Chapter 1947: Death and Life (Part 1)

“Our Lord!”

Amidst the sudden, shocking turn of events, three perfectly synchronized roars were the first to erupt. Yun Che's throat being seized was a sight that pierced the Three Yama Ancestors like a blade to the eyes, instantly unleashing all their fury and frenzy. Yama Devil power erupted from them like boiling black lava. The Three Yama Ancestors, still reeling from the previous force, transformed into three frenzied fiends and lunged simultaneously at Mo Beichen, their monstrous roars piercingly sharp.

“Yun Che!”

Simultaneously, Mu Xuanyin gasped in alarm, her instincts at that moment completely overriding her reason and even her severe injuries. Her Ice Phoenix divine power burst forth almost beyond its limits, instantly shaking off Cai Zhi's hand. The Snow Princess Sword in her grip transformed once more into the world's most frigid and unforgiving light, stabbing resolutely towards Mo Beichen. Cai Zhi, close by, could not stop Mu Xuanyin, for her own Sky Wolf divine power erupted almost in the same instant. The Sky Wolf Sacred Sword slammed down, closely following the Ice Phoenix's chilling shadow.

In another direction, Qianye Ying'er's face utterly drained of color. She twisted her body in mid-air, but before her power could fully unleash, she was forcefully restrained by two immense and formidable presences: Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu.

“Don't go near!” Chi Wuyao's voice, laced with her devilish soul, rang out.

However, for the Three Yama Ancestors, Mu Xuanyin, and Cai Zhi, their attacks were entirely instinctive reactions to Yun Che's predicament. Chi Wuyao's warning, no matter how quick, could not possibly have come in time.

Mo Beichen's gaze remained cold and desolate as he stared at Yun Che, held firmly within his grip, utterly devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Yun Che's pupils continued to widen. The backlash from the Divine Ash left his body streaked with blood, yet compared to these wounds and excruciating pain, the overwhelming sense of powerless pallor was infinitely more brutal. He was at his absolute weakest point after unleashing the Divine Ash. And in this most vulnerable state, he found himself grasped by this terrifying individual, someone who utterly defied all current understanding.

His body was utterly rigid in Mo Beichen's grasp. Apart from his constantly shrinking pupils, not a single part of him, not even a finger, could twitch. Every strand of hair, every drop of blood, every cell felt as if it were crushed beneath a thousand mountains, a weight so immense that only endless despair remained. Yes, despair. And it was utter, absolute despair, like a vast, endless night abyss devoid of even a single glimmer of starlight.

In the past, no matter what desperate situation or powerful foe he faced, he had never once retreated in defeat. Not even when confronting the Netherworld Brahma Flower with a mortal soul, or facing the entire Star God Realm alone with the power of a Divine King. After personally witnessing the destruction of the Blue Pole Star, this was only the second time his consciousness had been utterly consumed by despair and helplessness. Every ounce of his will and strength strained in a struggle that, under Mo Beichen's grip, couldn't even disturb a single wisp of air.

The Three Yama Ancestors' piercing roars echoed in his ears. Three terrifying surges of Yama Devil power, enough to chill even contemporary Divine Emperors to the bone, failed to elicit the slightest reaction from Mo Beichen, who merely sported a faint, almost imperceptible sneer at the corner of his lips. His body remained still, his silver armor bulging slightly as he indifferently released the Abyssal Knight's aura.

A resonant thrum!

Even as far as the borders of the Eastern Divine Region, a muffled rumble could be faintly heard. The space for dozens of miles around Mo Beichen instantly twisted in a terrifying manner, as if a detached, isolated world had been violently torn from reality. Still dozens of miles away, the Three Yama Ancestors' furious power seemed to violently collide with an invisible, colorless, yet impenetrable barrier. The already severely distorted space was torn into three colossal dark vortexes... Immediately, their roars morphed into agonized shrieks, and the dark demonic light surrounding the Three Yama Ancestors largely dissipated. Their bodies were twisted and deformed, flung horizontally at several times the speed of their initial charge. Even the mighty Three Yama Ancestors were utterly incapable of approaching the Abyssal Knight's aura.

A piercing clang—

The Snow Princess Sword pierced the aura, emitting a soul-piercing shriek. At that moment, Mu Xuanyin's beautiful ice-cold eyes radiated the most absolute chill. But her severe injuries, coupled with an insurmountable chasm in power, meant that even unleashing all her Ice Phoenix divine power, she could not advance even a hair's breadth closer. Under the ensuing backlash, the Snow Princess Sword bent sharply, its icy gleam shattering, and Mu Xuanyin immediately plummeted like a listless ice butterfly.

Cai Zhi's starry eyes narrowed intently, but she had no time to attend to Mu Xuanyin; the Sky Wolf Sacred Sword plunged straight down.

Boom!

Mo Beichen's aura instantly warped and caved in violently, but it was merely an indentation. The Abyssal Knight's terrifying power then rebounded with equal force. The Sky Wolf Sacred Sword was violently repelled, almost flying from her grasp. Cai Zhi was sent tumbling far away, her face momentarily stark white, before quickly transforming into a deeper, more sinister gloom. Demonic light bloomed in her eyes, and behind her petite frame, a completely demonized, jet-black Sky Wolf materialized. The demonic wolf howled, descending with boundless fury. As her Sky Wolf divine power reached its zenith, Cai Zhi's figure and her great sword completely merged into the wolf's shadow, becoming one.

Mo Beichen tilted his head slightly, a low sneer escaping his lips as he regarded the delicate young girl who dared to challenge an Abyssal Knight: "How pathetic."

As he murmured, his long hair suddenly lifted, and silver light flickered in his eyes.

FWOOOM!!

It was as if a colossal world had erupted before them, unleashing catastrophic power capable of annihilating star systems. The roaring Sky Wolf was instantly halted, warped in the next moment, and utterly annihilated in the third... The Sky Wolf Sacred Sword was flung into a distant, unknown star region. Its wielder's eyes lost all light, and she plummeted towards the abyssal dark sky, chilling as a demonic chasm.

Everything transpired in the blink of an eye. The Three Yama Ancestors, Mu Xuanyin, Cai Zhi... In this current era, they were all beings of the highest echelon. They attacked simultaneously, yet in mere moments, this was the devastating outcome...

“Meiyin,” Chi Wuyao's chilling voice resonated in Shui Meiyin's ear, “Teleport them all here!”

The Untainted Divine Soul maximally alleviated the soul pressure exerted by the Half-God's power on Shui Meiyin, allowing her to maintain sufficient clarity. Amidst the raging storm, the spatial divine power of the Qiankun Needle swiftly emanated from Shui Meiyin's fingers, rapidly transporting the scattered Three Yama Ancestors, Mu Xuanyin, and Cai Zhi to her side. Yet, Yun Che, clamped firmly in Mo Beichen's grasp, was the only one who could not be transferred.

“Get out of the way!”

Qianye Ying'er struggled desperately, demonic light swirling chaotically around her. Her Divine Oracle was suddenly unleashed, cutting two dark, severed gashes across Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu. Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu's restraining power was severed, allowing Qianye Ying'er to break free and charge directly at Mo Beichen.

“Qianye Ying'er, get back!”

The demonic voice in her ear jolted Qianye Ying'er's frantic soul, piercing her body like countless ice needles. Her charge then slowly halted. She turned around, about to speak, but her eyes flickered, words failing her. She no longer surged resolutely towards Mo Beichen. She saw Chi Wuyao's profound demonic eyes, her calm expression, and... the faint trail of blood slowly seeping from the corner of her lips. Everyone else could act on impulse and emotion; she alone could not.

When Long Bai suddenly returned years ago, unleashing the Heaven-Earth Dragon City to engulf the Azure Cloud Continent in a wave of despairing oppression, it was undoubtedly a terrifying sight. Yet, that paled in comparison to the present situation. But the more dire the circumstances, the more she, as the Demon Empress, had to maintain absolute composure.

“You are Yun Che?” Mo Beichen's gaze remained fixed on Yun Che's face, completely disregarding everyone else around them. It was a question, but he knew Yun Che, held in his grip, could not respond, nor did he require one.

CRACK... CRACK CRACK!

As his fingers slowly tightened, Yun Che's throat bones fractured layer by layer. He could make no sound, only the color rapidly draining from his face.

“Hah, what tough bones.” Mo Beichen spoke with a hint of admiration, or perhaps wonder, an uncontainable strange light flickering in his eyes: “As expected, it is indeed mixed with the bloodline of an ancient Dragon God. The purity of the Dragon God bloodline within you is likely not far inferior to that of the Ancestral Dragons themselves. Tsk, tsk.”

Yun Che remained utterly immobile, not even a finger twitching, as his vision rapidly faded to grayscale.

Chi Wuyao's demonic eyes grew deeper. She could tell that Mo Beichen's attention was entirely fixated on Yun Che, and that he would not kill him. Otherwise, in Yun Che's current state, Mo Beichen could have ended his life in an instant. Most likely, he was already aware of the Heretic God and Devil Emperor powers Yun Che wielded, perhaps even his Profound Sky Supreme Treasures. If that were the case, he would surely not take Yun Che's life before devising a way to seize his inheritances and supreme treasures.

“Yama One, Yama Two, Yama Three, do not make any rash moves!” Chi Wuyao issued an irresistible command to the Three Yama Ancestors, befitting an Empress.

Mu Xuanyin and Cai Zhi were teleported back to Shui Meiyin's side. Mu Xuanyin, her injuries compounded, her aura was exceedingly frail. Yet, icy light flickered wildly in her eyes as she desperately fought against unconsciousness. Cai Zhi, beside her, was not much better off.

“Save... him...” Even in her profound weakness, Mu Xuanyin struggled to rise, her words, each one, stained with blood and piercing to the heart.

“Don't worry, he will be fine,” Chi Wuyao murmured. Then, a black glint flashed in her eyes as her Nirvana Devil Soul directly entered the soul seas of Mu Xuanyin and Cai Zhi. Weakness, coupled with their inability to guard against Chi Wuyao, caused both of them to black out, their consciousness swiftly slipping into silence as they fell unconscious.

Chi Wuyao gently placed her palm, and a hazy profound light enveloped the unconscious Mu Xuanyin and Cai Zhi. Looking ahead, she slowly stated, “Now, there is only one way.”

“!!” Qianye Ying'er froze, then instantly flashed before Chi Wuyao, desperately suppressing her almost completely disordered mind as she urgently asked, “What way?!”

“Ugh... ugh... hrrk...”

From within the constantly trembling space, painful, hoarse shrieks reverberated. Their lingering spiritual senses perceived Mo Beichen's aura. Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang desperately uttered whatever sounds they could. They did not beg for salvation, only for Mo Beichen to grant them immediate death, to release them from their agony. For even descent into the deepest hell after death could not possibly inflict such torment.

However, Mo Beichen paid no heed to their pleas. His soul and power remained entirely focused on Yun Che. After personally perceiving and witnessing this anomaly, who wielded Half-God power at the Divine Sovereign Realm, he no longer harbored any doubt regarding Qi Tianli's words. He could barely fathom the immense merit it would be to present this individual, who possessed the dual inheritances of a Creation God and a Devil Emperor, to the Abyssal Emperor. With everyone else dead, this colossal achievement would belong solely to him.

“The Emperor of this world? Ha!” He sneered, his gaze intensifying. “I should have killed you first, but count yourself lucky, for I desire you alive. You will not be permitted to die, even if you wish it. To live and become a tribute offered to the Abyssal Emperor—this shall be the greatest meaning and honor of your life.” His gaze slightly deepened. “That old Qilin spoke of you, saying you must never be underestimated or met with laxity, for you are someone who consistently defies expectations. So... how about this?”

As he uttered these chilling words, a faint profound light flickered across his body.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRUMBLE CRUMBLE CRUMBLE...

Yun Che's incredibly sturdy dragon bones, along with all his meridians, simultaneously shattered. The sound of cracking bone was deafening, like a thousand thunderbolts exploding at once.

“Separate him from Yun Che!”

With the sounds of bone shattering still ringing, Chi Wuyao remained utterly unmoved, delivering her answer in the calmest, most concise words. This answer, however, directly extinguished the faint glimmer of hope that had just ignited in Qianye Ying'er's heart. She groaned in pain, “We can't even get close; how can we make him release Yun Che...”

“Indeed, with our power, we cannot approach,” Chi Wuyao's demonic eyes slowly shifted. “But... the Qiankun Needle can!”

Shui Meiyin and Qianye Ying'er's eyes simultaneously widened in understanding. Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu also comprehended, turning to face them. Chi Wuyao's gaze, as it turned, did not land on Shui Meiyin, but instead settled on the Three Yama Ancestors.

“Yama One, Yama Two, Yama Three,” her voice was calmer than ever. “To protect your Master with your lives—these are the words you most frequently speak.” Yet, from this serene voice issued the Demon Empress's most chilling and ruthless command: “Now, is the moment for you to sacrifice your lives for your Master.”