Chapter 2034: Instant Soul Capture

"Directly killing you would indeed be a bit troublesome," Yun Che said, a hint of hesitation on his face. "After all, you carry a soul imprint left by your father god. Killing you would provoke a relentless pursuit from the God Realm... Tsk, what a bother."

Yun Che’s words seemed to offer Meng Jiezhou a lifeline. He lunged forward, hissing, "Yes... yes! You can't kill me, I have my father god's soul imprint... You can't kill me!"

"Let... let me go! I’ll do anything you ask... I have soul crystals... and Rhyme Soul Pills..."

He frantically clutched at any hope of survival: "Oh, right... and this Soul-Entwining Divine Robe I'm wearing... Whatever you want, I'll... I'll give it all to you!"

"Heh!" Yun Che sneered dismissively, "If I kill you, won't all these things be mine anyway?"

"No... you can't kill me..." Meng Jiezhou shook his head frantically, "My father god... he won't let you get away with it..."

Yun Che suddenly chuckled. He slowly approached, the faint hint of difficulty on his face vanishing instantly, replaced only by a contemptuous look, as if he were watching a clown. "Meng Jiezhou, you truly are incorrigibly stupid."

"If you had merely claimed to carry a soul imprint left by Divine Venerable Wumeng, it might have made others hesitate and thus saved your life. But alas, you were foolish enough to even reveal the essence of that soul imprint." Looking down at Meng Jiezhou’s cracked eyes, Yun Che’s voice dropped slowly: "Ten breaths, only images and sounds, with no thoughts transmitted back. Such a low-grade soul imprint suggests your father god doesn't truly value you at all.

"It's true, Divine Venerable Wumeng has many descendants; why would he care for a good-for-nothing? It's only natural for him to have imbued your younger brother, Meng Jianxi, with one percent of his divine soul. As for you, even if it were one ten-thousandth, I would feel sorry for him."

These words, without a doubt, once again mercilessly struck Meng Jiezhou's most vulnerable spot, causing every muscle in his face to twitch violently.

"Such a low-grade soul imprint is almost too easy to handle." Yun Che's smile grew even more sinister. "I doubt there's another son of a Divine Venerable as stupid as you in the entire Abyss."

At this point, Meng Jiezhou no longer cared about Yun Che's verbal taunts; he could only frantically beg for mercy: "Don't kill me... don't kill me! You... you... you can make me do anything..."

Yun Che lowered his brows and narrowed his eyes. "What? Your pleas for mercy are just a few stale phrases a three-year-old wouldn't bother repeating? Did your father god never teach you how to survive when facing certain death?"

Certain death? As the son of a Divine Venerable, when had he ever faced such a dire situation?

Even for the Mist Sea trial, he had Meng Jingzhe accompanying him. "If your dear father didn't teach you..." Yun Che crossed his arms over his chest, a posture that implied he wouldn't kill him just yet, but would rather torment him at will. "Come on, beg me. If your pleas are sincere enough, I'll teach you. It might prove useful when you eventually descend into the underworld."

Meng Jiezhou cowered and looked up, this immense humiliation now becoming a glimmer of hope. "Please... please... teach me."

"..." Yun Che's eye twitched slightly. He suddenly felt a surge of pity for Meng Jingzhe, who had just been swatted to death by the Abyssal Qilin God.

For a revered figure like Divine Venerable Wumeng to have such a son... If Meng Jiezhou weren't one of his only two legitimate sons, it would be an act of immense fatherly love just for Wumeng not to strangle him personally, let alone imbue him with a soul imprint from his own divine soul.

"Hmph!" Yun Che scoffed. "If you had been so compliant from the start, you wouldn't have ended up in this predicament."

"Alright, how can I refuse to teach you when a Divine Venerable's son is groveling so pitifully for guidance?" As a lone invader, a supreme villain poised to overturn the entire Abyss, he was sure his expression at this moment rivaled that of any evildoer he had encountered. "There's only one way for someone facing certain death to survive: sufficient usefulness and leverage."

Yun Che slowly raised his hand. "Sufficient usefulness will make your opponent reluctant to kill you. Sufficient leverage, on the other hand, will ensure your opponent has no lingering concerns. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand!" It was so plainly stated; how could Meng Jiezhou not understand? His face showed no shame or reluctance, only a sudden surge of hope. "I am useful. I... I am the son of a Divine Venerable. Killing me is just taking a life, but it will leave behind serious repercussions. Let me go... anything from the Divine Kingdom of Weaving Dreams, whatever you want... I can give it to you... I am my father god's legitimate son... I can obtain anything, just... trust me!"

Caught between despair and hope, his mind suddenly seemed to clear, and his speech became much smoother.

Yun Che let out a cold laugh. "Usefulness is certainly tempting, but the most crucial thing is leverage—leverage that ensures you won't betray me and eliminates any future worries."

"So," he gazed at the fawning face, "where is your leverage?"

Just as Meng Jiezhou was about to speak, Yun Che suddenly extended his hand, palm facing his head, his voice abruptly turning sinister: "You only get one chance. If the leverage you offer isn't strong enough, then I'll have to see if your head is!" Although it was merely the aura of a Divine Master, Meng Jiezhou had personally witnessed the terrifying extent of Yun Che's power and dared not doubt his ability to instantly obliterate his head... Furthermore, behind Yun Che was the terrifying abyssal beast that had crushed Meng Jingzhe into a bloody pulp.

He swallowed hard, the "leverage" he was about to reveal caught in his throat. Finally, he steeled himself, his voice trembling as he said, "Meng Jianyuan... I killed him!"

"..." Yun Che's gaze turned cold, his face a mask of disappointment and killing intent. "Meng Jianyuan? What is that? Is this your so-called leverage? It seems you, too, want to test how hard your head is!"

"No no, no no no!" Meng Jiezhou instantly collapsed to the ground in terror, shaking his head frantically. He hadn't expected the person before him to be unaware of the name "Meng Jianyuan."

"Meng... Meng Jianyuan isn't a 'thing'; he's a Divine Son... He was the Divine Son of Weaving Dreams before Meng Jianxi... Everyone believed he was secretly harmed by other Divine Kingdoms, but actually... actually, I killed him!"

"This is truly my biggest secret. If my father god knew... not only him, but the entire Divine Kingdom of Weaving Dreams would never tolerate me."

Meng Jiezhou spoke with a trembling voice, recounting everything as quickly as possible, fearing Yun Che might suddenly make a move.

"..." Judging by his appearance, he didn't seem to be lying. Yun Che narrowed his eyes slightly. Secretly harming his own brother, who was also the Divine Son of their Divine Kingdom? This implied that the fellow was once a vicious and ruthless individual.

It also suggested that back then, Meng Jiezhou was, at best, barely qualified to contend with that former Divine Son of Weaving Dreams.

Yet, he had fallen to such a state now?

It seemed the current Divine Son of Weaving Dreams, Meng Jianxi, was certainly not an easy person to deal with. Most likely, it was he who had relentlessly trampled Meng Jiezhou, who once harbored sinister ambitions, into the dirt, ensuring he would never dare to raise his head again.

However, the ploy of brothers turning against each other for status was nothing new; even mortal imperial families did it, let alone the supreme Divine Kingdoms.

This was entirely not the kind of Divine Kingdom information Yun Che sought, and he had not the slightest interest in it.

However, he feigned a look of great interest. "You? Killed the former Divine Son of Weaving Dreams? A spineless wretch like you? Before you spin another lie in your next life, take a look at yourself in a puddle!"

*Crack!*

Lightning suddenly flared in Yun Che's palm, unleashing a violent, destructive killing intent with a hissing crackle.

Meng Jiezhou let out a strange shriek of terror, pushing himself back on the ground with his arms, incoherent pleas for mercy spilling from his lips. "I'm not lying... everything I said is true... If you don't believe me... you can probe my memories..."

As these words escaped him, his eyes widened, as if he had suddenly seized a lifeline. "Yes! Look into my memories... If I've uttered a single lie, may heaven and earth strike me down!"

Yun Che raised an eyebrow, instantly feeling a little deflated.

He had only applied half the pressure, and the suggestion came from him directly.

The Devil Queen's favorite tactic... it seems to work in any world.

No, rather, Meng Jiezhou's spirit was so utterly broken... it far exceeded Yun Che's already extremely low expectations.

The lightning in his hand softened slightly. Yun Che squinted at him, then, after a brief thought, said, "Very well. If my investigation confirms you haven't lied... if you truly possess this leverage and capability, I can indeed consider releasing you."

"After all, who would refuse a Divine Kingdom ally who won't betray them?"

Meng Jiezhou was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly. "You... you may investigate all you wish! My life is in your hands; how could I dare to lie?"

He willingly moved closer. As Yun Che's palm pressed against his head, he even opened his Soul Sea wide, a fawning smile on his face. "With this leverage, I'll... I'll have no choice but to obey your every command from now on... Heh... heh heh."

He felt no shame, even convinced that his choice had never been more correct.

Dignity? Honor or humiliation? Leverage? Nothing was more important than preserving his life at this very moment.

And the other party... was simply an absolute monster!

A monster capable of making a terrifying abyssal beast obedient!

The sight of the Abyssal Qilin God docilely prostrating at Yun Che's mere gesture terrified Meng Jiezhou infinitely more than Yun Che personally slaying Meng Jingzhe.

Meng Jingzhe had died miserably by his hand; if he could save his own life in this way... how utterly remarkable that would be!

"Enough talk." Yun Che snorted coldly, his soul force surging quite forcefully, directly invading Meng Jiezhou's Soul Sea.

His soul force surged in, meeting no obstruction or resistance whatsoever, nor any sign of a counterattack.

Sensing the intrusion of Yun Che's soul force, Meng Jiezhou quickly and proactively directed the memory of his secret assassination of Meng Jianyuan towards Yun Che's soul.

Yun Che's eyes gleamed with an eerie light, and Profound Handle suddenly shot forth, penetrating Meng Jiezhou's Soul Sea along with his soul force.

It was precisely something he hadn't used in a long time... Profound Handle Soul Capture!

To acquire as much in-depth information about the Divine Kingdom as possible, plundering the memory of a significant figure was undoubtedly the best and fastest method. This thought had lingered in his mind ever since the alteration of his Profound Handle. However, he was keenly aware that this idea was overly idealistic. How easy was it to encounter an important figure from a Divine Kingdom? And even if he did... could his current self possibly contend with them?

Even taking a thousand steps back, even if he could contend with them. How tenacious were the wills and souls of important Divine Kingdom figures? They wouldn't be so easily seized.

This overly idealistic notion had largely been abandoned by him...

Until he encountered Meng Jiezhou again on the outer fringes of the Mist Sea.

The moment their gazes met, Meng Jiezhou's heart was filled with the excitement of encountering a plaything... Little did he know, Yun Che was a thousand times more excited than he was.

It was as if he had encountered the Abyssal Conqueror! In the lower realms, due to the fragility of souls, there existed "Soul Searching" techniques to forcefully probe memories. Although, like "Slave Imprints," this was a forbidden art strictly prohibited by the righteous path, it often occurred in dark corners. Profound Handle Soul Capture, in essence, was also a type of soul searching that did not harm the soul, thus placing it outside the category of "forbidden arts."

However, once a cultivator reached the Divine Soul Realm, where the soul underwent a qualitative change, it became almost impossible for their soul to be forcefully searched.

Consequently, the term "soul searching" was rarely heard in the God Realm, and Profound Handle Soul Capture was likewise almost impossible to implement on Divine Path profound practitioners.

The only one capable of forcefully seizing the consciousness of powerful individuals was Chi Wu, who possessed the Nirvanic Devil Soul... But even Chi Wu, when confronting powerhouses like Long Bai and Mo Beichen, could only seize their consciousness when their souls were on the verge of dissipating.

Because it involved the divine soul, the risk of failure was very high. And if it failed, the backlash was far too terrifying.

Meng Jiezhou's cultivation had reached the Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm, and as the son of a Divine Venerable in the Divine Kingdom of Weaving Dreams, he was most skilled in soul force. Forcefully seizing his memories with Profound Handle Soul Capture would have been virtually impossible.

But...

A Soul Sea being passively attacked and one actively welcoming an intrusion were two entirely different concepts.

The moment he, desperate to cling to a lifeline, actively invited Yun Che's soul force into his own Soul Sea... everything ceased to be within his control.

The invading Profound Handle churned like a storm, rapidly swirling within Meng Jiezhou's Soul Sea.

"You... what are you doing!"

No matter how timid or terrified of death Meng Jiezhou was, he absolutely dared not remain passive in this situation. His Soul Sea abruptly contracted, and countless threads of soul force rapidly condensed.

But before his soul force attack could even take shape, Yun Che's Profound Handle, along with his soul, had already abruptly withdrawn.

He was now exceedingly cautious, especially wary of greed. He did not risk forcibly plundering all of Meng Jiezhou's memories, but instead seized only the outermost layer... specifically, the most important and most recent memories of his life.

As his palm moved away from Meng Jiezhou's head, Yun Che's gaze shifted subtly.

There was no apparent anomaly deep within his soul, yet Meng Jiezhou was absolutely certain Yun Che had done something to him. His body cowered backward, and he stammered, "You... what did you do to me?"

"Nothing," Yun Che said with a gentle smile. "Just making your death more valuable."

Harmless eyes and a gentle tone, yet he spoke the most malicious words: "Now, you can die in peace."

"You..."

Meng Jiezhou only managed to utter a single word before his throat was firmly locked by Yun Che's palm. The abruptly released dark profound light instantly obliterated his windpipe.

He could no longer produce any human sounds, only hoarse, grotesque cries of agony and despair.

With a flick of his arm, Meng Jiezhou was precisely thrown under the Abyssal Qilin God's timely raised claw.

*BOOM!!*

The Qilin's claw slammed down, mercilessly crushing Meng Jiezhou's body.

Most of his bones instantly shattered, and his internal organs were riddled with countless cracks. He did not die immediately, but under the Abyssal Qilin God's divine pressure, not only was escape and struggle impossible, but even twitching a finger was an extravagant hope.

The only sound confirming his continued existence was a pathetic, rasping groan, like sandpaper rubbing together.

Yun Che's figure became veiled by abyssal dust, slowly vanishing into the misty haze.

Ten...Nine...Eight...Two...

Yun Che's pinky finger pressed down lightly.

*RUMBLE!!*

A calamitous roar erupted behind him. Within the upheaved Mist Sea ground, countless shattered bones and bloody fragments of Meng Jiezhou were mingled.

Meng Jiezhou, the son of the Divine Venerable of the Divine Kingdom of Weaving Dreams, met his tragic demise there.

And the ten-breath scene his father god—Divine Venerable Wumeng, Meng Kongchan—would witness was him being trampled by the Abyssal Qilin God, then utterly obliterated by a single claw.

According to the Qilin God in the Qilin God Realm, the existence of this particular Abyssal Qilin God was widely known in the Abyss, so Meng Kongchan might recognize it.

Although Meng Jiezhou had Meng Jingzhe protecting him, it was perfectly reasonable for both to perish under the claws of such a terrifying abyssal beast.

As for why they would venture so deep into the Mist Sea... that was for Meng Kongchan to ponder.

The Abyssal Qilin God killed Meng Jiezhou. What did that have to do with Yun Che?

However, Yun Che was more inclined to believe that, given Meng Jiezhou's worthlessness, Meng Kongchan probably wouldn't send anyone deep into the Mist Sea over his death. At most, he would put on a perfunctory show of fatherly grief... because it simply wasn't worth the effort.

Once the destructive power subsided, Yun Che reappeared and calmly stepped into the teleportation profound array, returning to the outer perimeter of the Mist Sea.

He retrieved the teleportation profound array, which pulsed with crimson divine light. He casually checked the consumption of the Heaven and Earth Array Stone, then calmly put it away.

He was immensely satisfied with what he had gained from Meng Jiezhou.

No, it was more than satisfaction—it was a pleasant surprise! His next objective had suddenly become incredibly clear.