Chapter 1607: Witch Huajin

"What are you doing?" Qianye Ying'er said in a low voice.

They had escaped the pursuit of the two Divine Masters using the Primordial Profound Ark, but to Yun Che's surprise, they had arrived at the Qianhuang Divine Sect. Instead of concealing his presence and fleeing, Yun Che's first act was to summon his demonic sword, effectively throwing himself back into danger.

Yun Che did not answer. The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword shrouded the sky in black light. The Qianhuang Divine Sect members had by now discovered Yun Che's presence and began to surround him. Just then, hundreds of black pillars of light shot up into the sky from various points within the Qianhuang Divine Sect.

Beneath the pillars of light, a dark profound formation, encompassing the entire Qianhuang Divine Sect, suddenly appeared, emitting an eerie, profound dark light.

The moment the dark profound formation appeared, the already chaotic Qianhuang Divine Sect erupted into panicked screams.

"Is this... the sect protection formation?" Qianye Ying'er's gaze flickered.

"No, now it's the sect destruction formation," Yun Che whispered grimly.

"...Is this also a power of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness!?" Qianye Ying'er looked up at the black light emanating from Yun Che's sword, her golden eyes reflecting as completely black.

The Eternal Calamity of Darkness, a creation divine power belonging to the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, was a force of such magnitude that it was exclusively for the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Jie Yuan. Not to mention mortals, even true gods and other creation gods could never hope to control it.

Yet, within Yun Che, it displayed an increasingly terrifying devilish might, progressing at an astonishing speed.

The sect protection formation was a sect's ultimate trump card, activated only in true desperation. Its power source was usually connected simultaneously to the souls of several of the sect's most important figures. For anyone else to forcibly activate it would be pure fantasy.

But now, she was witnessing Yun Che forcibly activating it... and with incredible ease, he was forcibly activating the Qianhuang Divine Sect's sect protection formation!

Boom—

All the dark energy was completely unleashed, erupting violently. The sect protection formation instantly transformed into a terrifying sect destruction formation. The entire Qianhuang Divine Sect was completely engulfed by darkness, as if it had suddenly plunged into a deathly abyss. Endless screams converged into a dirge that made heaven and earth tremble.

"You're increasingly resembling a qualified villain," Qianye Ying'er remarked, looking down. Forcibly activating a dark profound formation controlled by others using the Eternal Calamity of Darkness—this heaven-defying ability would undoubtedly become the nightmare of many in the future.

Yun Che sheathed his sword but did not leave immediately. His gaze turned toward the treasure vault they had entered earlier. A black light flickered in his eyes, and he touched his finger to his brow. After a moment, as he withdrew his finger, a faint black glow shimmered around its tip.

Then, with a flick of his finger, it floated lightly downwards.

"What is that?" This was another ability Qianye Ying'er had never seen Yun Che use.

"Dark Projection," Yun Che replied. "It's considered one of the lowest-tier abilities of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness."

Since it involved the Primordial Divine Marrow, they would surely go investigate, and perhaps reveal its origins in the process.

"Lowest-tier?" Qianye Ying'er scoffed faintly. "Even the most basic ability of a Devil Emperor is an absolute world-defying power in this realm."

Projection abilities were not uncommon. Back in the Flame God Realm, Yun Che had witnessed the Vermilion Bird Sect Master Yan Wancang use the power of the Buried God Burning Heavens Prison to cast an ultra-long-distance Vermilion Bird Projection.

During the Profound God Convention, the Eternal Heaven Realm had even projected it to every corner of the Eastern Divine Region.

The Dark Projection Yun Che employed did indeed originate from the power of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness and was, in fact, a rather ordinary projection ability... However, its unique aspect lay in the Eternal Calamity of Darkness's extremely high level; its existence would not be detectable by anyone in the current realm!

"Change your aura, let's go!"

Yun Che no longer glanced downwards, swiftly taking Qianye Ying'er with him to the south.

Qianye Ying'er could change her aura at any time using the Reverse Abyss Stone she carried. As for Yun Che, with the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, he could alter his emitted dark aura at will. Now that they had escaped the two Divine Masters' spiritual senses, it would be incredibly difficult for them to be found again... because even if those Divine Masters' spiritual senses swept over them, they would simply pass over their "completely unfamiliar" auras.

After leaving the Qianhuang Divine Sect and escaping a considerable distance, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er began to slow their pace.

Yun Che dispelled his Mirage Lightning Concealment and suddenly looked at Qianye Ying'er, saying, "Put on your mask!"

"When you told me to take that thing off, I just discarded it," Qianye Ying'er replied, her gaze cold and sideways. "What, you didn't notice?"

"..." Yun Che reached out and grasped a dark profound crystal. With a flash of light in his hand, the dark profound energy transformed into a simple, proper mask shape, which he then handed to Qianye Ying'er. "Wear it!"

Qianye Ying'er did not reach for it, even turning her face away. "Can't figure out why I discarded it? This ugly black thing, you keep it and wear it yourself!"

Yun Che frowned. With a flip of his palm, the dark aura in the profound crystal was quickly dispersed. After a brief thought, the profound light in his hand shifted slightly. He infused a bit of Ice Phoenix Divine Power into the profound crystal, transforming it into a pure, shimmering ice-blue. He pondered again, then altered its shape into a somewhat refined phoenix-wing design.

"That's more like it." Qianye Ying'er's gaze finally returned. With a graceful hand, she snatched it from Yun Che's grasp and placed it on her face, once again concealing most of her delicate features.

"They really went there," Yun Che suddenly said at that moment. A strange black glow flickered in his eyes.

"Manifest it, let me see," Qianye Ying'er said. She could hardly fail to be interested in a divine object like the Primordial Divine Marrow, whose appearance would surely shock the world.

Yun Che did not refuse. His gaze flickered, and a black mist swirled before him. A scene at the center of the mist gradually enlarged. In the image were the two individuals who had just pursued them: the Qianhuang Sect Master and the middle-aged man who likely originated from the Burning Moon Royal Realm!

Their target had inexplicably vanished without a trace. While the two were still in shock and uncertainty, the commotion from Qianhuang Mountain further startled them. Rushing back, everything they saw filled them with extreme horror.

"What's going on! What is happening!"

The Qianhuang Sect Master's limbs turned cold, his scalp tingled, and he was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, something occurred to him. His pupils contracted, and he muttered "Dian'er" before frantically rushing downwards.

But his arm was seized. Turning his head, he saw that the other man's face was even more terrifying than his own. "Forget Dian'er! The Dustless Barrier... go check the Dustless Barrier now!"

The Qianhuang Sect Master snapped to attention, his mind clearing considerably. He quickly said, "Uncle Jiu, rest assured... rest assured, no one can intrude upon the treasure vault, and a presence like the Dustless Barrier cannot possibly be found by anyone."

"Stop talking nonsense, go... go!" For him, what was inside the Dustless Barrier was far more important than the Qianhuang Divine Sect... more important than ten or even a hundred Qianhuang Divine Sects combined!

The two no longer cared about anything else and swiftly flew downwards.

The forcibly activated sect protection formation had destroyed nearly thirty percent of the Qianhuang Divine Sect. Although the treasure vault was under the most extreme protection, it was located precisely at the center of the sect protection formation. When the sect protection power was reverse-activated into destructive force, it undoubtedly sustained the greatest impact and was largely destroyed.

Seeing the treasure vault exposed to the open sky and clearly extensively plundered, both men's faces changed drastically. They rushed at top speed to the corner where the Dustless Barrier was hidden. The sight that met their eyes simultaneously sent shivers down their spines.

"The Dustless... Barrier..." The middle-aged man stumbled backward, his body turning cold. He suddenly grabbed the Qianhuang Sect Master, his eyes bulging, and roared like a madman, "Where's the Dustless Barrier?! Where did it go?! Where did it go!!"

"I... I don't know..." The Qianhuang Sect Master was utterly distraught. "Six hours ago, I specifically checked... This is impossible, this is impossible..."

"You... you..." The middle-aged man trembled all over, his face as black as a demon's, his splayed fingers almost drawing blood. "Do you know how much His Majesty values what's inside the Dustless Barrier?! I'm telling you, for this grave sin, even if you had a million lives... you couldn't atone for it!"

"His Majesty?" Qianye Ying'er's expression subtly shifted. She glanced at the middle-aged man's attire and scoffed, "This person is indeed a Divine Envoy from the Burning Moon Royal Realm. That means the Primordial Divine Marrow truly belongs to the Burning Moon Royal Realm!"

"But why hasn't the Burning Moon Royal Realm used it? Why conceal it in a place like this?" Qianye Ying'er mused quietly.

"It was those two!" The Qianhuang Sect Master desperately clung to his last straw of hope. "They must have taken it! As long as we catch them, we can get the Dustless Barrier back. They... they can't have gotten far."

"Heh," the Burning Moon Divine Envoy sneered. "Why don't you use your brain and think clearly? Why would they specifically come here and pinpoint the exact location of the Dustless Barrier with such precision!"

The Qianhuang Sect Master froze, his expression changing again. "Could it be, they are..."

"Soul Stealing Realm," the Burning Moon Divine Envoy murmured in a deep voice. "They must be from the Soul Stealing Realm! The Dustless Barrier leaves no trace and is formless; only the Soul Stealing Realm could possibly sense its location."

"…?" Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er both froze in surprise.

"Soul Stealing Realm? What does this Primordial Divine Marrow have to do with the Soul Stealing Realm?" Qianye Ying'er murmured to herself.

She suddenly felt a slight unease.

The Burning Moon Divine Envoy stopped speaking. He released the Qianhuang Sect Master, rose into the air, and held his hands forward. Instantly, a full-moon shaped dark profound formation illuminated before him. As the formation rotated, it slowly projected a blurred image.

Although it was only a blurry image, with indistinct features and only a vague outline, it silently exuded an awe-inspiring majesty that seemed to encompass the heavens.

Facing this blurred image, the Burning Moon Divine Envoy bowed in mid-air. "Greetings, Your Majesty. For disturbing Your Majesty's peaceful cultivation, I deserve to die ten thousand times."

At these words, the Qianhuang Sect Master suddenly trembled, a chilling stiffness seeping into his very bones. His knees buckled instantly, and both his body and voice quivered in extreme fear. "This... this... this humble king... Qianhuang... greets... greets the Burning Moon Divine Emperor..."

"How fascinating," Qianye Ying'er murmured, narrowing her eyes. "It seems the Burning Moon Divine Emperor has indeed been alerted. It's a pity I can't see his face; I'd truly like to see what the Divine Emperors of the Northern Divine Region look like."

"What grave matter?" the Burning Moon Divine Emperor's voice resonated from within the profound formation, each word carrying soul-shaking devilish might.

If it weren't a grave matter, how would a mere Burning Moon Divine Envoy dare activate this formation? The Burning Moon Divine Envoy's throat bobbed, and he struggled to speak. "Reporting, Your Majesty... the Dustless Barrier hidden in the Qianhuang Realm, was... was..."

The Burning Moon Divine Envoy's voice halted, unable to continue. He clearly felt an incredibly terrifying gaze, which in that instant, almost pierced his trembling soul.

After a moment of dreadful silence, the Burning Moon Divine Emperor's voice spoke again, just two words: "Who... was it?"

The Burning Moon Divine Envoy's gaze turned to the Qianhuang Sect Master. The Sect Master, wisdom born of fear, suddenly cried out, "I... I remember now! One of those two people... his name is... Yun Che!"

The Burning Moon Divine Envoy whipped his head around. "What did you say? Are you sure that's the name? I've never heard of such a person in the Soul Stealing Realm!"

"No, he shouldn't be from the Soul Stealing Realm," the Qianhuang Sect Master said hastily. "Just a few days ago, our sect's Great Guardian, Divine Void Daoist, went to the Skygang Yun Clan for a matter and was killed by someone named 'Yun Che'! According to the reports we received, the woman accompanying him had extremely rare golden hair."

"And those two people just now... that woman also had golden hair! I've never seen a woman with golden hair in the Qianhuang Realm in all these years. This cannot be a coincidence."

"..." A thousand li away, Yun Che shot Qianye Ying'er a sidelong glance. "Your hair is really a hindrance. Why don't you conceal it!"

Despite having lost her Brahma God power and harboring intense hatred for Qianye Fantian, Qianye Ying'er still refused to give up her hair color.

Qianye Ying'er said, "The profound arts of the Brahma Emperor God Realm can emit golden profound light and can also turn hair into a brilliant gold. But my hair color doesn't originate from the Brahma God divine power I once used; it comes from my mother."

Yun Che: "..."

"Therefore, this is what I can least discard." There was no coldness in Qianye Ying'er's words, only a simple steadfastness.

"No one is telling you to discard it," Yun Che commanded. "Conceal it! You should hate flaws the most, shouldn't you? Especially such an obvious one!"

Qianye Ying'er snorted coldly. A black light flashed in her eyes, and instantly, her golden hair, enveloped by swirling dark light, turned as black as night.

"Yun Che... is he from the Sinful Yun Clan?" the Burning Moon Divine Envoy asked gravely.

"No," the Qianhuang Sect Master replied. "In recent days, I've been preparing for an important matter and haven't personally visited the Sinful Yun Clan, but I have verified Yun Che's origin. He is not from the Sinful Yun Clan but hails from the Five Realms of the Netherworld Ruin, having only arrived in the Qianhuang Realm a month ago."

"It seems the Qianhuang Divine Sect has spies within the Skygang Yun Clan," Qianye Ying'er remarked.

"Isn't that obvious?" Yun Che said coldly.

The Qianhuang Sect Master's voice became eager and hurried. "Now that his identity is known, with the Burning Moon Royal Realm's immense power, he can't possibly escape. The Dustless Barrier will surely return to the Divine Emperor's hands immediately."

Within the profound formation, the Burning Moon Divine Emperor remained silent.

Just then, a woman's voice chimed in, "Are you certain that person's name is 'Yun Che'?"

The voice was faint and ethereal, yet eerily close. The Burning Moon Divine Envoy and the Qianhuang Sect Master's hairs stood on end simultaneously as they whipped around...

A woman stood quietly in the air, shimmering with colorful light, less than twenty zhang away from them.

Despite being so close, these two Divine Masters had been completely oblivious to her presence.