Chapter 1862: Eternal Fame (Part 1)

Long Bai's death symbolized the complete end of an era.

Behind Yun Che, the Northern Divine Realm cultivators had gathered. As Yun Che turned, they knelt deeply, kowtowed, and shouted, "Greetings, Devil Master!" Most of them were exhausted and gravely wounded, sustained only by the dark storm unleashed by the Calamity of the Heavens Devil. Yet, this shout resonated more deeply and powerfully than any before. Though only four words, each Northern Divine Realm cultivator strained their throat to utter them.

Behind them, the surviving Brahma Kings and Cyan Sea cultivators knelt on the ground. Further back, the Qilin and Azure Dragons also prostrated themselves in anxious haste.

"..." Yun Che nodded. "Rise."

However, none of the Northern Divine Realm cultivators stood. Fen Daoqi looked up. After several deep breaths, he managed to speak, his voice still trembling, "Devil Master, we... we won... didn't we?"

"Yes, we won." Yun Che nodded firmly. "Among the Four King Realms of the Eastern Divine Realm: the Eternal Heaven was bathed in blood, the Moon God shattered, and the Star God... the Brahma Emperors are now under my devil race's wing. All realms of the East have bowed in submission. Of the Four King Realms in the Southern Divine Realm: the Southern Sea has been crushed, the Cyan Sea has yielded, and both Xuanyuan and Ziwei have been terrified into submission. And the greatest obstacle, the Western Divine Realm: all God Masters of the Dragon God, Horned Dragon, Viper Dragon, and Myriad Manifestations Realms have been slaughtered. These Four King Realms exist in name only, posing no further threat. As for the Qilin and Azure Dragons..."

A brief pause sent a chill through the Qilin and Azure Dragons.

"Their future existence or demise now rests solely on my whim." Yun Che's gaze swept across the scene, his voice softening. "In this age, no power can halt the advance of our Northern Divine Realm. From this day, this moment forward, as long as I, the Devil Master, exist, no one in this world shall again unjustly bully, slander, or discriminate against the dark cultivators of our Northern Divine Realm! You, your families, your clans, and your descendants will be completely freed from the shackles of darkness, holding your heads high under heavenly law and heavenly light! The Divine Realm from now on will belong to our Northern Divine Realm!"

The Northern Divine Realm cultivators were still far from recovering their senses from the brutal battlefield and the dramatic upheavals. Their minds were still filled with violent malevolence and dense blood mist. But the Devil Master's proclamation finally transformed all of this into uncontrolled, gushing tears. Taut soul-strings, on the verge of snapping, relaxed. The malevolence and killing intent, alongside their long-held profound energy, quietly dissipated. The air they breathed no longer seemed to carry the scent of blood.

Thud...

Many collapsed from exhaustion. But immediately, they scrambled back to their knees, heads bowed low, their humble posture and trembling eyes revealing a profound reverence that pledged their loyalty for a lifetime, even for a hundred generations to come.

Fen Daoqi slowly closed his eyes, kowtowing deeply, tears in his voice. "The might of the Western Divine Realm far surpassed all records and imagination. Without the Devil Master, our Northern Divine Realm would perhaps be eternally trapped in a dark cage, never to rise again."

"The Devil Master's grace, never to be forgotten, in a million... ages... impossible... to repay..." Fen Daoqi kept his head bowed to the ground for a long time. As the former Imperial Tutor of Burning Moon, his experience was vast. Yet, at this moment, he found no words adequate to express such grace and gratitude.

They had all witnessed firsthand the strength of the various divine realms in this fated battle, especially the terrifying power of the Western Divine Realm. Without Yun Che, the tragic fate of the Northern Divine Realm would not have been merely millions of years... it would have been eternal, until the very day the Northern Realm collapsed on its own. The terms "dark cultivators" and "devils" would also forever remain as wicked heretics in the eyes of the world, etched into their most fundamental understanding.

Fen Daoqi's words deeply resonated with the souls of all Northern Divine Realm cultivators. They all bowed deeply again, shouting in unison:

"The Devil Master's grace, never to be forgotten, impossible to repay in a million ages!""The Devil Master's grace, never to be forgotten, impossible to repay in a million ages!!""The Devil Master's grace, never to be forgotten, impossible to repay in a million ages!!!"

Though utterly weak and exhausted, their roars grew louder with each utterance, lingering long over the Cyan Sea Divine Realm.

Behind them, the Qilin Emperor slowly raised his head, a hint of sigh and envy on his face. Their shouts were far from the flattery or fear he was accustomed to. Every word came from the heart, from the depths of their souls. The grace of saving a life was hard enough to repay in a lifetime, let alone such a complete salvation for a vast divine realm, a thousand clans, ten thousand spirits, extending for countless generations. At this moment, even if Yun Che's devil command was for them to instantly sacrifice their lives, the Qilin Emperor was utterly convinced that all these people would end their own lives on the spot without hesitation or resentment.

This profound, bone-deep reverence and loyalty... as fellow emperors, neither the Qilin Emperor nor the Azure Dragon Emperor believed they could ever truly attain it.

Yun Che gently moved his fingers, casting a thin, transparent sound-insulating barrier to avoid waking Cai Zhi, who was asleep in his arms. Another wave of energy surged forward, suppressing all the shouts.

"Today's outcome is not my achievement alone. The salvation of the Northern Divine Realm was not accomplished by me alone, but by us, by every single one of you!" Yun Che sighed softly. "Long Bai's early return, the Heaven and Earth Dragon City, Venerable Dried Dragon... these were all unforeseen incidents. As Devil Master, I failed to prepare adequately for these contingencies before entering the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, which was my dereliction of duty. This led to extremely severe consequences."

Chi Wuyao's devil eyes narrowed slightly... Of course, these were not Yun Che's fault; unforeseen events by definition cannot be fully prevented. Even she had not anticipated the series of changes in the Dragon God Realm. Had it not been for that devil soul residing within Zhou Xuzi's spirit, the consequences would have been even more unpredictable. However, Yun Che's words at this moment were perfectly fitting. No emperor could succeed without rhetoric and an understanding of human nature.

"The Eternal Heaven Divine Realm is a unique world with its own independent laws, normally difficult to influence from outside. But with the diminished power of the Eternal Heaven Pearl, the three-year Eternal Heaven Divine Realm was barely opened and extremely unstable. If struck by an external force, it could very likely lead to the collapse of the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm... with unpredictable consequences." Yun Che's gaze swept around, his eyes reflecting the silent devil blood staining the ground. "The Devil Queen must have already informed you of this. And that's why, despite having ample time to escape, all of you chose to stay... facing a situation of certain death, you remained not for the Northern Realm, not for yourselves, but solely for me."

Every word of his speech carried Yun Che's heartfelt emotion. The "you" he spoke of included not only those kneeling before him but also those who had died fighting to protect his return... yet they could no longer hear his words, nor could they see the bright future, which the Northern Divine Realm now firmly held, a future they had longed for, generation after generation.

"Had you not fought to the death to protect me until the very last moment, the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm would surely have collapsed. At best, I would have been swept into unknown space by spatial turbulence; at worst... I might have perished." Yun Che was not exaggerating these words; He Ling had personally told him. "Every bit of your strength, every drop of blood shed, every individual's sacrifice, saved me, and more importantly, saved the Northern Divine Realm. Therefore, it was not I alone who reversed the fate of the Northern Divine Realm and rewrote its history... but all of you."

When Yun Che emerged from the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, Long Bai's figure was already almost upon him. Thus, every moment they bought Yun Che with their strength and lives was critically important and indispensable.

"The history of the Northern Divine Realm will remember all your names. This is an honor that belongs to each and every one of you, and in the future, it will require the collective guardianship of all of you." The devil blood of the Northern Divine Realm cultivators surged warmly, their eyes welling with tears.

As Yun Che spoke, a dark aura surged, gently lifting the upper bodies of all Northern Divine Realm cultivators. "Rise. You have more important things to do than reminisce. Gather the remains of our fallen kin... collect every drop of their devil blood. On the soil of the Northern Divine Realm, there must be an everlasting monument dedicated to them."

Led by Fen Daoqi, they bowed deeply again, old tears streaming down his face as he said, "We obey the Devil Master's command." The Northern Divine Realm cultivators dispersed, following the dark aura towards the eternal resting places of the fallen. The brutal living conditions of the Northern Realm had inevitably led to various levels of enmity between many star realms. Yet, at this moment, even when faced with the remains of former bitter enemies, they felt no satisfaction. Instead, they would bend down, gently enveloping the bodies with the softest profound energy, fearing the slightest damage or loss. When fighting side-by-side in a bloody battle for the future of the Northern Divine Realm, personal grievances were as insignificant as dust.

Yun Che turned his gaze, lightly glancing at the Cyan Sea cultivators. The Ten Directions Cyan Sea Realm had not betrayed them; frankly, he was quite surprised.

At this moment, Cang Shitian stepped forward, prostrating himself on the ground, and cried out, "Your sinner, Cang Shitian, kowtows to the Devil Master! Congratulations to the Devil Master for your world-shaking might, for annihilating the wicked dragon that plagued the world, for saving the Northern Divine Realm from its cage, and for saving the Divine Realm for all eternity! This is a blessing for all beings, a fortune for all heavens!"

Only three Cyan Sea Sea Gods remained, and merely fifteen Cyan Sea Divine Envoys. Cang Shitian's grand, almost tearful, declaration made them all hang their heads low, their mouths twitching uncontrollably.

Yun Che cast a sidelong glance at him. "You're actually still alive?"

In Yun Che's eyes, Cang Shitian was a person utterly devoid of imperial dignity and honor, someone who always trimmed his sails to the wind. When the Southern Sea Divine Realm was destroyed, as the second Divine Emperor of the Southern Divine Realm, he offered not the slightest resistance, immediately kneeling in submission and even going so far as to ruthlessly strike down Nan Wansheng to prove his loyalty. This act had also forced Emperor Xuanyuan and Emperor Ziwei to grudgingly submit. Such a person would be a useful lackey when things were going well. But once the tide turned against him, he would surely kneel before the Dragon Monarch, just as he had pledged allegiance before, and at the same time, he would cruelly stab the Northern Divine Realm in the back to show his loyalty. Therefore, before entering the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, Yun Che had specifically warned Chi Wuyao to be wary of Cang Shitian.

However, when he emerged from the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, he had faced not merely adversity, but a desperate situation on the brink of eternal demise... yet Cang Shitian had still stood with their side. This completely contradicted his previous behavior of collapsing and kowtowing without any resistance when faced with danger. He subtly glanced at Chi Wuyao, curious about what methods she had used to train Cang Shitian to this extent... or perhaps he had misjudged Cang Shitian... or perhaps it was a combination of both?

"To answer the Devil Master, since Shitian is the Devil Master's loyal dog, Shitian dares not die without the Devil Master's command." Cang Shitian uttered these self-demeaning words of loyalty with a surprisingly firm and resolute voice, despite their humiliating nature.

"..." Yun Che frowned deeply, then looked at Chi Wuyao.

Chi Wuyao happened to speak at this moment. "Although Divine Emperor Shitian committed grave errors back then, today he has indeed achieved several great merits. As for whether these can offset his past..." Her devil eyes shifted slightly, falling upon Mu Xuanyin. "It will still be up to the Devil Master and the Snow Song Realm King to decide."

The moment Chi Wuyao finished speaking, a cold light flashed in Mu Xuanyin's blue eyes. A ray of ice energy materialized in the air, shooting forth directly at Cang Shitian. The soul-piercing chill made Cang Shitian's hair stand on end, but he clenched his teeth, remaining motionless, and even quickly dissipated all his protective profound energy. A ten-foot-long ice spike pierced through his heart, lifting Cang Shitian's Divine Emperor body and carrying him several miles before fiercely pinning him to the ground.

Bang!!

The ice spike exploded, sending Cang Shitian flying far away again before he crashed violently. Mu Xuanyin turned away, no longer striking or even glancing at him.

The terrifying cold turned Cang Shitian's skin a frightening purplish-blue. He trembled uncontrollably but struggled to rise, profound energy surging around him—not to heal his wounds, but with a low roar, amidst the sudden, bone-shattering sound, he forcibly severed his own left arm. He propped himself up with his one remaining arm, gasping for breath, and said with bowed head, "It was with this arm that I attacked the Snow Song Realm King back then... I am willing to sever it for three hundred years, only asking to appease the wrath of the Devil Master and the Snow Song Realm King."

"Hmph!" Mu Xuanyin said coldly, "You'd best keep your arm and serve the Devil Master well!"

Cang Shitian suddenly looked up, overjoyed, and bowed deeply. "This humble king, Cang Shitian, thanks the Snow Song Realm King, and thanks the Devil Master for your grace."

"..." Chi Wuyao had observed Cang Shitian's every subtle movement with cold eyes. She murmured softly, "He truly is an extraordinary character."

Yun Che stared at Cang Shitian from afar, the killing intent deep within his eyes not yet fully dissipated. The surviving Sea Gods and Cyan Sea Divine Envoys helped the severely wounded Cang Shitian up, their expressions varied. Setting aside his various humiliating words and actions that they could barely bear to witness, their current feelings towards Cang Shitian's earlier frenzied acts were solely deep relief... and an unprecedented, profound admiration.

In this battle, the Cyan Sea Divine Realm was completely destroyed, and its Sea Gods and Divine Envoys were severely depleted. However, the Divine Relic still remained, and the mid to lower-level Cyan Sea cultivators had been dismissed early, leaving some foundation intact. More importantly, in a future world where the Northern Divine Realm established the rules, his Ten Directions Cyan Sea Realm could hold a significant position. If they had previously succumbed to the situation and sided with Long Bai... their fate would have been that of the four utterly destroyed Western Realm clans.

On the other hand, without Cang Shitian's desperate gamble, the Northern Divine Realm might not have reached its current outcome either.