Chapter 915: The Deal
"Brother Yun! Brother Yun... where are you?"
From far above, Feng Xue'er's anxious voice suddenly rang out. Yun Che's eyes lit up, and he wanted to rush upward, but as soon as he exerted himself slightly, excruciating pain wracked his entire body. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, then called out, "Xue'er, I'm here."
"Brother Yun!"
Feng Xue'er's voice grew even more anxious, with a hint of surprise mixed in. Soon, a streak of flame pierced through the seawater, shining down, and the temperature of the water instantly became scorching hot.
"Xue'er." Yun Che rose naturally with the current and gently embraced Feng Xue'er, who was rushing toward him like a fairy emerging from the sea.
"Brother Yun... you're so badly injured." Feng Xue'er softly wrapped her arms around him but couldn't bear to look at the wounds on his body—especially his chest, where a sword wound the size of a bowl was clearly visible, exposing bloody ribs.
"Just some minor injuries that don't matter. As for Xuanyuan Wentian, not even a speck of ash remains." Yun Che said nonchalantly.
"Mmm..." Feng Xue'er responded softly. The moment she heard Yun Che's voice, she already knew the outcome. The joy and pride filling her heart were beyond words.
"Are Yuanba and the others okay? The Sun Moon Divine Palace and Tian Wei Sword Domain must have tried to take advantage of the situation, right?" Yun Che asked. He was certain that after Xuanyuan Wentian had knocked him into the sea, the Sun Moon Divine Palace and Tian Wei Sword Domain would have taken the opportunity to attack while the Huangji Sacred Domain and Supreme Sea Palace were all afflicted with demonic poison.
He couldn't care less if everyone from the Huangji Sacred Domain and Supreme Sea Palace died, but Xia Yuanba was among them. Fortunately, Feng Xue'er was there, so he had no worries.
He also felt quite fortunate that under Xiao Yaohou's insistence, he had brought Xue'er along; otherwise, he would have been torn between two fronts.
"Mmm." Feng Xue'er nodded. "I stopped them. And... and I accidentally burned Ye Meixie to death. I didn't expect him to suddenly rush into my Phoenix Flame."
"Uh?" Yun Che was startled, then laughed. "How could he have known that my Xue'er could burn ten of him to a crisp now?"
Yun Che paused, then suddenly widened his eyes. "Xue'er, Xuanyuan Wendao... he wasn't burned to death, was he?"
"No," Feng Xue'er shook her head. "He was shielded behind. I just... stopped those who tried to rush forward."
"Whew, that's a relief." Yun Che breathed a sigh of relief. "Xue'er, let's go up. If we're gone too long, Yuanba and the others will be worried."
"Mmm!" Feng Xue'er smiled softly, gently lifting Yun Che and floating upward. After a while, they emerged from the sea, then soared into the air and landed on the Supreme Sea Palace, which looked as if it had just suffered a terrifying natural disaster.
"Xue'er!" Seeing Feng Xue'er return, the anxious Feng Hengkong and others joyfully rushed forward, only to notice Yun Che covered in wounds beside her. Their steps faltered.
The sea had been calm for a long time, with no more sounds of battle. Yun Che's appearance here meant...
"Sister's husband!" Seeing Yun Che, Xia Yuanba tried to move his body in surprise. Beside him, Gu Cang Zhenren said excitedly, "Yun Palace Master, that old villain Xuanyuan Wentian... he..."
Yun Che gently freed himself from Feng Xue'er's support, then lightly grasped her small hand and smiled. "I'm alive, so of course he's dead. His form and soul were utterly destroyed, not even a trace of his corpse remains."
"Ah!" Gasps of surprise echoed over the sea palace. Except for those from the Sun Moon Divine Palace and Supreme Sea Palace, everyone's face lit up with ecstasy. Even Qu Fengyi, who was dying in Zi Ji's arms, twitched violently.
On the other side, those from the Sun Moon Divine Palace and Tian Wei Sword Domain were all deathly pale with shock. When they saw Yun Che appear alive, they had already guessed the outcome.
"Excellent!" Gu Cang Zhenren sighed deeply. "Yun Palace Master, your actions have essentially saved the entire Tian Xuan Continent! The first time I saw you, I knew you would one day shake the world, but I never expected such a monumental feat."
"Heh... heheheh." Xia Yuanba grinned foolishly, so excited he couldn't speak.
"Senior Gu Cang flatters me too much. I have no interest in saving the world or anything like that. I just killed someone I had to kill." Yun Che said lightly, walking toward Xia Yuanba.
"Sister's husband," Xia Yuanba looked at Yun Che, still grinning foolishly. "You defeated Xuanyuan Wentian, so... does that mean you are now... the number one under heaven?"
"Haha, not just the number one under heaven." Gu Cang Zhenren sighed heavily. "Xuanyuan Wentian's terror was unprecedented and likely unrivaled. Even Ye Mufeng back then was far inferior. Now that Yun Palace Master has defeated Xuanyuan Wentian, he can be called the number one since ancient times in the Tian Xuan Continent. With Yun Palace Master's current strength, he has probably stepped into the legendary divine path. To annihilate our entire Huangji Sacred Domain would probably be effortless."
Gu Cang Zhenren's words echoed in everyone's ears, each one like describing a myth, yet none seemed exaggerated. These sacred ground experts, who were at the pinnacle of the continent, now looked at the blood-soaked, wounded young man before them and couldn't help but feel a sense of inferiority, as if gazing up at a towering mountain peak.
And he was only a young man in his twenties.
From now on, the Four Sacred Grounds would no longer be the ceiling of Tian Xuan Continent's strength. Yun Che alone stood above them... and far above them. By his side was Feng Xue'er, who also surpassed the level of the Four Sacred Grounds and could incinerate a Sacred Master in a few breaths.
In that moment, everyone saw an unmistakable truth. In the Tian Xuan Continent, and even in the distant Huan Yao Realm, Yun Che would be the absolute, unquestionable overlord... He didn't come from the Sacred Grounds, but at least they could be extremely grateful that this overlord wasn't Xuanyuan Wentian.
"Yun Palace Master..." As Yun Che walked past, the experts of the Huangji Sacred Domain, suffering unbearably from the demonic poison, reached out to him with pleading voices. Although they were from the Sacred Domain, facing the one who killed Xuanyuan Wentian—the number one since ancient times in Tian Xuan—begging humbly was no longer shameful.
But Yun Che didn't even glance at them. He walked straight to Xia Yuanba, fed him four pills emanating cold air at once, then placed his palm on his chest to quickly refine the medicinal power while also channeling the Great Dao Pagoda Art's power to rapidly infuse heavenly energy into his body.
In just a few breaths, Xia Yuanba's pale face turned ruddy, and his pained expression quickly eased. Xia Yuanba opened his mouth, then raised his hand to push Yun Che's arm away. "Sister's husband, I'm fine. You're hurt badly... Don't worry about me for now."
"It's nothing. These injuries mean nothing to me." Yun Che said lightly. The wounds on his body would have killed anyone else or left them half-dead, but for him, they would heal completely in just a few days without doing anything.
When Yun Che moved his palm away from Xia Yuanba's chest, Xia Yuanba's breathing had already steadied. He moved his arm and, despite his earlier weakness, stood up quite steadily, astonishing the Sacred Domain experts watching.
"Yun Palace Master..." Seeing Yun Che finally free, Zi Ji shifted his body and pleaded humbly, "I know... that the Sea Palace and Sacred Domain have wronged you twice before, but... we have all realized our mistakes. I'm sure Yun Palace Master understands that we are not like the Sun Moon Divine Palace and Tian Wei Sword Domain, steeped in ugliness. Please... please be magnanimous and merciful... help us..."
Yun Che turned around, staring fixedly at Zi Ji with an impassive gaze. "Aside from the two 'great favors' of nearly killing me, your Sea Palace has no connection to me at all. I'd be delighted to see your Sea Palace wiped out! I still vividly remember your ugly faces when you tried to kill me for your selfish desires back then. Now you want me to save you? My character isn't that lowly!"
"..." Zi Ji's face was pained and dejected. But those afflicted with the demonic poison were all core members of the Sea Palace. If they all died, it wouldn't just be their lives lost, but ten thousand years of the Sea Palace's foundation. He had no choice but to continue begging, "Yun Palace Master, there has always been some friendship between us, even if thin. Can't you consider..."
"Friendship?" Yun Che's expression darkened, and he said sternly, "If there was friendship, then when I was forced to my death at the Demon Sword Assembly, did you speak even a single word for me!?"
"..." Zi Ji opened his mouth, completely speechless.
"Among you four Sacred Grounds, only Senior Gu Cang spoke for me at that time!" Yun Che said in a low voice. "I, Yun Che, hold grudges very tightly, but I also remember kindnesses well. And what friendship have I ever had with you? It was always just equivalent exchanges! Everything I bought from the Black Moon Merchant Guild was never a single coin short. Entering the Slay Moon Demon Cave, I also paid terms that satisfied you. Even when you revealed Chu Yuechan's matter to me back then, it was only to use me against the Tian Wei Sword Domain!"
The words "Chu Yuechan" sharply stung Ling Yuefeng and Xuanyuan Yufeng, who were hiding far away. Having lost their backing completely, they were now utterly cowed, and even Xuanyuan Jue in front of them was drenched in cold sweat, not daring to breathe.
"..." Zi Ji had nothing to say. His body, convulsing in pain, had almost drained of sweat. But he was the only one who could still speak to Yun Che. To save the Supreme Sea Palace, he could not back down now.
"Since it's a matter of transaction," Yun Che said, "Yun Palace Master has traded with me many times and should know I am not one to break my word. If... if Yun Palace Master can detoxify our Sea Palace, then from now on, the entire Supreme Sea Palace will obey Yun Palace Master's commands. Whatever Yun Palace Master orders, we will never defy."
Zi Ji's words made the Sea Palace experts behind him raise their heads, but then they slowly lowered them again... In truth, with Yun Che's current strength, what need did he have for "commands"?
"Ha," Yun Che laughed lightly. "Earlier, you were unyielding, preferring death over submission to Xuanyuan Wentian. Now, you willingly bow to me?"
"No... How can Xuanyuan Wentian be compared to Yun Palace Master?" Zi Ji said with utmost sincerity. "My words are absolutely true. As long as..."
"Stop." Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly. "Speaking of transactions, Mr. Zi has reminded me. Indeed, the living are ultimately more useful than the dead. I have no interest in your Sea Palace, but I am quite interested in the Black Moon Merchant Guild."
"Alright, I'll make a deal with you." Yun Che crossed his arms. "I can detoxify you, but starting this year, thirty percent of the Black Moon Merchant Guild's annual profits must be offered to the Cangfeng Imperial Clan!"
"Ah?" Zi Ji raised his head abruptly, exclaiming in shock, "Thirty... thirty percent!?"