Chapter 784: Desperate Stand at the Dead End
"Hahahaha... hahahaha! Heaven helps me, Heaven helps me!!"
Shiyue Mojun laughed wildly as he sprinted, his laughter more arrogant and unrestrained than ever before. The Netherworld Brahma Flower bloomed once every twenty-four years, and each time was the moment he yearned for most. But this time, his excitement was several times greater than any before!!
Because devouring the Netherworld Brahma Flower would not only repair his shattered soul origin but also greatly restore his soul power, life force, and profound force in a short time, and even accelerate his recovery from wounds several times over! In the past, these effects were useless to him, but now, they would completely overturn his current and future fate!!
These past days, he had remained above the Netherworld Brahma Flower, staring at it every moment, waiting for its full bloom. Now it had finally bloomed, like a gift from the heavens, appearing at the moment he needed it most.
By devouring this fully bloomed Netherworld Brahma Flower, in just twenty breaths, his Dark Profound Force would recover by half! In his fierce battle with Yun Che, the situation had been only slightly unfavorable to him, and this level of recovery would surely allow him to turn the tables and utterly crush Yun Che!
"You must catch him!! If he devours the Netherworld Brahma Flower, you will surely die!" Mo Li's voice was extremely heavy and furious... With her power, anywhere else, destroying Shiyue Mojun would take but an instant!
But here, she couldn't even release her power, let alone leave Yun Che's body!
Yun Che activated his profound force to the fullest, gritting his teeth so hard they almost shattered, and pushed Phantom Lightning Extreme to its limit. In terms of profound force consumption, he and Shiyue Mojun were roughly equal, but in terms of injuries, Shiyue Mojun was slightly worse off. Coupled with Yun Che's natural speed advantage, he closed the distance rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he had forcibly reduced the gap to just forty or fifty zhang.
However, because he was already injured inside and out, and now pushing his profound force to its limit and focusing entirely on speed, his injuries not only failed to ease but worsened quickly... Yet in this situation, he could not afford to care.
I should... be able to catch up!!
In just a few breaths, he had rushed deep into Shiyue's Cave, with only less than thirty zhang separating him from Shiyue Mojun. The crying and laughing sounds from the Netherworld Brahma Flower grew clearer in his ears.
Suddenly, Mo Li sensed something and exclaimed in shock, "Stop! Don't chase any further!"
At that moment, a dreamlike, deep purple light appeared before Yun Che's eyes.
The previously slightly closed Netherworld Brahma Flower had finally fully bloomed. Nine fully opened petals were arranged evenly in a ring, releasing a profound, deep purple radiance. In the darkness, the purple light drowned out everything else. The receptacle and stamens were invisible, and the constantly swaying stem could no longer be seen. The nine petals seemed to float independently in the dark world, exuding a mysterious and dangerous, alluring purple glow.
But as they landed in Yun Che's pupils... it was as if he suddenly saw nine demonic eyes!!
Shiyue Mojun had already reached the front of the Netherworld Brahma Flower, letting out even more arrogant laughter. He sensed Yun Che rapidly approaching from behind but did not turn around, a cold sneer curving the bloodstained corner of his mouth.
Ding!
The world before Yun Che's eyes suddenly transformed from darkness dotted with purple light to a pale white also dotted with purple light. Even the sounds around him became abruptly quiet—the wind and thunder from his full-speed sprint vanished without a trace.
Only the ghostly wailing of the Netherworld Brahma Flower remained.
The entire world seemed to have turned blank in an instant.
In the pale world, the purple light rapidly expanded, gradually spreading to cover everything. The ghostly wailing grew closer, clearer, and even more melodious—from the initial bone-chilling gloom to something as pleasant as a heavenly sound...
A purple world, with pleasing sounds, wove together a dreamlike realm. In this dream, familiar scenes and familiar faces appeared one after another. Cang Yue, Feng Xue'er, Xiao Lingxi, Xia Qingyue, Chu Yuechan, Xiao Yaohou... they appeared one by one, each face wearing the warmest, most beautiful smile. Pairs of eyes, each more beautiful than the last, gazed at him softly, then slowly faded away in the purple world...
Further and further away... more and more blurry...
"Yun Che, retreat immediately!"
A sharp shout suddenly rang out like a thunderclap in the purple world.
Bang!!
The purple dream world instantly shattered. All illusions disappeared, and immense pain, like thousands of steel needles, stabbed into Yun Che's soul. He clutched his head and let out a pained scream.
He felt as if countless dark hands were tearing at his soul, trying to rip his memories, will, and beliefs out of his body!
He had experienced soul attacks and clashes many times, but never had they been as terrifying and brutal as this. The feeling of his soul being torn and ripped was even colder and clearer than a blade cutting into flesh... He had never known, never imagined, that a soul attack could be so terrifying!!
In the agony and struggle of his soul, he almost completely lost control of his power and body. He fell to his knees, trembling violently, cold sweat breaking out all over his forehead in an instant.
At this moment, he was still a full twenty zhang away from the Netherworld Brahma Flower!!
"Fall back quickly!"
Mo Li's voice rang out again like a thunderbolt, helping Yun Che's soul regain more clarity amid the violent struggle. He let out a fierce roar, gathered a burst of power with all his will, and leaped backward with an extremely twisted posture.
Bang!!
Yun Che's head hit the ground hard, and he rolled several times before stopping. This leap took him back twenty or thirty zhang. The tearing sensation in his soul still lingered but had weakened to a level he could easily handle.
Yun Che propped himself up with his hands, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down his forehead in rows, and a rarely seen terror gathered in his pupils.
That was... the Netherworld Brahma Flower's soul-stealing ability!?
How could it be so terrifying... Why is it so terrifying!!
I was still so far away just now, and it was already that dreadful! If I had been close enough to pick it... I can't imagine!
How can something so terrifying exist in this world!
"Now do you believe me?" Mo Li said with a heavy expression. "Once the Netherworld Brahma Flower fully blooms, its soul-stealing power is far beyond what you can imagine! It is absolutely not something someone at your level can touch!"
Yun Che did not respond to Mo Li's words but instead lifted his head sharply... Ahead, Shiyue Mojun stood before the Netherworld Brahma Flower. His ashen face was filled with smug, mocking sneers. He greedily gazed at the nine deep purple petals, reveling in the Netherworld aura they released, and did not forget to mock Yun Che in his disheveled state: "Stupid, lowly human! You actually dared to try to snatch the Netherworld Brahma Flower from me... hahahahaha!"
His wild laughter suddenly stopped. Shiyue Mojun's face and voice now carried bone-deep anger and hatred: "It's you... who forced me to transform and greatly damaged my life source! Even if you die ten thousand times, your worthless life cannot compensate for my hatred! When I devour this Netherworld Brahma Flower... I will make you suffer every torture of our demon race! I'll make you wish you were dead but unable to die, make you regret coming into this world for all eternity!"
He turned his head, his gaze completely fixed on the Netherworld Brahma Flower just inches away. His previous ferocity turned into excitement and intoxication. He extended both demonic claws, shrouded in black light, and slowly reached toward the Netherworld Brahma Flower... His movements were as gentle as if he were touching the most precious treasure of his life.
"Sss—" Yun Che gritted his teeth almost to the point of breaking. The terror of the Netherworld Brahma Flower made him shiver all over just thinking about it. A mere few dozen zhang had become an insurmountable chasm!
No! I must stop him no matter what!
I came here and risked staying for the Netherworld Brahma Flower! If Shiyue Mojun swallows it, not only will I lose this flower—possibly the only one in the world—but my life, along with Mo Li's and Hong'er's, will be forever sealed here!
I must stop him!
No matter what!!
Shiyue Mojun's hands had already cupped the Netherworld Brahma Flower and were slowly closing in... His movements were slow and trembling, his expression even fanatical and devout! As an ancient demon, he had never had a faith, nor did anything qualify to be his faith. But this Netherworld Brahma Flower was like a sacred object to him. Without it, he would have long since scattered his soul! And for him to fully repair his soul origin and see the light of day again, he also depended on it!
Thus, every time he picked it, he was extremely careful, afraid of damaging even a single strand of its stem. He never drained the aura here completely but always maintained a certain richness, also to sustain the Netherworld Brahma Flower's existence.
Black light enveloped the nine petals of the Netherworld Brahma Flower. In the next breath, he would perfectly pick them all... But at that moment, a sense of extreme danger suddenly struck from behind.
Yun Che leaped up, summoned the Heaven-Defying Sword and Arcane Firmament again, and in an instant, raised his profound force to its limit. A faint golden Golden Crow flame ignited on the sword and Arcane Firmament, then he smashed them forward with a tremendous roar.
"Phoenix Heavenly Wolf Strike!"
Pff!!
Blood splattered again from Yun Che's arms. The immense backlash sent him tumbling backward. Meanwhile, two flaming Celestial Wolf shadows, carrying ripples of space as violent as surging waves, crashed toward Shiyue Mojun!
Shiyue Mojun had never expected that Yun Che, with his profound force so depleted, could still unleash such astonishing power. Moreover, the two Celestial Wolf shadows were incredibly fast. With Shiyue Mojun's focus mostly on the Netherworld Brahma Flower, by the time he sensed the danger, the two shadows were only three chi away from him.
Boom!!!
The two flaming Celestial Wolf shadows blasted fiercely into Shiyue Mojun's back. Shiyue Mojun screamed in agony. The black scales on his back shattered, black blood splattered, and his spine, though not broken, was severely deformed. His entire demonic body shot forward like a cannonball, then slammed heavily into the stone wall a hundred zhang away. He collapsed to the ground and did not get up for a long time.
"I... did it!" Yun Che propped himself up from the ground. His vision went dark, and he almost fell. That Heavenly Wolf Strike just now had pushed beyond the limits of his current power through sheer will, especially with the added Arcane Firmament's power. The loss was so great that his body was briefly depleted, and he could barely hold the Heaven-Defying Sword steady.
But before he could even take a few breaths, his pupils suddenly contracted violently.
His attack had cleverly avoided the Netherworld Brahma Flower. Shiyue Mojun didn't want it damaged, and neither did Yun Che. Shiyue Mojun was blasted away, and the Netherworld Brahma Flower's stem was unharmed. But the nine purple lights that had been floating there...
Now only four remained!
And at the far end of Shiyue's Cave, on the demonic body of the fallen Shiyue Mojun, five faint purple lights flickered!
"Damn it!" Mo Li said grimly. "When he was blasted away, he also grabbed five petals!"
Before Mo Li's voice faded, Yun Che shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring... He circled around the Netherworld Brahma Flower and charged straight at Shiyue Mojun like a madman.
"Bastard!" Shiyue Mojun struggled to get up. The pain in his back felt like a gaping hole had been blasted through it. But during the blast, he had clenched his claws tightly around the five Netherworld petals... If Yun Che hadn't blasted him away, all nine petals would have fallen into his hands.
Seeing Yun Che charging at him, Shiyue Mojun's furious body nearly exploded: "You damned bastard! Your struggles will only increase the pain you are about to suffer!"
Amid the furious roar, Shiyue Mojun grabbed the five Netherworld petals and quickly threw them into his mouth.
Yun Che's face turned pale with horror as he screamed, "Stop!"
Gulp!!
With a simple swallowing motion—even if Yun Che were ten times faster, he couldn't have stopped it. He could only watch helplessly as the five Netherworld petals fell into the wide-open demonic mouth and were swallowed in one gulp.
Yun Che: "!!!"
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