Chapter 1630: Invitation of the Demoness
Ding!
Finger and Imperial Heaven Sword collided, a soft sound, faint as a mosquito's hum, but the black light on the blade instantly dissipated almost completely. The originally ferocious and rampant lightning, like a venomous snake struck at its seven inches, rapidly contracted and vanished without a trace in an instant.
What replaced it was a burst of blood mist that violently exploded along Tian Guhu's arm holding the sword.
Crack~~~~
After the soft sound of finger and blade contact, the sound of bone cracking that followed was exceptionally clear... so clear that it made one's hair stand on end.
Amidst the suddenly exploding blood mist, Tian Guhu's arm bone shattered into dozens of pieces in an instant, his flesh and skin all turned outward. Yet that terrifying force, after shattering his arm, did not dissipate there but surged through his entire body. The same blood mist burst forth simultaneously from his chest and limbs, cruelly breaking his sternum, ribs, arm bones, and leg bones in an instant.
And all of them were broken into dozens of fragments.
"Ah———"
A piercing scream erupted only at this moment. Tian Guhu's body did not retreat, nor did the Imperial Heaven Sword leave his hand. He who had been divinely awe-inspiring moments before suddenly collapsed like a pile of mud.
The scream lasted only half a breath before Tian Guhu forcibly suppressed it with his strong will. His face turned deathly pale, his features utterly distorted in extreme contortion. His entire body tremored violently as his limbs convulsed, blood mixed with sweat rapidly spreading beneath him.
And in his largely faded pupils, compared to pain, there was more shock and disbelief, along with a suddenly burgeoning intense fear.
An indescribable horror filled the entire Imperial Heaven Watchtower. Everyone stood up, their eyes and hearts as if struck a heavy blow, startling them nearly to the point of bursting.
Although it was only a few brief moments, the profound energy released by "Ling Yun" was undoubtedly at the seventh level of the Divine Sovereign Realm, but the aura that erupted in that instant made even a group of Divine Lords feel alarmed.
And Tian Guhu, the well-known leader of the Heavenly Lords of the Northern Domain, the miracle son who could crush peers of the same level, was heavily defeated and routed by a single finger from the opponent... just a single finger!?
"...?" Tian Muyi was stunned, his entire person as if his soul had been nailed in place, standing there dazed and foolish. As the number one Realm King of the Northern Domain, a powerful eighth-level Divine Lord, he simply could not believe the scene so close at hand.
This daze lasted for several breaths before he let out a trembling low roar: "Gu... Hu!"
This low roar finally awakened countless dazed minds. The Imperial Heaven Watchtower immediately erupted into a chaotic clamor.
"This... this... this is..."
"Ah... Young Master Guhu... actually..."
"Guhu..." The Grand Elder of the Imperial Heaven Sect, Tian Muhe, muttered softly, then his gaze suddenly changed. His figure flew out like a large bird, heading straight for Tian Guhu and Yun Che, his mouth roaring in fury: "Beast, die!"
The shocking blood mist and the soul-piercing sound of bone shattering showed how severe Tian Guhu's injuries were. As the son of the number one Realm King, he was the greatest pride of the Imperial Heaven Realm. If an outsider dared to harm even a single hair of his, the Imperial Heaven Realm would never forgive, let alone such heavy injury.
Tian Muyi, aside from shock, undoubtedly harbored fury no less than Tian Muhe's. But as soon as he saw Tian Muhe's figure rushing out, his expression changed slightly: "Stop!"
His shout to stop was ultimately a moment too late. Tian Muhe had already neared the battlefield, his outstretched arm heading straight for Yun Che. Under his rage, he clearly disregarded status, determined to kill this person who had heavily wounded Tian Guhu on the spot.
Someone from the Imperial Heaven Realm acting furiously was not at all surprising. As the Grand Elder of the Imperial Heaven Realm, Tian Muhe's cultivation was far inferior to Tian Muyi's, but he was still a powerful Divine Lord. Under his furious attack, his aura was as vast as the sea.
Yun Che's body remained motionless. To outsiders, it seemed he was completely unable to move under the pressure of a Divine Lord. But if anyone looked closely at him, they would find his expression unchanged by the approaching crisis, and even his robe was not lifted in the slightest.
Everything happened in an instant. Most people had not yet recovered when Tian Muhe had already entered the center of the battlefield. The next moment, he could directly blast Yun Che to death... But then, Tian Muhe's vision suddenly went dark. The world in his sight vanished, leaving only a flash of a light-colored butterfly shadow.
Puff—
His body and power suddenly collided with an invisible wall of air. The wall was exceptionally soft, like a gentle breeze brushing the face upon contact, but it caused dozens of fine cracks to burst open in his internal organs in an instant.
Hum!
With a dull thud, Tian Muhe's body fell backward at several times the speed of his forward charge, heavily crashing back into the Imperial Heaven Realm's seating area.
Even his power was eerily reflected back, violently exploding at the landing point of his body.
Boom!!
Tian Muyi moved like lightning, but he still could not completely suppress Tian Muhe's power. Hundreds of people from the Imperial Heaven Sect were blasted away, screaming endlessly, blood spraying in arcs.
Huo Tianxing and the Viper Saint Lord also acted simultaneously, barely managing to annihilate the residual force.
Tian Muhe knelt and collapsed, vomiting over a dozen mouthfuls of blood. Tian Muyi did not check his injuries. His gaze sharply turned to the Demoness Yaodie. The Demoness Yaodie had already stood up, slowly withdrawing her three extended fingers, and said coldly: "In this duel, no one is allowed to interfere. Does your Imperial Heaven Sect treat my words as wind passing by ears?"
"No, we dare not!" Tian Muyi clenched his fists tightly, his heart twitching, his soul trembling more than ever before, and his gaze did not even dare to look at Tian Guhu's miserable state.
But as the Realm King of the Imperial Heaven Realm, even in such a situation, he had to remain extremely calm and absolutely could not offend a Demoness.
"Your Highness Yaodie, Muhe saw Guhu injured and acted rashly in urgency. He deserves punishment for his offense." Tian Muyi rushed to finish, then raised his hand in a heavy salute: "Now that the duel is over, please allow me to check on Guhu's injuries."
Although separated by the butterfly wing mask, Tian Muyi sensed that the Demoness before him was very calm, seemingly not at all surprised by the outcome. This gave his heart a sudden jolt.
On the other two sides, the head of the Yanmo Realm's thirty-six Yan Ghosts, Yan San'geng, had stood up straight, his eyes fixedly staring at Yun Che. Though his eyes were like those of a dead man, they revealed a profound shock.
I suspect even the people of the Yanmo Realm had never seen him show such surprise.
And the Fenyue Emperor Son, Fen Jieran, was even more pathetic. He had been lounging casually, apparently here for entertainment and spectacle, but now he sat in a rather ugly posture on the seat, completely unaware, his eyes also fixed on Yun Che, pupils bulging extremely as if seeing a ghost.
"End?" Yaodie said faintly. "Tian Guhu said that if Ling Yun could defeat him within three moves, then Ling Yun would win. Of course, that was just a joke. Let's not mention it."
Tian Muyi's already extremely ugly face twitched violently.
"However, Ling Yun's condition was that if Tian Guhu could stand up after three moves, then he would win." She turned her gaze to Tian Guhu: "The rules of this duel shall be set according to Yun Che's words. Because the weak have no right to determine the rules."
"Tian Guhu, now, as long as you can still stand up, you will be considered the winner."
The weak have no right to determine the rules... This sentence from the Demoness, said so casually, was undoubtedly the greatest sarcasm Tian Guhu had ever heard in his life.
That line "as long as you can still stand up, you will be considered the winner" sounded just like a pitying remark toward a weakling.
"Eh... ah..." Tian Guhu, who had been gritting his teeth and refusing to scream, now let out heart-wrenching hisses from his mouth. Whether it was from pain or humiliation was unclear.
His body twitched and struggled, but he could not stand at all. His limbs had been cruelly shattered by Yun Che, and his profound energy was completely disordered. Under his struggle, he was like a crawling insect writhing under Yun Che's condescending gaze—every moment, every instant, was an unprecedented humiliation.
Everyone stared blankly at the center of the battlefield. The Heavenly Lords who had been haughty and filled with indignation against Yun Che were all dumbfounded. No one expected such a result; it was impossible even in dreams.
The people of the Imperial Heaven Sect all had numb scalps and ice-cold hands and feet. In any other setting, Tian Muyi would have rushed forward long ago. But the Demoness Yaodie was nearby, the shadow of the Demon Empress! Her tough stance earlier and her words just now were like poisonous thorns pressing against their throats, preventing them from daring to step forward half a step.
"I admit defeat on behalf of Guhu." Tian Muyi said.
"I said that since I am the supervisor of this battle, no one may interfere, including you, the Realm King of the Imperial Heaven Realm!" Yaodie's words remained cold and firm: "If he wants to admit defeat, he must do it himself... or perhaps he can still stand up?"
Tian Muyi's internal organs felt like they were being torn apart, but he dared not show any anger. He turned abruptly and said in a low voice: "Guhu, you have lost... admit defeat!"
Tian Muyi, who had become the number one Realm King of the Northern Domain, had undoubtedly experienced countless storms in his life. But the words "admit defeat" came out unusually harshly.
Because he knew that his most proud son had never lost in his life, let alone admitted defeat.
Crack!
The sound of teeth being forcibly broken came from the center of the battlefield. Traces of blood pulled at the corners of Tian Guhu's mouth. Even though his struggling appearance was incredibly ugly, he still seemed to hope to stand up... Admit defeat? He couldn't say it, and it was impossible to say it.
Because he was Tian Guhu!
"Tian Guhu," Yun Che coldly looked down at him. "You said earlier that if I didn't save people, it would be the same as personally killing them."
"According to your words, if I have the ability to kill you but do not, then wouldn't I become your lifesaver? A person as benevolent and righteous as you surely knows the principle of repaying a kindness even if it's just a drop of water, let alone a life-saving grace."
"So, how will you repay me, your lifesaver?"
The words at his ear seemed to come from a dream. Or rather, Tian Guhu, even up to this moment, felt as if he had not yet woken from a nightmare.
He, who had always crushed peers of the same level and was thus famous throughout the Northern Domain, was defeated by a profound practitioner of the same realm in three moves... no, to be precise, in one move. He collapsed on the spot like a dead dog, unable even to stand. How could he accept it? How could he bear it?
Slowly, he raised his head and looked at Yun Che. When his gaze met Yun Che's, his struggle suddenly ceased.
From Yun Che's expression and gaze, he saw no sneer or glee, not a trace—only cold indifference and a hint of mockery that seemed almost too insignificant to show.
Yes, there was none of the pride or arrogance after reversing the situation against a lofty opponent and shocking the entire audience. Only cold detachment and indifference. As if... he had just casually trampled a pitiful ant on the roadside.
His gaze froze for a few breaths. Suddenly, all his dignity, unwillingness, shock, humiliation, and anger... crumbled in an instant, leaving only humble self-mockery.
He had regarded "Ling Yun" as a mad clown, but now he realized that in the other's eyes, he himself was truly a lowly little clown.
Even his struggling and persistence at this moment were nothing but the most insignificant wriggling, unworthy even of the other's mockery.
"I... admit... defeat..."
He spoke those three words, which were not as difficult as he had imagined.
His struggle also completely stopped. He lay still on the ground, not unconscious, but as if all his vital energy had been drained, no longer wanting to move in the slightest.
Those three words were extremely humiliating, but Tian Muyi heard them like heavenly music. Without even saying another word, he grabbed and directly sucked Tian Guhu's body to his front, shrouding it with profound energy while shouting loudly: "Quick! Get the Heavenly Demon Powder!"
The people of the Imperial Heaven Sect immediately gathered around Tian Guhu, pouring streams of profound energy into his body to soothe his injuries. But Tian Guhu stared blankly into the sky, dazed and absent-minded, as if his soul had left.
Outside the Imperial Heaven Sect, the surroundings were very quiet, with very few even whispering. Their gazes remained firmly fixed on Yun Che. They deeply engraved the name "Ling Yun" in their minds... a seventh-level Divine Sovereign who heavily wounded Tian Guhu in one move. It was conceivable that after today, the profound world of the Northern Domain would face a great upheaval.
"So-called leader of the Heavenly Lords, that's all he is." Yun Che turned his back and let out an extremely faint sneer: "Heavenly Lords? Hah, calling them a pile of trash is an honor."
The many Heavenly Lords were furious, their bodies trembling... but unlike before, this time, no one made a sound, no one showed disdain or mockery.
A Divine Sovereign who defeated Tian Guhu in one move—this insult, words enough to enrage all Divine Sovereigns in the world, he truly had the right to say them.
"So-called Heavenly Lords' Gathering, it turns out to be a joke. What a waste of my time." Yun Che floated in the air, facing countless strong practitioners of the Northern Domain, speaking with an icy tone words that even a Divine Emperor of a King Realm would never dare to utter: "Qianying, let's go."
Qianye Ying'er rose and followed behind him.
"Wait."
A deathly, soul-freezing voice sounded. It was Yan San'geng. He looked at Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er and said flatly: "Who exactly are you? Where do you come from?"
When the Yan Ghost King spoke, everyone else immediately fell silent, creating a terrifying quietness, afraid to attract even a hint of his attention.
An indistinct, intangible aura also enveloped the space where Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er stood.
But, once again defying everyone's expectations, faced with the Yan Ghost King's question, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er did not look back or pause. Instead, they floated upward and gradually moved away.
They completely ignored him!
The Imperial Heaven Watchtower fell into an eerily silent silence. Everyone held their breath.
That was Yan San'geng, the leader of the thirty-six Yan Ghosts of the Yanmo Realm! Who would dare to ignore his question?
Yan San'geng's brow sank slightly. And just such a tiny change in expression made the entire Imperial Heaven Watchtower suddenly colder by several degrees.
Just as everyone thought Yan San'geng would surely erupt, another voice sounded.
"Please hold, you two."
With a soft tone, a flicker of a butterfly shadow moved and appeared in front of Yun Che. It was the Demoness Yaodie.
Yan San'geng stopped there.
Yun Che glanced at her and said, "What is it?"
Facing a Demoness, his tone remained as cold as before, causing everyone's hearts to jump again.
Yaodie, however, was not the least bit angry. She said, "In the name of a Demoness, I sincerely invite you both to be guests in my Jiehun Realm. Please honor us."
Her voice was soft as the wind, a world of difference from when she spoke to Tian Muyi. And her words stunned everyone present, causing Yan San'geng and Fen Jieran to change color simultaneously.
A Yan Ghost King and a Fenyue Emperor Son—they understood perfectly well what Yaodie's active invitation meant.
A "distinguished guest" personally and actively invited by a Demoness of the Jiehun Realm—how many people in the world could qualify?
Before their shock had even subsided, Yun Che's response struck like thunderous demonic thunder in their ears...
"Enter the Jiehun Realm as a guest? Fine." Yun Che said. His gaze swept over Yaodie's figure, but merely swept past it, then directly withdrew without looking at her again. "But for you to invite me—you are not qualified enough."
"Go back and have your master, Chi Wuyue, come and invite me herself."