Chapter 1606: Two Wasp Nests

Outside Thousand Desolation Mountain, two distant figures approached.

They were two middle-aged men of similar build. The one on the right, clad in green with a green beard, had a stern, cold expression that exuded a formidable, awe-inspiring presence without any show of anger.

His name alone was enough to overturn any land in the Thousand Desolation Realm.

He was the Thousand Desolation Sect Master! Also the Great Realm King of this vast Thousand Desolation Realm.

The man beside him had fair skin and no beard, with a benevolent expression. He appeared unremarkable and harmless. Yet, as they walked together, his position was notably ahead of the Thousand Desolation Sect Master.

If anyone in the Thousand Desolation Realm were to witness this scene, they would be utterly astonished.

And the crimson flame and dark moon embroidered on his robes were enough to send shivers down the souls of all profound practitioners in the Northern Divine Region.

That was the symbol of the Burning Moon Royal Realm—one of the three Royal Realms of the Northern Divine Region!

“Ninth Uncle, are you here this time to confirm the ‘essential item’?” the Thousand Desolation Sect Master asked. As the supreme being of this realm, a Divine Master standing at the peak of the profound way, his tone clearly conveyed deep respect when speaking to the man beside him, and his posture consciously bowed slightly.

“Do you really think I came all this way just for Tian'er’s hundred-cycle birthday?” the middle-aged man said with a chuckle.

“...Ninth Uncle is right,” the Thousand Desolation Sect Master replied, a little embarrassed.

“Heheheh,” the middle-aged man laughed. “Tian'er is my grand-nephew after all, and it's only right for me to make a special trip to celebrate such an important occasion as his hundred-cycle birthday. I hope this gift pleases him.”

The Thousand Desolation Sect Master hastily said, “Ninth Uncle, your words flatter Tian'er too much. Anything from Ninth Uncle, even a mere common stone, Tian'er would treasure like his life.”

The middle-aged man smiled, glanced at him, and suddenly said, “Don’t worry, your ‘mission’ will be completed soon. When it is, I will bring not only you but also Tian'er back to the Burning Moon Heaven Realm. Although he is somewhat overly infatuated with women, in terms of the profound way, his future achievements will certainly not be inferior to yours. My King has already tacitly approved this matter.”

The Thousand Desolation Sect Master's body stiffened, then he was overcome with great joy, exclaiming excitedly, “N-Ninth Uncle, is this... is this true!?”

“Would I deceive you?” The middle-aged man looked at the increasingly closer Thousand Desolation Mountain and suddenly sighed, “My King has waited so many years, and at last, his wish is about to be fulfilled.”

The excitement on the Thousand Desolation Sect Master's face was hard to quell. He opened his mouth and, after several hesitations, finally couldn’t help but ask, “Ninth Uncle, there’s one thing I’ve never understood. Since it’s such an important item, the safest place for it would be by the Divine Emperor’s side. Why must it be...”

The middle-aged man turned his gaze to him... The Thousand Desolation Sect Master's eyes narrowed, and he dared not speak another word.

The middle-aged man, however, did not reproach him. Instead, he smiled and said, “At this point, there’s no harm in telling you. That item was not originally my King’s possession. Rather, it was obtained by my King from the chaotic Pure Sky God Realm during its transformation ten thousand years ago.”

“This...” The Thousand Desolation Sect Master was greatly shocked. He had never imagined that this matter would be related to the Pure Sky God Realm of old, now the Soul Stealing Realm.

“Later, the Devil Queen regained control of the Pure Sky God Realm and renamed it the Soul Stealing Realm. With her shrewdness, she must have learned of ‘that item’s’ existence from the Pure Sky Divine Emperor long ago. Failing to find it, she would naturally suspect that my Burning Moon Realm or the Yama Devil Realm stole it during Pure Sky’s transformation.”

“You have personally witnessed the power of the ‘Dustless Barrier’; even half a foot away, one cannot sense any trace of it. However, it also has a drawback: as a spatial construct of the highest order, it cannot be contained within any small world. Even a powerful being like my King cannot place it in his personal spatial realm.”

“Moreover, this Dustless Barrier was cast by the Pure Sky Divine Emperor himself back then. No one can guarantee that the Pure Sky God Realm doesn’t possess a method to detect its existence.”

“Is the Divine Emperor afraid of it being found and reclaimed by the Soul Stealing Realm?” the Thousand Desolation Sect Master asked.

“No, that’s only half the reason,” the middle-aged man said. “No matter how cunning the Devil Queen is, she would never imagine that my King would leave such an important item in a sect in another realm.”

“The other half of the reason: the Devil Queen is too terrifying. Even my King, unless absolutely necessary, would never wish to clash with her. If by chance this matter were to be discovered by her, then...” He looked deeply at the Thousand Desolation Sect Master. “This matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Burning Moon Royal Realm or my King, do you understand?”

“I understand.” The Thousand Desolation Sect Master immediately nodded, without any hesitation. “Ninth Uncle just said... has the Divine Emperor found a way to open the Dustless Barrier?”

“Forcibly opening the Dustless Barrier is simple, but doing so would undoubtedly damage the item sealed within. To open it without harm, only the Pure Sky Divine Emperor, who created the barrier, can achieve it.”

“However, even the Dustless Barrier’s power slowly dissipates over time. My King has patiently waited ten thousand years, and now, the barrier’s power has finally almost dissipated to a sufficient degree. By then, everything will be complete.”

“So that’s it,” the Thousand Desolation Sect Master said, enlightened. He then added, “Speaking of ten thousand years... I wonder if Ninth Uncle still remembers the affair of the Skygang Cloud Clan? Their lifespan limit is also fast approaching.”

“Hmph, such a trivial matter. You can deal with it as you see fit; there’s no need to ask me,” the middle-aged man said dismissively.

“Understood,” the Thousand Desolation Sect Master replied.

“This time, I will reconfirm the state of the Dustless Barrier. If everything is as expected, then within a century, you will be able to...”

ROAR!!!

From Thousand Desolation Mountain ahead, an earth-shattering dragon roar suddenly echoed. Though far away, it made the souls of both Divine Masters tremble.

Following the dragon roar, a sudden explosion of golden flames illuminated the sky in an instant.

Both men’s expressions drastically changed simultaneously. The Thousand Desolation Sect Master roared in alarm, “Someone is invading!”

“Go!” The middle-aged man’s face turned exceedingly grim. He seized the Thousand Desolation Sect Master and shot forward.

In the Thousand Desolation Crown Prince's Hall, the birthday banquet continued. Although the Crown Prince had abandoned his seat, no one dared to disrespect him by leaving early, no matter how rude he was.

“Hahahahah!”

A loud laugh resounded as “Crown Prince Thousand Desolation” strode back into the hall, his face flushed with a radiant glow.

Everyone hastily rose to greet him. The Thousand Desolation Grand Elder frowned deeply but said nothing... at least he knew to return and hadn’t died on that woman.

“Everyone has come here for me today, and I had to temporarily leave just now, which was very disrespectful,” “Crown Prince Thousand Desolation” said loudly, walking to the center of the hall. “To compensate for my guilt, I shall use this birthday banquet today to present a great gift to all of you.”

The hall instantly became lively, and everyone responded in unison. The Thousand Desolation Grand Elder's face also showed interest. “A great gift? What great gift does His Highness plan to give?”

“Crown Prince Thousand Desolation” smiled. “Of course... it’s sending you all to hell!”

As his voice fell, his eyes flashed with black light, and the divine shadow of the Primordial Azure Dragon appeared on his body, suddenly releasing an earth-shattering dragon roar.

In this vital stronghold of the Thousand Desolation Divine Sect, at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, facing the Crown Prince himself, how could these people have any defense? Under the sudden eruption of the dragon roar, everyone—from the Thousand Desolation Grand Elder, to the regional Divine Sovereign overlords, to the relatively weaker young profound practitioners—instantly suffered a collapse of will, plunging into an abyss of either darkness or fear.

Yun Che’s lips curled into a cruel sneer. Golden flames blazed on his body, and after a breath of condensation, they violently erupted.

Underworld Ash!

In that instant, it was as if a blazing golden sun had exploded within Thousand Desolation Mountain, engulfing everyone in the hall, and even countless profound practitioners outside, in a fiery purgatory of death.

Profound practitioners whose power and souls had doubly collapsed under the Dragon God Domain could hardly withstand the ruthless immolation of Golden Crow flames. They were swiftly incinerated into nothingness within the sea of fire. Yun Che extended an arm, and the Heaven Smiting Sword appeared. His figure surged out in the next instant, heading straight for the few powerful experts who possessed peak Divine Sovereign strength and were still barely resisting being incinerated.

Within the fiery purgatory, an explosive roar sounded, and the Thousand Desolation Grand Elder, gripped by fear and despair, was instantly blasted into several pieces.

With the same instantaneous movement and roaring impact, a peak Divine Sovereign, renowned throughout the Thousand Desolation Realm as an unbeatable force in his domain, was also struck down by a single sword, leaving no corpse behind.

Boom! Boom!

Four swords, four peak Divine Sovereigns shattered with astonishing ease, like pieces of rotten wood. It was at this moment that Yun Che’s gaze suddenly shifted... because a dangerous aura was approaching from the west at an extremely high speed.

Although this dangerous aura was distant, it had already precisely locked onto him.

Putting away the Heaven Smiting Sword, Yun Che rapidly surged out, reaching Qianye Ying’er’s side and sweeping her up directly. “Let’s go!”

Whoosh!!

A storm of profound energy surged around him, and in an instant, his speed reached its peak as he shot eastward.

“Vile beast! Surrender and die!”

From behind the two, an angry roar resounded.

“They’ve certainly picked a bad time to return,” Qianye Ying’er said, glancing back, her eyes slightly grave. “One is a first-level Divine Master, and the other... is very likely a mid-level Divine Master!”

“It seems eliminating witnesses is out of the question,” she murmured. “If that Barren God Marrow was truly hidden here by the Burning Moon Royal Realm... then we’ve stirred up a monumental hornet’s nest this time.”

However, the two of them did not yet know that the Barren God Marrow originally belonged to the former Pure Sky God Realm—now the Soul Stealing Realm.

In other words, by taking the Barren God Marrow, they hadn’t just stirred up one monumental hornet’s nest...

But two!

After acquiring the power of the storm, through a period of comprehension and mastery, Yun Che could now use the profound energy of the storm to elevate his speed to another level. Yet, even so, his maximum speed was definitely difficult to match that of a mid-level Divine Master.

The aura behind them was rapidly closing in. Yun Che’s eyes flashed, and he activated “Yama Emperor,” causing his speed to surge once more... Instantly, the distance barely stopped closing, but he still couldn't shake them off.

However, the Yama Emperor state couldn't be sustained for too long. Once it reached its limit, not only would he be quickly caught, but the immense consumption and burden would also make his power to resist exceptionally weak.

Yun Che’s brows furrowed slightly, but he showed no apprehension, and neither did Qianye Ying'er.

Behind them, the middle-aged man and the Thousand Desolation Sect Master, whom he held, were utterly astonished.

“Who are they? What grievance do they have with you?” the middle-aged man asked, his heart churning like a tumultuous sea. Figures who could match his speed were surely not unknown to him. Yet, the aura of the person ahead was unmistakably unfamiliar.

And why would such individuals attack the Thousand Desolation Divine Sect?

“I don't know,” the Thousand Desolation Sect Master replied with absolute certainty. “We have never extended our influence beyond the Thousand Desolation Realm in these years, so it’s impossible for us to have offended anyone from other star realms. And there are definitely no such figures within the Thousand Desolation Realm!”

The middle-aged man’s brows furrowed even deeper, a sudden unease rising in his heart.

The chase continued, an incomparably terrifying speed, accompanied by an equally dreadful storm, sweeping them across an unknown vast distance... At this moment, Yun Che’s arm tightened around Qianye Ying’er’s waist, and with the appearance of the Primordial Profound Ark, the two instantly vanished from that spot, disappearing also from the spiritual senses of the middle-aged man and the Thousand Desolation Sect Master.

“Wh-...” Both men paled in shock, their figures abruptly stopping. But within their sight and spiritual senses, Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er were nowhere to be found; not a single trace of their aura could be detected.

Above the Thousand Desolation Divine Sect, Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er reappeared. Yun Che stared downward, his gaze deep. Black light flashed in his hand, and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword was raised high, instantly casting a dark pall over the sky.

Although this spatial jump with the Primordial Profound Ark was not particularly long, it still required an immense amount of energy... This clearly displeased Yun Che.