Chapter 591: Xiao Yaohou's Crisis
The night grew heavier and heavier. Today's night was exceptionally dark, with no starlight in the sky. A patch of dark clouds drifted past, obscuring the waning moon. In an instant, the entire world became pitch-black, so dark that one couldn't even see their hand in front of their face. Even the air became exceptionally oppressive... as if using this boundless darkness to foreshadow something.
"Tonight is indeed excessively dark," Yun Che muttered to himself. He lifted his head to look at the sky. The cloud layer wasn't low, and there didn't seem to be any sign of an approaching rainstorm either.
After a long while, the dark clouds covering the moon slowly drifted away. Faint, dim light shone down, and ahead of Yun Che, the blurry silhouettes of two towering peaks faintly emerged. Under the dark night, they looked like two giant sky-supporting figures standing side by side.
The entrance to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley was located right where these two peaks met. For a hundred li around, there was no trace of human habitation, and not even many profound beasts could be seen.
"Almost there!" Yun Che muttered softly. His figure began to descend, but his speed slowed down, and his aura was heavily restrained. Even his brows furrowed little by little.
According to the information Yun Qinghong had transmitted into his mind, the entrance to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley was sealed by a sealing profound formation personally set up by the Golden Crow Soul Spirit. This profound formation was ten zhang tall and constantly emitted golden light and scorching heat.
But under such a pitch-black night, even from over ten li away, the golden color of the profound formation should have been exceptionally conspicuous. However, wherever Yun Che's gaze reached, between the two peaks, there was only pitch darkness, with no trace of any golden profound formation at all.
That is to say... the profound formation sealing Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley had indeed been opened!!
"It seems my guess was correct. Xiao Yaohou really did come to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley... and she indeed has a way to forcefully open the seal of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley," Yun Che said in a low voice.
Moreover, it was obvious that after the seal of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley was forcibly opened, it wouldn't recover immediately. Those who came later could also freely enter.
Yun Che took out his sound transmission jade, intending to inform Yun Qinghong that the seal of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley had been broken. But just as he was about to speak, he suddenly put the jade down and muttered to himself, "It's better to get closer and confirm first."
The distance of over ten li quickly closed. The entrance to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley was now right before his eyes. Yun Che could clearly feel the surrounding air currents growing hotter and hotter. When he was only three li away from the entrance, the heat had already reached a level unbearable for ordinary people. Just then, Mo Li suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Descend immediately. There are people at the entrance."
Hearing this, Yun Che quickly descended from the air and then slowly walked forward. Under Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, he was utterly silent. Even Xiao Yaohou, at a very close distance back then, had completely failed to detect his presence—let alone others.
Every improvement in the Great Dao Pagoda Art greatly enhanced Yun Che's five senses. He stopped behind a large boulder two li away. His gaze pierced through the layers of night, and sure enough, at the entrance to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, he saw a clear figure.
Although he couldn't make out the person's face, this individual wasn't deliberately restraining his aura. His profound energy gave Yun Che a vague sense of familiarity.
This aura, along with a slight sense of pressure, was not unfamiliar at all. This person was...
Yun Che thought for a brief moment, and then his heart suddenly jolted—
Hui Ran!!
The eldest son of Huai Wang, the foremost among the Seven Sons of the Huan Yao Realm... the one he had defeated with an unexpected move and smashed away with a single sword during the grand ceremony!
Why was he here...
Yun Che thought for a moment, and his heart sank heavily... The only explanation for Hui Ran appearing here was that the people of Huai Wang's manor, as he had previously feared, had learned of Xiao Yaohou's movements and had followed her into the opened Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley!
Their goal was naturally to kill Xiao Yaohou in this perfect place—Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley!
To do this, not a single whisper of information could leak out, and not a single trace could be left behind. So the people carrying out the operation had to be those Huai Wang trusted the most... and such people were, first and foremost, his direct relatives!
His father or his son!
To ensure Xiao Yaohou's death, Huai Wang's strength alone was definitely insufficient. So the person Huai Wang was most likely to bring along was his father—that Ming Wang who had vanished for a long time but was very likely still hiding behind the scenes with supreme profound strength!
And Hui Ran being here was obviously to keep watch! To prevent anyone from approaching and discovering that the seal of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley had been opened... If he could defeat them, he would kill them to silence them. Even if he couldn't, he would at least know clearly who had approached this place.
Yun Chen retreated back into hiding, took out his sound transmission jade, and transmitted to Yun Qinghong in a concentrated voice: "All my guesses have unfortunately come true... The seal of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley has been opened. Hui Ran of Huai Wang's manor is guarding the entrance."
After saying this, Yun Che put away the sound transmission jade... He believed that upon hearing these words, Yun Qinghong would definitely come here as soon as possible.
"What are you planning to do?" Mo Li asked.
Yun Che thought for a moment and said, "I'll stay here for now. Not to mention Ming Wang and Huai Wang, I can't even defeat this Hui Ran. For now, the only thing I can do is watch and wait for Father and Grandfather to arrive."
"However, Grandfather was right before—Xiao Yaohou is definitely not someone who would let her guard down. After leaving the Yao Huang Hall, she would have rushed straight to the Golden Crow Ancestral Land at the very end of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley. By the time Huai Wang's people reacted, catching up would be basically impossible. Xiao Yaohou wouldn't be in any danger inside the Golden Crow Ancestral Land. After awakening her bloodline within, even if that Ming Wang personally attacked, he wouldn't be able to kill her."
Even as he said these words, Yun Che's brows did not relax but instead furrowed even tighter.
"Oh? Is that so?" Mo Li gave a faint, disdainful snort. "After saying all that, don't you sense something off yourself? Huai Wang and that behind-the-scenes Ming Wang are both extremely shrewd people. What your grandfather can think of, how could they not? If they could guess Xiao Yaohou's movements and pursue her here, it obviously means—as you feared—they have long grasped many secrets of the Demon Emperor Clan, knowing far more than you and your grandfather! If it were really as you just said, why would they bother coming here to waste their efforts knowing they couldn't catch up... and even leave someone specifically to guard the entrance!"
Mo Li's words were precisely what Yun Che had been wondering about. Mo Li paused, then suddenly shifted her tone, sneering coldly: "Speaking of the Golden Crow bloodline, some interesting things just came to mind."
"Interesting things? What?" Yun Che was startled.
"In the world I came from, there was a star realm called 'Yan Shen Realm.' It was a world ruled by fire. The powers and bloodlines inherited by the people there all came from ancient fire-type divine beasts. There were Fire Qilin, Cang Luan, Zhu Rong, Nine-Tailed Divine Fox, Red Sable... almost all the inheritances of ancient flame divine beasts were concentrated in Yan Shen Realm. And the foremost, strongest three flame forces were naturally the Zu Que, Fenghuang, and Jinwu clans—the three clans that inherited the power and bloodline of the three supreme flame gods!"
Yun Che: "..."
"I once said that among the three supreme flame gods, although Jinwu ranks last, if we talk purely about the power of its flames, Jinwu is the strongest. But in Yan Shen Realm, the overall strength of the Jinwu clan was far inferior to that of Zu Que and Fenghuang—not even half of theirs! Do you know why?"
"...Could it be because the flames of Jinwu are too intense, not only hard to control but also harmful and damaging to the user themselves?" Yun Che thought for a moment and answered. This was because Mo Li had told him something similar before. Moreover, in the Huan Yao Realm, successive generations of Yao Huang with the purest Jinwu inheritance had very short lifespans—after awakening their bloodline, they could only live for a little over a thousand years. And successive generations of Yao Hou, none had lived past a thousand years.
"Hmph, that's right." Mo Li said in a low voice. "In Yan Shen Realm, men who cultivate the Jinwu Flame have a lifespan exactly half that of those who cultivate the Zu Que or Fenghuang Flame! And for women who cultivate the Jinwu Flame, their lifespan is even shorter—by double or even several times—and they often have to endure the torment of flames burning their hearts!!"
"That is because the Jinwu Flame is the ultimate yang flame, allowing not even the slightest trace of yin energy to exist! The purer the Jinwu bloodline, the more so! And a woman's life force is inherently yin in nature. If she bears the Jinwu bloodline and cultivates the Jinwu power, how could she not have her life force burned and damaged by the Jinwu Flame!"
Yun Che's head shot up: "Mo Li, are you saying this... to imply something?"
Mo Li sneered coldly: "I'm saying that if women in Yan Shen Realm are like this, then Xiao Yaohou is merely a mortal body. Even just inheriting the Jinwu bloodline has tormented her endlessly. And what they call 'awakening the bloodline' seems to mean receiving pure Jinwu blood granted by the Golden Crow Soul Spirit. Heh, she is a woman! If pure ancestral Jinwu blood really surges into her body, then no matter how hard she struggles to resist and control it, within a year, her life force will certainly be burned to nothing!"
"If she is still a virgin and her primal yin is still within her body, then perhaps she won't even live for a month!"
"What?!" Mo Li's words shocked Yun Che greatly, and he barely suppressed a low roar in his throat.
Mo Li said in a low voice: "But speaking of which, if that Golden Crow Soul Spirit has any brains, it shouldn't be foolish enough to waste precious Jinwu blood on a woman! It's very likely that even if Xiao Yaohou meets the Golden Crow Soul Spirit, she'll be immediately chased out."
Yun Che: "!!"
Yun Che's heart trembled violently... Mo Li's words had never been false! Since this was the truth, then Xiao Yaohou's plan to awaken her bloodline would ultimately come to nothing! Even if she reached the Golden Crow Ancestral Land, the only possibility was that she would be driven out by the Golden Crow Soul Spirit—because he too absolutely refused to believe that the Golden Crow Soul Spirit, inheriting the will of a divine beast, would choose to waste the Jinwu bloodline on someone who would die soon from inheriting it.
Then, while she was unable to awaken her bloodline in Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, what would follow was that Huai Wang, who had entered after her...
Yun Che suddenly stood up. This violent movement was not concealed at all, and his profound energy was released without restraint. In an instant, his entire body whipped up a fierce gale, charging straight toward the entrance of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley.
"Who goes there!" This action of Yun Che's undoubtedly alerted Hui Ran, who was guarding the entrance. He shot to his feet, and a terrifying surge of energy erupted, freezing the space of a hundred zhang around him.
"What are you doing!" Mo Li said in a deep voice.
"I'm charging in, of course!" Yun Che said through gritted teeth. "If all this is true... then Xiao Yaohou is in extreme danger. I can't wait for Father and Grandfather to arrive! Xiao Yaohou cannot die under any circumstances, or the entire Yun Clan will be finished!"
"With your current strength, even if you charge in, what can you do? The person who can kill Xiao Yaohou—you can't even stop them for a single breath."
"...If I can find her, and she's not dead yet, then I naturally have a way! Hong'er, come out!"
Yun Che let out a low roar. A flash of red light appeared in his hand, and Heaven-Defying Sword was in his grasp. Without any greeting at all, he directly swung a single sword strike toward the approaching Hui Ran. (User tip: Visit m.)