Chapter 1697: Extreme Realm, Thousand Shadows
When Yun Che left the Imperial Hall, several hours had already passed. Yan Tianxiao and all the Yan Mo were still waiting outside.
The moment Yun Che emerged, Yan Yi and Yan San flashed over in an instant, guarding him on both sides, clearly afraid that these descendants of theirs might suddenly have a brain cramp and do something treacherous.
Yan Tianxiao stepped forward and probingly asked, "Has the method of subduing the Soul Plunder Realm changed, Master?"
Yun Che did not respond at all. Instead, he said coldly, "How is the preparation for the Emperor Enthronement Ceremony?"
Yan Tianxiao replied, "The invitations have all been drafted. We can begin sending them to the various realms tomorrow. As for the ceremony’s..."
"No need." Yun Che directly cut him off. "Revise all the invitations. Change the location to the Soul Plunder Realm, and the time... to be determined!"
"!?" Yan Tianxiao’s head snapped up, and the Yan Mo behind him also showed expressions of shock.
"This..." Yan Tianxiao quickly weighed his words and said, "May I ask what unexpected change has occurred? Could it be that after discussing with the Demon Empress, she has agreed to lead the Soul Plunder Realm and support you as the master of the Northern Domain?"
He knew this was absolutely impossible. If Chi Wuyue were that easy to deal with, the Soul Plunder Realm would not exist as it does today.
"Yes," Yun Che said.
This answer was completely beyond the expectations and imagination of the Yan Emperor and all the Yan Mo.
Yan Tianxiao steadied himself for a full two breaths before frowning deeply. "Master, you have only known Chi Wuyue for a short time. The horror of this woman is far beyond ordinary understanding. Her cunning and tactics—especially in seducing men—are unrivaled, and her ambition is extremely strong. She will never be willing to submit to anyone, let alone compromise so easily."
"Master must not be beguiled by her!"
The Yan Mo Realm had been forced to submit because Yun Che had seized the Yan Ancestors, their heritage, and their lifeblood. But no matter how Yan Tianxiao racked his brain, he could not find a reason for Chi Wuyue to willingly accept Yun Che as her master.
"Hmph, that is not your concern," Yun Che said, his eyes slanted.
Yan Tianxiao lowered his head slightly... He suddenly thought that outsiders would also find it hard to believe that the Yan Mo Realm, which had stood for over eight hundred thousand years, had submitted to Yun Che’s command overnight.
Could it be that the Soul Plunder Realm, too, had been forced to submit under a power that left no hope of resistance?
If so, the man before him was truly too terrifying.
With this thought, Yan Tianxiao felt a chill run down his spine, and his already deep wariness of Yun Che intensified severalfold.
"The Burning Moon Realm is now fully under the Demon Empress’s control," Yun Che said flatly. "The Soul Plunder Realm has also decided to support me as the master of the Northern Domain. In other words, the Soul Plunder, Yan Mo, and Burning Moon Realms are all willing to submit to my command. As for the rest... is it still far off?"
Yun Che’s words shook the hearts of the Yan Emperor and all the Yan Mo, causing their gazes to tremble.
Everything had happened too quickly—so fast it felt almost unreal.
Just a month ago, the Northern Divine Region had been dominated by the three king realms.
And in this short month, the Burning Moon Realm had fallen, the Yan Mo Realm had submitted, and the Soul Plunder Realm had surrendered...
Three vast king realms, the supreme rulers of the Northern Divine Region—within a single month, without even a truly massive upheaval, they had all submitted to one man.
How surreal, how terrifying.
Their gazes toward Yun Che were subtly shifting. Looking back, this astonishing achievement—something no one had ever accomplished or even conceived of in the history of the Northern Divine Region—had been done with seemingly effortless ease by him.
He was barely sixty years old. The time he had spent in the Northern Divine Region amounted to only a few years!
The turmoil in their hearts was like an overturning sea. Their awe deepened invisibly by several fold, and the rebellious thoughts that had already been weak were rapidly erased, leaving not a trace.
With the three king realms taken, the entire Northern Divine Region was as good as conquered.
With the three king realms submitting, the other star realms were not even a matter of "time."
The fall of the Burning Moon Realm had been an accident, the subjugation of the Yan Mo Realm surprisingly smooth, and the Soul Plunder Realm... an even more dreamlike accident.
The time limit Yun Che had originally set with Chi Wuyue was within three years.
Clearly, even he had never imagined it could be this fast.
"Congratulations, Master, on being about to achieve a feat unparalleled in the history of the Northern Divine Region!" Shaken at heart, Yan Tianxiao quickly bowed his head. Now, facing this man who seemed beyond all understanding, he even felt immensely grateful for his submission that day and for his respectful demeanor over this period.
If he had chosen to fight to the death back then, he probably wouldn’t even have had a chance to regret it.
"Hmph, a bunch of unambitious and shortsighted brats," Yan Yi snorted coldly. "Back then, they dared to question and defy the choice of their ancestors. Truly outrageous."
Yan Tianxiao’s face showed embarrassment as he quickly said, "The ancestors’ teachings are correct. The three ancestors have keen insight, far beyond what we juniors can ever hope to match."
"Leave the arrangements for the Emperor Enthronement Ceremony to the Soul Plunder Realm," Yun Che said. The seductive figure of Chi Wuyue involuntarily appeared before his eyes, stirring his emotions. It took him several breaths to calm down. "Starting tomorrow, all Yan Mo and Yan Ghosts will follow me into the Eternal Dark Bone Sea."
Yan Tianxiao’s heart stirred, and he suppressed a surge of joy as he asked, "Does Master mean..."
"Heh." Yun Che glanced at Yan Wu and said, "Give me enough loyalty, and I will not treat you poorly. Next, I will complete the dark transformation for all Yan Mo and Yan Ghosts. I hope that in the future... you will not disappoint me."
Yan Tianxiao was overjoyed, and all the Yan Mo could barely contain their excitement. Over these days, they had witnessed the miraculous transformation in Yan Wu, and now this blessing was finally about to descend upon them. How could they not be thrilled?
"We await your command, Master!" Yan Tianxiao and all the Yan Mo bowed deeply.
---
Yun Che completed the transformation of all the Yan Mo and Yan Ghosts in just a single day. Afterward, he remained in the Eternal Dark Bone Sea, silently absorbing the ancient yin energy there.
His plans for the coming period were also gradually taking shape in his mind.
Ten days later, he opened his eyes in the Eternal Dark Bone Sea, then quickly flashed back to the Imperial Hall.
With a thought, the miniaturized Primordial Mystic Ark appeared. As a faint red light flickered, a woman with flowing golden hair and a figure as beautiful as an immortal materialized before Yun Che.
It was Qianye Ying’er, who had been in the Primordial Mystic Ark refining the second Primordial World Pill.
Her appearance immediately caused Yan Yi and Yan San, who had followed Yun Che in, to narrow their ancient eyes and tighten their auras.
Because the aura accompanying Qianye Ying’er was that of a Tenth-rank Divine Lord!
The only Tenth-rank Divine Lords currently alive in the Northern Divine Region, besides them, the three Yan Ancestors, were the Yan Emperor, Yan Wu, the Demon Empress, and the twin great demonesses of the Soul Plunder Realm. This completely unfamiliar Tenth-rank Divine Lord instantly put them on high alert.
At the same moment Qianye Ying’er appeared, she too turned her sharp gaze toward Yan Yi and Yan San.
"Tenth-rank Divine Lord?" Yun Che’s eyes swept over Qianye Ying’er’s entire body. He had unexpectedly grown unaccustomed to her absence during this period, but his voice remained as cold as ever. "At least you didn’t disappoint me."
Qianye Ying’er withdrew her gaze from Yan Yi and Yan San, her golden brows slightly slanted as her beautiful eyes glowed faintly. "Yes, Tenth-rank Divine Lord. Still not as strong as my peak back then, but..."
She raised her hand, her five fingers delicate and fair. "Maybe enough to kill you."
"How dare you!" Yan San immediately erupted in fury. "Presumptuous little girl! How dare you speak to..."
"Get out!" Yun Che barked.
"(ㄒoㄒ)/~~..." Yan San’s neck shrank instantly, and he fell silent like a cicada in winter, scrambling to retreat with Yan Yi.
"Old ghost! Did a donkey kick your head?" Yan Yi hissed under his breath once they were outside. "Someone who dares to speak to the master like that can’t be ordinary!"
"But... but I can’t tolerate anyone disrespecting the master!" Yan San said, full of grievance.
"That’s why I said your brains are in your ass, and you never learn!" Yan Yi said. "If it’s a man who disrespects the master, go ahead and smack him. But if it’s a woman... you ask the master’s opinion first, got it!"
Yan San thought it over, then suddenly understood, slapping his forehead. "I see, I see!"
"Those two..." Qianye Ying’er’s eyes scanned her surroundings. The distinctly abnormal dark aura here made her frown deeply, and then she quickly realized something. "Is this the Yan Mo Realm?"
"Correct," Yun Che said as he formed a soul fragment on his fingertip and then tapped it against Qianye Ying’er’s forehead.
Qianye Ying’er, who was concentrating on observing the area, was sent tilting her snow-white neck back by Yun Che’s not-so-gentle poke. She glared at him, then closed her golden eyes. When she opened them again, surprise flickered in them. "Yan Ancestors, Yan Mo Realm, Eternal Dark Magic Crystal, Tian Guhu, Soul Plunder Realm, and... an Emperor Enthronement Ceremony?"
The memories Yun Che had given Qianye Ying’er did not include his dealings with Chi Wuyue, as even he himself was still in a daze about them.
"In the short month I was away, you’ve accomplished so much." Qianye Ying’er narrowed her eyes, staring at him. "I never knew you had such strong time management skills."
Yun Che: "..."
"What surprises me even more is that you tortured the three Yan Ancestors for six days and six nights without batting an eye." Qianye Ying’er’s gaze converged slightly, her expression seemingly complicated. "As pure darkness beings, having both life and soul devoured by light—that pain must be no less than that of the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal."
"It seems that the people you hate will definitely regret being born into this world."
"Heh, I think so too," Yun Che said with a low, cold laugh. Those few words were filled with endless chill.
"..." Qianye Ying’er’s gaze flickered slightly.
When she first arrived in the Northern Divine Region, she had wished for Yun Che to become cruel and ruthless, to stop at nothing for revenge.
But now, hearing his words, she did not feel the satisfaction of his "growth." Instead, she felt an... uncomfortable sensation.
"So that’s it. The reason you were so urgent about me refining the second Primordial World Pill was that the so-called need for strength was a lie, and coming to the Yan Mo Realm alone was your real goal." She let out a cold snort. "What, was I in the way?"
Yun Che replied, "Without you, my trip to the Yan Mo Realm would have been far from smooth."
"..." Qianye Ying’er suddenly let out a faint, mysterious smile. "Speaking of which, while I was in the Primordial Mystic Ark, I accidentally discovered something."
"...?" Yun Che frowned slightly.
For Qianye Ying’er to specifically mention it, it must be something extraordinary.
The former owner of the Primordial Mystic Ark was the Sword Spirit Divine Clan from the ancient era. Could it be a relic left behind by that clan?
Qianye Ying’er extended her hand in front of Yun Che, her five dazzlingly white fingers slowly spreading... and then suddenly darted forward, flicking him hard on the nose.
"~!@#$%^..." Yun Che staggered back, covering his nose. "You!"
"You poked my forehead just now; now we’re even." Qianye Ying’er crossed her jade arms over her soft, full chest and turned her cheek away, refusing to look at him.
Yun Che yanked his hand down from his nose and said darkly, "Yun Qianying! Don’t forget..."
"I’m your tool; I’ve never forgotten that." Qianye Ying’er parted her pink lips and said leisurely. "But this tool has just consumed another Primordial World Pill, making it even more useful and more precious."
"So you need to take even better care of me. It would be such a pity if I got damaged due to unnecessary anger, wouldn’t it?"
Yun Che’s face contorted in utter confusion... because he suddenly had no idea what expression to put on in response.
"Follow me to the Eternal Dark Bone Sea!"
He could only hurl that line and stride out of the hall.