# Chapter 1677: The Real and the Illusory
In an instant, all the demonic light released by the demon skulls stopped boiling, and even the ferocious wailing sounds completely vanished.
"!?" Yan Wu's dark eyes widened, and the words about to leave her mouth were tightly stuck in her throat.
Then, an even more terrifying scene followed.
Yun Che's outstretched hand made a casual sweep toward the eleven demon skulls. Instantly, the eleven dark demonic lights ceased their rampaging and became unusually dim.
They did not disappear, but retracted back into the demon skulls, still shining, but exceptionally quiet, exceptionally calm.
Yan Wu, as the strongest Yan Mo, had witnessed countless dark profound arts in her life. Her dark talent and her mastery over dark profound force had reached the pinnacle, with few in the world comparable...
Yet this was the first time she had seen such docile dark profound force.
No, she should say... it was the first time she knew that dark profound force could be this docile!
The eleven calmly shining demonic lights illuminated Yun Che's body, carrying not a shred of violence or oppression. Within the inconceivably peaceful aura, there even vaguely lurked a hint of submission... or even fear!?
And the power within the demon skulls came from the Yan Emperor and the Ten Yan Mo!
"Nice lanterns," Yun Che praised, lifting his foot and heading straight for the Imperial Hall.
"..." Yan Wu stood frozen for a long moment, then her gaze trembled, and she quickly moved to follow.
As she passed by the Yan Cry Great Formation, she paused, then suddenly reached out her hand, palm facing the demon skull that had been infused with her own Yan Mo power.
But then, her face changed drastically.
Because the demon skull her palm faced—the power she had only infused half a month ago—showed no response at all!
She turned her eyes to Yun Che's back, and her gaze began to shake uncontrollably. Her heart churned like countless storms were ravaging it, filled with chaos and panic.
The legends... are true?
Power at the level of a True God...
How could such power, such a person exist in this world...
Is the Northern Divine Region truly about to be completely overturned?
With a flicker of his figure, Yun Che stood before the Imperial Hall and strode inside.
This was the Yan Mo Imperial Domain, the core of the Mortal Yan Realm, the number one king realm of the Northern Divine Region. The Yan Emperor was in front, the Yan Mo at his side, the Yan Ghosts guarding, and countless powerhouses gathered.
Yet he came alone, stepping in by himself.
Such a scene had probably never occurred even in the Mortal Yan Realm.
After all, even a Divine Emperor of another realm, when visiting the core of another king realm, would always bring a host of experts for protection.
This wasn't the first time Yun Che faced an entire king realm alone.
Back then, he had charged into the Star God Realm alone for Mo Li's sake. That time, he had embraced a death wish.
But this time was completely different. He felt not a shred of fear or anxiety. Even when the Yan Emperor's vast dark aura appeared in his perception, his heart didn't stir in the slightest.
The vast Imperial Hall was empty and deathly still. Besides Yan Tianxiao, there was another figure—the Yan Mo Crown Prince, Yan Jie, who had returned after completing his "mission."
As Yun Che entered, Yan Jie's gaze fixed firmly on him.
Yan Tianxiao slowly turned around, and the imperial might of the Northern Region's number one Divine Emperor silently emanated... But the other's footsteps remained slow and even, his gaze cold and unruffled. The aura on him—what Yan Tianxiao would only call "feeble" Divine Sovereign-level—stood under his imperial might like an ancient eternal dead pond, utterly unmoved.
Yan Tianxiao frowned slightly. He had finally met this legendary person from the Eastern Divine Region, but he was entirely different from what he had expected.
With a twitch of his mouth, he said flatly, "So you are Yun Che?"
"You killed my Yan Ghost King, yet you dare to come alone into my Eternal Dark Demon Palace. Truly, I must commend your..."
Before he could finish, the corner of his brow suddenly twitched.
He saw Yan Wu quickly following behind Yun Che.
Yan Wu had extremely high dark talent, gaining recognition from the Yan Mo power at only eleven years old. Along with that, naturally, came arrogance. Especially after she achieved the Tenth-rank Divine Lord level, shaking the entire Northern Divine Region, there were few left in the world worthy of her looking up to.
Even facing her brother, the Yan Mo Crown Prince Yan Jie, she looked down on him—both in gaze and aura.
But given her temperament and pride, leading Yun Che to the Imperial Hall... her position was actually behind Yun Che!
What truly shook the Yan Emperor's heart was Yan Wu's eyes.
Her gaze was actually shaking slightly! And deep in her eyes, there was clearly an undeniably... frightened expression!?
In this world, the one who understood Yan Wu best was undoubtedly Yan Tianxiao.
But this was the first time in his life he had seen such an expression on Yan Wu's face.
"...courage!"
The word "nerve" about to leave his mouth was forcefully replaced with "courage." His stern face instantly burst into a warm smile, and even the heavy Divine Emperor's might became unusually gentle.
"Hahahaha!" He laughed loudly, his once-upright body stepping forward to greet him: "Brother Yun, I had heard of you when you made your name in the Eastern Divine Region. Later, I heard you had come to the Northern Divine Region, bearing the legacy of the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor. I was most eager to meet you, and today, I have finally achieved that wish."
Yan Jie was stunned speechless for a moment.
Just a few breaths ago, the Yan Emperor had warned him that no matter whether the rumors were true or false, he must never lose the Yan Mo's dignity due to fear when facing Yun Che.
But facing Yun Che who had just stepped in, the Yan Emperor's imperial might was imposing... yet in an instant, he suddenly changed his tune, personally greeting him and even addressing him as "brother."
Yan Jie was astonished, and then he suddenly noticed Yan Wu's expression. His heart tightened.
Facing Yan Tianxiao's extremely warm and familiar attitude, even more enthusiastic than Fen Daohang's, Yun Che smiled faintly and said, "Since you know that the Yan Mo Ghost King Yan San was killed by me, shouldn't the Yan Emperor first question me about that crime?"
"Hahahaha!" The Yan Emperor showed no anger at all, instead laughing heartily, as if truly excited to see Yun Che: "My Mortal Yan Realm will not tolerate being humiliated by anyone, but I also distinguish right from wrong!"
"Back then in the Huangtian Realm, it was Yan San who failed to recognize Brother Yun and offended him first. Brother Yun acted in punishment, which is perfectly reasonable. If my Mortal Yan Realm were to pursue this as a crime, wouldn't that damage the magnanimity of the Northern Region's number one king realm!"
Yun Che: "..."
"Moreover, Brother Yun bears the power of the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor. Your existence is undoubtedly a great blessing from the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor to our Northern Divine Region. That Yan San died at Brother Yun's hands... is not a wasted life."
Yan Tianxiao's face was serious, showing no signs of falsehood.
As he spoke, he also sent a spiritual transmission to Yan Wu: "Wu'er, what's going on?"
Shortly after, he received Yan Wu's spiritual transmission back: "Father is wise. You absolutely must not clash with him here... This man is too terrifying."
The spiritual transmission carried a faint tremble from the depths of her soul.
If it were Yan Jie reporting this, he might not have fully believed it. But... the one who had gone to receive Yun Che and returned with a heart full of fear was Yan Wu!
"What exactly happened?" he pressed.
"Those rumors about him killing Fen Daohang and making Fen Yue surrender without a fight—they are very likely not exaggerated at all. Yun Che... just used one finger to break through the Eternal Dark Barrier. With a casual sweep of his hand, all the power of the Yan Cry Great Formation went silent, completely unresponsive."
"Wha... at!?"
This exclamation, Yan Tianxiao actually shouted out loud.
"Oh?" Yun Che glanced at him. "What's wrong, Yan Emperor?"
"No, nothing." The Yan Emperor quickly recovered his composure, smiling as he said, "My youngest son just transmitted to me that he injured himself while training. I was too concerned and lost my composure. Forgive me, Brother Yun."
Yan Jie, standing at the side, was badly startled by Yan Tianxiao's shout. He stared at his father, his heart filled with shock and awe.
As the crown prince, he had never seen the Yan Emperor so out of sorts. He couldn't even believe that his father could ever be this unsettled.
"I see." Yun Che squinted, his voice lazy and relaxed. "The Yan Emperor, as the emperor of a king realm, cares so deeply for his youngest son—truly touching. In that case, shouldn't the Yan Emperor hurry off to take care of him? If something goes wrong and he ends up dying prematurely, I wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility."
"Heh, no need, it's just a minor matter." The Yan Emperor's smile remained unchanged. His mind was so shaken that he didn't even notice the sarcasm in Yun Che's words.
Within his soul, Yan Wu's spiritual transmission continued:
"Father, everything I witnessed with my own eyes and felt myself is absolutely true. The Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor's legacy is likely far beyond what we imagined."
"We must find every way to lure him into the 'Tomb.' The only ones who can kill him are our three undying and indestructible ancestors!"
"Otherwise, our Mortal Yan might truly follow in the footsteps of Fen Yue!"
Yan Tianxiao's fingers slowly curled. No matter how calm his face appeared, he could not fully suppress the violent agitation deep in his pupils.
One finger breaking the Eternal Dark Barrier, one palm extinguishing the Yan Cry Great Formation... this was simply not something achievable with the power they understood.
If it weren't for Yan Wu saying this with her own mouth, he would never have believed it.
"Cough. Brother Yun, may I ask the purpose of your visit here?" The Yan Emperor's face bloomed with a smile as he extended his arm, motioning for Yun Che to take a seat.
But Yun Che didn't move. "The journey from the Soul Plunder Realm to here is long. If it weren't for a major matter, why would I waste my time coming all the way here?"
Facing the number one Divine Emperor of the Northern Region and the entire Mortal Yan Realm alone, his demeanor was extremely cold, arrogant, and rude.
But the more he acted this way, the deeper the fear and wariness it invoked in the other party, rather than anger or murderous intent.
All the various tests and oppressive measures the Yan Emperor had secretly prepared earlier—he now dared not employ a single one. Even his attitude had become so amiable that he himself found it hard to believe.
"Of course." Yun Che's words made his heart tighten slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. "Please, Brother Yun, speak plainly. If there is any way I can help the successor of the Demon Emperor Lord, my Mortal Yan has no reason to refuse."
Yan Jie, standing nearby, remained properly silent and still, because the current Yan Tianxiao was so gentle that he seemed unfamiliar... even a little frightening.
And Yan Wu also said nothing, her gaze constantly shifting.
To Yun Che, what he had casually done with the Dark Eternal Calamity power was nothing to him. But to her, it was a shock no less than the collapse of heaven and earth.
"Since the Yan Emperor is so straightforward, I won't stand on ceremony." Yun Che said slowly and unhurriedly. "I wish to enter your Mortal Yan's Eternal Dark Bone Sea for a look."
As soon as these words came out, the gazes of Yan Tianxiao, Yan Wu, and Yan Jie all twitched at once.
Yan Tianxiao had been quickly calculating how to lure Yun Che into the inescapable "Tomb." Before he could even think of a way, Yun Che had actually brought it up himself!
"This..." Yan Tianxiao showed a look of difficulty. "Brother Yun is familiar with the Demon Empress, so you should know that the Eternal Dark Bone Sea can only be entered by members of the Mortal Yan. For hundreds of thousands of years, this rule has never been broken. Moreover, the three ancestors of my Mortal Yan reside there year-round. I'm afraid I..."
"This is the will of the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor." Yun Che said coldly.