"BOOOOMMM!!!"
The Grand Elder's draconic blast detonated with an earth-shattering force, sending violent shockwaves rippling through the mist. The very air trembled under the sheer pressure of the impact.
Yet, despite the sheer destructive force behind the attack—
The two Abyssal Beasts remained unscathed.
Not even a scratch.
But the dragons didn't stop to dwell on it.
They used the shockwave to their advantage.
Riding the explosive force, they propelled themselves forward, their massive wings cutting through the dense fog as they surged toward their Dragon Mountain Range at breakneck speed. Every moment mattered. Every breath could be their last.
The Abyssal Dragon Lord and the Abyssal Qilin, however, were relentless.
Their monstrous forms closed in.
Their sheer size and speed defied logic—within mere instants, their gigantic figures loomed so close that the Grand Elder felt their oppressive presence suffocating him.
A chill ran through his ancient soul.
Instinct screamed at him—attack, stall them, do anything!
He was about to unleash another desperate strike, hoping to slow them down, even if only for a moment.
But then—
It happened.
A terror unlike anything he had ever felt slammed into him.
It wasn't just fear.
It was something deeper.
Something that pierced into the very core of his being.
And he wasn't alone.
Every single fleeing dragonfelt it.
A vast and unimaginable presence descended from the heavens, manifesting directly before them.
Not behind—but ahead.
From the very direction they were fleeing toward.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
And then—a colossal figure emerged.
A gigantic Azure Dragon God materialized in the sky before them, its scales radiating an ancient, divine brilliance. Its body was vast beyond comprehension, exuding both unparalleled vitality and an overwhelming soul aura—as if the true Primordial Azure Dragon God itself had descended upon the world.
A divine apparition. A force beyond mortality.
Profound Handle Manifestation—
Primordial Azure Dragon God!
"What…!"
The fleeing dragons stared in utter disbelief at the colossal Azure Dragon God blocking their path. How? How had such a being appeared before them? How had it manifested so suddenly—so impossibly?
Before their minds could even begin to process what they were seeing—
The Primordial Azure Dragon let out a soul-shaking roar.
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The very sky shattered beneath the sheer force of its bellow. A primordial force ripped through their souls, an invisible tidal wave of overwhelming dominion and suppression crashing into them all at once.
Their bodies convulsed.
Their souls spasmed.
They couldn't resist.
"Ugh…!"
"Aghhhhhh!!!"
"BANG!!!"
"BOOOOOOMMM!!!"
"BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!"
One figure after another plummeted from the sky, their colossal dragon forms slamming into the earth like falling stars. The ground trembled beneath their weight, sending shockwaves across the desolate land.
Even the Grand Elder Dragon, despite his formidable will, felt his very soul seize in agony. His limbs gave out. His wings lost their strength.
And as his massive body began to descend toward the ground—
Two massive claws—one belonging to the Abyssal Dragon Lord, the other to the Abyssal Qilin—swung forth.
"BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!"
Both struck his falling body simultaneously.
A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield as the Grand Elder was sent hurtling through the sky like a broken meteor, his blood scattering in a brilliant crimson arc.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
His agonized scream ripped through the air, but it was drowned out by the next, even more devastating crash.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!"
The Grand Elder Dragon's body finally collided with the earth, an earth-shaking explosion of dust and shattered rock erupting upon impact. His golden blood soaked the ground, dyeing the land a deep, suffocating red.
"Wait...!"
The Elder Dragon gasped as he feel the two terrors descend on him, his voice barely more than a desperate plea. But how could the two Abyssal Beasts—monstrosities of pure devastation—be stopped by mere words?
They didn't stop.
They didn't hesitate.
They didn't even acknowledge him.
Under the soul-piercing gaze of the Primordial Azure Dragon God, the Abyssal Dragon Lord and the Abyssal Qilindescended upon the Grand Elder like two calamities given form.
Their claws tore into his flesh.
Their fangs crushed his bones.
Their energy burned through his defenses like paper.
His roars of defiance turned into screams of agony as his once-majestic body was ravaged beyond recognition. Bones snapped with sickening cracks, golden blood splattered across the battlefield, and gaping wounds riddled his form, holes torn through his massive frame as if he were nothing more than prey caught between two apex predators.
The rest of the dragons could only watch in horror.
Their bodies refused to move.
Their profound energy had long been consumed.
Their souls trembled beneath the lingering effects of the Azure Dragon's roar.
Even if they wanted to fight—
Even if they wanted to run—
They could do nothing.
Their attempted escape had ended before it had even truly begun.
So quickly.
So easily.
So laughably.
Because how could they possibly escape?
How could Yun Cheallow them to escape?
They had dared to flee.
They had dared to take Xia Qingyue with them—even in their retreat, they had stolen what belonged to him.
How dare they.
How dare they think they had a chance.
Back in the Endless Fog Sea, before the battle had begun—
Yun Che had already sealed their fate.
When he had scanned the surroundings with his divine sense, ensuring that there was nothing nearby except the beasts of the Endless Fog and the dragons—he had made his move.
His Profound Handle had long since been unleashed—turned invisible, imperceptible to all but him.
It had already been waiting.
Waiting ahead of them.
Waiting past their escape route.
Because Yun Che had already anticipated their path of retreat.
And when they fled—
He erupted with God Ash.
The overwhelming power surged through his body, and in an instant—
He summoned the Primordial Azure Dragon God.
A manifestation of absolute dominance.
A soul-rending, reality-tearing force that had shattered their will before they had even understood what was happening.
The dragons' escape had long been cut off.
From the moment they tried to flee, they were already doomed.
---------
"BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!"
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!"
"Ugh…!"
Explosive blasts shook the heavens, abyssal roars ripped through the sky, and agonized wails echoed into the void—a chaotic symphony of devastation.
But soon…
The screams of the dragons began to fade.
One by one, their cries grew weaker.
Until, at last—silence.
All that remained was the relentless, guttural roar of the Abyssal Beasts, their victorious howls ringing through the crimson-stained battlefield.
The dragons had fallen.
Their once-proud forms now lay shattered upon the land, their golden blood dying the ground red. Some still clung to life, their bodies twitching, struggling against the inevitable—but it would not matter.
Their fate had already been decided.
"..."
Beside Yun Che, Yun Xi stood in quiet stillness.
She could not see the brutal slaughter that had unfolded, nor did she need to.
She felt it.
She could feel the overwhelming aura of her father raining judgment upon the Ancestral Dragons. She knew that by now—most of them were already dead.
It was a cruel act.
But at the same time…
It was revenge.
Her father's revenge.
The dragons had done this to her.
And so, he had done this to them.
As she closed her eyes, she let the warmth of that truth settle in her heart, spreading through her like a quiet flame.
She felt nothing for the members of the Ancestral Dragon Clan—because she owed them nothing.
She had once resided among them, spent her childhood in their domain, but it had never been a home to her. She had paid for her existence there with her own Blood Essence—an essence far more precious than anything the dragons could ever offer in return.
Her blood—even a single drop—was worth more than their entire clan.
And after what had happened in the Pure Land…
Her hatred for the Ancestral Dragons had long been carved into her very soul.
From the moment the battle between Dian Rahu, Dian Mokai, and the Dragon Lord against the Abyssal Qilin God was about to unfold, Yun Che had already accounted for this.
He had told the Dragon Lord to command his clan members to retreat—to flee toward the border between the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range and the Endless Fog Sea. There, they were to conceal themselves as best as they could, blending into the mist and avoiding all unnecessary conflicts.
And yet—Yun Che still found them.
Because he had never lost sight of them to begin with.
Tracking them down after their retreat was not difficult.
For among those who had once lived in the Ancestral Dragon Mountain Range…
No one knew its hidden places better than Yun Xi.
She had grown up there. She knew its landscape, its secluded regions, the paths one would take when forced into hiding.
It had taken some time to convince her to reveal their location—to break the last lingering attachment she had to this place.
Otherwise, Yun Che would have arrived far sooner.
The reason Yun Che had chosen to come here was because of one person—
Yun Xi's mother.
His woman—Shen Xi.
Prior to this, Yun Xi had revealed something that changed everything.
Shen Xi was resting within the Ancestral Tomb of the Ancestral Dragon Clan.
From that moment on, Yun Che's plan had been set into motion.
Every action, every decision he had made leading up to this point had been with that knowledge in mind.
And now—he had finally arrived.
With the death of a True God shaking the world, nearly all profound practitioners had already fled the Endless Fog Sea in fear. None dared remain within the abyssal mist after witnessing the fall of Dian Rahu—none but Yun Che.
Yet, he knew.
He was racing against time.
Although he was confident that the Gods and other powerful beings could not detect that he was an outsider, he had no way of knowing how long that deception would last.
At any moment, the veil concealing his true identity could be torn away.
And when that happened—everything would change.
A ticking bomb that could detonate at any moment.
Because it was only a matter of time before the High Priests—or worse—the Abyssal Monarch himself came looking for answers.
And when that moment arrived—
His true identity could be exposed.
But before that happened, before the world realized who he truly was, he had one priority.
He had to become stronger.
As fast as possible.
----------
As the final echoes of battle faded into absolute silence, Yun Che turned to Yun Xi.
Without a word, he had her enter the Primordial Profound Ark's inner world—a sanctuary untouched by the corruption of the Abyss.
Perhaps it was because of everything that had transpired here.
Perhaps it was because she was finally leaving behind this grey, lifeless world for a realm untouched by abyssal dust, where light and beauty still existed.
But just before stepping through, Yun Xi paused.
And then—she spoke.
"Thank you."
The quiet words stunned Yun Che.
He said nothing, only watching as she disappeared into the pure, dustless world within the ark.
A faint smile touched his lips.
And then—he turned.
His figure blurred as he soared toward the battlefield, where the once-proud dragons lay in ruin.
Broken bodies.
Shattered bones.
Golden blood staining the ground.
The aftermath of annihilation stretched before him.
This time, he didn't bother concealing his presence.
For those who still clung to life—
For those whose eyes had not yet gone dark—
They saw him.
And they looked upon him in shock.
Yun Che's body was shrouded in pure darkness, his aura seething like the abyss itself.
It wasn't the corrupted, oppressive darkness of the Abyssal Beasts—nor was it the incomplete, diluted darkness found in ordinary profound practitioners.
No—his darkness was pure.
So pure that it seemed to devour the very light around him.
So pure that it was indistinguishable from the darkness wielded by the Owl Butterfly Divine Kingdom.
It was endless. Depthless. Unfathomable.
Every dragon who was still conscious, still able to see him, felt an uncontrollable chill seep into their souls. It wasn't just fear—it was a deep, instinctual terror, as though their very existence was being swallowed by the void in front of them.
And when their gazes met his eyes—
Pure black.
Like two bottomless abysses, void of all emotion, void of all light.
The Grand Elder Dragon, despite his grievous injuries, felt his heart seize. Even in his weakened state, his vitality was far greater than the others—but even he, an elder of the Ancestral Dragon Clan, could not suppress the creeping dread that coiled around his soul.
His bloodied eyes widened in disbelief as he gazed upon the approaching figure.
And then, in a voice hoarse and weak, he murmured—
"Meng... Jian... Yuan?!"
The name escaped his lips, barely audible, as Yun Che strode forward—step by step—toward the shattered remnants of the Ancestral Dragon Clan.
"CRACK!!!! BOOOOMMM!!!"
Yun Che appeared before one of the gravely injured dragons, his foot crashing down with ruthless force.
A sickening crack echoed as the dragon's skull shattered beneath his heel, and in an instant—its life was extinguished.
"!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The Grand Elder Dragon's pupils widened in sheer horror.
His bloodied eyes trembled as he watched the nightmare unfold before him.
But before he could even process the brutality of what had just happened—
Yun Che was already moving.
His blackened form flickered, and in the next breath, he stood before another dragon—one that was still breathing.
The Grand Elder struggled, his body screaming in agony as he forced out a broken plea.
"Stop... Stop..."
His voice was weak, desperate—but Yun Che did not listen.
Without hesitation, Yun Che raised his foot—
And brought it crashing down once more.
Another life was snuffed out in an instant.
One by one, they fell.
Some were crushed beneath the force of his merciless stomp.
Others were engulfed in black flames, their roars of agony echoing as their bodies burned away into nothingness.
The Ancestral Dragon Clan, once proud, once mighty—was being erased.
Slaughtered. Without hesitation. Without remorse.
"You... You..." The Grand Elder Dragon twitching fingers trying to point toward Yun Che.
"Boom!" Only the claws of the Abyssal Dragon Lord return his actions as it push him down!
The Grand Elder Dragon could do nothing.
If he had even an ounce of strength left in his shattered body—if he could lift a single finger to strike Yun Che down—he would have done it without hesitation.
But he couldn't.
His injuries had robbed him of everything, and now, with his former Lord claws on his body, he, cannot even dream of doing anything.
Even voicing his rage, his grief, his despair was almost too much for him.
And so—he could only watch.
Watch as one by one, the members of his clan—his family—were slaughtered before his very eyes.
Tears—hot, bitter tears—fell from his eyes.
But tears would not change reality.
Tears would not stop Yun Che.
Worse than the massacre itself was the cruel truth behind it.
Their Lord—the mighty Dragon Lord, the ruler they had once followed with unwavering loyalty—
Had become an Abyssal Beast.
And it was because of him that they had all suffered this fate.
Now, with the Abyssal Dragon Lord's massive claw gripping onto the Grand Elder, pressing him down like an insect, the once-proud dragon couldn't even move—not even if he tried.
Even if he wanted to fight.
Even if he wanted to die standing.
He couldn't.
The once-great Ancestral Dragon Clan was now nothing more than a pile of corpses.
And yet—one still remained.
Only one dragon was left alive besides the Grand Elder.
But this dragon…
This dragon had barely any injuries.
In fact, when the Abyssal Beasts attacked, they had purposefully avoided harming it. Not even the residual shockwaves from the battle had reached this dragon.
Not because Yun Che felt pity.
Not because he had any intention of showing mercy.
But because within this dragon's grasp—was Xia Qingyue.
She had long since awakened.
She had been aware of everything that had happened.
Yet—she felt nothing for her captor.
She simply watched.
Watched as Yun Che, his entire being shrouded in abyssal darkness, approached her.
Just like that fateful day.
The day the Moon God Realm was destroyed.
The day they stood as enemies.
Step by step, he drew closer.
His hand trembled as it reached out to her.
And despite every instinct in her body telling her not to—
Despite the turmoil raging within her mind—
Her heart made the choice for her.
Her hand reached out.
And she grasped his.
With the Primordial Azure Dragon God still looming in the sky, its divine presence suffocating the air itself, the barely injured dragon could only watch.
Watch as the two figures before him stood together, completely beyond his reach.
He could do nothing.
With Yun Che's current cultivation, even in his God Ash state, he could maintain this power for a full hour.
An hour.
It was not long in the grand scheme of time—but for the dragons, it was an eternal nightmare.
A nightmare from which they would never awaken.
Then, in the silence that followed the devastation, Yun Che spoke.
His voice was soft, almost fragile—a whisper edged with pain.
"Why did you run… again…?"
His darkened eyes slowly began to fade, the pure abyssal black retreating back to their natural color.
At the same time—his darkness receded.
The oppressive, suffocating energy that had swallowed him whole melted away, replaced by a gentle, pure white light.
It erupted slowly, illuminating the battlefield with a warmth that contrasted the destruction surrounding them.
That light, his profound energy, seeped into Xia Qingyue's body.
It was gentle. Warm. Familiar.
It washed away the filth, the corruption, the lingering traces of pain.
It healed her wounds.
Yet, as his hands trembled against hers, as his voice wavered ever so slightly—
It was clear.
Yun Che was afraid.
Deadly afraid.
Afraid that he would lose her again.
"I…"
Xia Qingyue's lips parted, but no words came.
She was lost.
Lost in the raw emotion before her. Lost in the way Yun Che's eyes glistened with unshed tears, his gaze pleading, desperate—afraid.
She could feel it.
The way his entire body trembled against hers, as if he feared she would disappear again the moment he let go.
So she did the only thing she could.
She pulled him closer, holding him against her warmth.
For the first time in what felt like eternity, she allowed herself this moment.
But it wasn't enough.
It could never be enough.
Because no matter how much she wanted to stay, no matter how much she ached for him—
She could not.
Her body trembled as she forced herself to speak.
"I… my fate… I cannot… be with you…"