Chapter 1689 - The Devil Queen Sighs (2/2)

“Very good.” Yun Che’s gaze swept past her as he walked towards the imperial hall.

Tian Guhu had been brought to the Yama Realm in a daze. The news of the Yama Realm’s dramatic transformation had not yet reached the Imperial Heaven Realm when Yan E came to get him.

Tian Guhu had suffered a miserable defeat to Yun Che in front of all the other Heavenly Sovereigns and notable figures of the Northern Divine Region during the Heavenly Sovereign Assembly. However, his defeat had not created any lasting trauma for Tian Guhu. On the contrary, the words that Yun Che had left him had greatly shaken his conceited beliefs.

The Yama Emperor had given an order summoning him to the Yama Realm and a Yama Devil had personally arrived to escort him there. Even though Imperial Heaven Realm King Tian Muyi had great misgivings about this, he did not dare go against the summons. Instead he had been determined to follow him here and it was Tian Guhu who had persuaded him not to. So Tian Guhu had followed Yan E back to the Yama Realm by himself.

Even though Tian Guhu was the most heralded youngster in the Northern Divine Region, the most famous person in his generation, none of these things applied to the king realms. They existed a level above the rest of them.

The Imperial Heaven Realm had been friendly with the Yama Realm for generations, but once someone scratched the surface, this “friendly relationship” undoubtedly turned into a relationship between a superior and subordinate. Furthermore, it was a gap of superiority that the lesser person could never hope to overcome. Even with Tian Guhu’s status, it was exceedingly rare for him to see someone like the former leader of the Yama Ghosts, Yan Sangeng, much less people like the Yama Devils or the Yama Emperor.

One could only imagine how badly Tian Guhu’s heart was shaken upon seeing the fabled Yama Devils as he entered the imperial hall.

His eyes quivered with reverence and fear as he looked towards the center of the imperial hall. His feet froze and his eyes widened dramatically when he saw what was before him. He could not bring himself to believe what he was seeing, no matter how hard he tried.

The emperor of the Yama Realm, Yan Tianxiao. Tian Guhu had the fortune to see him once when he had followed his father here after entering the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking.

However, the strongest and most exalted god emperor in his eyes was actually standing to the side of the throne!

And the person who was seated on that throne was...

Yun Che!?

“Tian Guhu,” Yun Che said in a cool voice, “it’s been a few months since we last met. Do you still remember me?”

“Yun… Che!” Tian Guhu’s voice trembled as he blurted out that name in shock. He checked his surroundings once more, but he still could not bring himself to believe what he was seeing.

These days, the entire Northern Divine Region had been shaken by the name “Yun Che”.

He was the inheritor of a Devil Emperor’s legacy and he had unleashed the power of a True God to cut the Burning Moon God Emperor down in the heart of his own realm. It had been such a shocking sight that the Moon Eaters had given up without a fight… There were even rumors that he was going to be crowned emperor of the Soul Stealing Realm!

Each rumor was more shocking and unbelievable than the next… However, news of Fen Daojun’s death and the Burning Moon Realm’s surrender soon followed and these rumors became irrefutable facts. When everyone heard the news, it literally took their breath away.

It was also this news that caused the words that Yun Che had said to Tian Guhu to reverberate in his heart more and more violently. In fact, his emotions had become so strong and intense in the last few days that he had been seized by the impulse to rush over to the Soul Stealing Realm to beg for an audience more than ten times, and had almost given in.

But he had never dreamed that he would get his desired meeting in the Yama Realm! He had never dreamed that he would meet Yun Che again when he was sitting on the throne that only the Yama Emperor could touch!

This was a scene that would astound anyone, a scene that utterly boggled the mind.

“Tian Guhu,” Yun Che said with narrowed eyes, his gaze becoming exceptionally sharp. “This is such a minor occasion, but you’ve reacted in such an ugly manner. Do your so-called pride and aspirations only amount to this much?”

Yun Che’s words were like a hammer smashing against Tian Guhu’s heart. His soul shuddered as he secretly bit down on the tip of his tongue. His mind finally regained some clarity amidst that intense pain.

He slowly sucked in a breath of air as he gave a solemn and respectful bow. “Imperial Heaven Realm’s Tian Guhu has come to visit the Yama Realm. It is my great honor to be able to see Senior Yun, the Yama Emperor, and all of the Yama Devils.”

Yun Che did not reply. Instead, he slowly got to his feet and began walking in his direction.

As he stood up, the Three Yama Ancestors hurriedly followed behind him.

Tian Guhu had never seen the three stooped and ugly old men behind Yun Che before, but when he looked at them… just when he looked at them, he felt his soul go numb as it soundlessly quaked. It was as if an invisible claw had seized him so tightly that he could not even hope to struggle free, a claw that only needed an instant to consign him to the eternal abyss of death.

He had only felt such a sensation when he had paid a visit to the Yama Emperor all those years ago.

Given his current cultivation, his mind was far stronger than it had been before. Yet the three old men behind Yun Che made him feel the same frightening sensation he had felt back then.

Tian Guhu’s incredible astonishment had caused his body to tremble all over, an action that he was entirely incapable of controlling. However, he forced himself to stand up straight as he fiercely fought to keep his gaze calm and aloof… He was well aware that a piece of trash that would sink to his knees due to the other person’s aura would never be respected.

“I heard that you gave yourself the name Tian Guhu.”

Yun Che walked toward him. When he finally spoke again, he was only a few steps away from Tian Guhu. “You were infuriated by the fact that everyone around you was content to be trapped inside this prison. They either lived dispirited lives or sought to kill one another for personal gain. Not only did they have no determination to defy their fate, they were even active participants in digging their own grave. A grave that was already as deep as an abyss.”

Tian Guhu’s heart was violently shaken by those words. He slowly nodded his head as he replied, “Yes.”

“But… what did these high-minded aspirations amount to? I, Tian Guhu, am not only alone in these aspirations, but I am also nothing more than a piece of trash who can’t even cause a single ripple as the Northern Divine Region tumbles toward its inevitable fate.”

“You’re very self-aware.” Yun Che said coolly. “No matter how high-minded your aspirations are, they will be nothing more than a fatuous joke if you do not possess sufficient power.”

“...” Tian Guhu clenched his teeth.

“Then, I will give you an opportunity.” Yun Che gave him a deep look as he said those words. “I can give you power that exceeds your father’s, but I have one condition. I want you to become the spear that breaks out of the cage that is the Northern Divine Region, a spear that will pierce into the three other divine regions… A spear that can break at any instant. Do you dare to accept this condition?”

Tian Guhu was utterly stunned by those words. For a moment, he even suspected his hearing had gone awry. “What did… you say?”

“You don’t need to doubt my words or worry whether I can accomplish what I said or not. You only need to give me one answer. Do you ‘dare’, or do you ‘not dare’?”

The Yama Ancestors were behind him and the Yama Emperor and his Yama Devils formed a ring around them. Yun Che’s every word evoked a spiritual pressure that was no less heavy than the might of a god emperor. They brooked no suspicion.

“...” Tian Guhu’s mind swam in confusion, but his will and beliefs had received an incredibly violent blow. He practically spoke without thinking when he gave his reply, “This is something I have dreamed of my entire life, an opportunity that I’ve been begging for. Why… wouldn’t… I… dare!?”

“Very good.” Yun Che praised him in a cold and calm voice. After that, his brows suddenly sank. “Restrain him.”

As he gave that order, the Three Yama Ancestors immediately appeared around Tian Guhu. They simultaneously released their power, instantly forcing Tian Guhu to his knees. His power had been utterly suppressed and he could not even move a single muscle.

Tian Guhu had the strength to fight against level ten Divine Sovereigns despite only being a level seven Divine Sovereign, but he was nothing more than a pitiful worm in front of a Yama Ancestor.