Chapter 598: The Longing in Desperation
"Pfft..." Xiao Yaohou spat out another mouthful of black blood, blood clots mixed within that were shocking to the eye. Then, she slowly knelt to the ground, her eyes sometimes dazed, sometimes unfocused. Looking at the bloodstains she had spat out, Yun Che's heart tightened, and he quickly moved to support her frail shoulders. But the moment his hand touched her shoulder, Xiao Yaohou forcefully slapped his hand away: "I said it once... don't... touch me!" Xiao Yaohou appeared extremely weak, but the force of this slap was not light, staggering Yun Che back several steps. Xiao Yaohou's body shook violently, nearly collapsing completely. She lifted her head. Her face, like that of a young girl, was pale and delicate enough to stir pity, but it was covered in an icy coldness and stubbornness that seemed as if it could never melt: "Just because you defiled my body with your eyes that day... Even if you were the descendant of the Demon Emperor, I should have gouged out your eyes! If you dare touch me again... I will definitely kill you!"
Before Yun Che could finish speaking, a scorching gust of wind suddenly swept in. Xiao Yaohou's slender white hand had already grabbed his throat: "Do you really think... I dare not kill you?" Xiao Yaohou was weak, but after all, she was a Mid-stage Emperor Lord. Even in her current state, killing Yun Che would be effortless. Yun Che nodded and said seriously, "Mm... because you have no killing intent towards me." After saying this, fearing that Xiao Yaohou would truly lose control, he quickly continued, "We have been forced into a dead end. What we should be thinking about now is how to escape from here... Whether you want to kill me or gouge out my eyes, at least wait until we have escaped."
"Hmph!" Xiao Yaohou flung her hand, pushing Yun Che far away. "Escape? Are you still naively dreaming of escaping Ming Wang's clutches? Right now, it's nothing more than a final dying gasp."
Yun Che frowned and said in a low voice, "I have experienced situations more dangerous and desperate than this no less than ten times! Yet I am still alive... because even if I were to breathe my last in the next moment, I would still struggle with all my might in the moment before! Not to mention one Ming Wang, even ten Ming Wangs, I would never sit and wait for death!"
"Xiao Yaohou, you are the Demon Emperor of the Huan Yao Realm. For the past hundred years, you have endured the pain of losing all your loved ones, borne the heavy pressure that others cannot imagine, and faced the doubts of the world, the future of the Demon Emperor Clan, and the ambitions of Prince Huai's Mansion. Even so, you have protected the throne of the Demon Emperor and upheld the last dignity of the Demon Emperor Clan for a full hundred years. Prince Huai could not defeat you. As strong as Ming Wang, even though he harmed the Former Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Emperor, because of you, he has never truly succeeded..."
"Every time my father mentions you, he does so with deep respect. After I uncovered the truth of everything, I also felt immense admiration for you. Among all the women I have seen in my life, aside from my master, you are the most remarkable! You are the mighty Xiao Yaohou, the only female Demon Emperor in the history of the Huan Yao Realm... How could someone so extraordinary be willing to resign to fate? I know you were severely wounded to save me, and your life pulse has been severed... But as long as we can escape here today, even if your life pulse is broken, I have a way to keep you alive! Don't forget, I completely healed my parents' injuries that had plagued them for over twenty years!"
Xiao Yaohou: "..."
Yun Che stepped forward and stood before her: "Xiao Yaohou, I have always believed that there is never an 'absolute' in this world! Nor is there an absolute 'dead end'! If you are unwilling to die... if you want to personally avenge your father and the Little Demon Emperor... then work with me, use this brief respite to think of every way, spare no effort, and escape!"
Xiao Yaohou was stunned. She stared blankly into Yun Che's eyes... In his pupils, she saw worry, but no fear, and not a trace of despair! The radiance that belonged to him had not diminished by even a fraction... For the first time in her life, someone's gaze was so bright that it dazzled her. She was lost in thought for a long time. Even her soul, which had begun to grow dim, felt a strange tremor.
"And also, the most important point!" Yun Che said with extreme seriousness: "You should know that your Demon Emperor Clan has always possessed a secret that only the reigning Demon Emperor and the head of the Yun Clan would know! The Former Demon Emperor was murdered and couldn't pass this secret to the Little Demon Emperor, and my grandfather also met with disaster in the Tian Xuan Continent... During the time I reunited with my grandfather, he not only gave me the Demon Emperor Seal but also told me this most important secret of your Demon Emperor Clan, asking me to convey it to you in person!"
Yun Che's words made Xiao Yaohou's spirit jolt violently! As the daughter of the Demon Emperor, she naturally knew of the existence of this secret. Although she had always been puzzled as to why the Yun Clan head could share this secret while the Demon Emperor Crown Prince could not learn it before succession, neither she nor the Little Demon Emperor had ever asked out of curiosity, no matter how strong. She had thought that with the successive deaths of the Former Demon Emperor and the Demon Emperor, this secret of the Demon Emperor Clan would be buried forever. But Yun Che had actually brought this secret of the Demon Emperor Clan back as well.
She looked into Yun Che's eyes... there was not a trace of falsehood in his gaze as he spoke: "There is naturally a reason this secret cannot be revealed to you in advance. It is because it can only be used at the most critical and crucial moments... like the current state of the Demon Emperor Clan! If it were known in advance, once one's willpower is insufficient, irreversible actions would be taken!"
"Because this is... a method that can allow the Demon Emperor heir... to step into the Demigod realm and possess the power of Half-step Divine Xuan!"
Demigod realm... Half-step Divine Xuan! These were words that existed only in fantasy and legend, even for Xiao Yaohou, they were too dreamlike to believe.
"What... did you say?" she murmured in disbelief.
"Everything I just said was personally told to me by my grandfather. If a single word is false, may I fall into the eighteen levels of hell after death." Yun Che's gaze was calm and unwavering as he looked into Xiao Yaohou's eyes, extremely serious and solemn: "When the time comes, for you to personally kill Ming Wang will be no difficult task! Toppling Prince Huai's Mansion will also be effortless! You can reorganize the Huan Yao Realm, and none will dare disobey! Those people and clans who betrayed you will tremble and repent at your feet..."
"As long as you live through today, all of this can be achieved!"
"So, you have no reason whatsoever to sit and wait for death here!"
Half-step Divine Xuan... revenge for her father... revenge for her husband... re-establishing the authority of the Demon Emperor... reorganizing the Huan Yao Realm... Every word from Yun Che was like a thunderclap exploding in her soul. Her eyes began to lose their grayness and deathly silence, starting to tremble more and more violently. A deep longing was frantically gathering...
Crack! Boom!
A thick purple thunderbolt crashed down from the sky, blasting a huge pit in the extremely hard Mysterious Stone ground. The strong residual waves radiated outward, heavily knocking Xiao Yaohou, who was already very weak, away. Yun Che quickly leaped up, instantly catching Xiao Yaohou in midair, his right arm gently encircling her waist. Xiao Yaohou's robes were very loose, but her body was extremely slender. Especially her frail waist, like a tender willow swaying in the wind, which Yun Che's hands could easily encircle completely. Xiao Yaohou's whole body stiffened slightly, but this time, she did not push Yun Che away. Instead, she said in a low voice: "Go... I want to kill Ming Wang... to avenge my father and my younger brother... I cannot die here... Take me away... Whatever happens, I cannot die here..."
Yun Che's words had undoubtedly given Xiao Yaohou immense hope and longing. Yun Che smiled faintly, nodded heavily, and tightened his arm around her slender waist slightly: "You know the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley much better than I do... Which direction is most favorable for us?"
"East... the Ancestral Land is in that direction... Although we no longer have the Demon Emperor Seal and cannot enter... If we can reach there before Ming Wang finds us... perhaps the Golden Crow Soul Spirit... will not stand idly by..."
"Alright!!" Yun Che responded forcefully, activated Phantom Lightning Extreme, and sped off at full speed, shooting eastward like a bolt of lightning. In truth, both Yun Che and Xiao Yaohou knew clearly that reaching the Golden Crow Ancestral Land before Ming Wang appeared was almost impossible. And even if they did reach there... whether the Golden Crow Soul Spirit would intervene had long been answered. Because with the power of a True God's soul, it must be fully aware of the entire situation in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley. If it were truly willing to help, it would have acted when Xiao Yaohou encountered Ming Wang and Prince Huai. After all, it was the one who bestowed the Golden Crow power upon the Demon Emperor Clan, their benefactor, not their guardian. Why would it meddle in such matters!
The secret of "Half-step Divine Xuan" that Yun Che described to Xiao Yaohou was not false. When the Demon Emperor Clan faced a catastrophic dead end, they could activate this secret of the Demon Emperor Clan to gain the power of Half-step Divine Xuan—an absolutely invincible force in this world. This would turn the tables and revive the Demon Emperor Clan. But what Yun Che described was only half of the truth. The other half was... this secret technique, while allowing someone with the Demon Emperor bloodline to obtain the power of Half-step Divine Xuan, would also leave them with only three more years of life... That was also why Yun Che had been back in the Demon Emperor City for three full months without ever telling Xiao Yaohou the secret that Yun Canghai had asked him to convey.
Under Phantom Lightning Extreme, Yun Che's speed grew faster and faster, fast enough to surprise Xiao Yaohou. With only Heavenly Xuan Realm profound strength and no particularly strong profound energy fluctuations, he could boost his speed to rival an early-stage Emperor Lord. This was something that, in the understanding of any profound practitioner, was utterly impossible.
Yun Che rushed eastward, leaving countless fire and lightning spirits behind. His brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze constantly scanning ahead, searching for any possibility. Xiao Yaohou had said that this was the northwestern edge of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley. Looking north, she could no longer see the scorched earth or the volcanoes engulfed in flames, only a terrifying red rolling mass, like a boundless sea of blood and fire. Yun Che couldn't help but ask: "What is at the edge of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley? Is it a space barrier?"
"No! It's three thousand li of molten rock! This molten rock is not ordinary stone melted by heat; it's Mysterious Stone melted by the most scorching Golden Crow flames! These three thousand li of molten rock surround the entire Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley and are called the 'Sea of Death'! If one dares to touch this Sea of Death, even someone of Ming Wang's strength would be instantly injured. If one dives into it, they would be burned to ashes in just a few breaths! If Ming Wang is the one to harm us here, he would surely choose to throw us into this Sea of Death to erase all traces!"
The moment Xiao Yaohou's voice fell, a very gentle voice, but for them no different from a nightmare, came from above: "Hehehehe, Princess Caiyi is as clever and quick-witted as always, thinking along the same lines as this king."
Yun Che's movement abruptly stopped, his teeth clenched as he stared ahead... Less than thirty zhang in front of him, space was violently distorting. As his body came to a halt, the distorted space was suddenly torn open. Ming Wang walked out slowly, his clear face carrying a light breeze-like smile. Beside him followed Prince Huai, his face filled with a cold sneer.
"Ming... Wang!!" Xiao Yaohou stared fiercely at Ming Wang, who appeared ahead. These two words, seeping through her teeth, were filled with deep pain... and the greatest hatred and murderous intent of her entire life.