Chapter 792: My Jasmine (Part 2)

Yun Che's palm gripped the ground, and he slowly stood up. His pupils were constricting, but once he was on his feet, his gaze was still fixed on the four petals of the Brahma flower, which emitted an eerie purple light.

"What I want is to get close to it..." he mumbled softly, his voice hoarse. "Why do I involuntarily... use my last ounce of strength to retreat... And I'm even afraid..."

"Is it possible... that my so-called resolve is just... so fragile?!"

Yun Che's voice was blurry and wavering, as if he was already somewhat disoriented by the soul-severing power of the Netherworld Brahma flower. Jasmine immediately said, "This has nothing to do with whether your resolve is firm! In this world, no one can endure the pain of soul-severing, and no one is unafraid of it!"

"No, it does!" Yun Che stood up straight, his gaze fixed on the Netherworld Brahma flower. His arms trembled, and in his eyes, besides the lingering fear, a cluster of intensely gathering malevolence appeared. Then, he lifted his feet and, step by step, walked back towards the Netherworld Brahma flower. "To reshape your body... this was your request on the first day we met, and it has been your only request ever since!"

"Jasmine, because I met you, I, who was originally a useless person, was reborn and regained my dignity... Because of you, I can protect my grandfather and little aunt from being bullied... Because of you, I learned about my origins and found my birth parents... All the power, status, dignity, and prestige I possess now are because of you. If I hadn't met you then, I might have died a terrible death long ago... Even if I were still alive, I might just be a lone ghost hovering on the edge of despair..."

"Yet I have always been unable to fulfill your sole desire..."

Jasmine: "You..."

"What's before me now might be the only hope. So, no matter what... no matter what...!!"

"You... don't try anymore, even if you..."

"Aargh!!"

Jasmine's shout was immediately overwhelmed by Yun Che's roar. With flames and killing intent radiating from his entire body, he charged towards the Netherworld Brahma flower for the fourth time... His most potent aura was killing intent! He was using his ultimate killing intent to suppress the fear stemming from the soul-severing pain.

With two instantaneous movements, Yun Che once again rushed to within fifteen zhang. This position was like the edge of a devil's forbidden zone—not a single step further could be taken!

An indescribable soul-severing pain assailed him. Yun Che's entire body convulsed in spasms, but this time, he stubbornly did not collapse. Instead, he gritted his teeth and took the first step into the devil's forbidden zone...

"Ahhhhhhh!!"

Yun Che's cries, seemingly from the soul-severing pain, sounded more like desperate roars. He desperately clung to his soul and will, continuing forward one step... two steps... three steps...

Thud!!

As if by a miracle, he actually moved a full zhang forward amidst his half-roars and half-screams, getting within fourteen zhang of the Netherworld Brahma flower. His entire body finally collapsed violently to his knees, his features contorted into a grimace of extreme pain, and his fingers, clutching the ground, twisted like two withered beast claws...

Pain and fear saturated his soul. The urge to die outweighed the will to live, and the overwhelming desire to escape at any cost devoured all his willpower. His body writhed, desperately rolling and crawling away from the source of pain...

The pain gradually lessened, and his torn soul finally found peace. Yun Che's consciousness returned. He lay on the ground, looking towards the Netherworld Brahma flower... The purple light was once again twenty zhang away.

"Heh... hehe... hahaha... hahahahaha..." Yun Che slammed his fist onto the ground and let out a miserable laugh. "I actually... retreated again... I'm really... so useless..."

"Yun Che! How long will you be so foolish?!" Jasmine cursed angrily. "If you're trying so desperately just to repay me for the reasons you just mentioned, then you don't have to! Everything I did was for myself! You don't need to risk your life for a mere Netherworld Brahma flower! Not only is it impossible for you to succeed today... even if you did manage to pick it, I wouldn't be grateful; I'd just think you're incredibly stupid!!"

"Repay... a debt of gratitude?"

Yun Che propped himself up with his arms and stood again. His body swayed, and his voice was weak. "How could it be... repaying a debt... Jasmine, to me... how could you possibly... merely be a benefactor?"

Jasmine: "..."

He turned towards the Netherworld Brahma flower and said softly, "In my life, Yun Che, I've weathered many great storms, endured countless life-or-death trials, and even a devil from a million years ago, from the ancient era, died by my sword!!"

"How can I... suffer such a miserable defeat at the hands of a mere Netherworld Brahma flower?!"

Jasmine cried out in alarm, "Are you still going to try?! Have you been tortured to the point of losing your basic sanity?!"

"No! On the contrary, I'm more clear-headed now than ever!" Yun Che growled. "I'm not afraid of devils, not afraid of death, so how could I be repeatedly scared into retreating by a mere flower?!"

Roar!!!!

A majestic dragon's roar shook the world. In the pitch-black realm, a pair of azure eyes suddenly opened. A colossal pressure cascaded down, enveloping heaven and earth.

Dragon Soul Domain!!

Jasmine: "...!!"

Upon activating the Dragon Soul Domain, all fear in Yun Che's heart and eyes completely vanished. He looked at the Netherworld Brahma flower, a calm but resolute smile on his face. "This time, I will not allow myself to be afraid or retreat again... because I have no retreat left!!"

Activating the Dragon Soul Domain would rapidly deplete his soul power. If he retreated again, it would take an extremely long time for his soul power to fully recover... By then, the Netherworld Brahma flower would certainly have withered.

Therefore, this time, he truly had no retreat!

"No!!" Jasmine yelled, trying to stop him with her loudest voice. "Even with the Dragon Soul, you can't possibly get close to the Netherworld Brahma flower! Furthermore, the Dragon Soul Domain will rapidly deplete your soul power. When your soul power weakens, your soul will be swiftly devoured by the Netherworld Brahma flower, and you won't even have a chance to resist or retreat!!"

"I can..." Yun Che gritted his teeth, almost shattering them. "Because it's for you... so, I definitely can!"

"..." Jasmine's spirit was fiercely struck by something unfamiliar.

Roar!!!

With a dragon's roar, Yun Che unleashed all his profound energy and lunged at the Netherworld Brahma flower once more... and for the very last time!

Because there would be no next time!!

Under the Dragon Soul Domain, Yun Che's soul power surged. As he approached, the Netherworld Brahma flower's swaying accelerated, and even its ghostly wails grew somewhat abnormal.

Yun Che moved from a distance, abruptly closing in to fifteen zhang. His whole body tensed, and the tearing force assailing his soul was fiercely resisted by the Dragon God's soul power, making the pain and disintegration of will that Yun Che felt less than half of what it was before.

Power and consciousness rapidly spun out of control and fragmented under the soul-severing force of the Netherworld Brahma flower. Yun Che's speed slowed, his steps became twisted and staggering. Gritting his teeth, he desperately pushed forward... Under the suppression of the Netherworld's power by the Dragon Soul Domain, he forcefully approached to within ten zhang!!

Pain beyond Yun Che's endurance assailed him ferociously. Yun Che violently fell to his knees, every pore trembling with agony. Yet, within his pupils, there was a terrifying clarity...

To maintain such an extremely small amount of lucidity under these circumstances could only be described as "terrifying."

"Even if... my soul is completely... torn apart... I will not retreat another half-step!"

"Ugh, ahhhhhhh!!"

He swung his trembling, weak arms, crawling towards the eerie purple light. The tearing pain in his soul made him unable to feel his arms or even his entire body; he was merely squeezing out his last shred of conviction and will, pushing his body forward... With every inch he advanced, the pain of his soul being torn and the terror of being stripped away intensified.

But he... absolutely could not retreat!

Inside the Sky Poison Pearl, Hong'er was in a deep sleep. The fierce battle with the Moon-Slaying Devil Lord seemed to have exhausted her, and she had been soundly sleeping during the two days Yun Che focused on healing. Jasmine stood by Hong'er's bed, her gaze blank, staring blankly as Yun Che struggled and crawled, enveloped by the eerie purple light. From a distance of ten zhang, he slowly inched closer, reaching a mere nine zhang away. The immense pain contorted his entire face into a grotesque, devilish grimace.

Meanwhile, the Dragon God's phantom behind him was gradually weakening...

At that moment, the Dragon God's phantom suddenly flickered, and its rate of weakening rapidly accelerated, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

Jasmine's slender eyebrows suddenly twitched, and she cried out, "Yun Che, stop trying! Retreat immediately! Your Dragon Soul Domain is almost at its limit... Before it completely collapses, you can still escape! Otherwise, you will truly die here forever!!"

"..." Yun Che did not respond, nor did he retreat. His arms trembled as he reached forward, his fingers covered in blood. Blood also streamed from his tightly clenched teeth, continuously spilling from the corners of his mouth, but he was completely oblivious. His body, in a purgatory unimaginable to ordinary people, inched further into an even deeper hell.

"...Yun Che! Listen to me!" Jasmine's spirit body also trembled, almost as violently as Yun Che's. "If I can't regain my body, I'll have to remain attached to your life force! If you live, I live; if you die, I die! I'm free of the devil's poison now and can use my power freely! If I don't die, I must ensure you don't die. With my power, all the people in the entire Profound Sky Continent combined couldn't kill you! You can still rely on my strength to do anything you can't do on your own!!"

"If I can never reshape my body, I must depend on you forever, and therefore, I must forever protect your well-being!"

"But if I am reborn, you'll effectively lose an extremely powerful bodyguard for nothing! Moreover, my nature is brutal, and I kill without remorse. I might even directly kill you because you know too much about me! Yes... once I reshape my body, I will definitely kill you immediately! Because not only do you know too much about me, but you are also the kind of person I most despise and hate!"

"You're paying an enormous price to do the most idiotic thing in this world! It's still not too late to stop... Retreat now!!"

Jasmine shouted and roared, the knuckles of her small hands already as white as snow.

Yun Che's palm grabbed a protruding black stone on the ground, pulling his body forward slightly. His lips twisted, and he uttered a hoarse, weak voice: "You... won't..."