Chapter 2110: Instant Gray Flame
Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, Divine Son Hall.
Hua Fuchen stepped foot here for the first time, accompanied by a beaming Meng Kongchan.
"See, in-law? I've never mistreated your son-in-law."
Hua Fuchen shot him a sidelong glance and said with irritation, "As expected of the Dreamless Divine Venerable—your skin is thick enough to leave people speechless. You even take credit for doting on your own son."
"Hey! They say a son-in-law is half a son. So I'm doting on your son for you too. It's not unreasonable to take a little credit, is it?"
"Hehehe!" Hua Fuchen grinned dryly. He had long noticed that ever since Meng Jianyuan was found, Meng Kongchan's demeanor toward him had completely changed, always smiling so broadly his eyes nearly disappeared.
In his youth, Meng Kongchan had been desperate to get close to Hua Qingying, fawning over Hua Fuchen in every possible way. But after both became Divine Venerables, Hua Fuchen's daughter Hua Caili was the only miracle child of this generation with a perfect divine rank, while Meng Kongchan had never managed to produce a Divine Successor. Naturally, he had always stood a head shorter in front of Hua Fuchen.
But that was no longer the case. Now, Dreamless Divine Venerable had two Divine Sons at his knees, one of whom possessed a perfect divine rank, and had even captivated Hua Fuchen's most beloved daughter to the point of utter infatuation…
After bending his spine before Hua Fuchen for half his life, it was now straight as a rod.
Hua Fuchen could already imagine the face Meng Kongchan would show when he stepped into the Pure Land and faced the other Divine Venerables.
Stepping into the hall, Meng Kongchan said cheerfully, "Is Yuan'er here?"
Meng Zhiyuan hurriedly approached and bowed respectfully. "Reporting to the Divine Venerable, the young master is currently in cultivation. I'm not sure when he will emerge."
"Cultivation?" Hua Fuchen swept his gaze around, his expression turning sour. "His personal maids are more beautiful than the last. I reckon he's in a hurry to spread your Meng family's branches and leaves. How could he have the mind to cultivate?"
"Hey hey!" Meng Kongchan immediately raised a hand. "Brother Fuchen, you're wronging Yuan'er there. Every servant here was personally arranged by me. Yuan'er has never asked for a single one. As for spreading the family line… I'd be delighted to see it, but unfortunately… unfortunately."
Meng Zhiyuan, sharp as ever, immediately said in a soft, timid voice, "Although the young master's status is esteemed, he never dares to slack off. Over ninety percent of his time is spent in his cultivation space."
"As for the maids, once we entered the Shenzi Hall, our lives and bodies belong entirely to the young master. He treats each of us extremely well—not only has he never bullied us, he hasn't even spoken harshly. The only thing is… he absolutely refuses to touch us. Occasionally allowing us to help him change clothes is already the limit."
By the end, her voice carried a hint of carefully masked disappointment.
The displeasure on Hua Fuchen's face vanished instantly, and he turned to look around, feigning nonchalance.
Meng Kongchan sighed softly and said, "Over these years, I've urged Yuan'er many times not to be so harsh on himself. He obeys in everything, except this—he never yields. And his reason…"
He turned to give Hua Fuchen a meaningful glance. Though he said nothing, it seemed to say more than a thousand words.
"Come on," Meng Kongchan tugged Hua Fuchen toward the door. "I'll call that boy out."
"No need." Hua Fuchen raised a hand to refuse. "I was just passing through on a whim. Seeing him or not doesn't matter. If I disturb him at a critical point in his cultivation, that would be bad."
"Hahaha!" Meng Kongchan burst into laughter. "Look at you—saying it doesn't matter, but your care for your son-in-law is written all over your face."
Hua Fuchen sneered, "Whether he becomes a son-in-law is still up in the air. Don't try to force it."
"No, no, he must!" Meng Kongchan declared firmly, "I won't accept anyone else as my daughter-in-law. At most, they can be a concubine… Oh, by the way, how is my daughter-in-law progressing in breaking through the arrays?"
Hua Fuchen shot him a glare, holding back the urge to slap his face, and said with no small pride, "As early as half a year ago, Cai Li had already broken through Seven Stars. The reason she hasn't emerged yet is because Qingying has added an eighth-level star array for her."
Meng Kongchan was briefly stunned, then laughed even louder. "Hahaha! As expected of my Meng Kongchan's chosen daughter-in-law—"
Hua Fuchen elbowed him in the arm. "Shut up! We haven't reached the Pure Land yet, and matters at the old palace are still completely stalled. Tone it down!"
"I'll tone it down, I'll tone it down. Whatever my in-law says is right. How has Qingying been lately—"
"Stop fishing for information. Go ask her yourself!"
Meng Zhiyuan watched the two great Divine Venerables walk away, her mind swirling with thoughts.
At the same time, deep within the Mist Sea.
The dark Eternal Calamity Demon Flame illuminated Yun Che's face. Abyss Dust gathered in his hand, repeatedly coalescing and approaching the flame, yet it never produced the reaction he had been hoping for.
He had tried similar experiments countless times during this period.
In his time within the Mist Sea, his affinity for and control over Abyss Dust had grown daily. As his understanding of Abyss Dust deepened, one day, a vague feeling emerged in his consciousness—a sense that he could draw the power of Abyss Dust for his own use.
This feeling grew clearer with time. Yet no matter how hard he tried, no matter what he attempted, it felt as though an insurmountable threshold stood before him, impossible to cross.
The Eternal Calamity Demon Flame extinguished. He slowly closed his eyes, a crimson flame in his left hand and an Ice Aura in his right. As he focused his mind, they fused in reverse order, turning into Ice Flame.
Abyss Dust drifted past, passing silently through the Ice Flame without any response.
The Ice Flame went out. Yun Che let out a long breath, drenched in sweat.
"What… am I still missing?"
He muttered to himself.
"Is it insufficient cultivation level… or is my intangible understanding of the Void Law still not enough?"
Li Suo's voice rang out leisurely, "This is your thirty-thousandth attempt. Still not giving up?"
"No reason to give up." Yun Che said softly, "The essence of Abyss Dust is a power of annihilation that transcends laws. By merely controlling it, I can cause chaos in this world and destroy the cognition of all creatures. But if I could detonate its power…"
"Then maybe—no, it would definitely become true God-Slaying power!"
Li Suo said, "Since it is God-Slaying power, how could it be easily attained?"
"Moreover, even if you could truly trigger the annihilation power within Abyss Dust, with your cultivation and body, before slaying a god, you would first slay yourself."
Yun Che did not refute. He knew this very well.
But that feeling of being able to touch the ancestral annihilation power within Abyss Dust had gradually shifted from vague to clear.
It was a formless enlightenment derived from the Void Law—though never able to be precisely grasped, it had never deceived him before.
Boom!
The Yama King opened, and he ignited the Eternal Calamity Demon Flame at its limit, blasting it toward the Abyss Dust condensed in his other hand.
The demon flame roared, Abyss Dust scattered, and Yun Che's aura completely subsided.
After this final venting attempt, Yun Che stood up, gathered the Mist Qi around him, and walked deeper into the Mist Sea.
The fallen Eternal Calamity Demon Flame burned fiercely, only slowly extinguishing after a long time.
No one noticed that within the dark flame, a tiny speck of gray flame had bizarrely appeared.
The moment the gray flame appeared, it plunged straight down. Wherever it passed, it actually severed the terrifying Eternal Calamity Demon Flame—and severed it with extreme precision. The two separated pieces of black flame burned on either side of the gray flame's trail, never merging for a long time.
Even less did anyone see that beneath the fallen gray spark, the hard ground of the Mist Sea silently dissolved like early winter's thin snow, vanishing without a trace… until it reached the abyss soil at an unknown depth.
Pan Buwang was completely shrouded in darkness. Despite the heavy interference of Abyss Dust, his aura remained so faint as to be almost impossible to detect.
This also showed that his compatibility with Dark Profound Force was becoming increasingly perfect.
The Xiaodie Divine Kingdom was the only divine kingdom in the Abyss that primarily cultivated Dark Profound Force. The Pan bloodline was the pinnacle of Dark Profound Force in the Abyss world. Therefore, according to the Pan bloodline's understanding, the volatility of Dark Profound Force and its tendency to lose control were among its unchangeable essences.
Only by becoming a Divine Venerable could one achieve near-perfect control over Dark Profound Force to the greatest extent.
But now, the Dark Profound Force on Pan Buwang was already extremely gentle. The last time it lost control and devoured him was over a year ago, and it was very mild, easily suppressed.
This was the kind of Dark affinity that only appeared in successive Xiaodie Divine Venerables.
And all of this came from his master… the Mist Emperor.
Sensing the Mist Emperor's approach, Pan Buwang's darkness dissipated, and he knelt respectfully. "Your disciple Buwang greets Master."
Now, his reverence, gratitude, and admiration for the Mist Emperor were all from the bottom of his heart.
"Disperse all your profound energy," the Mist Emperor ordered directly, leaving no room for doubt.
"Yes!"
Without any resistance, the dark mist swirling around Pan Buwang quickly dissipated, and even the naturally released protective profound aura was completely suppressed.
The mist twisted. It seemed a human arm, hidden by the mist, was raised, and then a tremendous force suddenly descended, pressing Pan Buwang, who had no protective power, heavily to the ground.
Even so, no resistance arose from Pan Buwang. He even immediately withdrew the instinctive surge of protective profound aura.
He lay prostrate, sensing his master's approach, not lifting his head, not speaking, and making no resistance at all.
The mist enveloped him, thick enough to rapidly deprive him of life force. A palm that seemed to have no temperature pressed against his back. Then the flesh and bones of his back burst open, and a force shattered his body, cruelly piercing into his profound veins.
Pan Buwang gritted his teeth tightly but still did not utter a single groan of pain, nor did he flee.
Having another person's force pierce one's profound veins—any profound practitioner would be horrified and immediately counterattack, because the other party only needed to move a thought to directly destroy the profound veins, at least causing permanent damage, at worst… possibly turning him into a cripple.
Pan Buwang's teeth chattered from the pain and instinctive fear, but still he offered no resistance, and not a single sound escaped between his teeth.
He was a person with very clear likes and dislikes. Everything he had now was bestowed by the Mist Emperor. Even if the Mist Emperor wanted to take his life, he would have no regrets.
Bang! Bang! Bang—
Successive explosions and soul-splitting pain came from his body and profound veins. He clearly felt his body being cruelly pierced with several holes.
Finally, the pain exceeded the limit his will could bear. A hoarse cry escaped his throat, and then he was flung far away like a leaking blood bag.
He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat.
The Mist Emperor spoke coldly, "Your last divine rank has also been forcibly opened. Now you have a perfect tenth divine rank—what the world calls a 'perfect divine rank' and a 'miracle child.'"
Pan Buwang's trembling suddenly stopped. He jerked his head up. His emotions, usually hard to stir, were now frozen in shock. He couldn't believe what he had heard.
Because those four brief words, "perfect divine rank," were extremely rare throughout the Abyss's history. Every time they appeared, they were linked to the word "miracle."
Having been a former Divine Son of Xiaodie, his talent was undoubtedly at the top of the generation, but he had never dared to hope for such an almost mythical miracle.
But as profound energy circulated, he clearly sensed an extra special barrier in his profound veins… the tenth divine rank as named by the divine kingdom.
"…" Staring at the constantly twisting gray pupils within the mist, it took a long time for him to wake from his dream. He struggled to rise and kowtowed heavily. "Your disciple Buwang thanks Master for another grace."
He was convinced that the Mist Emperor was a person… yet he increasingly dared not imagine what kind of person he really was.
A difference of one divine rank was almost a chasm in level for the Divine Sons and Daughters of the divine kingdoms, and could even directly affect the prestige of a major divine kingdom in the next era.
Because of that one-rank difference, a divine kingdom could without hesitation abandon a Divine Son who had been cultivated with all its effort and resources, transferring everything to a Divine Son with a higher divine rank.
But the Mist Emperor… could forcibly open divine ranks!
He had raised Pan Buwang from an eighth-rank to a ninth-rank, and now to a perfect divine rank that the divine kingdoms considered a miracle.
Even the Supreme Pure Land could absolutely not do such a thing.
Master… who is he… what kind of person is he…
Why does he treat me like this… why does he help me so much…
In truth, Yun Che's forcible opening of divine ranks was not achievable for all profound practitioners, but only for Dark Profound practitioners, and only if their bodies, profound veins, and Dark Profound Force achieved sufficient compatibility.
With the Void Law and the Dark Eternal Calamity, he was the true Lord of Darkness, able to control any Dark body to the greatest extent.
"In another month, the core figures of the Six Divine Kingdoms will gather in the Pure Land. Pan Buwang, tell me, what are your plans?"
Pan Buwang slowly raised his head, his pride fierce. "On the Pure Land, I will crush Pan Buzhuo, make my father regret his choice, and reclaim my title as Divine Son in the most indisputable manner."
"Is that all?" the Mist Emperor said. "Even if you reclaim the title of Xiaodie Divine Son, how long will it take for you to gain the power for revenge?"
Pan Buwang bowed his head deeply. "Please instruct me, Master."
The Mist Emperor raised his hand, and darkness swirled instantly, turning the surrounding space into a lightless world.
"I want you to temporarily set aside your disappointment and resentment toward your father. When you step into the Pure Land, you will fight for the dignity of the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom, make everyone see that you are far more worthy than Pan Buzhuo to be the Xiaodie Divine Son, and make the world marvel that you are a dark miracle bestowed by heaven upon the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom!"
"Buwang, remember: the most convenient emotion to exploit in this world is not regret, but guilt!"
"How much guilt you can inspire in your father determines when you are qualified to fully control your own fate, and even more so, when you are qualified to thrust the spear of revenge toward Shen Wuyanye!"
To Pan Buwang, the Mist Emperor was no longer simply a master, but a god surpassing even the Abyss Emperor.
He engraved every word the Mist Emperor said deeply in his heart. "Your disciple Buwang has memorized all of Master's teachings!"
"Very good." The Mist Emperor praised coldly. "I trust that one as intelligent as you surely knows what to do."
"For the next seven days, stop cultivating and focus on recovering your state. After seven days, you will leave the Mist Sea and head for the Pure Land. However, for this trip to the Pure Land, you must not follow the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom. As for how to enter the Pure Land without going through the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom…"
He paused, and Pan Buwang replied resolutely, "Master, rest assured. If Buwang cannot even accomplish such a small matter, how could he be worthy of being Master's disciple?"
"No," the Mist Emperor said in a low voice. "I want you to make sure to enter the Pure Land with the Star Moon Divine Kingdom. Use whatever method you must!"
Pan Buwang was slightly stunned, but did not ask further. He answered heavily, "Yes!"
The Mist Emperor raised his hand, and several strange Abyss Crystals shimmering with dark light landed before Pan Buwang.
"Darkness eats at the heart. Even your father cannot fully avoid it. How to use them is up to you."
The Mist Emperor's voice faded until it completely disappeared into the darkness.
Pan Buwang reached out and carefully picked up the strange Abyss Crystals one by one, then clenched his hand tightly.
Wuging… wait for me…
Whether you are still in this world, or have already gone to another world, you must wait for me…
Even if it only earns me a miserable moment, I will never again let me… let us end with only powerlessness and sorrow…
As for the price… ever since the news of your death reached me, it has ceased to matter at all!