Chapter 1682: Dark Ruler

"This brat... what's wrong with him?" Yan Wanguin questioned, his voice full of doubt.

Yan Wanhun hung suspended in the air, the dark profound energy on his five fingers flickering wildly. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he said in a deep voice, "This brat... he's just like us! He can absorb the dark energy here!"

"Absorb?" A look of deep disdain crossed Yun Che's face. "You three old ghosts... are you even worthy of being compared to me? You merely survive by drawing sustenance from this darkness, yet you are also held captive here by it, never to see the light of day again. But I am their master. Do you understand!?"

Faced with such outrageous arrogance, the three Yama Ancestors did not burst into wild laughter this time.

Within the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea, as long as the dark energy of the bone sea remained unexhausted, they were effectively immortal. Any dark profound energy they expended would rapidly replenish, and any wounds they sustained would swiftly heal. Yet, they had all seen clearly just moments ago that Yun Che sustained significant external injuries from Yan Wanhun's attack, and his aura was in disarray. But in three breaths... a mere three breaths... he had fully recovered! This speed was many times faster than even their own regeneration, despite having resided in this place for countless years!

Furthermore, despite possessing only Divine Sovereign Realm level eight profound energy, he unleashed the formidable pressure of a late-stage Divine Master. And then there was his body, which, even after being directly struck by Yan Wanhun's demonic claw, remained intact and untorn! Even with their souls twisted as they were, the three Yama Ancestors could not fail to realize that the "brat" before them was unequivocally a monstrous anomaly, entirely beyond their comprehension!

"Master? Heh heh... I can't believe there's such an arrogant brat in this world."

"Not only arrogant, but also unsettling," Yan Wanchi muttered, his eyes flickering. "Could it be true, then, what the juniors' talked about—that he carries the Devil Emperor's inheritance?"

"If it's true, wouldn't that be even better!"

After the initial shock, their eyes suddenly blazed with dark light. The anger Yun Che had provoked was entirely suppressed, replaced by an escalating excitement that burned like a raging inferno. A single possibility ignited in all their minds simultaneously... If that truly was the Devil Emperor's inheritance... if they could strip it away, would it be possible... to finally escape this dark purgatory and survive!

"Heh heh heh... Hahahahaha..."

The three Yama Ancestors had likely long ceased to realize how grating and ear-splitting their laughter was. Amidst their cackles, dark mist swirled, and Yan Wanguin suddenly made his move. With a wave of his arm, seven distinct dark profound formations rapidly materialized, converging on Yun Che from different directions.

All seven of these profound formations were designed for suppression and containment, for by now, they absolutely could not bear to kill Yun Che. Profound formations forged by the power of the Yama Ancestors—it would be no exaggeration to call them the most formidable dark profound formations in existence. With seven layers overlapping, even a Divine Emperor would struggle to escape easily.

Yet Yun Che remained utterly motionless... To the three Yama Ancestors, this indicated that Yun Che was paralyzed under the combined pressure of their presence. But the instant the first dark profound formation made contact with Yun Che... Yan Wanguin's arms abruptly trembled.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The seven profound formations, like seven balloons pricked and popped, all disintegrated the moment they made contact with Yun Che. The disintegration of each profound formation unleashed an incredibly terrifying dark storm. Together, the seven layers of dark storms were powerful enough to effortlessly annihilate a small star realm. Yet, standing at the eye of the storm, Yun Che merely smirked, his entire body unmoving. Not even his outer robe or the tips of his hair stirred in the slightest. Let alone suffering even the slightest injury.

"...!?" A look of profound shock reappeared on the faces of the three Yama Ancestors.

He... isn't afraid of darkness?

But following the shock came an even more intense excitement, one that sent their very blood boiling in their veins.

Yan Wanguin's fingers twitched, and with a guttural cry, he leaped forward like a predatory hound, his grayish-white fingers glinting with dark light as they shot straight for Yun Che's throat. Ordinarily, such power wouldn't even need to make physical contact to exert immense pressure on Yun Che. Yet here, within the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea, he felt not the slightest sensation of pressure.

Meeting Yan Wanguin's spectral claw, Yun Che swung his arm, transforming his palm into a sword. He unleashed "Falling Heavenly Wolf," a technique that fused "Falling Moon Sinking Star" and "Heavenly Wolf Slash," directly at his opponent. The Yama Ancestor's speed was astounding; he closed in on Yun Che in an instant. But then, he suddenly discovered that as he drew nearer, the dark energy concentrated in his claw began to rapidly diminish, as though being consumed alive by an unseen void.

*CRASH!*

The two forces collided head-on with raw power, sending tremors through the vast Eternal Darkness Bone Sea itself. Yun Che's face paled, and his body reeled back violently. Yet, after retreating a mere ten zhang, he stood firm, then chuckled softly as he wiped a thin trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Yan Wanguin did not immediately pursue. He couldn't comprehend why his power had suddenly diminished, nor could he believe that his strike had merely repelled an eighth-level Divine Sovereign... Meanwhile, his five fingers throbbed with excruciating pain, even feeling a slight numbness.

"What an unsettling boy!" Yan Wanguin growled. "Seize him! We'll peel back his flesh, bit by bit, and see what secrets he hides!"

With that low growl, Yan Wanguin lunged again, his withered, skeletal fingers instantly transforming into a hundred-zhang spectral hand, reaching for Yun Che with demonic might even more terrifying than before. Under the demonic claw, a fierce storm suddenly erupted. Yun Che, instead of retreating, advanced, both hands surging forward to meet it head-on once more with "World Extinguishing."

With a colossal crash, the bone sea fractured. This time, Yan Wanguin's form was held directly in mid-air, creating a brief stalemate with Yun Che. His profound energy still suddenly vanished and weakened, and during the clash with Yun Che's power, the peculiar phenomenon of his strength being strangely absorbed persisted.

This stalemate, however, lasted only for a fleeting instant, as Yan Wanhun's spectral claw arrived, effortlessly tearing through Yun Che's power and striking his chest with immense force. Yun Che's chest instantly burst open with five gaping, pitch-black wounds, and his body was sent flying violently sideways. Before he could even hit the ground, Yan Wanchi's spectral claw appeared right before his eyes, its shape rapidly contracting in his pupils, firmly locking onto his throat.

*THUD!!*

Yun Che's back slammed hard against a massive demonic skull. The spectral claw, still clamped around his throat, also plunged into the demonic skull, pinning Yun Che by his neck. Yan Wanhun and Yan Wanguin, their gaunt, corpse-like forms, also materialized from the darkness. One demonic claw clamped onto Yun Che's right shoulder, while the other plunged deep into his chest, directly at his heart.

The strength of the three Yama Ancestors was simply too terrifying; each of them was a bona fide Divine Emperor. Even with the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, Yun Che had absolutely no chance of contending against any one of them. With all three attacking simultaneously, he was utterly powerless to resist.

"Heh heh heh heh..."

The Yama Ancestors' laughter grated in his ears, like sandpaper rasping against his very heart. Yan Wanchi's skull-like face slowly drew closer to Yun Che, his deep-set, ancient eyes flickering with excited and sadistic dark light. "Shall I flay your skin first, or extract your profound veins... Oh? You can still smile, can you? Hah hahahaha."

Yun Che was indeed smiling, and within that smile, two twin orbs of fiery crimson-gold light suddenly ignited in his pupils. The combined might of the three Yama Ancestors was indeed more than enough to utterly suppress his movements and power. But this... was the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea! All the unmastered dark energy within this place was power he could control at will!

The crimson-gold flames reflected in Yan Wanchi's ancient eyes, causing him to frown slightly. Immediately after, his vision was entirely engulfed by the golden light. Flames erupted, and golden light blazed across the heavens. For the first time in the history of the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea, a colossal sea of fire ignited, and for the first time, light spread, illuminating the land for hundreds of miles.

"Aaaargh!"

Amidst the agonizing screams, all three Yama Ancestors were engulfed in flames and sent hurtling backward. Where they landed, the golden sea of fire continued to burn ferociously. This was the Yellow Spring Ashes, detonated in a single instant! Yellow Spring Ashes required immense expenditure. After each release, it typically left the user in a state of profound energy depletion that was difficult to recover from for a considerable period. But in the darkness, the very instant the golden sea of fire erupted, his profound energy had already fully recovered; he felt no trace of depletion whatsoever.

Yun Che stepped forward, Phoenix Flame blazing around him. Purgatory Red Lotus followed closely on the heels of Yellow Spring Ashes, igniting a crimson sea of fire within the golden blaze. Darkness feared light most of all, followed closely by fire. While Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame did not suppress darkness as thoroughly as Vermilion Bird Flame, they were still potent enough to inflict agonizing torment upon the three Yama Ancestors.

Amidst their ghost-like wails of agony, the three Yama Ancestors unleashed their powers in disarray. In a mere two breaths, their immense strength managed to extinguish both the Golden Crow and Phoenix seas of fire. Yet, those brief two breaths inflicted a level of agonizing torment upon them unlike anything they had endured in hundreds of thousands of years. They reeled back in disarray, only to see Yun Che still standing rooted in place, a faint, chilling sneer still on his lips... This time, their madness and savagery were utterly ignited, and the cruel, murderous glint in their eyes spoke of an urgent desire to tear him into a thousand pieces.

Yun Che paid no mind to their ignited fury. Instead, he spoke softly, almost casually, "Excellent. Truly excellent. You certainly haven't disappointed me. My special trip here was not in vain."

Yun Che's "praise" was, to them, an undeniable mockery that only intensified their rage. Yan Wanchi's hands trembled, his teeth chattered, and his laughter seemed to carry a chilling draft from the very depths of hell. "Heh... heh heh heh... You damned brat... You'll soon... discover the most agonizing death in this world!"

Yun Che slowly narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice, "You will soon learn the consequences of disrespecting your master!"

"DIE!!!"

Rage and murderous intent threatened to burst from his very form. Yan Wanchi roared, lunging straight for Yun Che. As his power erupted violently, a distinct, tangible skeletal demonic shadow materialized around his body. Yan Wanhun and Yan Wanguin attacked simultaneously. Each of them desired to personally tear Yun Che apart... employing the most brutal methods to slowly reduce him to dark remnants amidst the most exquisite torment.

Faced with the synchronized assault of the three enraged Yama Ancestors, Yun Che slowly raised his head. This time, two twin spheres of profound, abyssal black light glowed within his pupils... a light so deep it seemed capable of devouring all illumination in the world. He extended his arm, and the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword materialized in his hand. With a gentle sweep, he swung it forward.

*BOOM!*

With a sound akin to the collapse of heaven and earth, the immense Eternal Darkness Bone Sea, stretching for a million li, shuddered violently. Endless darkness surged forth frantically, transforming into a world-engulfing dark hurricane that swept toward the three Yama Ancestors. The sheer magnitude and terror of this dark hurricane caused all three Yama Ancestors to blanch in horror. Their peerless power was rapidly overwhelmed by the dark hurricane, utterly devoured and extinguished. The three of them were flung away like bundles of straw, tumbling far across the ground.

The three Yama Ancestors slowly rose to their feet. The initial fear they felt dissipated, yet their pupils, fixed on Yun Che, continued to shrink and tremble. Yun Che's seemingly casual sword strike just now... had actually stirred up at least a hundred miles of dark energy from the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea!

"Wh-what's happening? What did he do?" Yan Wanguin rasped, his voice hoarse with shock.

"Could it be... could it truly be..."

"The legendary ultimate demonic art—the Et-er-nal Cal-am-i-ty of Dark-ness!" Yan Wanchi, his voice trembling, uttered the name that should not have existed.

Under the startled, bewildered gazes of the three Yama Ancestors, Yun Che slowly advanced, the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword dragging along the ground and emitting a soul-shaking hum. "You are merely three slaves of darkness. And I... I am the only true master of darkness in this world. Do you understand!?"

"Now, I grant you an opportunity. Kneel and submit immediately, and I can mercifully pardon your insolence." The curve of Yun Che's lips slowly shifted from mockery to cruelty. "This is your only chance. Miss it, and you will suffer greatly."

"Heh... heh heh heh!" The three Yama Ancestors cackled ceaselessly, unsure if it was from rage or the terror induced by the preceding display. But for them to kneel and submit? For these three founding ancestors of the Yama Devil Realm, the paramount existences in the history of the Northern Divine Region, to kneel and submit? What an utter joke.

"Brat..." Yan Wanchi growled lowly. "No one in this world is worthy of making us kneel. As for those who dare to defy us... you will soon learn the fate that awaits them."

Before his voice even faded, his figure abruptly vanished, reappearing like a wraith directly behind Yun Che. This maneuver transcended the very concept of "speed." It was, in fact, a form of dark teleportation achieved by connecting with the dark energy of the Eternal Darkness Bone Sea through the Yama Devil Art... a terrifying instantaneous movement with virtually no warning.

As Yan Wanchi instantly appeared behind Yun Che, a skeletal shadow abruptly manifested around him. His five fingers, imbued with peak power, resembled hellish talons, aiming directly for Yun Che's heart from behind. But before his fingers could even graze Yun Che, he suddenly let out an incredibly agonizing shriek... a scream countless times more piercing than the torment he had endured from the sea of fire moments before.

From Yun Che's body, a burst of incomparably pure, intensely concentrated white light blazed forth. It was the sacred white profound light, born of light profound energy.