Chapter 1998: Meeting of the Lin Gods (Part 1)

Yun Che, on his way back, predictably encountered Helian Lingzhu, who was anxiously searching for him.

"Young Master Yun Che!"

Her voice reached him from a distance, and she hurried towards him, brimming with joy. Yet, beneath her joy, a layer of unshed tears shimmered distinctly in her beautiful eyes.

"I thought... I thought you had left quietly," she said, standing close to Yun Che but then consciously maintaining a less intimate distance.

"Leave? Why would I?" Yun Che asked, a surprised expression on his face before he smiled. "The Princess is my savior. How could I break my word to her?"

"You seem to be in such a hurry... has something happened?" Yun Che asked, feigning ignorance.

His words instantly turned Helian Lingzhu's joy into panic. She instinctively reached out and clutched Yun Che's sleeve. "Father... Father is dying! His heart meridians are severely damaged... Even Grand Ancestor is helpless!"

"You said before that you had a solution! I... I know Father didn't believe you then, and he treated you terribly, but... but now, only you can save him! Young Master Yun Che... please... please, you must save him."

She was momentarily flustered, her words jumbled. But after what had transpired earlier, even with their Imperial Grand Ancestor at a loss, she still held an inexplicable faith in Yun Che.

A gentle wave of profound energy swept over her, calming Helian Lingzhu's emotions. "Alright, I'll go take a look."

***

Inside Helian Imperial Palace, Helian Jue's face was ashen, making the continuous bleeding from his seven orifices even more striking. His cultivation at the Half-God Extinction Realm was now as faint as a wisp of smoke. Tormented for days by the chaotic half-god profound energy in his heart meridians, Helian Jue had gone from desperately trying to suppress it, to gradually fearing to do so. Now, he barely dared to circulate even a trace of profound energy, lest it provoke the raging devil in his heart meridians even further.

When Yun Che arrived, the hall was bustling with people. Princes and princesses knelt everywhere, and most of the strongest auras within the Imperial City were gathered there. It was a scene of people awaiting the emperor's demise. Yun Che also spotted at a glance the master of Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying, whom he had seen upon his first arrival: Ku Xuan, the Palace Master of Helian Heavenly Palace.

"Father! Please hold on, Grand Ancestor will surely find a way... Oh, Father!"

Crown Prince Helian Linglang knelt, wailing with heart-wrenching cries. Anyone unaware would have thought the Helian Lord had already passed away.

Mo Cangying frowned deeply. If Helian Linglang weren't the Crown Prince, he truly wished he could be like Yun Che that day and stomp the man's head into the floor. He had long been utterly disappointed with the Helian Imperial Family. As the most outstanding figure of this generation in Helian Heavenly Palace, he had undoubtedly received invitations from the three great sects: Pan Xuan, Wan Ren, and Lie Sha. But his unwavering loyalty to Helian stemmed from two reasons: the kindness of his master, and Helian Lingzhu. But now...

His gaze turned towards the hall entrance, where Helian Lingzhu, who had been gone for several hours, finally hurried back. The prolonged wait had left him deeply agitated.

"Father, I'm back."

Helian Lingzhu ignored the crowded hall and rushed to Helian Jue's side.

Helian Jue turned his neck. As he caught sight of Yun Che unhurriedly following Helian Lingzhu, his previously dim eyes suddenly struggled to emit an unusual glint. After being tormented to the brink of true despair, with all hope gone, he would, without a doubt, think of the only person who had claimed to be able to save him. He had angrily refused him back then. But after witnessing Yun Che's extraordinary abilities firsthand, those "absurd words" that he had previously disdained became his sole hope in this desperate situation.

"Father, Young Master Yun Che is here; he definitely has a way to save you." Helian Lingzhu was filled with trepidation, yet also an inexplicable faith.

Helian Linglang turned his head to look at the person behind Helian Lingzhu. "Is he... the so-called 'miracle worker'?"

Yun Che completely ignored his presence, stepped forward, and stood beside Helian Lingzhu. His divine sense subtly swept over Helian Jue. *Hmm, the situation is about as I expected. All that talking back then wasn't in vain.*

"Save... me..." Helian Jue uttered, his voice faint and laced with bone-deep pain.

Helian Jue's trembling plea instantly changed the gaze of everyone looking at Yun Che. Even the Grand Ancestor, their protector, was helpless, yet the Emperor was begging this young man in the Divine Sovereign Realm?

Yun Che said, "Everyone except the Princess, Brother Mo, and Palace Master Ku Xuan, please leave."

Ku Xuan glanced at him in surprise. This commanding statement stunned everyone. Helian Linglang immediately stood up, his face stern. "Where did you come from, you wild brat?! When did it become your place to dictate terms to my Helian Imperial Family?"

"Get... out!" Helian Jue spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse yet still containing imperial authority.

Helian Linglang turned his head in astonishment. "Father. Even Grand Ancestor is temporarily at a loss; how could a Divine Sovereign like him possibly have a solution? This is clearly a trick—"

"Are you... treating me as dead?!" Helian Jue, tormented on the brink of death with every breath, roared from his throat, "Get out!"

"Everyone... get out!"

Helian Lingzhu quickly interjected, "Father has commanded everyone to withdraw. Master... Palace Master Ku Xuan and Senior Brother Nine, please stay."

The "unimportant people" quickly retreated, and the imperial hall fell silent.

A vast aura, like the sky itself, briefly lingered on Yun Che. While powerful, it also felt somewhat ethereal. *Is that the Grand Ancestor, the protector?* Yun Che remained unmoved, simply gazing calmly at Helian Jue.

"Young man, can you truly save the Lord?" Ku Xuan asked, his voice calm. Though there was deep doubt, there was no disdain. In recent days, he had learned the full details of that day's events from Helian Lingzhu and Mo Cangying, developing a deep admiration, curiosity, and various conjectures about Yun Che's origins.

Yun Che said, "My cultivation is low, so naturally, I cannot interfere with half-god level profound energy. But from a medical perspective, I do have a way."

"Medical perspective?" Ku Xuan frowned. He was also skilled in medicine, but the injuries Helian Jue sustained involved his life meridians, which were entirely beyond the scope of conventional medical treatment.

"Common wisdom holds that damage to the life meridians is permanent, and thus, no one dares to tamper with them once they are involved. However, the life meridians actually have seventy-two acupuncture points. Seventeen of these points can be broken without causing permanent damage, nor will they lead to the rapid dissipation of life energy. With sufficient cultivation, they can even slowly recover on their own."

"Since the entangled profound energy cannot be forcefully resolved, then we will create openings and use sufficient external force to draw it out."

Yun Che's words were calm and unremarkable, but to Ku Xuan, who was well-versed in medicine, they sounded like a fantastical tale. Destroying someone's life meridians was tantamount to taking their life. He had never heard of such a "medical theory." Regardless of the person's origin, no matter how profound his medical knowledge, his experience could never surpass that of an old man nearing the end of his life. Even if everything he said was true... how could one guarantee precisely breaking those seventeen points? Those were life meridians; even a slight mistake would lead to the dissipation of life energy and immediate death.

"This? How could it be possible?" Ku Xuan frowned deeply, unable to convince himself to believe.

Yun Che offered no explanation, his gaze fixed on Helian Jue. "Lord Helian, I already told you the method that day. It requires breaking seventeen openings in your life meridians. Whether you want to try it or not is entirely up to you."

Helian Jue's pupils dilated, and his throat bobbed. He uttered a voice devoid of any hesitation: "Try... quickly, try." Because he already had one foot in hell, even if the other party was merely spouting nonsense, it couldn't lead to a worse outcome.

"Good," Yun Che said, lowering his gaze. "However, you disbelieved me earlier and then expelled me. It seems I have no reason to save you for free."

Ku Xuan gave Yun Che a deep, astonished look. Although he had heard rumors, this young man truly showed no fear of the Emperor's might, instead displaying an overbearing demeanor.

Helian Jue's lips moved again, speaking with difficulty, "If you can save me... I will grant... whatever you ask."

Yun Che gave a half-smile, turned sideways, and looked at Helian Lingzhu. "My condition is very simple."

"At the upcoming Lin God Assembly twenty days from now, I hope the Helian Imperial Family's delegation will be led and managed by the Princess. As for the Lord, he can remain in the Imperial City to recuperate. How about that?"

This "condition" stunned everyone. Helian Lingzhu's lips parted slightly, and Mo Cangying's expression became extremely complex. His demand wasn't for his own benefit at all; instead, it was to... establish the Princess's prestige and build momentum for her? After all, in the past, such major events always required the Helian Lord's personal presence. If Helian Lingzhu led the delegation this time, wouldn't it be a clear sign... that Helian Lingzhu, and not Crown Prince Helian Linglang, would be the future successor to the throne?

"Young Master Yun Che, I..." Helian Lingzhu was clearly flustered.

"I... agree."

For Helian Jue at this moment, no matter how outrageous Yun Che's demand, he wouldn't refuse. After all, his life was on the line... and this was a relatively simple request. With the Bai Lin Alliance joining the Lin God Assembly this time, if the Imperial Family were to lose its qualification to enter the Lin God Realm, they would surely become a laughingstock and lose all face... He would rather not go himself.

"Very good." Yun Che nodded, a strange light glinting in his eyes. With Helian Lingzhu leading the Helian Imperial Family, it would be equivalent to him controlling the situation. After all, Helian Lingzhu was quite obedient to him now. This way, whatever he wanted to do would be much more convenient, and it would also prevent accidents to the greatest extent possible.

"Palace Master Ku Xuan, when the aura overflows, I'll trouble you to guide it."

Without waiting for Ku Xuan's response, he extended his right hand and directly placed it on Helian Jue's heart meridians. Helian Jue's chest ruptured, and blood splattered... Within moments, Mo Beichen's half-god aura suddenly became dozens of times clearer, releasing a terrifying pressure that made hearts leap.

Ku Xuan's voice, about to be uttered, was stuck in his throat, and his aged face showed profound shock. His withered hands swiftly pushed out, releasing a powerful yet soothing profound energy that dispersed into countless streams, enveloping Helian Jue's chest.

*Boom—*

*Rumble!!!*

Streams of chaotic half-god profound energy surged upwards, violently blasting open the roof of the Imperial Palace and shooting straight into the sky, carrying a hatred that seemed unwilling to ever dissipate.

***

The opening of the Lin God Realm was imminent. During this period, everything was calm; no one caused any trouble for Yun Che. This was because the Bai Lin Alliance, despite exerting its full power, could not find any information about Yun Che. He was as if he had suddenly descended from the heavens into the Lin Abyss Realm. This extreme strangeness, coupled with the impending Lin God Assembly, led the Bai Lin Alliance to rationally postpone seeking revenge against Yun Che for the time being.

On this day, countless profound practitioners and various sects and forces throughout the Lin Abyss Realm began to converge towards its center. From the Helian Imperial Dynasty, Helian Lingzhu led the delegation, with Ku Xuan at her side, bringing the most outstanding young profound practitioners of this generation. They stepped onto a profound ark and flew towards the location of the Lin God Realm.

As they gradually approached, Yun Che could almost faintly perceive the pulsation from the Evil God's Profound Veins.

*It can't be wrong...* Yun Che murmured to himself, *What awaits ahead are the complete Evil God's Profound Veins.*

And it will be his true beginning in the Abyss!