Chapter 1654: Dark Claw

Yun Che, whose soul had been hijacked, naturally showed no reaction.

Zhou Xuzi's eyebrows twitched violently. He had long heard that the Northern Region Devil Queen was as alluring as a succubus reborn, with an innate charm that could ensnare any man, and unparalleled skill in manipulating them. Yet, the scene before him still caught him off guard.

If even a junior whose soul she had captivated acted so brazenly in public, one could only imagine the extent of the Devil Queen's wantonness in her daily life.

Yet, this simple scene of skin-to-skin contact caused the Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor, who had endured tens of thousands of years of trials, to suddenly feel a parching dryness in his throat. A fervent heat, long extinguished and thought to be gone forever, welled up within him, then surged instantly, spreading an unnatural flush across his skin.

His heart was violently shaken... but at the same time, a distinct desire arose to simply succumb to it, abandon everything, and fall forever into ecstasy.

Zhou Xuzi bit his tongue hard, circulating his profound energy throughout his body to quickly suppress the terrifying turmoil. His face, however, remained expressionless. His voice was low and commanding: "Devil Queen, mere seductive tricks cannot disturb this old man's mind. There's no need to waste your effort."

"The longer this drags on, the greater the uncontrollable risks. You've come a long way; surely you don't want your trip to be in vain!"

Chi Wuyao, however, was unconcerned, her gaze no longer on the Barbaric Divine Marrow in Zhou Xuzi's hand. "Oh? Are you in a hurry? It's fine; I have plenty of time. Even if it doesn't work out, a wasted trip is just a joyride. I won't lose anything."

She slowly turned her gaze to Yun Che, whose eyes were vacant, and her voice softened, "Isn't that right, my good Che'er?"

The Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor frowned deeply but remained silent.

When the Barbaric Divine Marrow was first revealed, he had clearly sensed Chi Wuyao's fleeting surge of greed.

In both verbal sparring and soul power suppression, he had been utterly defeated.

After ten thousand years of vicissitudes, he had aged, but the Devil Queen had become even more formidable.

However, even though he was at a disadvantage and inwardly burning with anxiety, he absolutely could not concede this step.

He was certain that Chi Wuyao's anxiety was no less than his own. If time stretched on and her whereabouts were discovered by people from the other two King Realms, she could forget about keeping the Barbaric Divine Marrow for herself.

Zhou Xuzi remained silent, and Chi Wuyao didn't even glance at him, her aura shifting away from him entirely. Beneath the hazy black mist, her body seemed to press tightly against Yun Che, whose soul had been hijacked.

Among the three Divine Regions, there were several female Divine Emperors. His own Heaven Smiting Divine Realm's Grand Ancestor was also a woman. Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, he would find it truly difficult to believe that a woman holding such an imperial position would engage in such an unseemly act in front of others.

"Che'er," she called out, her voice soft and sweet, causing half of Zhou Xuzi's body to instantly go numb. "Answer your Queen: who was your first woman?"

Yun Che's lips parted: "Ling...er..."

"Oh," Chi Wuyao said with a look of realization, her smile growing more alluring. "Then, in your heart, which woman is the most beautiful?"

"Shen... Xi..." The same expression, the same mechanical, vacant answer.

Under the soul hijack, Yun Che's answers bypassed his will, coming directly from his soul.

"Oh my," Chi Wuyao exclaimed with exaggerated lightness, giggling. "Not content with the 'Divine Maiden,' you're even coveting the 'Dragon Queen.' How truly greedy you are."

The Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor's breathing hitched, and his vision momentarily blurred.

All the occasions he had experienced in his life were either grand, solemn, or grave. In his presence, no one would dare to commit any presumptuous or indecent acts.

But this Northern Region Devil Queen... her behavior was more than just frivolous and wanton. In a situation that should have been fraught with tension, she was actually softly flirting with someone whose soul had been hijacked!

It was an affront to the mind and eyes!

It was nothing short of blatant humiliation!

"I heard your master is named Mu Xuanyin," Chi Wuyao said, seemingly having completely forgotten Zhou Xuzi's presence, continuing her soft, doting inquiries. "Do you have any feelings for her...?"

"Enough!" Zhou Xuzi could bear it no longer and roared, extending the arm holding the Barbaric Divine Marrow. "Devil Queen, hand Yun Che over to this old man. Before you give the order, I will give you the Barbaric Divine Marrow. This is my final concession!"

"Concession?" Chi Wuyao finally turned her gaze. "Such a grand concession! If your Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor were to pull a muscle from it, this Queen couldn't bear the blame."

Zhou Xuzi patiently explained, "Even if Yun Che is in my hands first, without your order, he won't remove the darkness from my son. But you, on the other hand, can directly obtain the Barbaric Divine Marrow, thus holding the absolute advantage."

"Indeed, I am not as skilled as you in verbal disputes. We are both here to get what we want. Since I have conceded this much, Devil Queen, you had best know when to stop!"

"Absolute advantage?" Chi Wuyao gave a faint laugh. "Who in this world doesn't know that you are the one who most wants to kill Yun Che? If I hand Yun Che over to you first, and you instantly kill him with a palm strike, wouldn't I be left with nothing?"

"I even suspect that your so-called desire to save your son is merely a facade. Your true objective is to use this opportunity to kill Yun Che."

A imperceptible dark glint flashed in the depths of Zhou Xuzi's eyes as his brows furrowed deeply. He said, "This is your Northern Region's territory. Besides you, Devil Queen, there are your two strongest devil women with you, while this old man is alone."

"If all of you attacked together, it wouldn't be difficult to forcibly kill my son from my grasp."

"With such a threat, how could this old man dare to harbor any other thoughts!"

"Oh my," Chi Wuyao purred, "Your son isn't just handsome; he's now one of my Devil Race. I quite favor him, so how could I bear to kill him?"

As soon as her words fell, the already dim sky grew even darker.

Chi Wuyao and Zhou Xuzi looked up simultaneously.

This was the outermost border of the Northern Divine Region, its southernmost point, where a faint, grey moon could be vaguely seen.

The moon was at its zenith, and the day was about to end.

Chi Wuyao's aura shifted slightly. When she spoke again, her voice had lost its previous lazy allure and became cold and daunting: "Enough. Since it's already this late, I have no desire to waste any more time."

She suddenly pushed with her palm, and Yun Che, like a wooden stake, flew towards Zhou Xuzi.

Zhou Xuzi casually extended his hand, and Yun Che lightly floated to a stop in front of him.

So close, yet his eyes were devoid of light... Looking at him this intimately, Zhou Xuzi recalled Yun Che's proud persistence at the Profound God Convention, his respectful demeanor in his presence, his kind favor of proactively removing the devilish poison for him, and the gaze that seemed to condense a thousand stars when he faced the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor alone...

Everything felt like yesterday, yet everything had changed irrevocably.

With a sigh, even though Yun Che's eyes were lifeless, Zhou Xuzi instinctively looked away. He gripped Yun Che's arm with one hand and gently pushed out with the other.

A purple light streaked forth. The Heaven Smiting Divine Realm's most precious treasure, painstakingly hidden for over a hundred thousand years, likely the last Barbaric Divine Marrow in the Primal Chaos, flew towards the Northern Region Devil Queen.

Chi Wuyao reached out and caught it. After a brief glance, she put it away, a smile playing on her lips. "Very good, you've finally kept your word for once."

Though he had long decided, watching the precious treasure left by his ancestors... being handed over to a Northern Region devil by his own hands, his heart still felt as though it were being pierced by a thousand thorns.

But he would not regret it.

"Devil Queen, give the order," Zhou Xuzi said, his gaze fixed, his voice heavy yet calm... though inwardly, he was in a state of extreme tension.

Before today, he had only had one previous encounter with Chi Wuyao, but it had left him with a shadow that lasted ten thousand years.

In his perception, Chi Wuyao was absolutely the most terrifying and cunning woman in the current age. Every moment he faced her, all his nerves were taut.

And any trade proposed by Chi Wuyao, no matter how fair it sounded, he would never agree to it; he had to be the one to modify or decide it.

Even now, with Yun Che in his hands, having given up the Barbaric Divine Marrow, he still worried and remained vigilant against any possible accidents... especially fearing that Chi Wuyao would simply take the Barbaric Divine Marrow and flee.

After all, she had surely extracted all of Yun Che's secrets. If the Heretic God's divine power and the Sky Poison Pearl could have been seized, she would have done so long ago... It was indeed possible that Chi Wuyao would simply discard Yun Che now that he was useless.

He had no choice but to retreat this far under Chi Wuyao's layers of heavy pressure and coercion.

"Yun Che," Chi Wuyao said flatly, as Zhou Xuzi's greatest fear did not materialize. "I command you to immediately remove the darkness power you planted in Zhou Qingchen."

Zhou Xuzi's heart instantly relaxed.

In front of him, Yun Che, having received the order, mechanically stepped forward, stood directly before Zhou Qingchen, and then slowly raised his hand, extending it towards Zhou Qingchen.

No signs of life force or soul energy could be felt from him.

Both his power and his soul were completely suppressed and hijacked by Chi Wuyao. Zhou Xuzi had repeatedly confirmed this from the beginning, and there were absolutely no anomalies.

Yet, even so, even at this moment, his energy remained connected to Zhou Qingchen and the protective barrier around him, never retracting for a single instant.

Chi Wuyao's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly for an instant...

Back then, outside the ruined Azure Cloud Continent, Mu Xuanyin, in order to protect Yun Che while facing a group of Divine Emperors alone, still directed most of her power to shield Yun Che.

Similarly, Zhou Xuzi now, in this dangerous, dark place, facing the Devil Queen and the two hidden devil women, had also poured most of his power into Zhou Qingchen's body. If anything went wrong, he would sacrifice his own life to ensure Zhou Qingchen's escape.

Heh... Chi Wuyao chuckled softly, but her smile was somewhat desolate.

Yun Che's palm was blocked by the barrier, unable to touch Zhou Qingchen.

Zhou Xuzi shifted his position and slightly altered his hand gesture. Instantly, the barrier's power flowed like water, covering Yun Che's arm. As half of Yun Che's arm entered the barrier, the barrier also clung tightly to his body and power.

This way, Zhou Xuzi would instantly detect even the slightest unusual movement or energy fluctuation from Yun Che.

"Oh my, the Heaven Smiting Divine Emperor is truly cautious. Yun Che is the most obedient child by my side; he won't devour your son," Chi Wuyao said with a charming laugh.

Zhou Xuzi kept his gaze on Yun Che's palm and said in a low voice, "Devil Queen, please release his power now."

Chi Wuyao lightly tapped her finger, and instantly, the black mist shrouding Yun Che rapidly dispersed, revealing his own power aura.

When freed from external suppression, both power and soul require a considerable amount of time to recover and awaken.

Especially the soul, which would be like suddenly waking from a nightmare, needing a long time to truly regain clarity even after being completely released from capture.

But... just as the black mist around Yun Che had not yet fully dispersed, his originally dull and lifeless eyes suddenly flickered with a strange, blood-red glow.

This entirely anomalous phenomenon was instantly noticed by Zhou Xuzi, whose nerves were constantly strained. But before he could react, a pair of dark dragon eyes abruptly appeared before him, and a dragon's roar, as if from the most distant heavens and the most despairing abyss, exploded within his mind.

Zhou Xuzi's eyes instantly burst with countless blood vessels, and the world before him shattered, dissolving into a chaotic expanse of black and white.

At that very instant, Chi Wuyao's arm also shot out, a dark long-sleeve like a black star in the night, piercing through the energetic connection between Zhou Xuzi and Zhou Qingchen.

Bang!!

The barrier shattered.

Zhou Xuzi's body reeled violently but he steadfastly remained upright. Tens of thousands of years of profound cultivation and an immense will allowed his scattered gaze to regain focus with incredible speed.

His head throbbed excruciatingly, and his mind felt like a thousand waves were crashing within it... but all of this was less than a fraction of the profound terror that suddenly seized his entire being.

For in his swaying vision, he saw a pair of scarlet eyes. For a dazed moment, he thought he was looking at a true fiend.

And Zhou Qingchen... his neck was firmly gripped by the fiend's five fingers.