Chapter 1624: Wild Growth

Northern Divine Region, border.

Though not much time had passed since his first arrival, Yun Che’s power had undergone earth-shattering changes upon his return to the Northern Divine Region. Another significant difference was the presence of Qianye Ying'er by his side.

Having lost everything, with no attachments left save for the desire for revenge, his obsession with power had grown to an almost pathological degree. His unique innate abilities were continuously unearthed by him, often unintentionally. The astonishing progress of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness was enough to astound even the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor. The previously incomprehensible Nullification Law also continued to reveal increasingly terrifying power. Coupled with Qianye Ying'er, an invaluable cultivation 'caldron,' his strength had surged dramatically in less than three years. This leap in power was enough to shatter the understanding of all powerful individuals and beings throughout the Divine Realm's history—even defying the established profound way laws. Qianye Ying'er witnessed it all. She truly wished to see the reaction of the Brahma Heaven God Emperor when he learned that Honored Master Tai Yin had been killed by Yun Che.

His current progress clearly brought Yun Che no satisfaction. On the contrary… in the coming period, by leveraging their experiences in the Primordial Divine Realm, both his and Qianye Ying'er's strengths were poised for another massive leap forward.

“I used the Desolate God Marrow and Primordial Divine Fruit to forge two Desolate World Pills.”

A silver-red light shimmered in Yun Che's hand. Qianye Ying'er's gaze momentarily fixed on Yun Che's palm, yet she couldn't discern the shape of the Desolate World Pill. Even with her vision, she couldn't penetrate the light, which, though not blinding, was profound to the extreme.

“Though it's only half a pill, its medicinal power far surpasses the one obtained by the Brahma Heaven Ancestor back then,” Yun Che said slowly. “With the Devil Emperor's blood as your foundation, half a year should be enough for you to fully refine it.”

Qianye Ying'er reached out and unceremoniously took the Desolate World Pill between her fingers. Feeling the divine aura instantly flood her entire body, her lips curved slightly. “Back then, the Brahma Heaven Grand Ancestor had not yet fully recognized the Brahma Heaven Pearl as his master, nor had he received the complete inheritance of Brahma Heaven Divine Power. Yet, with a single Desolate World Pill, he advanced from Divine Master Realm Level Five to Divine Master Realm Level Seven in just one year.”

“Advancing two minor levels in the Divine Master Realm within a single year was unprecedented, not only in his time but in all subsequent eras. The entire realm was shaken by this, and the Desolate World Pill was thereafter hailed as a ‘miracle’ of the profound way.”

“I wonder what kind of miracle it will bring forth in me… Hmph, it’s quite exciting.”

Qianye Ying'er slowly closed her hand into a fist. When she was still the Brahma Monarch Goddess, her pursuit was to break through the limits of the profound way. For greater power, she would spare no effort, even for the slightest possibility.

Even then, she had never truly dared to hope for a Desolate World Pill. The Primordial Divine Fruit was simply too rare. The Brahma Heaven God Realm, possessing the Brahma Heaven Pearl which could detect its aura, along with extremely strong spatial divine power, still had only a slight chance of obtaining one. For other powerful King Realms, acquiring even one was as difficult as ascending to heaven. As for the Desolate God Marrow… legends from ancient times already spoke of its extinction within the Primal Chaos. Now, with a Desolate World Pill in her hand, Qianye Ying'er felt no great excitement. Perhaps it was because the Desolate World Pill had come too easily, or perhaps her mindset, aspirations, and even her destiny were entirely different from how they once were.

“Are you planning to refine the other half yourself when you reach the mid-stage Divine Master Realm in the future?” Qianye Ying'er asked, seemingly casually.

“No,” Yun Che replied indifferently. “Reaching the Divine Master Realm will be enough for me.”

As the highest-grade pill to have ever appeared in the history of the Divine Realm, its medicinal power was nothing short of miraculous. Yet, only cultivators at the mid-stage Divine Master Realm or higher could swallow and refine it. But Yun Che was clearly an exception. He was confident that when he stepped into the Divine Master Realm in the future, he could directly refine the other Desolate World Pill in his hand.

This was the world within the Primordial Profound Ark. The world inside the Primordial Profound Ark was vast and boundless, but its energy level was very low, only slightly superior to the Blue Pole Star, making it an extremely unsuitable place for cultivation. However, upon returning to the Northern Divine Region, this was undoubtedly the safest location. Furthermore, for the next period, Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er would not be cultivating. Qianye Ying'er would refine the Desolate World Pill, while Yun Che, using the Nullification Law, would fully absorb and merge with the profound beast pellets Cai Zhi had given him… each one more terrifying than the last.

During its peak, the Star God Realm, including its Star Gods and elders, had a total of fifty-one Divine Masters. Among the profound beast pellets Cai Zhi had thrown to him, thirty emitted a Divine Master aura, meaning she had hunted more than thirty Primordial Vicious Beasts of the Divine Master Realm during her time in the Primordial Divine Realm. This number exceeded half of the total Divine Masters in the Star God Realm during its peak. Yun Che found it truly difficult to imagine how she had accomplished this… even more so, he couldn't conceive of the cultivation hell she must have endured in the Primordial Divine Realm with her petite, graceful, and ethereal body.

Within the Primordial Profound Ark, Qianye Ying'er had already swallowed the Desolate World Pill. Amidst the star-like glow covering hundreds of miles and the dispersed spiritual energy, she began to diligently refine it. Yun Che also released his first Divine Master profound pellet. His cultivation advancement was far more challenging than that of profound practitioners at the same level. However, with the Nullification Law, these profound beast pellets were certainly enough to bring about a significant increase in his profound strength. Three minor realms… Divine Sovereign Realm Level Seven, that would certainly be enough! If he could reach Level Seven Divine Sovereign, combined with the power Qianye Ying'er would gain from refining the Desolate World Pill, it would surely be enough to establish a firm foothold at the apex of the Northern Divine Region. And also… take the true first step!

What exactly was the Nullification Law? In the world of his consciousness, the primordial power within the profound beast pellets was gradually transformed into "nothingness," and this "nothingness" then slowly generated his own power within his profound veins. It couldn't be explained by common profound way knowledge, nor did it conform to any conventional logic.

All things returned to nothingness, yet also originated from nothingness. Did nothingness truly exist? If it didn't exist, how could it give birth to all things? If it did exist, why was it called "nothingness"? Everything in the world could return to nothingness. So, besides visible matter, what about space? Time? And even will and destiny…

Destiny? Why did I think of destiny? In the world of his thoughts, he felt no passage of time. At some unknown moment, his consciousness suddenly blurred, sinking into an illusory dream.

Blue Pole Star, Azure Cloud Nation, Flowing Cloud City, Xiao Clan.

“Grandfather, how exactly did father die? Grandfather once said you'd tell me when I turned ten.”

Beside Xiao Lie's knee sat the recently turned ten-year-old Xiao Che. Right next to him was nine-year-old Xiao Lingxi, playing with a freshly picked lotus leaf. Hearing Xiao Che’s words, her starlit eyes turned and fixed on Xiao Lie, awaiting his reply.

“Heh heh,” Xiao Lie shook his head with a touch of helplessness. Though he chuckled gently, his gaze, fixed on the distance, held a deep sorrow he wished the two children wouldn't perceive. “Though I've never told you directly, over the years, you must have heard some rumors, more or less. After all, Che’er’s father, Lingxi’s elder brother, my son… he was once the most dazzling star of our Flowing Cloud City.”

“I know,” Xiao Che nodded. “Yuanba also told me that father was the most extraordinary person in Flowing Cloud City… Uncle Xia told him that. Was he really killed by bad people?”

“I heard it was to save the City Lord’s daughter, which is why…” Xiao Lingxi said softly.

“Mm,” Xiao Lie nodded slightly. “Back then, not long after Che’er was born, City Lord Situ’s daughter came into the world. However, because the City Lord’s wife was ill, the child was born with a barely-there breath, on the verge of death.”

“To save her life, one needed at least the cultivation of the Spirit Profound Realm for a glimmer of hope. Those who had achieved the Spirit Profound Realm in Flowing Cloud City were few and far between, and all of them were of extraordinary status. To offer assistance would inevitably harm their own foundation, so even though the City Lord pleaded, they remained indifferent.”

“Only Ying’er, risking severe damage to himself and nearly exhausting all his profound energy, restored the poor child’s vitality, and thus she survived.”

At this point, Xiao Lie glanced at Xiao Che and smiled. “Che’er, your marriage to the City Lord’s daughter was also decided then. City Lord Situ, grateful for Ying’er's kindness in saving his daughter, immediately swore brotherhood with Ying’er and, in front of everyone, announced that his daughter would only marry Xiao Ying’s son in the future, as a lifelong repayment of this heavenly grace.”

“Hmph,” Xiao Lingxi twitched her nose and said softly, “I don’t like that Situ Xuan at all. She ignores everyone… and she always ignores little Che too.”

“I don’t like her either,” Xiao Che echoed. “And I feel like she really dislikes me.”

Xiao Lie smiled, neither confirming nor denying, and continued, “Because of that rescue, Ying’er’s profound energy was greatly depleted, and his vitality severely damaged. But during this time, he suddenly encountered a villain… and fell victim to their foul play.”

“A villain? Which villain exactly killed father?” Xiao Che asked.

“I don’t know,” Xiao Lie shook his head, then looked into the distance, his gaze gradually hardening, his voice growing husky. “We will find them, we will definitely find them.”

Though Xiao Che and Xiao Lingxi were young, they still discerned the heavy pain in his words. For a moment, they both remained quiet, behaving well.

Yun Che abruptly opened his eyes. Not far ahead, Qianye Ying'er was still bathed in the silver-red light, the spiritual energy around her body sometimes as quiet as mist, at other times as violent as a hurricane. Yun Che frowned slightly… it was that dream again. Counting it, this was already the third time.

Each of these three dreams had abruptly pulled him in at an inopportune moment. The dream world was always Flowing Cloud City, and it was always during his youth, yet subtly different from his past. He clearly remembered that in the previous such dream, when he was sixteen, the person he was to marry was named Situ Xuan, not Xia Qingyue. What was strange was that this time, the name “Situ Xuan” appeared again. The person Xiao Ying had risked everything to save back then was also not Xia Qingyue, but Situ Xuan, the daughter of the Flowing Cloud City Lord… which quite perfectly connected the causality of his various dreams. Although he wondered why he occasionally had such strange dreams in recent years, dreams were ultimately illusory bubbles. He paid no heed, closed his eyes, and soon re-entered the state of Nullification.

“Sigh…”

In the world of “Nothingness,” a very faint sigh, inaudible to anyone, echoed.

“He has touched ‘nothingness,’ and finally begun to gradually touch the ‘truth’ beneath ‘nothingness.’”

“Fortunately, he is not ‘she,’ after all. Although he is the only one who can touch nothingness besides ‘her,’ he can only touch its periphery, never its core. He is destined only to see intermittent ‘dreams,’ and never the complete ‘truth.’”

“Destiny is the one thing in this world that cannot be interfered with.”

“I interfered with her destiny; that was the most regrettable decision of my life. Now, even if I wished to interfere with your destiny, I can no longer do so.”

“Your destiny will solely remain in your own hands. Whatever you face in the future, you must live well, so as not to betray her sacrifice, and her… wish.”

The voice of Nothingness faded, unheard by a single soul, as if it had never appeared or existed.

In the world of the Primordial Profound Ark, neither Yun Che nor Qianye Ying'er were in a state of active cultivation, yet the auras of both were continuously and astonishingly surging.