Chapter 1557: Yan Princess

Eastern Ruin Realm, Eastern Region.

"This is the Eastern Frost Nation? It's surprisingly quiet and elegant."

Before the Royal City of Eastern Frost, a young woman paused. Dressed in a cyan robe, she was tall, no less so than a man, yet exceptionally graceful and slender. As she walked, she drew countless curious and admiring glances. Her face was strikingly beautiful, and her demeanor was outstanding, exuding cold arrogance without being overbearing.

Behind her followed an old man in black. The old man was unremarkable, easily forgotten, and his eyes appeared quite cloudy at first glance. However, a closer look would reveal an occasional cold glint that could pierce one's soul.

"The Eastern Frost Nation is one of the thirty-six nations in the Eastern Region," the old man said slowly. "Recently, its prestige has greatly increased due to Yun Che's presence, and its power now far surpasses the other thirty-five nations. There are rumors that Yun Che has some connection with the Eastern Frost Nation, and others say he remains here because he covets the beauty of the Nineteenth Princess of Eastern Frost."

"Hmph." The woman in cyan scoffed dismissively, "Another lecherous glutton."

"In any case, his strength is beyond doubt," the old man continued. "He single-handedly defeated the Falling Sun Sword Master and Patriarch Ming Peng, who had long been reclusive. Countless profound practitioners witnessed it, so this cannot be faked. Based on the combined rumors, his profound strength should be at the late tenth level of the Divine Sovereign Realm, or even... a half-step Divine Master."

"I hope so. Don't let me make this trip for nothing," the woman said.

"Furthermore, I've heard he's extremely brutal. He bore no prior grudge against the Nine Great Sects, yet he killed them all. The Falling Sun Sword Master was annihilated without a trace, and Patriarch Ming Peng's wings were torn, his body shattered, as a rain of blood stained Mount Han Tan. He has dominated the Eastern Region for over a month, yet he has shown no intention of paying respects to the Great Realm King. He is certainly not someone easy to deal with. Xueyan, you must also be more cautious."

"Don't worry, Grandpa Jiu. My purpose for this trip is to bestow a favor upon him, not to question him on behalf of Father King. Unless he's completely irrational, he should understand the immense opportunity and respect Father King has granted him."

"Besides, with Grandpa Jiu here, even if he's a madman, what is there to fear? Let's go."

The two entered the Royal City and headed directly towards the central palace city, where they were stopped by profound practitioner guards. "This is the Eastern Frost Palace City. Unauthorized entry is forbidden."

The woman did not force her way in. She stopped and said indifferently, "Inform your Nation Master and tell him to come welcome me personally!"

In just a few words, she showed complete disregard for their Nation Master. However, the profound practitioner guards did not laugh or get angry. The hidden power in her calm, phoenix-like eyes caused them deep unease. The leading guard's expression changed repeatedly, and he asked in a very cautious tone, "May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Dong Xueyan!"

These three simple words made everyone pause, then their expressions dramatically changed. The shock that instantly magnified countless times was as if they had heard a divine decree.

"Oh... it's... it's... it's... this humble one... will go report immediately..."

The palace city guard, who had been composed and dignified, neither arrogant nor humble, instantly turned pale and began to sweat profusely. His words became difficult to articulate. He hurriedly backed away, then picked up a sound transmission jade with trembling hands...

Dong Xueyan turned her body and said calmly, "Let me see with my own eyes what kind of divinity this Yun Che is, who silently took control of the Eastern Region. He must not disappoint me."

"Yun Che, hmm..." The old man pondered, seemingly deep in thought.

"Oh?" Dong Xueyan glanced at him. "Did Grandpa Jiu think of something?"

"No," the old man shook his head. "The surname 'Yun' is quite rare. It simply reminds me of that family burdened with eternal sin."

Dong Xueyan naturally knew what the old man was referring to. She said casually, "The Yun Clan, you mean... I happened to hear Father King mention a while ago that their final 'deadline' is approaching. It seems that once prosperous clan, which flourished for countless generations, will soon become history."

"If the Yun Clan is destroyed, the power of 'Demonic Might' will cease to exist in this world. What a pity," the old man sighed softly.

"Heh, defecting to the Northern Divine Region with an ancient supreme treasure, even the Three Divine Emperors were enraged by it. They brought this fate upon themselves; there's no one else to blame."

As they spoke, a powerful aura rapidly approached... it was none other than the Nation Master of Eastern Frost. Upon hearing the name "Dong Xueyan," the ruler of the nation leapt up in shock and practically tumbled his way over.

"This humble king, Dongfang Zhuo... respectfully welcomes Princess Yan!"

From a distance, the Eastern Frost Nation Master had already bowed low and called out respectfully. He had never met Dong Xueyan, but in the Eastern Ruin Realm, who would dare impersonate "Princess Yan"? And he could deduce, even with his eyes closed, that Dong Xueyan's personal visit to the Eastern Frost Nation was undoubtedly for Yun Che.

As a mere Nation Master, he simply didn't qualify for such a visit.

At the same time, in the Eastern Frost Palace City.

Another round of yin-yang interaction was complete. Qianye Ying'er rose from Yun Che's body, instantly covering herself with a blue robe, while instinctively adopting a defensive posture... because more than once after completion, Yun Che had suddenly unleashed his bestial urges on her, his eyes unusually terrifying, as if he were venting his hatred for the Brahma Monarch God Realm and the Eastern Divine Region.

Yun Che also opened his eyes, his gaze remarkably calm this time. "Qianying, as a tool, you truly give me one surprise after another. Not only are you wonderfully enjoyable, but also incredibly useful. In just half a month, after merely a hundred times, you've managed to integrate the devil blood to such an extent."

"Heh, the feeling is mutual," Qianye Ying'er retorted with a cold laugh. Yun Che's words seemed like praise, yet contained no small amount of insult. "It's just a pity that your focus and self-control are still far from adequate. Essentially, you're no different from a beast constantly in heat."

The two treated each other as tools, but how could their past grievances truly be masked this way?

Yun Che smiled. "Well said. I certainly won't fail your expectations."

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

What's more, Qianye Ying'er was only half-crippled. Although the effects of the Divine Miracle of Life on oneself are incomparable to its effects on others, three years was Yun Che's most conservative estimate. Given his inevitable rapid increase in profound strength and Qianye Ying'er's demonic body, which was bound to undergo a qualitative change under the Devil Emperor's origin blood, the actual time might be far less than three years.

"..." Qianye Ying'er fell silent. Yun Che always said things that defied common understanding, yet every time, they came true. Facing Yun Che at this moment, she couldn't even bring herself to question him. She quickly suppressed the sudden surge in her heart and then coldly smiled. "Although you treat me as a tool for revenge, and the stronger the tool, the more useful it is... aren't you afraid that my rapid recovery will allow me to easily regain control over you?"

"Heh," Yun Che chuckled with disdain. He turned his gaze to Qianye Ying'er. "Are you really so sure... that my growth rate will be slower than your recovery rate!?"

"…?" Yun Che's words, and his chilling gaze, caused Qianye Ying'er's golden brows to twitch slightly.

His meaning was... his growth rate wouldn't be slower than her recovery rate?

In other words, he had a way to increase his strength to the mid-Divine Master Realm within just three years!?

This was utterly absurd. Even if it came from Yun Che, she simply couldn't believe it.

"I know you don't believe it, and even I don't dare to believe it," Yun Che said slowly. His pace was unhurried, and his voice carried a faint, ethereal quality.

He waved his palm, and a black light flashed. Suddenly, a large amount of black profound crystals appeared around them. These were the demonic crystals Yun Che had demanded from the Nine Sects a month ago.

Standing at the center of the piled demonic crystals, Yun Che spread his arms and gently closed his eyes... Without any visible movement or release of profound energy, an incredibly unbelievable scene unfolded before Qianye Ying'er.

Countless streams of spiritual energy eagerly released from these demonic crystals, forming torrents that rapidly surged towards Yun Che's body, then directly merged into him without any obstruction... There wasn't even a process; it was as if drops of dew naturally and silently dissolved into the vast ocean.

"You..." Qianye Ying'er stood up, no longer able to remain calm. The astonishment on her face surpassed any she had shown throughout this period.

Besides being used for crafting artifacts and setting up formations, profound crystals were most commonly used to aid cultivation. The method involved releasing the spiritual energy within them, either refining it into one's own profound strength or assisting in breaking through bottlenecks. This was the most basic common knowledge in profound cultivation, from the lower realms to the God Realm. Although the grades of profound crystals varied greatly, their essence remained the same.

However, this refinement was an incredibly slow and arduous process, with an extremely low conversion rate. Most of the time, even when invaluable profound crystals were completely depleted, there would be no progress in profound cultivation... This was perfectly normal.

Qianye Ying'er had always enjoyed the most abundant and highest-grade resources in the Brahma Monarch God Realm. The number of high-grade profound crystals she had consumed in her life was immeasurable. When it came to refining the spiritual energy from profound crystals, she considered herself second to none.

But what she saw at this moment... merely a few feet in front of her, was not the refinement of spiritual energy from profound crystals, but clearly...

Absorption!!?

Yun Che opened his eyes, lowered his arms, and the streams of spiritual energy instantly vanished. He looked at the astonished Qianye Ying'er and slowly said, "Cultivation? That's merely a method used by you mortals."

Qianye Ying'er was speechless.

"Before the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor left, she said something strange to me. She said I was a 'monster'," Yun Che's expression flickered with a momentary subtlety. "For the supreme Devil Emperor to call me a 'monster' – how absurd and ridiculous... At least, that's what I thought at the time."

"But when I was free of all attachments, letting go of all worries and hesitations, with only a thirst for power remaining... especially when I actually touched 'that power'..." Yun Che softly exhaled. "Only then did I discover that I... truly am a monster."

"That... power?" Qianye Ying'er asked, somewhat dazed.