Chapter 1620: The Collapse of Zhou Tian
After Yun Che discovered that he could absorb the source power of the profound beasts' profound pills, the Tai Chu Divine Realm had undoubtedly become his cultivation holy land. Because the high-level profound beasts that were rarely seen outside were everywhere here. Frankly speaking, Yun Che was a bit reluctant to leave.
During this time in the Tai Chu Divine Realm, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er had only hunted Divine Sovereign-level vicious beasts and never dared to step into the territory of Divine Lord-level vicious beasts.
In the Divine Realm, most profound practitioners would never see a Divine Lord profound beast in their entire lives. For example, the vast Yan Shen Realm only had two Divine Lord profound beasts, the ancient Flood Dragon. But deep in the Tai Chu Divine Realm, Divine Lord profound beasts could appear in clusters. If they encountered one, or two low-level Divine Lord beasts, they could still fight or even hunt them. But a fierce battle at the Divine Lord realm would surely shake heaven and earth. Once it attracted a group, they would have no choice but to flee, and it would also be accompanied by unpredictable risks. They had no need to take such risks.
The vicious beast profound pills that Cai Zhi had given him—especially those thirty Divine Lord-level vicious beast profound pills—were undoubtedly an immeasurable fortune for Yun Che. Regardless of the Divine Sovereign-level pills, the thirty Divine Lord-level pills alone meant at least thirty Divine Lord vicious beasts had been hunted. This fact alone was enough to make anyone shudder at the thought.
Using the Void Law, if he could successfully absorb and refine these profound pills, his cultivation would surely skyrocket in a very short time.
The Void Law... Yun Che had never truly felt that he understood or comprehended it, yet it displayed various abilities on him that completely defied reason. He clearly used it, but had never truly touched its existence. Void... Could it be that even the law itself was "void"?
Putting the Tai Chu Divine Fruit into the Heaven Poison Pearl, Yun Che instructed: "He Ling, what are the chances of refining the Primordial World Pill?"
"One hundred percent," He Ling replied without hesitation. "With my natural spirit power and the refining power of the Heaven Poison Pearl, there will be no possibility of failure, and there will be no waste of the Primeval Divine Marrow or the Tai Chu Divine Fruit."
"Mm." There was no exaggeration in what Qianye Ying'er had said earlier. The Primordial World Pill refined by him would have medicinal power that far surpassed the one refined by the Zhou Tian Primordial Ancestor back then. It would be several times—or even ten times—more powerful. Because of the Heaven Poison Pearl, because of He Ling!
"Refine it into two pills," Yun Che said.
"Two pills?" He Ling was slightly startled, then said weakly: "Are we really going to give her... half?"
"Yes."
"...Understood." He Ling did not say much more, agreeing in a very soft voice. However, it was obvious that she was not very willing to give half to Qianye Ying'er. She knew very well that such a precious item might never come again in this life.
"Wait!" Yun Che suddenly said: "Do not use all of the Primeval Divine Marrow. Leave a tiny bit—just a hair's breadth."
"Alright, I understand." He Ling responded.
"Ready to leave this place?" Qianye Ying'er's voice sounded in Yun Che's ear.
"Now," Yun Che said directly. The people from the Zhou Tian God Realm would surely arrive soon. With their strength, they could not venture deep into the Tai Chu Divine Realm. Facing the angry arrival of Zhou Tian and the other experts who would surely follow, staying would bring great danger.
"Now?" Qianye Ying'er raised an eyebrow. "Not going to look for your little Celestial Wolf?"
"I will find her," Yun Che said. He changed his appearance and aura, directly flying toward the exit of the Tai Chu Divine Realm. Originally he had planned to stay in the Tai Chu Divine Realm for a long time, but after only a year, he was forced to return to the Northern Divine Region. However, compared to his previous forced departure, this time returning to the Northern Divine Region, he had already thought about what to do.
Leaving the Tai Chu Divine Realm, the world before him turned into an endless starry sky. Yun Che looked back toward the direction of the Tai Chu Divine Realm, his brows slightly furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Qianye Ying'er asked.
Yun Che suddenly asked a somewhat inexplicable question: "Are the Chaos World and the Tai Chu Divine Realm truly two completely separate, independent worlds?"
Qianye Ying'er glanced at him and said: "The Tai Chu Divine Realm originated from the Primordial Divine Era, even earlier than the Era of Gods. It has existed independently since ancient times, with only that mysterious entrance and no connection to the outside world. Why do you ask?"
Yun Che slowly raised his hand, feeling the flow of the surrounding aura, then turned his head: "Nothing. Let's go!"
As they flew far away from the Tai Chu Divine Realm, Yun Che's furrowed brows did not relax for a long time. That strange feeling, seemingly a subtle touch from the Void Law—what could it mean?
"You have something on your mind?" Qianye Ying'er suddenly asked out of the blue. After these years of being close day and night, she could instantly detect any abnormality in Yun Che's heartbeat and breathing rhythm.
Yun Che said: "You will have half of the Primordial World Pill. Are you reassured now?"
The same words, when the Tai Chu Divine Fruit was in Qianye Ying'er's hands versus in his, naturally carried completely different weight. Qianye Ying'er's beautiful eyes froze for an instant, then she narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly: "Isn't it only natural? The way you say it, it sounds like a favor."
"Hmph," Yun Che sneered. "Stubborn woman."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er lightly licked her lips, and said softly: "Is my lip soft or hard... don't you really know?"
"..." Yun Che's flight trajectory suddenly dipped.
Eastern Divine Region, Zhou Tian God Realm.
Following the death of Zhuliu Venerable, the soul resonance of Taiyin Venerable's death reached Zhou Xuzi, shocking him for a long time. Just as he was restless and preparing to personally go to the Tai Chu Divine Realm, he sensed that Taiyu Venerable, who had left only two days ago, had suddenly returned.
The returning Taiyu Venerable did not stop at all, heading straight to the inner hall where the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor was. The head of the Zhou Tian Guardians, second only to the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor in status and strength in the Zhou Tian God Realm, Taiyu Venerable's face now lacked its usual calm and grace, replaced by a terrifying gloom.
Beside him followed a barrier formed by his own power. This barrier isolated light, sound, and aura, cutting straight across the Zhou Tian God Realm. Even other guardians could not detect even the slightest hint from within.
The Zhou Tian Divine Emperor hurried out to greet him. He had known Taiyu for ten thousand years and had never seen him in such a state. Especially the barrier behind him, clearly constructed with Taiyu's full strength, evidently to prevent anyone from spying.
"What happened?" The Zhou Tian Divine Emperor asked in a deep voice. "Why have you returned?"
"Master," Taiyu Venerable took a long breath. "Please activate the divine hall barrier. This matter must not be known or disturbed by anyone."
The Zhou Tian Divine Emperor's brows sank, and he waved his arm. White light burst forth as a barrier spread, completely isolating the entire hall from the outside world: "Speak quickly!"
"Taiyin, Zhuliu, and Quhui... have all fallen," said Taiyu Venerable.
"I already know..." Zhou Xuzi's face changed slightly: "What? Quhui is dead?"
As the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor, he could sense the death of guardians, but not the death of Quhui. And Quhui this time had been ordered by him to supervise and guide Zhou Qingchen's training in the Tai Chu Divine Realm. He would be witnessing Zhou Qingchen's every move. The deaths of Taiyin and Zhuliu could be explained by falling to the immensely powerful Primordial Dragon Clan of the Tai Chu Divine Realm. But if Quhui was dead, then Zhou Qingchen...
A chill instantly flooded his entire body. The Zhou Tian Divine Emperor's voice trembled slightly: "Then Qingchen... Qingchen?"
"On my way to the Tai Chu Divine Realm, I encountered Quhui's mysterious ark, and the young master was inside it."
When Taiyu said this, there was no joy on his face; instead, his nostrils fluttered violently several times. Matters capable of deeply affecting a Divine Emperor were very, very rare, even those involving direct descendants. But Zhou Qingchen was different. He was not only the inheritor of his bloodline, power, will, and status, but also the only child born of him and the sole love of his life—the one thing he could not, and must not, lose.
Taiyu's reaction made the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor's body freeze. A cold fear spread throughout his entire body: "Qingchen... could it be..."
Taiyu shook his head, his expression infinitely complex: "The young master only suffered minor injuries, but... but..."
He couldn't speak for a moment. He lightly swept his arm back, causing the barrier behind him to collapse, revealing Zhou Qingchen's figure. He was dressed in tattered white clothes, covered with wounds, but all external—no internal injuries, and his vitality was intact. Such minor external injuries meant nothing to a Divine Sovereign. But for some reason, despite such injuries, Zhou Qingchen was unconscious, and his expression was extremely pained. Even in his coma, his features seemed to twitch and tremble faintly.
Zhou Xuzi stepped forward quickly, confirming at a glance that Zhou Qingchen was unharmed—this was undoubtedly a great fortune amidst a series of calamities. He breathed a silent sigh of relief and said: "It seems that Quhui fought to the death to protect him, buying him time to escape... This time, I underestimated the dragon clan guarding the divine fruit, underestimated the dangers of the Tai Chu Divine Realm, and caused such a disaster. At least Qingchen is unharmed."
"No... no." Taiyu shook his head, saying "no" twice, each word heavy to the extreme: "Master, have you not noticed that Qingchen's body, bloodline, and profound aura... are all different from before?"
Zhou Xuzi frowned slightly, his spiritual sense sweeping, then his expression changed dramatically, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinholes as if stabbed by a poisonous needle. He stepped forward, completely silent in the breathless moment, slowly extending his finger to touch Zhou Qingchen. The moment he made contact, he withdrew it as if shocked.
A wisp of black aura slowly rose from Zhou Qingchen's body. A faint wisp, yet it made the surrounding space suddenly cold and oppressive.
"Dark... profound aura..." Zhou Xuzi took half a step back, frozen there as if trapped in a nightmare, muttering: "What happened... what happened..."
"Not just Qingchen's profound power," Taiyu Venerable said, his voice heavy as lead: "His skin, flesh, blood, bones, meridians... everything has demonized. In other words, Qingchen is now... a very pure dark demon."
Taiyu's words mercilessly shattered Zhou Xuzi's last illusion. His body shook violently, his old eyes losing color, still muttering dreamily: "What happened... what exactly happened..."
Demons—what the Zhou Tian God Realm tolerated least, what the entire three divine regions had never tolerated since ancient times, were seen as the purest evil in the world, to be eradicated on sight. Even the principle of eliminating all demons from the world was one of the tenets that the Zhou Tian God Realm had always adhered to and enforced. And his son, the most important son of the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor, had become... a demon!?
"It was Yun Che," said Taiyu.
"...What!?" Zhou Xuzi turned his head sharply.
"Qingchen encountered Yun Che and the long-vanished Fandi Shennu in the Tai Chu Divine Realm," Taiyu Venerable said slowly: "But Yun Che and Fandi Shennu not only changed their appearances, their auras were also completely different from before, so much so that even Quhui did not recognize them. They lured Qingchen to approach, then... killed Quhui, and also killed Taiyin."
"Tai... yin?" The Zhou Tian Divine Emperor's gaze slowly shifted, his movements stiff and slow like an aging machine.
"Yes, Taiyin was killed by Yun Che." When Taiyu heard this from Zhou Qingchen, his reaction was almost identical to Zhou Xuzi's. "Zhuliu died, but Taiyin successfully obtained the divine fruit, though he was also severely injured. When he returned to Qingchen and Quhui's side, he was ambushed by Yun Che and ultimately perished."
"The divine fruit was also taken by Yun Che. Even the Void Cauldron fell into Yun Che's hands."
"Qingchen was transformed into a demon. Although I don't know what evil method Yun Che used, it can only be his doing."
"..." Zhou Xuzi was completely stunned. Not only his features, but every pore on his body was trembling and convulsing.
Yun Che... killed Taiyin...
Taiyu Venerable was a ninth-level Divine Lord, ranked sixth among the Zhou Tian Guardians. No one in the world knew his strength better than Zhou Xuzi. No matter how severely injured he was, even on the brink of death, he was still a Zhou Tian Guardian—not someone an ordinary person could bully. And yet he died at Yun Che's hands!?
He clearly remembered that when Yun Che demonized back then, his cultivation was at the first level of the Divine King realm. During the pursuit by the many realms, he fled like a lowly insect, without even the slightest power to resist.
Now, less than three years later...
He had killed Taiyin!?