Chapter 1594: Rolling Down

"Hmm?" Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign's gaze sharpened. "After all, it is an ancestral temple. It does have a decent defensive barrier."

"No... it's not a barrier!" The Desolate Dragon Master's voice had lost its former certainty and arrogance, clearly tinged with deep shock.

"?" Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign abruptly turned his head.

Below, all the members of the Yun Clan were also stunned, especially Yun Ting and the others. They gazed in the direction of the ancestral temple, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Under everyone's gaze, Yun Che stood still, cradling Yun Chang with one arm. His right hand slowly rose, then abruptly snatched backward.

Where his palm pointed, a rapidly spreading vortex instantly surged through space, directly engulfing the giant dragon claw suspended in the air... In an instant, the thousand-foot dragon claw violently deformed, each of its talons twisted into an incredibly horrifying shape.

"Ugh!" The Desolate Dragon Master's draconic eyes constricted, but he reacted swiftly, letting out a low roar as demonic lightning reappeared on the dragon claw... Yet, the dark lightning had only flickered for a brief moment when Yun Che's backward-grasping hand suddenly tightened.

*Snap!*

Five dragon talons, imbued with the Divine Sovereign's draconic might, were severed in mid-air at that very instant, then brutally ripped from the dragon claw.

"Aargh!!"

The phantom dragon claw disintegrated in mid-air. The Desolate Dragon Master let out a heavy groan, his body shaking violently as blood spurted from his right arm!

Although the thousand-foot dragon claw was merely an illusion of power, it was ultimately linked to his life.

He clutched his right arm, his face filled with horror. Beside him, Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign's face was devoid of its former smile, his eyes narrowed, staring intently at Yun Che.

"Ah..." A hoarse gasp escaped Yun Ting's throat. He stared wide-eyed in the direction of the ancestral temple, completely petrified, as the thunder spear in his hand clattered to the ground.

Yun Xiang, who had barely managed to stand, also froze, his eyes wide and vacant, like a wooden chicken.

"Who are you?" the Desolate Dragon Master asked in a deep voice, his right arm still throbbing with intense pain.

What shocked him most was that the power that had just severed his dragon claw was actually profound energy at the Divine King Realm!

"He is not from the Heavenly Might Yun Clan," Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign stated. Members of the Heavenly Might Yun Clan possess a unique lightning aura, but Yun Che had none.

Furthermore, if the Heavenly Might Yun Clan truly had such a figure, the entire Thousand Desolate Realm would have known about it long ago.

"Scram," Yun Che uttered coldly, still with his back to them.

Yun Chang's internal injuries were too severe, and her profound veins were shattered. Even with the miracle of life, her recovery would take a considerable amount of time, and he did not wish to be disturbed.

In this Thousand Desolate Realm, how many dared to tell the two of them to "scram"? Both their gazes turned cold simultaneously. Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign said, "Fellow Daoist, since you are not from the Heavenly Might Yun Clan, you can easily stay out of this. Please don't do something foolish that will cost you your life."

Evidently, Yun Che shattering the dragon claw had greatly deterred them. Even someone as powerful as Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign did not wish to completely fall out with him.

"Leave this place and don't interfere. As for what just happened, this Dragon Master can pretend it never occurred," the Desolate Dragon Master said in a deep voice. "Otherwise, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"

Yun Che gently pushed Yun Chang, sending her towards Qianye Ying'er.

Qianye Ying'er, however, frowned. With a flick of her finger, Yun Chang was unceremoniously dropped beside her feet.

She never liked to be touched, whether by men or women.

"Protect her. Within three days, I will help you recover to the Divine Lord realm," Yun Che said.

"Heh," Qianye Ying'er scoffed coldly, "This little girl hasn't spent as much time with you as I have slept with you, yet the difference in treatment is truly disheartening."

Yun Che turned, slowly floated into the air, and cast a cold gaze at Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign and the Desolate Dragon Master.

The air and space suddenly condensed at that moment. The abruptly changing atmosphere caused the fierce battle, which hadn't lasted very long, to inadvertently cool down. Both sides' gazes were drawn to the sky.

Especially the Yun Clan members; some exchanged glances, some had faces full of shock, but most were bewildered and incredulous.

"It seems, Fellow Daoist, you are determined to oppose my Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace and the Desolate Dragon Master?"

Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign repeatedly confirmed that the man before him, whose life aura seemed eerily young, indeed possessed profound energy only at the tenth level of the Divine King Realm.

"Last chance," Yun Che's gaze was chillingly dark, his words grim: "Either scram, or die!"

From the moment he returned to the Heavenly Might Yun Clan and saw Yun Chang, Yun Che had been suppressing an extreme surge of ferocity in his heart. In his eyes, everyone else was expendable compared to Yun Chang. Whether they lived or died was far less important than Yun Chang's safety.

If the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace and the Desolate Dragon Clan were to leave at this moment, he certainly wouldn't attack or hinder them. Instead, he would immediately go to heal Yun Chang.

"Heh heh," as if hearing a joke, the Desolate Dragon Master shook his wrist and sneered, "Being able to break this Dragon Master's dragon phantom is indeed remarkable. Too bad... you're just another fool who overestimates himself, choosing death when there's a way to live."

"Zangjian," Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign instructed, "Test him."

Instantly, a sword light flashed in the air. A figure, carrying dark sword might, shot into the sky. Its inch-long sword aura rapidly expanded to a hundred feet in an instant, piercing directly towards Yun Che.

Revered Swordsman Zangjian, master of the Sword Concealing Palace, one of the Nine Palaces of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace. Yun Che had heard his name long ago, as he was Bei Hanchu's master and the original owner of the Heavenly Concealing Sword.

At that time, even if Yun Che, at Divine King Realm Level 5, had unleashed his full power, he would have been almost no match for him.

But... Yun Che's growth rate was simply terrifying. For profound practitioners at similar levels, half a year was merely a fleeting moment with barely any progress. But for Yun Che, it was enough to bring about earth-shattering changes!

Facing Revered Swordsman Zangjian's dark sword aura, Yun Che remained completely still. Not even his gaze shifted by half a jot towards him... He remained so even when the sword aura was close.

"Hmm?" The people from the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace and the Desolate Dragon Clan were all stunned... Was this person a fool?

Revered Swordsman Zangjian was an eighth-level Divine Sovereign. His sword aura was terrifyingly powerful; wherever it passed, space seemed to be severed like flowing water. In an instant, it pierced before Yun Che, striking his body directly.

But instead of the expected sword explosion and piercing sound, there was... a dull cracking sound.

The moment the dark sword aura touched Yun Che's body, it shattered directly... No, more accurately, it disintegrated!

Because what scattered was not fragments of a broken sword aura, but distinctly dark dust.

*Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump...*

Like dark water currents crashing against a boulder that had stood proudly for ten thousand years, the hundred-foot sword aura furiously disintegrated. Revered Swordsman Zangjian's charging figure was abruptly halted in mid-air. His eyes, originally filled with sword might, widened until they almost consumed his entire eye sockets. The sword aura in his hand was still stabbing Yun Che's chest... but only less than ten feet remained.

"You..." A sound escaped Revered Swordsman Zangjian's lips. He was witnessing the most terrifying and unbelievable scene of his life.

Yun Che's gaze shifted slightly downwards, finally looking at him. His right hand slowly rose, touching the dark sword aura, and he flicked his finger with an incredibly casual motion.

The dark sword aura suddenly shot back, instantly shattering Revered Swordsman Zangjian's arm, then blasting straight into his chest... and piercing through it.

The dark sword aura, which seemed like rotten wood before Yun Che, had, with a mere flick of his finger, suddenly transformed into a demonic blade from hell.

"Ugh... Ah..." Revered Swordsman Zangjian's entire body stiffened. He slowly lowered his head, his rapidly fading pupils staring at his own chest... The sword aura, formed by his own power, had so easily pierced through his body.

How could such... a terrifying, such a ridiculous thing happen?

Revered Swordsman Zangjian's sword aura was condensed by his sword intent, but its primary power was still dark profound energy.

With the Evil God's dark seed within him, he was completely unafraid of pure dark profound energy. As the power of the Darkness Eternal Calamity silently grew and subtly influenced him, this fearlessness would gradually transform into suppression... until it became complete subjugation!

And if he were to fully master it... as the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor herself stated, it wouldn't be as simple as complete subjugation, but "complete control," terrifying enough to make the Heavenly Dao itself tremble!

Although he was still somewhat far from that point, even now, having cultivated the Darkness Eternal Calamity for less than a year, his unique suppression against profound practitioners from the Northern Divine Region was already incredibly evident.

These Northern Region powerhouses, who were clearly immensely strong and top-tier existences in the Upper Star Realm, could no longer make him feel oppressed or threatened.

"Zang... Zangjian!" Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign was utterly stunned, his shout hoarse and trembling.

However, Revered Swordsman Zangjian gave no response. He stared blankly at the chest pierced by his own sword aura... Being impaled was by no means a fatal injury for a Divine Sovereign, yet all sensation in his body had distinctly vanished. The last thing he could perceive were his internal organs and bowels turning into dust in the darkness...

The black sword aura vanished, and two enormous geysers of blood erupted from Revered Swordsman Zangjian's chest and back. His entire body plummeted headfirst amidst a shower of blood.

"Zangjian!"

"Ma... Master!"

Trembling or horrified roars erupted belatedly. The cultivators from the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace rushed forward, but the moment they touched Revered Swordsman Zangjian's body, they were all horrified to the point of death.

His body was utterly devoid of life, only coldness remained.

Even in the Upper Star Realm, the fall of a Divine Sovereign was a sensational event, let alone an eighth-level Divine Sovereign! Because with the power and vitality of a strong Divine Sovereign, defeating another Divine Sovereign might be considered ordinary, but killing one was incredibly difficult.

Yet, Revered Swordsman Zangjian, from being perfectly unharmed to directly dying a violent death, took only a mere few breaths.

Perhaps, he was the Divine Sovereign in the history of the Thousand Desolate Realm who died the fastest and most inexplicably.

"Dea... dead," another palace master looked up, his voice trembling.

"Wh... what!?" Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign and the Desolate Dragon Master exclaimed in shock simultaneously.

On the Heavenly Might Yun Clan's side, from Patriarch Yun Ting to the various elders, and even the ordinary Yun Clan disciples, all looked as if they had been struck by a hammer head-on, staggering in shock... Indeed, their enemies were dead, yet what surged within them was not joy, but only utter terror.

"He... he... he... is it really... Yun Che!?"

"He's actually... that... powerful?"

"Revered Swordsman Zangjian... he was an eighth-level Divine Sovereign just like Lord Yun Xiang... Ahhh..."

*Thud!*

Yun Xiang, whose body had just barely managed to stand, instantly fell back to his knees. He looked up at Yun Che, whose face was rigid and cold like a proud death god, his body and features trembling uncontrollably.

"You... you... you..." There was no longer a trace of arrogance or smile on Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign's face. He stuttered "you" three times, and even the weakest person present could hear the fear in his voice.

As peak Divine Sovereigns, both Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign and the Desolate Dragon Master could defeat the Palace Master of the Sword Concealing Palace in a short amount of time. However, it was absolutely impossible for them to counter his sword aura, much less kill him so easily.

"Half-step... Divine... Lord!" The Desolate Dragon Master's draconic eyes widened as he roared out.

These four words struck like divine thunder from the heavens, making everyone's souls tremble.

A tenth-level Divine Sovereign was the peak of the Divine Sovereign Realm, but it was not the closest realm to the Divine Lord Realm. Between the Divine Sovereign Realm and the Divine Lord Realm, there was a special realm called "Half-step Divine Lord," which meant one had already stepped half a foot into the Divine Lord Realm and only needed a certain opportunity to achieve the realm of a Supreme Divine Lord!

A dream realm that both Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign and the Desolate Dragon Master were destined never to dare hope for in their lives.

Although it was still fundamentally within the Divine Sovereign Realm, tainted with the words "Divine Lord," it subtly carried an awe-inspiring and suffocating might.

"So what if he truly is a Half-step Divine Lord!" Facing Yun Che's dark and terrifying gaze, Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign's expression also turned grim. "With the two of us allied, what is there to fear from him!"

"...True!" Jiuyao Heavenly Sovereign's words suddenly awakened the Desolate Dragon Master from his shock. The ones who had arrived today were not just their two clans. Even if the person before them was truly a Half-step Divine Lord, their "backer" had nothing to fear.

"At... tack!"

The Desolate Dragon Master let out a furious roar, black light exploding from his body. His eight-foot human form transformed into a ten-thousand-foot dragon phantom amidst the black radiance.

Behind him, all the Desolate Dragons also revealed their true forms... Although transforming into their true forms would increase energy consumption, it would unleash their peak combat power. With even their Dragon Master manifesting his true form, they were clearly facing a formidable enemy; how could they hesitate?

In an instant, dragon phantoms blotted out the sky above the Heavenly Might Yun Clan. The heavens and earth lost their light, and demonic thunder enveloped the world. The terrifying draconic might caused the Yun Clan members to shiver uncontrollably, almost prostrating themselves on the ground.

The Desolate Dragon Master's dragon head slowly lowered, its pair of black-glowing draconic eyes like dark abysses capable of devouring all things. "Dragon's wrath is not to be provoked, but this Dragon Master can still give you one last chance."

Yun Che slightly raised his gaze, sweeping it across the sky. His pupils suddenly revealed a soul-light blend of blue and black. A vast blue dragon light also erupted from his body, and his pitch-black dragon eyes opened.

The roar of the Dark Dragon God, carrying his voice of judgment, resounded through the firmament.

"GET—DOWN—THERE—NOW!!"