Chapter 854: Destruction

"Is this the small world opened by the Golden Crow Spirit?" Feng Xue'er asked. She had heard Yun Che describe the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley before, but the actual sight far exceeded her imagination.

"Yes," the Little Demon Empress replied softly, her brows subtly furrowed. She clearly sensed that the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley's fiery aura had weakened significantly since their last visit.

After passing through countless seas of flames, a mountain wall finally appeared in their sight. In front of it, a profound formation burning with golden flames slowly rotated.

"There it is!"

Landing in front of the fiery profound formation, the Little Demon Empress gently pushed away Feng Xue'er's supporting hand and slowly knelt on the ground.

"Huan Caiyi, the twelfth emperor of the Illusory Demon Royal Family and the eleventh successor of the Golden Crow bloodline, requests an audience with the Golden Crow Divine Spirit."

Feng Xue'er also quickly knelt, holding Yun Che. Faced with the only hope of saving Yun Che, she would not hesitate, even if it meant humbling herself like an ant.

The Little Demon Empress's voice was quickly swallowed by the explosive flames of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. However, a long time passed without any response.

A wave of confusion and unease welled up in the Little Demon Empress's heart. This was an independent world created by the Golden Crow Soul, its spiritual perception covering every corner. Everything that happened here should not escape its awareness. From the moment they entered the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, it should have noticed them.

Especially considering how much importance it had previously placed on Yun Che...

Why hadn't it appeared to meet them?

"Huan Caiyi of the Illusory Demon Royal Family, requests an audience with the Golden Crow Divine Spirit!"

The Little Demon Empress called out again, but after a long wait, there was still no response from the Golden Crow Soul.

"Little Demon Empress sister, is the Golden Crow Soul... not here?" Feng Xue'er asked worriedly.

Just as she finished speaking, a soul-shaking female voice suddenly echoed from all directions: "Huan Caiyi, why have you suddenly come here to disturb my peaceful slumber!"

The voice was more violent than molten lava, subtly laced with anger.

"Ah!" Feng Xue'er exclaimed. The Little Demon Empress looked up, saying with utmost respect, "Huan Caiyi had no intention of disturbing the Golden Crow Divine Spirit's slumber and is willing to accept punishment. However... Yun Che is gravely injured and on the verge of death. Only the Golden Crow Divine Spirit in this world can save him. I implore you to reveal your true form and save his life. Huan Caiyi is willing to pay any price, even her own life, in exchange."

Feng Xue'er's mouth parted slightly as she stared at the Little Demon Empress in a daze. The phrase "even her own life in exchange" had been uttered so calmly and simply from her lips.

She, who appeared so cold as if devoid of emotion, harbored no less affection for Yun Che than anyone else in this world... Though the peerless emperor of the entire Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Che was even more important to her than her own life.

"Him? Gravely injured and on the verge of death? Hahahahaha..."

The Golden Crow Soul did not appear. Instead, the Little Demon Empress's words were met with its disdainful laughter: "Foolish! Yun Che possesses the Dragon God's bloodline and is protected by the power of the Desolate God. No matter how severe his injuries, as long as he isn't dead—even if he has but a single breath left—he will certainly recover quickly. Yet you ask me to save him? Ridiculous!"

"No, this time is different," the Little Demon Empress pleaded loudly. "The power that harmed him is not ordinary. He has been on the verge of death for ten full days. He only awoke once during that time and could perish at any moment. In this world, truly only you can save him."

"...Ten days?" The Golden Crow Soul's voice was clearly tinged with doubt. Given Yun Che's Dragon God body and the power of the Desolate God, there was no force in this plane that should cause him to be on the verge of death for ten days without recovery.

In the pale golden sky, a pair of fiery golden eyes suddenly opened at that moment, casting down a scorching, flame-like radiance. The entire Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley seemed to be instantly illuminated by a blazing sun, becoming even brighter and hotter.

The Golden Crow Soul finally revealed itself. The Little Demon Empress bowed deeply. Feng Xue'er also quickly knelt, then gently placed Yun Che in front of her, imploring, "Great Golden Crow Spirit, please, you must save Brother Yun. I, Feng Xue'er, am willing to repay you with everything I possess."

The fiery golden eyes first cast their light upon Feng Xue'er, lingering for a very long time... This was because she carried an incredibly potent, unnaturally strong Phoenix aura.

However, it asked nothing. Its golden gaze swept over the Little Demon Empress, paused briefly, and then it suddenly spoke sternly: "You actually burned your origin blood? Hmph, with the power I bestowed upon you, there are still people in this plane who can force you to such an extent!?"

"Although Caiyi was forced to burn her origin blood, her body is unharmed and will recover within a month. I implore the Golden Crow Divine Spirit to save Yun Che," the Little Demon Empress pleaded once more.

Facing the Golden Crow Soul, every word she uttered was a plea for Yun Che.

"Hmph, then I shall see what kind of injury can cause someone with a Dragon God's body and the power of the Desolate God to be unconscious for ten days!"

A golden ray descended from above, transforming into a thin layer of flame that covered Yun Che's body.

In an instant, the flames that had just touched Yun Che abruptly recoiled, scattering like lightning. The golden eyes in the sky also suddenly emitted an unusual glow: "This is..."

The Golden Crow Soul's tone underwent a drastic change: "Why was he injured by this kind of power? What exactly did you encounter?"

"We don't know," Feng Xue'er shook her head. "I was right beside Brother Yun at the time, but I didn't see who injured him at all. I didn't even sense any unusual energy. Brother Yun suddenly... became like this."

"..." The Golden Crow Soul suddenly fell silent, not making a sound for a long time.

The atmosphere in the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley also suddenly grew somewhat oppressive.

The Golden Crow Soul's silence instilled a deep unease in the hearts of both the Little Demon Empress and Feng Xue'er. Feng Xue'er finally couldn't bear the oppressive silence any longer. She lifted her head and pleaded, "You are the great Golden Crow Spirit; you must have a way to save him. Please have mercy, no matter..."

"No need to say more."

The Golden Crow Soul suddenly spoke, interrupting Feng Xue'er. It said coldly, "Do you know what kind of power injured him?"

"..." Both the Little Demon Empress and Feng Xue'er shook their heads simultaneously.

"The one who injured him used the power of the Heavenly Poison Star God!" The Golden Crow Soul's voice was like blazing fire: "However, in this plane, no one should have heard the name 'Heavenly Poison Star God'."

"Then... how can he be saved?" Who the Heavenly Poison Star God was, or why she would kill Yun Che, was not their immediate concern. They only wanted to know how to save Yun Che.

"Save him?" The Golden Crow Soul snorted heavily. "You don't know what kind of existence the Heavenly Poison Star God is, nor can you possibly imagine how terrifying she is. That is an incomparably powerful divine force, and even more so, its malevolence is extreme!"

"The power that injured Yun Che is enough to turn any living being in this plane into dust. It's only because Yun Che has the marrow of the Dragon God, with bones as hard as star steel, that he wasn't pulverized."

"The Heavenly Poison Star God's power undoubtedly carries extreme poison. It's only because Yun Che possesses the Sky Poison Pearl that he wasn't instantly poisoned to death."

"After injuring someone, the remnant power of the Heavenly Poison Star God does not dissipate; instead, it lingers in the body like a maggot on bone. Even if one doesn't die immediately, their soul and life force will be continuously devoured. Only power of an equivalent level can dispel it. This is why Yun Che's injuries and power cannot recover. But he is, after all, protected by the Dragon God's body and the power of the Desolate God, allowing him to stubbornly cling to life until now."

"That he can even barely survive under the Heavenly Poison Star God's power is already a miracle. If the same power had fallen upon either of you, you would have died ten thousand times over! Even if he lives, it is merely clinging to a thread of life! But to wish to save him... is nothing but a fool's dream!"

The four words "fool's dream" splashed over them like a bucket of cold water. Tears instantly welled up in Feng Xue'er's eyes, and she choked back sobs, "Golden Crow Spirit... do even you... have no way?"

"Yun Che is exceptionally gifted; not only is he the successor of my bloodline, but I also placed all my hopes in him. If I could save him, I would spare no effort. But even if my power were a hundred times greater than it is now, it would still be far inferior to that of the Heavenly Poison Star God who injured him."

"It's easy for me to awaken him temporarily, but to save him, even if I poured out all my power, it would be utterly impossible."

Although the Golden Crow Soul's voice remained as violent as flames, it carried a profound weight and helplessness.

Feng Xue'er collapsed to the ground, sobbing while holding Yun Che. Their last glimmer of hope had been mercilessly shattered. If even the Golden Crow Soul could not save Yun Che, then there truly was no other way in this world to rescue him...

"Speaking of which, there was originally someone who could save him, but since the Heavenly Poison Star God appeared, it's naturally impossible for that person to still be here," the Golden Crow Soul's voice and gaze both dimmed slightly.

The person it referred to was naturally Jasmine. And now, it could no longer sense Jasmine's soul on Yun Che. It immediately surmised that the Heavenly Poison Star God's appearance in this world could only be to seek out the Heaven Punishing Star God. Her attack on Yun Che would also have the same underlying motive.

Feng Xue'er knew the Golden Crow Soul was referring to that terrifyingly powerful girl in red. But... she had already left, and it was impossible for her to ever return. Even if Feng Xue'er wanted to search for her, there was simply nowhere to look.

"You should leave," the Golden Crow Soul said heavily. "His death is indeed a great pity, but such is fate. With his tenacity, he should be able to hold on for about ten more days... In this life, he acquired blessings that ordinary people could not even dream of in ten lifetimes. Though his life may be cut short, it can still be considered a life well-lived."

The Little Demon Empress stood up, her eyes dull and lifeless. She murmured, "Xue'er, let's go. It's been so long since... he saw his parents."

Feng Xue'er's mind was a blank gray, her vision completely blurred by tears. She gently picked up Yun Che and stumbled forward, not knowing where she was going.

"Wait!!"

The Golden Crow Soul's voice suddenly thundered from above, halting Feng Xue'er and the Little Demon Empress in their tracks.

Two golden rays landed on Feng Xue'er. The Golden Crow Soul was staring intently at her, its golden eyes emitting a radiance more intense than at any previous moment.

"Golden Crow Spirit?" Feng Xue'er murmured softly, her eyes still vacant.

"Feng Xue'er, answer me one question." The Golden Crow Soul's previously dimmed voice suddenly returned, as violent as a volcano: "Are you still a virgin?"