Dian Liushi died without ever understanding why someone at the fourth level of the Divine Lord Realm—a realm he considered weak—could erupt with such absurd power and crush him so completely. If he had only consulted with Dian Jiuzhi beforehand, he might have avoided this fatal mistake and never provoked Yun Che.
"The so-called divine son of a god kingdom… what a joke," Yun Che remarked coldly as he glanced back at Dian Liushi's corpse, a faint frown on his face.
"Your strength has already transcended the limits of your cultivation realm," Li Suo said thoughtfully. "You're now capable of fighting even those at the fifth level of the God-Destroying Realm. Crushing someone like him, who's barely at the first level, is nothing."
She paused before adding with a trace of sarcasm, "What, are you waiting for me to praise you? Most men seem to enjoy that."
"No, you misunderstand," Yun Che said calmly. "I was thinking… if I come off as too powerful, how will I 'die' convincingly? I need Emperor Yuan to see my talent, but not so much that it disrupts the plan that follows."
He restrained his aura but did not put away the Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword. "I just hope Dian Jiuzhi won't disappoint me."
"They call him the number one divine son of the Abyss. There's no doubt about his strength," Li Suo said teasingly. "The real question is… how many moves can you last against him?"
"…"
Yun Che was silent for a moment. Couldn't she at least pretend to be encouraging?
"You've become more and more poisonous with your words," he muttered as he bent down and picked up Dian Liushi's teleportation star ring. However, the ring had already dimmed—it had lost its teleportation capability and now resembled nothing more than a dead artifact.
"Just as I thought. These teleportation rings aren't just for escape. They're being monitored too. Once separated from the host, they rapidly lose effectiveness. The gods back in the Pure Land are probably watching everything we do right now."
In the Pure Land Inner Hall…
As Yun Che predicted, fourteen stars floated in midair, each one glowing faintly. Every star bore the name of a participant, and beside each name was a count of the Abyss Cores they had collected.
All the attending gods were fixated on their kingdom's star, not daring to avert their eyes.
Notably, Emperor Yuan and the four great priests were nowhere to be seen in the hall.
When the star representing the "Sixth Consciousness of the Senluo Divine Hall" suddenly dimmed and disappeared, shock rippled through the room. The competition had barely begun—less than an hour in—and already one contender had been eliminated.
Jueluo God's face darkened with rage. He slammed his fist against the table and growled, "Useless waste! All you've done is tarnish the name of the Senluo Divine Kingdom!"
Dian Luohou appeared unconcerned about Dian Liushi's death. Though he was one of the most powerful among the seven god monarchs, and Senluo ranked first among the Six Divine Kingdoms, this early loss was still a slight humiliation.
"Come now, old friend, don't let this ruin your mood," Meng Kongchan offered, his tone light. "You still have Jiuzhi. He's already collected ten Abyss Cores and is leading by a wide margin."
"Exactly," Hua Fuchen added. "No need to get upset. Jiuzhi will surely restore the dignity of Senluo. It's just unfortunate about that Liushi boy. Seems the Fog Sea really is as dangerous as they say."
Dian Luohou glanced at the two of them suspiciously. "You two seem unusually chummy today. But you're right—this is just the beginning. Jiuzhi will not disappoint me."
He let out a booming laugh, brushing off the earlier incident with ease.
Meng Kongchan and Hua Fuchen exchanged a helpless glance, both sighing inwardly. Haven't the warnings we've given you over the past three years been enough?
In the Outer Region of the Fog Sea…
Yun Che's spiritual sense picked up on another participant.
"Long Wangchu…" he muttered. "Also at the fourth level of the Divine Lord Realm, but his cultivation is shallow. He's struggling just to handle an Abyss Beast of the same level."
Yun Che found it surprising. As a scion of the dragon clan, Long Wangchu's poor performance was disappointing—especially since he was often mentioned in the same breath as the divine sons and daughters of the Six Kingdoms.
At that moment, Long Wangchu was inwardly cursing his luck. He'd barely been teleported into the Fog Sea before being ambushed by a level-three Abyss Beast. Though he managed to win after a grueling battle, the commotion attracted a level-four Abyss Beast shortly afterward. Now, injured and exhausted, he was barely holding his ground.
"Forget it," Yun Che said. "Long Xi was treated well by the dragon clan. I'll lend him a hand… just this once."
"Damn it! How unlucky can I be?" Long Wangchu growled. "I haven't even had time to absorb all the dragon blood yet, and now I'm getting pounded by another beast?!"
He seriously considered using his teleportation ring to escape, but the thought of facing the Dragon Lord's wrath made him hesitate. Gritting his teeth, he found renewed resolve.
"Better to die fighting this beast than face the Dragon Lord's fury!"
A brilliant golden light erupted from Long Wangchu's body as the remnants of Long Xi's dragon blood began to merge and circulate. His strength surged rapidly…
He broke through.
A power equal to the fifth level of the Divine Lord Realm exploded from his body. Amidst the battle, he'd stepped into a new realm.
Yun Che stopped in his tracks, frozen in place.
"What's wrong?" Li Suo asked, puzzled. "Surely his breakthrough isn't so impressive that you'd be stunned."
"…Just now," Yun Che whispered, "I felt something from him… a strange familiarity, as if our bloodlines were connected."
He closed his eyes and focused, trying to sense it again. "…But it's gone now. It must've been my imagination."
"Maybe you're just too tense," Li Suo said gently. "I've noticed—even when you're with Hua Caili, you're always thinking, always planning. You never truly rest."
Yun Che nodded. "That may be true. In this Abyssal World, every step feels like walking on a knife's edge. One misstep and it's all over. But I'll be fine."
He raised his head, eyes calm. "I am the Cloud Emperor of the God Realm. The Lord of Mist Demons. The Emperor of the Fog Sea. I will not fall."
"Then it's time we head deeper into the Fog Sea," he added. "There's nothing left to hunt in the outer regions."
After Long Wangchu's breakthrough, Yun Che changed direction and advanced toward the core of the Fog Sea.
Were it not for Long Xi, someone like Long Wangchu would never have caught his attention.
Half a day later, nearly a hundred Abyss Cores had been collected by Yun Che. He had become a one-man army. No Abyss Beast could withstand his approach—none lived to tell the tale.
"This should be enough," Yun Che muttered as he placed a fourth-level God-Destroying Abyss Core into the Sky Poison Pearl. "Yuan Emperor… it's time you noticed me."
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and for the first time in a while, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"I didn't expect that the first person I'd find in the depths of the Fog Sea… would be her."
As the contenders gradually moved deeper into the fog, Yun Che's Abyss Beasts covered less territory but became exponentially more effective. His search was narrowing—and success was within reach.
....
Read Advance Chapters on my Patreon
patreon.com/HeavenDevouringGOD