Chapter 1752: Fate Seven Days

Yun Che’s words carried a chill no less profound than Chi Wuyao’s, yet for Shui Yingyue and Lu Zhou, this was already an excellent outcome.

After all, they originated from the Eastern Divine Region and were its star realms' Realm Kings.

The Eastern Divine Region had been saved by Yun Che, only to then betray him terribly. Regarding its fate and survival, Yun Che had every right to retaliate against the Eastern Divine Region in any way he chose. Yet, the vast majority of its inhabitants were, after all, innocent.

Trapped within the rules and "cages" constructed by their superiors, they had never truly understood what was happening from beginning to end.

The Glazed Light Realm and the Overturning Heaven Realm could have remained aloof, self-preserving amidst the demonic calamity. However, with the Heaven Smiting Realm massacred, the Moon God shattered, the Star Gods retreating, and the Brahma Monarch closing its realm, as the foremost star realms beneath the King Realms, they had to step forward. This was their only chance to potentially secure some turn of fate for the Eastern Divine Region.

Otherwise, if things continued as they were, those terrifying devils, utterly fearless of death and indulging in their boundless hatred across the Eastern Divine Region, would undoubtedly transform it into an unimaginable hell.

Lu Lengchuan bowed, stating with utmost sincerity, "Thank you, Devil Master, for once again bestowing this grace upon the Eastern Divine Region. Upon our return, we will immediately proclaim, in the names of Glazed Light and Overturning Heaven, that any star realm willing to pledge allegiance to the Devil Master will receive the Devil Master's pardon. Those unwilling... we shall also consider as our enemies!"

They knew well that such a decision would inevitably bring them countless accusations of "surrendering to devils."

Yet, not having directly experienced the demonic calamity, they had a clear perspective from the sidelines. With the successive destruction of the Heaven Smiting Realm and the Moon God Realm, and the subsequent collapse of morale following the revelation of the truth, the Eastern Divine Region stood no chance against the devils from the Northern Divine Region.

To preserve the Eastern Divine Region to the greatest extent possible, this was already the best—perhaps even the only—choice.

"Heh! There's no need!"

Yun Che, however, gave a chilling smile. He suddenly summoned the Primordial Profound Ark and then reached out his hand, grabbing something.

A figure encased in ice was flung out with the motion of his arm, slamming violently onto the ground.

The ice shattered, and the person inside rolled a considerable distance like a tumbling gourd, but did not stand. Instead, they huddled on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

As their gazes swept across the person's face, everyone was momentarily stunned. Immediately, the expressions of Shui Qianheng and Lu Zhou changed simultaneously, and they cried out in unison, "Star God Emperor!?"

The three words "Star God Emperor" reaching his ears made the middle-aged man on the ground turn his head in a daze. He saw Lu Zhou, he saw Shui Qianheng... Suddenly, he let out a strange cry, burying his face into the ground, his arms clutching his head, tightly curled up like a desperate insect.

"No... no... I'm not the Star God Emperor... I'm not... you... you've got the wrong person... I'm not... not..."

How magnificent he once was! Even the strongest Upper Realm Kings, such as Shui Qianheng and Lu Zhou, would respectfully bow before him.

Now, seeing acquaintances in such a state, his entire body trembled and cringed, overcome by deathly shame. He would rather be forever frozen than have anyone witness such a wretched sight.

At least that way, in the eyes of the world, he would forever remain the vanished Star God Emperor, remembered only for commanding the Star Gods and his awe-inspiring divine might.

"This... this is..." Lu Zhou and Lu Lengchuan exchanged glances, their hearts gripped by endless shock.

Back then, the Star God Realm had been reduced to ruins by the Calamity of the Evil Infant, and on that very day, the Star God Emperor suddenly vanished. Afterward, the remaining Star God Profound Practitioners searched almost the entire Eastern Divine Region but found no trace or aura of him.

Countless rumors and conjectures circulated throughout the Eastern Divine Region regarding the suddenly vanished Star God Emperor.

And now, he had reappeared before them at this very time and place, in this very manner.

The Xing Juekong before their eyes bore no trace of his former imperial might or spiritual pressure; one could barely detect any profound energy aura from him.

His profound energy was crippled, and years of torment from being frozen had long since shattered his will. His eyes and body displayed only despair and patheticness. Even the most ordinary mortal would feel deep contempt and pity upon seeing him.

Tormenting the Star God Emperor to such a state was certainly not something achievable in a short period. It was highly probable that he had fallen into this tragic predicament since the very year he disappeared. However, they naturally dared not inquire.

Yun Che hated Xing Juekong intensely, but he never dealt a fatal blow, instead consistently maintaining his life. At this moment, it seemed, it could still serve a purpose.

He glanced at Xing Juekong from the corner of his eye, then suddenly reached out, produced the Star God Disk, and threw it directly in front of Xing Juekong.

Although it no longer possessed the Star God divine power, the Star God Disk had accompanied Xing Juekong for ten thousand years; he knew its mere scent to his very bones.

He violently lifted his head from the ground. The moment he saw the Star God Disk, he was utterly stunned, and then his body, previously too weak to stand, suddenly lunged forward like a flea. He clutched the Star God Disk tightly to his chest, tears streaming from his eyes.

Lu Zhou, Shui Qianheng, and the others watched silently, their hearts filled with unutterable sighs.

"Heh," Yun Che said, lowering his gaze and speaking in a deep voice, "Xing Juekong, this Devil Master bestows upon you today a chance to be the Star God Emperor again. You must... cherish it well!"

Xing Juekong gave no response, as if he hadn't clearly heard what Yun Che was saying. All his strength was focused on tightly clutching the Star God Disk. In a daze, he seemed to be the Star God Emperor once more, standing at the apex of the world, proudly looking down on all beings.

With a cold sneer, Yun Che stepped forward and said indifferently, "Dao Qi, activate the formation!"

The Heaven Smiting Realm's incredibly useful projection profound formation was activated once again.

Although each moment of its duration consumed a huge amount of energy, these resources had been plundered from the Heaven Smiting Realm, so there was no need to feel any heartache over them.

The grand projection formation quickly activated. This time, covering the Eastern Divine Region, was Yun Che's sinister and ominous face, and a heart-pounding dark demonic might instantly enveloped the entire region.

Instantly, the devils throughout the Eastern Divine Region, from the King Realm God Emperors down to the most common devil soldiers, all uniformly prostrated themselves. Their reverence, akin to an act of faith, was so intense that it made the profound practitioners of the Eastern Divine Region tremble with awe.

As for the Eastern Region's profound practitioners, facing Yun Che again at this moment, their state of mind was entirely different from before.

He was a devil... yet a devil forced into existence by the Eastern Divine Region, by the higher-ups of the entire God Realm.

And he, originally, was the Divine Son who saved the world, and the greatest pride the Eastern Divine Region had ever known.

"Children of Darkness," Yun Che's voice resonated, slow and gloomy, "Temporarily cool your boiling blood. This Devil Master has a great piece of news to announce to the pitiful creatures of the Eastern Divine Region. Pitiful creatures, you must prick up your ears and listen carefully; do not miss a single word."

In the profound silence, countless throats moved with immense difficulty.

Yun Che in the projection slowly extended his hand, his spread fingers seemingly encompassing the entire Eastern Divine Region beneath his palm. "The Heaven Smiting Realm and the Moon God Realm are already annihilated," he declared. "The Brahma Monarch God Realm and the Star God Realm will merely huddle, trembling, within their own turtle shells."

"Do not for a moment think you have been abandoned by them... No, no, in the face of true calamity, you don't even have the right to be abandoned. After all, you are merely a collection of pitiful insects they can mold into any shape they please."

Yun Che's words were utterly sarcastic—especially in light of the truth now revealed to the world, they were a thousand times more so.

"However, this Devil Master is deeply indebted to the Snow Song Realm. And today, the Glazed Light Realm and Overturning Heaven Realm have come to plead on your behalf. Mindful of the kindness the Glazed Light Realm showed by offering refuge back then, and the Overturning Heaven Realm's spoken plea, this Devil Master will grant you an opportunity... and it is your only opportunity!"

Inside the Heaven Smiting Realm, Shui Qianheng's reaction was relatively calm, while the hearts of Lu Zhou and his son were profoundly stirred for a long time.

If the Eastern Divine Region were saved because of this, and Yun Che truly became the ruler of the God Realm in the future... then Yun Che's words today would be enough to significantly elevate the already high prestige and status of the Glazed Light Realm and the Overturning Heaven Realm.

Behind his brutal, blood-stained hands, he surprisingly valued loyalty and righteousness to such an extent.

After the initial excitement came a deep sigh... If such a person, back then, had been protected by the Eastern Divine Region instead of betrayed, then the Eastern Divine Region would not have suffered the catastrophe of collapsing King Realms and corpses strewn across countless realms. Instead, it would have received unshakable protection and peace.

But then again, if not for what happened back then... Yun Che, who had only wanted to live in seclusion with the Evil Infant, would never have grown to be so terrifying.

Yun Che's fingers curled downwards, a slight motion that instantly made countless profound practitioners in the Eastern Region feel as if their lives and souls were being strangled by his fingers: "Within seven days, all Upper Star Realms must either have your Realm King swear loyalty and submission before this Devil Master's knees, or... disappear into darkness forever!"

The Dark Devil Master's words made countless eyes and hearts pound wildly.

"Remember, you only have seven days—only seven days! And this is the last chance this Devil Master bestows upon you!"

"If your Realm King is stubborn and insists on dragging you all to be buried in the darkness, you can choose death, or you can choose to slay him and elect a new Realm King."

"To dance together in darkness, or to turn into eternal black dust—I eagerly await your choice!"

"Heheheh!"

Amidst his low, chilling laughter, Yun Che's figure turned within the projection. His words, like a devil's judgment, planted seeds of darkness in the minds of countless wavering Eastern Region profound practitioners.

"Obey the Devil Master's command, retreat!"

While the Eastern Region's profound practitioners were still bewildered, the devil army had already retreated uniformly and swiftly withdrawn. Even devil contingents on the verge of attacking the core immediately pulled back without the slightest resistance or hesitation.

Without Yun Che, they would not have even had the ability to leave the Northern Divine Region, let alone gain proper recognition or unleash such satisfying vengeance. Yun Che's commands had long since become their highest dark faith.

The devils receded like a tide, and the voice of the Dark Devil Master continued to echo in the ears of the Eastern Divine Region's profound practitioners...

This terrifying demonic calamity that had stained the sky red finally paused temporarily, but they could not know whether this was a "blessing" or a deeper, darker hell.

"No, do not be misled by the devils!" a profound practitioner shouted loudly. "They want to divide us, to enslave us!"

Had this been two days ago, the vast majority of Eastern Region profound practitioners, who had been fighting desperately, would surely have upheld their final will and dignity, preferring death over kneeling to darkness.

But under the weight of cruel truth and shattered beliefs, more people saw a glimmer of vitality and hope appearing in the gloom.

The Devil Emperor had sacrificed herself for the world, and the Devil Master had saved the world only to be betrayed by it. If the very notion that darkness could not be tolerated in the world was wrong, if their countless years of oppression and slaughter of devils had always been a sin...

Then, was surrendering to the Dark Devil Master—who had once saved the world and originated from their Eastern Divine Region—and coexisting with darkness truly so unacceptable?

At least, this calamity could cease, and at least lives and clans could be preserved.

At least... it could be considered a form of atonement and a correction of their understanding.

"I already... don't want to fight the devils anymore," a profound practitioner knelt limply on the ground, his voice exceptionally weak.

And this pale, dispirited sentence was the silent plea of countless Eastern Region profound practitioners.

"Great Realm King, choose to surrender. The devils are too terrifying; we are no match for them. And... Yun Che, he was originally from the Eastern Divine Region."

"Sect Master, in the face of the truth, what exactly are we struggling for...? I don't want to fight anymore, I truly don't."

"They are devils! Have you forgotten how many of your kin and fellow disciples they have killed!? Do you want the Eastern Divine Region to become a devil realm!?" an Upper Realm King roared, his voice brimming with imperial might.

"Heh," a weak, mournful laugh sounded, coming from the young profound practitioner with the highest aptitude in their sect, on whom their future hopes rested: "Sect Master, if we all die, the Eastern Divine Region will truly become a devil realm. I'd rather live. I want to see with my own eyes what true devils are like."

"Great Realm King! You absolutely must not surrender to the devils, otherwise, how will we face our ancestors in the future! Don't forget, there's also the Brahma Monarch God Realm! The Brahma Monarch God Realm's inactivity cannot possibly be a retreat; perhaps they are secretly uniting with the Southern and Western Divine Regions, preparing to deliver a decisive blow to the devils... Surrendering now would be an eternal stain our entire clan could never wash away!"

Within the Eastern Divine Region, countless voices surged.

Because the ultimate fate of their star realms would be decided within these short seven days.

Wu Guike: Yay! I'm back in action!