Chapter 787: Forcibly Taking the Netherworld
"Is he... dead?" Yun Che said with difficulty.
"Dead! His demon soul has scattered, and soon even his body will be completely incinerated by the Golden Crow Flame." Mo Li sighed silently in her heart. "Don't let yourself be distracted by anything now. Focus all your energy on healing! Your injuries this time are far too severe. Even for you, if you delay even a little longer, you could die at any moment!"
Yun Che said nothing more. He tried his best to adjust into a relatively normal posture, then quickly cast aside stray thoughts and concentrated on circulating the Great Dao Pagoda Art... He knew Mo Li's words were not an exaggeration. Even back in the Primordial Mystic Ark, he had never been so gravely wounded that he couldn't even feel pain.
Both his internal and external injuries were extremely severe. Across the entire Tian Xuan Continent, the only person who could be wounded to this extent and still remain alive was Yun Che alone. Moreover, his profound energy was also extremely depleted. Recovering fully this time would take a considerable amount of time.
Under such severe injuries, Yun Che's concentration was also greatly affected. A full half-hour passed before a faint golden pagoda shadow slowly appeared, and the natural energy flowing into Yun Che's body began to grow denser.
At the end of the Slay Moon Demon Cave, the mangled remains of Shiyue Mojun had almost been entirely burned away by the Golden Crow Flame. Without the demon god's power, his demonic body had no strength to escape being reduced to ashes... But beneath the layers of black ash, an abnormal black light faintly shimmered.
Behind him was the wall at the very end of the Slay Moon Demon Cave. When Yun Che had unleashed his "Heaven-Shaking" attack, his sword had struck Shiyue Mojun, but much more of the force had impacted this pitch-black wall. Yet, under that power which had even annihilated Shiyue Mojun, this wall still hadn't shattered. It only had a dozen or so long, thin cracks, which could be considered minor.
From within the cracks, wisps of abnormal black energy seeped in from outside the stone wall. But in the complete darkness, it was absolutely impossible to detect with the naked eye.
"Eee hee hee hee... hee ha ha... waa waa ee waa..."
Everything had settled, yet the eerie sounds of weeping and laughter still echoed through the Slay Moon Demon Cave. The Netherworld Brahma Flower still swayed without any wind, but only four petals remained. Both the ghostly wailing and the dark purple light had greatly weakened.
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Cang Feng Empire, Ice Extreme Snow Domain.
Dongfang Xiu traveled northward, day and night, with almost no rest along the way. With his cultivation at the initial King Xuan realm, he had managed to reach the Bing Yun Fairy Palace from the Cangfeng Imperial City in less than ten hours.
Upon arriving at the Bing Yun Fairy Palace and stating his purpose, Dongfang Xiu's profound energy was completely exhausted. He collapsed into the snow and took a long time to barely recover.
"Rest assured, Governor Dongfang. Our Palace Master carries the Ice Cloud Fairy Soul, so even if she is three hundred thousand miles away, she can receive our messages at any time."
The news of Xiao Yun's disappearance also deeply shocked the people of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Yun Che had personally said that Xiao Yun was his sworn brother, and a few months ago, he had even brought him to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace and helped to scare off the Sun Moon Divine Palace.
Murong Qianxue and the others had no time to settle Dongfang Xiu. Together, the six of them quickly set up a sound transmission profound formation unique to the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Through this formation, as long as Yun Che, who possessed the Ice Cloud Fairy Soul, had not left the Tian Xuan Continent, he would definitely receive the message.
Once the sound transmission profound formation was constructed, Murong Qianxue sat in its center, focusing her mind to transmit the message. But she immediately opened her eyes, a look of surprise on her face.
"Senior Sister, what's wrong?" Mu Lanyi asked worriedly.
"It's no use. I can't transmit the sound." Murong Qianxue frowned and shook her head heavily.
"How can that be?" Feng Hanyue said nervously. "The Palace Master has the Ice Cloud Fairy Soul. How could he not receive the transmission? This has never happened before. Unless... unless the Palace Master has removed the Ice Cloud Fairy Soul from his body."
"Ah!" Feng Hanxue cried out in alarm, her beautiful eyes immediately growing misty. "Could it be... could it be that the Palace Master doesn't want us anymore..."
"Don't talk nonsense." Jun Lianqie immediately stopped her. "The Palace Master is the most loyal and devoted person in this world. There's no way he would suddenly abandon our Bing Yun Fairy Palace. If he had really removed the Ice Cloud Fairy Soul, the six of us would have sensed it. I suspect that the Supreme Sea Palace is located on the ocean three thousand miles south of the Tian Xuan Continent. Geographically, it is beyond the scope of the continent, so it might not be able to receive our transmission. It could also be that, after all, it is a sacred ground, and must have powerful protective barriers that block the transmission."
"Another possibility is that the Palace Master is currently in the 'Slay Moon Demon Cave' he mentioned several times before." Chu Yueli interjected. "The Palace Master said twice that his main purpose in going to the Supreme Sea Palace was to enter the 'Slay Moon Demon Cave' to find something. And since that 'Slay Moon Demon Cave' is the most forbidden area of the Supreme Sea Palace, it must have an extremely strong barrier, making it impossible to transmit sound, which is completely normal."
"In any case, let's not jump to conclusions for now." Murong Qianxue stepped out of the formation and said to Dongfang Xiu, "Governor Dongfang, please rest here for now and inform Empress Cang Yue of this matter. There must be a reason the Palace Master cannot receive the transmission, but there's no need to worry too much. From now on, we will attempt to transmit every hour, and we believe the Palace Master will respond soon."
"Thank you... fairies." Dongfang Xiu replied weakly.
Murong Qianxue and the others did as they said. Every hour thereafter, they rebuilt the sound transmission profound formation to attempt communication, and they consciously increased the power of their profound energy...
But two full days passed, and there was still no response.
This time, the entire Bing Yun Fairy Palace began to grow uneasy.
Even though none of them said it out loud, everyone in their hearts vaguely felt... that it wasn't just Xiao Yun. Yun Che seemed to have encountered trouble as well.
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In the dim world, Yun Che, who had been sitting quietly for who knows how long, suddenly opened his eyes and said in a somewhat urgent voice, "How long have I been in meditation!?"
"Over twenty hours." Mo Li said flatly.
"What!?" Yun Che exclaimed as he stood up, immediately pulling at his injuries all over. His face twitched, and he let out a painful groan.
For ordinary injuries, even severe ones in the eyes of ordinary people, nearly two days of time would have been enough for him to fully recover. But this time was different. Not only were his internal and external injuries both severe, but they had also damaged his foundation. Thus, after more than twenty hours of quiet healing, his injuries were only a little better than halfway, and his profound energy had recovered to about fifty percent.
"What? Are you afraid of missing the Demonic Sword Assembly?" Mo Li snorted coldly. "Hmph, you should first fully heal your wounds, and then think carefully about how to get out! As for the Demonic Sword Assembly, it's not something you need to consider right now."
"No!" Yun Che denied it and quickly turned around.
A hundred yards away, four points of dark purple light flickered slowly. As Yun Che looked over, an eerie, chilling sound of ghostly weeping drifted over as well.
Apart from the missing petals, the Netherworld Brahma Flower looked exactly the same as when Yun Che had first seen it. Even the remaining four petals still shimmered with purple light, showing no signs of withering or decay.
Even from a hundred yards away, when Yun Che's gaze fell upon it, he could still clearly feel a sensation of his soul being touched.
"Thank goodness." Yun Che let out a long sigh of relief. "My master once said that the Netherworld Brahma Flower only blooms for three days, and then it instantly withers."
"Although only two days have passed since it bloomed, five of its petals have been damaged, and its power has greatly weakened. Based on my knowledge of rare herbs and spiritual medicines, it will definitely wither sooner! The fact that the remaining four petals are still intact is already a great blessing!"
Yun Che felt a wave of fear in his heart. To focus on healing, he had sealed his six senses. But in meditation, he couldn't feel the passage of time, so he had forcibly kept a sliver of consciousness to prevent himself from meditating too long. However, he had been so severely injured earlier that his consciousness was extremely weak, and the faint trace he had kept quickly dissipated... The moment he woke up, he instantly thought of the Netherworld Brahma Flower's blooming period, and it nearly made him break out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, the last four petals of the Netherworld Brahma Flower still existed.
But he also knew very clearly—if it were an intact Netherworld Brahma Flower, it would still have a full day before withering.
But with only four petals left, its blooming period would definitely be shortened. There was no way it could last three full days! And now two days had already passed... It could wither at any moment!
"You want to forcibly pick the Netherworld Brahma Flower?" Mo Li's brows knitted, and she scolded, "Are you crazy?! Have you already forgotten how terrifying the Netherworld Brahma Flower is? And you're covered in injuries right now, with only half your profound energy restored. Forget trying to pick it, even getting within thirty yards of it would be as difficult as reaching the heavens! Forcing your way closer could easily cause your soul to be captured by the Netherworld, turning you into a living corpse!"
Yun Che took a deep breath and said with iron resolve, "I know how terrifying the Netherworld Brahma Flower is! But don't forget why I forcibly stayed here in the first place! And I inexplicably encountered a Shiyue Mojun and nearly died here!"
"I have absolutely no interest in Shiyue Mojun, ancient demons, or world-ending calamities! I only want to obtain the Netherworld Brahma Flower! And I've expended so much effort, taken so many risks, and came within a hair's breadth of losing my life, all to preserve these last four petals of the Netherworld Brahma Flower! If I can't take them away, how could I ever be content?!"
By the end, Yun Che was gritting his teeth. His experiences in the Slay Moon Demon Cave had been countless times more outrageous than he had imagined. Given his temperament, having come this far, even knowing it was extremely difficult and risky, he would never allow himself to leave empty-handed.
Mo Li said heavily, "Hmph, I know your favorite thing to do is risk your life. But you should at least have the most basic self-awareness! Two days ago, you personally experienced the power of the Netherworld Brahma Flower—and from that distance! Your wound hasn't even healed yet, and you've already forgotten the pain?!"
"Mo Li, tell me," Yun Che's voice was very calm. "With only four petals, not a complete Netherworld Brahma Flower, can it help you be reborn?"
"...No! Of course not!" After a brief pause, Mo Li firmly denied it. "An incomplete Netherworld Brahma Flower and a complete one are two completely different concepts! For me to reconstruct a body and unify body and soul, I need a fully intact Netherworld Brahma Flower! Even if only one petal is missing, it won't have any effect at all! Even if you risk your life now and somehow manage to get close enough to pick them, it would be futile!"
"Besides, there's no way you can do it alive!"
Mo Li's words did not shake Yun Che. Instead, his gaze toward the Netherworld Brahma Flower grew even more intense. "You're lying!"
"...Lying!?" Mo Li's tone turned cold. "You don't even believe my words anymore?"
"No," Yun Che gently shook his head. "Mo Li, you are the person I trust the most in this world. As long as it's something you say, no matter how unbelievable, I will believe it without hesitation. Except... for what you just said."
Mo Li: "You..."
"Mo Li..." Yun Che's voice became unusually soft. "The year we met, I was sixteen, and you were thirteen. You reforged my profound veins, made me your disciple, and even stepped on my head to force me to kowtow to you... After that, we were together day and night, every moment. Even with every breath, we could clearly feel each other's presence. Now, it's been over seven years."
"You... what are you trying to say." Mo Li's voice grew somewhat strained.
"What I'm trying to say is, in seven full years without a single day apart, the time I've spent with you is longer than the time you've spent with your parents, with your most important brother, with anyone in this world. So, I understand you better than anyone—just as in this world, you understand me better than anyone."
Mo Li: "..."
"And that's why I can instantly tell when you're lying now. Moreover, you don't like to lie, and you're extremely bad at it. Normally, when there's something you want to hide from me, you just keep silent and deliberately make me feel that you don't want to tell me. Except for the time with the 'sealed profound power,' you've never fabricated lies to deceive me!"
"That's also why that 'sealed profound power' could fool me for so long. Because it was your only lie! And just now was the second time! But I'm not the same person I was five years ago. This time, I won't be fooled again. No matter what..."
"No matter what, you insist on forcibly picking those four petals?" Mo Li's tone had changed slightly, infused with some unknown complex emotions. "Fine... I did lie just now, but not entirely. With only four Netherworld petals, while they can help me unify body and soul, they cannot achieve perfect fusion! At most, it will last for twenty or thirty years!"
"...What happens after twenty or thirty years?" Yun Che was startled.
"It's very possible that body and soul will reject each other, and I'll have to return to my current state! Hmph, I'm not foolish enough to endure the kind of pain Fen Juechen went through."
"I see!" Yun Che nodded heavily. "That means, at the very least, you can have twenty years of independent existence and absolute freedom. After that, the worst-case scenario is just returning to the current state."
"Then I absolutely must obtain these four Netherworld petals!"
"You!!" Mo Li was at a loss for words. Inside the Heavenly Poison Pearl, she clenched her teeth and said angrily, "You really won't give up until you see the coffin! Fine then, go ahead! Let me see what confidence you have to pick those four Netherworld petals!"