Chapter 2012: Soul-Shattering Chant
The situation was exactly as Yun Che had anticipated.
When the crowd's auras and gazes abruptly turned toward him, he showed not a trace of panic—instead, a faint sneer curled at the corners of his mouth: "What? After forcibly seizing Long Jiang's Lin Bone Spirit Orchid, you're going to silence me as well?"
"Haha, no, no, of course not." Helian Jue quickly let out a laugh. "Nephew Yun, the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid is of little use to outsiders, but to those of our Linyuan Realm, it is a divine treasure that concerns the future. Since it involves the very future of the entire Linyuan Realm, some things must be done out of necessity. I hope you will not mention this to anyone outside."
To the three sects of Bailin, Panxuan, and Wanren, Yun Che was not only an outsider but also an enemy to some extent.
But to Helian? That was an entirely different matter.
After witnessing Yun Che's incomprehensible and unreasonable strength, and becoming convinced that everything he did was for Helian Lingzhu, Yun Che had become a thigh that Helian must cling to at all costs.
Even while in the Lin Divine Realm, his mind was filled with thoughts of how to rely on Yun Che to elevate the Helian bloodline to soar to the heavens.
This was also the reason Yun Che was not flustered at all. Because at this point in the situation, harsh words had been spoken, and the four major powers had no way back. At this moment, the most dreaded thing was the disintegration of their "alliance." So as long as Helian was unwilling, the other three powers could not act.
Yun Che said unhurriedly, "I have no interest whatsoever in what the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid is. But the weak bearing treasure is a crime; the strong preying on the weak is merely the most basic law of this world. In my eyes, it's not even worth mentioning."
"However… out of respect for you as Lingzhu's father, I will add one more thing: I don't care who lives or dies among you; it has nothing to do with me. But I certainly will not do anything that harms Lingzhu. Even if it had nothing to do with Lingzhu, I wouldn't stoop to gossiping behind people's backs."
With that, he let out a light snort. "Besides, standing by and watching coldly probably counts as complicity, right? So, Your Majesty, you can rest assured now?"
Though he said "Your Majesty," he was obviously speaking to the two sects and the alliance. Hearing Yun Che utter "Lingzhu" so familiarly, Helian Jue let out a light laugh, and this time his smile was exceptionally relaxed, his features spreading with joy: "I have long known about the matter between you and my daughter Lingzhu. I have long regarded you as half a member of the Helian clan. How could I not trust you?"
He turned his gaze sharply and said to Long Jiang in a stern voice, "Long Jiang! Hand over the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid at once! I already gave you a chance earlier. Now, you have only two choices."
"Hand it over obediently, and I'll grant you a whole corpse. If we have to take it by force, your death won't be so pretty!"
From "outsider" to "one of us," from "variable" to "accomplice," combined with "I wouldn't stoop to that" being far more reassuring than a guarantee born of fear... With this barrage of words, following Helian Jue's roar, the crowd's attention shifted away from Yun Che and once again focused entirely on Long Jiang.
"Brother Mo, urgency demands drastic measures. We'll use the eldest princess to deflect things for now, and I'll make amends later." Yun Che sent a sound transmission to Mo Cangying. Mo Cangying's expression did not sour; instead, it showed admiration: "I understand. As expected of Brother Yun, in an instant you managed to pacify the two sects and the alliance. But I am certain that someone as deeply attached to loyalty as you truly would not do anything harmful to Junior Sister Lingzhu, although this move..."
Yun Che shook his head slightly. "Though despicable, this is the reality beneath the surface of human nature. Brother Mo, you are a man of strong principles. Let Long Jiang's plight serve as a warning to you."
Mo Cangying remained silent for a long time.
"What a bunch... of despicable, petty people!"
Dragon soul force gathered in Long Jiang's hand. Facing the suppression of eleven half-step Divine Destruction powers, her aura had long lost its initial calm and coldness.
"You want to kill me? Do you think you're worthy!?"
A low-spoken sentence carried a dragon soul pressure as heavy as ten thousand mountains, causing these overlords of the Linyuan Realm to sink heavily in their hearts.
Wan Wei sneered: "It is said that the pride of the Dragon Clan would make them die before bowing to any living being. In my view, this so-called pride is nothing but stupidity."
"Since you know that, there's no need for more nonsense!" Ximen Borong's eyes flashed with killing intent: "Kill!"
The moment the word "kill" left his mouth, Ximen Borong struck without warning.
Although Ximen Borong usually appeared calm and gentle, for someone to cause the Bailin Alliance to rise so rapidly and be on the verge of realizing the ambition of "founding a new dynasty" was no simple person.
The decisiveness and ruthlessness in his bones definitely surpassed anyone in the Linyuan Realm.
The instant he attacked, a terrifying aura erupted around him like ten thousand mountains collapsing, forcefully knocking the chief hall master beside him away. An arm blazing with rock profound light shot straight toward Long Jiang's heart.
Long Jiang raised her arm, and a pale dragon claw phantom appeared, directly meeting Ximen Borong's rock force.
An eighth-rank Divine Lord facing a full-force strike from a half-step Divine Destruction—yet she neither dodged nor retreated, but met it head-on. It was practically suicide.
Ximen Borong's gaze sharpened, and the rock force on his arm grew even heavier by a trace, intent on punching straight through her body.
But as he closed in, Ximen Borong's expression suddenly changed.
The pale dragon claw so close to him had suddenly released a massive surge of dragon might.
That was no longer the aura of an eighth-rank Divine Lord, but...
With a heavy crash, rock sand filled the sky, and an empty dragon roar echoed. Long Jiang's upper body leaned back, and she flew a short distance backward.
But Ximen Borong was flipped through the air, tumbling a dozen somersaults before barely stopping. When he steadied himself, the rock light on his arm had completely scattered, and from arm bone to fingertips, excruciating pain lingered, trembling for a long time.
"Half... half-step Divine Destruction!" Amidst the sandstorm, startled cries arose.
Yun Che was not surprised at all... So she had indeed used a concealing profound artifact to forcibly suppress her profound force aura.
That is to say, this was a dragon who was only one and a half jiazi old yet had already reached the half-step Divine Destruction realm!?
Yun Che could not yet fully understand what this meant among the Abyss Dragon Clan. But based on his knowledge inherited from the God Realm, this dragon girl's talent was horrifying to the point of making one shiver.
Shui Meiyin, Huo Poyun, Jun Xilei... they were undoubtedly the most gifted individuals of their generation in the God Realm. After experiencing the three thousand years at the Zhou Tian Realm, they were only at the late stage of Divine Lord realm.
And in the moment when everyone was briefly stunned, a violent storm burst from Long Jiang's body, shooting straight toward the southwest.
At the same half-step Divine Destruction level, a dragon could easily defeat a human. But Long Jiang was not naive enough to believe she could contend with eleven half-step Divine Destruction cultivators... not to mention Ku Xian at the Divine Lord peak.
Fleeing with all her might to the exit of the Lin Divine Realm was her only chance, her only choice!
But before she could flee even a thousand zhang, her body suddenly plunged downward, her speed halved many times over. The suppression of eleven half-step Divine Destruction auras—even with her dragon body, she could not easily shake it off.
Meanwhile, three Panxuan Sect elders pounced together, their forces overlapping, directly enveloping Long Jiang.
Long Jiang turned back, and behind her, a ten-thousand-zhang dragon shadow suddenly appeared. Its sky-spanning dragon head, bearing the fury of heaven's destruction, released a world-shaking dragon roar.
"ROAR——————"
In an instant, everyone's movements halted, their pupils lost color, and a fear that pierced straight to the marrow erupted in their souls. The three Panxuan elders closest to Long Jiang fell straight down from the air.
"Ahhh!" Mo Cangying was thrown from the air to the ground, clutching his chest, his whole body trembling incessantly. He truly felt as if his soul and internal organs had been shattered into dust in an instant.
"...?" Yun Che suddenly froze.
This was the unique Dragon God Roar of the Dragon God bloodline, enough to instantly stun and shrink the souls of all living beings. The stronger and purer the Dragon God soul, the greater its power.
But... why?
Far to the west, the four major powers waiting in confusion were all shaken by this dragon roar that seemed to come from beyond the heavens, their faces losing color.
"What... what is happening?" Their faces were full of terror, their hearts and souls trembling uncontrollably. But under the strict orders of their sect masters, no one dared approach to confirm.
The suppression of the Dragon God soul was certainly powerful and matchless, but it was obviously still not enough to buy Long Jiang enough time to escape.
When she fled several dozen li, the terrible pressure once again descended from above, overlapping down. More and more frenzied forces, accompanied by roars, closed in from behind.
And on her left and right, the quicksand below was swiftly sliced and plowed, surging at terrifying speed to her front. Then the quicksand exploded, and two figures, carrying sandstorms, attacked head-on from her front.
The sand concealment technique of the Wanren Sect!
Boom!
In a direct confrontation, she could completely defeat anyone one-on-one, but there was no way she could withstand the combined force of two.
Under the enormous force of the two Wanren elders, Long Jiang was heavily knocked back, flying several li in an instant. Behind her, Helian Jue and Wan Wei had been lying in wait, and they simultaneously struck at her back.
Before Long Jiang could stabilize, she could only summon a dragon shadow to protect her back.
Boom!!
A dragon's bones are extremely tough. The combined force of a nation's ruler and a sect's master was still not enough to produce the sound of breaking bones.
Long Jiang's body flew through the air, twisting sharply. A pale dragon claw rapidly enlarged as her arm swung, reaching a thousand zhang in an instant, and slammed down from the sky.
The dragon claw struck the ground, forcing Helian Jue, Wan Wei, and the two Wanren elders deep into the quicksand.
But the moment she attacked, Ximen Borong and Zhai Kexie had also rushed in. Their bodies, condensed with rock profound force, struck like meteors falling from the sky, heavily crashing into Long Jiang.
Boom! Boom!
Long Jiang was flung several li in an instant. On her gray-white hood, bloody traces spread rapidly.
Mo Cangying finally came to his senses. Forcing down the lingering dread that hadn't dissipated, he stood up and looked up to see Yun Che hovering in place, staring fixedly in one direction, his eyes obviously dazed.
He quickly flew up beside Yun Che: "Brother Yun, are you alright?"
"..." Yun Che showed no reaction at all.
"Brother Yun?" Mo Cangying reached out and waved a hand in front of his eyes.
"..." Yun Che turned his gaze back and forced a smile: "I'm fine. Probably just a bit shaken by that dragon roar."
What's going on?
Why is there a... strange familiarity?
This dragon soul aura... where have I sensed it before?
No! I'm new to the Abyss. I don't know anyone here. And Long Jiang is the first dragon I've met...
This familiarity... Could it be because we both have the Dragon God bloodline and Dragon God soul?
But I never felt this way when facing the Dragon God clan in the Western Divine Region.
"That dragon roar was indeed terrifying." Mo Cangying agreed deeply: "I didn't expect a chi dragon's soul to have such terrible suppressing power. It almost makes me think..."
His expression suddenly changed, and he sharply turned his gaze toward Long Jiang: "Could it be that she isn't a chi dragon, but... but..."
BOOM!!!
A thunderous crash nearly shattered eardrums from the distant sky.
A full seven half-step Divine Destruction forces struck simultaneously against the already clearly weakened dragon shadow before Long Jiang.
After the earth-shaking rock explosion came a sorrowful dragon roar.
The pale dragon shadow completely shattered, also breaking Long Jiang's final protective dragon force.
A burst of blood mist, unstoppable even by the thick hood, sprayed out violently. Long Jiang's body flew sideways like a withered leaf in a sandstorm, rolling onto the quicksand that had stopped sinking.
If she had faced only one opponent, she could have easily won; three, and she would have had a ten out of ten chance of escaping intact; five, and she would have had a good chance of making it to the exit of the Lin Divine Realm...
But there were eleven.
Shiii——
Her gray-white wide robe tore open, revealing the pure white silk beneath.
A gust of wind swept through, and the hood that had completely covered her head suddenly shattered. A mane of hair flew loose... and also revealed the true face she had been desperately hiding.
"Hiss!"
A chorus of gasps and sharp intakes of breath sounded. Helian Jue, who had been slowly approaching at the front, even took a startled step back.
It was a face... so terrifying that anyone who looked at it would have nightmares.
Her neck and skin were very white, white as snow, yet with a jade-like luster.
But upon this snow-white, jade-like skin were two horrifying scars crossing each other.
The scars were pitch black. One ran from the left brow to the right jaw; the other from the left jaw to the right brow. Both were an inch wide and twisted in shape...
Like two black centipedes crawling crosswise on her face.
Her overly white, luminous complexion made them appear even more striking and terrifying.
She slowly lifted her head, and the naturally parted hair made the two terrible scars appear even more complete in everyone's sight.
Trickles of blood flowed from the corners of her mouth, streaming in steady droplets onto the withered sand below.
From Yun Che's angle, he could only see her profile. Even so, the black scars were shockingly horrifying, causing his brows to furrow deeply.
An ordinary wound, with a dragon's constitution and half-step Divine Destruction power, could be easily healed.
Obviously, this was caused by Abyss Dust erosion—incurable.
"Hmph, no wonder she wrapped herself so tightly." Helian Jue took several steps forward. Clearly, being startled back a step earlier had shamed and angered him.
Wan Wei said, "This is the first time I've seen a case where it's all fine elsewhere, but the face gets eroded first. Truly peculiar."
"She isn't a chi dragon!" Ximen Borong suddenly spoke out: "She is an Ancestral Dragon!"
That terrible dragon roar had long since made them all feel something in their hearts, but now that Ximen Borong said it outright, their faces darkened several times over.
A chi dragon and an Ancestral Dragon—both belong to the Dragon Clan, but they are as different as heaven and earth.
An Ancestral Dragon... That is the supreme dragon inheriting the Dragon God bloodline! The sovereign of the Dragon Clan. Moreover, it is the only race outside of the six divine kingdoms with the qualifications to participate in the Pure Land Assembly!
The might of the Ancestral Dragon is known to all in the Abyss. But its weakness is equally well-known—difficulty in reproduction.
This has led to the Ancestral Dragon bloodline being extremely few in number, with the currently existing Ancestral Dragons said to number less than ten.
This naturally means that the fall of every single Ancestral Dragon will inevitably cause immense upheaval within the Ancestral Dragon bloodline, and even the entire Dragon Clan.
That is a completely different concept from the fall of a chi dragon.
"Heh..." Long Jiang slowly stood up, her hanging hair half covering her terrifying face: "Since you know I am an Ancestral Dragon... if you dare kill me... your Linyuan Realm... will surely... be buried with me as a whole realm!"
"Stand down... and I will act as if nothing happened!"
This sentence was already a sign of weakness, but how could it possibly shake these old foxes whose greed had devoured all reason?
Because at this point, no matter who the opponent was, they had to be killed.
If they let her go, then the retaliation afterward would indeed bury the entire realm with her.
If they killed her, they could blame it on the sandstorm and rock disaster of the Lin Divine Realm... With the name of "the Abyss Emperor's Gift" for intimidation, and with the Abyss Knights as witnesses, even if the calamity reached the Linyuan Realm, it might not lead to the annihilation of their clan or sect... and they might even get away with it unscathed.
Not to mention the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid was within easy reach!
Although the half-step Divine Destruction realm carried the word "Destruction," its essence was still actually the peak of the Divine Lord realm.
It was just that far too many cultivators stopped forever at this realm, never able to break through. Thus, this nondescript pseudo-realm gradually came into being.
Its existence was, to put it bluntly, a comfort for those who had reached the absolute pinnacle of the Divine Lord realm but could never touch the demigod realm, allowing them to feel, while shouting "half-step Divine Destruction," as if they had touched the threshold of the "Divine Destruction realm."
And the existence of this realm undoubtedly highlighted the immense desire of Divine Lord cultivators for the demigod realm.
The magnitude of this desire... not even the name "Dragon God" could stop it.
"Stand down? Hehehe. It seems you still don't understand the situation." Ximen Borong laughed... but barely had the smile appeared when he suddenly struck.
Clang!
A white light flared, and a protective profound artifact in front of Long Jiang released a strong profound light... but it only managed to deflect Ximen Borong's force.
The moment Ximen Borong attacked, the Bailin Alliance's chief hall master followed closely behind. A rock pillar struck from the side, landing squarely on Long Jiang's left arm.
Long Jiang's protective profound force was already weak and fragile. Under this blow, her left arm bent and twisted, the sound of dragon bones shattering like a thunderclap.
Behind her, led by Zhai Kexie, the four masters of the Panxuan Sect had also flashed into position.
Although there were only four of them, and Long Jiang was clearly heavily injured, they still struck with full force, holding nothing back. The force of their strikes pressed the sand sea below down by several dozen zhang in an instant.
Long Jiang barely raised her right arm, and a furious dragon shadow carried a tragic resolve.
Boom!!!
The quicksand for several dozen li behind Long Jiang was emptied in an instant, revealing a terrifying hollow. Her body held out for only the briefest of moments before flying out along with the shattered dragon shadow. The Wanren Sect's strike followed immediately after. Three rock pillars pursued, then condensed into three zhang-long rock spears... In an earth-shattering sound of bone-breaking, they cruelly pierced through Long Jiang's body, exiting through her back, sending three fountains of blood mist flying.
"Ah!"
Yun Che suddenly shuddered, clutching his chest.
"Brother Yun? What's wrong?" Mo Cangying quickly turned back to ask.
"..." Yun Che did not speak, his hand still pressed tightly against his chest.
What's going on?
Why this sudden... excruciating pain?
As if something was stabbing fiercely into my heart.
Bang!
Long Jiang fell onto the sand sea once more.
She struggled to stand up... but this time, before she could even prop up her upper body with one arm, she collapsed again.
Her tattered gray-white robe, along with the inner silk, was rapidly being dyed red by her dragon blood at an alarming rate.
Ximen Borong, Wan Wei, Zhai Kexie, and Helian Jue slowly approached.
But this time, no one rushed to the front, and no one attacked for the moment.
Long Jiang was gravely wounded. Even if she were an Ancestral Dragon, with injuries like this, she would definitely have no strength left to struggle... As for fleeing? That was no longer even remotely possible.
When the prey was as good as in hand, calm would naturally begin to take over.
Who would deliver the final fatal blow... Naturally, none of them wanted to be that person.
"Alliance Master Ximen," said Zhai Kexie, "This Long Jiang was brought here by your Bailin Alliance. Naturally, it should be your Bailin Alliance that deals with her."
"That's right!" Wan Wei said in a deep voice. "If it weren't for your Bailin Alliance bringing her here, the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid would already be in our hands. Why all this trouble!"
"Heh, isn't that laughable now?" Ximen Borong cast a cold glance. "It's simple to decide who deals with Long Jiang. Obviously, it should be the one who contributed the least."
"Since we're all grasshoppers tied to the same rope, we should all contribute equally and bear equal responsibility! Don't you agree, Helian Nation Master?"
Helian Jue was stunned. He was about to retort when he saw Wan Wei and Zhai Kexie's gazes also bearing down on him.
"Indeed," said Wan Wei. "Your Helian contributed only your own effort. So it's only natural that this final blow be left to you."
"Correct. That's the fairest way." Zhai Kexie naturally had no objection. "Helian Nation Master, the honor of seizing the Lin Bone Spirit Orchid is yours to take."
In an instant, the three sides formed a united front. Resistance was useless. Helian Jue gritted his teeth, but instead of striking, he turned his head and shouted in a low voice: "Ku Xian, kill her!"
Ku Xian had known this would happen from the moment the two sects and the alliance pressured Helian Jue.
He showed no surprise or emotion, and said calmly, "I obey the Nation Master's command."
Mo Cangying turned around, letting out a heavy sigh: "How difficult for Master... I hope truly there won't be any lingering disasters."
"..." Yun Che still said nothing.
The pain in his heart persisted, and deep within his soul, a strange restlessness arose, impossible to calm no matter how he composed himself.
What's going on...
What exactly is going on?
Ku Xian flashed his body and was already in front of Long Jiang.
Crimson blood stained her gray robe, staining the large patch of yellow sand beneath her.
Ku Xian averted his murky old eyes, unable to bear looking at her, and let out a low murmur: "The Nation Master's orders cannot be disobeyed. You... should not have come here."
Long Jiang slowly raised her head...
Ku Xian thought she had something to say. His raised palm did not fall in a hurry, giving her a chance to leave her last words.
But from her mouth came a dreamlike whisper:
"Strange clouds... wild wind... brush... the... bright... smoke..."
Ku Xian: "??"
"!!" Yun Che's head shot up. In his sea of souls, it felt like millions of thunderclaps were exploding.
——[The Ancestral Dragon is the dragon clan in the Abyss that carries the Dragon God bloodline. However, "Dragon God" was a divine name unique to the Dragon God of the Age of Gods. How could later dragons dare to misuse "Dragon God" as their name. Previously, Yun Che had complained that the so-called Dragon God Realm dared to name and claim itself with the word "Dragon God," while the Abyss Dragon Clan would never dare to commit such an act of irreverence.]