Chapter 876: End of Changyun

The Tianxuan Continent was over nine million li away from the Cangyun Continent, and the Illusory Demon Realm was similarly distant from the Cangyun Continent. Jasmine had once told him that with the remaining power of the Primordial Profound Ark, it could only make one round trip to the Cangyun Continent at most.

But for Yun Che in his current state, one trip was enough.

After leaving the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, Yun Che did not return to Demon Imperial City. Instead, he directly activated the Primordial Profound Ark. Jasmine had previously imprinted the location of the Cangyun Continent in his memory.

He could not predict the outcome of this trip to the Cangyun Continent. However, not going would leave a huge regret in his life.

A spatial jump of nearly ten million li also took only an instant.

As he left the Primordial Profound Ark, Yun Che's mind was instantly dazed... because beneath his feet lay the familiar yet incredibly distant Cangyun Continent.

"Cangyun Continent..." he murmured, his benefactor, his Ling'er, everything he had experienced in this world—countless memories and images surged violently like a tide in his heart. No one could understand his experiences across two lives, nor could anyone understand his feelings at this moment.

A cool mountain breeze blew past, calming Yun Che's mind. He then looked around. Before him was a winding mountain range, its towering peaks reaching into the clouds. Turning around, he could see a thousand li panorama... He was, astonishingly, standing on the side of a tall mountain.

Yun Che quietly observed his surroundings, and soon, a name flashed in his mind like lightning.

This was... Mount Taisu!!

His heart jolted violently... The location information Jasmine had imprinted in his soul not only pointed to the Cangyun Continent but also precisely pinpointed the area near Mount Taisu!!

And Su Ling'er's sect, the Taisu Sect, was at the foot of Mount Taisu!

His emotions surged, unable to calm. Yun Che had no interest in admiring the scenery of Mount Taisu. He flew directly down from the mountainside and, in a short while, arrived at the foot of the mountain.

At the foot of Mount Taisu lay a vast expanse of lush green bamboo forest. As he entered the bamboo grove, Yun Che's steps immediately slowed, becoming progressively slower. Six years ago, in that dream-like world, this too was a large bamboo forest, where Su Ling'er had happily skipped and led him... because it was her favorite place.

This, too, was a bamboo forest.

If... if everything was real, then on the other side of this bamboo forest was the Taisu Sect, where she lived.

Yun Che's steps became lighter, as if he feared his movements would disturb the gentle breeze. He yearned to see Su Ling'er immensely, yet he grew increasingly terrified that everything might still turn out to be just a dream...

The bamboo forest was unexpectedly quiet. Aside from the sound of the wind and swaying bamboo branches, there was no other movement, not even a shadow of a person or beast. Rather than quiet, it felt unusually desolate.

Yun Che walked through it, unsure how long he had been walking, when his steps suddenly halted.

In the dense bamboo forest, a small clearing appeared. In the center of the clearing, a small hut made entirely of bamboo stood quietly.

The bamboo hut was small and simple, and it appeared somewhat aged, with every bamboo stalk having taken on a withered yellow hue.

Looking at the small bamboo hut, Yun Che's vision spun. He stumbled forward and pushed open the slightly ajar bamboo door.

Inside the bamboo hut were a small bed and a small table, both constructed from bamboo. Yun Che extended a trembling hand and gently pressed it onto the bamboo bed. The bed was simple and hard, emitting a soft creaking sound as his hand touched it... and there was not a single speck of dust on it.

Raising his head, he saw a circular opening in the bamboo hut's roof, through which the bright moonlight would stream at night, illuminating the entire interior.

For six full years, aside from the bamboo turning withered and yellow, the entire hut remained unchanged... It was as if it were a carefully cherished infant held in one's palm, utterly unharmed for six whole years.

"Ling'er... It's Ling'er... It's Ling'er... It's Ling'er... It really is Ling'er..."

Yun Che's mind reeled, his vision completely blurred, his emotions utterly chaotic, his soul trembling wildly, every drop of blood in his body surging violently... Although Jasmine had told him repeatedly with absolute certainty that the "illusion" from six years ago could not have been an illusion, a part of him still dared not believe it... dared not believe that such a beautiful reality, as wonderful as a dream, could exist in this world, dared not hope that he could still embrace the Ling'er he had thought lost forever.

However, this bamboo forest, and the small bamboo hut he had built for Su Ling'er within it, proved to him that everything from six years ago was indeed not an illusion, but a reality he had once only dared to dream of.

"Ling'er... Ling'er... Ling'er!!!"

A warm current surged through his entire body to his head. Yun Che rushed out of the bamboo hut, calling Su Ling'er's name repeatedly, dashing like a madman towards the direction of the Taisu Sect in his memory.

Green bamboo stalks were knocked over as he passed, but he paid no attention to anything, his speed increasing rapidly.

Just as he was about to take flight, the wind blowing from ahead suddenly carried an exceptionally pungent smell.

This smell was especially familiar to Yun Che... It was clearly the stench of rotting corpses!!

As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, Yun Che's mind quickly cleared from his intense excitement. This place was clearly very close to the Taisu Sect... How could there be such a strong smell of rotting corpses?

Yun Che hurried forward, and the smell in the air grew even more acrid. Gradually, the bamboo forest ahead was no longer pristine, showing extensive signs of destruction. The ground and the bamboo stalks were beginning to be covered with patches of long-dried bloodstains.

"..." Yun Che's brows furrowed slightly, and a corpse appeared in his line of sight at that moment.

In such a bamboo forest, bodies wouldn't decompose too quickly. Judging by the decomposition of the corpse before him, it had been dead for at least half a month. What caused Yun Che's heart to jolt violently was the blood-stained outer garment of this corpse...

It was clearly the attire of the Taisu Sect!

And there was more than just one corpse. Yun Che continued forward; the bamboo forest ahead was almost completely destroyed, dry bloodstains covered the ground and broken bamboo. The further he went, the more corpses he found. Eventually, piles of bodies lay heaped together, a shocking sight, the pungent stench of decay completely overwhelming the fresh aroma of the bamboo forest.

In total, he saw nearly a thousand corpses along the way. They had all died around the same time, and their clothing indicated they belonged to the Taisu Sect!

Yun Che's expression turned exceedingly grim. His previous excitement and ecstasy were replaced by a chilling coldness... He wouldn't bat an eye even if tens or hundreds of thousands of corpses were piled before him. But these were the bodies of Taisu Sect members, near the Taisu Sect, left unattended for half a month!

This undeniably proved that a tragedy must have befallen the Taisu Sect!!

Then Ling'er...

A chilling coldness crept up Yun Che's spine to his head. He clenched his fists, his scalp tingling, then shot up like lightning, hurtling towards the Taisu Sect.

What exactly happened to the Taisu Sect?

Ling'er... please be safe... I beg you, please be unharmed!!

Yun Che fully activated his Phantom Light Thundergod ability. Soon, the Taisu Sect from his memories six years ago appeared before him.

Staring at the Taisu Sect's South Gate from a distance, Yun Che, though his heart was burning with anxiety, did not lose his composure. Instead of immediately forcing his way in, he stopped, used Flowing Light Thunder to conceal his aura, and approached the Taisu Sect silently.

Inside the Taisu Sect, people were moving about, showing no signs of having suffered a great disaster, nor was there any excessive tension. Everything seemed quite normal. Yun Che infiltrated the Taisu Sect and soon discovered several exceptionally powerful auras within.

Thirty-two Monarchs, two second-level Tyrannical Emperors, and one eighth-level Tyrannical Emperor!!

Yun Che's gaze immediately turned cold.

In the Jiangdong region of Fusu Nation, the Taisu Sect and Blackwood Fortress were the two major powers, with Taisu Sect being slightly stronger. Here, the Sky Profound Realm was the pinnacle of existence. A single Monarch arriving could sweep through the entire Jiangdong region. Even the Taisu Sect and Blackwood Fortress, as the two dominant forces, did not have experts at the Monarch Profound Realm level in this generation.

Yet now, the Taisu Sect suddenly had thirty-two Monarchs and three Tyrannical Emperors!

And their profound energy auras were definitely not those of Taisu Sect members.

Yun Che subtly gritted his teeth, his unease intensifying sharply. He could only desperately pray in his heart that nothing had happened to Su Ling'er... Otherwise, he couldn't even predict what insane actions he might take!!

Taking a deep breath, Yun Che stealthily moved through the Taisu Sect, approaching the locations of those Tyrannical Emperor auras. As he passed two external disciples of the Taisu Sect, he overheard their conversation.

"...Back then, if the Sect Master hadn't kindly taken me in, I would have died long ago, let alone achieving what I have today... Yet I betrayed the Sect Master... sigh, sometimes I think I'm truly not human."

"Your choice wasn't wrong. You've seen it; those stubborn fools who insisted on 'loyalty' are all dead. After all, that's the Seven Star Divine Palace. Only an idiot would be foolish enough to go against them."

Seven Star Divine Palace!?

This name caused Yun Che's pupils to constrict slightly.

"Sigh, why does the Sect Master have to be so stubborn? If he just followed the Young Sect Master's wishes and sought the patronage of the Seven Star Divine Palace, it's an opportunity other sects could only dream of..."

"I heard the Sect Master has been imprisoned for so many days and still refuses to say anything. I don't know what he's holding out for. Rejecting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity only to choose to die in vain—it's hard to tell if he's strong-willed or foolish..."

The two men's conversation abruptly ceased, as two icy hands seemed to emerge from thin air, firmly gripping each of their throats.

The two external Taisu Sect disciples' eyes widened in terror, as if they had seen ghosts or gods.

"Is the Sect Master you're referring to Su Hengshan?" Yun Che asked coldly.

The two men nodded in terror, but were unable to utter a single sound.

"Tell me, where is he being held?" Yun Che's voice was piercingly cold, but learning that Su Hengshan was alive was at least a small comfort.

The hand clutching the right man's throat loosened slightly, allowing him to gasp out a strained, hoarse sound: "In... the dungeon... deepest part..."

"Where is Su Ling'er, then?" Yun Che asked, his chest heaving heavily as he spoke.

Both men's eyes widened, their pupils slightly unfocused, and they shook their heads simultaneously.

"Heh..." Yun Che's laugh was chillingly sinister: "Remember in your next life, don't be ungrateful beasts again!"

With a soft "crack," their throat bones were mercilessly crushed by the enraged Yun Che.