Chapter 2012: Lin Bone Spirit Orchid

Yun Che had received many opportunities in his life, but none had come so easily, yet felt so profound. This immense gift stemmed from the Qilin clan's inherent nature, a blend of gratitude and reverence for the Heretic God Ni Xuan.

A trace of guilt surfaced in Yun Che's heart, but he swiftly suppressed it. He could not allow any being or any emotion to cloud his judgment, none whatsoever!

"The extent to which my source blood and marrow will integrate with your body depends on your destiny. For an ordinary person, complete refinement would take over a decade, or at least several years. But since you possess the Creator God's profound veins, perhaps mere months will suffice."

"A few days will be enough..." Yun Che mused internally, nodding emphatically towards the rapidly fading eyes of the Qilin God. "Senior Qilin God, please rest assured that I will ensure the Qilin God's lineage shines with the utmost brilliance in this world."

He spoke of "this world," not the "Abyss."

"Good," the Qilin God smiled, and the divine radiance in his eyes faded completely, leaving only a pair of cloudy, ancient eyes like withered stone. "Now, I have no regrets... only a lingering concern."

Yun Che looked up. "Senior, would you mind telling me your concern?" After a long silence, the Qilin God finally uttered a soft, fading lament: "During the brutal war between gods and devils, the Qilin clan was decimated. Our ancestor, the Qilin God, was forced into the Primal God Realm. In despair, unwilling to die at the hands of the devil gods, he and many of our kin leaped into the Abyss... yet they were saved by the Abyssal Emperor and survived in this world."

So that was it... Yun Che's doubts immediately dissipated.

In the Age of Gods, only true gods who committed unforgivable transgressions were cast into the Abyss. Given the inherent nature of the Qilin clan, it was inconceivable they would commit such a grave sin.

It turned out they had chosen to leap into it themselves.

"However, the abyssal dust's erosion is like an inescapable nightmare. Once fully corrupted, one transforms into an abyssal beast with only a desire for destruction," he continued. "To watch one's dearest kin, revered elders, and even one's own undeveloped children be corrupted into abyssal beasts... that pain and despair are a thousand times more terrifying than death. That nightmare, even today, still haunts my soul. Were it not for our ancestor, the Qilin God's, dying wish, and my anticipation of a miracle, I would have long since chosen to end my own life."

Yun Che could offer no words of comfort. He had personally experienced the agony of losing all his loved ones, a pain so intense it had once made him completely abandon the will to live. And what the Qilin God described... that surely was an ultimate despair, something impossible to truly comprehend without experiencing it firsthand.

"Yet, after merely a few generations, the Qilin God clan has completely withered away, leaving only our ancestor, the Qilin God, and myself."

"Our ancestor, the Qilin God, was once incomparably mighty, even surpassing the current Six Nations and Seven Gods. However, the Abyss back then was far more terrifying than it is now. The abyssal dust's erosion affected our beast race far more severely than it did humans. Even our powerful ancestor, the Qilin God, was gradually eroded by the abyssal dust; his divine power steadily dissipated, and his divine body withered. Eventually, his divine power dwindled to below the Divine Realm, with his remaining strength comparable only to... the Divine Master Realm."

"By then, our ancestor, the Qilin God, was over ninety percent corrupted."

Yun Che's heart stirred. To remain lucid and possess Divine Master Realm power despite being over ninety percent corrupted — how incredibly powerful was this ancestor, the Qilin God? He did not interrupt the Qilin God, listening quietly as he continued. The rapidly fading life aura and the gradually ethereal "Qilin Holy Hall" both signified that his time was running out.

"This Elemental Seed was acquired by our ancestor, the Qilin God. Had he kept it, it surely would have prolonged his life significantly. But he chose to entrust it to me."

"Our ancestor, the Qilin God, instructed that this is the core of the Elemental Creator God's power, a divine blessing. However, it ultimately does not belong to this world. Perhaps one day, someone will carry it back to the world where it truly belongs."

"Therefore, while accepting this boon, the Qilin God lineage's final mission is to protect it. We must never allow the Creator God's power and grace to fall into the hands of malevolent spirits, thereby becoming tainted with impurity and sin."

Yun Che was profoundly moved. In the God Realm, the ancient Qilin God lineage had completely vanished, leaving no inheritance or bloodline in existence. The strongest of the remaining Qilins were the Ink Qilins, led by Qitianli; all others were ordinary Qilins. While fragmented records concerning the Qilin God varied, making it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood, one point remained consistent across all accounts: the Qilin God clan existed for the sole purpose of guardianship.

"This guardianship mission was also our ancestor, the Qilin God's, reason for wanting me to live long... And his final command was for me to utterly destroy him before he became completely corrupted and transformed into an abyssal beast."

Yun Che sighed softly. "Senior, you ultimately couldn't bring yourself to do it, could you?"

"Our ancestor, the Qilin God, relinquished all his protective power, but I... I simply could not do it."

Even after hundreds of thousands of years, his voice still carried profound pain, though it was difficult to discern if regret was also present. "I chose to knock our ancestor, the Qilin God, unconscious with a powerful blow, and then... I carried him into the depths of the Misty Sea."

By this point, Yun Che had a clear understanding of the Qilin God's final concern. He could not judge whether the Qilin God's choice was right or wrong. Rationally, the Qilin God should indeed have annihilated him. But that was his ancestor, a cherished kin who had left him the hope of life; how could reason apply in such a situation? Knocking him unconscious and placing him in the Misty Sea... at least it allowed for the belief that he still existed in the world in another form.

Yun Che asked, "Is this ancestor, the Qilin God, still within the Misty Sea now?"

"Indeed," the Qilin God's voice slowly confirmed. "He is now one of the strongest abyssal beasts in the Misty Sea."

Yun Che was speechless.

"Our ancestor, the Qilin God, lived a life of immense kindness and compassion, embracing benevolence and protection as his creed. Even at his peak, he would never harm the weakest innocent creature. Yet, in these past years, countless profound practitioners who ventured into the Misty Sea have perished because of him."

"His renown was once revered by all beings, but now he bears only an infamous reputation that strikes fear into the hearts of those who hear it. All of this is my fault. I am ashamed before our ancestor, the Qilin God; even in death, I will have no face to meet him in the underworld."

"So," Yun Che began, "you hope that if I encounter him in the Misty Sea in the future, I will... grant him release?"

The massive eyes of the Qilin God had narrowed to mere slits, and his voice was as ethereal as a candle flame flickering in a gentle breeze. "My gift is merely an act of reciprocation, not a bestowal of favor. I have no right to impose this wish upon you... I can only... plead... beg..."

"Very well, I promise," Yun Che declared, nodding firmly, his gaze clear. "Should I ever have the power to do so, I will ensure he finds eternal peace."

The Qilin God's eyes completely closed, then slowly vanished, his final words gently seeping into Yun Che's soul: "No words can express my gratitude... Even without this day, my lifespan was already nearing its end. My demise is entirely natural, and the Abyssal Emperor will have no cause for suspicion... Or perhaps, my existence long ceased to matter to him."

"In three hours, this realm will collapse. Depart now... May your future shine as brilliantly as our ancestor's Qilin light."

The last trace of yellow Qilin light vanished eternally at that moment, along with the fading voice. The Qilin Holy Hall, which had isolated everything, also completely disappeared at that instant.

The quicksand resumed its churning, and the dust mist began to swirl again... but almost immediately, everything underwent drastic changes. The earth spirits within the dust mist seemed startled, no longer drifting calmly but instead darting about in disarray. The quicksand beneath their feet visibly churned in disarray, and then began to sink. Initially, the descent was slow, but it gradually accelerated, as if an abyssal behemoth had opened its cavernous, devouring maw somewhere unfathomably deep below. The towering rock pillars that had stood proudly for countless years developed successive cracks, then slowly fractured and collapsed, unleashing rumbling roars of catastrophe.

With the Creator God's Elemental Seed returned to Yun Che's hands, the earth element of this world undoubtedly became entirely devoid of its source and order. With the Qilin God's demise, this small world, linked to his life source, was also on the verge of collapse. The source blood and marrow the Qilin God left for him were enveloped in a gentle, small barrier, showing no signs of dispersion. Yun Che carefully placed them into the Sky Poison Pearl, bowed deeply forward, then turned and flew directly westward—towards the exit.

His only immediate task was to leave the Qilin God Realm and then find a sufficiently stable location. As for the reason for leaving immediately after entering, it was quite simple. He had not flown far when a peculiar, luminous glow suddenly flickered in his eyes.

What was that?

Meanwhile...

An anomaly occurred in every corner of the Qilin God Realm.

In the distant south, Long Jiang, enveloped in dust and sand, slowly moved eastward, like a lone sail upon an endless sea. Yet, extreme solitude and unknown risks could not deter her unwavering resolve. The yellow Qilin light in the northeast suddenly intensified, revealing a massive palace. Believing she had been discovered, her footsteps faltered. But after a long silence, when no aura reached her, she continued forward, becoming even more cautious and slow. She watched the luminous yellow palace continue to glow, only to begin dimming shortly after... until it faded completely from view. Along with it, the yellow Qilin light that had previously blanketed the entire eastern sky also vanished.

She froze there... for in her understanding, the disappearance of the Qilin light signified the Qilin God's demise. Then, she witnessed the earth spirits in a panic, the quicksand sinking... and her soul strings became as chaotic as the earth spirits, her heart plummeting like the quicksand, as a deep sense of powerlessness and escalating pain spread throughout her body.

Why...Why today of all days...So little was left...Could it be that even the last shred of hope would also...

And just then, a strange glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the once desolate, monochromatic world. It was accompanied by an aura that instantly made Long Jiang feel as though she had stumbled into a dream. It had been deeply hidden far underground, its divine radiance and aura concealed by dense earth elements. However, with the disintegration of the elemental order and the collapse of the sand layers, it was completely revealed to the light of day. Although it was incredibly distant, its divine light was reflected with striking clarity in her eyes. Here, not only abyssal dust but also heavy sand dust would significantly diminish spiritual perception and auras. Yet, that particular aura, despite the immense distance, clearly impacted her spiritual senses and heartstrings.

A surge of intense surprise instantly replaced her pain. Forgetting all concealment, she unleashed her profound energy and shot straight towards that faint glimmer.

At the very same time.

People from the four major forces—Helian, Bailin, Panxuan, and Wanren—were all caught in the shock and panic brought by the anomaly. As they tried to pinpoint the source of the anomaly, an aura emanating from the east profoundly stirred everyone's spiritual perception. As the aura permeated their bodies, their five senses seemed to sharpen severalfold. What truly astounded them was how the earth profound energy surrounding them began to circulate spontaneously, as if uncontrollably leaping with joy.

"What... is that!?"

Deep astonishment was etched onto the faces of Helian, Zhaike Xie, Wan Wei, and Ximen Borong. Their gazes toward the east reflected a yellow light that, while faint, was strikingly bright enough to pierce the soul.

"This aura... so incredibly distant, yet so intensely pure?" Ximen Borong gasped in disbelief.

As those words left his lips, almost instantly, the exact same four words materialized in their minds.

"Could it be..."

Ku Xuan slowly spoke, "A soul cleansed for ten thousand miles, profound veins intensely throbbing... The only possibility is the legendary..."

"The Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid!"

Boom!!!

As if struck by ten thousand bolts of lightning simultaneously, Ximen Borong, Wan Wei, and Zhailiancheng shot forth, hurtling directly eastward. Helian froze for a moment, then, as if jolted from a dream, he let out a guttural roar and plunged directly after them.

"Follow me! All elders, hall masters, and disciples, remain in place and do not move without orders!"

The three strongest elders of the Panxuan Sect swiftly followed, with those from the Wanren Sect and Bailin Alliance close behind. On the Helian Imperial Family's side, beneath Helian himself, the strongest was Ku Xuan. The Panxuan Sect and Wanren Sect each boasted three elders at the Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm, and the Bailin Alliance's Grand Hall Master was also at that level. However, the Helian Imperial Family was numerically inferior; even if Helian were the fastest and managed to seize the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid, it would be difficult for him to retain it. He had no choice but to go.

Just as Ku Xuan was about to depart, Mo Cangying appeared beside him in an instant. "Master, I will go too."

Ku Xuan paused for a fraction of a second, but with no time for hesitation, he gave a slight nod and carried Mo Cangying with him, heading straight for the east.

"Master! Ninth Senior Brother!"

Helian Lingzhu's voice was completely drowned out by over a dozen violently surging profound energies. She, along with the other stunned disciples, could only watch as they shot directly eastward at an almost desperate speed. Yun Che headed west, Long Jiang north, and the four major forces east... The intersection point of all their directions was precisely the location of that faint yellow glimmer.