Chapter 1946: Nightmare Claw

The Eastern Divine Region still trembled. The howling Heavenly Wolf, carrying dark sword shadows, tore through and annihilated vast star regions. From countless star realms, the distant starfield looked as if a black star, on the verge of destruction, had appeared.

Rip...boom!

The first attendant knight was severed at the waist by a sword shadow, then completely shredded, leaving only scattered blood beads drifting away.

In just an instant, the second and third attendant knights didn't even have time to scream before they were cruelly torn into several pieces. Their shattered blood and bones tumbled chaotically in the calamitous storm, eventually turning into dust-like fragments.

The last attendant knight was engulfed by the Heavenly Wolf's maw. A myriad of swords entombed him; where the sword shadows swept, no trace of his existence could be found.

The four attendant knights were annihilated in two breaths. Carrying the supreme glory they believed would be etched into their lives forever, they perished eternally in this world that did not belong to them.

The second and third Naming Divine Orbs collapsed simultaneously.

The Heaven Punishing Sword Array was immensely powerful, and undoubtedly brought an equally immense burden and backlash.

Yun Che's body began to sway. The crimson haze in his vision intensified and blurred severalfold. Only the sinister aura, capable of making all souls in the world tremble, showed no signs of weakening.

The dark Heavenly Wolf gradually faded at this moment, slowly vanishing with its nightmare sword shadows. But in the vast star regions, countless spatial ruptures and black holes were still tearing and twisting, unable to close for a long time.

The fragile space of this world simply could not withstand the power of a Half-God realm.

"Ugh… Ugh-gull…"

Painful groans, overwhelmed by the wailing of space, seemed exceptionally weak and pathetic.

Even though they belonged to two pseudo-knights who had emerged from the Abyss.

Their overly powerful bodies allowed them to cling to life under the Heaven Punishing Sword Array. But their condition was far more tragic than death itself.

Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang's bodies were riddled with holes. Their heads, torsos, and limbs were all mangled, like two torn ragdolls.

The lingering dark power was still relentlessly devouring their shattered bodies, like countless bone-gnawing demonic insects viciously tearing at them.

Their remaining consciousness and instincts became the most terrifying nightmare in this world.

Through their blurred vision, they saw those dark, profound eyes.

Though their consciousness had largely scattered, those eyes remained piercingly clear and soul-shattering.

The Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword vanished before Yun Che. He reached out with both hands, one left, one right, grabbing Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang by their hearts.

As arrogant as they were before, they were now equally wretched.

But as pseudo-knights of the Abyss, how could they bow before these "inferior" beings in their eyes?

Nan Zhaoguang forced a glimmer of cold light into his eyes. His lips moved slightly, as he painstakingly uttered harsh, hoarse, ferocious words: "When… the Abyss… descends… you… will… ugh… uwaaaahhhh!"

His voice suddenly transformed into a shrill scream that instantly tore his throat.

From Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang's hearts, two black flames ignited simultaneously.

The black flames surged from their hearts directly into their bodies, rapidly burning through their meridians and blood vessels to encompass their entire forms, cruelly incinerating their internal organs and blood-bones.

That was Yun Che's unique Eternal Calamity Devil Flame. Its incineration was the most brutal and cruel in this world, a torture that even ancient True Gods could absolutely not endure.

The direct incineration of their internal organs, in just the first instant, plunged Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang into a hellish abyss they couldn't have imagined even in their worst nightmares.

The black flames spread silently. The screams overlapping in their ears came only from the two of them, yet they were as shrill as ten thousand vengeful spirits wailing under extreme torture in purgatory.

Yun Che's expression remained unchanged, not a trace of emotion or pity on his face.

He had said he would make them forever regret this day, regret stepping into this world.

"You… Aaaahhhhhhh!"

"Aaaahhhhhhh—"

The black devil flames slowly oozed from their seven orifices, silently devouring their ears, noses, shattered teeth, and eyes, incinerating their sight, hearing, smell, taste… yet making their sense of touch even clearer, plunging their souls deeper into despair.

"Ugh… ugh… ah…"

The screams from Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang became drier and more horrifying. Their broken bodies writhed violently under Yun Che's palms, like two dying larvae impaled on thorns.

They had passed through layers of rigorous trials and assessments, becoming pseudo-knights close to the Abyssal Emperor. With just one more step, breaking through the final bottleneck, they could become true Abyssal Knights.

Having successfully stepped into this world, they had become pioneers of the Abyss. The future in their eyes was supreme glory within reach and merits to be forever etched in history.

This should have been the most glorious day of their lives, yet in less than half an evening, they plunged into a purgatory beneath purgatory.

"Death…" Nan Zhaoming's lips and teeth had been incinerated away. From his throat, flowed a piteous wail utterly unlike a human voice.

This was a sound he had wrung out with almost his entire will, yet it was the most pathetic plea for death: "Let… me… die… die…"

His hearing had been completely destroyed, making it impossible for him to ever hear a response to his pleas.

Even in the entire history of the Abyssal world, never had an Abyssal Knight suffered such torture.

Yet in this world they looked down upon with contempt, they had fallen to such a wretched fate.

So pathetic that every shred of belief in their souls was frantically craving death.

On Yun Che's body, the last glimmer of Naming Divine Light began to flicker rapidly.

The immense burden and backlash from forcefully activating God Ash caused countless cracks to appear on his body, with blood gushing out.

Forty percent of his meridians and bones were also fractured, but his expression remained terrifyingly dark and chilling, as if he felt no pain at all.

The Eternal Calamity Devil Flame in his palms burned unhurriedly, not rushing to turn them into devil dust, but continuously burying them deeper into a nightmare that would make them tremble in fear even after a thousand reincarnations.

It had been a long time since he had been so enraged.

After countless cruel and desperate turns of fate, and having even trodden upon Xia Qingyue's fate and blood, he had finally become the supreme emperor of this world…

Yet still, someone had harmed those most precious in his life.

The trembling of space and the wailing of the Heavenly Dao gradually weakened, and the oppressive sensation finally lessened. Everything indicated that Yun Che's current power was about to dissipate.

"The power of the Divine Realm is truly this formidable," Qianye Wugu sighed deeply.

He was already one of the highest existences in this world, yet even with the combined efforts of Qianye Bingzhu, Qianye Ying'er, and Mu Xuanyin, they couldn't defeat a single Nan Zhaoming.

But Nan Zhaoming, under the terrifying power unleashed by Yun Che, was almost effortlessly crushed and tormented.

The disparity was so immense, it far surpassed any perceived gap in cultivation levels.

"No," Chi Wuyao said. "Emperor Yun's current power is not truly at the Divine Realm. Or rather… it's far from the Divine Realm."

"It can only be called a half-step human realm, a half-step divine realm—a Half-God."

Chi Wuyao's Nirvana Devil Soul retained some ancient memories, giving her a basic understanding of the Divine Realm.

"Half… God?"

Beyond their shock, a greater sense of horror surged within Qianye, the Yan Ancestors, and others.

If Half-God power was already like this, then how terrifying would a True God who had fully entered the Divine Realm be?

Did that place called "the Abyss" truly contain actual gods?

This was no time for idle talk. Chi Wuyao's devil eyes glanced at the Naming Divine Light on Yun Che's body, which was about to dissipate. She said sternly, "Meiyin, prepare to teleport. The battle just now might have alerted Mo Beichen, who is currently in the Western Divine Region. We must leave immediately."

She, Shui Meiyin, and Caizhi had all witnessed Mo Beichen through Jun Xilei's memories. The terror of that person was absolutely incomparable to Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang.

Given Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang's extremely respectful and awe-filled demeanor towards him, it was highly likely that he was a terrifying existence possessing Half-God power.

The worst-case scenario… he might be no weaker than Yun Che in his God Ash state.

And Yun Che's Half-God power not only came at the cost of the Eternal Annihilation Divine Orb, but also incurred extremely severe backlash, and lasted for an extremely short duration.

No matter what, they absolutely could not encounter Mo Beichen.

If it hadn't been to save Mu Xuanyin and Qianye Ying'er, she wouldn't have even allowed Yun Che to expose himself before Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang.

"Alright!" Shui Meiyin nodded. The Universe Piercer was already held horizontally before her chest, emitting a faint crimson divine light.

"Emperor Yun," Chi Wuyao said to Yun Che. "They are as good as dead. We should leave…"

*Rumble rumble rumble rumble—*

Before her words finished, her soul suddenly convulsed inexplicably.

It was a dangerous premonition from her Nirvana Devil Soul!

Accompanied by a faint yet incredibly dull roar… seeming to come from beyond the infinitely distant firmament, yet also echoing from the deepest part of her soul.

Startled for a moment, Chi Wuyao's expression abruptly changed, and she urgently said, "Meiyin, quickly, teleport!"

Shui Meiyin's small hand trembled violently, and everyone else turned their heads in shock.

No one had ever seen the Devil Queen lose her composure… Even when Long Bai brought the Western Region's forces to Cangling back then, she had remained calm throughout.

Yet now she was so utterly panicked.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Shui Meiyin quickly acted. The Universe Piercer's usually gentle crimson divine light also turned somewhat violent, instantly enveloping the Devil Queen, Mu Xuanyin, the three Qianyes, and the three Yan Ancestors around her.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The faint, almost imperceptible rumble from the previous moment instantly became deafening, like world-ending profound lightning abruptly exploding beside their ears.

Accompanying it was a terrifying storm that violently twisted space.

"Ah!!"

Several overlapping cries of alarm arose as the powerful three Yan Ancestors and two Brahma Ancestors were forcibly blasted back more than ten miles by this storm, which appeared as if tearing through space, too fast to even react to.

Mu Xuanyin, who was severely wounded, let out a muffled groan and was fiercely swept away. She was then firmly caught by Caizhi, barely managing to stop.

Shui Meiyin, who was concentrating on activating her spatial divine power, was even more caught off guard, violently swept away by the storm, with the Universe Piercer almost flying from her grasp.

In her ear, came Chi Wuyao's urgent, soul-piercing devil sound: "Meiyin!!"

Shui Meiyin, possessing an untainted divine soul, before her stance was even stable, her soul sea was already clear. The Universe Piercer's spatial divine power was released again, enveloping Yun Che in the distance…

But the moment the spatial divine power was released, she suddenly froze, her face losing all color in an instant, turning deathly pale.

Chi Wuyao's devil eyes also darkened, and a sudden chill ran through her entire body.

Before Yun Che, an unknown figure suddenly appeared.

Dressed in silver armor, his figure was tall. Even just his back seemed to stand at the center of the entire world, drawing fear and submission from all creation.

One of his hands was locked around Yun Che's neck, his chilling five fingers deeply embedded in his throat bone. With a lift of his arm, he effortlessly lifted the emperor of this world.

The last glimmer of Naming Divine Light extinguished, but the burst of struggling power failed to push the figure in front of him back even an inch.

Yun Che's pupils rapidly shifted from pitch black to grayish-white. His dilated pupils stared fixedly at the face just inches away.

In Jun Xilei's memories, that terrifying person called the "Abyssal Knight"…

Mo Beichen!

As all four divine orbs perished and the God Ash power dissipated, the full burden and backlash erupted on Yun Che's body. Yet at this very moment, he fell into the clutches of a true… nightmare.

A chill unlike any she had ever felt pierced directly from Chi Wuyao's spine to her devil soul.

Everything happened too quickly, too suddenly.

The perception of a Half-God, the speed of a Half-God… Their understanding of Half-God power was ultimately too shallow.

And for Chi Wuyao, what was even more terrifying was not Mo Beichen's strength.

But his modus operandi.

Facing individuals from this world whose power level was far beneath his own, he showed no arrogance upon arrival, no contemptuous actions, no disdainful words. He didn't even bother with the dying Nan Zhaoguang and Nan Zhaoming.

Instead, he struck like lightning, directly targeting Yun Che.

Giving them not even a sliver of a chance to react.

Clearly, Yun Che's previous power aura had put him on alert.

This Abyssal Knight, acting on alert, demonstrated a decisive ruthlessness that inspired despair and horror.