Chapter 1900: Journey (II)

"Si... Sir Sikong."

Upon seeing Sikong Hanzhao and the group of Order Preservers he brought, the purple-robed elder's face turned even paler, and he hurriedly bowed.

Sikong Hanzhao waved his hand and said coldly, "No need for further words. I am already fully aware of what has transpired here."

"Haha, so it's Sir Sikong," the leading dark profound practitioner laughed loudly, stepping forward. "I've long heard that the Order Preserver in charge of this place is a former compatriot. I was just about to pay my respects, and I never expected to meet you today..."

"Who said I'm a former compatriot of yours!"

A furious shout brought the dark profound practitioner's steps to a halt. Sikong Hanzhao's eyes blazed with anger as he swept his arm down. "Seize them!" The Order Preservers behind him rapidly surged forward, carrying immense authority, and firmly apprehended the thirteen unprepared dark profound practitioners.

All thirteen dark profound practitioners paled in shock. The leader, not daring to resist fiercely, stared in confusion and asked, "Sir Sikong, what... what are you doing?"

"Hmph!" Sikong Hanzhao angrily retorted, "On the day of the Cloud Emperor's ascension, a strict decree was issued: profound practitioners of the Northern Region and the Three Regions must put aside past grievances and not deceive each other. You, who have received great favor from the Cloud Emperor, have audaciously defied his laws, even speaking wildly and sullying the names of the Cloud Emperor and the dark profound practitioners! How can this be forgiven!"

"No! No! We regard His Excellency the Cloud Emperor as our heaven; how could we dare harbor any rebellious thoughts!" The dark profound practitioners were greatly alarmed and cried out in panic, "We all once followed His Excellency the Cloud Emperor and fought bloody battles... Sir Sikong, we are compatriots, who once suffered bullying and oppression from the Three Regions together, united by kinship! How could you..."

"Still daring to speak wildly and argue!" Sikong Hanzhao extended his arm, and a divine monarch's might descended abruptly as he flipped his palm.

Crack!!"Ughhhhhh!!"

The sound of bones cracking, as deafening as a rockslide, turned the faces of the Purple Profound Sect disciples ashen. The accompanying screams sent shivers through their hearts for a long time. With that one palm strike, Sikong Hanzhao shattered the leg bones of all thirteen dark profound practitioners.

He lowered his hand, his voice deep and unsettling. "The Cloud Emperor's laws know no status, no race; whoever defies them shall never be forgiven!"

"Ah... h-h-h..." The dark profound practitioners all collapsed to their knees, their bodies drenched in sweat from the immense pain. "Sir Sikong, we... we know we were wrong... please... please, for the sake of our kinship... forgive us... forgive us..."

"Break all their limbs and hang them from the Watchtower of the Order Preserver's headquarters for nine days as a public display! Anyone who dares to intercede will be considered an accomplice!" Under Sikong Hanzhao's cruel command, the sounds of snapping bones and screams echoed once more, as the arm bones of the thirteen dark profound practitioners were also completely shattered.

Behind them, some young profound practitioners of the Purple Profound Sect were already terrified, their faces drained of color. Earlier, they had hated these thirteen dark profound practitioners to the bone, but now, a hint of pity had surprisingly arisen within them.

"Drag them away!" Sikong Hanzhao turned.

"Yes!" Two Order Preservers used profound energy to bind the thirteen dark profound practitioners and dragged them far away like dead dogs towards the place of public display.

The surroundings were dead silent, so oppressive it was suffocating. The purple-robed elder's beard trembled, his heart churning with irrepressible emotion. He took a step forward and bowed deeply. "Sir Sikong, thank you..."

"No need for thanks!" Sikong Hanzhao abruptly raised a hand, his expression and tone still rigidly cold. "This is simply the duty of the Order Preservers, a mission bestowed upon us by His Excellency the Cloud Emperor."

He turned his gaze, saying coldly, "As for disputes over interests between your sects and clans, even if they lead to destruction or extermination, we Order Preservers will absolutely not interfere. Do not trouble us with such matters."

"However, regarding the Cloud Emperor's laws... let these thirteen villains serve as a warning. Govern yourselves accordingly!"

Faced with Sikong Hanzhao's imposing pressure and cold words, the purple-robed elder did not show fear or panic. Instead, he let out a long sigh of relief and bowed even deeper. "The Cloud Emperor's achievements in saving the world shall not be forgotten, even countless ages from now. His unification of the Four Regions is truly a blessing for them."

"From now on, our Purple Profound Sect will surely treat the Cloud Emperor's decrees as supreme. If any of you Order Preservers ever have need of our Purple Profound Sect, we shall..."

"Unnecessary!" Sikong Hanzhao waved his hand behind him, soared into the air, and vanished into the distance in an instant.

The entire process was utterly forceful, domineering, and decisive. It etched the image of the Order Preservers deeply into everyone's souls.

The purple-robed elder watched the Order Preservers' receding figures for a long time before suddenly turning, excitedly shouting, "Do you see?! Do you see?! Who among you still dares to say that the Order Preservers' existence hides malicious intentions? Who among you still dares to say that the Cloud Emperor will definitely favor dark profound practitioners!"

Among the profound practitioners of the Purple Profound Sect, a small portion hung their heads in shame."Yes... this junior was ignorant and foolish, a cautious person.""From now on, should anyone dare to speak presumptuously of the Cloud Emperor and the Order Preservers, I will refute them with all my might.""The Cloud Emperor is indeed a supreme monarch who has completely subdued all the king realms of the Four Regions! He is truly worthy of the reverence and adoration of all beings.""These Order Preservers are truly magnificent."

Yun Wuxin, who had witnessed the entire event, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, then her tone shifted: "But those dark profound practitioners, they owe their current existence to Father's kindness, yet they did something that dishonored Father's reputation. Truly hateful!"

Yun Che retracted his divine sense that had covered the distant space, his expression carrying a profound meaning. "This vast starfield must have just begun deploying Order Preservers. To elevate the Order Preservers' reputation in the shortest possible time and eliminate these star realms' instinctive wariness and rejection of them, this kind of 'killing a chicken to warn the monkeys' is indeed the most effective method."

"'Killing a chicken'... to warn the monkeys?" Yun Wuxin lifted her gaze in surprise.

Yun Che smiled faintly. "It's just that the 'monkeys' are real, but the 'chicken' is fake."

After a brief moment of thought, Yun Wuxin realized. Her beautiful eyes turned to the distance, and she asked in surprise, "Those dark profound practitioners, were they... acting?"

"Exactly." Pleased with his daughter's intelligence, Yun Che continued, "Under the current decree promoting reconciliation between dark profound practitioners and those of the Three Regions, forbidding mutual offense, from the perspective of an Order Preserver within the Three Regions, staging a show of 'severely punishing dark profound practitioners for the sake of the Three Regions' is far more effective than 'severely punishing Three Region profound practitioners for the sake of dark profound practitioners'... even if the justice is perfectly consistent and unbiased."

Pondering her father's words carefully, Yun Wuxin gradually understood. Emphasizing the warning for peaceful coexistence between the two races, quickly establishing the Order Preservers' prestige, eliminating prior rejection, and further erasing the latent impression among the Three Region profound practitioners that "the Cloud Emperor, once the Devil Master, must favor dark profound practitioners"... It achieved multiple objectives at once.

"Father, are these all measures you secretly devised? That's... quite impressive." Yun Wuxin's eyes sparkled, and her initial aversion to the thirteen dark profound practitioners turned into sympathy and admiration. Broken bones and public humiliation—those couldn't have been faked.

"This is a method your Aunt Wuyao often uses," Yun Che said. "The same method cannot be used too often, especially in nearby starfields. Therefore, she must have designed at least hundreds, if not thousands, of different but equally effective approaches."

Yun Wuxin parted her lips in astonishment, her admiration for Chi Wuyao rising once more. "Aunt Wuyao is truly amazing," she murmured, full of adoration. "Father, can I often go to Aunt Wuyao for advice... will it disturb her?"

"No need," Yun Che shook his head slightly. "You can't learn it."

"Huh?" Yun Wuxin was puzzled.

Yun Che looked up at the distance, his tone tinged with melancholy. "The methods are secondary. The core lies in knowing what approach to use in different situations, from different standpoints, and when facing different people. The path she has walked in her life, the human hearts and natures she has faced, are things no other woman in this world could ever compare to or imagine. An Empress who can single-handedly control the world... what it takes to become such a person, I hope you never need to know."

"..." Yun Wuxin remained silent for a long time. She mostly understood her father's words.

"Let's go!" Yun Che flew forward.

"Where to? The next star realm?" Yun Wuxin followed behind her father, her speed already far greater than when she first entered the God Realm. During this journey, Yun Che tempered Yun Wuxin's body daily with the Grand Way of the Buddha and the Life God's Miracle, and assisted her in her cultivation. With the God Realm Emperor by her side, although Yun Wuxin didn't exert too much effort, her progress in the profound way was astonishingly swift, far beyond what other profound practitioners of the same realm could ever hope for.

Not long after, Yun Che stopped. Below, was the location of this star realm's Order Preserver Headquarters. The thirteen dark profound practitioners with broken bones were already hanging high above the city wall. Thirteen powerful Divine Sovereign auras deeply shook everyone present, informing them of the consequences of defying the Cloud Emperor's laws, and allowing them to clearly see the Order Preservers' strength, fairness, and strictness—even though the Order Preserver leader here was also a dark profound practitioner. Such a scene was a thousand times more impactful and effective than any words of regulation or persuasion.

The thirteen dark profound practitioners hung suspended by thin steel cables, a miserable sight that was unbearable to look at for long. Although their bones were broken, with their Divine Sovereign power, they could break free at any time. However, to outsiders, under the imposing authority of the Order Preservers, they would never have such daring.

Yun Che descended, not revealing his presence, and spoke softly to them, "You have been wronged."

The thirteen dark profound practitioners, hanging upside down as if lifeless, were struck by lightning. Their eyes widened simultaneously, and through their dazed vision, filled with extreme shock, excitement, and disbelief, they saw Yun Che's brief, flashing figure. He was only ten steps away from them. In that instant, every cell in their bodies trembled wildly, and every drop of their blood pulsed uncontrollably as if boiling.

"Devil... Cloud Emperor... Your Excellency the Cloud Emperor!" Compared to "Cloud Emperor," they preferred the title "Devil Master." This was because "Cloud Emperor" ruled the Four Regions, while "Devil Master" belonged only to their Northern Divine Region, only to them, the dark profound practitioners.

"It's no wrong... compared to the Cloud Emperor's immense grace, what is this small sacrifice of ours?" As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. To have the Devil Master approach them, to receive the Devil Master's words of comfort—let alone this small hardship, even if he were to die a thousand times at that moment, he would have no regrets.

"To be shattered for the Cloud Emperor, for the Northern Region, is only a great fortune; how can there be any wrong done?" another dark profound practitioner said, trembling.

The dark profound practitioners' loyalty and reverence for Yun Che were far beyond what could be found in the other three regions.

Yun Che nodded to them, then turned and left.

At this moment, the thirteen dark profound practitioners with broken bones felt not only no humiliation but almost no pain. After the overwhelming excitement gradually receded, what remained solidified in their hearts was only unregretting pride in serving the Devil Master.

Yun Wuxin flew side-by-side with Yun Che, constantly turning her gaze to look at her father's profile, very earnestly, again and again.

"Did you secretly draw something on my face?" Yun Che suddenly turned to meet her gaze and asked abruptly.

Yun Wuxin's eyebrows curved, and she chuckled, "Suddenly, I feel so incredibly fortunate. Because I have a father whom I can admire my entire life."

A momentary appearance and a few brief words had so profoundly affected the dark profound practitioners, who were clearly enduring immense suffering. She was accustomed to his role as her father, and what she had always seen was him in that capacity. But during this journey, she gradually began to truly perceive that her father was also an Emperor who oversaw the world.

"Hmm..." Yun Che wore an approving expression. "You must definitely maintain that thought."

"Hehe... Father, where are we going next?"

"The Ten Fang Canglan Realm, a Southern Region King Realm I mentioned to you. The aura of a King Realm will require some time to adapt to, so you should prepare your mind..."

"I know, I know! It's the King Realm where your concubine Jie is! Now I feel that anyone who can become Father's concubine must be truly remarkable. Father, just take me directly; I want to go see it quickly."