Chapter 1116: Cursed Northern Divine Realm

While Yun Che was cultivating in Black Soul Mountain, the Black Fiend Realm was in turmoil due to events concerning the Soul Sect. Yun Che, the orchestrator of this major upheaval, remained completely unconcerned. He steadily delved deeper into the perilous regions of Black Soul Mountain, using his sword to hunt increasingly dangerous profound beasts, constantly striving for a breakthrough in his profound way.

Boom!!

A thunderous boom echoed as a tall mountain split in two, and a massive, single-horned exotic beast met its end amidst the swirling dust.

Yun Che took a long, ragged breath. Covered in wounds and utterly exhausted, he didn't immediately seek a safe spot to heal. Instead, his gaze turned westward.

At that moment, a graceful figure approached, descending from the sky. Ji Ruyan, today, was clad in a light blue long dress, its hem intricately embroidered with nine layers of shimmering silver thread forming nine mandalas. A lotus-colored gauze sash elegantly cinched her waist, and her hair flowed loosely, a pale purple fragrant flower casually tucked into it, giving her an air of relaxed elegance.

"Young Master Ling Yun, that was truly magnificent," Ji Ruyan exclaimed, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a water-like brilliance, expressing genuine admiration.

Behind her stood an elder with greying hair, who also gazed at Yun Che with an almost astonished expression. He had just witnessed with his own eyes how the man before him, whose profound strength was clearly only at the second level of the Divine Soul Realm, had directly slain a giant profound beast at the initial stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm, even while exhausted and heavily wounded.

"Miss Ruyan, why are you here?" Yun Che glanced at Ji Ruyan, then cast a deep gaze at the elder behind her. This elder possessed incredibly profound strength, very likely having reached the Divine Spirit Realm. Without his protection, Ji Ruyan naturally couldn't have come here.

It was, after all, the Black Feather Merchant Guild. While their influence couldn't rival that of the Soul Sect, it was hardly surprising that they possessed a Divine Spirit Realm expert.

Ji Ruyan smiled faintly, then turned her head slightly and said, "Sixth Uncle."

The elder nodded, turned, and departed. Before he left, he cast another profound look at Yun Che. His figure quickly vanished into the sky, yet his aura still subtly enveloped the area, constantly ensuring Ji Ruyan's safety.

"Hah—" Yun Che let out a long breath, sheathed the Heaven Smiting Sword, then slowly sat on the ground to begin healing his wounds.

Ji Ruyan stepped forward, gracefully gathering the hem of her skirt. Unafraid of the soiled ground staining her luxurious attire, she elegantly sat down in front of Yun Che. She then took out a purple crystal ring. "Young Master," she said, "you requested some high-grade profound swords a while ago. Everything you need is right in here."

"I wonder if Young Master recalls the Broken Wind Mountain Villa, which I mentioned during our previous meeting? The Soul Sect annihilated the Broken Wind Mountain Villa, and most of the renowned swords that vanished from there were recovered by the Soul Sect. My father took your request very seriously and even spent a fortune to acquire some of these famous swords. I'm confident you won't be disappointed once you've seen them."

Yun Che took the purple crystal ring. With a sweep of his profound energy, he saw over thirty profound swords of various types within it. The aura of each sword was remarkably extraordinary; they were not only far superior to any ordinary weapon from the Azure Cloud Continent but would also be considered exceptional even within the God Realm.

"Excellent," Yun Che said with a smile, putting away the purple crystal ring. He then offered a grateful glance.

The swords Hong'er had consumed previously, with the exception of the Eternal Night Devil Sword, were all ordinary blades from the lower realms. What he had now acquired, however, could relatively be called Divine Dao Swords. If Hong'er were to consume any one of them, the power of the Heaven Smiting Sword would undoubtedly increase significantly.

And as long as it remained within his control, the growth in the Heaven Smiting Sword's power naturally translated into a growth in his own strength.

"Because the Soul Sect committed too many misdeeds, countless other sects in the Black Fiend Realm harbored resentment but dared not voice it. Now that the Soul Sect has not only lost the powerful backing of the Divine Martial Realm but has also faced such brutal sanctions from it, the inevitable outcome is that everyone will kick it while it's down. My father, ultimately, is not a heartless man. Before the accumulated grievances of those sects could erupt, he sent all the useless members of the main sect to the Soul Sect's various branch organizations. These branch sects, too, have remained tightly sealed during this period."

Yun Che closed his eyes slightly and gave a brief nod. Seeing his obvious disinterest, Ji Ruyan ceased speaking but made no move to leave. Her gaze swept over the alarming wounds covering Yun Che's body. She pursed her lips and softly asked, "Young Master Ling Yun, why are you... so incredibly eager for profound strength? Your current cultivation level is already remarkably impressive among your peers, yet you're practically risking your life to cultivate. You're so determined to find the Nine Star Buddhist God Jade and the Emperor Immortal Grass; surely that's also to enhance your profound strength, isn't it?"

"...I want to participate in the Profound God Convention two years from now," Yun Che stated bluntly.

Ji Ruyan was slightly taken aback, unsure whether she was surprised by Yun Che's reason or by his straightforwardness in telling her. "I see," she murmured. "That truly is the dream of every young profound practitioner."

"Miss Ruyan, you're incredibly knowledgeable. You even know that this Profound God Convention originated from a prophecy of the Heavenly Mystery Realm. Could you tell me something about the Four King Realms, especially..." Yun Che opened his eyes. "...the Star God Realm?"

"Well..." Ji Ruyan knitted her brows, then, after a brief moment of thought, replied, "Matters at the King Realm level are difficult for even Upper Star Realms to grasp, let alone a small entity like our Black Feather Merchant Guild. What I know is essentially common knowledge throughout the God Realm. For instance... when the Star God Realm is mentioned, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the Twelve Star Gods. The current Great Realm King of the Star God Realm is the Heavenly Chief Star God, who leads the Twelve Star Gods."

"The Star God Realm King is also one of the Twelve Star Gods?" Yun Che asked, surprised.

"That's right," Ji Ruyan nodded, then chuckled playfully. "Now I entirely believe Young Master truly came from the lower realms, because in the God Realm, this is something even children know."

"...The Realm King of a King Realm, and the leader of the Twelve Star Gods," Yun Che murmured. "It seems that even though they are all Twelve Star Gods, the Heavenly Chief Star God's strength far surpasses that of the others."

"Not at all," Ji Ruyan refuted, shaking her head. "In terms of raw strength, throughout all generations of the Twelve Star Gods, the strongest has invariably been the Heavenly Wolf Star God."

Yun Che's eyes suddenly flickered.

"Especially the Heavenly Wolf Star God of the previous generation; he was terrifyingly powerful. He was the youngest son of the current Star God Realm King. Back then, he hadn't even reached sixty years of age, yet he single-handedly forced his way into the Moon God Realm. That battle earned him world-shaking renown; even we in the Lower Star Realms knew of his might. Everyone was certain he would surpass the Heavenly Chief Star God in the future, potentially even becoming the strongest Heavenly Wolf Star God in history. Unexpectedly, he died prematurely over ten years ago. Many called it 'heaven's envy'."

Yun Che's brows furrowed slightly. *Jasmine's brother...*

"But what was even more astonishing was that after the previous Heavenly Wolf Star God's demise, the Star God Realm quickly produced another individual suitable to inherit the Heavenly Wolf Star God's divine power. Furthermore, it's said that their compatibility is even greater than the previous generation's." Ji Ruyan shook her head. "It's truly unimaginable. It seems this generation of the Star God Realm is incredibly fortunate. I just hope this good fortune doesn't extend to their 'True God Project'."

"True God... Project? What is that?" Yun Che asked, greatly surprised. After all, the term "True God" was simply too astounding.

Ji Ruyan smiled. "At the King Realm level, those who reach the pinnacle of the Divine Master Realm naturally wish to transcend their limits and reach a higher plane. Among the Four King Realms of our Eastern Divine Region, aside from the Eternal Heaven God Realm, both the Brahma Monarch God Realm, the Star God Realm, and the Moon God Realm are said to be pursuing the path of True Gods. The Brahma Monarch God Realm and the Star God Realm, in particular, have had subtle rumors for many years that they've found a way to achieve True Godhood. However, I believe it's just a baseless rumor. Gods are gods, and humans are ultimately humans. It's impossible for them to become the extinct Divine Race, no matter what."

She chuckled playfully, "Even a weak woman like me knows this, so they must know it too."

"The stronger an individual is, the more they desire to pursue higher levels of power. Once they reach the pinnacle of human achievement, they will instinctively strive to break through those limits," Yun Che said calmly. "The King Realms in other Divine Regions are undoubtedly the same. Even if they subconsciously know it's impossible, they will certainly not cease their pursuit."

Watching Yun Che's expression intently, Ji Ruyan smiled. "It seems Young Master yearns greatly for the King Realms. I first wish you success in participating in the Profound God Convention. Once you enter the Eternal Heaven God Realm, you might get to meet people from the King Realms, and perhaps even powerful individuals from the Western Divine Region's King Realms."

"The Western Divine Region?" Yun Che paused. "Why only them?"

"Because the Northern Divine Region and Southern Divine Region will absolutely not be there," Ji Ruyan replied.

"Why not?"

Ji Ruyan explained slowly, "The Western Divine Region is the largest in both territory and power within the God Realm, with the Dragon God Realm being revered by all other realms. However, the True Dragon clan is majestic without being disdainful, proud without being arrogant, and deeply respected by all beings. The Western Divine Region, spearheaded by the Dragon God Realm, maintains quite good relations with both the Eastern and Southern Divine Regions. Yet, the King Realms of the Eastern Divine Region and Southern Divine Region are somewhat mutually exclusive. As for the Northern Divine Region..."

Ji Ruyan paused briefly before continuing, "The Northern Divine Region has the smallest territory and the weakest power. It is ostracized by the other three Divine Regions, and conversely, the Northern Divine Region is extremely exclusive, one might even say hostile, towards the other three. They never step into the territories of the other Divine Regions, and likewise, the Eastern, Western, and Southern Divine Regions never set foot in the Northern Divine Region."

"Why is that?" Yun Che asked. "Is there some ancient enmity?"

"In truth, the Northern Divine Region could be described as a very tragic Divine Region," Ji Ruyan said. "During the Era of Gods, the Northern Divine Region was home to the ancient Devil Race. After the Devil Race was annihilated, unlike the God Race, they didn't leave behind many legacies. However, their former domain naturally retained a heavy concentration of dark devil energy. Individuals who entered that 'devil realm' were gradually affected by the prolonged dark devil energy, eventually developing dark physiques and negative profound energy, becoming 'devil people'."

"Furthermore, this dark physique is inherited from generation to generation."

"Due to the influence of their dark physique and dark profound energy, if the 'devil people' of the Northern Divine Region travel to other Divine Regions, their power sharply diminishes, and they experience discomfort. Similarly, if people from the other three Divine Regions enter the Northern Divine Region, their power greatly wanes due to the dark devil energy. Consequently, there is virtually no interaction between the Northern Divine Region and the other three. Moreover, it is frequently referred to as the 'devil realm' by the three Divine Regions."

"It seems that in the eyes of those from other Divine Regions, the 'devil people' of the Northern Divine Region are regarded as 'heretics,' aren't they?" Yun Che remarked.

"Indeed," Ji Ruyan nodded. "Dark profound energy is inherently a devilish power. Not only does it contradict the power of gods, but it also distorts human nature. It's said that the stronger the devil people there become, the more of their humanity they lose, transforming into terrifying fiends."

Yun Che: "..."

"However, due to the continuous decrease of Yin energy within the Chaos Space, the dark regions suitable for 'devil people' in the Northern Divine Region have also been steadily shrinking. In less than a million years, the Northern Divine Region's territory has dwindled to less than thirty percent of its original size. Its complete disappearance is merely a matter of time. This is why it's considered a very tragic Divine Region."

"So, the people of the Northern Divine Region are essentially trapped in an ever-shrinking cage; that is truly tragic," Yun Che mused. He didn't find this particularly surprising. After all, the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch had once been "imprisoned" within the Moon Slaughter Devil Den, unable to leave its dark environment, never daring to take even half a step outside.

But then, his brow furrowed. *No, that's not right.*

In some legends he'd heard about the Era of Gods, it was only stated that gods and devils were mutually exclusive, not that they were incapable of entering each other's territories. It was merely a matter of being "unwilling," not "unable." The Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch couldn't leave the Moon Slaughter Devil Den because his life and soul sources were severely damaged, forcing him to barely survive within the dark aura, making departure impossible.

As for Fen Juechen, he possessed a dark physique, his power had transformed into dark profound energy, and his temperament was somewhat warped. His condition closely resembled the 'devil people' of the Northern Divine Region as described by Ji Ruyan. Yet, Fen Juechen never constantly confined himself to a dark environment, and neither did Xuanyuan Wentian later.

While non-dark environments might indeed negatively affect their bodies and power, it shouldn't have rendered them unable to survive.

"There's another reason why the people of the Northern Divine Region can't leave that 'devil realm,' or perhaps a more significant one: they're forced to protect themselves, aren't they?" Yun Che suddenly stated. "If the 'devil people' of the Northern Divine Region were to leave, would they be hunted by those from other Divine Regions?"

"Of course," Ji Ruyan replied without hesitation, emphasizing the word. "Devil people are extremely terrifying existences. If the Northern Divine Region were to completely disappear, it would eliminate a massive hidden threat to the God Realm."

Yun Che remained silent. Jasmine had warned him more than once never to expose the dark profound energy on his person. In the eyes of the world, dark profound energy was an aberrant existence that should not be; it was so profoundly feared by all beings that it was deemed intolerable by heaven and earth.

Given Jasmine's words, and judging by Ji Ruyan's expressions and tone, it seemed that everyone in the God Realm firmly believed this to be true.

As the two conversed, they remained completely oblivious that high above, a girl in colorful robes had long since puffed out her cheeks. She huffed angrily, "Why isn't she leaving yet, that hateful woman... No! That hateful brother-in-law, getting so close to her and talking so much! It's absolutely detestable!!"