Chapter 1069 - The Strange Black Feather Merchant Guild
Lower star realms made up thirty thousand of the vast God Realm’s forty thousand star realms, far more than seventy percent of the entire region.
Even though they could not compare to middle and upper star realms in terms of overall strength, inheritance, resources and background, they were the main bulk of the God Realm, based on quantity alone.
Amongst the many lower star realms, the Darkya Realm was an extremely special existence, especially in the Eastern Divine Region. Although its strength wasn’t in the upper echelons, its reputation was not inferior to any one of them.
Out of all the Eastern Divine Region’s lower star realms, it possessed the most merchant guilds.
If profound practitioners lacked any strange objects or treasures, they would never return empty-handed if they went on a trip to the Darkya Realm… the only prerequisite being that they brought along enough purple stones or crystals.
Darkya City was located at the center of the Darkya Realm. The entire city region was five hundred kilometers wide, with many famous merchant guilds of the God Realm gathered within and as for the medium and small sized merchant guilds, those were innumerable. There weren’t many sectoral forces within the city and it didn’t contain the Realm King’s forces either, yet it was able to take on the name of “Darkya”, the exact same name of its star realm. Just by that alone, it was obvious what kind of status Darkya City possessed in the Darkya Realm.
Yun Che appeared above the skies of Darkya City, looking down upon this unfamiliar star realm’s main city for a very long time.
His understanding of the God Realm was only limited to the Snow Song Realm. Since the Snow Song Realm was covered in perpetual snow year round, its population was sparse. It was an unique realm in itself. The Darkya Realm below him however, was bustling with activity. Its extraordinary liveliness gave Yun Che a few seconds of misperception when he arrived; he thought that he had returned to the lower realm’s flourishing cities.
“Darkya Realm… Darkya Realm,” Yun Che quietly muttered. Scene after scene of the Snow Song Realm flashed through his mind, bringing him a boundless sadness.
He withdrew his Ice Phoenix Engraved Jade and changed into a set of plain, white clothes before slowly descending onto this completely unfamiliar land that he wasn’t a part of.
In the Blue Pole Star, he was the ruler.
In the Snow Song Realm, he had the support of its Great Realm King and was the eviable direct disciple… Even when he had first entered the Snow Song Realm, he had the support of Mu Bingyun.
But now, he was alone. In this boundless star realm, in this boundless sea of people, there was not a single place he was familiar with, not a single person he was familiar with.
If another person were to take his place, they would’ve long since stopped breathing due to the fright and pressure brought about by the heavy loneliness.
“Master…” Yun Che said softly.
After a long bout of depression overcame him, both Yun Che’s expression and emotional state recovered to bright clarity. Since things had come to this point, he could only face it alone. What he had to do now was put all his effort into searching for a Wood Spirit Orb… and it had to be a first-rate Wood Spirit Orb.
Purple profound stone; purple profound crystal; purple profound jade; these were the God Realm’s commonly used currency. One thousand purple stones were worth one purple crystal, and one thousand purple crystals were worth one purple jade.
When he followed Mu Bingyun and joined the Thirty-sixth Ice Phoenix Palace, he was still able to receive a monthly allowance of five thousand purple stones but after becoming Mu Xuanyin’s disciple, he didn’t receive a single stone.
Although he profited greatly from his harvest in the Ice Wind Empire’s treasury there, he had unexpectedly already used up those gains.
Even though he had only taken from the Qilin Horn’s vicinity, those were still objects stored within a vast empire’s treasury. There was no doubt that they would amount to a great sum. Yun Che took inventory once more...
There were a total of three hundred thousand purple profound crystals and two hundred purple profound jades.
When converted, it was a whole five hundred million purple profound stones!
“How could I recklessly squander wealth plundered from a middle star realm’s country?” Yun Che muttered.
But where should I go?
Yun Che took out the black jade Huo Rulie handed him and his gaze suddenly focused.
When he had received it from Huo Rulie, it was just a lifeless black jade. But now, the center of the jade suddenly lit up as a feather, dark as the night, appeared upon it.
“A black feather?” Yun Che slightly focused and felt a weak fluctuation coming from its surface. Then, his gaze quickly shifted toward his front as he walked over… the profound energy fluctuation on this black jade’s surface was clearly pointing in that direction.
Even though it was his first time in the Darkya Realm, the difference between a lower star realm and a middle star realm could be seen with a single glance. The density and purity of the spiritual energy here was far inferior to the Snow Song Realm and the Flame God Realm… Though it was still far above the Blue Pole Star.
The stream of people within Darkya City was huge; it was extremely lively, no matter where he went. It was obvious that this place prohibited the use of profound arks and mounts because although there was an unceasing number of human figures flying past overhead, not a single profound ark or beast was in sight.
The profound practitioners were mostly at the early stage of the divine way. The city guards that were visible everywhere were mostly in the Divine Origin or Divine Soul Realm.
In the Darkya Realm… as well as any other lower star realm, being able to enter the divine way and reach the Divine Origin Realm was shocking and being able to reach the Divine Soul Realm put one above the masses. Being able to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm meant that one was qualified to establish their own sect and if one was able to pass through the Divine Tribulation Realm, into the Divine Spirit Realm, they could be overlords of a region.
Entering the Divine Master Realm obviously meant that they could become rulers of a realm!
If one or more Divine Sovereigns appeared within a lower star realm, then the entire star realm would subsequently be promoted and rank up to become a middle star realm.
As a result, Yun Che, who was considered a genius within his age group in the Snow Song Realm after reaching the Divine Soul Realm in one step, was qualified to join the thirty six Ice Phoenix Palaces. This was why his current cultivation and age was enough to attract attention in this lower star realm.
Following the black jade’s weak profound energy guidance, Yun Che sensed Darkya City’s aura and the traveling profound practitioners as he walked toward the heart of the city.
As expected of the star realm of trade, within the thirty thousand lower star realms that was even well known within the middle star realms; wherever Yun Che went, what he saw the most were merchant organizations of various sizes. Aside from the merchant guilds, there were also countless small stores and stalls selling all kinds of different oddities.
Yun Che casually meandered for several hours and that was still what he saw.
The entire Darkya City was like an enormous bazaar.
When Yun Che’s footsteps finally stopped at a certain location, the reaction coming from the black jade completely disappeared.
Before Yun Che was an extremely tall building of an antique style. In Darkya City, this was definitely a conspicuous monstrosity.
This was a large merchant guild. Several tens of entrances could be seen at a glance and the stream of people going in and out was endless.
Yun Che raised his head high and read the few words that nearly reached the clouds in a low voice, “Black Feather Merchant Guild.”
The black feather outline that appeared on the surface of the black jade was exactly the same as the huge merchant guild’s engraving.
The Black Feather Merchant Guild before Yun Che was the biggest building out of all he had seen on his way here. From its vast, ancient style of construct, it definitely possessed a deep background and history.
Yun Che stood in place, deep puzzlement on his face: Why would such a huge merchant guild do underground business? And would… even be involved with the Wood Spirit Orbs the Eternal Heaven God Realm personally put a ban on?
Any sort of carelessness would result in damage to countless generations of fame and foundation. This Black Feather Merchant Guild was on a scale where it stood tall enough to pierce the clouds. Perhaps only a few others in the entire Darkya City could possibly compare to it, so why would it take such a huge risk?
He originally thought that it was a small merchant guild or a secret society that wanted big and quick profits that would hold such an underground black market but he never expected it would be such a huge merchant guild, of enormous proportions and history.
Could the profits gained from shady underground trade fairs be that huge?
Yun Che didn’t bother to think much more as he headed toward the Black Feather Merchant Guild’s most outer hall. A young girl stood inside the hall’s entrance, welcoming every visitor with a smile.
“Welcome to the Black Feather Merchant Guild. Esteemed guest, please come in. If you need something, feel free to say what you need at any time,” the girl said with a bow when she saw Yun Che come over.
This girl was at the Emperor Profound Realm. In the Blue Pole Star, she could be a respected master of a generation. Here, however, she could only be someone who greeted guests. Yun Che didn’t answer and instead came to a stop before the girl and silently took out the black jade.
Upon seeing the black jade in Yun Che’s hands, the girl’s expression slightly changed. She bowed even deeper as she spoke even more respectfully, “So it’s actually an esteemed guest visiting, please follow me.”
Yun Che withdrew the black jade and silently followed the girl… He was previously filled with doubt earlier but now he was completely certain that the largest merchant guild he had seen in his entire life was actually doing underground transactions like the Wood Spirit Orb.
That’s seriously strange!
How much profit does an underground transaction make?
I have five hundred million purple profound stones on me… don’t tell me that it’s not enough for a single Wood Spirit Orb?
Five hundred million was an absolutely enormous amount of wealth, absolutely an astronomical number, so he was completely confident before. However, if Wood Spirit Orbs were able to make such a large-scale merchant guild sell them… if it didn’t come with insurmountable profit, why would it dare take a risk like going against the Eternal Heaven God Realm’s ban!
This was why Yun Che began feeling a bit less confident.
Yun Che followed the girl and walked a considerably long distance. After walking through many floors of staircases, the surroundings completely quieted down with not a single sound to be heard.
The girl stopped at a tightly shut door to a hall. At a single glance, Yun Che noticed that this great hall was covered with many large-scale profound formations. There were so many that sound, sight and even auras were completely isolated. However, this isolation was only one-sided. The people inside were able to clearly see and sense everything outside.
Yun Che’s brows furrowed greatly… But after thinking that it was impossible for Huo Rulie to want to harm him, his brows slowly relaxed, though he didn’t let down his guard in the slightest.
“Mister Ji, an esteemed guest has arrived,” the girl said respectfully before the hall door.
After a brief silence, the hall door slowly opened.
“Esteemed guest, please enter. Mister Ji is waiting for you inside.”
The girl gently bowed and then turned to leave.
Yun Che didn’t hesitate as he walked in with large strides. As soon as he entered, the hall door tightly shut behind him.
The hall was rather spacious and an old man sat before a wooden table. This old man ought to be the “Mister Ji” the girl had mentioned. Seeing Yun Che, he rose and welcomed him with a smile, “This esteemed guest looks rather unfamiliar, may I ask what you have come to seek from my Black Feather Merchant Guild?”
“I want a Wood Spirit Orb, the purer the better!” Yun Che got right to the point.
Yun Che’s words caused the smile on the old man’s face to disappear. It was replaced with a slightly angry look. “What does esteemed guest mean? The hunting of wood spirits brings the resentment of both men and gods, it is an act that goes against the heavenly law! My Black Feather Merchant Guild has a history of several hundred thousand years and has never done any dishonorable business. How could we possibly do such a repulsive thing. Esteemed guest, if you are here for Wood Spirit Orbs, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place.
“...”
Yun Che inwardly frowned… This old mans anger doesn’t seem to be an act. When the words “hunting of wood spirits” were spoken, he clearly felt intense anger and moral indignation.
What’s going on? Did I come to the wrong place?
After a moment of pondering, Yun Che walked forward and silently placed the black jade Huo Rulie had given him on the table.
The old man also did not say a single word as he picked up the black jade and used his profound energy to brush across its surface. He asked calmly, “Do you have proof?”
Yun Che stretched his hand out again, taking out the command tablet Huo Rulie had given him. He said expressionlessly, “If you know who the original owner is, then you ought to know his strength, so it’s impossible for me to have stolen this.”
Once he saw the Golden Crow command tablet, the old man’s expression eased into a smile. “So it is a recommendation from the Flame God Realm’s Sect Master Huo. I apologize for my previous behavior. Sect Master Huo is one of my guild’s most important customers, so anyone he recommends is obviously the most esteemed out of esteemed guests. Please have a seat.”
“No need,” Yun Che said bluntly. “I want to purchase a Wood Spirit Orb.”
The old man looked into his eyes and asked, “May I ask for this esteemed guest’s name?”
“Ling Yun,” Yun Che said calmly. He obviously wouldn’t use his real name.
“Hohoho,” laughed the old man. “This old man has worked in this guild his entire life. I have seen too, too many people and have cultivated a pair of eyes that can see through people. Whether or not someone is lying or saying the truth, whether someone is here to sincerely make a transaction or has a different plan in mind, can be seen in a single glance.”
“For example, you wanting to purchase a Wood Spirit Orb is true but the name Ling Yun is false.”
Yun Che, “...”
“But no matter. A name isn’t important, for it is only a means of address and nothing more. In a transaction with an esteemed guest, both parties maintaining confidentiality and trustworthiness is the most important principle. Take Sect Master Huo for example, aside from this old man, no one in Darkya City knows that he had ever set foot here. As such, please be at ease, Sir Ling and comply with us,” the old man said with a smile.
Yun Che believed his words. Otherwise, Huo Rulie would not personally visit the Darkya Realm every time.
“Don’t worry, I don’t even have the face to speak about such a thing,” Yun Che replied.
“Hoho.”
The old man chuckled, its meaning unknown, as he cast a few more glances at Yun Che. When he withdrew his gaze, a deep complexity flashed through his eyes and he said, “As for Wood Spirit Orbs, your timing is impeccable but at the same time, unfortunate.”
“What do you mean?” Yun Che asked.
“What’s impeccable is that our merchant guild has just obtained a Wood Spirit Orb and is preparing to sell it tomorrow. What’s unfortunate is… that this Wood Spirit Orb is very special… no, extremely special! It is the most special Wood Spirit Orb our merchant guild has ever obtained all these years. As such, it is very expensive! So expensive that you can’t afford it even if you sell an entire family’s fortune.”
Yun Che’s brows slightly sunk. “Special in what way? Could it be that its spirit energy is extremely high?”
“Hoho, this old man has no authority to inform you in that regard. I have said what I am allowed to say.” The old man smiled and said, “If you are confident in your pocket, then leave behind your sound transmission imprint and I will inform you of the exchange location tomorrow night.”
“Alright.” Yun Che slowly nodded, “Then I’ll wait until tomorrow!”


Chapter 1070 - Black Feather Underground Trade Fair
In the dead of night, Darkya City.
Yun Che spent a total of two days and one night exploring Darkya City after leaving the Black Feather Merchant Guild. He also inquired about the Black Feather Merchant Guild during this time. To his surprise, he learned that the Black Feather Merchant Guild was actually the number one merchant guild of the Darkya Realm!
The Black Feather Merchant Guild had existed for over fifty thousand years and their roots were deep and vast. Not only were they known to all the people in this lower star realm, they were very famous among some middle star realms too. The merchant guild in Darkya City was also the heart of the entire Black Feather Merchant Guild and they had not only spread their control throughout the entire Darkya Realm, they were even reaching beyond it.
Its vast source of customers and incredible reputation were literally rivaled by no one in a total of thirty thousand lower star realms. The wealth they possessed was practically beyond a normal person’s imagination.
It was rumored that the Black Feather Merchant Guild was supported by the ruling sect of Darkya Realm, the Black Soul Divine Sect. The sect master of the Black Soul Divine Sect was also the Great Realm King of the Darkya Realm!
The more he learned about the Black Feather Merchant Guild, the more puzzled he grew. Why did a large and prosperous merchant guild like this—one that wasn’t lacking in wealth—risk annihilation to conduct an underground trade like this? What on earth were they aiming for?
While carrying such heavy doubts in mind, Yun Che finally waited until the time mentioned by Mister Ji had arrived. A short and simple message was sent to him the moment it was time and following its instructions he arrived at an unfamiliar city area about one hundred kilometers to the north of the Black Feather Merchant Guild and entered a ruined stone tower.
After going through four checkpoints in total, he finally reached the bottommost level of the stone tower. Here, it was so dark that one couldn’t even see their own fingers. He had to wait there for a very, very long time before the wall in front of him suddenly opened to reveal a beautiful girl. The girl walked over to him and bowed slightly. “I apologize for the wait, esteemed guest. Please, come with me.”
He followed the girl through the secret door before he abruptly fell through the darkness. He estimated that he had fallen at least a couple hundred meters before he finally reached the bottom. A flash of profound light later, yet another secret door opened before his eyes.
“If you will, esteemed guest.”
Yun Che walked through the door slowly.
The world beyond the door was a large stone chamber. Although several lamps were lit inside the chamber, the lights were purposely adjusted to create an incredibly dim environment. At a glance, there were hundreds of tables and chairs placed tidily inside the stone chamber. A lot of people had filled in the seats already.
These people’s reactions towards Yun Che’s arrival were pretty much non-existent. At best, they threw him a single, careless glance. Although he was a completely unfamiliar face, no one paid attention to him because pretty much everyone who came here was hidden behind a different identity. It was all too normal for people to wear false names like Yun Che and a large number of them had even disguised their appearances.
However, the Black Feather Merchant Guild knew who they really were. Although Mister Ji hadn’t dug to the bottom of Yun Che’s identity, he knew that the person behind Yun Che was Huo Rulie. That, was enough.
Silence filled the stone chamber. Yun Che swept a glance across the chamber and counted less than two hundred people inside. It wasn’t many. More than half of the participants had disguised their faces with profound energy but every one of them were carrying themselves with an air of extreme arrogance or nobility. They were obvious extremely highly placed characters in Darkya Realm and no one here was ordinary.
These people were basically all youths and more than eighty percent of them were at the Divine Soul Realm. The strongest among them had already neared the peak of the Divine Soul Realm and considering that they were all youths of lower star realms, it was an impressive lineup.
Although these young masters were obviously extraordinary people, none of them appeared to be guarded by an elder. It was obvious that this was a rule set by the Black Feather Merchant Guild too. The message he received today had also mentioned that he was to attend this trade fair alone.
Yun Che randomly chose a seat, sat down, and spread out his spiritual perception. After scanning around once, he was surprised to find that there were no experts spying on this trade fair at all. He immediately felt a lot safer after this revelation.
While everyone was waiting in silence, a stone platform slowly rose about one and a half meters from the ground at the far end of the stone chamber. Then, a secret door above the stone platform opened to reveal two people walking out one after another. They were followed by six beautiful girls.
The pair was a man and a woman. The woman had a pretty countenance and well developed body. Her walking form was beautiful and graceful and her black dress added to the air of mystery and charm around her.
The man behind her was a middle aged man clad in black clothing. His head was bowed slightly and his face looked stiff. His entire person was giving off an uncomfortable feeling and the profound energy aura he kept withdrawn was extremely thick. He was at the Divine Tribulation Realm.
The arrival of the beautiful girl caused the atmosphere inside the quiet stone chamber to change instantly. Wanton gazes immediately roamed up and down the woman’s shapely body.
“Hahaha! I didn’t realize that Miss Ruyan was the one who would be hosting this event. Forget the pleasant surprise inside the ‘invitation letter’, your presence alone brings massive joy to me, Miss Ruyan!” The young man sitting at the foremost of the group laughed brashly.
Invitation letter? Yun Che’s eyebrows moved… did this mean that they were all invited here and he alone happened upon this so-called trade fair?
“The last time your great merchant guild sent an invitation letter of their own accord was three years ago. I’m sure that you won’t disappoint us this time either. This noble one grows impatient, Miss Ruyan,” said another guy slowly.
“Hahaha,” the woman chuckled. Her laughter sounded unusually soft and mind-numbing, “You are all important guests of the Darkya Realm. We wouldn’t dare invite you all over without a good enough surprise, would we?”
“Alright, tonight’s trade fair officially begins now. My name is Ji Ruyan and this servant shall be in your care, oh noble ones. The rules are the same as last time, alright?”
Yun Che: “...” (What rules?)
Clap! Clap!
Ji Ruyan clapped her hands together softly before a maid walked forwards fingerly while holding a long, wooden box.
Ji Ruyan pushed away the cover gently and an immeasurably powerful sword energy spilled out of the box. It immediately started a hurricane of sword energy in the stone chamber that persisted for a long time.
“That is a good sword!” Dozens of people immediately cried out in shock. In fact, some of those cultivators who belonged to sects of sword were already standing on their feet.
Ji Ruyan said leisurely with a smile, “Do you all still remember the terrible massacre of Wind End Villa from three years ago?”
The atmosphere inside the stone chamber frozen for an instant. Then, a person cried out in surprise, “Are you saying that this sword once belonged to Wind End Villa?”
“That is exactly right,” said Ji Ruyan, “There is no one in the Darkya Realm who is unaware that any sword forged by Wind End Villa is worth a fortune and there is no profound practitioner of the sword way who doesn’t wish to obtain a sword that is forged by Wind End Villa. However, everyone in Wind End Villa was slaughtered to the last in a single night three years ago and the entire villa itself was turned into a lifeless ruin. To this day, we still have no idea who the culprit was that destroyed Wind End Villa. It is such a sad tale.
“This sword was found in the ruins of Wind End Villa and it was forged with the Stone of Stars. You have all sensed for yourselves how powerful its sword energy is, so I won’t waste everyone’s time by explaining it. After Wind End Villa was annihilated in one night, every sword it forged also became unparalleled in rarity. Again, I don’t need to describe how priceless they are.”
“You’re right… this sword energy contains the power of a wind handle. It truly is a sword from Wind End Valley. Please give us a price already, Miss Ruyan!” A young man clad in blue clothing said with eyes blazing with excitement.
“I know Sir Zhuo is a man who loves swords beyond all things. It will no doubt be a fine thing if the sword ends up in your hands,” said Ji Ruyan with a blooming smile. “This sword hasn’t been named yet, so it is waiting for its true master to grant it a formidable title. Its asking price is only two million eight hundred thousand purple profound stones, so don’t miss it!”
The price of the sword cause Yun Che to let out a long sigh of relief.
This sword was absolutely extraordinary, so the fact that it started at an asking price of less than three million profound stones meant that the value of profound stones wasn’t as poor as he initially imagined… In fact, he should say the value of five hundred million purple profound stones had absolutely exceeded his expectations. It was an absolutely astronomical number.
“Three million!” the young man known as Sir Zhuo yelled.
“A limited sword like this should be worthy of my collection, three million three hundred thousand purple profound stones!”
“Haha, it’d be a shame to keep this sword in a collection instead of putting its powers to good use! Why don’t you surrender the sword to me, brother… three million five hundred thousand!”
“Three million eight hundred thousand!”
It was obvious that Wind End Villa was extremely famous in the Darkya Realm. Yun Che didn’t move from his seat but the bidding cries around him never stopped coming, causing its price to shoot upwards like a rocket.
“Eight million purple profound stones!”
One final dark and fierce roar later, the sword ultimately fell into the possession of the man known as Sir Zhuo at the astronomical price of eight million purple profound stones.
The limited sword forged by an annihilated villa was worth eight million purple profound stones but Wood Spirit Orbs were far from being extinct. Therefore, it couldn’t possibly be more expensive than this price. Even if he supposed the Wood Spirit Orb’s price was on par with that limited sword and since Mister Ji mentioned that the Wood Spirit Orb this time was very special and very expensive, he multiplied his base estimate by ten times, then the wood spirit orb would only cost eighty million purple profound stones!
This means that the five hundred million purple profound stones he carried with him were absolutely enough to cover for the cost!
Yun Che immediately felt completely at ease… After all, he had seized these purple profound stones from the Ice Wind Empire’s treasury in passing. He felt no pain even if it turned out that he spent eighty million to buy a Wood Spirit Orb.
Still, if that sword really was found in the ruins of that Wind End Villa… it should’ve been sold at somewhere more public, shouldn’t it? Unless he was sorely mistaken, he was sure that the sword was acquired from dubious hands.
“The next ‘item’ also came from Wind End Valley. However…” Ju Ruyan put on a rather mysterious smile, “It is a lot more interesting than the sword.”
She clapped her hands again after she said this.
The middle aged man behind her continued to stand completely still without saying a word, moving a muscle or rolling his eyeballs even once, like a dead man. He was so obscure that one might forget that he existed before they realized it.
Rrrrm...
To the left of Ji Ruyan, a stone platform suddenly rose from the ground before coming to a stop.
There was a sealing profound formation brimming with white light above the platform. No one could see clearly what was sealed behind the light.
Ji Ruyan smiled slightly before pointing a finger at the formation. The profound light immediately faded quickly, until a single layer was all that was left. A thin and weak woman was crouched inside the half-translucent sealing profound formation!
The girl’s long hair was disheveled and it covered of more than half of her face. Her clothes looked recently changed since they were both very white and new. However, it was torn in many places and the dry skin beneath the clothes appeared to be covered in red marks.
The woman couldn’t stop shaking when everyone’s gazes became trained on her. However, she kept utterly quiet and hid her face deeper behind her hair.
Yun Che’s eyes bulged before they abruptly became clouded… a human!
They’re involved in human trafficking too!?
The incredibly pitiful woman also looked to have been tortured for a prolonged period of time.
Yun Che sucked in a deep breath… even if this was an underground black market, this was a little too despicable, wasn’t it!
The people beneath the stage were rather silent. If this woman was peerlessly beautiful, then they might have bought her home as a plaything. However, not only did the woman look average, she looked like a filthy toy who was used and discarded… they had no interest in a woman like this.
Ji Ruyan cast a glance at the woman but she immediately moved her gaze away right after. She said, “This woman is no ordinary woman. I may surprise you all when I reveal her identity.”
“I am sure everyone present has heard of her father’s reputation. He was… the villa master of the Wind End Villa that was exterminated three years ago!”
“What?” As expected, her words shocked all of the people present.
“The Black Feather Merchant Guild doesn’t spout any lies,” said Ji Ruyan smilingly. “This woman is none other than the first miss and final descendant of Wind End Villa. Therefore, she may have inherited the Wind End Villa’s sword forging techniques… of course, this isn’t all. Besides that, she also possesses a Wind Yin Body.”
“Wind Yin Body?” The dozens of gazes trained onto the woman’s body immediately grew heated.
“All young masters who cultivate a wind type profound art, I am sure that your cultivation speed will grow up twice as fast if you have a Wind Yin Body woman to use as a dual cultivation incubator, am I right?” Ji Ruyan’s gaze slowly moved across the crowd, “My father once told me that there are a lot of noble ones here who are searching for a woman with a Wind Yin Body all this time and today, we are finally able to fulfill that demand. Unfortunately, this woman can only belong to one young master, so you will have to give it your all.”
As expected, thirty or so men had already jumped to their feet before Ji Ruyan could even finish her sentence. They all looked very excited and determined to win.
“If there is one downside to this woman, it is that she has lost her vital yin already, so I can’t set the asking price too high. So, let it be… eight million purple profound stones.”
“Ten million!!” Ji Ruyan had just finished speaking when a shout cut right through the air. The price was immediately raised by two million purple profound stones!


Chapter 1071 - Royal Wood Spirit
“Twelve million!”
“Fifteen million! I hail from Wind Bend Alliance of the northern region and I am sure that everyone here has heard of our proud achievements. I will benefit greatly if I can obtain this woman, so please give her to me!”
“Heh, Wind Bend Alliance is not the only place in the Darkya Realm with those who cultivate the wind profound arts. This is the Black Feather Merchant Guild and status and favors have never mattered in this place! The one thing that does matter, is wealth! Twenty million!”
In the blink of an eye and just between several people, the bid price had reached twenty million purple profound stones. The skyrocketing price surprised many people and caused them to sit back down reluctantly.
“Twenty three million!”
“Twenty five million!”
Yun Che’s eyebrows hadn’t loosened all this time. When he scanned around once with his consciousness, he noticed that no one was astonished by the appearance of this “merchandise” at all. They were obviously very used to this sight.
This underground merchant guild was far dirtier than he had initially imagined.
That woman with the Wind Yin Body was supposed to be the first miss of a sect but not only was her sect eliminated in a single night, she was even locked inside a cage and auctioned on stage like a merchandise. Pitiful couldn’t begin to describe her situation. If this had happened in his lower realm, he wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing. But here at this place, he wasn’t so foolish that he would interfere with this bid.
At the end of the bid, the woman was ultimately sold for the price of forty three million purple profound stones. She was ultimately won by a young man seated in the frontmost row.
After the young man went forward and paid a total of forty three million purple profound stones, her personally unlocked the profound formation and pulled the woman into his arms. Then, they both returned to his seat.
For that pitiful woman, this moment was the turning point of her life. Deeply sympathizing with her predicament, Yun Che could only pray that her buyer was a good man who would end her cruel fate here and now. Otherwise, it would simply be a change of hells.
“Congratulations, sir.” Ji Ruyan smiled attractively at the young man and said, “I am sure that your cultivation will improve by leaps and bounds now that you’ve acquired this beautiful lady. I don’t understand dual cultivation but I have heard that the essence of dual cultivation lies not only in the merging of yin and yang but also two hearts. Such a union will often produce unimaginably wondrous results. That is why you should treat her well, sir. Otherwise, you would be wasting her Wind Yin Body a little.”
“Of course,” said the latter while smiling slightly.
Yun Che cast a long gaze at Ji Ruyan. He could see that she had spoken this from the bottom of her heart and he also noticed a flash of pity when she had cast a look at the woman… at least she still had some conscience in her.
“Now then, the next thing in the line is…”
“Miss Ruyan!”
Suddenly, a shout cut off Ji Ruyan before she could finish and a tall and brawny man abruptly stood up from the center of the seats. He hadn’t disguised his face or his attire. He wore the mark of his sect—a black tercel with an angry, proud eye—boldly on his clothes and his eyes shone with intimidating sharpness.
His life force betrayed his incredibly young age but the profound energy aura flowing around his body was unusually rich. He was a cultivator at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm and he could be a mere inch away from reaching the Divine Tribulation Realm.
His sudden cry and motion attracted everyone’s attention and everyone in the stone chamber fell silent. There were a lot of people who were looking at him with differing levels of respect and it was obvious that this man’s background was extraordinary.
“He is Ying Yushan, he youngest grandson of Black Tercel Island’s island master and his sect is the third greatest in the Darkya Realm,” a person muttered softly next to Yun Che. “It’s also said that his talent is the best among his siblings and he may very well succeed the island master in the future.”
“Sir Ying!” Ji Ruyan smiled. “May I have your instructions, please?”
“I dare not instruct you, Miss Ji. However…” Ying Yushan’s voice was indifferent but his behavior betrayed an air of sharp arrogance, “Considering that it is an invitation from the great Black Feather Merchant Guild itself, I thought that you must have an incredible merchandise that could wow us all. In order to see it with my own eyes, I have travelled tens of thousands of kilometers personally to attend this auction but… although the merchandise you’ve shown us so far haven’t been useless trash, I must say that they have not pleasantly surprised me in the least either.”
Ying Yushan lifted his head proudly and said, “The Profound God Convention will be held in another two years and I am but one inch away from qualifying for this grand event. Therefore, I cannot afford to waste even minutes on unnecessary things during these two years. If you really do have something worthwhile to show us, then please do it now. You are the great Black Feather Merchant Guild, aren’t you? Don’t you think that it is unbecoming for the likes of you to keep your customers on tenterhooks? If this is all you have to offer us, then I really must leave for more important matters!”
Ying Yushan’s words caused many people to shoot him a sideway glance. Those who hadn’t yet reached a hundred years old especially showed great jealousy and envy. Considering Ying Yushan’s age and peak Divine Soul Realm cultivation, it was extremely likely for him to become qualified for the Profound God Convention before two years were over.
Even better, there couldn’t be more than one hundred people in the Darkya Realm who could qualify for in the Profound God Convention!
Ji Ruyan giggled with eyebrows that spread open like blooming peach blossom. “You truly deserve your reputation, Sir Ying. I didn’t think that you were qualified for the Profound God Convention. Haah, I can die without regrets if I can visit the Eternal Heaven God Realm even once, much less participating in the Profound God Convention.”
“Hmph! This is nothing.” Ying Yushan sounded indifferent but he couldn’t help but beam proudly. “I am only interested to know what the pleasant surprise your guild has prepared for us is, Miss Ji. If your so-called pleasant surprise is that woman with a Wind Yin Body, then I must say that I am very disappointed in the Black Feather Merchant Guild.”
Ji Ruyan giggled again and said softly, “You are all the most important and respected guests of our merchant guild and I dare not disappoint any one of you, even if the heavens were to give me its own courage. I was going to reveal this pleasant surprise at the end of this auction but since Sir Ying is in a hurry, I shall obey your demands obediently, of course.”
When she was done speaking, she slowly raised her hands and clapped softly four times.
Rrrrmb...
A soft rumble later, another stone platform rose up from the ground next to Ji Ruyan. An identical sealing profound formation was present above the platform.
Everyone’s gazes were trained on the stone platform. They were all waiting expectantly for the pleasant surprise.
Obviously, the merchandise was yet another living being. Ji Ruyan kept quiet as a mysterious smile dressed her face. She tapped at the profound formation lightly with her finger and the profound light disappeared instantly to reveal half translucent screens and a...
…child, curling like a ball in a corner of the cage!?
Yun Che could only see one side of his face. The boy was probably just around 10 years old and his physical features were extremely distinctive. He had a head of green hair and skin that glowed a healthy white.
These two features caused Yun Che’s eyes to freeze for a second… because they matched the recorded description of a wood spirit perfectly!
Could this child be a wood spirit!?
When the profound light had dissipated entirely, the young boy subconsciously turned a little towards the crowd. His exposed ears were rather sharp and the color of his pupils were also green in color!
These features all matched the description of a wood spirit!
When the wood spirit boy saw the terrifying gazes trained onto him, he clenched his teeth and shook like a leaf. His eyes, that looked like green crystal, bore deep fear in them but not a single tear could be found inside them… there was obviously deep hatred besides his fear too.
He didn’t think… that the special Wood Spirit Orb Mister Ji mentioned would be a living wood spirit!
“A wood spirit!? Hah!” Ying Yushan let out an indifferent laugh. “It is true that wood spirits are declining in numbers and it is even rarer to find one that’s been captured alive but wood spirits can still be bought in many places as long as one has enough profound stones! In fact, people with Wind Yin Body are even rarer than wood spirits! Are you trying to play a game with us, Miss Ruyan?”
Yun Che frowned hard and he clenched his hands into fists. He needed a Wood Spirit Orb and if the item on stage was just a Wood Spirit Orb, he would buy it no matter what the price. But the merchandise on display was a living wood spirit and a child at that. If he wished to obtain a Wood Spirit Orb, he would have to kill the boy...
“Don’t be so hasty, Sir Ying. If he was really just a normal wood spirit, I could not possibly bear to invite all of you here.”
Her long legs brought her next to the profound formation trapping the wood spirit boy and she tapped a delicate finger into profound formation. She said smilingly, “Please look closely, everyone.”
A weak wisp of profound energy flew out of Ji Ruyan’s fingertip and touched the wood spirit boy between the brows. The wood spirit boy shuddered all over but he stayed completely silent. Suddenly, a green, glowing mark slowly appeared above his glabella.
WAAAH———
The moment the green, glowing mark appeared, the stone chamber erupted into a clamor of exclamations as if a bomb had been detonated. Everyone except Yun Che had jumped to their feet and even the arrogant-looking Ying Yushan was losing his cool rapidly while staring blankly at the mark.
“He’s… a royal member of the wood spirit race!” Ying Yushan lost control of himself and shouted!
Yun Che, “???”
“That’s right. As you can all see, this boy is no normal wood spirit. He is… a royal wood spirit!”
Ji Ruyan moved her finger away but the mark on his glabella didn’t dissipate for a long time, “I dare say that everyone present has seen this mark before but I’m sure that this is the first time you all have set eyes on a royal wood spirit. After all, the last royal to appear was more than two thousand years ago.”
“Didn’t they say… that all royal members of the wood spirit race… have perished? Is… is this actually real?” Ying Yushan’s voice was filled with unimaginable excitement.
“They have vanished for more than two thousand years, so it is only natural that they were thought to be extinct. Even I thought that they were extinct until the day I found him.”
The stone chamber instantly turned so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The only noise that was present was an incessant stream of gulps. Everyone was certain that the Black Feather Merchant Guild wouldn’t disappoint them—they wouldn’t have travelled over tens of thousands of kilometers to attend this trade fair otherwise—but no one could’ve imagined that the pleasant surprise this time could be this big.
It was because that a normal wood spirit and royalty were at completely different levels.
This captured royal wood spirit would absolutely cause huge waves, even in the upper star realms.
“A royal wood spirit possesses the world’s most refined power of nature. Although this royal wood spirit hasn’t become a full adult, I am sure that you are all aware of his vast variety of ‘uses’. Still, allow me to refresh all of your memories.”
“If you have a royal wood spirit by your side, you will be able to nurture all kinds of extraordinary flora and spirit herbs no matter how stringent their requirement to grow is. Moreover, their growth speed will be at least ten times normal! Of course, it is incredibly risky to keep a living wood spirit in your residence and I am sure that most of you aren’t willing to take such a risk. In that case, his Wood Spirit Orb is still pretty incredible.”
“The Wood Spirit Orb of a royal wood spirit is absolutely superior to a normal Wood Spirit Orb. Even if he were to commit suicide and destroy his own spirit orb, even if eighty percent of the spirit energy inside the orb was lost, as long as we can extract it within a hundred breaths’ time, it is still better than a perfectly intact normal Wood Spirit Orb… This is a top grade treasure that you cannot obtain no matter how many profound stones you may possess!”
Yun Che’s expression changed greatly when he heard this.
He needed a Wood Spirit Orb that had at least seventy percent of spirit energy left but this kind of Wood Spirit Orb was so rare that it was nearly impossible to find.
But if he were to take the boy’s Wood Spirit Orb… even if he were to take it by force and even if the boy managed to commit suicide before he managed to extract it, the spirit energy contained inside the orb was still better than a perfectly intact normal Wood Spirit Orb!! He was completely qualified… no, overqualified for his needs!


Chapter 1072 - Going Back on One’s Word
“With the help of this Wood Spirit Orb, failures almost never happen if you concoct medicine, no matter how high the grade.”
“With the help of this Wood Spirit Orb, there would be no bottlenecks below the Divine King Realm.”
“If someone whose lifespan is reaching its limit obtains this Wood Spirit Orb, they could increase it by several thousand years… It is the one and only item where you can use profound stones to trade for life, you know.”
The Wood Spirit Orb was precisely the one and only precious item that solely belonged to a wood spirit. As for a Wood Spirit Orb which belonged to a royal wood spirit, that was a treasure among treasures. Every one of Ji Ruyan’s descriptions sounded especially inconceivable but no one present found it surprising or doubtful… because the legendary Royal Wood Spirit Orb was indeed a miraculous existence.
The voice talking beside him caused the wood spirit boy inside the profound formation to uncontrollably quake all over.
The profound strengths of wood spirits and humans were different. Their offensive abilities were extremely low and even the ones with higher cultivations among them were pitiful low. This added to the fact that their population was so few in number meant that once they fell into human hands, it was basically impossible for them to escape. A large majority of wood spirits would choose to self destruct their Wood Spirit Orbs once they fell into human hands… which was equal to suicide.
But he didn’t...
It was because he was the only wood spirit male of the royal lineage in the entire Primal Chaos Dimension… His death meant the severance of the Wood Spirit Royal Family’s bloodline. They would no longer have any more descendants. This was why even though he was young, he deeply understood that no matter how humiliating or despairing his situation was, he absolutely could not die.
“At the moment, it is not just the young masters here, even upper star realms and the king realms, everyone believes that the Wood Spirit Royal Family has died out. However, there is actually a living royal wood spirit right before your eyes. All of you seated here today are the same as me, you know. We are the few lucky ones within the entire God Realm. As for the luckiest one among you, I do wonder who it would be.”
During her speech, a pair of eyes filled with a soft charming light swept across every individual present. If it were during normal circumstances, the crowd below would definitely flush and give her their souls. However, all eyes were firmly fixed upon the wood spirit boy, not wandering in the slightest.
“The senior who captured this royal wood spirit originally wanted to enjoy it himself but due to a great deal of reasons, he ultimately decided to entrust him to me. If you are able to bring him to the upper star realms, he would sell for a few billion purple profound stones. Ten billion would be rather easy as well! However, your servant here is only a part of a small merchant guild, how could I possibly endure the hardships of the upper star realms? Giving him to you all here would put me at ease the most.”
“Miss Ruyan… start the bid, quick!” Ying Yushan roared with wide eyes. He was currently at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm but breaking through the bottleneck to the Divine Tribulation Realm did not only need great effort but also a chance enlightenment. If his luck was not great, forget about two years, it was very normal for most to not be able to break through for several decades.
However, if he were to obtain this royal wood spirit of the wood spirit race, his bottleneck would cease to exist. He would be able to directly break through in a few days! His future progress would receive huge amounts of benefits as well.
Being able to sell it for ten billion purple profound stones in an upper star realm… that wasn’t exaggerated at all! It was just that no matter how much more gutsy the Black Feather Merchant Guild was, it was impossible for them to dare try to sell him in a middle or upper star realm… they wouldn’t even dare leak out that information. Otherwise, there was simply no need for them to continue this auction. Those who would come to secretly steal the child would number so many that they could exterminate the entire Black Feather Merchant Guild in several breaths.
Since it was decided that he was to be sold, then it had to be in a place where they were in complete control.
“Hehehe, it looks like everyone here can’t wait any longer.” Ji Ruyan’s narrowed into slits that overflowed with charming light as she slowly extended a finger. “The starting bid for this royal wood spirit… is one hundred million purple profound stones!”
One hundred million purple profound stones was an astronomical number to anyone. But if it was the price that would enable them to buy a royal wood spirit, then the profit gained was simply incalculable. The key point was that if they missed this opportunity, they would perhaps never chance upon it ever again in their entire lives.
“Wait!!” It was yet again Ying Yushan who had shouted. He took a step forward and said while breathing slightly hurriedly, “Miss Ruyan, I was in a hurry today so the profound stones I have on hand are not much, may I…”
“Of course not!” Ji Ruyan cut him off without hesitation. She said with a smile, “Sir Ying ought to be most clear about the rules here. Before the trade fair has yet to end, no one is allowed to leave. This day in particular, if it were to be known that a royal wood spirit was here, I can’t possibly imagine the consequences that would come after.”
“However if Sir Ying is able to buy him, then it is only natural that you can immediately leave right after. When that time comes, he would no longer have anything to do with our Black Feather Merchant Guild anyways and no one would know or believe that he came from our Black Feather Merchant Guild… So leaving early is not permissible. Even though I trust every one of you here, if, if there is the slightest chance something could happen, I simply cannot bear what comes after.”
Ji Ruyan’s smile bloomed like a flower but every single one of her words were stringent.
“...” Ying Yushan’s forehead was matted with sweat. It took him a long period of restraint before he finally said, “Then give me ten breaths to send a sound transmission to let my men send over some purple profound crystals, how about that? Your Black Feather Merchant Guild wouldn’t let go of a huge profit, would it?”
“Please do not make things difficult for me, Sir Ying. The reason why our Black Feather Merchant Guild has existed for this many years is mostly because we never broke our own rules. Besides, when I sent out the invitation letters, I reminded every one of you here that you absolutely must bring a bit more profound stones.”
The corner of Ying Yushan’s mouth twitched… Since he had come, then he obviously brought a ton with him! But who would’ve thought that something like a royal wood spirit would show up!
This was a “precious treasure” even the upper star realms did not have the fortune to see! It was a treasure worth trading one’s entire family fortune for!
Ji Ruyan’s gaze moved away from Ying Yushan. “One hundred million purple profound stones, begin the bidding.”
When Ji Ruyan’s voice fell, not a single person answered for a moment. Right when Ji Ruyan was about to repeat herself, Yun Che slowly stood up. “Two hundred million!”
WAAAH——
The gazes of everyone present evenly fell upon Yun Che’s body. Not a single person here today wasn’t an upper class existence within the Darkya Realm. Even though two hundred million was a quite a large sum, it wasn’t something they couldn’t endure… It was just that even if they were richer, who in their right minds would casually carry around several hundred million purple profound stones!?
The first thing Yun Che had said upon arriving here directly increased the price by another one hundred million, causing ninety percent of the crowd in the stone room to inwardly sigh. If it were any other place, they could immediately send a sound transmission to deliver profound stones and crystals but this was Black Feather’s underground trade fair. Even if they had the resources, they couldn’t employ them here. They could only blame themselves for not bringing enough currency.
Ji Ruyan’s gaze swept toward Yun Che like water. “This sir here is quite straightforward in his actions. I do like that kind of person the most.”
Increasing the bid by one hundred million in one go… that was one hundred million! Even Ying Yushan, who hailed from the number three sect in the Darkya Realm was given a great shock. He glanced at Yun Che, gritted his teeth, and slowly said, “Two hundred and ten million!”
He only had a total of two hundred and sixty million purple profound stones, and the two hundred million was actually from him specially asking his father before his departure. He originally thought that there wouldn’t be a single item he wasn’t able to buy in the Darkya Realm with such an astronomical number on his person… but now he could only pray that someone who could surpass his sum didn’t appear.
“Three hundred million!” Yun Che’s face showed no change in expression. It was as if he had only said three purple profound stones.
The hearts of everyone present fiercely pulsed.
It was another immediate increase of one hundred million!!
The crowd present were all from the Darkya Realm’s top sects and clans but none of them had ever heard of bid increases with increments of one hundred million!
Who in the world was he? Even if he was rich, he didn’t have to throw his wealth away like that… could there be something wrong with his brain?
Ying Yushan’s hands tightly clenched into fists and he had no other choice but to unwillingly sit down.
When Ji Ruyan had voiced the starting bid, everyone thought that the following bids would be as intense as a violent tempest, yet with Yun Che’s two bid increases of one hundred million each, it stunned the entire stone room into a place so silent one could hear a pin drop.
All eyes gathered on Yun Che as they all tried to guess his identity.
Inside the profound formation cage, the wood spirit body also carefully tilted his head up to look at Yun Che… and the tinge of hope suddenly appeared within his previously dusky emerald eyes.
“Hehehe, this sir has already increased the bid to three hundred million purple profound stones. It is the first time in my life that I have ever seen such a nimble young master.” Ji Ruyan sized Yun Che up from head to toe. “Are there any others who wish to bid? If there isn’t…”
“Three hundred twenty million!”
A rather grim voice suddenly uttered through gritted teeth. The owner of the voice was a short, black clothed youth. He cast a glance at Yun Che, his eyes obviously say: Increase it again if you can!
“Four hundred million!”
Without a single instant of hesitation, Yun Che coldly uttered a price almost the instant the other party’s voice fell… and it was still a direct increase of one hundred million!
The black clothed youth instantly stiffened in place, speechless for a long while.
Four hundred million purple profound stones was a tremendous sum an ordinary person could not even imagine. However, it was what Yun Che had casually picked up in Ice Wind Empire’s treasury without effort. As a result, he wasn’t pained at all even if he threw it all away.
This time, even Ji Ruyan’s little mouth remained slightly open for a long while before it closed.
The increase of one hundred million every time with a cold, indifferent voice filled with invisible tyranny pressured everyone present so hard that they faintly felt suffocated, unable to breathe. No one else went to raise the bid as all eyes were trained on Yun Che. Even though none of them recognized his face, they were confident… that although this person’s profound strength wasn’t that extraordinary, his background certainly was. The imposingness he embodied, which left them feeling fear, could not be possessed by any ordinary person.
“Four hundred million. It is now four hundred million purple profound stones, is there anyone else who wants to increase this bid? It is a royal wood spirit, this could be the only chance in your lives that you’ll see such an offer. You mustn’t miss it!”
Ji Ruyan called out many times but no one else raised the bid. Yun Che also inwardly sighed in relief… He was even ready to call out all his fortune—five hundred million purple profound stones.
In any case, he finally got a hold of a Wood Spirit Orb… Even though the price was somewhat steep, this was still only the second day since he had arrived in the Darkya Realm and he was about to obtain a Wood Spirit Orb. It was one that far surpassed the requirements as well. In comparison, four hundred million purple profound stones wasn’t much.
“Then, congratulations, sir. This royal wood spirit that could possibly be the only one left in the world belongs to you.”
Under envious and unreconciled gazes of everyone present, Yun Che calmly walked forward and directly handed Ji Ruyan four hundred million purple profound stones. Then, he said coldly, “Can I take him away now?”
“Of course.” Up close, Ji Ruyan’s smile was even more charming, “He is yours from now on.”
As she said that, Ji Ruyan lightly tapped with a finger and the sealing profound formation opened in reply. Yun Che quickly walked forward and grabbed a hold of the wood spirit body’s arm. The somewhat unexpected thing was that once the sealing profound formation disappeared, the wood spirit boy didn’t make any effort to escape. He allowed Yun Che to grab him…  perhaps he had long since accepted his fate.
“Sir, I’m sure you understand the saying ‘a person’s treasure will arouse the envy of others’,” Ji Ruyan said reminded with a smile. “Leaving aside the ban imposed by the Eternal Heaven God Realm, a royal wood spirit is something even the upper star realms would covet. Although I do trust that everyone here is a trustworthy esteemed guest who can keep secrets, in case this matter were to be known by others, you’d be in danger. It’s best if you quickly handle it as soon as possible… though the best choice is to directly take its Wood Spirit Orb and then…”
“No need, I have my own plans. Thank you for the warning.” Yun Che answered before he was about to leave with the wood spirit boy.
The same time he turned around, his eyes briefly landed on the motionless black clothed middle aged man who had been standing behind Ji Ruyan. The man behind her slowly picked up a black sound transmission jade.
This underground space isolated sound transmissions yet the sound transmission jade in the black clothed middle aged man’s hands was actually able to receive sound transmissions. It was clear that it was “special.” His brows bunched together as he listened and after hearing the entire message, his expression suddenly changed. His gaze shot to Yun Che.
A low voice came from behind Yun Che, “Wait, sir, we are no longer selling this royal wood spirit.”


Chapter 1073 - Kicking a Steel Plate
Yun Che’s footsteps paused but he did not turn around. “What do you mean by not selling?”
The black clothed middle aged man’s words shocked everyone present; even Ji Ruyan’s beautiful face had slightly changed.
This kind of thing had never happened in their Black Feather Merchant Guild… perhaps it could be said that this had never happened in all of the Black Feather Merchant Guild’s several tens of thousands of years of history.
“I mean exactly what I just said.”
The black clothed middle aged man slowly walked toward Yun Che. His attitude was not as warm as Ji Ruyan as he continued with a cold, hard face. “News just came about the lord who captured this royal wood spirit. He wants to take back the royal wood spirit. Since that’s the case, this transaction will be nulled. Our apologies but don’t worry, we will refund all your purple profound stones without missing a single one.”
Even though he said “our apologies”, the way he spoke was obviously an order that couldn’t be refused.
“This…” Ji Ruyan quickly walked to the black clothed middle aged man’s front. After a slight moment of hesitation, she asked, “Our Black Feather Merchant Guild has never taken back something we have sold. May… I ask what has happened?”
The black clothed middle aged man gave her a glance. Even though he was looking at Ji Ruyan, his gaze was still cold. His mouth moved slightly as he sent her a short sound transmission.
“Ah!?” It was unknown what she had heard but Ji Ruyan’s beautiful countenance suddenly worsened. She even took a step back, as though she had received a huge fright.
Just as Yun Che was about to speak, he suddenly felt the wood spirit boy in his grasp tremble from head to toe. A little hand tightly clutched the edge of his clothes as his shivering body shrunk behind him. It was obvious that he was frightened of the fact that Yun Che might return him.
Yun Che turned around and looked directly at the black clothed middle aged man. “Is this how your Black Feather Merchant Guild does things?”
“No, absolutely not!” Before the black clothed middle aged man had yet to speak, Ji Ruyan hurriedly answered. Being able to manage this kind of trade fair meant that her ability to take control of the situation was extraordinary. However, the light in her eyes was trembling at the moment; it was obvious that she truly was at a great loss.
“The reason why our Black Feather Merchant Guild has been able to tower above the Darkya Realm for fifty thousand years is because of our extreme adherence to our principles. This servant can assure you that such a thing like forcibly taking back something sold has never happened before. It’s just that this situation is extremely special… How about this, as long as you are willing to return him, not only will we give back all of the the four hundred million purple profound stones, this servant is willing to give you fifty million purple profound stones as an apology.
This stunned everyone present… An apology of fifty million purple profound coins! Even to people at their level, this was an extremely large number. Its sincerity was unquestionable.
“Ah, willing?” Yun Che coldly laughed. “A merchant guild that would hold a shady trade fair actually has the face to talk about principles?”
Yun Che relentlessly taunted, originally thinking that she would just laugh it off without care. He didn’t expect Ji Ruyan to instantly pale and hang her head. She fiercely bit her lip, without a single retort.
Yun Che, “???”
Yun Che looked at the black clothed middle aged man again and said expressionlessly, “I think you’ve completely misunderstanding something. I have already handed over all of the profound stones that I needed to pay. Now that this royal wood spirit is in my hands, the transaction is already complete. In that case, the four hundred million profound stones are yours and this wood spirit is mine. It no longer has any relation to your Black Feather Merchant Guild. Take back? You seem to not have any qualifications to say those words.”
Everyone in the room held their breaths as they looked at each other in dismay. This was the Black Feather Merchant Guild’s territory, so no one dared to act up. Many people were vaguely able to guess the identity of this black clothed middle aged man, so they were incredibly scared. This was also why no one dared to ask Ji Ruyan about the black clothed man’s identity.
Who would’ve known that Yun Che would act so unyielding before this black clothed man.
“Haha, young man, it’s best to not be so impulsive,” the black clothed middle aged man actually laughed. “You are right. Since the transaction is complete, you would be the one who has to return the royal wood spirit. Forcibly taking it back is indeed not appropriate but I must warn you, the people who want this wood spirit are those both you and I cannot afford to offend, more you than me. In fact, it’d be best if you obediently return it so everything will end up well. I’m afraid you can’t handle the consequences otherwise.”
It was very obvious that he also did not want to shed all forms of civility. After all, Yun Che being able to toss out four hundred million purple profound stones without batting an eye was astonishing. It definitely meant that he had an extremely strong backer and background. Unless he had no other choice, it was obvious that he would not choose to completely offend him.
But little did he know that… let alone a backer, Yun Che didn’t even have a companion. He was completely alone!
“Sir, if fifty million purple profound stones is not enough of a compensation, you can put up any other conditions. As long as it is something within my abilities, I will definitely satisfy you,” Ji Ruyan said softly, the light in her eyes filled with slight implorement and… anxiousness?
Just as Yun Che was about to reply, Ji Ruyan’s sound transmission suddenly rang beside his ears, “Sir Ling Yun, please return him. The situation is far more grave than you can possibly imagine. This involves an upper star realm! Furthermore, the person in front of you comes from a great background. Take advantage of the fact that he is currently not willing to thoroughly offend you to quickly comply or else… not only will he forcibly take it back, he might even kill you!”
To a lower star realm, an upper star realm was an existence similar to a palace in the heavens. If an upper star realm really was involved in this, then even the Realm King of a lower star realm would pale in fright and hand over the wood spirit while stumbling.
Unfortunately, they just had to encounter Yun Che. He narrowed his eyes, pretending not to have heard Ji Ruyan’s sound transmission as he coldly laughed at the black clothed middle aged man. “He’s already mine. If I don’t want to hand him over, what are you going to do to me?”
“Sir!” Ji Ruyan exclaimed softly.
“Hahaha,” the black clothed middle aged man laughed weirdly but there was no smile on his face. “It looks like you’d rather have it the hard way!”
Following the change in his tone and expression, the entire room suddenly became oppressive.
“Hahaha.” Yun Che also laughed the same way. “What? Since asking with a thick skin doesn’t work, you want to shamelessly steal in public now?”
The black clothed middle aged man no longer replied and a dark cold wind suddenly rose up. As if he was a black hawk rushing out of the night at the speed of thunder, he opened a hand and grabbed at the wood spirit boy behind Yun Che.
When the black clothed middle aged man suddenly took action, powerful profound energy at the Divine Tribulation Realm surged within the room, immediately scattering those who sat in the front row in fright.
Yun Che pushed the wood spirit boy behind him. The Heaven Smiting Sword then appeared in his hand as he opened Purgatory and welcomed the pouncing black clothed man with a sweep of his sword.
Yun Che’s profound strength was only at the second level of the Divine Soul Realm so he wasn’t considered anything before the black clothed man. However, Yun Che’s tossing of the four hundred million purple profound stones and his dignified aura made him worry about Yun Che’s background. This was why even though he had taken action, he only went for the wood spirit and not Yun Che. He didn’t expect that not only did Yun Che not flee in panic under the release of his Divine Tribulation might, he had actually taken out his weapon to meet his attack head on.
Yun Che’s overestimation of himself made the black clothed man chuckle, “Blind fool, you’re seeking death…”
Before his voice had yet to land, his face suddenly changed. The energy storm coming at him was like a flood dragon launching itself out of the sea. Its pressure instantly suffocated him, leaving him in shock.
Boom boom boom———
As sound of a huge explosion that no one had predicted rang, all the stone chairs and tables shattered in its wake.
The black clothed middle aged man let out a dull groan at the center of the profound energy storm. He retreated in panic, yet he was still ruthlessly sent flying, knocking against the stone wall behind him, shattering the wall protected by high level profound patterns into pieces. He fiercely raised his head, eyes no longer possessing his previous dark certainty. Only deep shock and incredulity was within them as his right arm slightly trembled, almost losing all feeling.
This scene left everyone in the stone room dumbstruck… That frightening power from before was actually from someone in the Divine Soul Realm? And… it had actually directly repelled someone in the Dvine Tribulation Realm!?
“What… did you say earlier?” Yun Che slowly asked with narrowed eyes.
“You!” The black clothed middle aged man’s expression had already changed greatly. When the numbing sensation in his right arm gradually disappeared, he suddenly shouted as a streak of black colored lightning shot out from his opened fingers. He grasped onto a pitch-black longspear, sizzling with lightning that resembled dozens of dancing True Dragons and thrust it at Yun Che.
“The Black Soul Lightningstar… He really is from the Soul Sect,” softly uttered someone at the far end of the stone room.
Yun Che’s brows sank slightly, fiercely pushing the wood spirit boy backwards yet again before jumping forward. The incoming black colored lightning was like dancing demonic serpents yet he completely ignored them and sent down a Falling Moon Sinking Star.
The wood spirit boy was sent flying by Yun Che’s push and landed far away. In his fright, he helplessly sat there in a daze, forgetting to stand up for a while.
Not even thirty meters behind him was a shocked Ying Yushan. When he saw that the royal wood spirit was close, after a brief period of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and rushed over, grabbing at the wood spirit boy.
Boom boom!!!
The collision of spear and sword seemed to last but a split second. The black colored profound lightning on the spear’s body completely dispersed as the nine foot spear was directly smashed into a crescent moon shape. The black clothed middle aged man’s entire body was jolted under the incredibly huge power force before he was once more ruthlessly sent flying into the wall behind him, feet not even touching the ground.
Boom——
When he fell off the already cracked stone wall with a loud bang, the arms of the black clothed man, clutching the lightning soul spear, shivered due to numbness. A trickle of red blood also surprising flowed from the corner of his mouth.
After smashing the black clothed man in one strike, Yun Che borrowed the recoiling power of and flipped backwards. Bringing along an intense windstorm as he pounced at Ying Yushan, who was approaching the wood spirit boy, he smashed his fist down.
The exposed Ying Yushan totally did not expect the forward jumping Yun Che to instantly turn back. Before he had time to lift his head in shock, Yun Che’s fist heavily smashed onto his chest… In that instant, he felt as though all the bones in his body had shattered. He spurted out a bloody mist several meters long as he was sent flying amidst his miserable screams. He was ruthlessly smashed into the stone wall at the very end of the stone room and caused the entire room to intensely quake.
Bang!
Ying Yushan’s body fell to the ground. After a few fierce twitches, a huge pool of blood quickly spread below him and he no longer moved.
Not a single person in the surroundings went forward. Instead, they all slowly retreated in terror. Ying Yushan’s profound strength had reached the peak of the Divine Soul Realm yet Yun Che, who was obviously at the second level of the Divine Soul Realm… had, in one punch, in merely one punch, heavily injured him to the point of losing consciousness!!
“ARGHHHHH!!”
A wild wind storm raged behind Yun Che as an image of a huge black snake appeared behind the black clothed middle aged man. Lightning sizzled around his entire body as a wave of an incredibly terrifying aura rapidly spread outward.
“Soul Sect’s…. Black Lightning Snake!” someone exclaimed in shock.
“Kid… you’re the one… who asked for it!” The complexion of the black clothed middle aged man turned dark as he gritted his teeth.
Riiip!!
Electricity crackled. Following the black clothed man’s furious roar, that black snake image suddenly became alive and brought all the lightning on his body with it as it slithered onto the spear. In an instant, the black soul spear transformed into an enormous, malevolent snake. It spread its dark fangs and came at Yun Che with terrifying lightning.
The black clothed man was in a fit of rage after being beaten back twice by Yun Che. He no longer dared to underestimate his opponent nor hold back in the slightest. In fact, he had already begun to feel fear and panic… because he originally hadn’t considered the early stage Divine Soul Realm Yun Che to be anything, so he wasn’t worried at all that he could escape with the royal wood spirit.
Never in his dreams did he expect that the true strength of Yun Che, who clearly had profound strength at the second level of the Divine Soul Realm, would actually be terrifying enough to defy common sense! What he feared was not Yun Che but the fate he would face if he allowed Yun Che to take the royal wood spirit away. It would be worse than death!
Two days had not yet passed since Yun Che had obtained Mu Xuanyin’s Ice Phoenix vital yin, so he wasn’t completely clear on where his current strength truly lay. However, once he realized that this black clothed man in the early stages of the Divine Tribulation Realm didn’t pressure him much, he had total confidence in himself. In front of the all out attack, Yun Che pushed the wood spirit boy away yet again before meeting the incoming strike.
This time, the wood spirit boy had been pushed even further away. However, with Ying Yushan being a lesson for all, no one dared to step forward.
“Destroying... Sky... Decimating... Earth!!”
The black clothed man’s black lightning snake was incomparably terrifying and Yun Che’s current strike was several times more powerful than his previous. Within the energy storm raised by the Heaven Smiting Sword, the black lightning snake was immediately pressed down. However, as though it had been completely infuriated, it screeched and pounced onto the profound energy storm, resisting the sword might.
Boom boom!!
As though thunder from the Ninth Heaven descended upon the mortal realm, the concealed underground stone room began to split apart as it shook.
“W-what?” the black clothed middle aged man’s eyes widened, his distorted face looked as though he had seen a ghost. He would never believe that his own power… his all out power, had actually been directly blocked by Yun Che!
No, it should be said that it was he who had blocked Yun Che’s power… and he had barely defended against it.
Yun Che’s face remained cool and calm. In comparison, the arms of the black clothed man holding the black lightning snake continued to fiercely tremble as sweat poured through his entire body like rivers. The tremendous power that was pressing down onto his spear and body was like a towering mountain that was slowly collapsing on top of him.
“You…” As the heavy sword slowly pressed down, the black soul spear slowly bent and the black lightning snake coiled around it began to wail. The black clothed man’s eyes enlarged as more and more intense terror began to condense within them.
Rumbling… Heaven!
Yun Che stated in his mind and thus the Evil God’s fourth gate opened without mercy.
Yun Che’s profound strength increased exponentially at that moment. The black lightning snake that had been able to bitterly put up a resistance let out a tragic cry as it was instantly ripped apart. The bones in the black clothed man’s arms completely shattered and he was sent flying by the berserk profound energy storm, blood spraying as he went. During his flight, the black soul spear also flew out of his grasp.
Yun Che made a grabbing motion and sucked the black soul spear into his hands before fiercely throwing it out.
Pfft!!
The black soul spear flashed over like a shooting star and pierced into the black clothed man’s right chest with incomparable precision, ruthlessly running him through. The horizontal flight path of his body was then firmly nailed onto the ground as blood splashed all over the ground.
Drip...
Drip...
The stone room finally quieted. Aside from the sound of blood dripping rapidly, not even the sound of anyone breathing could be heard.

Chapter 1074 - Cannot Bear To
It was accurate to say that Yun Che had been fleeing since his arrival in the Darkya Realm. After all, he had no one to support him here. In fact, there wasn’t even anyone willing to converse with him. Thus, he absolutely could not cause any disturbances.
Yet, even though he wasn’t looking for trouble, trouble had found him.
However, even if he wasn’t looking for trouble, it didn’t mean that he was afraid of anything!
“Right now, do you still want to me to hand him back?” Yun Che mercilessly asked, his voice quiet but cold. His eyes swept across the black snake tattoo which had been revealed due to the damage dealt to the clothes of the black clothed middle aged man.
“You…” As the black clothed middle age man opened his mouth, bloody foam spewed out. At this current time, the man felt like he had been crucified and placed in hell. The pain was so great, he wished to die. “You… will… regret… this…”
“Ah, whether or not I will regret this, I don’t know… as for you, you definitely will regret your actions!”
Bang!!
Yun Che’s foot flew out as he heavily kicked the black soul spear which had penetrated through the black clothed man’s body, causing him to shriek painfully as blood spurted out everywhere. The black soul spear left the black clothed man’s body and pierced into the stone wall above him. The black clothed man rolled on the ground and screamed as blood wildly spurted out from the hole in his chest like a geyser. It was indeed a sorry sight.
The person who had appeared in the domain of the Black Feather Merchant Guild was not only a foreigner but someone who acted extremely viciously. Everyone present was shocked… for someone like this, either their background was so shockingly great that they didn’t put the Black Feather Merchant Guild or the Soul Sect behind them in their eyes or… they were a downright lunatic!
Regardless of which one he was, they absolutely didn’t dare to provoke him at all.
It was at this time that Ji Ruyan’s voice once again emerged besides Yun Che’s ear.
“Sir Ling Yun, quickly flee! A group of their people are currently rushing over and there is a Divine Spirit Realm hall master in their midst! The imprisonment formation here has already been unlocked by me. You need to hurry up and flee! Otherwise, it may be too late!”
A puzzled gaze temporarily paused on Yun Che’s face… the reason Yun Che had been so vicious in dealing with the black clothed man was mainly to scare Ji Ruyan so that he could more easily force her to release the imprisonment formation here. Otherwise, if he had to forcefully break through, he would need to waste quite a bit of time.
He had never expected that Ji Ruyan would release it by herself… he couldn’t fathom why the woman would help him.
Their people?
They?
He profoundly gazed at Ji Ruyan for another moment, then immediately arrived beside wood spirit boy. Grabbing the boy’s hand, Yun Che flew into the sky and hurriedly left.
Bang bang bang…
The profound formation was still present but it had broken the moment he passed through it. It seemed like Ji Ruyan had not deceived him. He hadn’t experienced the slightest bit of resistance as he passed through the four layers of the imprisonment formation. Yun Che executed Extreme Mirage Lightning and then rapidly increased his speed as he abruptly disappeared into the vast dark sky.
The darkness of the Darkya Realm was especially deep and profound, making it naturally easy to hide within it. Yun Che moved directly south, passing over a smaller half of Darkya City. After confirming that there was no one was tracking him from behind, he finally slowed down. Upon finding a secluded and unpopulated area nearby, he stopped and immediately used Hidden Flowing Lightning to retract his aura.
As for the wood spirit race boy who had been grabbed by Yun Che, he had remained exceptionally quiet from the moment they had fled until right now. The boy had not screamed or struggled at all and had been abnormally calm.
Not a sound could be heard around them as Yun Che pondered the words Ji Ruyan had said, as well as the words of the black clothed man. The sentence “this involves an upper star realm” especially caused him to worry. Could it be that some prestigious figure in an upper star realm had learned of the existence of the royal wood spirit? If so, then even if he fixed it now, it was undoubtedly a huge leak.
Not only had the sins of the Black Feather Merchant Guild completely come to light, it was very possible that some upper star realm would be greatly angered.
It was quite likely that as a result of this, he would be greatly pursued in the future… it wouldn’t be surprising even if the entire city were sealed.
The moment this royal wood spirit had fallen into his lap, he had likely become entangled in some great trouble which also involved an upper star realm.
An upper star realm was an existence which was an entire level higher than the Snow Song Realm. This meant that if the situation truly worsened, then not even the Snow Song Realm would be able to protect him… not to mention that he had currently fled the Snow Song Realm and was just by himself.
At the very least, he had used a fake name and completely changed his face whilst in the Black Feather Merchant Guild. Moreover, considering his Moon Splitting Cascade which was at the great perfection realm and his high skill in the art of disguise, it was no easy task to find him… Indeed, the only thing which could possibly be used to locate him was the black jade which Huo Rulie had given him.
After all, the Mister Ji of the Black Feather Merchant Guild had known that his piece of black jade had come from Huo Rulie! Hopefully this wouldn’t cause any trouble for the Flame God Realm.
Otherwise, it would be best for him to leave the Darkya Realm as soon as possible after procuring the Wood Spirit Orb!
Amidst the darkness, the wood spirit boy’s two pupils revealed an incredibly brilliant green glow, as if they were two flawless gleaming crystals. The two brilliantly green glowing eyes were completely devoid of anxiety and terror as the wood spirit boy looked at Yun Che and said in an innocent and pure voice, “Senior… thank you very much.”
Yun Che became dazed for a moment, then sneered and said, “Thank me? Oh, you can’t truly be naive enough to believe that I spent so many purple profound stones and offended such a great force just so that I could save you from them right?”
“I…” The wood spirit boy’s eyes remained clear as he looked Yun Che straight in the eyes. Suddenly, the boy lightly laughed as he said, “It is because I know that senior is definitely a good person.”
“Little brat, you are so naive it’s funny.” Yun Che’s voice was incredibly cold. However, as he stared right back into the boy’s green eyes, his mind suddenly relaxed. He had never before seen such a pure and innocent set of eyes. It was as if he were staring into a flawless mirror which was revealing to him all of the sins within his own heart and soul and causing them to remain before him.
Yun Che subconsciously averted his eyes. He no longer dared to look back into the child’s eyes. He forcefully tried to calm himself down as he said in an unnatural voice, “A good person? The number of people I have killed far surpasses the number of people that you have met in your entire life! You yourself know very clearly that the reason why I spent such a great amount of resources to obtain you was so that I could take the Wood Spirit Orb inside your body!”
“Will you obediently take it out for me or will I have to personally take matters into my own hands?”
A thick killing intent began to emanate from Yun Che’s body.
How could a wood spirit child possibly withstand the killing intent released by Yun Che? Fear finally appeared on the boy’s face as his body shrunk back and retreated. However, his pair of now fear filled eyes were still fixedly watching Yun Che, “I… I… No, no, it shouldn’t be like this. Senior is a good person, I… I can feel it. Please… senior please let me go… I will definitely repay you.”
Observing the child’s terrified state, Yun Che’s hands silently balled up into fists. His heart tightened but he nonetheless replied in a dark voice, “Repayment? The best repayment you can provide me is your Wood Spirit Orb! N~~ow!”
“Don’t, don’t be like this…” The wood spirit boy shook his head as he kept retreating. Then, the boy abruptly heavily fell to his knees, his eyes flooding with green tears as he pleaded, “Senior, I beg you to let me go. Although I am still young, I don’t fear death but… I absolutely cannot die here because… because my sister and I are the only remaining members of the wood spirit royal family who carry the bloodline. My sister is a girl but I… if I were to die, my wood spirit royal bloodline, along with the hopes of the entire wood spirit race, would come to an end… I absolutely cannot die. Senior, please let me go.”
Yun Che’s brows slightly twitched as he coldly responded, “Those are the matters of your wood spirit race. What relation do they have with me? All I want is your Wood Spirit Orb!”
Yun Che’s chest heaved as his voice became even colder and harsh, “Little brat, that group of people is definitely looking for me right now. Thus, my patience and time are extremely limited. Now I will give you ten breaths of time to decide. Either you obediently give me your Wood Spirit Orb or you can forcefully self-destruct your Wood Spirit Orb. Pick which manner of death is more respectable for you. Regardless, the result is the same for me. Otherwise, if you force me to move, I’m afraid your death will not be an easy one!”
“Ten!”
“Nine!”
“Se… senior! Please senior… please let me go. I truly cannot die.” The wood spirit boy knelt on the ground as he pleaded in terror.
“Eight!” Yun Che didn’t move as he produced a single, ice cold, and indifferent word in response.
“Senior, my wood spirit race has never brought harm to any other living organisms. We have also never done anything evil or unforgivable. Even when… even when you humans have practically killed our entire clan, we still have never committed any malicious acts towards humans out of our resentment and despair…”
Yun Che, “...”
“So many of my clansmen have died. My mother, in order to protect me, also died at the hands of humans. Even my sister… my last relation, has become separated from me. Perhaps I will never be able to meet her again in this lifetime… Why? Where… Just where did we commit so many mistakes for you humans to do this to us!”
“...Five!” Yun Che looked up as he took a deep breath.
“Senior!” Two crystal clear tears slowly slid down the wood spirit boy’s face. “My mother told me once, that although humans are massacring us, much of humanity is actually made up of good people. I know that senior is one of these good people. Because when I am beside senior, I do not feel afraid at all, unlike when I was with those bad people…”
“Three!” Yun Che’s breathing became slightly unsteady as he faintly gritted his teeth.
“Senior… please let me go… If I die right now, I will not have the face to see my parents… if… as long as senior lets me go, I will definitely repay you… whatever you want me to do, I will… I will try my best to accomplish it.”
“One!”
Yun Che’s malicious gaze landed on the wood spirit boy. “I gave you an opportunity but since it still came to this… it seems like I can only personally take action after all! This is your fate and the fate of the entire wood spirit race! If you have resentment, then resent us all you want!”
Yun Che’s body abruptly turned as profound energy surged into his right arm and he went straight for the wood spirit boy’s chest with a clawed hand. The force was more than enough for him to easily penetrate through the wood spirit boy’s weak body.
“Senior!!” the wood spirit boy cried.
Rip!!
Currents of air were heavily torn apart as the wildly surging explosive energies suddenly became chaotic and dispersed. The palm of Yun Che’s hand stopped against the wood spirit boy’s chest like it had been blocked by an wall.
I… what am I doing? Just what am I doing right now…
Was he truly willing to forgo human morals to extinguish the life of an innocent wood spirit who held no hatred or resentment just for the sake of a possibility of receiving a Universe Penta Jade Pellet?
Moreover, it was only a child…
A child who carried the future of the entire wood spirit race on his back.
No… in my two lives, because of my resentment and anger, the number innocent people have died because of me is not small… if not me today, he will still end up dying at the hands of someone else. Moreover, I expended a great deal of profound stones and offended a powerful force to obtain him. It should be right for me to determine his fate without any qualms as I have completely gained the eligibility to do so…
His body carries the Wood Spirit Orb that I most desperately need… If I miss this opportunity, perhaps I will not be able to find another suitable Wood Spirit Orb before the Profound God Convention. I will not be able to meet Jasmine again!
“...” Yun Che’s chest heaved fiercely as complex and chaotic emotions emerged in his eyes. His palm which was almost touching the wood spirit boy’s chest had actually begun to violently tremble. Time and time again Yun Che justified his actions to himself but his palm, which should have easily been able to take the boy’s life at any moment, was no longer able to gather even the slightest amount of profound energy.
I… what is there to hesitate about…
“Hah… hah…” For a long period of time, everything was silent. It was as if the world had stopped in place around the two. The terrified wood spirit boy watched Yun Che, his face still pale white with terror. He didn’t dare to move at all. It was only after the icy cold night wind gusted by again that Yun Che’s breathing abruptly became heavy, as if he had just completed fighting a battle for his life.
Yun Che slowly clenched his hands and then gradually relaxed them.
“...Go… Leave at once!” As he turned around and raised his head to look at the dark night sky, his vision began to blur. However, for some reason, his heart and soul had become filled with calmness.
Why did it become like this...
Where have I changed!?
color. The crowd of profound practitioners from the Darkya Realm at the rear were closely pressed against the wall, stupefied. Completely drenched in sweat, let alone saying a word, they didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
Second level of the Divine Soul Realm… in a few short direct confrontations, had completely crushed an expert in the Divine Tribulation Realm and inflicted grievous injuries!
They had never seen, nor heard of such a thing before! They were simply unable to imagine what kind of plane could possibly nurture such a monster.
The wood spirit boy sat on the ground, staring at Yun Che while completely dazed. As if he had forgotten his fears, his eyes flashed with an exceptionally bright radiance.
Yun Che slowly walked forward. The sound of his footsteps, that weren’t even heavy at all, seemed to tread upon the hearts of everyone present. He came before the black clothed man, looked down upon his current miserable state with cold indifference and leisurely spoke, “The next time you want to ask for something, your attitude needs to be a bit more gentle. Otherwise, if you’re unlucky enough to come across someone like me… you will only be seeking death!”


Chapter 1075 - Wood Spirits’ Secret Grounds
The wood spirit boy stood there shocked, he couldn’t believe it at all. Instead of running away immediately, his voice quivered “Really… You’re… You’re really letting me go?”
“...” Yun Che took a deep breath. A wood spirit of royal blood. His Wood Spirit Orb would be an incomparably coveted treasure throughout the God Realm. Yun Che had paid a large price and finally got him, and as a result, he was one large step closer to meeting Jasmine once more. However... he couldn’t bring himself to take the final measure.
He couldn’t even understand what he was thinking, why he was letting him go...
I was once a monster that ruthlessly killed an entire city with poison!
“Go… Before I change my mind, leave!” Yun Che gnashed his teeth, his emotions a mess.
“I… I knew it. You’re definitely a good person.” The boy wiped away the tears on his face, he slowly and carefully stepped away, his gaze never leaving Yun Che. He had just escaped a calamity as if given a chance of rebirth and felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Yun Che.
Good person...
When Mu Xuanyin previously spoke of the wood spirit race, she also mentioned that the pure and innocent souls of the wood spirits could sense the maliciousness or hostility of other living beings.
His hands were stained with the blood of a countless many, when that wood spirit sensed his soul, was it really that of a “good person”?
He laughed bitterly at himself.
Behind him, the footsteps of the wood spirit boy gradually grew softer and softer as he got further and further away. Instead of picking up his pace, he suddenly stopped in place after dozens of steps.
“Senior!” he shouted.
“...” Yun Che turned around with a fierce glare in his eyes, “If you still won’t leave, I might change my mind and you can forget about ever leaving!”
“I… I wouldn’t dare.” The wood spirit boy shook his head, he suddenly and bravely lifted his head, “Senior, I… can I make a request? Could you please accompany me home? If I’m alone… I’ll just get immediately recaptured by them.”
“...” Yun Che stood there in silence for a while.
The defining features of a wood spirit were very prominent and he was right. Even if he was released, a wood spirit wandering around Darkya City all by himself was just asking to be captured once more, perhaps even being killed on the spot.
“Your home?”
“Yes!” The wood spirit boy immediately nodded his head and pointed towards the south. “My home is not far from the city. Senior is so strong, as long as we continue in this direction and out of Darkya City, we’ll be there very quickly. Please, senior…”
Yun Che’s eyes were twitching and his heart was pounding. He then took a step forward, holding onto the wood spirit boy. “Let’s go!”
He had just decided to let him off… And now, he had so easily decided to escort him back home?
Just what the heck am I doing?
Sigh… Forget it! Since I’ve decided to release him, I might as well be a “good person” all the way. If he lands in the hands of the Darkya men, I’d also have released him in vain.
Yun Che spoke to himself in his heart as he picked up speed, racing towards the south, under the cover of night.
“Senior, thank you. I knew that I could trust my senses. You’re really really a very very good person,” the wood spirit boy gratefully said.
“What’s your name?” Yun Che asked
“My name is He Lin,” replied the boy. Yun Che had released him and was now even protecting him on his journey home, he was no longer afraid and was now filled with endless gratitude. The green eyes he looked at Yun Che with grew brighter. “May I know how I should address senior?”
“You don’t have to know my name, and stop calling me senior. I’m probably only just older than you by around ten years.” Yun Che replied without a hint of emotion while trying to calm and suppress the torrid waves in his heart.
“Eh?” He Lin’s jaw dropped, a wave of shock spread across his face. After quite some time he exclaimed, “So it’s actually big brother! Ah… Big brother, you’re really strong, really really strong. Even those terrifying people were defeated by you in just a few moves. I thought that big brother was much much older.”
From his voice and the glimmer in his eyes, Yun Che could see a sense of deep and passionate worship.
“I’ve heard that Darkya City has long had a history of hunting and killing the wood spirit race. Your home… how can it be so near such a dangerous place?” Yun Che asked.
Hearing Yun Che’s words, He Lin stayed solemnly silent for a while. Just when Yun Che thought that he wasn’t willing to reply, He Lin gently said, “Compared to the middle and upper star realms, this lower star realm is actually the safest. If we’re discovered, we might be able to escape here. Moreover, our current home has a great natura power protecting us. Me and my clansmen have already lived there for two years and without being discovered.
“Your clan… How many of you are left?”
He Lin hesitated for a while and then replied “Those of my fellow clansmen that are with me… We’ve only got about a hundred of us left. While I’ve been captured, they’ll definitely have been very anxious and if they left that place to search for me, the consequences could be dire.”
“He Lin, how old are you this year?”
“I… I’m eleven.”
“And you have an older sister?” Yun Che casually asked.
“Mn,” he softly answered and his voice slowly trailed off. “Three years ago, during that terrible disaster, mother and father, in order to protect my sister and I… they… they… after that, me and my sister were separated. I haven’t seen her since but I believe that sister is definitely alive! I can sense it!”
Yun Che didn’t probe further.
Orphaned, his last living relative missing… He was but an eleven year old boy, yet he had experienced countless unimaginable cruel and difficult situations. It wasn’t his fault or was it the consequence of his actions; it was all because he was a wood spirit—a royal wood spirit.
They were a race that inherited the purest powers of nature but instead of it being a blessing, it was the cruelest of curses.
Once out of Darkya City, Yun Che didn’t stop. He carried on in the direction He Lin pointed. About half an hour later, he had flown into a stretch of jungle that seemingly had no end.
“This home you speak of, is it within this forest?” Yun Che asked.
“Yes!” He Lin now pointed to the south east. Being really close to home, he started getting a little more excited. “In that direction, I can already sense its aura… This is great!”
They quickly shot through the jungle and finally came to a stop not long after.
Up ahead, towering ancient trees stood tall, draped in countless big and dark greenish black vines. The vines barred their path, stretching innumerably beyond what the eye could see.
As Yun Che looked on with hesitation, He Lin bounded forward with excitement. He made a gentle gesture with his hands and immediately the dense greenish black vines came to life, they quickly started bending and moving, opening up just enough to form a narrow passageway.
“Big brother, quickly come here!”
He Lin pulled at Yun Che’s arm, bouncing boisterously into the vine-covered passageway. Yun Che hesitated for a bit but eventually decided to follow behind him.
The passageway continued for quite a long way. They walked for a period of time before finally reaching the exit. When they finally stepped out through the exit, just at that moment, a sense of danger suddenly reached them from the front. Dozens of greenish black vines suddenly struck down, like fangs of a really large demon.
Yun Che cycled his profound energy but He Lin didn’t seem fazed at all and instead continued forward. He made a light pushing movement with his arms, a flash of green light appeared and the vines were suddenly frozen in place where upon they immediately started retracting.
“Granny Qing Ye! Aunty Kui! Uncle Mu Han… I’m back! I’m back!!”
The world before their eyes was a field with tens of thousands of plants. Green grass abounded while the leaves and vegetation contained an unbelievable amount of jade green nature energy. The air was so fresh it gave one a sense of peace and clarity. Just further up, strange flowers and plants abounded. Butterflies flew all around. This place was beautiful beyond compare. If anyone stepped into this place, they would probably think that they had stepped into an unreal immortal wonderland.
The bright crisp voice of He Lin travelled throughout this little immortal-like world.
“Lin… Lin’er! Lin’er!!”
“Young patriarch… It’s young patriarch!”
“Lin’er!!”
The serene world suddenly transformed into a scene of excited shouts of happiness. One by one, jade green figures emerged from the ancient trees and millions of flowers. They crazedly rushed towards He Lin. One of them seemed older than the rest. He walked with a slight awkwardness and hugged He Lin with a tight embrace. Before he even spoke, his old tears started streaming down.
“Lin’er… It’s really you? You really came back… We had imagined the worst, that you had been captured by the humans… This is great, you’re safe and sound, thank goodness...”
The others huddled together and surrounded him, each of them had tears of excitement in their eyes.
Everyone of them had hair the color of emerald, fluorite-like eyes, and pointed long ears. Their skin was flawless like jade. Without a doubt, they were the hidden wood spirit race, the fellow clan members of whom He Lin was talking about.
Their numbers were as what He Lin had described, around a hundred of them.
From their excited reactions, one could see that He Lin was an extremely important existence… He was the only male possessing the royal wood spirit bloodline. Although still young, he bore the burden of being the last hope of the wood spirit race.
“I’m sorry Granny Qin Ye… I’m sorry everyone… I’ve made everyone worried this time.” Tears swirled in He Lin’s eye “I… I actually was captured by humans…”
“Ah!?” He Lin’s words shocked all the wood spirits present.
“But, I met a really good person, a super duper good and really really powerful big brother. It was him that saved me and even escorted me back here.”
He Lin wiped away his tears and quickly ran to Yun Che’s side “He’s that big brother, if not for him… by now… I would have… would really have…”
Countless gazes landed on Yun Che. The oldest wood spirit, the one He Lin called “Granny Qing Ye” slowly walked forward and suddenly bent down, kneeling before Yun Che.
Yun Che’s eyelids jumped, he was about to speak when he suddenly saw the rest of the wood spirits kneeling as well.
Yun Che, “....”
“Young human… thank you. Thank you for saving our young patriarch,” Granny Qing Ye said in an old voice which carried a deep sense of sincere gratitude straight from her soul, though it carried a slight fear at the end. “Although we hate those of the evil human race, you saved our young patriarch. From now on, you’re the great benefactor of our wood spirit clan. Please except this bow from us.
“Young patriarch met with danger but then met such an honorable person, it’s definitely the blessing and protection from the patriarch in the heavens,” a middle aged wood spirit shouted, who then proceeded to kowtow to Yun Che.
“...” Yun Che’s mouth was slightly agape. After a few moments, he awkwardly replied, “It was nothing much… All of this is not necessary.”


Chapter 1076 - The Race Abandoned by Fate
“No, we wood spirits always know to repay favors, let alone such a great favor as this one.”
Granny Qing Ye was the oldest among everyone present, so her words held the greatest weight. She said sincerely, “Young man, if you need something, feel free to tell us. We will definitely try our best to repay you.”
“No need.” Yun Che shook his head. “The reason why I saved him isn’t because I was feeling righteous. My original target was a Wood Spirit Orb.”
“Wh-what?” Yun Che’s reply cased all the wood spirits to immediately raise their heads. Their expressions slightly changed.
“The reason why I spared He Lin is because he is only a little boy. I couldn’t bear to. If it was another wood spirit, I would’ve definitely forcibly taken both their life and Wood Spirit Orb. Since that’s the case, there is no need for you to thank me.”
After seeing the sudden change in the wood spirit crowd’s faces, he turned around to leave and quickly headed for the exit.
“Wait,” shouted an old voice.
Yun Che’s foodsteps paused, yet he didn’t turn around as he said indifferently. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this place.”
“No,” Granny Qing Ye’s walked to him with a half bent waist. “You saved Lin’er, so you are our entire clan’s benefactor. How could we possibly not believe you? You said that you needed a Wood Spirit Orb, right?”
Yun Che was stunned. He turned around.
Granny Qing Ye gently smiled, her cloudy eyes then looked at the middle aged wood spirit beside He Lin. “Qing Mu, let’s give Qiu Ling’s Wood Spirit Orb to our benefactor, shall we?”
A complicated turmoil surfaced in the eyes of the middle aged wood spirit named Qing Mu but he didn’t hesitate or make things difficult as he nodded lightly, “Of course.”
“Then that’s great.” Granny Qing Mu smiled. “Young man, we just so happen to have a Wood Spirit Orb within our clan. Qing Mu’s wife specifically left that one behind after sustaining grievous injuries in the past. Although many years have passed since then, since it was sealed in a nature profound formation, its spirit energy has not decreased at all, so it ought to help you out.”
Purposely left behind by a wood spirit, one whose spirit energy had yet to dissipate at all… this meant that it was a perfect Wood Spirit Orb with completely intact spirit energy, one that humans simply would never be able to forcibly take!!
Yun Che was excited. “Are… you really going to give it to me?”
“Hoho,” Qing Mu chuckled. “I would naturally not let any evil person take my deceased wife’s Wood Spirit Orb even if it meant my death. However, if it can repay the great benefactor who saved our young patriarch, I am sure even Qiu Ling in the heavens above would gladly consent.”
“It’s just that, in order to keep evil people from taking it, my seal is extremely tight. I will need at least two to four hours to undo its seal. I would need benefactor to wait here a while during this time.”
Yun Che spent a huge sum yet he did not forcibly take He Lin’s Wood Spirit Orb in the very end… But here, he was about to gifted a perfect Wood Spirit Orb.
Even though it was still incomparable to He Lin’s Royal Wood Spirit Orb, a Wood Spirit Orb with completely intact spirit energy still far surpassed the seventy percent intact spirit energy Wood Spirit Orb Yun Che needed.
The last of the melancholy in Yun Che’s heart was swept away as profound joy and gratitude bubbled from his heart. “If it’s like that… then thank you very much. I do indeed have an important reason to urgently need a Wood Spirit Orb.”
“No need to say thanks. Your great favor can never be surpassed no matter how we repay you,” Granny Qing Ye said. “Qing Mu, go on now. Once you’ve gotten it, you can directly hand it to our benefactor.”
Qing Mu complied and then flew away.
“That’s great! I didn’t want to part with big brother yet!” cheered He Lin. He excitedly came before Yun Che and tugged at his sleeve. “Big brother, is it okay if I show you our home? Even though it’s small, I’m sure you’ll like it.”
He Lin dragged him, formally inviting him into the little world that belonged to the wood spirits.
With green trees as houses, and flowers and grass for seats, this was an inconceivably pure world. Not even the slightest filth could be smelled from the air in this place.
Due to the avarice of humans, a race that originally received the protection of nature ended up in a more tragic and fallen state than any other race. They should have a deeply entrenched hatred for humans, yet when He Lin pulled him before wood spirits, one after the other and happily introduced him, they all expressed deep gratitude and heartfelt welcome. Perhaps they may have shown a bit of caution at first but he never felt the slightest bit of hatred from the very start.
Wood spirits possessed the world’s purest of powers and the purest of hearts. As Yun Che sensed this in its entirety, his heart intensely thobbed.
Even in the face of an enemy who was a hundred times more powerful than himself, his gaze would never cower. However, the clear purity in every one of these wood spirits’ emerald eyes made him not dare to look them straight in the eyes...
This kind of race ought to receive the utmost protection of nature, why do they have to bear such a cruel, unfair fate...
Because of humanity’s evil and greed...
And because they were weak.
The entire body of those belonging to the dragon race were also treasures but how could this world possibly dare to bully the clan of True Dragons in the Dragon God Realm?
“Big Sister Qing He!”
He Lin dragged Yun Che all the way to the ends of this little world. There was a huge garden that stretched far and wide, with all kinds of blossoming flowers flourishing in an explosion of colors. A colorfully dressed girl was at the center of the garden, gathering morning dew from the petals. Her graceful, lithe figure resembled a colorful, elegantly dancing butterfly within the myriad flowers. It was pleasing to the eye and intoxicating to the soul.
Amidst He Lin’s high pitched shout, the girl within the garden turned, her soft gaze following shortly after. He Lin introduced Yun Che with rosy cheeks. “This is Big Sister Qing He. Oh, her father is Uncle Qing Mu. Big Sister Qing, this is the big brother who saved me. Even though he’s a big brother, he’s super duper powerful, you know.”
The colorfully dressed girl looked to only be around fifteen or sixteen. Her bright face contained a young girl’s charming immaturity and a wood spirit’s beautiful purity. She gently bowed at Yun Che. “Thank you for saving our young patriarch, big brother.”
Once she said those words, she didn’t dare to look Yun Che in the eyes a second time. She lowered her head as a slight flush spread across her cheeks.
“Ah? Young patriarch, so you’ve brought Big Brother Benefactor here, no wonder I couldn’t find you anywhere!”
The sound of a girl’s voice, which resembled clear spring water, came from behind them as a girl around the same age as Qing He gently fluttered over. Behind her followed a handsome, tall and slender young wood spirit who looked to be around seventeen years old.
“Big Sister Fei Yan, Big Brother Qing Zhu!” He Lin shouted their names in a clear voice.
When the two arrived, they stared at Yun Che for a long while. The young wood spirit named Qing Zhu then deeply bowed toward Yun Che. “Big Brother Benefactor, you saved our young patriarch and… I don’t even know how we can repay you.”
“Thank you, Big Brother Benefactor.” The wood spirit girl named Fei Yan graciously bowed. Her clear, beautiful eyes then continued to curiously size Yun Che up. “There really are good people within humans too.”
“Of course,” He Lin said with some pompousness. “When father and mother were still alive, they used to tell me that all the time. I knew that big brother was a really good person at first glance.”
“Hmph! Young patriarch, you still have the gall to say that!?” Fei Yan raised a hand and heavily knocked He Lin on the forehead, fuming. “Do you know that you almost scared all of us to death!? Granny Qing Ye cried so many times. You… If you dare to do something like this again, I’m going to ignore you from then on.”
He Lin covered his hurt forehead and didn’t dare to retort. He weakly answered quite pitifully, “Big Sister Fei Yan, I know that I was wrong. I won’t dare to do it again. I only… I only wanted to go out to see the outside world. I never expected to be that unlucky… Uuu, I really won’t do it again.”
“Fei Yan, don’t speak to young patriarch like that. He will definitely be obedient from now on,” Qing He protectively said in a gentle voice. When she was speaking, she sneakily glanced at Yun Che before hurriedly lowering her head again.
“Hmph, in any case, I’ll be firmly looking after young patriarch from now on!” Fei Yan said while puffing her cheeks.
At this point, Qing Zhu couldn’t hold back his curiosity as he asked somewhat eagerly. “Young patriarch, what happened after you snuck out? And how is the outside world? Is it really as magical as what Granny Qing Ye and Uncle Qing Mu said it was? Tell us!”
“T-this…” He Lin said anxiously. “I got caught by someone not too long after I snuck out. A-after that, I was always scared, so I didn’t have time to think about anything else. Ah! Right!”
He Ling’s eyes suddenly flashed as he turned to Yun Che. “Big brother, how about you tell us about the outside world? Is that okay?”
He Lin’s words instantly brought them to their senses. Qin He, Fei Yan and Qing Zhu all immediately stared at Yun Che… who was the first human that came to their little world from the outside world. “Big Brother Benefactor, you must know a lot about the outside world. We really, really, really want to hear about it.”
Four pairs of emerald eyes flashed with the same anticipation and longing. These gazes made Yun Che’s soul suddenly clench, as though it had been pricked with a needle. They had always lived a life on the run and spent it amidst terror and caution. They were only safe in their little world. To them, every place in the outside world could be said to be an abyss of death.
The more they yearned and longed for it, the crueler their fate would be.
Yun Che breathed in deeply and then said gently, “Actually, my home isn’t in the God Realm. It is in a faraway place, in a distance lower realm… The first place I came to when I arrived in the God Realm was a white world of endless snow. The earth, seas and rivers were all covered in ice and snow that would never melt. Even the sky was so white that it seemed as though it was covered in a layer of snow… The halls in that place would be many tens of kilometers long, the biggest being a few hundred kilometers…”
Without mentioning specific names, Yun Che began to talk about the world he was born from, talk about the Snow Song Realm’s white colored world and its mystical Heavenly Netherfrost Lake, talk about the Flame God Realm’s boundless flaming purgatory… He even talked about the two frightening, cunning, ancient horned dragons in the sea of fire...
The quartet of young wood spirits listened as though they were in a trance and at times, cried out in surprise.
They only listened and then imagined it in their heads. They were fundamentally unable to truly know what it would look like, what kind of spectacle it would be. But even so, to them, who were eternally “caged” within their little world, this brought them unprecedented excitement.
“Several thousand kilometers… several tens of thousands of kilometers… a completely white world.” Fei Yan looked up with a blurred gaze, before absentmindedly saying, “I’m already this old yet I’ve never seen snow before.”
“Me too.” Qing Zhu nodded in agreement with a heart full of longing.
Yun Che smiled. Then, he suddenly flew up and a blue light flashed in his hands. A huge expanse of fluttering snow that resembled goose feathers fell from the sky, accompanied by a cool refreshing breeze.
“Waah!”
Exhilarated cries overlapped as they all clasped their hands together. Bathing in the falling snow and sensing a coldness they had never felt before, they felt as though they had suddenly landed in a completely different world.
The snowfall was gentle at first but it quickly changed to become a snowstorm. Yun Che’s finger moved slightly and a dozen blossoming ice lotus flowers instantly fell amidst the flying snow. The smallest one could be clasped in one’s palm and the biggest one made the two wood spirit girls fall over each other in their desire to sit inside it, to personally feel the blossoming of the ice lotus.
Whoosh!
Outside the flying snow, a faint golden colored flame ignited. It quickly condensed to become a huge, flaming Golden Crow silhouette, which then let out a sharp resonating long cry.
“What a pretty fire bird!” He Lin shouted.
“This is the Golden Crow, one of the most powerful fire divine beasts of the Primordial Era.”
Yun Che’s thoughts moved slightly and the image condensed by the blaze quickly changed, becoming one of the ancient horned dragons that lived inside the God Burying Inferno Prison.
“This is that flame horned dragon I mentioned to you guys earlier. Its entire body was covered in fire and its tail was longer than its entire body. Hm, it’s more or less like this.” Yun Che presented, then lamented, “I almost died beneath its claws back then.”
“It looks really scary. I can tell that it must be a really really bad profound beast, in a single glance.” Fei Yan’s cheeks puffed, seemingly to vent the dissatisfaction she felt when she heard that it had nearly killed Yun Che.
After the display of snow, ice and fire, Yun Che then showed them lightning and his profound handle. He played with them for a long while before he withdrew his hand, completely scattering all the wind, snow, lightning and fire along with it.
Everything seemed to have just been an illusion.
Beneath the excitement they had never before felt, the faces of the four wood spirit youths were all currently flushed. The eyes they looked at Yun Che with seemed to shimmer like bright stars—just a moment ago, they felt gratitude and curiosity toward Yun Che. What they felt now, however, was a sudden, intense, all encompassing worship.
“I really… I really want to go see the place Big Brother Benefactor talked about,” Qing Zhu dreamily said as he looked up.
“That day will definitely come,” Yun Che said.
“Big Brother Benefactor… oh! Can we…” Fei Yan’s eyes were earnest, yet her entire face was filled with nervousness. “Can you tell us your name?”
He Lin, Qing He and Qing Zhu also looked at him.
Yun Che smiled and answered without hesitation, “My name is Yun Che.”
“Yun Che…” they all said softly.
“Big Brother Yun Che!” Qing Zhu hollered excitedly.
“Y-y-you… big dummy! You stole my thunder again! I want to say it too… Big Brother Yun Che!” As Fei Yan called out, her eyes bent into thin crescents. Then, she tugged at the Qing He beside her. “Big Sister Qing He, you’re not talking much today. Hurry up and call him Big Brother Yun Che.”
Qing He took a small step forward and still had yet to lift her head. Both her hands nervously pinched at her colorful sash, as she timidly uttered, “Big Brother… Yun Che…”
“Qing He, what’s wrong?” Qing He’s strange actions began to worry Qing Zhu. “You… ah? Why is your face kind of red? Are you sick?”
“Ah! I got it!” Fei Yan shouted. “Big Sister Qing He must have fallen for Big Brother Yun Che!”
“N-no I haven’t!” The faint color of the red dawn instantly became a gorgeous sunset and immediately spread to her jade colored neck as her head drooped even lower. Then, she gently stamped her foot all of a sudden and turned to run like a startled butterfly… never daring to shoot Yun Che a single glance during the entire process.
“Wahaha! I guessed right!” Fei Yan laughed with satisfaction. Then, she her bright eyes looked directly at Yun Che. “Big Brother Yun Che, Qing He ran away due to embarrassment, you’d better take responsibility!”
“This…” Yun Che pressed his nose, troubled.
Wood spirits bore the purest of nature energy. As a result, the females tended to be gentle and beautiful, while the males extremely pretty. However, because of this, they would lack masculinity. To wood spirit girls who were accustomed to male wood spirits, the moment they got close or became curious, Yun Che’s manliness, along with his sharpness tempered by countless hardships, would produce an attractiveness that would most likely be fatal.
He Lin didn’t laugh. Ever since Yun Che gave his name, he had been staring at him in a daze, the corner of his mouth slowly biting down.
When Yun Che sensed his unusual condition, he heavily kneeled before Yun Che.
“Ah? Young patriarch!” Fei Yan and Qing Zhu exclaimed in great shock.
“He Lin, you?” Yun Che quickly stretched out a hand, intending to lift him back up.
Yet He Lin stubbornly persisted to kneel in place.He lifted a pair of slightly trembling eyes. “I… I don’t want to call you Big Brother Yun Che, I… I… I want to call you Master.”
Yun Che, “...”
“Master! Can you be my master? I want to be as strong as you… I… I’ll work hard, I’m willing to endure hardships. No matter how tough it gets, I’m willing to take them all in. Please accept me.”
He Lin wasn’t asking but pleading… pleading with an intense longing.
“He Lin.” Yun Che pressed a hand on his little shoulder. “You are a wood spirit and I am human. Even though we look alike, our powers are different, so I can’t be your master.”
“No! Master can teach me. We can also use the same way of utilizing profound energy as humans do. Father and mother personally told me this,” He Lin said with determination. “Because father and mother were really powerful, they were able to defeat many strong bad guys and protect tons of our clansmen. I want to be as powerful as Master, I want to be able to protect my clansmen like father and mother did. I… I’ll listen to Master’s every word, I’ll do anything Master wants. Please accept me.”
“...’ Yun Che crouched down, a softness in his gaze that he only showed in front of close relatives appeared in his eyes. “He Lin, one person’s power will eventually reach its limits. Even if you become ten times as strong as me, you would not be able to alter the wood spirit race’s fate. What you need to rely on is your entire clan working together to overcome this.”
“You are the wood spirit race’s young patriarch. But don’t forget, you are still a child, you don’t have to put such a heavy burden on your own shoulders. What you need to do right now is to stay under the protection of your clansmen and peacefully, safely grow up. Once you’ve grown up, that is when you use your mature wings to protect your own clansmen, alright?”
“I… I know…” Two streaks of tears slowly trickled down He Lin’s face. “I know that even if I become really strong, I wouldn’t be able to alter my entire clan’s fate. But… if I become strong, I would at least be able to leave this place one day to go search for my big sister and protect her… I promised my father and mother that I would definitely protect my big sister. But… But I couldn’t find her. I don’t know where she is, I don’t know whether she’s getting bullied by bad guys. I… I really miss her… I really want to find her. I really want to protect big sister, so that she will never get bullied by anyone… but… but…”
The hand which Yun Che used to press onto He Lin’s shoulder slightly tightened, yet he couldn’t say a single world in response.
When he was around He Lin’s age, because his profound veins were crippled, he received mockery and occasional cold remarks. However, he had Xiao Lie’s meticulous care and protection, had Xiao Lingxi’s close accompaniment and he was able to laugh and play around with Xia Yuanba. He was able to freely go wherever he wanted, do whatever he wanted and never knew what fleeing from death or terror was, let alone having to bear an entire clan’s heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Compared to those of the same age, him having crippled profound veins could be said to be pitiful.
But compared to He Lin, it was no doubt that the him back then was living in paradise.


Chapter 1077 - Perfect Wood Spirit Orb
“Haah!” A sigh could be heard as a tall middle aged wood spirit slowly came over, wearing a dismal and solemn look on his face.
“Uncle Qing Mu!” Fei Yan and Qin Zhu both exclaimed at the same time.
Qing Mu took a step forward, helping He Lin up and said “Young patriarch, you should stop inconveniencing our benefactor. What he said was entirely right. You are only a child at the moment and the most appropriate thing for you to do right now is to depend on us to grow up. Once you’ve grown up, you should then try your hardest to become someone on whom we can then depend, as well as repay our benefactor for saving your life. If you stubbornly choose to follow our benefactor, not only will the entire clan worry, it will also bring great burden and calamity upon our benefactor.”
He Lin stared blankly for a while and eventually stood up with resignation. He wiped his tears and apologized to Yun Che, “Big Brother Yun Che, I’m sorry, I was.. too impulsive and too selfish. You saved my life and I-I...”
Yun Chu shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. “He Lin, what is your sister’s name?”
“Ah?” He Lin was caught in a trance.
“In the future, I should be able to travel to many places in the God Realm. If it’s fated to be, there might be a possibility of me meeting your sister. If that’s the case, I’ll be able to pass along your whereabouts or perhaps even be able to bring her here and let you siblings reunite.”
“Ah!” He Lin’s eyes shone brightly and he started to tremble with excitement, “Big Brother Yun Che, my older sister… her name is He Ling... He Ling!”
Exhilaration also showed on Qing Mu’s face.
“Then… What does she look like? Is there anything different about her features with regard to other wood spirits?” Yun Che asked, while engraving the name “He Ling” deeply in his memory. By no means did he casually ask, just for the sake of comforting He Lin but because of his pleadings and tears, Yun Che felt like he couldn’t let him down.
“Big sister is a very good-looking wood spirit and is the most beautiful sister in the world. She is prettier than any flower, prettier even than the stars and the moon in the night sky!” He Lin exclaimed with any hesitation.
“...” Yun Chu nodded and gave He Lin a hopeful look.
“Thank you benefactor, I truly don’t know how to say thank you enough.” Qing Mu was sincerely touched and expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart.
While talking, he carefully raised both his hands. In his palms lay a pearl the size of a dragon eye fruit, which projected a bright, jade-green glow.
It was a Wood Spirit Orb!!
“This is…” Yun Che’s mind went in a turmoil.
“This is the Wood Spirit Orb that my deceased wife left. Although many years have passed, the spirit energy within is still intact.”
By placing the Wood Spirit Orb delicately into Yun Che’s hands, Qing Mu’s eyes became momentarily expressionless and blank, as if his soul had been cut off from his body. Then, a gentle smile promptly appeared on his face. “I hope you can make good use of it.”
Yun Chu stored away the complete Wood Spirit Orb, as he solemnly offered his thanks, “My sincerest gratitude.”
Yun Che stood there and after a brief hesitation, he asked, “Senior Qing Mu, junior has a question. I don’t know if it’s appropriate to bring it up.”
Qing Mu smiled, “Benefactor, please speak.”
Yun Che looked at the miniature world around him and stated “One simply cannot stay unsympathetic if they were to see your wood spirit clan’s current situation. From junior’s understanding, in the God Realm of today… at least in the Eastern Divine Region, poaching wood spirits is a clear violation of the code of ethics and is strictly forbidden. It is a joint ban placed by the Eternal Heaven God Realm and the other three king realms. If a king realm happens to know of anyone violating it, they will be severely punished. That being the case, in all these years, why have you not tried to seek a king realm’s protection? Instead, you’ve chosen separate yourself even further from a king realm and inhabit a lower star realm, making it harder for them to reach and to lend assistance.”
When Yun Che finished speaking these words, he noticed that Qing Mu’s eyes had filled with violent turmoil. Then, he let out a heavy sigh.
“We have tried,” Qing Mu replied. “However, humanity’s greed and evil are not related to strength or status—they are nevertheless just as scary.”
Qing Mu’s words caused Yun Chu to abruptly lift his head. He said in surprise, “You mean… Don’t tell me…”
“Do you know how our patriarch died?” Qing Mu closed his eyes, his hands trembling slightly.
“...” Yun Che did not rashly assume.
“During that year, the king realms did indeed impose a ban. However, the difficulties our wood spirit clan had suffered has never stopped. Thus, many years ago, my clan had started to seek out the protection of a king realm. Even if we had to become their slaves, at least our future generations would be able obtain peace and no longer live on the run.
“Later, after countless untold hardships, the patriarch and his wife finally managed to get close to one of the king realms and had high hopes. However, little did they know, a disaster would soon suddenly descend upon them... During the calamity, the patriarch, his wife and thousands of our clansmen fell. Their desperate fight to the death allowed the young patriarch and the princess to escape… However, the heavens did not turn a blind eye on us, as among the chaos, we were able to find the young patriarch and desperately fought to protect the clansmen who had helped the young patriarch escape. Only three of them remained... One of them was my deceased wife.”
“Then again, the princess and the clansmen who were protecting her got separated during the escape. Their whereabouts are uncertain. Their life and death…”
Yun Che asked, “That group of people… Who were they?”
“...” Qing Mu took a deep breath, “I… received the Patriarch’s soul sound transmission when he died—there were only four words.
“Brahma... Monarch... God... Realm.”
“W-what!?” Yun Chu was so startled that it seemed as though every hair on his body stood on end.
Head of the Eastern Divine Region’s four king realms, it was rumored that the entire realm was so obsessed with the profound way that there are no weak experts there at all. The Brahma Monarch God Realm that never interfered in the arguments of other realms!?!?
Qing Mu smiled bitterly, “As a human, I know it is hard for you to believe. As for this fact, out of whole tribe, only three people know the truth. The young patriarch doesn’t know and knows even less of the princess’ whereabouts. I can only pray that she never tries to seek a king realm’s protection again or any other star realms for shelter.”
“Then you… Why are you telling me this?” Emotions surged up within Yun Che. He knew why the other wood spirits must not know the truth; because it would only bring them endless grief and despair.
Qing Mu gave him a deep look, “Although I am not a human, I understand. The fact that you were actually able to rescue the young patriarch from Darkya City at such a young age must mean that your cultivation, among peers of your generation, is at the very top. If you were able to reach this height, it must be because you cultivated with great obsession. For cultivators, the highest existence one can hope to reach is the king realms. With your current achievements, who knows, you may be qualified to touch the king realms in the future.
Yun Che. “...”
Qing Mu continued, “I don’t expect you to believe my words but I hope you will at least consider them or maybe even develop a sense of wariness. I don’t want to see humans as kind-hearted as you, having to look up to and trust a crowd of filthy and vile souls.”
“...” Yun Che stayed silent for a long while. Even though he had never thought he would one day touch the supreme existence of the Eastern Divine Region, Qing Mu’s words... He believed them but it was indeed difficult to accept them.
However, as he thought about how the Four Great Sacred Grounds were revered by the world, generation after generation, the concerns in his heart eased off and subsided a great deal.
“The kind of realm they live in, is there still a need for Wood Spirit Orbs?” Yun Che grew pensive and started talking to himself in a low voice.
“No, what they wanted was the patriarch’s Royal Wood Spirit Orb.” Qing Mu continued “Before he breathed his last breath, with his last ounce of strength, the patriarch completely shattered his Wood Spirit Orb, not allowing the wicked ones to succeed.”
Qing Mu turned his head and glanced at He Lin, who was standing not too far from him, “Fortunately, they do not know of the existence of the young patriarch and the princess, otherwise…”
His words made Yun Che feel a sinking feeling in his chest.
He Lin carried the royal lineage. After his identity had been exposed at the Black Feather Merchant Guild, everyone present at the scene knew of it.
However, everyone also knew that the news of the appearance of a royal wood spirit would completely shake the world, not to mention the colossal troubles and catastrophes such information would bring. Therefore, the Black Feather Merchant Guild would only take action in absolute secrecy. Leaking the information would invite trouble and those present at the scene were smart enough not to do that.
Wait a minute… What Ji Ruyan said about that upper star realm…
Whew! I can only hope that the information won’t spread any further, especially to the Brahma Monarch God Realm.
It had been almost half an hour since he arrived in this tiny desolate world of wood spirits. Now that he had obtained the Wood Spirit Orb, it was time for him to leave.
As he walked back to the entrance, the greenish black vines automatically unwove themselves, revealing a narrow passage.
Behind Yun Che, a group of wood spirits gathered together, bidding him farewell. He Lin was among the group—his eyes had become red.
“Young man, a Wood Spirit Orb will never be enough to repay your kindness. If you don’t mind, how about you take this with you, perhaps it might save your life in times of crisis.”
Granny Qing Ye placed three small delicate jade bottles into his hands.
“This is?”
“This is something unique to our clan, the 【Wood Spirit Miracle Dew】, which is collected from the Spring of Origin that flowed from the land of our ancestors. It contains the magical powers of nature, that when consumed, will heal your wounds and restore your strength in the blink of an eye. These are the last three drops that we possess, we sincerely hope that they can be of great assistance to you in the future.”
Although Yun Che did not know how powerful the restorative effects would be, if it came from the Spring of Origin, how could it be ordinary? He did not decline and accepted the gift with great gratitude. He nodded deeply to the crowd of wood spirits and as he turned around to leave...
“Big Brother Yun Che!”
The voice of a young girl came from afar and although anxious, it was still ethereal, like wind brushing past tranquil water.
Yun Che halted his steps and in front his and the surrounding wood spirits’ surprised gazes, Qing He came before Yun Che in her beautiful, colorful clothes. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glimmered and her slightly swelling chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing.
“Qing He, I have to go.” Yun Che smiled.
“Big Brother Yun Che … “ Qing He slowly lifted her hands and within her beautiful, delicate palms, lay a bracelet, strung from seeds of different flowers, completed by a small emerald-colored gem. “This is.. this is a charm I made with my own hands, i-it can definitely protect Big Brother Yun Che.. “
“...” Moved from the bottom of his heart, Yun Che took a step forward and received the bracelet with both his hands. The scent of the fresh flowers and plants flowed into his nose—indeed, the seeds had just been picked not too long ago and so, the bracelet was crafted very recently. The little crystal green gem had a girl’s fragrance… This aroma could only be emitted because it was fortunate enough to stick closely to the skin of a young girl.
“Thank you, Qing He, I will treasure it dearly,” Yun Che said sincerely, as he looked into her eyes.
“...” His words made the wood spirit girl lower her head. She softly bit her lips and then found the courage to raise her head and murmured in a gentle voice, “Big Brother Yun Che, in the future, will…. will you come visit us often?”
“I will.” Yun Che nodded deeply… Her gaze, her whisper and her pure heart… Even if one’s core was made out of stone, never would they have the heart to cruelly reject her or let her down.
As he walked out of the wood spirits’ hidden sanctuary, the secret passage disappeared under the weaving of the greenish black wines. It was as if it vanished into thin air.
Indeed, other than being hidden by the vines, the entrance seemed to be protected by a special nature illusory formation, which produced an illusion that interfered with one’s vision and spirit sense.
It was only by pouring all of his strength into his spirit sense that Yun Che was able to discern that there was something amiss about this place. If he had just nonchalantly walked by, it would be almost impossible.
If one’s cultivation was high enough though, they wouldn’t need to concentrate to detect it. This was probably why the wood spirit race mostly chose to take refuge in lower star realms.
“After all, this is not a place they plan to stay in for a long time,” Yun Che said to himself. “I hope no one will ever find this place.”

Chapter 1078 - Heavenly Mystery Realm?
Darkya Realm, Darkya City.
Without a doubt, because he took away He Lin and had inflicted heavy injuries upon the middle-aged man in black, the Black Feather Merchant Guild and the forces behind it must have launched a manhunt after him. After careful consideration, Yun Che, after leaving wood spirits’ secret grounds, chose to return to Darkya City.
Now that he had obtained the Wood Spirit Orb, all that was left to refine the Universe Penta Jade Pellet was the Divine Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass
Being reputed as a well-known trading center in the lower star realms, Darkya City was naturally the most likely place Yun Che could obtain information or hints, which was why he decided to come back.
Of course, he did not choose to return directly. First, he changed his clothes, modified his appearance and even used his Hidden Flowing Lightning to repress his profound energy aura.
Darkya City was lively and bustling; nothing was unusual. Obviously, when it came to the matter of the royal wood spirit, even if the Black Feather Merchant Guild had launched a manhunt, it would proceed in total secrecy and they would not dare to announce it publicly. Yun Che was walking blatantly in the middle of the city and began making inquiries about the Divine Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass.
After Yun Che had wandered around for a while without going to the main merchant guild, a not-so-small street booth attracted his attention. The owner was an old man with a white moustache fluttering around. Although he was surrounded by people coming and going, he was calm and poised and had sagelike features.
Laid in front of him was a stall full of strange items; most of them were old and ancient, they were releasing a rather quaint aura.
An old man who had experienced many things most likely had extensive knowledge. Yun Che walked over and asked straightforwardly, “Senior, I was wondering if I could inquire about some news.”
The old man swept his eyes over him and asked lazily, “Looking at you, you should be an outsider, right? Just as a reminder, in our Darkya City, the price of information is not cheap. Please ask."
Yun Che asked, “This junior would like to know where can one purchase a Nine Star Buddha Jade in Darkya City.”
When Yun Che had finished speaking, he saw the old man’s gaze sweeping over him again, his face becoming unfriendly, “You little rascal, are you making fun of me?”
“...I have no such intentions.” Yun Che shook his head.
“Then you must be retarded!!” The old man’s voice suddenly grew louder. “An Empyrean Divine Jade needs to be bathed in the starlight of nine stars for at least ten thousand years before it can transform into a Nine Star Buddha Jade. Even within the upper star realms, it is considered to be an extremely priceless treasure. In all of the lower star realms, not many even know of its name. You’re actually looking for this kind of treasure in my Darkya City, how is this not making fun of me?”
Yun Che was stunned when he saw that the old man, who was originally poised and sagelike, had become like a squalling bitch…
“What about… the Immortal Emperor Grass? Does Darkya City have it?” Yun Che inquired again. Although there was not much hope, he did not expect the result to be this absolute.
“~！@#￥%... “ The old man’s moustache stood erect, “Out, out, out, out, out! Stop disturbing this old man’s business!”
Yun Che took out ten thousand purple profound stones, “Senior, I feel like your knowledge must be exceedingly extensive, could you please provide some guidance to this junior on the whereabouts of the Nine Star Buddha Jade or the Immortal Emperor Grass?”
Facing the sparkling purple profound stones, the old man’s demeanor suddenly calmed down. He quietly snatched away the purple profound stones, his face and eyes clear and free. He looked at Yun Che with a gaze full of praise, “Young master, at a first glance, this old man knew that you were a rich clan’s young master. Since you’re inquiring so sincerely, then it wouldn’t be bad for this old man to tell you a thing or two.”
Yun Che, “...”
“This Nine Star Buddha Jade, not to mention our lower star realm, is absolutely impossible to find even within the middle star realms. Its original form, the Empyrean Divine Jade, is an existence that can only be found in upper star realms. You looking for it in Darkya City is simply synonymous of being retar… Cough, it is not realistic. Even if you had really gone to an upper star realm, it would still be difficult.”
“As for the Immortal Emperor Grass, this kind of divine grass is said to appear only in primordial secret realms.”
“Primordial secret realms?” Yun Che raised his eyebrow.
The old man suddenly became suspicious, “Kid, you don’t even know about primordial secret realms? Don’t tell me… you’re from the lower realms?”
Yun Che glanced and could only admit, “Yes, this junior was indeed born in the lower realms, having arrived here not too long ago. This junior implores senior to elaborate further on these primordial secret realms.”
While speaking, Yun Che “tactfully” took out another ten thousand purple profound stones.
The old man accepted it with the speed of lightning, his face becoming tranquil and serene. “Since you were born in the lower realms, then it is not surprising. These so-called primordial secret realms are small independent worlds left from the ancient Era of Gods.”
With the old man’s explanation, Yun Che came, more or less, to an understanding.
“There are many primordial secret realms within the God Realm. Some are directly connected to the outside realms, allowing one to enter and exit freely. Some have their own independent laws restricting time, quantity of people, profound strength, and so on. In the God Realm, many inheritances and primordial treasures were discovered in secret realms. With the extinction of the gods, the source of power that sustained those worlds is gone, causing the collapse and the disappearance of a large number of primordial secret realms year after year. Although some realms still exist, the secrets and resources hidden within them have pretty much been plundered clean. Today, most of those secret realms are occupied by some powerful sects and are used as trial sites.”
Yun Che slowly nodded his head... The Heaven Basin Secret Realm in Blue Wind Nation’s Heavenly Sword Villa was in fact a primordial secret realm left by the Evil God.
In our Darkya Realm, there are still two primordial secret realms remaining as of today, all of which belong to the Soul Sect.” The old man continued, without hiding anything, “When we talk about primordial secret realms, we can’t not talk about the God Realm of Absolute Beginning. That is even what the seventeen king realms that stand at the summit of the entire God Realm…”
He suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence and then waved his hands. “Oh, I got side tracked. A kid like you won’t be able to understand something like the God Realm of Absolute Beginning even if given ten thousand more years. About that Immortal Emperor Grass… oh yes, about the Immortal Emperor Grass. Records of it point to different kinds of primordial secret realms, within the upper star realms and middle star realms. As for the lower star realms… Oh! It seems there has also been record of it in a lower star realm! Anyways, I haven’t personally heard of the Immortal Emperor Grass appearing outside of a primordial secret realm.”
Primordial secret realm…
The Immortal Emperor Grass would only appear in a primordial secret realm... This was undoubtedly some extremely unpleasant news.
Even if it only appeared in a higher plane or a truly sinister place, one could always try to find it. But a secret realm… There were countless secret realms within the God Realm, who knew which one would have an Immortal Emperor Grass? Moreover, ownership had already been claimed for all of the major secret realms—free entry was basically implausible. Even if one wanted to try to find a needle in a haystack, it was impossible.
Seeing that Yun Che’s complexion had gone darker, the old man leaned forward and said mysteriously, “Kid, looking at you, it seems like you actually truly want to find those two treasures, huh? Seeing that you are so generous, I can give you some hints.”
Yun Che’s eyes flashed in delight, “Senior, please speak.”
“The Heavenly Mystery Realm!” The man’s gaze swept over him.
“The Heavenly Mystery Realm… heaven’s mystery?” Yun Che asked in a low voice.
“The Heavenly Mystery Realm is the smallest star realm within the Eastern Divine Region… Oh wait no, it is the smallest in the entire God Realm. If it was to be mapped, it would be as big as the Darkya City you are in now. However, it is…. truly a genuine upper star realm!”
Yun Che’s eyes flashed with a bright radiance… If its size was comparable to Darkya City, then the domain would only be a five hundred kilometers wide. It was actually at a level that would absolutely crush realms like the Snow Song Realm and the Flame God Realm?!
“Although the Heavenly Mystery Realm is small, not only is it an upper star realm, it also has a high status in the upper star realms. Even the four great king realms still have to be respectful to the Heavenly Mystery Realm. Their Great Realm Kings would often personally pay a visit to the Heavenly Mystery Realm.”
”Since the star realm is called Heavenly Mystery Realm… Is it true... that the inhabitants, can actually break through the mysteries of the heavens?” Yun Che asked in surprise.
“Hehehe,” The old man smiled, “It is rumored so but how am I qualified to know about matters concerning that plane? However, the Heavenly Mystery Realm is an unrestricted star realm, anyone can go there. As long as you have enough profound stones, you can purchase any information there…. For example, where can one find the Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass.”
Yun Che’s gaze moved slightly.
“However, the price of the information in the Heavenly Mystery Realm is much more expensive than you can imagine. As long as you can afford it, the quality will definitely not disappoint you. As to how you can acquire the Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass after obtaining the information, it will entirely depend on you. It will be much more difficult than simply purchasing a piece of information.”
“How can I get to the Heavenly Mystery Realm?” Yun Che asked without any hesitation.
“Simple!” The old man replied, “There is a dimensional station in the west of the city and as long as enough profound stones are provided, it can grant access to the dimensional formations of more than sixty star realms. First, you would need to go to the Frigid Origin Realm and from the dimensional station in the Frigid Origin Realm, head to the Starsun Realm and from the Starsun Realm, head to the Myriad Holy Light Realm... and after these seventeen transfers, you will then be able to get to a star realm named the Divine Sea Realm. In the city in the center of the realm, you will be able to find a dimensional station that can reach the Heavenly Mystery Realm. However, the cost of these transfers is not cheap and ordinary people cannot afford such travel, even if they spend everything they have.”
Yun Che, “~！@#￥%…”
Although it involved seventeen unfamiliar star realms, Yun Che remembered them all.
“Senior, thank you for your guidance.”
Having found his goal, Yun Che headed straight west.
The Heavenly Mystery Realm, an unrestricted upper star realm. He did not know whether the remaining one hundred million purple profound stones he had on him was enough to afford the information on the Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass.
Yun Che traveled for a long time, inquiring during the entire way and finally arrived at the dimensional station in the west of the city. As he approached, he noticed that a large number of people were coming from that direction, their faces bleak.
His heart jumped and quickly stopped someone, “Brother, did something happen at the dimensional station?”
“If you want to go to the dimensional station, then you should turn around." The man said, looking depressed. “It seems like the dimensional station was sealed several hours ago and no one can enter. Also…” He lowered his voice. “It was guarded by a large group of people from the Soul Sect and anyone who approached the dimensional station would get scrutinized right away.”
“Oh, I see. Thanks for telling me,” Yun Che replied as his heart sank.
The Black Feather Merchant Guild certainly did not stay idle regarding last night’s matter. The purpose behind sealing the dimensional station was to prevent him from escaping the Darkya Realm.
After all, the Black Feather Merchant Guild knew that he came from another star realm.
Could it be..  they were planning to search for him within the entire Darkya Realm? Although it was for a royal wood spirit, wasn’t it a bit too extreme?
Soul Sect, full name being Black Soul Divine Sect, was the ruling sect of the Darkya Realm. By now, it could be confirmed that they were the power behind the Black Feather Merchant Guild and were an existence that Yun Che absolutely could not offend.
Yun Che turned around right away… The dimensional station could not remain shut permanently. He could only stay in Darkya City and wait until the day the dimensional station was unsealed.
Yun Che no longer inquired about the Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass. He started wandering around the city, buying trinkets that caught his attention. A few hours later, he had spent quite a few profound stones.
When noon arrived, Yun Che was wondering whether or not he should find a temporary place to stay. Suddenly, he felt a strong aura nearby, his eyes shifted and saw a man, dressed in black, walk toward a shop not far away. Whenever he went, pedestrians scurried away, reverence on their faces.
As he turned around, a tattoo of a black snake quickly flashed on his left arm… which was the same tattoo that was on the body of the middle-aged man in black he had crippled.
Someone from the Soul Sect!?
Yun Che noticed that after that man in black had entered the store, it took a while for him to come out. After he left the store, he quickly walked away.
Yun Che raised his eyebrow and after a brief hesitation, entered the store.
He was met with a rich, full-bodied aroma—it was actually a spice shop and it reeked of all kinds of odor and fragrances being mixed together.
What was peculiar about this scene was that the owner of this spice shop was a wretched-looking, middle-aged man.
Although Yun Che was modest, his clothes and his body language demonstrated an air of extravagance. The shop owner’s eyes swept over him, smiling instantly and inquired politely, “Young master, our little store has over six hundred kinds of spices and grasses. Something ought to catch your eye. Please take your time, no need to hurry.”
Yun Che leaned forward and lowered his voice, “What did the previous guest purchase?”
As he was speaking, he flashed five thousand purple profound stones in front of the store owner.
The store owner’s eyebrows fiercely jumped, not only did he not accept the profound stones but fear started to show on his face instead, “Young master, you… must be someone from a major merchant guild or a big sect, right? Haah, please do not make it difficult for this little one. If this little one were to sell the Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense to someone else and the Soul Sect were to know about this, I would not be able to keep my life.
“Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense?” Yun Che creased his brows, “What is that?”
“Huh? You don’t know?” Seeing that Yun Che’s didn’t look like he was lying, the shop owner was surprised.
“I truly don’t know. I’m also not someone from a major merchant guild or a large sect, I am only an ordinary foreign traveler.” Yun Che answered. “I just noticed that the the person who was here previous had an extraordinary aura about him, so I figured that the thing he purchased must be amazing as well. That’s why I came in here to find out, out of curiosity.”
“Oh, I see. Hmmm… You certainly don’t look like you’re from Darkya Realm.” The store owner looked at him in a new light, believing him. At the same time, the fear in his face disappeared and with the speed of lightning, he reached out and pocketed the five thousand purple profound stones. “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you. This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense, I cannot and dare not to sell it to anyone else outside of the Soul Sect.”
“This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense that you’re talking about, what exactly is it?” Yun Che asked. He didn’t know why, but he felt a strong feeling of uneasiness in his heart.
“Of course it is something not simple at all.” Pride was displayed on the owner’s face, “The materials it needs are very expensive and in the entire Darkya Realm, currently, I’m the only one who can prepare it. The Soul Sect will bring over the materials regularly and take the Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense back in ten days. Although the Soul Sect forbad me to sell it to anyone else, it can also be said that my little shop has also obtained the protection of the Soul Sect, no?”
“What does a Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense do exactly?” Yun Che tightened his eyebrows as he asked.
“Of course it is used for tracking,” the shop owner replied. “This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense is colorless and odorless and absolutely no one will be able to notice it. However, there is a mysterious animal called the ‘Red-tailed Mink’ that is highly sensitive to this odor.”
“Thus, the Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense is put on precious treasures or on the bodies of prisoners or mysterious beasts. In case they get lost, run away or get kidnapped, they can be tracked immediately with the 'Red-tailed Mink', guaranteeing that absolutely nothing…”
“What did you say… What did you just say??”
The shop owner’s voice did not fall before his whole body was suddenly picked up by his neck. He had cultivation at the Sovereign Profound Realm but under Yun Che’s hands, he could not put up an ounce of resistance. His wide eyes showed signs of deep confusion and fear. “You… What are you doing…”
Yun Che’s aura was completely chaotic; chills ran down his back. The arm he used to hold the shop owner was shaking violently and his pupils dilated and contracted intermittently. “This Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing Incense… How long does it last? How far can it be tracked…. Will it exceed one thousand kilometers or not?!”
“Young master... Let’s talk…”
“Answer my questions!!” Yun Che roared.
The shop owner’s mouth opened wide and said painfully, “The name... Ten Thousand Mile Soul Chasing... was not... given for fun… Forget… one thousand kilometers… It takes at least… four days and four nights… before it dissipates...”
Boom!!
The shop owner was cruelly thrown to the floor—it was not known whether he was still alive or not. Yun Che leaped into the sky and rushed south like a madman.


Chapter 1079 - Tragedy
Darkya City was previously an absolute place of danger for Yun Che. He was constantly on edge, moving about as if on tenterhooks.
However, as of now, he couldn’t care less. He disregarded whether the Black Feather Merchant Guild would discover his traces. He released his profound energy to the maximum, sending bright bolts of lightning piercing through the skies above Darkya City. Each bolt brought with it an ear-piercing shrill.
When he had taken He Lin back to the wood spirit secret grounds, he had carefully scanned He Lin’s body for any tracking imprints...
But who would have thought that there was such a thing as the “Ten Thousand Mile Chasing Soul Incense”!
It had to be fake... How could such a thing exist!? It definitely couldn’t!
He sped away as Darkya City slowly disappeared into the distance. He clenched his teeth hard, nearly shattering some in the process.
He had stayed in the secret grounds for about half an hour. From the time he left until now, only three to four hours had passed. If all that had happened was true, then within this time frame...
This had better not be real!
Yun Che charged out of Darkya City like thunder, his speed several times that of when he had taken He Lin back home. He frantically flew southeast heading straight for the thick jungle without stopping for a moment.
Entering the dense jungle Yun Che didn’t lower his speed, he tore through the foliage like a raging tornado, sending wood, grass, and flowers spinning through the sky. One by one, ancient trees, that were tens of thousands years old, were reduced to splinters and dust.
Having already memorized the spot, Yun Che finally arrived at where the secret entrance lay. The row of ancient trees stood before him. He descended immediately and his pupils shrank.
The illusory formation that enshrouded the area was utterly broken. The greenish black vines looked as if a hurricane had swept through and torn them apart. Bits and pieces of vine littered the ground.
The world ahead was a picture of silence, a silence which chilled the bones.
Yun Che’s heart stopped beating for a moment. He fixed his gaze ahead as he felt a cold surround him. He stood there in a daze before slowly advancing forward. The sound of each step he took treading on the broken vines underfoot pierced at his soul.
After stepping through the vine crushed clearing, he came to a halt. His body shook and his face paled as a pained expression swept across his face. It felt as if all the blood had instantly been drained from his body.
What was originally a vast land of emerald and jade flora was now a scene of destruction and despair. Ancient trees were toppled over, wooden houses were collapsed and everything bore the scars of fierce combat. What remained of the picturesque land was now only dried green blood stains and a deathly silence.
One lifeless body after another of the wood spirits were strewn across the blood dyed ground. One particular body closest to Yun Che still had his eyes wide open. The emerald green light had already faded from his eyes, what remained was a look of fear and hopelessness... Even in death, his resentment never left.
“Ah… AHHH…”
Yun Che’s lips were shaking and his pupils dilated in shock, nearly covering the whites of his eyes. Yun Che couldn’t move, as if both his feet were nailed to the ground. His vision started going blurry and the sky around him started to spin.
He grasped his head with both hands, his fingers shaking like that of an old man at the end of his life.
Dead…
They’re all dead...
Because of me…
I caused their deaths… because of me...
“Huff… huff..”
Yun Che took dozens of deep, heavy breaths before both his mind and eyes finally regained clarity.
He slowly stepped forward. Everything was still slightly blurry, but each body, each drop of fresh green blood were imprinted clearly in his soul... Each sight was like a piercing cold dagger, stabbing straight through his soul.
Every now and then, there were traces of the red blood of humans. They stood out like bloody dirty stains which desecrated this now ruined sanctuary.
Huuu…
He took in another deep breath. Color returned to his face and his eyes grew steady once more. He took a step forward, carefully walking across this now ruined world.
Bang!!
A heavily damaged tree suddenly toppled over, revealing a lifeless wood spirit… She was thin and small, her old and wrinkled face bore an expression of eternal calm.
“Granny Qing Ye…” Yun Che whispered. He lifted his head and slowly closed his eyes. He Lin respected her the most. She was the most senior and respected wood spirit in this little world. Just hours before, he had even personally received the Wood Spirit Miracle Dew.
“I’m sorry. I brought this disaster upon you all… Please rest in peace,” Yun Che softly whispered.
The die had been cast for this tragedy and all he could do now was offer a simple apology.
He had calmed down but unease still weighed heavily on his chest. Yun Che flew up into the air and released his spirit perception in the hopes of finding a survivor… hopefully there were fortunate wood spirits… even if there was only one, that was enough.
In front of a ruined hut Yun Che saw a well built middle aged wood spirit. He no longer had life in him. His hand was holding onto a broken spear. The spear was coated in a mixture of green and red blood.
On his back was a large and bloody hole... Because he had fought until the end, he didn’t even have a chance to self destruct his Wood Spirit Orb. Without a doubt, his Wood Spirit Orb had been forcefully taken away after his death.
“Senior Qing Mu…”
Yun Che gently mouthed his name, both of his hands trembling, fists clenched.
All around him lay the larger portion of the middle aged wood spirits. Each body was filled with signs of bloody battle and battle scars. All of their eyes were wide open, filled with expressions of fear, hopelessness, and hate... None of them were shut.
Yun Che continued flying silently. Further ahead in this little world, he saw one wood spirit child after another. Some were hugging each other, some were hugging the old… and the youngest, his soft little body was run through… A long black bladed knife was lodged in his body.
Yun Che found it harder and harder to breathe. He struggled to move his gaze, when he caught sight of the large garden where he had spent the most of his time on his first journey here.
Thousands of flowers were scattered roughly on the ground. There were no more butterflies...
At the end of the flowerbed, two girls were hugging each other tightly. Though their bodies bore no scars or wounds, they held no life within them.
Death by self destruction of their spirit orbs.
Yun Che landed and stared blankly at them, “Fei Yan… Qing He…”
Outside the flowerbed lay a fallen youth. His body was full of scars, evidence of the brutal wounds he had suffered in battle trying to protect the two girls behind him.
“Qing… Zhu…”
The strong sense of suffocation which was finally receding came back full force once more, flooding his entire soul, stronger than before.
“...I wish I could see the outside world for myself…”
“I always thought that humans were scary. I never would have thought that Big Brother Yun Che would be such a strong and likable human!”
“This is a charm I made with my own hands, it will keep you safe…”
“Big Brother Yun Che… Will you come back often to visit us...”
    “……”
Qing Zhu… Fei Yan… Qing He...
One hand clutching his head, the other over his heart, he slowly crouched down. His heart felt as if it were pierced by thousands of poisonous needles. His body trembled in pain uncontrollably.
Just hours before they had looked at him in wonder, with such pure and eager eyes. They held onto every word that he’d said, as if they feared missing out on even a single one of his words. He had clearly felt a deep desire of hope and yearning in every one of their souls.
Fate had been far too cruel to them. What was the norm for others at a similar age, was but a dream for them. They were in the prime of their youth, but now...
“The… the one… who… caused all this...”
“Was... was me...”
His heart was convulsing and his teeth were chattering. He dug into his head with all five fingers, digging into his flesh, yet he felt not an ounce of pain.
This was the second time in his life he had felt like this.
The first time was when he was in the Azure Cloud Continent. He had lost his master, he had lost Ling’er. He no longer had anyone to hold onto him nor anyone to hold onto. Under his rage and anguished madness, he had utilized the Sky Poison Pearl and took all the lives within an entire city...
After his rash act, an immediate endless and unbearable amount of guilt descended upon him, driving him to the brink of despair...
At that time, he had killed millions of people, most of whom were innocent and had neither hatred for nor ties to him.
This time round, one hundred wood spirits had perished. Although not by his hands, he still felt the same strong surging pain as back then.
Why did this have to happen...
What were these innocent wood spirits guilty of!?
Was it only because they were too kind and weak?
No… It was because of me. If not for me… this cursed jinx, how would they have met with such a disaster?
It’s all because of me!!
If it wasn’t because I just had to look for a Wood Spirit Orb, if it wasn’t because I showed mercy and brought He Lin back here, this wouldn’t have…
…………
Wait a minute… He Lin!?
As if a cold bucket of water was poured over him, Yun Che lifted his head and immediately stood up. What about He Lin? He Lin wasn’t among these dead bodies. Where had He Lin gone?
Yun Che started flying and once more released his spirit perception as fast as possible, covering the entire wood spirit secret grounds. He scanned every inch of soil, every blade of grass, every wood spirit corpse.
He didn’t detect He Lin at all.
His mind rapidly cleared up. He expanded his spirit sense to the furthest he could spread it to and still he didn’t find the corpse of He Lin. He Lin could still be alive… No, this was definite. He Lin was definitely alive!
Those people knew that He Lin was a royal wood spirit, they definitely wanted him captured alive. And He Lin being the only wood spirit that had a royal bloodline, even if he stepped into the most dire and desperate circumstance, he would never allow himself to die! Yes, he was definitely still alive!
The highest possibility right now was that he had been captured and taken away.
The blood on the ground hasn’t dried yet, they couldn’t have gone far.
Yun Che flew higher into the air and closed his eyes. He gathered every bit of concentration he could master… I have to find him. I must find him!!
Towards the east, he sensed traces of footsteps making a path through the jungle. He closed his eyes and explosively released his profound energy, streaking towards the east like lightning.

Chapter 1080 - Massacre
The storm brought forth by Yun Che’s frightening speed tore apart the trees below.
He had weathered countless dangerous and stormy situations and was always able to regain his composure within moments but this time around it was different. His heart was an utter mess and no matter how he tried, it couldn’t be stilled.
It was as if his soul was being tightly locked onto by an unknown entity as it trembled in a cycle of never ending pain.
Following the traces left, he continued eastward. Eventually, an aura belonging to a human appeared within his spirit perception and it wasn’t just one person. Yun Che focused, then expanded his spirit sense to its limit and found seventeen strong auras no more than five kilometers ahead of him
Including an additional weaker aura belonging to that of a wood spirit.
He Lin!?
Going at a pace which had still yet to slow, Yun Che concealed his presence as he descended into the jungle, gradually approaching the auras up front. Upon reaching the vicinity, Hidden Flowing Lightning had already been mobilized and not a single person detected him.
All seventeen of them were in black robes. A black serpent’s emblem could be seen at different but conspicuous spots on each of their clothing. Among these individuals, sixteen of them had auras at the Divine Soul Realm, while the one right at the front was in the Divine Tribulation Realm. However, the man in front should have just stepped into the Divine Tribulation Realm not too long ago; the strength of his aura was slightly inferior to the middle aged person in black that Yun Che had heavily injured the night before.
Yun Che’s eyes locked onto an individual right in the center of the group… he was tightly restraining a wood spirit boy within his grasp.
He Lin!
He Lin’s profound strength hadn’t been sealed and his body showed no signs of obvious wounds or injuries but in the hands of his captor, he was immobilized. Both of his eyes were open but they were missing that distinct green brilliance. Rather, they looked like an unseeing pair of grayish-white eyes belonging to the dead.
Instead of looking like someone who was alive, he looked more like an empty shell drained of its soul.
“He Lin…” Yun Che said in a low voice.
Ascertaining that He Lin wasn’t dead, Yun Che let out a sigh of relief but his heart became even heavier when he saw He Lin’s lifeless eyes.
“Hahaha.” Wild laughter roared from the black robed man who was holding onto He Lin. “Never would I have expected such a big and pleasant surprise. Hehe, not only will the Hall Master not erupt in wrath, he’ll definitely reward us generously.”
“It’s just a pity that that bunch of wood spirits were so goddamn stubborn, not hesitating to self-destruct their spirit orbs. There were so many of them yet we only obtained a few Wood Spirit Orbs.”
“Frankly, this is probably one of the biggest harvests we’ve had in all these years. Since a long time back, it’s as if these wood spirits came to an agreement. As soon as any of them fall into our hands, they immediately self-destruct their Wood Spirit Orbs. Hehe, as for this little wood spirit kid, boss… what is his background? Why did we have to capture him alive? Even the hall master flew into a rage because of him.”
The black robed man in the lead glanced backward coldly replying, “Some questions are best left unanswered. Just watch over him, if he escapes once more, let alone us, even hall master’s head will roll!”
This sudden turn in the conversation left everyone in shock. He Lin’s captor tightened his grip and exclaimed “This… What’s this all about? Are you saying that this wood spirit kid is something the sect master wants?”
“Hmph!” exclaimed their leader. “I’m afraid the situation is even more dire. When Sect Master brought away the individual that was injured at the Black Feather Merchant Guild, I vaguely heard a mention of the ‘Divine Martial Realm’.”
‘What!? Divine… Martial Realm!?”
“Shut up!” their leader gruffly shouted. “It’s enough as long as you understand in your hearts. Don’t talk about it and no more questions. If you don’t want to die, stay vigilant. Once we meet up with the hall master we’ll have to immediately return to the sect and hand this kid over to the Sect Master. There can be no slip ups. If we lose this kid, I can guarantee that none of us will be able to keep our lives.”
“Yes, boss!” everyone shouted in harried unison. He Lin’s captor looked at their leader. “Boss, you can relax. In all of the Darkya Realm, no one has either the ability or gall to dare….”
BOOM!!!
Before he could even finish speaking, a shadow appeared in midair just six meters away. Amidst the thunderous explosion of profound strength, that shadow flashed towards him like a streak of light.
Everything happened in an instant. Without realizing it, He Lin’s captor’s arms suddenly felt lighter.
Yun Che had snatched He Lin but didn’t try to escape. He broke out of the group and then stopped. Turning around, the previously stealthed Yun Che now released uproarious waves of profound energy that emanated from his body as if he were a murderous beast that had just awoken. Madness was in his eyes. His left arm held onto He Lin protectively while his right tightly gripped the Heaven Smiting Sword. The sword was covered in layers of profound energy, undulating an extremely shocking fiendish aura.
This sudden turn of events drained the color from the faces of the men in black. They were rooted to the ground in fear and before they could even utter half word, Yun Che’s profound strength surged explosively as he immediately opened the fourth gate—Rumbling Heaven. He sent his crimson colored profound energy toward these black clothed men who had slaughtered the wood spirits.
He could easily deal with these Divine Soul Realm experts by opening the Purgatory gate; there was simply no need for him to activate Rumbling Heaven. This release however, didn’t just contain profound energy, it contained all of his rage and fury. He was boiling with anger and it was time to vent!
Bang!!
Even though he was just utilizing a single hand, the might of the Heaven Smiting Sword under the power of Rumbling Heaven was still the stuff of nightmares.
BAM!
The sword struck like thunder. Before he could even catch a clear glimpse of his target, Yun Che had already obliterated the one closest to him.
BOOM!!
Yun Che flipped the sword, sending a bright flame quaking through the air toward the three leftmost men ahead. They were instantly smashed into pulp as blood and limbs rained down around the group. A putrid stench of blood then quickly filled the air.
The remaining men in black were so frightened that they felt as if their souls had left their bodies. They realized that in less than half a breath of time, Yun Che had seized the wood spirit and killed four of them in two swings of the sword.
Like a ghost, he came out of nowhere and without a word, ruthlessly made his move. They had never in all their lives experienced such a horrifying event.
 “You…”
As a frightened shout barely began to leave his mouth, the vicious Heaven Smiting Sword which smelled of blood once again struck down towards one of them. The pupils of the black robed man enlarged as he raised his weapon in defense with the fastest speed he had ever achieved in his entire life…
BANG!!
The black soul spear instantly split in half and the Heaven Smiting Sword continued past it, ruthlessly piercing into the black robed man’s chest. This mighty Divine Soul Realm expert was nothing more than mere tofu in front the might of the Heavenly Smiting Sword. He instantly turned into a mist of blood and flesh.
Yun Che’s figure once again disappeared. He flashed behind another black robed man. Before that man even had a chance to turn around, his severed upper body was already falling from his waist.
Bang!!
Bang!!
Boom——
Moon Splitting Cascade activated, the Heaven Smiting Sword dancing in his hand, Yun Che was like an unstoppable, bloodthirsty devil. Each time he swung his sword, a thunderous explosion would shake the sky followed by a rain of blood. Not a sliver of hesitation or restraint could be seen. He channelled his abilities to their limits, which were far beyond what any ordinary Divine Soul expert could withstand.
As his ninth strike landed, sixteen black robed men had already been turned into puddles of blood and minced flesh. Not to mention an intact corpse, there weren’t even any recognizable human parts left behind. These men didn’t even have time to scream before their deaths.
Only four breaths of time had passed.
The pupils of the leader shrank, his body shaking like a sieve.
Just moments before they were so full of themselves, patting themselves on the back for a job well done. They didn’t only successfully complete their mission, they had also chanced upon a large windfall.
However in the blink of an eye, they suddenly fell from the heavens, straight into hell. The men behind him had all died without intact corpses. These men were all in the late stages of the Divine Soul Realm and were considered to be among the strongest in the Darkya Realm but in front of this monster, they were nothing but sixteen pitiful bugs that were easily squashed into bits.
When Yun Che’s gaze finally landed on him, he shuddered all over. His face turned completely white. This opponent’s profound energy was clearly at only the second level of the Divine Soul Realm, weaker than him by an entire great realm but he was near instantly scared witless beneath his stare and aura.
Using one hand and killing sixteen of his men within a few breaths… Even if he were an idiot, he wasn’t so naïve as to think that he could defeat this monster who was in the early stages of the Divine Soul Realm.
“Who… Who… Who are you?” The leader of these men slowly stepped back as he cried out in the most frightened voice of his entire life... Almost immediately, he suddenly recalled the description sent out of the perpetrator responsible for the incident of seizing the wood spirit the night before.
He screamed, “You’re Ling Yun!”
Yun Che wasn’t the least bit surprised when he heard the name Ling Yun being shouted out. Thick and raging anger still roiled in Yun Che’s chest as he wordlessly sent his sword out.
“Ahhh!”
Fear was plastered all over the face of the black robed man. Without any reservations he channelled all his profound energy and lifted his black soul spear. Pitch-black lightning surrounded it as he attempted to block the attack with all his might.
Clang!!
If Yun Che was only utilizing the Purgatory state, he probably could have just barely blocked it but under the might of Rumbling Heaven, even though it was a single handed strike, it was something the black robed man couldn’t handle. The sound of the clash rang out, followed by the sound of the black soul spear breaking. The black robed leader screamed as he was ruthlessly sent flying. He fell and rolled on the ground, completing dozens of revolutions, before finally coming to a stop.
Pfft...
The black leader spat out a few mouthfuls of blood. He desperately turned over and with a terrified and trembling voice, uttered, “Wait… Wait… We’re from the Black Soul Divine Sect. If…. If you offend us, you won’t have a good ending! And… and! Not only do we know that your name is Ling Yun, we also know that you come from the Pure Moon Realm! If… If you let me off and hand that little wood spirit to our sect leader… sect leader… sect leader will not only let this go, he’ll even give you a reward!”
The Black Feather Merchant Guild was an organization that dealt in the shadows and black market. Their information network was far reaching and both tightly controlled and secretive. When this man shouted the name “Ling Yun”, his face remained expressionless. If he had shouted the Flame God Realm, he wouldn’t have been surprised either...
However, what he shouted was... “Pure Moon Realm”?
Yun Che stayed silent. With the motionless He Lin in one hand and the other dragging along the Heaven Smiting Sword, he walked forward step by step.
Every step Yun Che took forward made the black robed man feel as if he was edging one step closer to death. He struggled to get on his feet as he said in horror, “Don’t… Don’t come any closer! Our Soul Sect has… has the protection of the Divine Martial Realm. Offending the Soul Sect is the same as offending the Divine Martial Realm! When… When that time comes, there’s no turning back. Even your star realm won’t be able to protect you… If… If… you stop right now, there’s still a cha…. Arrgghhhh!”
BOOM!!
Phoenix flames shot out from the body of the sword, tossing the black robed man into the air. Yun Che flashed and immediately pierced the Heaven Smiting Sword, which was now radiating a thick bloodthirsty aura, right through this man who was completely covered in flames.
Bang!
Sword energy exploded with a loud bang. The black robed leader’s body was entirely shattered and his splattered blood stretched across a few kilometers.
These cold blooded murderers who were responsible for the massacre of the wood spirits were now reduced to blood and ashes.
Phew...
As the crimson profound energy dissipated, Yun Che shook himself from side to side. He had forcefully entered into this state for a bit too long and finally managed to suppress the bloodlust in his body. He put He Lin down and placed both of his hands on He Lin’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “He Lin… Are you injured?”
He Lin shook his head. He was neither excited nor teary. There were even no visible injuries on him but his eyes held an emptiness within. A short moment later, he gave a faint smile and said “I’m fine. Thank you, Big Brother Yun Che, you’ve saved my life once again.”
“…” Yun Che looked blankly at He Lin. After saving him, he had expected He Lin to be distraught, to be filled with anguish and hurt. He expected him to cry his guts out, releasing all the sadness and pain. He was even prepared for him to pass out. However, not only did He Lin not shed a single tear, he could still smile and even thank him.
Yun Che tightened his grip on He Lin’s shoulders as a strong sense of unease filled him. “He Lin… I’m sorry… because of me your clansmen… if I didn’t…”
He Lin gently shook his head, “No, this is not Big Brother Yun Che’s fault. You’re my benefactor. You’re my savior and also the best person I’ve ever met.”
Yun Che was speechless.
He Lin turned around and looked into the distance... the secret place where the wood spirits resided.
“Big Brother Yun Che, can you please take me home one more time? I… would like to give them a proper burial.”
“...Alright.” Yun Che nodded his head somberly. He carried He Lin and started to fly westwards.
Although danger could descend at any time after killing these seventeen Soul Sect members, causing the situation to become even more dangerous to the point where he should have immediately left, he was unable to say no to He Lin.

Chapter 1081 - Blood Oath
A soft wind blew across the sorrowful wood spirit secret grounds.
Yun Che gathered all the bodies of the wood spirits, He Lin knelt beside their bodies saying his last goodbyes to each and every one of them. After He Lin had finished, Yun Che made a light pushing motion with his arm, burying them deep within this land that once belonged to them.
Although it wasn’t Yun Che’s intention, all that had happened was because of him. He was the main cause of this tragic episode. He took a deep breath and fell on both knees, kowtowing nine times.
He stretched his hand out. In the middle of his palm lay a bracelet which consisted of a colorful variety of flowers and seeds. It not only held the scent and spirit of the wood spirits, it also held within the warmth of heart and the feelings of a young girl.
He used both palms to push away some soil on the ground and carefully buried the bracelet underneath. Yun Che lifted his head, in his memories she was the little wood spirit girl who looked at Yun Che in bright eyed wonder and hero worship, hanging on every word of his. “Qing He, I am the demon who brought this disaster upon your entire race. I’m not qualified to accept your wonderful gift. I hope that in your next life… Fate will be kind to you.”
He Lin stayed there kneeling. He didn’t shed a single tear and he didn’t have a strong emotional reaction to all of this. This made Yun Che feel even more uneasy.
“He Lin.” Yun Che patted him on the shoulder. “From now on, stick with me. I will help you find another safe place. You mentioned before that you wanted to take me as your master, I don’t think I have what it takes to be a proper teacher, however if you’re still keen on it, I won’t decline again.”
His goals and situation were definitely not suited to taking on a student and having one by his side. Furthermore, He Lin could bring even more disaster as a royal wood spirit, but this time... the guilt was overwhelming. He wasn’t able to not care about He Lin and leave him in the lurch.
He Lin didn’t show any excitement. He neither nodded nor shook his head. He turned around and and gave Yun Che a soft and plain smile. His gaze still held the crystal clearness that seemed to be able to see through everything, but at the same time, it held within it a pain that surpassed his years, a pain that he shouldn’t have gone through.
“Big Brother, Yun Che” He smiled. “You’ve lost a portion of your lifespan for some reason and it was a very recent incident... am I right?”
Yun Che was slightly shocked, after which he slowly nodded his head.
Against the ancient horned dragon, he had forcefully executed Moon Star Restoration. Executing such an art went against the fundamental laws of this world, it defied common sense and violated the very laws of the heavens. The price: an eternal shortening of his lifespan!
The sensation of a portion of his lifespan being cut off from him was an intangible yet inexplicably painful feeling. Although the pain at that moment was short, he recalled how his soul trembled. This pain also brought with it a vague feeling, the feeling that if he executed Moon Star Restoration with his remaining life force, within four or five more activations, he’d devastate his entire lifespan and die immediately.
“I’m right then,” He Lin smiled once more. “I’m a wood spirit, we’re especially sensitive to the soul and life force of living beings. When I first saw Big Brother Yun Che, I had already noticed this issue and in fact, this is a very serious severance of lifespan. If you do not take any steps to restore your life force, you only have a few more years to live. Big Brother Yun Che is such a good person, so you ought to live for a very long time…”
“...Don’t worry about me, I’ll come up with a solution eventually.” Yun Che brushed the topic aside as he vigilantly scanned their surroundings. “He Lin, we have to leave this place. I’ve just killed their men, that so called Black Soul Sect should have been able to sense it. Even more evil men will descend upon this place soon.”
“Don’t worry though, unless I’m dead I will never allow anyone to hurt you,” Yun Che assured He Lin confidently.
“Thank you Big Brother Yun Che. Hearing you say this makes me really happy.” He Lin’s smile grew deeper and his gaze on Yun Che grew even more brilliant. “In the past, I felt that fate was extremely cruel. However, right now, at the very end of my life I met you. The god of nature has been watching over me all this time after all.”
Yun Che shook his head, having mixed emotions… when suddenly he realized with a jolt...
Very end of my life!?
At this immediate moment he suddenly felt the life force of He Lin draining like a leaky leather ball. It rapidly vanished but He Lin still wore a smile on his face as his small and weak body started to slowly fall backwards.
“He Lin!!”
Blood drained from Yun Che’s face. He frantically stepped forward and caught hold of him… He Lin’s body was soft and relaxed, his limp body’s temperature steadily falling while his life force was disappearing at a rapid speed.
“This... This... What’s happening?” Yun Che’s eyes suddenly grew wide as he recalled something and shouted in shock “You… You’re self destructing your Wood Spirit Orb?!!”
“He Lin!” Yun Che screamed madly both his hands gathering the profound energy in their surroundings. He tried channeling the energy into He Lin but the very same energy would then flow out again and again. “He Lin! What… What are you doing!? Why are you doing this?”
How did it come to this!? Why was this happening...
I should have noticed that something was off!
“Big Brother Yun Che…” He Lin’s voice was growing weaker. He looked at Yun Che and gently replied, “I knew it, you would definitely not throw me aside and leave me by myself… but, how can I… Uncle Qing Mu was right. Big Brother Yun Che will one day become a very great and powerful person, furthermore, you’re my benefactor. How could I… become your burden…”
Yun Che felt as if a giant hammer struck his soul. His whole body shook uncontrollably as he hollered “What burden!? How would you ever become my burden!? You… Didn’t you want to take me as your master, to become like me, as strong as me, so you could protect your people? Hurry up… stop this process. You’ll definitely be okay, there’ll definitely be a solution!!”
Yun Che panted heavily, executing the Great Way of the Buddha to its limits. However, it had no effect on He Lin. He could only watch as He Lin’s life drained away.
No… There has to be a solution!
Quick, think of a way to save him!!
I was the one who caused the deaths of the clansmen by his side, he should resent me, hate me. He should even want to kill me… Why is it turning out this way!?
The rest died because of me, how can I also let He Lin...
“Big Brother Yun Che, can you… promise me one thing? I have a wilful request to make,” He Lin whispered.
“You… Just say it. Whatever request you have, I promise to see it through.” Yun Che hadn’t given up yet and was now activating the Rage God power.
“I beg of you… In my place... Please find my sister…”
“Yes!” Yun Che nodded, his voice growing shaky. “I’ll find her and I’ll definitely let the both of you, brother and sister reunite!”
He Lin weakly shook his head “I know it myself, my request is very excessive, selfish even… but… I… I can’t… I really have no other option…”
Tears started pouring, dropping onto Yun Che. A wave of pain and grief washed over his entire being. He Lin’s words and the words within his tears…
“I am the last of the wood spirit’s royal bloodline. I was the hope of the entire race… However, I’m just that useless… I couldn’t protect sister, I couldn’t protect my people… I couldn’t do anything at all.... If I carry on living, I’ll only bring disaster upon Big Brother Yun Che who has been nothing but sincere and good to me…. This useless me… I cannot find sister and I won’t be able to protect her either… I can only… only be so selfish as to beg Big Brother Yun Che…”
“Don’t speak any more.” Yun Che’s chest was so heavy he found it difficult to breathe. His low voice continued, “Don’t worry, even if I have to travel through the entire God Realm, I will definitely find your sister! I will protect her… I’ll kill anyone who wants to harm her! Even if I have to give my life, I will never let her come to any harm! This I swear… I swear this upon my life!!”
The tears in He Lin’s eyes trembled and he weakly lifted his arm. “Thank you, Big Brother Yun Che. This is… the only… way I can repay you…”
His tightly held fist slowly opened. A pure beam of emerald light flashed across Yun Che’s eyes and penetrated into his soul.
Wood Spirit Orb…
This Wood Spirit Orb was almost half the size of the previous orb he obtained but he could feel an unmatched, rich and brilliant soul force inside it. Yun Che felt as if he was transported into another world, his eyes, body, and even soul… they seemed to be bathed in the purest and gentlest of lotions.
Yun Che stood for a while, in a daze under that beautiful, bright emerald light.
This was He Lin’s Wood Spirit Orb.
It wasn’t any ordinary Wood Spirit Orb. It was a Royal Wood Spirit Orb... In the Brahma Monarch God Realm, this would be highly and unimaginably sought after. One could only dream about but never be able to obtain such a treasure.
In fact, in the entire Brahma Monarch God Realm, no one would dare to hope for one. Even in the entire history of the God Realm, a perfect wood spirit orb of royal bloodline had never appeared before!
“Although… I’m very useless… my Wood Spirit Orb is a very impressive treasure.” He slowly moved his wood spirit orb steadily towards Yun Che’s chest. “It can bestow fifty thousand years of longevity on Big Brother Yun Che, it will even give you powers unique to our wood spirit race…”
Fifty thousand years of longevity!?
In this entire Primal Chaos, a human being having fifty thousand years of longevity… perhaps only Divine Realm Masters would have that!
“When I was very young… Father and mother once mentioned… our Wood Spirit Orb was extremely special, it was called a ‘Miracle Seed’. I really hope that one day… It will really… give Big Brother Yun Che a miraculous power…”
As the emerald brilliance grew closer, Yun Che who was entranced within the strange atmosphere of the orb suddenly woke up from his daze. He anxiously shouted, “He Lin! I don’t need your Wood Spirit Orb! Take it back immediately… Ahh!”
As the Wood Spirit Orb touched Yun Che’s chest, it slowly and gently started merging into him, like a water droplet entering the peaceful surface of a lake. Without a sound, it had already merged into Yun Che’s body...
It was obviously a foreign object but Yun Che’s body didn’t show even a hint of rejection!
The emerald brilliance touched upon Yun Che’s heart source whereupon it rapidly started to stretch out and encompass his entire body. In a short moment, wave upon wave of incredibly pure life force started to pulsate through every part of his body like tidal waves.
A pale white hand slowly started to fall. As he felt Yun Che’s life force start to change, He Lin’s little face displayed a gentle smile. His eyes now started to slowly close...
“Father… Mother… He Lin can finally… see you again…”
His voice slowly trailed off as his last breath disappeared along with the gentle but seemingly cruel breeze that passed over them...
“He… Lin….”
Yun Che let out the most anguished cry of his entire life, slowly kneeling on the ground
Thud—
The weight on his arms immediately grew light. A flash of emerald light emanated from He Lin who was in his embrace, and he transformed into what looked like a small dancing green star being blown in the wind. Like a spritely snowflake, it flew toward the ground where the wood spirits were buried.
Immediately, blades of jade green grass started to sprout from the soil, swiftly growing. The entire area was then shortly covered in a patch of beautiful green, while hundreds of flowers budded and opened at the same time, filling the entire place where the wood spirits laid in their final rest.
Perhaps… this was He Lin’s final gift of protection to his people.
“...” Yun Che lay there kneeling, as if he were an ice sculpture, not moving an inch. The jade green grass and beautiful flowers started to spread past him.
Bang!!
He struck himself, fist straight to his heart. Yun Che coughed out a large mouthful of blood, both hands supporting himself on the ground for a moment. He lifted his head, blood at the corners of his mouth. Both his eyes held an unmatched hellbent fury within them.
“Soul… Sect…”
“If I don’t bathe your sect in blood… I, Yun Che… am not human!!”
Chapter 1082 - An Odd Appointment
When the emerald green glow that had been flickering on his body this whole time finally dissipated, Yun Che felt a change in the condition of his entire body. It was an indescribable feeling, as if he was filled with an unprecedented amount of energy.
The lifeforce deficiency from forcibly executing Moon Star Restoration earlier had disappeared without a trace… There was no way He Lin would attempt to trick him. A lifespan of fifty thousand years… might not be rare in the case of high level beasts, such as True Dragons but to a human, it was nothing less than a miracle that only those in the Divine Master Realm could achieve.
He raised his right hand as he willed something in his mind. Immediately, a green light emerged at the center of his palm… which was emerald green like a newly grown, tender grass, unlike the dark green radiance of the Sky Poison Pearl.
The moment the emerald green rays of light appeared, the flowers and plants in the surrounding began to sway and back and forth even without the presence of wind. Afterwards, all of them turned to him as they unleashed joyful vitality.
Yun Che directed his palm in the direction of the flowers and plants ahead in an attempt to cover them with the green light. In the blink of an eye, the flowers and plants that were covered by the green light showed a growth that was completely contrary to common sense. They grew up by one-third of a meter, within a few breaths time.
Yun Che made a clenching gesture with his palm, causing the green light to vanish. Subsequently, the growth of the flowers and plants also came to a halt.
Hastening the growth of flowers, trees and all kinds of flora… He now actually possessed the miraculous ability of a wood spirit.
The power of nature!
Not only that, he could also sense a lot more things in his mind.
It wasn’t the memories of He Lin but the information about countless flowers, plants, and spirit trees.
When he was learning under Yun Gu in the Blue Pole Star, Yun Che had gotten very familiar with all kinds of medicinal and poisonous materials. He could tell the composition of an herb and even how old it was, only relying on its smell even from a distant place, with no need to see it personally with his own eyes. But the God Realm was a completely different world from the Blue Pole Star. The top-notch medicinal materials in the Blue Pole Star would only be considered ordinary in this place and he had no knowledge of the countless different kinds of herbs that could be found in the God Realm.
Right now, boundless information was carved into his memories. From the most ordinary plants and trees to rare herbs that were hard to find even in tens of thousands of years to their names and alternative names and even the geographical conditions where they appear. The conditions required for their growth, their growth period, and their various external appearances and auras according to their maturity. The medicinal, spiritual, and poisonous nature of myriad plants and herbs… and so on! It was thorough and detailed to an inconceivable extent.
Yun Che didn’t have the slightest doubt that… the information in his mind covered all the vegetation of the unimaginably vast God Realm!
This information was not granted to him by his soul or inheritance and instead seemed to have inherently existed in the Wood Spirit Orb—no! If that was truly the case, then it should be only the members of the royal family of the wood spirits that had such information in their orbs. Just this information alone, that seemed to have been bestowed by the nature itself, was a priceless treasure that even the people of king realms would yearn to get their hands on.
He had obtained a lifespan of fifty thousand years, information about all sorts of spirit herbs, affinity with plants and trees and the spirit power of a wood spirit… and perhaps, many other abilities that he had yet to discover. If it was any other time, just one of the things he had obtained would be enough to make him go wild with joy but at the moment, he didn’t feel the slightest happiness in his heart.
The thought of leaving Darkya City as quickly as possible and coming up with a way to go to the Heavenly Mystery Realm had thoroughly vanished from his mind.
If he didn’t stay for that period of time in the wood spirit secret grounds, if not for He Lin deciding to meet his death in order to not become his burden and also giving him his Wood Spirit Orb… even if he felt deeply guilty for indirectly causing their deaths for his own sake, he wouldn’t have lost his reason to such an extent and decide to take the initiative to provoke the Black Soul Divine Sect, which reigned supreme in the Darkya Realm.
But at this time, his whole body was seething with a berserk killing intent.
He took a very long time to calm down the emotions in his heart, before turning around to leave and headed, surprisingly, for Darkya City.
Before long, he sensed dangerous auras approaching from the front and stopped in his tracks. Then, his figure gradually disappeared from the place.
Very soon, dozens of pitch-black figures appeared in front of him.
“Hall Master, all seventeen of them are dead. I checked their bodies carefully but could find no clear signs of the lightning snake energy. It’s very likely… that they were slaughtered without being given the chance to put up any resistance and extremely ruthlessly at that.
The black-robed person, who was called “hall master,” had a stiff expression on his face. The aura emitting from him felt even more dangerous than the others to Yun Che.
“Hall Master, could it be that the one who did this is that ‘Ling Yun,’ who severely injured Vice Hall Master Lei Ya yesterday?”
“It can’t be anyone else,” the Black Soul Hall Master said in a cold voice. “Since he was able to injure Lei Ya to that extent, it’s no surprise that he could kill all of them. Looks like this Ling Yun fellow… has some extraordinarily big guts!”
The Black Soul Hall Master’s chest undulated as his face turned gloomy and dark, “The kid is from the Pure Moon Realm and currently, the dimension station of Darkya City has been sealed. According to the information of the Black Feather Merchant Guild, he had already fled far away from Darkya City. Immediately use sound transmission to tell the Black Feather Merchant Guild to deploy all their intelligence network in the primary cities of the Darkya Realm and spare no effort to investigate Ling Yun’s whereabouts. “Also, inform Chief Hall Master about this matter, so that he can report it to the Sect Master and ask him to immediately send some people to the Pure Moon Realm to find out all the inside information about Ling Yun. If there’s no problem, then catch all those who have connection with him and bring them to the sect! If you find it difficult to do so, just tell them them the name of the Divine Martial Realm and have them follow your instructions!”
Yun Che thought to himself, “Pure Moon Realm again? What is going on?”
“About that… To get so many people involved for just an extremely audacious profound practitioner from another realm, I’m afraid that Chief Hall Master…”
“You don’t understand shit!” the Black Soul Hall Master said in a deep voice. “That Ling Yun is nothing more than a fool who is tired of living and is courting death by doing such deeds. The actual reason to look for him is that little wood spirit! Earlier, those people had informed us with sound transmission that they had captured the little wood spirit alive. But now, not only are all of them dead, the little wood spirit has also disappeared without a trace. If it was Ling Yun who killed them, the little wood spirit is certainly in his hands.”
“If we were to fail in capturing that little wood spirit within the time limit…” The Black Soul Hall Master slowly gritted his teeth. “I can ensure you that none of us will live to see the sun of the next day!”
The whole body of the Black Soul disciple quivered as he said in a frightened voice, “Yes… disciple will immediately do as you said.”
The Black Soul Hall Master’s gaze swept around as he looked ahead with a gloomy expression on his face. But he was unable to sense in the least that there were ice-cold eyes, that were filled with killing intent, firmly staring at him from a place less than three hundred meters away on the right.
With his figure invisible, Yun Che’s killing intent would flow out sometimes and be deeply concealed other times. Based on the oppressiveness contained in the Black Soul Hall Master’s power, Yun Che determined his profound strength to be at the middle or late stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm and hence, it was almost impossible for him to win against the other party… Besides, there were dozens of Divine Soul Realm disciples around him too.
Killing intent was seething in his heart and he was dying to give vent to his resentment. But he didn’t lose his reason in the end and slowly retreated from the place, leaving far to the north. When he arrived at a safe distance away, he undid the invisible state and flew straight to Darkya City.
The Divine Nine Star Buddha Jade, Immortal Emperor Grass, and Heavenly Mystery Realm were no longer important to him!
Although it was impossible to truly destroy Black Soul Divine Sect, which was the ruler of such an enormous star realm… he would still make sure that the sect paid a grievous price for what it did, even if he had to risk his life!!
Since Black Soul Divine Sect had determined that he was not present in Darkya City, it would actually be the safest place for him to stay. He wanted to go back to Darkya City because he wanted ask around for the sect’s location!
    ——————————
It had gotten dark by the time he returned to Darkya City but the city was as bustling as ever. As he stood at the entrance of the city, Yun Che’s calm eyes contained an unrepressed vicious aura in their depths, even at this moment.
Given the fact that it was the ruling sect of the Darkya Realm, the location of Black Soul Divine Sect should be known by everyone. Therefore, it must be easy to ask around for it.
His gaze swept over the surroundings. Soon after, he chose a small merchant guild that was within sight and slowly walked over to it.
It was at this time that he suddenly sensed profound aura fluctuations from his Sound Transmission Jade.
Yun Che came to a halt abruptly.
Such ordinary sound transmissions via Sound Transmission Jade were not possible to cross through star realms.
The only one in the Darkya Realm with his sound transmission imprint… was the Black Feather Merchant Guild!
Yun Che frowned as he slowly took out the Sound Transmission Jade. The voice in his Sound Transmission Jade, however, didn’t belong to that Mr. Ji but to a woman.
“Sir Ling Yun, I am Ji Ruyan from the Black Feather Merchant Guild. I would like to see you about a matter. In four hours, I’ll be quietly waiting for Sir Ling Yun all alone east of Darkya City. I request Sir Ling Yun to be sure to give me face and keep this appointment… Sir Ling Yun, please believe my words. Ruyan is your friend and is absolutely not an enemy of yours. Ruyan has also never told the Black Soul Divine Sect anything related to you.”
After the voice, the information about a location was transmitted to him, too.
Ji Ruyan!?
Yun Che, “…”
Yun Che’s first reaction to it was—she was leading him to a trap.
But if it was really a trap, then it was absurdly obvious. Furthermore, why would Ji Ruyan determine that he was still in Darkya City? Didn’t the Black Feather Merchant Guild inform Black Soul Divine Sect that he had fled from Darkya City?
Thinking back to yesterday night, he had received a sound transmission twice from Ji Ruyan at the trade fair and the people of Black Soul Divine Sect believed him to be someone from a place called “Pure Moon Realm.” Unexpectedly, no one mentioned a thing about the Flame God Realm. He once again felt that the relationship between Black Soul Divine Sect and the Black Feather Merchant Guild was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
However, beside it being a conspiracy against him, Yun Che couldn’t think of any other reason for Ji Ruyan to want to meet him.
“Alright! Let’s see what exactly you have up your sleeve!” Yun Che mumbled to himself.
As someone who had Moon Splitting Cascade, he had no fear of being conspired against.
Yun Che changed the direction he was moving in and headed straight to the east of the city.
It was gradually nearing nighttime and at some point in time later, it had already gotten so dark that one couldn’t even see the five fingers of their hand.
As opposed to the shine and glitter from ice in the Snow Song Realm, the night in the Darkya Realm was particularly dark.
The place where Ji Ruyan had arranged to meet was still within the territory of Darkya City but it was an extremely wide and abandoned piece of land. On the thousands of meters long dried-up land, there were only a few cottages that were in a dilapidated state. Besides that, there was nothing else to see other than the spacious and empty land that was covered in withered grass and could be seen clearly and completely, at a glance.
There was nowhere to hide oneself, let alone be good enough for a sinister person to scheme something.
Yun Che arrived at the place at an earlier time and then, made a few rounds while invisible. Much less an unusual aura, he couldn’t even catch sight of a passerby.
However, Yun Che didn’t lower his guard and stayed invisible. When it was less than fifteen minutes until the time of appointment, he sensed an aura of the Divine Soul Realm speedily getting closer to the place. Yun Che raised his head to see a lithe and graceful white figure high in the sky that was flying over from the west.
It was only one person.
Ji Ruyan was dressed simply in a plain and long white skirt. She had a calm expression, which was at least completely different from how she had deliberately tried to appear charming last night.
She very lightly landed before Yun Che but the moment her feet came into contact with the ground, she purposely made them produce a pretty heavy landing sound.
Yun Che didn’t make himself visible and continued to coldly look at her.
Ji Ruyan looked around. Then, she just silently stood in wait. Time quickly passed in the dark and silent night but there was no sign of any auras approaching from the distance the whole time.
“Sir Ling Yun, Ruyan knows that you’re here. I ask you to show yourself.”
Suddenly, Ji Ruyan said in a soft tone.
Yun Che didn’t respond to her in the least.
“Sir Ling Yun, I ask you to believe Ruyan. Ruyan will absolutely not hurt you, nor is there any reason to do so. Ruyan requested for this sudden appointment today to ask for a favor and hope that Sir Ling Yun helps Ruyan with it.”
Her voice contained sincerity and even a sense of entreatment and loneliness. It didn’t sound like she was faking it to Yun Che.
Yun Che raised his brows as he finally spoke, “I’m behind you!”
He undid his invisibility as he spoke.
Ji Ruyan suddenly turned around. Seeing the ice-cold face of Yun Che, an expression of pleasant surprise surfaced on her face, “Sir Ling Yun…”
“How did you know that I was here?” Yun Che asked.
“Intuition,” Ji Ruyan replied with a faint smile. “A woman’s intuition is always very accurate.”
“Intuition?” Yun Che said with a cold smile, “Then use that intuition of yours to guess whether you can go back alive tonight!”
Yun Che’s voice resounded abruptly as his figure shot forth. Taking advantage of the fact that he was right in front of Ji Ruyan, he instantly shaped his palm into a terrifying eagle hook and mercilessly grabbed onto her slender, snow-white neck. The abrupt release of his enormous power almost broke her neck.
The cultivation level of Ji Ruyan’s profound strength was the same as Yun Che but the difference between their strengths was worlds apart. In an instant, her face turned deathly pale due to experiencing intense suffocation and pain but she didn’t show any signs of trying to struggle out of her predicament.
Her eyes were filled with pain but there was no trace of panic or confusion in them. She didn’t beg for her life either and instead said in a light voice, “It’s certainly true that… even death would be too good for… Ruyan… It’d be also nice to… die by… your hands...”
With that, she lightly closed her eyes.
“...” Yun Che clearly perceived a feeling of being set free from Ji Ruyan’s voice.


Chapter 1083 - Ji Ruyan’s Request
Yun Che slowly freed her neck from his hold.
Ji Ruyan sat paralyzed on the ground as she placed her hands on her neck and coughed dryly. Yun Che turned away from her and said in a cold voice, “I personally saw the sorrowful plight of the wood spirits and also witnessed how they suffered a tragic fate… At the place they had cautiously kept themselves isolated in fear of others, all the wood spirits, regardless of their sex or age, were slaughtered bloodily…”
“They were absolutely not guilty of some unpardonable evil and were instead so pure and virtuous that anyone would feel their heart and soul purified just by coming in contact with them for a short while… However, they ended up dying at the hands of the Black Soul Divine Sect! Moreover, no one knows how many wood spirits and other creatures met such a misfortune due to it in the past. Your Black Feather Merchant Guild might not have directly participated in those wicked acts but you can’t deny that you did aid and abet an evildoer… It’s certainly true that even death would be too good for you!”
“...” The feeling of pain gradually vanished but Ji Ruyan was still sitting paralyzed on the ground. Her lips had lost their color and she panted heavily without saying anything in response.
“I’ve come back to the Darkya City to kill people! Those from the Black Soul Divine Sect and the Black Feather Merchant Guild… So you’re naturally one of my targets!”
Ji Ruyan, “…”
“I won’t kill you for now, as I want to hear the reason for you coming to meet me alone. It’d be in your best interest to give me a reasonable answer, otherwise I’ll first use your blood to commemorate the departed souls of those wood spirits!” Yun Che’s ice-cold voice contained an even chillier killing intent.
Ji Ruyan slowly raised her head and said in a light tone, “Sir… do you truly want to kill the people of Black Soul Divine Sect? Because they hunt and kill wood spirits?”
“They all deserve to die!” Yun Che said, each and every word expressed the gloominess in his heart.
Feeling Yun Che’s gloomy and bone-penetrating killing intent from so close, it wasn’t fear that appeared on Ji Ruyan’s face but an expression of joy, “In that case, Ruyan has really made the right bet.”
She got up on her feet as she gave him a glance with faint fluctuations in her eyes, “Sir Ling Yun, I ask you… to save the Black Feather Merchant Guild.”
“???” Yun Che knitted his brows. “Save the Black Feather Merchant Guild? What kind of joke is that?”
“You are a righteous person. Since you hate the Black Soul Divine Sect so much, it’s only natural that you’d definitely loathe the Black Feather Merchant Guild with a passion, which abeted the evildoer, but the real situation is absolutely not as it seems.”
Ji Ruyan lightly bit on her lip as sadness appeared within the fluctuations in her eyes. “The prosperity and decline of a merchant guild is often determined in a night’s time. It’s far more difficult for a merchant guild to maintain its prosperity for a long time than a dynasty or a sect. My Black Feather Merchant Guild has existed for fifty thousand years, a period even longer than any sect in the Darkya Realm. Even if we take the entire God Realm into consideration, there are very few merchant guilds that have flourished and prospered for so many years. When it comes to the lower star realms, there are so few such merchant guilds that they can be counted on one’s fingers.”
“As an establishment with such a solid history and abundant accumulation, the foundation of Black Feather Merchant Guild is already deep-rooted and there’s no need to say much about the great wealth and prestige it possesses… But, have you ever given a thought to why would such a merchant guild would take the risk of thoroughly destroying its reputation and carrying out filthy underground trade? To earn more? The profit is so insignificant that there’s no need to do something of that sort.”
“...” It was certainly true that Yun Che had doubted the same thing several times after knowing about the standing of the Black Feather Merchant Guild and seeing its extensiveness. He said with a cold look in his eyes, “You’re not going to tell me that you have been forced by the Black Soul Divine Sect into committing such deeds, right?”
“It’s worse than that,” Ji Ruyan said, “Earlier, the Black Feather Merchant Guild and the Black Soul Divine Sect had existed in harmony with each other as the two major powers in the Darkya Realm. Then, a thousand years ago, the Black Soul Divine Sect caused trouble for us all of a sudden. They held my father hostage, who was still a child at the time and forced my grandfather to give his consent to the Black Soul Divine Sect to integrate their filthy underground merchant guild with the Black Feather Merchant Guild.”
Yun Che, “…”
“My grandfather had nine children in total but except for my father, everyone else died at an early age. As such, grandfather had no choice but to agree in the end… Not long afterwards, the Black Feather Merchant Guild sold Wood Spirit Orbs for the first time and it was only then that my father was released by them. Once they had gotten dirt on the Black Feather Merchant Guild, we were within the firm grasp of the Black Soul Divine Sect and were completely forced into a dark quagmire since then. Every time we were forced to carry out an underground trade, the Black Soul Divine Sect would use a Profound Imagery Stone to leave behind proof of the trade… consequently, forcing the Black Feather Merchant Guild to fall deeper and deeper.”
“Thenceforth, the Black Feather Merchant Guild had no way out but to be controlled by the Black Soul Divine Sect. Otherwise, once it makes the proof of the underground trade public, things would go south in no time. Not only each and every thing that is possessed by the Black Feather Merchant Guild would be destroyed in a day, it would also fall into a miserable situation where the common people would condemn and cast aside even those of its later generation.”
“The Black Soul Divine Sect absolutely didn’t do so just to control our Black Feather Merchant Guild. It wants the whole Darkya Realm to be in its complete control. After all, every time a filthy and evil underground trade was done, the customers would also end up having the Black Soul Divine Sect get dirt on them, similar to the Black Feather Merchant Guild! Our Merchant Guild is required to provide extremely detailed information about all the customers and the things they want to purchase, to the Black Soul Divine Sect and the whole trading process is even secretly recorded by a Profound Imagery Stone…”
“Heh, they actually dare to play with such a big fire? Aren’t they afraid of themselves getting burned down first?” Yun Che asked in disdain.
“Of course, they won’t… because its not them who carry out the underground trade. It’s our Black Feather Merchant Guild that has always been in charge of it. If something were to really happen, the Black Feather Merchant Guild would be destroyed in a day but it definitely wouldn’t hurt the Black Soul Divine Sect in any way.”
Ji Ruyan let out a light sigh, “Some time after that, grandfather constantly felt guilty towards our forefathers and eventually died in depression. When my father inherited the Black Feather Merchant Guild, the only thing he could do was to be as careful as possible in order to not let the masses know about the dirty side of the Black Feather Merchant Guild. For this reason, he didn’t hesitate to personally manage the underground merchant guild. All the customers, especially the new ones, were received and checked on by him, so as to not allow the room for the slightest bit of negligence.
“That means the ‘Mister Ji’ whom I met that day was in fact your father… and he is the current Guild Master of the Black Feather Merchant Guild?” Yun Che asked. He really never thought of such a possibility. It was impossible for anyone to imagine that the power holder of such an enormous merchant guild would actually take the initiative to “receive customers” himself.
It was no wonder that the guild master showed an extremely cold and disgusted look when he straightway brought up the matter of wanting to purchase a “Wood Spirit Orb”… The change in his attitude later also seemed to be too unnatural.
“That’s right, he was none other than my father.” Ji Ruyan nodded her head. Looking at the flicker of surprise flash through Yun Che’s eyes, she gave a pained laugh, “As the matter is related to the reputation and existence of the Black Feather Merchant Guild, father could only deal with it himself. If he were to hand over the responsibility to someone else, there’s no way he would ever feel at ease.”
“However, I ask you to not be worried. We have given fake and baseless information about you to the Black Soul Divine Sect. We informed the sect that you’ve come from the far-off Pure Moon Realm. Even if they go over to investigate on you, they would need a very long time to do so. It’s only my father and I who know about your true background. Sir, you must be wondering how we were able to so easily deceive the Black Soul Divine Sect… Actually, the most important objective of the Black Soul Divine Sect is to control all the major sects in the Darkya Realm. They have never been too concerned about the people from other realms, unless they have a special identity. In addition… you used the black feather stone of Sect Master Huo of the Flame God Realm, whose identity was forged in the first place… and was also the sole person before you who took the risk of faking himself to be someone of lesser identity. The place he was pretending to be from was—the Pure Moon Realm.”
“...” Yun Che narrowed his eyes. Listening up to here, he finally understood some things. He said with a barely distinguishable smile, “So that’s how it is. That sure dispelled my doubts. Last night, I was feeling odd when you looked me in the eye and contacted me with sound transmission. If I include the fact that you just talked about saving your Black Feather Merchant Guild into consideration… I can come to the conclusion that it’s actually not my but the Flame God Realm’s power that you want to borrow to assist your Black Feather Merchant Guild in breaking out of this quagmire, huh.”
“Exactly!” Ji Ruyan responded in an excited voice. “While carefully managing the underground merchant guild, my father has been painstakingly looking for a way to free ourselves the whole time. The search finally stopped several hundred years ago… when father met Sect Master Huo Rulie, who was in urgent need of Wood Spirit Orbs.”
“It was normal for an expert of a middle star realm to come looking for something in the Darkya Realm but a person of a high standing would consider it beneath themselves to come down to a lower realm personally. It’s especially impossible if they are visiting to look for a forbidden thing such as Wood Spirit Orb. But Huo Rulie personally came in search of Wood Spirit Orbs, despite being a supreme existence of the Flame God Realm. It was the first time my father was meeting him but his effort to go through so much to obtain Wood Spirit Orbs manifested his true nature.”
“Having easily seen through Sect Master Huo’s real identity, an idea came to my father’s mind. He forged a ‘customer’ origin and identity for the first time for his use and also sold him the best Wood Spirit Orb in the guild’s possession at the time. Later, father would purposely reserve a Wood Spirit Orb periodically, which he immediately provided to Sect Master Huo whenever he came to get one.”
“Your father wanted Sect Master Huo to owe him a favor?” Yun Che at once came to realization.
“Precisely so.” Ji Ruyan nodded, “In my father’s words, Sect Master Huo is upright and unyielding in nature, he can clearly differentiate between grudges and favors and hasn’t strayed from the right path while acting according to his principles. Such a person would certainly return all the grudges and favors and would absolutely not be willing to owe someone a favor. Father has put in all of his effort these past years to accumulate enough favor with Sect Master Huo, so that once a suitable opportunity arrived, he could ask Sect Master Huo’s assistance to get the Black Feather Merchant Guild free from the control of the Black Soul Divine Sect… Although the sect holds supreme authority in the Darkya Realm, to an existence of Flame God Realm level, it would be as easy as turning over one’s palm to do so.”
“Hmph!” Yun Che said with a forced smile, “But it’s a pity that Sect Master Huo’s black feather stone has fallen into my hands now, which proves that he won’t be coming here again. Therefore, you guys shifted your gaze to me, huh?”
“Yes.” Ji Ruyan nodded her head, as a deep look of entreatment surfaced in her eyes. “The black feather stone is not only the symbol of the identity of a special ‘honored customer,’ it also deeply implies taboo. A distinguished person such as Sect Master Huo would absolutely not be willing to let others know that he had many times come to a lower star realm in order to purchase a forbidden thing like Wood Spirit Orb. So for him to give it to you is enough of a proof that you are extremely close to Sect Master Huo and someone he really trusts.”
Yun Che, “…”
“Last night, you threw out several hundred million with a straight face, as if you was throwing away ordinary stones. Also, you severely injured Vice Hall Master of the Black Soul Divine Sect, despite being well-aware of his identity, which explains that you basically don’t care about the reaction of the Black Soul Divine Sect. Moreover, you could defeat a practitioner in the Divine Tribulation Realm, despite being in the early stage of the Divine Soul Realm. My father and I have never heard of someone with such talent… Both Ruyan and father are entirely convinced that your origin is extremely extraordinary and could be even someone from a place higher than the Flame God Realm.”
Yun Che raised his hand and he held his cheek between his fingers, as he remained silent for a while.
They f*king misunderstood his identity too much.
He could throw away four hundred million purple profound stones because he had casually scooped them out from the treasury of the Ice Wind Empire and hadn’t risked his life or anything to earn them. Hence, it didn’t hurt him to spend so many of them in one go. As for severely injuring that black-robed middle aged man, he simply kicked him away to block him from getting his hands on the Wood Spirit Orb. He knew absolutely nothing about the Black Soul Divine Sect at the time.
“With your ability, it’s surely possible to help our Black Feather Merchant Guild out of the quagmire. Perhaps, if you convey our situation to Sect Master Huo, given the friendship between Sect Master Huo and my father all these years, as well as you personally speaking for the Black Feather Merchant Guild, I believe that Sect Master Huo would definitely come forward to aid us.”
Yun Che, “…”
“Sir, it’s definitely not only my Black Feather Merchant Guild that would be saved as a result.” Ji Ruyan said in an imploring tone. “Countless sects and merchant guilds of various scales in the Darkya Realm have fallen into the hands of the Black Soul Divine Sect. Possessing supreme authority in the Darkya Realm, the Black Soul Divine Sect feels no scruples in running amok and committing wicked deeds, that are far more than just hunting and killing wood spirits…  For instance, the Wind End Villa that was mentioned in the trade fair last night, was actually annihilated by the Black Soul Divine Sect! Just to forcefully occupy the weaponsmithing ability of the Wind End Villa. After cruelly slaughtering the people of the Wind End Villa, they imprisoned the swordsmithing masters in the Black Soul Divine Sect, who are made to refine weapons for the sect all day long. You have already personally seen the tragic end of the miss of the Wind End Villa.”
Yun Che, “…”
“You spent several hundred million to buy the royal wood spirit but it was for the just reason of setting it free. Because of witnessing the brutal murder of wood spirits, you felt the desire to slaughter the Black Soul Divine Sect in rage, which shows that you are a moral and righteous person… I ask you to save my Black Feather Merchant Guild… Black Feather Merchant Guild… as well as the Darkya Realm would forever remember your great favor.”
Speaking in a sorrowful voice, Ji Ruyan was deeply bowing to him..
“...” Yun Che maintained silence for a long time. It was very obvious that Ji Ruyan had completely misunderstood him… But on the other hand, there were justifiable reasons behind the misunderstanding.
But unfortunately…
Yun Che lowered his gaze, as he said to Ji Ruyan in a indifferent voice, “Miss Ruyan, do you… take me for a fool or what?”
Ji Ruyan raised her head, “Why do you say so?”
“Although it has only been a few days since I came to the Darkya Realm, I still know that when it comes to history and accumulation, the Black Feather Merchant Guild, that has been firmly standing for fifty thousand years, would definitely surpass the Black Soul Divine Sect. Earlier, outside the Darkya City, I got to hear that the Black Soul Divine Sect still relies on the intelligence network of your Black Feather Merchant Guild. For such a merchant guild to be easily suppressed by the Black Soul Divine Sect a thousand years ago and left with no power to resist, much less counter-suppress it,” Yun Che said with a faint smile, “You think that I would believe such a thing?”
Ji Ruyan said urgently, “No, no, Ruyan has absolutely not being trying to decChapter 1084 - Soul Sect’s Backer
Ji Ruyan’s face went stiff, following which she lowered her beautiful neck. “So you… really knew about it. But… but there’s no way that a superior existence such as the Divine Martial Realm would truly attach importance to a mere lower star realm sect. The Flame God Realm is a top-notch existence even among middle star realms, so it’s certainly unlikely that the Divine Martial Realm would offend the Flame God Realm for the sake of the Black Soul Divine Sect.”
“Heh,” Yun Che sneered, “Since a higher star realm wouldn’t be willing to offend a middle star realm for a sect of lower star realm, why would a middle star realm offend a higher star realm because of this lower star realm sect…? Besides, the Flame God Realm has no personal grudges with these parties! Don’t you think it’s extremely ridiculous to ask for such a thing!?”
“Furthermore, if the Divine Martial Realm truly looked down on and disdained the Black Soul Divine Sect as you say, then why was the Black Feather Merchant Guild unable to gather enough power to try to struggle free during this entire period of a thousand years?!”
“I…” Ji Ruyan bit down hard on her lip, with nothing to say in reply.
“For your own safety, you’re dreaming of having the Flame God Realm take the great risk of clashing with and offending a higher star realm to help you… Why would you even expect that? How is it possible for things to so conveniently proceed according to your wish!? Hmph! I must say you’re quite pitiful, lamentable, as well as laughable!” Yun Che said without showing any mercy.
It wasn’t that he doubted Ji Ruyan’s words. If the Black Feather Merchant Guild was being coerced this whole time, it would explain the many suspicions he had held in his heart before. But after his experience of these two days, he still felt some disgust towards the Black Feather Merchant Guild even at this time.
“Because Ruyan is truly at her wit’s end, and there’s no other way to save ourselves!” Ji Ruyan said in an imploring tone, “A thousand years ago, Wu Sanzun, the Great Realm King of the Divine Martial Realm, happened to come to the Darkya Realm. He took a fancy to a woman called Lei Qianyu and took her back with him to the Divine Martial Realm as his concubine… This Lei Qianyu is none other than blood younger sister of the sect master of the Black Soul Divine Sect, Lei Qianfeng. Using this connection, the Black Soul Divine Sect made full use of the name of the Divine Martial Realm.”
“The Great Realm King of the Divine Martial Realm has countless concubines. As someone from a lower realm, Lei Qianyu had basically no standing over there. But a bit over thirty years ago, she gave birth to Wu Sanzun’s son, who was named as Wu Guike.”
Yun Che: Wu Guike…
Tortoise shell!?
Is he the child’s stepfather or what to give him such a sh*tty name!?
“Since he was given birth by a concubine, he had a low standing among all the children of Wu Sanzun. But as he grew up, Wu Guike displayed incomparably astonishing talent and thus, got attention and love from Wu Sanzun. His reputation gradually increased in the Divine Martial Sect and even in the entire Divine Martial Realm. Relying on the noble position of her son, Lei Qianyu’s standing also experienced a rapid increase in the Divine Martial Sect, reaching such heights that were completely different from the past. The Black Soul Divine Sect where she originates from, also obtained even more power due to that… and consequently, became further unbridled. If the Black Feather Merchant Guild doesn’t get out of its control soon, we’ll definitely fall into the abyss forever in the near future.”
As they say, when a man gets to the top, all his friends and relatives get there with him… The rise of a tortoise shell… oh no, the rise of Wu Guike, helped the Black Soul Divine Sect to immediately change their situation from being barely using the name of the Divine Martial Realm as its backing to a sect with an incomparable solid relation with a higher star realm. After all, the Black Soul Divine Sect is the home of Wu Guike’s mother and Lei Qianfeng, the sect master of the Black Soul Divine Sect, is his own maternal uncle.
It was already unimaginable for a lower star realm sect to have a higher star realm as its backing—to say nothing of the Black Soul Divine Sect itself being the ruling sect in the Darkya Realm.
No wonder that the Black Feather Merchant Guild was so anxious that it was looking for every possible to get out of their predicament.
“Sir, if you’re willing to help the Black Feather Merchant Guild get out of the Black Soul Divine Sect’s control, we’ll agree to anything you want, no matter the conditions or price. Once we have achieved our desire, as long as we’re not made to do dirty things again, the Black Feather Merchant Guild will be willing to work for you or the Flame God Realm for a hundred… or even a thousand years!”
Ji Ruyan said in a sorrowful voice and her each and every word carried the sense of entreatment. Anyone would feel pity in their heart to see an enormous guild with a history of fifty thousand years forced to such an extent. Yun Che’s gaze moved downward from Ji Ruyan’s face and he slowly narrowed his eyes, “Will you truly agree to any condition?”
Ji Ruyan’s entire body went weak and her face turned a bit pale as she sensed Yun Che’s brazenly invading gaze on her. She bit hard on her lip and somehow forced out a reply in shaking voice, “So long as the Black Feather Merchant Guild is saved, even if Ruyan has to become… a slave or a concubine…”
“...That does indeed sound good but I can only feel pity.” Yun Che shook his head with a regretful look on his face. “It’s a pity that you have mistaken a lot of things. For instance, I am not from the Flame God Realm, nor from a star realm higher than that. As for my relation with Sect Master Huo, I’ve only met him a few times. The reason he gave me the black feather stone was just to return a favor to me. Thenceforth, no more grudge or favor exists between the two of us.”
“...” Ji Ruyan raised her head, not knowing what to do.
“You’d be greatly disappointed if I were to tell you about my origin. Not only am I not from a middle star realm, I also don’t belong to even a lower star realm. I come from a mere bottom level little planet that is located in the lower realm below the God Realm. Let alone having a power behind me, I don’t even have a companion.”
“I showed no hesitation in spending so many profound stones because they were stolen by me from somewhere and hence, it doesn’t hurt me to spend them however I want. As for that person who was severely injured by me yesterday night, first of all, I didn’t knew about him at all, secondly, since I’m all alone in the world, I don’t have to worry about future troubles! I’ll make things difficult for anyone who dares to provoke me, irrespective of their identity. Simple as that!”
“...” Ji Ruyan slightly opened her lips but didn’t say a thing for a very long while.
“Therefore, it was nothing different from a gargantuan joke for you to come asking my help!” Yun Che turned away. “This is the reality and it’s up you to you to believe it or not. Considering that your Black Feather Merchant Guild is a victim too and it also took the risk of hiding my real information from the Black Soul Divine Sect, I’ll spare you and the people of the Black Feather Merchant Guild. But as for the Black Soul Divine Sect… I’ll certainly make them pay a grievous price!!”
With that, Yun Che flew up into the air, preparing to leave the place.
“Wait a moment!!” Ji Ruyan swiftly got up. Her figure flashed as she arrived right before Yun Che, “Sir, don’t… don’t tell me that you want to go to the Black Soul Divine Sect?”
“Correct.” Yun Che said in a cold voice, “I didn’t leave the Darkya Realm in order to deal with the Black Soul Divine Sect!”
“Don’t do it!” Ji Ruyan shook her head. “Sir Ling Yun, although your strength is extraordinary, if you’re truly planning to go there all alone… I ask you to completely drop the idea of doing so! Black Soul Divine Sect is the ruling sect in the Darkya Realm and an incomparably fearsome existence. It has eight million disciples in total and if we also include the number of disciples in its major branches that are located across the Darkya Realm, they would add up to tens of millions! Sect Master Lei Qianfeng is an unrivalled and powerful Divine King and the sixty-four Hall Masters are all fearsome people that are at the late stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm… You, sir, are a very passionate and righteous person who Ruyan extremely admires but you absolutely can’t just straightaway dive into the abyss and throw away your life because of a moment of anger.”
“Hmph!” Yun Che lightly gnashed his teeth. “It’s naturally impossible for an insignificant person like me to be able to shake such an enormous ruling sect. But even if I have to put my life at risk, I’ll make sure to dye the Black Soul Divine Sect with blood!”
“It’s for the debt owed by them!”
“It’s also for the debt I owe!”
“The debt of blood must be repaid with blood!”
“...” Ji Ruyan blankly looked at Yun Che. A profound practitioner of the Divine Soul Realm, without any backing or even someone he could call his companion, actually wanted to proactively “punish” an enormous sect that ruled a star realm!
It should feel absurd, laughable and stupid to her but the aura seething on Yun Che’s body caused her to sense deep suffocation. To her surprise, she clearly felt that he wasn’t talking nonsense or being impulsive.
As the young head of the Black Feather Merchant Guild, she came into contact with far more people than an ordinary person. Despite that, it was her first time feeling so frightened by the domineering aura of a young man.
“Sir Ling Yun,” Ji Ruyan said sincerely, “I have a way to safely send you away from the Darkya Realm. I can guarantee that you wouldn’t be discovered by the…”
“Not necessary!” Yun Che decisively refused her and again prepared to leave.
“Sir!” Ji Ruyan promptly got in front of him. “If you’re determined to go to the Black Soul Divine Sect… Ruyan is willing to help you.”
“Hmm?” Yun Che revealed surprise. “You want to help me?”
Ji Ruyan let out a faint sigh, “Since it’s your first time to the Darkya Realm and you knew nothing of the Black Soul Divine Sect until yesterday either, there should be very few things you understand about the Black Soul Divine Sect right now. You might not even know the location of the sect.”
Yun Che, “…”
“In Ruyan’s opinion, your intention to confront the Black Soul Divine Sect by yourself is no different from going to meet one’s death. Ruyan can’t provide much help but at least in the Darkya Realm, I am one of the most knowledgeable people about the Black Soul Divine Sect. Some time later in the night, I’ll send the information related to the Black Soul Divine Sect to your Sound Transmission Jade… I hope that after knowing more about the sect, you reconsiders the decision to face it alone.”
“You answer a question first,” Yun Che said all of a sudden. “At the trade fair last night, why did that person of the Black Soul Divine Sect suddenly cause trouble and tried to forcibly seize back… the wood spirit?”
“That’s because of… the Divine Martial Realm.”
Mentioning the distant, fearsome and the far superior Divine Martial Realm, Ji Ruyan found it difficult to maintain calmness in her eyes.
“Go on,” Yun Che said.
“I myself came to know about the reason some time ago. Originally, when the people of the Black Soul Divine Sect ascertained that the little wood spirit that they had captured was the legendary royal wood spirit, that had already become extinct, they immediately informed Lei Qianfeng about it with sound transmission. Lei Qianfeng was first happy to hear the good news but soon fear took root in his heart. He didn’t dare to use it for himself or even offer it to the Divine Martial Realm. Of course, he didn’t dare to keep it for long and wanted to immediately deal with it via my Black Feather Merchant Guild. But who would’ve thought that the first half of the sound transmission was heard by Lei Qianfeng’s wife from far away. She didn’t know about the value of a ‘royal tribe wood spirit,’ and even more unfortunately, it was precisely Lei Qianyu’s birthday. When Lei Qianfeng’s wife sent sound transmission to Lei Qianyu in the distant Divine Martial Realm, she casually mentioned this matter.”
“That’s roughly how the situation played out. It’s easy to imagine the reaction of the Divine Martial Realm when they found out that the Black Soul Divine Sect had captured a royal wood spirit. But unexpectedly, by the time the Divine Martial Realm knew of the matter, that royal wood spirit was taken away by Sir Yun… At the moment, the task of retrieving that royal wood spirit is being treated as a matter of prime importance by the Black Soul Divine Sect. If the Black Soul Divine Sect fails to succeed in the end, there’s no doubt that the Divine Martial Sect will be furious. They might even send someone to personally come to the Darkya Realm.”
“They can forget about finding it, now or ever.” Yun Che slowly clenched his hands. “As if I give a sh*t about the Divine Martial Realm. Even if they were shielded by the Heavenly King himself, I’d still paint the whole Black Soul Divine Sect with blood.”
eive Sir…”
“I do believe that you’re not deceiving me.” Yun Che continued to speak in an indifferent voice, “Let me rephrase the question. Isn’t there something you have yet to tell me? For example, about…”
Yun Che said in a gloomy voice, “The Divine Martial Realm!”


Chapter 1085 - Black Soul Mountain
“Just now you said that you have a way to send me out of the Darkya Realm. In that case, do you have a way to send me to the Heavenly Mystery Realm?” Yun Che asked.
“Heavenly Mystery Realm?” Ji Ruyan said in a surprised voice. “Sir, could it be that you want to go there to seek some information or find something? If possible, can you tell Ruyan about it first? The strongest point of the Black Feather Merchant Guild is its information gathering ability. Perhaps… Ruyan might be able to help you in obtaining it without you having to leave for the distant Heavenly Mystery Realm.”
Yun Che slightly hesitated, before saying, “I want to find a Divine Nine Star Buddha Jade and an Immortal Emperor Grass.”
“...” A startled expression appeared on Ji Ruyan’s face. But the thing that Yun Che found unexpected was that she didn’t outright say anything along the lines of “that’s impossible,” and instead gave an actual reply after remaining silent for a short while. “Ruyan will try to find those two rare things but the chance of really finding them is almost negligible. If I fail to get any results, it’d be definitely be the best choice to go to the Heavenly Mystery Realm. However, since you are seeking such things, then you certainly need to return from the Black Soul Divine Sect alive… Ruyan still hopes that sir can be more reasonable and understand when to back down.”
“Is the Heavenly Mystery Realm truly such a mystical place?” Yun Che wrinkled his brows. That old man had told him before that once he arrived at the Heavenly Mystery Realm, he would definitely not return disappointed as long as he had enough profound stones.
“The name ‘Heavenly Mystery’ in the Heavenly Mystery Realm absolutely isn’t an exaggeration,” Ji Ruyan said. “It’s also the sole star realm that is particularly revered by all the king realms.”
“Don’t tell me that its inhabitants can truly see through the mysteries of heaven?” Yun Che slightly curled his lips.
“The several great prophecies made in the history of the Heavenly Mystery Realm have all come true,” Ji Ruyan said. “No matter the information you need, so long as it isn’t anything that violates basic morals and ethics and they’re willing to provide the information, you will get an accurate and errorless result. No one has ever heard of them giving any information that is simply false or deviates from reality.”
“Sir must know about the Profound God Convention that alarmed the entire God Realm and is going to be held in two years. The Heavenly Mystery Realm is the reason behind that, too.”
“...Hmm!?” Yun Che was quite shocked. “Because of the Heavenly Mystery Realm? Could it be due to some prediction made by the Heavenly Mystery Realm?”
“Exactly.” Ji Ruyan slowly nodded. “According to what Ruyan knows, the Heavenly Mystery Realm issued a prediction ten years ago that there’s an extremely high possibility of a great calamity befalling the Eastern Divine Region or even the entire God Realm within thirty years. Furthermore, the calamity seems to bring along unprecedented destructiveness. The four Great King Realms started to make preparations early because of this prediction and thus the grand event was planned to be held all of a sudden. Moreover, the mechanism of the Profound God Convention is going to be completely different from the past. The main objective of the event is to select a thousand young practitioners, with the best aptitude in the Eastern Divine Region and then, use up all the energy of the Eternal Heaven Pearl to help them grow rapidly, in order to deal with the great calamity that is likely to come in the future.”
Yun Che, however, said with an unchanged expression, “I have never believed in something like heaven’s mystery. Furthermore, the prediction only mentioned a ‘possibility.’ Frankly speaking, they are just deliberately mystifying things to leave a way out for themselves. Besides, I didn’t get to hear about this prediction even when I was staying in a middle star realm, a higher level place than the Darkya Realm, so how come you know about it?”
“The two words ‘great calamity’ will definitely cause an enormous panic among people and thus, it was necessary to keep the prediction a secret… However, this time’s Profound God Convention is too unusual and actually, every place has a guess that’s not too far from the original prediction. Although the Black Feather Merchant Guild has meager power, our intelligence network is extremely vast. As we come into contact with so many people, the information gathering ability of the guild is likely even greater than what you might think. In addition, the theory of heaven’s mystery sounds purely imaginary to anyone who hears of it but once you go to the Heavenly Mystery Realm, perhaps… it will change your point of view.”
Yun Che raised the corners of his brows and said with a nod, “Alright then. I’ll have to trouble you to use the information gathering ability of your Black Feather Merchant Guild to help me look for a Divine Nine Star Buddha Jade and an Immortal Emperor Grass. If you truly succeed in getting them, I’ll certainly provide an appropriate reward in return. As for whether I can come back alive, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Ruyan will give it her all. About the reward,” Ji Ruyan shook her head, “No need for that. It’d be Ruyan’s fortune to be of help.”
“...” Yun Che raised his gaze a bit as he glanced at the figure of Ji Ruyan once again. His tone had clearly become a little softer than before, “Miss Ruyan, you already know that I am from the lower realm, alone, and an insignificant person. Since I have no means to assist the Black Feather Merchant Guild, why do you still want to help me?”
Ji Ruyan revealed a shallow smile, “Because it’s the Black Soul Divine Sect, the existence Ruyan hates the most, that sir wants to deal with even at the risk of your life. Moreover, Ruyan also extremely admires your moral and righteous nature.”
“Moral? Righteous?” Yun Che laughed in self-derision, before flying up into the air. “Like I said, I’m doing this because I owe a debt… that I must return at any cost!”
By the time his voice faded away, Yun Che’s figure had disappeared within the curtain of night.

————————————————
At the east of Darkya City, meandering mountains could be seen with no end in sight, even looking from high above, in the sky. As far as it was possible for the eyes to see, the entire mountain range was surrounded with dark gray fog, which made it appear very eerie.
The roars of beasts could be heard from distant places, causing people to walk timidly, in fear.
“The Black Soul Mountain Range!” Standing before the mountain range, Yun Che mumbled to himself.
“Black Soul Divine Sect isn’t that far from Darkya City. One thousand five hundred kilometers to the east of Darkya City, there’s a thousand kilometer long mountain range, called the Black Soul Mountain Range. The location of the Black Soul Divine Sect is right beyond the mountain range.”
“The Black Soul Mountain Range is an extremely dangerous place. Countless dangerous profound beasts lurk around there and especially, extremely dense gray fog spreads all over the mountain range from evening until the early morning of the next day. Even profound practitioners of the divine way would have their sights and spirit senses greatly restricted.”
“The western part of the Black Soul Mountain Range is visited by a lot of profound practitioners throughout the year to train themselves or look for opportunities. However, all those who dare to enter this place are experts, without any exception, and ordinary profound practitioners would absolutely not dare to get closer to this mountain range. The eastern part belongs to the Black Soul Divine Sect. Once someone rashly enters in there and gets sensed by a disciple of the Black Soul Divine Sect, they would have an extremely tragic end. Hence, no one dares to approach the eastern part… Extreme care is required when travelling through the mountain range.”
This was the information given to him by Ji Ruyan about the Black Soul Mountain Range.
In the face of the enormous Black Soul Divine Sect, Yun Che was as negligible of an existence as a broken stone at the foot of a mountain. It was absolutely impossible for him to have a head-on clash with it… but, he also had things that he could rely upon in such a situation.
“Black Soul Divine Sect, get ready to experience the fury of this insignificant person!” Yun Che gnashed his teeth, as he said in a low voice.
Yun Che descended from the sky and stepped into the Black Soul Mountain Range. Even though he held extreme hatred for the sect , he knew the difficulty and gravity of the thing he was planning to do and needed to be very careful in accomplishing his goal. A slight bit of carelessness could spell his doom.
At least, he now had a rough understanding of the surroundings, so he could use that knowledge to his advantage in a dangerous situation and escape.
As it was daytime, no dense fog could be seen in the Black Soul Mountain Range, but right after stepping into the place, he could clearly sense an eerie feeling.
Yun Che made his way straight to the depths of the mountain range. Here, profound practitioners with different auras and in various types of clothes could be seen everywhere. Just as Ji Ruyan had said, the ones who dared to enter the Black Soul Mountain Range were anything but ordinary profound practitioners. None of the people Yun Che came across had a cultivation level lower than the Divine Soul Realm. He would occasionally even meet experts of the Divine Tribulation Realm. Furthermore, all these people had companions and there were even those who had formed large groups. He didn’t meet anyone who was all by themselves like he was.
Although he was still in the peripheral region of the mountain range, the profound beasts that were wandering around were far more crowded together than the humans.
Having obtained the Royal Wood Spirit Orb from He Lin, Yun Che’s sight, hearing, and sense of smell had all gotten much, much better than before. He could even clearly sense the breathing of the trees and plants. In addition, he could call out the names and characteristics of all the flowers, plants, and trees in his field of vision with incomparable accuracy, without failing to recognize a single thing.
Evading the auras of the profound beasts, Yun Che looked over the surrounding landscape, while heading into the depths of the Black Soul Mountain Range at a steady pace. As he drew step by step nearer to the Black Soul Divine Sect, the look in his eyes also gradually turned gloomy and ruthless. All of a sudden, the corners of his brows raised slightly.
HISS!!
A black-striped snake abruptly shot out the crack in the withered tree on his right side. At the same time, another similar aura could be sensed from the left side, waiting to launch an attack at the right moment. Yun Che stretched out his hand with lightning speed and grabbed the black-striped snake at the weakest place on its body. A bit of profound energy was spat out and its internal organs shattered from the shock… In the same moment, the second black-striped snake pounced towards his neck like lightning.
“Watch your back!!”
No sooner had the voice reached his ears than a jade sword came flying over at a very fast speed and stabbed through the black striped snake in the air, with incomparable preciseness. Afterwards, the sword beautifully turned around in the air and flew back, while emitting a chilly sword aura. Black blood spilled out the the black-striped snake that was now cut into two and instantly turned all the grass and trees that came into contact with it pitch-black, which was a horrible sight to see.
Yun Che, “…”
The one who had killed the snake was a small and thin man in an ink-colored robe. Accompanying him was a big and tall man who was dressed in an identical robe and a young lady who was clearly a lot younger than the other two.
Judging from the aura, the small and thin man who “saved” him had a slightly higher cultivation level than him and should be at the third level of the Divine Soul Realm. The big and tall man was even stronger than him and must have already reached the fifth level of the Divine Soul Realm. As for the woman, she was evidently being protected by the two men and her profound power was only at the middle stage of the Divine Origin Realm.
The trio obviously belonged to the same sect and from the looks of it, they should be mainly practicing the way of the sword.
“Brother, are you alright?” As the three of them walked forward, the small and thin man said, “That was a Black Killer Snake, a notorious creature in the Black Soul Mountain Range. Not only it is sly, it also often hunts with another of its kind. Furthermore, it has a highly toxic poison, which poses the true danger when someone runs into it.”
Yun Che nodded his head. He gave them a glance, as he said with a slight laugh, “Thank you for the assistance.”
The big and tall man wrinkled his brows. It was obvious that he was quite displeased at Yun Che thanking them in such a manner. He said with a faint smile, “If my junior brother didn’t help you out just now, you’d be dead at this moment and even your corpse would’ve turned completely black. You’d better think of a way to repay us first.”
“Hehe, brother, my senior brother is only joking with you.” The small and thin man promptly smoothed things over. “Brother, why have you come alone to such a place? How about… you travel with us? That way we can look after each other, after all. It’s really too dangerous for a person to be all alone here.”
“Yeah, it’d be better to tag along with us,” the woman also said immediately. Yun Che’s appearance was extraordinary in the first place. Coupled with his domineering and indistinct noble aura, he evoked favorable feelings in a woman’s heart with extreme ease. She said quite proudly, “I am Gu Xiaolian and these are my Great Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother. Both of them are particularly powerful and very famous people, whose names you would definitely have heard.”
The big and tall man curled his lip, with a blatantly proud look on his face.
“No need.” Having finished his words, Yun Che didn’t say anything more and directly turned around to leave.
“Heh, this kid,” the big and tall man coldly snorted in disdain.
“Third Senior Brother, what is his cultivation level? Could it be that he is also at the Divine Soul Realm?” Gu Xiaolian asked curiously.
The thin and short man replied, “Hmm, the second level of the Divine Soul Realm.”
“Oh, so powerful.” Gu Xiaolian blinked her eyes. “Moreover, I feel that he should be almost the same age as me… or even younger.”
“How is that possible!?” The big and tall man pursed his lips. “Even the Black Soul Divine Sect doesn’t have anyone that has reached the Divine Soul Realm at around thirty, so how could he attain such success? But, if his age is under sixty, then he would certainly be called a genius. It’s a pity that he is an idiot who actually dared to come to the Black Soul Mountain Range alone. This might be his first time coming here, as he would absolutely not be alive to come here a second time.”
“Great Senior Brother!” Gu Xiaolian jumped in fright and promptly said, “Don’t say such things. He… he can hear us.”
“So what?” The Great Senior Brother smiled coldly in disdain. “No matter whether he hears my words or not, I’d still call him an idiot.”
While they were talking, two burly men appeared in their line of sight, who were dressed in similar black robes. Sensing the auras of the two black robed men, both of them felt a shiver in their hearts. The cold smile on the big and tall man’s face disappeared at once, too.
The bodies of the two black robed men were releasing auras of the late stage of the Divine Soul Realm!
The two black robed men also looked at them at the same time. Their pace immediately slowed down, after which the two men exchanged glances with each other and actually changed the direction they were heading in. They straightaway walked towards the trio, with their gazes fixed on Gu Xiaolian’s body.
When he sensed their gazes, the thin and short man said in a panicked voice, “They don’t seem to have good intentions. Let’s leave here quickly.”
“Hold it!” The moment they turned around, a thunderous voice resounded beside their ears, causing their entire bodies to tremble. They no longer dared to act rashly.
The trio slowly turned around and the small and thin man made his salutations, “This humble one is Luo Mu of the Jade Sword Sect. May I ask what advice the two seniors have for us?”
“Jade Sword Sect? What the hell is that?” The black robed person on the right asked.
“Hahahaha, like we give a sh*t about it. Anyways, it’s f*king nothing in the eyes of our Black Soul Divine Sect. We only care about fun stuff.” The black robed person on the left laughed wildly.
Black Soul Divine Sect… These four words made the three people feel greatly shocked in their hearts. It was at this time that they finally caught sight of the black snake marks on their bodies. The big and tall man said in shaking voice, “So seniors… are actually from the Black Soul Divine Sect. Do the two seniors have… some instruction for us?”
“Instruction? Hmph!” The face of the black-robed man on the right turned dark all of a sudden. “You damn things sure have some big guts. You actually dared to trespass on the territory of our Black Soul Divine Sect!? Could it be that you don’t know that the entire Black Soul Mountain Range is the domain of our sect?”
“About… that…” The thin and short man said in a flurry. “Junior absolutely wouldn’t dare do such a thing. Just… just that as far as junior knows, it’s the eastern part of the Black Soul Mountain that belongs to senior’s esteemed sect and not the western part…”
“Nonsense!” The black-robed man said in an angry voice. “Since it is called Black Soul Mountain, it’s naturally the possession of our Black Soul Divine Sect. Not only did you guys trespass on our territory, you even dare to quibble with us, huh. Well, let’s forget it. Our Black Soul Divine Sect is the ruling sect in the Darkya Realm after all, so it’s expected for us to be magnanimous. We won’t stoop to the level of you ignorant juniors.”
The trio felt joy in their hearts. They were just about to say their thanks when they saw that person pointing his finger towards Gu Xiaolian. He said with a repulsive and lewd smile on his face, “So long as we get to have some fun with this young girl, we’ll let bygones be bygones and forgive your crime of trespassing on our territory. If we feel sufficiently pleased after having our fun, we might even give you a great reward, hahahahaha!”
The expression of the two senior brothers abruptly changed, while Gu Xiaolian’s face turned ghastly pale in an instant. She suddenly got behind the two and said in a scared and trembling voice, “I.. I don’t want to…”
“Senior Brother,” The small and thin man clenched his hands. His whole body shivered as he used sound transmission while gritting his teeth, “Senior Brother, they’re going too far… Let’s just face them with our all might!”
“No way! Do you want to die?!” The big and tall man immediately replied. “They’re from the Black Soul Divine Sect! That’s the ‘Black Soul Divine Sect,’ you know! Besides, those two have such a high profound strength, so there’s no way they would have a low identity in the Black Soul Divine Sect… No matter what, we can’t be impulsive!”
“Senior Brother, save… save me,” Gu Xiaolian said in an imploring tone.
“Junior Sister Xiaolian,” The corners of the Great Senior Brother’s brows twitched. “They are… seniors from the Black Soul Divine Sect. So we can only… can only have you go through this suffering. Otherwise.. all three of us will die.”
“Great… Senior Brother…” Gu Xiaolian at once fell into a daze. Her face was as white as a sheet, unable to believe what she had just heard.
“Hahahaha, I guess you guys are sensible at least. Hurry up and get lost from here! Or is it that you also want to join in the fun?”
“No, no… we’ll at once get lost from here, we’ll get lost right away!” Hearing the words “get lost,” the Great Senior Brother not only didn’t feel humiliated, they even sounded to be coming from heaven to him. He grabbed the small and thin man, as he forcibly dragged him backwards to leave the place.
“...” Gu Xiaolian slowly sat paralyzed on the ground, with a look of despair on her face.
“Hahahaha…” The two black-robed men let out a wild laugh at the same time. “Tsk, tsk, what a pair of wussies. We were thinking that they’d be able to entertain us some more.”
It was at this moment that an utterly emotionless and ice-cold voice resounded beside their ears all of a sudden.
“You two are from the Black Soul Divine Sect?”