Chapter 890: The Sword That Should Not Exist

She shook her head.

Yun Che asked again, "Then do you know who she is?"

The girl still shook her head, appearing bewildered.

Yun Che was speechless.

She hadn't seen Hong'er? Nor did she know who Hong'er was...?

So why did this happen...? Recalling Hong'er's reaction, it was clear she hadn't seen the girl before either.

Could the girl's summoning of Hong'er, Hong'er's distressed cries upon seeing her, and their shared tears simply be instinctive physical and spiritual reactions? Yet, without an exceptionally unique connection, how could such instinctive reactions occur?

Filled with endless questions, Yun Che focused his consciousness and entered the Sky Poison Pearl. He saw Hong'er sitting there, her small legs curled up, vigorously wiping tears from her face with her tiny hands. Although she was no longer sobbing, her eyes and nose were still red from crying.

Stepping forward, Yun Che asked, "Hong'er, what exactly happened? That girl we just saw... have you ever met her before?"

"Of course not," Hong'er said, twitching her red nose. "I've told you I don't remember anything from before, so how could I have met her? Master, you're so silly!"

"Then why did you suddenly burst into tears like that?"

"I already told you I don't know!" Hong'er pouted, shaking her head. "I just suddenly felt so sad, and wanted to cry. But then..." Hong'er's lips suddenly turned up, revealing a cheerful grin. "It felt so good after crying, really! Master, you should cry once for me to see!"

Yun Che was utterly defeated.

Countless mysteries swirled in Yun Che's mind.

The dark seed now integrated into his profound veins proved that the ancient Evil God could not only perfectly control the profound powers of the five elements — water, fire, wind, thunder, and earth — but also clearly possessed dark profound energy. As a deity among gods, he surely would have kept his dark attribute a secret in ancient times, as this negative profound energy was unacceptable to the gods. Indeed, none of the legends about the Evil God that Yun Che had heard from Jasmine ever mentioned him possessing dark profound energy.

Even the ancient memories Jasmine inherited from the Evil God's blood only revealed the five elemental power seeds: water, fire, wind, thunder, and earth.

Clearly, in ancient times, the Evil God must have never exposed his dark profound energy, concealing it with exceptional perfection. Furthermore, the inheritance and memories he left behind evidently aimed to keep this secret from future generations.

So why then, was this dark seed in the girl's possession?

And this mysterious, terrifying, utterly bizarre dark world... Could it also have been left behind by the Evil God? Why would he leave such a dark world? Why was this girl here? Did she have any connection to the ancient Evil God? And what was the connection between her and Hong'er...? And who exactly was Hong'er...?

Yun Che's mind was a complete jumble. While he had gained immense power, he also found himself plunged into a thick fog of confusion. Previously, with every Evil God seed he acquired, he experienced a sense of fulfilling his destiny alongside his joy. However, this dark seed had come entirely by surprise.

Furthermore... He had a vague feeling that he might have stumbled upon a secret unknown even to ancient deities...

Yet, it was only a faint inkling. The full truth behind this—including the identity of the girl with the colorful pupils and Hong'er's true nature—had likely become a permanent mystery with the end of the Divine-Demon Era.

For now, his most pressing concern was how to escape this place.

Yun Che looked up. A direct ascent should lead him out of the abyss, but a terrifying, unparalleled suction force relentlessly trapped everything within the dark chasm.

Even though Yun Che's profound energy had surged after acquiring the dark seed, he was certain that the formidable suction force above remained utterly inescapable for him.

Each dark monster here possessed extraordinary power, beyond comprehension. Even with the dark seed, any one of them could still instantly obliterate him. For these creatures, a ten-thousand-zhang abyss was no true prison, yet not a single one had ever appeared in the outside world.

This was because even these dark monsters could not resist the suction force and were forcibly confined within this dark world.

How exactly was he supposed to leave this place...?

Yun Che gazed upwards, deep in thought. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth, suddenly shot into the air, and flew upwards with all his might.

Despite knowing he couldn't break free, he still wanted to experience the full extent of that suction force once more. He needed to know if it spelled utter despair or offered even a glimmer of hope.

Yun Che ascended at tremendous speed, his profound energy surging throughout his body. He quickly reached a height of a thousand zhang. The surrounding dark aura suddenly surged, sweeping towards him. Already prepared, Yun Che let out a low growl, unleashing an incredibly dense, jet-black profound light from his entire being.

Boom—

The explosion of profound light from Yun Che's body was deafening. Yet, when the turbulent dark aura around him touched his body, it suddenly recoiled as if from an electric shock. Neither Yun Che's body nor his fully unleashed profound energy encountered any resistance.

Rip...

As he passed the boundary point between the two worlds, Yun Che's momentum instantly created an incredibly sharp spatial tearing sound. Before he could even register what was happening, he had already exited the dark world below.

Yun Che slowly came to a halt, momentarily stunned.

He was out...?! He actually got out!

The terrifying suction force, which had been utterly irresistible moments before, was nowhere to be felt.

No, that's not right. It had appeared... but then vanished instantly!

Yun Che looked at the black light emanating from his body, puzzled. After a prolonged moment of bewilderment, he murmured to himself, "Could it be because of... the dark Evil God seed?"

Could it be that the dark world was sealed by the Evil God's own dark profound energy, and thus it didn't impede him now that he possessed the Evil God's dark profound energy?

Perhaps that was the reason?

Amidst his surprise and uncertainty, Yun Che's brow furrowed, and he suddenly descended, falling back towards the depths below.

With a soft sound, Yun Che passed the boundary between the two worlds once more. This time, he didn't circulate his profound energy; instead, he focused his mental perception, sensing the changes around him.

The moment he entered the dark world, the surrounding dark aura was instantly stirred, converging on him. However, the instant these dark auras touched his body, they all recoiled, causing Yun Che not the slightest pull or hindrance.

It was true!

He had forcibly plunged into this dark abyss for Su Ling'er, believing his death was certain when the Demonic Source Pearl exploded. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, not only had his power surged, completely freeing him from the nightmare of the Demonic Source Pearl, but he now suddenly discovered he could freely leave this dark world.

All these turns of fate were due to that dark Evil God seed. All because of the mysterious girl he had encountered deep within the abyss.

Yun Che descended rapidly, following the faint purple light, and soon landed beside the girl. He didn't know who she was, why she was here, and likely never would. Yet, he was her savior... and his connection to her ran deeper than merely saving her life.

Now, it was time to part ways.

"I should go now. I have many things to attend to outside, so I must leave," Yun Che said softly. "However, I will remember you forever. After all, you gave me this life I now possess."

The girl's lips parted, her gaze fixed steadily on him, as if she wanted to say something.

"You must be very lonely here all by yourself," Yun Che said with a gentle smile. "Once I've completed my tasks, I'll come to visit you often."

A subtle shimmer appeared in the girl's eyes.

"Well then... I'm going now."

Reaching out, he gently stroked the girl's ethereal silver hair. Yun Che took one last, lingering look at her—those four-colored eyes, once seen, were impossible to forget. Then, without further hesitation, he shot upwards, heading for the edge of the dark world.

The girl's gaze silently followed his disappearing figure until he vanished completely from her sight. Gradually, the light in her eyes dimmed. She turned and flew back into the clusters of Underworld Flowers. In an instant, all the Underworld Brahma Flowers bloomed simultaneously, forming a sea of purple more dreamlike than any dream.

The girl hugged herself, curling up like a helpless kitten amidst the sea of flowers. In this eternally solitary dark world, these living Brahma Demonic Flowers were her only companions.

Yun Che exited the dark world and ascended in a straight line. Despite his inner urgency, his speed was not fast; in fact, it was gradually slowing down.

That day, from the memory of the last Seven Star Divine Mansion disciple, he had clearly seen Su Ling'er jump off Jueyun Cliff. Yet, Su Ling'er's soul crystal remained intact. In his anxious state, he hadn't paused to think, losing his composure and immediately leaping down Jueyun Cliff.

However, during his time immersed in the dark world, as his mind calmed, he realized he had overlooked a possibility... a very significant one.

That was: although Su Ling'er had leaped off Jueyun Cliff, she might not have actually fallen into the dark abyss below! Instead, she might have been stopped by something midway through her descent!

If that purple soul crystal truly belonged to Su Ling'er, then this was arguably the most probable explanation! Given the terrifying nature of the dark world below, Su Ling'er would have been annihilated instantly had she fallen into it.

With these thoughts, Yun Che slowed his ascent, simultaneously unleashing his spiritual perception at full power, searching for any possible aura.

He believed that intact soul crystal *had* to be Su Ling'er's! Fate had already been cruel to her once; why would it be cruel a second time?

Despite his painstakingly slow ascent, it took a full quarter of an hour for Yun Che to cover only five to six thousand zhang. During this time, his heart began to sink once more.

Although the dark world below existed independently, some faint dark aura still seeped out. The subtle dark demonic energy Yun Che had sensed before falling into the abyss was proof of this.

Due to the presence of this dark demonic energy, not a single blade of grass grew on the high, precipitous Jueyun Cliff, let alone sturdy trees. There was simply nothing that could obstruct a falling person who couldn't fly.

Moreover, even if such an obstruction existed—perhaps a thick tree with long, outstretched branches—the force of a fall from thousands of zhang would instantly shatter it. Getting caught by it would be utterly impossible.

Although his heart grew increasingly heavy, Yun Che refused to abandon hope. His ascent became slower and slower as his spiritual perception frantically scanned every perceivable corner. Yet, apart from silent, lifeless stone, there was consistently nothing.

He couldn't even detect the life force of a crawling insect.

Yun Che calmed his breathing and continued upward. When he was approximately five thousand zhang from the cliff's summit, a peculiar aura suddenly pricked his spiritual perception.

What's more, it was distinctly a familiar aura, not far away.

Yun Che's gaze instantly snapped towards the source of the aura, his eyes piercing the darkness. His body subconsciously flared with Phoenix Flame.

Unlike the dark abyss below, the crimson Phoenix Flame instantly illuminated the entire surrounding space. In the direction of the unusual aura's source, a faint, dark green glow flickered for a moment.

Yun Che's heart jolted. The familiar sensation magnified countless times in an instant, and he swiftly rushed towards it.

Embedded deep within the grayish mountain wall was a slender sword. Though its time there was unknown, it was completely free of rust, and its entire blade emitted a faint green glow.

Accompanying it was an extremely unsettling aura.

Yun Che reached out and gently touched the faintly green sword, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Sky... Poison... Sword..." he whispered softly, his gaze distant.