Chapter 1716: Invasion of Darkness

Qianye Ying'er did not reply immediately. Instead, she spoke in a low tone, "You weren't there when we sent the Heavenly Smiting Devil Emperor off at the border of the Primal Chaos so you probably don't know who truly forced the darkness out of Yun Che and pushed him into such desperate straits."

Chi Wuyao, "..."

"It was the Dragon Monarch." Qianye Ying'er's gaze turned gloomy as she continued on, "Zhou Xuzi had blasted the Evil Infant out of the Primal Chaos right before the crimson rift was sealed. Yun Che was furious with Zhou Xuzi, but the Southern Sea God Emperor and Qianye Fantian opposed him."

"Even so, that alone would not have driven Yun Che to desperation. After all, Yun Che had just saved the universe and everyone owed him their lives. The exalted and esteemed Dragon Monarch had also always held Yun Che in high regards and he had even wanted to take him as his foster son back when they first met. It was also the Dragon God Realm who took Yun Che in and saved him when he was under my Brahma Soul Death-Wishing Mark."

"All he had to do was stand up and speak for Yun Che, and everything would have been resolved."

"However, not only did the Dragon Monarch not speak up for Yun Che, he reproached him instead. He pressured everyone who was present at the time and he pressed Yun Che in a manner that was even more merciless than the Southern Sea God Emperor and Qianye Fantian."

"Since the Dragon Monarch, their leader and the number one god emperor of the three divine regions, had chosen to stand against Yun Che, the rest of the god emperors and realm kings had no choice but to take his side. In his fury, Yun Che touched the Eternal Calamity imprint left to him by the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor. Devilish energy gushed from his body, which immediately gave everyone a proper reason to kill him, forcing him into dire straits."

Qianye Ying'er's golden brows froze, "I was very puzzled by the Dragon Monarch's change in attitude toward Yun Che and it remained a mystery to me for the longest time. I believe that everyone who knew of the Dragon Monarch's admiration for Yun Che would also be puzzled by his behavior back then."

"..." Chi Wuyao frowned deeply but she remained silent.

She truly had not been present when Yun Che's darkness had been exposed at the border of the Primal Chaos.

The one who had dealt a fatal blow to Mu Xuanyin had also been the Dragon Monarch.

Now that she thought about it, the viciousness of the Dragon Monarch's attack directly contradicted his personality. Especially since he was said to be someone who was proud and aloof, who did not deign to involve himself in the petty squabbles of the world.

"However, once I arrived in the Northern Divine Region, Yun Che accidentally divulged a secret to me," Qianye Ying'er said. "He slept with the Dragon Queen."

"...!" Chi Wuyao's eyebrows twitched violently, "What did you say!?"

"This man, who is worse than any beast, is capable of anything," Qianye Ying'er spat out.

Shock paralyzed her mind for an instant, but Chi Wuyao frowned as she suddenly recalled the frivolous question she had asked Yun Che during their meeting with the Eternal Heaven God Emperor. During the time that Yun Che had allowed his soul to be seized, Chi Wuyao had taken the opportunity to ask him this question.

"Then, who do you think is the most beautiful woman that you've ever come across?"

Yun Che's reply was "Shen Xi".

She hadn't paid much attention to it back then and she had even teased him about it. After all, the "Dragon Queen and Goddess" stood at the pinnacle of beauty in this current era. Furthermore, it was not strange for him to have seen the Dragon Queen's true appearance after she had agreed to let him stay in the Forbidden Land of Samsara, so his answer was even less surprising.

"That... beast!" Chi Wuyao's ample chest heaved enchantingly. "He even dared to taint a married woman! A married woman who also happened to be the Dragon Monarch's wife! The Dragon Queen whom he is greatly indebted to!"

She was greatly shocked and a little disappointed too.

"No," Qianye Ying'er replied in a soft voice. "I'm afraid this matter isn't as simple as that. Because Yun Che emphasized this point to me repeatedly, and he's even gotten angry over it many times."

"She is Shen Xi, not the Dragon Queen."

"..." Chi Wuyao frowned deeply.

"Even though Yun Che's lechery is ingrained in his bones and he's a true scoundrel, he is also excessively loyal to his friends." Qianye Ying'er "praised" him with an expressionless face.

"Back then, he was indebted to the Dragon Monarch so if Shen Xi was truly the Dragon Monarch's wife, he definitely wouldn't have touched her."

Shen Xi's heavenly beauty could break down any man's willpower in an instant, it would instantly cause that person to toss any notion of friendship or ethics out the window... However, Qianye Ying'er was convinced that the insanely lecherous Yun Che would not be swayed by this and her belief was not without any basis.

Because when she had been Yun Che's slave, he had not touched her at all for Xia Qingyue and Jasmine's sake.

"Which would also mean..." Chi Wuyao muttered to herself, "Shen Xi is not the Dragon Queen. Perhaps those words... really are true."

Her understanding of Yun Che's nature far surpassed Qianye Ying'er's. Indeed, if it was the wife of someone he was indebted to, he would never touch her, no matter what. There was also no way he'd be able to stay so calm when someone mentioned "Shen Xi".

Qianye Ying'er said, "At first, all I cared about was mocking Shen Xi for being a slut who was pretentiously pure on the outside but lewd and wanton on the inside. But after I angered him so many times, a very amusing possibility began to form in my head..."

"Perhaps, this so-called 'Dragon Queen' had never even existed. Instead, this title was only a ridiculous charade the Dragon Monarch used to trick the rest of the world, and even more so, himself!"

Chi Wuyao's gaze turned ice-cold. She did not find this shocking or ridiculous at all. Instead, she was calculating what sort of dangers lay hidden in their path... if all of these things were true.

"And you've never verified these things with Yun Che before?" Chi Wuyao asked carefully.

"I haven't been able to." Qianye Ying'er shook her head. "I've asked him many times, but he's never been willing to talk to me about Shen Xi. In fact, he'd get angry the very moment I started asking him about it."

"..." Chi Wuyao muttered something inaudible before continuing, "A dragon is lustful by nature, but the entire world knows that the Dragon Monarch so deeply loves the Dragon Queen that he's never even remained in close proximity with another woman for hundreds of thousands of years, much less stained them. His devotion was a show of his love for her and the entire world lavished him with praise for it."

"However, if it has always been Shen Xi, and the 'Dragon Queen' has never truly existed in this world, then he's been willing to remain alone for all of these years just for those two empty words."

"His love for Shen Xi can no longer even be described as 'deep', it has already far surpassed that word... In fact, it's even a little frightening."

Chi Wuyao's expression grew even more serious. "His infatuation with Shen Xi is so great that if he discovered that she had been tainted by someone else, and a human junior who was only thirty years of age at that..."

Chi Wuyao did not continue speaking. In fact, she could scarcely even imagine the jealous rage that the Dragon Monarch would feel toward Yun Che if everything was true.

But if all of her conjectures were true... then his change of attitude towards Yun Che was nothing strange.

Then...

Chi Wuyao suddenly understood why Qianye Ying'er had looked so frightened and alarmed just now.

"You're worried that the Dragon Monarch might forcefully intervene?" Chi Wuyao asked.

It was the Eternal Heaven God Realm who provoked the Northern Divine Realm first. The Western and Southern Divine Regions had no reason to interfere with the Northern Divine Region's vengeance. They would only sit on the sidelines and gloat at the Eastern Divine Region's plight... They had no reason to worry that the flames of this war would end up burning them too.

Because the Eastern Divine Region would surely be able to deal with a bunch of devils who broke out of their cage in search of death.

Once they had blitzed the Eastern Divine Region and conquered it, it would be far too late for the other two divine regions to react.

However, if their conjectures regarding the Dragon Monarch and Shen Xi were true, once the Dragon Monarch heard about Yun Che's emergence from the Northern Divine Region, he might... No, he would surely attack!

He would not care about the cause or any of the grudges between the divine regions. He would simply attack because of... his deep hatred and killing intent toward Yun Che, a hatred and killing intent that possibly transcended all of their imaginations.

"That's correct," Qianye Ying'er replied in a low tone. She let out a soft sigh and said, "I hope that all of these things are just baseless conjecture. Still, compared to believing that the two hundred thousand year title of 'Dragon Queen' has never existed, it is much easier to believe that Yun Che was simply a lecherous beast."

Qianye Ying'er used to have these thoughts every now and then, but she had always been far more interested in mocking Shen Xi. After all, she had always derived great pleasure from it.

But right now, everyone's minds were focused on this war of vengeance that the Northern Divine Region was orchestrating against the Eastern Divine Region, so no one would even spare a thought in this direction.

However, when she was considering the essential factors of the dangers they would face, the conjecture she had made about Shen Xi and Yun Che immediately sprang to mind, causing a chill to run down her spine.

"No matter what, we have to clarify this matter with Yun Che immediately!"

Qianye Ying'er was just about to move when Chi Wuyao grabbed her by the wrist.

"There's no need to ask him about this," Chi Wuyao said. The shock had disappeared from her face and her voice was far more composed than it had been earlier.

Qianye Ying'er: "?"

Chi Wuyao turned her gaze to look toward Yun Che, who was a fair distance away from them. She said unhurriedly, "We can only guess at the consequences of Yun Che's action, but the person in question is well aware of the risk posed by the Dragon Monarch."

"The one who is least able to tolerate any failure during this war of vengeance is Yun Che himself. However, he's never said a single thing about such an important variable."

Qianye Ying'er frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"

"Either we are overthinking this," Chi Wuyao continued, "Or..."

Although it was very likely that the Dragon Monarch hated Yun Che to the core, Yun Che's hatred toward the Dragon Monarch burned just as bright!

If the Dragon Monarch knew that Yun Che had reappeared in the Eastern Divine Region, it was very likely he'd personally lead his army into battle against Yun Che.

At the same time, Yun Che, who had officially bared his fangs toward the world, would also be itching... to kill the Dragon Monarch as well.

No matter the cost!

Her phoenix eyes grew hooded as she stared directly at Yun Che's silent and dark figure. She sighed bitterly and said, "It looks like he kept more secrets from us than even I had expected. Ai, once men grow up, they always find ways to disappoint us."

Qianye Ying'er: "..."

"Since he is so against mentioning Shen Xi, then let's not force him to," Chi Wuyao said in a calm voice. "However, we need to pay as much attention as we can to the movements of the Dragon God Realm."

At this moment, a woman slowly emerged from the darkness and bowed to Chi Wuyao. "Master, I've completed my mission in the Southern Divine Region."

"Did anyone detect your presence?" Chi Wuyao asked.

Hua Jin hesitated for a split second before replying, "No. The Southern Sea God Emperor has been indulging his lust over the last few days, so it made it much easier for me to move around."

"Very good." Chi Wuyao gave a faint smile. "You truly are this queen's capable Jin'er. To be able to enter and return from the Southern Divine Region without a trace in such a short amount of time, only this queen's capable Jin'er is able to accomplish such a great feat."

"Speaking of which," she said as she turned her gaze towards Qianye Ying'er, "exactly what mysterious secrets were hidden inside that soul crystal?"

Qianye Ying'er crossed her arms under her chest and replied indifferently, "It's a secret that you'd be better off never knowing. The only thing you need to know is that the so-called number one god emperor of the Southern Divine Region has always been a very useful dog."

"He was a useful dog in the past, is one in the present... and will continue to be one in the future!"

After she finished speaking, she did not give Chi Wuyao a chance to pursue the matter any further. Her body blurred and she reappeared beside Yun Che, who was very far away. However, she also did not ask him about the matter concerning the Dragon Monarch and Shen Xi.

Chi Wuyao suddenly frowned at this moment as she looked down, "Hua Jin, were you exposed?"

Chi Wuyao understood her Nine Witches far too well. She had very clearly caught Hua Jin's moment of hesitation.

Hua Jin lapsed into a deep silence before finally shaking her head. "I don't think I was. However... the moment I drew near to the Southern Sea God Emperor's imperial harem palace, I had this vague sensation that I was being watched for a few seconds."

"Oh?"

"However, the soul crystal still ended up in the Southern Sea God Emperor's hands, just as we had planned. His divine sense also had not swept over any areas that I had been hiding in. So, perhaps it was just a... misperception."

Hua Jin had said the word "misperception" very softly. Because Chi Wuyao had instilled this in all of her Witches. There were two things that you could not trust in this world. The first was men and the second was "misperception".

Chi Wuyao muttered something under her breath. Her reply to Hua Jin was short and sweet. "That's fine then. You may leave."

Those ten devil blades of darkness could be seen creeping closer and closer to the Eastern Divine Region from a distance.

A hundred thousand enormous profound warships and millions of profound arks of all configurations followed closely behind. They covered the entire sky over the borders of the Northern Divine Region, radiating a boundless and heavy aura of darkness.

Once the first wave of devil blades shot out of the Northern Divine Region, there was no longer any need to hide.

Chi Wuyao did not move to stand beside Yun Che. Instead, she suddenly recalled the sensation she had felt when she met the Eternal Heaven God Emperor all those years ago. It had only lasted for an instant, but it felt like she was being spied on. But it was something that she had ended up shrugging off as "misperception" as well.

"..." She remained silent for a very long time.

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In the northern parts of the Eastern Region, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in the skies of the ten star realms nearest to the Northern Divine Region, other than the Snow Song Realm.

At first glance, it looked like a black hole was starting to slowly expand in the northern skies.

"What... is that?"

Countless profound practitioners gazed towards the north and were stunned by what they saw... That black hole was gradually drawing nearer and getting bigger. They started to discern many human figures pouring out of that "black hole", there were so many of them that it resembled a vast swarm of locusts.

"Dev... Devils!!"

A huge army of dark devil people had appeared, on a scale like they had never seen before!

Before the first profound practitioner could even cry out, a dark figure pierced through the clouds and crashed into the ground. A terrifying devilish might that could overturn the skies and the seas radiated from his body... He was the leader of the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereigns, the commander-in-chief of these ten "devil blades" of darkness, Tian Guhu!

The devilish might of the Yama Devils condensed inside the Imperial Heaven Sword as it was brought down mercilessly.

Rumble————

Under the devilish might of a late stage Divine Master, the middle star realms looked so fragile and weak. He had cracked open this vast star realm with a single blow of his sword, extinguishing countless lives in a single instant.

Tian Guhu had delivered the first stroke of the Northern Divine Region's vengeance, the first blow to signal the start of their assault. Just based on that single instant of euphoria and release, Tian Guhu felt like he no longer had any regrets in life.

"Children of darkness." He pointed his sword downward and looked at the crowd of terrified, wailing creatures who were trying to flee from his wrath. "Burn up your life and your blood, exact as much vengeance as you can!"

At his orders, the opening scene of a horrible, bloody battle had just begun. Meanwhile, he stared at the south as he went to conquer the core of the star realm by himself—the place where the realm king's sect was located.

————