Chapter 2029: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Path

Chapter 2029: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Path

One hour...
Two hours...
Three hours passed... Yun Che finally withdrew his arms and let out a faint breath.
Only then did he realize that his entire body was drenched in sweat mixed with blood.
The Lin Light on his body completely extinguished at this moment.
Having lost the Lin Light, facing the extremely close life aura, those Abyss Corrupted Lin Pupils instantly released a destructive dark light. But before its destructive power could be unleashed, the trembling pupil light quickly calmed down again.
"Withdraw." Yun Che muttered, noticeably drained of strength.
Faced with this human who only had the aura of a Divine Lord, the Abyss Lin Shen actually began to step back slowly, then suddenly turned around, sweeping up a tremendous surge of air as it disappeared into the vast misty sea.
His spirit relaxed heavily, and a profound sense of exhaustion struck him, causing Yun Che to collapse directly to the ground.
A white light flashed before him, revealing Li Suo's dreamlike soul shadow. Her delicate hand gently brushed, and a radiant divine light imbued with Life Miracle softly enveloped Yun Che's entire body.
Immediately, Yun Che's body, which had felt as heavy as a mountain, suddenly felt as light as if floating on clouds, and even his dulled senses quickly became clear.
"You controlled that Lin Shen eroded by Yuan Chen?" she asked softly.
"Sixty percent." Yun Che replied with his eyes closed.
Just now, it took him a full three hours to successfully imprint his soul mark onto nearly sixty percent of the Abyss Dust within the Lin Shen's abyssal core.
After a Xuan Beast is eroded into an Abyss Beast, it still retains some of its original nature and instincts to a certain degree. For instance, dragon roars and wolf howls when wounded, the body parts habitually used for attacks, and movements like flying or burrowing. As for Lin Shen, their gentle and kind nature is known to all living beings, and their innate will to protect their own kind seems deeply etched into every drop of Lin blood and every fiber of flesh, so much so that even complete erosion by Abyss Dust cannot erase it. If it were any other Divine Extreme Abyss Beast, unless Yun Che could instantly control it, it would surely have crushed him with one palm. But this Abyss-corrupted Lin Shen remained still and unmoving for a full three hours. Faced with the Lin Light on his body, it had no desire to destroy, only a confused longing.

Now, Li Suo was so incomplete that she couldn't even materialize a body, so her divine power was naturally far from what it once was. But the Life Miracle from her was still a true miracle in the current world.
His injuries healed at a speed that completely defied reason. Since he had achieved the Divine Lord Realm, Li Suo's soul aura had become several times clearer than before, and the light divine power she could release was far greater than in the past. Moreover, during this time, Yun Che had faintly sensed that this was far from the limit of Li Suo's power. If she were willing, the speed of healing him could be increased... perhaps several times over.
But doing so would likely harm her.
Unfortunately, her existence remained nothing more than a vague, ethereal shadow. Her figure was as beautiful as a fairy's dream, but he couldn't see her true face, let alone touch her body.
"Li Suo, when do you think you'll be able to manifest a physical form?" Yun Che suddenly asked.
"I don't know," Li Suo replied softly. "Perhaps a thousand years, perhaps a hundred thousand. Or maybe one day, when your life or power aura undergoes a drastic change, it will cause my life aura to transform overnight." The answer was similar to before. Yun Che couldn't help but ask again, "Do you still remember what you looked like back then? If you do, project an image into my soul sea. Records say you were the pinnacle of feminine grace in the world. I'm really curious how 'pinnacle' it actually is."
Li Suo replied faintly, "Appearance is merely a different outer shell manifested on the faces of all living beings, fundamentally no different. So-called beauty and ugliness are nothing but the shallowest embellishments of living beings toward various outward shells, utterly meaningless. Since you bear the powers of Ni Xuan and Jie Tian Mo Di, you should aspire to transcend the world and abandon such superficial thoughts."
"No, no, no," Yun Che immediately refuted. "At my core, I'm just an ordinary mundane person who loves shallow things and shallow objects the most. But even setting aside my 'mundane' identity, I absolutely do not consider this a superficial thought."
"Take you, for example. Your personality is as flat and indifferent as still water. We've been inseparable for so long, and no matter what I say or do, I've never seen you laugh or get angry. Half a year ago, when facing Senior Ni Xuan's soul shadow—a reunion of old friends across time and space—your emotional fluctuation was even weaker than when I yawned."
"As a woman, you could be said to be extremely boring. From a medical perspective, you could be directly diagnosed with severe... hmm, frigidity! But back then, the two Creation Gods fought over you, bloodied and bruised. Senior Ni Xuan was obsessed with you for millions of years. What do you think they were after?"
"..." Li Suo couldn't answer.
"The pursuit of beautiful things is the nature of all living beings in this world, whether ordinary spirits or Creation Gods. How could it be considered superficial? That includes you," Yun Che said in a tone that brooked no dispute from a Creation God. "For instance, if there were a way to let you manifest a body ten thousand years early, but at the cost of body deformity and your face becoming shriveled and ugly, you probably wouldn't want that either, right?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Li Suo countered.
"..." Yun Che was speechless.
"Beautiful things..." Li Suo murmured softly, as if suddenly touched by some vague memory.
Yun Che: "Hmm?"
"In my memory, in my life, the thing that stirs the word 'beautiful' the most is a name," Li Suo said softly, trying to clarify the name and figure slowly surfacing in her memory. "Her appearance, I can no longer recall. I can only vaguely remember that the moment I saw her, I was certain that in the world... in terms of external appearance, there could be no more beautiful existence."
Yun Che unconsciously opened his eyes, looking at Li Suo in surprise as she sank into memory.
Was this... a judgment from the Life Creation God?
An appearance that could move even the pinnacle of recorded feminine grace to such an extent?
Did such a person really exist? Or was her understanding of "beautiful" vastly different from ordinary people?
"What name?" Yun Che asked.
Li Suo didn't answer immediately, because that originally vague name only became clear in her memory at this very moment—yet it was a name she had long known.
She slowly uttered the name from her lips: "Ni... Jie."
"Uh...?" A sound involuntarily escaped Yun Che's mouth.
She had spoken the name of Ni Xuan and Jie Yuan's daughter!
It was the name of the one who existed before Hong'er and You'er were separated, the sole, unique Dao Child in the entire history of chaos.
Li Suo's words sparked a guess in Yun Che's mind...
Could the one who separated Ni Jie into Hong'er and You'er be... Li Suo?
Ni Xuan and Jie Yuan named their daughter "Ni Jie," taking a part from each of their surnames, and hoping she might reverse the calamitous fate that accompanied her birth and all future tribulations, living a peaceful life.
But...
In the end, she could not overcome her fate and was reborn as Hong'er and You'er.
But from another perspective, in that era when all gods and demons were extinguished, hadn't she successfully overcome her fate and been reborn as Hong'er and You'er?

His injuries healed completely, and his consciousness was no longer clouded. Yun Che stood up and quickly checked the Qiankun Array Pivot he had planted not long ago. After confirming it was unharmed, he didn't linger any longer. Using Abyss Dust to conceal his aura, he headed back in the direction he came from.
As the Abyss Dust gradually thinned, the surrounding Abyss Beasts no longer posed a threat to him. He sharply increased his speed, flying straight toward the periphery of the Mist Sea.
He had been deep in the Mist Sea for some time. Now returning to the periphery, it felt like an entirely different world from before. The presence of Abyss Dust became clearer and gentler. Within his perception range, the Abyss Beasts—especially those at the Divine Lord or Divine Sovereign level—their abyssal cores were as clear as if they were right between his fingers. With a mere thought, he could command them without needing to imprint his soul mark.
He reached out his hand, staring blankly at his palm.
Having turned misfortune into fortune in the face of a deadly crisis, after forcibly controlling the Abyss Lin Shen, he seemed to have made some subtle progress in his mastery over Abyss Dust.
He couldn't help wondering... Would there come a day when he could easily control Abyss Beasts above the Divine Lord level?
And would there come a day when, with a single thought, all Abyss Beasts within his perception range would obey his commands?

On the periphery of the Mist Sea, the presence of Abyss Beasts diminished, but the presence of many Xuan practitioners increased. For Abyss Xuan practitioners, the Mist Sea was undoubtedly an excellent training ground. The harsh environment, suppressed senses and profound force, and Abyss Beasts driven solely by destruction with not a shred of mercy—all of these could drag a Xuan practitioner into real danger and desperate situations. Danger sharpens potential, and desperation sparks miracles. When one struggles to fight and survives death, not only are will and character tempered again and again, but previously unshakable bottlenecks are repeatedly assailed until they finally break through.
Countless Abyss Xuan practitioners had achieved breakthroughs in the Mist Sea. Especially the leap from Half-step Divine Destruction Realm to true Divine Annihilation Realm... If someone never enters the Mist Sea in their lifetime, there is a high probability they will remain stuck at Half-step Divine Destruction Realm forever. Someone like Helian Jue, who feared death, had only set foot in the most marginal parts of the Mist Sea and dared not go deeper, so he knew he would never achieve the Divine Annihilation Realm in his life.
That was why, when faced with the legendary Lin Gu Ling Lan, he had gone mad with obsession.
However, the vast majority of Xuan practitioners entered the Mist Sea not solely for training, but for Abyss Stones and Abyss Crystals.
Abyss Stones and Abyss Crystals served as the common currency of the Abyss, equivalent to the Xuan Stones and Xuan Crystals in Yun Che's world, but on a much higher level.
They were condensed from mutated, or "dead," Abyss Dust and could appear anywhere in the Mist Sea at any time. The power contained in Abyss Dust could not be harnessed by Abyss Xuan practitioners, but the Abyss Stones and Abyss Crystals it mutated into were at the opposite extreme of gentleness. The power they contained could not only be easily extracted but was also of an extremely high energy level, greatly assisting in cultivation, the construction of Divine Palaces and Xuan Arrays, and could be directly used as energy sources for Xuan boats and Xuan ships.
This was one of the reasons why Abyss Xuan practitioners advanced very quickly in their early cultivation stages—not just the density and level of spiritual energy, but the existence of Abyss Stones and Abyss Crystals.
Thus, countless Xuan practitioners entered the Mist Sea every year to collect Abyss Stones and Abyss Crystals.
Abyss Stones could be relatively easily gathered even on the periphery or the very edge of the Mist Sea. Abyss Crystals, on the other hand, were extremely pure forms of Abyss Stone, appearing like hazy gray crystals, and were very rare. The chances of finding them on the periphery were even smaller.
Their value was naturally far higher than that of Abyss Stones. As a medium of exchange, the most ordinary Abyss Crystal of equal weight was equivalent to ten thousand times the weight of Abyss Stone.
In the Mist Sea, allies one moment would be at each other's throats the next, often over the discovery of an Abyss Crystal reflecting a dim, eerie light.
Those vassal states of the Divine Kingdoms would offer large quantities of Abyss Crystals as tribute every year as a condition of their vassalage.
The fastest way to obtain Abyss Crystals was not to venture deep into the Mist Sea to search, but to hunt Abyss Beasts!
Because the bodies of Abyss Beasts were the places where Abyss Crystals most easily condensed. The higher-level and more ancient the Abyss Beast, the more likely it was to contain Abyss Crystals.
And some extremely powerful Abyss Beasts might even possess exotic Abyss Crystals, whose rarity and value were beyond the imagination of ordinary Xuan practitioners—they could only aspire to them through various legends and records.
Additionally, before the Abyss world was fully formed, the vast Mist Sea had buried countless ancient beings from the fallen Abyss. At that time, the Abyss had already undergone early mutations that devoured them, but some ancient Xuan artifacts and inheritances that accompanied their bodies or personal spaces were preserved, lying silent in the Mist Sea.
Thus, the Mist Sea also concealed the greatest opportunities of the Abyss. Every so often, ancient Xuan artifacts would appear, causing ripples of various intensities across the Abyss world.

The sounds of fierce fighting came from ahead of Yun Che. He was long accustomed to it and didn't spare a single glance.
Bang!
A huge rock shattered, revealing figures locked in combat within Yun Che's line of sight.
They were two Xuan practitioners at Level 3 of the Divine Lord Realm, both dressed in black clothes convenient for hiding, hunting a Level 1 Divine Lord Abyss Beast.
With absolute overwhelming power and a two-on-one advantage, the two practitioners didn't hold back at all, nor did their faces show any sign of relaxation.
Because it was an Abyss Beast! It knew no fear, felt no pain, left no room for mercy, and would never flee. And in the vast gray mist, other Abyss Beasts could emerge at any time. Underestimating or relaxing in the Mist Sea was digging one's own grave.
Kacha!!
Two cyan sword beams, carrying a gale-like roar, sliced across the Divine Lord Abyss Beast.
The rampaging Abyss Beast broke in two in midair. When it landed, the two halves twisted wildly, still releasing terrifying destructive force.
The two were clearly used to this sight. Like thunderbolts, they pounced from left and right, their sword beams carrying storms that quickly shredded the broken Abyss Beast into dozens of pieces.
The shattered Abyss Beast fell silent, with only thick gray mist slowly rising... Through the mist, a faint gleam caught their eyes.
"That... is!?"
They rushed forward. Immediately, a gray crystal half the size of a fist appeared in their sight.
"Abyss Crystal!" A joyful shout rang out, but the speaker immediately clamped his mouth shut.
"At least three catties!" said the older Xuan practitioner, unable to hide his excitement despite his lowered voice.
"With this single Abyss Crystal, this trip to the Mist Sea has already been worthwhile." The younger Xuan practitioner grinned, then grabbed the Abyss Crystal and placed it in the other's hand. "Senior Brother, put it away quickly. If anyone else sees it, we'll be in trouble."
But the senior brother pushed it back. "This Abyss Crystal came from the part of the Abyss Beast's body you destroyed. It belongs to you."
"Senior Brother!" The younger practitioner insisted on placing it in his senior brother's hand, smiling. "We killed the Abyss Beast together. It doesn't belong to anyone. But seniority comes first; the first one must go to you. As for the next one, I definitely won't give up—and who knows, it might be ten times bigger than yours."
They were from the same sect, with a deep bond, and had entered the Mist Sea together many times before. They knew well that what was more frightening than the Mist Sea Abyss Beasts was human nature. To rely on each other, they had to eliminate any suspicion or greed.
"Alright." The senior brother smiled and no longer refused. Just as he was about to put the Abyss Crystal away, the corner of his eye caught a figure.
He quickly turned his head to look at Yun Che, who was passing by not far away.
Level 2 Divine Lord aura, and alone... His heart, which had just tensed up, relaxed. He even proactively called out, "Brother, are you alone?"
Yun Che answered casually, "Yes."
"Abyss Beasts of the Divine Lord level often appear in this area. Being alone, brother, might be too reckless. I suggest you go to a more marginal area. Training and opportunities are important, but nothing is more important than your life—mmph!!"
His words abruptly cut off, and his eyes dilated to the maximum.
Yun Che frowned and turned to see a cyan sword blade piercing through his body from behind. The gale-force power it carried savagely churned his internal organs.
And the one holding the cyan sword was his most trusted junior brother.
He slowly turned his head, looking at his junior brother's eyes in disbelief. "You... you..."
But in his fading vision, what he saw on his junior brother's face was not malice or ferocity, but a blank expression, and his eyes were terrifyingly hollow.
"Hehehe!" A wanton, mocking voice came from the gray mist behind them. "How does it feel to be backstabbed by your most trusted companion? Must feel wonderful, eh, tsk tsk!"
The voice made Yun Che pause.
The owner of the voice leisurely emerged from the gray mist.
He had handsome features, a demonic curl to his lips, and a strange silver robe that glowed with a mercury-like eerie light even in this dim Mist Sea.
It was...
Meng Jianzhou!
He was actually in the Mist Sea.
But unlike when they first met in Linyuan Realm half a year ago, Meng Jianzhou's left sleeve now hung limp and empty, leaving only his right arm.
His cultivation had made no progress, still stuck at Half-step Divine Destruction Realm.
At that moment, the junior brother's hollow eyes regained focus. He suddenly let go of his sword hand, his body trembling, his voice shaking. "No... it wasn't me, it wasn't me..."
"Tsk tsk!" Meng Jianzhou twisted his lips and shook his head, a soul-stealing silver light flickering in his eyes. "As a man, how can you dare to do something and not dare to own up to it? If you really feel sorry for your senior brother, why not just kill yourself to atone for it?"
His casual words were like the whispers of a demon... and the silver light swirling in Meng Jianzhou's pupils at that moment appeared in the eyes of the younger Xuan practitioner.
He slowly raised his hand and spoke woodenly, "Senior Brother, I'm sorry... I will now... atone to you... for my offense..."
Bang!!
The inner explosion of profound force unhesitatingly shattered his own heart meridian and internal organs. Blood burst from his seven orifices. His body slowly slumped to the ground and was silent after a few breaths, save for his lightless eyes that remained wide open, refusing to close.
"..." Yun Che narrowed his eyes slowly.
The Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom was skilled in soul force. As the son of a Divine Venerable, Meng Jianzhou's soul force was powerful, something Yun Che had personally experienced in Linyuan Realm.
"You..." The senior brother, gravely wounded by the sword, was full of pain and despair. He raised a trembling hand and pointed at Meng Jianzhou. "It's you... it's you!"
"How annoying." Meng Jianzhou strolled over leisurely. "I solved the one who backstabbed you, and yet you glare at me with anger. Truly disappointing. Someone who doesn't know gratitude like you—what use is there in keeping you alive?"
Bang!!
Without any visible movement from Meng Jianzhou, a tremendous force slammed into the older Xuan practitioner's chest, completely pulverizing his internal organs.
His utterly doomed body flew far away, disappearing into the misty sea at an unknown distance, silent.
The Abyss Crystal bounced off his body and, guided by a strand of profound force, drifted lightly into Meng Jianzhou's hand.
He pinched the Abyss Crystal between two fingers, holding it up to his eyes, as if savoring its special gray gleam.
As a son of a Divine Venerable of a Divine Kingdom, the amount of Abyss Crystals he had consumed in his cultivation over his lifetime was an astronomical figure that ordinary people couldn't even dream of.
But the feeling of obtaining one personally—especially by taking it from others—was incomparable to just receiving it.
Pushing Xuan practitioners one after another from the great joy of just obtaining an Abyss Crystal into the abyss of despair—at that moment, his fingers seemed to connect heaven and hell. It was a pleasure that made one addicted and even indulgent.
At that moment, he unhurriedly turned his gaze, glancing at the other person present with the eyes of a predator toying with its prey. "Oh? You're not running? Don't tell me you think... Hmm?"
The moment he saw Yun Che clearly, his expression shifted noticeably.
Soon, he recalled where he had seen this person before, and his sword-like brows furrowed. "It's you!?"

——【Remember this Abyss Lin Shen, and remember the previous Abyss Qiulong – they will be very useful!】