The Devil God's Last Cry

Kwang! Boom!

The sound of metal clashing against another followed by the never-ending explosions rang across this otherwise desolate land. Even the mighty Dragons of Absolute Beginning could be seen frantically running away in the distant, carefully avoiding the terrifying spatial cracks birthed by the two calamity-level profound energy trying to cancel each other out.

The usual calm yet imposing, majestic sky of the God Realm of Absolute beginning was split into two perfect halves. One side was turned into a deep, jade color with occasional streaks of blue flashing in the cloud like thunder, while the other half was filled to the brim with a gigantic cloud of white thunderstorm, a stark contrast to the jet-black sky.

Heavy silence took over after the deafening explosion finished echoing. The only sound existed in this place was the relentless roaring of the white thundercloud up above, as if to announce to the world that it could descend and rain the land below it with countless streaks of lightning whenever it wishes.

"Why must you be so stubborn, Yun Che? In behalf of your great favor to the world back then, I will grant you the sweet release of painless death if you surrender right about now."

An aged, yet prideful and majestic voice could be heard from the vague shadow hidden behind the rising dust. The shadow waved its hand and the dust was blown away far in the distance, revealing a figure instantly recognizable by any denizen of the Primal Chaos.

Long Bai stood on the decimated land, dusting his clothes off before calmly placing his hands behind his back, walking forward ever so slightly without a care in the world.

Pride, haughtiness, satisfaction, there were countless emotions burning violently in his old heart that he himself couldn't exactly pinpoint which was the cause that made him do this. It was beneath the dragon race to toy with their enemies, and even more so for the strongest profound practitioner in the world, but he couldn't care less about any of them right now. His hatred for the young man before him burned hotter than even the sun itself, and killing him a thousand times over will never be enough to fill even the tiniest bit of void in his heart.

Having sacrificed the entire Dragon God Realm to achieve this exact moment he craved for so, so long, Long Bai's mouth couldn't help but grin ominously. Maniacal laughter that not a single soul would believe coming from the strongest profound practitioner Dragon Monarch rang loudly like a broken instrument of an amateur bard. Long gone was the dignified bearing befitting a Monarch of all living things, replaced by the crazed insanity reflected deep within his eyes.

"Hahahahahaha! Wonderful! Now here you are, all alone without those pesky devil bugs surrounding you like flies. You will die today, Yun Che! Die knowing that not even a single bone would remain of you and your filthy followers! Hahahaha!"

Spat!

Yun Che spat a mouthful of black blood before struggling to grab the handle of his broken Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword with his trembling hands. He struggled for quite a while before managed to stand on his feet, trembling as it may. He focused his blurry vision as hard as he could to the broken end of the crimson sword stabbed at the end of the long trail on the ground.

He didn't say anything, only focusing on the broken end of the sword and the soul-splitting pain caused by the forced separation of his connection and Hong'er. You'er's sadness and sense of loss were also conveyed clearly through her connection to him, and all he could do was grit his teeth in silent rage.

'I know it's very hard for you right now, but I need you, You'er. Help me – let us defeat him and avenge Hong'er together'

He gently caressed the handle of the Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword – of Hong'er, for the last time with his weak and bloody hands. In its place was a majestic jet-black great sword.

"Hmm? What are you doing, standing right there absent-mindedly like that? Are you regretting your foolish decision of coming out from your little habitat in the north now that you're this close to a death's door? Hahaha!"

"Judging from your expression, that's not the case, is it? Oh, I see it now. It's because of your broken sword, isn't it? I heard that sword of yours is quite special, but now that it's broken in two, the Sword Spirit is probably dead, am I right? It is, isn't it? Hahahaha!"

Long Bai watched the entire scene of Yun Che showing a pathetic scene calmly as he broke into yet another fit of crazed laughter. It was so funny that Long Bai couldn't stop laughing. Yun Che only lost his sword and sword spirit, but he dared to act like this before him? No amount of swords and sword spirits would compare to even one trillionth of a loss Long Bai felt after Shen Xi left his world forever.

Remembering Shen Xi, her beautiful silhouette of white light and her voice, Long Bai's crazed laughter gradually come to a stop, replaced by the boiling rage that he could barely contain within his chest. Boundless, oppressing aura was gushing out endlessly from Long Bai's entire being. It merged with the profound energy and aura lingered in the jade sky into one, transforming Long Bai into a gigantic silvery-white dragon.

Without uttering a single word, Long Bai roared his bottomless rage into a single breath, shaking the heaven and earth into cowering in pure dread and submission. It was clear that he intended to end Yun Che's life in a single strike.

Yun Che looked up above and stared at Long Bai's eyes in a dragon form without flinching. He tightened his grip on the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword wordlessly as he circulates his profound energy like crazy and opening his previously forced-closed Heretic God's gates because of the damage he suffered one after another, only stopping after he opened the 5th gate, Hell Monarch.

But his flaring profound energy didn't stop there, instead, it became more and more violent until it exploded with a deafening explosion. The shockwave generated was great enough to reach all the way to Long Bai and knock him back a kilometer away.

Yun Che's entire being was dyed in deep, dark crimson as his entire being was filled with power no mortal could ever comprehend. The space around started to distort on its own and countless small spatial cracks were formed all around him with him just standing there and circulates his profound energy even more.

His entire being was turned crimson while his skin and sword were burning with ominous grey flames. The gigantic white thundercloud rained countless streaks of white thunder before joining into one and morphing into an image of a dragon. His appearance was scary enough to be depicted in folktales and legends as primordial devil that parents used to scare their children into obedience. It was finally time for his trump card he reserved to end Long Bai's life, the Heretic God's 6th gate, God's Ash.

Yun Che lifted his Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword high, and dashed towards the only enemy he had left. His nemesis that he dreamt of tearing into pieces for so, so long. The person responsible for making his life a living hell, and the one who took away everything and everyone he treasured far, far away, never to be seen again.

He dashed towards the silver dragon descending on him from above, leaving nothing but spatial storms and destruction in his wake.

He channeled his entire profound energy and coated his Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor Sword with every last bit of power he has, wrapping it in a thick layer of Dark profound energy and grey Devil Flames of Eternal Calamity. He staked his entire existence into this one single strike, and he swung his sword as hard as he could while making sure the white dragon of Tribulation Lightning hitting Long Bai at the same time.

It was the last memory he could remember before everything turned into black.

None of his senses were working, not even the spiritual sense. No, he couldn't even sense a shred of profound energy in his body, let alone outside. He panicked somewhat, thinking that maybe Long Bai had him before he could land his final blow. It sure is a huge waste to not drag that bastard to hell with him.

'Am I dead?'

But of course, there was no one to answer his question.

He wondered if he dies before he could land his last strike on Long Bai, knowing that the last memory he had was just before his sword and lightning make contact with Long Bai's body.

Yun Che was filled with regret and anger for God knows how long a time before he realized something that should be obvious from the beginning. Yes, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter. Because even if he did die, there is no way in hell that Long Bai could survive his attack just then. His power output, and Long Bai's defensive capabilities, he was well aware of these two things when his senses was enhanced to the absolute limit by opening God's Ash. There is no chance that Long Bai could survive his attack. No, his attack was enough to kill a hundred Long Bais and some more, easily.

After coming to this late realization, he could feel an indescribable weight was lifted from his non-existent body. His entire being felt so light that he felt like a feather slowly floating in the air. He never felt this sensation ever since he chose to change his existence into that of a devil.

It was at this time that countless memories surfaced from the deepest part of his soul, memories he so desperately sealed away to maintain what little sanity he had left.

The time he spent nursing Chu Yuechan in the Phoenix's Trial Ground as he gambled his life everyday for a way out, the time he spent in the Phoenix's clan with his Senior Sister that would become his first real wife later on, the time he spent teasing Caiyi and only leaving after she blast him away, the time he spent in the Yun Clan with his families and educating the young disciples, the time he spent cultivating in the Ice Phoenix Sect and lay his first foundation in the God Realm, the time he spent in the bottom of the God Burying Inferno Prison with Mu Xuanyin in the Flame God Realm, and many, many more.

Among the countless fragments of memories that play out by themselves like a broken recording of a Profound Imagery Stone, one stood out amongst the rest. It was the memory of Jasmine, his Master, his lover, his everything. The only person that offered salvation when the fate itself rejected his existence, burned brightly in this never-ending void of darkness. At the end of that beautiful memory was the unfulfilled promise, broken promise of going back to his homeland and quietly enjoy what the world has to offer together.

Tears silently fall from the corner from his eyes. He would, if he still has a body but too bad he didn't get to vent this complex, mixed emotion of sadness, happiness, fulfillment, regret, and many more that he couldn't quite name merged into a single blob of mess.

It didn't take long until Yun Che finally accepts his situation, that he was truly, and really dead. The complex emotion he felt still left a sour taste in his mouth but the freedom of his shackles and weight that choked him for this entire time was more than enough bring something he never thought would ever get to feel again, peace.

Finally, after an eternity of endless sorrow and agony, Yun Che had to rest.

He quickly let go of all his worries and for the first time in forever, Yun Che falls asleep.

His soul kept drifting and drifting further into the never-ending void, before a small spark of fire could be spotted in the distance. His soul drifted closer to it, and when his soul was right before the fire, a long passage of white light materialized behind the gently swaying spark of fire.

His soul drifted into the passage of white light and disappear a moment later.

The spark of fire burned brighter after Yun Che's soul was gone, revealing the identity of the flame. It was a small, white candle. The candle continued burning brighter and brighter until finally, there's nothing left to burn. In this space of never-ending void, there would never be another flame ever again.