# Chapter 1848: Bloodless Oath
Stepping out of the Tai Chu Divine Realm, what greeted him was not the refreshing, cool aura of Canglan, but thick smoke, dust, and blood.
Yun Che lifted his eyes and looked around. In his ears was Shui Meiyin's trembling, terrified exclamation.
Seeing Yun Che's figure appearing right before his eyes, Long Bai's draconic eyes bulged violently. Hatred, excitement, agitation, mania... all kinds of emotions so complex that even he himself could not sort them surged up.
He dreamed of cutting Yun Che into a thousand pieces, hated that he could not inflict every cruel torture he could imagine upon him. Today's events, his desire to vent his hatred on Yun Che, far exceeded even his desire to annihilate the demon race.
Now Yun Che was right before his eyes, yet he did not strike. Instead, he retreated, letting out a thunderous roar: "Cease!"
The bloody and tragic battlefield instantly transformed under this imperial command. This was the Dragon Emperor's decree, every word piercing straight to the depths of the soul, making no one dare to harbor the slightest thought of defiance.
Immediately, all the Western Domain Xuan practitioners rapidly withdrew their power. The most intense battle on the highest level of the current era was forcibly halted in an extremely short time.
Before everyone understood his intent, the Dragon Emperor's second command had already been issued, still only two words: "Fall back."
The miserable state of the Northern Domain Xuan practitioners was pitiful even to the eyes of these Western Domain Divine Lords. As the Northern Domain casualties grew heavier and heavier, the Western Domain's already great advantage became ever larger. Under these circumstances, it wouldn't be long before they could completely crush the other side.
Retreating now was undoubtedly giving the enemy a chance to catch their breath.
But no one dared to defy the Dragon Emperor's command.
All the Western Domain Divine Lords immediately retreated westward, while not forgetting to carry away the corpses of their companions or clansmen.
The two sides that had been locked in a bloody slaughter moments before quickly separated, facing each other from a distance.
In the distance, Withered Dragon Venerable, Qilin Emperor, Azure Dragon Emperor, and the others all ceased fighting under the Dragon Emperor's command. Chi Wuyue and Mu Xuanyin did not pause for an instant as they flew rapidly down toward Yun Che...
The Dragon Emperor gave no further orders. Long Four and Long Five did not block them.
"Demon Lord!"
"Demon... Lord..."
"Demon Lord!"
...
Calls rang out into Yun Che's ears. They had once been so impassioned, so stirring and arrogant. But now, half were mixed with blood and tears, half were hoarse and weak.
And there were too many familiar voices, familiar auras, missing.
Yan Yi and Yan Er did not pause for even a single breath, charging to Yun Che's front at the fastest possible speed. Their thin, withered bodies, which had once only ever been stained with the blood of others, were now covered in wounds.
Especially their arms—the flesh and blood had almost completely crumbled, leaving the bones fully exposed. And even the bare bones were covered in cracks and fractures.
It was impossible to imagine what kind of terrifying battle they had just experienced, what kind of horrible pressure they had endured.
Accompanied by painful gasps, Yan San almost rolled and crawled back. He dropped to one knee, blood dripping from his limbs, his breathing so rapid it seemed he might die, yet he still stood like a fierce god in front of Yun Che.
"How could this be... how could this be..." Shui Meiyin looked around, murmuring as if lost. Her gaze fell upon a floating city in the distance, and she softly uttered: "Qiankun... Dragon City?"
As the master of the Cosmic Thorn, possessing some fragmented memories from it, how could she not recognize the Cosmic Dragon City, forged by the power of the Cosmic Thorn?
This mystic ark, gifted to the Dragon God Clan by the Elemental Creation God, which should have perished in the ancient war, had appeared in this era, in this place... It also made Shui Meiyin instantly understand the cause of this calamity that had fallen from the sky.
Then, her spiritual sense touched the aura of Shui Yingyue.
"Big Sister!" she cried out in alarm, forgetting everything else as she instantly teleported to Shui Yingyue's side.
Shui Yingyue supported herself with her sword, her blue robes half-stained with filthy blood. She looked at Shui Meiyin, whose eyes were brimming with tears of mist, and forced a faint smile onto her pale, snow-white face. In a soft voice, she said: "Meiyin, you're fine... that's good..."
With her burden released, Shui Yingyue's entire body went limp. Unable to hold on any longer, she fell into Shui Meiyin's embrace.
Long Bai's gaze stared coldly at Yun Che, but Yun Che's eyes did not linger on Long Bai at all.
His divine sense drifted, ice-cold and chaotic... The Canglan Divine Domain was gone, leaving only a ruin so devastated it could not be more ruined.
He found Cai Zhi's aura. She was protected by the Primordial Dragon Emperor, having fallen into unconsciousness. Around her, there were no Six Star Gods, only the faint, sporadic remnants of six different Star God auras floating in the air... Each was as weak as a dying breeze. Perhaps in another moment, they would completely dissipate between heaven and earth.
Qianye Ying'er's power was spent, her life aura so faint it bordered on death. The silent Demon Emperor blood proved that she had made the most resolute choice... If not for Qianye Wugu's life transfer and his full protection, she would no longer exist in his life.
He sensed Mu Xuanyin's aura, saw her figure, and met her gaze. It should have been a moment of ecstatic excitement... But his heart did not stir with the slightest joy, because something too heavy was crushing all his emotions and thoughts.
Only four Yan Mo and four Moon Devourers remained. All nine Demonesses, including Jiexin and Jieling, were severely wounded. Only three Brahma Kings who had followed Qianye Ying'er survived. Nearly half of the Primordial Dragons had fallen. More than sixty percent of the Northern Domain Realm Kings had been killed in battle.
In the span of a single dream, heaven and earth had turned upside down.
The Western Domain camp had all six realms present. Seven of the eight Dragon Gods still survived, plus five additional ancient Dragon God auras—exceedingly strong, with no prior information or records about them.
"Despair?" Long Bai spoke calmly, like an emperor of the high heavens, proudly looking down upon the lowly commoners who had been trampled underfoot and could be completely crushed at any moment.
He wanted to see shock, panic, pallor, pain, fear, despair on Yun Che's face... until he broke into tears, roared, went mad, collapsed, lost control...
But as time passed, he grew increasingly disappointed.
Because in the face of the pools of blood spread across the surroundings by the dark blood, Yun Che's face remained ice-cold and indifferent throughout... eerily calm.
Only between his clenched fingers, drops of blood fell silently, one by one.
"Where is Tianxiao?" Yun Che asked softly. He did not look at Long Bai, as if he had not heard his words at all.
What answered him was the sound of the Yan Mo and Yan Gui gritting their teeth so hard they might crack. After a long while, Yan Wu's murmured voice finally came: "Father King was tired... he went to rest."
A cold wind blew. Chi Wuyue and Mu Xuanyin landed beside Yun Che.
Seeing Yun Che emerge from the Zhou Tian Divine Realm earlier than expected, like a luxury come true, Chi Wuyue's first reaction was a shock as if waking from a dream... But immediately, her heart and soul darkened.
Because Yun Che's profound force aura was still at the Divine Sovereign Realm, Level Ten.
She had always thought that during the three years in the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, Yun Che would surely break through to the Divine Lord Realm. And his Divine Lord power might be enough to surpass the boundaries of this world, enough to strangle all powerful enemies and save any hopeless crisis.
But in those three years in the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, he had made no breakthrough at all!?
"Yun Che," Chi Wuyue sent a low voice transmission: "Prepare to leave here."
Mu Xuanyin had already suddenly reached out and grabbed Yun Che's arm.
Yun Che did not respond. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and pushed Mu Xuanyin's arm away, his face expressionless.
"Now is not the time for your willfulness!" Mu Xuanyin said in a cold voice.
Chi Wuyue spoke softly: "Long Bai returned to the Dragon God Realm early, used his extremely domineering imperial authority to mobilize all the Divine Lords of the Western Domain King Realms, and awakened five Withered Dragon Venerables who had been in seclusion. And that Cosmic Dragon City allowed them to descend from the Dragon God Realm to this place in only two hours."
Yun Che: "..."
"I learned of this in advance through Zhou Xuzi. They all had the chance to flee, but not a single person chose to leave. They were determined to guard with their lives until you safely left the Zhou Tian Divine Realm... which is this very moment!"
Yun Che: "............"
"If you live, the Northern Domain still has infinite hope. If you die... then they will all have died in vain!!"
Chi Wuyue's voice grew harsh, and her hand also grabbed Yun Che's ice-cold wrist... But he still slowly and resolutely pushed it away.
Qianye Wugu brought Qianye Ying'er down from the air. His aura had become especially unsteady, his face as pale as paper, yet he still stood proudly like a pine, his aged face calm as still water.
Under Qianye Wugu's vitality, Qianye Ying'er had finally recovered a bit of strength. She struggled to stand up, but did not rush to Yun Che. Instead, she clenched her teeth tightly, the fiercest light in her eyes, the most ruthless words on her lips: "Go... go now!"
"Demon Lord... go quickly!" Fen Daoqi said through gritted teeth.
"Demon Lord... go..." Yan Wu struggled up from the ground: "Don't let... my father king and the others... die in vain..."
"Demon Lord..."
"Demon Lord... go!"
...
The fervent calls from before had turned into panicked urgings now. In the midst of the hurried shouts, one after another they abandoned this brief respite, struggled to their feet, and began to desperately squeeze and drive the remaining power in their bodies.
They had personally experienced the terror of the Western Divine Domain. And the returning Demon Lord's profound force aura was still at the Divine Sovereign Realm... He had finally returned safely under their steadfast defense, but he had not brought the light of hope they had expected.
Then, the only thing they could do was to use their remaining lives and power to protect his safe departure.
"Leave? Hah, do you think you can?" the White Rainbow Dragon God said mockingly: "Having reached this point, you're still having such naive, foolish daydreams?"
They had stopped fighting under the Dragon Emperor's command, but a vast, overwhelming presence firmly encircled the entire Canglan Divine Domain. As long as they wished, no one would leave this territory alive.
Yun Che still had no reaction. His eyes were sinking, very slightly, little by little. His expression was terrifyingly calm.
"Demon... Lord..."
A voice, far weaker than the buzz of a mosquito, drifted in with the wind. If Yun Che's spiritual sense were not sharp enough, he would never have been able to hear it.
Yun Che finally moved. He took a step and arrived before Tian Guhu.
He bent down, stretched out his arm, and placed his five fingers on Tian Guhu's chest. A wisp of pure white light slowly enveloped his entire body.
Seeing the Light Divine Power in Yun Che's hand, Long Bai nearly snapped his own fingers. His features twisted in gloom. It was a long while before they slowly smoothed out.
His lost arms, his broken body, his blurred face... even Yun Che's gaze could not bear to linger. The white light in his hand could not save him; it could only ease his pain.
And the fact that Tian Guhu had held on to his last breath until now was, even for Yun Che, a miracle that moved him deeply.
"Guhu, what do you want to say? I'm listening," Yun Che asked softly.
Tian Guhu's lips opened and closed slowly and with difficulty. After a long time, he finally produced a voice as weak as thin mist: "We... people of the Northern Domain... were born in darkness... bear darkness..."
"But we... are not born sinners... we only want... to be able... to live freely... under the light of day..."
The world became extremely quiet. Though his voice was faint to the extreme, it reached the hearts of everyone. Even among the Western Domain Divine Lords, many had complex, strange glimmers flickering in their eyes.
"Demon Lord... I beg you... escape from here... I beg you... for the sake of the Northern Divine Domain... live..."
Tears rolled down Tian Guhu's bloodied, mangled face: "This must be... the most selfish and unreasonable request in the world... but only the Demon Lord... only the Demon Lord can..."
Tian Guhu's words, full of despair and pleading, violently shook the deepest soul strings of all the Northern Domain Xuan practitioners.
A million years of sunless days, a million years of bearing the weight of guilt, a million years of cruel fate... Each generation of King Realm Divine Emperors had completely given up the struggle. The suddenly risen Demon Empress had also lain dormant for a full ten thousand years after one probing attempt, unable to act rashly.
Only the Demon Lord Yun Che had brought an opportunity, and had led them over these past few months to truly touch and possess hope.
As long as the Demon Lord existed, hope would endure forever. If the Demon Lord fell, the Northern Divine Domain, with its core annihilated, would never see the light again.
So, with his last breath, his last tear, Tian Guhu made this "most selfish and unreasonable" plea to Yun Che.
"Say no more." Yun Che turned his palm, and even denser Light Divine Power slowly descended... In his spiritual sense, among this calamity-stricken heaven and earth, there was no longer any trace of the Huangtian lineage. From the Huangtian Divine Sovereign down to the Huangtian Realm King Tian Muyi, all had perished.
"Tian Guhu, listen to me." Yun Che looked straight ahead, his expression indifferent: "I swear by the name of Yun Che, by the name of the Northern Domain Demon Lord, to you..."
"After today, all the people of the Northern Domain will stand tall under the light of day. No one will dare to look down upon or unjustly bully the people of the Northern Domain ever again. And no one will dare to force guilt and condemnation upon Dark Profound Force and Dark Xuan practitioners ever again."
"You and your clansmen will not die in vain. Every drop of your blood will not be shed in vain. The later generations of the Northern Domain will forever remember whose blood bought their new life. As long as I live for one day, the Huangtian lineage shall have eternal glory!"
His words were light, without joy, without sorrow, without grief, without anger. Yet each word was clearly heard by everyone, entering their ears, their hearts.
The expressions of the Northern Domain Xuan practitioners all froze. Their vision blurred silently. This was not Yun Che's promise to Tian Guhu alone, but an oath to all of them... Even if what the oath described was more like a fragile dream that would shatter at a touch, they desperately believed in it and imagined it—if only for a few brief moments.
Qianye Ying'er, Chi Wuyue, and Mu Xuanyin stood there stunned, watching Yun Che... This was a version of him they had never seen before.
The corners of Tian Guhu's mouth trembled violently. Tears gushed forth like a spring.
"Thank... you... Demon... Lord..."
Using all his remaining strength... using the loudest voice he could muster, he shouted these three words. His eyes, which had refused to close until now, slowly drooped.
Qing'er... I'm coming... to be with you...
"..." The white light on Yun Che's hand vanished.
His hand gently left Tian Guhu's body. On his fingertips was a smear of bloodstain, carrying a trace of residual warmth.
Tian Guhu. The Yan Mo power on him had been forcibly integrated by Yun Che using Dark Eternal Calamity. The price was a sharp decrease in his lifespan.
He was a tool of revenge created by Yun Che through ruthless and malicious means. At that time, Yun Che had no hesitation or reluctance.
From the very first day he set foot in the Northern Divine Domain, he had resolved to use the power of the Northern Divine Domain to avenge himself.
On the day of his coronation as Northern Domain Emperor, those Northern Domain Xuan practitioners who knelt at his feet and shouted "Demon Lord" were all successfully "tamed" revenge tools in his eyes.
During the Eastern Domain war, countless Northern Domain Xuan practitioners had died. Yet it did not cause even the slightest ripple or pain in his heart—because that was the proper function, the proper fate of tools.
Before learning that Lan Ji Star still existed, he had long decided to use the corpses of these tools to pile up the final act of his revenge war.
...............
But now...
Why was his heart in such agony.
Why was his anger... so close to losing control.
...............
"No Realm King or Divine Emperor has ever received such reverence and worship... Brother Yun Che, I am increasingly convinced that in their will, it is not just to fight for the Northern Divine Domain. Perhaps they would be equally willing, without regret, even unafraid of death, to fight for you."
...............
Before going to the Seven Star Realm, the words Shui Meiyin had spoken echoed once more in his heart.
At that time, he had immediately refuted them, unwilling to admit it.
"Not a bad little dream you just had." Looking at Yun Che, Long Bai spoke calmly. In his draconic eyes, there was no other existence besides the figure of Yun Che. "Yun Che, Northern Domain Demon Lord... long time no see."
"Ha... haha... hahahaha..."
Yun Che finally had a change in expression. It was not anger, not fear, but laughter—a low, inexplicably hair-raising laugh.
"Long Bai," the words spilled from his lips, his tone slow and deep: "Very good. You are truly very good."
"During those three years in the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, I cultivated my soul in stillness, little by little brushing away the demonic aura in my soul, making myself from a person who was seventy percent evil ghost and thirty percent human, back to thirty percent evil ghost and seventy percent human."
"And you have successfully, in the very first moment of my return," Yun Che slowly raised his hand, his drooping fingertips condensing a faint, barely visible black light, "released all the evil ghosts I had so hard suppressed in my heart."
"Tell me... how should... I... re~pay~you!"