Yan Wu left to meet Yun Che, the person who was purported to have killed the Burning Moon Emperor with a single stroke of his sword. However, she did not show any fear or apprehension whatsoever.
“Royal father, are we going to summon ‘them’ to the imperial palace?” Yan Jie asked respectfully.
“No. If we did that, wouldn’t it be showing that our Yama Realm was afraid of this man!?” Yan Tianxiao said. “Jie’er, go and open the barrier surrounding the ‘tomb’.”
Yan Jie was taken aback by those words as he said, “Royal father, could it be that you truly want to…”
“Of course.” Yan Tianxiao’s eyes grew cold and dark. “Do you think this king was joking with Yan Wu just now!?”
“But royal father just said that the death of Fen Daojun and the fall of the Burning Moon Realm were undeniable facts. Even if Yun Che isn’t as incredible as the rumors make him out to be, we definitely can’t afford to underestimate him.”
“He definitely has an ace up his sleeve. If not, he wouldn’t have come here by himself. If we do something rash before figuring that out, there is a possibility… there is a possibility that…”
Yan Tianxiao glanced to the side as he said, “Fen Daojun was someone who sought to protect his throne at all costs and he lived his life according to one principle, ‘stability’. Yet someone still took his life and plundered his home.”
“Now, only a few days have pa.s.sed and Yun Che has suddenly made an appearance in the heart of our realm. Do you perhaps think that he came here to make small talk and drink some tea? Why do we need to be so polite to him!?”
“Furthermore, his arrival came far sooner than this king thought it would and has caught me off guard. In fact, I can’t even begin to fathom what he plans to achieve by coming here today. But in such a situation, feigning civility will only cause us to lose our advantage! Why would we even bother playing nice!?” A cold light flashed in the Yama Emperor’s eyes as he said those words.
Yan Jie cupped his hands and said, “This child is only afraid that it might…”
“This king knows what you are worried about,” the Yama Emperor said in a cold voice. “But do not forget why Yun Che even came to the Northern Divine Region in the first place. He was chased here by the Eastern Divine Region and if he could use that power at will, there is no way he would have fallen into such dire straits.”
“If we trick him into entering a ‘tomb’, he is walking towards certain death and we will get rid of this budding calamity. However… if he can survive even the ‘tombs’, then all of the schemes that this king can employ against him will be useless.”
“I see.” Yan Jie finally understood.
Indeed, if Yun Che could truly unleash the power that he used to kill Fen Daojun one more time, if he could escape even from those “tombs”, then everything they could do to him would be useless. Since that was the case, then their best option would be to settle the question once and for all!
If they could bury him, they would resolve this imminent catastrophe. If they could not, they would simply submit… In fact, they would have no choice but to submit.
“It’s good that you understand. You’re my crown prince yet you seem to be scared of your own shadow. You are far too lacking in this aspect when compared to Yan Wu,” Yan Tianxiao said with a cold snort.
“Royal father’s instruction is right.” Yan Jie immediately bowed his head and said in a sincere voice, “Little Wu’s talent is extraordinary and her cunning is slowly approaching royal father’s. This child will definitely work much harder from now on.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“This child obeys.”
Yan Jie left after saying those words. As he stared at his rapidly departing back, Yan Tianxiao let out a small sigh. His dark and severe gaze finally started to soften as he said, “Jie’er, it is not easy to be king. Wu’er’s superiority is your greatest test. If you can’t even endure this small amount of pressure…”
“Don’t disappoint me.”
-------------------------------
Yun Che was standing outside the Yama Imperial District when two cl.u.s.ters of gloomy black light suddenly shone from the empty eye-sockets of the devil skull. After that, the ghastly-white mouth of the skull slowly started to stretch open.
A woman wearing body-hugging black armor slowly walked out of the skull’s mouth. Her figure was graceful and willowy, and her cold gaze was so sharp that it seemed to pierce straight through Yun Che.
Behind her, the Yama Guards bowed deeply. “Welcome, Lady Yaksha.”
Since the woman hadn’t said anything, the guards dared not move a muscle.
“Yaksha Yan Wu.” She gave out her own name. “Are you Yun Che?”
The daughter of the Yama Emperor and the leader of the Yama Devils was a woman only Chi Wuyao could beat… Yun Che watched her with narrowed eyes for a moment before saying, “Take me to the Yama Emperor.”
When the news that Yan Sangeng was killed reached the Yama Realm, the report stated that Yun Che was only a Divine Sovereign. Every Yama Devil was certain that the rumors were mistaken back then.
After they heard how the Burning Moon Realm went down, the thought that Yun Che was just a Divine Sovereign became even less believable to say the least.
But now that the man himself—cold and unfeeling—was standing right in front of her, her senses informed her clearly that he couldn’t be anything but a level eight Divine Sovereign!
He really was only one level higher than the rumors said he was.
“Good.” Yan Wu did not waste time spouting any niceties. “Follow me.”
Bang!
Yun Che kicked aside the shattered corpse at his feet before saying in a dry voice, “I took care of a rather foolish man. You don’t mind, do you?”
The expressions of all the Yama Guards who were kneeling on the ground changed dramatically… This was the Yama Imperial District! He was speaking to one of the Yama Devils, the Yaksha! No one had ever dared be so impudent to the Yaksha before!
Even the G.o.d emperors of the other king realms would not behave in such a manner.
“Heh.” Yan Wu chuckled coldly. “Since he seems to have been a blind fool, if he died, he died.”
Once she said that, she waved her hand. A devilish wind swirled and the dismembered body on the ground immediately turned into dust that filled the air. “Are you satisfied?”
It was a gust of wind yet it still brought along a pressure that made s.p.a.ce tremble.
The woman before them was the person second to the Yama Emperor in the Yama Realm… in terms of strength, she was no less than Qianye Qing’er at her peak.
As for the current Yun Che, he had been doubly promoted by the Law of Nothingness and the Eternal Calamity of Darkness in the span of a few years. Everyone he met thus far were personages of this caliber.
Which also meant that he was getting closer and closer to his goal.
Yun Che glanced at her with narrowed eyes. “Let’s go.”
Black fog shrouded the Yama Imperial District and the aura of darkness was extremely dense here.
This place was undoubtedly a paradise for dark creatures, but only dark creatures. It was unlikely that the average profound pract.i.tioner of the divine way—a profound pract.i.tioner from the three divine regions—could survive for very long in this place.
The Yama Imperial District was unusually silent. Wherever Yan Wu went, the world turned deathly quiet. Every time a Yama Realm profound pract.i.tioner sensed her aura, they would kneel on the ground and stay that way until Yan Wu was far, far away from them. Not a single person dared to disrespect her in the slightest.
Yakshas were said to be evil spirits which inhabited h.e.l.l. The terrifyingly powerful woman in front of him seemed to resemble them despite her bewitching appearance and devilish figure. An aura of unrelentingly malicious cruelty radiated from her body like a wave of heat.
“I heard that Young Master Yun killed a G.o.d emperor with a single stroke of his sword in the Burning Moon Realm, an act that shocked the world.”
The duo walked like this for a long time before Yan Wu finally spoke. “Royal father was very impressed when he heard it. He was also very glad that someone like you would make the effort to visit us.”
“If I might be so bold, why have you come here? You probably don’t know this because you were born in the Eastern Divine Region, but we Northern Divine Regioners very much dislike people visiting us without warning. Frankly, we would’ve thrown you out of our realm if you weren’t an honored guest.”
Yan Wu was clearly trying to taunt him into something.
However, she didn’t get a word of reply despite waiting for a very long time.
When she finally couldn’t wait for a response any longer and shot Yun Che a sideways glance, she noticed that Yun Che was staring toward the front with an indifferent expression exactly like before. It was as if he hadn’t even looked in her general direction since she showed up, much less responding to her question.
It was as if he was telling her that she wasn’t worthy of him speaking.
She was the daughter of the Yama Emperor, the leader of the Yama Devils and a level ten Divine Master… and this man thought that she was unworthy to speak with!?
Yan Wu looked away and fell silent again. Although she wasn’t angry, a cold gleam had flashed across her eyes.
When it came to matters of pride, no one was more prideful than her!
“We are here.”
A long and oppressive silence later, Yan Wu stopped in front of the mouth of a giant, devilish skeleton. With her back facing Yun Che, she said, “Past this door is the Devil Palace of Eternal Darkness. Royal father is waiting for you inside. After you.”
That was what she said, but she was the one who moved first and walked through the door.
Yun Che barely took a step or two toward the door when a sheen of black light suddenly flashed from the devilish skeleton’s teeth and transformed into a barrier of darkness. The dark energy emanating from the barrier was powerful enough to send a man into despair.
It was the door that stood between the Devil Palace of Eternal Darkness, the residence of the Yama Emperor and Yama Devils and the outside world. It didn’t take an imaginative mind to know how powerful the barrier was. Not even a late stage Divine Master would be able to break through such a barrier in a short time.
“Oh?” Yan Wu looked back at Yun Che as if she just recalled something. A half-smile ghosting her lips, she said, “I almost forgot to tell you, but only a cultivator of the Yama Devil Art can pa.s.s through the barrier without interruption.”
“That being said, you are a man who can kill even the Burning Moon G.o.d Emperor in one strike, aren’t you, Young Master Yun? I’m sure you don’t need my help to unlock this barrier.”
She raised her eyebrows and the corner of her lips into a thin sneer. She didn’t bother to hide the contempt she felt for Yun Che.
It wasn’t just because Yun Che was an unwelcome presence. She was also taking revenge for his earlier purposeful disregard of her… after all, no one had ever dared to look down on her, the Yaksha of Yama Devils until today!
But Yun Che didn’t grow angry or annoyed as she predicted him to. His eyes didn’t betray even the slightest movements.
He took a step forward and raised a finger. Then, he poked the barrier like he was poking a bubble.
Pop!
His finger pierced the barrier of darkness like it was made of rotten paper.
“!!!!”
Yan Wu’s pupils shrank like they were being stabbed by poisonous needles.
She was the strongest Yama Devil of her realm besides the Yama Emperor himself, and she was a level ten Divine Master. The number of things that could unsettle her could probably be counted on one hand. But right now, both her heart and her soul were writhing in shock at the same time.
Screech~~~~~
An impossibly shrill noise rang from the center of the barrier. It was almost as if the inanimate energy had come alive and was screaming in pain. A moment later, cracks formed all over the barrier before it collapsed completely.
Boom!!
The barrier was the acc.u.mulation of the power of several powerful Yama Devils. It contained enough power to destroy an entire world. When it collapsed, a whirlpool of darkness was formed where black energy poured into the crack in s.p.a.ce. The storm of darkness lasted for several breaths before it dissipated completely.
Despite standing in the middle of the black storm, Yun Che was completely untouched by the chaotic energy. Not even his hair was ruffled while the storm was running its course.
Yan Wu’s expression was stiff and frozen. Yun Che withdrew his hand casually before smiling disdainfully right back at her. “Is this the barrier the Yama Devils use to protect themselves? What can it possibly protect you from? Fleas?”
If this was a barrier forged from normal profound energy, Yun Che would have had to use the Ice Flame of Nothingness to destroy it in one hit.
But this darkness barrier... was a joke before him.
Yan Wu swiftly erased her stiff expression. Her gaze stood unchanged as a faint smile appeared on her lips. “And that’s why I said that this barrier couldn’t hinder you at all.”
She looked unsurprised but when she spoke those words, the corner of her lips slightly trembled.
No one was as clear as Yan Wu, who was the head of the Yama Devils, about how terrifying this barrier was.
Forget her, even her father, Yan Tianxiao would find it hard to break it within such a short period of time.
Yun Che… had actually used a finger to lightly poke it!?
She wasn’t able to sense any profound energy fluctuation from his body, let alone his finger.
Yan Wu’s vigilance, coldness, and pride had been sent scattered by that scene, leaving behind a shock that she had never felt before.
Using a single finger to break the Devil Palace of Eternal Darkness’s protective barrier was a power that shouldn’t exist in this world.
Adding on the rumor that he had killed the Burning Moon G.o.d Emperor in a single strike...
Did he really possess power at the level of the True G.o.ds!?
And he seemed to be able to use it at will too!
In front of something that completely exceeded common sense and what she could accept, even someone like her who was both the Yama Emperor’s daughter and the number one Yama Devil could not maintain her calm and arrogance.
Yun Che directly pa.s.sed by her and walked toward the humongous palace br.i.m.m.i.n.g with imperious might.
Eleven pitch-black devil skeletons stood in front of the devil palace. Six stood to the left and five stood to the right, symbolizing the Yama Realm’s eleven different Yama Devil powers.
When Yun Che approached, it was as if the originally silent devil skeletons suddenly awakened from their slumber. They released eleven thick black beams and let out terrible wails.
“This is the Weeping Yama Formation left behind by our ancestors.”
Behind him, Yan Wu explained. “If it isn’t leashed by a Yama Devil, intruders will inevitably…”
Before she had yet to finish her sentence, she saw Yun Che step into the skeleton formation.
“Wuaaaaooooo!!!”
Devilish wails thundered in the air as black light erupted from all eleven devil skeletons. The surging darkness profound energy resembled pitch-black lava spouting from an angry volcano.
The power of the eleven devil skeletons came from the Yama Emperor and the ten Yama Devils’ personal injections of power so its might could easily be imagined. Even if a G.o.d emperor were to rashly enter, the moment it broke out, they would certainly get injured.
He’s courting death…. Those three words flashed through Yan Wu’s mind as her eyes dramatically widened.
In front of the eleven sinister howls and the devil skeletons’ outbreak of Yama energy, Yun Che reached out with both hands and lightly pushed.