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236: The Seventh Witch
🕑 Added 2025-04-24 15:33:20 +0000 UTCYun Wuji gritted his teeth against the crushing pressure, stepping protectively closer to Yan Yao. With deliberate slowness, he tilted his head up to meet the Sect Master's gaze and flashed a mocking grin.
"What kind of moron asks something that obvious?" Yun Wuji said, his voice sarcastic, "Of course he's dead. I made sure of it myself."
His movements, on the surface, looked like he was doing his best to protect her. But in truth, he was just trying to get as close as possible, because the safest place in this entire mess was right next to her.
Even if that furious Sect Master were ten times stronger, as long as Yun Wuji stayed near her, he'd be completely safe.
"Sigh, the others arrived faster than expected. It's too late to run now," Yun Wuji whispered to her. His tone carried a hint of regret, as if he blamed himself for dragging her into a situation that spelled certain death. "I'm sorry... because of me, you're going to die."
"..." Gazing at his broad back, Yan Yao's face flickered with a complex expression. The situation was almost identical to what happened in the Central Ruins Realm, only she knew that back then, it was just a ruse to deceive him. This time, though… this man was actually putting his life on the line, just to let her live a second longer.
Although this man was cruel and shameless to others, he was surprisingly good to his own people. Not only did he ignore the trouble she caused and the fact that she hid her strength, but he even helped her gain perfect compatibility with darkness without asking for anything in return. And now, he was still standing in front of her, protecting her with everything he had.
Yet, from the very beginning, she had been manipulating him, deceiving him at every turn. Just moments ago, she had even considered kidnapping him, all for the sake of a Divine Marrow. Compared to his unwavering loyalty, she was nothing but an ungrateful wretch. Just thinking about it made guilt well up inside her; she had completely betrayed his sincerity.
Ever since she was born, no one had treated her with such genuine kindness, aside from her master and the other witches who were closer to her than real sisters...
"It's alright," her lips parted as she whispered, her voice unusually gentle.
But what came out was no longer Yan Yao's voice. It was completely different, more melodious, more enchanting. Every syllable carried a strange rhythm, soft and pleasant, yet impossibly captivating.
At her voice, Yun Wuji's entire body went rigid. He spun around, eyes wide. "You…"
But his words were cut short as her hand gently landed on his shoulder, freezing him completely in place. Without saying anything else, she slowly walked past him and stood in front of him. As she moved, her entire body began to change.
Her originally plain black dress fluttered into the air, and in the next second, it transformed into a bizarre yet stunningly colorful outfit, like a robe stitched from all the colors of a rainbow. Her long, dark hair turned into a flowing cascade of shifting hues, and her entire body became wrapped in an ever-changing halo of strange, dreamlike lights. On her once flat chest, two soft mounds now pushed against her robe.
She had transformed from a cute, flat-chested beauty into a curvaceous, enchanting woman wrapped in a riot of color. Yet, despite the swirling lights dancing around her, nothing about her appearance felt chaotic or messy. On the contrary, every hue and ripple gave off a surreal, dream-like sense of beauty.
Her face was as beautiful as exquisite jade, and her skin was the color of cream. Her exquisite lips were as red as rubies even though she had not applied any rouge. Her bright eyes were especially eye-catching. Strange colors rippled in those clear and limpid pools, and they looked both pure and alluring.
Yun Wuji's entire body was locked in place by a terrifying power. He couldn't move a single inch, only his face could still react. His eyes shrank to the size of pinholes, and his mouth hung slightly open. Just one look at him was enough to tell that he was completely shocked.
'Well, that should be enough acting,' Yun Wuji thought as he looked at Yan Yao, no, that wasn't right. The correct name to use now is Hua Jin. Naturally, everything that had happened up to this point had been arranged by him.
Originally, if he had only destroyed the Crown Prince's soul, it wouldn't have alerted his father. But when they passed by him on their way out of the treasury, Yun Wuji had very carefully and stealthily stopped his heart. A move like that would be impossible for an ordinary Divine Sovereign to pull off under a Divine Master's eyes... but was Yun Wuji ordinary?
For him, it was too easy.
And after alerting the Sect Master, he had also slightly weakened the effect of the flower petal, just enough to make sure they'd be seen by him.
In this dangerous situation, this witch would be forced to reveal her true strength to protect both of them. Once that happened, he could finally meet Chi Wuyao, because she too was part of his grand plan to conquer the Eastern Divine Region… and then the entire Primal Chaos, all within a single year.
"Y-You...! T-This is impossible! Why... how are you here!?"
The moment Hua Jin revealed herself, Sect Master Shen's furious expression turned deathly pale. His entire body was trembling like a leaf in a storm, as if he'd seen a ghost. The crushing aura that once radiated from him collapsed inward, as fragile as a pricked bubble.
"What? I'm not welcome, Sect Master Shen?" Hua Jin asked calmly.
She didn't release the slightest bit of aura or pressure, but to him, her very presence was already a nightmare.
"N-No! No! It... It is this humble one's greatest honor to host the esteemed Witch Hua Jin in my meager sect!" Sect Master Shen's head shook like a rattled branch, hands flailing in frantic deference, forcing out a flattering smile that looked uglier than a crying face.
He had completely forgotten about his son. Screw that! At this point, he wasn't even sure if he could keep his own life, who cared about his damn son?!
"Oh? Is that so?" Hua Jin's lips curled into a smile as she tilted her head. "I must say, your sect did surprise me. Who would've thought a tiny place like this could be hiding a treasure like the Untamed Divine Marrow?"
Although she didn't show it in front of Jiao Heng, the presence of such a divine object made her feel extremely suspicious. This was something even the King Realms dreamed about!
As the Soul Stealing Realm's foremost spy, she had long known the Thousand Desolation Divine Sect was actually a subordinate of the Burning Moon Realm. But now, looking at the sect master's reaction, she could clearly feel a fear that went beyond the usual dread one would show in front of a member of a King Realm.
It wasn't just fear.
It was guilt.
...As if he had done something he shouldn't have.
Her master had once speculated that the one who stole the Untamed Divine Marrow ten thousand years ago was probably the Burning Moon Realm.
Coincidentally, the Thousand Desolation Divine Sect had also been established ten thousand years ago.
And then there was the Immaculate Barrier...
All these pieces lined up a little too well. A thought surfaced in Hua Jin's mind—
This Untamed Divine Marrow...
...It was the same one stolen from them ten thousand years ago!
"This... this... this..." The sect master's eyes trembled violently, his mouth opened and closed over and over, but only stuttering gibberish came out. His entire body felt like it had been thrown into the abyss of the Ninth Netherfrost Hell! His last shred of hope had just been snuffed out.
Even if Hua Jin spared him now, the Burning Moon Realm would flay his soul to ashes. 10,000 years of meticulous planning, the Burning Moon God Emperor's grand design... Had just crumbled under his watch!
Hua Jin needed only one glance to confirm her guess. She let out a cold chuckle. "Good! Fen Daojun is really something!"
She pointed at the sect master, and a burst of colorful rainbows shot from her fingertip, spreading across the entire sect grounds like a vast, overwhelming domain.
"Since you had the guts to steal from us, then you should also have the guts to face the consequences."
As her icy voice faded, everyone's vision was drowned in blinding, multicolored light pouring in from all directions.
"AAGHH—!"
A chorus of shrieks erupted as bodies ignited like paper in a furnace, ashes before they could even scream. Disciples, elders, even the powerful Chief Protector and Grand Elder, peak Divine Sovereigns, lasted mere seconds.
"S-SAVE ME! SECT MASTER, PLEASE—!"
Their desperate cries dissolved mid-air, limbs crumbling into glittering dust... Completely powerless to resist.
"Damn it all!" The Sect Master was the only one who withstood the apocalyptic power, but even then, he was severely injured and a bloodied wreck. Ignoring the screams of his people, he shot through the sky, trying to break free from the colorful light and escape.
"Trying to escape? Heh, do you think it's that easy?" Hua Jin didn't take a single step. She calmly watched the blood-drenched Sect Master twist through the air, like a rat in a celestial storm..
Every desperate lunge toward freedom ended the same way... he was blasted back down to the ground. The gap between a 1st level Divine Master and someone like her, a 9th level Divine Master, was far too great. Even if there were ten more of him, they wouldn't escape the fate that was death.
She pointed another finger at him, and in the next moment, all the light gathered into a seven-meter-long rainbow. It instantly wrapped around the man, completely immobilizing him. Hua Jin then floated toward him, her expression cold as she stared at the blood-covered sect master.
"Aside from the Divine Marrow, what else did the Burning Moon Realm order you to do?"
The Sect Master stared at the beautiful woman in front of him, his entire vision soaked in blood. Everything looked red. He glanced at her for a moment, then looked around. The sect was still mostly intact, aside from the buildings ruined by his struggle, there wasn't much damage. No signs of blood, only scattered ashes. It was empty. Completely empty. Ten thousand years of hard work had been wiped out in a single night. His subordinates, friends, wives, children, and grandchildren... all gone.
"Kill me," he whispered, "His Majesty will grind your bones to pigment for this."
"How laughable," Hua Jin scoffed disdainfully, "That lecherous coward Fen Daojun wouldn't dare release so much as a fart, let alone seek vengeance for a worm like you."
Everyone knew the Burning Moon God Emperor wasn't just the weakest God Emperor in the entire Primal Chaos, he was also the most cowardly. He was so terrified of Chi Wuyao that instead of keeping the Divine Marrow he had stolen, he'd gone to great lengths just to avoid her wrath.
Hua Jin had no desire to waste any more time on this pathetic man. The next moment, the rainbow wrapped tightly around him, then exploded into a shower of colorful light.
Giving one last glance at the scattered ashes, Hua Jin returned to Yun Wuji's side. The young man's shock had already subsided. He stared at her calmly and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Hua Jin. I'm a Witch under Her Majesty, the Devil Queen," Hua Jin replied, giving him a complex look.
"A Witch..." Yun Wuji muttered slowly, then asked again, "Why would someone like you deliberately approach me?"
"No... I don't want to know." Without waiting for her answer, he shook his head and glanced at her with a cold expression. "Am I allowed to leave?"
"..." Hua Jin fell into silence. Truthfully, she didn't know how to handle the situation. If it had been before, she would have simply taken him to the Soul Stealing Realm. But after seeing how he had treated her with such sincerity, she couldn't bring herself to do something like that.
"Sigh, how moving~" Just as Hua Jin was in a dilemma, a soft sigh resounded, this single sigh Yun Wuji's made entire body suddenly went limp, even after the voice had died down, that feeling of numbness, a sensation that was hard to put into words, still had not vanished. Instead, it spread throughout his entire body, and he felt like even his bones had gone soft and limp.
