Abyss Realm — a few weeks ago, before Yun Che was spotted in the Endless Fog Sea, before the gods ventured forth to rescue him with the Abyssal Monarch's permission…
In the Boundless Divine Kingdom,
Within one of the most luxurious halls nestled deep inside the vast expanse of royal palaces, a somber atmosphere hung heavily in the air. A young man lay weakly upon a jade-carved bed, his complexion pale, his breath shallow.
Today, he was bidding a bitter farewell.
Around him, a group of elders stood silently, their expressions solemn as they looked down at the once-proud youth. One by one, the elders stepped forward to offer words of comfort, but their voices lacked conviction. And after a few brief moments, they each turned and took their leave.
As they exited the grand hall, most shook their heads in sorrow and pity. Once hailed as the miracle of the Boundless Divine Kingdom, the youth now lay powerless, his Divine Essence crippled. His future, which once shimmered like the stars, had been reduced to ashes.
Still, in the depths of many of those eyes, behind the grief and compassion, there lingered an acceptance—bitter and cold.
They had no choice but to let go. Finally, there are only three figures in the room.
"Divine Doctor Ling, is there truly no way to…?"
An elder standing beside the youth finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly as he clung to a last shred of hope.
The man addressed as Divine Doctor Ling slowly turned his gaze toward the youth lying on the bed. His expression was solemn, eyes filled with helplessness. He gave a soft sigh and shook his head.
"Lord God Boundless Rage personally destroyed many of Prince Xiang's meridians and shattered his profound veins. Even his Divine Essence… has been crippled, reduced to just seven strands."
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
"Even if I were far more skilled than I am now… even if the heavens themselves gave me a thousand more years… not even the gods could mend what has been broken," he continued, voice heavy with sorrow.
"With His Highness' current cultivation somehow still clinging to the Divine Extinction Realm, that alone is already a miracle in itself. But his future... I fear it is beyond saving." The Divine Doctor's eyes lingered on the youth—so young, yet so broken.
"...I understand."
The youth finally spoke, his tone calm, but the pain hidden beneath was unmistakable. "Thank you for your hard work, Divine Doctor. You may retire for now."
Divine Doctor Ling hesitated for a moment before giving a respectful bow. Then, without another word, he turned and silently left the hall, leaving behind only the youth and the remaining old man.
"....."
The room was silent. Though only two remained, the weight of sorrow pressed down like a suffocating fog.
The curtains swayed faintly from the breeze slipping through the half-opened window, but even the wind seemed too ashamed to speak.
"Master..." the youth finally broke the silence, his voice hoarse and low. "I'm sorry... to have disappointed you."
The old man beside the bed trembled. His eyes, aged and red with unshed tears, stared at the pale face of the young man he had raised with his own hands.
"Your Highness... it's not your fault..." the old man whispered, forcing each word out as if it pained him to say them.
From the boy's earliest years, he had been this youth's teacher, his protector, his guardian. He had watched the child grow—watched as he surpassed all expectations, as his cultivation soared faster than anyone his age, watched as the entire Divine Kingdom hailed him as the shining hope of their future.
He still remembered the day the youth awakened eight levels of Divine Essence. That day, the elders rejoiced. That day, the youth had smiled, not for himself, but for them.
Yet fate, so cruel and cold, had already written a different path. His elder brother had long since been crowned Divine Son—the chosen successor, the future God of their kingdom.
But this youth... he had never once shown resentment. Never once showed envy or hatred. Instead, he had stood behind his brother, offering his support, his loyalty, his everything.
And now… this.
Tragedy struck like lightning from a clear sky—swift, brutal, and without mercy.
Their father, the Divine Regent, had fallen. And in the grand ceremony meant to preserve his legacy… to bring him back… it was his elder brother who seized the opportunity. Without hesitation, without shame, he took the God Source for himself, ascending to divinity in a blaze of glory. The heavens sang his name.
When he had gathered the strength to confront his brother… to ask why… to demand even a sliver of truth—what he received was not an answer, but a near-fatal blow.
His body had been shattered. His soul fractured. And now, even weeks after waking from his long coma, the nightmare was only deepening.
Once, his cultivation had stood proudly at the fourth level of the Divine Extinction Realm—strong enough to shake entire battlefields, with greatest talent enough for elders to bow their heads and court his favor.
Now, it had fallen to the very first level, his profound vein crippled. A laughable decline.
Outside the Divine Kingdom, this level would have inspired awe—envy, even. A level many would strive for their entire lives and never reach. But within the Divine Kingdom? Among many monstrous prodigies? He was nothing more than a cripple. A discarded tool. At best, a local lord. At worst, a scarred soldier with no future.
And the youth, sitting in silence beneath the golden carvings of his once-proud palace, could only look down at his trembling hands… hands that once held power… now powerless to hold even his fate.
True enough, for someone his age, even now with a shattered cultivation, Prince Dian Xiang would still be called a genius by most standards. But that title would not last. Not in a place like the Abyss.
With time, even the slowest among his peers would surpass him. And those who once walked behind him—once looked up to him—would rise higher and higher, until they left him behind completely. Not because of lack of effort, but because his path forward was forever broken. The damage to his profound veins… irreversible.
The doctor who had just left—the famed Divine Doctor Ling—was not just the best in their Divine Kingdom, but one of the most revered across the entire Abyss. And even he had been powerless. No matter how advanced the technique, how rare the medicine… there was simply nothing that could be done.
The two remained in that quiet chamber, their hearts heavy with helplessness. To Dian Xiang, the old man beside him had been more than a master—he had been closer than his own father. And to the old man, Dian Xiang was like the grandson he never had. His pride. His future. His everything.
Time passed slowly, the silence speaking louder than words.
Then, finally, the youth opened his mouth. His voice was soft, but it held a weight that pressed on the old man's chest.
"Master… I don't think living here suits me anymore," Dian Xiang said quietly, his gaze distant. "I want to visit Mother's home. I might even… stay there, from now on. What do you think?"
His words were filled with quiet defeat… but within them was a flicker of something else.
Hope.
The life of those within a Divine Kingdom was far superior to any place in the Abyss. Resources, safety, cultivation opportunities—everything was better here. The old man probably would reject his suggestion, thinking it a waste, a mistake born of emotion. After all, Dian Xiang was no longer the radiant genius he once was. His future had dimmed. In the eyes of the elders who visited him earlier, he had seen it clearly—the pity, the silent regret… and for some, even indifference. They had already begun to move on.
His mother… she had never been part of a prestigious lineage. Not even from one of the Kingdom's direct subordinate territories. She came from a modest city near the edge of the Qilin Abyss—far removed from power and prestige. His father had met her during one of his journeys, a brief encounter, perhaps no more than a moment of interest… and then Dian Xiang was born.
But she never followed his father back. Instead, she chose to remain in her quiet city. And for the most part, she had raised Dian Xiang alone until his talent revealed itself and he was brought into the Divine Kingdom. After he rose to prominence, after his name shook the younger generation, she was finally given honor—receiving the highest treatment a mortal woman could hope for, with personal guards stationed day and night.
But that was then.
Now… everything had changed.
Word of his condition would have already reached her city. And with the Divine Kingdom's focus now shifting toward his elder brother—the new God, the Boundless Rage Divine Regent—it was likely those guards and protections had been withdrawn already. His heart tightened at the thought. She had no power to protect herself. How could he remain here in comfort while her safety was uncertain?
Of course, there was another reason he could no longer stay. His elder brother.
The man who now stood above all others, a newly ascended God, returned in glory to their Kingdom and began reshaping everything. The elders who once held power were made to kneel—either in fear or submission. Their once-proud siblings were brought low, stripped of dignity or pushed aside. One by one, he placed everything under his control.
Dian Xiang wanted no part in that world. He would not grovel, and he refused to be used.
"Of course, Your Highness. I will go wherever you go," the old man said softly, his voice firm yet full of affection.
Those words caused Dian Xiang's dim eyes to brighten for the first time in a long while. A faint smile curled on his lips, the weight on his heart lightening just a little.
"Then… should we depart now?" he asked, his voice steadier, a glimmer of warmth returning.
"There's no reason to wait, Your Highness. Lead the way," the old man replied without hesitation.
The pair stood together in silence for a moment, taking one last look at the palace that had once been their home—a place once filled with dreams and expectations, now nothing more than cold stone and fading memories.
Then, without another word, the two figures rose into the sky and flew away from the Boundless Divine Kingdom, their silhouettes growing smaller under the watchful eyes of many.
Far above them, seated upon the highest throne of the Divine Kingdom, Dian Jiuzhi gazed silently at the scene through the vast divine sense. He said nothing for a long while, his face unreadable.
Then at last, he closed his eyes and whispered faintly to himself, "So be it."
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God Realm — Snow Song Realm, Ice Phoenix Divine Hall.
"Ugh…"
"ARGHHHHHH!!!!!"
"Puke!!!"
Agonized groans echoed through the icy hall, slicing through the eternal silence of the Snow Song Realm. The once-pristine frost-covered chamber was now tainted with splatters of blood—black, not red—each droplet corrupting the sacred purity of the ice.
"Meiyin!" A voice cracked the air like thunder as Shui Yingyue's figure burst into the room. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her.
On the bloodstained bed, Shui Meiyin writhed in agony, her entire body soaked in thick, black blood. The sheen of sweat coated her trembling frame, her breath short and labored. Beside her, the Devil Queen Chi Wuyao and Mu Xuanyin, two of the most powerful women in the God Realm, sat cross-legged—yet there was no dignity in their postures. They too were covered in blood, their complexions pale and hollow. A sinister black aura curled around their bodies like a vengeful curse, gnawing at their life force.
Their protective energies were barely holding. The aura didn't just erode flesh and blood—it pierced the soul itself. And no matter how they tried to suppress it, the darkness lashed out from within, occasionally breaching their defenses to deal another blow. Their robes were soaked through with blood, their movements faint and sluggish, bodies twitching as if every breath was a war.
"Meiyin! What happened?!" Shui Yingyue cried out, her voice shaking with panic as she look at her younger sister, eyes brimming with disbelief and anguish.
The aura was thick—vile—and oppressive. Just standing near it sent a chill down her spine, as though the very laws of the God Realm were trembling in its presence.
Before she could ask more, shadows swept into the room as the Devil Queen's witches arrived one after another. Their faces turned grim the moment they laid eyes on the scene, and in their hearts, a terrifying thought bloomed.
Shui Yingyue was just about to reach out to her little sister, her fingers trembling as they hovered over Shui Meiyin's bloodstained body—when suddenly, a sharp, cold voice cut through the air like lightning.
"Don't touch them!"
A flash of golden light burst through the hall as Qianye Ying'er's figure appeared beside her in an instant. With a blur of movement, she struck Shui Yingyue's wrist aside just before contact could be made.
But it was too late.
Just a single thread of that dark, sinister aura curled up from Shui Meiyin's body and brushed against the tips of their fingers.
"Ah—!"
Both women flinched and instantly pulled back, retreating several steps before dropping into a seated position. Without hesitation, they circulated their profound energy at full force. Even then, it took several long breaths before the creeping chill—something so cold it felt as though it was biting into their souls—was finally purged from their bodies.
Shui Yingyue gasped for air as she clutched her wrist, still tingling from the remnant touch.
"What… was that…?" she asked, her voice shaking, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Even with my Divine Master cultivation… just a sliver of it felt like my soul was about to freeze…"
Her gaze snapped back to the bed—and when she saw her younger sister, body still trembling, drenched in black blood, lips trembling silently in pain…
Her heart shattered.
If this was what a mere thread of that aura felt like… then Shui Meiyin, who was drenched in it, who was infected through her very soul…
Just how much pain was she in right now?
Tears welled up in Shui Yingyue's eyes. Her hands curled into fists as helplessness twisted her heart into knots.
"Lady Qianying, what are these dreadful auras...? What happened?" one of the witches asked in a trembling voice, her face pale as she stared at the scene before her. Even the Devil Queen herself—her master—was lying there, barely able to move, infected by the same horrific force that now ate away at Shui Meiyin.
All around, the other witches were frozen in terror, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Qianye Ying'er shook her head slowly, her expression grim. "I... I'm not entirely sure either."
Her voice, usually calm and composed, held a rare trace of confusion and unease.
"That day… when we ventured to the edge of the Primordial Chaos once more... we found nothing at first. Nothing seemed wrong." Her voice lowered, as if speaking the memory aloud made the air even colder. "But just as we were about to leave, a terrifying explosion of power erupted. A force beyond comprehension... and in that moment, a crack—no bigger than a needle's eye—appeared in the Wall of the Primordial Chaos."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment as the memory gripped her tightly.
"And from that crack… that aura came through."
A silence fell over the room, thick with dread.
"If not for Mu Xuanyin..." Qianye Ying'er continued, her voice now softer, "If she hadn't reacted in time and pushed me away, I... I wouldn't be standing here right now."
She looked toward the bed, where Mu Xuanyin lay suffering beside Shui Meiyin, her breaths shallow, her body still twitching in pain.
"I was lucky. I only got hit by the force of the explosion… not the true essence of that thing. After I gathered those still breathing..." She used every bit of knowledge she had, everything she learned during her years with Qianye Fantian "… and rebuilt the teleportation formation with what little life-saving resources we had left."
"And then... we fled. We came back to the Eastern Divine Region."
Yet, despite standing here, despite everything she knew and everything she had survived, Qianye Ying'er could do nothing to help the women lying before her.
That dreadful aura…
It wasn't just cold—it was vile. It was filled with ancient malice and boundless hatred, a darkness so deep that it seemed to devour even the light of their souls. Just being near it made her feel like something was clawing at her very existence.
And worse still—somewhere deep within her heart, despite how absurd and impossible it seemed—she recognized it.
No… she knew this aura.
She had clashed with its owner once before.
But that… that should be impossible.
The owner of this aura had long perished. She was sure of it. The entire world had seen it—had felt her disappearance like a final breath vanishing from existence. That her, was supposed to be dead. Gone.
But this aura… it was unmistakable.
Still trembling from the recognition, Qianye Ying'er had acted the moment they returned. She sent out a message to the one person in this entire universe who might know this aura even better than she did.
Someone who might hold the answer they so desperately needed.
Now, somewhere across the vast God Realm, a lone figure in flowing rainbow-colored robes tore through the skies of countless realms. Her presence shook the heavens and stirred the seas below. Stars dimmed in her path, planets trembled, and cultivators dropped to their knees in fear just from the pressure of her passage. She did not pause, did not rest. Her power surged around her like a storm.
And somewhere in the wind, beneath the rolling thunder of her aura… a faint, ghostly howl echoed.
The call of a wolf.