Chapter 1597: 断命金痕

Daoist Shenxu also perished. The Desolate Heaven Dragon Master and Daoist Shenxu, two peak Divine Sovereigns who were virtually invincible below the Divine Master level and held esteemed positions in any high-level star realm, were successively slaughtered by Yun Che's sword with effortless ease, dying without an ounce of dignity.

"It's... it's over." Yun Ting slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant, muttering in a daze. The Thousand Desolations Divine Sect was the enforcer of the Moon-Burning Royal Realm's sanctions against their "sinful clan," and the Heavenly Might Yun Clan's current decline was a direct result of the sect's actions. Crucially, the Thousand Desolations Divine Sect was also the power they absolutely could not afford to provoke. Daoist Shenxu was not only a member of the Thousand Desolations Divine Sect but also its Chief Protector, a position that placed him easily among the top five! His death on the Heavenly Might Yun Clan's territory... even if their clan hadn't directly killed him, the Thousand Desolations Divine Sect would undoubtedly take out its rage on them. While their hope was already meager, this incident extinguished any last shred of luck or hope for avoiding annihilation. Behind Yun Ting, all the Yun clan members sagged, their faces reflecting only ashen despair. Yet, not a single one of them dared to reprimand Yun Che; they couldn't even meet his gaze.

At the Divine Sovereign level, battles to the death rarely occurred unless there was an irreconcilable blood feud. Yet he... merely over a few discordant words, directly condemned his opponents to their graves. In their entire lives, they had never witnessed such a terrifying, ruthless, and brutal individual.

The few remaining members of the Desolate Heaven Demonic Dragon clan and the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace retreated. They moved slowly and silently, trembling and shrinking with every step, as if fearing that any louder movement would alarm the terrifying madman who had trampled even a formidable figure like Daoist Shenxu to death. At that moment, Yun Che suddenly froze. His gaze fell to his feet, where the lingering crimson divine flames silently incinerated the earth. At the edges of the crimson flames, there seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible black glow. The aura was subtly different from the crimson flames he had integrated before arriving in the Northern Divine Region. His expression fixed, strange lights flickered deep within Yun Che's eyes. A cluster of dark flames flashed through the depths of his soul sea.

Bang!! The ground suddenly exploded as the blood-soaked Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign burst forth from beneath. He wasn't fleeing for his life, but rather lunging directly at Qianye Ying'er—or, more accurately, at Yun Shang, who was at her feet. He could have emerged earlier, but Yun Che had utterly terrified him, so he had wisely remained hidden until Daoist Shenxu appeared and seemingly subdued Yun Che. He had assumed that with Daoist Shenxu invoking the Thousand Desolations Divine Sect's name, Yun Che, no matter how audacious, would never dare to cause further trouble. But what he never dreamed was that Yun Che would directly kill Daoist Shenxu! No amount of profanity could describe the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign's state of mind. Even Venerable Shenxu, with his astonishing background, had begged for mercy like a dog, only to be mercilessly trampled to death. What reason was there for Yun Che not to kill him too? In his terror, a sudden thought occurred to him: when he first saw Yun Che, he had been holding an unconscious young girl in his arms. Yun Che's methods were brutal and vicious, but his initial engagement with the Desolate Heaven Dragon Master had involved full-force resistance, only counter-attacking after completely deflecting all of the Dragon Master's power. Clearly, he had been afraid of harming that girl! This realization was undoubtedly a ray of hope in his desperate situation. He burst forth at his fastest speed, lunging straight for Yun Shang... seizing this unconscious girl was his only hope of escaping alive. As for Qianye Ying'er, who was beside Yun Shang, he simply ignored her. As a peak Divine Sovereign, how could he possibly pay attention to a woman emitting the aura of a mere Divine King?

The sudden commotion startled those around. But the scene unfolded too abruptly, and the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign's speed was simply too great. Even if the Yun clan members had wanted to intervene, they were utterly incapable. As for Yun Che... he remained still, staring at the crimson divine flames stubbornly refusing to extinguish beneath his feet, completely unresponsive, lost in thought. Qianye Ying'er moved. With a graceful hand, she used profound energy to lift Yun Shang and attempted to flee to the side. However, her already flustered movements became exceptionally difficult under the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign's aura suppression. She had barely shifted when she began to totter. For a mere Divine King to try and escape his aura lock with someone was undoubtedly a fool's dream. He let out a low roar, not even glancing at Qianye Ying'er, and thrust out his palm. A surge of profound energy coiled forth, intending to directly pull Yun Shang into his grasp. But the moment he made his move, his vision suddenly blurred. Qianye Ying'er and Yun Shang instantly slipped out of his aura and spiritual perception, completely vanishing from his sight. Simultaneously, a faint, almost imperceptible sound, like a gentle swipe or a tearing, vaguely reached his ears. Qianye Ying'er's figure appeared eerily behind the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign. A golden gleam, like a slender golden snake, coiled back around her astonishingly delicate waist. Yun Shang was flung far away, falling somewhat heavily to the ground, and slowly woke up with a faint moan of pain.

The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign's momentum carried him forward. He tried to stop and turn, but suddenly both his head and body became uncontrollable, and his vision grew erratic... until it blurred into a gray haze. The last image in his sight was his own cleanly severed body, and the slender, dazzling golden marks at the breaks. *Thud...* The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign's body, cleanly severed into eight segments along seven golden marks, scattered on the ground and tumbled like gourds in the chaotic vortex of profound energy.

Thump! The Yun clan members, who had just managed to stand, instantly collapsed back to their knees. Their mouths hung open, but their throats seemed to be constricted by something invisible, preventing them from uttering a single sound. The Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign... dead... he was dead!? In an instant... an instant so brief he didn't even have time to let out a dying scream! Yun Che looked up then, gazing at Qianye Ying'er, a dangerous glint of coldness flickering in his eyes.

He was perfectly clear about the full extent of Qianye Ying'er's strength. Given her current Level Ten Divine Sovereign cultivation, if she were to engage the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign head-on, while she could indeed win due to the suppression from her Devil Emperor bloodline, it would be an extremely difficult victory. Yet, the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Sovereign had been instantly shattered and killed by Qianye Ying'er. The Reverse Abyss Stone's purpose was to alter aura, but she had used it to perfectly mislead her enemy. Having once stood at the pinnacle of the Divine Master realm, her mastery over Divine Sovereign profound energy was undoubtedly absolute. This might not be so obvious in a frontal confrontation, but when it came to instantaneous bursts of power, she was incomparable to Divine Sovereigns of the same level. Add to that the Brahma Gold Soft Sword 'Divine Decree,' which was spiritually connected to her... When all these elements combined perfectly, her power, though seemingly on the same level, could easily achieve instant kills in her hands. This was Qianye Ying'er's most terrifying aspect, and also the main reason he had deliberately suppressed her recovery, absolutely refusing to let her surpass him.

As Qianye Ying'er made her move, her profound energy was exposed at the same moment. Yun Ting murmured, "Peak... Divine Sovereign..." Yun Che's gaze then shifted from Qianye Ying'er, quickly falling upon Yun Shang. With a movement of his feet, he instantly appeared beside her, gently lifting her upper body and cradling her in his arms. Yun Shang's eyelashes fluttered, her eyes brimming with tears, as she looked at Yun Che through a hazy blur: "Senior... I... I..." Her voice was as faint as silk, and tears continuously streamed down. Having her profound strength completely crippled overnight was a blow no profound practitioner could bear, let alone a sixteen-year-old girl who had been entrusted with such high hopes and a bright future.

"Shang'er... she's awake." Yun Ting watched from afar, murmuring, still utterly distraught. "Clan leader," the elders and clan members gathered around, their steps weak, their faces ashen: "What should we do... what should we do..." Yun Ting couldn't answer. He stood up, dragging his incredibly weak steps towards Yun Che and Yun Shang... As he passed Qianye Ying'er, he felt a distinct chill throughout his body. "Shang'er," Yun Ting said, bowing his head. He no longer held any demeanor of a clan leader, merely an aged and despondent old man: "It was us... we wronged you..." "Get... away... from here!" Yun Che's body didn't move, but his robes subtly billowed. *Whoosh!!* A violent gust of wind swept up, blasting Yun Ting and all approaching Yun clan members away. He didn't spare a glance for the Yun clan members, nor did he pay attention to the members of the Desolate Heaven Demonic Dragon clan and Nine Luminaries Heavenly Palace who were now fleeing for their lives. He pressed his palm down, slowly tracing a strange path on Yun Shang's chest, continuing to heal her wounds with the Divine Miracle of Life. Yun Shang's internal injuries had stabilized, and her shattered profound veins could also be restored by Yun Che's Divine Miracle of Life. However, her cultivation was completely crippled; she could only start cultivating again from the Elementary Profound Realm... there was no turning back.

"Senior... you truly... came back to save me..." Her voice was soft and gentle, like a dream whisper. "Don't speak," Yun Che said in an equally gentle voice, his finger resting on Yun Shang's brow: "Sleep well. When you wake up... everything will be fine." "Can you... grant me... a selfish request?" Yun Che remained silent. "Please don't... hurt my clan members..." she pleaded, looking at Yun Che with tear-filled eyes: "They... they didn't... mean to..." Her weak and soft voice, carried by the cold wind, reached the ears of every Yun clan member. Yun Ting, Yun Xiang, and all the elders bowed their heads deeply, trembling from head to toe, consumed by remorse and shame. The white light on Yun Che's finger, resting on Yun Shang's brow, flickered slightly. Instantly, Yun Shang's eyes closed, her consciousness faded, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Their act of refining the Holy Cloud Ancient Pill for Yun Shang was an extreme measure born from the sect's dire situation, and they genuinely had no intention of harming her. On the contrary, from the perspective of the sect's future, they were the ones who least wished for Yun Shang to suffer. Yun Che believed this to be true. However, what Yun Shang didn't know was that after she was severely injured and fell unconscious, Yun Ting and the others' first priority wasn't to fully protect her life. Instead, to preserve and transfer her unique purple profound aura, they chose to directly sacrifice her life. Furthermore, under the Blood Transfer Forbidden Art, she would have died a truly miserable death.

Carrying Yun Shang, Yun Che returned to the room he had been staying in. Qianye Ying'er followed behind him, closing the door. Everything fell silent. All the Yun clan members, whether standing, kneeling, or prostrate, remained motionless, utterly distraught for a long time. An invisible barrier isolated all external sounds. Even without the barrier, not a single Yun clan member would have dared to approach the area.

Several hours passed before Yun Che finally removed his hand from Yun Shang. Yun Shang slept peacefully, enveloped in a layer of sacred yet ethereal pure profound light. Pure profound energy was inherently the most feared element for dark profound practitioners, but under Yun Che's touch, it brought only miraculous healing, without any harm. Her internal injuries had healed, and her shattered profound veins had been reborn. However, no one could foresee or heal the wounds within her heart.

Qianye Ying'er, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them. Her first words were a cold sneer: "Harmed by her own clan to this extent, yet her first thought upon regaining consciousness is to protect those who harmed her... truly naive and ridiculous." "At least she can still be naive," Yun Che said slowly. "As for us, we don't even have the luxury of naivety." Qianye Ying'er's breath hitched. After several breaths, she said, "When do you plan to leave here? You're not thinking of staying again, are you?" "Now," Yun Che replied. "Good." Qianye Ying'er stepped forward and directly grabbed Yun Che's wrist: "Let's go!" Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and immediately flung Yun Che's wrist away: "Hurry and go! Since you know you don't have the luxury of naivety, you shouldn't have stayed here from the beginning." "Hmph!" Yun Che snorted coldly, waving his arm, and erased the barrier.

Just as he was about to take a step, a soft murmur came from behind him, a maiden's voice: "Father... father..." His feet froze. Yun Che tilted his head back, exhaled slowly, and finally turned around, coming to the bedside. Although she had been unconscious for a long time, her sleep was not peaceful; her eyelashes continuously trembled. Yun Che extended a finger and gently wiped away a glistening tear from her delicate face. His finger, carrying the tear-mark, moved away from her face. It was at this moment that she slowly opened her eyes. "Se... senior," she murmured, gazing blankly at Yun Che, her starry eyes hazy, as if she hadn't fully woken from a dream.

"Yun Shang," Yun Che said with a gentle smile, "I'm leaving." She wasn't Yun Wuxin, yet she always reminded him of his own daughter. He wanted to leave, to break free... yet he couldn't bear to. But no matter how reluctant, he had to depart. Dreams were always illusory, and he had no right to indulge. To his surprise, upon hearing his words, Yun Shang showed no excitement, no panic, no sadness. Only a fresh layer of misty tears appeared in her eyes as she softly said: "Senior, no matter where you go, or what you do in the future, please stay safe..." "Mm," Yun Che nodded. He looked into the girl's eyes and said in a gentle yet serious tone: "Yun Shang, a person's life is always accompanied by countless setbacks and darkness. The weak will succumb to them, but the strong can tear them apart and see the light again."

"Childish," Qianye Ying'er remarked with increasing disdain. "Be a strong person," Yun Che said. "If you lose your profound energy, you can cultivate again and become stronger than before. If you lose your father... then make yourself even more dependable than your father, so that he can rest in peace and be proud in heaven, okay?" "Childish," Qianye Ying'er repeated, her disdain growing. "Okay," Yun Shang's lips parted. Yun Che's comfort was clearly very pale and powerless, yet she promised very earnestly, her tear-filled eyes gazing unblinkingly at Yun Che: "I will listen to Senior's words. Having lost my father, as a daughter, I must be even stronger." "A father who has lost his daughter must also be... even stronger, right?"

Yun Che's entire body trembled. He looked at the girl's innocent eyes, and the emotions that had clearly been extinguished and swallowed by darkness wildly stirred and shook. He abruptly turned his head, clenching his teeth, but the trembling in his body wouldn't stop... Finally, he abruptly turned his back again: "Qianying... let's go!"

Yun Che almost fled, his steps and breathing both chaotic. Qianye Ying'er followed behind him. Before leaving, she turned her head and glanced at Yun Shang... This time, her gaze was no longer entirely indifferent, but held a trace of complexity that even she didn't realize.

"Senior..." Looking at the closed door, Yun Che's shadow remained so clearly imprinted in her hazy vision. She whispered like in a dream: "Don't forget our promise... when I grow up... and find you... I hope your smile... won't be so sad anymore..."