Chapter 1628: Public Fury
Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er exchanged a brief glance, then under the utterly astonished gazes of the crowd, walked toward the demon girl Yao Die and sat down on her right side.
They sat right next to each other, less than half a body's width apart. Even a slightly larger movement would directly touch the other.
Yao Die furrowed her brow slightly but said nothing and did not drive them away.
The entire Huangtian Que fell silent. Everyone was deeply stupefied, especially those from the Tianluo Realm who had been about to make a move. They stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
The words "demon girl" carried immense deterrence, and they also referred to the most mysterious existence of the Northern Divine Region. Although everyone knew their name, ordinary people might never see one in their entire lifetime.
Tian Muyi, as the number one Realm King, had never seen a single demon girl's true face. Being able to identify the Fourth Demon Girl was already beyond the capability of an ordinary Realm King.
And yet, such an existence had, in this very place of the Huangtian, taken the initiative to invite two Divine Sovereigns whom Tian Guhu disliked and who had offended the Huangtian Sect with foul language!?
Moreover, Yao Die had just asked the man's name, clearly having no prior acquaintance with him.
They could not understand it, but they dared not ask further. Even someone like Tian Muyi was not qualified to look a demon girl in the eye, let alone others.
The atmosphere became extremely strange. The people who had gravely offended the Huangtian Realm were now seated in the most honored seats of the Huangtian Que because of the demon girl Yao Die. Though Tian Muyi wished he could personally cut Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er into a thousand pieces, he had to swallow his anger and put on a somewhat warm smile:
"Demon Girl Highness, King Yan San, Imperial Prince Fen Jueran. You three are not only honored guests of my Huangtian but also the supervisors of this Heaven Sovereign Grand Assembly. With you three overseeing it, there will surely be no trouble, perfect fairness, and absolute purity."
"Now that our honored guests have arrived and the time has come, let the grand assembly begin!" Tian Muyi announced. "All you young Divine Sovereigns, you are the pride of the Northern Divine Region and the future of our Northern Divine Region. This is your assembly."
"Please freely shine your light and eternally engrave it upon the firmament of the Northern Domain."
Tian Muyi's gaze shifted slightly toward the three from the King Realms, and his voice grew even louder: "If you are fortunate enough to be favored by the King Realms, you will ascend straight to the clouds. Whether you can seize this once-in-a-century opportunity depends entirely on yourselves..."
Tian Muyi continued speaking, announcing the rules and the special case that Tian Guhu would not enter the battlefield but would instead serve as someone to be challenged. All the Heaven Sovereigns had no objections and most even breathed a long sigh of relief.
Seated beside the demon girl Yao Die, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er remained silent, heads lowered and eyes downcast, never once glancing toward the Heaven Sovereigns or the battlefield.
Eyes kept darting toward them, filled with shock and confusion. No matter how they thought about it, they could not understand what the demon girl, who was so close to the Demon Empress, intended.
A roar resounded, profound light shone, and a massive barrier spread across the central battlefield. Thus, the Heaven Sovereign Grand Assembly officially began. A man with dual swords, sharp brows, and starry eyes was the first to leap into the battlefield, raising his head and declaring loudly: "I am Nan Qingyu of the Yunzhou Realm. Please enlighten me!"
Before his words faded, another Heaven Sovereign followed closely into the field. Without a single word of exchange, their weapons clashed directly, tearing open a spatial crack that spread rapidly.
The battles between Heaven Sovereigns began, and everyone's attention focused entirely on the battlefield. Every person in the battlefield, even the weakest among them in cultivation, was someone they had to remember and pay attention to.
Every session of the Heaven Sovereign Grand Assembly brought many surprises. And Tian Guhu was undoubtedly the biggest surprise in these past several hundred years. His gaze was always fixed on the battlefield, but his eyes were by no means those of someone regarding his peers. Instead, it was the detached, occasionally shaking head, occasionally appreciative and approving look of someone watching from above.
The assembly continued. As each battle grew more dazzling, the atmosphere became increasingly heated. Sounds of surprise, admiration, and praise began to rise one after another. And the quietest corner of the entire venue was where the demon girl Yao Die sat.
Through her butterfly-wing mask, her gaze seemed to be always on the battlefield, but she never spoke a single word. Her silence was frightening. Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er also remained silent throughout.
The three of them sitting together became the most bizarre scene in the entire Huangtian Que.
At that moment, Huo Tianxing's daughter, Huo Lanji, entered the arena. As soon as she made her move, she immediately overpowered all the others. In the blink of an eye, she forcibly elevated the entire battlefield's level by a notch.
Huo Tianxing stroked his short beard and smiled slightly. Tian Muyi glanced at him and said cheerfully, "Truly worthy of being Lord Huo's daughter. With such brilliance, among the women of her generation in the Northern Domain, no one can surpass her."
Huo Tianxing's smile faded. He glanced sideways at Tian Guhu and snorted coldly, "Hearing those words from your mouth is not exactly pleasant."
"Heh heh," Tian Muyi smiled. "Guhu, what do you think of them?"
Tian Guhu replied, "Reporting to Father King, compared to a hundred years ago, the Heavenly Sovereigns shine even brighter. In particular, Fairy Huo and Young Master Kui have made such great progress that it is both surprising and delightful."
"Though your son's experience is shallow, today's battles make me deeply feel that the Northern Domain's future is full of promise. I am also more convinced that our generation will never let down the expectations of all the seniors."
Tian Guhu's words elicited smiles and nods from the various Realm Kings. Even Huo Tianxing's cold face softened a few degrees.
"Ling Yun," the demon girl Yao Die suddenly spoke, breaking her long silence. "What do you think of these Heaven Sovereigns?"
Yao Die's voice seemed to possess a bewitching magic. Though it was very soft, it seemed to whisper in everyone's ears, then poured like liquid mercury, piercing straight into the depths of their souls, carrying an irresistible pull that drew everyone's attention—including the Heaven Sovereigns still locked in fierce battle—to her.
Clearly, this was intentional.
Yun Che lifted his head slightly, half-opening his eyes without looking at the battlefield even once. Instead, he let out an extremely contemptuous snort through his nose: "A bunch of garbage, and they dare call themselves Heaven Sovereigns? What a joke."
Everyone's attention had been drawn over by Yao Die, and Yun Che's words undoubtedly reached everyone's ears with crystal clarity. It was like a stone thrown into still water, instantly igniting countless flames of fury.
The fierce battle on the battlefield stopped. All the Heaven Sovereigns turned abruptly, their gazes stabbing straight at Yun Che, carrying a sudden explosion of rage.
As the youngest Divine Sovereigns of the Northern Divine Region, the only hundred who bore the title of "Heaven Sovereign," they had grown up surrounded by the worship and admiration of their peers and the praise and reverence of the world. They possessed a proportionate sense of pride and arrogance.
This was their assembly. Most of the high-ranking Realm Kings had come personally to observe, and the supervisors sent by the King Realms were also figures of great importance. Though still young, their level and status in the Northern Divine Region were already evident.
Who would dare to look down on them? Who was qualified to look down on them!?
And Yun Che's words... it was not merely looking down. The ear-piercing "garbage" was a deep insult, wildly, arrogantly, and laughably smacked across the faces of these miracle children.
And they were the youngest Divine Sovereigns of the Northern Divine Region. Yun Che's words also insulted all the Divine Sovereigns present, even all the Divine Sovereigns of the entire Northern Divine Region!
Even the emperors of the King Realms, the supreme existences of the Northern Divine Region, would never belittle these true geniuses, let alone utter such words.
"Looking for death!" The Heaven Sovereign standing at the center of the battlefield had a gloomy gaze, profound energy surging around him, his killing intent fierce.
"What a jumping clown." Huo Lanji gave a cold laugh, then directly turned her gaze away, refusing to look at Yun Che again, as if afraid of dirtying her eyes.
With someone speaking up, the other Heaven Sovereigns no longer needed to suppress themselves. Their emotions surged in indignation. If Yun Che had not been beside the demon girl, their weapons and profound energy would have long left the battlefield to strike him directly.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Imperial Prince Fen Jueran burst into wild laughter, rocking back and forth. "Interesting, interesting! So interesting! And this is actually a seventh-rank Divine Sovereign! Ha ha ha ha!"
"Heh heh, it's not just the Imperial Prince." The Kui Snake Saint Lord narrowed his eyes into a cold slit. "This old man has lived for nearly fifty thousand years and has never seen such a big joke. Either this boy is insane, or he came here seeking death."
"Hmph! Truly a disgrace to Divine Sovereigns!" Tianluo Realm King said in a deep voice.
"Killing this beast would dirty my hands!"
"Heh, reaching the Divine Sovereign Realm is no easy feat. Pitiable... I'm afraid he won't even leave a complete corpse."
Cold stares, sneers, jeers, anger... The way they looked at Yun Che was like watching a clown about to die a miserable death. They found it absurd, laughable, and felt they shouldn't be angry—because such a piece of trash was not worthy of their anger. Yet they could not help but be angry.
On the honored seats, Yan San glanced at Yun Che. His gray-white face remained cold and stiff as he spoke lightly: "Demon Girl Highness, this person deserves to die."
When these four words, "this person deserves to die," came from Yan San's mouth, how many people in the world could still protect him?
The demon girl Yao Die gave no response.
"Hmph." Tian Muyi stood up, his expression relatively calm, but his gaze held unconcealed killing intent. "These words not only insult these remarkable Heaven Sovereigns but also insult all the Divine Sovereigns of my Northern Domain. An unforgivable crime."
"Since you want to die so badly, I will grant you that wish!"
"Wait!" Tian Guhu suddenly spoke. With a flicker, he had already left his seat and said, "Father King, since this person has insulted us Heaven Sovereigns, let us Heaven Sovereigns handle it ourselves. Such a trivial matter, such a laughable character, is not worthy of troubling Father King, and even less worthy of dirtying the hands of Father King and all the seniors present."
Without much thought, Tian Muyi slowly nodded.
Under everyone's gaze, Tian Guhu stepped forward to Yun Che and gave a deep bow to the demon girl Yao Die: "Senior, this junior wishes to exchange a few words with Ling Yun. Please grant your indulgence."
Even though everyone already regarded Yun Che as a dead man, Tian Guhu still showed utmost reverence to the demon girl.
"As you wish." The demon girl Yao Die uttered two indifferent words.
Although she did not drive Yun Che away, these two words "as you wish" seemed to tell everyone that Ling Yun had nothing to do with her.
"Thank you, Senior, for your generosity." Tian Guhu bowed again. When he turned his gaze to Yun Che, his eyes did not change much. One could not even find a trace of anger. His calmness was commendable: "Ling Yun, dare you repeat those words just now?"
Yun Che raised his eyes and gave him an extremely indifferent glance: "A bunch of garbage."
"You!" The Heaven Sovereigns erupted in rage again.
Tian Guhu raised his hand to signal the other Heaven Sovereigns, suppressing their surging anger. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "We Heaven Sovereigns are proud, but we never bully others, and we absolutely cannot be insulted! If you do not give us a sufficient explanation for your words, I'm afraid you won't be able to walk out of the Huangtian Que."
"..." Yun Che remained silent and expressionless.
"However, if the seniors strike or if we gang up on you, you might not accept it, and it would not be fitting. So..." Tian Guhu's gaze was like a sword, his voice low and slow: "Since you are honored to be a Heaven Sovereign of the Northern Domain, you should have the capacity to tolerate others. On behalf of all my brothers and sisters, I will grant you an opportunity."
"We are both seventh-rank Divine Sovereigns. I, this 'garbage' you speak of, will fight you. If you win, we will admit that we are unworthy of the title 'Heaven Sovereign,' and we will naturally have no face to pursue the matter of your words. But if you lose to me, this 'garbage' you mentioned..." He gave a faint smile: "Insulting the Heaven Sovereigns of the Northern Domain, you will witness with your own eyes the price you must pay."
"Don't rush to find an excuse to refuse. I will grant you another great favor." Before Yun Che could respond, Tian Guhu slowly extended his finger: "Seven moves. As fellow seventh-rank Divine Sovereigns, if you can remain undefeated under my seven moves, you win. What do you say?"
Tian Guhu's words made those who had been furious moments ago break into smiles. And in Tian Muyi's eyes, there was nothing but the pride of being Tian Guhu's father.
The same cultivation level, and if he couldn't win in seven moves, he would be considered defeated. To cultivators of the Divine Path, this sounded utterly absurd and arrogant.
But, he was Tian Guhu. With his seventh-rank Divine Sovereign cultivation, he was enough to rival a tenth-rank Divine Sovereign!
Although it was only seven moves, no one believed he would lose. Only he could—and surely would—overwhelm an opponent of the same cultivation level within seven moves.
Tian Guhu's move was undeniably clever. It would display his own might, vent the anger of the Heaven Sovereigns, and utterly humiliate "Ling Yun," making him lose all face and dignity before death. Even after death, he would become a long-lasting joke.
Indeed, having provoked the Huangtian Realm and insulted the Heaven Sovereigns, killing him directly would be too lenient.
The angry gazes turned into sneers. Even those Divine Kings who normally had to look up to Divine Sovereigns now looked at Yun Che with contempt and pity.
"Ling Yun, you wouldn't possibly... not even dare to do this, would you?" Tian Guhu said slowly. As his voice fell, several Heaven Sovereigns directly burst into laughter.
Yun Che lowered his arms from his chest and finally stood up slowly, speaking in a cold, listless tone: "Seven moves is too many. Let's make it three."