23: Chapter 23 The Return of the Divine Child (Part Two)

A moment later, everyone finally came back to their senses.

Among them, only that middle-aged man had ever seen Meng Jianyuan before.

He came from a mid-tier noble family in the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom, possessed outstanding talent, and had already cultivated to the fifth level of the Divine Extinction Realm at just over ten thousand years of age.

When Meng Jianyuan was named Divine Son at the age of ten, he had the honor of attending the banquet ceremony as a family representative, so he had some impression of Meng Jianyuan.

He carefully scrutinized Yun Che. His appearance was vastly different from the ten-year-old child of the past, yet the handsome temperament between his brows and those deep, pitch-black eyes still bore a seventy percent resemblance to the past, faintly echoing the appearance of Divine Venerable Wumeng, Meng Kongchan, by thirty to fifty percent.

He hurriedly knelt on one knee in fear and trepidation, saluting Yun Che: "Subordinate Meng Weizhi pays respects to the Prince!"

After Meng Jianyuan died, Meng Kongchan was once so overcome with grief and rage that he lost control of his emotions, but soon after, the previously quiet and unassuming Meng Jianxi unexpectedly awakened three parts of the divine soul, achieving the divine inheritance posture of nine parts divine soul.

In his gratification, Meng Kongchan established Meng Jianxi as the new Divine Son. Therefore, Meng Weizhi did not call Yun Che Divine Son, but instead addressed him as Prince.

The few young people who were doing registration work also hurriedly put down their work, came over, and knelt in salute.

Yun Che waved his hand lightly and said indifferently: "Get up, there is no need for such formalities."

He thought for a moment, then instructed: "Remember, do not report the news of my return yet; I want to give Father God a surprise! Now, take me to the city gate!"

Meng Weizhi nodded repeatedly in agreement, then led Yun Che toward the city gate.

Behind them, the crowd began to whisper and discuss.

"This is the genius youth Meng Jianyuan who was famous throughout the world back then. If you calculate it, he should only be in his twenties now, yet he is already at the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm. He truly has an extraordinary bearing, a dragon among men."

"There were people who said Meng Jianzhou murdered Meng Jianyuan back then; it seems it was just a rumor after all. I don't know what kind of ulterior motives those who spread such false information had."

"I heard that the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom produced a new Goddess, Shen Wuyi, and the former Goddess, Shen Wuqing, was sentenced to death. The Xiaodie Divine Kingdom also changed its Divine Son; the original Divine Son was deposed, and I don't know what his fate is. Now that the former Divine Son Meng Jianyuan has returned, the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom has two Divine Sons; I fear this will stir up a storm."

"It really makes one envious, jealous, and hateful. With such talent, I fear that even the peerless Sword Immortal Hua Qingying, who has been unmatched for ten thousand years, is no better than this!"

...

Standing beneath that massive black city gate, a strong sense of oppression rushed toward them. The thousand-foot-high city gate seemed to be propping up the clouds in the sky, making it difficult for one's gaze to even reach the top.

The city gate seemed to be made of some special material; its surface was a deep, misty gray, slightly leaning toward black. The city gate was slightly ajar at this moment, enough for six or seven people to pass through, and through the gap, one could vaguely see the world behind the gate.

On both sides of the city gate, there were dozens of guards wearing golden and silver armor, all of whom were in the Divine Sovereign or Divine Master Realm, and the few leaders were in the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm. When they saw Meng Weizhi leading Yun Che over, they hurriedly saluted and made way. Although they were full of curiosity about the young man before them, they did not ask too many questions!

Finally, after passing through the huge, black city gate, Yun Che set foot on the territory of the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom!

Looking out, although the sky was gray and dim, there was little abyssal dust in the air. The desolate land was boundless, and occasionally one could see some vegetation and low-lying shrubs; compared to the endless deathly aura outside the city gate, it was undoubtedly countless times better, as if they were two completely different worlds. In places beyond sight, there were traces of human auras in the sky, and below, there should be human cities.

Suddenly, Yun Che felt a chill behind him, as if a cold gaze was fixed on him. He did not turn back, let out a cold snort in his heart, and then leaped into the air, heading toward the distant capital, Huanmeng Divine City.

— —

After seeing Yun Che off, Meng Weizhi did not pause for a moment and came to the top of the city wall. In front of him was an old man wearing black armor, at the eighth level of the Divine Extinction Realm.

There were mainly three types of divine guards in the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom: Black Armor (black), Gold Armor, and Silver Armor. Among them, the Black Armor Divine Guards were the highest rank, equivalent to Emperor Yuan's Abyssal Knights; except for a small number in the Divine Extreme Realm, the vast majority were in the Divine Extinction Realm. The Gold Armor Divine Guards were next, with strength generally at the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm, and a minority in the Divine Master Realm. The lowest were the Silver Armor Divine Guards, basically all in the Divine Master Realm, with a few in the Divine Sovereign Realm.

The old man looked around, and seeing no one else, he immediately raised his hand to form a small barrier space, wrapping himself and Meng Weizhi inside, and asked in a low voice: "Do you think this Meng Jianyuan is real?"

Meng Weizhi said in a low voice: "He looks seventy percent similar to how he was at ten years old, and also resembles the Divine Venerable a few points."

The old man continued: "So, you think it is very likely true?!"

Meng Weizhi was silent, which was considered an admission. The old man immediately said: "This matter must be reported to the Divine Son immediately!"

After speaking, the old man sent a sound transmission to the distant capital.

Soon, he received a sound transmission reply, only three short words! "Kill him!"

— — — — — —

Yun Che flew all the way, and soon the northern gate of the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom had long disappeared behind him.

At this moment, he suddenly discovered a huge lake appearing ahead. The surface of the lake was as calm as a mirror, with wisps of water vapor rising in curls, slowly swirling like smoke and fog, as if a light, thin veil was dancing gently in the breeze.

In the lake, not too far from him, there was a small island that looked like a turtle's back standing quietly. On the island, there was sparse green grass and some shrubs. But the most eye-catching things were undoubtedly a few huge lotus leaves, and a few white lotus flowers in full bloom...

Since arriving in the Abyssal World, this was the first time Yun Che had seen such a peaceful and tranquil scenery. He couldn't help but feel a burst of comfort in his heart, as if all his troubles and fatigue had been cast to the nine heavens at this moment.

He leaped and landed on the island, wandering on this quiet little island, feeling incomparably comfortable.

At this moment, a woman in white as snow, with long hair reaching her waist, appeared in Yun Che's eyes. Her body emitted a soft, glowing light, and her eyes were like a deep pool of emerald water. It was the Shen Xi who haunted his dreams and whom he thought of day and night. Yun Che shouted excitedly in his heart, leaped forward, opened his arms, and wanted to hold her tightly.

However, just as Yun Che was about to embrace Shen Xi, a sharp sword suddenly appeared in her hand, and she stabbed fiercely toward Yun Che's chest.

At the critical moment, Yun Che miraculously dodged the attack, and a black flame, the Eternal Calamity Demon Flame, shot out from his palm and landed on Shen Xi's chest. Instantly, the black, cold flames began to burn and spread!

"Ah—" a shrill scream rang out. Shen Xi was gone, and what appeared before Yun Che was Meng Weizhi. The lake and the small island had also disappeared, and beneath his feet was still the desolate, grayish-brown land.

Not far from Meng Weizhi, two more people were standing. One of them was the Black Armor Divine Guard he had just met, the old man at the eighth level of the Divine Extinction Realm, and the other was a Gold Armor Divine Guard at the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm, a young man.

Meng Weizhi's eyes were filled with fear and despair, and he shouted unwillingly: "You... how did you see through my dream realm?"

Yun Che looked at Meng Weizhi with a smile, like a hunter admiring prey that had fallen into a trap, and said softly: "The Zhimeng Divine Kingdom is indeed extraordinary. Such a beautiful dream, such an illusion, is truly intoxicating, making one reluctant to leave. I really was a bit unwilling to wake up from this wonderful situation, as if once I woke up, I would lose all these beautiful things and return to that ordinary and boring reality."

"However, the most beautiful dream is, after all, just a dream. Especially when things that shouldn't appear in this dream appear, it is destined to be a disaster. For example, growing a few lotus leaves and blooming a few white lotus flowers on land."

"Sigh, I really pity you, living your whole life in this dark place, not even knowing the common sense that lotus flowers can only grow in water."

At this moment, Meng Weizhi's body had been mostly burned by the Eternal Calamity Demon Flame, with only his head left hanging on by a breath. His eyes revealed a touch of sorrow, very unwilling that he would die at the hands of a Half-step Divine Destruction Realm Meng Jianyuan.

Yun Che did not pay attention to him anymore, but let him burn to ashes on his own.

He turned his head and looked at the other two, his expression turning cold again, and asked expressionlessly: "According to the laws of the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom, murdering the Divine Son is a capital crime, and it will also implicate the nine generations of one's clan. The two of you, please commit suicide; perhaps I can spare your clansmen!"

"Ha—ha—" The Black Armor Divine Guard elder laughed: "The Prince is truly worthy of being a peerless prodigy; so young, yet able to kill a Divine Extinction Realm opponent with a Half-step Divine Destruction Realm cultivation. Admirable, admirable!"

Yun Che said sarcastically: "Could it be that you went to all the trouble to chase me down just to praise this Prince?"

The old man stopped laughing, looked at Yun Che as if looking at a dying man, and said: "Of course not! It doesn't matter if I tell the Prince the truth; this old man is here to see you to your end."

After speaking, the old man was already poised for action, his eyes fixed on Yun Che, fearing he might run away.

"Don't think that just because you used a trick to kill Meng Weizhi, you can think highly of yourself. You are, after all, only at the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm; in my eyes, you are no different from an ant."

Yun Che's face showed no fear, acting very composed, and said disapprovingly: "Is that so? Originally, you still had a chance to protect your clansmen, but now it seems I can only say that you don't love them at all. Since that is the case, this Prince will fulfill your wishes!"

After speaking, Yun Che extended a palm forward and mobilized his profound energy. He did not choose to use the Heaven-Abyssal Sword, but wanted to try the newly cultivated Heaven Dragon World-Extinguishing Palm.

A figure flashed in the sky, and Yun Che leaped up, like a soaring dragon, and struck a giant palm directly at the old man.

The old man was unhurried, and only when Yun Che was approaching did he calmly make his move, striking out with a palm to meet him. Where the huge palm wind reached, a hurricane suddenly arose, making a whistling sound. In a frontal battle, he did not put Yun Che in his eyes at all.

Evil God Art — — God Ash!

Just when he was less than ten meters away from the old man, Yun Che suddenly activated the God Ash state. In an instant, the aura on his body surged!

The palm that Yun Che had originally struck out seemed soft and powerless at first, making the old man feel almost no threat. But in an instant, it was like a sleeping ancient dragon suddenly waking up, its power surging a hundredfold.

The old man's face changed drastically, wanting to dodge but it was already too late. "Boom—" A deafening roar exploded in the air.

The palm wind struck by Yun Che collided fiercely with the old man's power.

An incomparable shockwave spread wildly in all directions, and a huge deep pit, hundreds of feet deep and several hundred feet wide and long, appeared on the ground.

In the face of this powerful force, the old man collapsed at the first touch. His body was like a broken kite, fiercely slapped hundreds of meters away, and fell heavily to the ground.

At the moment of falling, his arms were already broken and fractured, his whole body seemed to have been crushed by a giant rock, and he was seriously injured.

In the sky and on the ground, it was full of his blood, and that bright red blood dyed a large area of land.

The old man was full of pain, looking at Yun Che in disbelief. At this moment, Yun Che had already flown over again, the air filled with powerful palm wind, like a Heaven Dragon soaring in the sky.

"Boom—" The palm wind struck the old man again, flesh and blood flying all over the sky, yet the old man did not even let out a soft groan!

Yun Che shouted not good, struck with both palms together, drove a piece of Eternal Calamity Demon Flame, covering the sky and earth, and instantly the flying flesh and blood all disappeared, and the old man's corpse was also gone.

Sure enough, it was just an illusion!

Scanning with divine sense, he saw a shadow of light already fleeing rapidly to the north.

At this moment, the old man was like a frightened bird, just wanting to leave this demon-like Meng Jianyuan quickly.

In his life, he had never seen such a terrifying opponent; clearly just a Half-step Divine Destruction Realm, yet his real combat power was comparable to a Divine Extreme Realm expert, completely crushing his existence.

Yun Che looked at the fleeing old man, and couldn't help but show a trace of disdain in his heart. With this kind of combat power, he still came to hunt down this Prince; did he really think I was a paper-made, easily manipulated person?

He moved his body, using the Star God Shattering Shadow movement technique, appeared in front of the old man, blocked his way, and faced him with another Heaven Dragon World-Extinguishing Palm.

The old man fell rapidly from the sky, hitting the hard rocky ground like a cannonball, raising dust thousands of feet high on the ground.

This time he never crawled out again, his entire body had turned into a mist of blood and flesh, all sinking into the soil.

Yun Che turned around and flew to appear in front of the last young man. He was only about three thousand years old, yet he was already wearing gold armor, becoming a member of the absolute main force of the Divine Kingdom's divine guards.

He did not choose to escape, but was waiting calmly for Yun Che to decide his fate.

Since he had already committed the crime of murdering the Divine Son, there was no place to hide in the entire abyss, so why bother in vain.

Seeing Yun Che come over, he bent his knees and knelt on the ground, saying miserably: "Prince, this subordinate deserves to die ten thousand times, I only ask that you spare my clansmen, they are all innocent!"

Yun Che looked at him and said expressionlessly. "Very well—"

Then he flew up and continued forward.

The Gold Armor Divine Guard, facing the direction Yun Che left, bowed down to the ground.

He urged his profound energy, his entire body's profound veins collapsed, blood vessels burst, blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, and he fell to the ground!