Chapter 1699: Yun Che's Emperor Coronation (Part 1)
On this day, the already turbulent Northern Divine Realm was thrown into a stormy upheaval by a series of invitations delivered with intimidating authority.
These invitations were personally delivered by Realm King-level powers, encompassing all upper-level star realms, mid-level star realms, and core sects, as well as the most core portion of lower-level star realms.
Invitations from a Realm King were never simple "invitations"; they were irresistible royal decrees!
An invitation from another realm, if declined, would at most be a slight to their face. But to dare reject a "invitation" from a Realm King, one would have to be tired of living.
Such a widespread distribution of invitations by a Realm King was not uncommon in the history of the Northern Domain. Every Divine Emperor succession proceeded in this manner.
But this time, the invitations were issued jointly in the name of the Three Realm Kings!
On the invitation, the eight characters "Ten Thousand Kings Pay Homage, Worship the New Master" bore an unparalleled majesty that shook the soul and seized the heart.
Beyond that majesty, the meaning conveyed by these eight characters instantly stirred a vast surge in the hearts of numerous Northern Domain Realm Kings and lords, leaving them unable to calm for a long time.
A "New Master" expressed by the status and position of the Three Realm Kings?
A new master jointly established by the Three Realm Kings?
A new master above the Three Realm Kings!?
This was a concept never before seen in the history of the Northern Divine Realm, a history that had never occurred.
Yun Che—since the Heavenly Sovereign Assembly of the Huang Tian Realm, this name had spread rapidly throughout the high-level circles of the Northern Divine Realm.
The Fenyue Realm had fallen within a single morning. The rumors that Yun Che carried the Demon Emperor's inheritance and could unleash true divine power descended like thunder, shaking all realms... Behind this was, naturally, the pushing hand of Chi Wuyue.
Although Chi Wuyue had already begun to build momentum in advance, letting the "name" of Yun Che, who had only recently appeared in the Northern Divine Realm, strike the cognition of the Northern Domain's mighty with unmatched intimidation, this sudden "invitation" and "grand ceremony" were still too abrupt and too shocking, enough to leave many a respected overlord, with vast experience, stunned for a long time.
And some overlords, amidst their shock, began to sniff an unusual atmosphere.
The time: one month later. The location: Jiehun Sacred Domain.
————
Fenyue's initial submission was jointly brought about by Yun Che's divine might in instantly killing Fen Daojun, the transformation of the Demon Girl, and Chi Wuyue's mesmerizing voice that captivated hearts.
But without a doubt, as time passed and the intimidation and enchantment gradually dissipated, Fenyue could easily develop disloyal thoughts, all of which required Chi Wuyue's subsequent suppression.
However, when the entire Yanmo Realm submitted, any disloyal thoughts among Fenyue's upper and lower ranks were firmly extinguished.
And when Yun Che also bestowed the Dark Transformation upon them, the Moon Devourers, feeling the miraculous transformation they had never dared to dream of in the past, were all ecstatic beyond measure, filled with gratitude and devotion.
In this world, there was never loyalty without cause. The so-called "both kindness and authority"... Authority was sufficient; kindness was even more extreme, to the point where even the lifeblood of their inheritance was firmly held in Yun Che's hands—whether it was Fenyue or Yanmo.
Yun Che's Emperor Coronation Ceremony had already begun to be grandly prepared in the Jiehun Sacred Domain. Yanmo and Fenyue also participated in its preparation. Choosing the location in the Jiehun Sacred Domain was already an extremely clear signal to the other two Realm Kings.
Amidst the turbulent currents sweeping through the Northern Divine Realm, the core and instigator of it all was, conversely, the most leisurely person.
With the refinement of the second Primordial World Pill, Qianye Ying'er's growth was not only in her profound energy but also in the degree of fusion with her demon blood. For Yun Che, she naturally became an even better dual-cultivation cauldron.
Dragging Qianye Ying'er into the Eternal Dark Bone Sea, using the ancient demonic aura there, and ceaselessly dual-cultivating day and night, within just half a month, Qianye Ying'er's newly transformed profound energy was thoroughly stabilized, while Yun Che's Dark Eternal Calamity had also advanced significantly during this period.
Though still at the mid-stage of Eternal Calamity, his control had increased severalfold.
Previously, when performing the Dark Transformation on dark profound practitioners, he still needed to focus his mind somewhat. If there was external resistance or interference, it could easily fail.
But now, he could basically do it casually, and most importantly... he could now apply it to multiple people at once with relative ease.
And the Eternal Dark Bone Sea had undoubtedly become the most suitable cultivation ground for Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er. The level of ancient yin energy there, and its density, were incomparable to any other place in the present world.
Jiehun Sacred Domain, at the Soul Luo Heaven Platform.
Yun Che sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes closed, with no aura emanating from his body.
During this period, constantly dual-cultivating with Qianye Ying'er in the Eternal Dark Bone Sea, both his profound energy cultivation and Dark Eternal Calamity were advancing rapidly, but no matter what, he couldn't touch the deeper level of the Void Law.
It seemed that this was indeed the limit for now, and it should be the eternal pinnacle... With the departure of Jie Tian Mo Di, there would be no possibility of a complete Heaven-Defying World Scripture appearing in the present world.
But even if he could only touch and control the most superficial Void Law, he could easily derive strange powers that surpassed the level of cognition.
Qianye Ying'er stood at the edge of the Soul Luo Heaven Platform, her golden hair dancing in the wind, her dress fluttering, her immortal posture transcendent and ethereal.
Yun Che would often close his eyes and remain silent for long periods, sometimes several hours at a time. She had grown accustomed to it.
"The three Realm Kings are unified, and the Emperor coronation is imminent. This timeline is far shorter than we had previously estimated, and it's been so smooth it's almost unbelievable."
Qianye Ying'er seemed to be speaking to Yun Che, or perhaps talking to herself.
"Should I say it's because the Evil God's power and Dark Eternal Calamity are too powerful, or... is all of this the mandate of heaven?"
Indeed, everything had been too fast, too smooth.
The might of a Realm King was something Qianye Ying'er knew well.
Initially seeking cooperation with the Jiehun Realm was a necessary path. And this cooperation had been excessively smooth from the very start.
After that...
The Yanmo Realm had been the most difficult target to conquer. How could the title of the Northern Domain's number one Realm King, standing for eight hundred thousand years, be in vain? Even if Fenyue was taken smoothly, merging them would surely be difficult and brutal.
Yet, due to the existence of the Eternal Dark Bone Sea, they were forced to submit without any struggle. The three strongest Guardian Gods became three powerful loyal dogs under Yun Che's command.
Although the Fenyue Realm was the weakest Realm King in terms of comprehensive strength, if Fen Daojun had chosen to fight to the death, with Fenyue's strong core power and deep foundation, to defeat them into submission would have required a great cost.
However, Yun Che, in his fury, crushed the strongest Moon Devourer with one palm, and with one sword strike, annihilated the Fenyue Divine Emperor... The authority belonging to the divine domain caused Fenyue's upper and lower ranks to directly collapse in belief, and he took them without bloodshed.
And as for the Jiehun Realm side...
If Chi Wuyue were not his master, under the cooperation aimed at mutual exploitation, she might have been the most terrifying enemy among the three Realm Kings.
Behind this unprecedented and unparalleled feat in the eyes of the world... in truth, not even a single true fierce battle had occurred.
Yun Che opened his eyes and said in a low voice: "When I first arrived in the Divine Realm, I moved with caution, stepping as if on thin ice, and brushed past death many times. The world only hears my increasingly spreading fame, only sees my increasingly dazzling halo, but never knows the vicissitudes of life and death behind it all."
"..." Qianye Ying'er's golden eyes shifted slightly... because the greatest "vicissitudes of life and death" Yun Che had experienced in the Divine Realm were precisely inflicted by her own hand.
Yun Che's closest brush with death, and the greatest torment he had suffered, all came from her.
"I was grateful for all the gifts I bore, taking the salvation of the world as a mission I had to carry and complete. I thought I was the destined savior. I even once proudly asked Wuxin: 'Do you want your father to be the hero who saves the world?' Hah!"
Yun Che slowly raised his head, gazing at the dome of heaven that rolled slowly like black mist: "The Northern Divine Realm, in this most vicious dark land, I had thought I would be greeted by endless trials and tribulations. But... the path of salvation is fraught with life-and-death steps at every turn, while the path of demonry is as smooth as a heavenly decree."
His gaze gradually turned somber, and he murmured: "It turns out that I have always misunderstood my identity and the meaning of my existence. I am no savior saint at all, but a demon lord destined to bring calamity to the world!"
"Now, I am truly curious," he said with a low laugh, the curve of his mouth and the demonic light in his eyes becoming chillingly cold: "Among the three Divine Regions, who will be the 'hero' who finally slaughters me to save the world?"
"Hmph," Qianye Ying'er laughed disdainfully: "A calamity-bringing demon lord? Even if you become a savior ten times over, just because you slept with the Dragon Queen and the Divine Maiden alone, countless men in the Divine Realm will still want to cut you into a thousand pieces."
"..." Yun Che glanced sideways at her profile and the exquisite curves brought by the cold wind, and laughed quietly in rebuttal: "They were clearly offered willingly, yet you turn it around to make me the heinous villain? Ridiculous!"
"Then you deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces even more..." Qianye Ying'er's voice abruptly stopped, her golden eyes turning: "So that means Shen Xi was also willing?"
Yun Che: "..."
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Qianye Ying'er twisted her slender waist, her chest heaving, letting out an extremely wanton laugh: "As expected! The more noble and holy a woman appears on the surface, the more slutty and wild she is on the inside! HAHAHAHA!"
"Shut up," Yun Che rebuked coldly: "I'll say it one last time... Don't say a single bad word about her again!"
"Bad word?" Qianye Ying'er's beautiful eyes shifted faintly: "When you say these two words to me on ordinary days, you claim it's praise. For her, it's a bad word?"
"..." Yun Che was momentarily left speechless.
"Oh my, it seems this Empress has come at a somewhat inopportune time."
A soft, bone-melting demonic voice drifted over languidly. Chi Wuyue's figure descended from the sky, her body not shrouded in black mist, fully displaying her face of myriad charms in her smile and her devilishly sculpted figure.
Her arrival made Yun Che almost instinctively rise to his feet.
"..." Qianye Ying'er frowned slightly.
"Yun Qianying," Chi Wuyue arched her brows like crescent moons, smiling lightly: "Could you spare Yun Che for a moment?"
Chi Wuyue merely took a light, natural step, yet waves rippled and an alluring charm tugged at the heart... Qianye Ying'er's brows twitched violently, she abruptly turned her gaze away, and snorted coldly: "Not spare!"
A fragrance that captivated the soul assailed her. Chi Wuyue was already standing at Yun Che's side, smiling coquettishly: "You say you want to make this Empress Yun Che's Empress, yet you cling to him twelve hours a day, not willing to spare even a moment for this Empress. This Empress and the nine children around me are all full of deep longing and watching with anxious eyes."
"..." The warm, soft breath lightly brushed his neck. Yun Che's expression remained unchanged, but his body temperature rose rapidly, and his blood surged uncontrollably.
For Yun Che, Chi Wuyue's most terrifying aspect was not her Demon Emperor soul, but her... utterly innate, heaven-given seductiveness that required no deliberate release.
Back then, with Mu Xuanyin's proud, snow-lotus-like ice-cold fairy body, she could enchant him until he lost control, let alone the current Demon Empress.
Chi Wuyue's words instead made Qianye Ying'er turn around, staring at the demonic body that could stir even a woman's heart, and said with a faint smile: "Chi Wuyue, I very much agree with you becoming Yun Che's Empress. That is also one of the sincerity and conditions of our cooperation. But the only person who can sleep with him is me. These are two different matters. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Yun Che: "...???"
"Pfft..." Chi Wuyue let out a delicate laugh, her eyes rippling with countless dazzling waves, making Qianye Ying'er quickly look away again.
"What do you need me for?" Yun Che took a deep, calming breath and asked.
Although he was trying to control it, his gaze still showed signs of unnatural evasion.
Because, even now, he hadn't truly figured out how to face Chi Wuyue.
"Two matters," Chi Wuyue's seductive, curved eyes looked at Yun Che, a smile playing on her lips: "First, in another seven days, the day when the heroes of the Northern Domain gather and the Emperor Coronation Ceremony is held will arrive. But your Divine Emperor title has yet to be determined."
"As the first 'Demon Lord' in the history of the Northern Divine Realm, your imperial name is of great importance, you know."