Chapter 1084: Massacre

Yun Che's extreme speed created a storm that ripped through the trees below.

He had faced countless dangers and storms, always able to regain complete calm immediately. But this time, the turmoil in his heart was relentless.

His soul felt as if it were tightly clutched, trembling in unbearable pain.

Following the trail eastward, Yun Che's spiritual sense finally detected human presences—and not just one. He focused his mind, expanding his spiritual sense to its fullest extent. Less than ten miles ahead, seventeen powerful auras suddenly appeared.

And... a faint Wood Spirit aura.

He Lin?!

Yun Che reduced his speed and concealed his aura, sinking into the dense forest below. He maintained his rapid pace, gradually closing in on the presences ahead. As he drew near, he fully activated "Flowing Light Thunder Concealment," ensuring he remained completely undetected.

All seventeen individuals were clad in black, with clear black snake markings visible on different parts of their attire. Sixteen of them exuded an aura of the Divine Soul Realm, while the leader's aura was remarkably that of the Divine Tribulation Realm. However, he seemed to have only recently entered this realm, as his aura was slightly weaker than that of the black-clad middle-aged man Yun Che had severely wounded the previous night.

Yun Che's gaze fixed intently on the person in the center of the group... In his hand, he tightly clutched a young Wood Spirit.

He Lin!

He Lin's profound energy was not sealed, and there were no obvious signs of injury on him. Yet, held in the black-clad man's grip, he remained motionless. His eyes were open, but devoid of any emerald light; instead, they were a dull, lifeless grey, with no visible pupils, like those of a corpse.

He appeared to be a body with life, yet completely stripped of its soul.

"He Lin..." Yun Che murmured softly. Confirming He Lin was alive, Yun Che breathed a slight sigh of relief. But upon seeing He Lin's eyes, his heart grew several times heavier.

"Hahahaha," an unpleasant, wild laugh burst from the black-clad man holding He Lin. "I never expected such a huge, pleasant surprise. Tsk tsk, the Hall Master won't be furious this time; in fact, he'll surely reward us handsomely."

"It's just a shame those Wood Spirits were so stubborn, rushing to destroy their spirit pearls. So many Wood Spirits, and we only got a few spirit pearls," another man lamented.

"This is already the greatest haul in years. For many years now, these Wood Spirits have seemed to conspire, immediately destroying their spirit pearls if they're about to fall into human hands, tsk tsk. But this little Wood Spirit... Oh, boss, what's the deal with this little Wood Spirit? Why do we have to capture him alive? The Hall Master even threw a tantrum because of him."

The leading black-clad man glanced back sharply, saying coldly, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. Just keep a close eye on him. If he escapes again, not only us, but the Hall Master will also die!"

His words startled everyone. The man holding He Lin tightened his grip and gasped, "This... what's going on? Is he something the Sect Master desires?"

"Hmph!" the leader snorted heavily. "It's likely far more serious. Last night, when the Hall Master personally took away the one who was gravely injured at the Black Feather Merchant Guild, I faintly heard the name 'Divine Martial Realm'."

"What?! Div... Divine Martial Realm?!"

"Silence!" the leading black-clad man roared. "Just know it in your hearts; don't speak of it again, and don't ask any more questions. If you don't want to die, stay alert. After we meet with the Hall Master, we must immediately bring him back to the sect and hand him over to the Sect Master, without the slightest error. If we lose this brat again, I guarantee none of us will survive!"

"Yes, sir," everyone responded, their faces pale. The man holding He Lin added, "Boss, don't worry. In the Black Fiend Realm, no one has the ability or the courage to dare..."

BOOM!!!

Before he could finish speaking, a phantom figure suddenly materialized from thin air less than two zhang below him. With a thunderous burst of profound energy, the figure streaked past him like a flash of light.

It all happened in a lightning-fast instant. The man had no time to react before his hand suddenly felt lighter.

Yun Che, who had snatched He Lin in an instant, did not flee. Instead, he stopped abruptly after surging forward, then turned around. His profound energy and malevolent aura, which he had kept tightly suppressed, now erupted wildly from his body and pupils like an awakened beast. With his left hand protecting He Lin, he gripped the Heaven Smiting Sword tightly in his right, its blade seething with profound energy and a terrifying aura.

The sudden turn of events stunned all the black-clad men. They froze in panic, but before they could utter a single word, Yun Che's profound energy erupted again—he had forcefully activated "Heaven Blasting," then, wreathed in crimson profound energy, he lunged at these black-clad murderers of Wood Spirits.

Against Divine Soul Realm profound practitioners, he could easily crush them even in his Purgatory state, making it unnecessary to forcefully activate "Heaven Blasting." But... what boiled within him to the extreme was not only his profound energy but also the rage and savagery that filled his entire body, desperate to be unleashed!

Even with a single hand, the sword's might under "Heaven Blasting" remained as terrifying as a nightmare.

CRACK!!

The sword struck like thunder. The black-clad man closest to him, who hadn't even had time to see Yun Che's face, was instantly blasted apart by a single sword strike.

BOOM!!

With a flick of his arm, the sword's blade rotated, unleashing a fiery sword-light that tore through the air, instantly pulverizing three black-clad men on his left who were still in shock. Mutilated flesh and limbs, accompanied by a rain of blood, fell mercilessly from the sky, and the pungent smell of gore quickly permeated the air.

In an instant, he snatched the Wood Spirit, then abruptly turned and slaughtered four men with two sword strikes. All this transpired in less than half a breath. The remaining black-clad men had barely become alert before they were utterly terrified, their souls scattering.

Appearing like a ghost and suddenly unleashing such brutal force without a word, they had never in their lives encountered anything so terrifying.

"You..."

As the terrified shout escaped his lips, the Heaven Smiting Sword, seething with bloody malevolence, descended once more. The black-clad man's pupils dilated as he raised his weapon at the fastest speed he could muster in his life...

CRACK!!

The Black Soul Spear was instantly shattered. The Heaven Smiting Sword crushed through the broken spear and mercilessly slammed into the black-clad man's chest. This powerful Divine Soul profound practitioner, under the destructive power unleashed by the Heaven Smiting Sword, was pulverized into a spray of blood and flesh, like a fragile piece of tofu.

Yun Che's figure vanished, reappearing behind another black-clad man. Before the man could even turn around, his entire body was sliced in half at the waist.

CRACK!!

CRACK!!

BOOM—

With "Broken Moon Flickering Shadow" beneath his feet and the savage sword in his hand, Yun Che was like a demon completely unleashed from his bloodthirsty nature. Every instantaneous movement and every strike caused the heavens to rumble and blood to rain down, leaving no room for mercy or hesitation. How could ordinary Divine Soul profound practitioners withstand the power of his extreme state?

By the time his ninth sword strike descended, all sixteen black-clad men had been pulverized in the rain of blood. Not only were there no complete bodies left, but not even fragments remained. Not a single one had time to let out a dying scream.

Only four breaths of time had passed.

The leading black-clad man's pupils constricted, and his whole body trembled like a sieve.

Just a few breaths earlier, they had been full of pride, having not only achieved a great merit but also reaped a huge, unexpected bounty.

But in the blink of an eye, it was as if they had suddenly fallen into hell. Everyone behind him was dead without a trace. Most of these men were in the middle or late stages of the Divine Soul Realm, certainly belonging to the strong in the Black Fiend Realm. Yet, before this suddenly appearing devil, they were like sixteen pitiful larvae, instantly pulverized.

When Yun Che's gaze abruptly shifted to him, he shuddered, his face instantly turning deathly pale... The opponent's profound energy was clearly only at the second level of the Divine Soul Realm, a full major realm weaker than his own. Yet, under Yun Che's gaze and aura, he was almost instantly terrified out of his wits.

To have slaughtered sixteen of his comrades in a few breaths with one hand... even if he were an idiot, he wouldn't be naive enough to believe he could defeat this devil, who was only in the early stages of the Divine Soul Realm.

"You... you... who are you..." He retreated step by step, uttering the most terrified words of his life... But then, he suddenly recalled the description of the profound energy and characteristics of the person who had taken the Wood Spirit last night, and gasped in alarm, "You're Ling Yun!!"

Yun Che showed no surprise when the man suddenly shouted "Ling Yun." The surging malevolence still boiled in his chest. Without a word, he unleashed a sword strike.

"AHH!!"

The black-clad man's face contorted in terror. His profound energy surged wildly throughout his body, without the slightest reservation. The Black Soul Spear he wielded flashed with dark lightning as he desperately tried to block the attack.

CLANG!!

If it had been Yun Che in his Purgatory state, he might have barely been able to resist. But in his Heaven Blasting state, even with a single hand, he was absolutely beyond the man's power to defend against. With a loud clang, the Black Soul Spear shattered instantly. The black-clad man grunted, flying violently sideways, tumbling dozens of times across the ground before finally coming to a halt.

*Cough...*

The black-clad man coughed up several mouthfuls of bloody sputum. He struggled to turn over, trembling with fear as he stammered, "Wai... wait! We are from the Black Soul Divine Sect... you... you won't have a good end if you offend us! And... and! We not only know your name is Ling Yun, but we also know you're from the Pure Moon Realm! You... if you let me go now, and hand that little Wood Spirit over to our Sect Master... the Sect Master will definitely... definitely let bygones be bygones... oh no, he'll even give you a reward!"

The Black Feather Merchant Guild kept extremely strict control over information regarding their underground trade partners. Yun Che showed no reaction when the man shouted the name "Ling Yun," and he wouldn't have been surprised if the man had said he was from the Fire God Realm either...

But what he actually shouted was... "Pure Moon Realm"?

Yun Che said nothing. Holding the utterly motionless He Lin, he dragged the Heaven Smiting Sword, slowly approaching step by step.

With every step Yun Che took closer, the terrifying aura made the man feel one step nearer to the abyss of death. He scrambled backward, tumbling as he went, shouting in terror, "Do... don't come any closer! Our Soul Sect has... has the protection of the Divine Martial Realm! If you offend the Soul Sect, you offend the Divine Martial Realm! Then... then you'll have nowhere left to hide! Even your own Star Realm won't be able to protect you... You... if you stop now, you can still... Ughhh!"

BOOM!!

Phoenix Flame burst from the sword's blade, blasting the black-clad man into the air. Yun Che's figure flickered, and the Heaven Smiting Sword, wreathed in dense bloody aura, ruthlessly impaled the flaming black-clad man.

CRACK!!

Sword energy erupted with a deafening blast. The black-clad man's entire body violently disintegrated, and his blood splattered miles away.

These executioners, who had brutally slaughtered innocent Wood Spirits, were now utterly annihilated.

*Exhale...*

The crimson profound energy dissipated. Yun Che's body swayed, and it took him a long time to barely suppress the malevolence surging through him. He set He Lin down, cupped his shoulders with his hands, and looked into his eyes. "He Lin... you're not hurt, are you?"

He Lin shook his head. There was no excitement, no tears, not even a hint of sorrow. His eyes were utterly blank. Then, he even offered a faint smile. "I'm fine, thank you, Big Brother Yun Che. You saved my life again."

"..." Yun Che stared blankly at He Lin. How he wished He Lin would unleash his pain and sorrow after being rescued, crying his heart out, even collapsing from tears... But not only were there no tears, He Lin was gently smiling, and... thanking him...

Yun Che's hands on He Lin's shoulders tightened sharply, and an intense unease welled up within him. "He Lin... I'm sorry, it's my fault... I brought harm to your people. If it weren't for me..."

He Lin gently shook his head. "No, this isn't Big Brother Yun Che's fault. You are my benefactor... my savior, and the best person I've ever met."

Yun Che was speechless.

He Lin turned, gazing blankly into the distance... in the direction of the Wood Spirit Secret Land. "Big Brother Yun Che, can you... can you take me home one more time? I... I want to give them a proper burial."

"...Okay," Yun Che nodded heavily. He took He Lin and flew westward.

Although danger could descend at any moment there, and the risk had vastly increased after he killed these seventeen Soul Sect members, making it somewhere they absolutely shouldn't linger... he couldn't refuse.