Chapter 1102: Starfall Reappears

Black Soul Mountain, now a sea of fire, echoed with countless miserable screams. Innumerable Soul Sect disciples were swallowed by the flames, instantly turning to ash before they could escape. The entire world was consumed by golden fire, filled only with the agonizing cries of the struggling, wretched beings.

Amidst the terrifying golden inferno, even the powerful Soul Sect Hall Masters struggled to defend themselves, their expressions drastically altered. They looked around, but Yun Che was nowhere to be seen; only countless disciples from their halls were rapidly reduced to ash, like humble withered leaves.

Their earlier certainty had vanished, replaced by sheer terror. The Dragon Soul Domain had prevented them from locking onto Yun Che's aura, and the explosive fiery inferno severely obstructed both sight and scent. They had no time to count how many had perished in the blaze, nor did they dare to contemplate it. What truly terrified them was the unknown whereabouts of "Ling Yun."

"Forget the disciples for now! Find Ling Yun... we *must* find him!"

"He's gravely injured, and this flame domain must have cost him immensely... He has to be nearby! Under no circumstances can we let him escape alive!!"

Within the boiling golden sea of fire, Yun Che flew close to the ground, cradling Little Jasmine. His body was drenched in blood, his breathing heavy, and his flight speed extremely sluggish. The Yellow Spring Ash, unleashed in his furious rage, had taken an immense toll on him in his gravely injured state. Once he confirmed that all auras tracking him were cut off, Yun Che extended his arm and swiftly summoned the Primordial Profound Ark. The moment the Ark appeared, he brought Little Jasmine inside, then immediately teleported three hundred miles due west.

Teleporting with the Primordial Profound Ark in the God Realm required an enormous expenditure of energy. Earlier, in the God Burying Inferno, a mere three hundred miles of teleportation, though miraculous, had consumed half the power of the Vermillion Bird Jade. While an instant teleportation of three hundred miles would be minimal in cost and guarantee escape in the lower realms, it was barely sufficient in the God Realm. It wasn't that Yun Che didn't wish to escape further, but these three hundred miles were the Ark's limit; this teleportation had likely exhausted the Vermillion Bird Jade's power entirely.

After exiting the Primordial Profound Ark with Little Jasmine, Yun Che quickly recalled it. Now, he could only pray that the obstructing flames of the Yellow Spring Ash would prevent anyone from the Soul Sect from detecting the Ark's aura or the spatial fluctuations. Activating the Vanishing Lightning Illusion, he fully concealed his and Little Jasmine's auras. Yun Che's hand was now firmly clamped over Little Jasmine's mouth. Learning from last time, no matter how much she struggled, he would not let go this time. With no auras sweeping in their direction, Yun Che finally felt a slight sense of relief. Dragging his incredibly heavy body, he moved carefully and slowly westward under the cover of night and thick fog.

"Mmmph... mmmph mmmph mmmph..." Little Jasmine, her mouth covered, continuously wriggled her body, emitting muffled sounds of discontent.

"If you don't want to die... stay still! Otherwise... I'll kill you first!" Yun Che's voice, hoarse and cold, escaped through gritted teeth. He had risked his life for this sliver of hope.

Little Jasmine's eyes widened. Just as she was about to struggle and protest more fiercely, a drop of warm liquid gently landed on her small hand. One drop... two drops... three drops... eventually forming a string, and in an instant, her tender white hand was stained crimson. At that moment, Yun Che staggered, collapsing heavily to his knees. He fiercely clutched his own throat, preventing any sound from escaping, his chest heaving almost to the point of bursting.

"..." Little Jasmine's struggles ceased. Her starlike eyes gradually glazed over, now reflecting a blank confusion she had never experienced before.

In the distance, the Golden Crow sea of fire was rapidly extinguishing. The Hall Masters, Deputy Hall Masters, and surviving disciples frantically searched the area for Yun Che. Releasing such terrifying flames while severely injured would not only deplete profound energy but also greatly exacerbate injuries. Everyone believed that in such a state, Yun Che couldn't have gone far and must be hiding nearby. Although their search expanded, they would never imagine Yun Che was already three hundred miles away. Yun Che took more than a dozen gasping breaths before finally recovering slightly. His hand remained firmly pressed over Little Jasmine's mouth and nose. If it were anyone else, he would have chosen to leave them in the Primordial Profound Ark and then used the Broken Moon Flitting Shadow to safely depart. But Little Jasmine... he had personally experienced her arrogant recklessness; she was perfectly capable of suddenly emerging from the Ark herself!

Getting up again, he rushed westward, believing he would be safe once he reached the western region of the Black Soul Mountain Range. However, he hadn't gone far when a strong sense of unease suddenly struck him from behind. It was a terrifying aura, distant yet powerful enough to instantly stiffen his entire body. The aura of a Divine King!! Lei Qianfeng! Yun Che's steps halted abruptly. He leaned against a withered tree, not daring to move an inch further.

"Welcome, Sect Master!!"

In the distance, against a sky still brightened by the unextinguished Golden Crow flames, several figures appeared. Yun Che clearly heard the unified, thunderous shouts. Lei Qianfeng's gaze swept around, every muscle in his face twitching violently. Upon receiving the transmission, he hadn't arrived alone; beside him was the Chief Hall Master, Lei Tiangang, and behind him, five Divine Spirit Realm Soul Sect Elders. But every one of them wore a grim expression. As far as their eyes could see, there were only endless charred corpses, and the surviving Soul Sect disciples were all disheveled, most bearing burns of varying degrees.

"All... this... was done by Ling Yun?" Lei Qianfeng's lips visibly trembled as he spoke, the veins bulging on his forehead threatening to burst.

"Yes..." replied the leading Hall Master, cold sweat pouring down his face under Lei Qianfeng's terrifying aura and gaze.

"Then... where is Ling Yun!?"

"Your subordinate... just now, I had heavily wounded Yun Che and was about to capture him, but suddenly... he... he vanished... Your subordinate is searching everywhere now; he couldn't have gone far, your subordinate will immediately..."

"Useless!!" Those two chilling words silenced all the Hall Masters, who bowed their heads in terror. An oceanic wave of divine sense then swept down, almost engulfing the entire Black Soul Mountain Range.

Just moments ago, he had been rapidly moving away with Little Jasmine, but with Lei Qianfeng's arrival, even with the Vanishing Lightning Illusion, he dared not make another move. He felt Lei Qianfeng's divine sense wash over them and held his breath tightly, remaining utterly still. Little Jasmine in his arms also suddenly became docile, staying perfectly motionless. After a long time, Lei Qianfeng's divine sense receded. Black Soul Mountain was home to numerous profound beasts, and now a massive number of disciples were gathered there, creating an incredibly chaotic mix of auras. Combined with the obscuring mist, even for a powerful Divine King like him, finding an anomaly in such a vast area and environment would be extremely difficult—not to mention Yun Che possessing the Vanishing Lightning Illusion.

But then, Lei Qianfeng's eyes narrowed slightly. The humiliation of the sect's lockdown, the vengeance for his son's death, and now the massacre of countless disciples this very night... his rage had reached its peak, naturally igniting into madness. Yun Che was exceptionally skilled at concealment, a fact well known within the Soul Sect. If even he couldn't find Yun Che's aura, others certainly couldn't. He suddenly spoke slowly, "Though Ling Yun has vanished again, he must still be somewhere within Black Soul Mountain, isn't that right?"

The leading Hall Master was momentarily stunned, then quickly replied, "Yes, Sect Master! And he must be nearby. Your subordinate is certain he's severely wounded; in his state, he absolutely couldn't have escaped far."

"Very good!" Lei Qianfeng gritted his teeth. "Then let him and this entire Black Soul Mountain... turn to ash together!!"

*Crack!!*

Savage black lightning exploded from Lei Qianfeng's arms simultaneously. The instant, violent energy surge fiercely threw Lei Tiangang and the five elders back, nearly making them vomit blood. Lei Tiangang exclaimed in shock, "Sect Master, are you going to..." Before he could finish his few words, the power rapidly gathering on Lei Qianfeng's body had become terrifying enough to easily obliterate him. Facing Lei Qianfeng's dreadful expression and gaze, Lei Tiangang dared not offer another word of dissuasion. He quickly roared downwards, "All disciples from the sixty-four halls, evacuate upwards! Quickly!!" The sudden onset of terrifying aura turned all Soul Sect disciples' faces ashen. They immediately understood Lei Qianfeng's insane intention. Under Lei Tiangang's roar, they fearfully ascended into the air, scrambling to retreat thousands of feet high. The lightning around Lei Qianfeng grew increasingly horrifying. This was not merely his power, but the culmination of a Divine King's greatest anger and hatred in his entire life. Never had he so madly desired to kill someone at any cost... even if it meant sacrificing the entire Black Soul Mountain!

In the distance, Yun Che's eyes were wide with terror, his pupils severely contracted. At this moment, if he attempted to escape, he would surely be discovered and die. But staying put would mean perishing with Black Soul Mountain. It wasn't just that Lei Qianfeng was sufficiently mad and vicious; it was that Lei Qianfeng's hatred for him had truly penetrated to the bone.

"Ling Yun... I, the King, will have you... reduced to dust and ashes!!!!"

Amidst his furious roar, Lei Qianfeng swung his arms down. Two streaks of jet-black lightning, like world-destroying thunder dragons, descended with earth-shattering roars. The thunder dragons were heading directly towards Yun Che's position, as he was closer to the center of Black Soul Mountain's eastern region. The moment the thunder dragons struck, the entire eastern region of Black Soul Mountain, and a significant portion of its western region, would be leveled. For this was the power of a Divine King! Yun Che's pupils rapidly constricted, even as the thunder dragons swiftly enlarged within them. The moment Yun Che's pupils fixated, all fear vanished, replaced by a cold ruthlessness even stronger than Lei Qianfeng's.

"All... of you... die... now!!"

Little Jasmine slightly raised her head. Just as the thunder dragons slammed before them, a strange blue light suddenly flickered in her eyes... But in that very same instant, Yun Che suddenly darted out, his right arm meeting the world-destroying thunder dragons, tracing a strange arc. The world before them dissolved into chaos, its laws abruptly twisted.

"Moon — Dragging — Star — Return!!"

The thunder dragons possessed world-shaking divine might and earth-shattering roars, but the moment they touched the space before Yun Che, they suddenly reflected back like light hitting a flat mirror. With all their might, they hurtled directly towards Lei Qianfeng... and the Soul Sect members beside him.

"..." The blue light in Little Jasmine's eyes vanished, her lips forming a wide "O".