Chapter 1672: Demonic Sound Soul Calamity

“Fen Daoqi! You... you backstabbing dog!”

The moment Fen Daoqi knelt heavily before Chi Wuyao, the souls of countless Burning Moon strong practitioners shattered amidst their trembling.

With the Divine Emperor dead, the barrier crumbled, and the core of the inheritance fell into others' hands. The Devil Queen and the Great Deviless had descended upon the royal city. They had expected cowards to surrender to the Devil Queen, but no one had imagined that the Imperial Tutor, whom the Burning Moon Divine Emperor respected and relied upon most, would be the first!

He offered no resistance whatsoever. With just a few words, he knelt and swore eternal fealty, vowing to follow until death!

“Fen Daoqi... are you worthy of our King?!”

“You, who were deeply indebted to Burning Moon, betrayed your master and abandoned your principles when Burning Moon faced calamity... After death, will you have the face to meet the Divine Emperor, or our ancestors?!”

The Moon Eaters and Burning Moon Divine Envoys stood up one after another. Beyond their rage, they were also filled with confusion. In their understanding, Fen Daoqi had dedicated his life to assisting the Divine Emperor; he and his clan were unwaveringly loyal. Many times, to help Fen Daojun ascend to the throne, he had spared no expense, risked his life, and would have willingly died a thousand deaths for Fen Daojun.

Otherwise, he would not have been so highly regarded by Fen Daojun... So why did he switch sides so quickly today?

Fen Daoqi turned back, facing a multitude of enraged gazes. However, his face showed no guilt; instead, there was an even more incomprehensible resolve. “The Divine Emperor is dead, and the Devil Jade has fallen into the hands of Divine Emperor Yun. You all witnessed this yourselves. From today onward, Burning Moon exists in name only! Even if I die in battle, I would only gain a small shred of dignity for myself, unable to reverse Burning Moon's certain doom.”

“On the contrary, a catastrophic battle involving Divine Masters would drag countless innocent Burning Moon profound practitioners, and even the descendants of our predecessors, to their graves as collateral!”

He clenched his hands, his voice growing heavier. “I, Fen Daoqi, am incompetent; I failed to protect Burning Moon, and even dying a thousand deaths would not atone for my failure to our ancestors. But compared to dying in battle, this life of mine still has a greater purpose...”

“Hmph!!” Fen Zhuo roared in fury, his entire body erupting with devilish light. However, the lingering might of the True God's power had not yet dissipated from his soul, causing the devilish light emanating from him to be rather chaotic and distorted. “My Burning Moon has no spineless dog like you! I'll kill you first!”

With a great roar, he lunged straight for Fen Daoqi... Behind him, the other Moon Eaters also surged with profound energy, vowing to fight to the death.

No one is unafraid of death, but compared to the mark of 'betrayal'—a disgrace that, once branded, would follow them for life, even for a thousand generations—they would rather die!

Moreover, they still had eleven Moon Eaters and a multitude of Divine Envoys! Even if they all died here, they would surely inflict heavy damage upon the Soul Stealing Realm!

Failing that, they could still escape!

As Fen Zhuo's figure lunged forward, a black silk ribbon suddenly swept down. Fen Zhuo, whose aura was already extremely chaotic, saw black, and the devilish light that had just surged from his body instantly dissipated by more than half. He crashed heavily to the ground, but his eyes still gleamed with bloodthirsty ferocity.

Chi Wuyao drew her fingers together, and the black ribbon retracted. Her alluring eyes half-closed as she looked down. The condemning voice that had previously weighed heavily on their souls now transformed into soft mockery as she spoke: “How truly laughable. Although this Queen has never held Burning Moon in high regard, I also never imagined that even the Moon Eaters could be so utterly useless. The only one with a shred of backbone is being called a 'spineless dog' by a bunch of pathetic fools. It's utterly ridiculous.”

“Devil Queen!!” Fen Zhuo gnashed his teeth, devilish light reappearing on his body. “Don't even dream of corrupting our minds with your enchanting words! We Moon Eaters... can die, but we cannot be humiliated!”

“Humiliate? You have already debased yourselves into useless dogs; does this Queen even need to debase you further?” Chi Wuyao's voice grew even more chillingly sarcastic.

“Heh... laughable!” Fen Zhuo struggled to his feet, determined to fight to the death.

“Laughable? Yes, you are indeed laughable.” Chi Wuyao's eyes remained half-closed as her devilish voice slowly permeated every corner of Burning Moon Royal City. “As Moon Eaters, you are not merely the core of the Burning Moon Realm, but also the pillars of this entire Northern Divine Region.”

“Your power was not bestowed by Burning Moon, nor by your deceased Divine Emperor; it originated from the remnants of ancient devils!”

Her tone shifted as she slowly continued, “The fallen Burning Moon Divine Emperor, Fen Daojun, lived a life of extravagance and self-indulgence, stuck in his ways. He disliked conflict and never considered change, only wishing to securely hold onto his imperial throne and all that he could enjoy. The future of Burning Moon? The future of the Northern Divine Region? When did he ever care about such things?!”

“Fen Daojun spent his entire life merely guarding his own domain. And you... in essence, are nothing more than a pack of guard dogs at his feet!”

“You!” The Moon Eaters were furious... Only Fen Daoqi, he silently closed his eyes, devoid of humiliation or anger.

As Burning Moon's Imperial Tutor, he was the one who understood Fen Daojun best in this world.

“Loyal guard dogs dying for their deceased master—how truly moving!”

“However, this Queen is completely different from your former master.” Chi Wuyao extended a hand, a black glow at her fingertips pointing towards the distant southeast—the location of the Yama Devil Realm. “You are merely this Queen's first step. Soon, Yama, too, will be in this Queen's grasp.”

“And the power that will help this Queen accomplish all of this, you have just witnessed yourselves... That is the power specially left behind by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, and it is also the true hope left for our Northern Divine Region! In other words, Yun Che, who inherits the Devil Emperor's power, is the most qualified, and indeed the only one qualified to become the Emperor of the Northern Region.”

“Since he possesses the Devil Emperor's power here, the Northern Divine Region fundamentally requires no other Divine Emperor.”

Her gaze shifted, and Chi Wuyao continued, “After Fen Daoqi follows this Queen, he will receive the bestowal of the Eternal Calamity of Darkness from Yun Che, possessing the most perfect dark power. In the future, he will be the pioneer who leads the beings of the Northern Region to break free from their cage and shatter the destiny of their entire race!”

“Even if he dies, history will forever remember his name!”

“And you...” The icy sarcasm once again pierced the souls of every Burning Moon individual. “A group that inherited the core power of the Northern Divine Region, yet refuses to fight to change the dark destiny of the Northern Region, instead willingly serving as guard dogs dying for a useless former master!”

“Loyalty? Bravery? Undying defiance?” Chi Wuyao slowly shook her head, a cold smile chilling their very cores. “No, when the chapter of the Northern Divine Region's new history unfolds, what will be recorded of you will forever be... ignorant, laughable, selfish guard dogs!”

A bleak, cold wind swept through Burning Moon Royal City. Body after body, pair after pair of eyes, trembled and cowered uncontrollably.

Fen Zhuo stared blankly ahead, his eyes vacant, his face pale. He, the most hot-tempered among them, remained silent for a long time despite Chi Wuyao's repeated insults.

The dark profound light on his body swayed chaotically, like black mist caught in a raging storm.

His surging anger and strained willpower silently dissipated. Even the power within his body was rapidly draining away.

Unconsciously, his body bent, and he sank weakly to his knees on the ground.

Under the blessing of the Nirvana Devil Soul, the same words, spoken from Chi Wuyao's lips, possessed a thousand-fold, even ten thousand-fold, power to corrupt the mind.

However, the eleven individuals she targeted most were, after all, powerful Moon Eaters...

But before this, the Moon Eaters had personally witnessed Yun Che destroy Fen Daozang with a single palm strike and bury Fen Daojun with a single sword. The pressure and shock of that True God's power, its impact on their will and soul, were certainly no less than Chi Wuyao's mind-corrupting devilish voice.

Moreover, compared to soul enchantment, the impact that truly manifested before their eyes and within their divine sense was undoubtedly more thorough.

Especially after witnessing the power that instantly killed a Divine Emperor, the phrase 'leading the Northern Divine Region out of its cage' was no longer a mere figment of imagination; it seemed... almost within arm's reach.

The Devil Emperor's successor...The power to instantly annihilate a Divine Emperor...The pioneer to change the Northern Divine Region's history...The guard dogs of the deceased Burning Moon Emperor...

The last vestiges of their persistence and belief finally dissipated. Fen Zhuo, kneeling, lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse voice: “Fen Zhuo... is willing to abandon the name of Moon Eater, and from this day forth, follow Divine Emperor Yun and the Devil Queen, to fight to rewrite the Northern Region's destiny... even if it means death!”

Fen Daozang was dead, making Fen Zhuo the strongest Moon Eater. He was also the most hot-tempered, the first to stand up and curse Fen Daoqi, and the one who swore to die rather than surrender.

His capitulation undoubtedly crushed the last resistance of all other Moon Eaters. The Devil Queen's words and Yun Che's power that instantly annihilated an Emperor rapidly assailed and filled every corner of their souls.

The surging dark energy dissipated one by one. The Moon Eaters knelt one after another... until all had done so.

With the Divine Emperor dead and all Moon Eaters choosing to submit, what reason did the Burning Moon Divine Envoys, also core figures, have to resist...? Whether willingly or unwillingly, the moment all Moon Eaters knelt, they had lost even the chance to choose.

“Very good,” Chi Wuyao said indifferently. “However, there is no need to abandon the name of Moon Eater. Burning Moon will continue to exist, and your name as Moon Eaters will also continue. The only thing that changes is Burning Moon's master.”

“Fen Daoqi,” Chi Wuyao said. “This Queen now designates you as the head of the Moon Eaters. I trust I don't need to instruct you on what to do. In one month, I expect a satisfactory answer from you.”

“Thank you for your grace, my Master. Rest assured, Daoqi will not fail in his mission!” Fen Daoqi's address to Chi Wuyao had already changed. Having made up his mind, he would commit to it fully.

Chi Wuyao turned, whispering, “Jie Xin, Jie Ling, I'll leave the rest to you.”

Jie Xin and Jie Ling nodded slightly... Chi Wuyao had already floated into the air, returning to the Soul Sky Ship.

Annexing a Royal Realm—to anyone hearing it, this was undoubtedly a grand, dangerous... even somewhat laughable goal.

The three Royal Realms of the Northern Region varied in overall strength, but let alone one swallowing another, even if any two realms joined forces, it would be almost impossible to absorb a third... Even if they succeeded, the counterattack from the devil source inheritors would undoubtedly cause incomparably heavy casualties.

Yet today, Soul Stealing swallowed Burning Moon... in just one day, without shedding a drop of blood.

The Divine Emperor's inheritance, the power of a True God, and the mind-corrupting devilish voice—none of these could have been absent.

But perhaps, most importantly, it was the deep-seated yearning within every Northern Region strong practitioner to break free from their cage and defy destiny.

Back on the Soul Sky Ship, Chi Wuyao appeared beside Yun Che. His eyes were closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

There was no one else around them.

Chi Wuyao stood still for a moment, then slowly stepped forward, her alluring eyes looking down. She then slowly reached out, touching Yun Che's neck.

“Chi Wuyao,” a cold voice sounded from in front. Qianye Ying'er stood in a corner, her gaze fixed on her. “I have something to say to you.”