Chapter 918: Dust Settles for Now
The momentary change in Yun Che's eyes was noticed by no one except Huangji Wuyu. When they saw that Yun Che had also spared the Sun Moon Divine Palace and the Tian Wei Sword Domain, the people of the Huangji Sacred Domain and the Supreme Sea Palace were slightly surprised but all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, the Sun Moon Divine Palace and the Tian Wei Sword Domain were also Sacred Grounds like them. If they were to forcibly annihilate them, although it was possible, it would undoubtedly greatly damage their own vitality.
"Why are you still standing here?" Seeing that the commotion behind him had suddenly ceased, Yun Che's gaze shifted sideways. "All of you, return to where you came from. The Sea Palace still has a mess to clean up; it doesn't have time to keep you. As for the matter of the Teleportation Formation, start preparing with all your strength starting tomorrow... and do not exceed one month."
Yun Che's words granted a pardon to all those who were at a loss. Anyone with a sound mind would not want to remain in the presence of a demon god who could decide their life and death at will. Especially the people of the Sun Moon Divine Palace and Tian Wei Sword Domain—only at this moment did they finally fully believe that Yun Che had truly let them off. They scrambled to retreat, ready to leave.
At this moment, Yun Che turned around, his gaze sweeping toward the Tian Wei Sword Domain. He suddenly said, "Wait."
His voice focused and shot straight at the back of one person, instantly making him realize these words were directed at him. His footsteps abruptly stopped, and it took a full several breaths before he turned around, facing Yun Che with a look of sheer terror: "Palace Master Yun, are you calling for me?"
"Isn't this Senior Ling Kun?" Yun Che walked slowly toward him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Speaking of which, I have known Senior Ling for six or seven years now. You were the first person I met from a Sacred Ground. Back then, at the Tian Jian Villa, Senior Ling warmly invited me to join the Tian Wei Sword Domain. I was extremely flattered at the time."
Ling Kun instantly showed a flattered expression: "Palace Master Yun actually remembers this incident... it is truly... my honor."
The people who were about to leave all turned around involuntarily, their faces full of confusion. Especially the crowd from Tian Wei Sword Domain—they all exchanged puzzled glances.
"Such an old acquaintance, and yet Senior Ling was about to leave without even saying a word of greeting. Isn't that a bit cold-hearted?" Yun Che was smiling, but within that smile lurked a sinister edge.
Ling Kun's profound strength was at the late-stage Overlord Xuan Realm, which was only mediocre within Tian Wei Sword Domain. Yet he held the position of Elder precisely because of his exceptional depth of cunning and extremely vast knowledge. How could he truly believe that Yun Che had called him over for reminiscences? He gritted his teeth secretly, but still wore an expression of fear: "Palace Master Yun is too kind. Palace Master Yun is now a divine being beyond the heavens, no longer what he once was. I... I am not even qualified to presume a connection."
"There is indeed no need to presume a connection," Yun Che suddenly released the killing intent in his eyes without any concealment. "But shouldn't you explain to me, the current Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace... why did Ye Xinghan launch a fierce attack on the Bing Yun Fairy Palace back then?"
Ye Xinghan, who had been shrinking among the crowd of the Sun Moon Divine Palace, hoping not to be seen by Yun Che, suddenly heard his own name from Yun Che's mouth. Startled, he staggered, fell to his knees, and couldn't get back up for a long time.
Ling Kun's whole body stiffened, but he reacted quickly. A bewildered expression immediately appeared on his face: "This? What does Palace Master Yun mean by this? I... I really don't understand."
"Then let me make it clear for you!" Yun Che's face turned dark in an instant. He reached out with his right hand, and in an instant, Ling Kun was directly sucked into Yun Che's grasp.
"Palace Master Yun, you..." Ling Kun's eyes bulged, barely forcing out a few words before letting out a muffled grunt. Yun Che's Arcane Firmament directly invaded his soul, and he lost consciousness.
The people of Tian Wei Sword Domain suddenly saw this scene, yet not a single one dared to step forward. They all remained silent like cicadas in winter.
Yun Che's Arcane Firmament swept quickly through Ling Kun's memories, and his brows immediately sank heavily.
As he had expected, the information about Xia Qingyue was indeed "sold" by Ling Kun to Ye Xinghan after the Cang Feng Ranking War!
In the ancient texts preserved by the Four Sacred Grounds, there were records of the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body. Although no one had ever seen it, on that day, based on the descriptions of the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body's profound aura in the ancient texts, combined with his own observation that Xia Qingyue, despite being at the Earth Xuan Realm, could actually use a Domain power that only those at the King Xuan Realm could use, Ling Kun confirmed that Xia Qingyue most likely possessed the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body recorded in the ancient texts.
The ancient texts also recorded that those with the Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body had a small world within them—making them an extremely rare dual cultivation cauldron, encountered only once in ten thousand years!
He did not inform the people of Tian Wei Sword Domain about this. Instead, to maximize his own gain, he sold this information to Ye Xinghan. At the same time, behind this matter was the malicious heart of another person...
Xuanyuan Yufeng!!
Ling Yuefeng had never been able to forget Chu Yuechan, while Ling Yun had clearly fallen deeply in love with Xia Qingyue, losing his soul over her. Driven by intense jealousy and rage, Xuanyuan Yufeng not only sent people to pursue and kill Chu Yuechan but also proposed to Ling Kun to use the power of Tian Wei Sword Domain to destroy the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. Ling Kun agreed... and the method he chose was to conveniently use Ye Xinghan's hand.
The Arcane Firmament was withdrawn, and Ling Kun's eyes regained focus. He stared wide-eyed at Yun Che, terrified: "You... what did you do to me?"
"Die!"
Whoosh!!
Amidst Ling Kun's scream, flames erupted in Yun Che's hand, instantly turning Ling Kun into a human torch. In the next moment, his entire body completely dissipated in the flames, reduced to ashes.
Gulp...
The people of Tian Wei Sword Domain swallowed hard, their bodies stiff.
Yun Che put down his arm, not forgetting to shake off the dust from his hand. He then shifted his gaze and leisurely walked toward Ye Xinghan.
Ye Xinghan, who had thought he had escaped disaster, met Yun Che's eyes. In an instant, every hair on his body stood on end, as if he were falling into an abyss. He trembled and backed away: "Yun Che... you... what are you going to do... don't come near... don't come near!!"
Several Divine Envoys and Elders of the Sun Moon Divine Palace surrounded Ye Xinghan, unable to advance or retreat. The enmity between Ye Xinghan and Yun Che was well known to them. First, he had forced Yun Che and Feng Xue'er to almost perish in the Primordial Mystic Ark. Then he had sent people to attack the Bing Yun Fairy Palace... and now, Yun Che was the Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace!
"I'm about to kill your Young Master. Are you going to try to stop me?" Yun Che's gaze swept over the Divine Envoys and Elders of the Sun Moon Divine Palace, his tone utterly indifferent.
When Yun Che's gaze fell on them, all the Divine Envoys and Elders tensed up. As for Ye Xinghan, he collapsed to the ground, frantically crawling backward: "No... don't come near... save... save me... save me..."
At this moment, a pungent stench suddenly assailed everyone's noses. A pool of filthy liquid spread beneath Ye Xinghan... He had been so frightened by Yun Che's gaze that he had lost control of his bladder and bowels.
Qitian Divine Envoy, the head of the Divine Envoys, gritted his teeth. His steps were slow, but he consecutively stepped back several paces. Following his lead, the other Divine Envoys and Elders almost simultaneously stepped back, and in the blink of an eye, they were already several zhang away from Ye Xinghan.
If it were Huangji Wuyu or someone of that caliber pressing forward at this moment, they would definitely have joined forces to resist. But facing Yun Che, their resistance would not only fail to save Ye Xinghan, but could even cost the Sun Moon Divine Palace the chance of survival they had barely obtained.
Therefore, abandoning this already unpopular Young Master was undoubtedly the wisest and most rational choice.
"You... you all..." Ye Xinghan was utterly terrified, his face as white as a wall scrubbed with sandpaper: "No... no... don't kill me... don't kill me..."
"Ye Xinghan," Yun Che slowly approached him, his tone bland: "Your father just died right before your eyes. As his son, even if you can't collect his body, you should at least go down and scoop up some of his ashes. Just walking away like this is a great act of filial impiety. When you reach the underworld, I'm afraid your father won't let you off either."
"You... you... ah... uh..." Ye Xinghan's face turned from white to green. His mouth gaped wide, his body curled up, and strange, distorted sounds escaped his throat.
"You almost caused my death back then. You almost caused my Xue'er's death. You caused the death of the former Palace Master and Grand Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. If I hadn't arrived in time, the entire Bing Yun Fairy Palace would have been destroyed by your hands. Tell me, how should I collect this debt from you?"
"Should I flay your skin and pull out your sinews? Or cut off your limbs and make you into a human pig, leaving you wishing for death but unable to die?" Yun Che's face was completely darkened. Every word carried boundless gloom. Everyone who heard it felt their hair stand on end and a chill run down their backs.
"Ah... uh... uh..." Ye Xinghan's eyes stared wide, bloodshot veins filling every corner of his eyeballs. His face had turned from green to an abnormal ashen black. Strange sounds kept spilling from his throat, but he couldn't form a single complete word.
Then, suddenly, his eyes went rigid. He fell straight backward, completely motionless, while white foam mixed with blood gushed wildly from his mouth.
"..." The Sea Palace was dead silent. The stench from Ye Xinghan still hung in the air. Yun Che glanced at Ye Xinghan, then turned around in speechless exasperation. These so-called Young Masters, raised in reverence, were often far more afraid of death than ordinary people. This Ye Xinghan didn't even need Yun Che to lay a hand on him—he had been frightened to death, his liver and gallbladder rupturing from sheer terror.
Ye Xinghan's death did not evoke any grief or resentment from the Sun Moon Divine Palace. On the contrary, it only brought them immense humiliation and loss of face.
If he had at least severed his own heart meridian, he might have barely managed to fall in death and preserve some semblance of the Sun Moon Divine Palace's unyielding reputation. But instead, right before everyone's eyes, without Yun Che even touching a single finger to him, he first wet himself in fear, and then died of sheer terror.
Moreover, he was most likely the first Overlord Emperor in the history of the Tian Xuan Continent to be scared to death alive.
The ten-thousand-year dignity of the Sun Moon Divine Palace was utterly swept away by his death.
"Let's go." Qitian Divine Envoy gritted his teeth in frustration, like someone disappointed that a piece of iron won't become steel, and turned to leave without even bothering with Ye Xinghan's corpse. The others followed suit without a word, and not a single person stepped forward to take Ye Xinghan's body away. No one even gave it another glance.
"Let's go too."
The people of Tian Wei Sword Domain also gathered together, ready to leave.
At the edge of the Tian Wei Sword Domain's group, there was a relatively special presence—the Tian Jian Villa.
Ling Yuefeng and Xuanyuan Yufeng had been brought here by Xuanyuan Jue to participate in this Grand Assembly of Heavenly Dignitaries, hoping to show their faces before Xuanyuan Wentian and become among the first to swear allegiance, thereby elevating the Tian Jian Villa's status on the continent. But they never dreamed it would end like this... They did not see Xuanyuan Wentian achieve Heavenly Dignitary status; instead, they witnessed him vanish into thin air and witnessed the birth of the true ruler of the continent.
And this young man, whose strength was unprecedented and who had become the absolute ruler of the continent, had many entanglements and grudges with their Tian Jian Villa.
Xuanyuan Jue pulled the two of them up, about to leave, when suddenly a figure flickered before them. Yun Che's cold face appeared in front of them.
"Yun Che!" Ling Yuefeng was so startled he nearly took a step back.
"You... what are you going to do?" Xuanyuan Jue was also trembling with fear. He hurriedly shielded Xuanyuan Yufeng behind him, his arms shaking uncontrollably.
"No need to be nervous," Yun Che said with a cold smile. "Xuanyuan Yufeng, you are a vile woman who deserves to die ten thousand times over, but you happened to give birth to a good son. Do you know? Even if I killed you, Ling Jie wouldn't hate me for the rest of his life... And precisely because of that, I find myself unable to kill you."
Being called a 'vile woman' by Yun Che—in the past, Xuanyuan Yufeng would have lunged at him without hesitation. But now, facing Yun Che, who had killed Xuanyuan Wentian and made the Four Sacred Grounds bow their heads, how could she still be arrogant? Her lips turned purple, yet she couldn't utter a single word.
Yun Che's hands clenched slightly, fiercely suppressing the urge to torture Xuanyuan Yufeng to death. Mo Li's parting words had told him that he might never see Chu Yuechan and their child again for the rest of his life, and his hatred for Xuanyuan Yufeng was absolute. However, on that day at the Tian Jian Villa, when Ling Jie had pressed his sword against his own throat, willing to trade his own life for Xuanyuan Yufeng's, that moment had destined that Yun Che could never kill Xuanyuan Yufeng.
And he himself... was the primary culprit who had brought about all this.
Since everything had already been set in stone, why make Ling Jie suffer for a lifetime? After all, in this world full of peril and malice, Ling Jie was one of the very few who treated him with wholehearted sincerity.
Yun Che turned around, not looking at Xuanyuan Yufeng's face. Only then did the killing intent in his heart subside slightly. He said in a low voice: "Xuanyuan Yufeng, although I want nothing more than to tear you into a thousand pieces, I won't kill you today. But you'd better remember this... for the rest of your life, do not ever leave the Tian Jian Villa! Never let me see you again, or else..."
Yun Che took a deep breath, and with a flicker of his body, he was far away.
"...Let's go, quickly!" As if he had just walked through the gates of hell, Xuanyuan Jue was drenched in sweat. He hurriedly lifted Ling Yuefeng and Xuanyuan Yufeng, and flew away at top speed.
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(Finally... these troublesome matters with these troublesome people are settled. But he won't be going to the Divine Realm just yet, because before that, there are two prehistoric giant pits on the Tian Xuan Continent.)
(Tian Xuan Continent: Hehehe, didn't expect that, did you!)