Chapter 1763: Black Mark

Observing Kui Hongyu tremble as he knelt, Yun Che's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?" he asked indifferently. "Does kneeling before this Devil Master make you feel wronged?"

"No, I wouldn't dare," Kui Hongyu replied, head bowed. "My Kui Realm sincerely surrenders this time. All major clans and forces have decided to no longer oppose the devils... no, to no longer oppose the profound practitioners of the Northern Region. All prohibitions and execution orders concerning the Northern Divine Region and dark profound energy have also been abolished."

"Hm?" Yun Che sneered faintly. "It sounds as if your Kui Realm is forgiving my Northern Region."

"No," Kui Hongyu quickly said, "I assure you, I had no such intention!"

"There's one thing you'd do well to remember clearly," Yun Che's chilling words echoed distinctly into the depths of everyone's soul. "This Devil Master demands loyalty only once. The opportunity granted to you is also only once!"

He glanced sideways at Kui Hongyu. "If you wish to surrender to this Devil Master, you must at least show basic sincerity. My sincerity requires only a small gesture... Now, slap yourself until all your teeth are broken. Not a single half-tooth should remain. Do you understand?"

At these words, all the Realm Kings' expressions changed. Kui Hongyu suddenly looked up, his voice trembling, "Devil Master, you..."

"Or, you can choose death," came the icy voice, devoid of any human emotion. "Of course, you won't die alone. Your kinsmen and your sect will be buried with you."

Kui Hongyu's pupils widened.

"Speaking of which, someone like you, who would turn around and try to kill their savior, and then kneel before devils just to cling to life – what use do you have for teeth anyway!"

Every word was like an immensely heavy slap, fiercely striking the faces of the high-ranking Realm Kings in front of the world.

Kui Hongyu's body trembled, and his features twitched. He suddenly looked up, clenching his teeth, and said with difficulty, "I, Kui Hongyu, have been a king for ten thousand years. I can lose my life, but not my dignity!"

This declaration stunned everyone. A green-robed Realm King, who seemed to be quite close to him, gasped in alarm, "Realm King Hongyu!"

"Hahahaha!" Yun Che burst into laughter, his eyes full of mockery. "You can lose your life, but not your dignity? Are you even worthy of those words!?"

"Back then, at the edge of chaos, when you turned against me, the one who had just saved the world, in front of Long Bai, Qianye, and Nan Ming, trying to kill me—why didn't you check your backbone then? Why did you forget your dignity?"

"All these years, you've suppressed the truth, not daring to reveal a single word. Where was your shame then? Where was your dignity?"

"Now, this Devil Master, in his great mercy, grants you and your sect a chance to live and atone, yet you brazenly demand dignity from me? Heh... Hehehe, are you even worthy?"

Under the devil's might, Kui Hongyu's muscles tensed, and he sweated profusely. Faced with the public humiliation of breaking all his teeth, he was filled with extreme hatred, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Now, under Yun Che's mockery and oppressive power, his teeth, which had been clenched, began to chatter. His eyes full of pleading, he said, "Devil Master, it was... it was my slip of the tongue. Since we chose to come and surrender, we... have absolutely no ulterior motives. Why must the Devil Master... push so hard?"

"So, because you've come to surrender, this Devil Master should completely forgive you, forgetting all past grievances?" Yun Che chuckled deeply, his voice profound. "How then can I do justice to the years of blood and hatred!"

"Tianxiao," Yun Che suddenly turned his gaze. "Who is stationed at the Kui Realm?"

Yan Tianxiao immediately replied, "To the Devil Master, the overseer of that star region is Yan Huo, and the Purple Devil Realm is responsible for the Kui Realm. The Purple Devil Realm King is on standby."

Yun Che calmly commanded, "Slaughter the Kui Realm's Realm King Sect. Let the Purple Devil Realm take its place."

A single, understated sentence brought an end to an era for a high-level star realm, painting the sky crimson with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Within the Kui Realm, the Purple Devil Realm King bowed skyward. "This humble king respectfully accepts the Devil Master's command!"

The next instant, he pointed towards the Kui Heaven Sacred Sect, and a sinister devilish aura filled the heavens. "Kill!!"

With their Realm King absent, the Kui Heaven Sacred Sect, lacking its most crucial core and leader, crumbled into disarray amidst fear and despair.

In the Brahma Heaven Realm, Kui Hongyu's face turned ashen with terror. He cried out urgently, "Devil Master... Devil Master! Please withdraw your command! It was my arrogance that offended you. I will break my teeth now! From now on, I will obey your every command without question. Please, Devil Master, withdraw your command, withdraw your command!!"

"It's too late," Yun Che said, looking up, his gaze no longer falling on Kui Hongyu. After all, he was already a dead man. "Grace and loyalty are granted only once. How can words spoken by this Devil Master be withdrawn?"

"You are fortunate, at least someone granted you an opportunity. But who gave my family and my homeland an opportunity? If you must blame someone, blame your own foolishness."

These faint, chilling words instilled an inexplicable coldness in everyone's hearts and souls.

Kui Hongyu's eyes were bloodshot, as he realized his impending fate. In extreme terror and despair, he suddenly roared and lunged directly at Yun Che.

Yun Che remained motionless, while Kui Hongyu's Divine Master aura, which had just been released for an instant, completely vanished without a trace the next moment.

Three short, withered dark figures appeared beside Kui Hongyu. No one saw how they moved; they were like true devilish phantoms.

Three dark devil claws simultaneously seized Kui Hongyu's body... Kui Hongyu's pupils dilated to their maximum. His power was forcibly suppressed, his body unable to move an inch. He felt his flesh and blood grow cold, rapidly devoured by darkness...

Before death, he had already caught a glimpse of hell.

With a heart-wrenching explosion, Kui Hongyu's body directly disintegrated, scattering into rapidly vanishing dark dust.

The three Yama Ancestors vanished with a *whoosh*, returning to stand behind Yun Che. They didn't forget to glare at each other... After all, one of them could have handled it alone; the other two were simply meddling!

Furthermore, was it not shameful for three of them to act together against a mere second-level Divine Master?

To them, it was like effortlessly crushing a fly, but for the assembled Realm Kings... and indeed, everyone in the Eastern Divine Region watching this unfold, it was utterly soul-shattering.

Kui Hongyu... he was the Great Realm King of the Kui Realm, a genuine Divine Master!

The Divine Master realm was the highest cultivation stage in the current profound way. Those possessing Divine Master power were, without a doubt, the most difficult beings in the world to destroy. Yet, under the Yama Ancestors' claws, Kui Hongyu's Divine Master power was annihilated in an instant, and within a mere two breaths, he died without leaving a trace of his body. Not only did he not struggle, he didn't even manage to let out a single scream.

An endless chill coursed through everyone. The profound practitioners of the Eastern Divine Region had never known that a Divine Master, whom they could only look up to their entire lives, could be so fragile. The high-ranking Realm Kings, especially, realized for the first time that their existence could be so utterly insignificant.

Yun Che's gaze remained fixed on the sky, as if the death of a high-ranking Realm King was no more to him than crushing a useless, insignificant ant.

Only when the dark dust was almost completely dispersed did he slowly turn his gaze sideways. "It seems some people have misunderstood something. It is only right that this Devil Master kills you; the opportunity to kneel is a gift."

"Of course," Yun Che slowly raised his hand, "you can also refuse the gift and choose death. As for dignity... heh! A pack of ungrateful, spineless wild dogs, where would you find dignity?"

The eerie glow in the Yama Ancestors' eyes flickered, the dark smoke from Kui Hongyu's dissolved body dispersed, and the horrific state of the Kui Heaven Sacred Sect, which had been targeted for slaughter, was beyond imagination...

Facing Yun Che's words, none of the Realm Kings present expressed indignation or spoke a word. Dignity? Dignity, in that fleeting moment, had been reduced to the tiniest ashes, along with the sacrificial burial of all kin and sects.

Yun Che's gaze shifted slightly, settling on the green-robed man who had just stepped forward. "What? Are you planning to intercede for that idiot just now?"

The green-robed man's entire body stiffened, nearly collapsing in terror. "N-no, it's not..." It was only after speaking that he managed to regain his senses, falling to his knees with a *thud*. He hastily said, "I am Duanmu Yan, Realm King of the Thoughtless Thunder Sound Realm. Although what happened back then was due to circumstances, I... indeed feel deeply ashamed before the Devil Master, and my sin deserves death."

"The Devil Master's grace in sparing my life is like rebirth. From now on, I wish to serve under the Devil Master, dedicating the rest of my life to loyalty and atonement, obeying every command, unwavering until death!"

Everyone's will has a limit to what it can endure, and this holds true for Realm Kings and Divine Masters alike. What had just occurred had clearly terrified Duanmu Yan to his very soul. What did identity or dignity matter now, or even public scrutiny?

"Break your teeth," Yun Che said, looking at him, his voice utterly indifferent.

Duanmu Yan raised his hands and, without hesitation, slammed them into his face. *Thump! Thump!* Two heavy thuds, one on the left, one on the right. Duanmu Yan's cheeks instantly turned blood-red and swelled up. Broken teeth, along with blood and all his dignity, spurted from his mouth, scattering onto the ground before his knees.

Drip... Drip... Amidst the flow of blood, a few transparent liquid drops quietly mingled.

Breaking all one's teeth signified a shameless person. This scene would forever be an indelible mark of humiliation.

Watching Duanmu Yan, not only the Eastern Realm Kings but also the dark profound practitioners of the Northern Region were deeply moved. However, recalling Yun Che's past suffering, any nascent trace of pity quickly vanished.

Were they innocent? Perhaps. Back then, under the irresistible might of the One Emperor and Two Emperors, they indeed had no choice but to protect themselves and their star realms. But since they made that choice, they had no reason or right to resent the consequences of today.

Yun Che had not issued a devilish decree to annihilate the Eastern Divine Region, but how could he lightly forgive them?

Observing Duanmu Yan, his head bowed low, not daring to meet anyone's gaze, Yun Che stepped forward. He raised his palm, and a deep black glow condensed on his fingertips. "This devilish light will plant an eternal mark of darkness on you. Even if you drain your blood, even if your profound veins are completely destroyed, even until death, you will never be rid of it."

Duanmu Yan's body trembled, and all the Eastern Realm Kings' bodies were shaking.

Yun Che lowered his gaze, his voice like a devil's chant. "Since you've chosen to kneel before darkness and claim unwavering loyalty until death, then there's no reason for you to refuse this dark gift, right?"

"..." Duanmu Yan's head lowered another fraction, his voice deep. "Thank you, Devil Master... for the gift."

"Very good."

The devilish light shot out, piercing through Duanmu Yan's chest and directly hitting his heart meridian. Yun Che could indeed transform a person's body into a dark one; Zhou Qingchen was his first "creation." However, this process consumed a vast amount of energy, and Zhou Qingchen had been unconscious at the time, making it difficult to achieve if there had been any resistance. This dark mark would not alter the body or profound energy, but it would be etched into the life meridian, causing a wisp of darkness to forever cling to one's life aura, making it impossible to escape.

"Congratulations, you are now a new Child of Darkness," Yun Che said, retracting his hand, a mocking and cruel chuckle playing on his lips. "Now, you may return to where you belong and do what you must... Remember, your loyalty is only given once."

Duanmu Yan remained prostrate on the ground. After several seconds of silence, he finally lifted his head. His face was still swollen and bruised, but the contortion and terror were gone.

"I respectfully obey the Devil Master's command," he said, bowing deeply. Then he rose, said nothing to anyone, made no eye contact, and swiftly turned and departed.

In a corner not far away, Chi Wuyao shook her head, smiling, and softly murmured to herself, "Looks like I wasn't needed at all."