Chapter 1761: Hongmeng Life and Death Seal (Part 2)

"What's wrong?" Qianye Ying'er asked, her slender brows slightly furrowed, as she watched Yun Che, who had suddenly fallen silent and was clearly stunned.

Yun Che's gaze was fixed, and he remained silent.

It was a woman's voice, the most ethereal and dreamlike he had ever heard in his life.

Lighter than drifting clouds, softer than a gentle breeze, it seemed to come from a distant ancient past, or perhaps from the deepest recesses of a dream.

However, in the silence, the voice did not sound again. He closed his eyes and concentrated, yet he felt no spiritual presence... His mind seemed to be telling him that the voice he had just heard was merely an illusion.

"Who are you?"

He asked in his heart... but waited a long time for a reply that never came.

He reached out again, touching the Grandmist Primordial Seal, but for a long time, no sound echoed in his mind.

"What exactly is going on?" Qianye Ying'er asked again, observing his strange behavior.

Yun Che removed his finger from the Grandmist Primordial Seal and said calmly, "Nothing. It's just that the Sky Poison Pearl, being a Profound Sky Treasure itself, had a special reaction."

Ni... Xuan...

This was the Heretic God's name.

Was it truly just an illusion?

Qianye Ying'er gave him a look but didn't press further. Instead, she slowly said, "The Grandmist Primordial Seal was accidentally discovered by the Brahma Heaven God Emperor three generations ago in ruins on the southern edge of the Eastern Divine Region. As you said, it's a dead seal. If its appearance hadn't perfectly matched the records, it would have been difficult to even detect it by its aura alone, let alone believe it was actually the third most precious treasure of ancient times."

Yun Che listened intently, his brows furrowed.

Like the Sky Poison Pearl and the Eternal Heaven Pearl, the primordial spirit within the Grandmist Primordial Seal had also died.

According to the ancient legends he knew, the original owner of the Grandmist Primordial Seal was the Life Creation God, Li Sa. After Li Sa's death, the Grandmist Primordial Seal fell into the hands of the Devil Race and was never heard from again... But when the Brahma Emperor God Realm discovered the dead Grandmist Primordial Seal, it was in the southern region of the Eastern Divine Region?

"However, 'immortality' is something that can drive people insane," Qianye Ying'er scoffed with a low, mocking laugh. "To activate the Grandmist Primordial Seal's power of immortality, the Brahma Emperor God Realm used countless methods, many of them extremely cruel. The number of lives sacrificed far exceeded your imagination."

Yun Che remained silent.

"Finally, in Qianye Wugu's generation, they acquired a successful 'experiment subject.' This subject was Old Man Gu."

Qianye Wugu was Qianye Ying'er's great-grandfather by lineage. However, she simply called him by his name without any deference.

This was because she was no longer Qianye Ying'er, but Yun Qianying!

This fact had not changed due to Qianye Fantian's death or her taking possession of the Brahma Soul Bell.

Yun Che glanced at the Grandmist Primordial Seal and asked, "How did they succeed?"

To become the spirit of a Profound Sky Treasure, only He Ling in this current era could achieve it. Even individuals like the Eternal Heaven Great Ancestor, who acknowledged their master beforehand and possessed a Glazed Heart, found it extremely difficult. The Brahma Emperor God Realm naturally couldn't cause the Grandmist Primordial Seal to give birth to a true spirit.

"The Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprint."

Qianye Ying'er's voice lowered as she spoke an answer that surprised Yun Che.

Her gaze shifted. "The profound formation beneath our feet was created from a special ancient formation disc called the Brahma Emperor Heaven-Ascending Formation. It belongs to the highest level of profound formation power in the Brahma Emperor God Realm, capable of forcefully stimulating the potential within one's profound veins, though it comes with extremely high risks. The Grandmist Primordial Seal showed a faint reaction within this formation."

"However, while Old Man Gu's lifespan was clearly affected when he was near the Grandmist Primordial Seal, Qianye Wugu and others couldn't absorb the divine aura from it. They later discovered that this was precisely because of the Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprint on Old Man Gu."

"Old Man Gu was the only Divine Master Realm experiment subject Qianye Wugu found. The Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprint was planted on him using the Brahma Soul Bell to prevent his escape, but it unexpectedly resulted in the discovery that only those bearing the Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprint could absorb the divine aura of immortality. This was likely because the Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprint affected all the meridians throughout his body, and it somehow resonated with the Grandmist Primordial Seal's divine aura. Heh, quite ironic, isn't it?"

"So, Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu are still alive now... because they also had the Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprint planted on them?" Yun Che asked.

"Of course." Qianye Ying'er's eyes were profound. "That's why I said the words 'immortality' are the most potent for driving people insane and irrational. The Brahma Soul Seeking Death Imprints on Qianye Wugu, Qianye Bingzhu, and Old Man Gu are all masterless imprints, all planted by the Brahma Soul Bell."

"In other words, since I wield the Brahma Soul Bell, I fully control the fates of all three of them. So, your concern just now was entirely unnecessary."

Yun Che's lips twitched slightly. "But it seems Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu don't have such a great desire for immortality now."

Qianye Ying'er gave a cold smile. "This kind of highly restrictive 'immortality' is instead a long torment. If not for protecting the Brahma Emperor God Realm, they might have chosen death long ago."

Yun Che neither confirmed nor denied... The fear of death was an instinct for all living beings.

Just like the Three Yama Ancestors, they would rather be rogue spirits in the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea for over eight hundred thousand years than choose death.

Qianye Ying'er stepped forward, suddenly reached out and picked up the Grandmist Primordial Seal, then tossed it directly to Yun Che.

"It's yours."

Four simple words, spoken as casually as if she were giving away an ordinary piece of unpolished jade.

Yun Che took it, his eyes reserved. "Are you sure? This is the Brahma Emperor God Realm's greatest secret and most important treasure."

Qianye Ying'er said, "You were able to easily seize the Eternal Heaven Pearl from the Eternal Heaven Great Ancestor; perhaps this Grandmist Primordial Seal can also be brought back to life in your hands."

"An immortal Dark Devil Lord will bring eternal darkness to this world... I hope you can achieve it."

After a deep glance at Qianye Ying'er, Yun Che said no more, calmly putting away the Grandmist Primordial Seal.

By now, four of the seven Profound Sky Treasures were remarkably in his possession... However, the Grandmist Primordial Seal was in a dormant state; the Eternal Heaven Pearl's power was depleted after opening the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm for three thousand years some years ago; and even the Sky Poison Pearl had just used up all the Sky Poison Disheartening Toxin it had accumulated over the years.

As for the Samsara Mirror... it had remained silent.

Leaving the underground space, the various Brahma Kings and Brahma Emperor Elders were neatly prostrated outside. The surviving Brahma Emperor Divine Envoys had also struggled to arrive, and their eyes were filled with pleading as they saw Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er.

Looking at the ruined Brahma Emperor City, everything felt like a lifetime ago. Qianye Ying'er's chest rose and fell slightly. She said, "I have no reason to refuse the great gift Qianye Fantian gave me before his death. For this period, I will remain here and ensure they restore their maximum utility value in the shortest possible time."

Qianye Ying'er spoke these words without any emotion.

Was she truly just exploiting them, or did she, in the end, hold some affection for her birthplace... Perhaps even she didn't know.

"Alright," Yun Che readily agreed, then added, "While you're at it, please investigate something for me."

"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er's gaze shifted sideways.

Yun Che said, "Back then, while I was implanting the slave imprint on you, I asked you something: Who in the Brahma Emperor God Realm attacked the Wood Spirit Royal Clan, causing the Wood Spirit Clan Chief and his wife to self-detonate their Wood Spirit Pearls and die?"

"That's what you want me to investigate?" Qianye Ying'er looked surprised.

She remembered telling him back then that it couldn't have been someone of too high a status, otherwise there would have been no way for anyone to escape.

"Yes." Yun Che's expression was solemn. "This matter is very important to me. Of course, he might already be dead. But if he's not... you must bring him to me alive."

"What's the specific time?" Qianye Ying'er pondered briefly before asking.

"Fifteen years ago."

"Alright," Qianye Ying'er replied, "Three days at most."

Yun Che nodded, then prepared to fly away.

"Wait," Qianye Ying'er suddenly thought of something. She looked at Yun Che, her gaze intent. "Are you certain it was someone from the Brahma Emperor God Realm?"

That question caused Yun Che to frown slightly.

He Ling's and He Lin's parents were forced to their deaths by someone from the Brahma Emperor God Realm. This was what a Wood Spirit elder named Qingmu, who gave him the Wood Spirit Pearl, told him years ago in the hidden Wood Spirit dwelling in the Black Soul Realm.

"...Later, the Clan Chief and his wife endured countless hardships and trials, finally drawing closer and closer to one of the King Realms. The Clan Chief and his family thought they were approaching hope, but unexpectedly, a disaster suddenly befell them... In that disaster, the Clan Chief, his wife, and thousands of their clansmen perished. Their desperate struggle, however, allowed the Young Clan Chief and the Princess to escape with their lives..."

"I... received a soul message from the Clan Chief as he breathed his last. It only contained four words."

"Brah... ma... Em... peror... God... Realm."

Recalling Qingmu's words from back then, Yun Che slowly nodded. "Those four words, 'Brahma Emperor God Realm,' came from the Wood Spirit Clan Chief's dying transmission. There's no mistake."

"What was the cultivation realm of that deceased Wood Spirit Clan Chief?" Qianye Ying'er asked again.

"He Ling, what was your father's cultivation?" Yun Che asked He Ling.

"Mid Divine Spirit Realm," Yun Che informed Qianye Ying'er after receiving the answer from He Ling.

"Divine Spirit Realm?" Qianye Ying'er frowned deeply.

"Is there a problem?" Yun Che asked.

Qianye Ying'er shook her head, her golden eyes slightly narrowed. "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. It seems there's still an idiot in the dignified Brahma Emperor God Realm who could expose their identity when facing a mere Divine Spirit Realm cultivator. I'm far more curious than you now about who this idiot is; it's truly a disgrace to Brahma Emperor."

Qianye Ying'er clearly had a hidden meaning in her words.

And Yun Che's heartstrings were severely shaken at that moment.

He suddenly realized something he had never considered...

The answer "Brahma Emperor God Realm" was told to him by Qingmu years ago, and Qingmu had learned it through the Wood Spirit Clan Chief's dying transmission.

But... was the Wood Spirit Clan Chief's dying transmission necessarily correct?

Based on Yun Che's growing understanding of the Brahma Emperor God Realm over the years, a crucial reason for its status as the Eastern Divine Region's foremost King Realm was its its extremely high sense of conviction and honor.

An act like hunting down Wood Spirits, which would leave a huge blemish, if carried out by someone from the Brahma Emperor God Realm, would surely be lethal in one blow and leave no traces. Otherwise, leaving a blemish would be a severe crime.

Yet, the truth was that many Wood Spirits escaped, and the Wood Spirit Clan Chief even knew the identity of his attackers before his death.

Wood Spirits would not lie maliciously, so he had never doubted Qingmu's words. All these years, he had never even thought of questioning it... but Qianye Ying'er's expressed doubt instantly influenced him.

Furthermore, according to Qingmu, the Wood Spirit Clan Chief seemed to have never truly interacted with any King Realm before his demise. So, how did he determine the attackers were from the Brahma Emperor God Realm just before his death?

"You go back to Eternal Heaven first. I'll give you the answer in three days."

A peculiar light shimmered in Qianye Ying'er's eyes... The fact that the attackers were identified as being from the Brahma Emperor God Realm on their first encounter, and the words "fifteen years ago," made her vaguely recall something.

Yun Che soared into the sky, and a purifying light descended. Following Qianye Ying'er's choice, he purified Qianye Wugu, Qianye Bingzhu, and the entire King City from the Sky Poison Disheartening Toxin, then returned to Eternal Heaven.

A grand drama awaited him as the lead.