Chapter 1336: The Other Shore (Part 1)

Yun Che’s voice thundered across the sky, his hatred boundless. Within the Star God Realm, his power was insignificant, and his declaration of "burying them all" sounded like a joke. Yet, the roar from this seemingly pathetic power sent a clear jolt of dread through the Star Gods and their Star Guards.

"Bury us all? Ha, with *you*?" Xing Mingzi scoffed, trembling with rage. He likely would have died before believing he could be so utterly humiliated by the words of a junior.

"My King, this boy speaks heresy to corrupt minds. Not only has he insulted Your Majesty and the Star God Realm, but he has also slandered our ancestors. His crimes are unforgivable!"

No sooner had he spoken than he noticed expressions of clear shock on the faces of the Star God Emperor and the other Star Gods.

This was because the aura erupting from Yun Che was unmistakably that of a Divine King!

A year ago, when the Star God Emperor last saw Yun Che in the Moon God Realm, his profound energy was only at Divine Spirit Realm Level Five. Now, he had actually become a Divine King?!

To advance from Divine Spirit Realm Level Five to Divine King Realm in just one year—if they hadn't witnessed it themselves, no one, not even a Divine Master or Divine Emperor, would have believed it possible. The shock on their faces indicated that, even at their level, they simply could not comprehend or believe the immense surge in Yun Che's power.

"One year, and already a Divine King..." Tianyuan Star God Tu Mi murmured. "As expected... the power of a Creation God!"

The Star God Emperor was furious, wishing he could tear Yun Che limb from limb. Yet, the repeated "miracles" emanating from Yun Che left him utterly shocked and intensely excited. He roared, "Seize him! Seal him in the Prison Realm... but do not cripple his profound energy or harm his life!"

"Yes!" Xing Mingzi nodded. "Xing Ling!"

Xing Ling originally had no intent to kill Yun Che, but under his humiliation and fury, hatred and killing intent surged within him. At Xing Mingzi's command, a fierce glint flashed in the depths of his eyes. He suddenly channeled a portion of his profound energy... A force capable of severely injuring Yun Che with a single blow surged directly towards him, its speed far exceeding his previous movements.

Yun Che's gaze was a thousand times more sinister. He let out a low growl, golden flames blazing around him, and the Heaven Smiting Sword erupted with a golden fiery sword, directly striking Xing Ling head-on.

"Hmph, overestimating himself," Xing Mingzi sneered dismissively. While Yun Che's talent and growth speed were indeed astonishing, he was simply too young. With the profound energy of a Divine King at barely thirty years old, he was no different from an ant before an Eighth Level Divine Sovereign.

The Golden Annihilation was immensely powerful; even Luo Changsheng would never dare to meet it head-on. Yet, Xing Ling didn't even bother to dodge or look. With a casual grab, the Golden Crow Flame Sword—powerful enough to level mountains and cleave seas—was seized directly in his hand. Then, with a slight clench of his fingers, it instantly shattered like fragile cloth, scattering into quickly dissipating fragments of flame across the sky.

With the Golden Annihilation instantly destroyed, the backlash was immense. Yun Che's body violently shook, and most of his Golden Crow flames extinguished. At that moment, Xing Ling's power descended... One tenth of an Eighth Level Divine Sovereign's power would certainly cripple Yun Che completely, leaving him no strength to resist, even if it merely brushed him.

With a muffled thud, space contracted. Within the power Xing Ling unleashed, an afterimage vanished instantly...

Star God Broken Shadow?!

A slight tremor went through Xing Ling's heart, but he struck again like lightning, directly locking onto Yun Che...

Boom!!

Two muffled thuds, but both blows missed. The true strength of the Star God Broken Shadow lay not in its instantaneous movement, but in the confusion of aura it created in that instant, making it impossible even for someone as powerful as Xing Ling to discern the true body from a phantom.

Yun Che dodged Xing Ling's attacks three times consecutively, but he was far from unharmed. After all, that was the power of an Eighth Level Divine Sovereign; even touching the faintest ripple of it would cause injury... High above, his eyes were sinister, his face pale, and crimson blood oozed unmistakably from the corner of his mouth.

Xing Ling made no further move. Expressionless, he stated, "Yun Che, since you dared to come, you should know the consequences. Why make such futile struggles?"

No sooner had he spoken than a wave of aura abruptly descended. Yun Che no longer tried to escape. Instead, he met the attack head-on, swinging his sword towards Xing Ling's head... The flames burning on the Heaven Smiting Sword were as menacing as the fires of a boiling purgatory.

Xing Ling narrowed his eyes. Facing Yun Che's ferociously desperate counterattack, he simply extended his palm indifferently... Just as his palm was about to meet the sword, Yun Che's pupils abruptly dilated. With a roar that seemed to blend agony and despair, a crimson, blood-colored profound light suddenly erupted from his body.

In an instant, Yun Che's profound energy and aura surged madly. His pupils and blood energy turned crimson, as if stained with blood, and the already intensely boiling flames shot straight into the sky.

Evil God's Fifth Realm: Yama Emperor!!

This mutation in Yun Che's body was not new to them. During the Conferred God Battle against Luo Changsheng, he had unleashed this miraculous power in a desperate situation.

At that time, Yun Che's cultivation was only at the Divine Tribulation Realm, and even forcing open the "Yama Emperor" state for a single breath required risking his life. Now, Yun Che was far beyond his former self and could briefly sustain the power of "Yama Emperor"... but it could not last for too long.

Xing Ling's eyes flickered slightly. As Yun Che's Yama Emperor power erupted, his full might descended in that very instant...

An earth-shattering crash echoed. The surrounding space horribly distorted, and within the exploding golden flames, Xing Ling's palm clenched tightly around the Heaven Smiting Sword. In his vision were Yun Che's terrifying, demon-like eyes.

His extended arm was forced down by nearly half a foot, and a distinct pain radiated from the palm gripping the Heaven Smiting Sword.

His eyes involuntarily widened... He was a Star Guard of the Star God Realm, a Star Guard Commander, an Eighth Level Divine Sovereign powerful enough to lord over the world!

Yet, Yun Che, clearly only a First Level Divine King, had actually shaken off a tenth of his power!

This was the most unbelievable sight he had ever witnessed in his life... and it was happening to him!

The next instant, his eyes darkened, and he abruptly unleashed twenty percent of his profound energy...

Bang!!

Like a heaven-shattering hammer striking down, Yun Che spewed a mouthful of crimson blood. The Heaven Smiting Sword instantly flew from his grip, and he was sent hurtling sideways like a withered leaf, crashing far away.

"Yun Che!"

"Brother-in-law!!"

Jasmine and Cai Zhi cried out in unison.

"Cough... cough, cough..." Yun Che trembled all over, lying on the ground, spitting out more than a dozen mouthfuls of blood, each time spewing horrifying clots.

A First Level Divine King against an Eighth Level Divine Sovereign... The gap was simply too enormous, thousands of times greater than when he, at the Divine Tribulation Realm, faced Luo Changsheng, who had achieved Divine King. It was a disparity that no means could possibly bridge. Even forcing open Yama Emperor, he would have no chance of resistance whatsoever.

Xing Ling extended his palm... and unmistakably, a bead of blood emerged from his palm. As a Star Guard Commander, to be injured by a young man who had just entered the Divine King realm was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation of his life.

All the Star Guards watched with cold eyes, none stepping forward. Any single Star Guard was perfectly sufficient to apprehend Yun Che; there was no need for a second person.

"Yun Che... How... how far do you intend to push your recklessness?!" Jasmine's voice trembled with every word. "Go... quickly, go... I beg you..."

She knew that even in this state, Yun Che could still escape... He possessed the Star God Broken Shadow and Moon Vanishing Shadow, the Moon Slaughter Devil Palace that even Xing Mingzi couldn't possibly catch, and if all else failed, the Sky Profound Stone Cai Zhi had given him. He could leave... he absolutely could.

Yun Che reached out, and the Heaven Smiting Sword flew back into his hand. Leaning on his sword, he stood up, his face pale, body swaying, and aura in complete disarray. Only his gaze remained terrifyingly cold... yet, there was no fear or thought of escape to be seen.

Xing Ling clenched his hand and slowly walked towards Yun Che... This time, Yun Che didn't retreat, nor did he raise his sword again, as if he had thoroughly understood that any further struggle was futile.

Standing before Yun Che, Xing Ling slowly raised his hand. "Yun Che, what good are your sharp words? In this world, right and wrong are determined by the strong, not by you! Your crimes deserve ten thousand deaths, but my King has personally commanded your life be spared... So I will first cripple your limbs. Once my King's task is complete, you will be dealt with."

Xing Ling spread his five fingers, and profound light flashed abruptly... At that moment, Jasmine's chilling, piercing voice came from behind him: "Xing Ling, if you dare to touch him, even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will tear you to pieces!"

Even though Jasmine was confined by the barrier, her killing intent and lingering prestige still made Xing Ling's entire body stiffen. He dared not turn back, merely stating blandly, "I am no longer a Heavenly Slaughter Star Guard..."

"Hmph, a piece of trash like you dares to be Jasmine's Star Guard?!" Yun Che muttered lowly, bloodshot veins spreading through his pupils, releasing a gaze of hatred like that from the depths of hell. At that moment, his right hand slowly moved to grasp his chest... his fingers gradually tightening.

"Hmph, whether I'm worthy or not is not for you to decide!" Xing Ling's face darkened as he spoke in a deep voice.

"HAAH!!" Yun Che roared, and the extinguished flames reignited from his body. Golden Golden Crow flames and crimson Phoenix flames burst into conflagration simultaneously, firelight spreading straight to the horizon. Above the sky, the resounding cries of a phoenix and a Golden Crow echoed, accompanied by a mighty divine aura of heavenly might.

The intensely abnormal flames and energy wave startled Xing Ling, forcing him back a dozen steps... Soon, he realized: Yun Che was clearly burning his divine blood!

Just like during his fierce battle against Luo Changsheng, he was forcefully burning his Golden Crow divine blood and Phoenix divine blood!

All of his Golden Crow divine blood and Phoenix divine blood burned simultaneously, bathing Yun Che entirely in an intensely concentrated fiery light, as if a God of Flame had descended. However, this imposing power was completely incapable of shaking a powerhouse of Xing Ling's level. He scoffed, "Still trying to struggle? Do you really think burning your divine blood will allow you to..."

At that moment, his heart suddenly twitched for no apparent reason, and his words abruptly cut off... In that instant, he felt as if a venomous snake had suddenly bitten his heart and soul, and an indescribably intense cold and fear spread almost maniacally throughout his body.

What... what's happening...?

And this sensation wasn't exclusive to Xing Ling alone. Behind him, all the Star Guards' faces changed dramatically at that moment, their pupils rapidly constricting. An utterly terrifying sense of dread and oppression slowly descended from an unknown source... This was the most terrifying aura they had ever experienced in their lives... Below Star God City, it was as if an ancient devil god, dormant for countless years, was slowly opening its world-destroying demonic eyes...

"Wh-what's... what's going on?" Xing Mingzi looked around frantically, searching for the source of this terrifying aura. "Who... who is it?!"

Only one person knew the answer.

Xing Ling, being closest to Yun Che, realized with horror after his initial shock that this fear and oppression, which almost instantly shattered his will, was actually coming from Yun Che directly in front of him. His eyes widened little by little until they seemed on the verge of bursting. The pressure, which had utterly exceeded the limits of his will, made him instinctively step back, again and again. He opened his mouth, but the sound that emerged was a tremor from his very soul: "You... you... you... what are... what are you doing...?"

Yun Che's head was bowed, no one could see his eyes. His right hand was pressed tightly against his chest, his clenched fingers unmistakably piercing deep into his heart...