly noticed that within this darkness powerful enough to devour an initial-stage Divine Lord, Zhou Qingchen's body remained completely unharmed, and his power was not being consumed.
Instead, the dark power from Jie Tian Mo Di was flowing like countless dark streams, slowly seeping into Zhou Qingchen's body, merging into his flesh, blood, bones, meridians, profound veins, internal organs, and soul...
His power and consciousness seemed to struggle and resist, but his strength was far inferior to Yun Che's. Moreover, the Dark Eternal Calamity was a demon-level art from the Demon Emperor realm. Since he was unconscious, his resistance was pathetically weak. In an instant, all struggling power and will to resist were completely swallowed by the darkness.
Could it be...
He was turning Zhou Qingchen... into a demon!?
A flicker of shock crossed Qianye Ying'er's face.
Becoming a demon through external means was not an impossible feat. Under the influence of extreme negative emotions, or by assimilating extremely pure dark bloodline with oneself, one could become a demon later in life. The former was extremely rare. As for the latter... not to mention that such ancient demon blood was almost as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns even in the Northern Divine Realm, given the God Realm's hatred for demons, a normal person would not accept becoming a demon.
Aside from that, even with Qianye Ying'er's knowledge, she had never heard of any method that could forcibly transform a person into a demon.
She had become a demon by refining a drop of Demon Emperor blood. That was also accomplished under her own active will. If she had been unwilling, Yun Che could not have forced the refinement even if he wanted to.
But before her eyes, Zhou Qingchen was being passively... transformed into a demon by Yun Che!?
Did Dark Eternal Calamity possess such a terrifying ability!?
Zhou Qingchen's weakness was relative; his cultivation had reached the mid-stage Divine Sovereign realm. Forcing the transformation of a mid-stage Divine Sovereign's profound power was no easy task with Yun Che's current Dark Eternal Calamity power. But the twisted pleasure made his pupils dilate and his fingers tremble.
Boom—
Half a quarter-hour later, the darkness suddenly collapsed, and light rapidly descended again.
The darkness was dispelled, leaving only Zhou Qingchen... A faint black light wrapped around his body, flickering in and out of visibility.
But this trace of black light was not attached externally; it originated from his body, his profound veins... and even his soul!
Because the profound power he had cultivated all his life had been forcibly transformed into Dark Profound Power by Yun Che using Dark Eternal Calamity!
Dark Eternal Calamity, like the Evil God Art, was a power that should not exist in the current world. On Yun Che's body, it displayed one terrifying ability after another that surpassed the boundaries of understanding.
Having witnessed the horror of Dark Eternal Calamity countless times, Qianye Ying'er was not particularly shocked after a brief moment of surprise. Instead, she stared at Yun Che for a long while, then suddenly pursed her lips and revealed a mysterious, unfathomable smile: "How vicious. Worthy of praise."
Yes, vicious.
Turning Zhou Qingchen—the esteemed Crown Prince of Zhou Tian—into a demon!
For Zhou Tian Shen Di and the Zhou Tian Realm, she could not imagine a more vicious method!
She could not even begin to imagine the fascinating reaction Zhou Tian Shen Di would have when he saw his most beloved son—the only son born to his lawful wife—become a demon!
Yun Che grabbed the unconscious Zhou Qingchen and tossed him directly into the Mysterious Ark that Quhui had released earlier.
"Brother Qingchen, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy the rest of your life." Yun Che's smile was faint. With a push of his palm, the Mysterious Ark was forcefully propelled by his profound energy and flew into the distance.
The Mysterious Ark had been inscribed with a destination by Quhui. Barring any accidents, it should leave the Tai Chu Divine Realm and fly back to the Zhou Tian God Realm.
Yun Che sincerely hoped that nothing would go wrong during its return journey.
"Old dog Zhou Tian, enjoy the first great gift I have sent you!"
Watching the Mysterious Ark silently disappear from view, Yun Che murmured slowly, "This is only the beginning."
Qianye Ying'er walked to his side and said, "Are we staying here or returning to the Northern Domain?"
If not for the matter of the Tai Chu Divine Fruit, he and Qianye Ying'er would not have allowed themselves to be exposed. Now that the fruit was in hand, the Tai Chu Divine Realm had become a place where they could no longer remain.
Without a doubt, for a long time to come, the Zhou Tian God Realm would combine forces with other realms to scour the Tai Chu Divine Realm.
And if they returned to the Northern Divine Realm, they would still face the threat of the two great royal realms, Jiehun and Fenyue.
"Return to the Northern Domain." Yun Che answered almost without hesitation. "The time wasn't right before, but now... it's about time."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er smiled ambiguously. "Because of the Primordial World Pill?"
Now that both the Primeval Divine Marrow and the Tai Chu Divine Fruit were in hand, the legendary "Primordial World Pill" was created from these two ingredients.
The "Primordial World Pill" was originally recorded from the era of the ancient gods. At that time, people believed that something recorded in divine relics could never appear in the present world.
However, since Zhou Tian's Patriarch successfully refined the Primordial World Pill and, with its help, ascended to the heavens overnight, leading the Zhou Tian Realm to become an overlord realm overlooking the world, it became a divine object that all profound practitioners—and even overlord realms—yearned for endlessly, yet never truly dared to hope for.
Because whether it was the Primeval Divine Marrow or the Tai Chu Divine Fruit, obtaining one was a gift from the heavens, let alone both.
If the Primordial World Pill was truly as miraculous as the legends claimed, then...
"Otherwise?" Yun Che replied with a blank expression.
"You seem far too happy," Qianye Ying'er said. "The Tai Chu Divine Fruit is in my hands now, yet you don't seem the least bit concerned. Are you really so certain that I will return it to you?"
Yun Che glanced at her and said, "Half of that Primordial World Pill was always meant to be yours. You don't need to resort to such cheap tricks."
"..." Qianye Ying'er abruptly turned her gaze, her eyes freezing for an instant. Then she said, "Do you even know what kind of divine object the Primordial World Pill is!? Are you willing to give me half of it? Do you take me for a naive fool like Zhou Qingchen?!"
"In the memories of the Wood Spirit Royal Clan, there are records about the Primordial World Pill," Yun Che said, his expression still calm. "Shen Xi also spoke to me about it in detail. So my understanding of the Primordial World Pill likely far surpasses yours."
Qianye Ying'er: "..."
"My Heavenly Poison Spirit knows the complete method for refining the Primordial World Pill. With the refining power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, the Primordial World Pill that will soon appear in my hands will be far superior to the one that appeared in the history of the God Realm. Even just half of it will possess far greater divine power!"
"So what?" Qianye Ying'er narrowed her beautiful eyes. "No one can resist the temptation of the Primordial World Pill. Especially you, who dreams of revenge day and night. I don't believe for a second that you will give me half!"
"As my tool, you have no right to question!" Yun Che's voice turned cold. "Moreover, you seem to have forgotten something."
"My profound power can rival a Divine Lord in burst, but my profound veins are ultimately only at the Divine Sovereign realm. They cannot withstand the medicinal power of the Primordial World Pill. But you can."
"This time, when I return to the Northern Divine Realm, I plan to directly seek cooperation with that legendary 'Demon Empress.'" Yun Che's eyes flickered. "To have sufficient assurance and 'bargaining chips,' my best—and only—method at present is to use the Primordial World Pill to forcibly raise your cultivation. What do you think?"
Qianye Ying'er met Yun Che's gaze. After a moment, she said slowly, "Before, you kept suppressing my profound power recovery for fear that I would escape your control. If my cultivation surpasses yours, aren't you afraid... that I will turn around and kill you?!"
"That was before." Yun Che raised his hand lightly, and a flash of black light appeared in his palm. Qianye Ying'er's body suddenly emitted black mist, and her aura became disturbed. "As the cauldron for me to refine demon blood and cultivate Dark Eternal Calamity, with my current Dark Eternal Calamity power, do you really think... you still have any chance of escaping my control?"
"Heh," Qianye Ying'er let out a very soft laugh. "I thought you would at least get angry... What a disappointing and boring gamble. Your argument is quite good, and it seems I have little choice or room to bargain."
She turned her jade hand, and the Tai Chu Divine Fruit appeared between her fingers, releasing an unusual starlight.
But she did not toss it to Yun Che. Instead, she curled her jade fingers and held it in her hand, a deep confusion surfacing on her brows. "The Primeval Divine Marrow is one thing, but this divine fruit... Did it come far too easily?"