Chapter 2102: Abyss Ghost Knight
“Shut… up! Shut… up!”
Yuchi Nanxing roared hoarsely, the voice that came out was sharp and raspy, startling even himself.
He didn’t want to admit it, but the voice at the bottom of his soul was clearly telling him that his conviction was wavering.
In the midst of his extreme mental turmoil just now, there had actually been a few fleeting moments where he believed… and even if it was just an instant, it was an unforgivable sin in his eyes.
The words that came out were not the cold, stern rebuke of an Abyss Knight against sin and filth, but rather a sound of obstruction clearly tinged with deep panic.
Yuchi Nanxing bit his tongue fiercely, but the intense pain still could not completely suppress the turmoil in his heart and soul. He slowly raised his eyes, trying his best to keep his gaze clear, as if wanting the Mist Emperor, and everyone present, to see his unyielding conviction:
“Mist Emperor, how dare you slander the Abyss Emperor like this, how dare you spread such heresy to deceive the world… you are cutting off… the Pure Land’s last tolerance for you!”
“Slander? Heresy? Deceive the world?”
Compared to the Abyss Knight’s clearly emotional roar, the Mist Emperor’s voice remained low and cold, carrying the contempt of looking down from the high heavens:
“As far as this emperor knows, you Abyss Knights claim the names of nobility and justice. Then, answer the next question with that so-called noble soul and just character of yours—respond to this emperor, respond to the world!”
“This emperor can control the Abyss Dust, but the Abyss Emperor cannot. Respond to this emperor, respond to the world—which word in this statement is slander, and which word is heresy?”
“……” Yuchi Nanxing’s throat rolled, but no sound came out. Even the will he had just re-condensed in his eyes silently collapsed amidst trembling.
The Abyss Emperor could not control the Abyss Dust—everyone knew that. The Mist Emperor could control the Abyss Dust—he had seen it with his own eyes.
“This emperor can control the Abyss Beasts, but the Abyss Emperor cannot. Respond to this emperor, respond to the world—which word in this statement is slander, and which word is heresy?”
“……” Yuchi Nanxing still could not respond. The clarity he had barely summoned in his eyes once again turned into chaotic gray mist.
“The Abyss Emperor, who cannot control the Abyss Dust or the Abyss Beasts, opened up the living lands of this world. Yet this emperor, who can control the Abyss Dust and Abyss Beasts of this world, becomes a sinner who needs to be punished by the Pure Land… hehehehe, hahahaha!”
“Abyss Knight, respond to this emperor, respond to the world—who exactly is slandering? Who is spreading heresy? Who is deceiving the world?”
Yuchi Nanxing’s broken arm slowly lifted, not in an attempt to struggle and stand, but to painfully cover his head: “No… no… it’s all false… don’t say anymore… stop talking…”
But the Mist Emperor’s voice still reached his ears and the depths of his soul with crystal clarity: “This world is the world of the Abyss, and the Abyss Dust is the main body of this world. Yet a person who cannot control the Abyss Dust, who even rejects it, fears it, dares to call himself emperor, dares to call himself the creator emperor of this world—what an absurd joke!”
“He is the true heretic deceiving the world in your words! If creating a land of life can be called creating a world, then this emperor is the true creator emperor of this world!”
Between heaven and earth, there was dead silence, only the Mist Emperor’s voice lingering. The distant profound practitioners made not a single sound, not even feeling the pain from their injuries.
Because they were personally hearing a “truth” that would surely shake the world.
Only the Mysterious Shadow Stones that had been taken out long ago emitted faint profound light, recording scenes that would stir up storms across the cosmos.
“And you, Abyss Knights, acting as the lackeys of the one who deceives the world, come to punish the creator emperor who granted you peace, yet still claim nobility and justice.”
The Mist Emperor’s next words dealt a nearly fatal blow to the two Abyss Knights, Yuchi Nanxing and Bai Yu: “Before today, you could also be called fools misled by deceit.”
“Now, you have personally witnessed this emperor’s power and personally heard the truth of this world. Who is the savior, who is the deceiver—it requires no great understanding, even less a noble soul. Just knowing the most basic common sense of this world makes it obvious.”
“Shut up! Shut up!” The Abyss Knight’s voice was now akin to a wild beast’s roar. The Mist Emperor’s words were undoubtedly shattering their lifelong honor and faith… but despite that, what he had seen and heard today made his will and conviction tremble and waver more and more violently.
How could he accept… how could he believe…
Words spilled from Yuchi Nanxing’s bloodstained teeth: “No matter how you tempt… don’t think… you can shake our absolute loyalty to the Pure Land and the Abyss Emperor…”
The Mist Emperor’s voice was faint and indifferent: “Abyss Knight, your words have already admitted that even knowing the truth of the world, you still choose to be a filthy lackey raised by a vile one.”
“This is the Abyss Knight of the Pure Land. Your existence has polluted nobility and justice into the dirtiest, most ridiculous words of this world! Your names, your existence, in this emperor’s eyes, are the most hypocritical and pitiful lowly spirits of this world!”
This was the most extreme humiliation Yuchi Nanxing and Bai Yu had ever heard since becoming Abyss Knights.
But far more terrifying than humiliation was the “truth” they had witnessed and learned today.
“You are not worthy of the grace this emperor bestowed by sleeping for a million years!”
With the Mist Emperor’s words falling, the Qilin’s claw suspended above Yuchi Nanxing stepped down again.
Boom——
Yuchi Nanxing, who had endured dozens of stompings and was battered beyond recognition without losing consciousness, saw darkness before his eyes. But this time, his soul did not struggle. Instead, it let itself sink into that darkness… falling into unconsciousness.
This was undoubtedly a pathetic escape.
If he had a choice, he would never have come here in person today. Before losing consciousness, his strongest desire was for someone to strip away all memories of today… even if it meant cutting away part of his soul.
Bai Yu let out a fierce roar. The will of an Abyss Knight would not allow him to retreat or abandon his companion. Instinctively, he lunged toward Yuchi Nanxing’s location.
But as soon as he got close, the other claw of the Abyss Lin Shen slammed down from the sky… His pupils contracted sharply, and the light in his vision dimmed rapidly.
Before his consciousness faded, he felt as if a towering mountain had crashed down upon his head. Distantly, he heard the terrified shouts of the attendant knights…
Boom!
Bai Yu was crushed under the claw of the Abyss Lin Shen with almost no resistance, together with Yuchi Nanxing, and then there was no more movement.
Roar————
The Abyss Lin Shen let out a bellow, and a terrifying storm swept all the distant profound practitioners far away. Then the Abyss Mist rolled in, covering everyone’s sight and cutting off all perception.
Within the Abyss Mist, Yun Che’s figure slowly approached, stopping right before the Abyss Lin Shen’s front claws.
As the two front claws moved away, the two Abyss Knights, now completely unconscious, appeared before him.
Yuchi Nanxing’s condition could be described as utterly miserable. His bones, flesh, and internal organs had all been shattered and ravaged by the terrifying power of the Abyss Lin Shen. But with the protection of his powerful Divine Extreme realm force, even such severe injuries would not cut off his life.
Moreover, with the resources of the Pure Land, if he returned, it might not take too long for him to gradually recover to his peak state.
Thus, if he wanted to weaken the Pure Land’s strength, now was an excellent opportunity to destroy this Knight Commander.
Yun Che stepped forward, reached out his hand, and suspended it over Yuchi Nanxing’s brow. His expression gradually turned cold.
“I advise you not to.”
Li Suo’s voice sounded in his soul sea at the right moment: “If it were an ordinary Abyss Knight, even at the late Divine Annihilation realm, you might have a high chance of success. But… you should understand, he is at the Divine Extreme realm.”
“Even if his condition has deteriorated to this point, his body and soul’s instincts are still terrifying. You have almost no chance of success, and… you might even be counter-injured.”
“……” Yun Che’s hand did not withdraw.
Li Suo continued to persuade: “You have already driven so many Abyss Beasts and Abyss Dust in one go today, reaching the limit of what you can handle. Do not force yourself into danger. Change your target. ‘Abyssifying’ the other Abyss Knight should be enough.”
Yun Che’s hand still did not leave. He replied in a low voice through his soul: “Using the Abyss Lin Shen to shatter his body and the Mist Emperor’s words to shatter his soul, his spirit and soul are now completely collapsed. He is not as terrifying as you think. I… might not fail!”
His finger landed on Yuchi Nanxing’s brow, and his soul rushed straight into the other’s soul sea.
Even though Yuchi Nanxing was in a deep coma, the instinctive defense of his powerful divine soul repelled Yun Che’s soul force. But at that moment of Yuchi Nanxing’s soul agitation, a strange silver-white light suddenly appeared in the depths of Yun Che’s pupils.
It seemed to be a blooming white flower. Its petals were as white as snow, with silvery light shimmering at the edges. As they unfolded layer upon layer, they overflowed with dreamlike radiance.
Yun Che’s lips moved slightly, and he uttered a soul-penetrating whisper: “Yi…meng…tan…hua… [Strange Dream Epiphyllum]”
Even though Yuchi Nanxing was unconscious, his tightly clenched teeth slowly relaxed bit by bit.
He had a dream… no, to him, it was not a dream.
He woke up, heavily injured, but Bai Yu had safely brought him back to the Pure Land.
The supreme Abyss Emperor personally visited him and used his unparalleled divine power to heal his wounds.
The Great Priest entered and told the Abyss Emperor that the Mist Emperor had been punished. Its true form was merely a special Abyss Ghost with remnants of consciousness, best at hiding in the shadows and deceiving hearts with false words.
He even threw out the “Mist Emperor’s” corpse. Indeed, it was just a small Abyss Ghost, pitch-black all over with an ugly face.
Indeed, all the slanders against the Pure Land and the Abyss Emperor were false. Indeed, his faith remained supreme, and his honor remained spotless and flawless.
He closed his eyes in satisfaction, his will sleeping into slumber…
The epiphyllum in Yun Che’s eyes faded, replaced by a black dragon shadow.
The violently surging dragon soul easily broke through Yuchi Nanxing’s dormant soul sea… meeting almost no resistance.
Success!
Yun Che’s heart and soul stirred greatly. He raised his hand, and the Abyss Dust in the surrounding space surged like a storm, gathering into his hand, then quickly condensing into a deeper and deeper Abyss Mist between his fingers.
One breath, two breaths… five breaths… thirty breaths…
Sweat poured down Yun Che’s brow like a rainstorm, and his expression gradually became pained.
Finally, the surge of Abyss Mist slowly stopped. In his palm, a black light appeared.
The black light was half a foot long, darker than the deepest night in the world. It was a narrow line condensed from the vast Abyss Dust of the surrounding space.
Its Abyss Dust concentration was unimaginable to ordinary people.
Yun Che turned his hand over and tapped that extremely deep line of Abyss Dust onto Yuchi Nanxing’s brow, straight into his wide-open soul sea.
Faced with this series of almost mad actions from Yun Che, Li Suo made no further sound, afraid of causing even the slightest disturbance.
As the last trace of black light disappeared into Yuchi Nanxing’s brow, Yun Che took a step back, then his whole body went limp, and he heavily sat down on the ground.
“Hah… hah…”
He gasped heavily, but when he looked up, his gaze was fierce, and he let out wanton, wild laughter: “Hahaha… hahahaha…”
Slowly raising his arm, which was trembling from exhaustion, he pointed at the silent Yuchi Nanxing and uttered the Mist Emperor’s low chant: “Welcome to the Mist Sea, honored…”
“Abyss… Ghost… Knight!”
No one responded, nor did he need a response.
Beside Yun Che, a illusory white shadow slowly emerged. She extended a snow-white hand wrapped in sacred white light and covered him with the divine power from the distant ancient times: “You pushed yourself too hard.”
“No,” Yun Che replied with a smile, “I trusted myself enough.”
Under Li Suo’s sacred power, the vitality Yun Che had heavily depleted recovered quickly. But this relaxation did not last long. Yun Che stood up again.
With a wave of his arm, the rolling Abyss Mist surged forward.
“You…” Li Suo wanted to dissuade him.
“Don’t stop me. Since I have already ‘appeared,’ this final step must be completed.”
As Yun Che’s steps moved, his body was engulfed by the Abyss Mist: “I am the successor of the Evil God, the Cloud Emperor of the Divine Realm, the Mist Emperor of the Mist Sea… How could I be as weak as you worry!”
“……” Li Suo said no more, only letting out a faint sigh.
Xuanmo City was in chaos.
Both Abyss Knights had been dragged into the Abyss Mist, surely perishing under the terrifying claws of that Primordial Abyss Lin Shen. The profound practitioners of Xuanmo City were either panicked and at a loss, or wailing in pain, or desperately trying to flee. A large part of them were still lost in the Mist Emperor’s words, not fully returned to their senses.
At this moment, loud cries of alarm rang out. Everyone looked west and saw the sky-covering gray mist rolling in, bringing with it the ever-closer death aura of the Mist Sea.
“This… this is…” Mo Xifeng stared blankly at the sky above. For him, nearly every moment of this day had been a absurd nightmare.
The rolling of the Abyss Mist gradually stopped. The Mist Emperor’s eyes slowly appeared in the sky, emitting a cold and majestic voice: “Mo Xifeng, I saved your son’s life, bestowed grace upon you, and even granted protection to the entire Xuanmo Realm. Yet you repay kindness with enmity, using my grace to assist the Pure Land in ambushing me!”
Mo Xifeng’s entire body lost strength, and he fell to his knees with a thud, wailing: “When the Pure Land gives an order, no one in this world dares to disobey…”
But as he said this, he did not continue to defend himself. Instead, he lowered his head weakly: “Forget it, no matter the reason, this action is indeed repaying kindness with enmity. Whatever punishment the Mist Emperor sees fit, I… deserve it and have no complaints.”
The Mist Emperor’s voice descended amidst everyone’s trembling: “I have never wished to slaughter living beings recklessly, but neither can I be betrayed by them!”
“I grant you ten breaths of time to leave this Xuanmo Realm.”
“After ten breaths, this world will no longer have Xuanmo Realm!”
“…!?” Mo Xifeng looked up in terror.
At that moment, two figures were violently thrown out of the Abyss Mist. They were Yuchi Nanxing and Bai Yu, covered in severe injuries, as if dead.
“Commander! Knight Sirs!” The seven disoriented attendant knights lunged forward to catch the falling Yuchi Nanxing and Bai Yu.
Mo Xifeng also realized something at this moment. He stood up abruptly, turned around, and roared wildly: “Retreat quickly! All of you, evacuate east! Hurry!”
One breath…
Two breaths…
…
Five breaths…
…
Ten breaths!
The Abyss Mist descended, covering Xuanmo Realm directly, and under its rolling, it quickly turned this small land of life into a death land swirling with Abyss Dust.
Soon, a shocking news would spread throughout the Abyss… a region of the Mist Sea had suddenly expanded outward by a full five hundred li, swallowing Xuanmo Realm, turning the former resting place for cultivators into a new border of the Mist Sea.
…
This time, Yun Che was completely exhausted.
But he did not take any time to regulate his breath. Instead, he plunged into the scales of the Abyss Lin Shen and swiftly returned to the depths of the Mist Sea on its back.
Li Suo reappeared, using her Light Divine Power to restore his overconsumed vitality: “Why such haste?”
Yun Che took several heavy breaths before answering in a low voice: “The Mist Emperor’s appearance today will be completely different from any previous time. As the images recorded by those Mysterious Shadow Stones from the practitioners spread, the entire Abyss, including the Pure Land and the Divine Kingdoms, will surely be shaken violently.”
“I must return to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom as quickly as possible to eliminate any possibility of connecting me with the Mist Emperor.”
Li Suo said, “One is the Mist Emperor, wandering in the Mist Sea, elusive and unpredictable; the other is the son of a Divine Venerable living long-term in Weaving Dream. There is absolutely no way anyone, for any reason, would connect you two. This move of yours is quite unnecessary.”
“You’re right, but doing it is better than not doing it,” Yun Che said, breathing heavily. “Moreover, with this move, I’m guarding against Hua Caili. After all, the first appearances of the ‘Mist Emperor’ and the Lin Shen were both before her eyes.”
“This way, when the Mist Emperor’s appearance today is about to shock the world… I will be clearly within the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom. Even if she is ten thousand times more perceptive and imagines ten thousand things, she will never again have the possibility of connecting me with the Mist Emperor.”
Li Suo said nothing more… He was alone and without support in this world. What he had to do was to make an enemy of the entire Abyss, and failure was absolutely not allowed. So, he was extremely cautious, excessively cautious.
“The ‘Abyss Core’ planted in the Abyss Knights… will it truly not be detected?” she asked another question.
“No,” Yun Che answered with absolute certainty. “The Abyss Dust is, for the people of this world, a transcendental existence. It has never been detectable by divine sense. People’s perception of the Abyss Dust comes from feedback generated by the obstruction and erasure of life aura and soul aura.”
“Therefore, as long as the ‘Abyss Core’ hidden in his soul does not lose control, neither the Abyss Knight himself nor anyone else will have almost any chance of detecting it.”
Li Suo softened her voice: “But you were far too forced today. Why not delay a few years? By then, your control over the Abyss Dust and Abyss Beasts will be more proficient and powerful, and you won’t end up like this.”
Yun Che slowly shook his head: “I created momentum for a year. This timing is just right to make the Pure Land suspicious and vigilant, but only slightly so. Thus, they would only send Abyss Knights.”
“The appearance of this Knight Commander was a bit unexpected.”
“If I delayed a few more years, letting suspicion and vigilance accumulate layer upon layer until they take it seriously… it might attract a Great Priest to come in person.”
“If that happened, I would have no way to respond.”