Chapter 1147: The Last Hope

"Brother Yun... what's wrong?" Noticing something was amiss, Xiao Mo quickly moved in front of Yun Che, only to see his face was pale and his lips trembling, as if he had suddenly fallen gravely ill.

"After being eliminated... your true body will be expelled from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning... and you won't be allowed to enter..."

Those few cruel words from the Voice of the Heavens were like a bolt from the blue for Yun Che.

For the past three years since arriving in the God Realm, he had been striving desperately every moment with the goal of entering the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. He miraculously achieved the Divine Tribulation Realm at the last moment and successfully entered the Profound God Convention. He had thought that Jasmine was now within reach, having considered countless ways to find her, and endlessly yearned for their reunion...

But fate had suddenly played an incredibly cruel joke on him.

Being expelled from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning meant that his three years of unwavering dedication and effort would completely turn to dust. From now on, he might never have another chance to set foot in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, and there would be no possibility of seeing Jasmine again...

With his current strength, no matter how desperately he fought, it would be absolutely impossible for him to break into the top ten in the battlefield without being eliminated. Not to mention, he hadn't even set foot on the battlefield for an entire month. He was ranked last in the entire Eastern Divine Region...

"How... could... this be..." Yun Che muttered, utterly distraught. From body to soul, he was utterly cold, as if he had fallen into an abyss.

Inside the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, at the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect's residence, upon hearing the same Voice of the Heavens, Mu Bingyun's ice-like countenance also changed dramatically: "All eliminated participants are to be expelled from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning... This is terrible!"

Mu Huanzhi, who was nearby, didn't understand why, still thinking she was worried about the safety of the Ice Phoenix disciples. He said, "Don't worry, no one would dare to cause trouble in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. Han Yu, Fei Xue, Yun Che, and the others can directly return to the Snow Song Realm via the profound teleportation array they used to arrive after the battle. There's no need to worry at all."

"No, it's not about that." Mu Bingyun's ice aura was in disarray as she paced back and forth. She suddenly said, "Great Elder, five hundred people from the invited Middle Star Realms can enter to observe the battles. As long as their profound strength is at least at the Divine Tribulation Realm, they are eligible. Our quota isn't full; could we perhaps bring others in? Like Yun Che and Fei Xue?"

"Of course not!" Mu Huanzhi replied without hesitation. "The God Realm of Absolute Beginning is a King Realm, superior to all other realms, and its rules are extremely strict. How could it allow 'latecomers'? From the first day of the preliminary rounds, the God Realm of Absolute Beginning has essentially been closed off."

"Furthermore, the Voice of the Heavens just now stated clearly: all eliminated participants will be expelled and not allowed to enter. The words of the Heavens are like a divine decree; how could they be retracted?"

Mu Bingyun stood silent for a long time. She sighed and said, "Is there truly no possibility of compromise?"

"If it were other King Realms, there would certainly be no problem. Even some Upper Star Realms might have a chance, but our Middle Star Realms... our standing is too low, it's simply impossible." Mu Huanzhi shook his head, frowning. "Bingyun, your heart is usually as calm as ice. Why are you suddenly so anxious? What exactly happened?"

Mu Bingyun's chest rose and fell, unable to explain. She closed her eyes and whispered helplessly, "Perhaps this is his destiny."

Mu Bingyun sighed inwardly, while in the neighboring Blazing Heaven Realm's residence, earth-shattering cheers continuously erupted, presenting a stark contrast to her current state of mind.

"Hey? Hey, hey! Brother Yun, so you can't go to the God Realm of Absolute Beginning? At worst, you just came here for nothing. You didn't lose anything, so it's not... that bad, right?"

After the Voice of the Heavens, Yun Che seemed as if he had been struck by lightning and lost his soul. His reaction was extremely strange, leaving Xiao Mo puzzled and even a little frightened.

"You... wouldn't understand..." Yun Che said bitterly.

"Uh, I probably... really don't understand," Xiao Mo said cautiously. Thinking of Yun Che's previous troubled appearance, and his unusual reaction now, he naturally linked the two: "Is it... is there something really important you need to do in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning? Don't lose heart just yet, maybe there's another way, let me think, let me think..."

Xiao Mo frantically scratched his head... What was he thinking?! That wasn't just any ordinary place; it was the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, a King Realm! Even a Realm King from an Upper Star Realm would have to behave properly there, absolutely daring not, and unable, to defy the rules of the God Realm of Absolute Beginning.

And before an existence like the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, which stood at the pinnacle of chaos, they weren't even considered tiny ants. What could they possibly do?

"Another way..." Yun Che felt as if a mountain was pressing on his chest. He gritted his teeth, his heart racing wildly, but his mind was chillingly clear: No... there must be another way... there has to be...

I left my parents, I left Caiyi and the others. For three years, I haven't relaxed for a moment, countless times I almost lost my life in the God Realm... And this is still my only chance to see Jasmine...

I cannot let all of this turn into nothing...

Absolutely not...

*Flash!!*

At that moment, a white light shot down from above like a bolt of lightning. From within the white light, a figure tumbled out, landing less than fifty paces from Yun Che and Xiao Mo.

They were already used to such white lights and figures; they were all participants who had been killed by profound beasts or other profound practitioners and then teleported back to the main city to revive. After that person landed, he roared, slammed his fist on the ground, and said resentfully, "How unlucky! I actually ran into Wu Guike... Now I'll drop at least a million ranks, damn it!"

Yun Che's entire body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. He suddenly turned and roared at Xiao Mo, "Xiao Mo! Let me see the battle zone rankings, quick!!"

"Ah... okay!" Xiao Mo was startled by his beast-like roar. He quickly manifested the battle zone rankings with his mind, which they had just seen.

The first-place holder on the ranking had over six million Soul Pearls.

From the second place onward, although there was only one rank difference, the number of Soul Pearls dropped dramatically.

The second place had over three million Soul Pearls.

The third place only had two million.

Fourth place... fifth place... sixth place...

The tenth place had nine hundred thousand Soul Pearls.

Yun Che's previously dim eyes suddenly shone with a strange light. This was then replaced by extreme solemnity as he suddenly bolted in one direction.

"Hey, where are you going... huh?" Xiao Mo stared blankly, watching Yun Che rush towards the person who had just been teleported back to the main city to revive, utterly confused.

Yun Che rushed to the person's side, grabbed his collar with both hands, and roared, "Where is Wu Guike?! Tell me!"

The person clearly hadn't reacted, standing stunned.

"Where is Wu Guike! Quick! Quick!!"

Although profound energy couldn't be unleashed within the main city, a terrifying murderous aura wrapped around Yun Che. He was like a rampaging beast, and even his eyes had a faint reddish tint, which directly startled the man. He subconsciously pointed in a direction: "He's... just over there..."

Releasing him abruptly, Yun Che sprinted wildly in the direction he indicated.

The moment he stepped out of the main city area, Yun Che unleashed his full profound energy. Stepping on the Phantom Light Thunder Extreme, he shot north like lightning, his terrifying speed leaving Xiao Mo utterly dumbfounded.

"My goodness..." Xiao Mo stood frozen on the spot, mouth agape.

Yun Che didn't care whether the man was telling the truth or not. The preliminary rounds were about to end, and he didn't even have time to think.

Knowing only the general direction but not the exact location or distance, whether he could find Wu Guike was entirely up to luck.

It was only now, nearing the end of the first preliminary round, that Yun Che finally truly stepped onto the battlefield for the first time.

At a glance, shattered earth and collapsed mountains were everywhere. Roaring sounds from clashing powers echoed from every direction. The battlefield, now in its final countdown, did not cause people to slack off; instead, it completely ignited their last bursts of passion and madness.

Yun Che sprinted wildly, inevitably encountering other profound practitioners. However, after their auras swept over him, they all moved away. Not a single person came forward to attack him as prey...

Because his Soul Pearl count was zero! In these final moments, where every second counted, killing him would simply be a waste of time, energy, and effort!

Yun Che continuously dodged the fierce battles happening everywhere. While flying at full speed, he fully released his spiritual perception to scan his surroundings, and his journey was largely unimpeded.

Wu Guike! Where is he... where exactly is he...

I must find him!

His mind was focused, his eyes like an eagle's. Every remaining breath was incredibly precious. With his mind completely taut, Yun Che didn't even know how far he had flown or how much time had passed.

Just then, at the edge of his spiritual perception, a sense of oppression far beyond the ordinary flashed and vanished.

That was...

Yun Che's heart stirred, and his eyes brightened. He slightly altered his direction and charged straight ahead. Soon, in a massive crater in the ground, three figures appeared in his sight. One of them, with a suffocating sense of oppression and a glittering golden robe that almost blinded onlookers, clearly revealed his identity.

Wu Guike!

Wu Guike stood at the center of the large crater. With one hand behind his back and an expressionless face, he resembled a supreme judge, haughtily looking down at the two individuals before him.

The two profound practitioners before him were both kneeling, but this was by no means of their own volition. They were being forcibly suppressed by an immense profound energy that they couldn't resist. One of these profound practitioners was at the late Divine Tribulation Realm, and the other had astonishingly reached the Divine Spirit Realm. Yet, under Wu Guike's profound energy suppression, they couldn't move, their faces contorted, and their bodies drenched in sweat.

"Young Master Wu... Wu..." the Divine Spirit Realm profound practitioner on the right said painfully, "I am Xie Jiukun from Hanqian Island of the Purple Spirit Realm. I have long admired Young Master Wu's name... My Hanqian Island has also had a long-standing relationship with your esteemed sect... Please spare us... in the future... we will certainly repay you!"

"Young Master Wu, you have already killed us before... Killing us again... will be of no benefit to you. Please... spare us... we two will certainly not forget your kindness." The other profound practitioner also pleaded almost despairingly.

Both of them had already been killed once by Wu Guike. Killing them again would not allow him to plunder their Soul Pearls, so there was indeed no benefit. However, both of their Soul Pearl counts would still decrease by thirty percent, which would certainly cause their ranks to plummet. How could they accept this? They could only beg.

"Hehehe," Wu Guike chuckled indifferently, his gaze tilted. He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of controlling others' destinies, just as he had since childhood: "Trash also deserves the right to beg for mercy? Die!"

"Wait! Young Master Wu... Ah!!"

Wu Guike's palm clenched, and a profound light burst open in mid-air, sending the two individuals flying far away, spilling blood in the air, killing them instantly. Before their bodies could even fall, they had already vanished in a flash of white light.

The profound way of the Divine Martial Sect was dominated by fierce and overbearing techniques. Every strike could shatter mountains and cleave the earth. The profound energy released in that single instant caused the surrounding hundred-mile radius to tremble. Yun Che, who was flying at full speed, suddenly became alert. He quickly erected the Evil God's Barrier, but was still violently knocked back, only barely managing to stabilize himself with all his might, his heart filled with terror.

Just the aftershock of his casual strike was already so terrifying... This was the horror of a late Divine Spirit Realm practitioner.

"Hmph, a bunch of trash." Wu Guike flicked his hand with a disdainful sneer. Then, he suddenly narrowed his eyes, turning his gaze towards the direction Yun Che was flying from. He leisurely murmured to himself, "Oh? How did a mosquito fly in here?"