Chapter 2012: The Murmur That Shatters The Soul

Yun Che had expected this. Instead of panicking, his lips curled into a mocking smirk. “What’s wrong? Are you planning to silence me after taking Long Jiang’s Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid?”

“Hahaha, of course not!” Helian Jue hurriedly explained, “Nephew Yun, the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid isn’t useful to most, but to the Qilin Abyss Realm, it is something that can change our very future. Therefore, please don’t mention this to the outside world.”

Yun Che wasn’t just an outsider to the Qilin Worship Alliance, Boulder Profound Sect and Thousand Blade Sect. In a sense, they were enemies.

Helian Jue wasn’t though. After witnessing Yun Che’s common-sense-shattering power and believing that he was doing all this for Helian Lingzhu, he viewed Yun Che as a big thigh he must cling to at all costs.

Even after entering the Qilin God Realm, he never stopped thinking about how to use Yun Che to propel the Helian Empire to the heavens.

This was why Yun Che wasn’t panicked in the slightest. At this stage, the four factions could only see through their decision until the end. They couldn’t risk destabilizing their newly formed alliance so soon after its conception either. So long as the Helian Empire was unwilling to kill Yun Che, the other three factions couldn’t touch him even if they wanted to.

Yun Che said slowly, “I have zero interest in the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid, but it is common sense holding wealth as a weakling is a crime, and that the law of the jungle reigns supreme in this world. In my opinion, this matter isn’t even deserving of discussion.”

“Since you’re Lingzhu’s father though, I suppose I can explain myself more. I don’t care who lives or dies in this matter, but I will never do anything that will bring harm to Lingzhu. This matter has nothing to do with Lingzhu, sure, but I disdain talking behind someone’s back even more.”

He snorted, “Also, I suppose I’m part of the conspiracy now even though all I did was watch from the sidelines. Can you rest easy now, emperor?”

It sounded like he was replying to Helian Jue, but of course he was really talking to the two sects and one alliance.

Helian literally let out a chuckle when he heard Yun Che addressing Lingzhu directly by her name. His face melting like butter because of pure delight, he said, “I am aware of your and Lingzhu’s relationship, Nephew Yun. I have long since viewed Nephew Yun as half-citizen of the Helian Empire as well, so of course I trust you.”

He then turned around and barked at Long Jiang harshly, “Surrender the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid now, Long Jang! We’ve already given you a chance, and now, you only have two choices left.”

“If you surrender the Qilin Bone Spirit Orchid, we promise that your corpse won’t be desecrated. If not, trust me when I say that you won’t like what happens when this is over!”

The “outsider” was now an “insider”, and the “unpredictable variable” had become a “co-conspirator”. Add to the fact that Yun Che declared that it was beneath him to talk behind their backs—which sounded far more convincing than any promise he could’ve made under the threat of death—everyone’s attention was drawn back to Long Jiang once more.

“Apologies for using the First Princess like this, Brother Mo. I’ll give you a proper apology later,” Yun Che sent a sound transmission.

Mo Cangying didn’t look unhappy, however. In fact, he shot Yun Che a respectful look and said, “Don’t worry. I haven’t taken offense. I trust that a man who values relationships and cameradie as much as you would never hurt Lingzhu. In fact, I’m impressed how easily you managed to soothe the two sects and one alliance… though, I must admit that the idea of partaking in such an act disgusts me…”

Yun Che shook his head a little, “I understand what you’re saying, but this is the ugly truth behind the mask everyone wears. In fact, I believe you should learn from Long Jiang’s mistake and learn to prevent such a situation from happening in the future.”

Mo Cangying couldn’t say anything for a time.

“Despicable curs!”

Dragon profound energy gathered between Long Jiang’s palm. She was facing eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners, so she hadn’t been hiding her aura for a while.

“You think you can kill me? You think the likes of you deserve to kill me!?”

Her response was short and simple, but it was filled with such overwhelming pressure that even the kings of the Qilin Abyss Realm felt intimidated by it.

Wan Lei sneered, “I heard that a dragon’s pride would keep them from bending the knee before any living being, but in my opinion, it is but a form of stupidity.”

“There’s nothing else to say.” Ximen Borong’s eyes flickered with bloodlust. “Let’s kill her!”

The alliance master attacked as soon as he said the word “kill”. The guy might look calm and gentle in the norm, but he was the man behind the Qilin Worship Alliance’s meteoric rise, and his ambition was to replace the Helian Empire. Naturally, he couldn’t be a simple man. In fact, his ruthlessness and decisiveness exceeded everyone in the Qilin Abyss Realm.

A terrifying forcefield that felt like a million avalanches exploded from him. Such was his power that even his chief hallmaster was knocked out of the way. Then, he thrust his palm straight toward Long Jiang’s heart.

Long Jiang raised her arm and summoned the shadow of a pale white claw. She was just an eighth-level Divine Master, and yet she was actually planning to block the full-powered attack of a Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioner head on. It was like she was trying to commit suicide.

Ximen Borong narrowed his eyes and increased his power, causing the boulder energy surrounding his arm to thicken some more. It looked like he was planning to punch through her torso in one hit.

It was at this moment Ximen Borong suddenly blanched. When the pale white claw was just inches away from his palm, its power suddenly increased drastically.

She wasn’t an eight-level Divine Master, she was…

There was a loud bang as sand flew everywhere, and a draconic roar pierced through the ears. Long Jiang flipped backward and caught herself after just a second or two, but Ximen Borong was spun round and round at least a dozen times before he finally came to a stop. When he finally straightened himself once more, the profound light on his arm was completely gone, and his entire arm hurt like you couldn’t believe. Even now, it was trembling like a leaf.

“Half… Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm!?” Shocked cries erupted everywhere.

Yun Che was the only one who wasn’t surprised by this. I knew it. She was using a concealment profound artifact to suppress her profound energy… but this also means that she was a dragon who cultivated to the Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm in ninety years!?

Yun Che didn’t have a full understanding of the dragons of the Abyss yet, but as far as he could tell, her talent was borderline impossible!

Shui Meiyin, Huo Poyun, Jun Xilei and more were the most talented people in the God Realm, and even they were only late-stage Divine Masters after cultivating in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm for three thousand years.

While everyone was stunned, Long Jiang had seized the opportunity to charge toward the southwest corner.

While she was absolutely stronger than her human counterpart, Long Jiang wasn’t stupid enough to think that she could fight against eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners alone, not to mention that Ku Xian, a peak Divine Master, was present as well.

Her only chance or survival was to exit the Qilin God Realm.

Unfortunately, she had only flown around three kilometers when she abruptly sank toward the ground like she was being pressured by a million mountains. Her flight speed had drastically decreased as well.

Not even she, a dragon, could resist the combined pressure of eleven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioners.

While this was happening, the three Boulder Profound Sect elders reached her and unleashed their powers at Long Jiang.

In response, Long Jiang turned around and manifested a draconic silhouette that was tens of thousands of meters tall. It looked up into the sky and let out a roar that seemed capable of destroying the sky itself.

“ROAR—”

At that moment, everyone suddenly came to a stop. Their pupils turned white, and a soul-piercing fear gripped them like a vice grip. The three elders in particular lost control of their power and fell toward the ground.

“Agh!” Mo Cangying was also knocked out of the sky as he pressed a hand to his heart, shaking.He truly felt like his soul and his internal organs were about to be shattered.

“... ?” Yun Che froze as well, but for a different reason.

All Dragon Gods possessed a unique roar that could stun all beings’ souls for a time. The stronger and purer the Dragon God Soul, the greater the effects.

But… why is…

At the far west, the confused four groups who were still waiting for their leaders to return also blanched at the roar that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

“What… What just happened?” They exclaimed in fear and shock. However, their leaders’ strict orders prevented them from checking out the roar.

The soulful roar was very effective, but it still wasn’t enough to buy Long Jiang enough time to escape her enemies. She had flown tens of kilometers when the terrifying pressure pushed her toward the ground once more, and crazed roars and outbursts of power approached her from behind.

The quick sand to her left and right were severed at an incredible rate. It wasn’t long before the strange phenomenon overtook her and blocked directly in front of her path. Then, two men burst out of the sand and attacked her with all their might.

It was the Thousand Blade Sect’s “Sand Escape”!

Rumble!

If this was a one-on-one, then she could’ve dominated either person with ease. However, she couldn’t block the combined power or two Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm profound practitioner.

Long Jiang was pushed back a few kilometers in an instant. Behind her, Helian Jue and Wan Lei had been waiting for this moment. They unleashed a blast of energy at the back of her heart.

Since Long Jiang hadn’t caught herself yet, she could only summon a draconic silhouette to shield her back.

Boom!

The good news was that dragon bones were extremely tough. Not even the combined power of an emperor and a sect master could shatter her bones.

While Long Jiang was flipping through the air, she forcefully caught herself and manifested a pale white claw that grew to the size of a mountain in an instant. Then, she brought it down on her four attackers. They were all slammed into the quick sand below.

However, Ximen Boron and Zhai Kexie arrived as soon as she unleashed her counterattack. Covered from head to toe in boulder energy, they slammed into her like a falling meteor.

Boom! Boom—

Long Jiang was sent flying yet again. The grayish white robe covering her face was rapidly becoming stained in blood.

Meanwhile, Mo Cangying had finally regained his wits. While forcing himself to ignore his shivering and getting back to his feet, he looked up and saw Yun Che still floating in the air and staring blankly at a certain direction.

He flew up to Yun Che and asked, “Are you alright, Brother Yun?”

“...” But Yun Che didn’t react to his cry at all.

“Brother Yun?” Mo Cangying reached out and waved in front of his eyes.

“...” Yun Che turned back and shot him a forced smile. “I’m fine. That draconic roar was more stunning than I thought.”

What’s going on?

Why do I feel a sense of… familiarity from it?

Where have I felt this dragon soul before?

I must be mistaken. I’ve only arrived at the Abyss, and Long Jiang is the first dragon I ever met. And yet…

Is it because we both share the Dragon God’s bloodline and soul?

But I’ve never felt this when going up against the Dragon Gods of the Western Divine Region, so why…

“That roar is quite scary,” Mo Cangying nodded in agreement, “To think that the dragon soul of a Chi Dragon could be so powerful as to remind me of—”

He suddenly blanched and looked at Long Jiang. “Wait a second. Did she lie about being a Chi Dragon? Is she really a… a…”

Rumble!!!

A deafening roar pierced through the sky. This one was almost loud enough to burst their eardrums. Seven Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm energies had slammed into Long Jiang’s weakened silhouette. A devastating and rocky explosion later, a mournful cry broke through the air, and the white silhouette that had been protecting Long Jiang this whole time shattered. The attack also destroyed her final protective energy.

A thick column of blood burst through her lips. Not even the thick fabric she wrapped herself in was enough to stop the flow. She was flung far, far away before she hit the quick sand and rolled like a tumbleweed. On a related note, the quick sand wasn’t sinking anymore.

If there was only one enemy, she could have crushed them with impunity. If there were three enemies, she had a one hundred percent chance at making an escape. If there were five, she could still last until she reached the exit.

But eleven?

Shred—

Her gray white robe shattered to reveal pure white brocade.

A gust of wind blew, and the fabric covering her face also crumbled into shreds. Her hair flung wildly in the air… and her true face was finally revealed.

A bunch of gasps broke out here and there. Helian Jue, who was the closest attacker, was so shocked that he actually took a step backward.

Her face… was so ugly that it could give people nightmares.

Her skin was pale as snow and lustrous like jade, and she probably would’ve been a gorgeous beauty if her face wasn’t marred by a black cross.

One line stretched from the left side of her forehead to the right side of her jaw, and the other from the right side of her forehead to the left side of her jaw. They were an inch wide and not even straight lines. It looked like a pair of pitch black centipedes were lying on her face. Her milky, lustrous skin only made it look worse.

Long Jiang slowly raised her head. It gave everyone a clearer look of her ugly scars. A constant stream of blood trickled down her lips and onto the yellow sand below.

Yun Che could only see one side of her face from where he was, but even so, the black scars were shocking enough to put a deep frown on his face.

A Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm dragon could easily recover from an ordinary wound.

But clearly, the wound left behind by abyssal dust was irremovable.

“Hmph! No wonder she covered herself up like she’s ashamed of herself,” Helian Jue said while stepping forward. Clearly, he was embarrassed and angry that her face had frightened her.

Wan Lei commented, “This is the first time I see a dragon whose face is eroded first before all other areas. How strange.”

“She’s not a Chi Dragon!” Ximen Borong suddenly spoke up, “She’s an Ancestral Dragon!”

Although everyone had more or less figured this out when they heard that terrifying draconic roar from before, Ximen Borong’s words still caused their complexions to darken considerably.

The Chi Dragon and the Ancestral Dragon were both dragons, but the difference between them was like night and day.

An Ancestral Dragon was a supreme dragon who inherited the blood of a Dragon God.They were also the only race besides the Six Kingdoms of God who was allowed to participate in the Pure Land Meet!

Everyone in the Abyss knew about the Ancestral Dragon’s strength. They were also aware of their greatest weakness: poor reproduction ability.

As a result, the Ancestral Dragons’ population was puny to put it mildly. It was said that less than ten of them were left in the world.

Of course, this also meant that the loss of every Ancestral Dragon would shake up not just the Ancestral Dragons, but the entire dragon race.

It was completely different from losing a Chi Dragon.

“Heh…” Long Jiang slowly rose to her feet. Half of her hair was covering up her face, “Now that you know that I’m an Ancestral Dragon… you realize the consequences of killing me, don’t you? If I die here… the Qilin Abyss Realm… dies with me!”

“Back off now… and I can still pretend that nothing had ever happened!”

She was offering a compromise, but of course it wouldn’t move these wily old foxes.

After all, they were long past the point of no return, and releasing her was what would bring the wrath of the Dragon Gods on them.

If they killed her now and blamed her death on the Qilin God Realm, the Dragon Gods shouldn’t be able to start wiping out sects and families with impunity with the testimony of an Abyssal Knight and the fact that the Qilin God Realm was a gift from the Abyssal Monarch.

Best case scenario, nothing would happen, and they would obtain the object of their desires!

Although the Half-Step Divine Extinction Realm had the words “Divine Extinction” in it, it was really peak Divine Master Realm.

It was just that so, so, so many people were stopped here and unable to enter the next realm that this false realm was born. Its sole purpose was to console those who had reached the absolute pinnacle of Divine Master Realm, but could never make it to the Half God Realm. By yelling the term “Half-Step Divine Extinction”, it made them feel like they had actually entered the Divine Extinction Realm.

The existence of this fake realm showed just how much Divine Masters desired to become Half Gods, so much so that not even the name “Dragon God” could stop them.

“You want us to back off? Hahaha! It looks like you don’t get your situation yet,” Ximen Borong smiled and attacked her on the spot.

A white light flashed, and a protective profound artifact Long Jiang possessed shone brightly. However, it was only powerful enough to block one person’s attack.

The chief hallmaster of the Qilin Worship Alliance unleashed his own attack right after Ximen Borong. A column of rock struck Long Jiang squarely in the shoulder.

Long Jiang’s protective energy was already frail, so the rock column broke her left arm with ease. It sounded like a crack of thunder.

At the back, Zhai Kexie and the three Boulder Profound Sect profound practitioners rushed forward as well.

Although Long Jiang was grievously injured, not a single one of them held back. The sea of sand underneath their blast of power depressed tens of meters in an instant.

Long Jiang barely raised her right hand. The draconic silhouette’s roar was filled with fatalistic determination.

Rumble—

The quick sand tens of kilometers behind Long Jiang were swept clean in an instant, leaving behind only an empty vacuum. She only managed to hold on for a fraction of a second before the silhouette crumbled, and she was swept away like a speck of dust.

The Thousand Blade Sect profound practitioners appeared right after that and sent three rock columns flying her way. They transformed into rock spears when they got close and skewered her with barely any resistance whatsoever. Bones snapped, and blood showered.

“Urgh!”

Yun Che abruptly bent over and clutched his heart.

“Brother Yun? What’s wrong?” Mo Cangying hurriedly asked.

“...” Yun Che didn’t answer him, however. He continued to squeeze his chest tightly.

What’s going on?

Why am I feeling such… pain?

It’s like my heart is being pierced by something.

Bang!

Long Jiang hit the sea of sand once more. She tried to struggle back to her feet, but she collapsed after just pushing herself up with one arm.

Her tattered robes and her brocade were swiftly being dyed by red draconic blood.

Ximen Borong, Wan Lei, Zhai Kexie and Helian Jue slowly walked toward her.

This time though, no one was racing to attack her. In fact, they weren’t attacking her at all.

Long Jiang was wounded so horribly that not even an Ancestral Dragon could put up another struggle. As for escaping? It was just impossible.

Since the prey had fallen into their grasp, their reason was starting to take over their desires.

Who should be the one to deal the final blow?

It shouldn’t need to be said that no one wanted to be that person.

“Alliance Master Ximen,” Zhai Kexie spoke up first, “You’re the one who recruited Long Jiang. You should be the one to deal with her.”

“That’s right!” Wan Lei echoed in agreement, “If it wasn’t for your Qilin Worship Alliance, we would’ve gotten the Qillin Bone Spirit Orchid ages ago. We wouldn’t be in this predicament either!”

“Hah! Don’t you think it’s childish to say such a thing now?” Ximen Borong glanced sideways. “It’s quite easy to decide who should be the one to take out Long Jiang. The one who did the least amount of work should kill her.”

“We’re all grasshoppers bound to the same rope, so we should all put in an equal amount of work and bear an equal amount of responsibility! Am I right, Emperor Helian?”

Caught off guard, Helian Jue was about to say something when he saw Wan Lei and Zhai Kexie looking his way.

“That’s true,” Wan Lei agreed, “You’re the only one who contributed anything to this chase. Naturally, you should be the one to deal the last hit.”

“It is fair.” Zhai Kexie had no objections either. “Emperor Helian, I leave the honor of the last hit to you.”

There was no point resisting when all three sides were of the same opinion. Gritting his teeth, Helian Jue looked behind himself and yelled, “Kill her, Ku Xian!”

Ku Xian knew this would happen the moment he saw the one alliance master and two sect masters pressing Helian Jue. Completely unsurprised, he said calmly, “As you command, Your Majesty.”

Mo Cangying turned away and sighed deeply, “Once again, my master’s the one who must bear the responsibility… I sure hope this all ends here.”

“...” Yun Che was still silent. His heart hurt as badly as ever, but now he was feeling an inexplicable sense of irritation as well. He was unable to calm himself no matter what he tried.

What’s going on…

What the hell is going on?

Ku Xuan appeared before Long Jiang in an instant.

By now, her blood had drenched not just her clothes, but the yellow sand beneath her.

Ku Xian looked away knowing that he had no right to meet her eyes. He muttered, “I cannot go against His Majesty’s orders. You… shouldn’t have come here.”

Long Jiang slowly looked up. Ku Xian thought she had some last words to say, and so didn’t hurry to kill her. But to his surprise, she murmured,

“She

The first light of dawn

Chases away the wind of chaos and nurtures the strange cloud…”

Ku Xuan: “??”

“...!!” Yun Che abruptly looked up. His soul sea shook like it was struck by a million lightning bolts.

Author’s Note: The Ancestral Dragons are dragons who inherited the Dragon God’s bloodline, but “Dragon God” the divine title of the true Dragon God, so his Abyssal descendants didn’t dare to use his name and disrespect him. Earlier, Yun Che commented that the Dragon God Realm was incredibly arrogant and disrespectful to call themselves Dragon Gods.