Chapter 1114: Comfort

Yun Che stared, transfixed. As he turned the jade in his hand, nine stars glowing with a pure luminescence came into view. Yet, he still couldn't quite believe his eyes.

The Nine-Star Bodhi Jade—he had yearned for it, a divine jade he'd been told was incredibly rare, even in upper star realms. He had "extorted" a massive sum of profound stones from Lei Qianfeng with the sole purpose of acquiring this very jade. Deep down, he hadn't truly believed he would ever find it. Yet now, it lay right there in his hand.

It was as if it had simply fallen from the heavens, and he had effortlessly stumbled upon it!

How could Lei Qianfeng, a mere lower realm king, possibly possess such a divine artifact?!

And despite his death, it hadn't been removed from his person.

It just happened to be found by him directly... and it just happened to be the very thing he yearned for most.

This was… simply too coincidental, too incredibly lucky to be believable!

Could it be that Heaven had truly recognized his fervent desire and had opened its eyes in his favor?

Despite his profound astonishment and disbelief, there was no doubt that this was an immense and unexpected boon for Yun Che. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably; he wanted to smile, but the sheer intensity of his excitement and delight left him speechless, unable to even form a grin.

Lei Qianfeng had been dead for a long time, his corpse long since pale, but his once-frightening face now seemed remarkably pleasing in Yun Che's eyes.

"Lei Qianfeng, you committed countless wicked deeds in life, but in death... you've finally done something truly good! Had you handed this over sooner, I might have even granted your sons a quicker end!" Yun Che murmured to Lei Qianfeng, reining in his excitement as he carefully put away the Nine-Star Bodhi Jade, a gift from the heavens.

"Jasmine," Yun Che lifted his head, a soft smile playing on his lips. "It seems even Heaven desires for me to find you again. With just one Imperial Immortal Herb left, I will... I will absolutely find you!"

Behind him, a faint yet familiar aura steadily drew closer. Yun Che dismissed his thoughts, turned around, and immediately spotted a girl in a shimmering, colorful dress leisurely flying towards him, humming a sweet, indistinct tune.

"Pure white jasmine blossoms, colorful fairy dust stars, roses aren't lovely at all, and Hell Vine is a big pervert... Oh! Brother-in-law!"

Upon suddenly seeing Yun Che, little Jasmine let out a delightful cry and zipped over, gazing at him with a wide grin. "Hehe, so you were here all along."

The Black Soul Realm was vast, yet he always seemed to encounter her. Yun Che was already accustomed to it. Though the little girl radiated an air of oddity, he was too weary to even ask, stating with a resigned expression, "Where did you run off to this time?"

"Hmph, and you have the nerve to ask *me*?" Little Jasmine tilted her nose up, turning the accusation back on him. "You suddenly sat there motionless, ignoring me for ages, so naturally, I had to go off and play by myself. But when I came back, you were gone again! Tell me, were you deliberately trying to ditch me?"

Yun Che was momentarily speechless.

"Oh? Brother-in-law, what's that in your hand? It has such a beautiful light." Little Jasmine took a small hop, grabbed Yun Che's hand, then looked disappointed. "Oh, it's just a Profound Image Stone. I thought it was something interesting. Hmm... Since you're holding it, did you record something fun on it? I want to see! I want to see!"

These two Profound Image Stones from Lei Qianfeng had been found alongside the Nine-Star Bodhi Jade. It was obvious they must contain highly significant recordings. Yun Che, feeling curious himself, conceded, "Alright, alright. But you must promise me this: no matter what you see, you are not to tell anyone without my permission."

"Of course! Girls who gossip are the absolute worst," little Jasmine declared with utmost seriousness.

Yun Che pursed his lips and carefully channeled profound energy into the first Profound Image Stone.

The image projected from the Profound Image Stone. Yun Che immediately recognized Lei Qianfeng, with his legitimate wife, Xiao Qingtong, by his side. Next to them stood a young man of remarkable appearance, radiating an extraordinary aristocratic aura. Behind the young man was a stern-faced middle-aged man. Even though it was merely a recorded image, it still conveyed an immensely heavy sense of oppression to Yun Che.

Yun Che's eyebrow twitched; he vaguely surmised the identities of the two figures, but their conversation utterly astonished him.

"Uncle, oh Uncle, regarding the royal Wood Spirit affair, my royal father is rarely so truly enraged..."

"Gui Ke! You absolutely must help your uncle..."

"Aside from the royal Wood Spirits, the Wood Spirit Beads and cauldrons you've presented as tribute over the years have also dwindled..."

Yun Che watched in silence, his brow remaining deeply furrowed. As the image faded, he clutched the Profound Image Stone tightly. Though it was merely a small stone, it suddenly felt as if it weighed ten thousand pounds.

This tiny Profound Image Stone, with its recorded images and sounds, contained enough evidence to utterly ruin the reputation of the Divine Martial Realm King and even bring sanctions from the Royal Realm upon the Divine Martial Realm!

The young man was Wu Guike, son of the Divine Martial Realm King! Ji Ruyan had mentioned that whoever accompanied Wu Guike would likely be a formidable Divine Sovereign realm expert. While Profound Image Stones emit profound energy fluctuations during recording, making them easily detectable, the images captured on this stone—every glance, every subtle shift in expression—were incredibly clear. The audio was as if spoken directly into one's ear, indicating it was recorded from an exceptionally close range. Yet, Wu Guike, and the person he called "Chengyan" (presumably a powerful Divine Sovereign), apparently noticed nothing at all?

How had Lei Qianfeng possibly managed this?

"How boring. Weird people saying weird things, not fun at all," little Jasmine grumbled with a pout of disappointment. Then her eyes twinkled, and she chirped with a smile, "But that older sister in the blue dress is really pretty!"

With this Profound Image Stone in hand, if utilized correctly, it was no exaggeration to say that he held significant leverage against the Divine Martial Realm! A very significant one.

Holding leverage against an upper star realm, and specifically against its King—what did that even mean?

Yun Che immediately felt a surge of anticipation for the other Profound Image Stone. He quickly picked it up and injected profound energy.

Before the image even materialized, loud, heavy breathing from a man and hurried moans from a woman filled the air. The emerging visual revealed two naked individuals, a man and a woman, locked in an illicit embrace. It appeared to be nighttime, yet bright moonlight streaming through a high window illuminated their faces clearly.

The man was, astonishingly, Wu Guike!

And the woman... was none other than Xiao Qingtong, Lei Qianfeng's legitimate wife and Wu Guike's aunt!

As Yun Che stared, dumbfounded, a girl's shriek suddenly pierced his ears. Little Jasmine instantly covered her eyes and leaped far away, her face flushed crimson. "You... you... you wicked scoundrel, you pervert, you super deviant! How can you have something so disgusting, so... so utterly repulsive... You! You! You!"

"...!@#$%" Yun Che fumbled to put away the Profound Image Stone, quickly waving his hands. "This isn't mine! I just found it!"

"You... you not only do such shameless and vulgar things, but you also refuse to admit it! You truly are a bad person!" little Jasmine shrieked.

Yun Che shrugged helplessly. "Fine, fine, I'm a shameless, depraved, super deviant. So please, don't follow me anymore."

With that, he grabbed Lei Qianfeng's corpse and ascended into the air.

"Hey! Where are you going? Ah—wait for me!" Little Jasmine dropped her hands from her eyes and quickly followed.

"...Why are you still following me?"

"Hmph! Who told you to be my brother-in-law? Even if you're a wicked pervert and a huge deviant, I'll just have to accept it... *Waaah*, I'm so miserable!" little Jasmine wailed, her face full of grievance.

Yun Che rolled his eyes, too weary to respond.

Without bothering to check on the state of the Soul Sect, Yun Che carried Lei Qianfeng's corpse, flying over Black Soul Mountain, past Black Soul City, and arriving south of it.

This was the ruined Wood Spirit Secret Realm, the final resting place of those who had perished.

As he arrived at this land abloom with countless flowers, all expression vanished from Yun Che's face. He set Lei Qianfeng's body on the ground, then slowly knelt on one knee, closing his eyes.

Watching his actions, little Jasmine's mouth parted slightly, and she whispered, "Brother-in-law, what is this place, and what are you doing?"

Yun Che lowered his head, speaking softly. "This place was once a secluded sanctuary, home to many Wood Spirits. They showed me great kindness, but not long ago, they all perished because of me."

"Oh?" Little Jasmine blinked.

After a long silence, Yun Che opened his eyes, extended his palm, and a ball of flame instantly erupted on Lei Qianfeng's corpse, incinerating it to dust that scattered freely in the breeze.

"Grandma Drywood, Senior Evergreen... Qinghe... Feiyan... Qingzhu... What I owe you, I cannot repay in this lifetime. Aside from incinerating this wicked man, who tormented your clan for years, to bring you solace, the only thing I can do from now on is to protect every Wood Spirit I encounter, to the best of my ability."

"Huo Lin, I'm about to leave the Black Soul Realm. But I promise, I will find your sister. The Heaven's Will Realm might be able to tell me her whereabouts. Once I find her, if she wishes, I will bring her back to the planet of my birth. There, she will live her life in peace, free from any torment."

As Lei Qianfeng's ashes dispersed completely, the wind in this place seemed to soften considerably.

After a long period of silence, Yun Che stood up. At that moment, little Jasmine spoke, "Brother-in-law, did you really say you're going to the Heaven's Will Realm?"

"Of course. There are people and things I absolutely must find. The God Realm is vast, and I'm alone. The only place that might be able to help me is the Heaven's Will Realm... I hope this Heaven's Will Realm, described as so miraculous, won't disappoint me."

"Hmm..." A rather conflicted expression appeared on the girl's small face. She pressed her little nose and suddenly said, "Brother-in-law, it would be better if you didn't go to the Heaven's Will Realm. Even if you do, it will definitely be useless."

Yun Che turned his head, his gaze fixed on her. "How do you know?"

"Well..." Little Jasmine tilted her head, lost in thought. After a moment, she grinned. "I haven't come up with a reason yet. How about I tell you once I do?"

Yun Che's eyes narrowed, and his expression subtly darkened. "Little girl, you still haven't told me who you are or where you come from. No matter where I go, you always manage to pinpoint my location... Who exactly are you? And what is your true purpose in approaching me?"

"Of course... it's because you're my savior, and my brother-in-law!" little Jasmine replied with a perfectly serious expression.

Yun Che pursed his lips. "I'd believe that... if I were an idiot."

He leaned forward, his intense gaze fixed on her eyes. "When I mentioned the Heaven's Will Realm just now, you seemed very odd. You're not... from the Heaven's Will Realm, are you?"