Chapter 1639 - Yun Che's Hidden Card
The Jiehun Realm was far less vast than imagined. From a distance, it actually appeared even smaller than the Yin Xue Realm.
Yet within that dark world, that stretch of star domain was like the gaping maw of a dark demon. The moment one drew near, they would fall forever into the abyss.
This was the king realm of the Northern Divine Region... Yun Che gazed from afar. The Jiehun Realm, shrouded in black mist, constantly shifted its shape. The overwhelming sense of chilling cold, oppression, and danger constantly repelled any living being that dared to approach.
"This is roughly the center of the Northern Divine Region." Qianye Ying'er had never been here before, but she spoke with certainty. "There is a special region in the Northern Divine Region called the [Eternal Dark Bone Sea]. It is the center of the Northern Divine Region and also the core of the Northern Domain's darkness. To some extent, it can be understood as the dark source vein of the Northern Divine Region."
"Dark source vein?" Yun Che gave a disdainful snort. "The Northern Divine Region has withered to this extent. This so-called source vein is probably a dead vein as well."
Qianye Ying'er continued, "That is also why the dark aura here is the purest and most intense. The three king realms—Yanmo, Fenyue, and Jiehun—are all located here. In other words, these three king realms of the Northern Domain are close to each other. It is said that at Divine Lord level power, at full speed, they can reach each other in just a few hours."
Yun Che's brow twitched slightly. He asked, "Of the three king realms, which is closest to the Eternal Dark Bone Sea?"
"Yanmo," Qianye Ying'er replied. "The Eternal Dark Bone Sea has always been part of the Yanmo Realm's territory. Hence, the Yanmo Realm has always existed at the very core of the Northern Divine Region. This is probably also the reason why the Yanmo Realm is the strongest among the three king realms in terms of overall power."
"Speaking of which..." Qianye Ying'er suddenly thought of something, and her voice dropped several notes. "Regarding the Yanmo Realm, I once saw a name recorded in the Fantian archives—'Yan Zu'. That name was marked with a very heavy warning soul imprint, but there was no explanation at all."
"That is to say, the ancestors of the Fantian clan vaguely knew of the existence of 'Yan Zu' through some channel, but had no idea what it actually was. However, the warning soul imprint engraved on those two characters was excessively heavy."
"Chi Wuyue definitely knows. Ask her," Yun Che said.
As they spoke, the two drew nearer to the Jiehun Realm. Passing through layers of black mist capable of devouring souls, they set foot on a stretch of gray-black land.
Although the Jiehun Realm was small, it was unexpectedly a non-enclosed king realm. But without a doubt, the core lands where the Demon Empress and Demon Girls resided were not places ordinary people could tread.
Yun Che released his spiritual sense, piercing through layers of darkness, and his gaze finally settled on the northeast.
There lay the core demon domain of this Jiehun Realm, the demon sacred land where the Northern Domain's Demon Empress resided.
Slowing down, the two flew northeast. Below them, the lands and creatures of this dark king realm rapidly swept past.
"Regarding Chi Wuyue, I have told you everything I know," Qianye Ying'er spoke. "As for the Nine Demon Girls, although there are many rumors and records, when I was in the Eastern Divine Region, I only knew the names of three Demon Girls."
"Three?" Yun Che was slightly surprised.
"The Seventh Demon Girl, Hua Jin." Qianye Ying'er said slowly. "Her profound power ranks in the lower tier among the Nine Demon Girls, but she possesses an uncanny ability for concealment and disguise that even ghosts and gods cannot distinguish. It is possible she has appeared in the Eastern, Western, and Southern Divine Regions more than once."
"It is also because she is too powerful and bizarre in this aspect that all the king realms know of this Demon Girl's existence." Thinking back to the little girl in the bamboo forest earlier—so close, yet having fooled her—Qianye Ying'er frowned deeply.
Although her cultivation was far from what it used to be, with her Demon Emperor bloodline, her dark perception ability was extremely strong, yet she had not seen through Hua Jin's disguise even within ten steps. Such ability was beyond the word "terrifying."
"What about the other two?" Yun Che asked.
"The First Demon Girl. Chi Wuyue's first 'created' Demon Girl, and also the strongest among them." Qianye Ying'er's voice suddenly grew heavier. "Tenth-rank Divine Lord!"
Yun Che's brow twitched sharply. Then he said, "And the third?"
"The First Demon Girl is two people." Qianye Ying'er said something strange.
"What do you mean?"
"Jie Xin and Jie Ling." Qianye Ying'er spoke two names that commanded awe in the Northern Divine Region. "They are twin sisters, and together they serve as the Jiehun Realm's First Demon Girl."
Yun Che frowned and said, "So, the so-called Nine Demon Girls are actually ten people?"
"No," Qianye Ying'er denied. "Below the First Demon Girl is the Third Demon Girl. Jie Xin and Jie Ling are not only identical in appearance but also completely the same in aura and cultivation. It is said that aside from the Demon Empress and themselves, no one can tell them apart."
"Therefore, they together hold the position of First Demon Girl. Among the Nine Demon Girls, there is no Second Demon Girl."
Yun Che pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned his gaze. "You mean to say that both of them are Tenth-rank Divine Lords?"
"Correct." Qianye Ying'er nodded. "This is probably also why the Fenyue Realm is so wary of the Jiehun Realm."
Yun Che remained silent for a long time.
Tenth-rank Divine Lord—what the world knew as the God Emperor level.
The Tenth-rank Divine Lords of the Eastern Divine Region's king realms:
The Star God Realm originally had one: Xing Juekong, now crippled.
The Moon God Realm had one: Xia Qingyue.
The Zhou Tian Realm had two: Zhou Xuzi and Taiyu Venerable.
The Fantian Divine Realm originally had six, but the three Fan Gods were casually obliterated by Jie Tian Mo Di, and Qianye Ying'er was crippled to undo the slave mark. Now two remain: Qianye Fantian and Gu Zhu.
And this withered Northern Divine Region's Jiehun Realm actually had three!
Chi Wuyue, Jie Xin, and Jie Ling.
"Ten thousand years ago, when this place was still the Jingtian Divine Realm, the only Tenth-rank Divine Lord was the Jingtian Divine Emperor," Qianye Ying'er continued. "Later, the Jingtian Divine Emperor died suddenly, and Chi Wuyue forcibly ascended. All realms thought the Jingtian Divine Realm would surely fall into chaos, with the most likely outcome being internal strife and external predation leading to disintegration, eventually being devoured by Yanmo and Fenyue, leaving only two king realms."
"But in the end, the internal strife in the Jingtian Divine Realm had barely erupted before it ended at an unimaginably fast speed. The inheritance power of the Jingtian Divine Realm was also transformed by Chi Wuyue through some unknown means, becoming the Demon Girl power that can only be inherited by women."
"After the First Demon Girls, Jie Xin and Jie Ling, were 'born,' both internal and external forces were awed by Chi Wuyue." Qianye Ying'er looked at Yun Che. "The secrets she carries are somewhat similar to yours—abilities that cannot be explained by current understanding or common sense."
"You have the inheritance of the Creation God, so then... what about her?"
"If she didn't have power surpassing others, how could she have ambitions others dare not have? Isn't that why you chose her?" Yun Che replied indifferently. "As for the secrets she carries, they are not important."
"No, they are important." Qianye Ying'er said without hesitation. But she glanced at Yun Che and did not continue. For Yun Che now, revenge was everything; everything else, he truly could not care less.
The two crossed half of the Jiehun Realm, and a massive invisible barrier appeared within their perception.
Even a hundred miles away, just the invisible pressure was enough to make one dare not take half a step forward.
Within the barrier was the core region of the Jiehun Realm, one of the supreme locations of the entire Northern Divine Region. Although it was just an invisible barrier, it divided two worlds of completely different levels.
Yun Che's pace unconsciously slowed, and his gaze momentarily blurred.
Because what he saw was extremely similar to the center of the Yin Xue Realm—the Binghuang Realm isolated by an invisible barrier.
An arm extended, blocking Yun Che. Qianye Ying'er looked ahead, her gaze cold and sharp. "You have one last chance to hesitate. Either take this step immediately, or... lie low for a few more years."
Yun Che narrowed his eyes. "Hesitation and fear—isn't that what you despise the most?"
"What makes me hesitate is not your current ability, but this person Chi Wuyue." Qianye Ying'er said heavily. "Our confrontation with her had an outcome that was too ideal. After just one meeting, we are now standing on the soil of the Jiehun Realm. This form of 'cooperation' should not have been this smooth."
"Also, although I cannot see her eyes, I always feel she is strangely fixated on you. But I cannot say or identify what is strange. And that is the most dangerous part."
Yun Che remained unmoved. He pushed her blocking arm aside and said indifferently, "Let's go."
"Wait." Qianye Ying'er stopped him. "Although I have been with you day and night for these past few years, I know you still have many secrets and hidden cards that I don't know about."
Yun Che: "..."
"Hidden cards are, of course, best kept unknown to as few people as possible. So I never ask, nor do I try to probe. But this time, I want you to answer me."
Qianye Ying'er's figure flickered, and she directly blocked in front of Yun Che, her golden eyes staring into his. "What is the limit of the hidden cards you currently possess?"
Yun Che's gaze turned cold, but when he met Qianye Ying'er's eyes, the chill that had just risen in his pupils wavered slightly.
Her eyes held darkness and determination to get an answer. But beyond that... there were some emotions that should not have appeared on her.
It seemed to be... deep-hidden concern?
His brow tilted slightly, and Yun Che murmured slowly, "Enough to destroy... anyone in this world."
Qianye Ying'er's golden gaze shook violently.
"However, it can only be used once." Yun Che continued, the image of Mu Xuanyin's jade-like fall flashing before his eyes. His voice became very soft, very slow. "At the very end, I will... bestow it upon Long Bai!"
The Dragon Emperor Long Bai, the emperor of the dragon race, the sovereign of chaos... the transcendent existence that Qianye Fantian said even the four Divine Emperors of the Eastern Domain combined could not defeat, the unrivaled number one of the current era.
What Yun Che said—"enough to destroy anyone in this world"—clearly included Long Bai!
And his eyes did not waver at all... Destroying the Dragon Emperor was not just a possibility; it was something he could definitely do once he unveiled that hidden card!
Qianye Ying'er withdrew her gaze and said, "No wonder you have been so steadfast all along. It seems my concern is unnecessary. Even if we face the worst possible situation from here on, you can..."
But then, she suddenly realized something and spun around sharply. "'At the very end'—what do you mean?"
"Heh." Yun Che gave a cold smile. "Some hidden cards require one's life to exchange. Is this the first time you've known that?"
After saying this, his figure flashed past Qianye Ying'er and descended straight down.
Qianye Ying'er did not immediately follow. Instead, she was silent for a few seconds.
The Yun Che of now—though he still lived, every corner of his body was filled with only revenge.
When revenge was complete, with nothing left to hold onto or aim for, he might...
He wanted to end Long Bai with his own life at the very end... He said it without any hesitation or sorrow.
As if the life he possessed now was merely a tool for his revenge.
"Besides revenge, is there truly... not even the slightest reason for you to want to keep living?"
Watching the distant figure of Yun Che in her sight, she murmured softly to herself.
Revenge...
She extended her hand, quietly looking at her palm. Every patch of skin was as white as snow, faintly radiating the luster of jade. Anyone who saw her hand would feel as though they were witnessing a divine miracle from a dream, and would not—or rather, would be unwilling to believe—that it had ever been stained with countless blood, filth, and sin.
What's going on?
She curled her fingers into her palm, then unconsciously clenched them... Revenge, wasn't that also the obsession that kept me alive after being crippled? Wasn't it also my everything?
Why, as the goal draws nearer, am I beginning to... become "hesitant and fearful" as he put it?
What exactly am I worried about!
Crack!
Her five fingers clenched into her palm, producing crisp sounds of bones misaligning. Qianye Ying'er's golden eyes turned as cold as an ice prison in an instant. The confusion and worry that had come from nowhere were also frozen solid.
Qianye Fantian... killed my mother, fooled me my entire life, shattered my beliefs, destroyed everything! I debased my dignity, fell into darkness, sold my body and soul—all to kill him with my own hands!
Beyond that, nothing matters!
Noth...ing... mat...ters...
She plummeted down sharply, landing with Yun Che before the barrier.
But the moment they approached, a surge of dark energy blasted toward them, accompanied by a low roar filled with authority and killing intent: "Intruding sacred domain—kill with no... ugh!"
The word "mercy" had not even been fully uttered before it turned into several muffled groans. The dark storm was torn apart in an instant, and the four black figures within the storm all tumbled downward, smashing heavily against the barrier.