Chapter 601: Death Sea

"Oh? Little Demon Empress, you seem to be in a terrible state. Your heart meridian is severed, and all your internal organs are injured. You must be in immense pain, right?" Prince Huai scoffed arrogantly. "For all these years, I could never truly defeat you, but with my father personally intervening, even you, the Little Demon Empress, are utterly defenseless."

"Oh? From your stance, are you still dreaming of escaping? Hahahahaha..." Prince Huai burst into maniacal laughter. "I thought you'd be defiant and take your own lives, denying us the chance to kill you personally. I never imagined you'd be indulging in such a ridiculous daydream. Since you want to escape, then go ahead and run! Let me see how far you can get, hahahahaha!"

King Ming appeared much faster than Yun Che had anticipated. Yun Che's gaze turned cold, and his breathing grew heavy. Prince Huai's maniacal laughter and arrogant words stirred his soul, and he concentrated all his mental energy on King Ming alone.

"Hold me tightly..."

Yun Che's voice suddenly echoed in the Little Demon Empress's mind: "Hold me tightly. No matter what happens later, don't let go, and don't make a move... As long as you have a shred of consciousness, do not let go, no matter what!"

"This is our only hope... to escape! Trust me!"

The Little Demon Empress paused, surprised.

What they faced was truly a desperate situation. Not to mention King Ming, Prince Huai alone could easily kill them. Even if Yun Qinghong were present, there would be no way out.

As for Yun Che, in the face of such terrifying individuals in the Illusory Demon Realm, no one would believe he had any chance of escaping... He wouldn't even have the slightest ability to struggle.

But almost involuntarily, the Little Demon Empress opened her arms and, obeying Yun Che's words, tightly embraced his waist...

During the Demon Empress Grand Ceremony, he repeatedly transformed what everyone thought impossible into astonishing reality, turning laughter and ridicule into wide-eyed amazement. He alone revitalized the Yun family's reputation and shattered Prince Huai's seemingly foolproof plans, leaving her deeply impressed by someone for the first time in her life.

And now, it made her want to trust him, almost against her will.

Holding this man, who was only twenty-two, weak in strength, yet had risked his life to rush in and protect her, she felt her soul suddenly become much calmer. She was lost in this subtle, unfamiliar, and incomprehensible feeling, with only a faint voice drifting from the depths of her heart: *Is this... the feeling of reliance?*

King Ming raised his hands and looked up at the sky. "Princess Caiyi, your Demon Empress clan has ruled the Illusory Demon Realm for ten thousand years. It is time for that to end. After today, there will be no Demon Empress in this Illusory Demon Realm. My son will no longer be Prince Huai, but Emperor Huai, ascending the throne immediately! As for your Demon Empress clan, you will soon be forgotten by the Illusory Demon Realm. You, Princess Caiyi, will not only be the last Demon Empress of the Demon Empress era, but also the shameful end point of that era. It's a pity you won't live to see any of this."

"Father," Prince Huai spoke up. "Let me be the one to end them. These two pathetic wretches, at the end of their rope, are not worthy of your personal intervention, Father. Especially Yun Che... if I don't kill him myself, I won't be able to quell the hatred in my heart."

King Ming glanced at him faintly and said, "You, a mid-stage Emperor and about to become the Emperor of the Illusory Demon Realm, are actually so eager and proactive to personally kill someone far younger and weaker than yourself. In front of him, your defeat was more than just a rout."

King Ming's calm words made Prince Huai stiffen, and he shamefully lowered his head. "Your son is incompetent..."

"No, I didn't say you were wrong," King Ming said slowly. "It's natural that you find it hard to let go when the first person in your life to make you lose composure, lose control of your emotions, and lose face is a young man only in his twenties. Perhaps you haven't even realized that he has planted a heart demon in your soul... And only by personally killing Yun Che can you completely eradicate this heart demon."

"Kill them!"

Prince Huai abruptly looked up and said in a deep voice, "Yes!"

"And another thing! When facing someone you intend to kill, no matter how weak they are, or even if they are already at your mercy, never toy with them! If you kill, do so quickly and thoroughly!"

"I will obey Father Emperor's teachings!"

Prince Huai instantly appeared in front of Yun Che, and an immense aura descended, locking onto him tightly. Prince Huai wore a faint smile, his leisurely and arrogant gaze contemptuously looking at them like two pathetic larvae. "Yun Che, just a few hours ago, I was desperately imagining the day I would personally tear you into ten thousand pieces to vent the hatred in my heart, but now that's no longer important. I am about to become the Emperor of the Illusory Demon Realm. Honestly, you don't even qualify for me to hate you, let alone look at me directly. It's quite a deal for you, though, to have the Little Demon Empress as your companion in death."

"Then go to hell and continue protecting your Little Demon Empress!"

King Ming's face contorted grotesquely for a moment. He raised his arms, and amidst his maniacal laughter, a skull-shaped mass of crimson-black flames condensed above his head. In an instant, it expanded to dozens of meters, and suddenly, the light of the entire world dimmed considerably. The surrounding fire spirits and lightning spirits, as if terribly startled, scattered wildly in all directions.

Prince Huai never defied King Ming's words, and this attack concentrated a full ninety percent of his power. This corrupting flame's power was not merely exaggerated against a Profound practitioner only at the Sky Profound Realm; it was enough to instantly annihilate even the Little Demon Empress in her current state.

"Die!!"

The world plunged into momentary darkness as the enormous corrupting demonic flame roared like a devil, hurtling towards Yun Che. Their purpose in coming to the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley today was to kill the Little Demon Empress, yet both King Ming and Prince Huai centered their attacks on Yun Che, not her.

Perhaps, subconsciously, Yun Che posed a greater threat to them than the Little Demon Empress.

Such a terrifying attack would mean certain death not only for someone at the Sky Profound Realm, but even for a Tyrant Emperor.

Profound energy surged around the Little Demon Empress. She was about to resist, even at the cost of shattering her heart meridian, when she heard Yun Che roar, "Don't move!"

Yun Che retreated with all his might, his right arm clamped tightly around the Little Demon Empress's waist. However, under Prince Huai's immense pressure, his movements were incredibly difficult, and the corrupting demonic flame in his pupils drew closer and closer. Just as the corrupting demonic flame was about to strike his body, he suddenly spun around, letting the flame hit his back...

"Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking!"

BOOM!!

With an earth-shattering roar, Prince Huai's corrupting demonic flame exploded, instantly engulfing the surrounding space for more than ten miles. In a world that seemed to instantly transform into a fiery apocalypse, Yun Che was carried more than ten miles away, like a fallen leaf swept up by a hurricane.

Upon seeing the figure more than ten miles away, the smile on Prince Huai's face abruptly froze. Even King Ming's expression clearly changed. "What?!"

An attack from a mid-stage Emperor, delivered with nearly full power, would instantly obliterate not just one Sky Profound Realm practitioner, but a hundred, or even ten thousand, into nothingness, leaving not a single trace.

Yet, Yun Che was fiercely flung over ten miles away, but his body remained intact, and though his aura had become significantly weaker, it still persisted! Even his consciousness clearly hadn't shattered, and he was still carrying the Little Demon Empress, flying rapidly northward at a speed completely inconsistent with his weakened profound energy.

"He... he's not dead?!" Prince Huai's pupils were dilated, unable to contract, as he utterly refused to believe his eyes and spiritual senses.

Little did he know that Yun Che possessed the body of a Dragon God, was protected by the Great Way of the Buddha, and had endured eighteen months of tempering in a spatial storm. Even without using profound energy to resist, an ordinary Tyrant Emperor would struggle to harm him.

Coupled with the protection of "Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking" and his strong resistance to fire-element profound energy, even Prince Huai's full-power attack could not take Yun Che's life!

"Hmph, though not dead, he's gravely injured. At least all his internal organs are displaced, and most of his meridians are severed." King Ming's voice was calm, but the shock in his eyes had not completely faded. A Sky Profound Realm practitioner withstood a full-power attack from a mid-stage Emperor and didn't die, retaining the ability to escape... Even someone as mighty as King Ming felt a momentary chill in the depths of his soul.

*If this person doesn't die... when he fully matures, how terrifying will he become?!*

Fortunately, he will certainly die today!

"Catch up quickly... kill them!" King Ming said in a low voice.

Yun Che pushed his Phantom Lightning Extreme to its limit. Though gravely injured, his vision was sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, but his speed never diminished.

They were already on the edge of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, and now, beneath them, was a vast expanse of crimson light—the Sea of Lava that had boiled for ten thousand years.

The Three Thousand Li Sea of Death!

Warm liquid slowly flowed onto the Little Demon Empress's hands. She looked at her palms... Her two delicate, snow-white hands were now completely stained with crimson blood, as if they had just been submerged in a pool of blood.

The Little Demon Empress's entire body trembled slightly.

She looked up, meeting Yun Che's downward gaze. On Yun Che's face, she saw no sign of pain. Instead, he slowly smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

His gentle voice and warm smile, like an ineffable magic, profoundly touched the depths of the Little Demon Empress's soul, making her instantly lose herself, forgetting how to speak.

"Don't you think... I'm pretty amazing, hehe!" Yun Che grinned. They were plunging deeper and deeper into the Sea of Death, and the air brushing past them was dozens of times hotter than what an ordinary person could bear.

The Little Demon Empress: "..."

Behind them, King Ming and Prince Huai rapidly approached, closing half the distance in just a few breaths. However, their speed noticeably slowed once they reached the skies above the Sea of Death. Perhaps they guessed what Yun Che intended to do, or perhaps the Sea of Death itself was too terrifying for them to approach.

"He's actually plunging deeper into the Sea of Death!" Prince Huai gritted his teeth. He clearly couldn't come to terms with the fact that his previous attack hadn't killed Yun Che.

"It seems he has chosen a defiant death!" King Ming said indifferently. "Hmph! Good. It saves us the trouble. Dying by our hands or by his own choice, the ultimate outcome is still ashes in this Sea of Death."

Yun Che's speed also slowed, until he came to a complete stop. He didn't turn back to see how close King Ming and Prince Huai were, but instead looked somewhat blankly at the boundless crimson ocean ahead. "I don't know how likely this choice is to keep you alive... but it's the only option I can think of..."

"Hold me tightly... close your eyes..."

Yun Che released his profound energy, and phoenix flames surged, crimson flames enveloping both him and the Little Demon Empress, yet bringing her not the slightest burning sensation... Only a warmth like a gentle breeze washing over her.

Yun Che closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wrapped his arms tightly around the Little Demon Empress, withdrew his profound energy that kept them afloat, and together they plummeted downwards... straight into the Sea of Death below, silently submerging into the seemingly boundless crimson ocean.