# Chapter 1653: An Eye for an Eye
"Qing... Qingchen!"
The shock of this scene caused Zhou Tian Shen Di's eyes to split at the corners, his body swaying as if about to collapse.
Yun Che's eyes blazed with demonic light, his black hair fluttering wildly, and the aura around him churned like violently burning black flames.
The hateful light shooting from his eyes was like demon blades steeped in the blood pool of hell, wishing nothing more than to tear him apart and shatter him into the most insignificant blood froth in the world using the most painful and cruel method.
The palm locked around Zhou Qingchen's neck exuded a dim black aura, already corroding half of the flesh and skin on Zhou Qingchen's neck into a shocking charred black.
Zhou Qingchen's entire body was stiff and suspended, his feet not touching the ground, his pupils turned white, his whole body trembling like a sieve in extreme agony, yet unable to utter a single sound.
"Yun Che, you..." Zhou Xuzi took a step forward, then firmly rooted himself in place, his mouth wide open, his voice incredibly hoarse as it emerged.
Chi Wuyue stepped gracefully over and stood beside Yun Che, the lingering black aura merging with Yun Che's aura. An intangible dark aura pressed against Zhou Xuzi's chest, making it impossible for him to advance even an inch.
The chaos and terror in his heart and soul were like massive waves overturning the sky. But, looking at Chi Wuyue standing beside Yun Che, how could he not understand what had happened.
"You... you two..." His voice trembled, his facial features twisted into a shape even he couldn't imagine.
Crack!!
A crisp, piercing sound of bone fracturing came. Yun Che's five fingers sank deep into Zhou Qingchen's throat bones. Zhou Qingchen's entire body stiffened abruptly, and from deep within his throat came a grating sound so painful it was unbearable to hear.
"Stop!" Zhou Xuzi's eyes stung as if pierced by poison needles, and his words instantly turned into a terrified scream. He stretched his arm forward but dared not move a single step: "No... don't kill him... don't kill him!"
They say emperors are heartless. But for Zhou Xuzi, Zhou Qingchen was indeed more precious than life itself.
Qianye Ying'er once said that Zhou Qingchen was Zhou Xuzi's greatest, and perhaps only, weakness—this was no empty statement.
For Zhou Qingchen, he concealed the truth from the world; for Zhou Qingchen, he didn't hesitate to destroy his own principles and beliefs, stepping into the Northern Domain to seek help from the Demon Empress; for Zhou Qingchen, he didn't hesitate to offer treasures second only to the Zhou Tian Pearl from the Zhou Tian God Realm.
Facing Zhou Qingchen, whose life was in another's hands, a Divine Emperor was so terrified his guts were about to split.
For a father to be like this, anyone who witnessed it would surely be moved.
But, in the eyes of Yun Che and Chi Wuyue, it was nothing but irony.
"The Zhou Tian Shen Di's deep love for his son is so touching it could move heaven and earth. This Empress is almost on the verge of shedding tears."
Chi Wuyue smiled faintly, casting a light glance at Yun Che beside her... After all this fuss, everything had finally gone as he wished.
Chi Wuyue's goal had already been achieved the moment Zhou Xuzi arrived with Zhou Qingchen. Everything after that—verbal attacks, soul pressure, feigned detachment, disturbing the heart and mind—was all for this moment.
The moment Yun Che personally seized Zhou Qingchen in front of Zhou Xuzi!
As for the Primordial Divine Marrow, it was a rather good additional gain.
And Zhou Xuzi could never have dreamed that Chi Wuyue's myriad schemes had never truly targeted the Primordial Divine Marrow in his hand, but rather Zhou Qingchen, who should have had no connection with her at all.
Zhou Xuzi gritted his teeth so hard they were about to shatter, blood seeping between his fingers as he desperately forced himself to calm down.
But no matter how hard he tried to calm himself, he couldn't figure out why Yun Che had "joined forces" with the Demon Empress.
The Demon Empress was extremely venomous and cunning, and she harbored a deep hatred for the Three Divine Realms. Yun Che was a demon born from the Eastern Divine Region, carrying various secrets, and he had even obtained definite information that Yun Che had angered the Jiehun Realm and the Yanmo Realm!
Yun Che could only be her prey—how could this impossible situation arise?
He was even more unable to comprehend that Yun Che, whose power was completely sealed and whose soul was entirely hijacked, had instantly recovered and erupted...
With Zhou Qingchen's safety at stake, he had been extremely cautious. If everything was a disguise, it was absolutely impossible to escape his perception.
But all of this was now irrelevant. The Primordial Divine Marrow had been handed over, Zhou Qingchen's darkness had not been removed, and now even his life was clenched in Yun Che's hands.
"Demon Empress, what... what is the meaning of this! I have already handed over the Primordial Divine Marrow, and you... you have gone back on your word! Do you have any dignity as a Demon Empress!"
Zhou Xuzi's tone was still somewhat calm, but his gaze kept shaking violently, afraid that Yun Che would suddenly deliver a killing blow and bury Zhou Qingchen here.
"Oh? Zhou Tian Shen Di, this Empress completely fails to understand what you're saying."
Chi Wuyue's tone was slow and deliberate: "This Empress first handed over Yun Che. After you, Zhou Tian Shen Di, handed over the Primordial Divine Marrow, this Empress immediately followed the agreement and ordered Yun Che to remove the darkness from Zhou Qingchen."
"This Empress has handed over the person and given the order. Everything has been done exactly as you wished, without the slightest deviation or bias. Yet Zhou Tian Shen Di turns around and refuses to acknowledge the deal, accusing this Empress of going back on her word! Is this the standard conduct of you Eastern Domain Divine Emperors!" Chi Wuyue's first half of the sentence was full of grievance, while the latter half carried a hint of anger, as if she had suffered tremendous injustice and false accusation.
"You!!" Zhou Xuzi, who had only just managed to calm down for less than three breaths, began trembling all over again.
"This Empress has completely and perfectly fulfilled everything we agreed upon. As for what Yun Che does, that's his own affair. What does it have to do with this Empress? His hands and feet aren't growing on this Empress's body."
"~!@#¥%..." Zhou Tian Shen Di's vision darkened repeatedly. This time, not only his body, but even his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were all trembling.
He was the Zhou Tian Shen Di, with a reputation that shook the world, a name as bright as the blazing sun, respected by all realms—when had he ever suffered such humiliation!
But precisely because of this, he couldn't explode at all. Because Zhou Qingchen's life was in the other's hands.
"Fine... fine, what a fine Northern Domain Demon Empress!" Zhou Xuzi slowly nodded: "I... admit defeat!"
"The Primordial Divine Marrow is given to you. I will now take Qingchen back to the Eastern Divine Region and... never set foot in the Northern Domain again."
Things had come to this; taking back the Primordial Divine Marrow was a fool's dream. And given Yun Che's hatred for him, he would very likely kill Zhou Qingchen to vent his anger.
Zhou Xuzi's purpose in stepping into the Northern Divine Region this time was far from just removing the darkness from Zhou Qingchen.
Another goal was to kill Yun Che.
In his plan, the very first moment Yun Che finished removing the darkness from Zhou Qingchen, his power would erupt instantly, blasting Yun Che's body... At such a close distance, Yun Che would have no chance of survival.
The prophecy of "Demon God Slaughtering the World" haunted Zhou Xuzi's heart and soul like a nightmare day and night. He was a huge hidden danger, and he had killed Zhou Tian's two guardians, Taiyin and Zhuliu, and also caused his son to become a demon.
With such a perfect opportunity, how could he let it go!
While killing Yun Che, he would instantly fling Zhou Qingchen, now free from darkness, to Taiyu waiting in the distance, and then go all out to block the Demon Empress and the two demonesses beside her.
Once Taiyu Zunzhe took Zhou Qingchen away from the Northern Domain border, they would be safe, and he could also retreat unscathed.
After successfully killing the demon Yun Che, even if the fact that he had entered the Northern Domain was exposed, it would no longer matter.
The Primordial Divine Marrow was extremely precious. But if it could kill two birds with one stone, its value would be no less than using it to refine the Primordial World Pill.
When Chi Wuyue handed over the soul-hijacked Yun Che to him and gave the order, he thought everything was already in his grasp. But in the blink of an eye, it all collapsed.
It turned out that the one being manipulated and toyed with was him... and it had been from the very beginning.
At this moment, being able to leave safely with Zhou Qingchen had become the best outcome he could hope for.
How tragic and desolate.
"Take... him... back... to... the... Eastern... Divine... Region?" Yun Che finally spoke, every word accompanied by the harsh grating of his teeth: "Zhou Tian old dog, what beautiful dream are you dreaming!"
"In my dreams... I wish nothing more than to drink your blood and annihilate your entire clan!"
Zhou Xuzi's fingertips felt like they were stabbed with needles. He managed to maintain calm with all his willpower. He quickly released all his power aura to show he posed no threat, and in the gentlest tone possible, said: "Yun Che, I know you hate me to the bone, but all of this has nothing to do with Qingchen..."
"Then what crime did my daughter commit! What crime did my family commit!!"
A roar like a desperate beast tore through Zhou Tian Shen Di's words.
His five fingers dug deeper and deeper into Zhou Qingchen's neck, dark red blood rapidly flowing out, soaking half his body.
"Zhou Tian old dog, do you know... my daughter... was nearly in danger while still in the womb... when she was born, I wasn't by her side... at eleven years old... I finally found her... I was already unworthy of being a father!"
Holding Zhou Qingchen in his hand, he looked at Zhou Xuzi, every word filled with hatred and pain: "I have yet to make up for even a fraction... but she, to save me, the most unworthy... the most useless father... abandoned her most important talent that can never appear again!"
"..." Chi Wuyue turned her gaze away and slowly closed her eyes.
"Heh... heh..." Yun Che laughed, but it was more grating to the soul than a ghost's wail: "She is... a debt of love that I can never repay in this lifetime... a treasure far more precious than my own life! It's you... it's you!!"
His entire body began to tremble uncontrollably, and his aura was so chaotic it could spiral out of control at any moment: "All because of you... my daughter... my family... my homeland... my everything!!"
Crack!!
The sound of bone shattering was extremely piercing... That was the throat bone! If Yun Che's power continued to spiral out of control, Zhou Qingchen would surely die.
"Stop... stop! Stop!" Zhou Xuzi's shout carried a plea: "The one who destroyed the Lan Ji Star and killed your daughter and family wasn't me... it was Yue Shen Di! Everything that happened afterwards was never what I wanted!"
"She must die too! All of you deserve to die!" Yun Che screamed and roared, his eyes like a bloody abyss.
A thread of soul sound then emanated from Zhou Qingchen's body, transmitting into everyone's soul sea: "A father's... debts... should be... repaid... by the son..."
"Kill... me..."
Zhou Xuzi's eyes widened, and he roared: "Qingchen, what foolish nonsense are you saying! Your father is not dead yet! No matter how great the debt, it's not your turn to repay!"
"..." Tears and blood mingled on Zhou Qingchen's face, flowing coldly.
"Yun Che, I beg you... I beg you to let him go." Zhou Xuzi pleaded repeatedly. Back then, even when facing Jie Tian Mo Di, his pleas had not been this humble: "All the guilt lies with me. He knows nothing, has done nothing. On the contrary... he has only ever admired and respected you. In those years... you two once knew and cherished each other."
He did not utter foolish words like trading his own life for Zhou Qingchen's. He was extremely clear: if he did not die, he could still save Zhou Qingchen. If he really killed himself, Zhou Qingchen would surely die instead.
When cutting weeds, one must remove the roots.
"Alas." Chi Wuyue suddenly let out a faint sigh and said: "Yun Che, that's enough. If you don't leave now, you will surely be discovered by the Burning Moon and Yan Mo people. Return Zhou Qingchen to him."
Zhou Xuzi was suddenly stunned, as if in a dream.
Chi Wuyue turned her gaze and smiled with sarcasm: "If Yun Che really wanted to kill your son, he would have already died with nothing left, and you wouldn't even have had the chance to kneel."
"Though he bears dark profound power, you, Zhou Tian Shen Di, should know his true nature better than anyone! Killing innocent people only increases bloodshed, defiling his character and dirtying his hands!"
Zhou Xuzi stood frozen in place, then a hint of tears actually appeared in his eyes. He began trembling all over again—but this time not from fear or anger, but from endless excitement, as if encountering a dazzling light in the abyss.
Yes, what was Yun Che's true nature? He had once seen it so clearly.
He was the young man he had most admired, valued, and been most grateful for.
Before he fell into darkness, he had carried the most sacred and immaculate light.
Even if he had fallen into the Northern Domain, even if he hated him to the extreme, how could he truly kill innocent people?
The bloodthirsty eyes, the completely demonized aura, the prophecy of the Demon God Slaughtering the World... He forcefully dismissed all of these. In his mind, only Yun Che, whom he himself had once crowned as the "Savior Divine Son" before the drastic change, remained.
He believed... all the thoughts he could muster were convincing him to believe that Yun Che would never really kill Zhou Qingchen.
Never! Never!
"Yes... yes." Zhou Xuzi nodded repeatedly, his hair and beard trembling, his eyes flowing with all the pleading he could muster: "I, Zhou Xuzi, have committed a great sin... an unforgivable crime. But Qingchen is innocent. You hate me, and the fault is mine. You won't kill him... As long as you let him leave, any request... any request, I will agree to."
Chi Wuyue said to Yun Che: "With your progress, one day you will be able to kill Zhou Xuzi with your own hands and truly take revenge. Killing an unrelated Zhou Qingchen not only dirties your hands but also lowers your stature. Let's go. If we don't leave now, it will really be too late."
Yun Che's body did not move, and the blood light in his eyes did not diminish: "Zhou Tian old dog, kneel down... kowtow three times, and I will let him go!"
In a world with no true gods, who could be qualified to make the Zhou Tian Shen Di kneel and kowtow?
Looking at the violently churning dark profound energy on Yun Che, which could run wild at the slightest provocation, Zhou Xuzi's lips opened and closed several times, then he uttered the most powerless words of his life: "A word... is as good as a thousand."
"Heh." Yun Che sneered coldly: "I, Yun Che, have hated faithless and treacherous people all my life. Do you think I would be as untrustworthy as you, old dog!"
Bang!
Zhou Xuzi's knees fell weakly to the ground. The head that had once stood proudly in the world, having only ever bowed to Jie Tian Mo Di, crashed down heavily, striking the dark earth.
Chi Wuyue turned her gaze away, and deep in her pupils flickered a mocking and cruel black light.
Drip... drip... drip...
Blood and tears slowly dripped from Zhou Qingchen's body, pitifully matching the sound of Zhou Xuzi's head hitting the ground.
Bang!
The third time, Zhou Xuzi's head struck the ground.
He looked up, his gaze somewhat vacant, toward Zhou Qingchen in Yun Che's hand... forgetting to even straighten his knees.
"Good... very good."
Yun Che smiled faintly, slowly releasing the hand gripping Zhou Qingchen's neck.
Puff!!
In Zhou Xuzi's maximally dilated pupils, what was reflected was not the image of Zhou Qingchen's body falling from Yun Che's hand, but a blood-colored arm... piercing through his chest.
Bang—
The blood-red hand released black light, shattering Zhou Qingchen's body in an instant into scattered flesh and minced limbs flying everywhere.
Under the sudden rain of blood was Yun Che's terrifying, cruel grin like a demon from hell.
——————
(4K, very expensive, recharge!!)