Chapter 1867: Dark Dust
The vast dust settled silently over the Canglan God Domain.
Those Northern Domain profound practitioners who had been trying their utmost to keep their demon blood boiling in preparation for suppressing the Western Divine Region gradually dispersed their fighting spirit and hostility. Clearly, Chi Wuyue's decisions were all about avoiding battle. She no longer wanted to see any more damage to these core forces of the Northern Divine Region.
But while avoiding battle, the dark hand pressing down on the entire divine realm did not relax but instead grew heavier.
Controlling people and killing people — clearly, she was more skilled at the former.
For those Western Region and Southern Region king realms that had surrendered voluntarily or under duress, she squeezed every ounce of value from each person in different ways, while keeping them firmly in her palm.
Around the Canglan God Domain, Canglan profound ships that had returned after the battle were docked one after another, including the Canghai Angry Shark, which had carried the Canglan direct bloodline and retreated first, now also returned.
Cang Shuhe, whom Chi Wuyue had mentioned, was among them. But she never appeared, and Yun Che had no interest in her, so he did not ask Cang Shitian to call her out for even a glance.
One after another, dark profound boats also landed at the center of the god domain. A group of dark profound practitioners, covered in blood and wounds, along with their world-remembered achievements and the bones of their clansmen, were about to temporarily return to the Northern Domain.
But it wouldn't be long before they returned with even more clansmen. After all, how could they miss Yun Che's coronation ceremony?
"The Western Region's Azure Dragon, the Southern Region's Shuhe — someone with no emotional foundation, never even met, can be forcefully taken as a consort with a single word. This is what it means to be an emperor."
Chi Wuyue stood shoulder to shoulder with Yun Che, speaking slowly: "Be it living or dead, as long as there is sufficient reason or value, one can take it by force, and no one can defy it."
Yun Che said without expression: "All I want is such an identity. As for what comes after..."
"Major matters for you, minor matters for me, how about that?" Chi Wuyue smiled bewitchingly... In truth, with Long Bai dead and consorts from all four domains, what major matters in this world still required Yun Che's personal intervention?
"...I've made you toil and suffer." Yun Che said with considerable guilt. And under heaven, besides Chi Wuyue, there was no second person he could entrust so confidently.
Chi Wuyue's charming eyes curved, her cherry-blossom-like lips pursed into an extremely captivating arc. "These words from the Demon Lord flatter me. A successful emperor is best at the art of controlling people. And am I not one of those the Demon Lord controls?"
Yun Che stared into Chi Wuyue's eyes, his vision blurring in a daze. Almost unconsciously, he reached out to touch her cheek.
At that moment, Hua Jin's voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "Master, Cang Shitian requests an audience."
Yun Che's hand froze in midair, then he quickly clasped his hands behind his back as he turned around. "I'll go out and see."
Walking down from the Qiankun Dragon City, he paced among the dark profound practitioners. Every dark profound practitioner knelt in long ceremony from afar. In the future, when he officially became the divine emperor of the divine realm, he could not predict how the profound practitioners of all domains would see him in their hearts, but at least in the Northern Divine Region, they would give him loyalty beyond belief... and perhaps that would last for thousands of generations.
"Dao Qi," he called.
Fen Daoqi's figure quickly approached, bowing: "What are the Demon Lord's orders?"
Yun Che raised his hand, revealing a magatama shimmering with dark black light. It floated before Fen Daoqi, causing his pupils to tremble.
"This Fen Yue Demon Qiong Jade is due to be returned to Fen Yue." Yun Che said with a focused gaze. "Fen Yue's core has withered to this point. The burden of revitalization will fall on your shoulders."
Fen Daoqi reached out, extremely excited and even more careful as he held up this core inheritance of Fen Yue. He stood stunned for a long time, then knelt heavily, speaking with a trembling voice: "Before Dao Qi closes his eyes in death, I will definitely let the Demon Lord see a complete Fen Yue once more."
"A perfect inheritor of Fen Yue's divine power is hard to find and cannot be forced. The current Fen Yue cannot afford such a long and uncertain wait. Find those with sufficiently pure Fen Yue bloodline and exceptional talent, and I will personally make their bodies achieve compatibility with Fen Yue's divine power."
"As for the rest, it will all depend on your efforts... and Fen Yue's own fortune."
Fen Daoqi's excitement multiplied, and he kowtowed heavily: "Fen Yue... thanks the Demon Lord for his grace! Thanks the Demon Lord for his grace!"
"Go."
Fen Daoqi retreated, tears streaming down his aged face.
"Yan Wu," Yun Che called again.
After Yun Che applied his Light Profound Force, in just a few days, Yan Wu's external injuries had left no trace, and her internal injuries were sixty percent healed. With Yan Tianxiao's passing, she seemed to have grown up a lot all at once.
"Demon Lord," she stood before Yun Che, her head bowed respectfully.
Yun Che slowly extended his hand toward Yan Wu. In his palm was a piece of black broken jade only half the size of a pinky nail.
A brief moment of confusion, then Yan Wu suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, and her eyes, which had already gathered all sorrow and were deeply firm and resolute, almost instantly filled with tears.
"I searched for several days and only found this," Yun Che said slowly. "It still carries a trace of his aura. I intended to keep it by my side as a remembrance, but... it should belong to you."
This tiny piece of broken jade came from the black jade buckle on Yan Tianxiao's waist.
Yan Tianxiao had burned his body and soul, turning into scattered gray-black dust at death, and then even the dust was dispersed by the furious White Rainbow Dragon God, leaving not a drop of blood or a piece of bone.
And this broken jade was his final remnant.
Yan Wu reached out, held it in her hands, pressed it to her heart, and remained silent for a long time.
These days, she had searched frantically on the battlefield but couldn't even find a scrap of cloth... And this broken jade, which had accompanied her father for many years in life and still carried his aura, gave her an extremely important anchor and comfort.
"The current Yanmo Realm is undoubtedly at its most withered time in history. Such a heavy burden falling on you, a woman, is indeed too cruel. But besides you..."
"Demon Lord, rest assured." Yan Wu raised her head, all tears gone from her eyes. "I will not let anyone look down on the daughter of Yan Tianxiao."
"...Mm." Yun Che nodded gently, reached out and pressed his hand on Yan Wu's shoulder. What he felt was a delicate fragility that inspired pity.
After Yan Wu came Huo Tianxing.
"Huo Huang Realm King, after you return, personally deliver the bodies of Tian Muyi and his son to the Huang Tian Realm. And among the younger generation of the Huang Tian bloodline, select at least thirty with outstanding aptitude. I will personally nurture them."
...
Inside the Qiankun Dragon City hall, as soon as Cang Shitian saw Chi Wuyue, he knelt directly on the ground and said straightforwardly: "Demon Empress, I beg... spare Shuhe."
"Oh? Spare?" Chi Wuyue said with a faint smile. "What do you mean by that?"
Cang Shitian remained kneeling with his head bowed, saying: "Shuhe's life has been filled with sorrow. Back then, the main reason I gritted my teeth and seized the imperial throne was to protect her safety. With her extremely frail body, even surviving to this day has been due to several miracles. She simply cannot bear any heavy pressure, let alone the position of divine emperor and the title of imperial consort."
"I beg the Demon Empress to choose someone else. As long as it is not Shuhe, Cang Shitian will cooperate with anyone from Canglan, and will be loyal to the Demon Lord and Demon Empress for eternity."
Chi Wuyue's demonic eyes half-closed, a faint dark light shimmering. She suddenly let out a low laugh: "Heh, how strange. With your intelligence, Cang Shitian, the more you care, the more you should pretend not to care. By acting like this, aren't you laying your weakness bare before me?"
Cang Shitian slowly raised his head and said: "Playing clever before the Demon Empress would be true stupidity."
"Then guess, will I change my mind?" Before Cang Shitian could speak, Chi Wuyue said calmly: "You don't need to answer. You know that once I have decided, I will not change. What you want is not for me to change my mind, but for a promise."
"Yes." Cang Shitian did not deny it. Indeed, before Chi Wuyue, any attempt to conceal his intentions would be foolish. "This promise, I dare not beg from the Demon Lord. I can only implore the Demon Empress to grant it! From now on, I will serve loyally under the Demon Lord and Demon Empress, with no second thoughts until death."
"Hmph, loyalty is never spoken with words."
Chi Wuyue's figure flickered slightly, and she passed by Cang Shitian, walking slowly toward the outside of the great hall. Her faint demonic voice reached Cang Shitian's ears from behind: "If not for Cang Shuhe's existence, how could I have safely entrusted you with important tasks?"
"But conversely, to make you work wholeheartedly and serve loyally, Cang Shuhe will naturally live well. The Demon Lord's Light Profound Force will grant her new life, free her from the ailments that have plagued her all her life, and allow her to perfectly bear the Canglan divine power."
"The Demon Lord has never stooped to bullying women. You need not worry about her being harmed. As for what status she can attain by the Demon Lord's side, that will depend on her own abilities. Even if she has no desires, just standing under the light of heaven with a proud posture is far better than before."
Cang Shitian turned around while still kneeling. In his line of sight, Chi Wuyue's figure was already gone.
But he still kowtowed heavily, his voice trembling as he spoke: "Thank you, Demon Empress, for your blessing."
Demon might, weaknesses, restraints, heavy grace... Cang Shitian knew that he, the former Shitian God Emperor, could no longer escape Chi Wuyue's demonic palm. For the rest of his life, he could only dedicate himself to cleaning up all the impurities that should not exist for Yun Che.
————
Several days later, all the dark profound ships took off, carrying a group of Northern Domain profound practitioners back to the Northern Divine Region.
Of this dark army that had followed Yun Che out of the Northern Divine Region, only the Three Yan Ancestors, Chi Wuyue, and the Nine Demonesses remained by his side.
"Where are you going next?" Mu Xuanyin asked.
"Of course, the Dragon God Realm." Chi Wuyue smiled. "As the number one king realm that has dominated the divine realm for a million years, how could we not loot it thoroughly?"
"Qilin Emperor, I'll leave the role of the bad guy to you this time. With such a lucrative task, even secretly pocketing ten or twenty percent would be a huge fortune. I trust the Qilin Emperor won't refuse?"
The Qilin Emperor quickly said: "I dare not, I dare not. Every blade of grass and every tree in the Dragon God Realm should belong to the Demon Lord's grasp. How would I dare to touch even a bit?"
"Xuanyin, come with me. It won't take long, and then I'll accompany you back to the Yin Xue Realm." Yun Che's body unconsciously leaned toward Mu Xuanyin... but was instantly pulled back by Qianye Ying'er.
"No," Mu Xuanyin shook her head. "Bing Yun has been heartbroken for years, and I still haven't been able to show myself to her. Now that the dust has temporarily settled, I must return immediately to set her mind at ease."
"Then... Cai Zhi, you..."
"I want to return to the Star God Realm," Cai Zhi said softly. The jade box in her hand contained the residual blood and radiance of the six Star Gods. "As for the Primordial Dragon Clan over there, I should also let them go back."
"Meiyin, you..."
"Father has been transmitting voice messages dozens of times these past few days. I want to take Sister back to the Liuguang Realm first, or else Father will be worried to death." Shui Meiyin quietly stuck out her tongue.
Yun Che: (?_?)
In times of danger, whether openly or covertly, they had been unwilling to leave Yun Che's side even half a step. Now, there was no longer any power in the world that could threaten Yun Che, and they could finally lay down all the burdens in their hearts.
"God Emperor," Qianye Bingzhu said, "Your vital energy is severely damaged, and you urgently need rest. We will escort you back to the Fan Di God Realm immediately."
"No," Qianye Ying'er said coldly. "I will accompany the Demon Lord to the Dragon God Realm. By the Demon Lord's side, I will recover faster. You need not interfere."
"Yes." Qianye Bingzhu had no choice but to obey.
"Bury Uncle Gu's remains in the Fan God Mausoleum. And..." Qianye Ying'er's voice suddenly lowered as she glanced faintly at Qianye Wugu in the distance. "Take care of that old man."
"God Emperor, rest assured." A very faint smile appeared on Qianye Bingzhu's face.
Before long, one after another, auras dispersed in different directions.
The dust of the myriad realms no longer drifted chaotically but settled silently. Only these dust had been faintly tinged with a deep darkness.
No one dared to predict the future of the divine realm.