Chapter 1633: A Fleeing in Panic
Without Yun Che's "assistance," Yao Die and Qianye Ying'er fell back into a stalemate. Their power caused the barrier erected by the assembled Realm Kings to continuously shrink under the impact.
And everyone could tell with their noses that, amidst the clash of two Divine Lords, the Huangtian Realm must have already suffered a calamity far more terrifying than a natural disaster.
Yao Die's target was Yun Che, and she would never have allowed anyone else to interfere. But under Qianye Ying'er's unexpectedly formidable strength, and what was very likely bizarre interference from Yun Che, she did not stop Yan San'geng. And then, she once again witnessed a scene she could never have dreamed of.
Yun Che's earlier evasion of Yan San'geng's attacks twice was clearly a feint he set up, intended for the thunderous sword strike that followed. This was also his usual tactic.
And this was by no means a sophisticated technique; in the eyes of seasoned experts, it was even laughable. But in Yun Che's case, it had never failed before. Even Yan San'geng, a Seventh-level Divine Lord with tens of thousands of years of profound dao experience, fell for it directly.
It wasn't that his methods were particularly exquisite, but that his profound dao aura was far too deceptive, exceeding any profound practitioner's cognition by countless times. No matter how strong an ant is, it can never truly make a ten-thousand-zhang ferocious beast wary, let alone make it use all its strength.
Moreover, it was an ant that had been completely subdued and immobilized.
But conversely, even if Yan San'geng was utterly unprepared and completely without caution, he was still a Seventh-level Divine Lord! At such a realm, the strength of his body and protective profound force was far beyond ordinary imagination.
Yet Yun Che... pierced him through with a single sword!?
Boom!
A thunderous roar resounded as black mist and black clouds exploded simultaneously, the sky seeming to split apart into a terrifyingly enormous rift. Qianye Ying'er's slender figure spun and arrived beside Yun Che. The demoness Yao Die also ceased her attack. She stared at Yan San'geng and Yun Che, a shock rarely seen flickering in her eyes.
The burst of Yun Che's profound aura in that instant was still that of a Seventh-level Divine Sovereign, but the fury of the aura was as if countless Seventh-level Divine Sovereigns had erupted in power simultaneously, its intensity almost comparable to Yan San'geng, a Seventh-level Divine Lord!
Even more unbelievable... even if Yun Che could truly elevate his power to a level close to Yan San'geng's, the caught-off-guard Yan San'geng should not have been pierced through so easily with a single sword.
Yao Die's gaze fell upon Yan San'geng's wound. The crimson glow there stung her eyes. The image of the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword manifested in her mind, unable to dissipate.
The scene that shattered imagination made the Huangtian Palace quiet to the point of terror. Everyone's eyes were nearly popping out, unable to believe what they were seeing.
And Yan San'geng himself seemed completely stunned. One breath... two breaths... three breaths... he remained frozen there, staring blankly at the hole in his chest.
Finally, his lips trembled, and he let out a sound: "You..."
The single word left his mouth, and his body suddenly gave a slight shudder. Then, he fell straight down, all the way back into the barrier below. His feet sank deep into the ground, and he stood there, motionless once more.
"Lord... Lord Ghost King?"
The few Realm Kings closest to him tried to step forward, then simultaneously took out the best spiritual medicines they carried. Although as a Yan Ghost King, it was basically impossible for him to value their spiritual medicines, if they could earn a hint of goodwill, the future rewards would be boundless.
But, before they could take more than a few steps, they all suddenly froze in place.
Tian Muyi, Huo Tianxing, and the others, who were about to rush over, also froze, their expressions filled with horror, as if they had seen a ghost.
Yan San'geng's profound aura, along with his life force, was fading. And this dissipation was not a weakening caused by injury, but... like a suddenly punctured balloon, dispersing at a terrifyingly fast speed.
In just a few short breaths, his aura had become faint and weak. Then, his half-kneeling body collapsed like soft mud.
The moment his head hit the ground, his pupils, which had dilated to their maximum, slowly contracted back, and then there was no further movement.
Yan San'geng's life force had completely vanished. Even someone as strong as Yao Die could no longer sense even a trace of it.
Silence. An utterly terrifying silence.
High above, Yao Die's pupils constricted.
As a demoness who cultivated dark profound force, she had long forgotten what "cold" felt like. But at this moment, countless streams of unprecedented chill surged wildly through her entire body, every single hair standing on end and contracting.
Yan San'geng...
Dead...
As a Ninth-level Divine Lord, Yao Die could naturally easily defeat Yan San'geng, a Seventh-level Divine Lord. But to kill him was extremely difficult.
At the late stage of the Divine Lord realm, dying was truly a very hard thing.
In the Yanmo Realm, below the Yan Emperor were the Yan Mo, and below the Yan Mo were the Yan Ghosts. And Yan San'geng was the leader of the Yan Ghosts. In the entire Yanmo Realm, both in strength and status, he was a transcendent existence second only to the Yan Emperor and the Yan Mo.
Thus, even if Yao Die could easily kill him, she would never dare to do so.
In fact, she couldn't even believe that in the Northern Divine Region, someone could kill... and dare to kill a Ghost King of the Yanmo Realm!
And even more incomprehensible was how exactly he died!?
With the might of a Divine Lord, vitality and self-healing abilities had far surpassed the realm of mortals. Even severed limbs could be perfectly regenerated. Being pierced through by a sword was not even a serious injury to a Divine Lord, let alone a fatal one.
But under Yun Che's sword, Yan San'geng had died just like that!
His pale eyeballs and completely extinguished aura all proved that this impossible event was real... right before their eyes.
The vermilion imprint on his wound slowly faded at this moment. And as it faded, wisps of black mist slowly seeped out.
Everyone present had spent their entire lives cultivating dark profound force, and there were many Divine Lords and Divine Sovereigns among them. Yet not a single one of them could sense the profound dao aura of these black mists, as if they were just the most ordinary black dust and smoke.
"This... is..."
Tian Muyi's outstretched hand froze in midair, unable to retract or lower. As the First Realm King and an Eighth-level Divine Lord, he knew perfectly well what a Seventh-level Divine Lord meant. The shock and disbelief in his heart far surpassed others.
The death of a Yan Ghost King was the most inconceivable event in the Northern Divine Region since the sudden death of the Jingtian Divine Emperor ten thousand years ago.
"Well, well. Asking for death when you had a perfectly good life."
In the silent, frozen world, a cold voice rang out. The same voice and tone as before, but this time it pierced into their ears like needles of ice, sending chills through their entire bodies.
"There really are a lot of fools in the Northern Divine Region." Yun Che let out a cold sneer. "Do you all only know how to be herded like livestock, forever locked in a cage?"
"..." The demoness Yao Die slowly turned her gaze. She looked at Yun Che and said in a deep voice, "Do you know... who he is?"
As she spoke, she realized with alarm that her voice was trembling uncontrollably.
"Yan San'geng, the leader of the thirty-six Ghost Kings of the Yanmo Realm." Qianye Ying'er drawled leisurely. "A big name, but not so big a brain. He was living just fine, but he had to court death."
Yao Die's gaze remained fixed on Yun Che. He had killed a Yan Ghost King, yet his eyes were still as calm and indifferent as before. There was no excitement, no pride, no arrogance, no fear... Just like when he defeated Tian Guhu, as indifferent as casually crushing an insect.
And that was a Ghost King of the Yanmo Realm!
Or did he simply have no emotions?
"How... did he die?" Yao Die bit her teeth, each word coming out with difficulty.
Neither Yun Che nor Qianye Ying'er answered. Their eyes simply flickered with a hint of contempt, as if telling her: Are you blind? He was stabbed to death with a sword.
A Yan Ghost King stabbed to death with a sword... Ha, what an absurd joke.
Yao Die did not ask again. She gave one last look at Yan San'geng's corpse and murmured softly, "No wonder..."
She turned, and black butterflies danced around her body, carrying her figure as she swiftly retreated, disappearing into the gloomy horizon in the blink of an eye.
"Not going to keep her?" Qianye Ying'er said. "You said you'd make her regret it."
"No need." Yun Che said. "With her leaving like this, we've gained another 'bargaining chip' in our hands."
Qianye Ying'er thought about it briefly and understood what Yun Che meant.
Yun Che raised his hand. In his palm, a very small black vortex slowly rotated. The moment the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword pierced Yan San'geng's body, his Dark Eternal Calamity power had surged violently into him along the sword's blade.
The dark profound art from the Demon Emperor, like an ancient demon god raging furiously within Yan San'geng's body, annihilating all dark existence within him.
Yun Che slowly closed his fingers and let out a soft breath. Dark Eternal Calamity could judge all darkness, but only darkness. If only it could work on profound practitioners from other Divine Regions, how wonderful that would be.
Yao Die left, her demeanor almost that of a fleeing panic. For a demoness to be so thoroughly shaken and terrified, perhaps the only one in the world who could accomplish that was the freak Yun Che.
The battle had ceased, but the barrier protecting half of the Huangtian Palace was not yet released. A pair of eyes stared at Yun Che in constriction. Their understanding of the world had been utterly shattered today.
"Just who are you people?" Tian Muyi spoke, his hands clenched tightly, his entire body tense.
Someone who would dare to kill even a Yan Ghost King... this could no longer be described with the word "madman."
And to kill a Seventh-level Divine Lord with a single sword... for the first time in his life, Tian Muyi felt chills running down his entire body.
"Let's go." Yun Che didn't look at anyone. He simply turned around and prepared to leave. He had come here intending to make a stir through this Sovereign Assembly. But the demoness's arrival was an unexpected bonus.
As Yun Che said these two words again, everyone felt as if granted a great pardon. Continuous sighs of relief were heard. Tian Muyi's stiff body also relaxed, but he dared not speak again, fearing that any unnecessary move might suddenly attract his attention.
Earlier, he absolutely would not have allowed the two to leave alive. Now, all he wished was for them to leave immediately and never come back. He didn't even dare to know their identities.
And killing Yan San'geng meant that the Yanmo Realm would pursue him with full force. Because that sword was not only thrust into Yan San'geng's body, but also into the face of the Yanmo Realm.
"Wait!"
The sudden voice made everyone's hearts skip a beat. They wished they could slap the speaker to death, but when they saw who it was, they had to grit their teeth and bear it.
The speaker was none other than Fen Jieran. He looked at Yun Che's back and said, "Is your surname Yun?"
In response to his question, Yun Che offered no reply and quickly went far away, clearly ignoring his existence.
Fen Jieran gritted his teeth silently but dared not ask again.
At that moment, Yun Che suddenly stopped. Just as everyone thought he was about to address Fen Jieran, he slowly said, "Tian Guhu, this so-called Ghost King offended me, so I granted him death. But you are still alive. Do you know why?"
Tian Guhu was seriously injured, but every scene that had just unfolded was fully witnessed by him. Hearing Yun Che's words, he raised his head with difficulty. Gazing at the somewhat distant figure, looking up at him now, he felt only self-shame and humiliation.
How ridiculous and laughable his earlier actions had been... Too laughable.
"Senior... finds me unworthy of killing." Tian Guhu said. Even in his weakness and dimness, his voice still carried a unique clarity.
He called Yun Che "Senior," but he would never dream that Yun Che's age was not even one-tenth of his own.
"Heh." Yun Che let out a light laugh. "This cage called the Northern Divine Region—many people want to escape because it's too hard for them to survive. And yet, many others have never thought of escaping because they are powerful, high-ranking, and the rulers of the Northern Divine Region. They never have to worry about 'survival,' but instead enjoy things that others would not dare to hope for in ten lifetimes."
"Change? Flee? To them, that's a joke. Why risk change when they enjoy everything? They are alive, and the Northern Divine Region hasn't completely disappeared yet. As for future generations... hah, what does that have to do with them?"
"!!" Tian Guhu jerked his head up. His dull eyes began to tremble wildly.
"Those most capable and most obligated to fight—they have never thought of fighting. It's rare that someone like you, an anomaly, has appeared. Unfortunately..." Yun Che sneered coldly. "What you have done is utterly childish and laughable. It's even more laughable than... I was back then!"
He turned, his gaze falling on Tian Guhu: "Benevolence? Morality? Hahaha... What are those things? What can change all this is only the ruthlessness that puts oneself to the death, and enough blood to cover the entire Northern Region. Do you understand?"
Tian Guhu was struck as if by lightning, his entire body trembling violently. He looked into Yun Che's eyes, his pupils shaking more and more intensely... Suddenly, he struggled to rise, enduring his wounds as they split open, and knelt heavily on the ground.
"Guhu, you!?" Tian Muyi was stunned. Everyone was stunned.
Bang!
In Yun Che's direction, his head slammed heavily against the ground. This kowtow, he used all his strength, but without any self-protection. The wounds that had just healed burst open, blood spurted from his forehead, and when he looked up, his face was covered not only with blood but also with tears. "I beg Senior... to accept me as your disciple. Guhu... is willing to follow Senior, to be your beast of burden... I beg Senior to grant this wish!"
Tian Guhu's words shocked Tian Muyi and the others. Tian Muyi rushed forward and grabbed Tian Guhu's shoulder: "Guhu, what nonsense are you talking about!"
He immediately turned to Yun Che and said, "Ling Yun... Senior, my son's injuries are severe, his mind is unclear, and he is speaking nonsense. Please do not take offense."
Regardless of Yun Che's unknown origins, strange temperament, and ruthlessness, he had just killed a Yan Ghost King and would surely be pursued relentlessly by the Yanmo Realm. How could he allow Tian Guhu to have any connection with him?
Tian Guhu usually never disobeyed his father's words, but this time, his eyes were fixed firmly on Yun Che, his voice hoarse and resolute: "Father, in my entire life, I have never been this clear-headed."
Tian Muyi was stunned.
He had never seen this expression in Tian Guhu's eyes before. At this moment, a bleak yet extremely clear thought suddenly arose in his heart... He seemed to have never truly understood this son he was most proud of.
Guhu... Alone, solitary, even excluding his father.
"Take you as my disciple?" Yun Che turned his back. "You are far from qualified. But your life might be of use to me. And that day... will not be far off."
The words still lingered in their ears, but Yun Che's figure had already disappeared into the distance, leaving only Tian Guhu staring dazedly at the sky above.