Chapter 1699: Extreme Realm Thousand Shadows

When Yun Che emerged from the Imperial Palace, several hours had passed, and Yan Tianxiao and the Yama Devils were still waiting outside.

The moment Yun Che appeared, Yan Yi and Yan San instantly teleported to his sides, guarding him. They were clearly worried that these descendants might suddenly lose their minds and attempt something rebellious.

Yan Tianxiao stepped forward and cautiously asked, "Has there been a change in how Master plans to subdue the Soul Stealing Realm?"

Yun Che didn't respond at all. He said coldly, "How are the preparations for the enthronement ceremony coming along?"

Yan Tianxiao replied, "All the invitations have been drafted and can be sent out to various realms tomorrow. As for the ceremony itself..."

"No need," Yun Che interrupted him directly. "Revise all the invitations. Change the location to the Soul Stealing Realm, and the time... will be set later!"

Yan Tianxiao sharply looked up, and the Yama Devils behind him also showed expressions of shock.

"This..." Yan Tianxiao quickly weighed his words. "I wonder what kind of change has occurred? Could it be that after Your Majesty spoke with the Devil Queen, she has agreed to lead the Soul Stealing Realm in recognizing Your Majesty as the master of the Northern Region?"

He knew this was absolutely impossible. If Chi Wuyao were that easy to deal with, the Soul Stealing Realm wouldn't be as it was now.

"Correct," Yun Che said.

This answer, without a doubt, completely defied the expectations and imagination of the Yama Emperor and all the Yama Devils.

Yan Tianxiao paused for two full breaths before frowning and saying, "Your Majesty, your acquaintance with Chi Wuyao is still shallow. Her terrifying nature is far beyond what an ordinary person can comprehend. Her schemes and methods... especially in seducing men, are unparalleled. Her ambition is boundless, and she would never willingly submit to anyone, let alone compromise so easily. Your Majesty must not be swayed by her!"

The Yama Devil Realm had been forced to submit because Yun Che controlled their Ancestors, heritage, and lifelines. But Yan Tianxiao racked his brain and couldn't find any reason why Chi Wuyao would willingly accept Yun Che as her master.

"Hmph, that's not something you need to worry about," Yun Che said, glancing sideways.

Yan Tianxiao slightly lowered his head... He suddenly realized that outsiders would similarly find it impossible to believe that the Yama Devil Realm, which had stood for over 800,000 years, had submitted to Yun Che in a single day.

Could it be that the Soul Stealing Realm was also forced to submit under some utterly insurmountable power?

If that were true, then the man before him... was truly terrifying.

At this thought, Yan Tianxiao's heart trembled with dread, and his already profound apprehension towards Yun Che deepened by several folds.

"The Burning Moon Realm has now been fully brought under the Devil Queen's control," Yun Che stated calmly. "The Soul Stealing Realm has also decided to recognize me as the master of the Northern Region. In other words, the Soul Stealing, Yama Devil, and Burning Moon realms have all pledged allegiance to me. As for the rest... is it still far off?"

Yun Che's words sent a profound shock through the hearts of the Yama Emperor and all the Yama Devils, their eyes trembling.

Everything had happened too quickly, almost to the point of being surreal.

Just a month ago, the Northern Divine Region was dominated by the three King Realms.

Yet, in this short month, the Burning Moon Realm fell, the Yama Devils submitted, and the Soul Stealing Realm pledged allegiance...

Three vast King Realms, three supreme entities that ruled the Northern Divine Region... had all submitted to one person in just a month, without even a significant ripple?

How fantastical, how terrifying.

Their gazes towards Yun Che were subtly changing dramatically. Reflecting on it, this earth-shattering achievement, which no one in the history of the Northern Divine Region had ever accomplished or even conceived, seemed almost effortlessly completed under his hand.

He was barely thirty years old, and his time in the Northern Divine Region amounted to only a few short years!

The shock in their hearts was like an overturning sea, and their awe deepened several times over. Their already weak rebellious thoughts quickly dissipated, leaving no trace.

To conquer the three King Realms was equivalent to conquering the entire Northern Divine Region.

With the three King Realms having submitted, the other star realms were not even a "matter of time."

The fall of the Burning Moon Realm was unexpected, the Yama Devils' submission was surprisingly smooth, and the Soul Stealing Realm... was an even more dreamlike surprise.

The timeline Yun Che had initially set with Chi Wuyao was within three years.

Evidently, he himself had never imagined it could happen so quickly.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on achieving a grand accomplishment that will surpass anything in the history of the Northern Region!" After the initial shock, Yan Tianxiao quickly bowed his head. Now, facing this man who seemed to defy all understanding, he even began to feel immensely grateful for his submission that day and his respectful conduct since then.

If he had chosen to resist to the death back then, he probably wouldn't even have had the chance to regret it.

"Hmph, a bunch of good-for-nothing, short-sighted brats," Yan Yi suddenly scoffed. "To actually question and defy our Ancestor's choice back then, it's preposterous!"

Yan Tianxiao looked embarrassed and quickly said, "The Ancestor's lesson is well-taken. The three Ancestors possess extraordinary foresight, which is indeed beyond what we juniors can ever hope to achieve."

"The enthronement ceremony arrangements will be handled by the Soul Stealing Realm," Yun Che said. The enchanting, demonic figure of Chi Wuyao involuntarily appeared before his eyes, and his heart stirred with agitation. It took several quiet breaths for him to calm down slightly. "Starting tomorrow, all Yama Devils and Yama Ghosts will follow me into the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea."

Yan Tianxiao's heart skipped a beat, and he suppressed his wild joy as he said, "Your Majesty's intention, could it be..."

"Heh!" Yun Che glanced at Yan Wu and said, "Give me enough loyalty, and I will naturally not treat you poorly. Next, I will complete the dark transformation for all Yama Devils and Yama Ghosts. I hope that in the future... you will not disappoint me."

Yan Tianxiao was overjoyed, and the Yama Devils could barely contain their excitement... In recent days, they had clearly witnessed the miraculous changes in Yan Wu. Now that such a divine favor was about to be bestowed upon them, how could they not be thrilled?

"We humbly obey Your Majesty's command!" Yan Tianxiao and the Yama Devils bowed deeply.

Yun Che completed the transformation of all the Yama Devils and Yama Ghosts in just one day. Afterward, he remained in the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea, silently absorbing the ancient Yin energy from the area.

Meanwhile, his plans for the period ahead gradually took shape in his mind.

Ten days later, he opened his eyes in the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea, swiftly teleported, and returned to the Imperial Palace.

With a thought, a miniature Profound Ark of Primordial Chaos appeared. As a faint red light flashed, a golden-haired woman with an ethereal and beautiful figure materialized before Yun Che.

This was Qianye Ying'er, who had been refining the second World Piercer Pellet inside the Profound Ark of Primordial Chaos.

Her appearance made the eyes of Yan Yi and Yan San, who had followed Yun Che closely, sink abruptly, and their aura condensed subtly.

This was because the aura accompanying Qianye Ying'er was that of a level ten Divine Master!

Among the existing level ten Divine Masters in the Northern Divine Region, besides their three Yama Devil Ancestors, there were only the Yama Emperor, Yan Wu, the Devil Queen, and the twin great devil girls of the Soul Stealing Realm. This completely unfamiliar level ten Divine Master undoubtedly put them on high alert.

At the same time, the moment Qianye Ying'er appeared, her gaze sharply shifted, and she frowned as she looked at Yan Yi and Yan San.

"A level ten Divine Master?" Yun Che's gaze swept over Qianye Ying'er's entire body. He had found it surprisingly hard to get used to her absence during this period, but his voice remained as cold as before: "You haven't disappointed me."

Qianye Ying'er withdrew her gaze from Yan Yi and Yan San, her golden brows slightly slanted, and her beautiful eyes gleamed faintly. "That's right, a level ten Divine Master. Although it's still not my peak from back then, but..."

She raised her hand, her five fingers slender. "Perhaps it's enough to kill you."

"How dare you!" Yan San immediately erupted in rage. "Insolent girl! How dare you..."

"Get out!" Yun Che snarled in a low voice.

Yan San's neck instantly recoiled, and he fell silent, retreating in a flurry with Yan Yi.

"Old ghoul! Did a donkey kick your brain?!" Outside the hall, Yan Yi grumbled in a hushed voice. "Someone who dares to speak to Master like that, do you think they're ordinary?!"

"I... I just couldn't tolerate anyone disrespecting Master," Yan San complained, full of grievance.

"That's why I say your head is on your backside, you never learn!" Yan Yi said. "If a man disrespects Master, you go right up and slap him. But if it's a woman... you have to ask Master's opinion first, understand?!"

Yan San thought for a moment, then suddenly understood, slapping his head. "So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"

"Those two..." Qianye Ying'er's gaze swept over her surroundings. The unusually dark aura here made her frown deeply, and she quickly realized something. "Could this be the Yama Devil Realm?"

"That's right." As Yun Che spoke, a wisp of soul essence condensed at his fingertip. Then, he pointed it, poking Qianye Ying'er's glabella.

Qianye Ying'er was focused on observing her surroundings when Yun Che's not-so-gentle poke made her delicate neck snap back. She glared at Yun Che, then closed her golden eyes. When she reopened them, a look of astonishment appeared. "The Yama Ancestors, the Yama Devil Realm, the Everlasting Darkness Devil Crystal, Tian Guhu, the Soul Stealing Realm, and... an enthronement ceremony?"

The memories Yun Che shared with Qianye Ying'er did not include anything about Chi Wuyao, as even he himself was still in a state of confusion regarding her.

"In the short month I was gone, you actually accomplished so much," Qianye Ying'er said, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed as she stared at him. "I never knew you had such strong time management skills."

Yun Che: "..."

"What surprised me even more is that you tortured the three Yama Ancestors for six days and six nights without batting an eye," Qianye Ying'er continued, her gaze slightly lowered, her heart seemingly complex. "As pure darkness, to have their life and soul simultaneously devoured by light—that kind of pain would be no less than the Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark."

"It seems that those you hate will surely regret ever existing in this world."

"Heh, I think so too," Yun Che let out a low, cold laugh. Those few words conveyed boundless bleakness.

Qianye Ying'er's eyes flickered slightly.

When they first arrived in the Northern Divine Region, she had desperately wished for Yun Che to become ruthless and cruel, willing to do anything for revenge.

But listening to Yun Che's words now, what she felt was not the satisfaction of his "growth" as she had desired, but rather... an uncomfortable sensation.

"As expected, when you were so eager for me to refine the second World Piercer Pellet, your so-called urgent need for power was fake; coming to the Yama Realm alone was your real objective," she scoffed. "What, am I in your way?"

Yun Che replied, "Without you, my journey to the Yama Realm would have been more than just smooth."

Qianye Ying'er suddenly let out a faint, mysterious chuckle. "Speaking of which, I unexpectedly found something in the Profound Ark of Primordial Chaos."

Yun Che slightly frowned.

For Qianye Ying'er to specifically mention it, it must be something extraordinary.

The former owner of the Profound Ark of Primordial Chaos was the Sword Spirit God Clan, to which Hong'er belonged in ancient times. Could it be an artifact left behind by the Sword Spirit God Clan?

Qianye Ying'er extended her hand towards Yun Che's face, her five dazzlingly white fingers slowly opening... then she suddenly darted forward, flicking her fingertip hard against Yun Che's nose.

Yun Che stumbled back, clutching his nose. "You!"

"You just poked my forehead; now we're even." Qianye Ying'er folded her jade arms across her ample chest, turning her face away from him.

Yun Che sharply lowered his hand from his nose and said in a deep voice, "Yun Qianying! Don't you forget that you..."

"I'm your tool, I would never forget that," Qianye Ying'er said leisurely, her pink lips parting. "It's just that this tool of yours has just consumed another World Piercer Pellet, making me even more useful and more precious. So you should protect me even more carefully. It would be such a pity if I were accidentally damaged due to unnecessary anger."

Yun Che's facial features twitched in a chaotic jumble... because he suddenly had no idea what expression to make in response to her.

"Follow me to the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea!"

He could only furiously utter these words before striding out of the hall.