Chapter 1345: Death

Even after the sea of lightning dissipated, the turbulent blood and trembling souls of the onlookers found no peace. Every cell, every strand of hair on their bodies seemed plunged into an abyss of terror, a shiver they had never experienced even in their worst nightmares.

As the residual lightning gradually faded, the world fell into complete silence. Not a single sound remained. Even the bloodlust and malevolence that had permeated the air were devoured by the sea of lightning, mostly dissipating.

Yun Che lay motionless and silent on the ground. The Heaven Smiting Sword, stained with blood and the source of countless nightmares, had fallen from his grasp and lay silently by his side.

This time, not only his aura but his very presence was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Yet, in the terrifying silence, none of the Star Guards dared to approach, not even taking a single step forward. After the nightmares Yun Che had repeatedly created, they were now thoroughly shell-shocked. They feared this devil god was merely resting temporarily, just as before, and would awaken immediately upon their approach, dragging them back into the abyss of death.

"It's finally... over." Tianyuan Star God Tu Mi closed his eyes and let out a long breath. As his mind gradually settled, he realized that his pale hair and beard were drenched in cold sweat.

From his vantage point, he naturally perceived that the world-destroying purple sea of lightning was Yun Che's final exertion of power. This time, he was completely exhausted, utterly spent.

The Star God Emperor's face twitched, his hands clenched tightly.

"His life aura and soul aura have both become incredibly faint," Tianyuan Star God said slowly. "It seems this power, which defies common sense, was likely unleashed at the cost of self-destruction of his life and soul. Power that exceeds one's limits would undoubtedly first damage the profound veins. It's highly probable... his profound veins are already ruined. Even if Your Majesty wished to keep him, it would be impossible now."

"Let... him... die!!" the Star God Emperor growled. The intensity of his desire for Yun Che's death now matched his initial desire to keep him alive.

"Fortunately, the ritual had only just begun, so this unexpected disruption is largely harmless," Tianyuan Star God remarked. If the ritual had progressed to the critical stage of drawing and merging power, such a distraction among the Star Gods and Elders could have had unimaginable consequences.

"Destroy him," Tianyuan Star God commanded. "He has completely run out of power, and he might already be dead. Annihilate his body; leave no trace!"

"Yes."

The Star Guards responded in unison, accepting the order... but an incredibly awkward silence followed. One breath... two breaths... three breaths... The Star Guards exchanged glances, yet not a single one stepped forward.

"I'll do it!" Just as the Star God Emperor was about to explode in rage, a figure stepped forward and soared into the sky. It was the Heavenly Might Star Guard Commander. As the commander of the Star Guards, he had to take the lead, even if it meant biting the bullet.

He still bore the scars from Yun Che's sword strike. Possessing the power of a ninth-level Divine Sovereign, his gaze was resolute, yet the deep glint in his eyes was clearly wavering. He moved only a short distance forward, seemingly losing all courage to approach closer. With a flash of profound light in his hand, he prepared to unleash an attack on Yun Che from afar.

The profound light in his hand had just begun to coalesce when he suddenly saw Yun Che in the distance... his remaining left arm twitched slightly.

It was an incredibly subtle tremor, yet it made the Heavenly Might Star Guard Commander's entire body shudder. He was so startled he nearly lost his soul, plummeting backward at almost the fastest speed of his life, retreating to an even greater distance than before. The profound light in his hand completely disintegrated.

While still reeling from fright, he realized how disgraceful and shameful his reaction and actions had been. However, no one cast him a look of disdain or mockery, because everyone's gaze was fixed on Yun Che, and every single person wore a face as terrified as his own.

Because Yun Che was truly moving.

His left arm slowly rose, gripping the ground in front of him. Then, dragging his body, he laboriously moved forward a little. His arm stretched out again, gripping the ground... inch by inch, bit by bit, like an aged person whose life was fading, crawling forward with his sole remaining arm...

And the direction he was crawling towards... was unmistakably where Jasmine and Cai Zhi were.

Yun Che's world had turned gray.

There was no light, no sound. He felt no pain, nor even his own existence. He didn't know where he was, and he couldn't see Jasmine. Yet, his senses, his last shred of thought and will, pulled him towards that unknown direction.

The world grew even quieter; not only had sound vanished, but even time seemed to have completely stopped. Everyone, every gaze, was fixed there, staring blankly at Yun Che. No one spoke, and no one dared to approach...

Yun Che crawled agonizingly slowly. Every time he lifted his arm, it seemed to require every ounce of his strength, yet he could only manage to move a few inches. Each time felt like his absolute limit, yet he always managed to lift his arm once more.

The world remained in an eerie quiet, frozen in time. An indescribable feeling filled everyone's chest, spreading an inexpressible sorrow and discomfort.

They all could see that Yun Che was crawling towards the barrier that imprisoned Jasmine.

And as the threat dissipated and their minds calmed, they suddenly remembered that the devil before them had never held any deep grudge against them. His arrival today was solely for Jasmine...

For the Heaven Smiting Star God of their Star God Realm.

For her... he had not hesitated to drench Star God City in blood and sacrifice everything he had.

Her own father wanted her dead for his own sake.

But he was willing to die for her.

It was a stark contrast, incredibly heart-wrenching, deeply ironic, and profoundly unsettling for them.

The beliefs they had always held firmly were, at this moment, brutally challenged by an unseen force, silently trembling under its touch... a tremor that lingered, refusing to subside.

Jasmine gazed steadily at Yun Che, without a cry, without tears, without even a flicker of expression. She simply stared blankly as he drew closer, unwilling to let Yun Che leave her sight for even the briefest moment.

In the quiet world, the flow of time seemed incredibly slow. What was an impossibly vast distance in everyone's eyes was, little by little, being miraculously closed by his single arm and unyielding will.

Even stranger, throughout that long period, no one attempted to attack Yun Che. Whether it was fear under the shadow of terror, or...

No one knew how much time had passed, nor could anyone perceive its duration. As their vision blurred, Yun Che drew closer to Jasmine's barrier, now within a hundred feet. That ruined arm, too gruesome to look at, continued to stretch out... grasping the ground, inch by painful inch... ninety-nine feet... ninety feet... sixty feet... thirty feet...

Until he was mere inches away.

Cai Zhi pressed her lips tightly, desperately suppressing any sound. Yun Che, the man she had sometimes teased, sometimes joyfully called "Brother-in-law," the man her sister had forcibly betrothed her to before their mother's spirit tablet, had once been so remarkably handsome. But... the Yun Che before her now was in rags, every part of his body caked in dried, thick blood, covered in gaping wounds, with exposed bone everywhere... not a single spot remained intact, not even a slightly presentable area.

He was a thousand, even ten thousand times more terrifying than a purgatorial fiend crawling out of a pool of blood.

"Bro... ther-in-law..." she whispered softly. She hadn't known that anyone in this world would be willing to go to such lengths for another person, for her sister...

He was the "idiot" her sister had repeatedly called him, and there could be no one in this world more idiotic than him...

Yun Che's arm touched a cold barrier. His body finally stopped. His arm struggled to rise, clutching at the obstruction, desperately hoping to tear through it...

Jasmine gently extended her hand, her fair and delicate fingers pressing against Yun Che's horrific, exposed-bone, blood-stained palm through the colorless, invisible barrier... forever unable to truly touch.

"Jas... mine..." Yun Che's voice was weaker than a mosquito's buzz, hoarser than sandpaper rubbing. He could no longer see, yet he clearly felt Jasmine by his side. "I wanted... them all... to die for you... but... I... can't... do it... anymore..."

"I... can't... do... anything..."

Jasmine gently shook her head. "It's alright. Having you with me is enough."

He clearly couldn't hear any sound, yet in his heart, Jasmine's words resonated, each one impossibly clear. His hand on the barrier slowly clenched. The approach of death had never felt so real. "Jas... mine... If there's a next life... will we... meet again...?"

"Yes," Jasmine smiled, a faint but incredibly resolute nod. "In the next life, whether you are human or demon... grass or beast... I will surely find you."

Yun Che's lips twitched slightly, as if he were smiling, but the hand pressed against the barrier slowly slipped away at that moment.

One's voice was faint as fading smoke, the other ethereal as thin mist, but all present were Divine Sovereigns and Divine Masters, hearing every word with perfect clarity. The Star Guards lowered their heads one by one, their minds unable to settle. Within the barrier, Heavenly Fiend Star God, Heavenly Jade Star God... they turned their faces away, an inexpressible sorrow in their hearts.

He was an intruder; he had disrupted the ritual, killed so many Star Guards, and even an Elder... yet, they felt so deeply and clearly that they themselves were the unforgivable sinners.

The abnormal shift in atmosphere caused the Star God Emperor's expression to change repeatedly. Finally, he roared, "What are you all doing... Kill him now!!"

The Divine Emperor's fury exploded in the minds of the Star Guards like countless peals of thunder. The Heavenly Might Star Guard Commander, who had earlier lost all face, quickly rushed out again... This time, he still dared not approach. He seized a Star God Spear, which flashed with starlight as he hurled it forth.

The Star God Spear pierced through a hundred miles of space, striking Yun Che directly in the back of his heart. It tore through his body and plunged deep into the ground below. The bursting starlight instantly caused dozens of cracks to erupt across Yun Che's form.

Yun Che did not struggle, nor did he groan in pain... He felt nothing at all. Only the approach of death seemed to accelerate slightly.

"Ah... Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!!" Cai Zhi's body slammed heavily against the barrier. She finally burst into tears, weeping with immense sorrow and despair. Her hands desperately pounded the barrier, but her suppressed power could not inflict the slightest damage on the profound formation.

Jasmine remained silent, merely watching him without a word.

With one strike successful and Yun Che showing no reaction, the Heavenly Might Star Guard Commander's eyes widened. He completely put his mind at ease, let out a shout, and charged forward. All the Star Guards behind him followed close behind. In an instant, countless spears, swords, and bursts of starlight locked onto Yun Che, vying to strike him.

A flash of crimson light. Hong'er appeared by Yun Che's side. She threw herself onto him, grasped his arm, and before she could speak, she let out a heart-wrenching wail. "Master... what's wrong with you...? Wuwuwu... Get up... Please get up...!"

Hong'er, whose soul was connected to Yun Che's, was normally cheerful and seemingly carefree, never knowing sorrow. But upon sensing Yun Che's soul beginning to dissipate, an unprecedented wave of grief and fear caused all her tears to pour forth.

"Hong... 'er... Get... away..." Yun Che could no longer utter a sound; this plea was his final thought.

However, the "Soul Life Star Shift" contract between him and Hong'er had been forcibly imposed by Jasmine, making it impossible for him to voluntarily break it.

His final soul-voice drifted into Hong'er's mind, eliciting an even more agonizing wail from her. "Waaah... No... Hong'er won't leave... Hong'er only wants Master... Wuwu... Master, please get up... Hong'er will listen to you more from now on... I'll never be greedy again, and I'll never intentionally make Master angry again... Master... please get up..."

Crash!!

Another Star God Spear pierced through the air, impaling Yun Che's body. The explosive force shattered his form. The next moment, countless bursts of starlight rained down furiously...

"Ma..."

Hong'er's final cry vanished into the air. Amidst the chaotic bombardment of starlight, Yun Che's broken body, devoid of any power, was instantly pulverized into countless fragments. Hong'er, too, disintegrated in a final crimson glow, vanishing between heaven and earth.