Chapter 1713: Ironclad Evidence

On the very first day Qianye Ying’er met Chi Wuyao, she proposed that Zhou Xuzi would be her "great gift" to Chi Wuyao.

At the opportune moment, when everything was ready, she would lure him to meet in the Northern Divine Realm, provoke his rage by forcefully killing Zhou Qingchen, and then incite Zhou Xuzi to launch a full-scale attack on the Northern Divine Realm in a fit of uncontrolled fury.

This way, with a little incitement, the hatred accumulated in the Northern Divine Realm for countless years would be completely ignited, allowing for a justified counterattack and revenge. If the Eastern Divine Realm then faced misfortune, half of their resentment would be directed at the Northern Realm and half at the Heaven Smiting God Realm… instead of uniting in common hatred against an unprovoked invasion.

The Western and Southern Divine Realms would merely observe, treating it as a spectacle.

Qianye Ying’er’s plan was sound, but Chi Wuyao partly agreed and partly rejected it. Even the timing for meeting the Heaven Smiting God Emperor was significantly moved up.

This was because the crucial opportunity to initiate the war should not be gambled on Zhou Xuzi, but rather precisely controlled by her own hand, neither too early nor too late.

Furthermore, as the Heaven Smiting God Emperor, it was an unpredictable unknown whether Zhou Xuzi would truly lose his mind and launch a full-scale assault on the Northern Divine Realm.

In reality, after Zhou Qingchen’s death, the Heaven Smiting God Realm directly closed its borders and remained silent.

There was no intention whatsoever of forcefully attacking the Northern Divine Realm for revenge. Instead, to preserve Zhou Qingchen’s final reputation, they exerted all efforts to erase any related traces.

All related rumors were quietly spread by Chi Wuyao’s subordinates in the Eastern and Western Divine Realms.

The notion of seizing the opportunity meant using her own hand to "light" this dark fuse on behalf of the Heaven Smiting God Realm.

Qianye Ying’er had to admit that beneath Chi Wuyao's enchanting, foxy exterior and her gentle, doting affection for Yun Che, lay a mind more intelligent, meticulous, and ruthless than her own.

Perhaps the nightmare of the three divine realms was not just Yun Che, but also Chi Wuyao!

The former was forged by their own hands, while the latter… had been dormant in the darkness for a full ten thousand years!

Qianye Ying’er flipped her palm, and the Skyfall Cauldron flew back into her hand. Without another glance at the crumbling star realm, she shifted her figure and vanished into the darkness.

When she reappeared, she was in an adjacent star realm.

This time, she was deeper within the Northern Realm, in a very small middle-tier star realm.

The horrifying sound of the star realm shattering had long since echoed, alarming most of this middle-tier star realm. A Divine Sovereign emerged from seclusion, floating in the air and looking towards the direction from which the sounds of destruction came.

His name was Ye Jiancheng, the Great Realm King of this middle-tier star realm, and its sole Divine Sovereign.

As the oppressive might from the Skyfall Cauldron descended, his pupils dilated in terror.

Boom—

The surrounding world transformed into a destructive purgatory. He fled desperately but was still struck by an immensely terrifying wave of air… Before losing consciousness, he saw a colossal grayish-white cauldron.

Outside the star realm, which had suffered catastrophic destruction, Qianye Ying’er's figure once again departed. As she left, her divine sense faintly swept over Ye Jiancheng, the unconscious Realm King of the star realm.

Not long after, a third star realm was destroyed in the nearby dark star region.

The destruction of one middle-tier and two lower-tier star realms in the Southern Territory of the Northern Divine Realm overnight caused widespread shock throughout the Northern Realm when the news broke.

Living conditions in the Northern Divine Realm were extremely harsh, especially for lower-tier star realms. Plundering by the strong, fierce competition, and changes in dynasties were common occurrences, with the annihilation of nations and clans being frequent.

However, what had erupted in the Southern Territory was not a brutal war between living beings, but the complete annihilation of entire star realms!

Even in the most chaotic worlds, there were at least basic principles. For star realms within the Northern Divine Realm, even if an upper-tier star realm utterly despised a lower-tier one, they would at most eradicate its Realm King sect or core clan…

Destroying an entire star realm, reducing the very essence of life born within the Northern Divine Realm to dust, was an appalling crime that no living being could accept or forgive.

In this calamity, two lower-tier star realms were completely obliterated, leaving nothing alive.

The middle-tier star realm shattered and scattered, with ninety-nine percent of its inhabitants perishing. The surviving profound practitioners had no idea what had happened. Realm King Ye Jiancheng was found alive by powerful individuals who arrived from other star realms, though he remained unconscious.

The news spread rapidly, and the escalating shock and fury caused continuous tremors throughout the Northern Divine Realm.

The destruction of star realms, in an already declining Northern Divine Realm, represented a dire situation unseen for many years.

Soon, news spread that the Devil Master and Devil Queen were enraged and had dispatched the Soul Stealing Realm to investigate immediately.

For such a grave crime, there was no doubt that the Royal Realm had to intervene to investigate and render judgment!

Furthermore, to demonstrate the gravity of the disaster, the Devil Queen sent the Third Devil Maiden, Ye Li, and the Fourth Devil Maiden, Yao Die, personally to the Southern Territory.

By the time Ye Li and Yao Die arrived, the Realm Kings and various overlords from forty neighboring star realms were already waiting there. Profound boats of all sizes filled a vast expanse of the star region.

For the remote Southern Territory, where even middle-tier star realms could dominate, the arrival of the Devil Maidens was akin to deities descending from heaven.

They not only came out early to greet them but also gathered all survivors and profound practitioners who were wandering nearby at that time.

When Ye Li and Yao Die arrived, fragments of the star realms floated chaotically in the Southern Territory where the disaster had occurred, and traces of destructive aura still lingered in the space.

Especially in the two lower-tier star realms, not even "ruins" could be seen; only an empty void remained, as if they had never existed.

The Realm Kings cautiously welcomed the Devil Maidens. Devil Maiden Yao Die ignored everyone else, standing at the center of the destroyed star realm. Her aura swiftly swept over the lingering traces of destruction, then she suddenly whispered, "This power seems quite strange."

She turned back and asked, "Do any of you have an impression of the remaining power here?"

All the Realm Kings quickly shook their heads.

"I heard there are survivors from the destroyed middle-tier star realm. Where are they now?" Ye Li asked.

"To answer Your Highness, Devil Maiden," a Realm King, clearly the leader, stepped forward and said with utmost respect, "The survivors are very few, and all have been taken into profound boats."

"Additionally, when the disaster occurred, some profound practitioners who were traveling through the star region and happened to pass by were all gathered by us and are also in the profound boats."

"Very good." Ye Li nodded. "Thank you for your trouble. Please take us there."

At her words of praise, the excited Realm Kings nearly knelt.

This disaster had drawn the attention of the entire Northern Divine Realm to this location. As star realms in a remote region, they had never received such focus before.

On board the profound boat, Ye Li and Yao Die personally questioned the survivors one by one. However, most of them were still in shock and incoherent, while those who were lucid simply shook their heads, having no idea what had happened.

Just then, a shout echoed from a distance: "Realm King Jiancheng has woken up!"

A pale-faced middle-aged man, whose clothes were tattered, was helped over. He was covered in blood, his aura was weak, and his injuries were visibly severe.

He had been at the very center of the disaster, where all living beings around him perished. Only he had survived, thanks to his powerful Divine Sovereign body, though his life hung by a thread.

"This person is Ye Jiancheng," the leading Realm King introduced to Ye Li and Yao Die, "the Realm King of the destroyed Obscure Martial Realm."

Ye Jiancheng, supported, had trembling lips and frantically tried to bow despite his extreme weakness. Ye Li raised a hand to stop him, enveloping him with a vast yet gentle profound energy. "There's no need for formalities. Tell me, did you see anything when the disaster occurred?"

Devil Maiden Ye Li’s words sharply pierced Ye Jiancheng’s clouded consciousness. The horrifying image he had seen before losing consciousness made his pupils dilate in terror:

"A cauldron… it was a cauldron… a very large cauldron!" he screamed, each word filled with fright.

"A cauldron?" The surrounding crowd exchanged bewildered glances.

"Describe it clearly. What kind of cauldron?" Ye Li moved closer, her voice serious.

"I don't know, I don't know," Ye Jiancheng shook his head frantically. "A white cauldron… I've never seen anything like it… it was huge… it suddenly descended…"

"Ah!"

As Ye Jiancheng spoke incoherently, a cry of surprise came from below.

The sound came from a thin, gaunt man with a Divine Spirit Realm aura, who was shrinking back somewhat fearfully behind the crowd.

The leading Realm King was furious and rebuked him, "You scoundrel! How dare you interrupt the Devil Maiden's questioning! Drag him out!"

"Wait!" Yao Die interjected. She looked at the thin man, her brows furrowed. "You suddenly cried out just now. Did you perhaps remember something, or perceive something?"

"No, no," the thin man stammered, shrinking back in instinctive fear under the Devil Maiden’s gaze.

"The Devil Maiden is asking a question; answer truthfully!" the leading Realm King roared. "If you conceal anything and incur the Devil Maiden's wrath, the entire Northern Divine Realm will not tolerate you."

The thin man’s face instantly turned ashen, and his body swayed precariously.

"Don't be nervous," Yao Die said, softening her voice. "If you truly discovered something, tell us honestly, and the Soul Stealing Realm will record your contribution."

The Devil Maiden’s gentle words finally eased the thin man's expression somewhat. He swallowed hard, then finally mustered the courage to say, "The large white cauldron that Realm King Jiancheng mentioned… I happened to see it last night."

Everyone was startled. Yao Die took a step forward and asked, "What kind of cauldron was it? Where did you see it? Tell us everything truthfully."

The thin man, still somewhat timid, extended his hand. In it was an ordinary profound image stone.

He expelled his profound energy, and immediately, an image was projected before everyone.

In the upper part of the image, a shining white glow was visible, and within that glow, a square cauldron could be clearly discerned.

This image was clearly captured from a great distance, yet the shape and outline of the square cauldron were still distinct, indicating its immense true size.

In the lower left of the image, the lingering shadow of the star realm was clearly visible!

The moment everyone’s eyes clearly saw the image, Ye Jiancheng, whose aura had been weak, suddenly shrieked like a madman, "It's it! It's it… It's that cauldron! That's the cauldron!!"

The shock and injuries were too severe. In his agitated state, Ye Jiancheng's eyes rolled back, and he fainted once more.

The Realm Kings looked at the two Devil Maidens, about to state that they had never seen this cauldron, when they suddenly noticed deep astonishment on both Devil Maidens’ faces.

They held their breath, not daring to utter a single word.

"This is…" Yao Die murmured in shock, "the Skyfall Cauldron? No, that's impossible!"

She blurted it out, then immediately denied it.

"You are not mistaken," Ye Li said gravely. "That is indeed the Divine Relic of the Heaven Smiting God Realm in the Eastern Divine Realm, the Skyfall Cauldron, which possesses immense spatial divine power!"

The words "Heaven Smiting God Realm in the Eastern Divine Realm" utterly stunned everyone present.

Ye Li turned to face the thin man. "Who are you, and why did you record this image?"

The thin man seemed to have been frightened senseless, only managing to stammer after a long moment, "I… I am Bo Xishan, from the Southern Ruins Realm. Last… last night, I was traveling here and happened to see a white glow, so I casually recorded it. I… I never imagined a terrifying storm would suddenly rush over, and I fainted on the spot. When I… I woke up, I had been forcibly detained by the Realm Kings… oh no, no, I mean, taken in, taken in."

Ye Li pointed a finger, and the profound image stone in Bo Xishan's hand flew into her palm. She commanded, "This matter is of great importance. You must return with me to the Soul Stealing Realm immediately!"

"Ah?" Bo Xishan froze, then stammered, "Yes, yes."

"Take Ye Jiancheng to the Soul Stealing Realm as well," Ye Li continued.

"And," she swept her gaze around, her voice suddenly turning cold, "this matter concerns the Eastern Divine Realm, and the implications behind it are far greater than you can possibly imagine. Until everything is made clear, what you have heard and seen today… must not be leaked in the slightest!"

The Realm Kings nodded repeatedly, cold sweat streaming down their faces.

Ye Li and Yao Die did not linger. The unconscious Ye Jiancheng and the trembling Bo Xishan were taken away with them…

However, the moment they were out of sight, the fear in Bo Xishan's eyes vanished, replaced by a sinister, dark gleam.

Although Ye Li and Yao Die, in their capacity as Devil Maidens, had issued a gag order.

Less than an hour after they left, however, rumors that "the destruction of the three star realms was caused by the Skyfall Cauldron of the Heaven Smiting God Realm in the Eastern Divine Realm" swept like a storm through every corner of the Northern Divine Realm, shaking every inch of its space.