Chapter 1323: Heavenly Profound Anomaly

Yun Che possessed an exceptionally high level of comprehension, but had never been able to fully decipher the "Heavenly Way Medical Scripture." However, now imbued with light profound energy, as his spiritual perception swept over these divine light arts, his understanding underwent a profound transformation. As his gaze touched these initially recondite and difficult-to-understand characters, a strange resonance unexpectedly arose within his soul. With a slight focus of his spirit, his profound energy spontaneously surged throughout his body, emitting a pure and flawless white radiance. Before his eyes, a vast, boundless, and pure white world slowly unfurled.

Within this pure white world, embodying holiness, light, life, forgiveness, compassion, benevolence, redemption, purification, healing, creation, warmth, and peace, all conceivable beautiful things were manifested. Immersed in this world, Yun Che's mind and soul became perfectly calm and ethereal. All hidden vexation, resentment, malice, apprehension, and hesitation were eradicated by the warm white radiance, leaving no trace of negativity.

Yun Che withdrew his consciousness; the pure white world before him vanished, yet that flawless calm and peace lingered in his heart. This was merely his initial enlightenment from the first divine art.

Though it was only a single phrase, he had clearly seen another world—a completely new realm, previously unknown to his perception.

"Light profound energy," Yun Che murmured almost involuntarily. Initially, he had unexpectedly gained light profound energy because of Shen Xi, yet he hadn't been overly excited by it, only curious and astonished. But now, encountering the "Life Divine Miracle" with his newly acquired light profound energy, he truly realized that he had opened the door to another world—a realm of light that no one else in this era, apart from Shen Xi, could enter.

The "enlightenment" he had just experienced felt like mere moments in his consciousness, but he understood that a considerable amount of time might have actually passed. Yet, throughout this period, Shen Xi remained silent, her attention not even focused on him. She, too, quietly observed the "Life Divine Miracle" becoming whole again before her eyes. Her heart was stirred far more profoundly than Yun Che's by his entry into this new domain.

For she understood far better than Yun Che what the complete reappearance of the "Life Divine Miracle" signified.

"He has appeared... and brought the complete 'Life Divine Miracle'," she whispered inwardly, yet the words inadvertently slipped from her lips in her distraction. "It seems this truly is destiny."

"Father King... Lord Lishuo... Xi'er has finally... finally..."

Yun Che's gaze shifted, and he looked strangely at Shen Xi, who was clearly lost in thought. He had heard the words "Lord Lishuo" from her lips once again, and distinctly, "Father King"? Was her father a king? A king of which clan?

Yun Che's direct gaze finally drew Shen Xi's attention. She composed herself, her beautiful eyes turning to him, their light now calm. "Yun Che, I told you before that if you could cultivate the incomplete 'Life Divine Miracle,' you would be able to self-purify the Brahma Soul Seeking Death Mark within ten years."

"However, a complete 'Life Divine Miracle' is incomparable to an incomplete one. If you can fully comprehend the entire 'Life Divine Miracle,' the time it takes for you to self-purify the Seeking Death Mark will be drastically reduced once more. It's highly probable you could completely remove it within a year."

"Within a year?" These words profoundly startled Yun Che.

He had personally experienced the terror of the Seeking Death Mark. This Seeking Death Mark, personally inflicted by Qianye Ying'er, was one that no one in the world—save for Shen Xi—could undo. And now, Shen Xi herself was telling him that if he could cultivate the "Life Divine Miracle," he, with his profound strength already at the Divine Spirit Realm, could liberate himself in just one year!?

Was the "Life Divine Miracle" truly this powerful?

"This will depend on your own comprehension and your compatibility with the 'Life Divine Miracle'," Shen Xi stated. "If you are unable to cultivate the 'Life Divine Miracle,' then you will have to continue relying on my power to alleviate the Seeking Death Mark."

"I understand," Yun Che nodded, taking a slight breath. Compared to the original fifty years, the prospect of "one year" was so incredibly appealing that he almost couldn't believe it—provided, of course, that he could fully comprehend the "Life Divine Miracle."

The "Life Divine Miracle" was undoubtedly on an exceptionally high level, belonging to the creation tier, much like his Evil God Arts. However, the brief enlightenment he just experienced left him with no apprehension.

"Within the next year, I don't require you to master the 'Life Divine Miracle'; even a partial understanding will suffice. However, there is one goal you absolutely must achieve." Shen Xi's gaze grew firmer. With the reappearance of the complete "Life Divine Miracle," her look towards Yun Che had subtly shifted from before: "The Divine King Realm!"

These three gentle words made Yun Che's eyes widen. "Achieve the Divine King Realm in one year? How is that possible!"

His current profound strength was at Divine Spirit Realm Level Five. To cultivate from Divine Spirit Realm Level Five to the Divine King Realm in a single year was, even among the King Realms, a sheer fantasy that no one would believe.

"Indeed, it's impossible for you alone," Shen Xi said gently. "I will assist you, and so will Ling'er and this Reincarnation Forbidden Land."

Yun Che looked puzzled.

"The Reincarnation Forbidden Land is untouched by defilement, and most of the spirit flowers and exotic herbs here are unique to this world. Since you didn't even know of 'Shen Xi' before, you likely didn't know the origin of the God Realm's most potent spiritual elixirs."

Yun Che genuinely did not know this; having previously resided in the Snow Song Realm, he naturally had no exposure to matters of this caliber. As he listened to Shen Xi, his brow twitched. "Could it be this place?"

The Reincarnation Forbidden Land, in the perception of the God Realm, was not merely a forbidden place, but a true holy land!

As the true and sole pure land of the God Realm, the elixirs originating from the Reincarnation Forbidden Land were also regarded by the world as sacred treasures. From time to time, Shen Xi would personally condense spiritual elixirs and present them to the Dragon Emperor—a gesture not of personal gratitude towards him, but of tribute to the Dragon God Clan.

After all, she herself belonged to the Dragon God Clan.

It was common knowledge in the profound way that the stronger an elixir's medicinal power, the greater its inherent risk. Consuming it recklessly, without assessing one's own capabilities, was tantamount to digging one's own grave.

Even someone as formidable as Yun Che, who forcefully ingested the Heaven and Earth Five-Jade Elixir during the Conferred God Battle, would have been crippled or died if not for Mu Xuanyin's presence.

However, elixirs from the Reincarnation Forbidden Land were invariably of the purest and most unblemished quality. Consequently, no matter how potent or high-level their medicinal properties, they carried not the slightest risk. Even a mortal could ingest them directly, undergoing a complete transformation overnight and gaining a new life.

These defying spiritual medicines, even to the Dragon God Clan—supreme rulers of the world—were considered invaluable treasures. Over hundreds of thousands of years, only seven such elixirs had ever been bestowed, each one a gift of profound significance to a King Realm.

Shen Xi didn't answer directly. Instead, she said gently, "As a royal wood spirit, Ling'er possesses many unique abilities in this world. She can cultivate and perfectly extract the spiritual energy from the divine wood spirit flowers here. Starting tomorrow, I will have her refine spiritual elixirs and liquids for you daily to enhance your vital and profound energy. As for your time, thirty percent will be dedicated to comprehending the 'Life Divine Miracle,' thirty percent to cultivating and stabilizing your profound energy, and for the remaining time, you must dual cultivate with me for at least three hours every day."

Yun Che stammered, "Uh..."

The words "dual cultivate" were spoken by Shen Xi with utmost composure, devoid of any emotional nuance. But upon hearing them, Yun Che found it utterly impossible to remain composed.

"I will help you refine my primordial Yin and cultivate the 'Life Divine Miracle' together. This is the fastest method for you to comprehend the 'Life Divine Miracle' and enhance your profound energy." She gazed deeply at Yun Che, then softly continued, "Do not forget your current predicament. Achieving the Divine King Realm within a year is not merely my expectation; it is a goal you must absolutely attain—if you wish to escape Qianye and confidently face the Dragon Emperor!"

***

Outside the God Realm, in a chaotic corner, lay a planet named the Blue Pole Star.

On the Heavenly Profound Continent, in Azure Cloud Imperial City.

Time flowed onward. Unbeknownst to most, four years had passed since Yun Che departed the Heavenly Profound Continent for the God Realm.

Throughout these four years, legends about Yun Che never ceased to circulate on the Heavenly Profound Continent, yet no one had seen him since. Speculation about his whereabouts, however, was rife and growing ever more fervent.

In the Azure Cloud Nation, Yun Che was undoubtedly a mythical figure. He had saved the Azure Cloud Nation and the Heavenly Profound Continent, thereby dramatically altering the Azure Cloud Nation's standing within the continent. He was the greatest source of pride in Azure Cloud's history.

Due to Yun Che's singular influence, the Azure Cloud Nation became the most inviolable territory on the Heavenly Profound Continent. Even the Four Great Sacred Grounds—symbols of the Heavenly Profound Continent's supreme profound way—were now subservient to the Azure Cloud Imperial Family. The Supreme Ocean Palace, whose current Sacred Emperor Xia Yuanba was also from Azure Cloud, and which Yun Che had spared, now paid annual tributes to the Azure Cloud Imperial Family. The other two great sacred grounds, including the Divine Phoenix Sect, had bowed to the Azure Cloud Imperial Family for years, and to this day, annually repaid their past transgressions to Azure Cloud many times over. The Frozen Cloud Asgard, moreover, had become the Azure Cloud Nation's protecting sect three years prior.

Furthermore, because Yun Che had once been its Palace Master, the Frozen Cloud Asgard, despite being the weakest in overall strength among the Four Great Sacred Grounds, subtly held a leading position.

Undoubtedly, given these circumstances, the Azure Cloud Nation had become the most unshakeable power on the entire continent.

However, over the past six months, the Azure Cloud Nation had not been peaceful.

Within the Imperial Palace, Prefect Dongfang Xiu of Azure Cloud descended from the sky, his steps hurried as he rushed directly towards the Imperial Hall.

"Your humble servant Dongfang Xiu greets Her Imperial Majesty."

Cang Yue, her phoenix eyes holding both gentleness and authority, looked at Dongfang Xiu kneeling before the hall and frowned. "Prefect Dongfang, your hurried expression suggests another profound beast uprising?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Dongfang Xiu replied, bowing solemnly. "The disturbance is in the Death Wasteland. Profound beasts that never leave their territory have swarmed out, and even the usually harmless herbivorous profound beasts have become exceptionally violent. The Death Wasteland is home to the largest population of profound beasts in Azure Cloud, and the scale of this disturbance far surpasses any previous ones."

Cang Yue's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Is the disturbance occurring in the eastern part of the Death Wasteland?"

"Precisely!" Dongfang Xiu confirmed immediately. "A hundred-mile radius east of the Death Wasteland has already been affected. If not stopped, it will undoubtedly lead to a major catastrophe. I implore Your Majesty to issue an order and request assistance from the Divine Phoenix Sect."

Cang Yue rose, pondered for a moment, then murmured to herself, "This is already the sixth incident."

"Prefect Dongfang," Cang Yue said, her brows furrowed. "Return to the Azure Cloud Profound Palace at once, mobilize all elite profound practitioners from the inner palace, and proceed immediately to the eastern Death Wasteland."

Dongfang Xiu was taken aback. "Your Majesty, this is..."

Cang Yue's expression was stern, her authority subtle. "For years, Azure Cloud has ridden on my husband's renown, enjoying immense prestige. Countless profound practitioners have grown arrogant, losing their sense of crisis, even forgetting the national calamity of just a few years ago. This profound beast disturbance will be handled by the profound practitioners of the Azure Cloud Profound Palace. Tell them this is the Azure Cloud Nation, and they cannot perpetually rely on the Divine Phoenix Sect!"

"However, the profound beasts in the Death Wasteland are extraordinary and vast in number," Dongfang Xiu argued. "Even if the entire inner palace is dispatched, they will be difficult to handle, and even if they ultimately suppress them, it will undoubtedly result in heavy casualties."

"The Imperial Family will naturally provide solace for any casualties," Cang Yue stated, completely unmoved by Dongfang Xiu's words. "It's time for them to awaken. If there are cowards or those unwilling, there's no need to force them, but they must be immediately expelled from the Azure Cloud Profound Palace and never readmitted!"

With Cang Yue's imperial decree settled, Dongfang Xiu naturally had nothing further to say. Reflecting on the gradually shifting atmosphere within the Azure Cloud Profound Palace due to the nation's rising prestige, he sighed inwardly, bowed deeply, and swiftly departed.

The moment Dongfang Xiu departed, the imposing air on Cang Yue's face dissipated, replaced by a deep look of concern.

She picked up a sound transmission jade and softly said, "Xue'er, I need your help with something."

Ending the transmission, the worry on Cang Yue's face deepened further. She gazed out of the hall, murmuring to herself, "Six profound beast anomalies in just half a year, and each occurring at shorter intervals... What exactly is happening?"