Chapter 604: Golden Crow Ancestral Land
“During this month, aside from leaving two bits of your will to protect Xiao Yaohou, you completely entered a state of deep cultivation without self or mind, making it impossible to clearly perceive the passage of time.” Mo Li’s voice was flat but carried a hint of schadenfreude: “You felt like only a few hours had passed, but in reality, it has been a full thirty days. If not for the lingering concerns in your subconscious, it wouldn’t have been strange for you to remain in that state for several years or even decades.”
“~!@#$%^&*… Then why didn’t you wake me up?” Yun Che was almost going crazy.
“Why should I wake you up?” Mo Li retorted disdainfully. “Such a rare cultivation state—I was hoping you would keep it going indefinitely.”
“…” If not for the fact that he couldn’t possibly defeat Mo Li, Yun Che would have grabbed her and given her a good spanking. He quickly looked at Xiao Yaohou… Although a month had passed, his power to isolate the flames had never disappeared, so Xiao Yaohou showed no signs of being burned from head to toe. At that moment, Xiao Yaohou suddenly opened her eyes and met his gaze.
“You’ve finally come back to your senses,” Xiao Yaohou said coolly and indifferently.
Although Xiao Yaohou’s tone was unfriendly, her voice and complexion showed no signs of weakness, which made Yun Che breathe a huge sigh of relief. He said somewhat sheepishly, “Such a long time… why didn’t you wake me up?”
“You were clearly in a state of enlightenment without self or mind—a state that a profound practitioner might encounter only once in a lifetime. Unless I reached a point where I could no longer hold on, of course I wouldn’t disturb you.” Xiao Yaohou gave Yun Che a deep look. “The profound energy you infused into my body kept my life force from dissipating at all for a full thirty days… In this Sea of Death, you actually entered an enlightenment state… You are simply an incomprehensible monster.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Xiao Yaohou.” Yun Che said weakly. “Now you should believe that as long as we can leave this place, I definitely have a way to repair your life pulse!”
Neither spoke further, but from the complex light in each other’s eyes, they both knew what the other was thinking. Unknowingly, they had been in this Sea of Death for an entire month. In the Huan Yao Realm, news of Xiao Yaohou’s death must have spread everywhere. Yao Huang City was surely in chaos, and coincidentally, because of the Demon Queen’s Ceremony, heroes from all over had gathered in Yao Huang City…
Now, the situation in Yao Huang City must have undergone a drastic change. Although Huai Wang Manor wouldn’t ascend to the throne in such a short time, with the forces it controlled, it could easily dominate everything. The factions leaning toward Huai Wang Manor would surely increase dramatically… Meanwhile, those loyal to the Demon Emperor Clan, especially the Yun Family and Mu Clan, who knew the truth behind Xiao Yaohou’s death, would undoubtedly face relentless suppression from Huai Wang Manor.
Add to that the terrifying Ming Wang lurking in the shadows…
“We must leave here immediately!” Xiao Yaohou said.
“Alright!” Yun Che responded at once. Since a full month had already passed, Ming Wang and Huai Wang could not possibly still be in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley. He took a deep breath and shot upward… Shuttling through the Golden Crow lava—just the thought of such a scene would make countless profound practitioners shudder. Yet Yun Che moved through it far more easily than through air. Even the thinnest air offered slight resistance, but the densely packed fire elements here provided him with endless propulsion.
The Sea of Death stretched three thousand li, vast and immense, with no one knowing its depth. Yun Che had been immersed in it for a month and had no idea where he was. He shot straight up, swift as thunder, but before him remained a world like purgatory’s molten rock.
After a full several dozen breaths, Yun Che finally began to sense the fire aura thinning slightly. The next moment, as a blinding light shone down, he and Xiao Yaohou burst out of the flames, leaving behind the Sea of Death where they had stayed for thirty days—a place that could kill even a powerful Emperor Lord countless times.
The lava of the Sea of Death was constantly churning and flowing, so their current location was naturally not where they had entered. Yun Che gazed around. Even with his eyesight, he saw nothing but red lava in all directions, with no other objects in sight. Even the sky was not the deep purple of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, but a fiery red.
The vast Sea of Death made orientation impossible. After circling for a long time, Yun Che finally spotted a faint trace of purple in the far southeast, where the sky almost touched the sea of flames.
The sky over the Sea of Death was red; the sky over the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley was purple!
Yun Che locked onto the direction and charged southeast. With his Phantom Lightning Extreme, the faint purple in his vision gradually expanded and then grew richer.
Leaving the Sea of Death, the rate at which he absorbed the power of heaven and earth dropped dozens of times. Yun Che immediately felt Xiao Yaohou’s life force draining away, and her breathing began to become irregular… After all, she was still in a fatal state with her life pulse severed!
Yun Che gathered all his profound energy and pushed his speed to the limit. Half an hour later, the edge of the Sea of Death finally began to appear in his sight. Purple lightning fell from the sky, accompanied by a series of ear-splitting rumbles.
“We’re almost back to the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley!” Yun Che whispered. The Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley ahead was growing closer in his vision. He twisted his body, roughly pushing aside the scorching air currents, then swooped down. When he landed, his feet were on the ground of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley.
“Whew!” Yun Che let out a long breath, then looked at Xiao Yaohou. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Xiao Yaohou pushed herself away from him with a hand. “You said before that the greatest secret of my Demon Emperor Clan could allow me to achieve half-step Divine Xuan! What… what is that secret? By now, Yao Huang City must be in chaos. I must not… let Huai Wang Manor succeed!”
From the time they left the Sea of Death until now—about half an hour—Xiao Yaohou’s aura had weakened by more than half, and she was panting heavily as she spoke.
Ignoring Xiao Yaohou’s resistance, Yun Che reached out and pressed his hand on her shoulder, circulating the Great Dao Pagoda Art to channel the absorbed energy of heaven and earth into her, doing his best to sustain her life force. “That is the secret of your Demon Emperor Clan. I have an obligation to tell you, but before that, we must first leave this place and repair your life pulse… Don’t worry, I have at least seventy percent confidence in fully repairing your life pulse. But it’s impossible here! I need a large amount of Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals, over a dozen types of spiritual jade, and more than thirty types of spiritual herbs. There’s no way to find them in the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley… And without repairing your life pulse, how can we talk about half-step Divine Xuan?”
“Since you were able to forcefully open the sealing formation of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley and enter, you should also have a way to leave, right?” Yun Che asked with great hope.
“…I entered relying on the Demon Emperor Seal. Using the Demon Emperor Seal, I can indeed forcefully leave this place. But the Demon Emperor Seal has been taken by Ming Wang… He knows all its secrets thoroughly.” Xiao Yaohou gritted her teeth slightly.
“Then… is there any other way to leave?” Yun Che asked with a frown.
“The Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley is an independent world. There is no exit at all. Without the Demon Emperor Seal, the only way out is to be forcibly expelled by the force field generated when the sealing formation re-forms. But…” Xiao Yaohou’s face turned somewhat pale, and her voice grew weaker. “Each time the sealing formation is opened, the next time it opens on its own is five years later. And even with the Demon Emperor Seal, it cannot be forcefully opened again within a hundred years.”
Five years…
That length of time was far too long…
Xiao Yaohou’s current state might not last even five days… But if they spent those five years entirely immersed in the Sea of Death, with dozens of times the absorption of heaven and earth energy, it might be possible to keep her alive for five years. But five years is not one month. Five years could change far too many things! It would be enough for Huai Wang Manor to completely control the entire Huan Yao Realm, enough for the Yun Family to utterly decline… or even be annihilated…
Enough for the Huan Yao Realm to gradually accept and grow accustomed to the severance of the Demon Emperor bloodline.
Five years would make too many things irreversible. Neither Xiao Yaohou nor Yun Che could accept that.
“Is there really no other way?” Yun Che gritted his teeth.
Xiao Yaohou’s chest heaved as she thought briefly, then said, “Go to the Golden Crow Ancestral Land… and beg the Golden Crow Deity to send us out. That is the only way. After all, I possess the Golden Crow bloodline… Perhaps it will succeed.”
“Alright!”
Yun Che lifted Xiao Yaohou and soared into the air, heading in the direction she indicated.
“Xiao Yaohou, I remember Ming Wang calling you ‘Princess Caiyi.’ Did you used to like wearing colorful clothes? The drab gray outfit you’re wearing now… it’s not pretty at all.”
Xiao Yaohou’s face was expressionless, her eyes calm as still water. “ ‘Caiyi’ was just my former name. My Demon Emperor Clan surname is ‘Huan.’ My full name is Huan Caiyi. But even I have almost forgotten that name.”
“I don’t believe it’s just a name that simple.” Yun Che said, looking ahead. “If not for colorful clothes, why would you be called ‘Princess Caiyi’? It’s because of your blood feud and the heavy burden on your shoulders that you always wear gray clothes, isn’t it?”
Xiao Yaohou: “…”
“Sigh,” Yun Che sighed softly, his voice tinged with melancholy and deep pity. “You are, after all, just a woman. There’s no need to treat yourself like this… turning what was once a colorful life into nothing but gray desolation. Being so harsh on yourself is too cruel. I’ve heard that many years ago, you were recognized as the number one beauty of the Huan Yao Realm. Even in gray clothes, your brilliance couldn’t be concealed. I truly wish I could see what you look like in splendid, colorful garments—how beautiful you must be. The number one beauty of the Huan Yao Realm, the most dazzling radiance of all.”
Xiao Yaohou pressed her icy palm against Yun Che’s chest. “Stop your nonsense! Even like this, killing you would still be… effortless!”
Yun Che showed no sign of fear; instead, he chuckled. “I’m not afraid of your threats… On the contrary, I deeply understand what you’ve thought and done over these hundred years. Because there was a time when I was just like you—hatred became everything in life.”
“You?” Xiao Yaohou was stirred and turned her eyes to him, only to see a flicker of pain pass through his pupils.
Yun Che said slowly, “Hatred is a terrible poison. It once blinded my eyes, devoured my reason, and buried my emotions. I once thought what I was doing was right, that it was something I had to do, even if it meant utter ruin. I thought avenging them at any cost would comfort their spirits in heaven. But when she passed away, the last words she spoke with her dying breath were for me never to seek revenge…”
“At that moment, I understood. What their spirits in heaven wanted was not for me to avenge them, but for me to live well. The better I lived, the more comforted they would be. Burying myself in the abyss of pain and hatred would only make them grieve more, and also grieve those still alive, those who care for me… In the end, it would only leave irreparable consequences.”
Xiao Yaohou slowly removed her hand from Yun Che’s chest, her eyes dazed. After a moment, she said softly, “We’re here.”
Ahead of them was a cliff face. In front of it, a profound formation burning with golden flames rotated slowly.
This was the end of the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley—the location of the Golden Crow Ancestral Land!