Chapter 1652: Demonic Claw
“……” Naturally, Yun Che, whose soul had been hijacked, showed no reaction whatsoever.
Zhou Xuzi's brows twitched violently. He had long heard that the Northern Domain's Demon Empress was as beautiful as a reincarnated seductress, her nature lascivious to the bone, her skill at manipulating men unmatched in the world. But even so, he was still caught off guard by the scene before him.
Even a junior whose soul she had captured was treated with such complete disregard in public—it was easy to imagine how wantonly depraved this Demon Empress must be in her daily life.
And yet, it was this simple image of skin lightly touching that made the Zhou Tian Divine Emperor, who had weathered tens of thousands of years of vicissitudes, suddenly feel a dry mouth and a burning throat. A heat long extinguished, one that should have vanished forever, rose from within his body, then surged instantly, spreading an abnormal flush across his skin at an alarming speed.
His heart shook violently… but concurrently, a desire was clearly born within him: to simply sink into this moment, abandon everything, and fall forever into bliss.
Chi!
Zhou Xuzi bit his tongue sharply, circulating his profound energy throughout his body to quickly suppress that terrifying agitation. Yet his face showed no change; his voice was deep and imposing: “Demon Empress, such petty charm techniques cannot disturb this old man’s heart. Do not waste your strength.”
“The longer you delay, the greater the uncontrollable risk. You have come from afar—you should not want to make this trip for nothing, should you?”
But Chi Wuyue remained completely unconcerned. She no longer even looked at the Primordial World Pill in Zhou Xuzi’s hand. “Oh? In a hurry? It doesn’t matter. I have plenty of time. Even if it doesn’t work out, making a wasted trip is just a joyride. It won’t cost me anything.”
She turned her eyes languidly, gazing at Yun Che, whose eyes were vacant. Her voice softened, turning sweet and tender: “Right, my good little~ Che~’er~.”
Zhou Tian Divine Emperor frowned deeply but said nothing.
When the Primordial World Pill was first taken out, he had clearly sensed the moment of greed that flickered in Chi Wuyue’s eyes.
In verbal sparring and soul-force oppression, he had been utterly defeated.
Through ten thousand years of vicissitudes, he had grown old, but the Demon Empress had become even more terrifying.
Nevertheless, even though he was at a disadvantage and his heart was burning with anxiety, he could not yield another step at this point.
He was certain that Chi Wuyue’s anxiety was no less than his. Because as time stretched on, if individuals from the other two King Realms discovered their whereabouts, she would never be able to enjoy this Primordial World Pill alone.
Zhou Xuzi remained silent, and Chi Wuyue did not spare him another glance. Even her aura shifted away from him. Beneath the hazy black mist, her body seemed to have pressed tightly against Yun Che, whose soul had been hijacked.
Among the three divine realms, there were several female divine emperors. The supreme ancestor of his Zhou Tian God Realm was also a woman. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that a woman seated on an imperial throne would engage in such indecent behavior in front of others.
“Che’er,” she called out, her voice soft and syrupy, instantly numbing half of Zhou Xuzi’s body. “Answer me—who was your first woman?”
Yun Che’s lips parted and closed: “Ling…’er…”
“Oh~” Chi Wuyue looked enlightened, her smile growing even more seductive. “Then, in your heart, which woman is the most beautiful?”
“Shen… Xi…” The same expression, the same mechanical, lifeless answer.
Under soul hijacking, Yun Che’s answers bypassed his will entirely, coming directly from his soul.
“Oh my.” Chi Wuyue let out an exaggerated soft cry, chuckling. “Having a ‘goddess’ but not being satisfied, and still coveting a ‘dragon empress’—how greedy.”
“~!@#￥%……” Zhou Tian Divine Emperor’s breathing grew ragged, and his vision dimmed.
In the occasions he had experienced throughout his life, all were either grand, solemn, or dignified. Where he was, who would dare commit any transgression or indecency?
But this Northern Domain Demon Empress… her actions were more than frivolous and wanton. This should have been a tense, sword-drawn situation, yet she was here whispering sweet nothings to a soul-hijacked person!
Polluting the heart and blurring the eyes!
And an insult and humiliation to boot!
“I heard your master is named Mu Xuanyin,” Chi Wuyue said, as if she had completely forgotten about Zhou Xuzi’s existence. Her voice was soft and tender, tinged with affection as she continued her inquiry. “Have you ever… toward her…”
“Enough!” Zhou Xuzi could no longer bear it. He growled low and extended his arm holding the Primordial World Pill forward. “Demon Empress, hand over Yun Che to me. Before you give the order, I will give you the Primordial World Pill. This is my final concession!”
“Concession?” Chi Wuyue finally turned her eyes to him. “Such a huge concession. If you, Zhou Tian Divine Emperor, pull a muscle from it, I would never be able to bear the responsibility.”
Zhou Xuzi forced patience into his voice: “Yun Che is in my hands first. Without your command, Demon Empress, he will not remove the darkness from my son. But you can get the Primordial World Pill directly, taking absolute initiative.”
“When it comes to verbal battles, I am indeed inferior to you. We have both come to take what we need. Since I have conceded this far, you, Demon Empress, had better know when to stop!”
“Absolute initiative?” Chi Wuyue let out a faint laugh. “Everyone in the world knows that you are the one who wants to kill Yun Che the most. If I hand Yun Che over to you first, and you directly kill him with a single palm strike, wouldn’t I lose both the pill and the man!”
“I even suspect that your so-called rescue of your son is nothing but a pretext. Your true purpose is to kill Yun Che through this.”
“…” A faint, imperceptible glimmer flashed in the depths of Zhou Xuzi’s pupils. His brows sank heavily as he said: “This place is in your Northern Domain. Here, besides you, Demon Empress, there are also the two strongest demonesses by your side. I am alone.”
“If you all attack together, it would not be difficult to forcibly take my son from me.”
“With such a threat, how would I dare harbor any ulterior thoughts!”
“Ah,” Chi Wuyue said in a coquettish voice: “This son of yours is not only handsome, but now he is also a member of our demon race. I fancy him very much. How could I bear to kill him?”
As her words fell, the already dim sky darkened even further.
Both Chi Wuyue and Zhou Xuzi looked up at the same time.
Here, at the very border of the Northern Divine Region, at the southern extreme, a grayish moon shadow could be faintly seen.
The moon had reached its zenith. This day was about to end.
Chi Wuyue’s aura changed slightly. When she spoke again, her voice no longer held its previous lazy coquettishness; it became cold and chilling: “Enough. Since it is already this hour, I have no further inclination to drag this out.”
Then, she suddenly pushed with her palm, and the Yun Che beside her flew like a wooden stake toward Zhou Xuzi.
Zhou Xuzi reached out casually, and Yun Che landed lightly in front of him.
So close, his eyes devoid of light… Looking at him so closely, Zhou Xuzi recalled Yun Che’s proud persistence during the Profound God Convention, his respectful excellence before him, the kindness he showed when voluntarily removing the demonic poison from his son, and the gaze that gathered countless stars when he faced the Heaven’s Calamity Demon Emperor alone…
Everything seemed like yesterday, yet everything had turned upside down.
Letting out a breath, Zhou Xuzi involuntarily avoided those vacant eyes. One hand grabbed Yun Che’s arm, while the other gently pushed forward.
A flash of purple light streaked through the air. The treasure that the Zhou Tian God Realm had hoarded for over a hundred thousand years—very likely the last Primordial World Pill in the chaotic space—thus flew toward the Northern Domain Demon Empress.
Chi Wuyue reached out and caught it. With a brief glance, she put it away, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth. “Very good. At least you kept your word for once.”
Though he had made the decision long ago, watching the treasure left by his ancestors being handed over by his own hand to the Northern Domain demon, Zhou Xuzi’s heart still felt as if pierced by ten thousand thorns.
But he would not regret it.
“Demon Empress, give the order,” Zhou Xuzi said, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his voice heavy yet calm… but inwardly, he was in an extremely tense state.
Before today, he had only come into contact with Chi Wuyue once, yet it had left a shadow that lasted ten thousand years.
In his perception, Chi Wuyue was absolutely the most terrifying and cunning woman of the current era. Every moment facing her, all his nerves were stretched taut.
And any method proposed by Chi Wuyue, no matter how fair it seemed, he would absolutely not agree to. He had to modify or decide it himself.
Even now, with Yun Che in his hands and having handed over the Primordial World Pill, he was still wary of any possible surprises… especially fearing that Chi Wuyue would take the Primordial World Pill and simply run away.
After all, she had probably already extracted all the secrets from Yun Che. If she could seize the Evil God’s power and the Heavenly Poison Pearl, she would have done so long ago… Chi Wuyue might very well discard the now useless Yun Che.
He had been forced to yield this far by Chi Wuyue’s layered blows and pressure. He had no other choice.
“Yun Che,” Chi Wuyue spoke calmly, and the worst-case scenario Zhou Xuzi feared did not occur. “I command you to immediately remove the dark power you planted in Zhou Qingchen.”
Zhou Xuzi’s heart relaxed with a jolt.
Before him, Yun Che, having received the order, mechanically stepped forward and stood directly in front of Zhou Qingchen. Then he slowly raised his hand and reached toward him.
No trace of life or soul could be sensed from his body.
Both his power and his soul were completely suppressed and hijacked by Chi Wuyue. Zhou Xuzi had repeatedly confirmed this from the start. There was absolutely no anomaly.
But even so, even at this very moment, his qi aura remained connected to Zhou Qingchen and the protective barrier around him. He had not relaxed it for a single instant.
A flicker of imperceptible disturbance passed through Chi Wuyue’s pupils…
Back then, outside the shattered Blue Pole Star, Mu Xuanyin, while protecting Yun Che and facing a group of divine emperors alone, had still poured most of her strength into shielding Yun Che.
And now, Zhou Xuzi, in this dangerous dark place, facing the Demon Empress and the two demonesses hidden in the shadows, was also pouring most of his power into Zhou Qingchen. If something unexpected happened, he would sacrifice his own life to ensure Zhou Qingchen’s escape.
Heh… Chi Wuyue let out a soft laugh, but it was somewhat desolate and cold.
Yun Che’s palm was blocked by the barrier, unable to touch Zhou Qingchen.
Zhou Xuzi moved, slightly adjusting his gesture. Immediately, the barrier’s power flowed like water, enveloping Yun Che’s arm. It allowed half of his arm to penetrate the barrier while simultaneously binding tightly to his body and power.
Thus, any slight change in Yun Che’s movements or power aura would be detected by him in the first instant.
“Oh my, Zhou Tian Divine Emperor is truly cautious. Yun Che is the most obedient child by my side. He won’t eat your son,” Chi Wuyue said with a silvery laugh.
Zhou Xuzi stared at Yun Che’s palm and said in a low voice: “If you please, Demon Empress. You may now release his power.”
Chi Wuyue lightly tapped her finger. Immediately, the black mist entwining Yun Che’s body dispersed rapidly, revealing Yun Che’s own power aura.
Liberating someone from another’s suppression—whether power or soul—requires a considerable process of recovery and awakening.
Especially the soul: it would be like suddenly waking from a nightmare. Even after the complete release, it would take a long time to truly regain clarity.
But… just as the black mist on Yun Che had not yet fully dissipated, a strange blood-red light suddenly flickered in his previously dull and lifeless pupils.
This completely unnatural anomaly was instantly detected by Zhou Xuzi, whose spirit had been on high alert. But before he could react, a pair of dark dragon eyes suddenly appeared before him, and a dragon’s roar, as if from the most distant heavens and the deepest abyss of despair, exploded within his sea of consciousness.
ROOOOOOOAR———
A thousand blood vessels burst in Zhou Xuzi’s eyes. The world before him shattered with a crash, dissolving into a chaotic mess of black and white.
And at that same instant, Chi Wuyue’s arm stretched out. A strand of pitch-black silk, like a dark night star, pierced through the qi connection between Zhou Xuzi and Zhou Qingchen in a flash.
Bang!!
The barrier shattered.
Zhou Xuzi’s body swayed violently, but he did not fall. The accumulated mental strength and vast will of tens of thousands of years allowed his shattered gaze to regain focus at an almost inconceivable speed.
His head throbbed as if splitting, a torrent of waves raging within his mind… But these were nothing compared to the shock that erupted from his entire body.
Because in his wavering vision, he saw a pair of blood-red eyes. For a dizzying first instant, he thought he was seeing a true demon from hell.
And Zhou Qingchen… his neck was firmly locked in the five fingers of that demon.