Chapter 1942: Divine Ashes Reappear
Western Divine Region, Qilin Realm.
"The dual inheritances of the ancient Creation God and Demon Emperor, the dragon body and dragon soul that suppress all dragons..." Mo Beichen lowered his eyes, looking down at the prostrate Qilin Emperor: "Though I have only recently arrived in this world, I know quite a lot of its recorded history. This is fundamentally..."
His voice suddenly turned harsh: "An impossibility!"
"How would I dare deceive the Venerable!" Qi Tianli said with utmost trepidation: "This matter is known to all living beings across the four divine regions of the Divine Realm. The Venerable need only make a brief inquiry to learn its truth."
"Throughout the million-year history of the four divine regions, the Dragon God Clan has always been supreme. The Cloud Emperor, born in a lower realm, crushed the Dragon God Clan in just half a jiazi, seized control of all four regions within his grasp, and none dared to defy him. Moreover, with merely Divine Sovereign Realm cultivation, he is invincible in this era, looking down upon the ages."
"Such unprecedented excellence... is precisely the freak that could only be spawned by the dual inheritances of the Creation God and Demon Emperor."
"..." Mo Beichen still kept his brows lowered, watching him, remaining silent for a long time.
After a suffocating stillness, he suddenly let out a cold laugh: "If it's true, then this is truly most interesting."
Qi Tianli quickly added: "I am willing to stake my life that there is not a single false word."
Mo Beichen raised his head, looking into the sky, and murmured slowly: "The Abyss Emperor spent his life pursuing the path of the Creation God... the remnants of the Element Creation God and Calamity Demon Emperor, hehehe... that would surely be an offering enough to delight even the Abyss Emperor!"
Mo Beichen was clearly speaking to himself in agitation, but the words "pursuing the path of the Creation God" struck the ears of the assembled Qilin like heaven-shattering thunder.
The Qilin Emperor lowered his head even further, his forehead now touching the cold ground.
The level of the Abyss—how utterly despairing. Absolute submission was undoubtedly the most wise... no, the only choice.
Turning his gaze back, he said in a deep voice: "Where is this Yun Che now?"
Qi Tianli replied: "In reply to the Venerable, although the Cloud Emperor... Yun Che is the emperor of this age, the actual controller is the Demon Empress. Yun Che himself is not often in the Imperial Cloud City, and his whereabouts are never fixed, making him impossible to track. However, this Yun Che places great importance on loyalty and affection. If we take his close ones hostage, forcing him out would be as easy as..."
"Hostage? Coercion?" Mo Beichen's gaze sharpened, like two icy spikes piercing straight through Qi Tianli's head: "Are you insulting me?"
Qi Tianli's whole body stiffened, and his head heavily struck the ground: "I dare not! I am foolish and misspoke, offending the Venerable... With the Venerable's divine might, capturing a Yun Che is no more than a flick of the fingers. How would you stoop to such petty tricks? Venerable, forgive me... forgive me."
"Qilin, remember this." Mo Beichen's words were heavy with authority: "The Abyss Knights serve the Abyss Emperor and the Divine Officials—this is the supreme honor of this world! To be honored as an Abyss Knight, one must not only bear the power of a demigod but also uphold a noble soul for life! One's will and faith must never be shaken or defiled by anyone, including ourselves!"
"One who resorts to such base means is unworthy to serve at the Abyss Emperor's side!"
"I know my crime..."
"Enough talk." Mo Beichen said: "I wouldn't stoop to arguing with a coarse and ignorant thing like you. Say what you need to say."
"Yes, yes." The Qilin Emperor breathed a secret sigh of relief and continued: "If the Venerable wishes to control the four divine regions in the shortest possible time, there are certain individuals who can be put to great use."
"First and foremost is Cang Shitian. This man was originally the Canglan Divine Emperor, now the Chief Arbiter of the Arbiters, and is the first loyal dog under Yun Che and the Demon Empress."
"Although Cang Shitian was once a Divine Emperor, he never possessed the dignity of one. He is headstrong, arrogant, extremely self-serving, and shifts with the wind. When Yun Che's power grew great, he was the first to defect, and to show his loyalty, he did not hesitate to lose his dignity and humiliate himself."
"If the Venerable had not come, he would forever remain the first loyal dog of Yun Che and the Demon Empress. But since the Venerable has arrived, given his conduct and style, he will without hesitation stab his original master in the back, pledge allegiance at the Venerable's feet, and even stop at nothing to show his loyalty."
The Qilin Emperor quickly added: "Given the Venerable's character, you surely despise such people. But Cang Shitian, as the Chief Arbiter, leads Arbiters that cover all four regions. If the Venerable wishes to control the four divine regions in the shortest time, using this man is the best policy."
"Hmph!" Mo Beichen neither agreed nor disagreed: "Continue."
"The Xuanyuan Emperor and Ziwei Emperor of the Southern Divine Region, like myself, prefer to go with the flow... prefer to choose a good tree to perch on. They have no deep-seated loyalty to Yun Che..."
"The Chi Dragon and Hui Dragon clans had their lifelines cut by Yun Che. When I gathered them up, I could not bear it and preserved many. Though they submit, their hearts harbor deep resentment..."
"..."
"..."
"There is one more person: Huo Poyun, the Flame God Realm King of the Eastern Divine Region. This youth received a divine inheritance from heaven at a young age and is one of the very few in this age to receive a complete inheritance from ancient gods. His future is limitless. He bears an unshakeable deep grudge against Yun Che and can also be used..."
............
Yun Che's posture and words made the expressions of the six people ahead quite interesting.
The corners of Nan Zhaoming's mouth twitched incessantly. He felt as if he were watching an ant that could be crushed at will, yet before him, it arrogantly brandished its fragile limbs.
How ridiculous and pitiful, how base and foolish, how unsightly.
So absurd and farcical that his mouth twitched for a full three breaths before he finally let out a laugh.
"Heh, hehehehe." He laughed lightly, his eyelids half-lowered, then slowly began to clap, as if praising a monkey's overly brilliant comedic performance: "The emperor of this world—truly an eye-opener."
"HAHAHAHA!" Nan Zhaoguang behind him burst into loud laughter.
"A godless, insignificant world—truly pitiful enough to break one's heart." Nan Zhaoming half-turned, letting Yun Che's figure appear only in the corner of his eye, because the so-called emperor of this world was unworthy of his direct gaze: "Poor crawling insect, do you know who you are speaking to?"
CLANG!
In the profound dark demonic light, the Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor Sword appeared in Yun Che's hand, the tip pointing diagonally. The sword's might, accompanied by imperial might, silently enveloped this domain under his control.
No probing or questioning their origins and purpose—only a sudden, heavy release of oppressive authority.
"Laugh well." Yun Che narrowed his eyes, his voice indifferent and slow: "As the emperor of this world, I grant you three more breaths of peace to laugh. Otherwise, lest people fault me for lacking hospitality."
"But after three breaths..." Yun Che's tone did not change, but every word between his lips carried a soul-piercing chill: "You will never have the chance to laugh again. Every moment, every instant thereafter, even in the underworld or the endless hell, you will forever regret setting foot on the land under my rule!"
"..." Nan Zhaoming's gaze tilted a fraction more, no longer even bothering to laugh. He sighed with pity: "Human stupidity truly knows no bounds."
"Three." Yun Che kept his word, granting the grace of three breaths.
"With such a piece of trash as emperor, it seems this world, if not taken over by the Abyss, is likely not far from ruin." Nan Zhaoguang sneered.
"Two."
"Heh, you don't actually believe he is the emperor of this world, do you?" Nan Zhaoming raised his hand, glancing at Yun Che through the gap between two fingers: "I'm afraid he's just a madman."
"One."
Yun Che's gaze lifted slowly with his face, staring straight ahead. The brightness in his eyes faded, leaving only an endless, boundless black abyss.
"Fall back!"
Chi Wuyue flicked her long sleeves, demonic light swirling, pulling everyone back rapidly.
"Heh, trying to leave?" Nan Zhaoming's raised arm grabbed dismissively, but before the power could be unleashed, his pupils were sharply pricked by a point of golden light.
On Yun Che's chest, a golden orb emitted an extremely strange golden radiance. It was the divine source artifact of the already destroyed Nanming Divine Realm—the Nanming Divine Pearl.
Once, Yun Che had held numerous divine and demonic source artifacts in his hands. But as he came to dominate the heavens, he returned the Star God Wheel to Cai Zhi, the Burning Moon Demon Jade to Fen Daoqi, and the Yanmo Crossing Darkness Cauldron to Yan Wu.
Only this Nanming Divine Pearl remained in his hands.
Within the Nanming Divine Pearl, twenty-two streaks of various golden light flowed silently—that was a full twenty-two strands of divine source power unique to the Nanming lineage.
These divine source powers had, since ancient times, only ever been interfered with by the Nanming lineage. But under the Void Law, four strands of golden light broke out of the pearl without any hindrance, flew straight to Yun Che, and then settled on his body, releasing ten thousand times the divine radiance.
Yun Che's entire being was bathed in blinding gold, only his eyes remaining as black as a starry sky's black hole.
Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang's smiles suddenly froze. Their gazes seemed pulled by an invisible force to Yun Che's body, and in their hearts, a strong unease was born—something that should never have appeared in this world.
"What is... that?" Shui Meiyin whispered.
Chi Wuyue's body blazed with demonic light, shielding the front: "This is the power he used to kill Fen Daojun back then. The source powers of Tiankui, Tiandu, Tianyuan, and Tiangang also eternally vanished because of this."
Her voice lowered, and she sighed: "Even when facing Long Bai, he did not bring it out. I never thought this scene would reappear."
Her gaze sharpened, and her voice sank: "Yan Yi, Yan Er, Yan San, erect defenses!"
Above the Demon Empress's power, the Yanmo power of the three Yan Ancestors quickly stacked. At the same time, Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu also acted, two torrents of Fan Di divine power as vast as the sea overlapping to protect the front.
PUFF BOOM!
With an extremely muffled air explosion, Evil Soul—Heart Incineration—Purgatory—Heaven-Shattering—Yama King activated in an instant. Yun Che's robes billowed, his long hair danced, and the aura around him surged wildly at a magnitude that completely transcended the norms of the Xuan path.
The oncoming profound energy storm caused the six Abyss people to lean back, their expressions changing simultaneously. It was still the profound way aura of Divine Sovereign Realm level ten, yet in this brief instant, it erupted with a pressure nearly at Divine Master Realm level ten!?
"Mm!?"
This exclamation of surprise came from Nan Zhaoming's mouth.
Because the scene before him tore apart even his understanding... completely surpassing the Xuan path common sense of the Abyss level.
"Clearly some kind of self-enhancing forbidden art." Nan Zhaoguang was much calmer. He sneered dismissively: "Such an exaggerated enhancement must come at an extremely great cost. How pitiful and lamentable."
Even though the power of the person before him had increased beyond all reason, it still posed no threat to them. Instead, it made the other's arrogant posture even more laughable.
"A bunch of Abyss maggots..."
Yun Che spoke in a low voice. The air around him churned and rolled violently, the space trembled uneasily, and the four points of golden light on his body shone ever more frantically: "Since you refuse to lie low in the Abyss, then roll into hell and wail for eternity!"
The heavy imperial might turned into violent killing intent. Yun Che's face revealed a ferocity more terrifying than a fierce ghost. He raised his arm, let out a soul-splitting roar, and a thick bloody light exploded from his body.
Boom!
Sparkling with four frantically shining golden points, dazzling and tragic.
Countless bloody marks burst open on Yun Che's body in an instant, spreading all over, and his demonic eyes turned into a shattered bloody abyss.
The surrounding space shattered like fragile bubbles, the star domain trembled violently, and the rolling air suddenly turned into a storm that seemed to want to destroy the world, sweeping through the endless star domain with a terrifying roar.
CRACK!
All worlds turned dark, the sky trembled, and the suddenly falling thunder released the howl of the Heavenly Dao... yet it was so trembling and pitiful.
The three Yan Ancestors, Qianyes, Cai Zhi... before them, six layers of powerful defensive force overlapped, but at this moment, they were struck as if by a heavy hammer. In the air currents of extreme fury, they were quickly pushed far away, unable to resist.
"This this this... what is this!?" The three Yan Ancestors let out terrified screams. They had been closely following Yun Che for years, loyal and respectful, yet they never knew their master could erupt with such terrifying power.
Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu, figures long indifferent to life and death, were also shocked to the point their pupils nearly lost color at this moment.
In the Eastern Divine Region, countless living beings looked up at the sky in panic, their hearts trembling uncontrollably—because most of the Eastern Divine Region was shaking continuously. Some of the closer lower-level star realms even cracked open with countless fissures in an instant, and the roar of uncontrolled profound beasts filled the sky and earth.
"Ah... ah——"
"This... uh!"
The sneers, contempt, and pity on the faces of Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang vanished completely. Their features seemed pulled by several invisible hands, twisting into extreme shock, and then... fear that deepened faster and faster!
Because, that was power that made even their souls suddenly tremble.
"AAAAAHHHHH——"
In their ears, overlapping screams rang out. The four accompanying knights could no longer maintain their stances, staggering backward. The powerful bodies of attendant knights were continuously cut with streaks of dark bloody wounds by the excessively violent air currents.
Yun Che's world blurred in a sea of blood, as if he were placed in an endless hell. All over his body, it felt as if endless magma was roaring and boiling.
The four Nanming divine lights shone with desperate lament.
The Heaven's Calamity Demon Emperor Sword slowly lifted, the entangling dark power like countless ferocious howling dark lightning.
The sixth realm gate of the Evil God [Divine Ashes], for the second time, he resolutely opened it.
The last time, his cultivation was only at Divine Sovereign Realm level seven. His profound force, body, soul, and Void Law were all far weaker than now.
At the cost of eternally extinguishing four Star God source powers, it only barely supported him for less than three breaths of the Divine Ashes state.
But now was not then. The greatly reduced burden would allow the four Nanming divine source powers to support him for a longer time, enough... to crush these six heretics from the Abyss into eternal demonic ashes!