Chapter 1560: East Ruins Crown Prince

The Five Eastern Ruin Realms have become increasingly restless recently. More and more profound practitioners began to head towards the Central Ruin Realm, as it would be open to all profound practitioners during the Battle of the Central Ruin. Some went to observe the battle, while others sought opportunities in this once-in-fifty-year event.

Thirteen days later.

In an independent space within the East Cold Nation of the Eastern Ruin Realm, a black light, deeper than an endless abyss, simultaneously shone on two people. They opened their eyes at the same time, looking at each other's completely darkened pupils. Their aura also showed a clear qualitative change.

Qianye Ying'er slowly raised her hand. Her pristine white skin was now faintly wreathed in black mist, and her dazzling golden hair and eyebrows had transformed into a night-like black. As her arm dropped, her aura retracted, and her pupils and long hair reverted to their golden color. However, her perception of the world and her sensitivity to dark energy had undergone a permanent change.

The Devil Emperor's origin blood from Jie Yuan, a primal demonic bloodline that should have been impossible for a mortal body to assimilate, achieved its initial fusion within Yun Che, an absolute anomaly, and Qianye Ying'er, the most ideal vessel, in just one month. Yun Che already possessed the profound veins of a Creation God, so the initial fusion of the Devil Emperor's blood did not have a huge impact on him. But for Qianye Ying'er, a mere mortal body gaining a trace, albeit an extremely faint one, of the Devil Emperor's bloodline, the qualitative change in her body and perception was far more profound than any earth-shattering event.

"This is... the Devil Emperor's blood," Qianye Ying'er said slowly. "Even when I stood at the Divine Master's pinnacle, I never had this subtle feeling of transcending heaven and earth. No wonder you, with the Heretic God's profound veins, attracted the Nine-Stage Lightning Tribulation back then!"

"That wasn't the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery welcoming the 'Son of the Heavenly Way' at all; it was... the Heavenly Way's fear of you!"

"So what?" Yun Che's voice was icy. "No matter how good one's foundation, without enough power and a sufficiently ruthless heart, one will still end up... like this!"

He stretched out his hand and touched Qianye Ying'er's brow with a finger; a black light flashed across it. Qianye Ying'er furrowed her brows, then slowly recited, "Eternal... Night... Illusion... Devil... Scripture."

"This is a dark devil art from the ancient 'Eternal Night Devil Race'," Yun Che explained. "The devil art left by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor is too profound for you to master in a short time. However, with your current state and profound comprehension, you can certainly achieve significant progress with this Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture in a short period, preparing you for the Battle of the Central Ruin in half a month."

The Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture was originally used by Fen Juechen and Xuanyuan Wentian and was inscribed on the Eternal Night Devil Sword. When the Eternal Night Devil Sword later fell into Yun Che's hands, he had a considerable repulsion towards dark profound energy and dark devil arts. He merely glimpsed the Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture inscribed within it, with absolutely no intention of cultivating it. Yet, even with that fleeting glance, the Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture was invisibly etched into his mind, impossible to forget.

"Good," Qianye Ying'er responded indifferently. In her current state, with the initial fusion of the Devil Emperor's blood, cultivating the slightly less profound Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture would indeed be as easy as turning her hand.

Yun Che ceased speaking. He closed his eyes, and a blue light flickered around him, then grew incredibly dense. The temperature of the space began to drop rapidly. A long cry, like a divine sound from the heavens, resonated as a massive Ice Phoenix phantom appeared around Yun Che, exuding a divine might that deeply stirred Qianye Ying'er's heart.

With the initial fusion of the demonic blood, Yun Che finally began to refine the last of the divine power bestowed upon him by the Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit. Back then, Mu Xuanyin, despite ten thousand years, hadn't even refined half of the divine power granted to her by the Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit. Yet Yun Che... he was confident he could perfectly refine it within half a year! This was his greatest reliance for a sudden surge in power in the short term!

Qianye Ying'er watched in silence, sensing Yun Che's profound aura rapidly rising under the Ice Phoenix phantom. The speed of his improvement was astonishing, yet it felt incredibly calm. There were too many unfathomable things about Yun Che. Each time, she couldn't help but be shocked. She quickly composed herself and began to focus on cultivating the Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture.

Had it been her before today, mastering this ancient devil art would have undoubtedly taken a considerable amount of time. But with the Devil Emperor's blood fused into her, understanding and wielding the dark laws contained within the Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture was truly effortless. In less than a day, she had already perfectly mastered its first stage.

When she opened her eyes, Yun Che's position hadn't changed at all; he remained motionless. Yet, his profound realm had already reached the second level of the Divine King Realm. On the third day, she mastered the second stage of the Eternal Night Illusion Devil Scripture, and Yun Che's cultivation had astonishingly reached the third level of the Divine King Realm. On the seventh day, she mastered the third stage, and when she opened her eyes, Yun Che was already at the fourth level of the Divine King Realm. On the fifteenth day, she mastered the fifth stage, and Yun Che had just completed his breakthrough to a level five Divine King.

In just half a month, he had crossed four minor realms within the Divine King Realm! This was beyond astonishing; it was something deemed utterly impossible in profound cultivation knowledge!

"It's time to depart," Qianye Ying'er said. No wonder he had been so confident about plundering earlier... he actually had such a trump card! She just didn't know the limit of this trump card, or to what realm it could ultimately elevate him.

The divine phantom vanished, and its radiance dissipated. Yun Che, however, did not open his eyes. He said in a low voice, "No need to rush. I need some time to adapt and settle."

"So, you don't intend to go to the Eastern Ruin Sect?" Qianye Ying'er mused.

"Hmph, what right does a mere Eastern Ruin Sect have to make us obey their every word?" Yun Che said. "We'll go straight to... the Central Ruin Realm!"

The Central Ruin Realm, located at the heart of the Five Spirit Ruin Realms, is a land of both disaster and opportunity. The Central Ruin Realm has historically been controlled by the Four Realm King Sects, each with their own governed territories. The allocation of these territories is determined by the Battle of the Central Ruin, held every fifty years. One of the boons other sects in the Five Spirit Ruin Realms receive from the Realm King Sects is the qualification to explore the Central Ruin Realm.

During the Battle of the Central Ruin, however, the Central Ruin Realm is open to all profound practitioners. Consequently, this period is the most bustling time in the Central Ruin Realm. A small number of profound practitioners, confident in their strength, seize the opportunity to venture deep into the realm in search of opportunities, while most gather in the Northern Central Ruin. The battlefield for the Battle of the Central Ruin is located in the Northern Central Ruin.

As time passed, waves of powerful auras rapidly converged towards the Northern Central Ruin... At this moment, only twenty hours remained until the Battle of the Central Ruin commenced.

The Central Ruin Realm is filled with incredibly terrifying disaster storms. The border areas are considered the safest, yet they are still constantly plagued by sandstorms year-round. Amidst the swirling sand, two figures arrived side by side. The Northern Central Ruin was constantly being flooded with profound practitioners from various realms, but these two figures, even partially obscured by the sand, still drew involuntary glances.

"Participants in the Battle of the Central Ruin cannot be older than fifty *Jiazi* cycles. An age limit is perfectly normal, but why is there a cultivation limit?" Yun Che whispered. His voice, completely undisturbed by the sand, clearly reached Qianye Ying'er's ears.

"In the Middle Star Realm, Divine Sovereigns are at the pinnacle," Qianye Ying'er slowly explained. "Though Divine Kings are few, they are not rare. Do you know how many Divine Kings remain at the peak of the Divine King Realm, unable to advance even half a step further for hundreds, thousands of years, or or even their entire lives?"

Yun Che had little contact with other star realms. But in the Snow Song Realm... beneath Mu Xuanyin, there were only two Divine Sovereigns, Mu Bingyun and Mu Huanyin. However, below these two Divine Sovereigns, all other Divine Hall Elders and Ice Phoenix Palace Masters were at the peak of the Divine King Realm, with no Divine Sovereigns. Yun Che's profound veins were unique; his cultivation path almost never encountered bottlenecks, whether in minor or major realms. Yet, he understood that for other profound practitioners, crossing major realms was always a chasm.

"The Battle of the Central Ruin has always been a battle of peak Divine Kings. One purpose is to allow these Divine Kings, who are still relatively young and possess immense potential, to find a slight opportunity to achieve Divine Sovereign status during such conflicts, without delaying their display of power... At the same time, it can also create invisible suppression." Among peak Divine Kings, the victor undoubtedly has a greater chance of becoming a Divine Sovereign in the future, while the loser might be left with a hidden scar, making further progress more difficult. Not to mention, the final outcome determines the allocation of resources for the next fifty years! As it concerns both prestige and resources, it is undeniable that the four Spirit Ruin Realms have always regarded the Battle of the Central Ruin with extreme importance.

"Peak Divine Kings? Heh..." Yun Che's lips moved slightly, letting out a disdainful murmur.

"If you participate at the fifth level of the Divine King Realm, you'll certainly be an anomaly." Recalling Yun Che entering the Conferred God Battle at the Divine Tribulation Realm back then, Qianye Ying'er's eyes momentarily blurred. Back then, Yun Che was like a flame bathed in the scorching sun, so hot and dazzling... even she, then the Brahma Monarch Goddess, found him dazzling. Now, however, he was shrouded in endless gloom, chilling the soul at a glance. The same person... in just a few years... The vicissitudes of fate were manifested to their extreme in him.

"An anomaly? Where am I not an anomaly?" Yun Che's extremely indifferent remark profoundly contained a cruelty that others might not comprehend even in a lifetime.

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

At this moment, Yun Che suddenly stopped, lifted his head, and his gaze slowly sharpened. "What's wrong?" Qianye Ying'er asked.

"The wind here... is a bit strange," Yun Che said.

"Strange?" Qianye Ying'er's spiritual perception instantly expanded, then retracted. "Though this is the Northern Divine Region, the wind element here far surpasses the dark aura. It is indeed unusual."

"That's not what I mean." Yun Che's gaze subtly shifted as he looked to the distance, slowly saying, "Excluding the mixed dark aura, the storm power here... is simply too pure."

"Pure?" Seeing Yun Che's noticeably changed expression, Qianye Ying'er frowned, then fell into thought. But immediately, she suddenly looked up ahead. In the distance, several unhurried figures appeared. She murmured, "Peak Divine Kings. Both their life and profound energy auras resemble that young girl who arrived that day. It seems they are participants from the Eastern Ruin Realm... likely from the Realm King's lineage."

At the same time Qianye Ying'er noticed them, their voices drifted faintly to them.

"Young Master, why bother getting angry over a mere outsider?"

"Hmph! My Royal Father specially left me here, ordering me to personally await him alone—it's an immense honor he's bestowed! Yet he dares not show up! This isn't just slighting me; it's slighting and despising my Eastern Ruin!"

"I heard that Elder Jiu Kui highly recommended Yun Che, which is why the Sect Master valued him so much. But such disregard for courtesy is truly rare. If the Sect Master learns of this, he will surely be furious. After the Battle of the Central Ruin, the Sect Master will definitely hold him accountable."

"Young Master..." Qianye Ying'er whispered, "This person should be Dong Xueci, the eldest son of the Great Realm King of the Eastern Ruin Realm and the Young Sect Master of the Eastern Ruin Sect, also known as the Eastern Ruin Crown Prince. You didn't go to the Eastern Ruin Sect, but you've managed to infuriate this Eastern Ruin Crown Prince first."

"What he does has nothing to do with me," Yun Che said coldly.

A gust of sand swept past. As it settled slightly, the three figures had drawn closer from a distance. Leading them was a tall young man whose eyes held inherent arrogance and a hint of gloom. The aura of a peak Divine King emanated from him. This person was none other than Dong Xueci, the Eastern Ruin Crown Prince. Accompanying him were two middle-aged men, whose profound auras were also at the Divine King Realm.

The Battle of the Central Ruin never restricted seeking external aid; finding powerful assistance was also a skill. For every Battle of the Central Ruin, the Eastern Ruin Sect would seek peak Divine Kings from outside their sect, and even outside their star realm, to bolster their forces. This time was no exception. Yun Che was one of them.

When Dong Xueyan went to find Yun Che, Dong Jiu Kui was accompanying her. He held Yun Che in high regard, and given his standing and power within the sect, his evaluation would naturally not be taken lightly by the Eastern Ruin Realm King. However, as the Battle of the Central Ruin approached, all other external aids arrived early and respectfully, but Yun Che was nowhere to be seen. In the Eastern Ruin Realm, who dared to deceive or defy the Eastern Ruin Sect!? Although the Eastern Ruin Realm King was enraged, he still heeded Dong Jiu Kui's words and specifically ordered the Eastern Ruin Crown Prince, Dong Xueci, to stay and await Yun Che for one more day before departing for the Central Ruin Realm. To show such importance to an external aid, even having the dignified Eastern Ruin Crown Prince personally wait, Dong Xueci was already highly displeased. But a day passed, and Yun Che still didn't arrive, making him absolutely furious. The anger in his heart was clearly written on his face.

As the two parties drew closer, Dong Xueci's gaze casually swept over Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er... But that single glance caused his eyes to narrow sharply, and his steps suddenly halted. It wasn't because he saw the person who made him so angry, as he had never met Yun Che before. Instead, his gaze was firmly fixed on Qianye Ying'er.