Chapter 881: Langhuan Mountain Range

Self-severing one's heart meridian is, by common understanding, an undeniable death sentence. In this realm, only Yun Che's Heretic God's power could bring someone back from such a state.

Su Hengshan's vital energy was still extremely weak, but it had fortunately stabilized. With his will to die gone, he was, barring any unforeseen circumstances, out of danger.

Yun Che removed his hands from Su Hengshan and then fed him three Snowflame Pellets from the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace before letting out a long sigh of relief. However, repairing the heart meridian was not something that could be done overnight; even with Yun Che's Heretic God's power, it would take at least several months.

He moved Su Hengshan into the Primordial Profound Ark, stood up, and murmured, "Ling'er, wait for me!"

The Langhuan Mountain Range was quite far to the south, and Yun Che had a rough idea of its location and distance. However, he didn't immediately enter the Primordial Profound Ark for spatial travel, nor did he head south. Instead, he flew north.

Su Haoran, Su Hengyue, and Su Wangji, having narrowly escaped with their lives from the Divine Soul Gate, fled north like stray dogs. They didn't dare stop for even a moment, fearing Yun Che might suddenly change his mind and pursue them. He had mercilessly slaughtered everyone from the Seven Stars Divine Palace without hesitation; killing them would be no different than crushing three ants.

Fleeing desperately, they didn't even realize how long they had run until they collapsed from exhaustion, panting heavily, their faces pale and their spirits still shaken.

"We should... we should be safe now," muttered Grand Elder Su Wangji, trembling. He looked back; Divine Soul Mountain was already a hundred miles away.

"Young Master, what should we... what should we do now?" Su Hengyue asked, gasping.

"Ugh... ugh..." The recent frantic escape had nearly burst Su Haoran's lungs. He lay on the ground, recovering for a long time, then gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling. Half in fear, half in resentment, he said, "We'll go to the Seven Stars Divine Palace... Yun Che killed their people; the Seven Stars Divine Palace will definitely not let him go!"

"Yes, the Young Master is right," Su Wangji quickly echoed. After all, Su Haoran was someone "approved" by the Seven Stars Divine Palace, and even in their current predicament, they still relied on him as their leader. "That Yun Che must have eaten a leopard's gall and a bear's heart to dare kill people from the Seven Stars Divine Palace. If an entity like the Seven Stars Divine Palace finds out, Yun Che, even with heaven-defying abilities, will have no choice but to die. By then..."

"Heh heh, an excellent idea. I wish you success in advance."

A coldly mocking voice came from above, startling the three of them out of their wits. Su Haoran plopped down, trembling all over, nearly losing control of his bladder. "Yun... Yun Che!"

Yun Che slowly descended from above, landing in front of them. The three men shivered, their pupils dilated, as if Death itself had arrived.

"They... they said it all... I said nothing, I said nothing... Even if I had ten thousand guts, I... I wouldn't dare be disrespectful to you," Su Hengyue stammered, shaking his head frantically.

"Su Hengyue, you... you..."

"H-ho... ah... zzz..." Su Haoran's entire face trembled like rotting flesh on a skull. He desperately tried to beg for mercy but, in his extreme terror, couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Heh," Yun Che sneered faintly. "You don't need to be so scared. I didn't say I was going to kill you. Since I let you leave in front of Sect Master Su, I won't take your lives."

The three men, who had been terrified to death, froze upon hearing Yun Che's words, then were overjoyed. Su Hengyue still couldn't believe it. "R-really? Is what you're saying true?"

"Of course." Yun Che half-closed his eyes. "The three of you are, after all, an elder, a brother, and the biological son of Sect Master Su. I already honored his wish by letting you leave alive. If I were to kill you secretly now, I wouldn't be able to explain myself to him. You should be very grateful to Sect Master Su for sparing your lives."

Su Haoran and the others finally believed they weren't dreaming. Su Hengyue hurriedly said, "Yes... yes, we failed the Sect Master. In our next lives... we will definitely work like oxen and horses, weaving grass into rings to repay his kindness."

Su Hengyue and Su Wangji pulled the still-limp Su Haoran to his feet, saying in panic, "Let's go... let's go quickly."

They had only taken a few steps when Yun Che's chilling voice rang out behind them again. "Stop."

The three men shuddered and turned back tremblingly. Su Wangji stammered, "Y-Young Hero Yun, what else do you command? You just said yourself... you wouldn't harm our lives."

"Of course, I said I wouldn't take your lives." Yun Che's gaze instantly turned ice-cold. "But did I say I would *let you go*?!"

A terrifying murderous aura suddenly erupted from Yun Che, making the three instantly feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave. Su Haoran, already limp, collapsed again, crying out desperately, "Spare me... I'm Su Hengshan's son, I'm Ling'er's older brother... Spare me... I... I absolutely won't go to the Seven Stars Divine Palace... I won't tell anyone about you killing their people... I won't say a single word... Please spare me... I'll do anything you ask..."

"And you still have the nerve to call yourself Ling'er's brother!"

Su Haoran's words undoubtedly fueled Yun Che's rage even further. The Divine Soul Gate was now ruined, Su Hengshan had endured immense torture these past few days and narrowly escaped death, and Su Ling'er's fate was unknown. The culprit behind all of this was none other than this inhumane Su Haoran!

Yun Che reached out and pulled Su Haoran sharply towards him. A burst of blood splattered across his abdomen, and in an instant, his profound veins were severed. The profound energy he had cultivated for decades rapidly dissipated like air from a punctured balloon. For the rest of his life, he would be nothing but a complete cripple.

Su Haoran let out a despairing shriek, clutching his abdomen and writhing in pain on the ground. But merely crippling him could not appease Yun Che's fury. He stepped forward and stomped on Su Haoran's right arm.

With a sharp "crack," Su Haoran's right arm was directly broken into two pieces, and blood spurted from the fracture like a fountain.

Su Haoran's screams instantly became several times more piercing. Watching Su Haoran writhe in agony, curled up like a shrimp, Yun Che's face showed not even a shred of pity or reluctance. He extended his fingers, and two ice shards shot down, mercilessly piercing Su Haoran's eyes.

"Wuaaaaaaahhh—"

Su Haoran's eyeballs burst, and he let out a desperate, demonic shriek as he was plunged into permanent darkness. Yun Che coldly watched his miserable state, muttering like a devil, "Su Haoran, you are no longer fit to be human. Even being neither human nor ghost is too good for you!"

*Pfft!!*

Yun Che kicked a small stone on the ground. The stone shot towards Su Haoran like a meteor, entering through his left cheek and exiting through his right, creating two bloody holes in his face while also cleanly severing his tongue.

"Awhoo-woo-awooo..."

Su Haoran's cries instantly became more horrific and despairing than a devil's wail. His profound veins were utterly destroyed, his right arm was severed and bleeding, his eyes were gone, his face was ruined, and his tongue was cut off. Su Haoran, who had sacrificed the lives of his kin and fellow sect members, who had ruined the entire Divine Soul Gate, all for the dream of currying favor with the Seven Stars Divine Palace, was now not only a cripple but would also be unable to see or speak for the rest of his life. He could forget about ever dreaming big again; all that awaited him were endless nightmares.

Behind him, Su Hengyue and Su Wangji were utterly petrified. When Yun Che's gaze fell upon them, they simultaneously shrieked and scrambled away, crawling and rolling.

Yun Che slowly extended his arm in the direction they fled.

*Pfft!!!*

With a soft sound, Su Hengyue's and Su Wangji's profound veins simultaneously burst. They collapsed to the ground, twitching all over, their faces filled with terror and despair.

Yun Che turned away, unwilling to look at them any longer. He floated into the air and said with chilling intensity, "The three of you had better pray with all your might that Ling'er is safe and sound. If... if anything happens to Ling'er, I... will... make... your... remaining... lives... forever... a... living... hell... of... utmost... torment!"

Yun Che's final words carried an aura of extreme malevolence, like the most sinister and venomous curse from a devil.

Yun Che rapidly flew south. After traveling more than ten miles, he quickly summoned the Primordial Profound Ark. Concentrating on the location of the Langhuan Mountain Range, he warped towards the range as it existed in his memory.

A thousand miles passed in an instant. When Yun Che exited the Primordial Profound Ark, before him lay a vast, continuous mountain range.

The Langhuan Mountain Range was located at the border between Fusang Nation and Nantian Nation on the Azure Cloud Continent, with Fusang to the north and Nantian to the south. Although it wasn't the largest mountain range on the Azure Cloud Continent, it boasted the highest peak on the continent.

Standing at the edge of the Langhuan Mountain Range, one could immediately see a towering mountain rising to the heavens, piercing the clouds, looking down upon the world from above, surrounded by other peaks.

However, everyone on the Azure Cloud Continent knew that while it appeared as a single mountain from a distance, it was actually two. They stood side-by-side in the central region of the Langhuan Mountain Range, similar in height. The most peculiar thing was that their opposing sides were steep and treacherous, while the sides facing each other ascended and descended in almost a straight line, as if sliced by a blade!

If viewed from the east or west, it looked as if a mountain had been vertically cut in half right down the middle by a Sky-Vaulting Blade, separating it into two unusually shaped peaks.

The cliffs formed by these two unusually shaped mountains were the Absolute Cloud Cliff, a place universally feared and spoken of with dread on the Azure Cloud Continent. It was the foremost forbidden land on the Azure Cloud Continent, and the place where Yun Che's life on the Azure Cloud Continent had ended.

It was also the place where Jasmine had made him swear never to approach or test.

Arriving here once more, Yun Che had no time for nostalgia. He took out the Soul Crystal Su Hengshan had given him, activated his full speed, and surged into the Langhuan Mountain Range like a bolt of lightning, his heart crying out repeatedly: Ling'er, please be alright!

The Langhuan Mountain Range was home to many profound beasts and abundant resources. Profound practitioners from Fusang Nation often trained and sought treasures there. However, as soon as Yun Che entered the range, he noticed that the atmosphere was slightly unusual—it seemed excessively quiet. Yun Che moved swiftly and stealthily, his spiritual sense fully extended, searching for any possible aura. At the same time, he continuously checked the Soul Crystal in his hand. This was Su Ling'er's Soul Crystal; its glow would intensify as he drew closer.

At that moment, a group of profound practitioners' auras suddenly appeared within Yun Che's spiritual sensing range. Their auras were similar, suggesting they belonged to the same sect. The strongest was at the Sky Profound Realm, while the weakest was only at the Spirit Profound Realm. There were seventy to eighty people in total. Yun Che did not slow down; instead, he quickly approached and then landed near a mountain path.

This mountain path was one of the main thoroughfares of the Langhuan Mountain Range. Currently, a group of people wearing the same sect's profound robes were stationed there, their expressions showing tension and caution as they constantly scanned their surroundings.

Judging by their formation, it looked very much like they were blocking the path.