Chapter 1627: Demoness Yaodie
“It seems the two of you have come today seeking trouble.” Tian Muyi’s low, unhurried words betrayed not a hint of anger. “I am very curious—just who gave you the boldness to cause disorder in my Huangtian Realm?”
“Seeking trouble?” Faced with the sudden pressure released by the Huangtian Realm’s crowd, Qianye Ying’er’s posture and tone remained utterly unchanged. “We two arrived purely to observe this gathering. We hadn’t even said a single word before your fool of a son started flinging incomprehensible abuse at us and tacking on a whole heap of foul-smelling accusations in public. And now you turn around and accuse us of seeking trouble?”
“So, is it that we must allow ourselves to be bullied without cause by people of your Huangtian Realm, and are not permitted even a single word of resistance? Truly worthy of the number one star realm of the Northern Divine Region—such grand airs, such imposing authority!”
Tian Guhu raised his arm, his sleeves fluttering lightly, his expression calm. “Bullied without cause? You and I have never even met. What I said today came entirely from my own eyes. What you did is something I could not tolerate, so I spoke out in public. My father king, with his vast and broad mind, has already been magnanimous enough to spare you. Where is the bullying without cause?”
“But your words drip with blood and humiliation with every syllable. If you had only insulted me alone, that would be one thing.” His expression abruptly changed, his voice sinking low, and his blue robes swelled out as he unfurled a shocking aura. “But you dared to insult our sect’s Supreme Elder in such a manner! For this alone, even if my father king and the Grand Elder could forgive you, I, Tian Guhu, will never let you leave Huangtian Que unharmed!”
“Oh?” Qianye Ying’er glanced at him, a hint of mirth in her voice. “Just you?”
Qianye Ying’er’s words made the crowd’s eyes widen in shock, and they nearly burst out laughing.
In the Northern Divine Region, who didn’t know that Tian Guhu was a miracle son who, even at the Divine Sovereign realm, could overwhelm those two minor cultivation levels above him and hold his own against those three levels above?
And here she was, a mere Level 7 Divine Sovereign, saying “Just you” to him…
This was beyond the word “ignorance” to describe.
“Young Lord Guhu,” said the Tian Luo Realm King as he rose, his voice flat. “Today is a grand gathering meant for your Heavenly Lord. These two are not even worthy of spoiling the joy, let alone deserving of your personal action.”
“Qiongwu, Yuandian—throw these two out!”
At the Tian Luo Realm King’s command, the two elders beside him slowly stood up—one at Level 10 Divine Sovereign, the other at Level 9 Divine Sovereign. Two overwhelmingly heavy auras locked firmly onto Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er.
Everyone knew that given what they had said today, being merely “thrown out” would certainly not be the end of it.
This was Huangtian Que, the venue of the Heavenly Lord Gathering—the least suitable place for a fierce battle. And once they were thrown out of Huangtian Que, these two top-level Divine Sovereigns of the Tian Luo Realm would surely strike to kill.
And even if those two escaped today’s calamity, their days in the Northern Divine Region from now on would be far from pleasant.
“Heh, truly reckless and ignorant of death,” another upper-level Realm King sneered.
“Young Lord Guhu is absolutely right. These two are indeed a disgrace to all Divine Sovereigns.”
“Tian Luo Realm King, remember to also investigate their origins while you’re at it,” said yet another upper-level Realm King. “I am very curious—just what kind of place could produce two such disgusting characters.”
The gazes the crowd cast at Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er had already lost any trace of pity from before and were now filled entirely with mockery and contempt. Being a Level 7 Divine Sovereign was a status of supreme nobility, hard-won. In the Northern Divine Region, there were countless places where they could have acted with complete impunity. Yet here they were, raising a ruckus at Huangtian Que.
This was nothing short of digging their own graves—utterly foolish beyond measure.
Tian Muhe slowly sat down. He and Tian Muyi said nothing more, but simultaneously gave a look to the Tian Luo Realm King. The Tian Luo Realm King understood and nodded slowly.
And just at that moment, the dark clouds above the sky scattered as three terrifying auras simultaneously descended. In an instant, they swept away the suddenly tense atmosphere at Huangtian Que and the pressure bearing down on Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er.
Tian Muyi and Tian Muhe, who had just sat down, abruptly rose to their feet. Huo Tianxing and the Kuai She Saint Lord also stood, gazing up at the sky.
From three directions, three completely different auras arrived at the same time. An old man’s voice rang out first: “Yan Sangeng of the Yanmo Realm has come especially to pay his respects.”
Beneath the aged voice, the figure that appeared was that of a middle-aged man. He wore an overly loose gray robe, his face pallid and stiff, his eyes lifeless—like a living corpse.
Yan Sangeng. The foremost among the thirty-six Yan Ghosts of the Yanmo Realm, a terrifying existence whose status rivaled that of the Ten Yanmo.
“When Yan Wang demands you die at the third watch, who dares keep you until the fifth?” In the Northern Divine Region, wherever the name Yan Sangeng resounded, all living beings trembled in fear.
For today’s Heavenly Lord Gathering, the supervisor sent by the Yanmo Realm was none other than this supremely terrifying head of the Yan Ghosts. Even before his aura arrived, the mere mention of his name had already draped Huangtian Que in a layer of dreadful killing intent.
Tian Muyi immediately announced loudly, “Muyi welcomes the Yan Ghost King.”
“Hahahaha! After a millennium apart, I trust the Huangtian Realm King is well.”
From another direction, a particularly unrestrained, raucous laugh echoed. Following it, a man who appeared quite young descended slowly. The “Burning Moon” mark upon him proclaimed his supremely noble birth. And even in the presence of a gathering of upper-level star realm experts and even Realm Kings, his eyes slanted upward, not bothering to hide his arrogance.
“Hahahaha,” Tian Muyi laughed heartily in return. “It has been merely a short millennium since we last met, yet the Imperial Prince has already set foot in the Divine Lord realm. It fills me with boundless admiration.”
“What are my little achievements compared to your son, the renowned Tian Guhu who shakes the Northern Region?” The Burning Moon Imperial Prince said with a full, beaming face, his gaze precisely sweeping over Tian Guhu.
This man was none other than a biological son of the Burning Moon Divine Emperor, one of the Imperial Princes of the Burning Moon Royal Realm—Fen Jieran.
“Your Highness is too kind,” Tian Muyi said with a warm smile. “Your Highness is a future brilliant moon. If my worthless son were lucky enough to touch even a faint glimmer of your divine radiance, it would be the fortune of three lifetimes. He has not the slightest qualification to be compared to Your Highness.”
Just as Tian Muyi’s voice faded, a third figure slowly descended into everyone’s view.
It was a woman in yellow robes. Her garments drifted like an immortal’s, her long hair was as black as ink, and she wore an extraordinarily ornate butterfly-wing mask—so that, like Qianye Ying’er, neither her eyes nor her features could be seen.
Her entire person carried no aura whatsoever, but the moment she landed, she instantly annihilated the presence of both Yan Sangeng and Fen Jieran.
“Demoness…!?”
Sensing this aura that was powerful to the point of being almost dreamlike, yet inexplicably shook the soul with violent palpitations, the expressions of all the powerful experts changed. From the mouths of some upper-level Realm Kings came low whispers—some of fear, some of disbelief.
Tian Muyi turned, wiped away all expression, and saluted solemnly: “Tian Muyi of Huangtian Realm, humble in greeting to Your Highness Yaodie. To have Your Highness grace us with your presence, this Heavenly Lord Gathering is already bathed in infinite glory.”
The moment the name “Yaodie” fell, nearly every heart shook violently.
Because this was the name of the Fourth Demoness of the Soul-Plundering Realm!
This woman was indeed one of the Nine Demonesses under the Demon Empress!
The young Divine Sovereigns on the Northern Region Heavenly Lord List would undoubtedly be the future rulers of the Northern Divine Region. Thus, the Royal Realms had always attached great importance to each Heavenly Lord Gathering, and the identities of the attending supervisors were extremely high. For this event, the Yanmo Realm had sent the head of the Yan Ghosts, and the Burning Moon Realm had sent an Imperial Prince—and one whose status within the Burning Moon Divine Realm was closest to that of the Crown Prince.
But that the Soul-Plundering Realm had actually dispatched a Demoness this time truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.
In response to Tian Muyi’s greeting, Yaodie showed not the slightest reaction.
Very few in the world had ever seen the true face of any Demoness. They were called the nine “shadows” of the Demon Empress. Since they were “shadows,” they naturally rarely appeared before others.
No one found her indifferent reaction strange. The butterfly-wing mask she wore concealed both her features and her line of sight, so naturally no one could notice that her gaze had been fixed on Yun Che from the very beginning and had never moved away.
Everyone rose, loudly proclaiming their welcome to the three supervisors of the Royal Realms.
The Burning Moon Imperial Prince, Fen Jieran, leisurely took his seat and spoke unhurriedly: “In recent years, there haven’t been any decent talents emerging among the younger generation. But Tian Guhu’s fame has grown day by day over these last few centuries, so this young lord took the initiative to request from my imperial father that I come this time. Young Lord Guhu, you had better not disappoint this young lord… Hm?”
His gaze suddenly landed on Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er. “And what is the matter with these two?”
“Your Highness need not concern yourself,” Tian Muyi said. “They are merely two reckless madmen who just now dared to act insolently here at Huangtian Que.”
He turned and spoke sternly: “Hurry up and throw them out already. Don’t defile the pleasure of our three distinguished guests.”
“Yes!”
“Hold.”
The reply had just begun when a woman’s voice suddenly rang out. Just two words—soft as a gentle breeze—yet they seemed to possess an indescribable, irresistible magic that inexplicably tightened everyone’s heart and spirit, causing their bodies to shudder involuntarily.
The two elders of the Tian Luo Realm who were about to close in on Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er froze as if nailed to the spot, unable to move.
And the one who had stopped them was none other than the Fourth Demoness of the Soul-Plundering Realm—Yaodie.
Tian Muyi was startled, then quickly said, “Your Highness, do you have some instruction?”
But Yaodie paid him no attention. Instead, she faced Yun Che directly and asked, “What is your name?”
Yun Che looked at her. Facing this woman who stood at the very pinnacle of the Northern Divine Region, his gaze did not retreat an inch. He calmly replied with two words: “Ling Yun.”
“Ling Yun?” Demoness Yaodie nodded slightly. “The two of you came here to observe the gathering?”
Yun Che’s lips curled into a smile that made people feel very uncomfortable. “What do you think?”
This answer undoubtedly startled everyone’s hearts. Tian Muyi’s expression shifted slightly as he said in a low voice, “Speaking like that to the Demoness—this is far beyond ludicrous audacity… It seems these two are indeed insane beyond a doubt.”
“Throw them out right now!”
“No need.” Yaodie again spoke two indifferent words. In an instant, every shred of pressure bearing down on Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er vanished. She glanced at Qianye Ying’er, then turned her gaze back to Yun Che. “How about joining us at the seats to observe the gathering?”
When these words fell, everyone present—including the Yanmo Realm’s Yan Sangeng and the Burning Moon Realm’s Fen Jieran—first reaction was that they had misheard… and even possibly that they were hallucinating.
“Fine.” Yun Che alone, without even a moment’s hesitation, gave a very plain—and not particularly polite—reply.
“Come, then.” Yaodie turned, and with a flicker of her shadowy form, she had already taken her seat among the honored seats of the supervisors. Her gesture clearly indicated an invitation for Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er.
Tian Muyi, with his status, cultivation, and experience, was stunned for a full several seconds. In alarm, he said, “Your Highness, what are you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, even though Yaodie made no visible move and did not even turn her gaze toward him, the rest of his words died in his throat.
“Do I need the permission of you, the Huangtian Realm King, to invite whomever I wish?” Yaodie said in a very light, faint tone.
Tian Muyi lowered his head. For some reason, a fine layer of cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. “N-no… I would not dare. This was presumptuous of me.”