When the messenger from the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm left, Yun Che’s eyes flashed with a dark light.

“Officially appointing a crown prince is usually something that requires a long period of preparation. Even if they’re sending out invitations to all the realms, they will normally do it at least a month in advance,” Qianye Ying’er said in a measured voice. “It’s obvious that they’re plotting something with this sudden move of theirs.”

“They’re testing the waters,” Qianye Wugu said.

“They’re using this as an opportunity to form a coalition with all the realms in their divine region and to form an alliance with the Western Divine Region as well,” Qianye Bingzhu added.

The two short sentences uttered by the two Brahma Monarch ancestors had completely exposed the Southern Sea G.o.d Emperor’s motives.

“Never underestimate Nan w.a.n.gsheng, and it would be even more foolish of you to underestimate the Southern Divine Region,” Qianye Ying’er said. “You wasted all of the Devil Crystals of Eternal Darkness on the Moon G.o.d Realm, and I’m quite confident that you exhausted all of the poison within the Sky Poison Pearl as well. Conquering the four core king realms of the Southern Divine Region will be an incredibly difficult task. At the very least, it will be much harder than what we’ve experienced in the Eastern Divine Region.”

As they were the heart of their own respective divine regions, if someone conquered all the king realms, it also meant that they had effectively conquered the entire divine region… Whether it be the Eastern Divine Region or Southern Divine Region.

Of the four king realms of the Eastern Divine Region, the Star G.o.d Realm had gone into steep decline since that incident with the Evil Infant, the Moon G.o.d Realm had been blown to bits, and the strongest Brahma Monarch G.o.d Realm had been pushed to edge of annihilation by the Heaven Wounding Thought Shattering Poison. The only king realm they had engaged in a proper battle was the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm… and they had only done so after they lured away half of their core strength and cut off all avenues of reinforcement.

The four king realms of the Southern Divine Region were at full strength and not only did their combined power far exceed the four king realms of the Eastern Divine Region, they were also extremely wary of the devil people of the Northern Region now. Qianye Ying’er wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest.

“Currently, the most rational thing we can do is to hide our hostility and pretend to be friendly while we use this time to consolidate the Eastern Divine Region’s power. When it comes to war between the divine regions, the Southern Divine Region won’t do anything stupid unless hostilities are both imminent and inevitable. This is also the reason behind the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm’s sudden decision to elect a crown prince.”

“However…” she said as she shot Yun Che a glance, “you definitely won’t do as I just said, right?”

“What is the thing that could most threaten us from the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm?” Yun Che asked coldly.

“The core of the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm’s strength is composed of the four Sea Kings and the sixteen Sea G.o.ds,” Qianye Ying’er replied. “However, they’ve lost two of the four Sea Kings, and I think that the Southern Sea G.o.d Emperor is filled with regret right now.”

“The Southern Sea G.o.d Realm also possessed many artifacts left behind by the G.o.ds. In fact, they have the greatest number of artifacts among all the king realms, and the number of hidden hands they can play is beyond counting. As for the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm’s greatest trump card… If I knew about it, then it wouldn’t be fit to be called a trump card anymore.”

Just like how the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm had not known about the two great ancestors hidden within the Brahma Monarch G.o.d Realm.

At this time, Qianye Wugu suddenly spoke up in a dry voice, “The t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon.”

“...!?” Both Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er looked toward him at the same time.

“What is that?” Qianye Ying’er asked with a frown. This was the first time she had ever heard that name.

“It is the strongest divine artifact in the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm’s possession. It was also the guardian weapon of the Primordial Era’s Southern Sea G.o.d Clan.”

Qianye Bingzhu continued, “In the Primordial Era, the Southern Divine Region was also where some of the fiercest battles between the G.o.ds and devils took place. These battles caused countless artifacts and inheritances to be scattered across the region. The artifacts which could be controlled by humans were all taken. But there were still many primordial artifacts which contained power which could not be controlled and they were used in the construction of a very unique formation, the ‘Grand Sea G.o.d Formation’. Once this Grand Sea G.o.d Formation is activated, the power within these artifacts is quickly drawn out to serve as the power source for the ‘t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon’”.

“How powerful is it?” Qianye Ying’er’s golden brows started to knit together. If this was something even she was unaware of, it couldn’t be something ordinary.

Qianye Wugu said in a slow and measured voice, “According to the ancient records, the t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon forged by the Southern Sea G.o.d Clan is powerful enough to kill an actual G.o.d in one shot.”

Qianye Ying’er: “...!”

Yun Che: “...”

“When the Southern Sea Ancestor found the Southern Sea legacy, he also found the t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon buried deep underground. When he found it, it was not damaged beyond repair and its divine might still lingered.”

“Because of the limits of this era’s level and resources, there is naturally no way that the t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon will be able to display the sort of divine might it displayed in the Primordial Era. However, it absolutely, absolutely isn’t something you can make light of.”

The Brahma Monarch ancestors, who had experienced all the vicissitudes of life and even broken the boundaries of life and death, had actually used the word “absolutely” twice. It was evident just how apprehensive they were about this “t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon”.

“Even though it is extremely powerful, it uses up a lot of resources and is very hard to control. The Southern Sea G.o.d Realm won’t use the t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon unless they have no choice.”

Qianye Wugu was clearly trying to tell Yun Che to not make any reckless moves.

Qianye Ying’er’s brow furrowed deeply and she remained silent for a very long time.

However, Yun Che did not show any fear and even asked a very peculiar question. “Is the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm aware that you know about the existence of the t.i.tanic Sea G.o.d Cannon?”

Qianye Wugu and Qianye Bingzhu shook their heads simultaneously. “This secret is something the ninth Brahma Heaven G.o.d Emperor unwittingly discovered on one of his visits to the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm. To this day, the Southern Sea G.o.d Realm still doesn’t know that the Brahma Monarch G.o.d Realm is aware of this secret.”

“Then that’s fine.”

As he said those three words in a grim voice, Yun Che looked toward the south. His mouth suddenly curved up into a sinister grin… and when the two Brahma ancestors saw it, they felt a chill go through their hearts.

---------------

In the blink of an eye, the seven day time limit that Yun Che had set for all the upper star realms in the Eastern Divine Region had pa.s.sed.

“There are a total of sixty-four upper star realms that have not yet declared their loyalty and whose leaders have not been branded with the Dark Mark,” Fen Daoqi reported to Yun Che. “Most of the realm kings of these upper star realms have either died or fled. Due to the great chaos and unrest that ensued, they have either been unable to elect a new realm king or no one has dared to succeed the position of realm king.”

“There are also twenty more star realms who would rather die than surrender. However, revolts have broken out in many of these star realms and countless profound pract.i.tioners are trying their best to flee these realms.”

After he said that, Fen Daoqi started to recite the names of all twenty star realms.

When Fen Daoqie said the three words “Flame G.o.d Realm”, Yun Che’s eyebrows twitched.

“Other than that, there is also the unique Heavenly Mystery Realm. Right now, there are no longer any living people in the Heavenly Mystery Realm. All of their disciples have been dismissed and the Heavenly Mystery Three Elders, who ruled the realm together, were all found dead in front of the Heavenly Mystery Temple.”

“Your Magnificence, you only need to say the word, and we will exterminate all of these star realms posthaste.”

“Destroy all of the disobedient star realms.” These few words had effectively caused the deaths of countless living beings. However, Yun Che had said them in an oh-so casual manner.

“However, you don’t need to bother with the Flame G.o.d Realm.” Yun Che’s voice grew heavier. “It just so happens that I am going to make a trip to the Snow Song Realm.”

At this moment, a Burning Moon Divine Envoy entered the room and reported, “The six Star G.o.ds of the Star G.o.d Realm have come to seek an audience with His Magnificence.”

“Star G.o.ds?” Yun Che looked to the side before letting out a cold, dull chuckle. “Order them to wait for me outside. I will see them when I return, whenever that is.”

Yun Che used the word “order”.

When the six Star G.o.ds had gone to help the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm, Caizhi drove them all back with a single stroke of her sword. This swordstroke had saved the six Star G.o.ds… or perhaps, it would have been better to say that it had saved the withered Star G.o.d Realm.

If Caizhi had not made an appearance, Yun Che would have already destroyed the Star G.o.d Realm a long time ago, even if they had not elected to try and reinforce the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm.

---------------

The Snow Song Realm was still covered in a brilliant layer of white snow, just as it had always been in his memories. The pale white world seemed to stretch on without end.

However, the difference was that Yun Che, who was once a disciple of this realm, was now a denizen of the darkness.

Yun Che had not come alone. Chi Wuyao had come as well and both of them were peering off into the distance. She was far more familiar with the Snow Song Realm than Yun Che was, and her feelings for it went far deeper. She was intimately familiar with every snow region, every nation, that made up this star realm.

Upon arriving at the Ice Phoenix Realm, the figure of a woman flew in from the distance. She stopped in front of both of them and made a deep bow. “Chanyi greets Master and Your Magnificence.”

She had faithfully guarded the Snow Song Realm the entire time and she hadn’t left it once.

“What’s the situation here?” Yun Che asked.

Chanyi immediately replied, “Your Magnificence, many foreign profound pract.i.tioners fled to the Snow Song Realm in the beginning and it caused quite a bit of unrest at the borders. But after the four king realms were subdued one after the other, those foreign profound pract.i.tioners wised up and no longer dared to cause any trouble. There was also no one who dared to approach the Ice Phoenix Realm.”

The Ice Phoenix Realm’s barrier was still up and it still prevented all outsiders from entering. Yun Che arrived in front of the barrier, but he did not try to force his way through. Instead, he stretched out a hand to gently tap the barrier, causing a crisp clanging sound to ring through the air.

The sound wasn’t especially loud, but it instantly spread throughout the entire Divine Ice Phoenix Sect.

The Snow Song Realm was naturally on tenterhooks during this extremely unique period of time. Most of the disciples who were on guard duty flooded out to meet the intruder. But when they were able to see who the black figure floating in the sky was, their eyes immediately widened as they froze in place.

“Senior… Senior Brother Yu…”

An Ice Phoenix disciple unwittingly cried out, but his voice was immediately sealed by the Ice Phoenix elder beside him.

He was the Devil Master of the North, someone who could destroy a star realm with a single word. So if they casually addressed him as Senior Brother Yun as they had before, it would undoubtedly be a crime that was at the very least punishable by death.

The elder wanted to step out to greet Yun Che, but no matter how hard he tried to muster up his courage, he could not even take half a step forward.

What a joke… even G.o.d emperors, existences that were as exalted as actual deities in their world, had suffered miserable deaths at his hands. Higher realm kings had groveled in front of him like undignified animals. He was merely a lowly Ice Phoenix elder, so he was in no way qualified to speak to the Devil Master of the North.

“Quickly… quickly go and inform the Sect Master,” he said in a shaky voice. He had actually forgotten to send a personal sound transmission amidst this dreadful silence.

The atmosphere in the Ice Phoenix Realm quickly changed and the core members of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect soon gathered outside. As they stared at the floating Yun Che, the looks in their eyes were incredibly complex: Shock, fear… and extreme unease were all mixed in with a small bit of hope and expectation.

The Northern Divine Region had started their invasion of the Eastern Divine Region from the north and when all the realms were thrown into great chaos, only the Snow Song Realm remained peaceful and untouched.

Afterwards, Mu Bingyun was taken away by one of the Brahma Kings of the Brahma Monarch G.o.d Realm, but she was delivered back to the realm safe and sound a few short hours later. Mu Bingyun had not explained the situation clearly, but it seemed as if she had been saved by people from the Northern Divine Region.

As a result, they were more than willing to believe that Yun Che had not come to bring disaster to the Snow Song Realm. However, the halo of darkness that radiated from his body was simply far too terrifying and they couldn’t help but react with fear.

A woman who was wrapped in darkness stood by his side. From the images that had been projected from the Eternal Heaven G.o.d Realm over the past few days, they already knew that this was Yun Che’s empress in the Northern Divine Region.

So the top two people in charge of the Northern Divine Region had deigned to visit their Snow Song Realm today.

Every Ice Phoenix elders had gathered but not a single one of them dared to step forward. Yun Che remained motionless throughout and he was staring toward the north, almost as if he was in a daze.

Finally, Mu Bingyun arrived and that familiar aura of ice and snow caused Yun Che to turn his head to look toward her.

Only a short four years had pa.s.sed, but it now seemed like a lifetime ago.

The Ice Phoenix Barrier soundlessly opened with a gentle wave of her hand. As the Ice Phoenix elders stared at her with trembling eyes, Mu Bingyun floated into the air to stand in front of Yun Che and Chi Wuyao.

She spared Chi Wuyao a glance but after that, her eyes stared straight into Yun Che’s without blinking. After a short period of heavy silence, a sweet smile appeared on her face as she said, “Being able to return without any fear is naturally better than anything else.”

She had been dreaming of a moment like this for the last few years. But it had been a subconscious yearning, because she never dared to hold for a hope as extravagant as this one. However, he had truly returned, he had returned boldly and without any fear… and it had only taken him four short years to do so.

The other person who was most important to her had also been returned to her safe and sound.

As a result, the dark mist that had shrouded her life over the last few years had vanished into thin air. Everything that was happening now seemed like a dream.

This sweet smile, a smile that Yun Che was most familiar with, caused his vision to blur for an instant. In that instant, he felt as if he had returned to the time when they had first met… as if nothing had ever changed.

“Palace Master Bingyun.” Yun Che still addressed her by that familiar t.i.tle, just as he had all those years ago. He continued in a soft voice, “I’ve been gone for many years, so I’d like to take a look at the Sacred Hall.”

“I’ll bring you there,” Mu Bingyun said.

“Ah, the two of you can go on without me.” Chi Wuyao smiled as she looked at Mu Bingyun, but she did not move to follow them.

Yun Che and Mu Bingyun moved toward the Ice Phoenix Sacred Hall under a mult.i.tude of wide-eyed stares. No devilish might filled the sky and no other power rippled the air.

Chi Wuyao stood off in the distance as her divine senses swept across this vast snowy region. She muttered to herself softly, “It seems as if we haven’t recruited any new disciples in quite a while.”

“Huanzhi,” she suddenly said, “tell someone to send a sound transmission to the Flame G.o.d Realm King to let him know that Yun Che has come to visit the Snow Song Realm.”

Mu Huanzhi stood in shocked silence for two whole breaths. It was as if he couldn’t bring himself to believe that the Devil Queen of the North actually knew his name. It was only when Chi Wuyao finally turned to look at him that he was convinced that the Devil Queen had really called him by name. He anxiously squeaked out a reply and hurried off to send that sound transmission.