# Chapter 1795: Dragon Gods Gather
Yun Che did not speak. He no longer looked at Nan Qianqiu, but quietly watched He Ling's face, sensing every change in her emotions and aura.
She had lived in flight since birth, lost both parents as a child, wandered homeless, and in the end, her last relative and the one she cared for most had left her without even a final meeting.
The crushing pain upon hearing the tragic news... the despair upon learning the poisoner was the Fan Di God Realm... the willingness to sacrifice her own life and willingly become a poison spirit for the hope of revenge... the loss of control and madness when spreading the Heavenly Poison in the Fan Di God Realm... the shattered heart and soul upon discovering that the Brahma Emperor was not the true culprit...
All these years, they had never been apart for even a moment. Through every rise and fall of Yun Che's fate, she had been by his side. Everything He Ling had experienced over these years, he had seen clearly and engraved in his heart.
Finally... the moment had come for him to fulfill his promise to her.
He Ling stared blankly at Nan Qianqiu, who was now utterly miserable. Her aura was distinctly chaotic, her chest heaving more and more violently. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to scream or curse, but for a long time, no sound came out.
Only teardrops fell continuously. The desperate scenes from back then swirled chaotically before her eyes like nightmares.
At that moment, Yun Che suddenly frowned. He noticed that in He Ling's emerald-green eyes, an abnormal gray mist was slowly gathering.
Just like back then, after she heard the tragic news about He Lin.
He Ling reached out her hand. A faint green light flickered, and a wisp of poison energy shot out, striking Nan Qianqiu directly between the eyebrows.
The venom of the Heavenly Poison Pearl had been poured without reservation into the Fan Di God Realm by the out-of-control He Ling. Though the poison energy recovered during this time was weak, it was still far more than Nan Qianqiu in his current state could endure.
"Guh... ah..."
As the Heavenly Poison entered his body, Nan Qianqiu immediately screamed in agony as if being torn apart by ten thousand snakes. Vaguely, he recalled Yun Che's inexplicable question earlier about hunting Wood Spirits in the Eastern Divine Region.
Could it be... because of... just a mere Wood Spirit...
He Ling's palm was trembling, her jade-like fingers turning deathly white. Under the continuously invading poison energy, Nan Qianqiu writhed and rolled on the ground. His body, and even the blood oozing out, began to stain with an emerald green hue.
"Ahh... aahh..." This was the Heavenly Poison that had pushed the vast Fan Di God Realm into a corner. Nan Qianqiu was undoubtedly thrown into the cruelest hell. "You... you... Dragon Gods... surely... ah..."
Throughout this day, Nan Qianqiu had suffered extreme torment both physically and mentally. The Heavenly Poison rapidly spread through his body. His screams and struggles began to weaken. As his eyes were also stained with a terrifying dark green, his entire aura quickly collapsed.
Watching Nan Qianqiu about to die from the Heavenly Poison, He Ling's body swayed slightly. Then, suddenly, she curled her fingers, stopping the Heavenly Poison from devouring him, and even quickly purified the poison energy.
Suddenly freed from the heavenly poison hell, Nan Qianqiu collapsed limply on the ground, convulsing all over like a dying insect.
She had not suddenly taken pity on him. Rather, it was the hatred for her parents, for her clan, for the severance of her bloodline... she could not bear for Nan Qianqiu to die like this, even though he had already tasted pain and despair to the fullest.
However, she was not Qianye Ying'er. She simply did not know how to torture someone she hated to the point where they wished for death but could not die. But when the boundless hatred accumulated over many years burst forth, it shook her soul until it almost shattered.
"You... you..." she murmured. The strange gray light in her emerald eyes suddenly coalesced at this moment. She reached out sharply, her five fingers trembling and contorting, grasping straight for Nan Qianqiu's throat.
It seemed that under the surging hatred and loss of mind, she wanted to use her own hands to tear him apart, shred him to pieces.
But her palm did not touch Nan Qianqiu. Her icy wrist was gently caught by Yun Che, stopping in mid-air.
With his other hand, he waved backward. Vermillion flame and dark power ignited on Nan Qianqiu's body in a terrifying Eternal Calamity Demon Flame.
"Ah——"
Nan Qianqiu, who had been barely alive like a dying dog, instantly let out a scream that nearly pierced the sky. In the blink of an eye, his entire being was engulfed in the crimson-black nightmare demon flame.
But the piercing scream only lasted a few short breaths before completely fading. The Eternal Calamity Demon Flame, capable of devouring all, burned violently, consuming the broken Divine Lord body bit by bit.
When the Eternal Calamity Demon Flame extinguished, Nan Qianqiu... the young master of the Nanming Divine Realm who had just reached the height of his dreams, was burned to dark ashes, leaving only a trace of rootless Nanming Source Power silently scattering.
Watching the person upon whom she had poured all the hatred of her life vanish into thin ash before her eyes, He Ling felt no satisfaction, no cathartic tears. She just stood there, stunned.
After a long while, she turned her head, slow and stiff, and looked at Yun Che with murky, lightless eyes: "Why... why did you kill him... Why didn't you let me take revenge with my own hands... Why... why..."
Her aura was a mess, her eyes hollow as if she had suddenly lost her soul.
This was the first time she had released negative emotions towards Yun Che... and it was a surge of unstable, chaotic resentment.
The pale wrist held in his fingers was ice-cold. Yun Che did not speak. Instead, he applied slight force with his hand, pulling the lost He Ling into his embrace, and held her tightly.
"He Ling, listen to me." Yun Che placed his palm on her back, using the gentlest tone he could to calm her chaotic mind: "Without your sacrifice and perseverance, we would never have found the true culprit, nor would we have been able to execute him before us right now. It was you who avenged your parents, He Lin, and your entire clan. They are surely watching clearly from the other world."
"As for why I forcibly intervened, it is because his filthy body and blood do not deserve to stain your fingers, and even less... do they deserve to defile your soul."
"..." He Ling's lips parted slightly. The trembling of her body eased a little, and the gray in her eyes seemed to fade somewhat.
Yun Che closed his eyes, his voice gradually becoming somewhat ethereal: "He Ling, you can hold onto hatred, but you must never let hatred push you into an abyss of eternal damnation. Never..."
Never become like him.
Let the sins be borne by him alone. After all, the blood and sins on his hands could never be washed away for all eternity.
"From the day you became the Heavenly Poison's poison spirit, our lives have been fused together. Now, I have become the most evil demon in this world. But even the purest demon will always long for light. And you are the purest purity and light in my life. I will not allow it to be polluted or taken away."
"..." He Ling was stunned. The trembling of her body ceased.
"He Ling, are you willing to become the last pure land... in the life of this demon?"
Even as he allowed himself to sink into the darkest demon abyss, he had never forgotten He Lin's trust and tears.
He could remain forever in darkness, but no matter what, he had to protect He Ling's true heart.
The world fell silent. The air no longer stirred restlessly. The dark ashes of Nan Qianqiu drifted away into nothingness, leaving not a single trace behind.
"Mn." He Ling nodded gently against Yun Che's chest. Her soft voice carried a tenderness that Yun Che knew all too well.
In her half-closed eyes, the grayness had unknowingly dissipated completely, leaving only a pure emerald green that even the gentle breeze dared not touch.
So, her remaining life could still be so important to him beyond revenge...
Yun Che cupped He Ling's face, looked into her emerald eyes stained with tear mist, and smiled: "He Ling, you are the pride of the Wood Spirit Clan. Your loved ones and your clan have seen everything you have done. Now, they must surely be proud of you and rest in peace."
"As for me, though I have finally fulfilled my promise to you back then, I no longer want to let you go. Even if you begin to loathe me and want to leave me as far as possible, I will not let go."
He Ling murmured softly: "I will never leave you. No matter what you become, no matter where you go... never."
Such soft-spoken words, yet she easily made a promise for the rest of her life.
His heart was gently touched. Yun Che looked straight into the Wood Spirit maiden's emerald eyes and spoke his second promise: "Besides revenge, there are many more important things for us to do. In the future, when I become the ruler of this world, I will surely make the Wood Spirit Clan the most revered race in this world. Whoever dares to harm a Wood Spirit will receive the most cruel punishment!"
"This world already owes the Wood Spirit Clan too much. No amount of compensation is too great. Moreover..." Yun Che's lips curved up, and he gently rubbed He Ling's cheek with his fingers, "Our future children will also be Wood Spirits, and the most noble royal Wood Spirits at that. If anyone dares to lay a finger on them, just watch me wipe out their entire clan."
A flush of pink instantly spread across He Ling's cheeks. She hurriedly lowered her head: "I... Master... talking nonsense..."
Her heart was flustered, her words incoherent. But the resentment and malice that had nearly torn her soul apart earlier had somehow vanished. Dimly, the deeply engraved word "revenge" had become blurred. What lingered in her heart were all the images of Yun Che.
Compared to the vengeful heart that placed oneself in the abyss, there were actually more important things in this world, more important people, and more beautiful hopes... truly worthy of a lifetime of companionship and devotion.
Even if...
---
Western Divine Region, Dragon God Realm.
Dragon God Sacred Hall. Azure Dragon God, Pure Heart Dragon God, White Rainbow Dragon God, Jade Dragon God, Azure Abyss Dragon God, Purple Ripple Dragon God, Blue Sky Dragon God... Of the Nine Dragon Gods, aside from Crimson Annihilation Dragon God who had gone to the Tai Chu Divine Realm, and the deceased Ashes Dragon God, all were gathered here. The atmosphere was terrifyingly solemn.
Ashes Dragon God had met a violent death in the Nanming Divine Realm. They were shocked and enraged. But the news that came one after another thereafter began to stir a deeper and deeper... dread.
Dread—what an unfamiliar word for beings like the Dragon Gods.
"In just one day, the Nanming Divine Realm has collapsed."
Azure Dragon God had repeated this sentence more than a dozen times, yet still dared not, and was even less willing, to believe it.
The Nanming Divine Emperor and Nanming King were all annihilated. Countless souls in the southern domain had perished. Nan Gui was dead. The two Brahma Emperors of the Fan Di God Realm had mysteriously returned and stood with the Northern Domain. The Tai Chu Dragon Clan, which had never interacted with the Divine Realm, had appeared to assist the Northern Divine Region...
Messages that would shock even the Dragon God Clan came one after another in a chain.
Even though the Northern Divine Region had trampled the Eastern Divine Region in just a few months, they were still not considered a threat in the eyes of the Dragon God Realm.
But overnight, everything had turned upside down.
It was as if everything that had far exceeded expectations before was merely a facade to numb them.
Apart from the Seven Dragon Gods, there was a special guest in the hall.
Zhou Xuzi.
In just a few months, Zhou Xuzi seemed to have aged a great deal, yet also grown much calmer. A faint light, entirely different from before, gleamed in his aged eyes.