by Mars Gravity
Purple light swiftly spread within this white world as it gradually stained the entire world. The ghostly wailing began growing closer and closer, clearer and clearer. The sound was even growing more and more beautiful and pleasing to the ear… It slowly changed from the sinister and bone-grating sound he had first heard to something which sounded as sweet and melodious as notes from heaven…
The purple world and the sweet and beautiful melody were able to drown a person in a fantastical dreamscape. Within this dreamscape, familiar scenes and faces began to appear. Cang Yue, Feng Xue’er, Xiao Lingxi, Xia Qingyue, Chu Yuechan, the Little Demon Empress… Each of them appeared one after the other and every one of them had the most gentle and beautiful of smiles on their faces. One pair of beautiful eyes after another gently gazed at him as the purple world slowly began to drift away…
Further and further… more and more hazy…
“Yun Che! Retreat immediately!!”
A shrill shout resounded like thunder in the purple world.
Bang!!
The purple-colored dream world instantly shattered as all the illusions disappeared. After that, an enormous pain assaulted Yun Che. It felt as if hundreds or thousands of steel needles were piercing his heart and soul, causing him to hold his head with both hands as hoarse wails of pain escaped his throat.
He felt as if countless dark hands were tearing at his soul, as if they were trying to pluck all the memories, will and beliefs… from his living body!
Yun Che had experienced mental assaults and battles of the soul far too many times but none of them had been as terrifying and cruel as this one. This feeling of his soul tearing and ripping felt colder and clearer than a knife carving into his body… He had never known nor had he ever imagined that mental assaults could be this terrifying!!
As his soul struggled in pain, he nearly lost control of his power and body. His entire person knelt on the ground as his body shivered crazily, his forehead matted in cold sweat.
Moreover, he was still a full sixty meters away from the Netherworld Udumbara Flower!!
“Hurry up and retreat!!”
Jasmine’s voice cracked like thunder in his head once more, helping Yun Che recover some modicum of clarity as he was engaged in a fierce struggle for his soul. He gave a fierce howl as he desperately gathered and focused all of his energy, tumbling backwards in an extremely distorted and painstaking fashion.
Bang!!
Yun Che’s head fiercely hit the ground and he rolled and tumbled backwards several times before coming to a stop. During this bumpy ride, he had rolled backwards more than sixty meters. It still felt like his soul was being torn to shreds but it had weakened to the point where he could easily deal with it.
Yun Che propped himself up using his arms as he gasped for breath. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead and rarely-seen fear and alarm could be seen in his eyes.
So that was the… Netherworld Udumbara Flower’s soul stealing ability!?
To think that it was this dreadful… Why was it this dreadful!!?
He was still so far away just now, but it was already that terrifying! If he went even nearer in order to harvest it… The results would have been unimaginable!
How could such a terrifying thing exist in this world!?
“Now do you believe me?” Jasmine said with an extremely solemn expression on her face, “Once the Netherworld Udumbara Flower fully blooms, its soul stealing ability will be far more terrifying than you can imagine! It is definitely not something that a person from your plane can come into contact with!!”
Yun Che did not voice a reply to Jasmine, instead his head jerked upwards… Ahead of him, the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign already stood in front of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower. That gray-white face was spread wide by an arrogant, mocking grin. He greedily stared at those nine ghostly purple petals as he got drunk on the hellish aura that radiated from them. But he did not forget to cast a wanton, mocking grin in the fallen Yun Che’s direction, “Foolish and pathetic human being! To think that you even dared to dream of snatching the Netherworld Udumbara Flower from this king… hahahahaha…”
The wild laughter suddenly abated and the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s face twisted into a mask of fury while his voice grew thick with bone-grating rage and resentment, “It was you… who forced this king to transform, causing me to greatly harm my life origin as a result! Even if you lose your pathetic life ten thousand times, it would not be enough to assuage this king’s rage! After this king consumes this Netherworld Udumbara Flower… I will definitely allow you to experience all of the torture known to my devil race! I’ll leave you begging for death! I’ll make you forever regret being born into this world!!”
He turned his head back, his eyes completely focused on the nearby Netherworld Udumbara Flower. His previous violent fury immediately turned into ecstasy and agitation. He stretched out both his devil claws, covering them with black light as he slowly reached towards the Netherworld Udumbara Flower… His movements were so slow and gentle that it looked like he was going to handle the most precious treasure he possessed in his life.
“Ssss—” Yun Che gritted his teeth so hard that they almost broke. Just thinking about the dreadfulness of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower left him drenched in cold sweat. So this short distance that laid between him and the flower had now become a natural chasm that he could not cross!
No! No matter what, he had to stop the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign…
The reason I risked it all to stay behind in this place was to obtain that Netherworld Udumbara Flower! If the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign consumes it, not only will it be extremely likely that it will be the only of one of its kind to exist in this world, the lives of Hong’er, Jasmine and I will be lost forever in this dark place!
So I have to stop it no matter what!
No matter what!!
Both of the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s claws were touching the Netherworld Udumbara Flower as he prepared to slowly pluck it… Even though his movements were slow, his hands still trembled, his expression even contained a hint of fanaticism and devotion! As an ancient devil, he had never believed in any higher power. Nor was there any higher power worthy of his belief. But this Netherworld Udumbara Flower had become a sacred existence to him. Without it, he would have disintegrated into dust long ago! Moreover, it was only by relying on it that his soul origin could be fully recovered and he could see the light of day once more!
So every time he plucked it, he was exceedingly careful as he was afraid that he would hurt it. He had never fully absorbed all of the energy in this place, he would always ensure that enough of it remained so it could continue to nurture the Netherworld Udumbara Flower.
Black light wrapped around the nine petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower. In the next instant, he would perfectly pluck all nine of these petals… But at this moment, an extremely dangerous aura assaulted him from behind.
Yun Che bounced to his feet as he summoned the Heaven Smiting Sword and his Profound Handle once more. He nearly raised all the profound energy in his body to its limit in one instant as his sword and the Profound Handle blazed with gold-colored Golden Crow flames. After that, he launched an explosive attack in front of him.
“Phoenix Sky Wolf Slash!”
Poof!!
Flowers of blood sprayed from his arms once more as the huge aftershock of his attack sent him tumbling fiercely backwards. The two images of a flaming Sky Wolf carried furiously vibrating spatial ripples as they exploded towards the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign!
The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign had never thought that Yun Che, who had clearly exhausted most of his profound energy, would still be able to launch such a ferocious attack. Furthermore, the two images of the Sky Wolf were moving at an exceedingly fast speed. Because the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign had devoted all of his attention to the Netherworld Udumbara Flower, he had only detected those two attacks when they were barely ten meters away fro
m him.
Bang!!!
Both burning images of the Sky Wolf viciously rammed into the back of the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign. He gave a strangled cry as the black-colored scales on his back immediately exploded. Black blood flew through the air as severely deformed bones. that had yet to break, were exposed. His entire devil body shot outwards like a cannon before fiercely smashing against a stone wall that was three hundred meters away. He slid to the ground in a slump, not getting up for a very long time.
“It… succeeded!!” Yun Che said as he propped himself up using his sword. His vision suddenly went black and he nearly toppled over. The Sky Wolf Slash that he had just performed had exceeded the limits of his strength through sheer force of will. Furthermore, he also had to use energy to activate his Profound Handle. The enormous amount of energy he had used caused his body to feel drawn and weak for a while and he could barely hold the Heaven Smiting Sword steady.
But before he even had time to draw a few breaths, his pupils suddenly contracted fiercely.
His recent attack had been cleverly designed to avoid any damage to the Netherworld Udumbara Flower. The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign did not wish for any harm to come to it and neither did Yun Che. The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign was blown away but the stalk of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower was practically untouched. However, of the nine glowing purple lights which swayed above it…
Shockingly, only four petals were left!
Furthermore, at the end of the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, five gloomy purple lights were glowing where the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign laid!!
“Crap!” Jasmine exclaimed, “When he was blasted away, he managed to grab five flower petals!!”
Before Jasmine’s voice had fallen, Yun Che shot towards the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign like an loosened arrow… He took a look at the Netherworld Udumbara Flower that he avoided before crazily racing towards where the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign laid.
“Bastard!!” The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign struggled to get up, his back arched in pain. He felt as if a hole had been blasted clear through his chest. But the moment he was sent flying, he had also managed to grab the five petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower that were already in his hands. If not for Yun Che blasting him away, all nine of the flower petals would have fallen into his hands.
When he looked at the onrushing Yun Che, the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign grew so furious that he felt as if he would explode, “You damned bastard!! Your struggles will only increase the pain that you are about to experience!!!”
As he roared in fury, the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign grabbed those five gloomy and ghostly petals and tossed them towards his open mouth.
Yun Che’s expression suddenly went white as he yelled in a hoarse voice, “Shut your mouth!!”
Gulp!!
It was a simple swallowing motion, something that Yun Che would not be in time to stop even if he was ten times faster. He could only watch as those five petals fell into that wide devil mouth. He could only helplessly witness the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign swallowing them in one gulp.
Yun Che, “!!!”
Chapter 785: Desperate Gamble
Shit!!
As he saw the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign swallow the petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower, Yun Che felt an intense chill wash over his entire body.
In the end, the worst case scenario had still presented itself in front of his very eyes.
Not only had he missed the chance to get the desired Netherworld Udumbara Flower, the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s wounds and powers would be recovering soon as well! Furthermore, this place was a region that was sealed shut, so even the Primordial Profound Ark would not be able to teleport out of here. It also happened that Jasmine was not able to materialize in this place!
So right now, this could be said to be the most cruel and desperate situation Yun Che had ever been in before.
The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign who had swallowed the petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower threw his arms wide open in ecstasy as he shut his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower’s power spreading through his body. An extremely soothing and comfortable feeling spread through his entire body, even down to depths of his soul, causing all the aches and pains that afflicted him to practically disappear.
The dark energy in his body also seemed to be recovering quickly… Yun Che and the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign could both sense it clearly. At this moment, all the wounds on his body started to glow with a faint purple light. After that, the wounds began recovering at such an alarming speed that Yun Che was able to witness the flesh mending and knitting right before his very eyes.
“Hahahaha!” The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign laughed wildly. The moment he consumed the Netherworld Udumbara Flower was the moment of the greatest ecstasy for him. But this time, the feeling of ecstasy was far greater than it had ever been before. Once he thought of how Yun Che’s desperate struggles would only lead to despair in the end, his heart was seized by an intense joy, “Pathetic human! Let’s see how long you can struggle against this king this time around!”
“You will soon know the fate of those who have provoked and enraged this king! This king will let you experience the most dreadful purgatory in this world!”
“…” Yun Che’s whole body went cold as he sensed the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s aura begin to rise dramatically. His guts sank as he saw those wounds close before his very eyes but his mind still remained incredibly clear and focused despite the emotions washing over him…
The more desperate a situation got, the more clear-headed he would become!
Jasmine had said that given the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s current state, he would be able to recover most of his profound energy and be healed of most of his wounds within a mere hundred breaths! However, he had only consumed five flower petals rather than the entire flower, so it should take longer than that.
Even though being able to recover most of his energy and vitality just like that was truly astounding, in the end he still had one hundred breaths… So he would not be thrown into the pits of despair just yet!!
Furthermore, even though five petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower had been consumed… four petals still remained!
The power of the remaining four petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower… may just be enough to grant Jasmine a new life!! Even if they could not, it would definitely still be of great help.
Yun Che’s brows sank as his thoughts began to race… Right now, the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign was still seriously injured and he had used up most of his power as well. If he was able to kill him before he could recover with the Netherworld Udumbara Flower’s help, then…
No! There was no if! This was the only option left to him, the only hope he had left… Otherwise, he would definitely be dead meat once the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign recovered!!
However, the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s aggregate power and current state was not far off from his own, given the fact that he also had a devil body… He had not even managed to critically injure him during their vicious battle that had lasted for hours! So trying to deliver a killing blow within the span of a few short breaths would be harder than reaching the heavens!
But the situation he was currently facing did not give Yun Che time to hesitate or consider. Because the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s strength continued to grow with each passing breath and his wounds continued to heal at a rapid pace!! This basically meant that each passing breath would cause the already miniscule spark of hope he had to constantly shrink! Perhaps after the next ten or twenty breaths, that already faint hope might disappear completely.
On the other hand, even if Yun Che had to think with his toes, he would be able to realize that the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s following move would not be to engage him in combat. Rather, he would pour all his effort into shaking Yun Che off and rushing towards the Netherworld Udumbara Flo
wer! At that point, not only would the remaining four petals of the Netherworld Udumbara Flower fall into his devil hands… He was not even able to approach the Netherworld Udumbara Flower, so he could forget about struggling or hoping for victory!
Yun Che’s eyes widened as a resolute and vicious light radiated from within. Both his hands tightened fiercely around the hilt of the Heaven Smiting Sword. It was almost as if he wanted to embed it in his flesh… Now that he only had one option left to him, Yun Che tossed aside all thoughts of prices or aftermaths!
“Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign!!”
Yun Che roared in such a loud voice that it sounded like his throat would be torn apart. After a short pause, his speed explosively increased as he rushed towards the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign.
“Yun Che, you…”
Jasmine instantly realized what Yun Che was planning and she swallowed her words of warning before they even left her mouth… Because she knew that this was indeed the only option left to him.
He had not choice but to stake his very life on this gamble!
Even though it was extremely likely that he would explode on the spot, at least he could still grasp at that tiny sliver of hope!
“Evil God’s fourth realm, Rumbling Heaven!!”
Boom!!
An incredibly heavy rumbling sound resounded within Yun Che’s profound veins. All of his profound entrances were fully opened as the Evil God’s Profound Veins instantly swelled to twice their usual size… and they were coming close to rupturing!!
At the same time, a wild and frenzied energy wave exploded from his body as they shoved aside all the surrounding darkness energy! The dreadfulness of this energy wave caused the wildly laughing Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign to fly away as if he had been hit by a giant mallet. He flew through the air before smashing against one of the stone walls located in the very depths of the cave.
The Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign’s laughter immediately grew strangled as he jerked his head upwards to look at Yun Che. The eyes that were filled with complacency and joy were now filled with an enormous dread…
