Chapter 1457: Chaotic Fate

“Is he... the Master of the Heaven Wounding Bead?”And this "he" could only refer to the Evil God. This truly stunned Yun Che for a moment.

Records of the Heaven Wounding Bead in the current era were scarce. The clearest accounts stated that in ancient times, the Heaven Wounding Bead belonged to the Devil Race, but there were no records or rumors about its master. Furthermore, there was not the slightest trace of evidence that the Evil God was the Heaven Wounding Bead's master. Even the Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit, who knew he possessed the Heaven Wounding Bead, had never mentioned this matter.

Was the Evil God the Heaven Wounding Bead's master back then? How could that be... it shouldn't have been him! Wait, could it be...

As Yun Che pondered in surprise, his left hand was suddenly seized by Jie Yuan. Before he could react, a faint emerald-green light shimmered in his palm, and then, a spherical, jade-green bead, both ethereal and tangible, slowly floated up... The Heaven Wounding Bead had actually revealed its true form on its own.

He heard He Ling's gasp of surprise. Staring at the Heaven Wounding Bead's form, ripples once again appeared in Jie Yuan's dark eyes. She murmured, "He actually... gave you the Heaven Wounding Bead."

Undoubtedly, the three words "Heaven Wounding Bead" from Jie Yuan's mouth struck the hearts and souls of the various God Emperors like three massive hammers, leaving them all wide-eyed in astonishment. "Heaven... Wounding... Bead..." many God Emperors muttered, their voices hushed in disbelief.

Yun Che actually possessed a Heavenly Profound Treasure! After the Eternal Heaven Pearl and the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations, it turned out another Heavenly Profound Treasure had already appeared, and incredibly, it was on Yun Che... a young man from the lower realms! What terrifying and world-shaking news this was... but at this moment, they couldn't utter a single sound of shock.

Any Heavenly Profound Treasure was a supreme existence. The Eternal Heaven Realm became a Royal Realm, overseeing all living beings, because it possessed the Eternal Heaven Pearl. On the first day the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations awakened, it destroyed a Royal Realm, causing widespread panic throughout the God Realm... Now, they had personally witnessed the existence of yet another Heavenly Profound Treasure!

Moreover, no one could forget that the "Myriad Tribulations Extinction" that destroyed the Age of Gods was not solely the power of the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations; it also involved the power of the Heaven Wounding Bead! Under the Heaven Wounding Poison, all life ceased to exist! Even True Gods could be annihilated. Current living beings simply could not imagine or comprehend the terrifying extent of the Heaven Wounding Bead's venomous power. Merely thinking of the name "Heaven Wounding Bead" would make people recall the end of the Age of Gods, causing their souls to tremble with fear.

“It seems 'Ancestor's' feeling was not an illusion,” the Eternal Heaven God Emperor murmured.

Yun Che's gaze was momentarily stunned... It already surprised him that the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor could immediately discern he possessed the Heaven Wounding Bead, but she had actually summoned its true form directly!? He finally thought of something and looked up, asking, "Senior, were you once the Heaven Wounding Bead's master... or perhaps, its very first master?"

“That's right,” Jie Yuan replied coldly, her eyes fixed on the Heaven Wounding Bead.

“Back then, when Senior and the Evil... and the Elemental Creation God became husband and wife, the Elemental Creation God gave you his Universe Piercer. Did Senior also give him your Heaven Wounding Bead?” Yun Che continued.

Jie Yuan's gaze shifted slightly; she did not deny it.

“I understand,” Yun Che's voice softened. “I think that after Senior was ambushed back then, the Elemental Creation God felt self-reproach and guilt, and thus... chose to return the Heaven Wounding Bead to the Devil Race. During this time, no one ever knew that the Elemental Creation God had been the Heaven Wounding Bead's master. In historical records, the Heaven Wounding Bead was always described as a Devil Race artifact, and its last recorded appearance was also within the Devil Race.”

If Yun Che had known where Jasmine's Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations had been found back then, he might have guessed that the Devil Race to whom the Evil God "returned" the Heaven Wounding Bead was most likely the Everlasting Night Devil Race. If all of this were true, if the Evil God had not returned the Heaven Wounding Bead to the Devil Race back then, the Heaven Wounding Bead would not have been hijacked by the Evil Infant's Wheel of Myriad Tribulations, and the world-ending "Myriad Tribulations Extinction" would not have occurred. The Age of Gods might not have ended. It was unknown if the Evil God felt any regret because of this at the end of his life.

“Guilt? Why would he feel guilt? What did any of this... have to do with him!?” Jie Yuan's voice held a deep, chilling coldness.

“He felt guilty for not protecting you, guilty for being unable to avenge you and seek justice for you, and even more guilty for...” He wanted to say “even more guilty for not protecting your child,” but he swallowed the words back, continuing, “Because of this, he not only quietly returned the Heaven Wounding Bead to the Devil Race, but he even completely abandoned his name as a Creation God, instead sealing himself as 'Evil God.' Although he still belonged to the God Race, he... no longer concerned himself with any matters of the God Race. Even during the final fierce battle between the two races, he did not help the God Race, choosing instead to remain neutral.”

“Evil God... Evil God...” Jie Yuan murmured softly, then suddenly let out a desolate laugh. Her gaze was veiled with a sorrow that no one else could ever comprehend. In the world, besides the Evil God himself, only she truly understood the meaning of the words "Evil God."

As Yun Che spoke, he continuously observed the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor's reaction. He raised his arm, the scarlet profound light indicating his body was gradually nearing its limit of endurance: "Senior Devil Emperor, the power inherited within me is not merely simple bloodline divine power, but... the complete and original Evil God's source energy. You must be able to sense this."

Jie Yuan remained silent. *Evil God... source energy?* These four words once again shook the hearts of the God Emperors, who had been silent as cicadas in winter.

“The Evil God was the last god to perish. After the Age of Gods ended, he could have continued to live for a long time, but he chose to sacrifice the premature end of his own existence to leave behind a drop of undying blood... I only truly understood recently that he did this not to leave behind a powerful enough divine power inheritance, but for... Senior Devil Emperor, you.” Yun Che had once wondered why the Evil God, despite also being afflicted by Myriad Tribulations Extinction, could survive for so long. Now, it seemed the most likely reason was that he had been the Heaven Wounding Bead's master.

“The Evil God knew you had the Universe Piercer, and that one day... you would surely return safely from the outer chaos. And a world that no longer had gods simply couldn't bear Senior's resentment and wrath. Therefore... this is both the power he left behind and the will he left behind. Gods and devils have perished; the people you hated, the races you hated, have all turned to dust in history. I hope you can consider your love as husband and wife with him, let your past hatred also turn to dust, and treat the current world kindly. At the very least, please do not unleash millions of years of anger and resentment upon this innocent and fragile world. This is the will the Evil God stubbornly left behind. I believe, Senior Devil Emperor, you must be able to clearly sense it.”

Yun Che spoke exceptionally slowly and calmly. In the vast cosmic space, no sound disturbed or interrupted him. The expressions of the surrounding God Realm powerhouses varied, but all shared one thing: they did not utter a single sound from beginning to end. All eyes were fixed on Yun Che. They all knew precisely what Yun Che's words implied... they would determine the future fate of the entire God Realm, the entire Primal Chaos.

Jie Yuan did not interrupt him, listening indifferently. She remained silent long after Yun Che finished speaking... and others dared not make a sound either.

Yun Che was less than two feet from the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, a distance that would certainly terrify a God Emperor into trembling with fear. Yun Che desperately suppressed his heartbeat, waiting for the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor's response... Gradually, his body began to tremble slightly, and his face turned crimson like blood. Even though he was a Divine King, he found it difficult to maintain the Yama Emperor state for too long.

The change in Yun Che's aura finally elicited a reaction from Jie Yuan. Her gaze shifted slightly, and she coldly stated, “If you can't hold on, don't force yourself!” As her words fell, she casually pointed a finger, and instantly, the profound light on Yun Che's body extinguished. The Evil God's Realm Gates—Evil Soul, Burning Heart, Purgatory, Heaven Smiting, and Yama Emperor—all closed at that same instant. Yun Che was not at all surprised that she could suppress his power in an instant. However, she had directly sealed his Evil God's Realm Gates... This truly astonished Yun Che. Because of the Evil God's divine power's extremely high level, his Evil God's divine power could be suppressed, but never sealed or interfered with. In both the lower realms and the God Realm, various sealing profound arts and profound formations were completely useless against him. Yet the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, with a casual gesture, had interfered at the very root! She was so familiar with the Evil God's Profound Veins... no, with the Evil God Art!?

“Treat this world kindly?” Jie Yuan's voice was piercingly cold. “Hmph, when has this world ever treated us kindly!” She extended her arm. Beneath the torn black robes, her arm was covered in layers of dense, terrifying scars that even these Divine Path profound practitioners dared not look directly at. “All these years, the humiliation, pain, despair, and death we've endured... who will repay that!?”

Yun Che's body went cold, but he immediately spoke, his face serious: “Then... let the myriad generations of this current world compensate Senior for these millions of years.”

Jie Yuan's brow furrowed as she looked at Yun Che.

“Slaughtering all beings to vent hatred, killing all life to release enmity... Rather than doing that, why not become the ruler of this new world? Let all beings in the world fear you, but also respect you. Let them conform to your will, obey the rules you set, and no one will ever be able to harm or ambush you again. You also will no longer need to fear or dread anyone. Indulging in hatred and bringing misery upon all beings, versus dominating all beings and being revered for eternity—I believe the latter is undoubtedly more suitable for Senior. This, too, must be the Evil God's will and desire.”

Jie Yuan remained silent. Everyone listened in silence, their hearts sometimes clenching, sometimes pounding wildly. They were very clear, and even amazed... that Yun Che could remain so calm and persuade with such clear reasoning when facing the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor. The outcome Yun Che's words pointed towards was the best they could currently imagine. It could save their lives and also preserve the current God Realm.

“Both the Devil and God Races have been destroyed. Although Senior Devil Emperor suffered immense calamity due to the ambush, you also thereby avoided the calamity of annihilation. Now that you have returned, Senior, you can arbitrarily control all things and beings in this current age... Although this statement may be inappropriate, is this not a form of compensation from fate for Senior, a compensation Senior can accept with peace?”

After Yun Che finished speaking, he let out a very light, long breath, and then completely held his breath and heartbeat. Jie Yuan's expression, from beginning to end, showed not the slightest change.

Silence, terrifying silence... In the distant God Realm and the vast lower realms, no one knew that at this very moment, in the Eastern Divine Region of the Primal Chaos, the fate of the entire Primal Chaos was being decided. Most likely, it hinged on the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor's next words.

Finally, Jie Yuan reacted. She actually smiled, a very faint smile that no one could decipher. Her gaze shifted from Yun Che, and with an unusual smile, she spoke in an equally unusual voice: "What is your name?" An ancient Devil Emperor asking the name of a mere mortal... This fact alone would be something Yun Che could boast about for a lifetime.

Yun Che replied, “My surname is Yun, and my given name is Che.”

“Yun... Che...” For some reason, she repeated the name, her smile deepening. “Very good, extremely good... You are absolutely right. The old thief Mo E is dead, and the God Race has been completely wiped out. As for these people, they are merely mortals who picked up a bit of their divine power inheritance. Even if I were to slaughter tens of millions, hundreds of billions of such people, it would not truly vent the hatred from back then!”

These words carried a bone-deep disdain for "mortals," yet Qianye Fantian and the others were overjoyed, some even trembling with excitement.

Jie Yuan's gaze slowly swept over them, and she spoke faintly: “Although all of you have inherited the bloodline and power of the God Race's lackeys, Yun Che's words are greatly to this Devil's liking. This Devil can spare your lives. And you... will all be obedient from now on, correct...?”

Never before had anyone dared to speak such words to a God Emperor... What's more, among these people were several God Emperors, and even... the universally recognized Primal Chaos Supremacy, the Dragon Monarch. Yet, when Jie Yuan uttered these words, these supreme powerhouses of the current age all reacted as if they had heard celestial music. Qianye Fantian, who was already kneeling sideways, swiftly shifted to a full kneel, his upper body bowing down in extreme humility: “This lowly king, Qianye Fantian, wishes to lead the Brahma Heaven God Realm in eternal loyalty and devotion to Devil Emperor Daren! If there is even half a point of defiance, may I, Qianye Fantian, and my entire Qianye clan be struck by five bolts of heavenly lightning, cursed by heaven and earth!” The First God Emperor of the Eastern Divine Region, at this moment, embodied the phrase “able to bend and stretch” to its absolute extreme.