Chapter 1807: Pointing the Sword at the Dragon God
Canglan Divine Realm, core main hall.
The atmosphere here was solemn and oppressive, as if every wisp of air and every inch of space was completely sealed.
The Demon Empress, the Demon Girl, Cai Zhi, Qianye, the Brahma Ancestor, Gu Zhu, the Yama Emperor, the Yama, the Moon Devourer, and a group of Northern Domain upper realm kings and middle realm kings led by Tian Muyi, Huo Tianxing, and the Viper Saint Lord...
Aside from Yun Che and the Three Yan Ancestors, the core power of the Northern Divine Region was all concentrated here.
Shitian Shendi, Xuanyuan Emperor, and Ziwei Emperor seemed somewhat out of place among them. The overly dense dark aura caused even these three mighty divine emperors to hold their breath for a long time.
After a long wait, a heavy and steady sound of footsteps came, rapidly approaching from afar, stopping right in front of the main hall's entrance.
Buzz—
The three divine emperors felt as if something had exploded simultaneously in their ears and souls. The solemn atmosphere within the hall suddenly collapsed, and a group of figures fell to one knee in unison, their bodies pressed low to the ground, their voices filled with a reverence and piety akin to worshipping a god:
"We pay homage to the Demon Lord!"
The three divine emperors—Canglan, Xuanyuan, and Ziwei—were stunned for half a moment before hurriedly bowing deeply as well.
This rather shocking grand scene startled Cai Zhi greatly. Her small right foot involuntarily moved forward, and her gaze suddenly caught Qianye Ying'er also bowing respectfully, but Chi Wuyue remained seated without moving. Instantly, she raised her face, standing there with a proud and aloof air, even shooting a condescending glance at Qianye Ying'er.
Yun Che walked forward slowly, each step clearly imprinted into the soul. Behind him, the Three Yan Ancestors followed like three silent ghosts. As the three most terrifying existences of the Northern Divine Region, their primary task was to guard Yun Che's safety. No matter how difficult the situation, Chi Wuyue would never deploy the power of the Three Yan Ancestors.
The Canglan main hall was enormous. Yun Che's steps were neither hurried nor slow, and after walking for a long time, the Northern Domain profound practitioners still maintained their respectful kneeling posture, not a single one daring to lift their head or raise their gaze even slightly.
As divine emperors of a king realm, Cang Shitian, Xuanyuan Emperor, and Ziwei Emperor had been knelt to countless times in their lives. But at this moment, their hearts trembled for a long time.
None of those kneeling in the hall were ordinary figures—ranging from Northern Domain divine emperors to at least middle realm kings.
Even in the Western Divine Region, where the Dragon God Realm held absolute supremacy, the other five realm divine emperors only needed to offer a light courtesy when meeting the Dragon Emperor, and upper realm kings would certainly not kneel when meeting him.
In simple terms, although the Southern Divine Region and Eastern Divine Region were led by the Nanming Divine Realm and the Fandi God Realm respectively, they could never be so overbearing as to command other king realms. The Dragon Emperor could guide and mobilize other star realms led by the five king realms in the Western Divine Region...
But they could absolutely never achieve the absolute obedience seen here.
The extremely respectful and reverent posture made it unquestionable that if Yun Che issued a single command, they would immediately and willingly sacrifice their lives for him.
Suddenly recalling the tragic fate of the Northern Divine Region for a full million years, the three divine emperors gradually became less surprised, though the turmoil in their hearts only grew more intense.
This terrifyingly unparalleled conviction, loyalty, and cohesion could never be matched by the Southern, Eastern, and Western Divine Regions combined.
The Northern Divine Region could use various means to shatter the conviction of profound practitioners from other divine regions. But conversely, if the three divine regions used exactly the same means to try to break the Northern Divine Region—even with ten times the effort—it would almost certainly have no effect whatsoever.
This might be the most terrifying aspect of the Northern Divine Region.
Turning before the imperial throne, Yun Che sat down slowly and said indifferently: "Rise."
All the emperors and kings stood up in unison, still maintaining a bowed and respectful posture, waiting to hear the Demon Lord's commands.
"I have summoned you all here today to announce an important matter. This matter will determine the ultimate fate of the Northern Divine Region, your own fates, and those of your descendants for ten thousand generations."
With just these opening words, the hearts of everyone present were suspended high. Chi Wuyue and Qianye Ying'er both furrowed their brows slightly.
The three emperors—Canglan, Xuanyuan, and Ziwei—held their breath even tighter, straining their ears, afraid of missing a single word.
But at that moment, Yun Che's gaze suddenly turned, fixing on the three of them.
"Xuanyuan, Ziwei, why are you here?" Yun Che's voice was cold, his emotions unreadable.
Suddenly being called out by name, Xuanyuan Emperor and Ziwei Emperor's hearts tightened as they both stepped forward simultaneously.
"To answer the Demon Lord, I... the two of us heard that the Demon Empress had arrived, so we came specially to pay respects. By coincidence, the Demon Lord was about to issue a decree, so we stayed to listen respectfully."
"The internal strife in Ziwei Realm has now been pacified. With just one word from the Demon Lord, the entire realm will do its utmost."
The words of Xuanyuan and Ziwei emperors were not false. After Fei Mie Long Shen was utterly defeated by the Demon Empress, the shockwaves extended far beyond the Western Divine Region. The surge of fear towards the Northern Divine Region and the collapse of confidence in the Dragon God Realm had greatly calmed the internal turmoil in Xuanyuan Realm and Ziwei Realm as well.
Thus, upon hearing of the Demon Empress's arrival, both Xuanyuan Emperor and Ziwei Emperor came personally to pay their respects at the earliest opportunity. After all, the possibility of the demon race unifying the Divine Realm was growing ever more likely. They had to express their respect early before this terrifying Demon Lord's woman, while also getting somewhat familiar with her.
"Get out." Yun Che's eyes overflowed with cold gloom. It was only a three-word expulsion, with no explanation whatsoever.
Xuanyuan Emperor and Ziwei Emperor felt a chill in their hearts, but they maintained their composure as divine emperors and said calmly: "As you command! Our presence was presumptuous. We will withdraw immediately."
Cang Shitian also hurriedly stepped forward: "The three of us will await outside the hall, ready at any moment to hear the Demon Lord's orders."
"You stay." Yun Che's gaze lightly swept over Cang Shitian.
Cang Shitian jerked his head up, quickly acknowledged, then returned to his seat, wearing an impeccable expression of flattered surprise.
Xuanyuan Emperor and Ziwei Emperor withdrew awkwardly. Their gazes flicked over Cang Shitian, and a twisted sense of envy actually arose in their hearts.
Cang Shitian was the first to offer a pledge of allegiance, the first to kneel and prostrate, the first to swear loyalty... The two divine emperors had learned a completely unfamiliar rule of survival:
Even when becoming a lackey, one must do it early!
In the silence, Yun Che slowly stood up, his eyes sweeping the entire hall.
"Since we stepped out of the Northern Divine Region, only a few months have passed, yet we have already overthrown two vast divine regions that had bullied the Northern Domain for a million years, submerging them in darkness that was once hard to see the light of day."
"As you can see with your own eyes and feel on your own hands, the seemingly prosperous divine regions are nothing more than a heap of loose sand that scatters at the slightest wind. The so-called righteous profound practitioners you once feared—they are all rotten and foolish, ungrateful, cowardly and afraid of death. Their knees are weak, their souls are filthy, and even their blood stinks of rot!"
These few words were filled with Yun Che's bone-deep hatred and resentment towards the three divine regions.
"Compared to our demon race, they are the base existences! A divine region of a million years, yet unworthy of supporting the darkness that has eroded it for mere months."
"The unending oppression, the tragic fate and despair of countless ancestors and clansmen... all of this must be avenged. Darkness is destined to cover the sky and bury the world!"
"And the day for that is only one step away."
Yun Che turned his head, pointing westward: "The Eastern Domain has collapsed, the Southern Domain is in chaos. As long as we destroy the Dragon God Realm of the Western Domain, there will be no force left in this world that can gather to oppose our demon race."
"This final step is also within reach."
After a brief pause, Yun Che's next words were nothing short of earth-shattering.
"From today onward, gather all available forces, pool all available resources, and enter a state of full combat readiness! In fifteen days, we will launch a full assault on the Dragon God Realm!"
From the Brahma Ancestor and Yan Tianxiao down to the various star realm kings, everyone looked up in shock, their gazes trembling violently. Some felt their blood suddenly boil, and the dark aura around them stirred with barely suppressed agitation due to their excitement.
Cai Zhi's slender brows furrowed. She looked at Yun Che for a long moment, then turned to Chi Wuyue, only to find her expression completely calm, with no trace of surprise.
"Just as I thought..." Qianye Ying'er murmured to herself.
When Yun Che had said he had a "major announcement to make," both Qianye Ying'er and Chi Wuyue had thought of the same thing. Because for Yun Che, nothing could be more worthy of being called a "major event."
The solemn and stagnant atmosphere was shattered, and the air swirled with excitement, unease, or confusion.
War against the Dragon God Realm—that day was bound to come eventually.
But it was too fast, too sudden, completely exceeding anyone present's expectations. Compared to excitement and elation, there was more surprise and disorientation... and gradually, a growing sense of doubt.
Yun Che swept his gaze across the attendees and said, "Does anyone have anything to say about this matter?"
Yan Tianxiao stepped forward and said, "Demon Lord, we are able to stand here today only by your guidance. Your decision must have been made after careful consideration. But from my shallow perspective, the Southern Divine Region has only been temporarily intimidated, not suppressed like the Eastern Divine Region. There are signs of unrest everywhere."
"Our people have just completed the relocation from the Eastern Divine Region to the Southern Divine Region. The environment is completely unfamiliar, and their hearts need time to settle. To immediately strike at the Dragon God Realm... might it be a bit too hasty?"
What Yan Tianxiao voiced was exactly the concern of most people. On the surface, he was raising doubts, but in reality, he was laying the groundwork for Yun Che.
Yun Che did not respond. He looked to where the Burning Moon Divine Realm was and said, "Daoqi, do you have anything to say?"
Fen Daoqi stepped out, pondered briefly, then said, "To answer the Demon Lord, Daoqi would first like to hear the holy opinion of the Demon Empress."
All eyes turned to Chi Wuyue... but after half a breath, they quickly looked away in panic, no longer daring to raise their heads. The atmosphere in the entire hall became several times more chaotic.
Throughout the entire Northern Divine Region, aside from Yun Che, who dared to look directly at Chi Wuyue?
Chi Wuyue smiled faintly and directly spoke, "The Yama Emperor's concerns are indeed not wrong."
"The might of the Dragon God Realm is something all of you know at least something about, even if not fully. Battle with the Dragon God Realm will certainly be extremely dangerous and brutal. And from what the Demon Lord just said, he intends to use everything, staking everything on a single battle to determine life and death. Such a thing must be handled with the utmost caution and complete preparation."
Yes, the first words Yun Che had declared were, "This matter will determine the ultimate fate of the Northern Divine Region, your own fates, and those of your descendants for ten thousand generations."
Just as Chi Wuyue said, he had no intention of testing, skirmishing, or dragging out a conflict with the Dragon God Realm. Instead, he would throw everything into one battle and decide life and death in that single clash!
Cang Shitian's lowered face twitched, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. He was shocked by Yun Che's madness, and he couldn't even imagine how brutal that battlefield would be.
"But what is caution? What is complete preparation?"
Chi Wuyue's tone suddenly shifted, her demonic voice slowly flowing: "The will you have to fight for yourselves, for your people, and for your descendants—that is the greatest caution. The demon blood boiling within you and the dark power fully ignited—that is the most complete preparation of all!"
"This war is sudden for us, but for the Dragon God Realm, it will be even more sudden!"
"Our massive southward migration has, in the eyes of the world, been seen as an act of retreat to avoid the Dragon God's retaliation. Thus, the Dragon God Realm will never imagine that before we have even fully settled in the Southern Domain, we will already be attacking with full force. This elemental surprise will be the first dark blade to pierce the Dragon God Realm!"
"And just how sharp this first dark blade will be depends on how much resolve and courage you can still burn when facing such a powerful enemy as the Dragon God Realm!"
The Demon Empress's voice echoed in their ears and pierced their souls. The hall fell silent, and the shock and doubt in the eyes of the Northern Domain profound practitioners rapidly transformed into blazing battle intent. The dark profound energy trembling around them unconsciously surged like boiling black flames.
Complete caution? Thorough preparation?
Their successive victories had made them almost forget that the moment they stepped out of the Northern Divine Region, they had already resolved everything... For the reversal of the Northern Divine Region's fate, so that darkness could exist freely between heaven and earth, they had long been prepared to burn through their lives and demon souls.
No matter what obstacles, no matter adversity or prosperity!