Chapter 1737: Falling Moon (7)
The vast starry domain, countless stars extinguished.
As far as the eye could see, it was filled with meteor dust and debris. The scattered Purple Que Divine Power and the elemental force emanating from Yun Che continued to blaze and rage in countless corners, devouring everything that drew near.
Within the meteor cluster, Yun Che stood proudly erect. The wound on his chest was hideous and terrifying, but he seemed utterly oblivious to it. His gaze was dim and cold as he stared at the distant, feeble red silhouette, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Qianye Ying'er had suffered considerable injury, but not to her foundation. Her figure flickered as she arrived at Yun Che's side, her eyes also fixed on the same direction. She spoke coldly: "This Purple Que Divine Domain was actually opened by you at the cost of burning your life essence. Your killing intent toward Yun Che and me is truly intense to the point of being somewhat inexplicable. Now, I don't even know whether to praise you for being ruthless enough or foolish enough!"
In the distant space, Xia Qingyue slowly rose to her feet.
Drip...
Drip...
Fresh drops of blood slowly fell from her pale lips. They were slow, and unceasing, drop by drop, further staining her red attire.
As the Divine Emperor of the Moon God Realm, there was almost no power in this world that could truly force her into a dead end.
Yun Che was determined to slay her with his own hands, but he was also acutely aware that relying solely on himself and Qianye Ying'er, the two of them trying to kill Xia Qingyue, whose power surpassed that of Yue Wuyai in his prime, was nothing short of a fool's dream. No matter what, they would have to play a trump card.
But now, it was no longer necessary.
The Purple Que Divine Domain was immensely powerful. When it could not be forcefully broken, it was strong enough to drive one to despair.
Its power was indeed beyond limits. But even with her Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body, she had to pay a tremendous price.
Paying with her life, in nature, it was somewhat akin to the most brutal of the Evil God's Divine Powers—Other Shore Asura.
And if this divine domain, which connected to her life essence and sacrificed her life, was forcefully broken, the backlash would be far greater than any other cruel domain in the present age.
Her life and body had suffered severe trauma, and her profound energy was rapidly collapsing, almost impossible to condense. This fierce battle, which should have been protracted, ended quickly because she had opened the Purple Que Divine Domain... In her current state, before Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er, she was as weak as a lamb waiting for slaughter.
With Yun Che present, she had anticipated this outcome might occur. Yet she still did not hesitate... because this was her final and only gamble.
Her purple hair scattered, instantly turning as black as ink, contrasting with her increasingly pale cheeks. She looked at Yun Che, then at Qianye Ying'er, and murmured softly: "In the end... I still... couldn't do anything..."
"No, you did very well, extremely well!"
Yun Che stepped forward slowly. Compared to Xia Qingyue's dreamlike murmurs, his voice was as piercingly cold as ice: "You very... very successfully forced me into becoming a devil!"
The Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword slowly rose, its gleaming tip pointing from afar at Xia Qingyue: "Now... it's time for you to repay your debts!"
Drip...
Another drop of blood gently fell from between her lips.
For some reason, facing her desolate and hazy gaze, Yun Che's heart suddenly ached, as if countless needles were stabbing deeply into it.
But immediately, the image of the Blue Pole Star being destroyed under the purple light flashed cruelly in his mind, plunging his soul into another kind of agony. He gritted his teeth, his killing intent and hatred gathering violently on the sword... Yet, between his clenched teeth, no words escaped for a long time.
With Xia Qingyue's current feeble and chaotic aura, he had countless ways to easily annihilate her.
Father, mother, Wuxin, Yuechan, Lingxi, Caiyi, Xue'er, Yuanba...
One face after another appeared before his eyes. His hands trembled slightly. Even now, he still found it somewhat difficult to accept that Xia Qingyue could truly be so ruthless as to commit such a heinous act.
Even if the many emperors surrounded them, and the fate of Blue Pole Star was already sealed, at least she should not have done it with her own hands...
How could she bring herself to do it...
Was the throne of the Moon God Divine Emperor really that important to her?
Qianye Ying'er stepped forward and said indifferently: "If you can't bear to do it, I'll do it."
As her words fell, her expression suddenly changed.
A curtain of light unfolded without warning before them. Within it appeared a small yet ornate palace, surrounded by a strange, moon-white glow... Then, in the next instant, it stirred up a violently raging storm.
Along with Xia Qingyue's figure, it vanished in an instant into the distant starry domain.
"Dun Yue Immortal Palace!" Qianye Ying'er murmured.
And at her side, Yun Che's figure shot out like a fractured star, giving chase without hesitation.
The Dun Yue Immortal Palace, one of the fastest profound vehicles in the Eastern Divine Region. At its peak speed, even Qianye Ying'er and Gu Zhu in their prime could not catch it.
Bang!
Yun Che reached out and pulled Qianye Ying'er along. The Yama King activated again, darkness roaring around him, his speed elevated to its utmost in an instant. His gaze and aura locked firmly onto the Dun Yue Immortal Palace.
The moonlight overflowing from it made it exceptionally dazzling in the boundless starry domain.
However, even with his speed pushed to the extreme, he could not close the distance by even a hair against this, the fastest profound vehicle of the Eastern Divine Region.
Yun Che ground his teeth, wishing he could slap himself hard. Just moments ago, he could have easily killed Xia Qingyue, but his momentary hesitation and daze had foolishly given her a chance to escape.
Gnashing his teeth, the black aura around him grew increasingly furious. Suddenly, his gaze turned dark, and he stretched his arm forward. The vast starry domain before him erupted with terrifying rumbles. Several thousand miles of space trembled violently in the darkness, whipping up a cosmic hurricane capable of shattering stars and breaking the moon.
Forcefully breaking the Purple Que Divine Domain had directly driven Xia Qingyue to the brink of death. If she managed to escape and fully recover, there would never be another chance like today!
Rumble rumble rumble...
Amidst the destruction and turbulence of the starry domain, the Dun Yue Immortal Palace was like a withered leaf caught in a storm, swaying and trembling violently, letting out sharp shrieks. Yet in the next instant, it broke free from the storm, continuing westward at its extreme speed.
Yun Che's attack caused his own speed to briefly lag. Not only did he fail to bring down the Dun Yue Immortal Palace, but the distance between them actually increased.
His brow furrowed slightly, but the anxiety in his eyes lessened instead. He pushed his speed back to the maximum, his spiritual sense locking firmly onto the Dun Yue Immortal Palace without a single instant of deviation.
Xia Qingyue, even if you flee to the ends of the earth... I will annihilate you with my own hands!
Meanwhile, in the ruined starry domain where they had been, a petite, colorful figure walked slowly forward. A pair of calm, emotionless eyes quietly watched the direction the three had gone.
Cai Zhi.
She had already arrived when the Purple Que Divine Domain was opened.
But whether it was Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er falling into the Purple Que Divine Domain, or the sudden collapse of the Purple Que Divine Domain, she did not appear or act. She merely watched quietly from the distant space.
Only when both Yun Che's aura and that of the Dun Yue Immortal Palace had completely faded from her perception did she turn and head south.
One hour... two hours... three hours...
The endless starry domain receded at tremendous speed. Unknowingly, the Dun Yue Immortal Palace had already left the Eastern Divine Region, continuing to fly westward like a meteor.
Yun Che's gaze suddenly blurred for a moment.
Eight years ago, on the day he and Xia Qingyue first met in the God Realm, they had been aboard this same Dun Yue Immortal Palace, desperately trying to escape Qianye Ying'er's pursuit.
The same people, the same Dun Yue Immortal Palace... Whether intentionally or not, it was almost the exact same direction and trajectory.
Except now, the pursuers were him and Qianye Ying'er, and inside the Dun Yue Immortal Palace was only Xia Qingyue alone.
"The direction she's heading..." Qianye Ying'er murmured. "It seems she intends to flee into the Tai Chu Divine Realm."
"Hmph, just like back then, when she brought you to escape my pursuit."
Just as Qianye Ying'er finished speaking, a white shadow slowly appeared in the starry domain before them. Drawing closer, they could make out a white vortex.
That was the very center of the Four Divine Regions, the entrance to the Tai Chu Divine Realm.
The Dun Yue Immortal Palace flew straight toward the white spatial vortex. The moment it touched, it completely vanished, along with its aura, as if erased from the world entirely.
Everything was eerily familiar. Yun Che did not slow down, bringing Qianye Ying'er with him as he followed closely, plunging into the white vortex.
A flash of white light, the space shifted. A heavy, ancient aura assailed them. The grayish-white sky and earth stretched to the horizon, spreading an indescribable desolation and wilderness.
And in that very instant of entering the Tai Chu Divine Realm, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er directly re-locked onto the location of the Dun Yue Immortal Palace.
She did not immediately stow away the Dun Yue Immortal Palace and conceal her aura as she had done back then upon entering the Tai Chu Divine Realm. Instead, she continued to pilot the Dun Yue Immortal Palace, pushing it to its absolute limit, diving deeper and deeper.
————
The news of the Moon God Realm's destruction in darkness swept through the entire Eastern Divine Region like a shocking storm, then deeply shook the Southern Divine Region and the Western Divine Region as well.
Northern Domain demonfolk had descended upon the Eastern Domain, bringing calamity everywhere. In the span of a single day, the Zhou Tian God Realm and the Yue Shen Realm, the king realms of the Eastern Domain, had been one butchered, the other directly destroyed in darkness, vanished forever.
As the news spread, so did a silent fear.
The battle spirit of the Eastern Divine Region, already battered by the massacre of Zhou Tian, was dealt another crushing blow from the trembling.
Western Divine Region, the Qilin Realm, one of the Six King Realms.
The Azure Dragon Emperor, dressed in blue robes, moved with ripples of water and mist around her. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her mood clearly heavy.
The Qilin Emperor rose to greet her, saying, "Azure Dragon Emperor, you have come because of the matter of the Moon God Realm in the Eastern Domain, am I right?"
The Azure Dragon Emperor nodded, her blue eyes carrying a heavy look: "The calamity of Zhou Tian was already alarming. The vast Yue Shen Realm being annihilated in an instant... this is more than just shocking."
As an emperor of a king realm, her first reaction upon hearing the news was utter disbelief. When she was convinced, what surged through her entire body was a bone-deep chill that the supreme water and ice divine emperor should not have been able to feel.
If there truly existed in this world a power that could destroy the Yue Shen Realm in a few breaths... then the same power could destroy her Azure Dragon Realm. How could she not be alarmed?
The Qilin Emperor let out a long sigh, saying, "The dark Northern Domain, which has been coiled up for so many years, is truly this terrifying... Destroying two king realms in a single night. Hah, it sounds like the most absurd joke."
The Azure Dragon Emperor said, "The fierce battle between the Northern Divine Region and the Eastern Divine Region was triggered by the Zhou Tian God Emperor destroying three small star realms in the Northern Divine Region. But now, the scale of the Northern Divine Region's demonfolk, the battle situation, and the dark fangs they have revealed, none of it seems like a revenge launched only after the destruction of the three star realms. Instead, it seems like..."
"Long-prepared." The Qilin Emperor said in a deep voice.
In the first few days of the Northern Divine Region's attack on the northern border of the Eastern Domain, they hadn't even taken it seriously. Everyone thought that this demonic calamity born of revenge would be quickly suppressed by the Eastern Divine Region.
But the upheaval came so quickly!
"What I'm worried about now," the Azure Dragon Emperor continued, "is not only that they have long been planning, but that their target is not limited to the Eastern Divine Region. After all... their Demon Lord is Yun Che."
She clearly remembered... outside the Blue Pole Star in the Eastern Divine Region, that man holding Mu Xuanyin, who had released a despairing dragon roar in the darkness.
And those profoundly dark, profoundly hollow eyes that clearly reflected the faces of everyone present.
"Your worries are not unfounded," the Qilin Emperor said gravely. "Regarding this matter, I have already sent a visiting card to the Dragon God Realm. There should be a response soon."
When it concerned the Western Divine Region, whether to act or not, the Dragon Emperor should be the one to decide first.
As his words fell, a woman arrived outside the hall, bowing and reporting: "Reporting to the Qilin Emperor, the Dragon God Realm has refused the visiting card, stating that the Dragon Emperor is occupied with a major matter and does not wish to be disturbed by the outside world."
The Azure Dragon Emperor and the Qilin Emperor exchanged a glance. The Qilin Emperor said in a low voice, "It seems the Dragon Emperor has already made up his mind."
"If the Dragon God Realm does not move, naturally we have no reason to move."