Chapter 1658: Eternal Dark Bone Sea

Eastern Divine Region, Moon God Realm.

A soft beam of moonlight, like frost and snow, shone into the room. A cold breeze danced lightly, causing the layered gauze curtains to ripple, revealing the faint, almost illusory silhouette of a woman. She stood before the window, her beautiful eyes closed. Her long hair and purple robes swayed with the wind, exuding a serene yet distant and noble aura that commanded reverence, deterring any thought of disrespect.

A young girl walked in softly, dressed in a pale yellow palace gown. Her exquisite beauty was such that she could incite chaos in any star realm. Her steps were light and respectful, and her head remained slightly bowed. The bright moonlight illuminated her delicate face and graceful figure, revealing a youthful complexion as endearing as a fresh lotus, and a beautiful silhouette that could captivate anyone with a single glance.

The girl stopped in the hall, curtsied gracefully, and spoke softly, "Mistress, Jin Yue has something to report."

The Moon God Emperor opened her beautiful eyes, the depths of her pupils holding a purple glow even more profound than usual. "What is it?"

"Reporting, Mistress, Lian Yue just sent a message. Thirty hours ago, the Eternal Heaven God Emperor, who had concealed his aura and disguised his departure from the Eternal Heaven God Realm, has now returned. However... he seems to have sustained a serious injury. Lian Yue specifically investigated a short segment of his trail before his return – over a mere hundred miles, he shed blood thirty-four times, and it appears to be... heart blood."

The girl's voice was as light and melodious as a nightingale's, yet it carried the same serene elegance as her appearance.

"...I understand," the Moon God Emperor said. "Such heavy bleeding means his aura must be extremely chaotic, and he left such obvious traces. It seems many people must have already noticed this."

"One more thing," Jin Yue said, raising a hand as white as snow, revealing a purple crystal jade in her palm. "This is what Mistress commanded some time ago."

The Moon God Emperor did not take it. Her divine sense swept over it lightly, and she said, "Very good. Give it to Yao Yue, and tell her to find an opportune moment to hand it to Luo Changsheng within one year."

"Remember, it must only fall into Luo Changsheng's hands. No one else should know about it, nor should he detect any trace of us."

"Especially... it must be within one year!"

"Yes, Jin Yue will attend to it now." Jin Yue bowed respectfully and rose gracefully.

"Jin Yue," the Moon God Emperor suddenly called out to her.

Jin Yue quickly turned back. "What are your commands, Mistress?"

"A while ago, I instructed you to destroy something... are you certain it has been destroyed?" The Moon God Emperor spoke placidly, her tone devoid of emotion.

Jin Yue paused slightly, then lowered her gaze and replied, "As Mistress commanded, Jin Yue would not dare to delay; it was destroyed long ago."

"That's good then." The Moon God Emperor slowly closed her eyes, concealing the profound purple glow that resembled a vast ocean. "You may withdraw."

Jin Yue turned and slowly departed... Faintly, she sensed that the Moon God Emperor seemed somewhat weary.

Returning to her own chambers, Jin Yue approached her bed, activated a barrier, and then carefully retrieved a small bronze mirror from her spatial ring. It had a rather dull metallic sheen and no unusual metallic aura. It was an utterly ordinary bronze mirror, a type of ornament common only in the lower mortal realms.

She held the bronze mirror in her palm, a faint moonlight appearing. With her power, even a slight shift in aura could reduce it to dust. However, in the girl's slightly trembling clear eyes, the moonlight in her hand slowly dissipated.

"If Mistress truly wanted to destroy it, she would have done it herself, not entrusted it to another."

"What if Mistress regrets it in the future..."

Her hand opened, and the moonlight reappeared, this time forming a small, gentle protective barrier. Very carefully, she placed the bronze mirror back into her spatial ring. Jin Yue, Yao Yue, and Lian Yue were Xia Qingyue's three most personal handmaidens. Lian Yue, who managed the intelligence network, and Yao Yue, who served as a Moon God, were often away on missions. Jin Yue, having spent the most time with her, knew very well that this bronze mirror had once been an item Xia Qingyue never parted with.

Eastern Divine Region, Eternal Heaven God Realm.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

The Eternal Heaven God Emperor clutched his chest, blood foam continually spilling from his mouth, yet it brought no relief to the intense pain in his heart.

Years ago, his beloved wife, with a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes, used her last shred of energy to gently... tremblingly place Zhou Qingchen into his arms before departing forever. As a God Emperor, he had wept inconsolably, heartbroken to his core, believing that no sorrow in this life could ever surpass that.

But the pain in his heart now far surpassed that of years past. He had watched helplessly as Zhou Qingchen tragically died before him, not even a trace of his body remaining... He was the one who had personally brought him to the Northern Divine Region... His own palm strike from that year had directly brought this retribution upon Zhou Qingchen. It was as if thousands of poisoned blades incessantly and cruelly tore at his heart and soul; such agony was beyond words. Self-reproach, bitter regret, hatred... all tormented him like countless devils.

"My Lord..." Tai Yu knelt beside him, his aged eyes also filled with tears.

While Zhou Xuzi was usually quite stern with Zhou Qingchen, the Guardians all knew that he truly cherished Zhou Qingchen as his own life.

Zhou Xuzi shook his head, and after a long while, finally managed to speak with difficulty, "I'm fine... I'm fine... *cough*!"

Another mouthful of thick blood spurted out, landing on the ground, a striking crimson, like a heart torn alive from a body.

Tai Yu sighed inwardly, his gaze hardening. He suddenly said, "My Lord, should we..."

"No, no..." Zhou Xuzi's voice was weak, yet he slowly waved his hand. "We cannot act impulsively, never again... I have already caused Qingchen's death; how can I allow my Eternal Heaven to suffer further losses because of this?"

"Moreover... Qingchen is gone. How can I let it be known that he was implicated as a devil person... Let him depart with a clear name."

"I understand," Revered Tai Yu said, closing his eyes in pain. "But if my Lord's inner turmoil is not released, I fear... ah."

"Qingchen will not have died in vain."

Zhou Xuzi's eyes were dull, but his weak voice carried a darkness and despondency he had never displayed in his entire life. "The prophecy was not wrong. Yun Che... truly is the devil destined to bring disaster upon the world."

"I still have ten thousand years of lifespan. For the rest of my life... I have but one resolve."

"To personally avenge Qingchen, I will personally... purge the world of devils!"

This was the most resolute vow he had ever made in his life. If he had harbored a trace of guilt towards Yun Che before, now, only bone-deep hatred remained.

A few days later, news spread throughout the Eastern Divine Region that Eternal Heaven Crown Prince Zhou Qingchen had tragically died due to a backlash of profound energy during his seclusion. The Eternal Heaven God Realm was shrouded in white mourning, and all realms were stunned, with countless speculations.

Northern Divine Region, Soul Stealing Realm.

As the Nine Devil Girls, twenty-seven Soul Spirits, and three thousand six hundred Soul Attendants completed their dark attunement under Yun Che, the core power of the Soul Stealing Realm had undergone earth-shattering changes. What was terrifying was that this change was silent. Unless they engaged in full combat, others would be unable to sense it merely from their aura. As time passed, the results of this transformation would become increasingly significant, gradually elevating them far above other devil people of similar aptitude and cultivation level.

However, merely with this, annexing the Burning Moon Realm or the Yama Devil Realm was still utterly impossible in the short term. In the long term... it would also take at least a thousand years. A millennium was not long for a God Realm. To grow to a point where they could crush other King Realms within a millennium was already a miraculous speed. But Yun Che simply could not wait that long. The "three years" he had set was not a plan, but his absolute bottom line!

Even after Zhou Xuzi's brief outburst following the brutal death of Zhou Qingchen, Yun Che found no temporary relief, but rather a persistent agitation. For ten days after returning to the Soul Stealing Realm, Yun Che had remained in quiet meditation. His hatred was too vast, too deep; Zhou Xuzi was merely one of its targets.

The barrier at the hall entrance warped momentarily, and Chi Wuyao's figure, wreathed in black mist, entered. Glancing at Yun Che's current state, Chi Wuyao said with a faint smile, "It seems you've recovered well. This Queen has been quite worried these past few days."

Her voice, both seductive and charming, yet tinged with a hint of girlish tenderness, caused no small disturbance in Qianye Ying'er's heart. She quickly rose and stood beside Yun Che, asking coldly, "Why are you here?"

"You'll have to ask the man beside you," Chi Wuyao said, her eyebrows arching. "He summoned this Queen."

"..." Qianye Ying'er was instantly speechless.

"What kind of place is the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea?" Yun Che asked, raising his gaze. This was a name Qianye Ying'er had mentioned to him before they entered the Soul Stealing Realm, and he had kept it firmly in mind.

"Oh?" Chi Wuyao's beautiful eyes subtly flickered towards Qianye Ying'er, then she continued, "The Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea is located at the very center of the Northern Divine Region, beneath the Yama Devil Realm. Why do you ask about this place?"

"It is said to be the source vein of darkness in the Northern Divine Region?" Yun Che asked... However, when Qianye Ying'er had first told him this rumor, he had immediately rejected it.

"Source vein?" As expected, Chi Wuyao narrowed her eyes and said, "Others might believe such talk. But to your ears, you who bear the power of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, shouldn't that be a joke?"

"The Northern Divine Region is diminishing every year, every breath. If such a thing as a source vein truly existed, it would have long since become a dead vein."

Chi Wuyao continued, "However, while it cannot be called a source vein, it is indeed the place with the densest dark energy in the Northern Divine Region, and it is also the most crucial reason for the Yama Devil Realm's prosperity to this day."

"Where does its dark energy come from?" Yun Che pressed.

Chi Wuyao replied, "According to ancient records, during the endless war between the Gods and Devils, a great number of Devil Gods perished every year. High-ranking Devils would have their own burial grounds... but by today, these Devil God ruins have mostly been plundered."

The same was true for the God Race. Most of the divine power inheritances obtained by the various God Realms were "plundered" in this manner, aside from a small portion of inherited will. Even now, countless individuals in the God Realms tirelessly search for undiscovered "fortuitous encounters."

"As for the low-ranking devils, who were also the most numerous, their devil corpses were all cast into a single location."

"The ferocity of the War of Gods and Devils far exceeded expectations, and more and more devils died. Eventually, the burial ground for devil corpses became a massive sea of bodies. With the passage of time, these devil corpses ultimately transformed into countless devil bones."

"This is what is known today as the 'Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea'."

"Consequently, it perpetually accumulates an incredibly dense concentration of yin energy, death energy, and resentment. The intensity of the dark energy there is unmatched anywhere else in the Northern Divine Region."

As she spoke, Chi Wuyao observed a faint, peculiar dark glint in Yun Che's eyes.