Chapter 1949: Extreme Night

Mo Beichen's mind was blank for less than a breath. As the Niwheel Devil Soul was extracted, his consciousness rapidly cleared. The sudden terror induced by the golden Brahma light quickly dissipated as his reason returned. What replaced it, undoubtedly, was an instant surge of rage! What angered him even more was the sudden absence of Yun Che in his perception!

Boom—

With a thunderous roar, the star realm violently collapsed under his unleashed fury. The Three Yama Ancestors, who had been clinging to him, were instantly blasted away, scattering blood and bones across the sky. Mo Beichen didn't even glance at them, rushing directly to where Chi Wuyao and Shui Meiyin had been.

However, his divine sense found no trace of spatial distortion. It was even more complete than when Jun Xilei had vanished before his eyes earlier. His teeth silently clenched, and Mo Beichen's features twisted into a disfigured snarl. He extended his palm, and the space before him shattered like fabric, leaving thousands of black fissures, yet it could not release even a fraction of the rage in his heart. More than anger, it was humiliation. As a demigod, as an Abyss Knight, to be thus humiliated in this lowly world...

He abruptly turned his head, looking at the blurred dark figures in the distant space. Yama One, Yama Two, and Yama Three were already on their last breath; the power released by his previous rage had completely shattered their bodies. Yet, the Three Yama Ancestors were old monsters who had lived for eight hundred thousand years, possessing incredibly tenacious life force. Even with shattered organs and broken bodies, their devil eyes remained wide open, and dense devilish light still flowed from their broken forms.

"Heh... heheheh..." Yama One chuckled, because they had successfully completed their final mission, witnessing Yun Che's rescue with their own eyes.

"What the... hell are you laughing at?" Yama Three's devilish light was the weakest, but his tone refused to falter. "My... contribution... was the greatest!"

"We've lived long enough," Yama Two also laughed. For them, there was no more valuable way to die. "Master... you must... be safe..."

Mo Beichen's facial twitching ceased. He suddenly realized that his brief loss of composure in this world was a humiliation in itself. All his rage condensed deep within his eyes. Mo Beichen turned coldly, and his five fingers fiercely clawed outwards.

Boom—

The star realm spanning a hundred thousand miles disintegrated into endless spatial fragments, then transformed from fragments into terrifying spatial dust... until it became a hundred-thousand-mile spatial black hole. The bodies of Yama One, Yama Two, and Yama Three, the last Brahma light of Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu, along with Nan Zhaoming and Nan Zhaoguang, were all swallowed and annihilated within it, turning into primordial nothingness.

His divine sense was also released without reservation at this moment, sweeping across one star realm after another. In an instant, he retracted his divine sense, unleashed his power, and surged eastward. Not long after, he reached out and directly pulled an old figure from a great distance to stand before him. It was Qilin Tianli, who had teleported with Mo Beichen to the Eastern Divine Region. Although he hadn't approached the battlefield, the distant roars and calamitous storm had left him still shaken and deeply conflicted. Sensing the hidden rage beneath Mo Beichen's cold demeanor, Qilin Tianli's heart instantly chilled.

"Yun Che escaped."

The cold, low words made Qilin Tianli bow his head deeply, not daring to speak out of turn.

"Why did their spatial transfer leave no trace?" Mo Beichen lowered his gaze slightly, staring coldly at Qilin Tianli. "You should know the answer."

"It's... it's the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Artifact!" Qilin Tianli dared not conceal it. The fact that Shui Meiyin possessed the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Artifact, a Profound Sky Ultimate Treasure, was not public knowledge; only a few people knew. As an arm of the Yun Emperor and a core figure in the Western Divine Region, the Qilin Emperor was naturally one of those few.

"Heaven... Punishing... Ancestral Divine Artifact!?" Mo Beichen's tone abruptly changed. The Seven Great Profound Sky Ultimate Treasures were extremely renowned; how could the Abyss not know of them or have records?

Qilin Tianli quickly said, "It is indeed the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Artifact, one of the Seven Great Profound Sky Ultimate Treasures from ancient times. It reappeared in the world a few years ago, and its wielder is one of Yun Che's Imperial Concubines."

"With your esteemed might, for them to escape, it could... it could only be the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Artifact... Ngh!"

A pale hand seized his collar, and Mo Beichen's gaze turned frigid. "Why didn't you tell this Venerable One sooner?!"

Qilin Tianli's face paled as he stammered, "It happened so suddenly, this... old man... did not... have time... This Venerable One, please forgive me..."

"But with your esteemed power... they can only... escape for a while..."

Mo Beichen spread his five fingers, sending Qilin Tianli flying far away, where he landed on his knees, coughing uncontrollably. His eyes slowly narrowed, and the coldness in Mo Beichen's gaze gradually dissipated, replaced instead by growing excitement. In this world, the range his divine sense could cover far exceeded that in the Abyss. Moreover, Yun Che was surrounded by the most powerful aura in this world. Even if they had temporarily escaped, finding them again would only be a matter of time. And now that he knew of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Artifact's existence, Yun Che would have no chance of escaping next time.

Although he hadn't captured Yun Che for now, learning of the Heaven Punishing Ancestral Divine Artifact's existence was, on the whole, a great stroke of luck. An additional Profound Sky Ultimate Treasure as a tribute to the Abyss Emperor would undoubtedly be another massive contribution.

"What else haven't you told me? Tell me the important things." Mo Beichen's deep voice pressed down on Qilin Tianli.

The dark clouds from the Abyss also heavily descended upon the God Realm that day, a realm that had only recently found peace from disaster.

Drip...

The sound of dripping water.

Rustle...

The sound of wind rustling leaves.

And...

An omnipresent, excruciating pain.

Excruciating pain...

I... I'm not dead?

His consciousness was extraordinarily heavy, leaving him with no desire to even struggle awake. Millions of times heavier were the scenes that floated and awoke within his mind.

Mo Beichen...Divine Extinction Realm...Abyss...Why is there still power of that level...?Why disturb this world that had only just managed to rid itself of threats?This is truly... absurd.

A faint sensation emanated from a part of his body, very cold and icy, yet it warmed his convulsing soul.

"Yun Che, I'm leaving."

"Live well. This is my... last wish. Even if it's destined to be difficult, please fulfill it for me."

Mu Xuanyin's voice, as if close at hand, yet also as if far away in the heavens. It carried a calm resolve, as if she were making... her final farewell. His dormant consciousness began to throb intensely. He started to struggle, wanting to wake up.

At that moment, another voice rang out:

"Yun Che," this was Qianye Ying'er's voice, carrying a rarely expressed sorrow. "How I wished I could die by your side, but I wish even more that you could live. In this life, I have made countless mistakes and committed countless sins. But, only meeting you, and experiencing with you the enmities, joys, sorrows, pains, wounds, happiness, and dishonor... everything, I will never regret."

"..." Yun Che desperately tried to reach out and grasp the owner of the voice.

"Brother-in-law..."

Caizhi's voice was soft and gentle, completely devoid of the usual imposing air she carried, just like the ethereal girl he first met, whom one couldn't help but want to protect and cherish.

"I'm going to see Big Sister now. All these years, I've always... always missed her so much. So, you don't need to be sad for me at all, just... remember me sometimes. Big Sister and I will be watching you together in another world, so you must live well. You wouldn't want to see Big Sister and me disappointed, right?"

Is this a dream, or...?Why does every word sound like a farewell...?What exactly is happening...?

"Yun Che!"

This time, it was Chi Wuyao's voice, every word heavy, every word etched into his soul.

"Your destiny is fated to be extraordinary, and also fated to be fraught with misfortune. It's just that this time it came too fast, and was too cruel. Even I, who am arrogant enough, can only feel powerless. The last thing I can do for you is to stay away from you. You must live... live at all costs, just like when you harbored hatred and lay dormant in the Northern Divine Region. For us, you can do it, right?"

His soul throbbed intensely, his consciousness struggled desperately. He frantically wanted to wake up, even though every moment of struggle caused his heavy soul excruciating pain, as if pierced by ten thousand blades. The pain throughout his body constantly intensified, yet this did not make Yun Che retreat; instead, he struggled even more fiercely. Because the more it hurt, the more it showed his consciousness was becoming clearer... until he reached the verge of awakening.

"Ah!"

A young girl's gasp echoed in his soul sea, followed by He Ling's surprised cry, "Master, are... are you awake? Ooh... ooh!" A sob spilled from her lips, but she quickly suppressed it with great effort.

A sliver of bright light pierced Yun Che's eyes. The stinging pain of that moment told him his eyes hadn't been open for a long time. As his eyes adjusted to the light, a vast blue sky entered his vision. His hearing gradually cleared. He heard the gentle gurgling of water and the soft sighing of the breeze. His will moved his body, and his fingers slowly lifted, accompanied by bone-piercing pain.

"Ah!"

Another young girl's gasp, followed by hurried footsteps. Into Yun Che's line of sight came a delicate, tear-streaked face, full of surprise and joy.

"Brother Yun Che..." The words escaped her lips, and the young girl was instantly drenched in tears, like pear blossoms after rain. "You're finally awake... you finally... ooh... oooh..."

"Mei... yin..."

Yun Che's lips parted, and the sound that emerged was dry and hoarse. Amidst the intense pain, his arm slowly lifted, struggling to reach into his field of vision. His powerful body, beyond ordinary understanding, allowed his meridians and fractured bones to reconnect completely during his coma. However, his injuries were simply too severe, and the backlash from the Divine Ashes had left his power in an extremely weakened state. Under this dual assault, his recovery was far slower than usual.

Shui Meiyin quickly reached out and very gently cupped Yun Che's raised hand. Yun Che stared blankly at Shui Meiyin, his thoughts momentarily hazy and disoriented... The spreading dampness in his palm and the bone-piercing pain throughout his body all told him that he was truly awake, not still trapped in a dream. Shui Meiyin being by his side meant this was not a dangerous place. Before losing consciousness, he had clearly been held captive by Mo Beichen. That power which had instantly plunged him into despair, leaving him unable to even struggle... How exactly had he managed to escape?

The previous voices echoed in his soul sea, accompanied by a growing sense of unease. He disregarded his current state and strained his weak spiritual perception outwards. There was no Chi Wuyao, no Qianye Ying'er, no Caizhi, no Mu Xuanyin... Not even Yama One, Yama Two, or Yama Three, who would never leave his side without permission. Here, apart from him and Shui Meiyin, there was no one else.

"How... long did I sleep?" After all, he was Yun Che. As his consciousness grew clearer, his vision was no longer blurry, and his voice became much clearer.

"Sixteen days," Shui Meiyin said, doing her best to wipe away the tear stains from her cheeks and star-like eyes. Now, only she remained by Yun Che's side. She had to accompany him and bear everything that lay ahead; she could not be weak... absolutely not.

Sixteen days... Yun Che was stunned for a while. For him, with his current body and power level, to have been unconscious for so long was astonishing. It was unimaginable how utterly depleted his power and how severe his injuries must have been that day.

Wait... Sixteen days?! Given Mo Beichen's terrifying nature, such a long time... His soul and pupils simultaneously constricted. Yun Che struggled to sit up, his voice becoming urgent. "They... the Devil Queen and the others... What about Wuxin and the others?"

"..." Shui Meiyin's lips instantly tightened, then quickly relaxed. A very relaxed smile appeared on her slightly pale face. "Since even Brother Yun Che has woken up, of course, they are all fine too. Brother Yun Che, your injuries are still very serious. Please don't distract yourself. Rest well for a while, okay? I'll go tell them you're awake right now, and when you wake up again, you'll be able to see them."

Shui Meiyin's expression and voice were very natural, her pure smile gently soothing his soul like a breeze... But she could deceive anyone except Yun Che. Because when she said these words, she couldn't meet Yun Che's eyes at all. Years ago, she had faced Yun Che and recited the entire set of lies Xia Qingyue had woven for her. Now, it was her again, and it could only be her...

"..." Yun Che stared blankly into Shui Meiyin's eyes, then let out a soft breath and said, "Help me up." Her lips parted slightly; she instinctively wanted to tell Yun Che not to move, but seeing his suddenly profound gaze, she could only agree: "Okay."

Sitting upright, leaning against Shui Meiyin's soft chest, Yun Che's gaze turned forward. This was an unfamiliar small world. The sky was azure, the water emerald. Not far ahead, several streams intertwined, their waters gently murmuring. Fish occasionally leaped out, creating ripples. Although his spiritual perception was far from recovered, it was enough for Yun Che to discern that this was a lower-realm planet with very low spiritual energy but perfectly preserved natural essence. Ordinary, but far from the God Realm.

"Yama Three." He suddenly called out a name. The breeze wafted gently, but brought no response.

"Brother Yun Che," Shui Meiyin gently spoke. Some things should not have been said at this moment, but she understood that although Yun Che had just woken up, he had already sensed something. "Yama Three and the others, they are already... already... It was also them who used their lives to rescue you from that terrifying person."

"..." After a brief silence, Yun Che let out a soft sigh. "Is that so."

"Devil Queen, Xuanyin... where did they go?" he asked. "I want to hear the truth." His voice was very calm, and his expression just as serene. But he knew that with every word, his heart hammered a little harder.

Shui Meiyin shook her head, placing her fair hand gently over Yun Che's heart. "Later, when your injuries have recovered a bit more, I'll tell you, okay?"

At that moment, the Glazed Water Jade on Shui Meiyin's chest flickered slightly. She seemed to have found a sudden savior to divert Yun Che's attention. She quickly said, "It's Big Sister's voice message. She's been sending updates from the Eastern Divine Region these past few days, and she always mentions Wuxin is safe. Listen, if you don't believe me." As she finished speaking, her will moved, and the sound transmission profound formation within the Glazed Water Jade activated.

Shui Yingyue's voice then rang out, but it was filled with deep urgency and alarm.

"Meiyin! Wuxin has been captured by Cang Shitian and taken to the Primordial God Realm, to be offered to Mo Beichen as a token of loyalty... Only you can save her!"