Chapter 1794: Intimidated

Yun Che raised his eyebrows, appearing very interested. "That's a good suggestion," he said faintly. "Cang Shitian, since you are so familiar with the Ziwei Realm, you can handle this."

Cang Shitian looked honored and quickly bowed, saying, "I will certainly not disappoint the Devil Master."

Yun Che glanced sideways at the Ziwei Emperor, whose face was ashen like a corpse, and a slight anger flickered in his expression. "Why is this idiot still alive?" he demanded. "Are you three old devils deaf?"

The three Yan Ancestors shuddered in fright as their Yan Devil energy erupted violently and uncontrollably.

Space ripped apart into thousands of dark fissures. The Ziwei Emperor's Divine Master body was cruelly twisted into an incredibly contorted shape; an ordinary Divine Master would have been torn into dozens of pieces by the terrifying power of the three Yan Ancestors.

"Wait... wait... wait!" he cried, struggling desperately. A sudden, extremely sharp shriek erupted from his mouth: "Devil Master... I am willing to pledge allegiance... ah... please spare Ziwei... spare Ziwei... I am willing... to sacrifice my life for the Devil Master... ahhh ahhh ahhh..."

The might of the Northern Divine Region and the threat of realm destruction had not forced the Ziwei Emperor to yield, but a few words from Cang Shitian utterly broke him.

The current Yun Che was already ruthless enough, but perhaps not cunning enough... at least not as cunning as Cang Shitian.

"It's too late," Yun Che muttered dismissively.

Crack... crackle! The Ziwei Emperor's bones were crushed piece by piece, and his body was incinerated layer by layer by devil energy. Purple light flickered around him as he struggled even more desperately, and more words burst from his mouth: "Devil Master! Ziwei pledges eternal loyalty... Ziwei is useful... to the Devil Master... please fulfill... please spare Ziwei... please Devil Master... ah..."

As the Yan Ancestors' power eroded him, the Ziwei Emperor's cries grew increasingly shrill and desperate, but Yun Che remained with his back turned, offering no response.

"Stop," Qianye Ying'er suddenly spoke.

Yun Che cast a slight sideways glance, a faint frown on his face.

The three Yan Ancestors simultaneously looked at Yun Che, but the power in their hands obediently ceased. After all, they dared not disobey Qianye Ying'er's command.

"He is a Divine Emperor after all. If he is willing to obey, it would be better to keep him," Qianye Ying'er said slowly.

"Qianye," Caizhi suddenly interjected coldly, "as the Devil Master's slave, are you defying his orders!?"

Her words were not only a reprimand but also a cruel reminder of the slave seal Yun Che had placed on Qianye Ying'er years ago.

"How could I dare to defy the Devil Master's command?" Her beautiful eyes subtly flickered towards Yun Che as she slowly stated, "I am merely offering the Devil Master more options."

"If this Ziwei Emperor truly intends to obey, then we gain the assistance of another Divine Emperor, and taking down the Ziwei Realm will be effortless, bringing nothing but benefits. But..." She looked at the Ziwei Emperor, her tone shifting from leisurely to chilling. "The Devil Master's kill order has been issued; how can it be easily retracted? Furthermore, if you are let off so simply, it would be too unfair to Emperor Shitian and Emperor Xuanyuan, who have been obedient from the start."

"Get to the point," Yun Che said.

Qianye Ying'er's lips curved slightly, a delicate, pink arc outlining a soul-piercing allure, but the words that escaped them were the five most terrifying: "Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark."

Xuanyuan, Ziwei, Shitian... the three Divine Emperors simultaneously trembled. Even Yan Tianxiao's dark pupils quivered.

A few words were enough to send shivers down a Divine Emperor's spine—only the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark could do that. Even Yan Tianxiao of the Northern Region had heard of its terrifying name.

Yun Che remained silent. He was one of the few in this world who had personally experienced the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark.

"It seems the Devil Master is willing to grant this opportunity." Qianye Ying'er lowered her gaze, looking at the Ziwei Emperor. "This is your last chance, and the Ziwei Realm's last chance. Choose wisely."

The Ziwei Emperor's vision had never been so blurry and dim.

He looked at Yun Che, whose gaze was profound and indifferent, showing no emotion and seemingly unconcerned with his choice.

He looked at Emperor Xuanyuan, seeing fear and pity, but also a hint of barely concealed relief.

He looked at Cang Shitian, whose expression was one of undisguised mockery, disdain, and schadenfreude.

Having lived for tens of thousands of years, he suddenly realized that he had never truly understood Emperor Xuanyuan and Cang Shitian, nor had he ever truly grasped human nature.

Everything he had upheld and believed in his entire life suddenly became incredibly fragile and worthless in the face of this life-or-death situation.

Once the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark was planted, his fate would be entirely controlled by Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er. Even if the Northern Divine Region were to be destroyed by the Western Divine Region in the future, or if other unforeseen circumstances arose, he would not be able to escape; the slightest resistance would condemn him to a fate worse than death.

But at this point, he had no other choice. Lowering his head, the Ziwei Emperor's lips twitched, and he actually smiled, yet felt no sadness in his heart... as if his soul had already died.

"Devil Master... please bestow the Mark." He uttered these remarkably brief words very softly, accepting his unavoidable fate with a demeanor far calmer than he had imagined.

"Very good." Qianye Ying'er slowly raised her hand, whispering, "You should understand the consequences of resistance."

The Ziwei Emperor closed his eyes, releasing all the profound energy from his body.

A cold breeze swept by, and Yun Che suddenly appeared beside Qianye Ying'er, his hand grasping her jade-like wrist and slowly pressing down her raised palm.

"You two do it," Yun Che said to Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu.

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

Qianye Bingzhu, whose expression rarely changed, revealed a faint, light smile. "Indeed," he said, "planting the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark harms the soul source. A Divine Emperor is vital to the Brahma Emperor's future; one should not personally administer it unless absolutely necessary."

As he spoke, his large hand reached out and grasped the Ziwei Emperor's shoulder. Immediately, golden marks spread rapidly from his palm across the Ziwei Emperor's entire body.

The Ziwei Emperor trembled all over but remained motionless, allowing the world's most cruel soul mark to invade his body and soul.

Her lips slightly curved as Qianye Ying'er smiled faintly. She turned her gaze to Yun Che, her voice soft and alluring, "My Devil Master, do you know what it means to be flustered by concern?"

"Before I entered the Northern Divine Region, my Brahma Soul and Brahma Emperor power had already been completely crippled. How could I possibly plant the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark on others?" she said, her voice laced with amusement. "You actually forgot such a simple and obvious fact just now."

Yun Che was slightly stunned, then he coldly snorted and whispered, "This is not the time for jokes. Don't be meddlesome."

As he spoke, he clearly felt a chill emanate from behind him, which he only managed to suppress with great effort after a long moment.

The future interactions between Caizhi and Qianye Ying'er would likely be much more difficult than he had anticipated.

As the golden marks spread across the Ziwei Emperor's entire body, then flickered for a moment before completely disappearing, the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark had been fully planted on him.

Witnessing the Ziwei Emperor being marked with the Brahma Soul Death-Seeking Mark, Emperor Xuanyuan's chest heaved. At this moment, his heart was filled not with resentment or unwillingness, but a twisted sense of relief.

"Xuanyuan, Ziwei," Yun Che said deeply.

Emperor Xuanyuan's body swayed, and he paused for half a breath before taking a step forward. Mimicking Cang Shitian's earlier posture, he bowed and said, "Devil Master... what are your orders?"

Having been an Emperor his entire life, he was not accustomed to groveling. His movements and words were all incredibly stiff.

The Ziwei Emperor also walked over, bowing before Yun Che, but his gaze was much dimmer and more vacant than Emperor Xuanyuan's.

"You will immediately issue orders to mobilize the full strength of both the Xuanyuan and Ziwei realms to thoroughly hunt down the remnants of the Nanming lineage," Yun Che slowly began, issuing a kill order to the two Divine Emperors that would push Nanming into eternal desolation.

Not a single blade of grass would be left of the Nanming lineage; this was the venomous oath he had sworn years ago.

The two Divine Emperors bowed their heads deeply, a deeper sense of desolation welling up in their hearts.

They had been Southern Region Royal Realms for eons, and now they were to personally eradicate the Nanming lineage.

Yun Che was dragging them into an increasingly deep and obscure abyss of darkness, from which there seemed to be no return.

They dared not refuse and could only agree.

"Remember to spread the word," Yun Che continued. "Those who bear the Nanming bloodline are to die a thousand deaths. Other Nanming profound practitioners will be pardoned if they reveal their whereabouts, and heavily rewarded if they take their lives."

Once this news spread, one could imagine the horrific human hell that would erupt among the fleeing Nanming profound practitioners.

"Yes," the two Divine Emperors responded with difficulty.

"Three months," Yun Che said, each word chilling. "In three months, I do not wish for a single trace of Nanming's bloodline to exist in this world, not one bit! Do you understand!?"

This time, neither Emperor Xuanyuan nor the Ziwei Emperor responded immediately, because three months was simply too short.

After repeated hesitation, Emperor Xuanyuan still bit the bullet and said, "Devil Master, the Xuanyuan Realm has always held resentment and fear towards devil people... Although I am willing to be at your command, this order will inevitably cause internal strife in the Xuanyuan Realm due to conflicting beliefs. Simply quelling that internal strife will take a considerable amount of time, and the Ziwei Realm is the same. Three months is simply..."

"Heh, you can't even control your own subordinates? Have you been Divine Emperors for all these years only to become mere dogs!" Yun Che coldly interrupted Emperor Xuanyuan, his gaze becoming icy and piercing. "Kneeling dogs, what right do you have to bark at your master? Obey the command! Three months... no matter what methods or means you use, not a single day more!"

Internal strife? Wouldn't that be even better! This way, even if they were to turn to the Dragon God Realm side in the future, their threat would be greatly reduced.

The layers of fear Yun Che had cast upon them that day were simply too heavy. His suddenly sinister gaze and tone made their entire bodies tremble with fear, and they dared not utter another word, quickly bowing their heads in obedience.

Yan Tianxiao suddenly spoke, his voice fierce: "The Devil Master wants you to issue the order 'immediately'! Didn't you hear!?"

He now completely understood why Yun Che had not allowed them to pursue further. It turned out that Yun Che had already planned to hand over the task of hunting down Nanming's remnants to these Southern Region Royal Realms, leaving them with no escape.