Chapter 1708: Dark Growth

In the Yama Realm, at the Eternal Night Bone Sea.

Jiexin, Jieling, Yeli, Yaodie, Qingying, Lanting, Huajin, Yuwu, Chan'yi... all nine Devil Girls were seated, their devilish auras circulating intensely.

Around them, ancient yin energy, accumulated over countless years, surged and roared. The currents it generated each moment were as violent as hurricanes threatening to destroy the world.

Yun Che floated in the air, eyes closed. As his fingers pointed, dark yin energy surged wildly towards the Devil Girls' bodies, yet it didn't harm them. Instead, it continuously merged with their own powers in a strange, incomprehensible way.

After being crowned Devil Master and with the three King Realms of the Northern Region submitting, Yun Che could finally unleash another heaven-defying power of the Nihilistic Eternal Calamity without reservation:Dark Growth!

This ability was the very reason his eyes had lit up when Qianye Ying'er first mentioned the Eternal Night Bone Sea, the core of the Northern Region.

In the right special environment, he could absorb surrounding elemental power and merge it into his own. The Law of Nothingness could achieve this kind of fusion, as could the Heretic God's elemental power combined with the spiritual energy absorption of the Great Way of the Buddha. However, in the domain of darkness, the Nihilistic Eternal Calamity reigned supreme.

It not only allowed Yun Che to absorb the surrounding darkness and convert it into his own power, but it could also be applied to others. While its effect on others was certainly not as exaggerated as on himself due to their constitutions, even a fraction of its power was undoubtedly heaven-defying! And the Eternal Night Bone Sea... it was practically made for this purpose!

The Nihilistic Eternal Calamity aura from Yun Che connected to the Devil Girls' bodies and profound veins, continuously transforming the originally unowned ancient yin energy into their dark power.

For every twelve hours of Dark Growth they endured, they needed at least ten days to adapt and consolidate. In other words, even powerful beings like the Devil Girls, Yama Devils, and Eclipse-Moons needed more than ten days to withstand twelve hours of Dark Growth. However, the resulting growth in their dark power was so immense it struck fear into them.

Outside the Eternal Night Bone Sea, above the Yama Emperor Realm, Chi Wuyao and Qianye Ying'er were casually conversing.

“Tian Guhu now calls himself 'Devil Son' and has rallied more and more young profound practitioners. He's striving to maintain order and help the weak in various major star realms. Regardless of the actual results, his influence among the younger generation is immense, attracting countless responses. At the very least, he's projecting a positive image to the Northern Divine Region, showing the changes since the Devil Master's arrival.”“Our Lord Devil Master really struck gold,” Chi Wuyao said in a tone of praise.

“Hmph, a beast with a devil in its heart can naturally sniff out the devil in others.” Qianye Ying'er's gaze darted across Chi Wuyao, then she chuckled faintly, her tone strange: “Your primordial yin aura is still present? If others were to know this, it would be one thing for the men who died previously, but now that you are the Empress… wouldn't our Lord Devil Master be suspected of being useless?”

“Oh?” Chi Wuyao drew out a long sound of surprise, her alluring eyes lightly glancing at Qianye Ying'er: “Speaking of which, it truly is heartbreaking. This Empress’s newly wed Devil Master is constantly entangled with other women, favoring them day and night. This Empress doesn’t even get a drop of dew.”

Qianye Ying'er raised an eyebrow, saying softly, “That depends on one's individual capability, wouldn't you agree?”

Towards Chi Wuyao, Qianye Ying'er still harbored strong hostility. However, this hostility had undergone a rather subtle change compared to before. It was no longer intolerance, but leaned more towards… competition? Moreover, Qianye Ying'er knew very well that Chi Wuyao wasn't 'unable' to compete with her, but simply lacked the time. After the enthronement ceremony, she had been far busier than Yun Che.

Chi Wuyao clearly knew why Qianye Ying'er had pushed her to become Empress, but she never resisted, nor did she reveal it. This was also her desire.

“Then this Empress is certainly far inferior to you,” Chi Wuyao said. “After all, this Empress is still a pure blank slate, while you, all these years, have been frolicking day and night with this Empress’s Devil Master.”“The current 'Brahma Heaven Goddess,' what she possesses that can captivate the world is probably more than just her charm. How could this Empress ever compare? Alas.”Chi Wuyao sighed with feigned sadness.

Qianye Ying'er pursed her lips, then suddenly asked, “Were all the men in your life puppets?”

“Of course.” Chi Wuyao smiled faintly: “Speaking of how I treat men, this Empress is quite similar to you.”

“?” Qianye Ying'er looked sideways.

“Back then, you bore the name 'Goddess' and were born high above others, harboring extreme contempt and aversion towards men. In your eyes, men probably fell into only two categories: useful tools and useless trash.”

“…” Qianye Ying'er didn't refute. This was indeed how she had been back then. In fact, it was still largely true, save for one particular exception.

“As for this Empress, I was born with a wisp of the Nirvanic Devil Emperor’s devil soul. While far less noble than your Goddess status, on a soul level, I too am elevated, instinctively looking down upon all living beings in the world.”“Especially towards men, I am extremely repulsed, much like you. I only see them as useful tools or useless trash. How could mere mortal men be worthy of touching this Empress’s body? Becoming puppets under my devil soul, offering up their power and lifelong endeavors – that is their greatest use.”

“What about the Pure Sky God Emperor?” Qianye Ying'er asked. “Was he uncontrollable?”

“Yes,” Chi Wuyao replied. “This Empress chose him back then precisely because he was the weakest of the three God Emperors at the time, and the easiest to ensnare his soul.”“However, even the weakest God Emperor is still a God Emperor. This Empress gradually dismantled his mental defenses, exerting every effort, and finally succeeded in seizing his soul. But his soul struggled fiercely, constantly on the verge of breaking free from control. Thus, this Empress had no choice but to shatter his soul, turning him into a soulless living corpse.”“Alas,” she sighed softly, seemingly still regretful: “Such a pity for an excellent puppet.”

Qianye Ying'er narrowed her eyes slightly, saying blandly, “When it comes to viciousness and cruelty, I am still far behind you.”

“Hehehehe, to achieve great things, indecisiveness is the greatest taboo. This applies to men, and it applies to women too.”Chi Wuyao let out a delicate giggle, her body swaying sensuously, then she spoke leisurely: “Compared to men, jade-like women are far more wonderful. The nine children around this Empress, their beauty… would you like to experience it too?”

The devilish voice pierced the soul, seductively stirring the heart. If it had been Qianye Ying'er from their initial encounters, she would have long since succumbed. But now, her jade lips slightly curved, and her voice, like Chi Wuyao’s, was languid and soft: “Compared to that, I’m more curious… you, who so despise men and love women, what did it truly feel like when Yun Che forced himself upon you back in the Flame God Realm?”

After the enthronement ceremony, Chi Wuyao, as previously promised, revealed her 'identity' to Qianye Ying'er, and in quite detailed fashion. This frankness, naturally, subtly drew the two women closer.

“Who in this world knows better than you what kind of feelings he evokes?”The Devil Queen’s 'counterattack' was swift. She turned her gaze forward, her alluring eyes, always enchanting, now subtly imbued with a captivating mist: “It was also after that day that both Mu Xuanyin and I swore to bring him back and hold him firmly in our hands.”

“Hm?” Qianye Ying'er smiled faintly, yet not quite: “You're so invested in Yun Che just because of 'that time'?”She, of course, knew that wasn't the case, but how could she miss such a perfect opportunity to tease Chi Wuyao?

“Of course,” Chi Wuyao said. “How could a remarkable woman like this Empress, who was defiled by that brat, not seek him out for retribution?”She let out a soft giggle, exuding boundless charm.

“…” Qianye Ying'er was speechless.

“Speaking of Mu Xuanyin, this Empress has always been very curious about something,” Chi Wuyao said, her smile fading.

“Are you curious about Yun Che being a beast who even gets involved with his own master?” Qianye Ying'er snorted coldly, then frowned slightly as she suddenly noticed Chi Wuyao's unusual expression.

Chi Wuyao gazed forward and slowly narrated: “When this Empress possessed Mu Xuanyin, the Divine Soul of the Ice Phoenix resided within her soul.”“Initially, the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul merely observed the outside world through Mu Xuanyin. But in her final years, due to Yun Che’s appearance, the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul began to exert a will interference on Mu Xuanyin: to ‘be unconditionally good to Yun Che.’ To avoid being detected by the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul, I did not interfere.”“Later, in the period just before the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor departed, the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul’s will interference vanished. Even that wisp of divine soul… and the soul source it originated from, completely dissipated.”“But after dissipating, it left behind a very strange, crystalline blue light within Mu Xuanyin’s soul sea.”①

“What was that?” Qianye Ying'er asked. Mu Xuanyin was long dead, so Chi Wuyao mentioning this must have a special reason.

Chi Wuyao, however, shook her head: “If I knew, I wouldn't be wondering about it to this day. This Empress tried to touch and investigate it, but gained nothing. However…”The alluring light in her eyes slowly condensed, and her voice became somewhat ethereal: “Outside the Azure Cloud Continent, when her life and soul perished, and my devil soul separated, in my final consciousness, I seemed to… faintly see that blue light enveloping her dissipating ice soul.”

Qianye Ying'er's golden brows furrowed deeply: “What do you mean?”

Chi Wuyao still shook her head: “I don’t know. I’ve confirmed it multiple times since, and Mu Xuanyin is indeed dead. It's just that…”Without continuing, Chi Wuyao turned her gaze to Qianye Ying'er, looking at her and saying: “You must not tell Yun Che about this. If a miracle is to happen, he will surely see it in the future. If not… a firefly-like hope, once extinguished again, would bring pain no less severe than before.”

Qianye Ying'er stared fixedly at Chi Wuyao, perplexed and wondering about the word “miracle” in her words.Qianye Ying'er didn't know why Yun Che had returned alive to the God Realm after his supposed death in the Star God Realm. Like everyone else in the God Realm at the time, she believed that during the Calamity of the Evil Infant, he had somehow safely escaped from the Star God Realm. But Chi Wuyao knew the full truth.

Phoenix Nirvana!Within the incomplete memories of the Nirvanic Devil Emperor, there was an unassuming piece of knowledge.In the distant era, before the conflict between the God Race and Devil Race had fully escalated, the Phoenix and Ice Phoenix — two great divine beasts, recorded and widely believed to be incompatible and diametrically opposed, naturally considered mortal enemies due to their attributes—Had once belonged to the same clan.

---①: Chapters 1512, The Truth That Should Not Be Known – 1513, Crown Prince of Eternal Heaven.