“Ah!”
Shui Meiyin let out a startled cry as she unconsciously took a step forward, but she didn’t end up intervening this time. Since Yun Che had already said that he wouldn’t kill or cripple Jin Yue, she knew that he wouldn’t go back on his word.
“…” Jin Yue’s face had lost all of its color. She couldn’t speak or even struggle, and her eyes grew dimmer with each passing second.
Yun Che’s eyes were ice-cold as darkness seeped out of his hand and began to spread from Jin Yue’s neck to her solar plexus and lower abdomen. The darkness swiftly pooled in those two locations before forming a dark sigil about the size of a grown man’s palm.
As he stared at the dark mark that he had left on her body, he coldly said, “Are you filled with shame right now? Then let that shame carve itself into your very soul, so that you’ll never ever forget this moment.”
His family had died… so how could he simply let these people off just like that!?
After he finished speaking, he loosened his grip on Jin Yue’s neck and casually pushed her aside.
Jin Yue fell heavily on the ground and immediately curled up into a fetal position. She panickedly conjured up a layer of moonlight to cover up the jade body that had been defiled by devilish power, but she would never be able to hide the shame that had been carved into her very soul.
“Listen up, you’d better leave this black sigil exactly where I put it. Don’t ever think of trying to get rid of it. If I ever sense its existence disappearing… I will come back and annihilate your entire clan!”
Yun Che hadn’t only used his darkness profound energy to create this black sigil, he had also used a bit of his soul power. Therefore, he would be able to sense Jin Yue’s location as long as the mark remained.
In other words, this also meant that she would always be under Yun Che’s watchful eye and she could forget about ever taking any rash actions against him… Even though she had never once thought of doing anything against Yun Che in the first place.
“This is already the greatest forgiveness and grace that I can give you!”
“As a casual aside, I’ll bestow upon you one more piece of advice. You should forget about ever getting a man in this lifetime, because if they see this dark sigil that I have personally blessed you with… Tsk!”
As Shui Meiyin stood behind Yun Che, she sensed that dark malice flaring up from him once more. Her delicate head drooped as she quietly bit down hard on her lower lip.
“Cough… cough cough…”
Jin Yue gingerly held her snowy neck as she was seized by a fit of violent coughing, but she didn’t say a single word after that. Her other hand was quietly planted on a piece of dirt behind her. She was holding something very small in her hand… and she was holding onto it very tightly, as if she was terrified that Yun Che would see it.
Unfortunately for her, Yun Che had already caught sight of it the moment it fell from her body.
It was a very small bronze mirror that couldn’t be any more ordinary. Xia Qingyue had once worn it around her neck because it was something that Yue Wugou had left to her. Back then, Yun Che had been so curious about it that he had even asked her about it, and he had even opened it once.
A profound image was engraved in that bronze mirror. In the picture was a young Xia Hongyi, and Xia Yuanba, and Xia Qingyue when they were only three and four years old respectively.
“Why is this bronze mirror with you?” Yun Che asked with slightly narrowed eyes. He had asked the question in a very casual manner, and it was clear that he didn’t really care what the answer was.
A divine profound practitioner normally carried their important items in a spatial ring or in their own personal spatial pocket, but Jin Yue had actually been wearing this bronze mirror. It was clear to see that she still possessed a deep reverence… and affection for Xia Qingyue even in spite of her cruel banishment.
Jin Yue’s entire body instantly went rigid. She gripped the bronze mirror even tighter, but she did not dare to answer that question. In the end, she replied in a soft and tremulous voice, “Master… tasked me with destroying it… I was afraid that Master might regret it one day, so I secretly kept it without telling her…”
Now, it was the only thing she had to remember Xia Qingyue by.
“Then you should keep it properly, and I hope that that woman’s possessions won't bring you too much misfortune in the future,” Yun Che said in a derisive voice.
“What are you still doing here?” Shui Meiyin said.
Once she knew that Yun Che wouldn’t try to seize or destroy the bronze mirror in her hand, the stiffness went out of Jin Yue’s body. She slowly got to her feet and changed into another set of blue robes before she picked up the unconscious Wei’er and swiftly flew off into the distance.
When she left, her eyes did not contain any hatred or shame. Instead, they were filled with a dispirited brokenness and a quiet sorrow.
Being able to serve Xia Qingyue would always be the greatest pride and joy of her life. However, she had also suffered this great humiliation because she had once served Xia Qingyue… What was even more complicated was that this great humiliation was practically a boon that the Goddess Meiyin had managed to secure on her behalf.
As she flew through the night sky, drops of heart-rending starlight fell from her beautiful eyes.
She did not know whether the events of today would be a form of release or the beginning of a neverending nightmare.
Now that Yun Che was done with his business, he let out a small sigh. When he turned around, his eyes had become warm and gentle once more.
“Big Brother Yun Che, thank you,” Shui Meiyin said in a soft and gentle voice.
Yun Che shook his head and said, “Then, in regards to what you wanted to tell me today… Have you thought things through?”
“Yes, I have,” Shui Meiyin said as she vigorously nodded her head. After that, she laughed and said, “I’ve decided that I will tell you after we’ve beaten the Dragon God Realm. However, I can tell you this right now. It’s something wonderful… In fact, it should be a very happy surprise for you.”
“Okay.” Yun Che decided not to pursue the topic any further. “For the sake of this happy surprise, I will definitely smash the Dragon God Realm flat.”
“Then let’s go back to the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm,” Shui Meiyin said as she stepped forward and grabbed his arm. “We didn’t bring those three strange grandfathers with us this time. If we don’t return soon, both them and the Devil Queen will start to worry about us.”
“Yeah.” Yun Che looked in the direction that Jin Yue had left. “But before we leave, let me make sure that there aren’t any other fish swimming out there. Since Jin Yue is here, there might very well be other people from the Moon God Realm as well.”
After he finished speaking, he released his divine senses and swiftly started scanning the entire star realm.
When they had first reached the Seven Star Realm, he had only done a casual sweep of the auras on the Seven Star Realm. But right now, he was using his divine senses to carefully scan every single living creature on this star realm. He didn’t leave a single blade of glass unturned.
Shui Meiyin quietly stood to the side as her black eyes stared unblinkingly at the serious expression on his face.
One breath… Two breaths… Three breaths…
Given Yun Che’s current soul power, he wouldn’t need to waste much time scanning the entire Seven Star Realm.
All of the sudden, his body jerked up straight as his aura shuddered violently.
He started convulsing as well, and it looked like he had suddenly been smashed in the chest by a gigantic mallet.
Shui Meiyin jumped up in fright as she rushed forward and said, “What’s happening!?”
“Ah… Ah…”
Yun Che’s eyes snapped open and they were rippling in violent shock. He couldn’t even bring himself to speak intelligibly at the moment.
“Big Brother Yun Che… Big Brother Yun Che!” Shui Meiyin was now completely and utterly frightened by what was happening. She embraced him tightly in helpless panic.
Yun Che had reached such dazzling heights that Shui Meiyin couldn’t imagine what could elicit such a frightening reaction from him.
“Im… possible…”
“Impossible…”
“Impossible…”
He kept repeating those words in a trance as his fingers started trembling and his aura grew more and more chaotic. He then suddenly seemed to have snapped awake from his reverie as profound light exploded from his body. He shot toward the south like a streaking meteor.
Due to his loss of control, his exploding power flattened the ground for hundreds of kilometers around him. It was so strong that it even pushed Shui Meiyin back a few steps.
“Big Brother Yun Che!” Shui Meiyin yelled anxiously as she shot after him.
Yun Che was flying very quickly, leaving a trail of shattered space and flattened land in his wake. Shui Meiyin could only barely keep up with him after she had unleashed her full power.
A fierce and terrible battle was currently taking place in the southern part of the Seven Star Realm.
A muscular young man that resembled a tiny mountain was currently fighting against two opponents.
He was a divine profound practitioner and his current cultivation was in the middle of the third level of the Divine Origin Realm. His opponents, however, were both at the fourth level of the Divine Origin Realm.
Anyone could tell how the battle was going with a single glance. The muscular young man’s body was covered with wounds and his power was being completely suppressed by both of his opponents. However, there wasn’t a single hint of fear on his face and his attacks kept growing fiercer and fiercer as he forged ahead through gritted teeth.
BOOOM!!
A muffled explosion rang out in the air as the muscular man’s attack was completely countered. A huge force slammed into his body, causing blood to gush out of his mouth, but he didn’t retreat a single inch. Unfortunately for him, the attacks didn’t end there, as another huge force shot forward and slammed straight into his abdomen.
The muscular man gave a low groan as he flew across the ground, tumbling many times before finally coming to a stop.
“Heh, not bad. His bones are pretty solid.” The Seven Star Realm profound practitioner who had hit him shook his hand, which was throbbing in pain, as a cold smile appeared on his face.
“It’s too bad that this tough guy is rushing off to become the lapdog of a devil. Ptooey!” the other Seven Star Realm profound practitioner spat in a contemptuous voice.
“Hooo…” The muscular man blew out a long breath as he pushed himself off the ground. He glared at his two assailants with eyes as ferocious and wild as those of a fierce beast. Even though he had been completely beaten by his opponents, he still radiated a stubborn pride that would bend to no one.
“I’ll say this one last time,” the muscular man rumbled in a grim voice, “the Yun Che that I’m looking for isn’t this Devil Master of the North that you keep talking about! He’s a normal human being! My brother-in-law!”
“People who share the same name are countless in this vast universe. Are you guys so stupid that you don’t even understand what I’m saying, or are you… deliberately using this opportunity to bully the weak!?”
“Woah! He actually dares to scold us?” the Seven Star Realm profound practitioner on the left scoffed as he arched one of his eyebrows sardonically. He swung his arm up and down, causing the joints in his arm to make a popping sound. “You don’t think that you’re going to die an ugly enough death already?”
“Heh, looking at you right now, you must be some hick that just climbed up from one of the lower realms.”
The Seven Star Realm profound practitioner on the right looked at the muscular young man with an arrogant disdain and contempt. It was as if he was the arbiter of this young man’s fate. “The person you’re trying to find might very well not be the Devil Master of the North. However, you daring to mention that name in front of us means that you must die!”
“That Devil Master of the North is a demon that both the heavens and the earth condemn, an evil that is beyond all redemption! Right now, he is stepping on the head of the Southern Divine Region with just a single foot, and as men of the Southern Divine Region, all of us have the right to punish him! As such, anyone who believes in, is willing to submit to, or is related in any way to the Devil Master of the North… is someone we have to kill! It would be better for us to kill an innocent by mistake than to spare someone associated with him!”
After he finished speaking, he lunged forward. The full power of a level four Divine Origin profound practitioner gathered in his right arm as he cruelly slammed his right fist down toward the muscular young man’s skull… Even though he was well aware that this person had just ascended from the lower realm and couldn’t possibly be related to the Devil Master.
Unfortunately for this young man, being weak was the original sin.
BOOOM——
The young man raised an arm that was popping with engorged veins as he took his opponent’s blow head on.
The fury in his eyes swiftly transformed into a shocking violent malice as his voice grew incredibly deep. “YOU’VE… TAKEN… THINGS… TOO FAR!!!”
BANG!!
A gigantic power that couldn’t belong to someone who was only at the third level of the Divine Origin Realm suddenly erupted from the young man’s body and sent the man who had just attacked him flying.
“Ah!”
As he let out a flustered and panicked cry, the Seven Star Realm profound practitioner heavily slammed into the ground. The force of the blast caused him to tumble many times before he could stagger to his feet. He was just about to launch into a tirade and attack the young man again… when he saw that his companion was staring dazedly at him.
As the muscular man slowly stood up, a golden light that was so dense that it dazzled the eyes started radiating from his chest, the place where everyone’s profound veins were located.
The golden light was accompanied by a soul-shaking power that made them feel as if a mountain was pressing down on their hearts and souls.
“The Tyran… Tyranni… Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins!?”
Both the Seven Star Realm profound practitioners cried out that name at the same time and they looked as if they were staring at a ghost.
The muscular man raised a fist and a faint golden hue could be seen within the profound energy that was gathered there. It made it seem like his arms were covered in profound metal.
“I didn’t wish to expose this at all,” he said in a deep voice, a murderous look forming in his eyes. “But since you’re trying to push me beyond the point of no return, you can… die!!”
Even though they were currently facing a denizen of the lower realm whose profound strength was weaker than theirs by an entire level, both Seven Star Realm profound practitioners took a step backwards.
The Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins, the legacy of the ancient War God, was a type of dreadful profound veins born purely for the sake of battle, destruction, and raw power.
As the primordial aura in the Primal Chaos Dimension grew thinner and thinner, the Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins had slowly started disappearing from the God Realm.
However, there was one thing that was always true when someone with the Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins appeared. The ones who possessed the Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins would always end up becoming rulers. The least among them would become kings of a star realm, while the greatest among them had become god emperors!
“Wha… What do we do?” The profound practitioner on the right said in a shaky voice. They had never dreamed that this denizen of the lower realm whom they had been bullying because of the name “Yun Che” would turn out to be some freakish monster out of legend.
The profound practitioner on the left gritted his teeth before he yelled, “What else can we do!? We’ve already completely offended him! If we let him grow, we’re only dooming ourselves!”
Both of them exchanged a glance before nodding. After that, they forcibly swallowed their fear and started circulating their profound energy. Their hands started to flash with profound light as they took out their strongest profound artifacts and weapons.
Right now, it was no longer about having fun or bullying someone weaker than themselves, it was a matter of survival. They had to kill the young man in front of them, no matter what price they had to pay.
Even though those who possessed the legendary Tyrannical Emperor’s Divine Veins were said to have the shocking ability to best those stronger than them, they… no longer had any other choice.
Just as the two of them had resolved to battle to their death, the piercing screech of space being splintered resounded in their ears. They saw the ground start to undulate like the waves of the ocean before a dark and cold storm engulfed them.
“UWAAAAH!!”
All three men gave a cry of misery as they were sent flying by this dark storm that seemed to have descended from heaven.
When they raised their heads to stare at the sky in shock… they saw a black figure floating high in the skies above them. His arrival had caused the blue dome of heaven to darken rapidly and everything seemed to freeze up amidst that cold darkness. They felt as if countless devilish fangs were sinking into their bodies, souls, and hearts as a great terror unlike any they had ever experienced before washed over them.
