Chapter 1671: The Moon Robbery

The Divine Emperor's death signaled the collapse of their kingdom's very foundation and belief system.

Just moments ago, they had all been gathered in the main hall, discussing crucial matters.

In a mere two breaths, the main hall was annihilated, the Imperial City fractured, demon artifacts shattered, and the Divine Emperor was slain.

Within Burning Moon Imperial City, from the lowliest Burning Moon Guard to the highest-ranking Moon Eaters, even those with the strongest wills were utterly incapable of recovering from such a catastrophe.

Across the vast Burning Moon Realm, countless beings had been knocked prostrate by the recent display of divine might, staring blankly ahead, unable to rise for a long time.

All eyes slowly and with difficulty shifted to Yun Che. He remained motionless, eyes closed, his aura completely gone, as if he were dead.

"He... is he... dead?" Feng Zhu whispered.

With the Burning Moon Divine Emperor's death, his spatial ring disintegrated. Yet, though the true god's power had destroyed everything stored within, a single, perfectly intact black magatama slowly descended, landing on the ground with a crisp 'clink.'

It was the Burning Moon Demonic Jade—the source of the Moon Eaters' power within the Burning Moon Realm!

The jade's demonic light stung the eyes and souls of all who beheld it. The Moon Eaters' bodies convulsed violently, and they struggled to their feet in twisted postures, desperate to reach this most crucial artifact that determined the Burning Moon's legacy and fate.

Just then, Yun Che, whom they thought might be dead, slowly raised his arm.

The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword, which had pierced the Burning Moon Divine Emperor and reduced him to dust, suddenly flew up, drawing a deep, dark trail across everyone's vision before returning to Yun Che's hand.

This incredibly simple action nearly snapped the resolve of the Burning Moon cultivators who had just managed to stand. They all collapsed back to the ground, their pupils dilating to their widest extent in an instant, staring fixedly at the distant, blood-stained figure with the most profound terror they had ever known.

"Ah... ah..."

Trembling groans escaped from the depths of their throats, and those with slightly weaker cultivation stumbled backward in terror, almost crawling away.

Although Yun Che now displayed no discernible aura of power, and even his life force seemed incredibly faint, the brief two-breath display had been the true might of a god—the very power that had instantly extinguished their Divine Emperor.

As the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword flew back, the returning sword qi also swept another item along.

The Burning Moon Demonic Jade was slowly grasped by Yun Che, and with it, the fate of the entire Burning Moon Realm.

At the center of the Burning Moon Demonic Jade, a wisp of dark light slowly converged and shimmered. The demonic source power, previously inherited by the Burning Moon Divine Emperor Feng Daojun, had not been utterly annihilated with him; it was now slowly receding.

Yun Che's eyes opened, still a sanguine color. To the onlookers, whose eyes involuntarily flinched, they were unmistakably the demon eyes of an ancient devil god.

With a clench of his palm, the Burning Moon Demonic Jade disappeared into Yun Che's hand, causing all the Burning Moon cultivators' eyes to bulge in astonishment.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened sharply, and a heavy pressure slowly descended.

Everyone subconsciously looked up. As the pressure approached and the light progressively dimmed, a giant black shadow appeared above Burning Moon Imperial City.

It was a colossal profound ark, hundreds of miles long!

"Soul... Heaven... Ark..." Feng Daoqi whispered, then let out a long breath and slowly closed his eyes.

The Soul Heaven Ark... once the Pure Heaven Ark, now the flagship profound ark of the Soul Stealing Realm!

Under Yun Che's true god power, Burning Moon Imperial City's protective barriers, which had stood for hundreds of thousands of years, all shattered. The Soul Stealing Realm's flagship profound ark thus appeared unobstructed directly over the heart of the Burning Moon Realm—Burning Moon Imperial City.

On the Soul Heaven Ark, Chi Wuyao's figure slowly descended.

Her eyes shone with dark light, and the Devil Emperor's soul, originating from the ancient Nirvana Devil Emperor, silently released its pressure alongside her, enveloping the entire Burning Moon Imperial City...

...becoming the last straw that crushed countless collapsing souls.

And the two figures following behind her were none other than Jie Xin and Jie Ling, the two strongest Devil Matrons.

"Ah... ah... what... is this... exactly..."

Feng Zhu's eyes bulged almost to bursting... The Divine Emperor dead, the Imperial City ruined, the Soul Stealing Realm's flagship profound ark looming above—this sight surpassed any mere description of "despair."

Even a nightmare would be too cruel.

The ravaged Burning Moon Imperial City fell into a terrifying silence under the immense pressure; for a long time, not a single person could utter a sound.

"..." Yun Che slowly turned his gaze towards the suddenly appearing Chi Wuyao and the Grand Devil Matrons who had clearly not been with her earlier. He uttered a low, hoarse sound: "As expected... it's you..."

His eyes were still suffused with such intense blood-red that it was impossible to discern whether his words were an exclamation of praise, a taunt, or a warning.

"..." Chi Wuyao looked down, saying nothing.

At this moment, a black shadow with golden marks quickly flew down from the Soul Heaven Ark, came to Yun Che's side, and grasped his arm.

Sensing Qianye Ying'er's aura, Yun Che's eyes finally closed. An endless sense of exhaustion washed over him, and he allowed his body to slowly fall backward.

Blood droplets quickly stained Qianye Ying'er's robes. She grasped Yun Che and whispered, "Chi Wuyao, you'd better not... waste a single moment!"

Chi Wuyao replied, "Such a perfect opportunity would be wasted if it didn't yield equally perfect results, wouldn't it? It would betray your initial 'choice' and 'expectations.'"

Without another word, Qianye Ying'er lifted Yun Che, floated up, and returned to the Soul Heaven Ark.

On the massive Soul Heaven Ark, an astonishing number of powerful auras were present. Besides the two Grand Devil Matrons and Yu Wu Chan Yi, who had previously accompanied them, Ye Li and Yao Die were also on board—a total of six out of the nine Great Devil Matrons!

Most of the twenty-seven Soul Spirits and three thousand six hundred Soul Servants had also arrived.

"How is Young Master Yun?"

Seeing Yun Che, covered in blood, the Devil Matrons hurried to meet him.

"Don't concern yourselves with him," Qianye Ying'er said, casually placing Yun Che on the ground. "He's exceptionally resilient. At this level of injury, he'll recover completely within two days at most."

"Don't... bother... with... me," Yun Che murmured softly, his eyes closed, his voice weak.

Chan Yi said, "I will take care of things here. You go support the Master."

"No need, you go too," Qianye Ying'er said coldly.

Chan Yi was slightly startled, then nodded, "Okay."

Ye Li, Yao Die, Yu Wu, and Chan Yi departed, descending towards Burning Moon Imperial City, adding four more formidable presences to the Imperial City already teetering on the brink of collapse.

Over seventy percent of Yun Che's flesh, bones, and meridians were fractured and shattered... He had forcibly maintained the "Divine Embers" state for two breaths, a feat achieved at the cost of utterly annihilating the source power of a four-star god. Given this, his current state was already the best possible outcome.

Qianye Ying'er's beautiful eyes gazed down, silently observing his rather pathetic state. After a long silence, she finally spoke: "Is this the trump card you mentioned preparing for Long Bai?"

"..." Yun Che did not speak, unsure if he felt no need to answer or if he no longer had the strength to speak.

Qianye Ying'er's hands clenched slightly, her voice turning cold. "Didn't you consider... the consequences if you couldn't sustain it?!"

The power capable of slaying the Burning Moon Divine Emperor, annihilating all of Burning Moon's core barriers, and causing nearly thirty percent of the Northern Divine Region to tremble... this was undoubtedly a power that should not exist in the current world, quite possibly belonging to the realm of ancient True Gods.

Such power, even with a tiny bit of carelessness or miscalculation, would result in complete annihilation.

Yun Che's lips slowly parted and closed, producing a faint murmur: "There... will... be... more..."

Qianye Ying'er's brows furrowed sharply. She turned away, biting her lip slightly. "Yes, perhaps you can wield such power again, but... you only have one life, do you understand?!"

"There... will... be... more..."

Despite Qianye Ying'er's anger, he merely repeated his previous whisper: "In the future... there... will... be... more..."

"…?" Qianye Ying'er froze. Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, her normally cold eyes trembled violently.

Her lips parted and closed faintly amidst her trembling, yet no sound escaped. An indescribable, unfamiliar sensation, one she had never experienced in her life, welled up from her heart—a tingling warmth that rapidly spread through her entire body.

Her feet moved, and she quickly ran off, her steps noticeably faltering.

Rounding the corner, Qianye Ying'er leaned heavily against the wall. She raised a hand, pressing it firmly over her lips, but crystalline tears streamed silently between her fingers.

Only this time, she did not try to control them, nor did she want to.

Burning Moon Imperial City, every corner was filled with overwhelming oppression.

Chi Wuyao's gaze swept over those below, her dark eyes radiating soul power from an ancient Devil Emperor. Anyone touched by her gaze, even a Moon Eater, felt their soul tremble for a prolonged period.

"You have two choices."

Her voice addressed the eleven Moon Eaters, who represented the last core of the Burning Moon Realm. Subduing them meant conquering the entire realm.

"First," she stated, her words slow and clear, echoing into every corner of the Burning Moon Realm, "follow Yun Che, the successor of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, and myself, swearing eternal loyalty."

"Second," Chi Wuyao stated with an utterly cold smile, "die with dignity!"

"Hmph!" A cold scoff answered Chi Wuyao's words immediately. The first to respond was Feng Zhu, the Second Moon Eater. He struggled to his feet, using every ounce of his will to display the utmost arrogance on his face. "Moon Eaters... will only die in battle! We will never live in ignominy!"

"Very well." Chi Wuyao gave him a faint sidelong glance, then shifted her gaze to Feng Daoqi: "Burning Moon Imperial Advisor, what about you?"

Feng Daoqi also slowly stood up, looking up with focused eyes, and said, "I have two questions, please answer them truthfully, Devil Queen."

"Speak," Chi Wuyao did not refuse.

"My first question," Feng Daoqi said, taking a few shaky breaths to steady himself, "if we pledge allegiance to you... will we, like the Devil Matrons, be granted the blessing of Yun Che's Eternal Calamity of Darkness?"

"Of course," Chi Wuyao replied.

"Daoqi! You..." Feng Zhu sharply turned his gaze, angry and incredulous.

"Second question!" Feng Daoqi seemed to ignore Feng Zhu's gaze, saying, "Where does the Devil Queen's ambition truly lie?"

Chi Wuyao's alluring eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke slowly, "I have no desire to be forever confined within this dark, narrow cage for the rest of my life! Do... you?"

Bang!!

With a heavy thud, Feng Daoqi knelt deeply, bowing his head. "I, Feng Daoqi, Seventh Moon Eater of Burning Moon, pledge to follow the Devil Queen and Divine Emperor Yun to my death, unswervingly for this life!"