Chapter 1706: Demonic Seed

When the three most powerful star realms surrendered, not under duress but eagerly and with profound gratitude, the submission of the other star realms became less about willingness and more about worthiness.

“Hail, Devil Master!”

A respectful yet resonant voice rang out. A group of people emerged from outside the Soul Stealing Sacred Realm and solemnly bowed before Yun Che.

The leader was none other than Tian Guhu.

The nearly one hundred young profound practitioners following him were all Divine Sovereigns, each possessing great renown in the Northern Divine Region.

For they were the young Divine Sovereigns from the Northern Region’s Heavenly Monarch Ranking!

All those on the list, except for the fallen, were present without exception.

When Tian Guhu appeared, all the High Realm Kings present were greatly astonished.

Because the aura he emanated was clearly that of a Divine Master… No! That terrifying power was unmistakably late-stage Divine Master, comparable to that of the Devil Queens and the Yama Devil Moon Eaters!

“Guhu, your… your power…” Inside the Heaven’s Might Realm, an elder from the Heaven’s Might Realm stared with wide eyes, his words struggling to emerge amidst his extreme shock.

“To answer Uncle Nineteenth, Guhu’s reborn power was bestowed by the Devil Master,” Tian Guhu replied with utmost reverence.

From Divine Sovereign Level 7 to Divine Master Level 8, Tian Guhu's transformation was simply too astounding. Therefore, Tian Muyi had kept this matter strictly hidden, with only a handful of people in the Heaven’s Might Realm aware of it.

Now, with Tian Guhu appearing before the world wielding Yama Devil power, his miraculous transformation and his words were nothing short of earth-shattering.

Tian Guhu looked up and said, “As members of the younger generation in the Northern Divine Region, we bear the ‘Heavenly Monarch’ title bestowed by the world, but it feels undeserved. We harbor aspirations to serve the Northern Region, yet it has been plagued by perpetual internal strife, with everyone pursuing their own interests. We possess grand ambitions but nowhere to realize them.”

“Darkness as a cage, devils as prisoners. This is how the world views the fate of the Northern Divine Region. However, the true cage is not darkness itself, but the Three Divine Regions that have perpetually hated darkness. Without reason or enmity, simply because we are born with dark bodies and cultivate dark profound energy, they brand us as devils who must be eradicated, under the guise of ‘righteousness’! This forces the people of our Northern Region to forever cower in this dark land.”

“More tragically, an increasing number of people from the Northern Region have gradually resigned themselves to this cage, not only losing their anger and will to resist, but even turning their sharpest fangs against their own kind.”

Tian Guhu’s voice was filled with anger and sorrow, every word violently striking the deepest chord within the souls of the Northern Region profound practitioners, a chord that had been suppressed for ages.

“Now, our Northern Divine Region has finally received the grace of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, with the birth of a Dark Devil Master. The Devil Master’s might surpasses all of Northern Region history, and his bestowals will grant the Northern Region a complete rebirth, extending grace for thousands of generations.”

Tian Guhu grew more agitated with each word, his eyes subtly glistening with tears: “The opportunity for our Northern Divine Region to reverse its fate lies in this very era! It lies under the dominion of the Devil Master!”

He bowed his head deeply, his fervent cry laced with sobs and profound yearning: “We implore the Devil Master to lead the Northern Region to break through this cage and defy its fate! We are willing to be swords and our blood the path; even if our brains are splattered and our bodies are shattered, we will not flinch from a myriad deaths!”

Behind him, all the Heavenly Monarchs bowed deeply along with him.

Tian Guhu’s prestige among the younger generation of the Northern Region was genuinely unmatched, soaring as high as the heavens.

His tearful words deeply stirred and agitated the blood of all profound practitioners, especially the young ones.

Yun Che looked down from above and spoke calmly, “Your grand ambition indeed befits your name, ‘Guhu’ (Lone Swan). The Northern Region being a cage has indeed been a great sorrow for dark profound practitioners for nearly a million years.”

“But, as you said and as everyone knows, the Northern Divine Region is plagued by constant internal strife, unable to look after itself, not even a scattered pile of sand.”

“Not only are wills dispersed, but the power at all levels is far inferior to any of the Eastern, Western, or Southern Divine Regions. What right, then, do we have to break through the cage?”

Yun Che’s cold words mercilessly extinguished the surging blood of the Northern Region profound practitioners… because everyone knew this was the grim reality.

Tian Guhu’s gaze stiffened, and he was profoundly stunned for a moment.

Yun Che continued, “Since this Devil Master is the lord of the Northern Region, the stability of its myriad beings shall naturally be my foremost priority.”

“All fates and circumstances before today have nothing to do with this Devil Master.”

Yun Che slowly extended his hand, palm downward. Black light emerged, and everyone’s vision blurred as if, at that moment, the entire Northern Divine Region was being controlled within his slightly spread fingers.

“The new curtain of the Northern Divine Region shall be drawn from today, from this Devil Master’s palm. This Devil Master will use the Eternal Calamity of Darkness, bestowed by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, to manage the Northern Region’s order, reconstruct its laws, and bestow blessings upon its myriad lives.”

“Before internal strife ceases and all realms are stabilized, I will certainly not impulsively seek to break through the cage with mere hot-blooded zeal, which would lead to the widespread suffering of the Northern Region’s myriad beings. Nor will I proactively provoke external enemies.”

“However…” Yun Che’s tone abruptly shifted. As his dark eyes looked down, people felt as though they were gazing into a black abyss capable of devouring all things: “Since this Devil Master is the lord of the Northern Region, internal strife can be tolerated, but the Northern Region being bullied by others is absolutely intolerable!”

“The Northern Region will not provoke external enemies, but if anyone dares to bully our Northern Region…”

A muffled thud, as if resounding in everyone’s hearts. The black light in Yun Che’s palm shattered, and his voice grew even grimmer: “This Devil Master hereby swears… As long as this Devil Master exists, anyone who offends our Northern Region—no matter who they are, even if they are from the Three Divine Regions—this Devil Master will make them repay a hundredfold!”

Under the suppression of the Eternal Darkness Devil Might, the blood that had just settled surged with several times its previous fervor.

When the Three Divine Regions were mentioned, Northern Region profound practitioners had always felt only deep resentment, powerlessness, and fear. In this dark cage forced upon them by the Three Divine Regions, even those from the Three King Realms dared not easily step out.

Never before had anyone wielded such supreme devil might and, facing the Three Divine Regions, uttered such domineering and ruthless words.

Tian Guhu’s heart trembled violently. Intelligent as he was, he immediately grasped the implications and promptly bowed his head, proclaiming loudly: “The Devil Master’s words are truly enlightening. We shall obey the Devil Master’s command to quell the Northern Region’s chaos and bring peace to the hearts of its myriad beings. But if we are indeed bullied… with just one command from the Devil Master, the men of our Northern Region will surely go forth and risk their lives! We will never retreat a single step!”

“Precisely!” Yan Tianxiao said in a deep voice, “Our Northern Region has endured too much oppression for too long. Now that the Devil Master has finally arrived, how can we fear bullying any longer?!”

“Especially…” Yan Tianxiao raised his hand, and Yama Devil power devoured all light: “Under the Devil Master’s grace, our dark profound energy has transformed. Even outside the Northern Region, we can still fully unleash our devil might.”

“Therefore, even if the Three Divine Regions truly seek to exterminate us, we no longer need to fear. As long as the Devil Master gives the command, any man of the Northern Region with courage will surely retaliate with darkness, and even with their very lives!”

Every sound shook the heart and soul, every word stirred the spirit.

At once, countless responses erupted across the Soul Stealing Sacred Realm and throughout the Northern Region, a fervent roar rising.

At this moment, facing the “Three Divine Regions,” they shed their humility, replaced by an ever-rising fervor. Under the Devil Master’s might, the Three Divine Regions truly seemed no longer fearsome.

Yun Che did not follow Tian Guhu’s words to incite hatred among the Northern Region profound practitioners towards the Three Divine Regions during this grand ceremony. Instead, he did the opposite, declaring that he would not dwell on the past or proactively provoke… but he would also absolutely not fear or tolerate any infringement.

He did not strive to ignite the fires of hatred and impulsiveness, but instead planted a seed of flame deep within the hearts and souls of countless Northern Region profound practitioners.

When this seed, after accumulating strength, finally bursts into full conflagration under a different stimulus, what burns may be a demonic flame capable of devouring suns and incinerating heavens.

The first Dark Devil Master in the history of the Northern Divine Region, his appearance should have provoked countless questions, unease, anxiety, and even unpredictable chaos.

Yet, on the very day of his coronation, he commanded the awe and allegiance of all realms, and the fervent worship of myriad beings.

Because they genuinely felt that this Dark Devil Master might truly usher in a brand-new chapter in the Northern Divine Region’s destiny.

The Northern Divine Region’s Grand Enthronement Ceremony lasted for seven days. After these seven days, it was immediately followed by the Empress’s Enthronement Ceremony.

Chi Wuyao, Emperor of Soul Stealing, was enthroned as the Devil Master’s Empress, to assist the Devil Master in external affairs.

Meanwhile, a rather unusual piece of news quietly spread throughout the Western Divine Region.

Brahma Heaven God Realm.

After Zhou Qingchen’s death, Zhou Xuzi spent his days in quiet cultivation, refusing to see anyone, even visitors and greetings from other King Realms.

The people of the Brahma Heaven Realm knew he was grieving the loss of his son and never dared disturb him, including Venerable Tai Yu, who knew everything.

However, today, Venerable Tai Yu rushed to see him.

“What is it?”

Zhou Xuzi raised his eyes. In just a few months, he seemed to have aged several millennia, and both his words and his aged gaze conveyed a heavy, oppressive gloom.

Venerable Tai Yu stepped forward and whispered, “There are suddenly rumors circulating that His Majesty once entered the Northern Divine Region.”

“...!” Zhou Xuzi’s gaze immediately sharpened: “Where did these rumors come from?”

“A lower star realm north of the Western Divine Region, bordering both the Northern Divine Region and our Eastern Divine Region,” Venerable Tai Yu replied, his expression grave. “The reported timing is very close to when His Majesty entered the Northern Divine Region that day, and furthermore…”

“Furthermore, what?” Seeing Venerable Tai Yu hesitate, Zhou Xuzi pressed on with a deep voice.

Venerable Tai Yu let out a soft breath before quietly saying, “It’s rumored that Qingchen did not die from a backlash while attempting to break through a bottleneck, but rather died in the Northern Divine Region… Coupled with the fact that Qingchen had been in ‘seclusion’ before that, never seeing anyone, there are even suspicions that he had become a devil before his death.”

Zhou Xuzi’s hair and beard bristled abruptly, the profound jade beneath him cracked, and his entire body trembled violently.

“How… how could this matter have spread?” Zhou Xuzi forced himself to remain calm.

“I don’t know,” Venerable Tai Yu said. “That day, I was guarding outside the border. If anyone had truly approached, I would have detected them. However… later, when Qingchen met his unfortunate end, His Majesty, in his fury, clashed with the Devil Empress, creating a massive commotion that undoubtedly left significant traces.”

“Given His Majesty’s furious power, it is indeed possible that nearby star realms were alarmed.”

Zhou Xuzi closed his eyes, his body trembling even more violently.

“On the day His Majesty returned to the realm, his qi was in disarray from extreme anger overwhelming his heart, and his blood surged inversely, which was detected by many auras. Moreover, the world never believed that Qingchen died from a profound energy backlash, so there were already many speculative rumors. Thus, if traces near the Northern Region border were discovered, it’s not too far-fetched for these rumors and suspicions to arise.”

“However, Your Majesty, rest assured that these rumors are currently not widely spread. With strong suppression, they can certainly be quelled quickly,” Venerable Tai Yu said.

“No,” Zhou Xuzi shook his head, “If we do that, it would only serve to confirm everything to the world. Qingchen is gone; how can we let him bear the stigma of ‘devil’ again?”

“If we disdain to acknowledge it, the rumors will disperse on their own.”

Venerable Tai Yu nodded, for this was what he, too, had been thinking.

And indeed, that was the truth.

This “rumor” originated from a lower star realm in the Western Divine Region, so its credibility was naturally weak, and its spread was quite slow.

The only unexpected thing was its rather broad scope of dissemination; it gradually and subtly spread to the Eastern and Southern Divine Regions as well… likely because it concerned the Brahma Heaven Divine Emperor and the recently deceased Brahma Heaven Crown Prince.

Not long after, the “rumor” naturally dispersed, and few people mentioned it again. From beginning to end, not many truly believed it.

Yet, invisibly, another seed was quietly planted.