Chapter 230 - Overlord’s Fury (1)
For Heavenly Sword Villa, swords were not merely weapons, but a way of life. Three Sky Profound Swords that were renown throughout the Blue Wind Empire —— The Limitless Sword, the Celestial Yuan Sword, and the Celestial Yang Sword were treated by Heavenly Sword Villa as if they were existences equivalent to sacred treasures. Even though the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang Sword were both weaker than The Limitless Sword but these two swords were from the very beginning both meant for the same master. The strengths of the two swords complemented each other and could display a strength rivaling that of The Limitless Sword when wielded together. It was just that in these few hundred years, nobody had been able to simultaneously subdue both the Celestial Yang Sword and the Celestial Yuan Sword.
The Limitless Sword was held by Ling Yuefeng. The Celestial Yuan Sword was subdued by Ling Yun three years ago. The Celestial Yang Sword was subdued by Ling Jie. But now the Celestial Yuan Sword, mainly under Ling Yun’s spiritual prompting, was temporarily under Ling Jie’s control, allowing Ling Jie to use both the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang Sword in his hands in the Yuan Yang Combination.
With the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, and the Celestial Yang Sword in his right, the two swords, one cyan and one orange, were joined together in a cross in front of Ling Jie’s body. The surrounding space rippled like water with waves of sword force. A cold stare filled Ling Jie’s eyes. He said in a low voice: “Boss, you are even more powerful than I imagined. I finally understand why your previous foes were in such a wretched state after being defeated by a few simple sword strokes. It turns out that the heavy sword which most people regard as trash is actually quite fearsome… I am holding two Sky Profound Swords. In terms of weapons, I am holding a huge advantage. Even if I win against you, there will be no glory. However, if I do not borrow the strength of my big brother’s Celestial Yuan Sword, there is no way for me to win against you.”
Earlier, when he pierced Yun Che with a single sword strike, any third party viewing would have thought that he was forced to withdraw his sword quickly to avoid Yun Che’s heavy sword blow, and thus left only a small scratch that was not even painful or itchy. Only Ling Jie himself knew in his heart that it was not that he was forced to withdraw his sword, but that his Celestial Yang Sword could not even find a way to penetrate the opponent’s body. He could simply not imagine how Yun Che’s body was forged to become so strong to this extent.
The power of his heavy sword was incomparably shocking. However, his defensive ability was in no way inferior to his offensive ability.
“Weapons are a part of your overall strength. Being able to subdue a strong weapon is in itself a form of strength. You are not taking advantage of me. Even being able to dual wield swords is harder by far than only wielding a single sword. If not performed properly, than dual wielding might end up weaker than simply using a single sword. If you can let the full strength of both swords shine at the same time, then that is also your ability… Come, let me see the full extent of your real strength!”
Yun Che words gave off a relaxed attitude from his words, but the light in his eyes were grave, because the strength currently emanating from Ling Jie was much stronger than what it was before by several folds. After combining the two Sky Profound Swords which had complementary strengths, the sword force emanating out was stronger by multiple times.
Ling Jie slightly flicked his wrists. Just such a slight movement brought out two sharp sword forces, causing a slight tremble in the surrounding air. The Ling Jie who had released the full extent of his profound strength and sword intent was as if he was standing on the peak of a mountain that reached into the clouds and the tip of the sword force was extraordinary enough to sweep the world.
RIIIP!!
The Celestial Yang Sword flew from Ling Jie’s hand and flowed like liquid light towards Yun Che. At the same time, Ling Jie’s body became a mirage. The sword light in his hands became a fine line and then disappeared as if it was hidden in the gaps of the surrounding air.
Two swords, one in the front and one behind, one left and right, pierced towards Yun Che. When they were still thirty meters away, Yun Che already felt like the tip was at his throat, and within his range of vision, he simply could not see even the shadow of the Sky Profound Swords. He could only feel two formless cold sword tips that were frightening beyond compare. This time, he did not use the heavy sword’s strength to repel them because the two swords were so sharp that they had a great possibility to easily slice open the sword wave produced by his heavy sword.
The Yuan Yang Combination could not be underestimated. In terms of power, it was stronger than simply the Celestial Yang Sword by far too much.
Star God’s Broken Shadow activated. Yun Che instantly sent out three clones, causing the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang sword to simultaneously pierce empty air. Ling Jie gave a low roar and swiftly turned his body. The Celestial Yang sword instantaneously shot out thirty sword lights. It was like a falling star, the Celestial Yang swords fell towards Yun Che’s back. Two Sky Profound Swords, one wielded by hand, another wielded by spiritual sword intent, seamlessly weaved together.
“Chi-chi-chi!”
With only the Celestial Yang sword in hand, Ling Jie’s attack was completely repelled by the heavy sword. It could not even touch Yun Che’s body. However, at that time, Yun Che could clearly hear the storm caused by his heavy sword being torn as if it was fine silk. The Overlord heavy sword was quickly withdrawn and shifted to defense. The tens of sword beams from the two swords penetrated the heavy sword’s force field and then chopped down on the Overlord’s Colossal Sword like a raging storm.
DingDingDingDingDingDing…
“Haa!!”
Yun Che sliced the heavy sword and once again the strength exploding from the heavy sword caused all of the sword beams to be deflected. At the same time, he quickly retreated. His gaze turned downwards and fell upon the Overlord Colossal Sword… At the moment, its inky black body was densely riddled with several tens of cuts and wounds of different sizes. The small ones were merely the size of a grain whereas the large ones were two inches.
The power of the combination of two Sky Profound Swords was simply something an Earth Profound Weapon could not resist.
With the combination of the two swords, Ling Jie had a huge advantage in the previous few exchanges. He did not give Yun Che any time to breathe, the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, both swords crossed in front of his chest. The orange color and green color light covering the swords became extremely strong, almost dazzling….
“Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword… Moon Break! Haa!!”
Following a loud roar from Ling Jie, two different colored sword beams suddenly shot out from the combination of the the Yuan and Yang twin swords, transforming into a cross shaped sword tip formed by two intersecting orange and cyan beams…
In the majority of sects that used swords, the main principle for swords was not about how sharp the sword strike was, but how fast it was. It was the same for Heavenly Sword Villa. A fast body coupled with a fast sword beam could easily control the situation and instantaneously kill the opponent. Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword comprised seven forms. Half a year ago, Ling Jie had already mastered the “Sun Pierce” form. Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Sun Pierce was Heavenly Sword Villa’s most powerful sword attack, and Ling Jie’s Moon Break was the fastest.
Also it was a “Moon Break” performed with the Yuan Yang Combination!
Ling Jie had already been very close to Yun Che. Yun Che only saw the flash of a cyan-orange beam tip, and then there were two Sky Strength Sword Forces within two feet of him…
Bang!!!!
The tip of “Moon Break” struck against the Overlord’s Colossal Sword that Yun Che swiftly put in front of himself. With a loud sound, the storm of sword force violently exploded. Following the simultaneous explosions from both the cyan sword tip and orange sword tip, in a single instant, there were countless sword beams flying out like a storm towards Yun Che…
The Overlord’s Colossal Sword violently vibrated and Yun Che used his quickest speed to retreat. Raising his profound force, he activated Star God’s Broken Shadow and then instantaneously flashed to several tens of meters in the air above, before finally breaking free of the twisting attack of Moon Break’s sword beam. However, his clothes had several tens of holes and there were many small wounds on his body. There was a horizontal slash across his forehead, and a thread of fresh blood slowly dripped out, then immediately stopped flowing.
As expected of… Heavenly Sword Villa…
There was an alarmed cry in Yun Che’s heart. He slowly dropped down to the ground. When both his feet had touched the ground, his hands suddenly moved… Half of the Overlord Colossal Sword had broken off. It fell with a huge bang sound upon the ground, forming a huge pit which radiated fractures in the floor.
There was absolute silence throughout the Sword Discourse Arena. Everyone’s eyes were opened wide, and their throats could not force out a sound for a long time. Especially for the young profound practitioners, they could feel a cold wind hissing through their spines, their four limbs, and even the gaps between their teeth.
This battle had let them, with their two eyes, begin to truly understand what it meant to be Heavenly Sword Villa, what it mean to be Blue Wind Empire’s number one sect.
That formless sword beam, the sword forms that had left the audience that were three hundred meters away, cold and breathless. The boundless sword intent that should have been from an expert above the Spirit Profound Realm and the unimaginable fearsome sword techniques which surpassed any expected power. Not one of these things failed to deeply destroy their previous conception of swords. Their greatness swept aside all other swords. In front of this kind of sword display, other sword forms were as dim as fireflies when compared to the light of the brightest moon.
“This is… Heavenly Sword Villa.” An elderly person sighed deeply.
“The sword intent in his hands is already at such a fearsome level at only the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. If I did not see it with my own eyes, I would not dare to believe it.”
“Too frightening… That Yun Che is also frighteningly strong. To think that he could endure for so long under Ling Jie’s sword assault. If I were in his place, I probably could not even last for two exchanges.”
“However, his heavy sword has already been broken. Victory or defeat should already have been decided.”
“Mn, not bad. To be able to use Moon Break with such power, this level is enough to make me pleasantly surprised.” Ling Yuefeng nodded as his face relaxed by just a few degrees.
“To be honest, if he did not use the Yuan Yang Combination, Little Jie might not be his match.” Ling Yun spoke out.
Ling Yuefeng assented in silence. There was no way for him to deny that.
“Junior Brother Yun…” The moment that the Overlord’s Colossal Sword broke, Cang Yue’s heart, which had been suspended with worry, just sank in seemingly one shot. The Overlord’s Colossal Sword had been Yun Che’s weapon in what seemed like an eternity, almost like one of Yun Che’s arms. Now that the Overlord’s Colossal Sword had broken, there would be no possibility for Yun Che to oppose Ling Jie. She put her hand on her chest and softly said: “It’s alright Junior Brother Yun. You are already very outstanding. I will give you the glory. The Blue Wind Imperial Family will also give you the glory.”
“To be able to enter the top four, he has already exceeded my expectations by countless times. For the Blue Wind Profound Palace to have such a disciple is a fortune that only comes once every hundred years. Princess Cang Yue, this person that you brought back from New Moon City will certainly become a Throne that will impact the whole world.” Qin Wushang nevertheless laughed in an exceptionally calm manner. For Yun Che to have made it this far, he was already just too satisfied.
“Yeah, Brother-in-law is already very outstanding. The opponent is from Heavenly Sword Villa. A loss is a loss. Brother-in-law entered the top four, that’s enough to be proud for a long time.” Xia Yuanba gripped his fists and said with a bit of effort as his voice still tinged with regret… He naturally did not hope to see Yun Che lose, but wished that he could yet take another step and reach an even higher level. To let all those who ridiculed him and chased him away… to let all of them only be able to look up to him.
As the Overlord’s Colossal Sword broke, Ling Jie was also stunned. He did not immediately follow up on an attack but put down the twin swords and said in a voice full of regret: “I… I’m sorry, it was not on purpose… How about, how about… After the competition I will pay you back a sword. The Sword Management Terrace also has many good heavy swords.”
Looking at the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword, Yun Che was momentarily dispirited. Upon hearing Ling Jie’s words, he shook his head and said: “There is no need. You also have no need to apologize to me. It was my momentary carelessness that could not protect it.”
Yun Che went forward and retrieved the broken half of the sword body and softly said: “My old friend, you have accompanied me throughout my growing phase, accompanied me through a long period of hard fought battles. It is indeed time for you to have your well deserved rest. Be assured that I will not let your fracture be in vain. This battle, I will smoothly win it for you to see.”
As he said this, the broken half of the sword body was already kept by Yun Che within the Sky Poison Pearl. As he was preparing to also store the other broken half that was in his hands, there was suddenly a strong reaction from his hand. From the broken half of the sword, glowed a faint and thin layer of serene black light.
Yun Che was momentarily stunned… A majority of Sky Profound Swords had a low level spiritual conscious but Earth Profound Swords fundamentally could not have any spiritual conscious. And yet the current appearance of the Overlord Colossal Sword clearly showed the reaction of the sword’s spiritual conscious!
Even though the Overlord’s Colossal Sword was an Earth Profound Sword, it was different from other Earth Profound Swords because it was a sword used by an Overlord. In years past, the Overlord held it and battled over five thousand kilometers, sweeping through thousands of troops countless times. Who knows how many enemies it had destroyed, how much fresh blood it had drunk. Under the countless times of being tainted by killing intent, maliciousness, domineering aura, heroism, and the scent of blood within the battlefield, it gradually gained a spiritual consciousness bit by bit.
It was the sword of an Overlord, a king who swept ten thousand troops on the battlefield. How could it accept defeat and destruction!
Feeling the vibration coming from the Overlord’s Colossal Sword, Yun Che’s expression changed from alarm to calmness, and began to grin accordingly: “Good! I understand now. You are a protecting sword, but even more so, you are an Overlord’s sword. There is only death, and never escape! Even if the sword breaks, it is not willing to retreat…”
Yun Che hoisted the half of the Overlord’s Colossal Sword in his hands and pointed the broken sword blade towards Ling Jie: “This battle, I will finish it together with you! The revenge of being broken, you will obtain it yourself!”
Chapter 231 - Overlord’s Fury (2)
Ling Jie stared at Yun Che’s stance, and the Yuan Yang dual swords which he had initially placed down was once again held horizontally in front of his chest. “As expected of the person who subdued me. That’s the spirit you’re supposed to have! Even if you lose, you will have to fight until the very end! Alright, I will give you, my future little brother, the most respectable defeat!”
“Heh!” The corner of Yun Che’s lips slightly curved up, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes. “Little friend, you seemed to have completely misunderstood something. The reason why I raise this half-destroyed heavy sword, is not to receive a respectable defeat, but to defeat you.”
“Defeat me? Eh… Are you sure?” Ling Jie’s staring eyes widened even more.
Yun Che calmly said. “To be honest, during our exchanges earlier, I did not use all of my strength. As a habit, when there isn’t a need, I will always keep some of my strength in reserve, especially when I’m under everyone’s attention. Because, my countless experiences have told me that, every bit of power you reveal in front of people, it’s equal to exposing another trump card, and exposing oneself to another bit of danger. But, not only were you able to slightly injure me, you even slashed apart my heavy sword. This was seriously out of my expectations, and you indeed possess the qualifications for me to treat you seriously… With this half-destroyed heavy sword in my hand, I will allow you to personally witness what a heavy sword really is!!”
Yun Che said those words calmly and lightly, however, those words greatly stimulated Ling Jie’s self-esteem, causing him to be extremely unsatisfied, and at the same time, furious to a certain extent. He growled. “Fine! Then let me witness your full strength! If you’re able to use that half-destroyed heavy sword to beat me, forget about calling you boss, I’m fine if you want me to call you father!”
Although they were separated by about three hundred meters, with Ling Yuefeng’s hearing ability, when Ling Jie uttered those rash and wrong words, Ling Yuefeng’s face cramped.
“… Forget about calling me father! If people were to find out that I have such a big son, how am I going to pick up girls in the future!? Prepare yourself… to take this blow of mine!!
Ling Jie was about to speak, however, before he could voice anything out, he immediately swallowed them back. His eyebrows tightened out of deep surprise.
Wielding the half-destroyed heavy sword in his hand, Yun Che’s Prison God Sirius’ Tome began to channel without restraints. In an instant, his connection with the heavy sword had already reached the realm of perfection. His aura and the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword were completely fused together. The Overlord Colossal Sword was no longer just a piece of weapon in his hands, but turned into a part of his body.
The feeling of the complete fusion of their auras was extremely mysterious, and to be able to reach this step, was definitely harder than stepping into heavens itself. After Ling Jie subdued Celestial Yang Sword, his final wish was to completely subdue Celestial Yang Sword, and fuse with its aura. Although his talent was extremely good, he knew that it would take him at least years, or even dozens of years to reach his ideal. And if it was someone else, it would be impossible for an extremely large number of them to succeed.
When Yun Che was wielding the heavy sword earlier, it felt extremely imposing and majestic, as though it was an unmovable mountain. But currently, Ling Jie could no longer feel the aura of the heavy sword. In his eyes, even though the half-destroyed sword was evidently in Yun Che’s hands, his senses told him that the heavy sword no longer existed, and had already completely assimilated into Yun Che’s power and soul… Seamlessly, and flawlessly!
This was Yun Che’s biggest gain from hunting countless thousands of strong profound beasts within the Endless Plains in the Dragon God’s Trial.
This sort of feeling, was exactly the perfect realm Ling Jie was prepared to chase after his entire life. Yet, currently, it was completely and flawlessly revealed before his eyes, causing his soul to violently stir.
“Take… this!”
This time, Yun Che took the initiative to attack. He made a low jump, waved the half-destroyed heavy sword in his two hands, and directed an extremely normal leap slash towards Ling Jie.
Ling Jie had faced Yun Che’s heavy sword smash several times. However, this time, the moment the heavy sword was raised, he felt he was completely suffocated, and the moment Yun Che leaped upwards, it was as though he was looking at an unsurmountable mountain crashing down onto him from the skies.
Even though it was a heavy sword with only half of its blade left, the strength and might of this strike had surpassed every previous single strike!
Boom!!!
Although the heavy sword was broken, due to its complete form being overly gigantic, its half-broken state was still hundred and fifty centimeters in length, which was basically the same length as the Yuan Yang dual swords in Ling Jie’s hands. Ling Jie’s figure blurred, avoiding the strike far away like the breeze. Yun Che’s strike fell through the empty air, and the half-destroyed heavy sword fiercely smashed onto the ground, bringing about an earth-shattering boom. In an instant, shattered rocks wildly flew, sand and dust filled the air, and a large crater numerous meters deep appeared beneath Yun Che’s feet.
The might of this one strike, caused Ling Jie, and everyone around the Sword Discourse Arena to forcefully take in a cold breath.
“Flowing Light Slash!”
Ling Jie took a deep breath. The Yuan Yang dual swords circling his body danced quickly in the air, bringing about numbers of sword silhouettes filled with sword intent capable of willfully tearing apart air and space. Facing the attack of two powerful Sky Profound Swords, Yun Che’s expression was mysteriously calm. Without even looking at the two Sky Profound Swords, he locked onto Ling Jie’s position, and waves after waves of the half-destroyed Overlord’s Colossal Sword were sent towards him.
Boom!
Boom!!
Boom!!!
Boom!!!!
…………
WIth every swing of Yun Che’s sword, a deep crater would always form on the ground, accompanied by the ear-trembling booms and the shattered rocks and dust filling the air. It could be imagined how much near-catastrophic strength was hidden in every single strike. The ear-trembling and heart-shaking booms were as though a giant was currently walking towards them from afar. Even the incomparably firm profound barrier trembled severely with every single swing of Yun Che’s heavy sword.
When Yun Che dealt his first strike, everyone was already shocked. With his every single strike, it was as though a sound of thunder was roaring in their ear and hearts. When his Overlord’s Colossal Sword was slashed apart, nearly everyone believed the competition was over. However, with a half-destroyed heavy sword, he swung strikes after strikes which contained shocking strength… The might of these strikes, had even surpassed the strikes he dealt when was wielding the complete heavy sword earlier.
Earlier, Ling Jie was still able to slice apart the blasts of wind caused by the heavy sword with his Yuan Yang dual swords, however, the heavy sword’s strength which had suddenly increased by several times easily blew away the Yuan Yang dual swords which were filled with sword intent time and time again. Forget about slicing them, the two swords could not even approach them. Even when he captured a weak point with his extremely high level profound movement skill and fast sword speed, Yun Che basically would not care about the Yuan Yang dual swords which had already approached close to his body. He would simply produce a single smash, which would cause a terrifying blast of wind that completely covered a radius of several meters, forcing Ling Jie to have no choice but to retract his swords and dodge far away.
RIIIP~~
BOOM!
RIIIP~~
BOOM!!
…………
The mix of ear-piercing tearing sounds and ear-shattering booms fiercely smashed into everyone’s eardrums and souls. In their exchanges, the two of them had moved a distance of numerous tens of steps, but beneath them, more than a hundred overlapping craters were created. The rows of cracks were even more packed, and there were so many of them that it was basically impossible to count their numbers. The entire center of the Sword Discourse Arena was destroyed, with no resemblance of its original state.
Sand, dust and shattered rocks rose high in the air. Reaching a height of dozens of meters, it completely submerged the two figures within. Only their moving shadows and their speeding cyan and orange sword beams, which looked as though they were the blazing light of shooting stars, could be faintly seen.
“Is… Is… Is this real?”
“Yun Che’s heavy sword was evidently broken by those two Sky Profound Swords. But why did its might suddenly increase by so much when it’s only at a half-broken state? Unless…”
“Could it be that Yun Che did not use his full strength at all earlier… or maybe, he did not even bring out half of his true abilities?”
“Tenth level of the True Profound Realm… Oh my god, is this a genius, or a monster!?”
Boom!!
Yun Che smashed his sword onto the ground. Even though Ling Jie dodged it with an incomparable speed, he was still sent flying backwards by the wave created. Before landing onto the ground, a cold light flashed in Ling Jie’s eyes, the Yuan Yang dual swords intersected before his chest as the cyan and orange glows became incomparably dense…
This was the attack Ling Jie used to slash apart the Overlord’s Colossal Sword earlier. No matter its speed or might, they were both extremely terrifying. However, Yun Che had suffered a big loss due to this strike of his, so how could he fall in the exact same place twice? When the sword silhouettes of the Yuan Yang dual swords flashed, Yun Che’s vision had already condensed onto them. With his heightened mental concentration, the speed of the two lightning-fast sword beams were no longer that terrifying, as a clear trajectory of their slashes were perceived.
“Don’t think that only light swords can create sword beams, a heavy sword… can do the same as well!!”
Facing this terrifying attack which was even able to slash apart the Overlord’s Colossal Sword, with sufficient time to prepare this time, Yun Che, who could completely dodge the attack with his Star God’s Broken Shadow, did not choose to avoid it. Rather, he lifted his half-broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword as a layer of dim black profound glow suddenly enveloped the heavy sword’s blade.
“Huu!!”
Yun Che roared loudly, and he slashed down his heavy sword ruthlessly at the Moon Break sword beams flying towards him. Immediately after, a whistling that was close to tearing a person’s eardrums sounded, and a gigantic deep black sword beam was explosively shot out under everyone’s contracted pupils, crashing against the cyan and orange sword beams.
“Wh… What!!?” Ling Yuefeng immediately stood up, exclaiming uncontrollably.
If we were to describe Ling Jie’s cyan and orange sword beams as two crescent moons, then the sword beam that came from Yun Che, was a gigantic deep black full moon.
Boom!!
The three sword beams clashed in mid air. The might of the three swords exploded at the same time and they crashed against, interweaved and engulfed one another, producing a fantasy-like a colorful mix of light. Within the light, countless of sword intent wildly poured out, but when these sword intents clashed against the deep-black full moon, they would shatter completely and disappear without a trace in a blink of an eye. Gradually, the cyan and orange colors decreased within the light, and in the end, they completely disappeared, leaving a deep black full moon, which was not even depleted by a half, that fiercely flew straight towards Ling Jie.
Ling Jie moved a large distance away, dodging the attack by a hair’s breath while being incomparably fatigued. Before he could even steady himself, an earth-shaking boom sounded behind him. With a twisted expression, he looked at Yun Che, and simply dazed there for a moment.
Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Moon Break, was actually destroyed by Yun Che in a direct confrontation.
And, the weapon he used to do it, was a destroyed heavy sword, with half of its blade slashed apart!
“So… So strong, so strong…” Ling Jie unconsciously chanted softly. Only then did he completely understand, that the words “did not use my entire strength” Yun Che said earlier, were not a tough act on his part. Facing the current Yun Che, he felt as though he was unable to breathe.
In that short of moment of silence, other than the whistle of the gentle wind, only Ling Jie’s heavy panting could be heard. After a good while, his breath and emotions had finally calmed down. After standing straight up and looking straight at Yun Che in the eye, suddenly, with a tap of his feet, his entire body shot upwards, jumping straight up to the height of thirty-odd meters.
Yun Che’s sudden outburst of strength shocked every single person, including Ling Yuefeng. His evaluation on Yun Che rose time and time again, however, Yun Che would time and time again prove to Ling Yuefeng that he had still been underestimating him by far too much. When Yun Che unleashed that unbelievable heavy sword beam, which completely extinguished the Moon Break sword beams, he understood that it was already impossible for Ling Jie to win in this battle.
“He’s going to use that move now.” Ling Yun raised his head. Looking at Little Jie, who leaped high into the skies, he softly said.
“… This might be his last hope.” Ling Yuefeng lightly sighed. “I didn’t expect that. I really didn’t expect that Yun Che could actually unleash the might of a heavy sword to such an extent. I’m completely unable to see through the depths of this young man… Just who was the person who actually brought up such a peerless monster…”
Yun Che raised his head and looked towards Ling Jie in the high skies, as Ling Jie’s cautious voice sounded in his ears. “Boss, this move, you have to definitely block it. Because, if you’re unable to do so, you might really die from it… I believe you have the ability to block it… If you succeed in blocking this strike of mine, I will become your little brother willingly! And I will definitely not regret it!”
As he said that, the Celestial Yuan and Celestial Yang swords had already flew out of Ling Jie’s hands, with each sword floating on his left and right. On the swords’ blades, an incomparably strong glowing light beam was being emitted. This was a form of sword beam that broke through limits and common sense. As the sword beam expanded, the glows became even more piercing to the eye. From afar, it looked as though there were two more suns, one cyan and one orange, in the sky.
An extremely sharp sword intent covered the sky and the earth, faintly painting a gigantic sword formation, and Yun Che’s current position, was the center of this particular formation. Yun Che’s raised head lowered. His two hands slowly gripped onto the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword as prepared himself to unleash Fallen Moon Sinking Star. But at this moment, the Overlord’s Colossal Sword suddenly shook, and a black glow faintly flashed. And at the same time, from an unknown origin, a few segments of a soul were suddenly added into Yun Che’s mind.
These segments, recorded the majesty of a war hero, an Overlord who shook the era he lived in. Within thousands and thousands of troops and horses, with just a swing of his sword, it brought about a catastrophical airwave, and countless hundreds of ferocious enemies were blown apart by that one strike, turning into the many corpses on the battlefield. His every swing were as though they were capable of shaking the sky and earth. The enemy troops were vast and mighty, and their numbers looked endless from one’s eyes, yet not a single person was able to get within thirty meters from him. Within the large army of enemy troops, his tyrannical brandishes with his heavy sword were unstoppable.
And the weapon he wielded, was exactly the Overlord’s Colossal Sword in Yun Che’s hands.
These segments of the soul, were the sparse images that the tiny spiritual conscience of Overlord’s Colossal Sword had recorded. It was also the glory it would never forget as an Overlord’s sword.
The power of Fallen Moon Sinking Star dispersed. Yun Che closed his eyes. Following the Overlord’s stance within the soul fragment, he raised the half-destroyed Overlord’s Colossal Sword, and an incomparably tyrannical sword force, slowly gathered onto the heavy sword.
“Old partner, thank you for bestowing me such a treasured gift at the end. This strike, shall be named —— Overlord’s Fury!!”
Chapter 232 - Overlord’s Finale
“Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword, Final Form —— Radiant Sky!!”
Ling Jie shouted out loud. The cyan and orange light beams suddenly exploded at the same time in midair, emitting sword beams that covered the skies and shielded the day. The brightness and power of the sword beams nearly outshone the shine of the sun in the sky. Within the terrifying sword beams, the two Sky Profound Swords released countless spiraling sword intent, which finally formed a gigantic cyan and orange sword of about thirty meters in length, and it began to descend from the skies.
Bang!!
The entire profound barrier broke under the pressure of the sword force that was as majestic as a tsunami. Several cracks formed and spread wildly atop the Sword Discourse Arena, and the longest crack that formed spread all the way to the borders of the stage. Yun Che stood at center of the Sword Discourse Arena, where the ground was starting to sink quickly.
Such a formation had made several disciples gather their profound strength for defense out of fear. Just the sword stance of Ling Jie’s one move, was already so frightening. Its power was simply unimaginable. However, Yun Che who was standing at the center had stood through all of this as he showed no signs of wanting to tear apart his stance. His expression was also indifferent, showing no signs of fear or solemnity… Obviously, he wanted to face this attack head on.
Ling Yuefeng stood up and looked at Yun Che’s stance, while muttering to himself: “If you are able to receive this attack, forget about Jie’er, even I, would admire you!”
Looking at Yun Che who showed no intention to avoid his attack, Ling Jie’s eyes also gave off a strong glint. He gathered all his profound strength, sword intent, and even all of his determination for this attack. This resulted in the biggest Radiant Sky Sword he had ever created in his life… Even though he had always wanted to defeat his big brother Ling Yun, he had never gone as all out as today before.
If you can’t receive it, I win! If you do receive it, you acquire the right to have me, Ling Jie as your little brother!!
The Radiant Sky Sword struck down like a flaming star falling. Under the strong pressure, Yun Che’s hair and clothes were stuck down onto his skin but his body had not moved at all. Although his feets sunk deep into the ground, it was as if he was nailed to the ground and did not shift at all. The half a segment of colossal sword in his hands gave of a overbearing aura. The aura not only did not shrink under the pressure but instead grew even more intensively.
As the Radiant Sky Sword approached, from the time it fell for less than a breath of time, the center of the Sword Discourse Arena had already sunk by at least one foot. On the surface of the stage, countless new cracks had appeared. Half of Yun Che’s body had already been forced below the ground, and his clothes had been cut into countless strips by the blinding sword aura.
Thirty meters… Fifteen meters… Ten meters… Three meters… One meter…
“Overlord’s… Fury!!!”
Just when the gigantic Radiant Sky Sword’s point was no less than a meter from the top of his head, the previously silent Yun Che seemed like an angry dragon that had suddenly awakened, as all of his profound strength exploded in an instant. In his cry, the half a segment of Overlord’s Colossal Sword that was surrounded with hostility swung to match the falling Radiant Sky Sword without any fear. The overbearing howl of the sword was like the roar of an arrogant dark devil.
Less than a meter above Yun Che’s head, the Overlord’s Colossal Sword violently crashed into the sharp end of the Radiant Sky Sword above it…
BOOM!!!!!!!!
A loud noise that seemed as though a thunderbolt had struck earth rang throughout the Sword Discourse Arena. It even rang through half the Heavenly Sword Villa. At that time, it caused everyone’s heart to tremor.
During the noise, two energies that seemed like volcanoes erupting exploded at the same time. The energy seemed to be dispelled frantically during the impact and a scary storm brew within the Sword Discourse Arena. The storm blew from the center of the stage to where the corners where the audience sat. An extremely strong profound radiance shone on the bodies of Yun Che and Ling Jie, which even completely overshadowed the Radiant Sky Sword. Looking from afar, it was as though ball of fire had exploded on the ground. Within this fire, there were numerous cyan and orange lights which looked like dragons that flew about.
The entire Sword Discourse Arena started to tremble and the wide cracks started to spread. The longest one had split the entire Sword Discourse Arena into two halves.
Other than Yun Che, Ling Wugou was the nearest to the falling point of the Radiant Sky Sword. With his strength in the late stages if the Sky Profound Realm, such an energy would definitely not injure him. However, he was not careless and did not bother to fix the profound barrier. Instead, he jumped far away and with a slight roar, and released his profound energy to block of all the sword aura coming his way. At the same time, several other places in the Sword Discourse Arena also had a relatively strong Heavenly Sword Villa disciple to seal up the sword aura, and prevented those around with lower profound strengths to get hurt.
The power of the Radiant Sky Sword far exceeded what Yun Che had expected. However, the prowess of the attack Yun Che executed swinging out his half a segment of colossal sword shocked Ling Jie. The Radiant Sky Sword that was filled with Ling Jie’s strength and sword intent was stopped in midair when it collided with the Overlord’s Colossal Sword. The two energies exploded and the gigantic Radiant Sky Sword could fall no further. More than ten breaths later, a tiny crack appeared on the tip of the Radiant Sky Sword and it soon spread throughout the sword until it reached the hilt…
BOOOM!!!!
Another loud sound came, which scattered a few clouds in the sky. This time, it was the sound of the Radiant Sky Sword shattering from its center…
The Yuan Yang dual swords broke the Overlord’s Colossal Sword.
However, the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword, in a more ruthless fashion, shattered the Radiant Sky Sword that was formed by the Yuan Yang dual swords.
The was the rage of the Overlord and his revenge. It was the pride and arrogance of an Overlord!
The breaking of the Radiant Sky Sword was not horizontally, but vertically from the tip to the hilt. The wild sword aura that were like storms had also been dispelled quickly as its main body had been shattered.
The tremor on the Sword Discourse Arena gradually subsided, and the violent storm in the sky stopped roaring as well. Within the disappearing energy light, Ling Jie’s figure fell from the sky. Following the torrents of the wind, he drifted countless of meters away, and landed powerlessly on the ground. When his two feet made contact with the ground, his body violently swayed, as he seemed to have a hard time trying to stand steadily. The Celestial Yang Sword and the Celestial Yuan Sword were still held firmly in his hands, but the current Yuan Yang dual swords had already lost their glows of energy, lacking their former luster. His expression, though, was so pale that there was not even a hint of red on his face.
The storm of sand and profound energy enveloping Yun Che dispersed with the wind, and Yun che’s figure was finally revealed. In his immediate surroundings was a giant crater of about hundred and fifty meters in length, and six meters in depth. He was standing right at the center of the crater. It was such gigantic crater, yet, it looked as smooth as a mirror, with not single pothole in sight. It could be imagined how terrifyingly sharp the sword intent was earlier.
Currently, the entire Sword Discourse Arena could only be described as too tragic to look at. If one did not personally witness it, no matter who it was, that person would probably not believe that such a scene, was actually caused by a fierce fight between a Spirit Profound Realm and a True Profound Realm practitioner.
Yun Che’s hair was currently extremely disheveled. His entire face was covered in dust, and his clothes was even torn to the extreme. Basically, they could no longer be termed as clothes, but a messy continuous strand of cloth. The good thing was that his key parts were still covered, no doubt barely, otherwise, even if he had skin as thick as a city wall, he would not be able to maintain his demeanor.
On his much exposed body, countless small wounds could be seen. But they were simply extremely thin wounds, and to a practitioner, they were basically not a problem. Forget about heavy injuries, there was not even a single proper wound on his body.
Ling Jie, who was closest to him, looked at Yun Che’s condition, and his eyeballs had almost popped out from their sockets. Earlier, Ling Jie had even warned Yun Che that if he was unable to block it, he might possibly die. However, he was confident that Yun Che would be capable of blocking it, though, it would be inevitable for him to be extremely fatigued after that. However, even if he were to die, he would not have thought that the strike which he had poured his entire sword intent and profound energy into… would actually only tear his clothes into pieces, and cause a few small wounds that were no different than itches to him!
Clang!
The cherished sword which he would usually treat as though it was his life, was directly thrown onto the ground. He fell flat on his butt, and shouted out as though he had been broken. “I’m not fighting anymore… I quit, I quit, I quit! I surrender! Aaaaaahh… I, Ling Jie, will never, ever, ever, ever… ever fight with a monster like you ever again!!”
After saying the two words “I surrender”, Ling Jie momentarily felt his body relaxing, as though the heavy boulder that had been pressing on his body had been removed. In this battle, he had used his full strength, and yet, he still lost. He should have felt a great sense of gratification and satisfaction, but to that earlier battle, Ling Jie’s strongest feeling was nothing but “unbearable”.
He had never felt this unbearable in all the fights he had fought. Usually, when he sparred with the senior brothers Heavenly Sword Villa, even if his opponents were to overpower him by a large margin, he would not be undaunted, and would clash against them fiercely like a young tiger. Even if he were to be injured in those battles, he would not feel any hint of fear or have the thought of retreating. But, when he exchanged blows with Yun Che, he was constantly nervous and cautious. When slashed or pierced by a light sword, as long as he could prevent it from hitting his fatal points, it would at most give him a scar. But if he were to make contact with a heavy sword, it would not be exaggerated for his entire body to get smashed. His strikes were nimble and ever-changing, his speed was as fast as the wind, and he kept his intentions unpredictable. Yet, in front of Yun Che’s heavy sword, all of those had basically turned into mere ornaments: No matter how fast the speed of your sword, no matter how many sword beams you make, no matter how tricky the angles are, I will simply smash my sword towards it. Either I blow away all of your sword beams, or I force you to retract your sword and retreat far, far away.
During the exchange, most of the time, it could be said that no matter how close or how far away Ling Jie was, he was always on guard against every single one of Yun Che’s strikes. He was over-cautious, his mind strained throughout the entire battle, and he did not dare to slack off even a single bit. No matter if it was his heart or body, it was as though a gigantic boulder was pressing on them, and he could hardly breathe.
This feeling of being tightly suppressed, was basically unbearable to the point that he wanted to puke blood.
With that one sentence “I surrender”, that feeling of relaxation allowed Ling Jie to heave a long sigh of relief, and then, he took a big breath. The words he spoke of about not wanting to fight with Yun Che ever again, was completely from the bottom of his heart. It was definitely not something he said out of impulse.
A long, long time ago, Heavenly Sword Villa once had a heavy sword style. But, this style declined at an extremely quick speed. Many years ago, the last Elder of the heavy sword style went to test himself in the Wasteland of Death, and then, he never returned. Hence, the heavy sword style was completely severed in the Heavenly Sword Villa, and the few heavy swords that were stored in the Sword Management Terrace, became the final remnants of the heavy sword style in Heavenly Sword Villa.
Ling Yuefeng had once told him that heavy swords were only suitable on the battlefield, and they did not suit practitioners. Even Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, which prided themselves for their swords, and possessed every single type of sword styles, had long lost their heavy sword style. He had even said that practitioners who trained in the way of the heavy sword, were all total retards. But now, when he personally experienced the terror of heavy swords, Ling Jie really wished to personally shout a single sentence at his father, Ling Yuefeng: Your sister!
——————————————
Mn, in the meantime, I shall list out all of the profound skills Yun Che currently possesses.
Profound Arts: Evil God Arts (Came from Jasmine)
Great Way of the Buddha (Came from Jasmine)
World Ode of the Phoenix (Forced Comprehension, Incomplete)
Prison God Sirius’ Tome (Came from Jasmine)
Frozen Cloud Arts (Came from Chu Yuechan)
Profound Skills: Evil God Series
1st Realm - Evil Soul: Falling Moon Sinking Star
2nd Realm - Burning Heart: Sealing Cloud Locking Sun
3rd Realm - Rumbling Heaven: Destroying Sky Decimating Earth
Phoenix Series
Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing
Star Scorching Demon Lotus
Heavy Sword Series
Overlord’s Fury
Sky Wolf Slash (Heavy Sword + Sirius)
Phoenix Break (Heavy Sword + Sirius + Phoenix)
Profound Movement Skill: Star God’s Broken Shadow (Came from Jasmine)
Chapter 233 - Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s Offer
Heavenly Sword Villa’s Ling Jie surrenders. Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che wins! He will advance to tomorrow’s Grand Finals!”
Ling Wugou was stunned for an entire three breaths before he glimpsed at Ling Yuefeng and announced the results in an extremely awkward tone.
Clapclap… Clapclapclapclap…
Applause rang out from the edges of the Sword Discourse Arena. It initially started out with a few, before spreading to a small area… to a larger area… Eventually, nearly everyone including a few sect elders stood up and praised with loud applause.
In the history of the Ranking Tournament, applause following an exciting battle was common. However, such passionate applause that rang throughout the whole arena was rare. This was indeed a match worthy of such an applause. Many of the sects did not achieve results that were too satisfactory, but after witnessing this battle, they all felt ‘lucky and relieved’ to be here. This was because they were able to witness with their own eyes, the elegance of a celestial sword and the prowess of a heavy sword. They also witnessed the first battle between two youths who would no doubt become Blue Wind Empire’s future elites.
Thinking back, they were only sixteen and seventeen. Their profound strengths were also only in the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm and the tenth level of the True Profound Realm. This caused the hearts of the people there to uncontrollably tremor.
After Ling Wugou announced the results of the match, and cheers rang throughout the arena, Yun Che’s face did not reveal any excitement. Instead, he silently stared at the half of his Overlord’s Colossal Sword in his hands. The half that was in his hands was already filled with cracks. A cool breeze gently blew, blowing his hair up, along with the broken pieces of the Overlord’s Colossal Sword…
Pieces of black shards fell from the sword and dropped near Yun Che’s feet. In the end, only the hilt of the colossal sword was left in his hands.
The great sword that had shown its might throughout the battles, showcasing why it was called Overlord’s Colossal Sword, had finally reached its demise today in Yun Che’s hands.
Yun Che knelt down and carefully collected all the broken pieces, not allowing any to be left behind. In the end, he kept everything in the Sky Poison Pearl. Seeing Yun Che’s empty hand and the unexplainable expression on his face, Ling Jie, who was slowly approaching him had a face full of distress. As a sword user himself, he was the clearest what it meant to love a sword. The existence of a sword was like family. After controlling himself for sometime, he weakly said: “Ugh, ahhhhh, B… Boss, there are several heavy swords over at the Sword Management Terrace. There are three to four of them that are of Earth Profound grade. Let… Let me compensate you, it’s alright even if you want to take all of them.”
Once he had finished saying that, Ling Jie was determined. Even if Yun Che wanted to take away all the Earth Profound heavy swords and his father was against it, he would do all that he could to let Yun Che have his way.
“No need,” Yun Che smiled casually: “I had already said, being able to destroy it is your capability. There’s no need to feel guilty. So, are you satisfied now?”
Seeing that he laughed without any hard feelings, Ling Jie finally relaxed. The unease in his heart turned into a warm feeling: “Heh, I’m satisfied, completely satisfied. Every part of me is satisfied. In the future, you are I, Ling Jie’s, boss! Ahhh, ahhh… Boss! How exactly did you do it? You are only in the tenth level of the True Profound Realm but are already so powerful! Half a year ago, your strength was still far below me. Yet now, you are able to defeat me! And your body, how did you train it? It seems to be harder than rock… Also, boss, my father said that the heavy sword is a weapon without a future, how can you be so strong with it? After that fight with you, even I feel like training with a heavy sword…”
The few calls of “Boss” by Ling Jie were completely willing and smooth. When he looked at Yun Che, his eyes glowed, and his questions came out one after another. He was extremely anticipative of the answers to his questions. However, Yun Che only answered his last question: “The heavy sword is the weapon that suits me most, but they do not suit most people. Don’t get any weird ideas about going to practice the heavy sword.”
“Hehe…” Ling Jie laughed sillily. He was of course just casually speaking.
Ling Jie had overused his profound strength and had to be supported by Yun Che down the Sword Discourse Arena. At that point, Ling Kun, who usually was very silent, stood up from his seat and looked at Yun Che. Although his actions could be considered inconspicuous on the gigantic Sword Discourse Arena, everyone present turned to him as if attracted by an unknown aura and subconsciously watched him. His sudden action seemed to make everyone’s hearts thump.
Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, a place that was sacred and distant, and perhaps even legendary to them. The applause stopped immediately and the entire Sword Discourse Arena turned so silent that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone held their breaths as they waited to see what this mighty elder that came from the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region wanted to do.
“Young man, you are called Yun Che?” Ling Kun looked at Yun Che as he asked cheerfully. His voice was very peaceful.
Yun Che’s footsteps stopped for a moment, as he was visibly shocked by the question. He nodded and replied humbly: “Yes, I am Yun Che. I wonder if Senior Ling wishes to say anything to me.”
“You are currently a disciple of the Profound Palace set up by the Blue Wind Empire’s Imperial Family, right?” Ling Kun asked.
“Yes.”
Ling Kun nodded slowly before saying something earth shattering: “Well, are you interested to join our Mighty Heavenly Sword Region?”
This one question of Ling Kun’s, echoed through the ears of everyone, causing great shock. Qin Wushang was stunned, and so was Cang Yue. Even Ling Yuefeng was shocked motionless. Every person in the audience revealed an expression of deep astonishment.
Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. One of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, an almighty existence in the Profound Sky Continent. If one was able to enter the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, he must be one of the top profound practitioners currently in existence. Without exaggeration, if a servant in the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region came to Blue Wind Empire, he could become a renowned master of a faction. In terms of status, he would easily be more respectable than a country’s emperor! Many of the young profound practitioners could be considered to be of a genius level, but not one of them dared to dream of entering one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds. Not even Ling Yun had dared think of it before.
Among the seven countries in Sky Profound Continent, Blue Wind Empire was the smallest and weakest one. It was also the one that was the furthest from the Four Great Sacred Grounds. They had only heard the names of the Four Great Sacred Grounds in legends. Most of the people would not interact with it in any form throughout their lives. Today however, one of the legendary Sacred Grounds had taken the initiative to invite a seventeen year old youth to join them.
Everyone’s eyes fell onto Yun Che… Shock, envy, amazement, jealousy and disbelief… On Burning Heaven Clan’s seating area, Fen Juecheng’s face turned extremely ugly. Severely injuring Fen Juebi, causing shame to the Burning Heaven Clan, and touching on his sensitive spot had caused him to be extremely angry and disgraced… Yun Che had long since been on his hit list. However, if Yun Che really became a member of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, not just him, even his father Fen Duanhun would have to show some respect and treat Yun Che courteously if he saw him. No one in the entire Blue Wind Empire would dare offend him. Even if he had the absolute confidence to kill Yun Che, he would never ever dare do it… Killing a member of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region would be pulling the entire Burning Heaven Clan to die with him!
“Mighty Heavenly Sword Region… That is a place even I do not dare to dream of.” Qin Wushang exclaimed in a shocked manner: “Even Mighty Heavenly Sword Region has invited him. Even I, cannot fathom his future anymore. With his talent, he isn’t something a little Blue Wind Profound Palace is worthy of having. Maybe the Four Great Sacred Grounds are the ones that are truly worthy of keeping him. In the times to come, knowing him would probably be something that would make me proud for the rest of my life. Hahahaha.”
Qin Wushang laughed warmly, but Cang Yue was feeling complicated… Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s invitation could easily make all the profound practitioners in the world envious and jealous. She felt elated for Yun Che, but at the same time felt lost and insecure… He was only seventeen and had already obtained the right to enter such a dream-like place. His future was completely unfathomable. The difference between him and her would be worlds apart. She wondered if she was a match for him… If he went to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, would he still return to a small little place like the Blue Wind Empire…
Ling Jie, who was beside Yun Che had his mouth agape. With an excited face, he told Yun Che: “Boss, Mighty Heavenly Sword Region! The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region! That’s a Sacred Ground! You’re so great. Boss is really too great!”
Yun Che’s brows moved slightly. He did not have the elation and excitement everyone expected him to have. His face was shockingly, only a field of calmness. He took a step forward and replied courteously: “Many thanks to Senior Ling for thinking so highly of this junior. However, this junior is currently still a disciple of the Blue Wind Profound Palace and has no thoughts of leaving yet. Furthermore, this junior still has plenty of unfinished business here. Even though my heart longs for it, I am unable to bring myself to leave… I can only thank Senior Ling for the love and kind intentions.”
Yun Che’s answer was completely out of everyone’s expectation. Everyone stared at him and wondered if he had gone mad… Being invited by Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was something that people did not even dare to dream about, and he actually rejected it! Instead, he was willing to stay in a small Blue Wind Profound Palace! This was a reply only an idiot or lunatic would make.
Ling Kun, however, was not angry, and instead laughed peacefully: “Hahahaha, good! Even though you are young, you are not arrogant, nor are you impatient. You are not flustered, nor are you rash. This is indeed rare. The reason I want to bring you into Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is not because of the talent you displayed. Although your talent is considered shocking in this country, in the Sacred Grounds, it might not even be considered average. The reason I want to bring you in is because of the beautiful way you handle the heavy sword… Mighty Heavenly Sword Region used to have a Heavy Sword department. However, it eventually died out. From you, I can see hopes of reforming that department. It is inappropriate for me to ask who your master is, but I hope that when you do join Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, you are able to reform the Heavy Sword department. If you could do it, becoming an elder-ranked figure of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is not unlikely.”
Ssssss……
“Elder-ranked figure of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region”. These few words made many people shudder. That was a figure that even Heavenly Sword Villa’s Villa Master Ling Yuefeng was unqualified to meet.
Yun Che still remained very calm and replied without hesitation: “Senior Ling’s graciousness, this junior will remember it well. When this junior is done with his unfinished business, he will definitely think about it deeply.”
“Good!” Ling Kun still did not become angry, and instead commended him with a nod: “I admire your personality. If that is the case, I shall not force you. Here, take this!”
Ling Kun flicked his finger and a piece of a deep purple colored jade stone the size of a fist horizontally flew out and was caught by Yun Che.
Ling Kun withdrew his palm and said coolly: “This is a special Sound Transmission Stone that is able to communicate with me as long as we are within a distance of a hundred fifty kilometers. If you eventually decide to join our Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, drop me a message. I will guide you to us and bring you to meet the Venerable Sword Master. I believe the Venerable Sword Master would be immensely interested in how you handle the heavy sword.”
Despite being rejected twice by Yun Che, Ling Kun did not become angry. Instead, he left him a Sound Transmission Jade. Such treatment was undoubtedly an extremely favorable one which left many people envying till they nearly cried blood tears. However, Ling Kun also had absolute confidence that Yun Che would initiate contact with him in the near future… The invitation to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was a ‘temptation’ that any young profound practitioner could not possibly reject.
Chapter 234 - Qingyue VS Ling Yun
As Yun Che returned to Blue Wind Profound Palace’s seats, Cang Yue came toward him in a swift pace carrying bottles and vases full of ointments. Taking up a gauze, she gently started wiping the wounds on his forehead: “Junior Brother Yun, do you have any injuries that are very severe? Did you receive any internal injuries?”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s all a bunch of light wounds that don’t hurt or itch. It would be healed fine if I just sleep it off.” Yun Che said with a relaxed expression.
Yun Che’s complexion was rosy, and his breathing was calm; there was not even any hurriedness after an intense battle. The wounds under the broken clothes were basically some red marks, and even the traces of blood could not be found in many places. Cang Yue felt relieved, assessed him with a glance, and suddenly laughed with a ‘Pfft’: “Look at your appearance right now, it’s as if you are a barbarian who had just climbed out from the deep mountains.”
A gust of wind blew past. Yun Che instantly felt his entire body chill, as if he wasn’t wearing any clothings at all. He hastily took out a set of somewhat loose attire from the Sky Poison Pearl and covered himself with it. From the side of his ears, he heard Qin Wushang speaking with a meaningful tone: “Yun Che, why would you surrender the chance of entering the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region? To even refuse such a land of dreams, you must have some extremely important reasons, right?”
“Mn, I suppose so.” Yun Che nodded: “The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region indeed is immensely alluring to me. But for me, there are many things that are hundreds and thousands times more important than Mighty Heavenly Sword Region.” As he finished speaking, he turned a glance toward Cang Yue and faintly smiled.
Cang Yue slightly froze, and then also gently started smiling as a hint of moisture swelled up within her eyes… It’s enough… Just with that sentence of his, with that expression in his eyes and his gentle smile, I am already content for life…
“It really doesn’t sound like something said by a young man of your age.” Qin Wushang’s face was filled with praise. He then slightly squinted his eyes, and said with a smile: “Then, about tomorrow’s finals, how confident are you to win?”
The matches before, Qin Wushang had once and once again thought that they were the finish line for Yun Che in the Ranking Tournament, and he couldn’t advance any further. Yet Yun Che won perfect victories match after match; it once and once again made him realize that he had completely underestimated this youth. And now, facing the Ling Yun who could not be defeated no matter how one thought of it, Qin Wushang did not assert that he did not have any possibility of winning, and instead asked how confident he was in winning with an extremely serious and expectant tone.
Yun Che didn’t think, and directly shook his head: “No confidence at all. Tomorrow’s opponent, is really too strong.”
“Even if you lose, it’s fine. After all, Ling Yun had already surpassed the level that a young profound practitioner could reach.” Qin Wushang laughed heartily: “Also, you’ve already made the biggest limelight in this Ranking Tournament. I believe that in most people’s eyes, you are already the greatest victor in this Ranking Tournament.”
As they spoke, Yun Che felt a hint of malicious feeling sweeping across his back. He turned around, took a glance at the Burning Heaven Clan’s location, and smiled coldly.
Yun Che’s unexpectant refusal of joining the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region made Fen Juecheng feel extremely relieved, and at the same time, his intent to kill Yun Che rose by several folds. He was absolutely certain that Yun Che wouldn’t really be able to resist the extremely great temptation of joining the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. If he didn’t join now, he would voluntarily go find Ling Kun not long after. After all, in his hands, there was still the Sound Transmission Jade personally given by Ling Kun.
Then, if he were to kill Yun Che, he had to speed it up… It must be done before he becomes a member of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region!
Then, the greatest chance would be….
Fen Juecheng’s gaze swept through, and fell upon the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress’ seats. He saw Mu Tianbei, whose expression was as unsightly as if he had just swallowed feces. Even though he was far away, the maliciousness and killing intent within Mu Tianbei’s eagle eyes could be faintly felt.
“Seems like, there is a good blade to use.” Fen Juecheng’s hand supported his chin as he started to laugh silently and ghastly.
After quite a while, the Sword Discourse Arena that was full of wounds finally became somewhat flat with emergency repair. Ling Wugou came to the center of the Sword Discourse Arena once again, and announced the starting of the second match.
“Go!” Ling Yuefeng gave Ling Yun a sweeping gesture with his hand.
Ling Yun nodded. Without seeing any motion or profound energy fluctuation under his feet, his entire body had already vaulted up. As he was in midair, he grabbed at the nothingness with his palm, and the Celestial Yuan Sword that was in Ling Jie’s hands, flew up by itself into his hands. In the next instant, he had already landed in the middle of the Sword Discourse Arena and stood there magnificently. The edge of his clothing fluttered, his otherworldly handsome face was like jade, his gaze as if the autumn water. It instantly made the eyes of many young girls bloom like peach blossoms as they lose control of their beating heart.
“Qingyue, go. If you win against Ling Yun, then we’ve already obtained first place in this Ranking Tournament ahead of time.” Chu Yueli spoke with a very certain tone.
Along with a wave of fluttering ice spirits and a slightly drifting cold energy, Xia Qingyue also silently landed in front of Ling Yun. She was still in white attire with blue spirits, and an ice gauze covered her face. Only a pair of eyes like the starry sky flashed with an extremely beautiful brilliance.
Looking at this pair of eyes close up, Ling Yun’s calm gaze actually became inattentive for an instant. Because this was the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen in his entire life. This kind of beauty could not be described and explained. He clearly felt that as he was looking at this pair of charming eyes, his consciousness and soul were both being deeply attracted, and almost made him unable to divert his gaze.
What beautiful eyes… Below the face veil, should be a girl as beautiful as a goddess, right….
Ling Yun thought silently in his heart, and at the same time birthed an urge of wanting to see her true face. With a swing of the Celestial Yuan Sword, he made a simple sword courtesy toward Xia Qingyue: “Heavenly Sword Villa’s Disciple, Ling Yun, asks for Xia Fairy’s guidance.”
Xia Qingyue did not answer, and was as silent as a statue made of ice.
Seeing the two had already finished preparing, Ling Wugou did not delay either and said with a loud voice: “Second match of the Semifinals, Heavenly Sword Villa’s Ling Yun, against Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue, battle start!!”
With the duel between Yun Che and Ling Jie that brimmed with astonishment as appetizer, no one had much expectations for this match. This was a match with an already decided outcome, because one of the them was Ling Yun… And battles with Ling Yun, would unquestionably be a single-sided oppression. Just like what Qin Wushang had said, Ling Yun’s strength had already surpassed the level of the younger generation. Within the same generation, it was simply impossible to find anyone that could be his match.
If not for Jasmine’s words, Yun Che’s thoughts would not be much different from the others.
But Jasmine’s evaluation of Xia Qingyue, filled Yun Che with odd expectations toward this match. The focus of his attention, also moved from Ling Yun to Xia Qingyue. No matter who wins this match, it was destined to be an extremely difficult and bitter battle tomorrow… If Ling Yun wins; while Ling Jie was already that powerful at the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, one could just imagine how strong Ling Yun, who was at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, was. But if by any chance… that Xia Qingyue wins, then the Xia Qingyue, who could even defeat Ling Yun, would undoubtedly be an even more terrifying opponent.
Xia Qingyue… Is it really possible for her to defeat Ling Yun who had already took first place in the Ranking Tournament when he was seventeen?
Ling Yun stood whilst wielding his sword as the sword energy fluctuated around him. Yet he did not move; the opponent was a girl, and in addition to that, her age and profound energy were all much lower than his. Thus, he naturally wouldn’t take action first. Xia Qingyue raised her jade hand, and amidst the flashing of cold light, a crystal clear longsword of ice had already appeared in her hand. With the channeling of Frozen Cloud Arts, the surrounding ice spirits floated around her. Stepping on a lotus, the starting stance of “Frozen Cloud Thirteen Sword Styles”, “Silent Moon of Snow”, lightly and swiftly pierced out. Seemingly without any destructive force, it was a feast for the eyes for everyone; however, only Ling Yun deeply felt a wave of bone-chilling coldness that came toward him.
Ling Yun’s left hand folded behind his back, and only moved with simple interweaving steps without any movement profound skills. He lifted his Celestial Yuan Sword, did not swing any kind of sword skills either, and calmly engaged…
Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang….
Along with Ling Yun’s casual swinging of the sword, the Celestial Yuan Sword and the ice crystal sword collided several tens of times in the blink of an eye. A great amount of light blue colored ice auroras and ice shards that dispersed as ice lotuses shattered, and then drifted around them. In the match before, the moves between Yun Che and Ling Jie earlier were fierce and thrilling, and targeted at the opponent. Yet the battle between Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue, was as though a pair of handsome man and woman were gracefully dancing; it was breathtaking.
“Haha, seems like, Yun’er wants to leave a little face for the other side.” Ling Yuefeng said while laughing.
“That’s natural, Yun’er’s disposition is kind. This is the Semifinals, the opponent is also just a girl, of course he wouldn’t thwart the opponent in a lift of the hand like before.”
Xia Qingyue’s sword gestures were as if a blue butterfly dancing, and Ling Yun was as if strolling in a quiet courtyard. Along with several tens of ice lotus blossoming and wilting, the two’s swords had also collided several hundreds of times, letting out a harmonious scene of being evenly matched. Yet flames of rage surged in Yun Che’s eyes as he watched… You motherf*cking Ling Yun! Even this daddy here hasn’t danced with swords with Qingyue my wife, and you’re actually god damn enjoying it! If my opponent tomorrow is you, see if I wouldn’t smash you down deep into the ground with one strike!!
Clang!!
As the two swords clashed, an ice lotus splendidly exploded at the point of collision. With a somersault, Ling Yun’s body landed around fifteen meters away. He lifted the Celestial Yuan Sword horizontally. His gaze concentrated as the sword force also went through a great change. The sword intent that surrounded his body and his sword, also exploded as if a flood that broke through a dam.
“Xia Fairy… I apologize!!”
As his voice fell, Ling Yun’s palm flipped. As the profound energy and sword intent flowed, the Celestial Yuan Sword suddenly transformed into a dash of light and flew toward Xia Qingyue. During the flight, the sword brilliance of the Celestial Yuan Sword quickly dispersed; from one sword it turned to ten, and then several tens… several hundreds… In the end, it turned into a sword formation field that blanketed the heavens and earth, and enveloped Xia Qingyue as if a meteor shower.
“Wah!!” A great amount of astonishing cries sounded in the Sword Discourse Arena.
This move, they had personally seen during the fight between Ling Jie and Yun Che. It was precisely this move, Heaven’s Might Sword Formation —— Heavenly Star Frenzy. But this Heavenly Star Frenzy of Ling Yun’s, was more than ten times greater, in terms of formation, than the one Ling Jie had displayed. Ling Jie had only dispersed a hundred sword lights, yet Ling Yun had dispersed over one thousand lines of sword beams. Moreover, each and every one of the sword beams were glaring to the point of making one unable to look at it straight; in terms of power, it simply couldn’t be compared in the same way with the one by Ling Jie.
From this move, Ling Yun’s terrifying strength could be evidently seen.
“Looks like the match is already over.” Almost everyone had thought like this in their hearts. This kind of formation even startled a few seniors of some sects. Within the younger generation, it was simply impossible for anyone to receive it. It would be impossible for Ling Jie or Yun Che, and it was even more so for Xia Qingyue.
Chapter 235 - Otherworldly Beauty
Xia Qingyue was completely trapped within the sword formation. Her front, back, left, right and above, were all filled with extremely sharp sword light. If it were someone else, when facing such a scary formation that should not have been used by such a youth, that person would probably shudder in fear. However, in her crystal clear eyes, there was no hint of hesitation. Her petite figure floated as though she was as light as clouds, and as she waved her ice crystal sword, several ice lotuses blossomed around her. Each lotus was several times bigger than the previous one, and the coldness released from the lotus coagulated the air. The surrounding temperature dropped at a frightening pace.
“Eh?” Ling Yuefeng original calm face suddenly changed. More than ten gigantic ice lotuses exploded out at the same time. This was definitely not something capable of someone in the eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm… Ling Yun did not release all his strength previously, but obviously, Xia Qingyue hadn’t either!
Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding……
The numerous sword beams gathered together and attacked the ice lotus. Some of the sword beams shattered immediately while the others were sealed with ice within the petals of the lotus flower, unable to proceed on any further. Previously, Ling Yun could shatter the ice lotus with the wave of his sword. Now however, the gigantic ice lotuses had already been attacked by thousands of sword beams, yet not one flower withered. In the blink of an eye, each ice lotus was stabbed full with ice sealed sword beams and the sword beams that had not been touched by the ice lotuses all gathered and stopped around Xia Qingyue.
One could imagine how frightening the coldness of the ice lotuses were when seeing them sealed Ling Yun’s sword beams that was transformed from his profound strength and sword intent.
This was a scene no one had expected. Ling Yun was even more shocked by this. Previously, he had exchanged several hundred moves with Xia Qingyue. However, he did not want to let her lose too quickly and become embarrassed, hence, he did not use his full strength. Originally , he was fully confident that he could end the battle quickly. Never did he expect his move to be completely blocked by his opponent, as not one sword beams touched her body.
Ling Yun’s reaction was extremely fast. Seeing his sword beams being sealed in ice, his eyes flashed with sword light, and his body rushed out like lightning. He grabbed the air and instantly, the Celestial Yuan Sword returned into his hands. In that instant, a cyan light flashed from the Celestial Yuan Sword as he instantaneously vanished from everyone’s line of sight…
A stream of cyan light flashed past. Seemed like a shooting star that fell from heavens, it immediately disappeared from the Sword Discourse Arena… The shooting star slashed all the ice lotuses in half and also streaked past Xia Qingyue’s body……
Pingpingpingpingpingping……
The ice lotuses and their sealed sword beams all shattered at the same time, filling the sky with ice crystals. It seemed as if it was currently hailing in the center of the Sword Discourse Arena. Ling Yun’s body also appeared about thirty meters behind Xia Qingyue… When everyone had finally refocused onto Ling Yun’s new location, everyone was overwhelmed with shock. Other than a few strong elders, no one could clearly figure out how he had gotten to that location. All they could see was a cyan light suddenly flashing past their eyes.
No words could explain the astonishment from this one move.
“So… fast.” Yun Che spoke in a speechless manner. He could feel that the speed of the flash was not a profound movement skill. Instead, it came from the Celestial Yuan Sword! For normal people, the person moves the sword. But the previous move of Ling Yun’s, was the massive sword intent moving the sword with the person! It was not the person controlling the sword!
The hand the was held horizontally in front of him was lowered slowly as Ling Yun whispered: “Please give up. Even though you are several times stronger than expected, you still aren’t a match for me. I do not want to injure you, fairy…”
As he spoke, he slowly turned around. Just as he completely turned to face Xia Qingyue, his voice was suddenly stuck in his throat and his was unable to say another word. His originally calm expression was suddenly stunned. Even his mind turned blank, as his vision and mind was left with an illusion of a sky that seemed to be from an imaginary world…
Following a long cut, Xia Qingyue’s right sleeve drooped, and it revealed half of her snow white jade arm. But Ling Yun’s sword did not only cut off half her sleeve.
In the wake of a cold breeze, Xia Qingyue’s snow white face veil slowly floated down, and her originally covered face was revealed to everyone present.
The entire Sword Discourse Arena instantly turned silent as everyone present became breathless.
Xia Qingyue’s skin was exceptionally white but it wasn’t the pale white that would make people uncomfortable. It was as white as pure snow with a flawless and glowing whiteness. Although the light from the sun was not glaring, the luster of her snowy skin was so flawless that it made people awestruck. Her skin looked like it was snow during a winter day with plenty of sunshine. Her half revealed arm due to her slashed sleeve, was as flawless as clear jade. It was suffocatingly beautiful.
Ignoring everything else, her snow white flawless skin alone was able to capture the souls of even man in this world!
On her snow white skin were eyebrows which were thin and long that seemed like the crescent moon. She also had deep clear watery eyes and her sweet cheeks were whiter than snow. Her dimples were beautiful like those described in poems and paintings. Her tender lips, which were a lovely pink rouge that seemed as though god himself personally drew it with utmost care, were astonishingly beautiful.
All of these gathering on one girl, displayed a beauty that made the heavens and earth, stars and moon, all pale in comparison.
The moment Xia Qingyue’s face was revealed, an absolute brilliance seemed to have obstructed every other color. Everyone’s breathing stopped and it was as though their hearts had stopped beating. In their hearts, they echoed a similar phrase…
Was she a goddess that descended from heaven… How could there be such an absolute beauty in this world…..
The ones that had the largest reactions were no doubt the young profound practitioners. They had been completely transfixed and their souls seemed as if they had unknowingly flew outwards. Even those clan heirs, who usually did not lack beauties around them were also mesmerized as their eyes and mind could not leave Xia Qingyue’s beauty. All of them could no longer feel their own existence. Even those middle-aged men and the elders, whose hair and beard had already turned white, were awestruck and mesmerized.
Xiao Clan’s Xiao Kuanglei, Xiao Zheng and Xiao Nan all had the same expression; they stared at her as though they had lost their souls. Burning Heaven Clan’s Fen Juecheng had unknowingly stood up from his seat and his eyes were filled with an unprecedented obsession… If they already had such big reaction, obviously the others also had a huge reaction.
The calmest person in the whole arena was also the one with the weakest profound strength, Xia Yuanba.
“Woah. As expected, big sis got prettier.” Xia Yuanba uttered in a soft voice. The atmosphere around the arena had suddenly became strange, causing him to look left and right, before looking at Yun Che. He muttered in confusion: “Everyone looks so weird… Even Brother-in-law too.”
When he had initially saw her during their wedding, Yun Che was already pleasantly surprised. Today, he was deeply shocked. A mere eighteen months could bring such a huge change to a girl’s looks. Sixteen year old Xia Qingyue was already beautiful beyond the likes of any normal girl. Now, she was seventeen and a half. With the nourishment from Frozen Cloud Asgard’s ice and snow, she could only be described as beautiful beyond the mortal world, which had made even him, stare blankly.
This was also one of the reasons why she was wearing a face veil.
Not only men, even a woman like Cang Yue was deeply amazed by her beauty. Even though she also possessed an absolute beauty with a very noble status to match, in front of a goddess that should not be in the human realm, she felt ashamed of her looks for the first time. Even though she knew she should not have such a feeling, she had a sense of inferiority. Looking at Xia Qingyue’s demeanor, such a feeling uncontrollably came over. As she turned to look at Yun Che’s dazed expression, she extended her arm and tightly grabbed onto his sleeve…
Some of the elders who had attended the ranking tournament thirty years ago would realize that this scene was very similar to when Chu Yuechan’s face veil dropped at that time… At that time, the same scene had replayed itself on the same stage thirty years later. Similarly, it was caused by a disciple from Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Silently looking at the reactions of the crowd and remembering the heartache from that time, caused tears to well up in Ling Yuefeng’s eyes. In his reminiscences, he did not realise that Xuanyuan Yufeng was staring at him. His reaction made her slowly frown. After that, she turned and looked at her son Ling Yun… He was the closest to Xia Qingyue. From his eyes, he revealed a unprecedented dreamy look. Such a look did not even appear when he conquered the Celestial Yuan Sword at the young age of seventeen.
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s chest rose drastically, as she spoke in a low voice: “Frozen Cloud Asgard… You harmed my husband in the past… Now… You’re going to harm my son… Do you want to make him follow his father’s footsteps…”
She spoke in a very soft manner which only she herself could hear. In her voice, one could sense a feeling similar to hatred, but it was more of jealousy! A woman’s jealousy, did not only occur between similarly aged people. Looks were always the most important thing woman cared about. Xuanyuan Yufeng was already fifty one, but as a profound practitioner in the later half of the Sky Profound Realm, she looked no older than thirty. If she dressed up younger, she could definitely pull off as Ling Yun’s younger sister. Her looks, were also above average. However, one would have to consider what she was comparing with… Compared to most other girls, she was a true beauty. However, when compared with Xia Qingyue…
To put it bluntly, it would be like comparing mud and the most colorful of clouds.
Ling Yun’s attack could be said to be world-shocking. The face veil dropping was also something that Xia Qingyue did not expect. Seeing the crowd’s reaction, she faintly sighed. Lifting her snowy hand, she brought out a new ice veil to cover her face, once more covering up the absolute beauty that made the heavens and earth pale in color while dulling the sun and moon.
The most beautiful image in the world being mercilessly covered brought countless people back to their senses.
“Is… Is… Is she a goddess…” A disciple of one of the sects muttered stupidly while in a daze.
“Woman… Can actually this beautiful to such an extent? I felt my soul leave my body just now… The legendary Princess Snow… Could at most be this much…”
“Princess Snow? Who’s Princess Snow?”
“What? You don’t even know the top beauty of Profound Sky Continent, Princess Snow? She is the sole daughter of the current emperor of Divine Phoenix Empire. When she was thirteen, she was publicly recognized as the top beauty in the continent and was labeled by her people as ‘the beloved child of heavens’, ‘the pearl of Divine Phoenix Empire’, ‘the treasure god gave to Divine Phoenix Empire’. Within the Divine Phoenix Empire, her existence is like a religion’s.”
“People from Divine Phoenix Empire might not know who their emperor is, might not know what the Divine Phoenix Sect is, but they all definitely know of Princess Snow! Rumor has it that several top painters wanted to paint a portrait of Princess Snow but no one was able to do it. When the top painter in Divine Phoenix Empire had seen Princess Snow, he threw his paint brush immediately and claimed that even if all the painters in the world gathered, no one would be able to properly represent her charm…”
“Whoa! Only thirteen and named the top beauty in Profound Sky Continent, could it be an over exaggeration? Could she be more beautiful than Fairy Xia?”
“…. No idea… But it can’t be possible? Fairy Xia is already beautiful beyond my dreams. I really cannot believe there can be anyone in this world more beautiful than her…”
Chapter 236 - Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon
“I want her… I must have her!!” Xiao Kuangyu and Xiao Kuanglei’s chests rose up and down as they issued the exact same words from their minds. As the sons of Xiao Sect’s Sect Master, they were people fated to look down upon the world in the future. To them, women were merely a man’s accessory. They had never thought, and also had never believed that there would be a woman they would lose their hearts to. Yet now, this woman appeared. They deeply felt that if they were to obtain this woman, it would truly mean that one did not live their life in vain and was the real peak of one’s life! And if it were to be compared, the position of the future Xiao Sect Master did not look the least bit attractive.
And this, was also the thought of practically every man with enough qualifications. As for those without the qualifications, they could only feel ashamed of their inferiority after being endlessly stunned. What was left, was only a fantasy that was as far as the clouds on the horizon reverberating in their minds.
“… She actually has gotten even more beautiful, and she is still only seventeen years old. Once a few more years pass, that wouldn’t be any joking matter.” Yun Che muttered to himself in a low voice. When he saw the entire audience’s reactions, it would be impossible for him to not feel a sliver of vanity, because that young girl who had struck the entire audience was his officially wedded wife… But he believed that if this fact were to be publicized, he would be pierced into a hornet’s nest by countless gazes of envy and hatred.
Xia Qingyue had always known about her own beauty, but she had never believed that it was a natural gift of any importance. Often times, she had even wished for her appearance to be a little more average. Coming to this ranking tournament with her face covered was the Asgard Mistress’ personal order, and she herself, was not the least bit opposed to it. Chu Yueli had also told her before that she mustn’t let the ice veil fall from her face. But Ling Yun’s miraculous move that was comparable to flowing light, had made this accident that she did not want to see, happen.
Ling Yun, was Ling Yun after all.
But this did not greatly influence Xia Qingyue’s state of mind in the least. During the process in which the ice veil fell to when she covered up her face again, she had merely released a light sigh. However, it was different for the Ling Yun in front of her. The Ling Yun who had always guarded his mind with sword intent, whose heart had not the smallest speck of dirt, was distinctly in disorder from his breathing. His eyes were no longer filled with a dignified tranquility and was instead suffused with with an unrest that could not settle down until a long while.
For Ling Yun, it was the first time this had happened since birth. The first time his mind had become such a mess in front of the dueling opponent he was up against.
Like the Ling Yuefeng who had seen Chu Yuechan’s true appearance that year.
Ling Yun was undoubtedly strong. If he was not lenient enough that he only cut apart her sleeve and veil, and instead aimed at her throat, she would perhaps have lost her life. Even though she possessed incomparable innate talent, she had a fatal weak point, which was her lack of actual combat experience! This kind of thing was something someone with an even greater innate talent would have trouble making up for. On this point, she was miles away from Yun Che.
However, this had also sounded an alarm in Xia Qingyue. Against such a frightening opponent like Ling Yun, she could no longer have any sort of reservations. She withdrew the ice crystal longsword in her hands. With a light wave of her right arm, a white radiance suddenly floated next to her, becoming a dancing white colored long ribbon. The long white ribbon was half a foot wide and twenty feet long. With a white body that was as lustrous as jade and as smooth as satin, its luster could reflect one’s own image. Its sheen complemented with the light that showered down from far above the sky, and was coated by a field of hazy shimmer, as mysterious and wispy ice spirits floated around its body.
The long ribbon possessed a spiritual consciousness, as it floated around Xia Qingyue’s body, circling like an intelligent white snake. With the entanglement of her sprinkling ice spirits and her surrounding’s ice aurora, it was too beautiful to absorb in all at once.
“That is…”
“It’s Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Sky Profound Weapon… the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon! As expected, after Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin had been eliminated, it had been handed over to Xia Qingyue.”
“But I have heard that the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was extremely hard to control. Not only does it take at least the Earth Profound Realm to bring out even a bit of its strength, one’s Frozen Cloud Arts has to be higher than the fifth stage… Her opponent is Ling Yun. Ling Yun had already reached the pinnacle of mastery for the Celestial Yuan Sword. Even if she takes out the the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, it is still probably impossible for the situation to take a turn for the better. At best, there would only be a bit of a struggle.”
When Frozen Cloud Asgard’s sole Sky Profound Weapon appeared, it would naturally be the center of attention. And at this time, Xia Qingyue did something weird. Extending her snow white jade hand, she grabbed at the average looking pendant on her neck and lightly pulled it down.
The instant the white jade pendant left her body, the profound energy aura that Xia Qingyue’s body emitted suddenly increased sharply. In a short one breath of time, the original eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm stepped over to the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, then to the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm… Then broke through the Spirit Profound Realm domain to arrive at the first level of the Earth Profound Realm… second level of the Earth Profound Realm…
Until finally, stopping at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… the intensity of the profound strength aura, was evenly matched with Ling Yun’s!!
This kind of change obviously could not be distinctively sensed by those young profound practitioners who did not have sufficient profound strength. However, those elders at the Earth Profund Realm or above, all turned pale with shock and stood up from their seats in their astonishment.
“Wh… What!! This is impossible… how could this be possible!!”
In this ranking tournament, Ling Yuefeng had been shocked beyond his expectations many times, but all of that added together fell short of this surprise. Not only him, apart from the members of Frozen Cloud Asgard, everyone who had sensed the change in Xia Qingyue’s profound strength, which included Xiao Juetian, Fen Moli, Xiao Boyun, Qin Wushang, and others… all wore expressions of shock, as if they had personally seen a building from the Heavenly Palace in the sky.
“Palace Chief Qin, what’s wrong?” Yun Che and Cang Yue promptly asked when Qin Wushang’s face dramatically changed when he suddenly stood up.
Qin Wushang fiercely gasped in a breath, and answered with difficulty in an extremely hoarse voice: “Actually is… is… third level of the Earth Profound Realm!”
“Ah!?!?” Cang Yue and Xia Yuanba were both so shocked that their mouths gaped open. Yun Che’s expression had also immediately stiffened in place as deep astonishment flashed in the depths of his eyes.
During the ranking tournament’s profound strength assessment, Ling Yun’s profound strength was revealed to be in the third level of the Earth Profound Realm and shocked the entire audience, but even though they had been shocked, it wasn’t as if they could not accept it. This was because Ling Yun was already at the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm at the age of seventeen. With his astonishing innate talent, breaking through into the third level of the Earth Profound Realm at the age of twenty was not too ridiculous.
But, Xia Qingyue was only seventeen this year… Seventeen at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, what sort of concept was that?
This had crushed Ling Yun’s publicly acknowledged “Number One of Blue Wind Empire’s Younger Generation” title. Not only that, this innate talent had been thoroughly crushed by a landslide! Out of Blue Wind Empire’s complete history, this had also never happened before!
It was entirely worthy and not at all discounted to say that this was the number one throughout all of history!!
“Hmph, as expected, her profound strength was concealed. Though I had never expected that it had anything to do with that necklace of hers!” Jasmine coldly snorted.
Yun Che: “…”
The necklace that Xia Qingyue had taken off was called the “Pearl of Frozen Deception”. It could perfectly suppress the wearer’s profound strength level at will! That’s right, not only could it suppress, it was also not a concealment that could be easily detected. If one does not deliberately use profound energy to closely examine this unremarkable necklace, even a Throne would find it extremely difficult to discover. Back when she was in Floating Cloud City, Xia Qingyue’s true profound strength had also been concealed by this Pearl of Frozen Deception.
In this ranking tournament, concealing her profound strength was a choice that Xia Qingyue had to make. Otherwise, if she had immediately revealed her true profound strength, it was obvious as to how much of sensation and commotion that would trigger.
Earth Profound Realm at the age of seventeen was unprecedented. But reaching the third level of the Earth Profound Realm at the age of seventeen, this kind of innate gifted talent simply could not be described with any words by everyone present. Xiao Sect, Burning Heaven Clan, and even Heavenly Sword Villa would never believe that they themselves, could nurture and produce a disciple with such an ability.
A peerless face that stunned the entire audience, was then followed by the revealing of such a peerless innate talent in front of them… In the midst of their shock, those experts could not help but doubt whether or not this seventeen year old young lady was mortal; if she was a Princess of Heaven sent to the human world by the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Palace, which was why she had received such an all out blessing from the heavens.
In everyone’s eyes, this duel was suppose to be a one-sided crush by Ling Yun. But now, the situation had changed greatly. Three years ago, at the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, Ling Yun had easily defeated Mu Lingxue, who was at the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Without a doubt, he possessed strength powerful enough to challenge those of a higher level. As a result, from that one point, Ling Yun ought to be as dominant as before, even if it would not be a crushing victory this time.
Though in regards to aptitude, in front of Xia Qingyue, he had already suffered a crushing defeat! He was not even on the same level… and in the entire Blue Wind Empire, another person who could be mentioned in the same breath as her, simply could not be found.
Ling Yun, who was the closest to Xia Qingyue, was the one who vividly sensed the change in her profound strength. His heart surged and swept as though it were the rolling waves of the sea that was difficult to calm. In his line of sight, Xia Qingyue slowly extended her arm. Along with that small movement, the trajectory of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also changed to become even more quick and discernible, as though it was a playful little fairy that frolicked around a beautiful goddess. The half severed sleeve silently hung, exposing half a jade arm so fair in color that it was almost transparent. As if it had been carved out from the center of the world’s most flawless jade, it was beautiful beyond compare.
“Sir Ling, many thanks for the leniency in your previous strike. Otherwise, Qingyue would have already lost. Qingyue will go all out now.”
A touching, faintly discernible voice that sounded like heaven’s music came out from between her petal-like lips and lingered beside Ling Yun’s ear, making him stare blankly without a reaction for a long while.
At this moment, Ling Yuefeng’s cold beration was suddenly heard in his mind: “Yun’er, focus!”
Ling Yuefeng’s spirit sound transmission was like a splash of cold water that poured on top of his head, and immediately cleared his head in a flash. Using the quickest speed possible, he rapidly put aside all distractions and restrained his mind. As his sword intent returned, he did not speak, and used his sword force to reply.
Pointing the Celestial Yuan Sword forward with its sharp end outwards, a large distortion appeared in the air as an incomparable sword force was released. Like a surging, yet formless wave, it swept across the entire Sword Discourse Arena. In an instant, he seemed to have become the center of the world. Even the watching audience that was the furthest away from him were able to vividly sense an oppressive, imposing aura. That kind of sensation felt as if one had been pointed with the sharp point of a blade between their brows. This chill made one tremble from head to toe! It was even more rich and powerful than Ling Jie’s sword force when he was wielding the dual swords, by at least ten times!
The Celestial Yuan Sword even reverberated as it pierced out!
In an instant, Ling Yun’s entire person vanished. The only thing the crowd could capture with their eyes was merely a cyan colored sword radiance and those distinctive ripples in the air… That’s right! That was a spatial ripple brought up by genuinely and legitimately cutting through space, and not the small degree of spatial distortion was stirred up by Ling Jie’s sword force. It was fundamentally impossible to compare the two in the same category!
The sharpness of Xia Qingyue’s senses naturally increased greatly as well when she had released all her profound strength. This sword strike was no longer possible to traced with her eyes. Her upper body moved slightly and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon instantly danced. As the white sheen swam, it precisely touched onto the Celestial Yuan Sword that shot piercing toward her. In the next instant, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was as if an intelligent snake that had just woke up, as it wrapped along the sword’s body as if lightning. At the same time, a wave of cold energy that was enough to freeze space itself suddenly exploded…
Chapter 237 - Sword Spirit Doppelganger
Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was an extremely unique weapon; it was similar to a whip, yet it also differed greatly from a whip. Some of its special qualities were even more unique. Ling Yun had fought countless matches before, but it was still the first time he had ever encountered this “Ribbon” type of weapon. Though he could tell that “entangle” was one of its core method of attack, Ling Yun completely did not expect that its entangling speed was actually so quick and overbearing. A burst of immense force that was almost not resistible suddenly traveled from his hand, and as he was caught off guard, the Celestial Yuan Sword was directly ensnared away out of his hands.
Even though Ling Yun was shocked, he did not panic. He retreated back as if lightning, dodged the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s attack, and extended his palm as sword intent channeled. The Celestial Yuan Sword that was ensnared up quickly escaped after a while of intense struggle within the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and flew back into his hands by itself.
“Heavenly Sword of Extreme Lightning!”
With a swing of the Celestial Yuan Sword, there was a burst of deafening thunderclaps and more than one hundred lines of sword light assaulted toward Xia Qingyue as if they were the brilliance of thunderbolts. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon turned from offense to defense as it whirled around her body with great speed and intercepted all of the lightning sword beams. However, Ling Yun’s finishing strike also pierced at her at this moment like rolling thunder; the sword beam that seemingly hid itself within the cracks within space, directly went for the tiny opening the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon produced in its dance.
Facing this dangerous sword strike, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon that was as lithe as a snake, suddenly shot straight out, and directly collided with the Celestial Yuan Sword. Along with an ear-piercing “clang” sound, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon deadlocked tightly with Celestial Yuan Sword just like that… The long ribbon that was originally as soft as silk, seemed as if it had transformed into indomitable fine steel at this very moment, and completely blocked the sword strike that was filled to the brim with Ling Yun’s sword intent.
“Bang!!”
As a ice lotus exploded, Xia Qingyue and Ling Yun were both blown away backwards simultaneously. Xia Qingyue gracefully landed, but when Ling Yun landed, a thick layer of frost had covered both of his arms. His eyebrows twitched before he finally blew off the frost with a bit of effort. He then looked at that long and snow-white ribbon with an extremely astonished gaze.
That was clearly just a long ribbon, how could it actually turn as tough as a sword!
“To actually be able to wield this Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon that is the hardest to control, so freely… How is this possible!” Ling Yuefeng uncontrollably exclaimed in shock. If he knew that it had only been a single year since Xia Qingyue first came into contact with Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, it was uncertain whether or not he would directly faint from the shock.
“A part of an ice phoenix’s soul is sealed within the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and it is extremely hard to control. The Asgard Mistress had used an entire thirty or so years, before she could display one hundred percent of its power. Yet Qingyue only took one year, and could already exhibit nearly seventy percent of its strength. It would be practically impossible for another with this kind of comprehensive ability to appear in our Asgard, even after a millennia.” Chu Yueli watched as she praised.
The Celestial Yuan Sword was a Sky Profound Weapon, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was a Sky Profound Weapon as well. But there also were disparities between Sky Profound Weapons; the Limitless Sword of Heavenly Sword Villa was a high-grade Sky Profound Weapon, and the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang Sword were roughly mid-grade. However, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was a genuine high-grade Sky Profound Weapon. Just by looking at the wielding proficiency, Xia Qingyue didn’t seem to lose against Ling Yun, who had received Celestial Yuan Sword three years ago either… Thus, in terms of weapons, Xia Qingyue had the absolute advantage!
After those few rounds of exchanges earlier, Ling Yun had also become vaguely aware of this. However, he did not dread the disparity in the weapon at all. What truly shocked him, was the fact that Xia Qingyue’s profound strength foundation was actually not inferior to him in the slightest.
“HAAH!!”
With a loud roar, the white in Ling Yun’s eyes quickly retracted. Within the enlarged pupils, two sword silhouettes were shown. All of the sword intent in his body was conjured without restrain, and was intense enough that it almost turned solid. In a glance, it was as if a cluster of transparent flames were burning around his body.
RIIIP!!
Ling Yun’s sword struck out, bringing along a storm of sword silhouettes that blotted out the sky. The change in Lin Yun’s sword force also made Xia Qingyue’s thin brows move; the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon danced in the air, and a wave of bone-chilling cold aura blanketed toward Ling Yun’s sky covering sword mirages.
BANG!!!!
The profound energy barrier that Ling Wugou personally made directly cracked the instant their profound energy clashed. At this moment, these two superb experts of the Earth Profound Realm had finally and truly begun their full power duel.
The sword was like streaming light and thunderbolt, but the ribbon was at times like the fog, at times as tough as profound ice, sometimes tangled, swept, pierced, and slashed… Yet all these transformations easily danced within Xia Qingyue’s hands without the slightest awkwardness. If an ordinary person faced this kind of weapon for the first time, they would definitely be dazzled and would not be able to keep up. But Ling Yun was Ling Yun after all; even though his sword skills seemed like pressing attacks, in actuality, they were all feints. Defending while pretending to attack, he used his eyes and awareness to capture the different transformations of Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon in its entirety. After more than three hundred sword strikes, he had already adapted to it, and shifted from defense to offense; every single sword strike was aimed at the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s openings.
RIIP!!
As the light on the sword flashed, over ten lines of deep marks appeared on the even ground.
BOOM!!
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon gently caressed the ground. Yet it was precisely this seemingly soft and gentle caressing action that brought up an ear-shattering sound. A fissure extended with an astonishing cold aura at extreme speed, and only stopped when it reached Ling Wugou’s feet, making him consecutively step backwards in panic.
Ling Yun vaulted up and moved in midair. Every single step he took, a sword blade whirlwind would be brought up. When he had reached Xia Qingyue, over thirty sword blade whirlwinds swept toward Xia Qingyue from different directions, and within every single sword blade whirlwind, were several tens of hidden sword beams.
Ling Yun coming from the front, and several tens of sword blade whirlwinds coming from the surroundings, was a despairing situation that made one’s gall feel cold. Xia Qingyue’s expression was serene and unwavering. As the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon gracefully danced, a gigantic light blue colored lotus blossomed below her feet with incomparable splendor.
“Ice Lotus Prison!!”
Twelve light blue colored flower petals competed to bloom, and displayed a dazzling brilliance like the starry sky. But this time, this enormous ice lotus was not used to attack nor defend, and instead, self-destructed…
Shatter!!
The ice crystals that covered the sky densely flew about and crazily clashed with the sword beams. The ice crystals were grinding apart the sword beams, and the sword beams were also grinding apart the ice crystals. Within the chaotic storm of ice lotus and sword blades, the Celestial Yuan Sword and Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also crossed strikes like a fierce rainstorm. Gradually, the crowd could no longer see the figures of the Celestial Yuan Sword and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and in the end, even Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue could only see the two’s afterimages that shifted with extreme speed… Only the intense sound of the collisions, as well as the ice crystals and sword beams that covered the sky, unceasingly remained.
More than half of the Sword Discourse Arena, an entire three hundred and thirty meters of area was completely shrouded by sword beams and ice crystals. Even Ling Wugou was forced back three hundred and thirty meters away. The surrounding audience had already become stupefied from watching, and some seniors had already quickly constructed profound energy barriers in front of the seats to prevent the sudden berserk and dispersion of these energy injuring the young sectoral disciples. Seeing the intense battle on the Sword Discourse Arena, the shock in their hearts could not be described with words… Was this really a battle between two youths?
How could a battle of this extent, occur between two youths!!
On the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s seats, Qin Wushang was also staring with wide eyes. Thinking back at his own strength when he was twenty, he sighed and muttered to himself: “These two, would certainly both be the pinnacle of Blue Wind Empire in the future… Especially this Xia Qingyue, will even more so, be unparalleled!”
Ling Yuefeng’s expression became more and more solemn. He had originally thought that since he was similarly at the third level of Earth Profound Realm, Ling Yun should hold the absolute advantage; because dominating others of the same rank was as easy as lifting an arm for him. However, he sat there and saw Ling Yun expend his full power little by little, yet was still incapable of getting the slightest advantage at all. All of a sudden, some anxiety birthed in his heart. Because from this kind of situation of the battle, it was impossible for him to not think about a possibility…
Which was the possibility of Ling Yun losing.
But if Ling Yun also lost, then he would be stopped in the semifinals just like Ling Jie, and the two brothers would be respectively rank third and fourth place! Their power ranking, would also fall into third place!!
His Heavenly Sword Villa that was the number one force in the Blue Wind Empire, the number one supremacy that had never been shaken in history, would only be placed third in this Ranking Tournament! Not even keeping the second place! In all of Heavenly Sword Villa’s history, that had never happened before! To Heavenly Sword Villa’s prestige and fame, this would be an unimaginably heavy strike.
Furthermore, the first place reward in this session of the Ranking Tournament —— the Dragonscale Armor, was a great gift that Ling Kun brought over from Mighty Heaven Sword Region to grant it to Heavenly Sword Villa. The reason why it was used as the first place treasure of this Ranking Tournament, was also just a feint. Because before the tournament, they, as well as everyone else were all completely certain that the first place of this Ranking Tournament must belong to Ling Yun, with no exceptions of other people. Thus, not only would the Dragonscale Armor return to their Heavenly Sword Villa in the end, it would also display their “immense” wealth of his Heavenly Sword Villa.
If Ling Yun loses, this Dragonscale Armor would also fall into the hand of another.
No matter which outcome happens, they were all outcomes that Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not accept.
Seeing Ling Yuefeng’s reaction, Xuanyuan Yufeng comforted: “Yuefeng, do not worry. Don’t forget, Ling’er still hasn’t used the Sword Spirit Doppelganger. Once the Sword Spirit Doppelganger is used, Xia Qingyue definitely would not have any possibility of winning.”
“Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Universe!!”
Cyan colored sword light crazily surged atop the Celestial Yuan Sword, and extended all the way up to sixty meters away. Looking from afar, it was as if Ling Yun was holding an enormous colossal sword that was over sixty meters long and one and half meters wide. Both of Ling Yun’s hands were held upwards, and the cyan colored sword light crashed toward Xia Qingyue like heaven’s sword of judgement.
BOOM!!
Amidst the enormous noise, a huge and bottomless chasm that was over three hundred meters long and five feet wide ruptured open in the Sword Discourse Arena, violently dividing the Sword Course Arena in half. But Xia Qingyue had already appeared far away in midair from who knows when. Ice spirits slowly floated around her body as flakes of snow gently fell from above. At first, the snowflakes were sparse, but right after, they increasingly grew in number. Ice cold wind had also slowly started to blow. In the end, the wind and snow melded together into a boundless blizzard and torrented down.
“This is… the sixth stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts, Realm of Heavenly Snow Invocation!!” Ling Yuefeng turned pale from shock! From his knowledge, the old Chu Yuechan who was half-step into the Emperor Profound Realm, had also only reached this stage! Even though Xia Qingyue’s aptitude was extremely astonishing, even if her apitude was even greater, how was it possible for her to reach the sixth stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts with a profound strength at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… This was unrelated to aptitude, and should instead be restrained by the most fundamental laws of profound strength!
This kind of strength was already not like simple profound strength anymore, and was more like an undefiable force of nature. Those flakes of snow seemed to be soft and gentle, but a terrifying cold energy and destructive force hid within every single flake. Ling Yun quickly retreated backwards, but was still caged within the overwhelming blizzard. His sword lights moved like lightning and cut apart the blizzard with extreme speed as he forcefully endured this attack that fundamentally should not belong to the Earth Profound Realm’s level. And at this time, a line of white light suddenly arrived before his body. Even though he noticed, it was simply impossible for him, who was defending against the Heavenly Snow to take into consideration, and was lightly touched on his chest by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon.
Bang!!!
Ling Yun sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood, which sprinkled onto the pure-white snowflakes. And at the same time, he also borrowed the force of this direct attack he received to escape backwards, far out of the overwhelming blizzard’s attack. After tumbling for over ten times in the air, he heavily landed onto the ground on one knee with the Celestial Yuan Sword as support and heavily gasped from his mouth.
Ling Yuefeng stood up with a “whoosh”. With a grab of his palm, the Celestial Yang Sword within Ling Jie’s hands was sucked into his, and was then thrown flying toward Ling Yun: “Yun’er, catch the sword!!”
Ling Yun lifted up his head, and a painful struggle flashed through his eyes. However, he still extended his hands and caught the Celestial Yang Sword. His gaze, also once again recovered its resolution.
When Ling Jie was facing Yun Che before, a show of Ling Yun’s sword support was put on.
And now, the same scenario actually happened to Ling Yun.
The entire Sword Discourse Arena was silent, and no one voiced out any boos. Because anyone would understand that in this battle, Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not afford to lose. If they let the dignified number one force and supremacy in Blue Wind be reduced to the third, it would unquestionably be a shame that Heavenly Sword Villa could not wipe off for the generations to come.
Naturally, it was impossible for Ling Yun to not understand this. Thus, even though using the dual swords would hurt his pride and dignity, he still did not refuse… Compared to the prestige of Heavenly Sword Villa, his own personal dignity was simply not important at all.
He had to win this battle.
With the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, the Celestial Yang within his right, Ling Yun slowly stood up. His hand that grasped onto the Celestial Yang Sword also slowly unclenched, yet the Celestial Yang Sword that lost its grasp oddly did not fall, and instead just floated there.
Both of Ling Yun’s hands clasped in front of him, as a eccentric radiance that was as sharp as the sword beams stirred within his eyes. Around his body, there also swirled up a burst of light gray colored profound energy radiance.
“Sword… Spirit… Doppelganger!”
Chapter 238 - Conclusion Through Domain
An illusory shadow suddenly appeared behind the Celestial Yang Sword. Following Ling Yun’s low mutterings, the profound energy on his entire body surged, and this shadow quickly congealed. Lastly, it actually turned into an image of a person which did not feel like an illusion at all. It wore the same clothes as Ling Yun, had the same build as Ling Yun, and even its appearance and gaze were completely the same. He reached his hand out to grasp at the Celestial Yang Sword in front of him, and in that moment, a wave of sword energy that was undeniably and completely the same as Ling Yun’s was released.
Two Ling Yuns stood together, and apart from the sword in his hands, there were no conceivable differences between them!
Yun Che’s jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes revealed shock. This is… an illusion? Remnants of a shadow? Wrong! If it was an illusion, for something like “sword energy” to exist was completely impossible, yet it was clearly releasing a sword energy that did not pale in comparison to Ling Yun’s in the slightest. It was just like another real Ling Yun!
Two Ling Yuns!?
The entire audience was stupefied, especially the younger practitioners, their eyes were opened wider than a cow’s. What skill was this? How could such an unimaginable skill like this exist in the world… It was practically like a magic trick! Even practitioners of the lowest strength could feel that the sword energy from the “second Ling Yun” was not one bit inferior to the real Ling Yun’s.
“This is the Sword Spirit Doppelganger! It is a special sword intent skill that could only be achieved by those who have attained perfect comprehension of sword intent, and are at the pinnacle of this realm!” Qin Wushang said as his eyebrows sank, “This Sword Spirit Doppelganger is formed from Ling Yun’s sword intent. Not only will it not discount from Ling Yun’s own strength, it will also have the same profound energy and skills as Ling Yun, so it will count as a completely different entity which is completely the same as Ling Yun! However, the Sword Spirit Doppelganger will be very taxing on his mind. When the Sword Spirit Doppelganger disappears, Ling Yun will definitely become extremely exhausted… However, with Ling Yun’s sword intent, this Sword Spirit Doppelganger will last for at least an eighth of an hour!
“Within that time frame, Xia Qingyue will be facing an equivalent of two Ling Yuns. A single Ling Yun is already incomparably terrifying. Two of him… Let alone an eighth of an hour, it would be extremely hard for Xia Qingyue to even last for sixty breaths of time.”
While Qin Wushang was speaking. Ling Yun’s Celestial Yuan Sword had already pierced straight out in a graceful strike. It seemed to slice through space, and even if a mountain had been up ahead, the sword would have been enough to slash it into pieces.
Xia Qingyue’s white ribbon fluttered and forged ahead to face the Celestial Yuan Sword. Following a loud explosion, the sword’s shadow and a white shadow clashed into each other, and terrifying noises like that of thunder and lightning simultaneously rang out. At this, the other Ling Yun had already rounded behind Xia Qingyue, and the Celestial Yang Sword pierced over with a sword energy of the same ferocity…
Other than by using unconventional means, Xia Qingyue’s profound energy would only be barely enough to match evenly with Ling Yun. To use strength that transcends the norm would undoubtedly be immensely consuming, and was not something that can be frequently unleashed. Xia Qingyue could contend against a single Ling Yun, but was definitely not able to match up against two of him.
The ice lotus exploded, and Xia Qingyue had already quickly shifted, but both Ling Yuns followed her like shadows. Two Sky Profound Swords, one cyan and the other orange, wove together to form two huge sword webs, locking Xia Qingyue firmly within. Originally, the power of both the Celestial Yuan Sword and the Celestial Yang Sword was already complementary. Now that both people and swords matched harmoniously, the might of this combination wasn’t as simple as just being doubled.
Crack!!
The entire Sword Discourse Arena shook violently and the large spiderweb cracks began to appear on the stone platform beneath. Many ice lotuses bloomed beside Xia Qingyue, but they would be crushed to dust instantly by the cyan and orange sword energies. Gradually, less offensive ice lotuses appeared as defensive ice lotuses increased, until at last, all the ice lotuses were concentrated on defending. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also went into a state of full defense and fluttered rapidly around Xia Qingyue, resisting the continuous sword energies from both swords.
Even so, she was still surrounded by danger, and was forced back step by step by Ling Yun.
“I’d have never thought that Ling Yun could actually already be able to use the Sword Spirit Doppelganger… Elder sister, I remember that it was also because Ling Yuefeng had used this strange Sword Spirit Doppelganger trick to cause you to be defeated that year.” Chu Yueli lightly spoke slowly with a cool expression. Even though Xia Qingyue had already been forced into such an absolute disadvantage, she still did not seem to be anxious at all.
Chu Yuechan’s face was cold as frost, and she did not reply.
Chu Yueli closed her eyes and activated spirit sound transmission, “Qingyue, it seems like there is no other choice. Activate ‘Domain’, I believe that once the Mistress knows that Ling Yun is capable of utilizing the Sword Spirit Doppelganger, she will not blame you for activating the Domain.”
The movements of Xia Qingyue, who had been doing her utmost to hold her own against both Ling Yuns, became sluggish. Suddenly, the ice spirits around her body floated, and a humongous “Ice Lotus Prison” exploded under her feet, causing both Ling Yuns to retreat at the same time.
The two Ling Yuns withdrew thirty meters away, then approached again at lightning speed. But at that moment, ice blue light was suddenly released from Xia Qingyue’s body. She closed both eyes, her expression as peaceful as snow. As she opened her arms slowly, her ink-black long hair floated up without any wind, and a wave of biting cold wind suddenly whistled down from the blue dome of heaven…
“Frozen… Cloud… Domain….”
A low and gentle chant slowly escaped from her lips. In a split second, it was as if the world suddenly switched over. The air in the three hundred meters that surrounded her turned into a sheet of ice in a flash. In this huge ice-blue domain, the air was as frigid as purgatory. Ice and frost filled the sky as they fell. Vapor in the air also rapidly solidified into countless ice crystals, forming a sheet of pure white that grew thicker by the second.
The movements of both Ling Yuns stopped simultaneously as layers of ice began to quickly solidify on their entire bodies. Deep shock was revealed on their faces.
“This is… This is… This is…”
“Domain!?” Without waiting for Ling Yuefeng’s cry of shock, Xuanyuan Yufeng clutched Ling Yuefeng’s hand and involuntarily shouted out.
Ling Kun’s complexion also changed in a split second. After the shock had passed, he quietly muttered to himself, “It’s truly worthy of being called… the Nine Profound Exquisite Body that holds no regard for regulations!”
“Do… Domain!?”
“It… It can’t be! It can’t possibly be! Domain…. Isn’t that a Throne’s power!”
“But this is clearly the strength of a Domain! And it’s a completely formed Domain!”
This time, not only the younger practitioners, but even the elders were all stunned. Domain, to the younger practitioners, was too far away for to reach, and to these elders, they clearly and deeply knew of the concept of Domain… And this sort of power was still the ultimate goal they pursued throughout their entire lives!
“Domain… Domain…” Ling Wugou stared at the ice blue world in front of him, gobsmacked. In the midst of all the shock, his face became thoroughly stiff. As of today, he was at the eighth level of the Sky Profound Realm, and the possibility of ever charging into the Emperor Profound Realm in his lifetime was extremely slim. And to fully utilize a Domain, was proof of a Throne’s power. But for him, all this was only a dream that could not been reached… However, this dream of his, had actually completely appeared on a mere seventeen year old girl’s body.
The might of Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud Domain could definitely not compare to when it was first used by Chu Yuechan, but its completeness far surpassed that. After all, the most that Chu Yuechan, who was then half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm, could use would only be half an Frozen Cloud Domain, while Xia Qingyue’s was fully complete!
Within the Frozen Cloud Domain, ice-cold flying snow, frost, mist, and wind… everything had been changed to become advantageous towards Xia Qingyue’s element, and at the same time, it restricted Ling Yun to an enormous extent in all aspects. The frightful chill cut to the bone, and even caused Ling Yun’s bones to tremble. The sky was filled with wind and snow, and the frosty mist obstructed his view… In the beginning, he was still able to withstand it with some effort, but gradually, his body began to harden, and be it his body’s speed or his sword’s speed, both dropped sharply, and even his sword’s strength weakened as if it too, had been frozen over.
Ding!
All of Ling Yun’s sword beams had already been frozen in midair straight away, and thick layers of frost had even spread to the Celestial Yuan and Yang Swords. The world within the Frozen Cloud Domain was akin to a freezing hell, and if a person did not have a Domain of similar intensity to counteract it, they would have to bear the continuous pain of the ice prison… For Ling Yun, who was in the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, let alone two of him, even if there were ten, or a hundred, he would still not be able to create a true Domain.
While he was dumbstruck and at a loss, thick layers of ice had already unknowingly crusted below his feet and on his chest. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon came attacking from midair, but his hardened body no longer heeded what he wanted it do, and his movements were impossibly slow…
Ping!!
With a loud explosion, the layers of ice on his chest were smashed into pieces. Xia Qingyue did not hold back at all in this hit, causing Ling Yun to be sent flying far away, flying straight for thirty meters, before landing outside of the Frozen Cloud Domain.
Bang!!
Ling Yun fell harshly onto the ground. In the split second that he had hit the ground, his Sword Spirit Doppelganger vanished, and the Celestial Yang Sword also fell powerlessly. While in the Frozen Cloud Domain, not only had his body been frozen, his profound strength had as well. So when he had taken that hit, his profound energy defense had been extremely frail. This one hit, had made him suffer profuse inner injuries. Adding to that, his soul energy was seriously damaged by the Sword Spirit Doppelganger’s dissipation. The world in front of his eyes was a sea of disorder. His body struggled, yet he was ultimately unable to stand up.
“Y…. Young Villa Master!”
Ling Wugou rushed over quickly to help Ling Yun up. The moment he touched him, he found that his body was practically as cold as a block of ice.
“I… surrender…” Slowly opening his eyes, Ling Yun said these two words that he had thought he would never speak in his entire life with great difficulty. After which, his head sagged and he fainted dead away.
Initially, he had shared the limelight equally with Xia Qingyue, but after utilizing the Sword Spirit Doppelganger, he had gained the upper hand. However, the moment Xia Qingyue had unleashed Frozen Cloud Domain, he suffered a crushing defeat in the blink of an eye… Because that had surpassed the fundamental laws of profound energy. It was strength that should not have appeared in the Earth Profound Realm. He did not have the strength to contend against it at all.
Ling Yuefeng somberly went back to his seat, and then took a long breath before silently closing his eyes. The moment Frozen Cloud Domain had appeared, he knew that Ling Yun had lost, and that Heavenly Sword Villa had lost… There was not even a shred of hope for a fluke.
“She is clearly only an Earth Profound Realm practitioner, how could she… how could she…” Ling Yuefeng muttered lowly and despondently. Even up to now, he still could not accept what everyone present had just seen with their own eyes.
“Ling Yun has conceded… Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue is the winner, and will enter the final battle tomorrow!” Ling Wugou stood up, and with a voice filled with pain, announced the results of this battle that nobody would have ever expected to happen.
Ling Yun… had lost…
Unexpectedly, it was Ling Yun who lost!!
They couldn’t imagine what a commotion it would cause in the Blue Wind Empire if news of this outcome were to circulate.
And if news that this practitioner who was only in the Earth Profound Realm could utilize Domain were to spread out, it would shock… Undoubtedly, it would shock the entire Sky Profound Continent!
Within the strong who were half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm, some who were especially endowed could forcefully try to use an incomplete Domain, but never had anyone been able to utilize Domain in the Earth Profound Realm, and especially a complete Domain at that!
The ice-blue Domain had slowly vanished, and under everyone’s deep shock and stares of disbelief, Xia Qingyue floated down from the sky. When she landed, her body gently shook and her towering chest also rose and fell fiercely. Even more so, her complexion was abnormally white… The result of unleashing something that belonged to the Emperor Profound Realm with only strength at the Earth Profound Realm, anyone would know how immense the toll would be on her. At her peak, this gorgeous Frozen Cloud enchantment could barely last for a maximum of twenty breaths of time.
A profound stone was again erected in the center of the Sword Discourse Arena, and on it, the two people who would be competing in the finals tomorrow were displayed…
Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che —— versus —— Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue!
Chapter 239 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (1)
No one had foreseen the results of the two battles in the semifinals. Yun Che’s battle with Ling Jie, was a visual feast for the audience, and Xia Qinyue’s duel with Ling Yun, had completely destroyed all of their prior perceptions. After the battles, those who had watched the entirety of the battle could not calm down for a long while.
In this ranking tournament, in these battles of youths of under twenty, unexpectedly appeared a Domain!
“Sigh, it is truly Yangtze’s waves pushing the waves ahead . We have aged, the time for the younger generation to shine has already arrived! Ling Yun alone could make us speechless, but this Xia Qingyue… Hehe, in front of this young girl, I feel like I can’t even raise my head.” One of the elders of a major sect said while sighing.
(Author’s ps: Don’t ask me why “Yangtze” is here! I really don’t know!)
“It is still a good thing. It at least proves that our Blue Wind Empire’s profound realms can grow to an even higher level in the future.”
“I wonder where Frozen Cloud Asgard found such a disciple. After this ranking tournament, the name ‘Xia Qingyue’ will resound throughout Blue Wind Empire. The title strongest of the youths, will have to change hands.”
“Without a doubt, this young girl must be the first in history to cause Heavenly Sword Villa to just be a side character. It must be hard for Heavenly Sword Villa to take.”
All the discussions were focused on Xia Qingyue, and few people brought up the the other participant of tomorrow’s battle, Yun Che. It was not surprising; even though Yun Che and Ling Jie’s battle was exciting, when compared to Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue’s battle, it was worse by a few levels. Yun Che also didn’t have it easy beating Ling Jie, and had his weapon broken. No matter what happens, he wouldn’t be able to beat Xia Qingyue, who overcame Ling Yun, and could even cast a Domain.
Once Xia Qingyue’s Domain was released, perhaps in the entire Earth Profound Realm, there were none that could be her match. This type of ability that transcended realms, as well as the rules of profound strength, was a gift from the heavens.
The people of Heavenly Sword Villa were indeed feeling unhappy.
Having his body and meridians frozen by the Domain, injured by Xia Qingyue’s attack, and even suffering from the side effects of the Sword Spirit Doppelganger technique, Ling Yun had not awaken even after a whole 6 hours. The fainted Ling Yun was extremely pale, and his face unconsciously showed signs of suffering… It was hard to say whether it was because of the pain of his body, or whether he could not accept that he, who had always been unmatched among the youths, had lost, embarrassing Heavenly Sword Villa.
“Yun’er still hasn’t awaken?” Ling Yuefeng walked over, with neither happiness nor sadness on his face.
“Not yet. The Sword Spirit Doppelganger wasn’t released voluntarily, but destroyed. Brother’s spirit should have taken quite a bit of damage, but he should awaken after another few hours.” Ling Jie said worriedly.
“Sigh…” Ling Yuefeng let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. “This two battles, you and your brother had both displayed all your skills completely, there’s nothing more to say about our loss. It seems like these years I have been too proud and ignorant… Our Heavenly Sword Villa’s era of reign, has to end from this point onwards…”
…………………………
Night fell with the waning moon hanging high in the sky, and the clear moonlight shining downwards. Under the moonlight, Xia Qingyue sat silently beside the lotus pond, hands supporting her cheeks, as she quietly stared at the incomplete moon. Her eyes were like calm lakes without ripples. She was deep inside her own secret thoughts.
A cool breeze blew, and a snow white image appeared next to her without a sound. Xia Qingyue lowered her gaze, stood up, and then bowed. “Senior Master.”
Chu Yuechan nodded faintly, then extended her jade like hand which held a pellet. The pellet was snow white, and exuded a light that was similar to the moon: “You used your Domain today, and slightly wounded your vitality. At this rate, you will only recover sixty percent of your energy by tomorrow, but after taking this pellet, you can completely recover.”
“Frozen Soul Heaven Returning Pellet…” Xia Qingyue was astounded, and did not receive it. “Frozen Soul Heaven Returning Pellet is a priceless treasure, it shouldn’t be wasted on Qingyue.”
“You are Frozen Cloud Asgard’s future pillar and hope. The position of Asgard Mistress will also belong to you in the future. Any treasure that is used on you would never be a waste. Take it.”
Chu Yuechan’s position in Frozen Cloud Asgard was second only to the Mistress. Xia Qingyue did not refuse any longer as she received the pellet, and immediately placed it in her mouth.
“Thank you Senior Master.”
As the Frozen Soul Heaven Returning Pellet entered her body, the night breeze suddenly became extremely cold, and the energy of heaven and earth quickly entered Xia Qingyue’s body, allowing her her injured vitality and profound energy to quickly recover.
Chu Yuechan watched Xia Qingyue for a short while with a complicated gaze before whispering: “Qingyue, for the battle tomorrow, do not underestimate your opponent, and even more importantly, do not assume that victory is in your hands. With regards to his ability, though he is still hiding some secrets, even if he does utilize everything, he will still be far from you. With your Domain, it is true that under the Sky Profound Realm, there isn’t anyone who can be your match. However, he has two things that you distantly fall short of.”
Xia Qingyue glanced up with astonishment in her moon-like beautiful eyes: “Please advise me, Senior Master.”
“The first, is his battle experience and extremely acute five senses. His decision making and decisiveness under dangerous circumstances coupled with his battle experience, forget about you, even I am far from his level… The second, is his perseverance and willpower. Even if he is pressured to the limit and has no ability to counter attack, do not assume that he has lost, but conversely, when he is in dire straits, he could become even more terrifying. Under extreme pressure, a normal person can bring out the last power from their body, but for him, he can bring out power from his soul… This battle tomorrow, not only should you not relax, it could perhaps be a difficult battle. These are not empty words, but is my advice for you as your Senior Master.
“Even if you lose, I would not be too astonished.”
Hearing Chu Yuechan’s words, Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment.
Chu Yuechan’s heart was like profound ice, and with a cold personality, she usually hardly spoke. This was the first time that she has heard this Senior Master that she revered speak so much. And every word she said, was giving a young man an extremely good assessment… So high that it seemed like an impossible assessment.
If she had not heard it directly from Chu Yuechan, it would be impossible for her to believe that it had happened.
“Yes, I will remember Senior Master’s advice.” Xia Qingyue said softly. Shortly after, even though she was hesitating, she asked: “Qingyue has a presumptuous question to ask Senior Master…”
“You would like to know why I understand him so?” Chu Yuechan slowly closed her eyes.
“Yes…”
Chu Yuechan turned around, and just when Xia Qingyue thought she was going to leave, she suddenly said faintly: “Previously, I left the Asgard to hunt for three Sky Profound Cores so you can refine the Ice Heart Jade Fluid. When I obtained the third profound core, I accidentally got poisoned. After that, I met him and he helped me cure the poison, and I ended up owing him a favor.”
Xia Qingyue’s lips parted as her gaze trembled.
“Two months after I returned to Asgard, I left again, and disappeared for five months. Those five months were spent with him, because I wanted to repay the favor by protecting him, but in the end, he was the one who saved my life instead. It was also because of him that I could break into the Emperor Profound Realm.”
“…” Xia Qingyue did not make a sound for a long time, for she was unable to believe everything she had heard.
Even Chu Yuechan herself wasn’t sure why she told these secrets, that she had planned to keep to herself for the rest of her life, to Xia Qingyue. Perhaps, it was because deep within her heart, she felt a type of indescribable inferiority to her… After all, Xia Qingyue was his legal and proper wife, but she as Xia Qingyue’s Senior Master, had…
“These words, cannot be repeated to anyone, including your master.”
“Yes.” Xia Qingyue nodded, her thoughts bewildered.
“As an exchange, can you answer a question?”
Today, Xia Qingyue had an unreal feeling, what with Chu Yuechan talking so much. She nodded: “Senior Master, please ask.”
Chu Yuechan glanced back, her cold voice carried some gentleness: “When I taught you Frozen Cloud Arts, I checked your awareness, and found out that you did not really like to train, but had a very strong desire to obtain greater power. Can you tell me the reason?”
Xia Qingyue was startled, and a deep sadness appeared in her eyes fleetingly. Her eyes became misty, and even the ice spirits around her calmed down and became quiet.
“Because of… my Mother…” After Chu Yuechan’s open-hearted words, she did not choose to hide, but very naturally, with words that flowed like the mist, she said: “Father and mother’s meeting was very magical… When father met mother outside of the city, she was in a coma and her entire body was covered with blood. After she woke up, she did not have any of her memories, and her body was extremely weak… Then, mother married father, and because her body was weak, giving birth to me was very difficult, and I narrowly escaped death…”
“When I was four years old, mother suddenly regained her memories… She left, like a fairy she flew away and left… When she left, she hugged me and my brother while crying pitifully, saying that if she didn’t leave, she would bring calamity to the whole family. She said that where she was going, was a place called the Domain of the Gods. It was a place that we could never get to… After that, even though father stayed strong, I often see him shed tears quietly when he was alone. After more than ten years, he never remarried… Brother was so young and ignorant, but when growing up, the thing that he envied the most, was that others people had mothers…”
“Domain of the Gods?” Chu Yuechan’s eyebrows tightened, because even with her experience, she had also never heard of this name, “Do you know what kind of place it is?”
Xia Qingyue absent-mindedly shook her head: “I don’t know. I have researched many ancient books, but I never encountered this name.”
“The reason you pursue profound power is so that you can reach a level high enough to learn this name, correct?”
“Mn…” Xia Qingyue nodded slightly before raising her snow white face to look at the waning moon in the sky: “I only want a reunited family. Even though this goal is very far, I believe that as I climb higher and higher, I will inevitably be able to see the silhouette of my mother one day…”
At this moment, the sound of deliberately soft footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Soon, a clear voice drifted over from the main door of the courtyard: “This one is Xiao Sect’s Xiao Kuangyu. I would like to meet the Fairy of Frozen Moon, ‘Xia Qingyue’… This one does not have any other intentions. It’s just that I have an frozen jade hairpin which suits the Fairy of Frozen Moon. Only when matched with the Fairy of Frozen Moon, would this treasure not be wasted. And also…”
Before Xiao Kuangyu could finish speaking, Chu Yuechan extended her hand and pushed. A stream of solidifying cold energy suddenly rushed forth and sealed the courtyard’s main entrance with a thick ice wall three meters in height. The stream of cold energy that rushed towards him caused Xiao Kuangyu to pale in fright, and he speedily retreated. Even though his face was twitching with anger, he did not dare to say anything. He had no option but to forcefully clench his teeth as he angrily left with a flick of his sleeve.
In the entire Blue Wind Empire, perhaps only Frozen Cloud Asgard could thwart and embarrass this second young master of the Xiao Sect.
Chapter 240 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (2)
Yun Che straightened his upper body. Bending his right leg forward, he closed his eyes, and both his hands assumed the sword-grasping form. After maintaining this motion for a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and growled before chopping forward with both arms…
But these series of movements were mere movements without any grandeur.
“What are you doing?” Jasmine finally could not restrain her curiosity as she asked out loud.
Yun Che retrieved both hands, heaved a sigh of relief, and said: “Jasmine, what do you think the probability of me winning the fight tomorrow is?”
“If any other person was substituted, with the exact same profound strength and profound techniques as you, the probability of defeating Xia Qingyue would be completely zero! Even if this person had used all his strength, he shouldn’t even think about exchanging more than ten moves. But for you… there’s probably a tiny chance.” Jasmine responded lightly: “Because, when you are about to lose, you’ll become a madman who can’t afford to lose!”
“Hehe, thanks for the praise.” Yun Che smiled, quite pleased with himself.
“Praise? I was being sarcastic!” Jasmine corrected herself very earnestly: “I can feel that you aren’t that confident about defeating Xia Qingyue yourself, yet you also absolutely won’t permit yourself to lose. So, at that time, even I won’t be able to anticipate what kind of life-threatening actions you’ll make. However, I must warn you, it is best that you don’t try to forcefully activate the third realm of the Evil God. At the Dragon God Trial grounds, you forcefully activated the second realm of the Evil God. If it wasn’t for your Great Way of the Buddha suddenly making a breakthrough, you would have died there. You won’t have such heavenly luck every time!”
“I’m not really a person who can’t afford to lose; if tomorrow’s opponent was Ling Yun, or even Xiao Jie, I wouldn’t think much about it if I lost, but only Xia Qingyue… I definitely cannot lose! This isn’t an issue of victory or defeat, but an issue of a man’s dignity!”
“A man’s dignity?”
“… This is a matter between adults, little kids won’t understand it.” Yun Che answered with a grin.
“Little kid? Hmph! Everything I know, surpasses your knowledge ten million times!” Jasmine snorted in disdain: “You still haven’t answered my question. What are you gesticulating?”
“It’s not much. I’ve just been trying to get a feel for the Sirius’ Second Sword Style based off the fundamental stage of the Prison God Sirius’ Tome, but evidently, I’ve been a bit too quixotic.” Yun Che said grudgingly. He had tried to do this numerous times, but each time, his efforts proved to be fruitless.
“Jasmine, do you really not have any impression at all of the Sirius’ Second Sword Style?” Yun Che suddenly asked. Currently, out of all of his attacking profound techniques, Sky Wolf Slash had the greatest power. And Sky Wolf Slash was only the first sword style of the Prison God Sirius’ Tome, yet it already had such formidable power; the godly might of the following sword styles must be even more frightening.
“During that time, I had only casually flipped through the Prison God Sirius’ Tome while Big Brother was training, so I only remember the fundamental stage and the first sword style…” Speaking to this point, Jasmine seemed to have thought of something, and after a slight pause, a string of scenes suddenly appeared in Yun Che’s mind… In the scenes, a young man with a handsome figure and unclear facial features was currently brandishing an enormous heavy sword even larger than his body. Every wave of the heavy sword caused the winds and clouds to rumble, and the earth to quake…
“This… is…”
“This is a scene of Big Brother training. His heavy sword sword styles are mostly from the Prison God Sirius’ Tome, but there are only movements, and no profound arts. Furthermore, I can’t guarantee that these scenes won’t have mistakes and omissions. Whether or not you can get anything out of this, it’s all up to you.” Jasmine said irresponsibly.
Yun Che didn’t say anymore. After calming his heart down, he began to silently observe the form of the figure wielding the heavy sword in his mind, over and over again…
The next day, Heavenly Sword Villa’s Sword Discourse Arena.
The sun had yet to rise, but the Sword Discourse Arena was already completely packed. This day was the concluding day of the Ranking Tournament, and the two parties in the final battle was an unprecedented pair of a young man and woman who were merely seventeen years of age.
One was Yun Che, who had the lowest profound strength out of all the participating disciples, yet consecutively defeated opponents with profound strengths far surpassing his, and ultimately, miraculously charged into the final battle. In every one of his fights, he had brought about more or less legendary flair. He was the first ever disciple in the True Profound Realm to have participated in the Ranking Tournament, and furthermore, the first ever True Profound Realm participant to have charged into the finals!
And the other one was Xia Qingyue, who had revealed her true strength yesterday, defeated Ling Yun, and astonished everyone present. After yesterday’s battle, she had become the Blue Wind Empire’s number one genius. Furthermore, she had replaced Ling Yun, and became the number one of the younger generation. In the future, she would definitely become a king class expert whose name would shake all of Blue Wind.
And Heavenly Sword Villa, which had always taken the leading role of this decisive battle in the past, had been reduced to mere spectators this time. Ling Yuefeng had arrived very early, but he just sat silently the entire time, and didn’t say a word. Ling Yun, who had lost the fight yesterday, also appeared next to Ling Yuefeng. He was similarly silent, but his expression was very tranquil; at least on the surface, it seemed like he hadn’t taken much of a blow from yesterday’s loss.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was too weak, but that his opponent was so powerful she completely exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Today, there were originally two battles scheduled in the Sword Discourse Arena. The first battle was the fight for the third and fourth places, but this fight had directly concluded when Ling Jie conceded the match in advance. Ling Yun, who had originally been expected to take first place, thus ranked third. Before the Ranking Tournament, everyone had made a great deal of predictions as to which competitors would become the top three, and the only unanimous prediction was that Ling Yun would take first place. If he hadn’t gone through the fight with Xia Qingyue yesterday, no would ever think about or even believe this kind of conclusion.
“… The final battle of the ranking tournament: Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che, versus Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue. May both contestants ascend the Sword Discourse Arena!”
Ling Wugou declared loudly at the center of the Sword Discourse Arena.
“Junior Brother Yun, good luck!”
“Brother-in-law, good luck!”
Yun Che stood up, and suddenly asked to his side: “Yuanba, do you hope that I’ll win, or hope that your sister will win?”
“Eh…” Xia Yuanba was stumped. He scratched his head, and said: “If Brother-in-law wins, I’ll certainly be happy, and if Big Sis wins, I’ll definitely be happy as well.” Having spoken to this point, Xia Yuanba’s eyes suddenly began to sparkle: “Waaah! Before, the Ranking Tournament could only appear in my dreams, but now Big Sis and Brother-in-law are competing for first place; it’s as if I’m still inside a dream. However, if I had to compare the two of you… I still hope Brother-in-law will win.”
“Oh? Why?” Yun Che asked with a faint smile.
“This, this… because Big Sis is still a girl y’know, and is also Brother-in-law’s wife. Being defeated by Brother-in-law seems a bit more reasonable.” Xia Yuanba answered in a somewhat confused manner.
“Hahahaha.” Yun Che began to laugh. He reached out and patted Xia Yuanba’s shoulder: “Yuanba, well spoken. As a man, it’s not much if I lose to other people, but I definitely can’t lose to my own wife!! So what if she’s a tigress or a phoenix, I must firmly… Mn, ride her!!”
Xia Yuanba stared wide and nodded blankly. Even though he hadn’t completely digested Yun Che’s words, he felt that they made a lot of sense.
This crooked reasoning by Yun Che made Cang Yue smile wryly, but she did not rebuke him. These words that were filled with arrogance and machismo ought to have sounded repulsive from a girl’s perspective; but coming from Yun Che’s mouth, it didn’t make her feel odd and repulsed. Instead, she had a fitting feeling that this belonged to a part of his disposition.
Under the gazes of several thousands of people, Yun Che walked to the center of the Sword Discourse Arena, and stood opposing Xia Qingyue.
The current Xia Qingyue had an ice veil covering her face, making him unable to see her features even though he was very close. However, that single fleeting glance yesterday, was already enough for him to carve it deep into his heart. The two silently faced each other… Other than the limited few, no one present would have thought that these two people who seemed to be completely unrelated, were actually a genuine husband and wife pair.
Recalling the bridal greeting, wedding, and sleeping together back then… At that time, she was the publically acknowledged beloved daughter of the heavens, and what’s more, she had been accepted as a disciple of the Frozen Cloud Asgard even earlier. Yet, he was only a wastrel with crippled profound veins and no future who was looked down in contempt by everyone; the two’s difference could be said to be as far as heaven and earth. But just with a short few days of interacting, Yun Che had already cracked a tiny little fissure in Xia Qingyue’s cold and indifferent heart. However, the unforeseen event that came right after, made them go on their separate ways earlier than expectations… When they met again, the trajectory and height of the two’s lives, both had already turned upside down.
The her before was a beloved daughter of the heavens, and the dotings of thousands upon thousands of people concentrated on that one body. The her right now, was even more blessed countless times by the heavens, and stood on an unreachable plane that made peers of the same age exclaim in shock.
And in Xia Qingyue’s eyes, as if a miracle, that youth who was frail and weak yet had a resolute and profound gaze, and was even somewhat bold and audacious in front of her, actually grew into a enormous tree that reached the heavens in less than two short years. The him that time could only be oppressed by others and was driven out of his family in the end; yet the him now, could stand on this profound strength stage of the highest level in the Blue Wind Empire with pride, and declare his name at all of Blue Wind Empire’s peak experts.
It was like an inexplicable setup by fate; this pair of husband and wife that should by no means have crossed each other again, had nevertheless, simultaneously stood on this stage that represented the pinnacle. The other party, was their last opponent.
“Qingyue, do you know why I participated in the Ranking Tournament this time?” Yun Che opened his mouth first while looking into Xia Qingyue’s eyes, and asked while smiling faintly.
Without waiting for Xia Qingyue to inquire, Yun Che followed up: “The first reason is to complete Senior Sister Xueruo’s dream. I have already accomplished this. As for the second reason…”
Yun Che extended his right hand forward as a gray light flashed, and grasped onto the hilt of Dragon Fault. The tip of the sword, in which a fierce dragon was embedded, naturally drooped down, piercing the ground beneath him with a loud explosion. A gust of thick and domineering imposing force also surged and spread like waves in all directions.
“I’ll tell you after I defeat you!”
The instant Dragon Fault was taken out, not in the least unexpected, the might of the Sky Profound sword awed the entire arena. In the Blue Wind Empire, it was well known that only seven Sky Profound weapons existed; this heavy sword, was actually a Sky Profound Weapon that had never before been seen!
“This imposing force… is a Sky Profound Weapon! And a high-grade Sky Profound Weapon at that!
“Such a Sky Profound Weapon actually exists in Blue Wind Empire, why haven’t I ever heard of it? Could it be that the Blue Wind Imperial Family has been concealing it this entire time?”
“It looks as if it’s still a heavy sword… A Sky Profound heavy sword, I’m afraid even an expert at the Sky Profound Realm would find it difficult to control. Can he control it?”
“Sky… Sky Profound heavy sword?” Ling Jie cried out in surprise, then clenched his teeth silently: “No wonder he didn’t want me to pay him for breaking that Earth Profound heavy sword. It turns out he actually has a Sky Profound heavy sword… In other words, he was still holding back in our fight yesterday, and didn’t use all his strength… Mn? Father, what happened? Ah? Big Bro, your expression has also become really strange.”
“Father, doesn’t it look like that sword?” Ling Yun suddenly asked.
Ling Yuefeng didn’t respond, and rapidly withdrew an ancient book of historical records from his spatial ring. He flipped through the first several pages of the historical records, and after his gaze halted for a moment, he raised his hand, looked at the enormous sword in Yun Che’s hands, and said in a low voice: “Based on the information we’ve received about Yun Che in the last few days, for some time before this, did he go to the Wasteland of Death, and spend an entire five months of time there before coming out?”
“That did indeed happen.” Ling Yun nodded.
“Looks like it can’t be wrong.” Ling Yuefeng closed the historical records and withdrew it into his spatial ring: “Without a doubt, that sword is indeed Dragon Fault.”
Chapter 241 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (3)
“Dragon Fault?” Ling Jie felt that this name sounded somewhat familiar. He thought about it for a while before saying with astonishment: “Dragon Fault, wasn’t that the heavy sword recorded in our sect’s history? Don’t tell me…”
“Dragon Fault’s written accounts could be traced back to a thousand years ago. Heavenly Sword Villa had just been recently established then, and the Villa even had a heavy sword department.” Ling Yuefeng explained slowly: “But it only took two generations for this department to decline. During the third generation, those who practiced the heavy sword dwindled to such a small number that did not even reach ten. At that time, in order to make a breakthrough and revive the heavy sword, the elder of that department left for the Wasteland of Death with Dragon Fault… Records say that the Dragon Fault Sword was forged by our ancestors using Ten Thousand Year Old Ardent Gray Stone. Sealed within the sword is the soul of a young Sky Profound Dragon’s soul, which was why it was named Dragon Fault. But ever since the Dragon Fault Sword had been born in this world, it had never once displayed its true Sky Profound might. After that heavy sword department elder entered the Wasteland of Death with Dragon Fault, he had never once came out. And from that point onwards, the Dragon Fault Sword vanished without a trace.”
“According to the information that I’ve received, Yun Che had once gone deep into the Wasteland of Death before. The Sky Profound sword in his hands is exactly the same as the Dragon Fault written in our records… Without doubt, that must be Dragon Fault.” Ling Yuefeng creased his brows as he said that. He deeply understood what kind of concept it was to have “gone deep into the Wasteland of Death.”
“Ah… Father, are you thinking… of demanding to have the Dragon Fault Sword back after the ranking tournament?” Ling Jie probed as he carefully assessed Ling Yuefeng’s reaction.
“No.” Ling Yuefeng shook his head: “At that time, Heavenly Sword Villa had searched for the Dragon Fault Sword for many years, yet ended up empty-handed. In the end, they gave up. Him obtaining Dragon Fault is due to his own ability and luck. Our Heavenly Sword Villa has no right to demand it… But this can also be regarded as fate between him and our Heavenly Sword Villa. After all, that is a heavy sword that our ancestors themselves, personally casted.”
“This is the last battle of this session’s ranking tournament. The victor, will become the new leader of Blue Wind Empire’s younger generation and also receive the ‘Dragonscale Armor’ bestowed by one of the Sacred Grounds, the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region…”
When he said the words “Dragonscale Armor”, a pained expression of heartache clearly flashed past Ling Yuefeng’s face. A Sky Profound protective armor was obviously even more rare and precious than a Sky Profound Weapon, and this Dragonscale Armor was also the highest of highest grade. It was originally suppose to belong to their Heavenly Sword Villa. Never did they expect that “making feints” would become a “submissive hand over”. Not feeling brokenhearted would be weird.
“Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che against Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue… Battle start!!”
Bang!!
Dragon Fault was pulled out by Yun Che from under his foot, bringing along small pieces of broken rock that flew in the air as it released an unrestrained powerful yet dignified imposing aura. Both his hands firmly held onto Dragon Fault. In the blink of an eye, his aura had already become one with Dragon Fault’s aura. While watching Xia Qingyue, he spoke lowly: “Do you still remember what I told you that night? If we become adversaries, I hope that you will use all our strength, without ever holding back!!”
“Burning Heart… Open!”
Yun Che suddenly roared in a loud voice, and Evil God’s Second Gate —— Burning Heart, opened without the slightest hesitation! In an instant, the profound energy aura on his body suddenly increased explosively at an incomparably shocking rate. The aura’s level was still of the tenth level of the True Profound Realm, but it was not known how many times the thickness of this aura exceeded the limits of the True Profound Realm. It was actually so strong that it quickly drew near to the intensity of Xia Qingyue’s aura.
“AHHHHHHH!!” Ling Jie leaned forward as his mouth gaped open and released a seemingly frightened yell. Originally, even when he had been defeated yesterday, he still felt that it was not an easy win for Yun Che. However, when he brought out Dragon Fault, his self-confidence immediately took a hit. And at this moment, the intensity of Yun Che’s profound energy suddenly increased explosively. It was obviously not the same as yesterday’s, and this fact ruthlessly hammered at Ling Jie’s heart.
It turned out that in yesterday’s duel, not only did Yun Che go easy on him weapon-wise, in regards to profound energy, he did not even go all out.
If Yun Che had displayed such a profound strength and used Dragon Fault for a weapon, wanting to defeat him, would have been a completely easy task.
However, the situation was not as simple as what Ling Jie believed it to be. Yun Che’s profound strength was just too low. Even with the support of the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha that he had broken through to, he could barely maintain the Burning Heart state. It was still “barely”, so if the battle lasted too long, it might perhaps leave a definite repercussion.
And the limit in which he could maintain the “Burning Heart” state, was approximately five minutes.
And these five minutes of the “Burning Heart” state, was the only thing he could rely on to withstand Xia Qingyue! In other words, he had to defeat Xia Qingyue in less than half a quarter of an hour. Otherwise, after he becomes incapable of maintaining “Burning Heart”, he would not even have a sliver of hope.
Yun Che’s sudden dramatic rise of profound energy startled everyone, including Ling Yuefeng and Qin Wushang. From the start of the ranking tournament up until now, one after another of ridiculous and incredible situations emerged from Yun Che, but he had actually never revealed his true strength. Through the progression of the ranking tournament, his opponents grew stronger and stronger, yet he had only released only a bit of his true strength… And at this moment, he had truly released all the strength he possessed without reservation.
Yun Che horizontally gripped Dragon Fault in front of him. With a loud shout, he suddenly smashed towards Xia Qingyue. Among the enemies in his past life, there were countless foes that far surpassed him. He was the most clear about what to do against an enemy that far surpassed him in strength during a situation in which he could not escape. The most foolish way to hand it would be to contend, and attempt to control the other. The best way to handle it would be gather all his strength for a concentrated all out attack!
So once Yun Che approved, he mobilized his full strength without a trace of restraint! Atop the Dragon Fault that weighed more than four thousand kilos, surged the aura of a devil’s berserk strength.
Boom!!
The oppressiveness of this strike made Xia Qingyue choose to not block it, and she floated far away. Following a booming sound, the pitiful Sword Discourse Arena suffered a large amount of destruction once again. Yun Che, who had hit empty air, did not stop at all. He suddenly leapt up as another strike shot straight for Xia Qingyue’s chest. The heavy sword brought about a howling noise similar to that of an evil spirit’s.
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon had also surrounded Xia Qingyue’s entire body at this time. Facing against Yun Che’s oppressive strike, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon did not retreat one bit as it made Yun Che’s strike miss again. Then, it suddenly scuttled along Dragon Fault and tightly wrapped around it…
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon had once sent Ling Yun’s Celestial Yuan Sword flying, but Yun Che and Dragon Fault were perfectly synchronized, as if it was Yun Che’s own arm. Even if it was the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, sending it flying was a definite impossibility.
Right when the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s tearing force was recently unleashed, Dragon Fault suddenly released a soul-shaking dragon roar. A tyrannical force suddenly exploded, and shook the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon open. Yun Che’s gaze was as sharp as a sword as Dragon Fault abruptly smashed down. And when Dragon Fault was going down, he activated Star God’s Broken Shadow at the same time, instantly conjuring three figures that looked exactly the same. The third shadow appeared diagonally above Xia Qingyue and struck downwards…
“Overlord’s Fury!!”
The activation of Star God’s Broken Shadow was silent and formless. The broken false shadows and true shadow were entirely identical, and the scariest thing about it was that during its launch, there was no fluctuation in profound energy. One could only depend on the profound energy aura that could be felt after the true shadow shifted to determine its position, but when that happens, it was oftentimes too late.
Xia Qingyue’s Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon unfurled forward with the intent to meet Yun Che’s overbearing strike. But weirdly enough, a dangerous aura suddenly came from the behind. Shock was revealed in her eyes as she realized that there was simply not enough time for the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon to defend her rear. She had no choice but to quickly use Frozen Cloud Arts to construct a thick ice crystal barrier.
BOOM!
PING!!
The three layered ice crystal barrier was completely shattered consecutively in an instant. As though a storm, an enormous thrusting and explosive force rammed Xia Qingyue flying. Without waiting for Xia Qingyue to regain her balance, Yun Che had already roared. Along with Dragon Fault, which followed his shadow, he immediately rushed towards Xia Qingyue…
“What!?” Chu Yueli stood up with wrinkled brows. She had never expected that once they had began to fight, Yun Che was actually the one who took the initiative. The intensity level of that last strike’s profound energy fluctuation was enough to make Xia Qingyue receive internal injuries.
However, this obviously did not mean that Yun Che’s all out strength topped Xia Qingyue. Rather, it was his approach. The crazed attack was like the sudden attack of a berserk beast that forced Xia Qingyue into a passive state.
One Overlord’s Fury was like a heavy hammer that fell on her shoulder, and directly numbed Xia Qingyue’s entire left arm. Her internal organs had also suffered light injuries under the profound energy assault but she did not panic. Instead, her expression had calmed down. With Chu Yuechan’s word of advice from last night still beside her ears, the fact that she had to use her entire strength echoed along with it. She slightly concentrated and instantly became as cold and pure as ice and snow. With a slight fluttering spin, she stabilized her balance. Like a streak of white lightning, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon charged at Yun Che.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Each and every strike from Yun Che all brought along an ear-splitting explosion. Directly engaging against a heavy sword with a frontal attack was the most foolish of decisions. But when facing against Xia Qingyue, Yun Che’s heavy sword had met its match…
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was as soft and flexible as water, and as nimble as a snake. When exchanging attacks with Dragon Fault, its overbearing Frozen Cloud power actually did not collide with the heavy sword. Instead, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon used its nature to form a large pulling force, drawing each of the heavy sword’s attacks towards empty air every single time. At the same time, an increasingly cold energy silently enveloped towards Yun Che. Then, with a “crack” sound, a thick layer of ice solidified on both his shoulders.
The ice-cold energy bore into the heart with a bone-chilling coldness, as if countless numbers of knives had stabbed into one’s body. Yun Che’s gaze went cold. After a low growl, a cluster of scarlet colored flames suddenly combusted on his body, and rose to a height that was close to ten feet in the blink of an eye. Under the scarlet fire, the ice-cold energy was rapidly dispersed. The layer of ice was also quickly melted.
Meanwhile, Dragon Fault had also been completely wrapped up in the scarlet phoenix flame, and became an enormous flame sword. It brought along dancing sparks as it directly assaulted forward once more.
“He actually is able to ignite such an intense flame! Looks like his fire attribute profound art is absolutely not as simple as the one he had displayed earlier.”
“It’s only the lowest level scarlet fire…” The young disciple who had said that suddenly opened his eyes wide at this moment, and continued with shock: “This… this… how is this possible!!”
An innumerable amount of ice crystals from all directions came flying to Xia Qingyue’s front, and condensed together to become a fantastical light blue ice lotus. The ice lotus slowly rotated, and then suddenly dispersed. Each flower petal had transformed into seven ice crystals that flew at Yun Che. Each ice crystal was as thin as a cicada’s wing, and was as clear as pure gems, yet it was also bone-piercingly cold!
“Star Scorching Demon Lotus!!”
With Yun Che’s body at the core, a flame lotus that was at least ten times as large as Xia Qingyue’s ice lotus blossomed from the soaring heat wave like a flame gigantic flame beast opening its mouth, and completely swallowed up the ice crystals flying there. None of those ice crystal were able to approach Yun Che because they had already disappeared completely.
The surrounding audience were all stupefied… Even Ling Yun’s sword beams could not shatter Xia Qingyue’s ice lotus, so how could it be easy melted by an insignificant scarlet flame!?
“That’s…”
“Phoenix Flame!” Fen Moli said with shock.
Ling Yuefeng’s gaze immediately turned towards the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s seats… Does this mean that the sect Yun Che was taught by, was actually the Divine Phoenix Sect!?
Chapter 242 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (4)
Not only did the suddenly exploding Star Scorching Demon Lotus easily engulf Xia Qingyue’s ice lotus, it enveloped Xia Qingyue within as well. The scorching heat that was far beyond her expectations caused Xia Qingyue’s expression to slightly change. In an instant, the ice spirits around her body stirred violently, forming an extremely strong barrier of ice. Her Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon waved about quickly as well, sweeping away all of the oncoming Phoenix flames, as she retreated at the same time.
When the Star Scorching Demon Lotus was completely extinguished, Xia Qingyue had already been forced back a distance of close to a hundred meters.
However, Yun Che did not continue to push his offensive like before. He looked at Xia Qingyue in the eye, and said with a frown. “I shall say this again. Use your full strength. What I wish to defeat, is the you, at full strength. And not the current you!”
Yun Che’s speedy attacks, the might of his heavy sword, and the flames erupting from his body, caused Xia Qingyue to feel astonished and taken by surprise. In the few collisions they had, she was actually the one who was at a slight disadvantage. Looking at Yun Che’s current expression, what she could capture from it, was a sort of arrogance that was imprinted in his bones. And this arrogance was not the sort of natural arrogance one would usually have, but was simply targeted at her!
His expression told her that if she were to not use her full strength, what she would be giving him would not be mercy, but humiliation!
Xia Qingyue’s chest gently rose. She closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them as her cold voice flowed out from her lips. “As you wish…”
A cold wind blew from all four directions, and the ice spirits surrounding Xia Qingyue fluttered erratically, as they gently brought her body up to the air. Her toes left the ground and quietly floated in the air, until only her long snow-dress was in light contact with the ground. Her arms gently spread open. Then, the long hair that was draped on her shoulders and the snow-dress she was wearing began to lightly flutter.
The fluttering of the ice spirits became even faster, and the surrounding temperature fell at an astonishing speed. Right at this moment, a blue glow suddenly radiated from Xia Qingyue’s body, and immediately after, a spiraling cold wind filled the entire Sword Discourse Arena.
“Ah!!”
“This… This… This is…”
That sudden flashing blue glow ruthlessly pierced into Yun Che’s eyes, causing him to instinctively shut his eyes. He immediately opened them but the moment his eyes fell on Xia Qingyue, he suddenly stood there lifelessly.
The cold wind had calmly dispersed, however, her snow-dress was still fluttering even without the wind. The veil on Xia Qingyue’s face had already disappeared, as it seemed to have flown away somewhere after the windstorm of profound energy. What was revealed was a fairy-like appearance, which could eclipse the heavens and earth, and could even put the sun and moon to shame. However, her pair of eyes had underwent an earthshaking change… They were entirely ice-blue in color, like sapphires which were flashing with a bright and cold light. Her deep black hair had disappeared, and what replaced it was an ice-blue hair which swayed even without any wind. Even her brows and eyelids had turned into flawless crystals, which flowed with an ice-cold blue color.
The ice spirits floating in her surroundings underwent great changes as well. Earlier, every ice spirit was as small as diamond, now, it was as though they had turned into twinkling stars. And Xia Qingyue, who was under these endless clusters of stars, seemed to have been born from the ice and snow, a fairy in the snow who had not been tainted by the mortal world at all.
“F… Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm… Ice Body Jade Bones…”
The voice of the Heavenly Sword Villa Master, the current era’s number one overlord of Blue Wind Empire, Ling Yuefeng, was currently stuttering a little. Looking at Xia Qingyue who had turned into a snow fairy, the astonishment in his heart had reached an indescribable degree. He did not know just how many astonishments and shocks this seventeen-year old girl would give him before she would bring herself to stop…
Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm… That was an extremely high realm which only Gong Yuxian, the current Asgard Mistress of the Frozen Cloud Asgard, whose profound level had reached the third level of the Emperor Profound Realm, could achieve!!
Genius, prodigy, monster, freak… Currently, in Ling Yuefeng’s heart, even when adding all these terms together, it would not be enough to explain Xia Qingyue.
The Ling Yun beside him was trembling even more so, he was shocked entirely speechless. In yesterday’s match, even though he lost terribly, he believed that he lost due to the Domain that should not have appeared. If not for that Domain which broke the profound laws, by just the strength of their profound arts and combined abilities alone, he believed he was capable of suppressing Xia Qingyue… After all, his Sword Spirit Doppelganger yesterday was completely able to suppress Xia Qingyue.
But now, in his astonishment, did he finally realize that Xia Qingyue basically did not reveal all of her profound arts yesterday. And the profound aura currently being released by Xia Qingyue, was much, much stronger than the peak moment yesterday. The current strength of her profound aura was to the point where, even if he were to unleash his Sword Spirit Doppelganger, it would still be hard for him to resist.
“Mn? What’s going on?” Chu Yueli’s elegant brows tightened, as she said puzzlingly. “Why did Qingyue expose her trump card? If she wants to defeat Yun Che, using the Fifth Realm of the Frozen Cloud Arts would have been completely sufficient.”
“Junior Sister Xia is not a rash person, she must have her reasons. But since she has brought out the Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm, this match should be ending pretty soon.” Shui Wushuang said with a quiet voice.
There were countless of Profound Arts in the world. The higher one reaches, the more one will find out the possible existences of extremely bizarre and knowledge-breaking Profound Arts. When those people who saw Ling Yun’s “Sword Spirit Doppelganger” for the first time, they deeply felt that it was incredible. But the Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm Xia Qingyue used actually caused her entire body to undergo an immense change.
The change in her aura was even more incomparably huge; it was more than twice as strong as before. An ice-cold pressure enveloped Yun Che’s body and soul. It was so heavy that it was like a bone-piercing ice mountain, which had been frozen for ten thousand years.
“Hu…aaaah!!”
Yun Che roared loudly. The Phoenix flames on his body began to burn wildly, as scarlet red flames rose to a few meters in height, allowing him to break through the ice-cold pressure. In his body, the three drops of the Phoenix blood burned wildly, as flames that contained the might of a Phoenix spread throughout his every meridian, and every drop of fresh blood.
Just by strength alone, Yun Che’s Profound Fire was obviously incomparable to Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud, and the difference was not just by bits. However, Yun Che’s flames were not just regular profound flames, but Phoenix flames originating from three drops of Phoenix Blood! By levels alone, it undoubtedly suppressed her Frozen Cloud. The Divine Phoenix Sect was able to dominate the world with just the first four stages of the 《World Ode of the Phoenix》, allowing them to become the imperial family of a country, which also allowed them to become the number one powerhouse, excluding the Four Great Sacred Grounds, in the Sky Profound Continent. Naturally, it was not something Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Frozen Cloud Art could compete with.
Hence, even if his strength fell far from Xia Qingyue’s, it still possessed the qualification to barely resist against her!
The ice cold wind and searing wind constantly collided against each other, emitting out constant tearing shrieks. Bathed in flames, Yun Che’s hair flew wildly, and his clothes fluttered. His gaze was as sharp as lightning, and his two hands held onto his dark grey heavy sword, which looked especially terrifying. He slowly pointed it to the front. Coordinating with his straight standing posture, he looked as though he was a towering mountain that overlooked the entire world. Even though he was facing Xia Qingyue, whose aura had surged, he did not have the slightest intention of retreating.
Just his imposing manner and boldness, was enough to unconsciously cause everyone to have a feeling of being forced into submission.
Just by their imposing manners alone, what people saw in Ling Yun was a grandmaster whom would be worshipped by many people in the future, Xia Qingyue as a fairy who had descended from a surreal world, and Yun Che… as an earth-shaking supreme overlord!
And at this moment, a cold light flashed in Yun Che’s eyes, and the rock beneath his legs suddenly burst apart…
“Omm!!”
Following the violent stir in the air, Yun Che struck out. The Dragon Fault slashed out a gigantic grey crescent, which pushed out layers of air ripples, and blasted towards Xia Qingyue, whose aura was unbelievably breathtaking.
However, when facing Yun Che’s attack this time, Xia Qingyue did not choose to retreat. Gently reaching out her right hand, her palm looked as though it had turned into glistening white jade, causing people to not be able to believe that it was a palm of a young girl. And with that small movement of hers, Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon shot out as fast as lightning. Like the kiss of from the god of death, it struck directly onto Dragon Fault.
Boom!!
Like an explosive roar caused by lightning, the rocks beneath his feet were instantly pulverized into dust, and they were sent flying towards the sky by the wild torrents of profound energy. Within the surrounding ice crystals and blazing light, Yun Che was instantly sent flying back. His back dragged across the stage for dozens of meters, before he finally stabbed his Dragon Fault into the ground, and stopped his body. Xia Qingyue’s body simply swayed gently, and even the starry ice spirits surrounding her did not have any hint of being disarrayed.
This was the first time in the Ranking Tournament that Yun Che was in a disadvantageous position after a direct clash with his heavy sword!
In his earlier match, what he used was not Dragon Fault, but the Overlord’s Colossal Sword. He did not use his full strength in that match, and moreover, he did not activate Burning Heart and his Phoenix flames, yet Ling Jie totally did not dare to clash with him directly at all. However, facing Xia Qingyue, who had unleashed all of her abilities, Yun Che, who had similarly unleashed all his abilities and went for a direct clash which he should have the most advantage in, was completely thrown into a disadvantageous position instead.
Tenth level of the True Profound Realm and the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… Between them, was a gap with the bottlenecks of two large realms!
“Why don’t you try to take my strike again…”
With his powerful defense, even though he lost in that exchange, he basically did not suffer any injuries. He leapt off the ground, and with a loud roar, he rose high in the air. Dragon Fault, which was enveloped with Phoenix Flames once again struck down, and the strength of the airwaves that had been raised were even larger than earlier.
“Overlord’s Fury!!”
The majesty of this imposing sword strike, even made the audience who were far away feel as though an entire mountain was crashing down on Xia Qingyue. However, just when Dragon Fault was about to make contact with Xia Qingyue, Yun Che’s body suddenly jerked, and his movements instantly slowed down… Streams of cold air, as though they were devastating and all-pervasive metal needles, pierced through the Phoenix flames, and struck onto the surface of Yun Che’s body and his meridians, causing his entire body to feel a moment of numbness. Even though these streams of cold air had already been expelled by the Phoenix flames in the next instant, just that single moment, was enough to cause fatal damage.
Bang!!!
Before Dragon Fault could land completely, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon had already flown out like an intelligent snake, and swept against Yun Che’s waist with a thump, causing him to let out a low groan. Within the whirling storm, he was swept dozens of meters up high towards the sky…
“Haah. The difference is still too big. There’s already no need to continue watching this duel. Even with ten Yun Ches, it would not be possible to defeat Xia Qingyue.”
“Yun Che’s performance is already shocking enough. It’s not that Yun Che is weak, rather, Xia Qingyue is simply too frightening. I really wonder how Frozen Cloud Asgard actually managed to bring up such a disciple.”
Seeing that Yun Che’s second active strike had still resulted to a terrible defeat, and that the Xia Qingyue in front of him still did not move a single inch, the surrounding audience let out a wave of sighs. And just at this moment, defying common sense, Yun Che who was supposed to have completely lost all balance after being sent flying up towards the sky by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, was descending towards Xia Qingyue…
“Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing!!”
A human, when sent flying by a strong force, has nowhere to apply force from, and it was almost impossible for him to bring about any force. To maintain one’s balance was already an extremely difficult task itself, yet Yun Che actually initiated an attack while his balance was completely lost… And the speed he was descending at was extremely quick. In a mere instant, he had already charged right in front of Xia Qingyue, and heavily smashed onto Xia Qingyue’s body, who was completely unprepared. Behind him, a pair of Phoenix wings formed out of flames was searing mightily.
BOOM!!
A large fireball suddenly exploded. This unexpected attack finally shattered Xia Qingyue’s ice crystal defenses, blasting her far away. Yun Che tumbled backwards, and forcefully swallowing down the blood that had rushed up to his throat. Before waiting for his body to stand firmly, Dragon Fault had already begun to release gigantic shadows of blaze one after another as it was swung about…
“Phoenix Break!!”
Phoenix-shaped flames which carried the tyranny of a heavy sword continuously flew towards Xia QIngyue one after another. Xia Qingyue, who had yet to maintain her balance after being struck away by his Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing, was engulfed in the concentrated blasts of dozens of Phoenix Breaks. The blazing light that rose explosively from the chaos completely drowned Xia Qingyue within…
However, these blazing rays of light did not last for long, and were suddenly extinguished completely by a flashing blue light within them. After the blue light, a gigantic ice crystal phoenix flew out aggressively, shattering the two oncoming Phoenix Breaks. Then, with an undiminished might, it struck heavily onto Yun Che’s chest.
Pff…
Yun Che spat out a mouthful of blood in the air, and was sent flying thirty meters back. The Phoenix flames on his body were extinguished at the same time, and the clothes covering his chest had been completely torn, replaced by a thick layer of ice. And beneath the layer of ice, was an ice-sealed wound which did not have the time to burst out.
“Erghh…”
Yun Che rolled over, and with the support of his heavy sword, he stood up expressionlessly, a streak of blood slowly flowed out from the corner of his lips… In front of him, Xia Qingyue’s face was snow-white, her eyes were like blue crystals, and her snow-dress gently fluttered… Forget about injuries, there was not even a single speck of dust on her entire body.
Chapter 243 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (5)
“He’s actually able to stand up after taking a strike from the Ice Phoenix. His defensive power is truly shocking.” Chu Yueli murmured, but right after, astonishment emerged on her face.
“G… ahh!”
The extinguished phoenix flames on Yun Che’s body ignited once again. Whether it was Yun Che’s aura or the intensity of the flames, none of them were weaker than before. He raised Dragon Fault. With a loud bellow, he slashed out a gigantic grey colored sword beam, and lashed towards Xia Qingyue shortly after.
“…Not only did he stand up, he didn’t even weaken. How could this be?” Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin both let out cries of shock.
The inflamed Dragon Fault was like a dancing fire dragon coiling in the air in the midst of its dragon roar. The Frozen Cloud profound energy imbued Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was equivalent to a white snake, and charged at the dancing fire dragon while releasing an incomparably frightening Frozen Cloud power…
Sky Profound weapons were extremely difficult to subdue. Within Dragon Fault rests the soul of a young dragon, while within the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon rests the soul of an Ice Phoenix. Both were evenly matched in terms of quality and strength.
Yun Che released profound skill after profound skill in a crazed, unrestrained manner. Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing, Overlord’s Fury, Falling Moon Sinking Star, Phoenix Break… Each one of those skills could shake the heavens, but in front of the Xia Qingyue who had cultivated Frozen Cloud Arts to the seventh stage, they were easily knocked down one after another. Xia Qingyue’s retaliation was even more terrifying. If Yun Che did not possess Star God’s Broken Shadow, he wouldn’t even be qualified to be in a brief stalemate with Xia Qingyue.
Boom!
An ice lotus exploded on Yun Che’s left shoulder, causing Yun Che to tumble onto the ground. His left shoulder was completely bloody and damaged, but he acted as if nothing happened and suddenly lept up from the ground. He once again reignited his phoenix flames and attacked. The heavy sword swung widely without the slightest weakening in power.
Bang!
His heavy sword was forcefully pushed aside, and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon shot towards him, firmly wrapping around his body extremely quickly, and raised him into the air. In a blink of an eye, all of the phoenix flames on his body were extinguished and what replaced it was a thick layer of ice that bounded his entire body. Then, he was ruthlessly smashed onto the ground by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon…
Bang!
The thick ice burst open and a huge hole had been smashed out on the ground. Yun Che had already disappeared from the surface of the stage and had been smashed who knows how deep beneath ground. This heavy strike had let the surrounding younger generation cry out in shock, but Xia Qingyue’s light blue eyes were unshakeable in comparison… This kind of strike would have completely knocked out a profound practitioner at the peak of the Spirit Profound Realm, cause severe internal damage, and scatter his profound energy. Yet Xia Qingyue had suddenly felt a tyrannical counter force from the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s binding had actually been roughly broke apart!
Yun Che jumped up from within the crevice and fiercely sent an Overlord’s Fury towards Xia Qingyue… Although his clothing was completely tattered, the fire within his eyes was raging furiously, yet was calm. The profound energy he was emitting from his body had not even weakened by a bit compared to before.
Everyone simultaneously felt an unexplainable terror in their hearts.
In terms of profound strength, Xia Qingyue completely crushed Yun Che. In Yun Che and her exchanges, he was at a complete disadvantage and mostly ended with bruises. Having trained in the Great Way of the Buddha and having his body fortified by the Dragon God’s blood, aside from profound strength, his body’s fierceness and intensity was by no means weaker than a True Dragon. Even though Xia Qingyue possessed an overwhelming strength that allowed her to successively wound him more than ten times, she had never caused any real damage to him.
Each time he had taken strikes from the Frozen Cloud techniques, Yun Che would always stand up. Even if his entire body was covered with injuries, both his aura and his momentum had never reduced. The audience could only stare with shock.
Although Xia Qingyue’s profound strength had reached the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, keeping up the Frozen Cloud Art’s seventh stage with this kind of profound strength was unquestionably extremely taxing. The burden put upon Xia Qingyue’s body in order to conjure the Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm was by no means less than Yun Che’s Burning Heart. Yun Che was knocked down once and once again, but the strength of his aura did not weaken throughout the match. It was instead Xia Qingyue, whose aura had always been gradually, and evenly, decreasing.
“Do not assume that victory is in your hands. When you pressure him to his limits, that is when he is at the most terrifying. He can bring out power from his soul…”
Looking at the Yun Che who stood up once again and imbued himself with phoenix flames, those words that Chu Yuechan spoke resounded by Xia Qingyue’s ears. And at this time, all of the ice spirits around her body had already started to become slightly fainter. Her breathing had also gotten slightly heavier.
The Yun Che before her was originally not supposed to pose any threat to her,yet she was now feeling a faint pressure from Yun Che. Deep within her heart, a voice was telling her that she had to quickly finish this duel. Otherwise, if this dragged on even longer, it was unknown just what unexpected events might occur.
“Let’s end this…”
Xia Qingyue’s lips slightly moved, and her snow white hands slowly clasped together before her body. In an instant, all of the surrounding cold energy within several kilos of radius swarmed in, and concentrated into a enormous whirlpool of frozen cloud before her.
Yun Che was just about to advance towards her, but suddenly stopped in his steps… The aura force on Xia Qingyue’s body sharped surged up, and the frozen cloud whirlpool grew bigger and bigger. Then, it suddenly transformed and condensed into a gigantic Ice Crystal Phoenix. At the same time, a chilling cold pressure engulfed the entire arena, and made everyone’s heart shudder.
The Ice Crystal Phoenix faced the heavens and let out a cry. Extending out its huge wings, it charged towards Yun Che with a cold energy that could freeze the surrounding fifty kilometers. Where ever it passed, it caused the air to condense by the inch.
“WAAAAAHH… It’s over, it’s over! Be careful, Brother-in-law!”
Xia Yuanba clenched both of his fists tightly while shouting in panic. Even though Xia Qingyue had used all of her power, she had mostly been defending and counterattacking during their exchanges. She had never taken the initiative to attack. She understood Yun Che’s mindset very well and knew that if she had beaten him too quickly, she would severely hurt his pride. At the moment, after finally deciding to attack, she had unleashed a frighteningly large Ice Phoenix imbued with Frozen Cloud power, capable of shaking the entire arena. Even the observing Xia Yuanba was able to feel how terrifying this Ice Phoenix was. At Heavenly Sword Villa’s seats, Ling Yun was also equally shocked… Because blocking just the oppressive power of the cold energy contained within this Ice Pheonix would be extremely difficult even if he had used his Sword Spirit Doppelganger to transform into two Ling Yuns.
As a terrifying level of pressure came charging towards him from the front, Yun Che retreated extremely quickly, his steps as fast as lightning. As the phoenix flames on his body burned and the Ice Phoenix approached, a flash of madness could be seen within Yun Che’s eyes. He imbued all of his profound energy and phoenix flame into Dragon Fault and created a gigantic visage of a Fire Phoenix. Following his roar, with a swing of his hands, Dragon Fault flew towards the Ice Phoenix, carrying the visage of the enormous Fire Phoenix with it.
The Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix violently collided in midair, and both phoenix fire and frozen cloud profound energy exploded at the same time. The cries of both phoenixes resonated throughout the sky as they clashed.
The profound energy barrier shattered once more as the sky was completely enveloped by azure and scarlet light. Half of it was frozen, and the other half was burned into distortion. Without the obstruction of the profound energy barrier, the spectators on the eastern side felt like they had fallen into an icy hole as their entire body stiffened. As for those in the west, they felt as if they were about to combust from being roasted by the fire. Only after they immediately started releasing profound energy, did they barely managed to protect themselves. The shock in their hearts had subsequently increased by several folds… Just the residue of their strength was already this shocking, so it was imaginable as to how truly terrifying Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud and Yun Che’s flame had been.
Even though Xia Qingyue who had such power from conjuring the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Art was astonishing, it was not too unexpected. Whereas Yun Che… he was actually able to contend against this kind of frozen cloud using flames supported by profound energy of the tenth level of the True Profound Realm!
However, this kind of balance did not maintain for a long time.
Ice and fire were both natural counters to each other. Fire coulld melt ice, while ice could thwart fire. There were no natural advantages to either side. In terms of plane, Yun Che’s power was completely superior to Xia Qingyue, but in terms of intensity, Xia Qingyue unquestionably suppressed Yun Che.
The fire phoenix and ice phoenix intensely clashed and rampaged in midair. The interweaving ice-blue and scarlet-red radiances interweaved and covered the entirety of the Sword Discourse Arena. After the chaotic radiances lasted for a few breaths of time, the radiance of the ice phoenix slightly surpassed that of the fire phoenix. But if an advantage forms, it would become irreversible like a broken dam. In the blink of an eye, the fire phoenix became smaller and smaller. In the end, it was completely devoured by the ice phoenix, and all that was left was a frozen Dragon Fault in midair. The phoenix that only shrunk by one-third of its size fiercely rushed forward and dove at Yun Che amidst a cold and long cry.
As the pale blue visage of the ice phoenix quickly grew bigger within his eyes, Yun Che heavily huffed as both his eyes stared straight at the ice phoenix mirage. He did not retreat, and only the sound of a low mutter could be heard in the air….
“Evil God Second Style… Sealing Cloud Locking Sun!”
BOOM!!!
The ice phoenix exploded, and its pale blue radiance completely swallowed Yun Che. The dispersing ice shards were like razor sharp blades and deeply penetrated into the ground.
“It finally ended. Who knew it would drag out that long.” Shui Wushuang said.
“Although Junior Sister Xia used the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts, she had never attacked with full strength. Coupled with Yun Che’s unexpected tenacity…Mmn… AAAHHH!” Before Wu Xuexin had even finished speaking, she suddenly let out a surprised shriek.
From within the pale blue radiance left behind by the ice phoenix, Yun Che shot out like a bolt of lightning. His body was surrounded by a translucent spherical barrier that was almost hard to see with the naked eye. When he had completely left the ice phoenix’s radiance, the barrier also completely vanished. Catching Dragon Fault with a grab, all of the profound energy within him instantly erupted as if gunpowder that had been lit. Behind him, the mirage of a blue wolf that howled towards the heavens emerged…
“Sky… Wolf… Slash!!!”
As the heavy sword slashed downwards, a gigantic illusory wolf pierced through the air as the ground shattered…
In order to maintain Frozen Body Jade Bones, Xia Qingyue had already expended quite a bit. Furthermore, in order to swiftly defeat Yun Che, she had exhausted even more profound energy to release the ice phoenix., She was now in a temporary power deficient condition and had not recovered yet, and in addition to believing that this was a strike that could directly decide the match, she simply wasn’t on guard at all.,. No matter what, she had never expected that Yun Che would actually emerge unscathed from the the ice phoenix’s diving attack…
What was even more impossible for her to expect, was that this was the chance Yun Che had been patiently waiting for all along!
Evil God’s first style, “Falling Moon Sinking Star”, was an berserking attack with ten times amplified profound energy, while Evil God’s second style, “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” was a ten times amplified profound energy defense!
Only, executing Sealing Cloud Locking Sun consumed a lot of profound energy and the longer it was active, the higher the rate of consumption. So even if he was continuously struck by Xia Qingyue, Yun Che had chosen to not use Sealing Cloud Locking Sun. When Xia Qingyue was no longer able to genuinely defeat him, he would at last release all of his profound energy to immediately execute “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun”. When the incredibly tough defense formed around his body, it forcibly blocked the ice phoenix’s assault. Then, he took the chance to swing out his most powerful attack toward Xia Qingyue, who would be caught off guard.
The howls from the sky wolf were deafening. They were even more terrifying than the piercing cries from the fire phoenix and ice phoenix from before. As the gigantic wolf shadow rushed towards Xia Qingyue with an incomparable might, it easily crushed the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s defense…
At this moment, Xia Qingyue, who had always been as calm as snow, lost all the color in her rosy face for the very first time. She had not expected Yun Che to be able to break free from the ice phoenix’s charge, and even more, had not expected… that Yun Che’s previous attacks were not even his limit. This strike was so powerful that it had put her in a situation where even her heart and soul had subconsciously shuddered…
Just in the nick of time, a thick layer of ice rapidly appeared on her body, and quickly wrapped around her entire body…
Bang!
The shadow of the sky wolf engulfed Xia Qingyue, carried Xia Qingyue’s ice body with it and directly shot straight out like an ice blue meteor! She flew all the way to the edge of the Sword Discourse Arena and the terrifying impact smashed open a large portion of the ground. And the direction in which she had been thrown in, just happened to be where Frozen Cloud Asgard was seated, which was about to meet with disaster. Even though Chu Yueli and company’s seating area was completely protected, everything else in front of them was completely wrecked.
The Sword Discourse Arena fell into dead silence. Everyone was speechless while looking at the massive ravine, which stretched from the center of the stage, all the way to its edge.
As the dust settled, Xia Qingyue stood up. Only, she was no longer able to maintain Frozen Body Jade Bones and its effects had already vanished. Her long hair and both her brows were no longer blue, but had returned to their original black. Her face was covered with a layer of a faint paleness and her the strength of her aura had immensely weakened. She covered her left shoulder with her right hand, and a touch of red slowly spread on the snow-white clothing of the shoulder.
Chu Yuechan’s icy eyes were a field of calm. She did not feel that this sort of outcome was the least bit unexpected… She had even warned Xia Qingyue the night before to never assume that she had beaten Yun Che under any circumstances… Even though she bore that in mind, just a moment ago, she had still fully expected that the ice phoenix had defeated Yun Che… and had thereby suffered a great loss.
Chapter 244 - Burn! Phoenix Blood!
Even though that one, earth-shaking “Sky Wolf Slash” only resulted in a not so heavy injury for Xia Qingyue, it still shattered her “Ice Body Jade Bones” form.
Her Frozen Cloud Arts also couldn’t be brought up to the seventh stage again in a short period of time. Yet this strike did not cause Yun Che to reach his limit. While Xia Qingyue’s aura had not yet calmed, Yun Che had already rushed up once again, and a Phoenix Break shot flying out from several tens of meters away.
Chu Yueli abruptly stood up, and said to Xia Qingyue who was right in front of her: “Qingyue, do not hold back anymore, and defeat him by opening a Domain immediately! This fellow, can create unexpected events at any time!”
For this battle, originally, Chu Yueli wasn’t worried at all; so much that there wasn’t even a single trace of worry. The two’s composite strength had indeed a very big difference, and during the match, Xia Qingyue had always maintained an oppressive standpoint. But as the two’s battle went on, Xia Qingyue’s aura became weaker and weaker. Yet not only did the Yun Che, who was once and once again beaten down not receive any great injuries, his aura did not grew weak in the slightest. Now, he miraculously broke out from the strike that Xia Qingyue had intended to decide the match with, and moreover injured Xia Qingyue instead. This made Chu Yueli cannot help but to be stricken with fear.
This battle’s victory or loss, was not that important to Xia Qingyue on a personal level. But as for Frozen Cloud Asgard, it was incomparably important; because if they won, it would be breaking the history, and push Frozen Cloud Asgard onto the pinnacle of Blue Wind Empire for the first time ever. Since Xia Qingyue had already beaten Ling Yun and reached this step, then she absolutely could not lose here.
With a swing of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, all of the Yun Che’s Phoenix Breaks were blocked. In the process of defending, Xia Qingyue also felt that Yun Che’s power had already greatly decreased… That Sky Wolf Slash, had indeed exhausted Yun Che to a great extent. In addition to the continuous activation of the Burning Heart state, the burden on Yun Che’s profound veins and body was already incredibly heavy. He was entirely sustaining with his teeth clenched, but the distance to the critical point of collapsing, was also nearing by the second.
Yun Che dashed toward Xia Qingyue with quick steps. But before he even neared, a blue light suddenly flashed before his eyes, and the surrounding world instantaneously transformed into an illusory blue color.
A wave of an incredibly ice-cold feeling suddenly assaulted him from every single direction, and made Yun Che’s steps stall right away.
“Domain! It’s that Domain from yesterday!”
“It’s Domain again… this is simply just like cheating! Let alone the younger generation, even if one looks through the entire Blue Wind Empire, the number of people that could use a Domain could be counted with two hands!”
“I really didn’t expect that Yun Che actually had such a terrifying strength. Feels like that he isn’t weaker than yesterday’s Ling Yun at all! At least he was able to injure Xia Qinyue… But what a pity, even if he was ten times stronger, against a Domain, it is fundamentally impossible for him to have the ability to counter it.”
“Sigh, we really have grown old. I had originally thought that Ling Yun was the limit that a youth could reach, but I hadn’t thought that this youth, who is only at the True Profound Realm would bring me such an astonishment that is not below Ling Yun at all; the aura of his explosive power earlier was also entirely not below him. If he reached Ling Yun’s age, he would definitely far surpass him. But as for this girl named Xia Qingyue… She has entirely flipped my common sense upside down.”
“To reach this point, Yun Che can already shake the entire world with his name, and astonish everyone. But unfortunately, other than him, there is also a Xia Qingyue in this world. The Domain she released that transcended the natural law, is simple impossible to resist against for anyone below the Sky Profound Realm.”
Cold wind blew from all directions. As an overwhelming amount of snowflakes floated from above, the ground was quickly covered with a layer of frost. Accompanied by “crackling” sounds, very thick layer of ice rapidly condensed on Yun Che’s body, and quickly covered over half of his body.
This Frozen Cloud Domain was somewhat smaller than the one yesterday. After all, Xia Qingyue had conjured the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Art earlier and took a Sky Wolf Slash from Yun Che as well; the expenditure was huge. The moment the Frozen Cloud Domain opened, Yun Che felt as if countless steel needles had stabbed into his entire body. His body, as well as his limbs, were all rapidly numbing under the extreme cold. Let alone dashing, even merely taking steps had become exceptionally difficult.
At this moment, he truly understood why Ling Yun had become so unresisting under the Frozen Cloud Domain yesterday, and directly forfeited even without any last struggles after being smacked out of the Domain. This kind of strength called Domain, would frequently appear within battles above the Sky Profound Realm, but fundamentally should not appear at his and Xia Qingyue’s level. Once it appeared, that kind of oppression, can’t even be fully described as curb stomping.
The cold energy crazily entered his body, and his entire body numbed to the point where his consciousness was even quickly fainting. Yun Che fiercely breathed in, wanting to ignite phoenix flames; but before the flames on his body even had the time to ignite, it was already extinguished from the roots by the terrifying coldness.
Unlike to Yun Che, the environment within the Frozen Cloud Domain was most advantageous for Xia Qingyue. In here, all of her attacks would be maximized. It could said without any exaggeration that if one could not break through the Frozen Cloud Domain, then Xia Qingyue would be a complete ruler within the Domain, dictating the win or loss of this match. If she wished to, she could easily dictate Yun Che’s life and death.
As the Frozen Cloud Domain opened, Xia Qingyue’s body also slightly swayed a little. Only after staying in place for a while, did she finally manage to calm her breath. Seeing the Yun Che who stood in place with clenched teeth, yet could not take a single step forward for a long time, she took up the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon and walked before him with slow steps. An extremely quiet voice came from her mouth: “Sorry…”
As her voice fell, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon weightlessly danced, and brushed toward Yun Che’s shoulder.
Just as the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was about touch Yun Che, the phoenix imprint that had always been hidden on Yun Che’s forehead suddenly appeared, and emitted a golden radiance so intense that it was glaring to the eye…
This sudden change made Xia Qingyue’s movement pause, and subconsciously retract the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon. And in the next moment, three drops of golden brilliant flames poured out from the place where the golden phoenix imprint flashed…
Those were three drops of Phoenix Blood Yun Che had released out of his body.
Looking at these three drops of golden colored blood, Yun Che tightly clenched his teeth, and an incomparably overcast voice sounded from his throat: “Phoenix Blood… For me… Burn to your heart’s content!!”
The phoenix flames he normally burned, used the Phoenix Blood as the source.
But this time, he forced out the Phoenix Blood, to directly burn these three drops of Phoenix Blood!
He understood very clearly the consequences of this action. After completely burning these three drops of Phoenix Blood’s divine power to exhaustion, it was unknown just how long it would take for them to recover. Moreover, before their divine phoenix power recovers, he would only be able to ignite normal profound flames, and won’t be able to use the Phoenix Flame again until then. However, this was the only method he could think of that may break through the Frozen Cloud Domain.
As the three drops of Phoenix Blood came out, an incomparably enormous imposing air shrouded the entire Sword Discourse Arena, and even all of those experts of Sky Profound and Emperor Profound Realm that stood on the pinnacle felt a sort of heavy pressure… Even though it was just three drops of blood, it after all contained true divine power, and it’s imposing air was one that came from the Phoenix Divine Beast. Xia Qingyue who was the closest, also felt the heaviest pressure. At the same time, she more so felt a type of danger that was fatal. This kind of danger made her retreat backwards with her fastest speed possible without even taking the time think.
Rumble!!
Amidst Yun Che’s low roar, the three drops of Phoenix Blood started to burn at the same time. From three dots of tiny luminescence, in just an instant, it expanded to become a monstrous fire that was several tens of meters high. The Frozen Cloud Domain’s cold aura was bone-piercing, but how could it defend against the intense burning of the divine beast’s blood?
No matter what kind of flame, they would all need a medium to burn. The phoenix flames Yun che emitted, used profound energy as the medium to burn, yet the combustion medium for the Phoenix Blood’s divine power… was precisely this Frozen Cloud Domain!
The attribute of the Frozen Cloud Domain was ice, and could be said as the most improbable thing to combust in the world. Yet under the Phoenix Blood’s divine power, they burned and dispersed like the purest of kerosenes with an incredibly astonishing speed. Before everyone had even recovered from the shock when the flames appeared and could react, the entirely red blaze had already filled up every single corner of the Frozen Cloud Domain. The Domain that was azure in color, was burned into a scarlet colored purgatory of flames.
Even though these flames did not touch the surrounding audiences, the overly scorching heat wave had still affected them. It made them abruptly suffocate, and their entire bodies felt as if they would ignite from the torridness. And right after, the clothes on their body suddenly ignited along with their hair, driving them into chaos amidst their panicked shouts as they quickly fled. Only until over a dozen experts of the Heavenly Sword Villa jumped out and blocked in front of them, did the situation finally ease.
“Wh… wh… what is going on here…” Chu Yueli stood up, her pair of charming eyes was filled with deep shock.
“Don’t tell me… don’t tell me that this Domain was actually… broken by Yun Che’s fire?”
“Using fire… to burn down Frozen Cloud Domain? How is this possible…”
As the fire spread, the Frozen Cloud Domain disappeared… Even the last hint of blue light and coldness was fully consumed by the flames. The phoenix flames that thoroughly burned out the Frozen Cloud Domain and lost its medium for combustion, also extinguished along with it… However, the three drops of phoenix blood that floated in front of Yun Che, had already lost their original golden color. They turned dim and muddle, as if they were fluid of ordinary profound beasts.
Plop….
Yun Che fell onto the ground with one knee, and sweat rained down on his entire body as he started gasping roughly from his mouth. Controlling the burning of these three drops of Phoenix Blood, had almost exhausted every ounce of his remaining strength. The three drops of Phoenix Blood also flew toward the flame imprint on Yun Che’s forehead by themselves at this time; they returned to his bloodline, and at the same time entered a long lasting slumber.
At least within the next three months, it would be impossible for Yun Che to ignite the phoenix flames again.
At the same time, it was also extremely likely for his phoenix blood to be exposed… Others may not notice, but amongst the people present, there was still a Ling Kun! This frightening person who hailed from the Sacred Grounds, the level of knowledge he had was such that none of the experts in the Blue Wind Empire could ever compare to.
He understood this kind of price very well. However, he absolutely did not regret it.
Frozen Cloud Domain vanished. It totally, and completely, disappeared…
The entire Sword Discourse Arena was deathly silent as though it was a ghost house, and only bursts of gasping and gulping sounds from the throat could be heard. Everyone had already stood up, and dumbfoundedly looked at the two on the arena. Extreme shock was clearly written on their distorted facial features.
“Phoenix Blood?” Ling Kun’s eyebrows sunk. A mutter came from his mouth as a surprised expression flashed across his face: “Phoenix Blood, wasn’t it already extinct from a long time ago. The phoenix bloodline now, are all inherited from their ancestors… His Phoenix Blood could actually separate from the bloodline, which proves that the Phoenix Blood is incomparably pure.”
“The phoenix flame skills he used, is also completely different from the Divine Phoenix Sect.”
“Hmph! How really interesting, I wonder what kind of reaction the Divine Phoenix Sect would have after they get a hold of this.”
Ling Kun’s indifferent gaze swept across the entire arena, and he slightly made a cold smile: “With so many people present, some are bound to leak these things to the Divine Phoenix Sect… This youth’s aptitude is extraordinary, and even if he comes to the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, he will be qualified to become the bottom of the barrel. He also seems to have had fortuitous encounters before. But unfortunately… he is destined to be short-lived, and I’m afraid he won’t live to see the day he joins my Mighty Heavenly Sword Region.”
Chapter 245 - The Last Strike
Chu Yueli was not just shocked; she was already completely speechless. The amount of astonishment she felt in her heart, even greatly exceeded that of what others felt. This was because she most clearly knew what Yun Che’s condition was like eighteen months ago. Honestly speaking, the Yun Che back then was only a pile of mud that could never support a wall in her eyes. If not for Xia Qingyue’s own insistence on marrying him, she would not have even taken a single straight glance at him.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingyue’s aptitude, comprehension ability, as well as her mentality, were completely unheard of in Chu Yueli’s entire life. Her constitution that could cultivate profound arts disregarding profound strength requirements and could even directly open a Domain, made even the Asgard Mistress Gong Yuxian unable to hold back her amazement. She had taken Xia Qingyue as a disciple since she was twelve and had instructed her in Frozen Cloud Arts. She had even personally helped Xia Qingyue tune her body using her own power of the Sky Profound Realm. During the time she was in Frozen Cloud Asgard, countless priceless treasures they had collected over their thousand year of heritage were all unrestrainedly used on her. Furthermore, Xia Qingyue not only had Chu Yueli as master; the two strongest beings in Frozen Cloud Asgard——Chu Yuechan and Gong Yuxian——had both spent a large amount of effort on her. To make her Frozen Cloud Energy reach extreme purity, Chu Yuechan had even gone to obtain three Sky Profound Realm beast cores despite facing immense risk…
Looking through the history of Frozen Cloud Asgard, they had never invested so much on any single disciple.
Only after all that, did the current Xia Qingyue come to be.
Yet right now, Chu Yueli had just stood there and watched as that youth who could only be considered trash originally, break down Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud Domain!
Xia Qingyue being able to open a Domain, had flipped everyone’s knowledge of common sense upside down. But Yun Che actually being able to destroy the Domain, could only be described as an inexplicable miracle.
After destroying the Frozen Cloud Domain with the use of phoenix blood, Yun Che’s strength was nearly depleted, and Xia Qingyue’s condition was also no better off than his. Opening a Domain by utilizing a profound strength of the Earth Profound Realm, the expenditure was undoubtedly extremely enormous. Just conjuring the Domain had already drained over seventy percent of Xia Qingyue’s profound energy. Sustaining it for a few short breaths of time after, again depleted over sixty percent of her remaining strength. In addition to the various expenditures earlier, the current her did not even have five percent of her usual strength left. Moreover, when the Domain was destroyed, it also made her suffer a certain amount of backlash, which had damaged her profound veins quite a bit, causing her control over profound energy to start becoming awkward.
Xia Qingyue’s face was already snow white to begin with, but right now, it was white to the extreme, to the extent where you could not even see the slightest hint of blood color. But at least, she looked a lot better than Yun Che who could not even stand steadily.
Both of them looked straight at the other across less than thirty meters of distance between them. Pain and strenuousness continuously flashed amidst the calm within Yun Che’s eyes, while Xia Qingyue’s eyes instead turmoiled intensely, as if she had yet to recover from the shock she received just now.
“Ugh…” As he quietly groaned with pain, Yun Che slowly stood up using the Dragon Fault as support. He lightly clenched his teeth, looked at Xia Qingyue who was right in front of his eyes, and said in a low voice: “You actually… did not get injured by the flames just now… That’s fine too. The flames just now, even I was unable to fully control them. If you had been engulfed by them, perhaps… they would have severely injured you… If… your clothing were burnt down… Heh, I don’t want my wife, to be seen by others…”
Yun Che’s words were spoken discontinuously, and every few words were accompanied by heavy gasping.
Xia Qingyue: “…”
Yun Che’s hands were tightly gripped on the Dragon Fault, but he did not pull it out from the ground, as if he no longer had ample strength. Yun Che closed both of his eyes, and after a long burst of intense gasping, his aura and voice suddenly started to gradually calm down: “My remaining strength, is only sufficient enough for me to swing out one more strike… If you’re able to receive this strike, then it means that you have won… However…however, I absolutely…absolutely will not lose to you… So this sword strike, no matter what you do, it will be impossible to receive!”
Poof!
The Dragon Fault was pulled out of the ground. Over four thousand kilograms of weight, caused the two hands Yun Che gripped on it to slightly tremble: “Prepare to receive my sword… Qingyue. Keep the glory for your sect in mind, and also recall what I said to you before the fight; give me everything you’ve got! Otherwise, you will be letting the Frozen Cloud Asgard down, letting me down, and also letting yourself down!”
Xia Qingyue: “…”
The youth of the same age in front of her seemingly appeared very distant; because compared to when his Profound Veins were crippled back then, the Yun Che in front of her eyes and the Xiao Che from before were in all ways people from two different worlds. But in the eyes of Xia Qingyue, the youth in front of her whose fate flipped upside-down was incomparably familiar. His gaze, the tone when he spoke, the pridefulness that was carved into his bones… Especially the stubbornness that could not be pulled away with even a hundred thousand bulls; they were all exactly the same as the Yun Che she had gotten to know after those short few days and nights with him.
Xia Qingyue did not say anything, but the ice spirits that had originally disappeared once again appeared and floated around her. Behind her, a gigantic ice lotus gradually bloomed. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon floated in front of her, and displayed a strange “S” shape. An extremely dangerous aura was released and emitted from every single centimeter and inch of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, exerting an extremely heavy pressure towards Yun Che.
“This is… ‘Frozen Cloud Ultimate Skill: Ode of the Crescent Moon’s elementary style. Junior Sister Xia’s presence is extremely weak right now. Can she still execute this skill?” Looking at Xi Qingyue’s condition, Shui Wushuang worriedly said.
“It’s barely possible. Looks like, Qingyue is also going to give it her all. This move, is not something that’s possible for Yun Che defend against.” Chu Yueli said. But when she spoke those words, she more or less lacked confidence. Although the current Yun Che didn’t seem to be able to even keep his balance, the various things he displayed from him before, especially the flames that burnt through even the Frozen Cloud Domain, made Chu Yueli no longer dare to look down on this seemingly unthreatening young man at all.
She already did not dare guess what earthshaking feat he would do next.
The Dragon Fault was gradually raised by Yun Che above his head. The fifty four Evil God’s Profound Entrances speedily expanded, madly gathering all of the remaining Profound Energy in his body. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar as the surface of the ground under his feet shattered. And just as he leapt from the ground, the heavy sword soared through the air and heavily slashed downwards…
“Overlord’s Fury!”
Although the power behind this sword strike was much weaker than the previous one at the start, it’s was still very frightening. Xia Qingyue also jumped upwards, all of the ice spirits around her flashed with a chaotic brilliance. Her Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon turned softness into resilience, and folded into a snow white crescent moon. While being imbued with Frozen Cloud Energy, it glimmered with a blinding radiance of ice crystals and fiercely clashed in midair with the Dragon Fault.
With a loud sound, an enormous ring of spatial distortion rippled out far away from where Dragon Fault and Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon clashed. The incomparably cold aura completely engulfed Yun Che, and the enormous power that came from the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon forcefully smashed the Dragon’s Fault into a crescent moon shape.
Yue Che’s eyes were widened abruptly. In that instant of collision, his hands became almost completely numb. He unyieldingly clenched his teeth, and channeled all of his power into the Dragon Fault. But his remaining power was too far-off from Xia Qingyue’s strike of full strength. The power of the Overlord’s Fury was completely blocked, and even the power’s residue were being rapidly engulfed, and a burst of icy cold power, which could thoroughly defeat him, pounced towards his face.
So there was no choice but to use that after all…
This kind of situation, did not surprise Yue Che in the slightest. After all, he understood his own current situation better than anyone else. Feeling that his own power being completely suppressed, he took a sudden breath, and let out a beast-like howl from his mouth…
My profound veins and body… You must to hold on!
“Evil God’s Third Realm: Purgatory!!”
Following Yun Che’s internal silent chant, the Evil God’s Profound Vein’s third gate… Purgatory, opened for the first time.
In the instant “Purgatory” opened, a strange, demonic red light was suddenly released from the third gate, illuminating the entirety of the Profound Veins with crimson red as if they were dyed in fresh blood. The red light did not only exist within the Profound Veins, and also gushed out from the profound veins, forming a layer of blood red radiance around Yue Che’s body.
The whites in both of Yun Che’s eyes completely disappeared, and replacing them, were two pupils that turned completely blood-red. An wicked and malicious aura akin to that coming from the purgatory, was also suddenly emanated from his body, causing Xia Qingyue to completely suffocate in an instant .
“Evil God’s Third Style: Destroying Sky Decimating Earth!”
BOOM!!!!!!
This was an explosive rumble as if the sky and earth had collapsed. The entire Sword Discourse Arena trembled with incomparable intensity, and even the entire area of the ground started to sway, as if a terrifying natural disaster had suddenly descended. Within the huge explosive sound, some lower-leveled profound practitioner’s’ ears immediately lost their ability to hear. And on the Sword Discourse Arena, the flying shattered rocks and sand flew to a height of nearly three hundred meters, and for a moment blotted out the sky and the sun, while also completely hiding Yue Che’s and Xia Qingyue’s figures.
Screams of fear resounded throughout the entire Sword Discourse Arena, and incomparable astonishment emerged onto every single person’s face once again. No matter if it was Yue Che, or Xia Qingyue, they were both clearly near exhausted of their profound energy; yet the might of this strike surpassed their everything from before. It was entirely not inferior to that overwhelming flame wave, which even burnt down the Frozen Cloud Domain, in any way. It was difficult for even a powerful Earth Profound Realm expert to generate such a terrifying wave of air current and might, so how was it possible for it to appear within the clash between two young profound practioners who already had a large portion of their power depleted!
The dust filled the air, and no one could clearly see what exactly was happening. Even if they were to try to imagine, they were completely unable to imagine just what they used to create such an earthshaking collision.
The tremoring of the Sword Discourse Arena soon stopped, and the dust also started to disperse. As their lines of sight became clear, everyone fiercely took in a gasp of cold air.
What appeared before their eyes, was a huge crater of at least two hundred meters in diameter!
The edges of the Sword Discourse Arena had also been completely destroyed, and not a single complete piece of the stage could be found.
In the center area of the huge pit, were two completely still silhouettes… Looking at them, everyone held their breaths. Their gazes froze, and they were unable to even make the slightest trace of sound from their throats.
Xia Qingyue silently stood there, her long black hair in a mess, and her entire body tainted by dirt. There was a type of indescribable “daze” within her clear eyes, as she stupefyingly looked at the Yun Che in front of her.
Yun Che had collapsed less than ten steps away from her. All of his clothing were in shreds and his entire body lied flat on the ground face down. From the corner of his mouth, forehead, limbs, back…on basically every single possible part of his body, streams of blood were flowing out. His left hand gripped the ground, the back of his right hand was already completely dyed red by the bloodstain, yet it still firmly grasped onto the Dragon Fault’s handle.
“Finally… It’s over.”
Although “Purgatory” had merely opened for no longer than three breaths of time, for Yun Che’s body that was almost entirely out of strength, it was without doubt a burden that was almost destructive. Furthermore, while under “Purgatory”, he also forcefully executed the complementary Evil God’s third style “Destroying Sky Decimating Earth”…. That was the ultimate strike he released using the strength from his willpower and his soul. It made even his soul withstand an immense amount of burden that wasn’t in the slightest short of the burden on his body. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was still able to temporarily maintain his consciousness.
The surface of his body had innumerable wounds, and only his internal organs were not as badly damaged. Yun Che managed to widen the corner of his mouth with great difficulty and let out a relaxed, satisfied smile that also carried a deep joyousness. He closed his eyes, freely letting his consciousness plummet toward the darkness. The last bit of awareness, turned into a trace of voice that only Xia Qingyue could hear…
“The second reason I came to the Ranking Tournament… was to prove to you that… I… Yun Che… am qualified to be your husband… and not… your return of gratitude…
…and…char..ity…”
Xia Qingyue: “…”
Time slowly passed in dead silence… One breath, two breaths, three breaths, four breaths…
It was only until Yun Che fainted and there was no longer any movement, did the audience finally regain their senses.
This match, has finally ended…
Nine breaths, ten breaths…
Ling Wugou had always been the closest to the match from the start to finish, and was also the one who most vividly felt the earthshaking strike earlier. If someone came close to him right now, they would realise that his forehead was fully and densely covered with cold sweat… That’s right! A supreme expert of the Sky Profound Realm rank eight, who held an extremely high position even in the Heavenly Sword Villa, was actually startled to the point of coldly sweating from a battle between two youngsters.
After ten breaths of time passed, Ling Wugou finally regained his wits. He glanced at Yun Che with an extremely complex gaze, before quickly calming his state of mind and loudly declaring with a vigorous voice: “Yun Che has fallen for ten breaths of time. The winner of this Ranking Tournament’s final battle is…”;
————————————————
Translator Note: Author has permanently swapped Purgatory with Rumbling Heaven in the later chapters. We have decided to make the switch now instead of later. From now on, Purgatory is the Evil God’s 3rd Realm while Rumbling Heaven is the 4th. alyschu has replaced all previous mentions of Rumbling Heaven being the third realm with Purgatory.
Chapter 246 - Victor
Yun Che had fainted and had yet to get up for a long while. This also signified that the battle between him and Xia Qingyue had finally ended. The final battle of the Ranking Tournament had finally closed its curtains.
The tournament had ended, but nobody was able to suppress the amount of shock they had for quite a while. None of the two finalists had been from Heavenly Sword Villa. The crown of victory had fallen in Frozen Cloud Asgard’s hands in the end… But none of this was important at the moment. This match had been an eyeopener and had allowed every spectator to walk through the Fire and Ice of the Nine Heavens. Every scene had all ruthlessly rammed at their vision and spirit.
Both of the finalists were only seventeen years old, but they had fought a battle that was several classes above their own Profound Realms and had shattered any understanding anyone had in regards to battles. Yun Che in particular, even though he had ultimately been defeated by Xia Qingyue, his profound strength was indeed only at the True Profound Realm, yet had allowed him to bring about a shock that was even more shocking than Xia Qingyue. In front of the glory of both of these youngsters, any glory Heavenly Sword Villa had was covered up. Even the publically recognized ‘strongest of the young generation’, Ling Yun had apparently been defeated without room for debate.
“Fairy of Frozen Glass, congratulations on obtaining first place.” The Sect Master sitting on the right of Frozen Cloud Asgard’s seats, said hurriedly. However, even as a Sect Master, he did not have the courage to dare to speak to Chu Yuechan.
The Sect Master sitting on the left immediately flattered: “The great Asgard being able to train such an outstanding talent is well deserving of first place. I imagine Frozen Cloud Asgard’s fame will spread throughout the world…”
Chu Yueli slightly tightened her eyebrows and did not reply. The final outcome had let her breathe a huge sigh of relief. This was her ideal ending. This would be the first time Frozen Cloud Asgard had broke tradition and the first time they had seized first place. Henceforth, the results of today’s Ranking Tournament would spread and the recognition and fame Frozen Cloud Asgard would obtain, would also far surpass its former glory. However, the road to obtaining this perfect ending had been more difficult than she had expected. The biggest obstacle she had expected was actually not Ling Yun, but was instead, someone who she had nearly forgotten… a boy who crippled profound veins eighteen months ago, who did not even have one good point about him, and had even been expelled from his clan!
Yun Che had lost consciousness, but Xia Qingyue looked completely fine. Chu Yuechan should have felt relieved. However, as Xia Qingyue’s master, she had complete understanding of Xia Qingyue’s abilities and knew that the earthshaking force released just now was definitely not released by Xia Qingyue. Although it had looked like Yun Che had fallen and Xia Qingyue was unharmed, she was unable to calm down.
“Yun Che has fallen and has not gotten up within ten breaths’ time. The winner of the Ranking Tournament is Frozen Cloud Asgard’s…”
“Wait!”
Before Ling Wugou could utter “Xia Qingyue”, a cold voice interrupted him.
The one who said that, was shockingly, Xia Qingyue. As she spoke, she moved towards Yun Che and stopped by his side. She waved both her hands forward and a light blue ice spirit slowly descended upon Yun Che’s body, enveloping him. After she silently looked at the ice spirit gradually freeze his wounds, she turned around and softly said: “The winner is not me. It’s him. For this match… I admit defeat.”
WHOAA~~~~
The Sword Discourse Arena went into an uproar. Everyone had looked at one another in amazement. Yun Che had passed out while Xia Qingyue was perfectly fine. It was obvious as to who was the victor and who had lost. Yet, Xia Qingyue one sentence had actually deliberately given the victory to another. Nobody was able to discern the reason as to why she would do this.
Chu Yueli stood up, astonished, and yelled: “Qingyue, what are you saying? Immediately retract what you’ve just said!”
Chu Yuechan suddenly coldly said: “Look up.”
Chu Yueli subconsciously raised her head and then froze. Her expression, too, had froze in place. She was speechless.
At this time, a long white ribbon slowly fell from the sky. It coincidentally landed on Xia Qingyue’s shoulder and she grabbed onto it. Ling Wugou was about to ask something, but as he watched the falling Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, the words that were about to leave his mouth was swallowed down his throat.
Although Yun Che was unconscious, Dragon Fault had always been firmly gripped within his hands.
Even though Xia Qingyue appeared to be unharmed, nobody had realized she had lost her Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon.
It had taken until now for the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon to fall from the sky. One could only imagine how high it had been knocked up…
“He had unleashed his last strike upon my Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon… If he had chosen to do so on me, I would have probably died. He has rightfully won this. I’ve lost.”
Chu Yueli was startled for a while before letting off a long sigh. She closed eyes, and did not speak for a long while.
Even though the outcome had been flipped over due to Xia Qingyue’s admittance of defeat,, the results of the match may have been unchanged even with that. After all, everyone present had witnessed Yun Che passing out. Even Ling Wugou, as the referee, may not accept the obvious victor’s admittance of defeat.
However, from the descending Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon and what Xia Qingyue had said, everyone had understood who the true victor was.
Ling Wugou nodded, and did not try to question Xia Qingyue again. He raised his hands once again and loudly proclaimed: “Xia Qingyue has admitted defeat, the champion of the Ranking Tournament is…”
“Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che!!”
As he declared the conclusion of the finals, the ranking tournament was finally over. Shortly after, the atmosphere around Sword Discourse Arena became rowdy. Before the Ranking Tournament, nobody had even expected it to end like this. It was impossible for them to expect this outcome. If someone had proclaimed that the overall winner would be from Blue Wind Imperial Family, everyone would regard that person as a crazy retard.
Blue Wind Imperial Family. Originally, this name should have carried majestic might, but it had been ridiculed and insulted in the profound cultivating world. Today, for the first time in history, it had been announced as the overall champion!
“…Even though we didn’t manage to obtain first place, at least we beat Ling Yun and suppressed Heavenly Sword Villa. At the very least, we’ve done what we had set out to do.” After a brief period of disappointment, Chu Yueli said while slightly smiling. Her expression had resumed its former tranquil state: “Unexpectedly, the biggest surprise this Ranking Tournament has brought me was Qingyue’s husband. Fate, is truly the most mysterious thing in this world.”
Chu Yuechan did not speak. With eyes like ice crystals, nobody could understand what she was thinking of.
“Too awesome, too great… as expected of my Boss! To be able to be the Boss of me, Ling Jie, you have to at least be able to do something like this!” Ling Jie clasped both his hands tightly while shouting. To Ling Jie, who had already bragged to others that he was Yun Che’s younger brother, he had felt considerably honored. He had long forgotten that Heavenly Sword Villa had met with defeat yesterday.
On the side of the Blue Wind Imperial Family, there were no shouts of joy. After Ling Wugou had announced the results, Cang Yue had loudly shouted “Junior Brother Yun”, disregarded everything else, and rushed towards at the Sword Discourse Arena in the quickest speed possible. Xia Yuanba was closely behind her with a face full of terror. While Qin Wushang had been somewhat slower to react, his speed was naturally quicker than both of them. He reached Yun Che’s side in a flash and quickly began examining his wounds.
“H… How is Junior Brother Yun?” Cang Yue stretched out both of her hands but she did not dare to touch Yun Che. Tears were already flowing on her face.
As Qin Wushang’s hands left Yun Che, his face revealed a relieved expression and said: “Rest assured, Princess. Although his wounds look terrible, they are all external wounds. If he recuperates for at most a month, he will be able to fully recover. He has only suffered light internal injuries and the only cause of concern would be that he had overly stressed his profound veins. While that will take time to heal, that is not impossible to make a full recovery from. Only, sigh… I’m afraid he won’t be able to explore the Heaven Basin Secret Realm in his current condition.”
Hearing this, Cang Yue could finally calm down a little. She tightly gripped Yun Che’s hand and refused to let go.
Cang Yue’s care, tears and the way she had spoke of Yun Che… were all seen by Xia Qingyue. She slowed down her steps and did not approach. She quietly kept the bottle of Snow-colored Pellets she had gotten from her teacher.
“Palace Chief Qin, ten thousand congratulations.” Ling Wugou said. Even though Heavenly Sword Villa had been defeated and lost the first position that has always belonged to them, Ling Wugou remained very calm and took the initiative to congratulate Qin Wushang. Without waiting for him to reply, he added: “Palace Chief Qin need not reply. I’ll lead you to the Heaven Returning Pavilion.”
Qin Wushang nodded and carried Yun Che: “I’ll count on Elder Ling to lead the way.”
As the Ranking Tournament’s final victor, Yun Che was actually unable to receive the cheers and attention of the audience. He had been carried away shortly after the match ended. Although he, the main character, had already left, the Sword Discourse Arena remained rowdy for a very long time. The younger practitioners were completely shaken by the match. They had lost all of the arrogance that they once had. Before, they had all proudly proclaimed that they were talented individuals, but today, they had seen that before a truly talented individual, they were not worth anything.
This had been the most special Ranking Tournament yet. It had defied over thirty years of history. Its process and conclusion were filled with excitement and surprises. This ranking tournament was expected to spread throughout the Blue Wind Empire like a giant wave and be discussed for a very long time.
Of course, there were also people who were upset about the conclusion.
A good example would be the Burning Heaven Clan. They had been badly beaten and even their Great Elder had lost control and had been shamed by Yun Che.
Another example would be the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress who had been rude towards Yun Che. Although, compared to the the Burning Heaven Sect, the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress were restless. Mu Tianbei had not expected that Yun Che’s true power would be this terrifying. Even more so, he had not expected him to be the ranking tournament’s champion.
A talent like this would definitely grow up to become one of the Blue Wind Empire’s Thrones! In the hundreds of years of history of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, they had yet to produce a Throne, nor did they dare to invite a Throne.
Thinking of this, Mu Tianbei was unable to calm down. Cold sweat flowed down onto his back while his face was green with regret.
……………………………………
Blue Wind Imperial Family, the Emperor’s Chambers.
Even as the current Emperor of the Blue Wind Empire, Cang Wanhe’s face was flushed red and the light in his eyes was faint, as if he was dreaming.
Even Cang Wanhe himself had thought he was dreaming.
He had received Qin Wushang’s sound transmission: Blue Wind Imperial Family had obtained first place in the Ranking Tournament…
Immediately, he also received a sound transmission from his daughter: Blue Wind Imperial Family had obtained first place in the Ranking Tournament…
While holding the Sound Transmission Jade, Cang Wanhe had been left in a muddled state. Even after half a day, he hadn’t regained his wits. He trusted Qin Wushang, he trusted Cang Yue even more, but he didn’t dare to believe what they had told him, even though it had been the same thing. Because that would be too fantastical, too unreal… as if these were the voices within his dreams about a fantasy.
Rapid footsteps resounded from outside. Very quickly, his personal eunuch had rushed into the chamber and kneeled before him, loudly shouting in a hoarse voice: “Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations! The Ranking Tournament has finally ended today, and our Imperial Family… Imperial Family… has actually gotten first place! First place!”
Cang Wanhe’s mouth twitched, trembling while asking: “This news, are you sure this is true?”
“That is the news that Heavenly Sword Villa has released, it’s definitely true! Right now, the same message is being spread all over the Empire. Not a word is false!” The eunuch continued in extreme excitement: “Yun Che, who represented the Blue Wind Imperial Family had won all of his matches in the first group stage, had won all of his matches in the second group stage as well, had fought against the Xiao Sect, Burning Heaven Clan, Heavenly Sword Villa, and Frozen Cloud Asgard in the elimination stage, and completely beat all of them to obtain first place!! If even half of this is false, may the heavens strike this servant with lightning!”
Cang Wanhe’s face became even redder as excitement rushed throughout the entirety of his body: “Good… Good… Good!! Haha… hahahaha… hahahahahahaha…”
Cang Wanhe started to heartily laugh with an incomparable jubilance. He had been in power for over ten years and this was the first time he had ever been this carefree. It was as if all the pent up frustration and worries over the years had been released through this unreserved laugh: “This is the glory my Blue Wind Imperial Family deserves! This is what is truly means to look down upon the world from above! Send an imperial order to all related parties. Say… Say… From today onwards, for the next three years, the resources given to each Profound Palace will increase! Blue Wind Profound Palace’s reward will be proclaimed another day! From today onwards, we will prepare the greatest banquet in the Blue Wind Palace’s main hall, We want to personally receive Yun Che when they return… As for Yun Che’s reward, I will proclaim it at a later date!”
“This servant has received the order…”
“Wait! Serve me some good wine immediately. I want to properly enjoy a drink, hahaha!”
Cang Wanhe usually had bad appetite, but because he was in a good mood today, his appetite was good. At the moment, he was extremely satisfied, and deeply felt that he wouldn’t even regret anything even if he died now.
Chapter 247 - Waking Up
A room which was quiet and neatly arranged. Rays of light which were not too bright spilled through the half-open bamboo window, hence, the room was not overly dim.
Yun Che quietly laid on the soft bed, his entire body was smeared with medicine which did not have a heavy smell. He had already maintained this posture for three days, which also meant that he had been in a coma for entire three days.
In front of the bed, ice spirits floated, and then, gradually, a figure of a woman dressed entirely in a snow dress appeared. She raised her snow-ice like palm, and placed it on Yun Che’s chest, sensing the recovery situation of his wounds and profound energy. A few moments later, the ice spirits around her body began to flutter quickly. Her palm was fully opened as well; as she held it in front of his chest, a pale, ice-blue glow silently enveloped his body…
This state lasted for an entire half a quarter of an hour. At this moment, footsteps that were intentionally made light could be heard from outside the door. The woman retracted her palm. With a gentle turn of her body, she disappeared from the spot, as though it was all but a dream.
And at this time, Yun Che’s eyes showed a slight tremble, and then, they were slowly opened.
There was nowhere in his body where he could not feel any pain, but the pain was not that unbearable, and there was even a trace of a cool feeling which made him especially comfortable. Yun Che tried to move his body, and he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Although his movements were sluggish, the mobility of his body did not seem to be stiff. At the very most, he would feel a little pain from over-exaggerated movements, but this was enough to prove that his body functions had basically fully recovered.
As expected, the recovery ability bestowed by the Second Realm of the Great Way of the Buddha was not a joke!
The door to the room was pushed open. Cang Yue walked into the room with a bowl of soup in her hands, and following behind her was Qin Wushang. Currently, Princess Cang Yue looked really frail, as though she had not slept a wink for several days and nights. Yun Che slightly moved his body, and gently called out. “Senior sister, Palace Chief Qin.”
“Ah!” Cang Yue let out a tender cry, and had almost thrown aside the bowl of soup in her hands. She placed the bowl of soup on the table, and hastily arrived before Yun Che, saying surprisingly. “Junior brother Yun, you’re… you’re awake… This is great! Grandmother Jiumu said you might have to be in a coma for dozens of days, but I knew that you would definitely be safe and sound much sooner.”
The “Grandmother Jiumu” Cang Yue said out was referring to the number one genius doctor in Heavenly Sword Villa, who had lived in the Heaven Returning Pavilion for quite a while.
“I’m already fine. I’m sorry I had to cause Senior sister to worry.” Seeing Cang Yue’s expression, Yun Che answered with a pained heart. As he was speaking, he even raised out the right hand he could already freely move to grab onto Cang Yue’s small hand, to prove to her that he was really alright.
“Hoho, it’s good that you’re awake. This way, the Princess and I can finally feel at ease.” Qin Wushang nodded and laughed, as a relaxed expression revealed on his face. “Yun Che, do you know? Currently, you’re already famous throughout the world, and you’re even titled as number one among the younger generation this year. And you are entirely worthy indeed of this title. But, I believe that with your character, you wouldn’t overly care about such fame.”
“Things like titles, though they sound nice, there are many a time they can be a form of burden.” Yun Che smiled indifferently, and then, he asked. “Senior sister, how long have I been asleep for?”
“It’s already been three days.” Cang Yue replied. “Junior brother Yun, how do you feel right now? Do you feel especially uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Don’t worry, I feel that my body has already recovered to a certain extent… Three days…” Yun Che suddenly recalled something, and hurriedly asked. “When is the exploration of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm going to be conducted?”
“The Heaven Basin Secret Basin will open on the day after tomorrow.” Qin Wushang sighed. “But, in your current state, you should be unable to participate in the exploration this time. But, don’t worry. You’re only seventeen this year. Even if you miss this out, you will still have another chance three years later.”
“The day after tomorrow…” Yun Che closed his eyes. Within his Sky Poison Pearl, there were a large amount of Great Heaven Returning Pellets which he had refined himself, and adding his extremely powerful self-recovery ability, the injuries on his body should be healed by more than ninety-percent the day after tomorrow. However, it was impossible for the recovery of his profound energy to be as quick, and not even half of it could be recovered by then. Adding that he had burned the power source of the Phoenix blood, at the very least, he would not be able to make use of the power of the Phoenix flames for three months. His overall strength was thus greatly reduced.
Yun Che himself understood the condition of his body and its self-recovery ability. If he could recover about a half of his strength, it was not that impossible for him to participate in the exploration of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm the day after tomorrow; the danger would just be raised by a lot.
After all, entering the Heaven Basin Domain, was equal to leaving the Heavenly Sword Villa’s domain. People that did not dare to act rashly in the Heavenly Sword Villa, could finally act on their own free will.
“It might not have to be that pessimistic. My profound art carries a very strong self-recovery ability, when that day comes, I will make my decision of entering the Heavenly Basin Secret Realm based on the state of my recovery. But, the matter of me waking up, please do not tell anyone as of yet.” Yun Che said.
Qin Wushang did not know what Yun Che’s “Profound Art” was, and in the end, no one else was able to find out either. He nodded, and no longer said anything else.
Cang Yue fed the medicinal soup to Yun Che, and left after keeping him company for a while longer, allowing him to rest quietly by himself.
“You sure are reckless. Aren’t you afraid of being crippled?” Jasmine said snappishly.
“I have countless of similar experiences, and I have considered most of the factors in my mind. No matter how reckless I am, I wouldn’t really cause myself to be crippled.” Yun Che took up a more comfortable lying posture, took out a Great Heaven Returning Pellet from the Sky Poison Pearl and threw it into his mouth. Then, he slowly refined it with the little amount of profound energy he had recovered. “But in only three days, my injuries on the surface are actually healed to such great extent, and my internal injuries are completely healed. The second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha is extraordinary, as expected.”
“Hmph, do you really think that, by borrowing the strength of the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha, could heal you to such an extent?” Jasmine coldly snorted.
“… Could there be another reason?”
“In these three days, there’s someone who came by twice every day, and used a large amount of profound energy to heal your injuries. Otherwise, you would have been in coma for at least another two days, and it would have been impossible for your internal injuries to be completely healed this quickly.”
Yun Che was stunned, and then, he was suddenly agitated. “Could it be… Little Fairy?”
“This woman had always treated you coldly. Bluntly speaking, back then, she had even blasted you out of the room. But when you’re injured, she actually sneakily entered your room by herself, and treated your injuries without minding the large amount of profound energy she used. A woman’s way of thinking is really strange.” Jasmine said casually. However, no matter who it was, he would feel awkward when he realized the last line was actually said by a girl who was only fourteen years old.
“Haha, when you grow up, and become a real woman, you might be able to understand.” Yun Che laughed loudly, and his mood instantly improved greatly. “When does she usually come?”
“Noon, and midnight. What? You want to wait for her?”
“Of course! She definitely wouldn’t have imagined that I have already woken up, so, she will definitely come again.” Yun Che said very pleasantly.
“Dirty-minded!”
“Dirty…” Yun Che was angry now, as he growled. “Hey hey! Where the hell did a littlel brat like you learn this phrase? How can I be called dirty-minded? I really wish to see her out of very pure intentions, alright!? Even though you’re much stronger than me, and you even have much more knowledge stuffed in your brain than me, no matter the case, you’re still only a thirteen or fourteen year old little girl. Of course you wouldn’t understand the pure and beautiful feelings between us adults.”
“You… an adult? Me… a little brat?” Jasmine smiled coldly. “You actually dare to disrespect your master! There had never been anyone who dared to call me a little brat!”
Jasmine’s voice, evidently carried the thing called “killing intent”. Yun Che’s neck suddenly cramped, and he said hurriedly. “I-I-I’m in the wrong… Aaah… Jasmine, I definitely, definitely, definitely did not call you a small brat, you must have heard wrong…”
……………………
That night, it was exactly midnight, and everything was completely quiet and still.
The window in Yun Che’s room gently opened, and following after, a cool breeze blew. The figure of a woman, whose skin was snow-white like that of a dream’s, quietly appeared in front of Yun Che’s bed. Although the light was dim, it was still possible to see the blurred figure of her flawless and graceful curves. Yet, the aura emitted out of her body was cold and noble, imperceptibly carrying a resolute form of cold pride.
She raised out her hand, and gently placed it on Yun Che’s chest. Just when she was about to investigate the conditions of Yun Che’s injuries again, at this moment, Yun Che, who should have been in a coma, suddenly stretched out his right hand, and grabbed onto her hand which was placed on his chest.
With Che Yuechan’s current strength, there were not many in the Blue Wind Empire that could approach her. However, she was focused on Yun Che’s injuries, and was currently concentrating all her thoughts on gathering the purest profound energy within her. And, adding that she completely did not think that Yun Che would actually be awake, her palm was thus instantly grabbed just like that.
Che Yuechan’s hand was soft and cold, just like a piece of smooth, soft jade. However, her hand was not grabbed by Yun Che for that long of a time, as after that moment of pause, she abruptly broke away from his grasp. Chu Yuechan retreated quickly as well, and the aura emitted from her body turned bone-piercing cold.
“Little Fairy, I just knew that, you will definitely be worried about me…” Yun che straightened his upper body, and gently called out.
“So you were already awake.” Chu Yuechan’s cold voice did not have a single hint of emotion. She did not give Yun Che the opportunity to speak too much, and coldly said. “You don’t have to think too much about it. After all, you were injured because of Qingyue, as her Senior Master, I have that little bit of responsibility to heal your injuries. Since you’re well enough, then there’s no longer a need for me to act… And, do not call me Little Fairy. You can call me Chu Yuechan, or… Senior Chu!”
After saying that, Che Yuechan resolutely turned, and prepared to leave.
“Little Fairy…” Yun Che hurriedly shouted, and wanted to stand up in a rush. Suddenly, with an “Ah”, a large mouthful of blood suddenly splurged out of his mouth, and his entire body instantly fell towards the bed.
When Chu Yuechan, who was about to leave, saw that Yue Che had suddenly spit out blood, her entire body trembled, her snow-like body quickly charged towards Yun Che to support him. Although the light was dim, Yun Che could clearly see the hint of franticness that flashed past her usually ice-cold face… A man that could cause the heart of the world-famous Fairy of Frozen Beauty to fluster, he believed that he was the first, and was also the only one.
The blood he spat out from his mouth, was actually the bad blood that was forced out from his internal organs after taking in the Great Heaven Returning Pellet. It should have been spat out much earlier, but he desperately suppressed it, so as to prevent Chu Yuechan from leaving decisively after seeing that he had woken up. Evidently, this plan of his was completely effective. With the bad blood forced out, his organs momentarily relaxed. When Little Fairy held onto him, he followed up and embraced her cold, yet soft and tender waist… Although Chu Yuechan trembled slightly, facing this “heavily injured person” who had just spat out a large amount of blood earlier, she basically did not dare to break free. She simply allowed him to embrace her, and the embrace gradually became tighter.
Chapter 248 - The Night Before Heaven Basin
“Are you alright?” Chu Yuechan said, trying to sound less cold. However, because she was being hugged, her heartbeat had gone out of control and she had to make use of the Frozen Cloud Arts to calm herself.
Over the past five months, she had constantly been embraced by him. She could not possibly be more familiar with his touch. Sometime within that period of time, she had unknowingly started to enjoy the feeling of being embraced. However, a voice within told her that she had no choice but to be embraced because she was paralyzed and had to depend on him for protection. It was different now… She had already made a grave mistake by sleeping with him and she should not continue making more mistakes…
Yun Che pressed the entirety of his body weight onto Chu Yuechan, looking very feeble in a half-dead manner. He said in a very weak voice: “I… I’m okay. Little Fairy… don’t leave me…”
“…” Chu Yuechan could not reply. Hearing Yun Che speak with such a weak voice had sent pain equivalent to needles piercing through her heart. She couldn’t bear to push Yun Che aside. She could only quietly be embraced by him… She had actually tried to steel herself to push him aside, but she couldn’t bear to do so in the end.
It’s already very late. There’s only the two of us here and there’ll be nobody around to disturb us. He’s also badly wounded… I’ll give in this once. It’ll be the last time… This was what Chu Yuechan constantly repeated in her heart to console and convince herself.
It was only until Chu Yuechan had sent her profound energy into Yun Che’s body to check Yun Che’s current condition…
Bang!
The moment Yun Che had been pushed away by Chu Yuechan, his back hit the wall and he grimaced in pain and shouted: “Ah, it hurts. It hurts!”
“You actually dare to deceive me in this manner!” Chu Yuechan coldly said, her face still as cold as ever but her eyes showing her sullen mood. Although on the surface she was angry, she had felt relief in her heart upon knowing that his wounds were taking a turn for the better. However, this sort of relieved feeling had caused her mind to go into disorder… She was not supposed to be able to feel this way.
Yun Che rubbed his back with his hands and said in a pitiful manner: “I thought my Little Fairy would have just left like that. Little Fairy, I know that for the past few days, you have always…”
“You’re not allowed to continue talking!”
Chu Yuechan’s chest was trembling as she interrupted Yun Che with a cold tone. She turned around, and said with a cold voice devoid of emotion: “What has happened between you and I was a mistake. I have almost forgotten about it. I hope that you will do the same. If you’re unable to forget about it, then just pretend it was all but a dream. Please do not attempt to make it a reality.”
Yun Che: “…”
“What has happened between you and I cannot be known by outsiders. If you do not wish to encounter difficulties because of it, please do not reveal the six stages of the Frozen Cloud Arts that you have obtained… You are Qingyue’s husband. If you do not wish for her and Frozen Cloud Asgard to become the laughing stock of the world, and be questioned about their morals ethics, please forget about me…”
Chu Yuechan closed both of her eyes, and the ice spirits around her body floated around her in a crazed manner: “Once we leave Heavenly Sword Villa, we shall never meet again.”
After saying that, Chu Yuechan vanished from Yun Che’s sight. Yun Che could only silently gaze at the ice spirits which have yet to disappear…
“Sigh.” After a while, Yun Che returned to the bed and let out a long sigh. He put both of his hands on his nose and could still vaguely smell her fragrance, which was similar to an ice lotus.
“Looks like you’re unable to attain your goals.” Jasmine gloated.
“You won’t understand.” Yun Che tilted his head and muttered before sighing again. He gave Chu Yuechan’s parting words some thought… “Laughing stock of the world’, ‘questioned about their morals ethics’’… these words had been deeply etched into his mind.
Xia Qingyue was his wife.
Chu Yuechan was Xia Qingyue’s Senior Master, and at the same time, was also partially her teacher.
Matters that had violated moral ethics would definitely draw the attention of the world… Especially if it concerned a respected sect in Blue Wind Empire, like Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Even if Chu Yuechan truly had feelings for him as an individual, at the same time she was Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Fairy of Frozen Beauty. She could not knowingly ruin Frozen Cloud Asgard’s thousand year reputation without regard for the consequences.
Regardless of how she felt, rejection, was the only choice she could make.
——————————————
The Ranking Tournament at both the main and the secondary arena had finished. The rankings of over five hundred sects had been decided.
1st Place: Blue Wind Imperial Family
2nd Place: Frozen Cloud Asgard
3rd Place: Heavenly Sword Villa
4th Place: Xiao Sect
5th Place: Burning Heaven Clan
After these rankings were announced, it had caused large waves amongst those in Blue Wind Empire’s profound circle. Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were both only seventeen years old, but their names had already spread throughout every corner of the Blue Wind Empire and traveled towards the six other nations very quickly.
The other nations had always paid close attention to the Blue Wind Empire’s Ranking Tournament. The results of the Ranking Tournament had greatly shocked the other nations as well, making them unable to not remember the names Yun Che and Xia Qingyue.
Yun Che’s origin, his circumstances, the incidents he had been involved in within the Blue Wind Profound Palace, his performance at the Ranking Tournament… were all fabricated into various books which circulated around the market. His battle with Xia Qingyue had especially been exaggerated and hyped to be earthshaking and described as if it had been a battle between deities… The others, even included the exceeding sentimental love story of him and the Blue Moon Princess that could move even the heaven and earth…
If Yun Che was walking around any of the streets at any of the cities in Blue Wind Empire that talked about his exploits, he would have had a convulsion on the spot.
Yun Che had greatly underestimated the influence of the Ranking Tournament. While he was staying at the quiet Heavenly Sword Villa, he was clueless of the fact that his name and his deeds were being exaggerated and spread around as legends.
After the Ranking Tournament had ended, the various big sects had started to leave. Only the top ten sects of the Ranking Tournament had remained for the sake of entering the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. None of them were willing to pass this chance up.
As the days passed, the day when the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm would open quickly approached.
After Yun Che had awakened, the recovery of his wounds had considerably sped up. He did not go anywhere during the next two days and had quietly nursed his wounds. Based on his injuries on the Sword Discourse Arena the other day, nobody would believe that he had already woke up. Furthermore, his wounds were already mostly healed.
The night before the opening of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
Ling Yuefeng stood under an ancient tree in his courtyard, gazing at the crescent moon in the night sky. His clothes had gotten moist from the misty night atmosphere. It had shown that he had been standing here for a long time.
“Sigh.” Ling Yuefeng suddenly let out a very long sigh.
“Yuefeng, what has happened, has already happened. There’s no point in dwelling on it. Even though we had lost, it doesn’t mean that our Heavenly Sword Villa’s disciples are weak. Both Yun Che and Xia Qingyue being this strong was unexpected. Our loss was not without justifiable reason.”
Xuanyuan Yufeng walked over and consoled him.
Ling Yuefeng continued to gaze at the crescent moon while deep in thought. He had not realized that Xuanyuan Yufeng was nearby. He had a complex look in his eyes as he turned around and sighed, while saying: “It has been about a thousand two hundred years since our ancestors had constructed Heavenly Sword Villa. Nobody had ever challenged our position as the number one sect. But during my time as Villa Master, I actually… I have been trying to calmly accept the facts, but I am unable to let go. I have let our ancestors down. I have let the thousand year history of Heavenly Sword Villa down.”
“Don’t put it like that.” Xuanyuan Yufeng consoled: “You’ve taken up the heavy responsibility of Villa Master since you were young. It has been twenty one years since then. I’ve been with you throughout. We’ve watched Heavenly Sword Villa grow, we’ve watched Yun’er and Jie’er get strong under your care and surpass the younger you. We’ve already done enough to be proud of ourselves. Although we didn’t perform as expected during the Ranking Tournament, the Ranking Tournament is only a competition between the younger generation. Whether it is our foundation, resources, prestige or overall strength, we wouldn’t lose even if you put the nine other ranked sects together. Why can’t you just let go if that’s the case?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s words had greatly calmed Ling Yuefeng down. He embraced Xuanyuan Yufeng and said with emotion: “My wife, you’re right. To be wed to you in this lifetime is my, Ling Yuefeng’s greatest blessing. What can’t I let go?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng gently smiled and leaned on her husband’s shoulder.
Ling Yuefeng shifted his gaze, looked into the distance, and said: “There’s still light in Yun’er’s room… Sigh, I can tell that he has been very restless lately. I believe the one who’ll have the hardest time letting go would be Yun’er. I’m worried that his self confidence and love towards swordsmanship will take a hit. I should pay him a visit and talk to him about this.”
Xuanyuan Yufeng stood up and slowly shook her head: “Yun’er’s restlessness has nothing to do with his defeat the other day.”
“You mean…”
Xuanyuan Yufeng said: “That’s good too. Yuefeng, go ahead and pay him a visit. Let him speak of his troubles and maybe you can give him some advice. He will know what to do from then on.”
Ling Yuefeng nodded, then walked out of the courtyard slowly, towards the direction of Ling Yun’s courtyard.
Xuanyuan Yufeng returned to her room. Not long later, someone had knocked on the door: “Yufeng, it’s me.”
Hearing that, Xuanyuan Yufeng immediately went to open the door. Surprisingly, it was Ling Kun.
Ling Kun sat down upon entering the room. He looked at Xuanyuan Yufeng for a bit before saying: “Yufeng, how have you been for the past years? Did that Ling Yuefeng brat ever mistreat you?”
“Yuefeng has always treated me well. Thank you for the concern, Uncle.” Xuanyuan Yufeng replied with a smile. She poured a cup of tea for Ling Kun before sitting down opposite him. She asked sullenly: “I wanted to meet Uncle this late at night because I wanted to know… I wanted to know if my father… Is my father still… Is he still mad at me?”
“Heh heh.” Ling Kun laughed and said: “Yufeng, as his daughter, you should be the most clear about what kind of person your father is. The Ninth Elder has gotten over it a long time ago. Do you really think that the relationship between Mighty Heavenly Sword Region and Heavenly Sword Villa could be facilitated by a lowly aide like myself? The Ninth Elder had always been secretly pulling strings from behind. The Dragonscale Armor that I had brought over was from the Ninth Elder. Although the Ninth Elder had long accepted your marriage with Ling Yuefeng… his stubborn personality had prevented him from saying anything. The only thing he has been displeased with over the years is that you have not went back to visit him even once.”
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s eyes became watery: “That year, father flew into such a huge rage and I had even caused him to lose face. How would I dare to go back?”
“Sigh, silly girl. You’re wrong… You are the Ninth Elder’s only daughter. He would never truly resent you. Even though he doesn’t openly say so, anyone can tell that he sorely misses you. If not, he wouldn’t keep talking about what you did in the past… After we’ve sealed the demon, you should bring Yuefeng, along with Yun’er and Ji’er and visit Mighty Heavenly Sword Region with me. When the Ninth Elder sees you along with his two grandsons, he will be extremely elated. After you have reunited with the Ninth Elder and removed the gap between you and him, he might regularly visit you and his grandsons. At that point of time, Heavenly Sword Villa will greatly benefit. If Yun’er and Jie’er are able to personally receive guidance from the Ninth Elder, their prowess will definitely skyrocket.
Xuanyuan Yufeng, with great difficulty, controlled her emotions and slowly nodded her head: “…Alright. When Yuefeng returns, I will talk to him about this.”
“That’s good.” Ling Kun laughed. He then casually asked: “When I was coming over, I saw Yuefeng rushing towards the southeast, is there an urgent matter?”
“He went…”
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s voice suddenly changed as she abruptly raised her head. She had an ugly expression on her face: “Southeast? You said… southeast?”
Chapter 249 - Heaven Basin Secret Realm (1)
Ling Kun knitted his eyebrows, gave it some consideration and nodded saying: “It’s definitely the southeastern direction. Why do you ask?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng stood up, her face turning extremely ugly. Ever since the various sects left, Heavenly Sword Villa’s guest area had been virtually empty. The only sect that had remained in the southeast area… was Frozen Cloud Asgard!
“Uncle Ling, do me a favor…”
——————————————
A lone moon hung in the night sky, with several stars shining brightly.
Ling Yuefeng flew through the night sky. He was originally heading towards Ling Yun’s courtyard, but changed directions midway and went towards Frozen Cloud Asgard’s residence.
The atmosphere around Frozen Cloud Asgard’s courtyard carried a unique calmness. Ling Yuefeng shut his eyes and lightly inhaled, as if he was savoring something. A short while later, he opened his eyes and gazed at the room Chu Yuechan stayed in. The lights were still on. Though, as he gazed upon the light in the room, he felt a piercing cold chill emitted from within… He knew he had been discovered. Chu Yuechan’s current cultivation wasn’t beneath his.
Ling Yuefeng inhaled slightly, then used voice transmission, projecting his thoughts towards Chu Yuechan: “I, Ling Yuefeng, would like to request a meeting with the Fairy of Frozen Beauty. Would you grace me with your presence?”
“What do you want? Speak!”
Chu Yuechan didn’t appear. She only replied with five short words, each of them without a shred of emotion in them. They were cold to the point where they could freeze humans into ice sculptures.
In the Blue Wind empire, only Chu Yuechan would dare to speak to Ling Yuefeng in such a manner. Even the Mistress of Frozen Cloud Asgard wouldn’t dare. Hearing such cold words from Chu Yuechan, Ling Yuefeng could only bitterly smile. “Ever since the first time we met in the Ranking Tournament, I’ve gone to Frozen Cloud Asgard twenty times within ten years, but I’ve never been able to see you even once, until this year’s Ranking Tournament…”
“There’s no need to speak of matters of the past. If Villa Master Ling has any matters, please speak of them immediately.” Chu Yuechan coldly said.
Ling Yuefeng sighed: “Back then, everyone knew about how I felt for you. Even if I had to be the laughingstock of the entire world, even if I had to incur my parent’s anger, I still continued to visit Frozen Cloud Asgard. All I hoped for was to meet you once again… Alas, after so many years, my memories of you are still of that year… Even today, the greatest wish of my lifetime is that I could see you once again… I no longer wish to obtain your love, all I wish is to see you once more, so I can see how you look like now…”
Ling Yuefeng was a passionate person, but it wasn’t easy to get him infatuated. Before meeting Chu Yuechan, he had devoted all of his efforts into swordsmanship. But on the day he met Chu Yuechan, the emotions he’d been burying burst open. Thirty years have passed since that moment. Figuratively speaking, any emotion should have waned over the long period of time, but in Ling Yuefeng’s heart, Chu Yuechan’s image had never waned. Was it because of Lin Yuefeng’s undying passion, or was it because Chu Yuechan was simply too charming? Nobody knew.
“You already have a wife and plenty of kids. You and I are simply strangers who’ve met a few times, there’s no need to meet again. My current appearance has nothing to do with you. If you have no further matters, please leave. Your hospitality should not include disturbing female guests late in the night!” Chu Yuechan remarked, with a faint hint of anger in her voice.
“Sigh, your temper hasn’t changed since that year. All I wish is to see you once more, so I can put aside my wish. I have no other hidden agendas. Once I’ve seen you, I will immediately leave. I will not bother you for as long as I live after that…”
“Rip!”
Following a slight tearing sound, an icicle came out of nowhere and flew directly towards Ling Yuefeng. Ling Yuefeng stuck his hand out and grasped the icicle. The icicle’s freezing feeling quickly spread throughout his hands, into his heart.
Without bidding Chu Yuechan farewell, without having said anything, Ling Yuefeng left. His lonely figure vanished in the night sky very quickly. That year, he was not only the Young Villa Master of Heavenly Sword Villa, but also an incomparably outstanding youth. The amount of female admirers he had was not few… but he had blindly fell in love with one he wasn’t supposed to. With his strength, in the Blue Wind Empire, he could obtain fame and power easily. There was nothing he couldn’t obtain within his lifetime, with the sole exception of Chu Yuechan… The heavens had blessed her with the most beautiful outer appearance, but had given her an icy cold heart. She was the only missing piece in Ling Yuefeng’s life.
Not far away at a dark corner, Xuanyuan Yufeng was trembling with a very ugly expression on her face.
Under Ling Kun’s profound strength’s isolation, neither Ling Yuefeng nor Chu Yuechan were able to sense their presence. Although they have been communicating using voice transmission, everything they’ve said had been silently tapped by Ling Kun. Xuanyuan Yufeng was only trying her luck originally, but when she had heard everything Ling Yuefeng had said to Chu Yuechan with her own ears, she exploded with rage.
“Ling Yuefeng… You really are a passionate man… It has already been thirty years, thirty damn years, but you’re still unable to forget that woman… I thought you were unable to accept what happened in the Ranking Tournament, so I comforted you for half a day… but who… knew you were actually thinking of that woman! You even dared to ask to meet her in secret!”
Xuanyuan Yufeng uttered each word with deep hate and rage: “I, Xuanyuan Yufeng, shortchanged myself, shamed my family, and married into this migre Heavenly Sword Villa for more than twenty years… Yet I am still not equivalent to a woman who had made a fool out of you in front of the world, who refuses to even meet you. Ling Yuefeng… you’ve really outdone yourself!!”
When a woman had sufficient hate and envy, she would transform into the most terrifying demon. Ling Yuefeng and Ling Kun were still members of the same clan, so Ling Kun didn’t want this matter to continue spiraling out of control. He immediately urged: “Yufeng, you don’t have to get this angry. You’ve already been with Yuefeng for more than twenty years and should know his personality. What he has said just now was very clear, all he wanted was to see Chu Yuechan one last time. From then onwards, he wouldn’t think about her again. I’ve heard that in the past, in order to obtain her love, he’s made many visits to Frozen Cloud Asgard within a span of ten years but has never succeeded. All he’s doing now is to fulfill what he was unable to do in the past: to see her again.”
“Rightfully speaking, as the Villa Master of Heavenly Sword Villa, nobody would dare to humiliate him and not give him face. But today, that woman treated him coldly, without giving him any face. As his wife, this is where you should feel bad for him. If instead, you return and start quarreling with him, all you would be doing is creating discord between the both of you. However, if you do not stop him from doing what he’s doing and treat him as per normal, he might feel guilty because of what he’s doing. If that’s what happens, you would benefit instead, right?”
“Not stop him? How can I not stop him?!” Xuanyuan Yufeng’s chest shook while saying so, but the anger in her voice was already half gone. She stared at the light within Chu Yuechan’s room and softly said: “Uncle Ling’s words have enlightened me. I should not be blaming Yuefeng. The fact that he hasn’t forgotten that woman also shows that he’s honest to his feelings… If this woman no longer existed, what I wouldn’t want to see wouldn’t happen! While Chu Yuechan has harmed Yuefeng…. someone else is doing the same to Yun’er. Yun’er hasn’t been himself as of late, I suspect he’ll make the same choices as his father once did.”
“You’re talking about Xia Qingyue?”
“I’m going to destroy Frozen Cloud Asgard for causing harm to my husband and son.” Xuanyuan Yufeng colded remarked.
Ling Kun furrowed his eyebrows as a strange light flited past his eyes. Towards Xuanyuan Yufeng’s proclamation out of envy and hate, he had not only not stopped her, but instead nodded, saying: “If you really intend to do so, there’s no reason for me not to help you. Except, Frozen Cloud Asgard is not a normal, easy to destroy sect. The fact that it has existed for a thousand years shows its considerable influence. How about you return to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region with me and let the Ninth Elder know of this matter. He has missed you for so many years and would not reject any request from you. At that time, I will personally volunteer myself to carry out this mission. Within three years, we’ll make Frozen Cloud Asgard vanish, never to be seen again. Nobody will know that Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was behind this. How about it?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng had only said that she wanted to destroy Frozen Cloud Asgard in a moment of rage. Who knew that Ling Kun had actually agreed to do so. If one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds had agreed to help, getting rid of Frozen Cloud Asgard was as easy as squashing an ant. Bearing great hate towards Frozen Cloud Asgard, how could Xuanyuan Yufeng disagree? She nodded, saying: “We’ll do as Uncle Ling had advised. Yufeng thanks Uncle Ling.”
“Hoho, it’s only a small matter.” Ling Kun laughed. His laughter had concealed deeper meaning.
————————————————
Deep into the direct north of Heavenly Sword Mountain Range was a flat clearing. Within the imposing Heavenly Sword Mountain Range filled with sword energy, this place was one that was completely different. The atmosphere was calm and quiet, and even the sounds of the wind were exceptionally soothing.
At noon, a group of people arrived. This group of people were all of the ten sects who had ranked in the top ten of the Ranking Tournament. This was the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. Everyone here carried varying levels of excitement, especially those who’ve yet to enter the Heaven Basin Secret Realm before. Their eyes were oddly bright and looked as if any possible encounters were already in front of them, within reach.
However, within this group of people, Yun Che was not present. Representing Blue Wind Empire’s group was solely Qin Wushang.
Ling Yuefeng stood at the front and announced: “Shortly, the entrance to Heaven Basin Secret Realm will appear. Before that happens, I will need to remind all of you of some things.”
“Heaven Basin Secret Realm can only take at most fifty people at a time. With that said, each sect can only send five representatives. As for which five, you are free to choose. After entering the realm, you will only stay for two days. After forty-eight hours, you will all be teleported back here against your free will. There’s only one exception to this rule…”
Ling Yuefeng coldly said: “And that is a dead person!”
Chapter 250 - Heaven Basin Secret Realm (2)
“Do not ever think that the Heaven Basin Secret Realm only contains innumerable resources and treasures. At the same time, it also contains immeasurable danger! If you pay no heed to safety and are driven by greed, you may very well lose your life! The Heaven Basin Secret Realm is immeasurably huge and there has never been anyone who was able to travel to the end. At the same time, what you see within the Secret Realm changes every single time. Even if you’ve once traveled deep into the Secret Realm, you might see a completely new world this time around.”
“While exploring the Secret Realm, you can choose to travel alone or travel in a group. But in order to truly gain experience, the young and older generation should split up.”
Ling Yuefeng’s speech had left everyone in deep thought. If the younger generation still needed the older generation’s protection, that would wasting this precious training opportunity and incur the embarrassment.
“Within the Secret Realm, sound transmission does not work. Nobody will be able to communicate via sound transmission.”
“The Secret Realm is a place for exploration and training, it’s not for settling grudges! If you wish to settle your grudge within the Secret Realm, I would advise you to not do so. Do not waste this precious chance to train! Especially the older generation, I hope that you wouldn’t stoop that low and disregard your dignity and attack someone of the younger generation. If I happen to find out, you wouldn’t like the outcome.” Ling Yuefeng distinctively said. “Even if there’s conflict between the younger generation due to a treasure found at the same time, the older generation is not allowed to intervene.”
“The deeper you go into the Secret realm, the higher the danger! If you are not strong enough, do not try to push your luck. Even the season within the Secret Realm is not fixed. Sometimes we’ll get the warm spring season, sometimes we’ll get a cool summer season, but if luck is not on our side, we might get a harsh winter…”
The younger generation who did not have experience entering the Secret Realm earnestly listened to Ling Yuefeng’s long speech and took them to heart. At this time, a “Zizi” sound came from behind Ling Yuefeng, beckoning people to look towards the sound. To their surprise, a spatial distortion had formed behind Ling Yuefeng. Its surface was just like a stormy wave, with layers and layers of constantly forming ripples.
The spatial ripples started to speed up its vibrations and began to revolve at high speed until it formed a gigantic swirling vortex. The surrounding air currents around the vortex were sucked towards it, giving rise to the howling of the wind. Eventually the revolution of vortex started to slow down, and when it completely stopped, it became a jet black hole which was almost three meters long in diameter. Through the jet black hole that floated in midair, nothing could be seen other than complete darkness.
“This is the entrance into the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.” Ling Yuefeng stood in front of the entrance, looked at the crowd who had faces of astonishment and excitement, and said: “Each time the Secret Realm has been accessed, on average there will be two or three people who get left within the realm, never to return. Now that the entrance to the Secret Realm has opened, it will only stay open for seven and a half minutes. Anyone who wishes to back out may choose to do so now!”
There were none who wished to back out. Those who were afraid of death were meant to never become truly strong. Furthermore, the risk was not high. Two or three out of fifty wasn’t even comparable to the risk they took when they chose to join their respective sects’ special training. Within some of the sects with higher standards, those that had several hundred to thousands of deaths weren’t uncommon.
“I’ve already said what has to be said. Let us enter the secret realm based on the results of the Ranking Tournament. Our friends from Blue Wind Imperial Family shall enter first.”
Of the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s representatives, only Qin Wushang proceeded. Xia Yuanba’s cultivation was too low and he would only be seeking death if he had entered, as much as he was curious as to what was within. Cang Yue’s cultivation was too low as well, but she had no interest in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm to begin with. Both of them remained at the Villa to take care of the heavily injured Yun Che.
As such, only Qin Wushang represented the Blue Wind Imperial Family and entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
“Palace Chief Qin, go ahead.” Ling Yuefeng was naturally aware of the circumstances. He didn’t say anything unnecessary and just led Qin Wushang towards the entrance.
“Hmph! As expected, he really did not show up! What a waste of my time.” Fen Juecheng coldly remarked, at the same time he took quick glance at the nearby Mu Tianbei. Mu Tianbei looked similarly upset.
“It’s okay. When I’m done exploring the Heaven Basin Secret Realm and leave the Heavenly Sword Villa, I’ll be able to kill him any time I want!”
The one who said this was Fen Juebi. After a few days of recuperation, his injuries could be said to be roughly half recovered. However, the aftereffects of damaging his blood essence were still there. Currently, he could only display half of his strength at best. However, this was his only chance to enter the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, so he couldn’t give it up regardless.
Not only did he get heavily injured from Yun Che’s attacks, he had also lost all of the face he had and he would inevitably be punished upon returning to the Burning Heaven Clan. He had completely remembered all of the above as debts that Yun Che owed him, and he would make sure to collect them. His desire of wanting to kill Yun Che wasn’t less than that of Fen Juecheng’s.
“It’s not the same.” Fen Juecheng whispered: “Killing someone in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm will not give us any future troubles. Once the Heaven Basin Secret Realm closes, there will be no traces of evidence left. Having gotten first place in the Ranking Tournament, Yun Che’s fame has gone through the heavens. He’s not someone we can kill whenever we want! It’ll be very difficult to kill him without leaving behind evidence, much more difficult than doing so within the Secret Realm. Besides… although Mu Tianbei bears a similar grudge towards Yun Che, he wouldn’t dare to strike outside of the Secret Realm!”
At that moment, someone hurriedly shouted from the distance: “Hey! Palace Chief Qin, wait for me!”
The crowd turned their heads, and surprisingly, they saw a Yun Che anxiously running towards them. After the Ranking Tournament, towards the seventeen year old youth capable of destroying a Domain to obtain first place, the younger generation only had faces of awe and respect.
The current Yun Che didn’t look very well. His face was a serious illnesses’ pale white, and his steps were weak. From time to time, he revealed marks of bandage wrapped indents on his body..
Although the distance from Heavenly Sword Villa to this place was far, to someone who was able to achieve top ten in the Ranking Tournament, even if they had ran at top speed, it wouldn’t take much effort. But when Yun Che had come dashing here, he was out of breath and his breathing was unsteady. Looking at his condition, he only had twenty to thirty percent of his usual strength.
Compared to what he was like five short days ago, his recovery speed was almost miraculous and very shocking.
“Yun Che, why have you…” Yun Che had given Qin Wushang a huge shock.
Yun Che waved both of his arms and calmly said: “Rest assured, Palace Chief Qin, my injury is already about sixty to seventy percent recovered and I’ve regained some of my profound energy. Furthermore, this is a rare chance. Forget about me being able to freely move, even if I had to crawl here, I wouldn’t miss it!”
Qin Wushang looked at Yun Che, and helplessly said: “Since you’re already here… so be it.”
“Yun Che, the Heaven Basin Secret Realm is not as its name makes it out to be. It carries significant danger within and you have to be extremely careful, especially with your current condition. Don’t force it.” Ling Yuefeng reminded.
“Mn. Thank you, Villa Master Ling, for the reminder.” Yun Che nodded. He glanced around him and saw Ling Jie and Ling Yun. Ling Jie made a “It’s okay, I’ll protect you” gesture… When he looked at the group of five from Frozen Cloud Asgard, Chu Yuechan had already looked away… Lastly, he took a glance at the people from Burning Heaven Clan and Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress before he followed Qin Wushang through the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
When Qin Wushang and Yun Che’s visages vanished through the entrance, Fen Juecheng couldn’t control his laughter anymore: “The heavens gave you a path, but you chose to barge through hell instead!”
Yun Che was no stranger to the feeling of spatial travel. This was the exact feeling he had when he had entered the Dragon God Trial Grounds. Very quickly, the mysterious feeling vanished and an ice cold air assaulted him. He involuntarily shivered. He opened his eyes and couldn’t help but stare at what was before him.
The bone chilling cold wind blew snow to fill the entire sky. A mirror-like smooth ice field continually extended beyond what he could see and giant mountain range of ice stood erect before him like steep cliffs. Unable to be seen, the highest peak towered beyond the clouds and radiated coldness even in this thick cold climate.
An uncountable amount of hail that had been broken by cold wind pelted down. When it hit the face, it caused severe pain. If people with lower cultivation were to be here, they might have already been been covered with bloody holes just the hail.
“This is the Heaven Basin Secret Realm?” Yun Che murmured in a daze. What was before him was nothing compared to what he had imagined. Looking at the nearby Qin Wushang, it would seem that he too, was shocked.
Behind him, the spatial vortex constantly distorted, and each time it distorted, someone else was sent here. When they opened their eyes, their reactions were even more exaggerated than Yun Che’s. Nobody had expected the legendary Heaven Secret Basin to contain a snow white world.
Ling Yuefeng was the last to enter, and he said furrowed brows: “Looks like we are very unfortunate this time. To have drawn Heaven Basin Secret Realm’s harsh winter climate! This is the worst and most dangerous condition. However, this should be favorable… to our friends from Frozen Cloud Asgard.”
“Yueli, let’s go!” Ling Yuefeng’s words were unable to affect Chu Yuechan at all. Without making eye contact with anyone, amongst the fluttering cloaks, she had already left into the distance. Her figure soon changed into a strip of white in the winter sky, looking at home with the blowing snow.
“Wushuang, Xuexin, you should both travel together. Qingyue, you should travel alone. It’ll be up to your abilities to obtain benefits here.” After a short exchange, Chu Yueli also vanished into the winter sky, following Chu Yuechan.
Ling Yuefeng helplessly looked towards the direction Chu Yuechan left in before floating up and said: “It is time that we left too. Let the younger generation choose where they want to go. They will have to depend on themselves for everything from now onwards.”
Without saying a word to Ling Yun and Ling Jie, he too, vanished far into the winter sky. The regions that the older generation explored could not be compared to those that the younger generation did. The rest of the elders did not object to what Ling Yuefeng had said and had only given at most, simple instructions before leaving in different directions and quickly disappearing from their line of sight. If they had stayed out of concern to protect the younger generation, it would cause more harm than good.
All that was left were the people of the younger generation. Among the younger generation, other than the disciples who had participated in the Ranking Tournament, there were other outstanding individuals… such as Xiao Sect’s Xiao Kuangyu and Burning Heaven Clan’s Fen Juecheng.
All of the sects had left at least three younger disciples and at most five members except the Blue Wind Imperial Family. Therefore, Yun Che was especially awkward amongst the group of young disciples. Him being alone was secondary, because due to his placing in the Ranking Tournament, most of the other disciples were eager to travel with him. But the problem was, due to his injuries, he was only able to display twenty to thirty percent of his strength. Without doubt, the current him was going to be a burden to whomever he went with.
Chapter 251 - Jasmine’s Decision
The instant Ling Yuefeng left, Ling Jie took a big stride to Yun Che’s side: “Boss! Whaddya say, let’s form a group! Even though it’s my first time entering this place, my old man has told me a lot regarding this place. Much of it will come in handy, I guarantee that I won’t drag Boss down!”
While he said “I won’t drag you down”, it was evident his real intention was to protect Yun Che. After all, it would be way too dangerous if he traveled alone in the state he was currently showing.
Yun Che was naturally moved by Ling Jie’s kind intentions, but he actually waved him off, and said: “It’s alright. Since this is training through experience, it’s still better to travel alone. Especially you, Little Jie. Though your talent is pretty good, and your sword intent and sword heart are first-class, you’ve always resided within the Heavenly Sword Villa. What you’re missing the most is training through experience in dangerous situations. If you were to travel with me, the results of your training will be greatly diminished.”
“But, but…”
“There are no buts.” Yun Che extended a hand and pinched his chin: “You personally agreed to be my little brother. What, you’re not even going to listen to my first decision?”
“Eh…” Ling Jie, who had an innocent mind and a head not really capable of making turns, was held up by Yun Che’s words. After being confused for quite a while, he could only reply: “Fine. Boss, you must be careful. My old man really wasn’t trying to frighten you guys with his words just now.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person to die easily. Furthermore, I’m currently wearing the Dragonscale Armor.” Yun Che pinched the corner of his clothes, revealing a sheet of dragon scales, which reflected an icy-cold light. As the reward for placing first in the Ranking Tournament, although the Heavenly Sword Villa was extremely reluctant to part with it, they had no choice but to give the Sky Profound Armor to Qin Wushang while clenching their teeth and resisting the pain. Qin Wushang had given this Dragonscale Armor to him yesterday, and he directly wore it today.
The Dragonscale Armor only had one very thin layer. When one wore it, it wasn’t cold nor cumbersome; moreover, it would automatically adjust itself to fit the build of the wearer. This armor was entirely worthy of being a life-protecting tool. As he had expected, the instant he revealed the Dragonscale Armor, several tens of surrounding gazes filled with greed and jealousy instantly shot in his direction.
Ling Jie turned around and said to Ling Yun: “Big Bro, Boss said it’s best for me to travel alone, so I won’t go with you. I’ll be leaving first… Boss, you must be careful. Otherwise, my beautiful Princess Sis will be all alone… Aaaaahh! I’m off!”
Ling Jie called out the Celestial Yang Sword, puffed his chest, and walked forward by himself in an imposing manner. Ling Yun nodded at Yun Che, and his gaze seemed to inadvertently shoot towards Xia Qingyue’s location. He walked forward a few steps, finally took a small breath, and walked in front of Xia Qingyue and said politely: “Xia Fairy, would you like to form a group? I came here three years ago, so I’m somewhat familiar with this place. This place is extremely dangerous, but we should be able to handle any dangers if we travel as a group, and we’ll also be able to travel much farther. If we discover any treasures, Xia Fairy will also have the priority in selecting them. How does that sound?”
Not far away, Fen Juecheng and Xiao Kuangyu’s faces both revealed strange expressions. They had also entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm three years ago, and at that time, Ling Yun had left early by himself, giving no one any chance at all to partner with him. But now, he had actually taken the initiative to travel with someone else, and his words even carried a sense of entreatment.
Only idiots wouldn’t be well aware of his thoughts.
“I thank Young Villa Master Yun for the good intentions, but Qingyue has already decided to travel alone.” Faced with Ling Yun’s voluntary invitation, Xia Qingyue nevertheless directly rejected his offer without any hesitation at all.
The number of people Ling Yun had voluntarily invited before did not exceed five, and this was the first time he had been rejected. Ling Yun’s expression didn’t change; without any more insistence, he nodded: “If this is so, then Xia Fairy must be careful.”
After he finished speaking, Ling Yun also left by himself, and his silhouette rapidly disappeared into the flurry of snow.
Even Ling Yun had been rejected, so Xiao Kuangyu, who had originally been eager to give it a try, also clenched his teeth, and after struggling for a long while, decided to give up as well. As for the other people, not one even dared to go up and try. Even Xiao Kuanglei, who was also the current Xiao Sect Master’s son, could not gather the courage to talk to Xia Qingyue. With the strength she had displayed in the Ranking Tournament, she handily surpassed them by an entire plane. The status of these disciples from the large sects may be exceptional elsewhere, but in front of Xia Qingyue, they couldn’t even bring themselves to lift their heads up.
Disregarding everything else, just on the basis of strength, they didn’t have the qualifications to travel with Xia Qingyue.
The lone Yun Che swept his surroundings with a glance. Without greeting anyone, he casually selected a direction and began walking at a leisurely pace.
“Junior Sister Xia, we’ll be off now. You must be careful.” Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin bade farewell, and left together Xia Qingyue nodded; she watched them leave, and accidentally glanced at the direction Yun Che had walked, causing a complicated expression to flash in her eyes. After, she began walking north alone.
The entire world had been covered with snow. The only thing that could be used to distinguish direction was that single icy mountain which reached into the clouds. As Yun Che traveled forward, even though he had profound energy protecting his body, he was still chilled to the point of non-stop shivering.
“Where there isn’t ice, this place is filled with snow. As for that ‘Heaven Basin’, I can’t even see its shadow. And how can this kind of place contain any heaven-quality items. Even if there were any, they definitely have long since been buried under the icy snow… Huff, how cold.”
Yun Che walked for more than an hour. He only saw the boundless plains of snow and snow-filled sky, and nothing worthwhile at all. This was completely different from the rare and exotic flowers and plants, with strange stones and spirit jades aplenty within a scenery filled with high majestic mountains and jungles he had envisioned. Furthermore, after walking for such a long time, he had yet to see even the shadow of a profound beast!
How is this a search for rare treasures, I simply came here to suffer!
“The existence of this little world is really strange.” Jasmine muttered to herself.
“Strange?”
“This little world was indeed made by humans. Furthermore, its level of power is extremely high, and it must have existed for a very long time, so the appearance of a few heaven-grade treasures isn’t strange… What’s strange is that this kind of small world shouldn’t appear in this sort of location, because it’s simply not something that can be created with the strength of this plane.”
“It’s probably something a strong expert left a very long time ago.” Yun Che said without thought. He wasn’t concerned about the origin of this Heaven Basin Secret Realm at all. As he was walking leisurely, he suddenly said: “Jasmine, how many people are following me right now?”
“Four”. Jasmine responded.
“Four?” Yun Che was startled. This number didn’t match the number he had in mind.
“There will never be a shortage of enemies that want to kill you by your side. Have you ever wondered why this is so?” Jasmine said coldly.
“No! These people can’t even be considered my enemies.” Yun Che wagged his finger, and said with a cold smile: “They’re nothing more than a bunch of stepping stones seeking death!”
“Of these four people, three of them should be here to kill you. It seems the other person isn’t; on the contrary, this person might be here to save you.” Jasmine said.
“Mn? Save me? Who is it?”
“You’ll know in a bit.”
Yun Che’s footsteps gradually grew slower. After muttering to himself for a while, he said: “Jasmine, in a bit, I need your help to kill a person.”
“Okay!”
Yun Che froze for an instant, because Jasmine had agreed too quickly. Every time Jasmine attacked, the toxic poison in her body would spread. So, if it wasn’t a life-or-death matter or an opponent Yun Che definitely couldn’t contend against, she definitely wouldn’t strike out. But this time, she had directly agreed just as Yun Che began to open his mouth. Yun Che couldn’t help but feel nervous, and asked weakly: “Eh… could it be that you have some other… additional conditions?”
“Of course I do!” Jasmine’s voice gradually became more cold and stiff: “You should be clear about the state of your body right now. This small world is the perfect place to kill people. You should also be clear about who might try to kill you in this place. Yet you still dared to come here, just because of my existence! I must kill whoever you want me to kill, otherwise, you will die, which means I will die as well.”
“I remember you once said that you definitely weren’t willing to become dependent on my strength. But you seem to have completely forgotten your words. In a lot of the things that you do, when you consider your capability, you will also include my strength within your calculations. When I can use my power, in the entire Profound Sky Continent, it’s impossible for you to encounter any risky situations. The hidden dependency in your thoughts will greatly restrict your growth…” Jasmine spoke every word with extreme seriousness. Her tone of voice was just like a great master, who had experienced countless dangers, instructing a disciple.
Yun Che actually approved of a small portion of what Jasmine had said. For example, this time, he didn’t want to give up the chance to explore the Heaven Basin Secret Realm; if it wasn’t for Jasmine’s existence, he definitely wouldn’t have entered this place in his current state. Contrary to what one might expect, Fen Juecheng was actually of secondary importance. The crucial point was that he had also detected killing intent from Mu Tianbei’s body.
Mu Tianbei, as the Fortress Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, was definitely not inferior to Qin Wushang in terms of strength.
“I’ll help you kill one last person. After, I’ll self-seal my profound strength for a very long time, and focus on detoxifying the poison in my body in the Sky Poison Pearl. In the future, you can only rely on yourself for everything you do. Don’t even consider hoping for my help.” Jasmine said coldly.
“… There’s no need to be this absolute, right?” Yun Che’s heart shook: “What’ll happen when I encounter some life-threatening danger I’m unable to withstand? If I die, you will also die. So you’re not afraid…”
“Hmph! After attaching myself to the Sky Poison Pearl for such a long time, the poison has flared up numerous times because I’ve forcefully activated my strength. Up until now, barely any poison has dispersed since I first met you! Rather than suffering through these poison flares again and again, and being unable to see any hope of recovering, it might actually be better to end it all with death.” Jasmine said snappily.
Yun Che opened his mouth, contemplated silently for a moment, then nodded slowly: “Alright, I understand. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly approve of your decision.”
At this time, in the midst of the endless snow, two blurred silhouettes suddenly appeared. Following Yun Che’s leisurely strides forward, these two silhouettes gradually grew clearer.
When he could see the two people clearly, Yun Che stopped walking. He revealed an expression of pleasant surprise, as if he had met an old friend. He jogged over and greeted: “Isn’t this the Burning Heaven Clan’s Young Clan Master and Juebi ol’ chap? What’re you two doing here? For us to meet in this boundless Heaven Basin Secret Region, who wouldn’t agree that this is a beautiful heaven-fated destiny!!”
Chapter 252 - Killing with a Borrowed Blade
Seeing Yun Che’s appearance, Fen Juebi nearly laughed out loud. He narrowed his eyes, and edged closer step-by-step with Fen Juecheng: “Indeed, what a coincidence it is for us to meet in this boundless land. However, you don’t look very well right now. You’ve only walked to here after such a long time; it looks like you haven’t recovered much from your previous injuries.”
“There’s no point in wasting words with him.” Fen Juecheng said coldly. He looked at Yun Che gloomily, and sneered indifferently: “Yun Che, do you really believe our meeting here was a coincidence?”
“Could it be that it wasn’t?” Yun Che froze, then exclaimed suddenly: “Oh! I know, you must’ve thought this place was too dangerous, and wanted to travel with me, right? That’s certainly not a problem.”
“No! We’re only here to send you somewhere. Traveling together is unnecessary.” Fen Juecheng smiled even more darkly.
“Send me somewhere?” Yun Che’s face revealed some doubt: “Where?”
“The Yellow Springs Road !” Fen Juecheng laughed coldly. A red light flashed in his hand as he grasped a deep-red longsword. The tip of the sword carried a scorching killing intent, and pointed straight at Yun Che.
A look of fright flashed in Yun Che’s eyes. He stepped backwards rapidly, and even spoke with a small stutter: “Y… Young Burning Clan Master, in the past, we’ve had no grievances nor enmity. What do you mean by this?”
“Ha ha ha ha!” Seeing Yun Che’s frightened appearance, Fen Juebi laughed heartily: “No prior grievances? You’re actually innocently stupid. Alright, seeing as you’re about to become a dead man, I’ll explain why I want you dead. In the Ranking Tournament, you dealt several severe injuries to me. It’s nothing if I just lost face, but the Blue Moon Princess is a woman my Big Bro has taken an interest to, and you actually dare to touch her! You truly don’t know how death is written!!”
“Ah?” Yun Che stared wide, and revealed an expression of incredulity: “That… that can’t be! Princess Cang Yue and I are a harmonious couple. In these past several years, how come I’ve never heard her say you were interested in her? I understand, this is probably only Young Burning Clan Master’s wishful thinking. My Princess Cang Yue doesn’t even pay attention to you. That only means that Young Burning Clan Master doesn’t have enough charm; what does that have to do with me?”
“You!” Fen Juecheng furrowed his brow ferociously, as his face flushed with anger.
Yun Che seemed as if he hadn’t noticed his overflowing anger at all, and continued: “Moreover, even if you do kill me today, what do you think will happen? Forgive me for my blunt words, but Young Burning Clan Master has absolutely nothing to deserve my Cang Yue… My Cang Yue is the majestic princess of the imperial family; in terms of status and respect, there’s not one woman in the Blue Wind Empire that can compare to her. Yet you, Young Burning Clan Master, is but a young clan master. There is only one princess in the Blue Wind Empire, but there are thousands of young clan masters, as many as there are stones in a dung pit. It’s practically the difference between a white cloud and mud. Furthermore, in terms of appearance, my Cang Yue looks like a fairy. Look at you: a donkey’s face and a monkey’s nose, an ox’s head and a horse’s mouth, and a face full of malevolence. Forget about just being ugly. You have a face full of vile air, and my life shortens every time I look at you. Even I, a man, pity you.”
“Moreover, in terms of accomplishments, I’m seventeen this year, yet I have already defeated someone at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm and placed first in the Ranking Tournament. You’re twenty three or four this year, yet you appear as if you’re only at the second level of the Earth Profound Realm. This disparity is a bit too great. Between you and me, only someone blind would pick you… Oh oh, some time ago, I heard Happy Marriage Courtyard’s Little Red, Little Green, and Little Purple mention that Young Burning Clan Master’s little wee wee is only half an inch long, and is as thick as a hemp stalk … Tsk tsk, with your situation, even a forty year old widowed aunt wouldn’t be interested in you, let alone my Cang Yue. Sigh, as a man, I pity Young Burning Clan Master’s situation which is like turbulent river water…”
Since he could remember, Fen Juecheng had been fully aware that he was a dragon among men. In the younger generation, he stood at the highest level, so much that he could show disdain to everyone. But just now, Yun Che had practically called him a good-for-nothing. Fen Juecheng wasn’t easily angered, but Yun Che’s were just too malicious. He was well aware that Yun Che was deliberately humiliating him, but his face still turned the color of a pig’s liver, and killing intent several times stronger exploded out: “YOU’RE… COURTING… DEATH!!”
Fen Juecheng’s fury erupted. A blue fire ignited on his sword, which stabbed straight at Yun Che’s chest. Fen Juecheng didn’t hold back at all in this strike, and even threw in the fury that filled his heart. Under the might of the Earth Profound Realm, the nearby snow turned into water vapor in an instant. Even the thick mantle of snow underneath subsided at a terrifying pace.
As the sword pierced forward, Yun Che’s mouth revealed a cold smile. He grasped Dragon Fault in a flash, and immediately smashed straight at Fen Juecheng’s flaming blade.
An enormous sound erupted, and blue flames flew in all directions, spewing the snow on the ground ten feet high into the air, completely veiling one’s line of sight. Fen Juecheng’s entire body shook as both his arms felt a numbing feeling and the flaming blade flew out from his hands. His heart grew alarmed, and his mind calmed a bit later. But all traces of the Yun Che in front of him had vanished. Without any hesitation, his body flashed, leaving behind a crimson silhouette, and retreated thirty steps. At this time, he heard Fen Juebi scream miserably…
When the snow which filled the sky descended, Yun Che’s silhouette appeared. He was carrying Dragon Fault, and beaming as he stood in place. Under his foot, was shockingly, a stepped on Fen Juebi. Dragon Fault, which weighed over four thousand kilograms, completely pressed Fen Juebi’s body down along with Yun Che’s trampling, causing his eyes to turn white and complexion to turn green as he howled with incomparable pain.
Fen Juecheng’s complexion changed abruptly, and his expression became incomparably overcast: “Your… your injuries, are actually…”
“That’s right, I faked them.” Yun Che’s foot moved from Fen Juebi’s back to his waist, and pressed till he shrieked like a pig about to be slaughtered: “In order to wait for a few trash that overestimated their own capabilities to voluntarily send themselves up for death!’
The recovery ability brought by the Great Way of the Buddha was not something an ordinary person could imagine. Currently, Yun Che’s internal and external injuries had recovered completely, and he had recovered around seventy percent of his profound strength. Though dealing with Fen Juecheng would be a bit too difficult, messing with the heavily-injured Fen Juebi was as easy as turning his hand. Of course, scaring Fen Juecheng for a bit would be sufficient; Yun Che had even defeated Xia Qingyue, who was at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, so Fen Juecheng, who was at the second level of the Earth Profound Realm, wouldn’t be naive enough to think of himself as Yun Che’s opponent.
“Impossible! I heard that not only were your injuries extremely grave, your profound strength had also diminished completely! It’s simply impossible for you to recover in five short days! Furthermore… how did you know in advance that I was coming to kill you?” Fen Juecheng said while clenching his teeth. Although he had said “impossible”, his heart had been completely shocked. The numb feeling he had received from Yun Che’s strike still lingered. If his strength hadn’t recovered, how could he have attacked with such a frightening strike?
“Heheheheh,” Yun Che began laughing with ridicule: “That’s why I said that Young Burning Clan Master is nothing but a mere idiot who believes he is infallible. Once this Heaven Basin Secret Realm closes, all traces will vanish. For you two, this is the perfect place to kill someone, but it’s the same for me as well. To the people I want to kill, I never show even a hint of mercy… So let’s start with your pathetic little brother.”
Before the sound of his words descended, the power under Yun Che’s foot increased suddenly, causing Fen Juebi to emit a blood-curdling shriek again, as his five viscera and six bowels warped under the great pressure. Although Fen Juebi’s strength wasn’t weak, he was but a dish of food in the face of Yun Che, let alone the fact that he had several grave injuries and his strength had diminished greatly. Fen Juecheng’s face became as overcast as a dark cloud as he fumed with rage between gritted teeth: “Then let’s see you try to attack! To guard against any accidents, before we entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, Great Elder left a special soul imprint on his body. If he were to die, Great Elder will immediately know who killed him! At that time, you… and everyone related to you, will receive the wrath of the entire Burning Heaven Clan! Every one of them will die in the most miserable way possible!!”
“Right… right… you… you can’t kill me! If you dare to kill me… Great Elder will know… you can’t kill me!!”
As the son of the Burning Heaven Clan Master, Fen Juebi had never been trampled by anyone before. Moreover, this was the first time he had actually faced the menace of death. This kind of person was often someone who fears death the most. At this moment, Fen Juebi’s face was a deathly white color, and his lips were ashen. Half of his condition was due to a relapse in injuries from Yun Che’s beating, and the other half was due to fright.
“What he says is actually true. Detection imprints have indeed been left on both of their bodies. If they were to die, the person who left the imprint will immediately know who killed them.” Jasmine said.
“Really?” Yun Che’s expression didn’t change. On the contrary, he started laughing coldly at Fen Juecheng: “Do you really believe I wouldn’t dare kill you because of that? Do you really think I’m afraid of your Burning Heaven Clan?”
As he spoke, Dragon Fault in Yun Che’s hands suddenly dropped, and smashed onto Fen Juebi’s right leg without any mercy. Only a “snap” sound could be heard, and the bones in Fen Juebi’s right leg snapped. An incomparably mournful sound akin to the wail of ghosts and the howl of wolves spread outwards. Even though the sky was filled with snow, the sound still traveled a great distance.
“You!!” Fen Juecheng didn’t think Yun Che would actually be this vicious and merciless. He had executed this strike that was capable of permanently handicapping Fen Juebi, without any hesitation at all. Fen Juebi’s mournful shriek had caused his entire facial expression to warp, as the joints in both his hands made cracking sounds.
Seventy percent of Yun Che’s profound strength recovering didn’t equate to seventy percent of Yun Che’s actual strength recovering. Because he had forcefully burned the Phoenix Blood, he wouldn’t be able to utilize the strength of the Phoenix Flame for three months, causing his overall strength to diminish significantly. With his current state, there was absolutely no possibility of him defeating Fen Juecheng.
But Yun Che’s expression remained incomparably confident. The head on exchange had also let Fen Juecheng’s heart give birth to fear. And in front of Fen Juecheng, he was not worried in the slightest and had instead quickly crippled Fen Juebi. It was clear that he was not afraid of angering him; on the contrary, it seemed as if he was trying to anger him on purpose. This infuriated Fen Juecheng to no end, yet made him even more cautious about daring to act without thinking. Not only did he not dare to advance, he was completely on guard, and had even made preparations to withdraw at full strength, as to evade the chance of Yun Che suddenly attacking him.
SNAP!
Yun Che smashed down with his sword again, directly snapping Fen Juebi’s left leg as well. Amidst Fen Juebi’s blood-curdling screams, Yun Che slowly raised his head. A sneer and a provocative smile hung on his face… This smiling expression caused Fen Juecheng’s scalp to feel numb for a moment. His body retreated backwards uncontrollably, and his sudden howl charged into the sky: “Fortress Master Mu! What are you doing… Why haven’t you attacked yet!!”
Just as Fen Juecheng’s voice fell, the snow diagonally above Yun Che suddenly became chaotic. Amidst the chaotic snowstorm, a silver colored spear shot out with an incomparably terrifying screeching sound. Wherever the spear went, the snowstorm was roughly split open. From a distance, it was like a dazzling silver colored line that was drawn on a sky sealed with ice and snow.
The aura of death brought along by the spear instantly made all of Yun Che’s hair stand up.However, his expression was nevertheless, still incomparably tranquil. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled into an evil smile as the Dragon Fault Sword easily swung down and suddenly smashed onto the ground.
Boom!!
Following Yun Che’s strike, the snow on the ground rose in excess. Aside from the snow being raised, Fen Juebi’s body had also been lifted. Before Fen Juebi, who was jolted into the air, had time to react, his chest was pierced through by a silver spear…
This was a fatal strike from a Sky Profound expert, so how could its strength not be terrifying? Before Fen Juebi, who had been speared through the chest, had time to let out a wretched shriek, his body had immediately exploded open, bursting into more than ten lumps that scattered into the distance… The silver spear continued downwards, pierced through the after image Yun Che had left with Star God Broken Shadows, before burying who knows how deep into the ground.
Chapter 253 - How do you want to die?
Heaven Basin Secret Realm, northwest direction.
BOOM!!
The mountain was directly blown apart, revealing large chunks of soil and rocks that were buried under the snow and ice. According to the previous experiences of those who entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, some unusual stones tend to frequently be laid beneath the mountain.
However, after blowing the mountain apart, Fen Moli did not advance. Instead, his entire body trembled and froze on the spot, and he wore an extremely ugly expression. The middle-aged man that was beside him immediately asked: “Great Elder, what’s wrong?”
Fen Moli’s expression slowly turned incomparably gloomy. The anger and murderous intent that were being released from his body caused the middle-aged man to tremble with fear. After quite some time, he then said with a low voice: “Juebi… has died!”
“What!!” The middle-aged man exclaimed. Not even two hours had passed since they entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. Before they even reaped any rewards, they had instead received such a grievous news first. He asked in alarm: “Great Elder, you had left a soul imprint on Juebi’s body. Who is it… Who is the one that had such nerve to actually kill Juebi!”
“It is Mu Tianbei!” Fen Moli tightly clenched both his fists, and nearly crushed his hand bones. Suddenly, he let out a punch, releasing a path of purple flames in front of him that directly blew the small mountain in front of him into rubble. A roar filled with extreme anger came from his mouth: “Mu Tianbei!! There are no grudges nor enmity between you and my Burning Heaven Clan, yet you actually committed such an evil act. In the span of one month, I will definitely erase your Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress from the face of this world, forever!!”
On the other side, Mu Tianbei descended from midair and looked towards the dismembered body of Fen Juebi that was all over the ground. His body spasmed a bit and his face turned ugly, as if he had swallowed a dead fly. Fen Juecheng’s expression was ten times uglier. A face that was originally handsome and outstanding was now distorted to the point that even his biological mother would never be able to recognize it.
Fen Juebi died… He had just used the existence of the soul imprint to threaten Yun Che, but now Fen Juebi died in the blink of an eye… He didn’t even die in the hands of Yun Che, but died because of the fatal blow Mu Tianbei was preparing for Yun Che.
Bang Bang Bang Bang….
Light and brisk clapping sounds echoed from the side. Yun Che had a face full of schadenfreude. His gaze shifted towards Mu Tianbei as he gratefully said: “You are worthy of being called the Fort Master of Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress. That strike of yours is so fleeting, transcendent, and incredibly exquisite. This junior didn’t know that you were still brooding over the clash he had with the Young Fort Master Mu from before, and still had some problems with it. Not only were you prepared to hit a person who was already down, you had the indifference of a bystander. You stuck by your actions and killed the second young master of the Burning Heaven Clan! This mind, this spirit, this boldness, makes this junior feel shame and admiration at the same time. I heard that Fen Juebi carried the soul imprint that Fen Moli left for him on his body. Right now, Fen Moli should already know about Fort Master Mu’s impressive feat of having killed his clan’s second young master in one spear strike. He must be angered to the brink of life and death by now, hahahahahaha…”
After Yun Che’s sarcastic ridicules, he didn’t forget to let out a burst of mad laughter. Mu Tianbei’s complexion went from clear to black, then black to white. The anger he held within his belly narrowly avoided exploding his stomach. He clenched his fists and angrily roared: “Little junior! Young Burning Clan Master would naturally resolve this matter for this Fort Master. Death is close at hand, yet you are still able to laugh! Just watch as one of my strikes ruthlessly break the bones in your body!!”
Mu Tianbei angrily rose, and charged toward Yun Che. His right hand became a claw that grabbed straight towards the top of Yun Che’s skull.
Yun Che stood motionlessly in place as he gazed at Mu Tianbei’s approaching right claw with ridicule. This reaction immediately made Mu Tianbei’s heart waver as his movements slowed. But at this exact moment, an extremely cold air suddenly assaulted him from ahead. A few specks of cold bristles shot right toward his eyes and Mu Tianbei’s figure stopped to grab those incoming things which were in fact icicles that released a bone chilling coldness.
But at the same time, a long strip of white ribbon shot out from within the wind and snow. It wrapped around Yun Che’s waist and brought him flying along with it. On the other side of the long ribbon was the fine, snow white figure of a female!
“Qingyue?” Yun Che looked at Xia Qingyue, who had suddenly appeared. He never thought that the fourth person who was following him whom Jasmine mentioned… was actually Xia Qingyue.
“Don’t say another word. Let’s leave quickly!”
Xia Qingyue’s crescent eyebrows furrowed tightly. She took Yun Che with her as she moved forward through the snowstorm at an extremely fast pace. Under these kinds of situations, the movements of other profound practitioners would be greatly hindered. For her, not only would there be no harm; on the contrary, she could draw strength from the ice and snow to quickly recover her profound strength. Therefore, even if she brought along Yun Che, her speed was still extremely fast, as the two quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.
Mu Tianbei had also obviously recognized that it was Xia Qingyue. He flung off the icicles on his hands and did not pursue them. Instead, he stopped in place and did not move for a long while. Only his expression was constantly changing.
“Fort Master Mu, what are you still standing there for! Quickly go, and kill him!” Fen Juecheng anxiously yelled.
Mu Tianbei still made no movements. He breathed in a large breath of air and said: “That person is Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue! When Yun Che was just by himself, I obviously wanted to get rid him to save trouble in the future! However, Xia Qingyue is by his side now. If I kill her, Frozen Cloud Asgard’s people will know! If news got out that I, the Great Fort Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, killed Yun Che within the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, how can I still stand up!”
“Then go kill Xia Qingyue along with him!” Fen Juecheng said with a sinister face.
“Wuh… What?!” Mu Tianbei’s was suddenly shocked. What kind of person was Xia Qingyue? She should be considered the most talented disciple in all of Frozen Cloud Asgard’s history. If by chance Frozen Cloud Asgard knew about it, then the issue would not be about whether or not he could stand up. Instead, the entire Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress would become Frozen Cloud Asgard’s mortal enemy. Against their extreme rage, his sect’s hundreds of years of foundation would be pulled up by its roots. The consequences were something he absolutely could not bear.
“Why is this something to hesitate about?” Fen Juecheng said with a loud voice: “After killing those two, and once the secret realm closes, this matter would become top secret! The matter regarding my second brother, I’ll explain it clearly to my Great Elder. If you let them go like this, the fact that you took action to kill Yun Che would spread out anyway. The reputation of you, Mu Tianbei, would suffer in the future just the same. You’ve seen how very fiery Yun Che’s temper was. You provoked him earlier and just now, you acted with the intent of taking his life. When he matures in the future, do you feel that your Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress would still have peaceful times? The ones to suffer would be more than just yourself.”
“If you still can’t think it through!” Fen Juecheng started to have a threatening voice: “Then I won’t feel like explaining the matter regarding my second brother to my Great Elder… hehe. Do you want to make matters worse and kill me as well to make Burning Heaven Clan despise you even more?”
Mu Tianbei’s entire body froze. After a twitch of his face, the ice and snow beneath his feet suddenly rose up. He chased in the direction of where Xia Qingyue and Yun Che left like a hawk.
“Qingyue, you… why… are you here …?”
The speed of their pace was too fast. When Yun Che opened his mouth, large amounts of wind and snow poured into his mouth. After making the effort for quite a while, he was able to finally ask a question, which had a very obvious answer.
Xia Qingyue said nothing. It was unknown whether it was because she didn’t hear it or that she was too worried about Mu Tianbei chasing up to them. She didn’t dare to be distracted in the slightest.
Earlier, before Yun Che had left, she quietly changed directions and followed behind him because she feared Yun Che would run into some danger. In an environment filled with wind and snow, it was very easy for her to conceal her aura. Therefore, whether it was Yun Che or Mu Tianbei, none of them found out that she was always in their vicinity. As for why she was unable to control herself from following him, she gave herself the reason that since Yun Che’s injuries were caused by her, she was responsible for protecting his safety in this dangerous place.
Only, she didn’t think that Fen Juecheng and Fen Juebi would take advantage of this situation to kill him, and expected the Sect Master class Mu Tianbei even less!
Yun Che’s eyeballs shifted as his body tilted and his head fell into the ice and snow. Then, he was miserably dragged across the ice and snow by Xia Qingyue. She stopped right away and hurriedly asked: “Are you alright? Hurry up and quickly get up! If Mu Tianbei catches up, it’d be a disaster.”
Yun Che straightened his upper body, shook the ice and snow off his head, and miserably said: “Qing… Qingyue my wife, my internal injuries seemed to have worsened… I already… I already can’t run anymore… You should leave… don’t worry about me! The one he wants to kill is me… As long as you get far away from here, he won’t do anything… to you… Cough cough cough cough…”
Yun Che coughed for a while to forcefully cough out the ice and snow that had previously poured into his stomach.
Xia Qingyue nervously looked back. Without caring about anything else any longer, she retracted the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, put her right hand under Yun Che’s ribs, and supported him up: “Hold onto me tightly… In this environment, it’s not impossible for us to escape!”
This time, Yun Che had indeed swiftly reached out to hold onto Xia Qingyue’s soft and slim waist. Just by holding it, it was hard to imagine that this body, which was seemingly as weak as a willow, could unexpectedly release a heaven freezing, earth sealing power. Once Yun Che held onto it, he couldn’t bear to let go. It was comforting to the point that he almost let out a groan.
Having her body touched and held by a male, caused a deep and peculiar feeling to flash within Xia Qingyue’s heart. She immediately activated the full power of her Frozen Cloud Arts to use Frozen Cloud Asgard’s exclusive profound movement skill, “Frozen Fantasy Snow Dance”, and moved towards the north at an extremely fast speed.
“Juniors! Where are you running off to! Prepare to die!”
Mu Tianbei’s roars suddenly sounded from behind them. Xia Qingyue quickly looked back, only to astonishingly discover that within the wind and snow behind them, the figure of Mu Tianbei appeared, and was gradually approaching.
Cold light concentrated within Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes. She extended her left arm and a ball of icy blue light danced about. The flying snow in an area of a few hundred meters around her all became under her control and flew towards Mu Tianbei.
Bang!!
After a huge sound, all the flying snow was easily dispersed by Mu Tianbei. Mu Tianbei was Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress’ Fort Master with a profound strength that had surpassed the fifth level of the Sky Profound Realm. His total strength seemed to not be inferior to Xia Qingyue’s teacher, Chu Yueli. He was someone that Xia Qingyue had absolutely no chance of defending against. Even if she forcefully activated her Frozen Cloud Domain, it would basically be ineffective against him.
At the moment, Yun Che comfortably held Xia Qingyue and his hands rubbed her slender waist from time to time. He wasn’t satisfied at all because Mu Tianbei stubbornly came and disturbed them as he chased closer when he got into a distance where he could attack them. Yun Che bore his teeth in quite a bad mood and lightly muttered: “Jasmine, kill him!”
Bang!!
There was clearly nothing ahead of him, and Mu Tianbei, who saw that he would soon overtake Xia Qingyue and Yun Che, suddenly collided into an incredibly tough thing that made him dizzy. Only after he spun a few circles in midair did he steady his body. He shook his head and looked up front again, but any traces of Xia Qingyue and Yun Che had long since been lost. What calmly floated in front of him was a little girl clothed in a cute, red colored princess dress.
Flying snow fell down in great packs and flooded every corner of the surrounding, but not a trace of snowflake landed on the body of the little girl. Mu Tianbei stared blankly for a long while as he looked at her, because this little girl was too refined; practically a hundred times more refined than the highest quality porcelains dolls meticulously sculpted by the top artisans of the Blue Wind Empire. It was exactly this excessively refined little face that hung a completely grim expression which didn’t match her age and lovely figure at all.
She extended her finger which was more tender than snow and pointed towards Mu Tianbei. Her crystalline eyes emitted a bloody ray of light: “How do you want to die?”
Chapter 254 - A Woman’s Heart
“Who… Who are you?”
Mu Tianbei had never thought that there would ever come a day where he would be frightened by a little girl, to the point where his entire body spasmed. For Jasmine, who was currently only in a half-soul form, her strength was not even ten thousandth of her normal form. However, to Mu Tianbei, it was still a nightmare-like pressure. Even though in front of him was just a little girl whose beauty could not be described, he felt as though he was looking at the abyss of death. Every part of his body was uncontrollably trembling crazily.
Jasmine’s tender lips slightly tilted, revealing an ice-cold light smile. “This princess has already given you a chance to choose your method of death. Since you refuse to choose, then this princess shall choose on your behalf… Disappear!!”
Jasmine’s small hand gently sliced the empty air…
Bang!
A gentle explosive sound rang. Before this sound could travel too far, it had already been submerged completely into the snowstorm. In this slight commotion, Mu Tianbei’s body instantly burst… To be more exact, his body was instantly broken down! His body broke down into countless of extremely small fragments, and then, these fragments continued to break down, and break down… and they broke down into fragments even smaller than dust, until the fragments completely disappeared. Not even a trace of his body was left… as it was taken over by complete nothingness.
As she watched Mu Tianbei disappear in front of her eyes, Jasmine’s expression was completely indifferent. Her two hands held in front of her chest, and following the flipping of her palms, she cast a mystical profound formation. This profound formation spiraled at high speed, and disappeared within her chest. After that, Jasmine’s figure disappeared from the spot.
With Mu Tianbei nearing their backs, Xia Qingyue initially thought that they no longer had any possibility to escape. Just when she was about to forcefully open her Frozen Cloud Domain, she was surprised to feel that the pressure coming from Mu Tianbei had suddenly disappeared. When she turned to look, she could no longer see Mu Tianbei’s figure as well. Although she was surprised, she did not dare to stop even for a single moment as she brought Yun Che further and further away at an incredible speed… Unconsciously, she had already went past one ice mountain after another.
Sensing that Jasmine had returned, Yun Che immediately asked. “Is the deed done?”
“Do you really believe that he can escape alive under my hands?” Jasmine said snappily.
“… Then what about Fen Juecheng? Did you deal with him as well?”
“I only told you that I will help you kill a single person. I don’t have the mood to care about some Fen Juecheng!”
“Shit… If Fen Juecheng isn’t dead, then didn’t I kill Fen Juebi for nothing!? He only has to tell Fen Moli, and whole world will know that I was the one who killed Fen Juebi! If that’s the case, I might as well kill Fen Juebi personally with my hands back then!”
“That’s your problem. What does that have to do with me?”
“…” Yun Che’s face cramped for a moment. He could only take a deep breath, and helplessly said. “Never mind! Where’s Mu Tianbei’s corpse? Is it still at the place where he almost caught up to us earlier?”
“I have already made sure that he completely disappeared from this world. Forget about a corpse, not even a single speck of ash is left. What did you want to do with his corpse?”
“F*ck!” Yun Che almost leapt out of Xia Qingyue’s body. “Mu Tianbei is the Fort Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress! The Fort Master, you know! There’s definitely a large amount of sect treasures in his spatial ring, or he might even have some sort of world-shocking secret, and you actually made him to vanish just like that! It would have been great if you had casually sliced him into half, it would have saved you time and effort as well! Y-y-y-you… You will definitely be a spoiled woman when you grow up in the future.”
Jasmine coldly snorted. “You don’t have the capability to kill him yourself, and had me deal with him instead, so stop with all this nonsense!”
“…” Yun Che had no words to rebut her with.
Turning back to give another glance, Yun Che could only swallow down the thought of turning back to kill Fen Juecheng. In the vast snowfield, it was basically impossible to determine one’s direction. When Xia Qingyue sprinted, she did not leave any trace, and even if there were some traces left behind, they would have already been covered by the snowstorm. The possibility of turning back to find them was basically none.
“Currently, I have already sealed my profound energy. In the next very long period of time, my strength will only be used to expel the poison, and it cannot be released outside. A seal like this is something I can’t even remove myself. When you once again encounter some danger, just pray for the best.” Jasmine said, and her words were definitely not a joke. She had seriously sealed her own profound energy. However, a seal like this did not prevent her from circulating profound energy, rather, it prevented her from releasing her profound energy outside her body.
“A very long period of time? How long is that?”
“It is a sealing profound formation that I casually casted, I don’t know how long the seal will last either. The shortest is a single year, while the longest might be a few dozen years!”
“…”
After continuously proceeding forward for more than two hours, and after confirming that Mu Tianbei would not be chasing after them, Xia Qingyue’s mind finally relaxed as she fell onto the patch of snow with Yun Che.
As though he had been startled, Yun Che let out a “Aiya” sound. His body was suddenly thrown forward. He instantly landed on Xia Qingyue’s body and hugged her really tightly.
After sprinting with her full strength for so long, a large majority of Xia Qingyue’s profound energy was used up. She steadied her breathing for a moment, and then, neither lightly nor heavily, raised her hand to push away Yun Che, who was on her body. Then, she stood up, and her breathing had slowly calmed down as well. Her expression was even more calm, with not even a hint of emotions on her face.
“Stand up. There’s no need to act anymore, I know that your internal injuries never acted up in the first place.” Looking at Yun Che who she had pushed into the pile of snow, Xia Qingyue spoke with an indifferent expression.
Yun Che stood up from the pile of snow and casually patted off the snow on his body. Just when he was about to speak up, he was suddenly stunned for a moment… Earlier, when Xia Qingyue had brought him to flee with all her strength, the veil on her face had long fell off somewhere along the way. A beautiful face, so absolutely beautiful to the point of causing people to hold their breaths, was revealed before him, at such a close distance. Her snow-dress fluttered, bathing within the snowstorm. A charm like this, even the legendary snow woman would pale in comparison.
Seeing that he did not say anything for a long while, and was instead looking at her own face while in a slight daze, Xia Qingyue reached out her hand to touch her own cheek. Only then did she realize that her veil had gone missing. Her brows slightly twitched. She slanted her face to the side, and lightly asked. “The reason why Fen Juecheng and Fen Moli wished to kill you, is because of Princess Cang Yue. But why did Mu Tianbei want to kill you?”
Evidently, she had heard the conversation between Yun Che, Fen Juecheng and Fen Juebi. Yun Che regained his senses, slightly curled his lips, and said. “Mu Tianbei had once invited me to join Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, and even ridiculed the Blue Wind Profound Palace. Then, he was sent back by my ridiculing comments, and I even harmed his core disciple, hence, he held a grudge against me… It was just something like that.”
Xia Qingyue softly said. “Mu Tianbei is number one in the Northern Passes, and no one would dare to offend to him. People like him would never tolerate even a little bit of offense that come their way, and I had heard from Master once that he had always been prideful and egoistic… People like him, it’s best that you don’t offend them in the future.”
“I had never take the initiative to offend someone, all of them were the ones who came to offend me. It’s just that I have learnt to never be polite and tolerate people who offend me.” Yun Che said without a care. Looking at the side-view of Xia Qingyue’s perfect face, he smiled. “Qingyue my wife, it’s good that you’re here this time. Otherwise, I would have definitely died in Mu Tianbei’s hands. But, you’re my wife, after all, so I won’t say thank you… Speaking of which, why were you nearby back then? You couldn’t have seen that I had yet to recover from my injuries, was worried about my safety, and have been sneakily following after me, right?”
“I just happened to pass by.”
Evidently, Xia Qingyue was not good at lying. When she said those words, her tone and demeanor was very unnatural. She shifted her gaze away as well, not wanting to make eye contact with Yun Che. She turned to the side, and coldly said. “Mu Tianbei should have lost us, it’s nearly impossible for him to think of finding you in this Secret Realm. Your injuries have already fully healed, and your profound energy has already recovered by at least seventy percent. It should be enough to fend for yourself in this place. Take care.”
After saying that, Xia Qingyue’s snow-dress fluttered, and she was about to leave.
“Hey, hey! Wait a minute!” Yun Che hurriedly stepped forward, and blocked her front. “You can’t really be leaving like this, right? In truth… In truth, earlier, those words were used to fool Fen Juecheng, my wounds are basically not fully healed at all. At most, I’m only fifty percent healed, especially my internal injuries, right now, they’re still… Kuh kuh… Cough cough cough cough… My profound energy has only recovered by thirty percent at most, really… If, I’m once again found by Fen Juecheng and Mu Tianbei, without you by my side to protect me, then wouldn’t I… It doesn’t matter if I die, but to burden you to become a widow, how could I bear such a thing…”
Xia Qingyue’s beautiful brows evidently twitched for a moment.
“Besides, we are a legally wedded husband and wife, and since we’re husband and wife, we should live together on the same bed, die together in the same hole, share our blessings and depend on each in times of crisis. Now that I’m currently troubled by various things, as my wife, shouldn’t you do your part as what a wife would do, and take up the responsibility to protect me… Hey, hey! Don’t go…”
Back then, when Yun Che’s meridians were crippled, facing Xia Qingyue who was too high for him to reach back then, he would frequently say these cheap words, causing her to feel angry and helpless. Currently, in terms of strength, Yun Che could not compete with Xia Qingyue, but in terms of persistence, Xia Qingyue was definitely unable to compete with Yun Che. Hence, the two of them were basically six of one and half a dozen of the other. When Yun Che spoke with Xia Qingyue, naturally, he would not have any sort of scruples at all.
Xia Qingyue did not bother to pay attention to what he was saying as she directly circled around him, and lightly stepped on the snow as she headed towards the north. Yun Che stood at the same spot, and said very resentfully. “You can’t… really be leaving me here alone like this, right?”
Xia Qingyue did not answer. After walking very far away, she suddenly stopped her steps, and said with an extremely soft voice. “What are you still standing there for? Hurry and catch up to me.”
“As you command!” Yun Che instantly grinned from ear to ear. With a slight tap underneath his feet, he caught up with Xia Qingyue’s side swiftly… He did not look as though he had not fully recovered from his heavy injuries at all.
The two of them headed northwards, and very quickly, they disappeared within the snowstorm.
In regards to Xia Qingyue appearing and saving him, it was impossible for him not to feel grateful in his heart. Because the person he faced back then was Mu Tianbei, an extreme expert of the Sect Master class. When Xia Qingyue saved him, she undoubtedly carried the same risk of dying under Mu Tianbei’s hands, together with him. And, at the same time, he was very puzzled… When he encountered Xia Qingyue again at Heavenly Sword Villa, he could only feel indifference from her body. Not closeness, not rejection, not coldness, but just the form of indifference that he could extremely not bear at all.
The few days after their marriage, he worked hard to plant his figure into Xia Qingyue’s heart. But, such a long period of separation, was evidently enough to completely disperse his shallow figure in Xia Qingyue’s heart. Also, to a certain degree, he believed that currently, in Xia Qingyue’s eyes, he was nothing but a normal existence whom she was binded with a marriage certificate. Someone who could she do with, and could do without. But, today, when Xia Qingyue followed him to protect him, and came out to save him, he was once again confused… He completely unable to figure out what kind of place he currently had in her heart.
To a man, if there was something in the world that he would never be able to understand, it would undoubtedly be a woman’s heart.
Chapter 255 - Heaven Basin’s Enormous Beast (1)
Yun Che and Xia Qingyue journeyed together just like that. The two of them were unquestionably the strongest combination among Blue Wind Empire’s younger generation. The two of them continued straight north… To speak more precisely, they didn’t know what direction laid ahead of them either. Only boundless snow-covered plains and blizzard could be seen; there weren’t any rewards, nor did they meet any danger. Not even half a silhouette of profound beasts was seen.
Yun Che kept on chattering endlessly, asking Xia Qingyue various questions, and then self-servingly told her about Xia Yuanba’s situation from back then to now. Xia Qingyue’s response was always impeccably indifferent, and only occasionally replied nonchalantly. Her hands continuously waved, sweeping away the ice and snow on the ground, but never found anything throughout the process.
“Qingyue my wife, don’t you have anything you want to ask me? Like… Have I been well after you left, what places have I been to, and was I bullied by anyone…”
“With your personality, it would already be good if you didn’t bully others; who could truly be able to bully you.” Xia Qingyue expressionlessly replied with her charming eyes looking toward the front. After that, the light in her eyes moved, and she finally voluntarily asked him a question: “But I want to know, during this period of time, just how did you grow to such an extent?
Xia Qingyue had finally taken the initiative to ask him a question. Yun Che’s expression immediately became serious, and he spoke: “This matter is my secret, and I absolutely would not tell other people. But since you are my wife, so that’s a different story. Mn… I met a master, she allowed my profound veins to grow anew and also taught me a bunch of random things. Furthermore, I’ve also had some special encounters during this period of time. That is how I came to be today.”
“Your Master?” A hint of surprise flashed through Xia Qingyue’s eyes: “To be able to bring you up to such a height within such a short period of time, your Master is definitely a supremely extraordinary person.”
Yun Che waited for a bit, but didn’t hear any further questions. He instantly said: “Don’t you want to ask me who this master of mine is?”
“That is your privacy, I have no right to probe.” Xia Qingyue replied with indifference.
“Mm…” Yun Che pondered a little, and said while smiling: “This master of mine, indeed is a supremely remarkable being. But you definitely won’t be able to guess just exactly why she is “remarkable”. She is even more amazing than you imagined, and also completely changed my fate. However, she definitely isn’t a good master. Because, to be precise, she didn’t truly teach me anything, and had just always stuffed a bunch of things directly into my head. Then, she made me comprehend and practice them myself. But I, as the disciple, had never disappointed her, alright? Everything she stuffed into me, I would always comprehend them in a very short amount of time. That’s how the present me came to be.”
“Hmph, you narcissist!” In his mind, resounded Jasmine’s voice that was full of contempt.
At this time, an eccentric feeling suddenly came from Yun Che’s left hand’s palm. He immediately lifted up his left hand, and shockingly discovered that his palm was currently flashing with a green brilliance that belonged to the Sky Poison Pearl.
This is….
The Sky Poison Pearl’s reaction toward treasures!!
And to make the Sky Poison Pearl react, it certainly wasn’t just any ordinary treasure either. At the very least, it would be at the rank of the Star Concealing Grass.
After coming back to the Blue Wind Empire, the Sky Poison Pearl had a total of two detection reactions. The first time had discovered the Star Concealing Grass, and the second time had detected the existence of the Evil God’s Fire Seed. And this third time… the direction that the reaction pointed at, just happened to be directly ahead of them.
“What happened?” Xia Qingyue saw that he stopped moving, and asked while turning her head back.
“I’m guessing that we will have an enormous reward very soon!” Yun Che clasped his palms: “Let’s go continue forward.”
The blizzard did not have any hint of stopping, and it was unknown just how long this blizzard had been going on. The ice and snow under their feet also thickened to an unimaginable extent. The two of them continued traveling forward for more than four hours; the Sky Poison Pearl’s reaction was still there, but nothing was gained yet. This did not disappoint Yun Che, and the inside of his heart instead became even more excited… To make the Sky Poison Pearl have an reaction across such a long distance, the thing that it discovered must be no trivial thing! At the very least, it would be much more rare than the Star Concealing Grass!
Just what would it be?
The temperature of this place was frighteningly low. After walking for so long under this sky and earth of ice, in order to defend against the acute cold, the profound energy expenditure speed was also extremely fast. Even for Yun Che, who had a body not inferior to a true dragon, this was also starting to become a little unbearable, so it could be imagined how much more unbearable this was for the other young profound practitioners with slightly weaker profound strength. He shrunk his neck a little as his gaze looked toward the front with care, and then asked on a whim: “Qingyue my wife, your Master and Senior Master should have come here many times before, what rewards did they usually obtain?”
Xia Qingyue thought for a bit, and said: “Master had come to this place twice before, and was rewarded plentifully every time. The first time, she acquired three pieces of Pure Cloud Jade and two Ten Thousand Year Old Blood Reishi ; the second time, she obtained a chunk of Purple Veined Heaven Crystal, three drops of Profound Spirit Jade Dew and a chunk of an enormous beast’s bone. Master said that there are a total of three seasons here, and the season’s characteristics are exhibited to an extreme. Amongst them, the most unlucky would be encountering winter. It is because the winter’s blizzard would cover everything tightly, thus, it would be very difficult to obtain anything rewarding.
Very unfortunately, Yun Che and Xia Qingyue encountered the cold winter with overwhelming flying snow on their first time entering the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. That’s right, any and everything was tightly covered by the ice and snow. Let alone treasures, even a chunk of rock could not be seen.
“What is the best thing that someone who entered this Heaven Basin Secret Realm had found?” Yun Che asked. As he spoke till here, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Xia Qingyue also stopped right after, and slightly nodded: “I don’t know. If someone really found anything great, they normally would stay quiet about it. However, I had heard my Master bring up that more than four hundred years ago, someone had found a Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus in the Heaven Basin before.”
“Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus?” Yun Che had a surprised face. Out of all the grasses and herbs in the world, the ones that Yun Che did not know could be counted with one hand. Yet he had never heard his Master bring up the name Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus. Today was actually the first time he had heard of it.
Xia Qingyue slightly lifted her gaze, and slowly spoke: “The Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus is a type of sacred object that’s recorded in my Sect’s 《Frozen Cloud Sacred Book》, and the other top Sects also has records of it. In the records, it is a sacred object gifted by the heavens, and is also a kind of object which shouldn’t exist in the mortal world because it opposes the heavens. Legends say that one appeared long ago, and never appeared again afterwards. It only existed within the many records that spoke about it. Four hundred years ago, a Senior of the Xiao Sect had used Spirit Sound Transmission and told everyone who were in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm at that time that he found the “Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus” which was exactly the same as in the records… However, those were his last words. After he spoke those words, there was no further contact from him. He never could walk out of the Secret Realm, and fell there.”
“Sacred object gifted by the heavens”, “Object that opposes the heavens”. All of these descriptive words that came from Xia Qingyue hinted at how shocking of an existence the “Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus” was. Yun Che followed up and asked: “Just how exactly does this ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ oppose the natural law? Don’t tell me that one would become immortal after eating it or something?”
“…No one had actually seen it so everything about it are only from the records.” Xia Qingyue said with a light voice: “I heard my Master say that after consuming the ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’, it could make someone without any profound strength step into the Earth Profound Realm in a day’s time… With my current realm, if I were to consume the ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’, I could step into the Sky Profound Realm with a single step. Furthermore, the power hidden inside ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ is extremely gentle, and absolutely would not cause a situation, where the person who consumed it cannot endure the change and become injured, to appear.”
“…It’s that amazing?!” Yun Che’s mouth flew wide open. To make someone without any profound strength at all to directly step into the Earth Profound Realm, and allow a profound practitioner of the Earth Profound Realm to enter the Sky Profound Realm, that the vast majority would not even dare to peek at, with a single step; it was simply hard to believe that there existed something like that in this world.
If one could acquire it, one could climb to a height that others may not achieve even if they worked hard for their entire lives. The words “object that opposes the heavens”, was not at all an exaggeration for it. And this kind of thing that breaks the balance too much, should indeed, not exist in this world.
“Speaking of which, what does that ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ look like?” Yun Che’s hand tapped his chin, as his face revealed an extremely odd complexion. His gaze was also somewhat erratic.
Xia Qingyue’s pink lips slightly opened, and said vividly: “I have seen the records regarding ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ before. It is much larger than a normal lotus flower, and its diameter when blooming is as long as five feet. On its petals, is a somewhat eccentric light blue color…”
“…Is it a blue color like a blue crystal? Every single petal also had the luster of glazed glass like crystals. The stamen in the center of the flower is a scarlet red, and even glows. The flower stem that supports it is also blue, a type of illusory blue that’s much deeper than the petal’s color…” Yun Che stared at Xia Qingyue, and spoke sentence by sentence with an odd expression.
A hint of surprise condensed in Xia Qingyue’s charming eyes: “So you actually had seen the records about it before?”
“No no, definitely not.” Yun Che extended his finger, and probingly pointed behind her: “What I am talking about, is that lotus flower behind you.”
Xia Qingyue suddenly turned around. And then, her fragrant lips slightly opened, as her entire being froze there.
In a place no more than fifty steps away from them, appeared a light blue colored silhouette. That’s right; that was a lotus, an enormous lotus flower. Its diameter was as long as five feet, it had an illusory blue colored jade-like flower stem and light blue flower petals that flowed with fluorescent brilliance. Yet its stamen was like a red colored starry sky that had gathered together, and flashed with a mysterious and eccentric light.
A lotus ought to bloom in the summer with a scorching sun, yet this lotus, had lofty bloomed within the blizzard. The wind howled and the falling snow flew about, so it would be difficult even for an ordinary person to stand upright under this kind of blizzard. Yet this lotus flower unyieldingly stood there; neither the petals or the stamen had the slightest of waver. It was as if none of its petals could possibly fall even if the blizzard was ten times stronger.
Under the snow, the entire land was even submerged underneath. Yet only this lotus flower was not covered. On the petals, even a trace of the drifting snow could not be seen. In this world of overwhelming blizzard and snow, it became the only, and also the most blinding existence.
Chapter 256 - Heaven Basin’s Enormous Beast (2)
“Emperor Awakening… Heart… Lotus….” Xia Qingyue was completely stunned. That lotus flower in her sights and the “Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus” from the records were exactly the same. None of the characteristics were any different. The color of its unique petal, its radiance, and furthermore, it was being battered by the elements, yet still had the attitude of arrogance towards all living things on heaven and earth. All of this proved that this was absolutely an extraordinary object. Only at this moment, Xia Qingyue had a look of disbelief in her eyes. She didn’t dare to think she could inadvertently and unexpectedly encounter such a divine existence from the legends and records.
“Could that really be the ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ that you mentioned?” Hearing Xia Qingyue’s disillusioned murmurs, Yun Che’s expression was similar stirred in a peculiar manner… this was the one of the divine objects from legends, the heaven opposing lotus? Found just like this?
So quaint? So simple? So lucky?
Wait… Lotus flowers all bloomed in the water. The person who discovered the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus on the verge of the death four hundred years ago told everyone that when he discovered it, he was within the Heaven Basin… Could it be, that he himself and Xia Qingyue just happened to stepped onto the Heaven Basin… on the Heaven Basin which had frozen over?
“There’s no mistake, it’s exactly the same as the records.”
Yun Che saw an extremely rare expression of excitement from Xia Qingyue’s face. Such a divine object from legends just suddenly appeared right in front of their eyes. Let alone her, even Chu Yuechan would probably have difficulty maintaining her composure as well. Xia Qingyue took some steps forward and prepared to approach that blue lotus, but she was blocked by Yun Che’s hands right way: “Wait, don’t go near it yet. If that event from four hundred years ago is real; then, the one which that person discovered was perhaps this exact one! In other words, right now we are already standing on the Heaven Basin. After that person discovered it, he left behind a note before death… to state that it was extremely likely that a huge, hidden danger hid behind this lotus flower.
Xia Qingyue withdrew her footsteps and slowly nodded. The rarer the object, the more likely it was protected by a powerful profound beast. Naturally, it wasn’t because those profound beasts were looking out for its safety, but it was for the powerful strength it contained. It would nourish the growth of the profound beast and at a suitable time, the profound beast guarding it would consume it in order to advance its strength by leaps and bounds. Therefore, it would guard it with its life and absolutely did not let another person approach and touch it.
“Jasmine, are there auras of powerful profound beasts nearby?” Yun Che calmed down and asked Jasmine.
But he waited a good while, but still did not hear a response from Jasmine.
Yun Che shut his eyes and entered into the Sky Poison Pearl, but discovered that Jasmine peacefully laid down on her white jade bed with a tranquil look over her snow white face. Her hands intersected over her chest and formed a very strange gesture. Around her body, green light flickered from time to time.
Could she be detoxifying herself?
Yun Che didn’t dare to bother Jasmine and exited from the Sky Poison Pearl. He then concentrated and spread his senses in all four directions, but was in fact unable to detect the existence of any dangerous auras. He then muttered hesitantly to himself: “It’s so empty here, if a profound beast was here, then I could probably spot it right away. Additionally, if we stepped into the Heaven Basin and the Heaven Basin had been iced over a long time ago, all the profound beasts would naturally be sealed under as well and would probably not come out. If I think of it like this, then perhaps it wouldn’t be as dangerous as we thought.”
“But still, it’s still good to be careful. There could still be profound beasts hiding under the snow. If this Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was truly being guarded by a profound beast, then it would certainly be an extremely dangerous one.” Xia Qingyue raised her brows slightly.
Yun Che sensed the situation around himself again and then stepped forward: “Don’t move from that spot, I’ll go take a look.”
“Let’s go together.” Xia Qingyue followed beside him: “Just in case there is a danger, us two can look after each other.”
Accidentally discovering this divine object from the legends, the two were nervous and excited at the same time. An object such as the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was absolutely not something ordinary people could discover, let alone obtained by ordinary people. The two slowly moved forward, and cautiously and carefully approached… Until both of them stood at a position within reach of the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus, and still without any accidents occurring.
The two then let out a long sigh of relief at the same time.
Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was almost right in front of them. Looking at the incomparably captivating petal and pistil, Yun Che rubbed his hands in unimaginable excitement “Hehe, it looked like it wasn’t a completely terrible misfortune to encounter winter here! The effect of the weather here on the profound beasts, especially the profound beasts in the Heaven Basin is much greater than it is on us.”
As he spoke, Yun Che reached out with his left and touched the blossoming Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus.
“Wait!” Xia Qingyue yelled at him to stop: “If you wanted to pluck it off, you have to be careful. Plucking such a high valued divine object, the difficulty would be extremely high. If you’re even the least bit careless, it would easily drain away a great deal of effect.
“You can be at ease about this, don’t forget, I’m a genius doctor.” Yun Che laughed with great self-confidence. With the Sky Poison Pearl, no matter the plant, he could seize it with absolute perfection. After plucking it, it would directly enter the Sky Poison Pearl and not even a trace of the power it contained would be lost.
Yun Che softly nipped at the stem of the otherworldly blue flower with his left hand that silently released a green light. At this moment, he suddenly raised his head and asked: “Qingyue my wife, aren’t you afraid that I’ll keep it to myself after pluck it?”
Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes slanted and with an indifferent expression: “This Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was found by you, it should belong to you anyway. How does it concern me in any way?”
Yun Che was suddenly startled. A peculiar feeling flashed within his mind and he immediately stopped talking. A green light flashed in his palms; then, the entire Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus disappeared into the Sky Poison Pearl.
Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was absolutely an extremely valuable treasure, but no matter how valuable it was, it was impossible for it to surpass the Sky Poison Pearl. Under the effects of the Sky Poison Pearl, the originally hard to pluck Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was plucked off by Yun Che with as much ease as the most ordinary of flowers.
From discovery to approach, to successfully plucking it, the entire process was incredibly smooth. Let alone risks, even an obstacle did not exist. It was simple to the point that it was somewhat abnormal. Yun Che smacked his hands and stood up. Just as he was about to speak, an incomparably muffled sound like a roar originating from the endless abyss suddenly echoed past… The source of that sound seemed to come from underneath his foot. Then, a faint vibration occurred beneath them that gradually intensified.
Yun Che’s expression suddenly changed. He grabbed Xia Qingyue’s hands right away and muttered: “Quickly, leave!!”
The Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was indeed not unguarded by a profound beast.
A severe winter descended upon the Heaven Basin, so it froze over. As for this profound beast which stood guard by the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ side all year round, it had entered deep hibernation on the bottom of the Heaven Basin. Since it did not sense Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s approach, it was still fast asleep then. However, once the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus had been plucked away, when its aura had completely disappeared, it had finally woken up, evoking a fury that surged to the skies.
That was the most terrifying roar that Yun Che had heard in his two lives. The oppressing power that the roar contained practically crushed his spirit, as well as his five visceras and six organs. Xia Qingyue’s expression was not any different from Yun Che’s expression. They rushed into the distance at their fastest speed. Under their top speed, they traveled outwards past about six hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The vibrations underneath their feet gradually intensified at this moment, as if mother earth could collapse at any moment.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
AWOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A huge heaven crashing earth splitting sound echoed from behind Yun Che and Xia Qingyue, followed by a terrifying roar that was enough to burst heaven and earth.
This roar suddenly shook Yun Che’s brain into a blank state as he fell into the ice and snow together with Xia Qingyue. Then, they subconsciously looked back at the same time, and discovered the most shocking scene they had ever seen in their lives.
The ground was entirely uplifted. The ice and snow that covered the ground and countless huge chunks of ice was lifted into the skies quite far away, until it reached an altitude they were no longer capable of seeing. Then, a huge wave of water soared into the sky… that’s right, a wave of water! Yun Che’s thoughts weren’t wrong. They were stepping on the frozen Heaven Basin beneath them. The ice covering the Heaven Basin was over thirty meters thick, but was easily broken like thin sheets of paper. The basin water beneath them rose into mid air and became an incredibly tall tower of ice. Underneath the wave of water, an incredibly huge white figure rushed into the air until it leapt over a hundred feet high. Then, it heavily landed…. The sound it caused the instant that it landed was world-shaking. The layers of ice in the surrounding was widely ruptured as well. One of the cracks reached right below Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s feet.
This was an enormous beast that completely surpassed Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s imagination. It was around three hundred meters tall and white hair covered its entire body. It had a humanlike body and a vicious wolflike head with scarlet red eyes. When it landed, it was like a small mountain that blocked a huge amount of light from the heavens, and the aura it released, was way more terrifying than over ten thousand mountains. In front of its huge body, Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were as insignificant as two little flies. The distance they ran with their fastest speeds to escape, was covered by its feet in merely two steps.
…………………………
In between two icy mountains, Ling Yuefeng finally found his first reward from an ancient forest that wasn’t completely covered in ice and snow. Just as he was about to pluck that pitch black Reishi , the sound of a profound beast suddenly echoed from the distance. The place it came from was very far away, so the sound wasn’t very loud, but it indeed shook Ling Yuefeng’s entire body. His face showed an incredibly shocked expression, and even his soul was unexpectedly trembled by the roar that originated from faraway.
“This is… this is… the power of a Tyrant Profound Beast!!” Ling Yuefeng looked in the distance and an uncontrollable fear loomed over his face.
“Inside the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, there was actually a Tyrant Profound Beast…”
“Wait! This cry is filled with anger! Could it be that someone stepped into its territory or provoked it?”
While thinking about these things, Ling Yuefeng’s expression kept changing. The power that this sound contained could send him, a Throne, into deep fear. He felt that the owner of this sound could destroy him effortlessly. Tyrant Profound Realm… a level never before seen in Blue Wind Empire, because in the history of Blue Wind Empire, there never was a true Overlord. “Throne” was already the peak and limit of the Blue Wind Empire. Titles like “Overlord” and “Monarch” could exist only in the fantasies of Blue Wind profound practitioners. It was a level that they absolutely could not comprehend and imagine.
The person who offended this Tyrant Profound Beast, he would turn into dust particles in the blink of an eye… It was impossible for there to be a second outcome.
Ling Yuefeng subconsciously retreated two steps, and then flew towards that roar in the distance. Right now, he could only deeply pray that the ones who offended this terrifying Tyrant Profound Beast wasn’t a part of his Heavenly Sword Villa.
Chapter 257 - On the Brink of Death
That roar transmitted an extremely terrifying pressure and penetrative power into every corner of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. It completely overwhelmed the most powerful experts of the top ten sects with shock, and made each of them retreat from the source of the roar. They simultaneously thought that death would be inevitable, but none of them could have imagined that the people who encountered this terrifying profound beast were the two most talented people of the younger generation!
Jasmine, who was concentrating all her energy on detoxifying herself, was suddenly startled by the terrifying aura. Her severe and astonished voice echoed within Yun Che’s mind: “What’s going on? You guys actually provoked a Tyrant Profound Beast!”
“Tyrant Profound Beast?” Yun Che was terrifyingly alarmed. The oppressing feeling that this incredibly huge beast gave Yun Che was far superior to that Emperor Profound Flame Dragon, but he never could have thought that this was a Tyrant Profound Beast, since the level of Tyrant Profound Realm was never before seen in the Blue Wind Empire! It was a fantastical existence only told in legends!
The powerful pressure from the Tyrant Profound Beast caused Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s bodies to stiffen. Their five visceras spasmed and their heartbeats practically halted. To defend against a Tyrant Profound Beast or to escape from underneath its claws was undoubtedly just a crazed dream. Yun Che clenched his teeth and said: “Jasmine! Is your strength truly completely sealed off, and you can’t utilize even a bit of it?”
“…” Jasmine remained silent for a long time and furrowed her delicate eyebrows. She never could have thought that not long after she sealed off her profound strength, Yun Che would provoke such a terrifying guy. But according to her, because she sealed herself, she could not unseal herself. The sole hope that Yun Che had to avoid this critical situation was already completely broken.
As matters stood, Jasmine was also beginning to have some regret.
“This time you are surely going to die.” Every one of Jasmine’s words were incredibly solemn.
“No!!” Yun Che suddenly shook his head: “I still don’t want to die… I can’t die!!”
“Qingyue… Let’s escape quickly!!”
Yun Che clenched his teeth and shouted loudly. He got up with incredible difficulty under that incredible mountain-like pressure. He grabbed Xia Qingyue’s hands and fled away with all his might.
“ROAR!!!”
Their movements invoked an angry roar from that huge beast. The giant beast lifted up its right arm and smashed downwards towards the direction they fled in…
The sound of wind that whistled from behind Yun Che made him subconsciously turn around. That huge fist wasn’t attacking them, rather it fell beneath that huge beast’s own feet, but it still caused Yun Che’s pupils to suddenly contract. He grabbed Xia Qingyue with one arm and used all his strength to leap high in the air. “Burning Heart” opened, and following the crazy surge of profound power, a translucent barrier suddenly appeared around him and Xia Qingyue’s bodies.
“Sealing Cloud Locking Sun!!”
Boom!!
Like a heavy hammer that came from heaven, it smashed the ground viciously, causing the entire Heaven Basin to vibrate. If it wasn’t a state of severe winter right now, but a summer day instead, perhaps a great amount of the Heaven Basin’s water would quake into the sky.
Feeling a great danger from beneath him, Yun Che carried Xia Qingyue and leapt high in the air as he fiercely inhaled. Using Star God’s Broken Shadow, he instantaneously pulled even higher into the air. Then, he flipped over facing downwards with his back to protect Xia Qingyue with the front of his body.
“Yun Che…!”
When Xia Qingyue cried from shock, it was immediately drowned out by the sound of that heaven shocking, earth shaking explosion.
After all, this was an indirect attack from a Tyrant Profound Beast. Even though Yun Che had leapt high into the sky a long time ago, the shockwave from the impact of the attack was still something he was incapable of resisting. His “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” was instantly broken through and a chunk of broken ice and fine snowflakes struck him on the back. Yun Che’s eyes bulged outwards and his face suddenly turned deathly pale. An arrow of blood sprayed out from high up in the sky and a small bit of landed on top of Xia Qingyue’s clothes, dying her snow white cloud dress into a patch of red.
Without the protection of “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun”, that single instant was already enough to kill Yun Che. He violently bit the tip of his tongue to prevent himself from fainting. He channeled his profound strength vigorously and activated “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” once again. However, this time, an extremely terrifying scene appeared within Xia Qingyue and his line of sight…
They saw an incomparably large head that was still more than thirty meters away from them, but it already covered their entire vision range. On its head were two eyes as scarlet as blood, and the two bloody eyes were focused entirely on them. Following that, it opened its large, deep as the abyss mouth towards them and spread forth an incredibly powerful suction force. The solid ice, the flying snow… and the embracing Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were absolutely incapable of resisting the suction force, so they flew toward the middle of that wide open mouth.
Yun Che and Xia Qingyue suddenly shouted out instinctively, and Yun Che suddenly realized during this exact moment why the attack of the huge beast smashed the ground instead towards them. It was because that huge beast knew that Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus had been seized by them and was bound to be on their body right now. If it destroyed them, then the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus would be destroyed as well. However, if it shook them high in the air and sucked them inside its stomach, it was equivalent to swallowing that Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus that they had on their body!
When he noticed this, a strand of hope flashed across Yun Che’s eyes. Under the tremendous suction force, Xia Qingyue and himself gradually neared that deep abyss like huge mouth; even if Xia Qingyue and himself used all their power, they still did not have even the slightest chance of breaking free. Yun Che unwaveringly stared forward while maintaining “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” with all his power. Both his hands embraced Xia Qingyue tightly, and he loudly yelled over and over again: “Hold onto me tightly… Hold onto me tightly.. Don’t let go… Hold onto me tightly!!”
Before Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s eyes, everything suddenly became pitch black as the large mouth of that enormous beast finally closed.
The sound of the wind still whistled beside their ears. The moment they entered inside the mouth of that huge beast, Yun Che felt himself enter a dark and icy purgatory which possessed a freezing sensation that dug into his heart and pierced his bones. The temperature of this huge beast’s body was unexpectedly much lower than being within the Realm of Heavenly Snow Invocation. Under those huge impulsive movements, his body unceasingly collided with the surrounding as they rapidly advancing forward. In the darkness, he experienced countless canyons and incredibly long tunnels. He closed his eyes and maintained “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” with all his strength during this process, because this was the only thing they could rely on to not be smashed to bits during these courses of events.
An unknown amount of time passed by and the impacts had finally ended. They landed in an incredibly solid surface and finally stopped moving.
“Sealing Cloud Locking Sun”, which he had maintained for all this time, silently disappeared.
After it had been calm for awhile, Xia Qingyue finally opened her eyes. She realized where she was, but she was incapable of believing that she was still alive… Furthermore, apart from her slightly aching body, she was not injured in the slightest.
She raised her eyes and saw a empty space around her. Then she extended her right hand and a lump of illusionary blue light condensed in her palm, slightly illuminating an empty area of ten meters around her.
This should be the stomach of that enormous beast, but the incredibly strange thing was that this place did not seem like the interior of a profound beast’s body at all. It was actually more like an icy cave. The floor was incredibly hard and icicles both long and short suspended in the surrounding. The air here was extremely foul, making it hard to breathe. The temperature was lower than what she could have imagined. Even with the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts, and an intimate connection with the water element, Xia Qingyue was still feeling slightly uncomfortable.
“Yun Che, you’re okay right?”
Xia Qingyue called out gently, but she did not hear a response from Yun Che for a long time. Xia Qingyue moved her hands down to let that weak blue light shine on Yun Che’s body, but she discovered that his eyes were half shut and his complexion was deathly white like paper. A smudge of blood slowly extended from the corner of his mouth… When she touched his body, the only thing she felt was an ice-cold sensation.
Xia Qingyue quickly knelt beside his body. Her palms pressed against his stomach and her voice became more panicky: “Yun Che, are you still okay?”
When she checked the flow of his internal energy, Xia Qingyue’s hands distinctively shuddered. Because at this moment, his internal energy was as weak… as an infant’s.
Yun Che’s eyes slowly opened up a bit. His face exposed an incredibly faint smile: “So… great… we’re both… alive…”
It took him a great amount of effort to say these few short words.
Under the enormous beast’s earth-quaking fist, Yun Che suffered an extremely severe injury, but he didn’t have time to stabilize his energy and had to forcefully maintain “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun.” “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” wasn’t a normal profound technique, but an explosive technique of the Evil God. Although it was an explosive defensive technique, it wasn’t an ordinary defensive barrier, but a defensive skill that could only be utilized for a short moment to save his life. With each breath that “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” was active, the consumption of profound strength was equivalent to an activation of “Falling Moon Sinking Star”.
From being shaken into the sky until they were completely sucked into the stomach of the huge beast, a total of thirty breaths had passed by. During this period of time, “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” had to be continuously maintained; otherwise, he and Xia Qingyue would have met their deaths a long time ago. The thirty breaths of activation had a huge consumption that an ordinary person would have difficulty imagining; furthermore, this consumption was still in a state where Yun Che suffered a severe injury.
Now, he finally calmed his energy, and his internal injuries had also intensified by many times. His profound strength was completely exhausted without even a trace remaining.
His internal injuries were incredibly severe, and he did not have even the slightest bit of profound strength to combat the cold. Every second in this frighteningly low temperature deprived Yun Che of a great deal of life force. He felt like his body was pierced by a myriad of needles, and very quickly, the ice cold sensation he felt disappeared bit by bit until he gradually lost all feeling of his body.
He smelled the taste of death and it was the first time he was this close within reach of it.
Xia Qingyue took her hands away from Yun Che’s body. Her eyes became confused: “Yun Che, you…”
“Qingyue… don’t say anything… listen to me…”
Yun Che’s breathing became incredibly weak. The temperature here caused both his hands, legs, and body to become frozen stiff in this short amount of time. Both his eyes had also lost all color. He was able to speak because he relied on his strong and unwavering consciousness, but he knew that this last bit of consciousness could disappear at any moment…
Death came too fast and sudden.
“Qingyue… good thing… nothing happened to you… I should… die any moment now… After I die… don’t… take care of me… You don’t fear cold… perhaps it’s possible… escape from here… even if this… huge beast… is even more frightening… you have to… use all your strength… to escape…”
“Yun Che! Don’t talk anymore! You can’t die that easily… If you want me to leave, we have to leave together! You won’t die!”
This calamity was too sudden, and it caught her completely unprepared. Yun Che’s internal injuries were incredibly severe. His five visceras and six internal organs were practically all smashed apart. His life force was incredibly weak and it was possible that it could disappear in the next second. She knew how he suffered such a severe injury. She also knew why he was so weak right now… When they were shaken into the sky, his back faced downwards to bear all the force of the impact and left her without the slightest bit of injuries. From the moment they were sucked into that enormous beast’s mouth until they landed here, that incredibly terrifying force was something that even her most powerful ice crystal defense could not withstand, but that barrier that constantly protected them blocked all the impact… That was without a doubt, an extremely tough and resilient barrier. With such an incredibly powerful barrier, one could imagine just how much power it consumed.
Except, Yun Che was already unable to hear her voice. His eyes were still half open, but not a trace of light remained. His four limbs, body, cheek, hair… Was already completely covered by a layer of ice. Underneath that layer of ice was an ice-cold body that was on the verge of completely burning out its entire life force.
“Qingyue…” He softly muttered: “If we meet again in the next life… become my wife again… okay… because… this life… I still have not completely conquered you… I… am not satisfied…”
Xia Qingyue’s body shook and her vision became fuzzy all of a sudden.
Both of Yun Che’s eyes lost their final traces of focus and spirit during this moment. His entire body became still. Only his throat moved ever so slightly to say the words that came from his soul…
“Grandfather… Little aunt…”
“Senior sister Xueruo… Jasmine… I’m…sorry…”
“…”
“Ling’er… I’m coming for you… Ling’er… Ling’er…”
His final mutters were as weak as a breeze, until it completely faded away… Then, a shining drop of blue starlight descended from Xia Qingyue’s face and lightly struck his completely stiff lips.
Chapter 258 - Finding the Hope of Life in Despair
Xia Qingyue touched her own cheeks and felt her ice cold tears.
She was stunned in place, because she couldn’t believe that she was shedding tears.
Things such as tears were too unfamiliar to her. After she wept that one time when she was four, she never shed a single tear again. Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Frozen Heart Arts made her calm under any circumstance; no happiness, grief, sorrow, or anger. Under the Frozen Cloud Arts, her heart was always cold and effective. Practically nothing could invoke a tremble in her heart… Apart from when she faced Yun Che.
…And only when she faced Yun Che.
She did not understand the reasoning behind this either.
But at this moment, after touching the tears on her own face, she finally came to a conclusion…
Her jade white hand slowly hung down and lightly touched Yun Che’s face. Her line of sight had already became fuzzy because of her tears. In this fuzziness, what she saw wasn’t a frozen stiff face, but a face that was sometimes unwavering, sometimes apathetic, sometimes overbearing, and sometimes smiling…
In her world, Yun Che was a very special existence. It was not only because they were husband and wife, but also because he was different from all the other men she had met… Those other men were either terrified and couldn’t look her in the face in front of her, or tried too hard to put on a guise of an elegant noble, but were still unable to hide their lecherous eyes, which disgusted her. Only Yun Che… was able to completely be himself in front of her. Even when he was in his most dire straits, he did not feel the slightest bit inferior to her. He was so incredibly mysterious that it felt like she wanted to completely understand everything about a man for the very first time. Sometimes, he was so calm that it amazed her, sometimes he talked and acted like a child, and sometimes he acted like a scoundrel… But she was able to instill every one of his aspects into her heart, and then accidentally recalled them one time after another…
Only, she was a person who was destined to chase after the peak of the profound road. To achieve this height, she was willing to let go of everything and naturally expel those images which were subconsciously imprinted in her heart…
Except, in this world, not everything was controllable through willpower alone.
After the first tear dropped, her eyes became stream that overcame all its obstacles. Streaks of tears flowed down uncontrollably and quickly moistened her entire face.
“Yun Che… You don’t need to wait for the next life… In fact… on the Sword Discourse Arena, when you defeated me, you had already conquered me…”
“No matter how much I meditate… I couldn’t genuinely completely seal away all of my emotions. My constant indifference was merely my own selfish way of escaping…”
“At that time, for the sake of opening all of my profound entrances, you used more strength than you could bear and almost permanently damaged yourself. If not for you, the Xia Qingyue today would not exist… You have fought with all your might on the Sword Discourse Arena only for the sake to prove that you are qualified to be my husband. You would rather use extra energy and intensify your internal injuries to divert the direction of your attack than harm me… And right now, you protected me for my sake again, with all your strength and life force… You’re obviously very smart, but do you actually believe after doing all this for a girl… that there would still be a girl who wouldn’t be conquered by you…”
Xia Qingyue slowly stood up and placed both her hands on her chest. She shut her eyes and lightly said: “Yun Che, you’re the man who I, Xia Qingyue, had married. How can you just die like this… As a husband, you did many things for me, and I never bore any responsibility as your wife…”
“At least this one time, I want to let you know… I, Xia Qingyue… am willing to be your wife…”
A dim ray of blue light emerged slowly from Xia Qingyue’s body and gradually became more concentrated. Its illumination made this ice-cold area seem extra illusionary. These blue lights lasted a long time until Xia Qingyue drew it out and gathered all of it into both her hands, and condensed it into gaudy, icy bristles of blue light within her jadelike hands.
Xia Qingyue gently stooped down and laid both her hands over his stomach. She had a bewildered expression as she silently watched the blue light flow out like water onto Yun Che’s stomach enter within his body bit by bit… Very quickly, a layer of dim blue colored halo of light appeared over the surface of his body.
When the light dimmed, a weak and gentle light illuminated the incredibly tranquil face of Xia Qingyue. She lightly shut her eyes. At this very moment, she was indescribably beautiful.
………………………………….
Yun Che had already fallen into the abyss of death. Before the moment his consciousness had completely faded, he believed that he would never wake up again.
But under the abyss of death, he suddenly started sensing the existence of his body. The ice cold sensation on the surface of his body became clearer and clearer, and was no longer as unbearably cold as before…
Did I arrive in an icy hell?
…Before he died, he killed many people; after death, he was going to go to hell no matter what…
Yun Che felt a sharp pain slowly being transmitted from his chest that made his consciousness become increasingly awake. Little by little, he opened his eyes and barely caught a glimpse of a few weak rays of blue light.
“You’re finally awake, hmph! You didn’t die even like this, your life is really tenacious.”
The sound of Jasmine’s voice echoed by his ears. Although the her voice was panting with rage, it was still unable to conceal the sound of joy and relief.
“I… didn’t die?” Yun Che made great effort to open his eyes and said with a tone of disbelief. Although his internal organs were still in pain, it wasn’t like the shattering pain from before. The air was ice-cold, but it was no longer a bone-piercing cold. On the contrary, a feeling of warmth spread over the surface of his body. His five senses had been restored to normal and his four limbs had also regained their sensations. His originally completely exhausted body had also regained some strength.
“You should have died, but that girl gave all of her profound strength to you, sealed your internal injuries and isolated you from the cold air, so that you can temporarily regain consciousness. However, this is the inside of a Tyrant Profound Beast’s body, it’s simply impossible for you two to leave. Therefore, you two will still die in the end… The only difference is that the order is inverted. She is going to die before you.”
It was… Qingyue?
Her profound strength… she gave me all of it?
Yun Che’s was astonished. He clenched his teeth and suddenly supported himself up. Under the weak blue light, he saw Xia Qingyue peacefully crouching over his body. Her snow white face was incredibly calm and peaceful without a trace of emotion, but it had a slight trace of an incomprehensible satisfaction.
“Qingyue! Qing….”
Yun Che’s hand touched Xia Qingyue’s hand. Then, he withdrew it like lightning with a look of horror on his face. Because she cultivated in Frozen Cloud Arts, Xia Qingyue’s body was slightly cold already; however, it wasn’t a freezing cold, but a rather refreshing cold. But now, Xia Qingyue’s body was as cold as profound ice.
“She used all her profound strength to moderate your internal injuries, help you withstand the cold, and restore your vitality. She doesn’t have any profound strength left to protect her own body and simply cannot withstand the cold air here. If it wasn’t for her body being accustomed to the frigid cold all year round, then she might have already froze to death before you woke up. However right now, she is at her last breath… This is an ice attributed Tyrant Profound Beast, the cold air within its body is severe. It is simply something you two cannot hope to resist!” Jasmine said coldly with furrowed brows.
“Qing… yue…”Yun Che got up with great difficulty and slowly touched Xia Qingyue’s cheeks with his hands… His movements were very very soft since the Xia Qingyue right now was like an icy beauty that would break on contact. It made one’s heart ache and suffocate.
She, who was obviously cold and detached towards him from the start was willing to quietly protect him before his severe injuries had healed, and when he met great danger, was willing to leave with him… Now, she was willing to risk her own life in order to save him.
He never understood why she was cold and indifferent towards him all the time, but right now, he clearly saw through her true intentions under the surface of that frozen exterior.
“Qingyue! Wake up quickly… Qingyue… Wake up!”
He gently shook Xia Qingyue’s upper body and worriedly shouted for her to get up. He immediately had an idea and took out a large pile of clothes from within the Sky Poison Pearl and laid them over Xia Qingyue’s entire body until all his own clothes had been taken out… And in the end, even took out the Jasmine’s pink bed sheet to wrap them tightly over Xia Qingyue’s body.
Only, the temperature here was too terrifyingly low. The cold air permeated Xia Qingyue’s body like a nightmare and gnawed away more and more of her remaining life force.
“Not good… I must leave. Only death awaits here… Have to leave!!” Yun Che clenched his teeth with all his might and tried to get up. A sharp pain transmitted from his chest. His back and his rigid limbs weren’t completely listening to all of his orders, and made him fall down ruthlessly again. Before he struggled one more time, he suddenly discovered that in this pitch black darkness, in addition to the blue glow on the surface of his body, there was another strand of green light.
Yun Che rapidly raised his left hand and shockingly saw the Sky Poison Pearl was glowing with an illusory ray of green light.
This was the Sky Poison Pearl’s detection light, and the flickering green light was especially strong, proving that it the thing it discovered was so close to him that it was only a few steps away!
“Don’t tell me there is actually a treasure hidden inside here?” Yun Che said subconsciously.
Jasmine appeared and looked at Xia Qingyue, then looked at the shining Sky Poison Pearl and coldly said: “This ice attribute profound beast is able to open its mouth and swallow half a mountain. Swallowing an extraordinarily precious treasure is not strange at all.”
Yun Che gasped for breath with all his strength and reached out to point forward: “Jasmine, can you go take there and take a look at what the Sky Poison Pearl found… After all, the Sky Poison Pearl is emitting a very strange light time time. Not only is this time’s light intense, the frequency it is flickering at is also very high. Perhaps it’s something that it doesn’t usually find.”
“You’re dying soon, why do you still care about some strange treasure?” Jasmine’s small and exquisite brows locked in place as she said somewhat angrily.
“I don’t care about some strange treasure… Rather, I care about any possible traces of hope!” Yun Che crudely gasped for more air and said: “There is nothing on me that can help Qingyue and I leave this place… Right now, the only thing that can save Qingyue and me is only some sort of teleportation thing… Just in case…just in case what if that precious treasure actually had a space attribute!?”
“Naive! Do you truly believe there are such coincidences in this world?” Jasmine mumbled to herself, but still walked towards the direction that Yun Che pointed in. Her exquisite and delicate red figure quickly entered the darkness… Shortly after, Jasmine suddenly let of a cry of surprise from up ahead.
Yun Che’s mind suddenly trembled. Something that made Jasmine cry out in such alarm absolutely had to be some extraordinary object. He eagerly asked: “What did you find? Is it actually a treasure with space attribute?”
Jasmine’s voice echoed through in a peculiar way: “Your life is truly tenacious to the point that makes me jealous! Although it’s not the the precious treasure with space attribute that you wanted, it could still protect you against death… It’s no wonder that an ice attribute Tyrant Profound Beast could appear here. So it actually swallowed it into its stomach! All year round, it had been absorbing its overflowing power… Yun Che! Catch, then swallow it!”
Under the half excited, half serious Jasmine’s voice, an azure blue speck of light flew out from the darkness and landed in the middle of Yun Che’s palm.
Chapter 259 - Another World
This was a very small bead the size of an ordinary glass ball that sparkled all over like a sapphire; however, the rich rays of blue light it emitted was much stronger than a sapphire, making it shine like little star. When Yun Che grabbed it, it seemed as though it had suddenly awakened from its slumber. Suddenly, it released an incredibly intense azure blue light that shrouded Yun Che’s entire body inside.
“This is…” The azure blue ray of light was rich and enchanting, illuminating every corner of the place. Yun Che brought it in front of his eyes and looked at it in a stupor. At this moment, a violent turmoil suddenly transmitted from within his exhausted profound veins —— that was a turmoil of excitement that spurred his stiff body’s blood and mind. At this moment, a strange sensation attacked Yun Che’s heart… He had a incredibly calm sensation when holding the azure blue bead in his hand. It felt as if something that should have originally belonged to him, had finally returned to his side.
And this feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to him. This same feeling emerged when he obtained another object. His memories suddenly returned to the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range —— Flame Dragon’s cave —— that red colored —— Evil God’s fire seed!
“Why are you still distracted, eat it quickly! Aside from the attribute, its aura and the fire attribute Evil God’s seed you had eaten that time, should be exactly the same! This is clearly the Evil God’s water seed that was swallowed by this big guy into its stomach; thus causing the existence of this ice attribute Tyrant Profound Beast!”
Jasmine judged by relying on its aura, but Yun Che’s sensation was more accurate than Jasmine’s. He was completely sure that this and the Evil God’s seed at that time in the Flame Dragon’s cave, were exactly the same! After glancing at Xia Qingyue, whose life was coming closer to its end with every passing moment within this icy cold place, he stuffed that azure blue colored bead into his mouth, and swallowed it.
Instantaneously, Yun Che’s profound veins was suddenly put into a state of violent turmoil. The surface of his body suddenly emitted azure blue rays of light. These rays of azure blue light had completely engulfed Xia Qingyue’s light blue colored profound strength that she gave him. Afterwards, like a lump of azure blue flame, the surface of his body began to ignite.
The icy cold sensation completely disappeared. Yun Che closed his eyes and his entire body was full of unspeakable coziness. The azure blue light on his body became increasingly rich and gradually spread to Xia Qingyue’s body. In a split second, the ice crystals that covered Xia Qingyue’s body disappeared without even going through the process of melting. All the icicles in the surrounding areas which had been touched by the blue light disappeared as well. The extremely frightening cold air within the Tyrant Profound Beast’s body was unexpectedly unable to exist underneath the azure blue radiance.
During the frantic turmoil of his profound veins, a profound strength that seemed to have come out of nowhere rapidly surged forth. His profound strength in his originally exhausted profound veins began to recover at a rapid pace… With the warm strength that came out of nowhere, his practically broken internal organs were also healing at an amazingly quick speed.
The profound strength within his profound veins gradually increased and reached its capacity, yet it still did not stop…
A soft sound rang, and Yun Che heard a faint noise of something breaking. At this moment, the sensation that a hurdle had been directly overcome was transmitted from his profound veins. The blue rays of light that had shined for a long time over his body had also finally burned out at this time.
During that split second, Yun Che clearly felt as though his profound veins had evolved. The profound strength it held condensed into such a density that he could hardly believe. His perception of his own body and his surroundings also changed immensely. His entire body, soul, and profound veins were all suddenly reborn and became anew…
Yun Che raised his head and slowly exhaled. A sudden surge of profound strength many times more tyrannical than what he had before dispersed from his body! The aura of this kind of profound strength had already broken through the True Profound Realm, and stepped into Spirit Profound Realm! Even his internal injuries had all healed!
Yun Che silently inspected his interior and he saw his originally crystal-like body so vividly that it seemed as if it was see-through. His original profound veins which were as crimson as flames were now transformed into a mix of scarlet and blue. Each of his fifty four profound entrances all flickered alternatively in blue and scarlet rays of light. Not only his profound veins, even his channels, plasma, and cells all had a hint of an azure blue to them now.
The scarlet and the blue colors weren’t completely separate, but they weren’t completely fused either. They were somewhere in between, all mixed up in a mess without repelling each other in the mess, without intruding upon each other’s independent existences.
What Yun Che consumed was indeed the water seed that the Evil God originally left behind.
When he ate the fire seed back then, Yun Che’s profound veins gained a fire attribute and gained the ultimate affinity with the fire element. He was also able to to control fire to a certain degree, and could not be harmed by fire in any shape or form.
Now that he consumed the water seed, Yun Che’s profound veins gained both water and fire attributes. In nature, water and fire were two incompatible elements, but these two attributes coexisted perfectly within the Evil God’s Profound Veins.
At the same time, what Chu Yuechan left behind that time, the Frozen Cloud Arts that had to be sealed up because of incompatibilities with the fire attribute profound veins, had also completely awakened!
Yun Che opened his eyes and rubbed his hands. An azure blue barrier spread outwards to completely isolate Xia Qingyue’s body from the cold air outside. The miraculous power of the Evil God had completely healed all of his injuries, restored all of his profound strength, and let him breakthrough from the True Profound Realm right into the Spirit Profound Realm. All of his nervousness, apprehension, and worries had also completely faded away, as his heart became incomparably tranquil… Because his soul had also risen to a higher level.
Yun Che extended his hand. With a thought, a small chunk of ice crystal solidified in his palm. Then, this piece of ice crystal became water, then snow, then into mist… Using just his thoughts, he was able to change its form however he pleased. Now, his body was completely familiar with the water element. Along with fire, any form of water attributed power were also unable to harm him anymore.
Jasmine returned to his side. Although her expression was unwavering, the burden in her heart had been lifted: ”You really do possess some powerful luck. For the sake of finding the Evil God’s seeds, I came to the Sky Profound Continent, but didn’t find anything. But, within a span of less than two years, you already came across two seeds! Especially this seed which appeared at such an incredibly fortunate time! The Evil God’s seeds contains powerful elemental strength. Right now, not only can you control the water element, you also gained an absolute immunity to it. The cold air here is now completely harmless to you!
“But this doesn’t mean I can get out alive!” Yun Che clasped his hands tightly. His eyes shifted toward Xia Qingyue’s body which still had an incredibly weak aura and was still as cold as before: “I have to take her and leave this place as soon as possible! Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for her to continue on.”
At this moment, a buzzing sound rang within Yun Che’s mind. Then, an incredibly old and distant voice that felt like it came from an ancient era sounded.
“Successor of my powers… You are finally here…”
This voice is… is…
Yun Che quickly shut his eyes. As he concentrated his mind, he tried to respond with his thoughts: “You’re… the Evil God?”
“That’s right… the seed you had just consumed… contains a fragment of my soul that I left behind… I waited many many years within this small world… and finally waited until your arrival…”
Yun Che’s heart stirred and and then blurted out his thought: “Could it be, that the small world that I’m in right now is something you established back then?”
The old voice gently said: “Correct… except… this isn’t important… the seeds I left behind has already gotten a new owner… this trace of soul…will also soon disappear… Successor of my powers… relax your mind… steady your breathing… let me take a look at your memories… let me understand with the last bits of my power… what I can do for you…”
Yun Che did not resist, and did not stay on guard either. He completely relaxed his mind, and allowed this insignificant strand of power invade the sea of his consciousness… A few breaths later, this strand of power then pulled out from within his sea of consciousness.
“So it’s like this…you’re only an ordinary human… yet you possess an extraordinary fortune and fate… Your experiences tells me… that you’re a qualified successor… I have much expectations for your future… only… it’s destined that it’ll be impossible for me to see your future… Your strongest wish right now… is to leave this dangerous place… I’ll use the final bits of my power to fulfil this wish of yours… and also send you to a special place…”
Although he didn’t know what kind of place the “special place” that the old voice mentioned was, leaving this place was already enough to make him almost mad with joy: “Thank you! My wife’s current condition is really dangerous. if we stayed here any longer, it would put her life in danger! Please, send us away from here as soon as possible!”
“I understand…but there is no need to thank me… You have inherited my powers… which means you are also destined to inherit my mission… The one who should say thank you… should be me… Your future… is destined to exceed your imagination… Continue to become stronger… this is your only choice… Now then… go… But that place… you two can only stay for twenty four hours there… After twenty four hours… you two will be taken back to this small world…”
Mission?
Evil God’s mission?
The old voice disappeared from Yun Che’s sea of consciousness; then, the space where he was with Xia Qingyue suddenly distorted. He embraced Xia Qingyue tightly and disappeared with her into the twisted space.
……………………………………
A wave of cool and refreshing air mixed with the faint scent of flowers and the fragrance of soil assailed their nostrils.
Dark green grass, a small running river, and trees of various height and width were unevenly distributed everywhere. This was the scene that Yun Che saw after he opened his eyes. But this scene that couldn’t be any more ordinary, was extremely precious right now; it made him breath out a long sigh of relief, and then carefully lowered Xia Qingyue who was in his bosoms.
Xia Qingyue’s entire body was still ice cold and unconscious. Her aura was still delicate, but this change of environment alleviated a great deal of tension from her serene face. Yun Che quickly took out his most effective and mild Small Dewdrop Pellets, and put it inside of Xia Qingyue’s mouth. His left hand pressed above her heart. He used his profound strength to protect her life, and then dispersed the cold air within her body bit by bit.
This was a place that didn’t seem to be visited by many people, and it didn’t seem to be anything special. Yun Che didn’t know where this place was, and didn’t know why the Evil God used the final bits of his strength to send them to this place. His energy concentrated all over Xia Qingyue’s body. While he was concentrating on expelling the cold inside her, he silently admired her devastatingly beautiful complexion and gradually became lost in his gaze…
You… you’d rather use your own life to save me…
If you hadn’t risked your life to save me… then right now I… should already be a thoroughly dead person.
When I’m facing you, what I think about the most is how to conquer you… but only the thing I am most clear about is that among the reasons, love makes up only a tiny portion. What it’s mostly made up of is a male’s desire to possess beautiful things. My identity as your husband… is a bit funny, but I cannot let go of my arrogance and dignity.
After today, I won’t think about conquering you anymore… but to completely and totally possess you… even if I have to tear apart the entire Frozen Cloud Asgard, I must completely and totally, make you mine!
“Save me… Save me…”
When Yun Che was deep in thought, an urgent cry for help echoed from nearby; this was the cry of a young girl with an empty voice that sounded like it originated from a remote valley spring; it contained deep terror and fear. Then, the sound of chaotic footsteps grew closer.
Once Yun Che’s profound strength reached the first level of the Spirit Profound Realm, his vision range also substantially increased. He looked towards the source of the sound and found a little girl who wore yellow clothes quickly fleeing his way. She was too far to be able to discern her appearance, but from her petite and exquisite body, she should only be around ten years old. However, she had clearly already established the foundations of profound strength since her running speed wasn’t slow at all.
Behind her, three men in black calmly and unhurriedly chased her as they teasingly laughed: “Hey hey, you can run all you want. Let’s see how far you can run once you run out of strength…”
Yun Che was concentrating on protecting Xia Qingyue’s heart vessels and didn’t want to be distracted; furthermore, in this place that he didn’t completely understand yet, he didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business. He quickly retracted his gaze and didn’t care about it anymore.
“Plop”… The weary little girl fell on the ground. She struggled for a bit, but she couldn’t get up. Her tears already filled her eyes and clenched her teeth, but she stubbornly did not want to let the tears flow out.
Behind her, three men in black calmly and unhurriedly walked over. The man in the middle extended his hand, grabbed towards her and laughed recklessly: “Su Ling’er, run again, keep running…. hahahaha…”
Yun Che’s eyes suddenly opened wide and his entire body felt like it had been electrocuted.
Su… Ling… er!?
For Heavenly Sword Villa, swords were not merely weapons, but a way of life. Three Sky Profound Swords that were renown throughout the Blue Wind Empire —— The Limitless Sword, the Celestial Yuan Sword, and the Celestial Yang Sword were treated by Heavenly Sword Villa as if they were existences equivalent to sacred treasures. Even though the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang Sword were both weaker than The Limitless Sword but these two swords were from the very beginning both meant for the same master. The strengths of the two swords complemented each other and could display a strength rivaling that of The Limitless Sword when wielded together. It was just that in these few hundred years, nobody had been able to simultaneously subdue both the Celestial Yang Sword and the Celestial Yuan Sword.
The Limitless Sword was held by Ling Yuefeng. The Celestial Yuan Sword was subdued by Ling Yun three years ago. The Celestial Yang Sword was subdued by Ling Jie. But now the Celestial Yuan Sword, mainly under Ling Yun’s spiritual prompting, was temporarily under Ling Jie’s control, allowing Ling Jie to use both the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang Sword in his hands in the Yuan Yang Combination.
With the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, and the Celestial Yang Sword in his right, the two swords, one cyan and one orange, were joined together in a cross in front of Ling Jie’s body. The surrounding space rippled like water with waves of sword force. A cold stare filled Ling Jie’s eyes. He said in a low voice: “Boss, you are even more powerful than I imagined. I finally understand why your previous foes were in such a wretched state after being defeated by a few simple sword strokes. It turns out that the heavy sword which most people regard as trash is actually quite fearsome… I am holding two Sky Profound Swords. In terms of weapons, I am holding a huge advantage. Even if I win against you, there will be no glory. However, if I do not borrow the strength of my big brother’s Celestial Yuan Sword, there is no way for me to win against you.”
Earlier, when he pierced Yun Che with a single sword strike, any third party viewing would have thought that he was forced to withdraw his sword quickly to avoid Yun Che’s heavy sword blow, and thus left only a small scratch that was not even painful or itchy. Only Ling Jie himself knew in his heart that it was not that he was forced to withdraw his sword, but that his Celestial Yang Sword could not even find a way to penetrate the opponent’s body. He could simply not imagine how Yun Che’s body was forged to become so strong to this extent.
The power of his heavy sword was incomparably shocking. However, his defensive ability was in no way inferior to his offensive ability.
“Weapons are a part of your overall strength. Being able to subdue a strong weapon is in itself a form of strength. You are not taking advantage of me. Even being able to dual wield swords is harder by far than only wielding a single sword. If not performed properly, than dual wielding might end up weaker than simply using a single sword. If you can let the full strength of both swords shine at the same time, then that is also your ability… Come, let me see the full extent of your real strength!”
Yun Che words gave off a relaxed attitude from his words, but the light in his eyes were grave, because the strength currently emanating from Ling Jie was much stronger than what it was before by several folds. After combining the two Sky Profound Swords which had complementary strengths, the sword force emanating out was stronger by multiple times.
Ling Jie slightly flicked his wrists. Just such a slight movement brought out two sharp sword forces, causing a slight tremble in the surrounding air. The Ling Jie who had released the full extent of his profound strength and sword intent was as if he was standing on the peak of a mountain that reached into the clouds and the tip of the sword force was extraordinary enough to sweep the world.
RIIIP!!
The Celestial Yang Sword flew from Ling Jie’s hand and flowed like liquid light towards Yun Che. At the same time, Ling Jie’s body became a mirage. The sword light in his hands became a fine line and then disappeared as if it was hidden in the gaps of the surrounding air.
Two swords, one in the front and one behind, one left and right, pierced towards Yun Che. When they were still thirty meters away, Yun Che already felt like the tip was at his throat, and within his range of vision, he simply could not see even the shadow of the Sky Profound Swords. He could only feel two formless cold sword tips that were frightening beyond compare. This time, he did not use the heavy sword’s strength to repel them because the two swords were so sharp that they had a great possibility to easily slice open the sword wave produced by his heavy sword.
The Yuan Yang Combination could not be underestimated. In terms of power, it was stronger than simply the Celestial Yang Sword by far too much.
Star God’s Broken Shadow activated. Yun Che instantly sent out three clones, causing the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang sword to simultaneously pierce empty air. Ling Jie gave a low roar and swiftly turned his body. The Celestial Yang sword instantaneously shot out thirty sword lights. It was like a falling star, the Celestial Yang swords fell towards Yun Che’s back. Two Sky Profound Swords, one wielded by hand, another wielded by spiritual sword intent, seamlessly weaved together.
“Chi-chi-chi!”
With only the Celestial Yang sword in hand, Ling Jie’s attack was completely repelled by the heavy sword. It could not even touch Yun Che’s body. However, at that time, Yun Che could clearly hear the storm caused by his heavy sword being torn as if it was fine silk. The Overlord heavy sword was quickly withdrawn and shifted to defense. The tens of sword beams from the two swords penetrated the heavy sword’s force field and then chopped down on the Overlord’s Colossal Sword like a raging storm.
DingDingDingDingDingDing…
“Haa!!”
Yun Che sliced the heavy sword and once again the strength exploding from the heavy sword caused all of the sword beams to be deflected. At the same time, he quickly retreated. His gaze turned downwards and fell upon the Overlord Colossal Sword… At the moment, its inky black body was densely riddled with several tens of cuts and wounds of different sizes. The small ones were merely the size of a grain whereas the large ones were two inches.
The power of the combination of two Sky Profound Swords was simply something an Earth Profound Weapon could not resist.
With the combination of the two swords, Ling Jie had a huge advantage in the previous few exchanges. He did not give Yun Che any time to breathe, the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, both swords crossed in front of his chest. The orange color and green color light covering the swords became extremely strong, almost dazzling….
“Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword… Moon Break! Haa!!”
Following a loud roar from Ling Jie, two different colored sword beams suddenly shot out from the combination of the the Yuan and Yang twin swords, transforming into a cross shaped sword tip formed by two intersecting orange and cyan beams…
In the majority of sects that used swords, the main principle for swords was not about how sharp the sword strike was, but how fast it was. It was the same for Heavenly Sword Villa. A fast body coupled with a fast sword beam could easily control the situation and instantaneously kill the opponent. Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword comprised seven forms. Half a year ago, Ling Jie had already mastered the “Sun Pierce” form. Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Sun Pierce was Heavenly Sword Villa’s most powerful sword attack, and Ling Jie’s Moon Break was the fastest.
Also it was a “Moon Break” performed with the Yuan Yang Combination!
Ling Jie had already been very close to Yun Che. Yun Che only saw the flash of a cyan-orange beam tip, and then there were two Sky Strength Sword Forces within two feet of him…
Bang!!!!
The tip of “Moon Break” struck against the Overlord’s Colossal Sword that Yun Che swiftly put in front of himself. With a loud sound, the storm of sword force violently exploded. Following the simultaneous explosions from both the cyan sword tip and orange sword tip, in a single instant, there were countless sword beams flying out like a storm towards Yun Che…
The Overlord’s Colossal Sword violently vibrated and Yun Che used his quickest speed to retreat. Raising his profound force, he activated Star God’s Broken Shadow and then instantaneously flashed to several tens of meters in the air above, before finally breaking free of the twisting attack of Moon Break’s sword beam. However, his clothes had several tens of holes and there were many small wounds on his body. There was a horizontal slash across his forehead, and a thread of fresh blood slowly dripped out, then immediately stopped flowing.
As expected of… Heavenly Sword Villa…
There was an alarmed cry in Yun Che’s heart. He slowly dropped down to the ground. When both his feet had touched the ground, his hands suddenly moved… Half of the Overlord Colossal Sword had broken off. It fell with a huge bang sound upon the ground, forming a huge pit which radiated fractures in the floor.
There was absolute silence throughout the Sword Discourse Arena. Everyone’s eyes were opened wide, and their throats could not force out a sound for a long time. Especially for the young profound practitioners, they could feel a cold wind hissing through their spines, their four limbs, and even the gaps between their teeth.
This battle had let them, with their two eyes, begin to truly understand what it meant to be Heavenly Sword Villa, what it mean to be Blue Wind Empire’s number one sect.
That formless sword beam, the sword forms that had left the audience that were three hundred meters away, cold and breathless. The boundless sword intent that should have been from an expert above the Spirit Profound Realm and the unimaginable fearsome sword techniques which surpassed any expected power. Not one of these things failed to deeply destroy their previous conception of swords. Their greatness swept aside all other swords. In front of this kind of sword display, other sword forms were as dim as fireflies when compared to the light of the brightest moon.
“This is… Heavenly Sword Villa.” An elderly person sighed deeply.
“The sword intent in his hands is already at such a fearsome level at only the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. If I did not see it with my own eyes, I would not dare to believe it.”
“Too frightening… That Yun Che is also frighteningly strong. To think that he could endure for so long under Ling Jie’s sword assault. If I were in his place, I probably could not even last for two exchanges.”
“However, his heavy sword has already been broken. Victory or defeat should already have been decided.”
“Mn, not bad. To be able to use Moon Break with such power, this level is enough to make me pleasantly surprised.” Ling Yuefeng nodded as his face relaxed by just a few degrees.
“To be honest, if he did not use the Yuan Yang Combination, Little Jie might not be his match.” Ling Yun spoke out.
Ling Yuefeng assented in silence. There was no way for him to deny that.
“Junior Brother Yun…” The moment that the Overlord’s Colossal Sword broke, Cang Yue’s heart, which had been suspended with worry, just sank in seemingly one shot. The Overlord’s Colossal Sword had been Yun Che’s weapon in what seemed like an eternity, almost like one of Yun Che’s arms. Now that the Overlord’s Colossal Sword had broken, there would be no possibility for Yun Che to oppose Ling Jie. She put her hand on her chest and softly said: “It’s alright Junior Brother Yun. You are already very outstanding. I will give you the glory. The Blue Wind Imperial Family will also give you the glory.”
“To be able to enter the top four, he has already exceeded my expectations by countless times. For the Blue Wind Profound Palace to have such a disciple is a fortune that only comes once every hundred years. Princess Cang Yue, this person that you brought back from New Moon City will certainly become a Throne that will impact the whole world.” Qin Wushang nevertheless laughed in an exceptionally calm manner. For Yun Che to have made it this far, he was already just too satisfied.
“Yeah, Brother-in-law is already very outstanding. The opponent is from Heavenly Sword Villa. A loss is a loss. Brother-in-law entered the top four, that’s enough to be proud for a long time.” Xia Yuanba gripped his fists and said with a bit of effort as his voice still tinged with regret… He naturally did not hope to see Yun Che lose, but wished that he could yet take another step and reach an even higher level. To let all those who ridiculed him and chased him away… to let all of them only be able to look up to him.
As the Overlord’s Colossal Sword broke, Ling Jie was also stunned. He did not immediately follow up on an attack but put down the twin swords and said in a voice full of regret: “I… I’m sorry, it was not on purpose… How about, how about… After the competition I will pay you back a sword. The Sword Management Terrace also has many good heavy swords.”
Looking at the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword, Yun Che was momentarily dispirited. Upon hearing Ling Jie’s words, he shook his head and said: “There is no need. You also have no need to apologize to me. It was my momentary carelessness that could not protect it.”
Yun Che went forward and retrieved the broken half of the sword body and softly said: “My old friend, you have accompanied me throughout my growing phase, accompanied me through a long period of hard fought battles. It is indeed time for you to have your well deserved rest. Be assured that I will not let your fracture be in vain. This battle, I will smoothly win it for you to see.”
As he said this, the broken half of the sword body was already kept by Yun Che within the Sky Poison Pearl. As he was preparing to also store the other broken half that was in his hands, there was suddenly a strong reaction from his hand. From the broken half of the sword, glowed a faint and thin layer of serene black light.
Yun Che was momentarily stunned… A majority of Sky Profound Swords had a low level spiritual conscious but Earth Profound Swords fundamentally could not have any spiritual conscious. And yet the current appearance of the Overlord Colossal Sword clearly showed the reaction of the sword’s spiritual conscious!
Even though the Overlord’s Colossal Sword was an Earth Profound Sword, it was different from other Earth Profound Swords because it was a sword used by an Overlord. In years past, the Overlord held it and battled over five thousand kilometers, sweeping through thousands of troops countless times. Who knows how many enemies it had destroyed, how much fresh blood it had drunk. Under the countless times of being tainted by killing intent, maliciousness, domineering aura, heroism, and the scent of blood within the battlefield, it gradually gained a spiritual consciousness bit by bit.
It was the sword of an Overlord, a king who swept ten thousand troops on the battlefield. How could it accept defeat and destruction!
Feeling the vibration coming from the Overlord’s Colossal Sword, Yun Che’s expression changed from alarm to calmness, and began to grin accordingly: “Good! I understand now. You are a protecting sword, but even more so, you are an Overlord’s sword. There is only death, and never escape! Even if the sword breaks, it is not willing to retreat…”
Yun Che hoisted the half of the Overlord’s Colossal Sword in his hands and pointed the broken sword blade towards Ling Jie: “This battle, I will finish it together with you! The revenge of being broken, you will obtain it yourself!”
Chapter 231 - Overlord’s Fury (2)
Ling Jie stared at Yun Che’s stance, and the Yuan Yang dual swords which he had initially placed down was once again held horizontally in front of his chest. “As expected of the person who subdued me. That’s the spirit you’re supposed to have! Even if you lose, you will have to fight until the very end! Alright, I will give you, my future little brother, the most respectable defeat!”
“Heh!” The corner of Yun Che’s lips slightly curved up, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes. “Little friend, you seemed to have completely misunderstood something. The reason why I raise this half-destroyed heavy sword, is not to receive a respectable defeat, but to defeat you.”
“Defeat me? Eh… Are you sure?” Ling Jie’s staring eyes widened even more.
Yun Che calmly said. “To be honest, during our exchanges earlier, I did not use all of my strength. As a habit, when there isn’t a need, I will always keep some of my strength in reserve, especially when I’m under everyone’s attention. Because, my countless experiences have told me that, every bit of power you reveal in front of people, it’s equal to exposing another trump card, and exposing oneself to another bit of danger. But, not only were you able to slightly injure me, you even slashed apart my heavy sword. This was seriously out of my expectations, and you indeed possess the qualifications for me to treat you seriously… With this half-destroyed heavy sword in my hand, I will allow you to personally witness what a heavy sword really is!!”
Yun Che said those words calmly and lightly, however, those words greatly stimulated Ling Jie’s self-esteem, causing him to be extremely unsatisfied, and at the same time, furious to a certain extent. He growled. “Fine! Then let me witness your full strength! If you’re able to use that half-destroyed heavy sword to beat me, forget about calling you boss, I’m fine if you want me to call you father!”
Although they were separated by about three hundred meters, with Ling Yuefeng’s hearing ability, when Ling Jie uttered those rash and wrong words, Ling Yuefeng’s face cramped.
“… Forget about calling me father! If people were to find out that I have such a big son, how am I going to pick up girls in the future!? Prepare yourself… to take this blow of mine!!
Ling Jie was about to speak, however, before he could voice anything out, he immediately swallowed them back. His eyebrows tightened out of deep surprise.
Wielding the half-destroyed heavy sword in his hand, Yun Che’s Prison God Sirius’ Tome began to channel without restraints. In an instant, his connection with the heavy sword had already reached the realm of perfection. His aura and the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword were completely fused together. The Overlord Colossal Sword was no longer just a piece of weapon in his hands, but turned into a part of his body.
The feeling of the complete fusion of their auras was extremely mysterious, and to be able to reach this step, was definitely harder than stepping into heavens itself. After Ling Jie subdued Celestial Yang Sword, his final wish was to completely subdue Celestial Yang Sword, and fuse with its aura. Although his talent was extremely good, he knew that it would take him at least years, or even dozens of years to reach his ideal. And if it was someone else, it would be impossible for an extremely large number of them to succeed.
When Yun Che was wielding the heavy sword earlier, it felt extremely imposing and majestic, as though it was an unmovable mountain. But currently, Ling Jie could no longer feel the aura of the heavy sword. In his eyes, even though the half-destroyed sword was evidently in Yun Che’s hands, his senses told him that the heavy sword no longer existed, and had already completely assimilated into Yun Che’s power and soul… Seamlessly, and flawlessly!
This was Yun Che’s biggest gain from hunting countless thousands of strong profound beasts within the Endless Plains in the Dragon God’s Trial.
This sort of feeling, was exactly the perfect realm Ling Jie was prepared to chase after his entire life. Yet, currently, it was completely and flawlessly revealed before his eyes, causing his soul to violently stir.
“Take… this!”
This time, Yun Che took the initiative to attack. He made a low jump, waved the half-destroyed heavy sword in his two hands, and directed an extremely normal leap slash towards Ling Jie.
Ling Jie had faced Yun Che’s heavy sword smash several times. However, this time, the moment the heavy sword was raised, he felt he was completely suffocated, and the moment Yun Che leaped upwards, it was as though he was looking at an unsurmountable mountain crashing down onto him from the skies.
Even though it was a heavy sword with only half of its blade left, the strength and might of this strike had surpassed every previous single strike!
Boom!!!
Although the heavy sword was broken, due to its complete form being overly gigantic, its half-broken state was still hundred and fifty centimeters in length, which was basically the same length as the Yuan Yang dual swords in Ling Jie’s hands. Ling Jie’s figure blurred, avoiding the strike far away like the breeze. Yun Che’s strike fell through the empty air, and the half-destroyed heavy sword fiercely smashed onto the ground, bringing about an earth-shattering boom. In an instant, shattered rocks wildly flew, sand and dust filled the air, and a large crater numerous meters deep appeared beneath Yun Che’s feet.
The might of this one strike, caused Ling Jie, and everyone around the Sword Discourse Arena to forcefully take in a cold breath.
“Flowing Light Slash!”
Ling Jie took a deep breath. The Yuan Yang dual swords circling his body danced quickly in the air, bringing about numbers of sword silhouettes filled with sword intent capable of willfully tearing apart air and space. Facing the attack of two powerful Sky Profound Swords, Yun Che’s expression was mysteriously calm. Without even looking at the two Sky Profound Swords, he locked onto Ling Jie’s position, and waves after waves of the half-destroyed Overlord’s Colossal Sword were sent towards him.
Boom!
Boom!!
Boom!!!
Boom!!!!
…………
WIth every swing of Yun Che’s sword, a deep crater would always form on the ground, accompanied by the ear-trembling booms and the shattered rocks and dust filling the air. It could be imagined how much near-catastrophic strength was hidden in every single strike. The ear-trembling and heart-shaking booms were as though a giant was currently walking towards them from afar. Even the incomparably firm profound barrier trembled severely with every single swing of Yun Che’s heavy sword.
When Yun Che dealt his first strike, everyone was already shocked. With his every single strike, it was as though a sound of thunder was roaring in their ear and hearts. When his Overlord’s Colossal Sword was slashed apart, nearly everyone believed the competition was over. However, with a half-destroyed heavy sword, he swung strikes after strikes which contained shocking strength… The might of these strikes, had even surpassed the strikes he dealt when was wielding the complete heavy sword earlier.
Earlier, Ling Jie was still able to slice apart the blasts of wind caused by the heavy sword with his Yuan Yang dual swords, however, the heavy sword’s strength which had suddenly increased by several times easily blew away the Yuan Yang dual swords which were filled with sword intent time and time again. Forget about slicing them, the two swords could not even approach them. Even when he captured a weak point with his extremely high level profound movement skill and fast sword speed, Yun Che basically would not care about the Yuan Yang dual swords which had already approached close to his body. He would simply produce a single smash, which would cause a terrifying blast of wind that completely covered a radius of several meters, forcing Ling Jie to have no choice but to retract his swords and dodge far away.
RIIIP~~
BOOM!
RIIIP~~
BOOM!!
…………
The mix of ear-piercing tearing sounds and ear-shattering booms fiercely smashed into everyone’s eardrums and souls. In their exchanges, the two of them had moved a distance of numerous tens of steps, but beneath them, more than a hundred overlapping craters were created. The rows of cracks were even more packed, and there were so many of them that it was basically impossible to count their numbers. The entire center of the Sword Discourse Arena was destroyed, with no resemblance of its original state.
Sand, dust and shattered rocks rose high in the air. Reaching a height of dozens of meters, it completely submerged the two figures within. Only their moving shadows and their speeding cyan and orange sword beams, which looked as though they were the blazing light of shooting stars, could be faintly seen.
“Is… Is… Is this real?”
“Yun Che’s heavy sword was evidently broken by those two Sky Profound Swords. But why did its might suddenly increase by so much when it’s only at a half-broken state? Unless…”
“Could it be that Yun Che did not use his full strength at all earlier… or maybe, he did not even bring out half of his true abilities?”
“Tenth level of the True Profound Realm… Oh my god, is this a genius, or a monster!?”
Boom!!
Yun Che smashed his sword onto the ground. Even though Ling Jie dodged it with an incomparable speed, he was still sent flying backwards by the wave created. Before landing onto the ground, a cold light flashed in Ling Jie’s eyes, the Yuan Yang dual swords intersected before his chest as the cyan and orange glows became incomparably dense…
This was the attack Ling Jie used to slash apart the Overlord’s Colossal Sword earlier. No matter its speed or might, they were both extremely terrifying. However, Yun Che had suffered a big loss due to this strike of his, so how could he fall in the exact same place twice? When the sword silhouettes of the Yuan Yang dual swords flashed, Yun Che’s vision had already condensed onto them. With his heightened mental concentration, the speed of the two lightning-fast sword beams were no longer that terrifying, as a clear trajectory of their slashes were perceived.
“Don’t think that only light swords can create sword beams, a heavy sword… can do the same as well!!”
Facing this terrifying attack which was even able to slash apart the Overlord’s Colossal Sword, with sufficient time to prepare this time, Yun Che, who could completely dodge the attack with his Star God’s Broken Shadow, did not choose to avoid it. Rather, he lifted his half-broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword as a layer of dim black profound glow suddenly enveloped the heavy sword’s blade.
“Huu!!”
Yun Che roared loudly, and he slashed down his heavy sword ruthlessly at the Moon Break sword beams flying towards him. Immediately after, a whistling that was close to tearing a person’s eardrums sounded, and a gigantic deep black sword beam was explosively shot out under everyone’s contracted pupils, crashing against the cyan and orange sword beams.
“Wh… What!!?” Ling Yuefeng immediately stood up, exclaiming uncontrollably.
If we were to describe Ling Jie’s cyan and orange sword beams as two crescent moons, then the sword beam that came from Yun Che, was a gigantic deep black full moon.
Boom!!
The three sword beams clashed in mid air. The might of the three swords exploded at the same time and they crashed against, interweaved and engulfed one another, producing a fantasy-like a colorful mix of light. Within the light, countless of sword intent wildly poured out, but when these sword intents clashed against the deep-black full moon, they would shatter completely and disappear without a trace in a blink of an eye. Gradually, the cyan and orange colors decreased within the light, and in the end, they completely disappeared, leaving a deep black full moon, which was not even depleted by a half, that fiercely flew straight towards Ling Jie.
Ling Jie moved a large distance away, dodging the attack by a hair’s breath while being incomparably fatigued. Before he could even steady himself, an earth-shaking boom sounded behind him. With a twisted expression, he looked at Yun Che, and simply dazed there for a moment.
Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Moon Break, was actually destroyed by Yun Che in a direct confrontation.
And, the weapon he used to do it, was a destroyed heavy sword, with half of its blade slashed apart!
“So… So strong, so strong…” Ling Jie unconsciously chanted softly. Only then did he completely understand, that the words “did not use my entire strength” Yun Che said earlier, were not a tough act on his part. Facing the current Yun Che, he felt as though he was unable to breathe.
In that short of moment of silence, other than the whistle of the gentle wind, only Ling Jie’s heavy panting could be heard. After a good while, his breath and emotions had finally calmed down. After standing straight up and looking straight at Yun Che in the eye, suddenly, with a tap of his feet, his entire body shot upwards, jumping straight up to the height of thirty-odd meters.
Yun Che’s sudden outburst of strength shocked every single person, including Ling Yuefeng. His evaluation on Yun Che rose time and time again, however, Yun Che would time and time again prove to Ling Yuefeng that he had still been underestimating him by far too much. When Yun Che unleashed that unbelievable heavy sword beam, which completely extinguished the Moon Break sword beams, he understood that it was already impossible for Ling Jie to win in this battle.
“He’s going to use that move now.” Ling Yun raised his head. Looking at Little Jie, who leaped high into the skies, he softly said.
“… This might be his last hope.” Ling Yuefeng lightly sighed. “I didn’t expect that. I really didn’t expect that Yun Che could actually unleash the might of a heavy sword to such an extent. I’m completely unable to see through the depths of this young man… Just who was the person who actually brought up such a peerless monster…”
Yun Che raised his head and looked towards Ling Jie in the high skies, as Ling Jie’s cautious voice sounded in his ears. “Boss, this move, you have to definitely block it. Because, if you’re unable to do so, you might really die from it… I believe you have the ability to block it… If you succeed in blocking this strike of mine, I will become your little brother willingly! And I will definitely not regret it!”
As he said that, the Celestial Yuan and Celestial Yang swords had already flew out of Ling Jie’s hands, with each sword floating on his left and right. On the swords’ blades, an incomparably strong glowing light beam was being emitted. This was a form of sword beam that broke through limits and common sense. As the sword beam expanded, the glows became even more piercing to the eye. From afar, it looked as though there were two more suns, one cyan and one orange, in the sky.
An extremely sharp sword intent covered the sky and the earth, faintly painting a gigantic sword formation, and Yun Che’s current position, was the center of this particular formation. Yun Che’s raised head lowered. His two hands slowly gripped onto the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword as prepared himself to unleash Fallen Moon Sinking Star. But at this moment, the Overlord’s Colossal Sword suddenly shook, and a black glow faintly flashed. And at the same time, from an unknown origin, a few segments of a soul were suddenly added into Yun Che’s mind.
These segments, recorded the majesty of a war hero, an Overlord who shook the era he lived in. Within thousands and thousands of troops and horses, with just a swing of his sword, it brought about a catastrophical airwave, and countless hundreds of ferocious enemies were blown apart by that one strike, turning into the many corpses on the battlefield. His every swing were as though they were capable of shaking the sky and earth. The enemy troops were vast and mighty, and their numbers looked endless from one’s eyes, yet not a single person was able to get within thirty meters from him. Within the large army of enemy troops, his tyrannical brandishes with his heavy sword were unstoppable.
And the weapon he wielded, was exactly the Overlord’s Colossal Sword in Yun Che’s hands.
These segments of the soul, were the sparse images that the tiny spiritual conscience of Overlord’s Colossal Sword had recorded. It was also the glory it would never forget as an Overlord’s sword.
The power of Fallen Moon Sinking Star dispersed. Yun Che closed his eyes. Following the Overlord’s stance within the soul fragment, he raised the half-destroyed Overlord’s Colossal Sword, and an incomparably tyrannical sword force, slowly gathered onto the heavy sword.
“Old partner, thank you for bestowing me such a treasured gift at the end. This strike, shall be named —— Overlord’s Fury!!”
Chapter 232 - Overlord’s Finale
“Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword, Final Form —— Radiant Sky!!”
Ling Jie shouted out loud. The cyan and orange light beams suddenly exploded at the same time in midair, emitting sword beams that covered the skies and shielded the day. The brightness and power of the sword beams nearly outshone the shine of the sun in the sky. Within the terrifying sword beams, the two Sky Profound Swords released countless spiraling sword intent, which finally formed a gigantic cyan and orange sword of about thirty meters in length, and it began to descend from the skies.
Bang!!
The entire profound barrier broke under the pressure of the sword force that was as majestic as a tsunami. Several cracks formed and spread wildly atop the Sword Discourse Arena, and the longest crack that formed spread all the way to the borders of the stage. Yun Che stood at center of the Sword Discourse Arena, where the ground was starting to sink quickly.
Such a formation had made several disciples gather their profound strength for defense out of fear. Just the sword stance of Ling Jie’s one move, was already so frightening. Its power was simply unimaginable. However, Yun Che who was standing at the center had stood through all of this as he showed no signs of wanting to tear apart his stance. His expression was also indifferent, showing no signs of fear or solemnity… Obviously, he wanted to face this attack head on.
Ling Yuefeng stood up and looked at Yun Che’s stance, while muttering to himself: “If you are able to receive this attack, forget about Jie’er, even I, would admire you!”
Looking at Yun Che who showed no intention to avoid his attack, Ling Jie’s eyes also gave off a strong glint. He gathered all his profound strength, sword intent, and even all of his determination for this attack. This resulted in the biggest Radiant Sky Sword he had ever created in his life… Even though he had always wanted to defeat his big brother Ling Yun, he had never gone as all out as today before.
If you can’t receive it, I win! If you do receive it, you acquire the right to have me, Ling Jie as your little brother!!
The Radiant Sky Sword struck down like a flaming star falling. Under the strong pressure, Yun Che’s hair and clothes were stuck down onto his skin but his body had not moved at all. Although his feets sunk deep into the ground, it was as if he was nailed to the ground and did not shift at all. The half a segment of colossal sword in his hands gave of a overbearing aura. The aura not only did not shrink under the pressure but instead grew even more intensively.
As the Radiant Sky Sword approached, from the time it fell for less than a breath of time, the center of the Sword Discourse Arena had already sunk by at least one foot. On the surface of the stage, countless new cracks had appeared. Half of Yun Che’s body had already been forced below the ground, and his clothes had been cut into countless strips by the blinding sword aura.
Thirty meters… Fifteen meters… Ten meters… Three meters… One meter…
“Overlord’s… Fury!!!”
Just when the gigantic Radiant Sky Sword’s point was no less than a meter from the top of his head, the previously silent Yun Che seemed like an angry dragon that had suddenly awakened, as all of his profound strength exploded in an instant. In his cry, the half a segment of Overlord’s Colossal Sword that was surrounded with hostility swung to match the falling Radiant Sky Sword without any fear. The overbearing howl of the sword was like the roar of an arrogant dark devil.
Less than a meter above Yun Che’s head, the Overlord’s Colossal Sword violently crashed into the sharp end of the Radiant Sky Sword above it…
BOOM!!!!!!!!
A loud noise that seemed as though a thunderbolt had struck earth rang throughout the Sword Discourse Arena. It even rang through half the Heavenly Sword Villa. At that time, it caused everyone’s heart to tremor.
During the noise, two energies that seemed like volcanoes erupting exploded at the same time. The energy seemed to be dispelled frantically during the impact and a scary storm brew within the Sword Discourse Arena. The storm blew from the center of the stage to where the corners where the audience sat. An extremely strong profound radiance shone on the bodies of Yun Che and Ling Jie, which even completely overshadowed the Radiant Sky Sword. Looking from afar, it was as though ball of fire had exploded on the ground. Within this fire, there were numerous cyan and orange lights which looked like dragons that flew about.
The entire Sword Discourse Arena started to tremble and the wide cracks started to spread. The longest one had split the entire Sword Discourse Arena into two halves.
Other than Yun Che, Ling Wugou was the nearest to the falling point of the Radiant Sky Sword. With his strength in the late stages if the Sky Profound Realm, such an energy would definitely not injure him. However, he was not careless and did not bother to fix the profound barrier. Instead, he jumped far away and with a slight roar, and released his profound energy to block of all the sword aura coming his way. At the same time, several other places in the Sword Discourse Arena also had a relatively strong Heavenly Sword Villa disciple to seal up the sword aura, and prevented those around with lower profound strengths to get hurt.
The power of the Radiant Sky Sword far exceeded what Yun Che had expected. However, the prowess of the attack Yun Che executed swinging out his half a segment of colossal sword shocked Ling Jie. The Radiant Sky Sword that was filled with Ling Jie’s strength and sword intent was stopped in midair when it collided with the Overlord’s Colossal Sword. The two energies exploded and the gigantic Radiant Sky Sword could fall no further. More than ten breaths later, a tiny crack appeared on the tip of the Radiant Sky Sword and it soon spread throughout the sword until it reached the hilt…
BOOOM!!!!
Another loud sound came, which scattered a few clouds in the sky. This time, it was the sound of the Radiant Sky Sword shattering from its center…
The Yuan Yang dual swords broke the Overlord’s Colossal Sword.
However, the broken Overlord’s Colossal Sword, in a more ruthless fashion, shattered the Radiant Sky Sword that was formed by the Yuan Yang dual swords.
The was the rage of the Overlord and his revenge. It was the pride and arrogance of an Overlord!
The breaking of the Radiant Sky Sword was not horizontally, but vertically from the tip to the hilt. The wild sword aura that were like storms had also been dispelled quickly as its main body had been shattered.
The tremor on the Sword Discourse Arena gradually subsided, and the violent storm in the sky stopped roaring as well. Within the disappearing energy light, Ling Jie’s figure fell from the sky. Following the torrents of the wind, he drifted countless of meters away, and landed powerlessly on the ground. When his two feet made contact with the ground, his body violently swayed, as he seemed to have a hard time trying to stand steadily. The Celestial Yang Sword and the Celestial Yuan Sword were still held firmly in his hands, but the current Yuan Yang dual swords had already lost their glows of energy, lacking their former luster. His expression, though, was so pale that there was not even a hint of red on his face.
The storm of sand and profound energy enveloping Yun Che dispersed with the wind, and Yun che’s figure was finally revealed. In his immediate surroundings was a giant crater of about hundred and fifty meters in length, and six meters in depth. He was standing right at the center of the crater. It was such gigantic crater, yet, it looked as smooth as a mirror, with not single pothole in sight. It could be imagined how terrifyingly sharp the sword intent was earlier.
Currently, the entire Sword Discourse Arena could only be described as too tragic to look at. If one did not personally witness it, no matter who it was, that person would probably not believe that such a scene, was actually caused by a fierce fight between a Spirit Profound Realm and a True Profound Realm practitioner.
Yun Che’s hair was currently extremely disheveled. His entire face was covered in dust, and his clothes was even torn to the extreme. Basically, they could no longer be termed as clothes, but a messy continuous strand of cloth. The good thing was that his key parts were still covered, no doubt barely, otherwise, even if he had skin as thick as a city wall, he would not be able to maintain his demeanor.
On his much exposed body, countless small wounds could be seen. But they were simply extremely thin wounds, and to a practitioner, they were basically not a problem. Forget about heavy injuries, there was not even a single proper wound on his body.
Ling Jie, who was closest to him, looked at Yun Che’s condition, and his eyeballs had almost popped out from their sockets. Earlier, Ling Jie had even warned Yun Che that if he was unable to block it, he might possibly die. However, he was confident that Yun Che would be capable of blocking it, though, it would be inevitable for him to be extremely fatigued after that. However, even if he were to die, he would not have thought that the strike which he had poured his entire sword intent and profound energy into… would actually only tear his clothes into pieces, and cause a few small wounds that were no different than itches to him!
Clang!
The cherished sword which he would usually treat as though it was his life, was directly thrown onto the ground. He fell flat on his butt, and shouted out as though he had been broken. “I’m not fighting anymore… I quit, I quit, I quit! I surrender! Aaaaaahh… I, Ling Jie, will never, ever, ever, ever… ever fight with a monster like you ever again!!”
After saying the two words “I surrender”, Ling Jie momentarily felt his body relaxing, as though the heavy boulder that had been pressing on his body had been removed. In this battle, he had used his full strength, and yet, he still lost. He should have felt a great sense of gratification and satisfaction, but to that earlier battle, Ling Jie’s strongest feeling was nothing but “unbearable”.
He had never felt this unbearable in all the fights he had fought. Usually, when he sparred with the senior brothers Heavenly Sword Villa, even if his opponents were to overpower him by a large margin, he would not be undaunted, and would clash against them fiercely like a young tiger. Even if he were to be injured in those battles, he would not feel any hint of fear or have the thought of retreating. But, when he exchanged blows with Yun Che, he was constantly nervous and cautious. When slashed or pierced by a light sword, as long as he could prevent it from hitting his fatal points, it would at most give him a scar. But if he were to make contact with a heavy sword, it would not be exaggerated for his entire body to get smashed. His strikes were nimble and ever-changing, his speed was as fast as the wind, and he kept his intentions unpredictable. Yet, in front of Yun Che’s heavy sword, all of those had basically turned into mere ornaments: No matter how fast the speed of your sword, no matter how many sword beams you make, no matter how tricky the angles are, I will simply smash my sword towards it. Either I blow away all of your sword beams, or I force you to retract your sword and retreat far, far away.
During the exchange, most of the time, it could be said that no matter how close or how far away Ling Jie was, he was always on guard against every single one of Yun Che’s strikes. He was over-cautious, his mind strained throughout the entire battle, and he did not dare to slack off even a single bit. No matter if it was his heart or body, it was as though a gigantic boulder was pressing on them, and he could hardly breathe.
This feeling of being tightly suppressed, was basically unbearable to the point that he wanted to puke blood.
With that one sentence “I surrender”, that feeling of relaxation allowed Ling Jie to heave a long sigh of relief, and then, he took a big breath. The words he spoke of about not wanting to fight with Yun Che ever again, was completely from the bottom of his heart. It was definitely not something he said out of impulse.
A long, long time ago, Heavenly Sword Villa once had a heavy sword style. But, this style declined at an extremely quick speed. Many years ago, the last Elder of the heavy sword style went to test himself in the Wasteland of Death, and then, he never returned. Hence, the heavy sword style was completely severed in the Heavenly Sword Villa, and the few heavy swords that were stored in the Sword Management Terrace, became the final remnants of the heavy sword style in Heavenly Sword Villa.
Ling Yuefeng had once told him that heavy swords were only suitable on the battlefield, and they did not suit practitioners. Even Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, which prided themselves for their swords, and possessed every single type of sword styles, had long lost their heavy sword style. He had even said that practitioners who trained in the way of the heavy sword, were all total retards. But now, when he personally experienced the terror of heavy swords, Ling Jie really wished to personally shout a single sentence at his father, Ling Yuefeng: Your sister!
——————————————
Mn, in the meantime, I shall list out all of the profound skills Yun Che currently possesses.
Profound Arts: Evil God Arts (Came from Jasmine)
Great Way of the Buddha (Came from Jasmine)
World Ode of the Phoenix (Forced Comprehension, Incomplete)
Prison God Sirius’ Tome (Came from Jasmine)
Frozen Cloud Arts (Came from Chu Yuechan)
Profound Skills: Evil God Series
1st Realm - Evil Soul: Falling Moon Sinking Star
2nd Realm - Burning Heart: Sealing Cloud Locking Sun
3rd Realm - Rumbling Heaven: Destroying Sky Decimating Earth
Phoenix Series
Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing
Star Scorching Demon Lotus
Heavy Sword Series
Overlord’s Fury
Sky Wolf Slash (Heavy Sword + Sirius)
Phoenix Break (Heavy Sword + Sirius + Phoenix)
Profound Movement Skill: Star God’s Broken Shadow (Came from Jasmine)
Chapter 233 - Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s Offer
Heavenly Sword Villa’s Ling Jie surrenders. Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che wins! He will advance to tomorrow’s Grand Finals!”
Ling Wugou was stunned for an entire three breaths before he glimpsed at Ling Yuefeng and announced the results in an extremely awkward tone.
Clapclap… Clapclapclapclap…
Applause rang out from the edges of the Sword Discourse Arena. It initially started out with a few, before spreading to a small area… to a larger area… Eventually, nearly everyone including a few sect elders stood up and praised with loud applause.
In the history of the Ranking Tournament, applause following an exciting battle was common. However, such passionate applause that rang throughout the whole arena was rare. This was indeed a match worthy of such an applause. Many of the sects did not achieve results that were too satisfactory, but after witnessing this battle, they all felt ‘lucky and relieved’ to be here. This was because they were able to witness with their own eyes, the elegance of a celestial sword and the prowess of a heavy sword. They also witnessed the first battle between two youths who would no doubt become Blue Wind Empire’s future elites.
Thinking back, they were only sixteen and seventeen. Their profound strengths were also only in the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm and the tenth level of the True Profound Realm. This caused the hearts of the people there to uncontrollably tremor.
After Ling Wugou announced the results of the match, and cheers rang throughout the arena, Yun Che’s face did not reveal any excitement. Instead, he silently stared at the half of his Overlord’s Colossal Sword in his hands. The half that was in his hands was already filled with cracks. A cool breeze gently blew, blowing his hair up, along with the broken pieces of the Overlord’s Colossal Sword…
Pieces of black shards fell from the sword and dropped near Yun Che’s feet. In the end, only the hilt of the colossal sword was left in his hands.
The great sword that had shown its might throughout the battles, showcasing why it was called Overlord’s Colossal Sword, had finally reached its demise today in Yun Che’s hands.
Yun Che knelt down and carefully collected all the broken pieces, not allowing any to be left behind. In the end, he kept everything in the Sky Poison Pearl. Seeing Yun Che’s empty hand and the unexplainable expression on his face, Ling Jie, who was slowly approaching him had a face full of distress. As a sword user himself, he was the clearest what it meant to love a sword. The existence of a sword was like family. After controlling himself for sometime, he weakly said: “Ugh, ahhhhh, B… Boss, there are several heavy swords over at the Sword Management Terrace. There are three to four of them that are of Earth Profound grade. Let… Let me compensate you, it’s alright even if you want to take all of them.”
Once he had finished saying that, Ling Jie was determined. Even if Yun Che wanted to take away all the Earth Profound heavy swords and his father was against it, he would do all that he could to let Yun Che have his way.
“No need,” Yun Che smiled casually: “I had already said, being able to destroy it is your capability. There’s no need to feel guilty. So, are you satisfied now?”
Seeing that he laughed without any hard feelings, Ling Jie finally relaxed. The unease in his heart turned into a warm feeling: “Heh, I’m satisfied, completely satisfied. Every part of me is satisfied. In the future, you are I, Ling Jie’s, boss! Ahhh, ahhh… Boss! How exactly did you do it? You are only in the tenth level of the True Profound Realm but are already so powerful! Half a year ago, your strength was still far below me. Yet now, you are able to defeat me! And your body, how did you train it? It seems to be harder than rock… Also, boss, my father said that the heavy sword is a weapon without a future, how can you be so strong with it? After that fight with you, even I feel like training with a heavy sword…”
The few calls of “Boss” by Ling Jie were completely willing and smooth. When he looked at Yun Che, his eyes glowed, and his questions came out one after another. He was extremely anticipative of the answers to his questions. However, Yun Che only answered his last question: “The heavy sword is the weapon that suits me most, but they do not suit most people. Don’t get any weird ideas about going to practice the heavy sword.”
“Hehe…” Ling Jie laughed sillily. He was of course just casually speaking.
Ling Jie had overused his profound strength and had to be supported by Yun Che down the Sword Discourse Arena. At that point, Ling Kun, who usually was very silent, stood up from his seat and looked at Yun Che. Although his actions could be considered inconspicuous on the gigantic Sword Discourse Arena, everyone present turned to him as if attracted by an unknown aura and subconsciously watched him. His sudden action seemed to make everyone’s hearts thump.
Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, a place that was sacred and distant, and perhaps even legendary to them. The applause stopped immediately and the entire Sword Discourse Arena turned so silent that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone held their breaths as they waited to see what this mighty elder that came from the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region wanted to do.
“Young man, you are called Yun Che?” Ling Kun looked at Yun Che as he asked cheerfully. His voice was very peaceful.
Yun Che’s footsteps stopped for a moment, as he was visibly shocked by the question. He nodded and replied humbly: “Yes, I am Yun Che. I wonder if Senior Ling wishes to say anything to me.”
“You are currently a disciple of the Profound Palace set up by the Blue Wind Empire’s Imperial Family, right?” Ling Kun asked.
“Yes.”
Ling Kun nodded slowly before saying something earth shattering: “Well, are you interested to join our Mighty Heavenly Sword Region?”
This one question of Ling Kun’s, echoed through the ears of everyone, causing great shock. Qin Wushang was stunned, and so was Cang Yue. Even Ling Yuefeng was shocked motionless. Every person in the audience revealed an expression of deep astonishment.
Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. One of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, an almighty existence in the Profound Sky Continent. If one was able to enter the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, he must be one of the top profound practitioners currently in existence. Without exaggeration, if a servant in the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region came to Blue Wind Empire, he could become a renowned master of a faction. In terms of status, he would easily be more respectable than a country’s emperor! Many of the young profound practitioners could be considered to be of a genius level, but not one of them dared to dream of entering one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds. Not even Ling Yun had dared think of it before.
Among the seven countries in Sky Profound Continent, Blue Wind Empire was the smallest and weakest one. It was also the one that was the furthest from the Four Great Sacred Grounds. They had only heard the names of the Four Great Sacred Grounds in legends. Most of the people would not interact with it in any form throughout their lives. Today however, one of the legendary Sacred Grounds had taken the initiative to invite a seventeen year old youth to join them.
Everyone’s eyes fell onto Yun Che… Shock, envy, amazement, jealousy and disbelief… On Burning Heaven Clan’s seating area, Fen Juecheng’s face turned extremely ugly. Severely injuring Fen Juebi, causing shame to the Burning Heaven Clan, and touching on his sensitive spot had caused him to be extremely angry and disgraced… Yun Che had long since been on his hit list. However, if Yun Che really became a member of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, not just him, even his father Fen Duanhun would have to show some respect and treat Yun Che courteously if he saw him. No one in the entire Blue Wind Empire would dare offend him. Even if he had the absolute confidence to kill Yun Che, he would never ever dare do it… Killing a member of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region would be pulling the entire Burning Heaven Clan to die with him!
“Mighty Heavenly Sword Region… That is a place even I do not dare to dream of.” Qin Wushang exclaimed in a shocked manner: “Even Mighty Heavenly Sword Region has invited him. Even I, cannot fathom his future anymore. With his talent, he isn’t something a little Blue Wind Profound Palace is worthy of having. Maybe the Four Great Sacred Grounds are the ones that are truly worthy of keeping him. In the times to come, knowing him would probably be something that would make me proud for the rest of my life. Hahahaha.”
Qin Wushang laughed warmly, but Cang Yue was feeling complicated… Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s invitation could easily make all the profound practitioners in the world envious and jealous. She felt elated for Yun Che, but at the same time felt lost and insecure… He was only seventeen and had already obtained the right to enter such a dream-like place. His future was completely unfathomable. The difference between him and her would be worlds apart. She wondered if she was a match for him… If he went to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, would he still return to a small little place like the Blue Wind Empire…
Ling Jie, who was beside Yun Che had his mouth agape. With an excited face, he told Yun Che: “Boss, Mighty Heavenly Sword Region! The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region! That’s a Sacred Ground! You’re so great. Boss is really too great!”
Yun Che’s brows moved slightly. He did not have the elation and excitement everyone expected him to have. His face was shockingly, only a field of calmness. He took a step forward and replied courteously: “Many thanks to Senior Ling for thinking so highly of this junior. However, this junior is currently still a disciple of the Blue Wind Profound Palace and has no thoughts of leaving yet. Furthermore, this junior still has plenty of unfinished business here. Even though my heart longs for it, I am unable to bring myself to leave… I can only thank Senior Ling for the love and kind intentions.”
Yun Che’s answer was completely out of everyone’s expectation. Everyone stared at him and wondered if he had gone mad… Being invited by Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was something that people did not even dare to dream about, and he actually rejected it! Instead, he was willing to stay in a small Blue Wind Profound Palace! This was a reply only an idiot or lunatic would make.
Ling Kun, however, was not angry, and instead laughed peacefully: “Hahahaha, good! Even though you are young, you are not arrogant, nor are you impatient. You are not flustered, nor are you rash. This is indeed rare. The reason I want to bring you into Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is not because of the talent you displayed. Although your talent is considered shocking in this country, in the Sacred Grounds, it might not even be considered average. The reason I want to bring you in is because of the beautiful way you handle the heavy sword… Mighty Heavenly Sword Region used to have a Heavy Sword department. However, it eventually died out. From you, I can see hopes of reforming that department. It is inappropriate for me to ask who your master is, but I hope that when you do join Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, you are able to reform the Heavy Sword department. If you could do it, becoming an elder-ranked figure of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region is not unlikely.”
Ssssss……
“Elder-ranked figure of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region”. These few words made many people shudder. That was a figure that even Heavenly Sword Villa’s Villa Master Ling Yuefeng was unqualified to meet.
Yun Che still remained very calm and replied without hesitation: “Senior Ling’s graciousness, this junior will remember it well. When this junior is done with his unfinished business, he will definitely think about it deeply.”
“Good!” Ling Kun still did not become angry, and instead commended him with a nod: “I admire your personality. If that is the case, I shall not force you. Here, take this!”
Ling Kun flicked his finger and a piece of a deep purple colored jade stone the size of a fist horizontally flew out and was caught by Yun Che.
Ling Kun withdrew his palm and said coolly: “This is a special Sound Transmission Stone that is able to communicate with me as long as we are within a distance of a hundred fifty kilometers. If you eventually decide to join our Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, drop me a message. I will guide you to us and bring you to meet the Venerable Sword Master. I believe the Venerable Sword Master would be immensely interested in how you handle the heavy sword.”
Despite being rejected twice by Yun Che, Ling Kun did not become angry. Instead, he left him a Sound Transmission Jade. Such treatment was undoubtedly an extremely favorable one which left many people envying till they nearly cried blood tears. However, Ling Kun also had absolute confidence that Yun Che would initiate contact with him in the near future… The invitation to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was a ‘temptation’ that any young profound practitioner could not possibly reject.
Chapter 234 - Qingyue VS Ling Yun
As Yun Che returned to Blue Wind Profound Palace’s seats, Cang Yue came toward him in a swift pace carrying bottles and vases full of ointments. Taking up a gauze, she gently started wiping the wounds on his forehead: “Junior Brother Yun, do you have any injuries that are very severe? Did you receive any internal injuries?”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s all a bunch of light wounds that don’t hurt or itch. It would be healed fine if I just sleep it off.” Yun Che said with a relaxed expression.
Yun Che’s complexion was rosy, and his breathing was calm; there was not even any hurriedness after an intense battle. The wounds under the broken clothes were basically some red marks, and even the traces of blood could not be found in many places. Cang Yue felt relieved, assessed him with a glance, and suddenly laughed with a ‘Pfft’: “Look at your appearance right now, it’s as if you are a barbarian who had just climbed out from the deep mountains.”
A gust of wind blew past. Yun Che instantly felt his entire body chill, as if he wasn’t wearing any clothings at all. He hastily took out a set of somewhat loose attire from the Sky Poison Pearl and covered himself with it. From the side of his ears, he heard Qin Wushang speaking with a meaningful tone: “Yun Che, why would you surrender the chance of entering the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region? To even refuse such a land of dreams, you must have some extremely important reasons, right?”
“Mn, I suppose so.” Yun Che nodded: “The Mighty Heavenly Sword Region indeed is immensely alluring to me. But for me, there are many things that are hundreds and thousands times more important than Mighty Heavenly Sword Region.” As he finished speaking, he turned a glance toward Cang Yue and faintly smiled.
Cang Yue slightly froze, and then also gently started smiling as a hint of moisture swelled up within her eyes… It’s enough… Just with that sentence of his, with that expression in his eyes and his gentle smile, I am already content for life…
“It really doesn’t sound like something said by a young man of your age.” Qin Wushang’s face was filled with praise. He then slightly squinted his eyes, and said with a smile: “Then, about tomorrow’s finals, how confident are you to win?”
The matches before, Qin Wushang had once and once again thought that they were the finish line for Yun Che in the Ranking Tournament, and he couldn’t advance any further. Yet Yun Che won perfect victories match after match; it once and once again made him realize that he had completely underestimated this youth. And now, facing the Ling Yun who could not be defeated no matter how one thought of it, Qin Wushang did not assert that he did not have any possibility of winning, and instead asked how confident he was in winning with an extremely serious and expectant tone.
Yun Che didn’t think, and directly shook his head: “No confidence at all. Tomorrow’s opponent, is really too strong.”
“Even if you lose, it’s fine. After all, Ling Yun had already surpassed the level that a young profound practitioner could reach.” Qin Wushang laughed heartily: “Also, you’ve already made the biggest limelight in this Ranking Tournament. I believe that in most people’s eyes, you are already the greatest victor in this Ranking Tournament.”
As they spoke, Yun Che felt a hint of malicious feeling sweeping across his back. He turned around, took a glance at the Burning Heaven Clan’s location, and smiled coldly.
Yun Che’s unexpectant refusal of joining the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region made Fen Juecheng feel extremely relieved, and at the same time, his intent to kill Yun Che rose by several folds. He was absolutely certain that Yun Che wouldn’t really be able to resist the extremely great temptation of joining the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. If he didn’t join now, he would voluntarily go find Ling Kun not long after. After all, in his hands, there was still the Sound Transmission Jade personally given by Ling Kun.
Then, if he were to kill Yun Che, he had to speed it up… It must be done before he becomes a member of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region!
Then, the greatest chance would be….
Fen Juecheng’s gaze swept through, and fell upon the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress’ seats. He saw Mu Tianbei, whose expression was as unsightly as if he had just swallowed feces. Even though he was far away, the maliciousness and killing intent within Mu Tianbei’s eagle eyes could be faintly felt.
“Seems like, there is a good blade to use.” Fen Juecheng’s hand supported his chin as he started to laugh silently and ghastly.
After quite a while, the Sword Discourse Arena that was full of wounds finally became somewhat flat with emergency repair. Ling Wugou came to the center of the Sword Discourse Arena once again, and announced the starting of the second match.
“Go!” Ling Yuefeng gave Ling Yun a sweeping gesture with his hand.
Ling Yun nodded. Without seeing any motion or profound energy fluctuation under his feet, his entire body had already vaulted up. As he was in midair, he grabbed at the nothingness with his palm, and the Celestial Yuan Sword that was in Ling Jie’s hands, flew up by itself into his hands. In the next instant, he had already landed in the middle of the Sword Discourse Arena and stood there magnificently. The edge of his clothing fluttered, his otherworldly handsome face was like jade, his gaze as if the autumn water. It instantly made the eyes of many young girls bloom like peach blossoms as they lose control of their beating heart.
“Qingyue, go. If you win against Ling Yun, then we’ve already obtained first place in this Ranking Tournament ahead of time.” Chu Yueli spoke with a very certain tone.
Along with a wave of fluttering ice spirits and a slightly drifting cold energy, Xia Qingyue also silently landed in front of Ling Yun. She was still in white attire with blue spirits, and an ice gauze covered her face. Only a pair of eyes like the starry sky flashed with an extremely beautiful brilliance.
Looking at this pair of eyes close up, Ling Yun’s calm gaze actually became inattentive for an instant. Because this was the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen in his entire life. This kind of beauty could not be described and explained. He clearly felt that as he was looking at this pair of charming eyes, his consciousness and soul were both being deeply attracted, and almost made him unable to divert his gaze.
What beautiful eyes… Below the face veil, should be a girl as beautiful as a goddess, right….
Ling Yun thought silently in his heart, and at the same time birthed an urge of wanting to see her true face. With a swing of the Celestial Yuan Sword, he made a simple sword courtesy toward Xia Qingyue: “Heavenly Sword Villa’s Disciple, Ling Yun, asks for Xia Fairy’s guidance.”
Xia Qingyue did not answer, and was as silent as a statue made of ice.
Seeing the two had already finished preparing, Ling Wugou did not delay either and said with a loud voice: “Second match of the Semifinals, Heavenly Sword Villa’s Ling Yun, against Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue, battle start!!”
With the duel between Yun Che and Ling Jie that brimmed with astonishment as appetizer, no one had much expectations for this match. This was a match with an already decided outcome, because one of the them was Ling Yun… And battles with Ling Yun, would unquestionably be a single-sided oppression. Just like what Qin Wushang had said, Ling Yun’s strength had already surpassed the level of the younger generation. Within the same generation, it was simply impossible to find anyone that could be his match.
If not for Jasmine’s words, Yun Che’s thoughts would not be much different from the others.
But Jasmine’s evaluation of Xia Qingyue, filled Yun Che with odd expectations toward this match. The focus of his attention, also moved from Ling Yun to Xia Qingyue. No matter who wins this match, it was destined to be an extremely difficult and bitter battle tomorrow… If Ling Yun wins; while Ling Jie was already that powerful at the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, one could just imagine how strong Ling Yun, who was at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, was. But if by any chance… that Xia Qingyue wins, then the Xia Qingyue, who could even defeat Ling Yun, would undoubtedly be an even more terrifying opponent.
Xia Qingyue… Is it really possible for her to defeat Ling Yun who had already took first place in the Ranking Tournament when he was seventeen?
Ling Yun stood whilst wielding his sword as the sword energy fluctuated around him. Yet he did not move; the opponent was a girl, and in addition to that, her age and profound energy were all much lower than his. Thus, he naturally wouldn’t take action first. Xia Qingyue raised her jade hand, and amidst the flashing of cold light, a crystal clear longsword of ice had already appeared in her hand. With the channeling of Frozen Cloud Arts, the surrounding ice spirits floated around her. Stepping on a lotus, the starting stance of “Frozen Cloud Thirteen Sword Styles”, “Silent Moon of Snow”, lightly and swiftly pierced out. Seemingly without any destructive force, it was a feast for the eyes for everyone; however, only Ling Yun deeply felt a wave of bone-chilling coldness that came toward him.
Ling Yun’s left hand folded behind his back, and only moved with simple interweaving steps without any movement profound skills. He lifted his Celestial Yuan Sword, did not swing any kind of sword skills either, and calmly engaged…
Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang….
Along with Ling Yun’s casual swinging of the sword, the Celestial Yuan Sword and the ice crystal sword collided several tens of times in the blink of an eye. A great amount of light blue colored ice auroras and ice shards that dispersed as ice lotuses shattered, and then drifted around them. In the match before, the moves between Yun Che and Ling Jie earlier were fierce and thrilling, and targeted at the opponent. Yet the battle between Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue, was as though a pair of handsome man and woman were gracefully dancing; it was breathtaking.
“Haha, seems like, Yun’er wants to leave a little face for the other side.” Ling Yuefeng said while laughing.
“That’s natural, Yun’er’s disposition is kind. This is the Semifinals, the opponent is also just a girl, of course he wouldn’t thwart the opponent in a lift of the hand like before.”
Xia Qingyue’s sword gestures were as if a blue butterfly dancing, and Ling Yun was as if strolling in a quiet courtyard. Along with several tens of ice lotus blossoming and wilting, the two’s swords had also collided several hundreds of times, letting out a harmonious scene of being evenly matched. Yet flames of rage surged in Yun Che’s eyes as he watched… You motherf*cking Ling Yun! Even this daddy here hasn’t danced with swords with Qingyue my wife, and you’re actually god damn enjoying it! If my opponent tomorrow is you, see if I wouldn’t smash you down deep into the ground with one strike!!
Clang!!
As the two swords clashed, an ice lotus splendidly exploded at the point of collision. With a somersault, Ling Yun’s body landed around fifteen meters away. He lifted the Celestial Yuan Sword horizontally. His gaze concentrated as the sword force also went through a great change. The sword intent that surrounded his body and his sword, also exploded as if a flood that broke through a dam.
“Xia Fairy… I apologize!!”
As his voice fell, Ling Yun’s palm flipped. As the profound energy and sword intent flowed, the Celestial Yuan Sword suddenly transformed into a dash of light and flew toward Xia Qingyue. During the flight, the sword brilliance of the Celestial Yuan Sword quickly dispersed; from one sword it turned to ten, and then several tens… several hundreds… In the end, it turned into a sword formation field that blanketed the heavens and earth, and enveloped Xia Qingyue as if a meteor shower.
“Wah!!” A great amount of astonishing cries sounded in the Sword Discourse Arena.
This move, they had personally seen during the fight between Ling Jie and Yun Che. It was precisely this move, Heaven’s Might Sword Formation —— Heavenly Star Frenzy. But this Heavenly Star Frenzy of Ling Yun’s, was more than ten times greater, in terms of formation, than the one Ling Jie had displayed. Ling Jie had only dispersed a hundred sword lights, yet Ling Yun had dispersed over one thousand lines of sword beams. Moreover, each and every one of the sword beams were glaring to the point of making one unable to look at it straight; in terms of power, it simply couldn’t be compared in the same way with the one by Ling Jie.
From this move, Ling Yun’s terrifying strength could be evidently seen.
“Looks like the match is already over.” Almost everyone had thought like this in their hearts. This kind of formation even startled a few seniors of some sects. Within the younger generation, it was simply impossible for anyone to receive it. It would be impossible for Ling Jie or Yun Che, and it was even more so for Xia Qingyue.
Chapter 235 - Otherworldly Beauty
Xia Qingyue was completely trapped within the sword formation. Her front, back, left, right and above, were all filled with extremely sharp sword light. If it were someone else, when facing such a scary formation that should not have been used by such a youth, that person would probably shudder in fear. However, in her crystal clear eyes, there was no hint of hesitation. Her petite figure floated as though she was as light as clouds, and as she waved her ice crystal sword, several ice lotuses blossomed around her. Each lotus was several times bigger than the previous one, and the coldness released from the lotus coagulated the air. The surrounding temperature dropped at a frightening pace.
“Eh?” Ling Yuefeng original calm face suddenly changed. More than ten gigantic ice lotuses exploded out at the same time. This was definitely not something capable of someone in the eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm… Ling Yun did not release all his strength previously, but obviously, Xia Qingyue hadn’t either!
Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding……
The numerous sword beams gathered together and attacked the ice lotus. Some of the sword beams shattered immediately while the others were sealed with ice within the petals of the lotus flower, unable to proceed on any further. Previously, Ling Yun could shatter the ice lotus with the wave of his sword. Now however, the gigantic ice lotuses had already been attacked by thousands of sword beams, yet not one flower withered. In the blink of an eye, each ice lotus was stabbed full with ice sealed sword beams and the sword beams that had not been touched by the ice lotuses all gathered and stopped around Xia Qingyue.
One could imagine how frightening the coldness of the ice lotuses were when seeing them sealed Ling Yun’s sword beams that was transformed from his profound strength and sword intent.
This was a scene no one had expected. Ling Yun was even more shocked by this. Previously, he had exchanged several hundred moves with Xia Qingyue. However, he did not want to let her lose too quickly and become embarrassed, hence, he did not use his full strength. Originally , he was fully confident that he could end the battle quickly. Never did he expect his move to be completely blocked by his opponent, as not one sword beams touched her body.
Ling Yun’s reaction was extremely fast. Seeing his sword beams being sealed in ice, his eyes flashed with sword light, and his body rushed out like lightning. He grabbed the air and instantly, the Celestial Yuan Sword returned into his hands. In that instant, a cyan light flashed from the Celestial Yuan Sword as he instantaneously vanished from everyone’s line of sight…
A stream of cyan light flashed past. Seemed like a shooting star that fell from heavens, it immediately disappeared from the Sword Discourse Arena… The shooting star slashed all the ice lotuses in half and also streaked past Xia Qingyue’s body……
Pingpingpingpingpingping……
The ice lotuses and their sealed sword beams all shattered at the same time, filling the sky with ice crystals. It seemed as if it was currently hailing in the center of the Sword Discourse Arena. Ling Yun’s body also appeared about thirty meters behind Xia Qingyue… When everyone had finally refocused onto Ling Yun’s new location, everyone was overwhelmed with shock. Other than a few strong elders, no one could clearly figure out how he had gotten to that location. All they could see was a cyan light suddenly flashing past their eyes.
No words could explain the astonishment from this one move.
“So… fast.” Yun Che spoke in a speechless manner. He could feel that the speed of the flash was not a profound movement skill. Instead, it came from the Celestial Yuan Sword! For normal people, the person moves the sword. But the previous move of Ling Yun’s, was the massive sword intent moving the sword with the person! It was not the person controlling the sword!
The hand the was held horizontally in front of him was lowered slowly as Ling Yun whispered: “Please give up. Even though you are several times stronger than expected, you still aren’t a match for me. I do not want to injure you, fairy…”
As he spoke, he slowly turned around. Just as he completely turned to face Xia Qingyue, his voice was suddenly stuck in his throat and his was unable to say another word. His originally calm expression was suddenly stunned. Even his mind turned blank, as his vision and mind was left with an illusion of a sky that seemed to be from an imaginary world…
Following a long cut, Xia Qingyue’s right sleeve drooped, and it revealed half of her snow white jade arm. But Ling Yun’s sword did not only cut off half her sleeve.
In the wake of a cold breeze, Xia Qingyue’s snow white face veil slowly floated down, and her originally covered face was revealed to everyone present.
The entire Sword Discourse Arena instantly turned silent as everyone present became breathless.
Xia Qingyue’s skin was exceptionally white but it wasn’t the pale white that would make people uncomfortable. It was as white as pure snow with a flawless and glowing whiteness. Although the light from the sun was not glaring, the luster of her snowy skin was so flawless that it made people awestruck. Her skin looked like it was snow during a winter day with plenty of sunshine. Her half revealed arm due to her slashed sleeve, was as flawless as clear jade. It was suffocatingly beautiful.
Ignoring everything else, her snow white flawless skin alone was able to capture the souls of even man in this world!
On her snow white skin were eyebrows which were thin and long that seemed like the crescent moon. She also had deep clear watery eyes and her sweet cheeks were whiter than snow. Her dimples were beautiful like those described in poems and paintings. Her tender lips, which were a lovely pink rouge that seemed as though god himself personally drew it with utmost care, were astonishingly beautiful.
All of these gathering on one girl, displayed a beauty that made the heavens and earth, stars and moon, all pale in comparison.
The moment Xia Qingyue’s face was revealed, an absolute brilliance seemed to have obstructed every other color. Everyone’s breathing stopped and it was as though their hearts had stopped beating. In their hearts, they echoed a similar phrase…
Was she a goddess that descended from heaven… How could there be such an absolute beauty in this world…..
The ones that had the largest reactions were no doubt the young profound practitioners. They had been completely transfixed and their souls seemed as if they had unknowingly flew outwards. Even those clan heirs, who usually did not lack beauties around them were also mesmerized as their eyes and mind could not leave Xia Qingyue’s beauty. All of them could no longer feel their own existence. Even those middle-aged men and the elders, whose hair and beard had already turned white, were awestruck and mesmerized.
Xiao Clan’s Xiao Kuanglei, Xiao Zheng and Xiao Nan all had the same expression; they stared at her as though they had lost their souls. Burning Heaven Clan’s Fen Juecheng had unknowingly stood up from his seat and his eyes were filled with an unprecedented obsession… If they already had such big reaction, obviously the others also had a huge reaction.
The calmest person in the whole arena was also the one with the weakest profound strength, Xia Yuanba.
“Woah. As expected, big sis got prettier.” Xia Yuanba uttered in a soft voice. The atmosphere around the arena had suddenly became strange, causing him to look left and right, before looking at Yun Che. He muttered in confusion: “Everyone looks so weird… Even Brother-in-law too.”
When he had initially saw her during their wedding, Yun Che was already pleasantly surprised. Today, he was deeply shocked. A mere eighteen months could bring such a huge change to a girl’s looks. Sixteen year old Xia Qingyue was already beautiful beyond the likes of any normal girl. Now, she was seventeen and a half. With the nourishment from Frozen Cloud Asgard’s ice and snow, she could only be described as beautiful beyond the mortal world, which had made even him, stare blankly.
This was also one of the reasons why she was wearing a face veil.
Not only men, even a woman like Cang Yue was deeply amazed by her beauty. Even though she also possessed an absolute beauty with a very noble status to match, in front of a goddess that should not be in the human realm, she felt ashamed of her looks for the first time. Even though she knew she should not have such a feeling, she had a sense of inferiority. Looking at Xia Qingyue’s demeanor, such a feeling uncontrollably came over. As she turned to look at Yun Che’s dazed expression, she extended her arm and tightly grabbed onto his sleeve…
Some of the elders who had attended the ranking tournament thirty years ago would realize that this scene was very similar to when Chu Yuechan’s face veil dropped at that time… At that time, the same scene had replayed itself on the same stage thirty years later. Similarly, it was caused by a disciple from Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Silently looking at the reactions of the crowd and remembering the heartache from that time, caused tears to well up in Ling Yuefeng’s eyes. In his reminiscences, he did not realise that Xuanyuan Yufeng was staring at him. His reaction made her slowly frown. After that, she turned and looked at her son Ling Yun… He was the closest to Xia Qingyue. From his eyes, he revealed a unprecedented dreamy look. Such a look did not even appear when he conquered the Celestial Yuan Sword at the young age of seventeen.
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s chest rose drastically, as she spoke in a low voice: “Frozen Cloud Asgard… You harmed my husband in the past… Now… You’re going to harm my son… Do you want to make him follow his father’s footsteps…”
She spoke in a very soft manner which only she herself could hear. In her voice, one could sense a feeling similar to hatred, but it was more of jealousy! A woman’s jealousy, did not only occur between similarly aged people. Looks were always the most important thing woman cared about. Xuanyuan Yufeng was already fifty one, but as a profound practitioner in the later half of the Sky Profound Realm, she looked no older than thirty. If she dressed up younger, she could definitely pull off as Ling Yun’s younger sister. Her looks, were also above average. However, one would have to consider what she was comparing with… Compared to most other girls, she was a true beauty. However, when compared with Xia Qingyue…
To put it bluntly, it would be like comparing mud and the most colorful of clouds.
Ling Yun’s attack could be said to be world-shocking. The face veil dropping was also something that Xia Qingyue did not expect. Seeing the crowd’s reaction, she faintly sighed. Lifting her snowy hand, she brought out a new ice veil to cover her face, once more covering up the absolute beauty that made the heavens and earth pale in color while dulling the sun and moon.
The most beautiful image in the world being mercilessly covered brought countless people back to their senses.
“Is… Is… Is she a goddess…” A disciple of one of the sects muttered stupidly while in a daze.
“Woman… Can actually this beautiful to such an extent? I felt my soul leave my body just now… The legendary Princess Snow… Could at most be this much…”
“Princess Snow? Who’s Princess Snow?”
“What? You don’t even know the top beauty of Profound Sky Continent, Princess Snow? She is the sole daughter of the current emperor of Divine Phoenix Empire. When she was thirteen, she was publicly recognized as the top beauty in the continent and was labeled by her people as ‘the beloved child of heavens’, ‘the pearl of Divine Phoenix Empire’, ‘the treasure god gave to Divine Phoenix Empire’. Within the Divine Phoenix Empire, her existence is like a religion’s.”
“People from Divine Phoenix Empire might not know who their emperor is, might not know what the Divine Phoenix Sect is, but they all definitely know of Princess Snow! Rumor has it that several top painters wanted to paint a portrait of Princess Snow but no one was able to do it. When the top painter in Divine Phoenix Empire had seen Princess Snow, he threw his paint brush immediately and claimed that even if all the painters in the world gathered, no one would be able to properly represent her charm…”
“Whoa! Only thirteen and named the top beauty in Profound Sky Continent, could it be an over exaggeration? Could she be more beautiful than Fairy Xia?”
“…. No idea… But it can’t be possible? Fairy Xia is already beautiful beyond my dreams. I really cannot believe there can be anyone in this world more beautiful than her…”
Chapter 236 - Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon
“I want her… I must have her!!” Xiao Kuangyu and Xiao Kuanglei’s chests rose up and down as they issued the exact same words from their minds. As the sons of Xiao Sect’s Sect Master, they were people fated to look down upon the world in the future. To them, women were merely a man’s accessory. They had never thought, and also had never believed that there would be a woman they would lose their hearts to. Yet now, this woman appeared. They deeply felt that if they were to obtain this woman, it would truly mean that one did not live their life in vain and was the real peak of one’s life! And if it were to be compared, the position of the future Xiao Sect Master did not look the least bit attractive.
And this, was also the thought of practically every man with enough qualifications. As for those without the qualifications, they could only feel ashamed of their inferiority after being endlessly stunned. What was left, was only a fantasy that was as far as the clouds on the horizon reverberating in their minds.
“… She actually has gotten even more beautiful, and she is still only seventeen years old. Once a few more years pass, that wouldn’t be any joking matter.” Yun Che muttered to himself in a low voice. When he saw the entire audience’s reactions, it would be impossible for him to not feel a sliver of vanity, because that young girl who had struck the entire audience was his officially wedded wife… But he believed that if this fact were to be publicized, he would be pierced into a hornet’s nest by countless gazes of envy and hatred.
Xia Qingyue had always known about her own beauty, but she had never believed that it was a natural gift of any importance. Often times, she had even wished for her appearance to be a little more average. Coming to this ranking tournament with her face covered was the Asgard Mistress’ personal order, and she herself, was not the least bit opposed to it. Chu Yueli had also told her before that she mustn’t let the ice veil fall from her face. But Ling Yun’s miraculous move that was comparable to flowing light, had made this accident that she did not want to see, happen.
Ling Yun, was Ling Yun after all.
But this did not greatly influence Xia Qingyue’s state of mind in the least. During the process in which the ice veil fell to when she covered up her face again, she had merely released a light sigh. However, it was different for the Ling Yun in front of her. The Ling Yun who had always guarded his mind with sword intent, whose heart had not the smallest speck of dirt, was distinctly in disorder from his breathing. His eyes were no longer filled with a dignified tranquility and was instead suffused with with an unrest that could not settle down until a long while.
For Ling Yun, it was the first time this had happened since birth. The first time his mind had become such a mess in front of the dueling opponent he was up against.
Like the Ling Yuefeng who had seen Chu Yuechan’s true appearance that year.
Ling Yun was undoubtedly strong. If he was not lenient enough that he only cut apart her sleeve and veil, and instead aimed at her throat, she would perhaps have lost her life. Even though she possessed incomparable innate talent, she had a fatal weak point, which was her lack of actual combat experience! This kind of thing was something someone with an even greater innate talent would have trouble making up for. On this point, she was miles away from Yun Che.
However, this had also sounded an alarm in Xia Qingyue. Against such a frightening opponent like Ling Yun, she could no longer have any sort of reservations. She withdrew the ice crystal longsword in her hands. With a light wave of her right arm, a white radiance suddenly floated next to her, becoming a dancing white colored long ribbon. The long white ribbon was half a foot wide and twenty feet long. With a white body that was as lustrous as jade and as smooth as satin, its luster could reflect one’s own image. Its sheen complemented with the light that showered down from far above the sky, and was coated by a field of hazy shimmer, as mysterious and wispy ice spirits floated around its body.
The long ribbon possessed a spiritual consciousness, as it floated around Xia Qingyue’s body, circling like an intelligent white snake. With the entanglement of her sprinkling ice spirits and her surrounding’s ice aurora, it was too beautiful to absorb in all at once.
“That is…”
“It’s Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Sky Profound Weapon… the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon! As expected, after Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin had been eliminated, it had been handed over to Xia Qingyue.”
“But I have heard that the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was extremely hard to control. Not only does it take at least the Earth Profound Realm to bring out even a bit of its strength, one’s Frozen Cloud Arts has to be higher than the fifth stage… Her opponent is Ling Yun. Ling Yun had already reached the pinnacle of mastery for the Celestial Yuan Sword. Even if she takes out the the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, it is still probably impossible for the situation to take a turn for the better. At best, there would only be a bit of a struggle.”
When Frozen Cloud Asgard’s sole Sky Profound Weapon appeared, it would naturally be the center of attention. And at this time, Xia Qingyue did something weird. Extending her snow white jade hand, she grabbed at the average looking pendant on her neck and lightly pulled it down.
The instant the white jade pendant left her body, the profound energy aura that Xia Qingyue’s body emitted suddenly increased sharply. In a short one breath of time, the original eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm stepped over to the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, then to the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm… Then broke through the Spirit Profound Realm domain to arrive at the first level of the Earth Profound Realm… second level of the Earth Profound Realm…
Until finally, stopping at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… the intensity of the profound strength aura, was evenly matched with Ling Yun’s!!
This kind of change obviously could not be distinctively sensed by those young profound practitioners who did not have sufficient profound strength. However, those elders at the Earth Profund Realm or above, all turned pale with shock and stood up from their seats in their astonishment.
“Wh… What!! This is impossible… how could this be possible!!”
In this ranking tournament, Ling Yuefeng had been shocked beyond his expectations many times, but all of that added together fell short of this surprise. Not only him, apart from the members of Frozen Cloud Asgard, everyone who had sensed the change in Xia Qingyue’s profound strength, which included Xiao Juetian, Fen Moli, Xiao Boyun, Qin Wushang, and others… all wore expressions of shock, as if they had personally seen a building from the Heavenly Palace in the sky.
“Palace Chief Qin, what’s wrong?” Yun Che and Cang Yue promptly asked when Qin Wushang’s face dramatically changed when he suddenly stood up.
Qin Wushang fiercely gasped in a breath, and answered with difficulty in an extremely hoarse voice: “Actually is… is… third level of the Earth Profound Realm!”
“Ah!?!?” Cang Yue and Xia Yuanba were both so shocked that their mouths gaped open. Yun Che’s expression had also immediately stiffened in place as deep astonishment flashed in the depths of his eyes.
During the ranking tournament’s profound strength assessment, Ling Yun’s profound strength was revealed to be in the third level of the Earth Profound Realm and shocked the entire audience, but even though they had been shocked, it wasn’t as if they could not accept it. This was because Ling Yun was already at the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm at the age of seventeen. With his astonishing innate talent, breaking through into the third level of the Earth Profound Realm at the age of twenty was not too ridiculous.
But, Xia Qingyue was only seventeen this year… Seventeen at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, what sort of concept was that?
This had crushed Ling Yun’s publicly acknowledged “Number One of Blue Wind Empire’s Younger Generation” title. Not only that, this innate talent had been thoroughly crushed by a landslide! Out of Blue Wind Empire’s complete history, this had also never happened before!
It was entirely worthy and not at all discounted to say that this was the number one throughout all of history!!
“Hmph, as expected, her profound strength was concealed. Though I had never expected that it had anything to do with that necklace of hers!” Jasmine coldly snorted.
Yun Che: “…”
The necklace that Xia Qingyue had taken off was called the “Pearl of Frozen Deception”. It could perfectly suppress the wearer’s profound strength level at will! That’s right, not only could it suppress, it was also not a concealment that could be easily detected. If one does not deliberately use profound energy to closely examine this unremarkable necklace, even a Throne would find it extremely difficult to discover. Back when she was in Floating Cloud City, Xia Qingyue’s true profound strength had also been concealed by this Pearl of Frozen Deception.
In this ranking tournament, concealing her profound strength was a choice that Xia Qingyue had to make. Otherwise, if she had immediately revealed her true profound strength, it was obvious as to how much of sensation and commotion that would trigger.
Earth Profound Realm at the age of seventeen was unprecedented. But reaching the third level of the Earth Profound Realm at the age of seventeen, this kind of innate gifted talent simply could not be described with any words by everyone present. Xiao Sect, Burning Heaven Clan, and even Heavenly Sword Villa would never believe that they themselves, could nurture and produce a disciple with such an ability.
A peerless face that stunned the entire audience, was then followed by the revealing of such a peerless innate talent in front of them… In the midst of their shock, those experts could not help but doubt whether or not this seventeen year old young lady was mortal; if she was a Princess of Heaven sent to the human world by the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Palace, which was why she had received such an all out blessing from the heavens.
In everyone’s eyes, this duel was suppose to be a one-sided crush by Ling Yun. But now, the situation had changed greatly. Three years ago, at the ninth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, Ling Yun had easily defeated Mu Lingxue, who was at the tenth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Without a doubt, he possessed strength powerful enough to challenge those of a higher level. As a result, from that one point, Ling Yun ought to be as dominant as before, even if it would not be a crushing victory this time.
Though in regards to aptitude, in front of Xia Qingyue, he had already suffered a crushing defeat! He was not even on the same level… and in the entire Blue Wind Empire, another person who could be mentioned in the same breath as her, simply could not be found.
Ling Yun, who was the closest to Xia Qingyue, was the one who vividly sensed the change in her profound strength. His heart surged and swept as though it were the rolling waves of the sea that was difficult to calm. In his line of sight, Xia Qingyue slowly extended her arm. Along with that small movement, the trajectory of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also changed to become even more quick and discernible, as though it was a playful little fairy that frolicked around a beautiful goddess. The half severed sleeve silently hung, exposing half a jade arm so fair in color that it was almost transparent. As if it had been carved out from the center of the world’s most flawless jade, it was beautiful beyond compare.
“Sir Ling, many thanks for the leniency in your previous strike. Otherwise, Qingyue would have already lost. Qingyue will go all out now.”
A touching, faintly discernible voice that sounded like heaven’s music came out from between her petal-like lips and lingered beside Ling Yun’s ear, making him stare blankly without a reaction for a long while.
At this moment, Ling Yuefeng’s cold beration was suddenly heard in his mind: “Yun’er, focus!”
Ling Yuefeng’s spirit sound transmission was like a splash of cold water that poured on top of his head, and immediately cleared his head in a flash. Using the quickest speed possible, he rapidly put aside all distractions and restrained his mind. As his sword intent returned, he did not speak, and used his sword force to reply.
Pointing the Celestial Yuan Sword forward with its sharp end outwards, a large distortion appeared in the air as an incomparable sword force was released. Like a surging, yet formless wave, it swept across the entire Sword Discourse Arena. In an instant, he seemed to have become the center of the world. Even the watching audience that was the furthest away from him were able to vividly sense an oppressive, imposing aura. That kind of sensation felt as if one had been pointed with the sharp point of a blade between their brows. This chill made one tremble from head to toe! It was even more rich and powerful than Ling Jie’s sword force when he was wielding the dual swords, by at least ten times!
The Celestial Yuan Sword even reverberated as it pierced out!
In an instant, Ling Yun’s entire person vanished. The only thing the crowd could capture with their eyes was merely a cyan colored sword radiance and those distinctive ripples in the air… That’s right! That was a spatial ripple brought up by genuinely and legitimately cutting through space, and not the small degree of spatial distortion was stirred up by Ling Jie’s sword force. It was fundamentally impossible to compare the two in the same category!
The sharpness of Xia Qingyue’s senses naturally increased greatly as well when she had released all her profound strength. This sword strike was no longer possible to traced with her eyes. Her upper body moved slightly and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon instantly danced. As the white sheen swam, it precisely touched onto the Celestial Yuan Sword that shot piercing toward her. In the next instant, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was as if an intelligent snake that had just woke up, as it wrapped along the sword’s body as if lightning. At the same time, a wave of cold energy that was enough to freeze space itself suddenly exploded…
Chapter 237 - Sword Spirit Doppelganger
Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was an extremely unique weapon; it was similar to a whip, yet it also differed greatly from a whip. Some of its special qualities were even more unique. Ling Yun had fought countless matches before, but it was still the first time he had ever encountered this “Ribbon” type of weapon. Though he could tell that “entangle” was one of its core method of attack, Ling Yun completely did not expect that its entangling speed was actually so quick and overbearing. A burst of immense force that was almost not resistible suddenly traveled from his hand, and as he was caught off guard, the Celestial Yuan Sword was directly ensnared away out of his hands.
Even though Ling Yun was shocked, he did not panic. He retreated back as if lightning, dodged the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s attack, and extended his palm as sword intent channeled. The Celestial Yuan Sword that was ensnared up quickly escaped after a while of intense struggle within the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and flew back into his hands by itself.
“Heavenly Sword of Extreme Lightning!”
With a swing of the Celestial Yuan Sword, there was a burst of deafening thunderclaps and more than one hundred lines of sword light assaulted toward Xia Qingyue as if they were the brilliance of thunderbolts. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon turned from offense to defense as it whirled around her body with great speed and intercepted all of the lightning sword beams. However, Ling Yun’s finishing strike also pierced at her at this moment like rolling thunder; the sword beam that seemingly hid itself within the cracks within space, directly went for the tiny opening the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon produced in its dance.
Facing this dangerous sword strike, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon that was as lithe as a snake, suddenly shot straight out, and directly collided with the Celestial Yuan Sword. Along with an ear-piercing “clang” sound, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon deadlocked tightly with Celestial Yuan Sword just like that… The long ribbon that was originally as soft as silk, seemed as if it had transformed into indomitable fine steel at this very moment, and completely blocked the sword strike that was filled to the brim with Ling Yun’s sword intent.
“Bang!!”
As a ice lotus exploded, Xia Qingyue and Ling Yun were both blown away backwards simultaneously. Xia Qingyue gracefully landed, but when Ling Yun landed, a thick layer of frost had covered both of his arms. His eyebrows twitched before he finally blew off the frost with a bit of effort. He then looked at that long and snow-white ribbon with an extremely astonished gaze.
That was clearly just a long ribbon, how could it actually turn as tough as a sword!
“To actually be able to wield this Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon that is the hardest to control, so freely… How is this possible!” Ling Yuefeng uncontrollably exclaimed in shock. If he knew that it had only been a single year since Xia Qingyue first came into contact with Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, it was uncertain whether or not he would directly faint from the shock.
“A part of an ice phoenix’s soul is sealed within the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and it is extremely hard to control. The Asgard Mistress had used an entire thirty or so years, before she could display one hundred percent of its power. Yet Qingyue only took one year, and could already exhibit nearly seventy percent of its strength. It would be practically impossible for another with this kind of comprehensive ability to appear in our Asgard, even after a millennia.” Chu Yueli watched as she praised.
The Celestial Yuan Sword was a Sky Profound Weapon, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was a Sky Profound Weapon as well. But there also were disparities between Sky Profound Weapons; the Limitless Sword of Heavenly Sword Villa was a high-grade Sky Profound Weapon, and the Celestial Yuan Sword and Celestial Yang Sword were roughly mid-grade. However, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was a genuine high-grade Sky Profound Weapon. Just by looking at the wielding proficiency, Xia Qingyue didn’t seem to lose against Ling Yun, who had received Celestial Yuan Sword three years ago either… Thus, in terms of weapons, Xia Qingyue had the absolute advantage!
After those few rounds of exchanges earlier, Ling Yun had also become vaguely aware of this. However, he did not dread the disparity in the weapon at all. What truly shocked him, was the fact that Xia Qingyue’s profound strength foundation was actually not inferior to him in the slightest.
“HAAH!!”
With a loud roar, the white in Ling Yun’s eyes quickly retracted. Within the enlarged pupils, two sword silhouettes were shown. All of the sword intent in his body was conjured without restrain, and was intense enough that it almost turned solid. In a glance, it was as if a cluster of transparent flames were burning around his body.
RIIIP!!
Ling Yun’s sword struck out, bringing along a storm of sword silhouettes that blotted out the sky. The change in Lin Yun’s sword force also made Xia Qingyue’s thin brows move; the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon danced in the air, and a wave of bone-chilling cold aura blanketed toward Ling Yun’s sky covering sword mirages.
BANG!!!!
The profound energy barrier that Ling Wugou personally made directly cracked the instant their profound energy clashed. At this moment, these two superb experts of the Earth Profound Realm had finally and truly begun their full power duel.
The sword was like streaming light and thunderbolt, but the ribbon was at times like the fog, at times as tough as profound ice, sometimes tangled, swept, pierced, and slashed… Yet all these transformations easily danced within Xia Qingyue’s hands without the slightest awkwardness. If an ordinary person faced this kind of weapon for the first time, they would definitely be dazzled and would not be able to keep up. But Ling Yun was Ling Yun after all; even though his sword skills seemed like pressing attacks, in actuality, they were all feints. Defending while pretending to attack, he used his eyes and awareness to capture the different transformations of Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon in its entirety. After more than three hundred sword strikes, he had already adapted to it, and shifted from defense to offense; every single sword strike was aimed at the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s openings.
RIIP!!
As the light on the sword flashed, over ten lines of deep marks appeared on the even ground.
BOOM!!
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon gently caressed the ground. Yet it was precisely this seemingly soft and gentle caressing action that brought up an ear-shattering sound. A fissure extended with an astonishing cold aura at extreme speed, and only stopped when it reached Ling Wugou’s feet, making him consecutively step backwards in panic.
Ling Yun vaulted up and moved in midair. Every single step he took, a sword blade whirlwind would be brought up. When he had reached Xia Qingyue, over thirty sword blade whirlwinds swept toward Xia Qingyue from different directions, and within every single sword blade whirlwind, were several tens of hidden sword beams.
Ling Yun coming from the front, and several tens of sword blade whirlwinds coming from the surroundings, was a despairing situation that made one’s gall feel cold. Xia Qingyue’s expression was serene and unwavering. As the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon gracefully danced, a gigantic light blue colored lotus blossomed below her feet with incomparable splendor.
“Ice Lotus Prison!!”
Twelve light blue colored flower petals competed to bloom, and displayed a dazzling brilliance like the starry sky. But this time, this enormous ice lotus was not used to attack nor defend, and instead, self-destructed…
Shatter!!
The ice crystals that covered the sky densely flew about and crazily clashed with the sword beams. The ice crystals were grinding apart the sword beams, and the sword beams were also grinding apart the ice crystals. Within the chaotic storm of ice lotus and sword blades, the Celestial Yuan Sword and Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also crossed strikes like a fierce rainstorm. Gradually, the crowd could no longer see the figures of the Celestial Yuan Sword and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and in the end, even Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue could only see the two’s afterimages that shifted with extreme speed… Only the intense sound of the collisions, as well as the ice crystals and sword beams that covered the sky, unceasingly remained.
More than half of the Sword Discourse Arena, an entire three hundred and thirty meters of area was completely shrouded by sword beams and ice crystals. Even Ling Wugou was forced back three hundred and thirty meters away. The surrounding audience had already become stupefied from watching, and some seniors had already quickly constructed profound energy barriers in front of the seats to prevent the sudden berserk and dispersion of these energy injuring the young sectoral disciples. Seeing the intense battle on the Sword Discourse Arena, the shock in their hearts could not be described with words… Was this really a battle between two youths?
How could a battle of this extent, occur between two youths!!
On the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s seats, Qin Wushang was also staring with wide eyes. Thinking back at his own strength when he was twenty, he sighed and muttered to himself: “These two, would certainly both be the pinnacle of Blue Wind Empire in the future… Especially this Xia Qingyue, will even more so, be unparalleled!”
Ling Yuefeng’s expression became more and more solemn. He had originally thought that since he was similarly at the third level of Earth Profound Realm, Ling Yun should hold the absolute advantage; because dominating others of the same rank was as easy as lifting an arm for him. However, he sat there and saw Ling Yun expend his full power little by little, yet was still incapable of getting the slightest advantage at all. All of a sudden, some anxiety birthed in his heart. Because from this kind of situation of the battle, it was impossible for him to not think about a possibility…
Which was the possibility of Ling Yun losing.
But if Ling Yun also lost, then he would be stopped in the semifinals just like Ling Jie, and the two brothers would be respectively rank third and fourth place! Their power ranking, would also fall into third place!!
His Heavenly Sword Villa that was the number one force in the Blue Wind Empire, the number one supremacy that had never been shaken in history, would only be placed third in this Ranking Tournament! Not even keeping the second place! In all of Heavenly Sword Villa’s history, that had never happened before! To Heavenly Sword Villa’s prestige and fame, this would be an unimaginably heavy strike.
Furthermore, the first place reward in this session of the Ranking Tournament —— the Dragonscale Armor, was a great gift that Ling Kun brought over from Mighty Heaven Sword Region to grant it to Heavenly Sword Villa. The reason why it was used as the first place treasure of this Ranking Tournament, was also just a feint. Because before the tournament, they, as well as everyone else were all completely certain that the first place of this Ranking Tournament must belong to Ling Yun, with no exceptions of other people. Thus, not only would the Dragonscale Armor return to their Heavenly Sword Villa in the end, it would also display their “immense” wealth of his Heavenly Sword Villa.
If Ling Yun loses, this Dragonscale Armor would also fall into the hand of another.
No matter which outcome happens, they were all outcomes that Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not accept.
Seeing Ling Yuefeng’s reaction, Xuanyuan Yufeng comforted: “Yuefeng, do not worry. Don’t forget, Ling’er still hasn’t used the Sword Spirit Doppelganger. Once the Sword Spirit Doppelganger is used, Xia Qingyue definitely would not have any possibility of winning.”
“Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Universe!!”
Cyan colored sword light crazily surged atop the Celestial Yuan Sword, and extended all the way up to sixty meters away. Looking from afar, it was as if Ling Yun was holding an enormous colossal sword that was over sixty meters long and one and half meters wide. Both of Ling Yun’s hands were held upwards, and the cyan colored sword light crashed toward Xia Qingyue like heaven’s sword of judgement.
BOOM!!
Amidst the enormous noise, a huge and bottomless chasm that was over three hundred meters long and five feet wide ruptured open in the Sword Discourse Arena, violently dividing the Sword Course Arena in half. But Xia Qingyue had already appeared far away in midair from who knows when. Ice spirits slowly floated around her body as flakes of snow gently fell from above. At first, the snowflakes were sparse, but right after, they increasingly grew in number. Ice cold wind had also slowly started to blow. In the end, the wind and snow melded together into a boundless blizzard and torrented down.
“This is… the sixth stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts, Realm of Heavenly Snow Invocation!!” Ling Yuefeng turned pale from shock! From his knowledge, the old Chu Yuechan who was half-step into the Emperor Profound Realm, had also only reached this stage! Even though Xia Qingyue’s aptitude was extremely astonishing, even if her apitude was even greater, how was it possible for her to reach the sixth stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts with a profound strength at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… This was unrelated to aptitude, and should instead be restrained by the most fundamental laws of profound strength!
This kind of strength was already not like simple profound strength anymore, and was more like an undefiable force of nature. Those flakes of snow seemed to be soft and gentle, but a terrifying cold energy and destructive force hid within every single flake. Ling Yun quickly retreated backwards, but was still caged within the overwhelming blizzard. His sword lights moved like lightning and cut apart the blizzard with extreme speed as he forcefully endured this attack that fundamentally should not belong to the Earth Profound Realm’s level. And at this time, a line of white light suddenly arrived before his body. Even though he noticed, it was simply impossible for him, who was defending against the Heavenly Snow to take into consideration, and was lightly touched on his chest by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon.
Bang!!!
Ling Yun sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood, which sprinkled onto the pure-white snowflakes. And at the same time, he also borrowed the force of this direct attack he received to escape backwards, far out of the overwhelming blizzard’s attack. After tumbling for over ten times in the air, he heavily landed onto the ground on one knee with the Celestial Yuan Sword as support and heavily gasped from his mouth.
Ling Yuefeng stood up with a “whoosh”. With a grab of his palm, the Celestial Yang Sword within Ling Jie’s hands was sucked into his, and was then thrown flying toward Ling Yun: “Yun’er, catch the sword!!”
Ling Yun lifted up his head, and a painful struggle flashed through his eyes. However, he still extended his hands and caught the Celestial Yang Sword. His gaze, also once again recovered its resolution.
When Ling Jie was facing Yun Che before, a show of Ling Yun’s sword support was put on.
And now, the same scenario actually happened to Ling Yun.
The entire Sword Discourse Arena was silent, and no one voiced out any boos. Because anyone would understand that in this battle, Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not afford to lose. If they let the dignified number one force and supremacy in Blue Wind be reduced to the third, it would unquestionably be a shame that Heavenly Sword Villa could not wipe off for the generations to come.
Naturally, it was impossible for Ling Yun to not understand this. Thus, even though using the dual swords would hurt his pride and dignity, he still did not refuse… Compared to the prestige of Heavenly Sword Villa, his own personal dignity was simply not important at all.
He had to win this battle.
With the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, the Celestial Yang within his right, Ling Yun slowly stood up. His hand that grasped onto the Celestial Yang Sword also slowly unclenched, yet the Celestial Yang Sword that lost its grasp oddly did not fall, and instead just floated there.
Both of Ling Yun’s hands clasped in front of him, as a eccentric radiance that was as sharp as the sword beams stirred within his eyes. Around his body, there also swirled up a burst of light gray colored profound energy radiance.
“Sword… Spirit… Doppelganger!”
Chapter 238 - Conclusion Through Domain
An illusory shadow suddenly appeared behind the Celestial Yang Sword. Following Ling Yun’s low mutterings, the profound energy on his entire body surged, and this shadow quickly congealed. Lastly, it actually turned into an image of a person which did not feel like an illusion at all. It wore the same clothes as Ling Yun, had the same build as Ling Yun, and even its appearance and gaze were completely the same. He reached his hand out to grasp at the Celestial Yang Sword in front of him, and in that moment, a wave of sword energy that was undeniably and completely the same as Ling Yun’s was released.
Two Ling Yuns stood together, and apart from the sword in his hands, there were no conceivable differences between them!
Yun Che’s jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes revealed shock. This is… an illusion? Remnants of a shadow? Wrong! If it was an illusion, for something like “sword energy” to exist was completely impossible, yet it was clearly releasing a sword energy that did not pale in comparison to Ling Yun’s in the slightest. It was just like another real Ling Yun!
Two Ling Yuns!?
The entire audience was stupefied, especially the younger practitioners, their eyes were opened wider than a cow’s. What skill was this? How could such an unimaginable skill like this exist in the world… It was practically like a magic trick! Even practitioners of the lowest strength could feel that the sword energy from the “second Ling Yun” was not one bit inferior to the real Ling Yun’s.
“This is the Sword Spirit Doppelganger! It is a special sword intent skill that could only be achieved by those who have attained perfect comprehension of sword intent, and are at the pinnacle of this realm!” Qin Wushang said as his eyebrows sank, “This Sword Spirit Doppelganger is formed from Ling Yun’s sword intent. Not only will it not discount from Ling Yun’s own strength, it will also have the same profound energy and skills as Ling Yun, so it will count as a completely different entity which is completely the same as Ling Yun! However, the Sword Spirit Doppelganger will be very taxing on his mind. When the Sword Spirit Doppelganger disappears, Ling Yun will definitely become extremely exhausted… However, with Ling Yun’s sword intent, this Sword Spirit Doppelganger will last for at least an eighth of an hour!
“Within that time frame, Xia Qingyue will be facing an equivalent of two Ling Yuns. A single Ling Yun is already incomparably terrifying. Two of him… Let alone an eighth of an hour, it would be extremely hard for Xia Qingyue to even last for sixty breaths of time.”
While Qin Wushang was speaking. Ling Yun’s Celestial Yuan Sword had already pierced straight out in a graceful strike. It seemed to slice through space, and even if a mountain had been up ahead, the sword would have been enough to slash it into pieces.
Xia Qingyue’s white ribbon fluttered and forged ahead to face the Celestial Yuan Sword. Following a loud explosion, the sword’s shadow and a white shadow clashed into each other, and terrifying noises like that of thunder and lightning simultaneously rang out. At this, the other Ling Yun had already rounded behind Xia Qingyue, and the Celestial Yang Sword pierced over with a sword energy of the same ferocity…
Other than by using unconventional means, Xia Qingyue’s profound energy would only be barely enough to match evenly with Ling Yun. To use strength that transcends the norm would undoubtedly be immensely consuming, and was not something that can be frequently unleashed. Xia Qingyue could contend against a single Ling Yun, but was definitely not able to match up against two of him.
The ice lotus exploded, and Xia Qingyue had already quickly shifted, but both Ling Yuns followed her like shadows. Two Sky Profound Swords, one cyan and the other orange, wove together to form two huge sword webs, locking Xia Qingyue firmly within. Originally, the power of both the Celestial Yuan Sword and the Celestial Yang Sword was already complementary. Now that both people and swords matched harmoniously, the might of this combination wasn’t as simple as just being doubled.
Crack!!
The entire Sword Discourse Arena shook violently and the large spiderweb cracks began to appear on the stone platform beneath. Many ice lotuses bloomed beside Xia Qingyue, but they would be crushed to dust instantly by the cyan and orange sword energies. Gradually, less offensive ice lotuses appeared as defensive ice lotuses increased, until at last, all the ice lotuses were concentrated on defending. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also went into a state of full defense and fluttered rapidly around Xia Qingyue, resisting the continuous sword energies from both swords.
Even so, she was still surrounded by danger, and was forced back step by step by Ling Yun.
“I’d have never thought that Ling Yun could actually already be able to use the Sword Spirit Doppelganger… Elder sister, I remember that it was also because Ling Yuefeng had used this strange Sword Spirit Doppelganger trick to cause you to be defeated that year.” Chu Yueli lightly spoke slowly with a cool expression. Even though Xia Qingyue had already been forced into such an absolute disadvantage, she still did not seem to be anxious at all.
Chu Yuechan’s face was cold as frost, and she did not reply.
Chu Yueli closed her eyes and activated spirit sound transmission, “Qingyue, it seems like there is no other choice. Activate ‘Domain’, I believe that once the Mistress knows that Ling Yun is capable of utilizing the Sword Spirit Doppelganger, she will not blame you for activating the Domain.”
The movements of Xia Qingyue, who had been doing her utmost to hold her own against both Ling Yuns, became sluggish. Suddenly, the ice spirits around her body floated, and a humongous “Ice Lotus Prison” exploded under her feet, causing both Ling Yuns to retreat at the same time.
The two Ling Yuns withdrew thirty meters away, then approached again at lightning speed. But at that moment, ice blue light was suddenly released from Xia Qingyue’s body. She closed both eyes, her expression as peaceful as snow. As she opened her arms slowly, her ink-black long hair floated up without any wind, and a wave of biting cold wind suddenly whistled down from the blue dome of heaven…
“Frozen… Cloud… Domain….”
A low and gentle chant slowly escaped from her lips. In a split second, it was as if the world suddenly switched over. The air in the three hundred meters that surrounded her turned into a sheet of ice in a flash. In this huge ice-blue domain, the air was as frigid as purgatory. Ice and frost filled the sky as they fell. Vapor in the air also rapidly solidified into countless ice crystals, forming a sheet of pure white that grew thicker by the second.
The movements of both Ling Yuns stopped simultaneously as layers of ice began to quickly solidify on their entire bodies. Deep shock was revealed on their faces.
“This is… This is… This is…”
“Domain!?” Without waiting for Ling Yuefeng’s cry of shock, Xuanyuan Yufeng clutched Ling Yuefeng’s hand and involuntarily shouted out.
Ling Kun’s complexion also changed in a split second. After the shock had passed, he quietly muttered to himself, “It’s truly worthy of being called… the Nine Profound Exquisite Body that holds no regard for regulations!”
“Do… Domain!?”
“It… It can’t be! It can’t possibly be! Domain…. Isn’t that a Throne’s power!”
“But this is clearly the strength of a Domain! And it’s a completely formed Domain!”
This time, not only the younger practitioners, but even the elders were all stunned. Domain, to the younger practitioners, was too far away for to reach, and to these elders, they clearly and deeply knew of the concept of Domain… And this sort of power was still the ultimate goal they pursued throughout their entire lives!
“Domain… Domain…” Ling Wugou stared at the ice blue world in front of him, gobsmacked. In the midst of all the shock, his face became thoroughly stiff. As of today, he was at the eighth level of the Sky Profound Realm, and the possibility of ever charging into the Emperor Profound Realm in his lifetime was extremely slim. And to fully utilize a Domain, was proof of a Throne’s power. But for him, all this was only a dream that could not been reached… However, this dream of his, had actually completely appeared on a mere seventeen year old girl’s body.
The might of Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud Domain could definitely not compare to when it was first used by Chu Yuechan, but its completeness far surpassed that. After all, the most that Chu Yuechan, who was then half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm, could use would only be half an Frozen Cloud Domain, while Xia Qingyue’s was fully complete!
Within the Frozen Cloud Domain, ice-cold flying snow, frost, mist, and wind… everything had been changed to become advantageous towards Xia Qingyue’s element, and at the same time, it restricted Ling Yun to an enormous extent in all aspects. The frightful chill cut to the bone, and even caused Ling Yun’s bones to tremble. The sky was filled with wind and snow, and the frosty mist obstructed his view… In the beginning, he was still able to withstand it with some effort, but gradually, his body began to harden, and be it his body’s speed or his sword’s speed, both dropped sharply, and even his sword’s strength weakened as if it too, had been frozen over.
Ding!
All of Ling Yun’s sword beams had already been frozen in midair straight away, and thick layers of frost had even spread to the Celestial Yuan and Yang Swords. The world within the Frozen Cloud Domain was akin to a freezing hell, and if a person did not have a Domain of similar intensity to counteract it, they would have to bear the continuous pain of the ice prison… For Ling Yun, who was in the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, let alone two of him, even if there were ten, or a hundred, he would still not be able to create a true Domain.
While he was dumbstruck and at a loss, thick layers of ice had already unknowingly crusted below his feet and on his chest. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon came attacking from midair, but his hardened body no longer heeded what he wanted it do, and his movements were impossibly slow…
Ping!!
With a loud explosion, the layers of ice on his chest were smashed into pieces. Xia Qingyue did not hold back at all in this hit, causing Ling Yun to be sent flying far away, flying straight for thirty meters, before landing outside of the Frozen Cloud Domain.
Bang!!
Ling Yun fell harshly onto the ground. In the split second that he had hit the ground, his Sword Spirit Doppelganger vanished, and the Celestial Yang Sword also fell powerlessly. While in the Frozen Cloud Domain, not only had his body been frozen, his profound strength had as well. So when he had taken that hit, his profound energy defense had been extremely frail. This one hit, had made him suffer profuse inner injuries. Adding to that, his soul energy was seriously damaged by the Sword Spirit Doppelganger’s dissipation. The world in front of his eyes was a sea of disorder. His body struggled, yet he was ultimately unable to stand up.
“Y…. Young Villa Master!”
Ling Wugou rushed over quickly to help Ling Yun up. The moment he touched him, he found that his body was practically as cold as a block of ice.
“I… surrender…” Slowly opening his eyes, Ling Yun said these two words that he had thought he would never speak in his entire life with great difficulty. After which, his head sagged and he fainted dead away.
Initially, he had shared the limelight equally with Xia Qingyue, but after utilizing the Sword Spirit Doppelganger, he had gained the upper hand. However, the moment Xia Qingyue had unleashed Frozen Cloud Domain, he suffered a crushing defeat in the blink of an eye… Because that had surpassed the fundamental laws of profound energy. It was strength that should not have appeared in the Earth Profound Realm. He did not have the strength to contend against it at all.
Ling Yuefeng somberly went back to his seat, and then took a long breath before silently closing his eyes. The moment Frozen Cloud Domain had appeared, he knew that Ling Yun had lost, and that Heavenly Sword Villa had lost… There was not even a shred of hope for a fluke.
“She is clearly only an Earth Profound Realm practitioner, how could she… how could she…” Ling Yuefeng muttered lowly and despondently. Even up to now, he still could not accept what everyone present had just seen with their own eyes.
“Ling Yun has conceded… Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue is the winner, and will enter the final battle tomorrow!” Ling Wugou stood up, and with a voice filled with pain, announced the results of this battle that nobody would have ever expected to happen.
Ling Yun… had lost…
Unexpectedly, it was Ling Yun who lost!!
They couldn’t imagine what a commotion it would cause in the Blue Wind Empire if news of this outcome were to circulate.
And if news that this practitioner who was only in the Earth Profound Realm could utilize Domain were to spread out, it would shock… Undoubtedly, it would shock the entire Sky Profound Continent!
Within the strong who were half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm, some who were especially endowed could forcefully try to use an incomplete Domain, but never had anyone been able to utilize Domain in the Earth Profound Realm, and especially a complete Domain at that!
The ice-blue Domain had slowly vanished, and under everyone’s deep shock and stares of disbelief, Xia Qingyue floated down from the sky. When she landed, her body gently shook and her towering chest also rose and fell fiercely. Even more so, her complexion was abnormally white… The result of unleashing something that belonged to the Emperor Profound Realm with only strength at the Earth Profound Realm, anyone would know how immense the toll would be on her. At her peak, this gorgeous Frozen Cloud enchantment could barely last for a maximum of twenty breaths of time.
A profound stone was again erected in the center of the Sword Discourse Arena, and on it, the two people who would be competing in the finals tomorrow were displayed…
Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che —— versus —— Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue!
Chapter 239 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (1)
No one had foreseen the results of the two battles in the semifinals. Yun Che’s battle with Ling Jie, was a visual feast for the audience, and Xia Qinyue’s duel with Ling Yun, had completely destroyed all of their prior perceptions. After the battles, those who had watched the entirety of the battle could not calm down for a long while.
In this ranking tournament, in these battles of youths of under twenty, unexpectedly appeared a Domain!
“Sigh, it is truly Yangtze’s waves pushing the waves ahead . We have aged, the time for the younger generation to shine has already arrived! Ling Yun alone could make us speechless, but this Xia Qingyue… Hehe, in front of this young girl, I feel like I can’t even raise my head.” One of the elders of a major sect said while sighing.
(Author’s ps: Don’t ask me why “Yangtze” is here! I really don’t know!)
“It is still a good thing. It at least proves that our Blue Wind Empire’s profound realms can grow to an even higher level in the future.”
“I wonder where Frozen Cloud Asgard found such a disciple. After this ranking tournament, the name ‘Xia Qingyue’ will resound throughout Blue Wind Empire. The title strongest of the youths, will have to change hands.”
“Without a doubt, this young girl must be the first in history to cause Heavenly Sword Villa to just be a side character. It must be hard for Heavenly Sword Villa to take.”
All the discussions were focused on Xia Qingyue, and few people brought up the the other participant of tomorrow’s battle, Yun Che. It was not surprising; even though Yun Che and Ling Jie’s battle was exciting, when compared to Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue’s battle, it was worse by a few levels. Yun Che also didn’t have it easy beating Ling Jie, and had his weapon broken. No matter what happens, he wouldn’t be able to beat Xia Qingyue, who overcame Ling Yun, and could even cast a Domain.
Once Xia Qingyue’s Domain was released, perhaps in the entire Earth Profound Realm, there were none that could be her match. This type of ability that transcended realms, as well as the rules of profound strength, was a gift from the heavens.
The people of Heavenly Sword Villa were indeed feeling unhappy.
Having his body and meridians frozen by the Domain, injured by Xia Qingyue’s attack, and even suffering from the side effects of the Sword Spirit Doppelganger technique, Ling Yun had not awaken even after a whole 6 hours. The fainted Ling Yun was extremely pale, and his face unconsciously showed signs of suffering… It was hard to say whether it was because of the pain of his body, or whether he could not accept that he, who had always been unmatched among the youths, had lost, embarrassing Heavenly Sword Villa.
“Yun’er still hasn’t awaken?” Ling Yuefeng walked over, with neither happiness nor sadness on his face.
“Not yet. The Sword Spirit Doppelganger wasn’t released voluntarily, but destroyed. Brother’s spirit should have taken quite a bit of damage, but he should awaken after another few hours.” Ling Jie said worriedly.
“Sigh…” Ling Yuefeng let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. “This two battles, you and your brother had both displayed all your skills completely, there’s nothing more to say about our loss. It seems like these years I have been too proud and ignorant… Our Heavenly Sword Villa’s era of reign, has to end from this point onwards…”
…………………………
Night fell with the waning moon hanging high in the sky, and the clear moonlight shining downwards. Under the moonlight, Xia Qingyue sat silently beside the lotus pond, hands supporting her cheeks, as she quietly stared at the incomplete moon. Her eyes were like calm lakes without ripples. She was deep inside her own secret thoughts.
A cool breeze blew, and a snow white image appeared next to her without a sound. Xia Qingyue lowered her gaze, stood up, and then bowed. “Senior Master.”
Chu Yuechan nodded faintly, then extended her jade like hand which held a pellet. The pellet was snow white, and exuded a light that was similar to the moon: “You used your Domain today, and slightly wounded your vitality. At this rate, you will only recover sixty percent of your energy by tomorrow, but after taking this pellet, you can completely recover.”
“Frozen Soul Heaven Returning Pellet…” Xia Qingyue was astounded, and did not receive it. “Frozen Soul Heaven Returning Pellet is a priceless treasure, it shouldn’t be wasted on Qingyue.”
“You are Frozen Cloud Asgard’s future pillar and hope. The position of Asgard Mistress will also belong to you in the future. Any treasure that is used on you would never be a waste. Take it.”
Chu Yuechan’s position in Frozen Cloud Asgard was second only to the Mistress. Xia Qingyue did not refuse any longer as she received the pellet, and immediately placed it in her mouth.
“Thank you Senior Master.”
As the Frozen Soul Heaven Returning Pellet entered her body, the night breeze suddenly became extremely cold, and the energy of heaven and earth quickly entered Xia Qingyue’s body, allowing her her injured vitality and profound energy to quickly recover.
Chu Yuechan watched Xia Qingyue for a short while with a complicated gaze before whispering: “Qingyue, for the battle tomorrow, do not underestimate your opponent, and even more importantly, do not assume that victory is in your hands. With regards to his ability, though he is still hiding some secrets, even if he does utilize everything, he will still be far from you. With your Domain, it is true that under the Sky Profound Realm, there isn’t anyone who can be your match. However, he has two things that you distantly fall short of.”
Xia Qingyue glanced up with astonishment in her moon-like beautiful eyes: “Please advise me, Senior Master.”
“The first, is his battle experience and extremely acute five senses. His decision making and decisiveness under dangerous circumstances coupled with his battle experience, forget about you, even I am far from his level… The second, is his perseverance and willpower. Even if he is pressured to the limit and has no ability to counter attack, do not assume that he has lost, but conversely, when he is in dire straits, he could become even more terrifying. Under extreme pressure, a normal person can bring out the last power from their body, but for him, he can bring out power from his soul… This battle tomorrow, not only should you not relax, it could perhaps be a difficult battle. These are not empty words, but is my advice for you as your Senior Master.
“Even if you lose, I would not be too astonished.”
Hearing Chu Yuechan’s words, Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment.
Chu Yuechan’s heart was like profound ice, and with a cold personality, she usually hardly spoke. This was the first time that she has heard this Senior Master that she revered speak so much. And every word she said, was giving a young man an extremely good assessment… So high that it seemed like an impossible assessment.
If she had not heard it directly from Chu Yuechan, it would be impossible for her to believe that it had happened.
“Yes, I will remember Senior Master’s advice.” Xia Qingyue said softly. Shortly after, even though she was hesitating, she asked: “Qingyue has a presumptuous question to ask Senior Master…”
“You would like to know why I understand him so?” Chu Yuechan slowly closed her eyes.
“Yes…”
Chu Yuechan turned around, and just when Xia Qingyue thought she was going to leave, she suddenly said faintly: “Previously, I left the Asgard to hunt for three Sky Profound Cores so you can refine the Ice Heart Jade Fluid. When I obtained the third profound core, I accidentally got poisoned. After that, I met him and he helped me cure the poison, and I ended up owing him a favor.”
Xia Qingyue’s lips parted as her gaze trembled.
“Two months after I returned to Asgard, I left again, and disappeared for five months. Those five months were spent with him, because I wanted to repay the favor by protecting him, but in the end, he was the one who saved my life instead. It was also because of him that I could break into the Emperor Profound Realm.”
“…” Xia Qingyue did not make a sound for a long time, for she was unable to believe everything she had heard.
Even Chu Yuechan herself wasn’t sure why she told these secrets, that she had planned to keep to herself for the rest of her life, to Xia Qingyue. Perhaps, it was because deep within her heart, she felt a type of indescribable inferiority to her… After all, Xia Qingyue was his legal and proper wife, but she as Xia Qingyue’s Senior Master, had…
“These words, cannot be repeated to anyone, including your master.”
“Yes.” Xia Qingyue nodded, her thoughts bewildered.
“As an exchange, can you answer a question?”
Today, Xia Qingyue had an unreal feeling, what with Chu Yuechan talking so much. She nodded: “Senior Master, please ask.”
Chu Yuechan glanced back, her cold voice carried some gentleness: “When I taught you Frozen Cloud Arts, I checked your awareness, and found out that you did not really like to train, but had a very strong desire to obtain greater power. Can you tell me the reason?”
Xia Qingyue was startled, and a deep sadness appeared in her eyes fleetingly. Her eyes became misty, and even the ice spirits around her calmed down and became quiet.
“Because of… my Mother…” After Chu Yuechan’s open-hearted words, she did not choose to hide, but very naturally, with words that flowed like the mist, she said: “Father and mother’s meeting was very magical… When father met mother outside of the city, she was in a coma and her entire body was covered with blood. After she woke up, she did not have any of her memories, and her body was extremely weak… Then, mother married father, and because her body was weak, giving birth to me was very difficult, and I narrowly escaped death…”
“When I was four years old, mother suddenly regained her memories… She left, like a fairy she flew away and left… When she left, she hugged me and my brother while crying pitifully, saying that if she didn’t leave, she would bring calamity to the whole family. She said that where she was going, was a place called the Domain of the Gods. It was a place that we could never get to… After that, even though father stayed strong, I often see him shed tears quietly when he was alone. After more than ten years, he never remarried… Brother was so young and ignorant, but when growing up, the thing that he envied the most, was that others people had mothers…”
“Domain of the Gods?” Chu Yuechan’s eyebrows tightened, because even with her experience, she had also never heard of this name, “Do you know what kind of place it is?”
Xia Qingyue absent-mindedly shook her head: “I don’t know. I have researched many ancient books, but I never encountered this name.”
“The reason you pursue profound power is so that you can reach a level high enough to learn this name, correct?”
“Mn…” Xia Qingyue nodded slightly before raising her snow white face to look at the waning moon in the sky: “I only want a reunited family. Even though this goal is very far, I believe that as I climb higher and higher, I will inevitably be able to see the silhouette of my mother one day…”
At this moment, the sound of deliberately soft footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Soon, a clear voice drifted over from the main door of the courtyard: “This one is Xiao Sect’s Xiao Kuangyu. I would like to meet the Fairy of Frozen Moon, ‘Xia Qingyue’… This one does not have any other intentions. It’s just that I have an frozen jade hairpin which suits the Fairy of Frozen Moon. Only when matched with the Fairy of Frozen Moon, would this treasure not be wasted. And also…”
Before Xiao Kuangyu could finish speaking, Chu Yuechan extended her hand and pushed. A stream of solidifying cold energy suddenly rushed forth and sealed the courtyard’s main entrance with a thick ice wall three meters in height. The stream of cold energy that rushed towards him caused Xiao Kuangyu to pale in fright, and he speedily retreated. Even though his face was twitching with anger, he did not dare to say anything. He had no option but to forcefully clench his teeth as he angrily left with a flick of his sleeve.
In the entire Blue Wind Empire, perhaps only Frozen Cloud Asgard could thwart and embarrass this second young master of the Xiao Sect.
Chapter 240 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (2)
Yun Che straightened his upper body. Bending his right leg forward, he closed his eyes, and both his hands assumed the sword-grasping form. After maintaining this motion for a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and growled before chopping forward with both arms…
But these series of movements were mere movements without any grandeur.
“What are you doing?” Jasmine finally could not restrain her curiosity as she asked out loud.
Yun Che retrieved both hands, heaved a sigh of relief, and said: “Jasmine, what do you think the probability of me winning the fight tomorrow is?”
“If any other person was substituted, with the exact same profound strength and profound techniques as you, the probability of defeating Xia Qingyue would be completely zero! Even if this person had used all his strength, he shouldn’t even think about exchanging more than ten moves. But for you… there’s probably a tiny chance.” Jasmine responded lightly: “Because, when you are about to lose, you’ll become a madman who can’t afford to lose!”
“Hehe, thanks for the praise.” Yun Che smiled, quite pleased with himself.
“Praise? I was being sarcastic!” Jasmine corrected herself very earnestly: “I can feel that you aren’t that confident about defeating Xia Qingyue yourself, yet you also absolutely won’t permit yourself to lose. So, at that time, even I won’t be able to anticipate what kind of life-threatening actions you’ll make. However, I must warn you, it is best that you don’t try to forcefully activate the third realm of the Evil God. At the Dragon God Trial grounds, you forcefully activated the second realm of the Evil God. If it wasn’t for your Great Way of the Buddha suddenly making a breakthrough, you would have died there. You won’t have such heavenly luck every time!”
“I’m not really a person who can’t afford to lose; if tomorrow’s opponent was Ling Yun, or even Xiao Jie, I wouldn’t think much about it if I lost, but only Xia Qingyue… I definitely cannot lose! This isn’t an issue of victory or defeat, but an issue of a man’s dignity!”
“A man’s dignity?”
“… This is a matter between adults, little kids won’t understand it.” Yun Che answered with a grin.
“Little kid? Hmph! Everything I know, surpasses your knowledge ten million times!” Jasmine snorted in disdain: “You still haven’t answered my question. What are you gesticulating?”
“It’s not much. I’ve just been trying to get a feel for the Sirius’ Second Sword Style based off the fundamental stage of the Prison God Sirius’ Tome, but evidently, I’ve been a bit too quixotic.” Yun Che said grudgingly. He had tried to do this numerous times, but each time, his efforts proved to be fruitless.
“Jasmine, do you really not have any impression at all of the Sirius’ Second Sword Style?” Yun Che suddenly asked. Currently, out of all of his attacking profound techniques, Sky Wolf Slash had the greatest power. And Sky Wolf Slash was only the first sword style of the Prison God Sirius’ Tome, yet it already had such formidable power; the godly might of the following sword styles must be even more frightening.
“During that time, I had only casually flipped through the Prison God Sirius’ Tome while Big Brother was training, so I only remember the fundamental stage and the first sword style…” Speaking to this point, Jasmine seemed to have thought of something, and after a slight pause, a string of scenes suddenly appeared in Yun Che’s mind… In the scenes, a young man with a handsome figure and unclear facial features was currently brandishing an enormous heavy sword even larger than his body. Every wave of the heavy sword caused the winds and clouds to rumble, and the earth to quake…
“This… is…”
“This is a scene of Big Brother training. His heavy sword sword styles are mostly from the Prison God Sirius’ Tome, but there are only movements, and no profound arts. Furthermore, I can’t guarantee that these scenes won’t have mistakes and omissions. Whether or not you can get anything out of this, it’s all up to you.” Jasmine said irresponsibly.
Yun Che didn’t say anymore. After calming his heart down, he began to silently observe the form of the figure wielding the heavy sword in his mind, over and over again…
The next day, Heavenly Sword Villa’s Sword Discourse Arena.
The sun had yet to rise, but the Sword Discourse Arena was already completely packed. This day was the concluding day of the Ranking Tournament, and the two parties in the final battle was an unprecedented pair of a young man and woman who were merely seventeen years of age.
One was Yun Che, who had the lowest profound strength out of all the participating disciples, yet consecutively defeated opponents with profound strengths far surpassing his, and ultimately, miraculously charged into the final battle. In every one of his fights, he had brought about more or less legendary flair. He was the first ever disciple in the True Profound Realm to have participated in the Ranking Tournament, and furthermore, the first ever True Profound Realm participant to have charged into the finals!
And the other one was Xia Qingyue, who had revealed her true strength yesterday, defeated Ling Yun, and astonished everyone present. After yesterday’s battle, she had become the Blue Wind Empire’s number one genius. Furthermore, she had replaced Ling Yun, and became the number one of the younger generation. In the future, she would definitely become a king class expert whose name would shake all of Blue Wind.
And Heavenly Sword Villa, which had always taken the leading role of this decisive battle in the past, had been reduced to mere spectators this time. Ling Yuefeng had arrived very early, but he just sat silently the entire time, and didn’t say a word. Ling Yun, who had lost the fight yesterday, also appeared next to Ling Yuefeng. He was similarly silent, but his expression was very tranquil; at least on the surface, it seemed like he hadn’t taken much of a blow from yesterday’s loss.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was too weak, but that his opponent was so powerful she completely exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Today, there were originally two battles scheduled in the Sword Discourse Arena. The first battle was the fight for the third and fourth places, but this fight had directly concluded when Ling Jie conceded the match in advance. Ling Yun, who had originally been expected to take first place, thus ranked third. Before the Ranking Tournament, everyone had made a great deal of predictions as to which competitors would become the top three, and the only unanimous prediction was that Ling Yun would take first place. If he hadn’t gone through the fight with Xia Qingyue yesterday, no would ever think about or even believe this kind of conclusion.
“… The final battle of the ranking tournament: Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che, versus Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue. May both contestants ascend the Sword Discourse Arena!”
Ling Wugou declared loudly at the center of the Sword Discourse Arena.
“Junior Brother Yun, good luck!”
“Brother-in-law, good luck!”
Yun Che stood up, and suddenly asked to his side: “Yuanba, do you hope that I’ll win, or hope that your sister will win?”
“Eh…” Xia Yuanba was stumped. He scratched his head, and said: “If Brother-in-law wins, I’ll certainly be happy, and if Big Sis wins, I’ll definitely be happy as well.” Having spoken to this point, Xia Yuanba’s eyes suddenly began to sparkle: “Waaah! Before, the Ranking Tournament could only appear in my dreams, but now Big Sis and Brother-in-law are competing for first place; it’s as if I’m still inside a dream. However, if I had to compare the two of you… I still hope Brother-in-law will win.”
“Oh? Why?” Yun Che asked with a faint smile.
“This, this… because Big Sis is still a girl y’know, and is also Brother-in-law’s wife. Being defeated by Brother-in-law seems a bit more reasonable.” Xia Yuanba answered in a somewhat confused manner.
“Hahahaha.” Yun Che began to laugh. He reached out and patted Xia Yuanba’s shoulder: “Yuanba, well spoken. As a man, it’s not much if I lose to other people, but I definitely can’t lose to my own wife!! So what if she’s a tigress or a phoenix, I must firmly… Mn, ride her!!”
Xia Yuanba stared wide and nodded blankly. Even though he hadn’t completely digested Yun Che’s words, he felt that they made a lot of sense.
This crooked reasoning by Yun Che made Cang Yue smile wryly, but she did not rebuke him. These words that were filled with arrogance and machismo ought to have sounded repulsive from a girl’s perspective; but coming from Yun Che’s mouth, it didn’t make her feel odd and repulsed. Instead, she had a fitting feeling that this belonged to a part of his disposition.
Under the gazes of several thousands of people, Yun Che walked to the center of the Sword Discourse Arena, and stood opposing Xia Qingyue.
The current Xia Qingyue had an ice veil covering her face, making him unable to see her features even though he was very close. However, that single fleeting glance yesterday, was already enough for him to carve it deep into his heart. The two silently faced each other… Other than the limited few, no one present would have thought that these two people who seemed to be completely unrelated, were actually a genuine husband and wife pair.
Recalling the bridal greeting, wedding, and sleeping together back then… At that time, she was the publically acknowledged beloved daughter of the heavens, and what’s more, she had been accepted as a disciple of the Frozen Cloud Asgard even earlier. Yet, he was only a wastrel with crippled profound veins and no future who was looked down in contempt by everyone; the two’s difference could be said to be as far as heaven and earth. But just with a short few days of interacting, Yun Che had already cracked a tiny little fissure in Xia Qingyue’s cold and indifferent heart. However, the unforeseen event that came right after, made them go on their separate ways earlier than expectations… When they met again, the trajectory and height of the two’s lives, both had already turned upside down.
The her before was a beloved daughter of the heavens, and the dotings of thousands upon thousands of people concentrated on that one body. The her right now, was even more blessed countless times by the heavens, and stood on an unreachable plane that made peers of the same age exclaim in shock.
And in Xia Qingyue’s eyes, as if a miracle, that youth who was frail and weak yet had a resolute and profound gaze, and was even somewhat bold and audacious in front of her, actually grew into a enormous tree that reached the heavens in less than two short years. The him that time could only be oppressed by others and was driven out of his family in the end; yet the him now, could stand on this profound strength stage of the highest level in the Blue Wind Empire with pride, and declare his name at all of Blue Wind Empire’s peak experts.
It was like an inexplicable setup by fate; this pair of husband and wife that should by no means have crossed each other again, had nevertheless, simultaneously stood on this stage that represented the pinnacle. The other party, was their last opponent.
“Qingyue, do you know why I participated in the Ranking Tournament this time?” Yun Che opened his mouth first while looking into Xia Qingyue’s eyes, and asked while smiling faintly.
Without waiting for Xia Qingyue to inquire, Yun Che followed up: “The first reason is to complete Senior Sister Xueruo’s dream. I have already accomplished this. As for the second reason…”
Yun Che extended his right hand forward as a gray light flashed, and grasped onto the hilt of Dragon Fault. The tip of the sword, in which a fierce dragon was embedded, naturally drooped down, piercing the ground beneath him with a loud explosion. A gust of thick and domineering imposing force also surged and spread like waves in all directions.
“I’ll tell you after I defeat you!”
The instant Dragon Fault was taken out, not in the least unexpected, the might of the Sky Profound sword awed the entire arena. In the Blue Wind Empire, it was well known that only seven Sky Profound weapons existed; this heavy sword, was actually a Sky Profound Weapon that had never before been seen!
“This imposing force… is a Sky Profound Weapon! And a high-grade Sky Profound Weapon at that!
“Such a Sky Profound Weapon actually exists in Blue Wind Empire, why haven’t I ever heard of it? Could it be that the Blue Wind Imperial Family has been concealing it this entire time?”
“It looks as if it’s still a heavy sword… A Sky Profound heavy sword, I’m afraid even an expert at the Sky Profound Realm would find it difficult to control. Can he control it?”
“Sky… Sky Profound heavy sword?” Ling Jie cried out in surprise, then clenched his teeth silently: “No wonder he didn’t want me to pay him for breaking that Earth Profound heavy sword. It turns out he actually has a Sky Profound heavy sword… In other words, he was still holding back in our fight yesterday, and didn’t use all his strength… Mn? Father, what happened? Ah? Big Bro, your expression has also become really strange.”
“Father, doesn’t it look like that sword?” Ling Yun suddenly asked.
Ling Yuefeng didn’t respond, and rapidly withdrew an ancient book of historical records from his spatial ring. He flipped through the first several pages of the historical records, and after his gaze halted for a moment, he raised his hand, looked at the enormous sword in Yun Che’s hands, and said in a low voice: “Based on the information we’ve received about Yun Che in the last few days, for some time before this, did he go to the Wasteland of Death, and spend an entire five months of time there before coming out?”
“That did indeed happen.” Ling Yun nodded.
“Looks like it can’t be wrong.” Ling Yuefeng closed the historical records and withdrew it into his spatial ring: “Without a doubt, that sword is indeed Dragon Fault.”
Chapter 241 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (3)
“Dragon Fault?” Ling Jie felt that this name sounded somewhat familiar. He thought about it for a while before saying with astonishment: “Dragon Fault, wasn’t that the heavy sword recorded in our sect’s history? Don’t tell me…”
“Dragon Fault’s written accounts could be traced back to a thousand years ago. Heavenly Sword Villa had just been recently established then, and the Villa even had a heavy sword department.” Ling Yuefeng explained slowly: “But it only took two generations for this department to decline. During the third generation, those who practiced the heavy sword dwindled to such a small number that did not even reach ten. At that time, in order to make a breakthrough and revive the heavy sword, the elder of that department left for the Wasteland of Death with Dragon Fault… Records say that the Dragon Fault Sword was forged by our ancestors using Ten Thousand Year Old Ardent Gray Stone. Sealed within the sword is the soul of a young Sky Profound Dragon’s soul, which was why it was named Dragon Fault. But ever since the Dragon Fault Sword had been born in this world, it had never once displayed its true Sky Profound might. After that heavy sword department elder entered the Wasteland of Death with Dragon Fault, he had never once came out. And from that point onwards, the Dragon Fault Sword vanished without a trace.”
“According to the information that I’ve received, Yun Che had once gone deep into the Wasteland of Death before. The Sky Profound sword in his hands is exactly the same as the Dragon Fault written in our records… Without doubt, that must be Dragon Fault.” Ling Yuefeng creased his brows as he said that. He deeply understood what kind of concept it was to have “gone deep into the Wasteland of Death.”
“Ah… Father, are you thinking… of demanding to have the Dragon Fault Sword back after the ranking tournament?” Ling Jie probed as he carefully assessed Ling Yuefeng’s reaction.
“No.” Ling Yuefeng shook his head: “At that time, Heavenly Sword Villa had searched for the Dragon Fault Sword for many years, yet ended up empty-handed. In the end, they gave up. Him obtaining Dragon Fault is due to his own ability and luck. Our Heavenly Sword Villa has no right to demand it… But this can also be regarded as fate between him and our Heavenly Sword Villa. After all, that is a heavy sword that our ancestors themselves, personally casted.”
“This is the last battle of this session’s ranking tournament. The victor, will become the new leader of Blue Wind Empire’s younger generation and also receive the ‘Dragonscale Armor’ bestowed by one of the Sacred Grounds, the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region…”
When he said the words “Dragonscale Armor”, a pained expression of heartache clearly flashed past Ling Yuefeng’s face. A Sky Profound protective armor was obviously even more rare and precious than a Sky Profound Weapon, and this Dragonscale Armor was also the highest of highest grade. It was originally suppose to belong to their Heavenly Sword Villa. Never did they expect that “making feints” would become a “submissive hand over”. Not feeling brokenhearted would be weird.
“Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che against Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue… Battle start!!”
Bang!!
Dragon Fault was pulled out by Yun Che from under his foot, bringing along small pieces of broken rock that flew in the air as it released an unrestrained powerful yet dignified imposing aura. Both his hands firmly held onto Dragon Fault. In the blink of an eye, his aura had already become one with Dragon Fault’s aura. While watching Xia Qingyue, he spoke lowly: “Do you still remember what I told you that night? If we become adversaries, I hope that you will use all our strength, without ever holding back!!”
“Burning Heart… Open!”
Yun Che suddenly roared in a loud voice, and Evil God’s Second Gate —— Burning Heart, opened without the slightest hesitation! In an instant, the profound energy aura on his body suddenly increased explosively at an incomparably shocking rate. The aura’s level was still of the tenth level of the True Profound Realm, but it was not known how many times the thickness of this aura exceeded the limits of the True Profound Realm. It was actually so strong that it quickly drew near to the intensity of Xia Qingyue’s aura.
“AHHHHHHH!!” Ling Jie leaned forward as his mouth gaped open and released a seemingly frightened yell. Originally, even when he had been defeated yesterday, he still felt that it was not an easy win for Yun Che. However, when he brought out Dragon Fault, his self-confidence immediately took a hit. And at this moment, the intensity of Yun Che’s profound energy suddenly increased explosively. It was obviously not the same as yesterday’s, and this fact ruthlessly hammered at Ling Jie’s heart.
It turned out that in yesterday’s duel, not only did Yun Che go easy on him weapon-wise, in regards to profound energy, he did not even go all out.
If Yun Che had displayed such a profound strength and used Dragon Fault for a weapon, wanting to defeat him, would have been a completely easy task.
However, the situation was not as simple as what Ling Jie believed it to be. Yun Che’s profound strength was just too low. Even with the support of the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha that he had broken through to, he could barely maintain the Burning Heart state. It was still “barely”, so if the battle lasted too long, it might perhaps leave a definite repercussion.
And the limit in which he could maintain the “Burning Heart” state, was approximately five minutes.
And these five minutes of the “Burning Heart” state, was the only thing he could rely on to withstand Xia Qingyue! In other words, he had to defeat Xia Qingyue in less than half a quarter of an hour. Otherwise, after he becomes incapable of maintaining “Burning Heart”, he would not even have a sliver of hope.
Yun Che’s sudden dramatic rise of profound energy startled everyone, including Ling Yuefeng and Qin Wushang. From the start of the ranking tournament up until now, one after another of ridiculous and incredible situations emerged from Yun Che, but he had actually never revealed his true strength. Through the progression of the ranking tournament, his opponents grew stronger and stronger, yet he had only released only a bit of his true strength… And at this moment, he had truly released all the strength he possessed without reservation.
Yun Che horizontally gripped Dragon Fault in front of him. With a loud shout, he suddenly smashed towards Xia Qingyue. Among the enemies in his past life, there were countless foes that far surpassed him. He was the most clear about what to do against an enemy that far surpassed him in strength during a situation in which he could not escape. The most foolish way to hand it would be to contend, and attempt to control the other. The best way to handle it would be gather all his strength for a concentrated all out attack!
So once Yun Che approved, he mobilized his full strength without a trace of restraint! Atop the Dragon Fault that weighed more than four thousand kilos, surged the aura of a devil’s berserk strength.
Boom!!
The oppressiveness of this strike made Xia Qingyue choose to not block it, and she floated far away. Following a booming sound, the pitiful Sword Discourse Arena suffered a large amount of destruction once again. Yun Che, who had hit empty air, did not stop at all. He suddenly leapt up as another strike shot straight for Xia Qingyue’s chest. The heavy sword brought about a howling noise similar to that of an evil spirit’s.
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon had also surrounded Xia Qingyue’s entire body at this time. Facing against Yun Che’s oppressive strike, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon did not retreat one bit as it made Yun Che’s strike miss again. Then, it suddenly scuttled along Dragon Fault and tightly wrapped around it…
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon had once sent Ling Yun’s Celestial Yuan Sword flying, but Yun Che and Dragon Fault were perfectly synchronized, as if it was Yun Che’s own arm. Even if it was the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, sending it flying was a definite impossibility.
Right when the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s tearing force was recently unleashed, Dragon Fault suddenly released a soul-shaking dragon roar. A tyrannical force suddenly exploded, and shook the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon open. Yun Che’s gaze was as sharp as a sword as Dragon Fault abruptly smashed down. And when Dragon Fault was going down, he activated Star God’s Broken Shadow at the same time, instantly conjuring three figures that looked exactly the same. The third shadow appeared diagonally above Xia Qingyue and struck downwards…
“Overlord’s Fury!!”
The activation of Star God’s Broken Shadow was silent and formless. The broken false shadows and true shadow were entirely identical, and the scariest thing about it was that during its launch, there was no fluctuation in profound energy. One could only depend on the profound energy aura that could be felt after the true shadow shifted to determine its position, but when that happens, it was oftentimes too late.
Xia Qingyue’s Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon unfurled forward with the intent to meet Yun Che’s overbearing strike. But weirdly enough, a dangerous aura suddenly came from the behind. Shock was revealed in her eyes as she realized that there was simply not enough time for the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon to defend her rear. She had no choice but to quickly use Frozen Cloud Arts to construct a thick ice crystal barrier.
BOOM!
PING!!
The three layered ice crystal barrier was completely shattered consecutively in an instant. As though a storm, an enormous thrusting and explosive force rammed Xia Qingyue flying. Without waiting for Xia Qingyue to regain her balance, Yun Che had already roared. Along with Dragon Fault, which followed his shadow, he immediately rushed towards Xia Qingyue…
“What!?” Chu Yueli stood up with wrinkled brows. She had never expected that once they had began to fight, Yun Che was actually the one who took the initiative. The intensity level of that last strike’s profound energy fluctuation was enough to make Xia Qingyue receive internal injuries.
However, this obviously did not mean that Yun Che’s all out strength topped Xia Qingyue. Rather, it was his approach. The crazed attack was like the sudden attack of a berserk beast that forced Xia Qingyue into a passive state.
One Overlord’s Fury was like a heavy hammer that fell on her shoulder, and directly numbed Xia Qingyue’s entire left arm. Her internal organs had also suffered light injuries under the profound energy assault but she did not panic. Instead, her expression had calmed down. With Chu Yuechan’s word of advice from last night still beside her ears, the fact that she had to use her entire strength echoed along with it. She slightly concentrated and instantly became as cold and pure as ice and snow. With a slight fluttering spin, she stabilized her balance. Like a streak of white lightning, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon charged at Yun Che.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Each and every strike from Yun Che all brought along an ear-splitting explosion. Directly engaging against a heavy sword with a frontal attack was the most foolish of decisions. But when facing against Xia Qingyue, Yun Che’s heavy sword had met its match…
The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was as soft and flexible as water, and as nimble as a snake. When exchanging attacks with Dragon Fault, its overbearing Frozen Cloud power actually did not collide with the heavy sword. Instead, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon used its nature to form a large pulling force, drawing each of the heavy sword’s attacks towards empty air every single time. At the same time, an increasingly cold energy silently enveloped towards Yun Che. Then, with a “crack” sound, a thick layer of ice solidified on both his shoulders.
The ice-cold energy bore into the heart with a bone-chilling coldness, as if countless numbers of knives had stabbed into one’s body. Yun Che’s gaze went cold. After a low growl, a cluster of scarlet colored flames suddenly combusted on his body, and rose to a height that was close to ten feet in the blink of an eye. Under the scarlet fire, the ice-cold energy was rapidly dispersed. The layer of ice was also quickly melted.
Meanwhile, Dragon Fault had also been completely wrapped up in the scarlet phoenix flame, and became an enormous flame sword. It brought along dancing sparks as it directly assaulted forward once more.
“He actually is able to ignite such an intense flame! Looks like his fire attribute profound art is absolutely not as simple as the one he had displayed earlier.”
“It’s only the lowest level scarlet fire…” The young disciple who had said that suddenly opened his eyes wide at this moment, and continued with shock: “This… this… how is this possible!!”
An innumerable amount of ice crystals from all directions came flying to Xia Qingyue’s front, and condensed together to become a fantastical light blue ice lotus. The ice lotus slowly rotated, and then suddenly dispersed. Each flower petal had transformed into seven ice crystals that flew at Yun Che. Each ice crystal was as thin as a cicada’s wing, and was as clear as pure gems, yet it was also bone-piercingly cold!
“Star Scorching Demon Lotus!!”
With Yun Che’s body at the core, a flame lotus that was at least ten times as large as Xia Qingyue’s ice lotus blossomed from the soaring heat wave like a flame gigantic flame beast opening its mouth, and completely swallowed up the ice crystals flying there. None of those ice crystal were able to approach Yun Che because they had already disappeared completely.
The surrounding audience were all stupefied… Even Ling Yun’s sword beams could not shatter Xia Qingyue’s ice lotus, so how could it be easy melted by an insignificant scarlet flame!?
“That’s…”
“Phoenix Flame!” Fen Moli said with shock.
Ling Yuefeng’s gaze immediately turned towards the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s seats… Does this mean that the sect Yun Che was taught by, was actually the Divine Phoenix Sect!?
Chapter 242 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (4)
Not only did the suddenly exploding Star Scorching Demon Lotus easily engulf Xia Qingyue’s ice lotus, it enveloped Xia Qingyue within as well. The scorching heat that was far beyond her expectations caused Xia Qingyue’s expression to slightly change. In an instant, the ice spirits around her body stirred violently, forming an extremely strong barrier of ice. Her Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon waved about quickly as well, sweeping away all of the oncoming Phoenix flames, as she retreated at the same time.
When the Star Scorching Demon Lotus was completely extinguished, Xia Qingyue had already been forced back a distance of close to a hundred meters.
However, Yun Che did not continue to push his offensive like before. He looked at Xia Qingyue in the eye, and said with a frown. “I shall say this again. Use your full strength. What I wish to defeat, is the you, at full strength. And not the current you!”
Yun Che’s speedy attacks, the might of his heavy sword, and the flames erupting from his body, caused Xia Qingyue to feel astonished and taken by surprise. In the few collisions they had, she was actually the one who was at a slight disadvantage. Looking at Yun Che’s current expression, what she could capture from it, was a sort of arrogance that was imprinted in his bones. And this arrogance was not the sort of natural arrogance one would usually have, but was simply targeted at her!
His expression told her that if she were to not use her full strength, what she would be giving him would not be mercy, but humiliation!
Xia Qingyue’s chest gently rose. She closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them as her cold voice flowed out from her lips. “As you wish…”
A cold wind blew from all four directions, and the ice spirits surrounding Xia Qingyue fluttered erratically, as they gently brought her body up to the air. Her toes left the ground and quietly floated in the air, until only her long snow-dress was in light contact with the ground. Her arms gently spread open. Then, the long hair that was draped on her shoulders and the snow-dress she was wearing began to lightly flutter.
The fluttering of the ice spirits became even faster, and the surrounding temperature fell at an astonishing speed. Right at this moment, a blue glow suddenly radiated from Xia Qingyue’s body, and immediately after, a spiraling cold wind filled the entire Sword Discourse Arena.
“Ah!!”
“This… This… This is…”
That sudden flashing blue glow ruthlessly pierced into Yun Che’s eyes, causing him to instinctively shut his eyes. He immediately opened them but the moment his eyes fell on Xia Qingyue, he suddenly stood there lifelessly.
The cold wind had calmly dispersed, however, her snow-dress was still fluttering even without the wind. The veil on Xia Qingyue’s face had already disappeared, as it seemed to have flown away somewhere after the windstorm of profound energy. What was revealed was a fairy-like appearance, which could eclipse the heavens and earth, and could even put the sun and moon to shame. However, her pair of eyes had underwent an earthshaking change… They were entirely ice-blue in color, like sapphires which were flashing with a bright and cold light. Her deep black hair had disappeared, and what replaced it was an ice-blue hair which swayed even without any wind. Even her brows and eyelids had turned into flawless crystals, which flowed with an ice-cold blue color.
The ice spirits floating in her surroundings underwent great changes as well. Earlier, every ice spirit was as small as diamond, now, it was as though they had turned into twinkling stars. And Xia Qingyue, who was under these endless clusters of stars, seemed to have been born from the ice and snow, a fairy in the snow who had not been tainted by the mortal world at all.
“F… Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm… Ice Body Jade Bones…”
The voice of the Heavenly Sword Villa Master, the current era’s number one overlord of Blue Wind Empire, Ling Yuefeng, was currently stuttering a little. Looking at Xia Qingyue who had turned into a snow fairy, the astonishment in his heart had reached an indescribable degree. He did not know just how many astonishments and shocks this seventeen-year old girl would give him before she would bring herself to stop…
Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm… That was an extremely high realm which only Gong Yuxian, the current Asgard Mistress of the Frozen Cloud Asgard, whose profound level had reached the third level of the Emperor Profound Realm, could achieve!!
Genius, prodigy, monster, freak… Currently, in Ling Yuefeng’s heart, even when adding all these terms together, it would not be enough to explain Xia Qingyue.
The Ling Yun beside him was trembling even more so, he was shocked entirely speechless. In yesterday’s match, even though he lost terribly, he believed that he lost due to the Domain that should not have appeared. If not for that Domain which broke the profound laws, by just the strength of their profound arts and combined abilities alone, he believed he was capable of suppressing Xia Qingyue… After all, his Sword Spirit Doppelganger yesterday was completely able to suppress Xia Qingyue.
But now, in his astonishment, did he finally realize that Xia Qingyue basically did not reveal all of her profound arts yesterday. And the profound aura currently being released by Xia Qingyue, was much, much stronger than the peak moment yesterday. The current strength of her profound aura was to the point where, even if he were to unleash his Sword Spirit Doppelganger, it would still be hard for him to resist.
“Mn? What’s going on?” Chu Yueli’s elegant brows tightened, as she said puzzlingly. “Why did Qingyue expose her trump card? If she wants to defeat Yun Che, using the Fifth Realm of the Frozen Cloud Arts would have been completely sufficient.”
“Junior Sister Xia is not a rash person, she must have her reasons. But since she has brought out the Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm, this match should be ending pretty soon.” Shui Wushuang said with a quiet voice.
There were countless of Profound Arts in the world. The higher one reaches, the more one will find out the possible existences of extremely bizarre and knowledge-breaking Profound Arts. When those people who saw Ling Yun’s “Sword Spirit Doppelganger” for the first time, they deeply felt that it was incredible. But the Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm Xia Qingyue used actually caused her entire body to undergo an immense change.
The change in her aura was even more incomparably huge; it was more than twice as strong as before. An ice-cold pressure enveloped Yun Che’s body and soul. It was so heavy that it was like a bone-piercing ice mountain, which had been frozen for ten thousand years.
“Hu…aaaah!!”
Yun Che roared loudly. The Phoenix flames on his body began to burn wildly, as scarlet red flames rose to a few meters in height, allowing him to break through the ice-cold pressure. In his body, the three drops of the Phoenix blood burned wildly, as flames that contained the might of a Phoenix spread throughout his every meridian, and every drop of fresh blood.
Just by strength alone, Yun Che’s Profound Fire was obviously incomparable to Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud, and the difference was not just by bits. However, Yun Che’s flames were not just regular profound flames, but Phoenix flames originating from three drops of Phoenix Blood! By levels alone, it undoubtedly suppressed her Frozen Cloud. The Divine Phoenix Sect was able to dominate the world with just the first four stages of the 《World Ode of the Phoenix》, allowing them to become the imperial family of a country, which also allowed them to become the number one powerhouse, excluding the Four Great Sacred Grounds, in the Sky Profound Continent. Naturally, it was not something Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Frozen Cloud Art could compete with.
Hence, even if his strength fell far from Xia Qingyue’s, it still possessed the qualification to barely resist against her!
The ice cold wind and searing wind constantly collided against each other, emitting out constant tearing shrieks. Bathed in flames, Yun Che’s hair flew wildly, and his clothes fluttered. His gaze was as sharp as lightning, and his two hands held onto his dark grey heavy sword, which looked especially terrifying. He slowly pointed it to the front. Coordinating with his straight standing posture, he looked as though he was a towering mountain that overlooked the entire world. Even though he was facing Xia Qingyue, whose aura had surged, he did not have the slightest intention of retreating.
Just his imposing manner and boldness, was enough to unconsciously cause everyone to have a feeling of being forced into submission.
Just by their imposing manners alone, what people saw in Ling Yun was a grandmaster whom would be worshipped by many people in the future, Xia Qingyue as a fairy who had descended from a surreal world, and Yun Che… as an earth-shaking supreme overlord!
And at this moment, a cold light flashed in Yun Che’s eyes, and the rock beneath his legs suddenly burst apart…
“Omm!!”
Following the violent stir in the air, Yun Che struck out. The Dragon Fault slashed out a gigantic grey crescent, which pushed out layers of air ripples, and blasted towards Xia Qingyue, whose aura was unbelievably breathtaking.
However, when facing Yun Che’s attack this time, Xia Qingyue did not choose to retreat. Gently reaching out her right hand, her palm looked as though it had turned into glistening white jade, causing people to not be able to believe that it was a palm of a young girl. And with that small movement of hers, Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon shot out as fast as lightning. Like the kiss of from the god of death, it struck directly onto Dragon Fault.
Boom!!
Like an explosive roar caused by lightning, the rocks beneath his feet were instantly pulverized into dust, and they were sent flying towards the sky by the wild torrents of profound energy. Within the surrounding ice crystals and blazing light, Yun Che was instantly sent flying back. His back dragged across the stage for dozens of meters, before he finally stabbed his Dragon Fault into the ground, and stopped his body. Xia Qingyue’s body simply swayed gently, and even the starry ice spirits surrounding her did not have any hint of being disarrayed.
This was the first time in the Ranking Tournament that Yun Che was in a disadvantageous position after a direct clash with his heavy sword!
In his earlier match, what he used was not Dragon Fault, but the Overlord’s Colossal Sword. He did not use his full strength in that match, and moreover, he did not activate Burning Heart and his Phoenix flames, yet Ling Jie totally did not dare to clash with him directly at all. However, facing Xia Qingyue, who had unleashed all of her abilities, Yun Che, who had similarly unleashed all his abilities and went for a direct clash which he should have the most advantage in, was completely thrown into a disadvantageous position instead.
Tenth level of the True Profound Realm and the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… Between them, was a gap with the bottlenecks of two large realms!
“Why don’t you try to take my strike again…”
With his powerful defense, even though he lost in that exchange, he basically did not suffer any injuries. He leapt off the ground, and with a loud roar, he rose high in the air. Dragon Fault, which was enveloped with Phoenix Flames once again struck down, and the strength of the airwaves that had been raised were even larger than earlier.
“Overlord’s Fury!!”
The majesty of this imposing sword strike, even made the audience who were far away feel as though an entire mountain was crashing down on Xia Qingyue. However, just when Dragon Fault was about to make contact with Xia Qingyue, Yun Che’s body suddenly jerked, and his movements instantly slowed down… Streams of cold air, as though they were devastating and all-pervasive metal needles, pierced through the Phoenix flames, and struck onto the surface of Yun Che’s body and his meridians, causing his entire body to feel a moment of numbness. Even though these streams of cold air had already been expelled by the Phoenix flames in the next instant, just that single moment, was enough to cause fatal damage.
Bang!!!
Before Dragon Fault could land completely, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon had already flown out like an intelligent snake, and swept against Yun Che’s waist with a thump, causing him to let out a low groan. Within the whirling storm, he was swept dozens of meters up high towards the sky…
“Haah. The difference is still too big. There’s already no need to continue watching this duel. Even with ten Yun Ches, it would not be possible to defeat Xia Qingyue.”
“Yun Che’s performance is already shocking enough. It’s not that Yun Che is weak, rather, Xia Qingyue is simply too frightening. I really wonder how Frozen Cloud Asgard actually managed to bring up such a disciple.”
Seeing that Yun Che’s second active strike had still resulted to a terrible defeat, and that the Xia Qingyue in front of him still did not move a single inch, the surrounding audience let out a wave of sighs. And just at this moment, defying common sense, Yun Che who was supposed to have completely lost all balance after being sent flying up towards the sky by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, was descending towards Xia Qingyue…
“Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing!!”
A human, when sent flying by a strong force, has nowhere to apply force from, and it was almost impossible for him to bring about any force. To maintain one’s balance was already an extremely difficult task itself, yet Yun Che actually initiated an attack while his balance was completely lost… And the speed he was descending at was extremely quick. In a mere instant, he had already charged right in front of Xia Qingyue, and heavily smashed onto Xia Qingyue’s body, who was completely unprepared. Behind him, a pair of Phoenix wings formed out of flames was searing mightily.
BOOM!!
A large fireball suddenly exploded. This unexpected attack finally shattered Xia Qingyue’s ice crystal defenses, blasting her far away. Yun Che tumbled backwards, and forcefully swallowing down the blood that had rushed up to his throat. Before waiting for his body to stand firmly, Dragon Fault had already begun to release gigantic shadows of blaze one after another as it was swung about…
“Phoenix Break!!”
Phoenix-shaped flames which carried the tyranny of a heavy sword continuously flew towards Xia QIngyue one after another. Xia Qingyue, who had yet to maintain her balance after being struck away by his Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing, was engulfed in the concentrated blasts of dozens of Phoenix Breaks. The blazing light that rose explosively from the chaos completely drowned Xia Qingyue within…
However, these blazing rays of light did not last for long, and were suddenly extinguished completely by a flashing blue light within them. After the blue light, a gigantic ice crystal phoenix flew out aggressively, shattering the two oncoming Phoenix Breaks. Then, with an undiminished might, it struck heavily onto Yun Che’s chest.
Pff…
Yun Che spat out a mouthful of blood in the air, and was sent flying thirty meters back. The Phoenix flames on his body were extinguished at the same time, and the clothes covering his chest had been completely torn, replaced by a thick layer of ice. And beneath the layer of ice, was an ice-sealed wound which did not have the time to burst out.
“Erghh…”
Yun Che rolled over, and with the support of his heavy sword, he stood up expressionlessly, a streak of blood slowly flowed out from the corner of his lips… In front of him, Xia Qingyue’s face was snow-white, her eyes were like blue crystals, and her snow-dress gently fluttered… Forget about injuries, there was not even a single speck of dust on her entire body.
Chapter 243 - Battle Between Husband and Wife (5)
“He’s actually able to stand up after taking a strike from the Ice Phoenix. His defensive power is truly shocking.” Chu Yueli murmured, but right after, astonishment emerged on her face.
“G… ahh!”
The extinguished phoenix flames on Yun Che’s body ignited once again. Whether it was Yun Che’s aura or the intensity of the flames, none of them were weaker than before. He raised Dragon Fault. With a loud bellow, he slashed out a gigantic grey colored sword beam, and lashed towards Xia Qingyue shortly after.
“…Not only did he stand up, he didn’t even weaken. How could this be?” Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin both let out cries of shock.
The inflamed Dragon Fault was like a dancing fire dragon coiling in the air in the midst of its dragon roar. The Frozen Cloud profound energy imbued Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was equivalent to a white snake, and charged at the dancing fire dragon while releasing an incomparably frightening Frozen Cloud power…
Sky Profound weapons were extremely difficult to subdue. Within Dragon Fault rests the soul of a young dragon, while within the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon rests the soul of an Ice Phoenix. Both were evenly matched in terms of quality and strength.
Yun Che released profound skill after profound skill in a crazed, unrestrained manner. Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing, Overlord’s Fury, Falling Moon Sinking Star, Phoenix Break… Each one of those skills could shake the heavens, but in front of the Xia Qingyue who had cultivated Frozen Cloud Arts to the seventh stage, they were easily knocked down one after another. Xia Qingyue’s retaliation was even more terrifying. If Yun Che did not possess Star God’s Broken Shadow, he wouldn’t even be qualified to be in a brief stalemate with Xia Qingyue.
Boom!
An ice lotus exploded on Yun Che’s left shoulder, causing Yun Che to tumble onto the ground. His left shoulder was completely bloody and damaged, but he acted as if nothing happened and suddenly lept up from the ground. He once again reignited his phoenix flames and attacked. The heavy sword swung widely without the slightest weakening in power.
Bang!
His heavy sword was forcefully pushed aside, and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon shot towards him, firmly wrapping around his body extremely quickly, and raised him into the air. In a blink of an eye, all of the phoenix flames on his body were extinguished and what replaced it was a thick layer of ice that bounded his entire body. Then, he was ruthlessly smashed onto the ground by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon…
Bang!
The thick ice burst open and a huge hole had been smashed out on the ground. Yun Che had already disappeared from the surface of the stage and had been smashed who knows how deep beneath ground. This heavy strike had let the surrounding younger generation cry out in shock, but Xia Qingyue’s light blue eyes were unshakeable in comparison… This kind of strike would have completely knocked out a profound practitioner at the peak of the Spirit Profound Realm, cause severe internal damage, and scatter his profound energy. Yet Xia Qingyue had suddenly felt a tyrannical counter force from the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s binding had actually been roughly broke apart!
Yun Che jumped up from within the crevice and fiercely sent an Overlord’s Fury towards Xia Qingyue… Although his clothing was completely tattered, the fire within his eyes was raging furiously, yet was calm. The profound energy he was emitting from his body had not even weakened by a bit compared to before.
Everyone simultaneously felt an unexplainable terror in their hearts.
In terms of profound strength, Xia Qingyue completely crushed Yun Che. In Yun Che and her exchanges, he was at a complete disadvantage and mostly ended with bruises. Having trained in the Great Way of the Buddha and having his body fortified by the Dragon God’s blood, aside from profound strength, his body’s fierceness and intensity was by no means weaker than a True Dragon. Even though Xia Qingyue possessed an overwhelming strength that allowed her to successively wound him more than ten times, she had never caused any real damage to him.
Each time he had taken strikes from the Frozen Cloud techniques, Yun Che would always stand up. Even if his entire body was covered with injuries, both his aura and his momentum had never reduced. The audience could only stare with shock.
Although Xia Qingyue’s profound strength had reached the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, keeping up the Frozen Cloud Art’s seventh stage with this kind of profound strength was unquestionably extremely taxing. The burden put upon Xia Qingyue’s body in order to conjure the Frozen Cloud Seventh Realm was by no means less than Yun Che’s Burning Heart. Yun Che was knocked down once and once again, but the strength of his aura did not weaken throughout the match. It was instead Xia Qingyue, whose aura had always been gradually, and evenly, decreasing.
“Do not assume that victory is in your hands. When you pressure him to his limits, that is when he is at the most terrifying. He can bring out power from his soul…”
Looking at the Yun Che who stood up once again and imbued himself with phoenix flames, those words that Chu Yuechan spoke resounded by Xia Qingyue’s ears. And at this time, all of the ice spirits around her body had already started to become slightly fainter. Her breathing had also gotten slightly heavier.
The Yun Che before her was originally not supposed to pose any threat to her,yet she was now feeling a faint pressure from Yun Che. Deep within her heart, a voice was telling her that she had to quickly finish this duel. Otherwise, if this dragged on even longer, it was unknown just what unexpected events might occur.
“Let’s end this…”
Xia Qingyue’s lips slightly moved, and her snow white hands slowly clasped together before her body. In an instant, all of the surrounding cold energy within several kilos of radius swarmed in, and concentrated into a enormous whirlpool of frozen cloud before her.
Yun Che was just about to advance towards her, but suddenly stopped in his steps… The aura force on Xia Qingyue’s body sharped surged up, and the frozen cloud whirlpool grew bigger and bigger. Then, it suddenly transformed and condensed into a gigantic Ice Crystal Phoenix. At the same time, a chilling cold pressure engulfed the entire arena, and made everyone’s heart shudder.
The Ice Crystal Phoenix faced the heavens and let out a cry. Extending out its huge wings, it charged towards Yun Che with a cold energy that could freeze the surrounding fifty kilometers. Where ever it passed, it caused the air to condense by the inch.
“WAAAAAHH… It’s over, it’s over! Be careful, Brother-in-law!”
Xia Yuanba clenched both of his fists tightly while shouting in panic. Even though Xia Qingyue had used all of her power, she had mostly been defending and counterattacking during their exchanges. She had never taken the initiative to attack. She understood Yun Che’s mindset very well and knew that if she had beaten him too quickly, she would severely hurt his pride. At the moment, after finally deciding to attack, she had unleashed a frighteningly large Ice Phoenix imbued with Frozen Cloud power, capable of shaking the entire arena. Even the observing Xia Yuanba was able to feel how terrifying this Ice Phoenix was. At Heavenly Sword Villa’s seats, Ling Yun was also equally shocked… Because blocking just the oppressive power of the cold energy contained within this Ice Pheonix would be extremely difficult even if he had used his Sword Spirit Doppelganger to transform into two Ling Yuns.
As a terrifying level of pressure came charging towards him from the front, Yun Che retreated extremely quickly, his steps as fast as lightning. As the phoenix flames on his body burned and the Ice Phoenix approached, a flash of madness could be seen within Yun Che’s eyes. He imbued all of his profound energy and phoenix flame into Dragon Fault and created a gigantic visage of a Fire Phoenix. Following his roar, with a swing of his hands, Dragon Fault flew towards the Ice Phoenix, carrying the visage of the enormous Fire Phoenix with it.
The Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix violently collided in midair, and both phoenix fire and frozen cloud profound energy exploded at the same time. The cries of both phoenixes resonated throughout the sky as they clashed.
The profound energy barrier shattered once more as the sky was completely enveloped by azure and scarlet light. Half of it was frozen, and the other half was burned into distortion. Without the obstruction of the profound energy barrier, the spectators on the eastern side felt like they had fallen into an icy hole as their entire body stiffened. As for those in the west, they felt as if they were about to combust from being roasted by the fire. Only after they immediately started releasing profound energy, did they barely managed to protect themselves. The shock in their hearts had subsequently increased by several folds… Just the residue of their strength was already this shocking, so it was imaginable as to how truly terrifying Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud and Yun Che’s flame had been.
Even though Xia Qingyue who had such power from conjuring the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Art was astonishing, it was not too unexpected. Whereas Yun Che… he was actually able to contend against this kind of frozen cloud using flames supported by profound energy of the tenth level of the True Profound Realm!
However, this kind of balance did not maintain for a long time.
Ice and fire were both natural counters to each other. Fire coulld melt ice, while ice could thwart fire. There were no natural advantages to either side. In terms of plane, Yun Che’s power was completely superior to Xia Qingyue, but in terms of intensity, Xia Qingyue unquestionably suppressed Yun Che.
The fire phoenix and ice phoenix intensely clashed and rampaged in midair. The interweaving ice-blue and scarlet-red radiances interweaved and covered the entirety of the Sword Discourse Arena. After the chaotic radiances lasted for a few breaths of time, the radiance of the ice phoenix slightly surpassed that of the fire phoenix. But if an advantage forms, it would become irreversible like a broken dam. In the blink of an eye, the fire phoenix became smaller and smaller. In the end, it was completely devoured by the ice phoenix, and all that was left was a frozen Dragon Fault in midair. The phoenix that only shrunk by one-third of its size fiercely rushed forward and dove at Yun Che amidst a cold and long cry.
As the pale blue visage of the ice phoenix quickly grew bigger within his eyes, Yun Che heavily huffed as both his eyes stared straight at the ice phoenix mirage. He did not retreat, and only the sound of a low mutter could be heard in the air….
“Evil God Second Style… Sealing Cloud Locking Sun!”
BOOM!!!
The ice phoenix exploded, and its pale blue radiance completely swallowed Yun Che. The dispersing ice shards were like razor sharp blades and deeply penetrated into the ground.
“It finally ended. Who knew it would drag out that long.” Shui Wushuang said.
“Although Junior Sister Xia used the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts, she had never attacked with full strength. Coupled with Yun Che’s unexpected tenacity…Mmn… AAAHHH!” Before Wu Xuexin had even finished speaking, she suddenly let out a surprised shriek.
From within the pale blue radiance left behind by the ice phoenix, Yun Che shot out like a bolt of lightning. His body was surrounded by a translucent spherical barrier that was almost hard to see with the naked eye. When he had completely left the ice phoenix’s radiance, the barrier also completely vanished. Catching Dragon Fault with a grab, all of the profound energy within him instantly erupted as if gunpowder that had been lit. Behind him, the mirage of a blue wolf that howled towards the heavens emerged…
“Sky… Wolf… Slash!!!”
As the heavy sword slashed downwards, a gigantic illusory wolf pierced through the air as the ground shattered…
In order to maintain Frozen Body Jade Bones, Xia Qingyue had already expended quite a bit. Furthermore, in order to swiftly defeat Yun Che, she had exhausted even more profound energy to release the ice phoenix., She was now in a temporary power deficient condition and had not recovered yet, and in addition to believing that this was a strike that could directly decide the match, she simply wasn’t on guard at all.,. No matter what, she had never expected that Yun Che would actually emerge unscathed from the the ice phoenix’s diving attack…
What was even more impossible for her to expect, was that this was the chance Yun Che had been patiently waiting for all along!
Evil God’s first style, “Falling Moon Sinking Star”, was an berserking attack with ten times amplified profound energy, while Evil God’s second style, “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” was a ten times amplified profound energy defense!
Only, executing Sealing Cloud Locking Sun consumed a lot of profound energy and the longer it was active, the higher the rate of consumption. So even if he was continuously struck by Xia Qingyue, Yun Che had chosen to not use Sealing Cloud Locking Sun. When Xia Qingyue was no longer able to genuinely defeat him, he would at last release all of his profound energy to immediately execute “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun”. When the incredibly tough defense formed around his body, it forcibly blocked the ice phoenix’s assault. Then, he took the chance to swing out his most powerful attack toward Xia Qingyue, who would be caught off guard.
The howls from the sky wolf were deafening. They were even more terrifying than the piercing cries from the fire phoenix and ice phoenix from before. As the gigantic wolf shadow rushed towards Xia Qingyue with an incomparable might, it easily crushed the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon’s defense…
At this moment, Xia Qingyue, who had always been as calm as snow, lost all the color in her rosy face for the very first time. She had not expected Yun Che to be able to break free from the ice phoenix’s charge, and even more, had not expected… that Yun Che’s previous attacks were not even his limit. This strike was so powerful that it had put her in a situation where even her heart and soul had subconsciously shuddered…
Just in the nick of time, a thick layer of ice rapidly appeared on her body, and quickly wrapped around her entire body…
Bang!
The shadow of the sky wolf engulfed Xia Qingyue, carried Xia Qingyue’s ice body with it and directly shot straight out like an ice blue meteor! She flew all the way to the edge of the Sword Discourse Arena and the terrifying impact smashed open a large portion of the ground. And the direction in which she had been thrown in, just happened to be where Frozen Cloud Asgard was seated, which was about to meet with disaster. Even though Chu Yueli and company’s seating area was completely protected, everything else in front of them was completely wrecked.
The Sword Discourse Arena fell into dead silence. Everyone was speechless while looking at the massive ravine, which stretched from the center of the stage, all the way to its edge.
As the dust settled, Xia Qingyue stood up. Only, she was no longer able to maintain Frozen Body Jade Bones and its effects had already vanished. Her long hair and both her brows were no longer blue, but had returned to their original black. Her face was covered with a layer of a faint paleness and her the strength of her aura had immensely weakened. She covered her left shoulder with her right hand, and a touch of red slowly spread on the snow-white clothing of the shoulder.
Chu Yuechan’s icy eyes were a field of calm. She did not feel that this sort of outcome was the least bit unexpected… She had even warned Xia Qingyue the night before to never assume that she had beaten Yun Che under any circumstances… Even though she bore that in mind, just a moment ago, she had still fully expected that the ice phoenix had defeated Yun Che… and had thereby suffered a great loss.
Chapter 244 - Burn! Phoenix Blood!
Even though that one, earth-shaking “Sky Wolf Slash” only resulted in a not so heavy injury for Xia Qingyue, it still shattered her “Ice Body Jade Bones” form.
Her Frozen Cloud Arts also couldn’t be brought up to the seventh stage again in a short period of time. Yet this strike did not cause Yun Che to reach his limit. While Xia Qingyue’s aura had not yet calmed, Yun Che had already rushed up once again, and a Phoenix Break shot flying out from several tens of meters away.
Chu Yueli abruptly stood up, and said to Xia Qingyue who was right in front of her: “Qingyue, do not hold back anymore, and defeat him by opening a Domain immediately! This fellow, can create unexpected events at any time!”
For this battle, originally, Chu Yueli wasn’t worried at all; so much that there wasn’t even a single trace of worry. The two’s composite strength had indeed a very big difference, and during the match, Xia Qingyue had always maintained an oppressive standpoint. But as the two’s battle went on, Xia Qingyue’s aura became weaker and weaker. Yet not only did the Yun Che, who was once and once again beaten down not receive any great injuries, his aura did not grew weak in the slightest. Now, he miraculously broke out from the strike that Xia Qingyue had intended to decide the match with, and moreover injured Xia Qingyue instead. This made Chu Yueli cannot help but to be stricken with fear.
This battle’s victory or loss, was not that important to Xia Qingyue on a personal level. But as for Frozen Cloud Asgard, it was incomparably important; because if they won, it would be breaking the history, and push Frozen Cloud Asgard onto the pinnacle of Blue Wind Empire for the first time ever. Since Xia Qingyue had already beaten Ling Yun and reached this step, then she absolutely could not lose here.
With a swing of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, all of the Yun Che’s Phoenix Breaks were blocked. In the process of defending, Xia Qingyue also felt that Yun Che’s power had already greatly decreased… That Sky Wolf Slash, had indeed exhausted Yun Che to a great extent. In addition to the continuous activation of the Burning Heart state, the burden on Yun Che’s profound veins and body was already incredibly heavy. He was entirely sustaining with his teeth clenched, but the distance to the critical point of collapsing, was also nearing by the second.
Yun Che dashed toward Xia Qingyue with quick steps. But before he even neared, a blue light suddenly flashed before his eyes, and the surrounding world instantaneously transformed into an illusory blue color.
A wave of an incredibly ice-cold feeling suddenly assaulted him from every single direction, and made Yun Che’s steps stall right away.
“Domain! It’s that Domain from yesterday!”
“It’s Domain again… this is simply just like cheating! Let alone the younger generation, even if one looks through the entire Blue Wind Empire, the number of people that could use a Domain could be counted with two hands!”
“I really didn’t expect that Yun Che actually had such a terrifying strength. Feels like that he isn’t weaker than yesterday’s Ling Yun at all! At least he was able to injure Xia Qinyue… But what a pity, even if he was ten times stronger, against a Domain, it is fundamentally impossible for him to have the ability to counter it.”
“Sigh, we really have grown old. I had originally thought that Ling Yun was the limit that a youth could reach, but I hadn’t thought that this youth, who is only at the True Profound Realm would bring me such an astonishment that is not below Ling Yun at all; the aura of his explosive power earlier was also entirely not below him. If he reached Ling Yun’s age, he would definitely far surpass him. But as for this girl named Xia Qingyue… She has entirely flipped my common sense upside down.”
“To reach this point, Yun Che can already shake the entire world with his name, and astonish everyone. But unfortunately, other than him, there is also a Xia Qingyue in this world. The Domain she released that transcended the natural law, is simple impossible to resist against for anyone below the Sky Profound Realm.”
Cold wind blew from all directions. As an overwhelming amount of snowflakes floated from above, the ground was quickly covered with a layer of frost. Accompanied by “crackling” sounds, very thick layer of ice rapidly condensed on Yun Che’s body, and quickly covered over half of his body.
This Frozen Cloud Domain was somewhat smaller than the one yesterday. After all, Xia Qingyue had conjured the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Art earlier and took a Sky Wolf Slash from Yun Che as well; the expenditure was huge. The moment the Frozen Cloud Domain opened, Yun Che felt as if countless steel needles had stabbed into his entire body. His body, as well as his limbs, were all rapidly numbing under the extreme cold. Let alone dashing, even merely taking steps had become exceptionally difficult.
At this moment, he truly understood why Ling Yun had become so unresisting under the Frozen Cloud Domain yesterday, and directly forfeited even without any last struggles after being smacked out of the Domain. This kind of strength called Domain, would frequently appear within battles above the Sky Profound Realm, but fundamentally should not appear at his and Xia Qingyue’s level. Once it appeared, that kind of oppression, can’t even be fully described as curb stomping.
The cold energy crazily entered his body, and his entire body numbed to the point where his consciousness was even quickly fainting. Yun Che fiercely breathed in, wanting to ignite phoenix flames; but before the flames on his body even had the time to ignite, it was already extinguished from the roots by the terrifying coldness.
Unlike to Yun Che, the environment within the Frozen Cloud Domain was most advantageous for Xia Qingyue. In here, all of her attacks would be maximized. It could said without any exaggeration that if one could not break through the Frozen Cloud Domain, then Xia Qingyue would be a complete ruler within the Domain, dictating the win or loss of this match. If she wished to, she could easily dictate Yun Che’s life and death.
As the Frozen Cloud Domain opened, Xia Qingyue’s body also slightly swayed a little. Only after staying in place for a while, did she finally manage to calm her breath. Seeing the Yun Che who stood in place with clenched teeth, yet could not take a single step forward for a long time, she took up the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon and walked before him with slow steps. An extremely quiet voice came from her mouth: “Sorry…”
As her voice fell, the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon weightlessly danced, and brushed toward Yun Che’s shoulder.
Just as the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon was about touch Yun Che, the phoenix imprint that had always been hidden on Yun Che’s forehead suddenly appeared, and emitted a golden radiance so intense that it was glaring to the eye…
This sudden change made Xia Qingyue’s movement pause, and subconsciously retract the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon. And in the next moment, three drops of golden brilliant flames poured out from the place where the golden phoenix imprint flashed…
Those were three drops of Phoenix Blood Yun Che had released out of his body.
Looking at these three drops of golden colored blood, Yun Che tightly clenched his teeth, and an incomparably overcast voice sounded from his throat: “Phoenix Blood… For me… Burn to your heart’s content!!”
The phoenix flames he normally burned, used the Phoenix Blood as the source.
But this time, he forced out the Phoenix Blood, to directly burn these three drops of Phoenix Blood!
He understood very clearly the consequences of this action. After completely burning these three drops of Phoenix Blood’s divine power to exhaustion, it was unknown just how long it would take for them to recover. Moreover, before their divine phoenix power recovers, he would only be able to ignite normal profound flames, and won’t be able to use the Phoenix Flame again until then. However, this was the only method he could think of that may break through the Frozen Cloud Domain.
As the three drops of Phoenix Blood came out, an incomparably enormous imposing air shrouded the entire Sword Discourse Arena, and even all of those experts of Sky Profound and Emperor Profound Realm that stood on the pinnacle felt a sort of heavy pressure… Even though it was just three drops of blood, it after all contained true divine power, and it’s imposing air was one that came from the Phoenix Divine Beast. Xia Qingyue who was the closest, also felt the heaviest pressure. At the same time, she more so felt a type of danger that was fatal. This kind of danger made her retreat backwards with her fastest speed possible without even taking the time think.
Rumble!!
Amidst Yun Che’s low roar, the three drops of Phoenix Blood started to burn at the same time. From three dots of tiny luminescence, in just an instant, it expanded to become a monstrous fire that was several tens of meters high. The Frozen Cloud Domain’s cold aura was bone-piercing, but how could it defend against the intense burning of the divine beast’s blood?
No matter what kind of flame, they would all need a medium to burn. The phoenix flames Yun che emitted, used profound energy as the medium to burn, yet the combustion medium for the Phoenix Blood’s divine power… was precisely this Frozen Cloud Domain!
The attribute of the Frozen Cloud Domain was ice, and could be said as the most improbable thing to combust in the world. Yet under the Phoenix Blood’s divine power, they burned and dispersed like the purest of kerosenes with an incredibly astonishing speed. Before everyone had even recovered from the shock when the flames appeared and could react, the entirely red blaze had already filled up every single corner of the Frozen Cloud Domain. The Domain that was azure in color, was burned into a scarlet colored purgatory of flames.
Even though these flames did not touch the surrounding audiences, the overly scorching heat wave had still affected them. It made them abruptly suffocate, and their entire bodies felt as if they would ignite from the torridness. And right after, the clothes on their body suddenly ignited along with their hair, driving them into chaos amidst their panicked shouts as they quickly fled. Only until over a dozen experts of the Heavenly Sword Villa jumped out and blocked in front of them, did the situation finally ease.
“Wh… wh… what is going on here…” Chu Yueli stood up, her pair of charming eyes was filled with deep shock.
“Don’t tell me… don’t tell me that this Domain was actually… broken by Yun Che’s fire?”
“Using fire… to burn down Frozen Cloud Domain? How is this possible…”
As the fire spread, the Frozen Cloud Domain disappeared… Even the last hint of blue light and coldness was fully consumed by the flames. The phoenix flames that thoroughly burned out the Frozen Cloud Domain and lost its medium for combustion, also extinguished along with it… However, the three drops of phoenix blood that floated in front of Yun Che, had already lost their original golden color. They turned dim and muddle, as if they were fluid of ordinary profound beasts.
Plop….
Yun Che fell onto the ground with one knee, and sweat rained down on his entire body as he started gasping roughly from his mouth. Controlling the burning of these three drops of Phoenix Blood, had almost exhausted every ounce of his remaining strength. The three drops of Phoenix Blood also flew toward the flame imprint on Yun Che’s forehead by themselves at this time; they returned to his bloodline, and at the same time entered a long lasting slumber.
At least within the next three months, it would be impossible for Yun Che to ignite the phoenix flames again.
At the same time, it was also extremely likely for his phoenix blood to be exposed… Others may not notice, but amongst the people present, there was still a Ling Kun! This frightening person who hailed from the Sacred Grounds, the level of knowledge he had was such that none of the experts in the Blue Wind Empire could ever compare to.
He understood this kind of price very well. However, he absolutely did not regret it.
Frozen Cloud Domain vanished. It totally, and completely, disappeared…
The entire Sword Discourse Arena was deathly silent as though it was a ghost house, and only bursts of gasping and gulping sounds from the throat could be heard. Everyone had already stood up, and dumbfoundedly looked at the two on the arena. Extreme shock was clearly written on their distorted facial features.
“Phoenix Blood?” Ling Kun’s eyebrows sunk. A mutter came from his mouth as a surprised expression flashed across his face: “Phoenix Blood, wasn’t it already extinct from a long time ago. The phoenix bloodline now, are all inherited from their ancestors… His Phoenix Blood could actually separate from the bloodline, which proves that the Phoenix Blood is incomparably pure.”
“The phoenix flame skills he used, is also completely different from the Divine Phoenix Sect.”
“Hmph! How really interesting, I wonder what kind of reaction the Divine Phoenix Sect would have after they get a hold of this.”
Ling Kun’s indifferent gaze swept across the entire arena, and he slightly made a cold smile: “With so many people present, some are bound to leak these things to the Divine Phoenix Sect… This youth’s aptitude is extraordinary, and even if he comes to the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region, he will be qualified to become the bottom of the barrel. He also seems to have had fortuitous encounters before. But unfortunately… he is destined to be short-lived, and I’m afraid he won’t live to see the day he joins my Mighty Heavenly Sword Region.”
Chapter 245 - The Last Strike
Chu Yueli was not just shocked; she was already completely speechless. The amount of astonishment she felt in her heart, even greatly exceeded that of what others felt. This was because she most clearly knew what Yun Che’s condition was like eighteen months ago. Honestly speaking, the Yun Che back then was only a pile of mud that could never support a wall in her eyes. If not for Xia Qingyue’s own insistence on marrying him, she would not have even taken a single straight glance at him.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingyue’s aptitude, comprehension ability, as well as her mentality, were completely unheard of in Chu Yueli’s entire life. Her constitution that could cultivate profound arts disregarding profound strength requirements and could even directly open a Domain, made even the Asgard Mistress Gong Yuxian unable to hold back her amazement. She had taken Xia Qingyue as a disciple since she was twelve and had instructed her in Frozen Cloud Arts. She had even personally helped Xia Qingyue tune her body using her own power of the Sky Profound Realm. During the time she was in Frozen Cloud Asgard, countless priceless treasures they had collected over their thousand year of heritage were all unrestrainedly used on her. Furthermore, Xia Qingyue not only had Chu Yueli as master; the two strongest beings in Frozen Cloud Asgard——Chu Yuechan and Gong Yuxian——had both spent a large amount of effort on her. To make her Frozen Cloud Energy reach extreme purity, Chu Yuechan had even gone to obtain three Sky Profound Realm beast cores despite facing immense risk…
Looking through the history of Frozen Cloud Asgard, they had never invested so much on any single disciple.
Only after all that, did the current Xia Qingyue come to be.
Yet right now, Chu Yueli had just stood there and watched as that youth who could only be considered trash originally, break down Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud Domain!
Xia Qingyue being able to open a Domain, had flipped everyone’s knowledge of common sense upside down. But Yun Che actually being able to destroy the Domain, could only be described as an inexplicable miracle.
After destroying the Frozen Cloud Domain with the use of phoenix blood, Yun Che’s strength was nearly depleted, and Xia Qingyue’s condition was also no better off than his. Opening a Domain by utilizing a profound strength of the Earth Profound Realm, the expenditure was undoubtedly extremely enormous. Just conjuring the Domain had already drained over seventy percent of Xia Qingyue’s profound energy. Sustaining it for a few short breaths of time after, again depleted over sixty percent of her remaining strength. In addition to the various expenditures earlier, the current her did not even have five percent of her usual strength left. Moreover, when the Domain was destroyed, it also made her suffer a certain amount of backlash, which had damaged her profound veins quite a bit, causing her control over profound energy to start becoming awkward.
Xia Qingyue’s face was already snow white to begin with, but right now, it was white to the extreme, to the extent where you could not even see the slightest hint of blood color. But at least, she looked a lot better than Yun Che who could not even stand steadily.
Both of them looked straight at the other across less than thirty meters of distance between them. Pain and strenuousness continuously flashed amidst the calm within Yun Che’s eyes, while Xia Qingyue’s eyes instead turmoiled intensely, as if she had yet to recover from the shock she received just now.
“Ugh…” As he quietly groaned with pain, Yun Che slowly stood up using the Dragon Fault as support. He lightly clenched his teeth, looked at Xia Qingyue who was right in front of his eyes, and said in a low voice: “You actually… did not get injured by the flames just now… That’s fine too. The flames just now, even I was unable to fully control them. If you had been engulfed by them, perhaps… they would have severely injured you… If… your clothing were burnt down… Heh, I don’t want my wife, to be seen by others…”
Yun Che’s words were spoken discontinuously, and every few words were accompanied by heavy gasping.
Xia Qingyue: “…”
Yun Che’s hands were tightly gripped on the Dragon Fault, but he did not pull it out from the ground, as if he no longer had ample strength. Yun Che closed both of his eyes, and after a long burst of intense gasping, his aura and voice suddenly started to gradually calm down: “My remaining strength, is only sufficient enough for me to swing out one more strike… If you’re able to receive this strike, then it means that you have won… However…however, I absolutely…absolutely will not lose to you… So this sword strike, no matter what you do, it will be impossible to receive!”
Poof!
The Dragon Fault was pulled out of the ground. Over four thousand kilograms of weight, caused the two hands Yun Che gripped on it to slightly tremble: “Prepare to receive my sword… Qingyue. Keep the glory for your sect in mind, and also recall what I said to you before the fight; give me everything you’ve got! Otherwise, you will be letting the Frozen Cloud Asgard down, letting me down, and also letting yourself down!”
Xia Qingyue: “…”
The youth of the same age in front of her seemingly appeared very distant; because compared to when his Profound Veins were crippled back then, the Yun Che in front of her eyes and the Xiao Che from before were in all ways people from two different worlds. But in the eyes of Xia Qingyue, the youth in front of her whose fate flipped upside-down was incomparably familiar. His gaze, the tone when he spoke, the pridefulness that was carved into his bones… Especially the stubbornness that could not be pulled away with even a hundred thousand bulls; they were all exactly the same as the Yun Che she had gotten to know after those short few days and nights with him.
Xia Qingyue did not say anything, but the ice spirits that had originally disappeared once again appeared and floated around her. Behind her, a gigantic ice lotus gradually bloomed. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon floated in front of her, and displayed a strange “S” shape. An extremely dangerous aura was released and emitted from every single centimeter and inch of the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, exerting an extremely heavy pressure towards Yun Che.
“This is… ‘Frozen Cloud Ultimate Skill: Ode of the Crescent Moon’s elementary style. Junior Sister Xia’s presence is extremely weak right now. Can she still execute this skill?” Looking at Xi Qingyue’s condition, Shui Wushuang worriedly said.
“It’s barely possible. Looks like, Qingyue is also going to give it her all. This move, is not something that’s possible for Yun Che defend against.” Chu Yueli said. But when she spoke those words, she more or less lacked confidence. Although the current Yun Che didn’t seem to be able to even keep his balance, the various things he displayed from him before, especially the flames that burnt through even the Frozen Cloud Domain, made Chu Yueli no longer dare to look down on this seemingly unthreatening young man at all.
She already did not dare guess what earthshaking feat he would do next.
The Dragon Fault was gradually raised by Yun Che above his head. The fifty four Evil God’s Profound Entrances speedily expanded, madly gathering all of the remaining Profound Energy in his body. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar as the surface of the ground under his feet shattered. And just as he leapt from the ground, the heavy sword soared through the air and heavily slashed downwards…
“Overlord’s Fury!”
Although the power behind this sword strike was much weaker than the previous one at the start, it’s was still very frightening. Xia Qingyue also jumped upwards, all of the ice spirits around her flashed with a chaotic brilliance. Her Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon turned softness into resilience, and folded into a snow white crescent moon. While being imbued with Frozen Cloud Energy, it glimmered with a blinding radiance of ice crystals and fiercely clashed in midair with the Dragon Fault.
With a loud sound, an enormous ring of spatial distortion rippled out far away from where Dragon Fault and Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon clashed. The incomparably cold aura completely engulfed Yun Che, and the enormous power that came from the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon forcefully smashed the Dragon’s Fault into a crescent moon shape.
Yue Che’s eyes were widened abruptly. In that instant of collision, his hands became almost completely numb. He unyieldingly clenched his teeth, and channeled all of his power into the Dragon Fault. But his remaining power was too far-off from Xia Qingyue’s strike of full strength. The power of the Overlord’s Fury was completely blocked, and even the power’s residue were being rapidly engulfed, and a burst of icy cold power, which could thoroughly defeat him, pounced towards his face.
So there was no choice but to use that after all…
This kind of situation, did not surprise Yue Che in the slightest. After all, he understood his own current situation better than anyone else. Feeling that his own power being completely suppressed, he took a sudden breath, and let out a beast-like howl from his mouth…
My profound veins and body… You must to hold on!
“Evil God’s Third Realm: Purgatory!!”
Following Yun Che’s internal silent chant, the Evil God’s Profound Vein’s third gate… Purgatory, opened for the first time.
In the instant “Purgatory” opened, a strange, demonic red light was suddenly released from the third gate, illuminating the entirety of the Profound Veins with crimson red as if they were dyed in fresh blood. The red light did not only exist within the Profound Veins, and also gushed out from the profound veins, forming a layer of blood red radiance around Yue Che’s body.
The whites in both of Yun Che’s eyes completely disappeared, and replacing them, were two pupils that turned completely blood-red. An wicked and malicious aura akin to that coming from the purgatory, was also suddenly emanated from his body, causing Xia Qingyue to completely suffocate in an instant .
“Evil God’s Third Style: Destroying Sky Decimating Earth!”
BOOM!!!!!!
This was an explosive rumble as if the sky and earth had collapsed. The entire Sword Discourse Arena trembled with incomparable intensity, and even the entire area of the ground started to sway, as if a terrifying natural disaster had suddenly descended. Within the huge explosive sound, some lower-leveled profound practitioner’s’ ears immediately lost their ability to hear. And on the Sword Discourse Arena, the flying shattered rocks and sand flew to a height of nearly three hundred meters, and for a moment blotted out the sky and the sun, while also completely hiding Yue Che’s and Xia Qingyue’s figures.
Screams of fear resounded throughout the entire Sword Discourse Arena, and incomparable astonishment emerged onto every single person’s face once again. No matter if it was Yue Che, or Xia Qingyue, they were both clearly near exhausted of their profound energy; yet the might of this strike surpassed their everything from before. It was entirely not inferior to that overwhelming flame wave, which even burnt down the Frozen Cloud Domain, in any way. It was difficult for even a powerful Earth Profound Realm expert to generate such a terrifying wave of air current and might, so how was it possible for it to appear within the clash between two young profound practioners who already had a large portion of their power depleted!
The dust filled the air, and no one could clearly see what exactly was happening. Even if they were to try to imagine, they were completely unable to imagine just what they used to create such an earthshaking collision.
The tremoring of the Sword Discourse Arena soon stopped, and the dust also started to disperse. As their lines of sight became clear, everyone fiercely took in a gasp of cold air.
What appeared before their eyes, was a huge crater of at least two hundred meters in diameter!
The edges of the Sword Discourse Arena had also been completely destroyed, and not a single complete piece of the stage could be found.
In the center area of the huge pit, were two completely still silhouettes… Looking at them, everyone held their breaths. Their gazes froze, and they were unable to even make the slightest trace of sound from their throats.
Xia Qingyue silently stood there, her long black hair in a mess, and her entire body tainted by dirt. There was a type of indescribable “daze” within her clear eyes, as she stupefyingly looked at the Yun Che in front of her.
Yun Che had collapsed less than ten steps away from her. All of his clothing were in shreds and his entire body lied flat on the ground face down. From the corner of his mouth, forehead, limbs, back…on basically every single possible part of his body, streams of blood were flowing out. His left hand gripped the ground, the back of his right hand was already completely dyed red by the bloodstain, yet it still firmly grasped onto the Dragon Fault’s handle.
“Finally… It’s over.”
Although “Purgatory” had merely opened for no longer than three breaths of time, for Yun Che’s body that was almost entirely out of strength, it was without doubt a burden that was almost destructive. Furthermore, while under “Purgatory”, he also forcefully executed the complementary Evil God’s third style “Destroying Sky Decimating Earth”…. That was the ultimate strike he released using the strength from his willpower and his soul. It made even his soul withstand an immense amount of burden that wasn’t in the slightest short of the burden on his body. It was nothing short of a miracle that he was still able to temporarily maintain his consciousness.
The surface of his body had innumerable wounds, and only his internal organs were not as badly damaged. Yun Che managed to widen the corner of his mouth with great difficulty and let out a relaxed, satisfied smile that also carried a deep joyousness. He closed his eyes, freely letting his consciousness plummet toward the darkness. The last bit of awareness, turned into a trace of voice that only Xia Qingyue could hear…
“The second reason I came to the Ranking Tournament… was to prove to you that… I… Yun Che… am qualified to be your husband… and not… your return of gratitude…
…and…char..ity…”
Xia Qingyue: “…”
Time slowly passed in dead silence… One breath, two breaths, three breaths, four breaths…
It was only until Yun Che fainted and there was no longer any movement, did the audience finally regain their senses.
This match, has finally ended…
Nine breaths, ten breaths…
Ling Wugou had always been the closest to the match from the start to finish, and was also the one who most vividly felt the earthshaking strike earlier. If someone came close to him right now, they would realise that his forehead was fully and densely covered with cold sweat… That’s right! A supreme expert of the Sky Profound Realm rank eight, who held an extremely high position even in the Heavenly Sword Villa, was actually startled to the point of coldly sweating from a battle between two youngsters.
After ten breaths of time passed, Ling Wugou finally regained his wits. He glanced at Yun Che with an extremely complex gaze, before quickly calming his state of mind and loudly declaring with a vigorous voice: “Yun Che has fallen for ten breaths of time. The winner of this Ranking Tournament’s final battle is…”;
————————————————
Translator Note: Author has permanently swapped Purgatory with Rumbling Heaven in the later chapters. We have decided to make the switch now instead of later. From now on, Purgatory is the Evil God’s 3rd Realm while Rumbling Heaven is the 4th. alyschu has replaced all previous mentions of Rumbling Heaven being the third realm with Purgatory.
Chapter 246 - Victor
Yun Che had fainted and had yet to get up for a long while. This also signified that the battle between him and Xia Qingyue had finally ended. The final battle of the Ranking Tournament had finally closed its curtains.
The tournament had ended, but nobody was able to suppress the amount of shock they had for quite a while. None of the two finalists had been from Heavenly Sword Villa. The crown of victory had fallen in Frozen Cloud Asgard’s hands in the end… But none of this was important at the moment. This match had been an eyeopener and had allowed every spectator to walk through the Fire and Ice of the Nine Heavens. Every scene had all ruthlessly rammed at their vision and spirit.
Both of the finalists were only seventeen years old, but they had fought a battle that was several classes above their own Profound Realms and had shattered any understanding anyone had in regards to battles. Yun Che in particular, even though he had ultimately been defeated by Xia Qingyue, his profound strength was indeed only at the True Profound Realm, yet had allowed him to bring about a shock that was even more shocking than Xia Qingyue. In front of the glory of both of these youngsters, any glory Heavenly Sword Villa had was covered up. Even the publically recognized ‘strongest of the young generation’, Ling Yun had apparently been defeated without room for debate.
“Fairy of Frozen Glass, congratulations on obtaining first place.” The Sect Master sitting on the right of Frozen Cloud Asgard’s seats, said hurriedly. However, even as a Sect Master, he did not have the courage to dare to speak to Chu Yuechan.
The Sect Master sitting on the left immediately flattered: “The great Asgard being able to train such an outstanding talent is well deserving of first place. I imagine Frozen Cloud Asgard’s fame will spread throughout the world…”
Chu Yueli slightly tightened her eyebrows and did not reply. The final outcome had let her breathe a huge sigh of relief. This was her ideal ending. This would be the first time Frozen Cloud Asgard had broke tradition and the first time they had seized first place. Henceforth, the results of today’s Ranking Tournament would spread and the recognition and fame Frozen Cloud Asgard would obtain, would also far surpass its former glory. However, the road to obtaining this perfect ending had been more difficult than she had expected. The biggest obstacle she had expected was actually not Ling Yun, but was instead, someone who she had nearly forgotten… a boy who crippled profound veins eighteen months ago, who did not even have one good point about him, and had even been expelled from his clan!
Yun Che had lost consciousness, but Xia Qingyue looked completely fine. Chu Yuechan should have felt relieved. However, as Xia Qingyue’s master, she had complete understanding of Xia Qingyue’s abilities and knew that the earthshaking force released just now was definitely not released by Xia Qingyue. Although it had looked like Yun Che had fallen and Xia Qingyue was unharmed, she was unable to calm down.
“Yun Che has fallen and has not gotten up within ten breaths’ time. The winner of the Ranking Tournament is Frozen Cloud Asgard’s…”
“Wait!”
Before Ling Wugou could utter “Xia Qingyue”, a cold voice interrupted him.
The one who said that, was shockingly, Xia Qingyue. As she spoke, she moved towards Yun Che and stopped by his side. She waved both her hands forward and a light blue ice spirit slowly descended upon Yun Che’s body, enveloping him. After she silently looked at the ice spirit gradually freeze his wounds, she turned around and softly said: “The winner is not me. It’s him. For this match… I admit defeat.”
WHOAA~~~~
The Sword Discourse Arena went into an uproar. Everyone had looked at one another in amazement. Yun Che had passed out while Xia Qingyue was perfectly fine. It was obvious as to who was the victor and who had lost. Yet, Xia Qingyue one sentence had actually deliberately given the victory to another. Nobody was able to discern the reason as to why she would do this.
Chu Yueli stood up, astonished, and yelled: “Qingyue, what are you saying? Immediately retract what you’ve just said!”
Chu Yuechan suddenly coldly said: “Look up.”
Chu Yueli subconsciously raised her head and then froze. Her expression, too, had froze in place. She was speechless.
At this time, a long white ribbon slowly fell from the sky. It coincidentally landed on Xia Qingyue’s shoulder and she grabbed onto it. Ling Wugou was about to ask something, but as he watched the falling Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, the words that were about to leave his mouth was swallowed down his throat.
Although Yun Che was unconscious, Dragon Fault had always been firmly gripped within his hands.
Even though Xia Qingyue appeared to be unharmed, nobody had realized she had lost her Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon.
It had taken until now for the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon to fall from the sky. One could only imagine how high it had been knocked up…
“He had unleashed his last strike upon my Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon… If he had chosen to do so on me, I would have probably died. He has rightfully won this. I’ve lost.”
Chu Yueli was startled for a while before letting off a long sigh. She closed eyes, and did not speak for a long while.
Even though the outcome had been flipped over due to Xia Qingyue’s admittance of defeat,, the results of the match may have been unchanged even with that. After all, everyone present had witnessed Yun Che passing out. Even Ling Wugou, as the referee, may not accept the obvious victor’s admittance of defeat.
However, from the descending Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon and what Xia Qingyue had said, everyone had understood who the true victor was.
Ling Wugou nodded, and did not try to question Xia Qingyue again. He raised his hands once again and loudly proclaimed: “Xia Qingyue has admitted defeat, the champion of the Ranking Tournament is…”
“Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che!!”
As he declared the conclusion of the finals, the ranking tournament was finally over. Shortly after, the atmosphere around Sword Discourse Arena became rowdy. Before the Ranking Tournament, nobody had even expected it to end like this. It was impossible for them to expect this outcome. If someone had proclaimed that the overall winner would be from Blue Wind Imperial Family, everyone would regard that person as a crazy retard.
Blue Wind Imperial Family. Originally, this name should have carried majestic might, but it had been ridiculed and insulted in the profound cultivating world. Today, for the first time in history, it had been announced as the overall champion!
“…Even though we didn’t manage to obtain first place, at least we beat Ling Yun and suppressed Heavenly Sword Villa. At the very least, we’ve done what we had set out to do.” After a brief period of disappointment, Chu Yueli said while slightly smiling. Her expression had resumed its former tranquil state: “Unexpectedly, the biggest surprise this Ranking Tournament has brought me was Qingyue’s husband. Fate, is truly the most mysterious thing in this world.”
Chu Yuechan did not speak. With eyes like ice crystals, nobody could understand what she was thinking of.
“Too awesome, too great… as expected of my Boss! To be able to be the Boss of me, Ling Jie, you have to at least be able to do something like this!” Ling Jie clasped both his hands tightly while shouting. To Ling Jie, who had already bragged to others that he was Yun Che’s younger brother, he had felt considerably honored. He had long forgotten that Heavenly Sword Villa had met with defeat yesterday.
On the side of the Blue Wind Imperial Family, there were no shouts of joy. After Ling Wugou had announced the results, Cang Yue had loudly shouted “Junior Brother Yun”, disregarded everything else, and rushed towards at the Sword Discourse Arena in the quickest speed possible. Xia Yuanba was closely behind her with a face full of terror. While Qin Wushang had been somewhat slower to react, his speed was naturally quicker than both of them. He reached Yun Che’s side in a flash and quickly began examining his wounds.
“H… How is Junior Brother Yun?” Cang Yue stretched out both of her hands but she did not dare to touch Yun Che. Tears were already flowing on her face.
As Qin Wushang’s hands left Yun Che, his face revealed a relieved expression and said: “Rest assured, Princess. Although his wounds look terrible, they are all external wounds. If he recuperates for at most a month, he will be able to fully recover. He has only suffered light internal injuries and the only cause of concern would be that he had overly stressed his profound veins. While that will take time to heal, that is not impossible to make a full recovery from. Only, sigh… I’m afraid he won’t be able to explore the Heaven Basin Secret Realm in his current condition.”
Hearing this, Cang Yue could finally calm down a little. She tightly gripped Yun Che’s hand and refused to let go.
Cang Yue’s care, tears and the way she had spoke of Yun Che… were all seen by Xia Qingyue. She slowed down her steps and did not approach. She quietly kept the bottle of Snow-colored Pellets she had gotten from her teacher.
“Palace Chief Qin, ten thousand congratulations.” Ling Wugou said. Even though Heavenly Sword Villa had been defeated and lost the first position that has always belonged to them, Ling Wugou remained very calm and took the initiative to congratulate Qin Wushang. Without waiting for him to reply, he added: “Palace Chief Qin need not reply. I’ll lead you to the Heaven Returning Pavilion.”
Qin Wushang nodded and carried Yun Che: “I’ll count on Elder Ling to lead the way.”
As the Ranking Tournament’s final victor, Yun Che was actually unable to receive the cheers and attention of the audience. He had been carried away shortly after the match ended. Although he, the main character, had already left, the Sword Discourse Arena remained rowdy for a very long time. The younger practitioners were completely shaken by the match. They had lost all of the arrogance that they once had. Before, they had all proudly proclaimed that they were talented individuals, but today, they had seen that before a truly talented individual, they were not worth anything.
This had been the most special Ranking Tournament yet. It had defied over thirty years of history. Its process and conclusion were filled with excitement and surprises. This ranking tournament was expected to spread throughout the Blue Wind Empire like a giant wave and be discussed for a very long time.
Of course, there were also people who were upset about the conclusion.
A good example would be the Burning Heaven Clan. They had been badly beaten and even their Great Elder had lost control and had been shamed by Yun Che.
Another example would be the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress who had been rude towards Yun Che. Although, compared to the the Burning Heaven Sect, the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress were restless. Mu Tianbei had not expected that Yun Che’s true power would be this terrifying. Even more so, he had not expected him to be the ranking tournament’s champion.
A talent like this would definitely grow up to become one of the Blue Wind Empire’s Thrones! In the hundreds of years of history of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, they had yet to produce a Throne, nor did they dare to invite a Throne.
Thinking of this, Mu Tianbei was unable to calm down. Cold sweat flowed down onto his back while his face was green with regret.
……………………………………
Blue Wind Imperial Family, the Emperor’s Chambers.
Even as the current Emperor of the Blue Wind Empire, Cang Wanhe’s face was flushed red and the light in his eyes was faint, as if he was dreaming.
Even Cang Wanhe himself had thought he was dreaming.
He had received Qin Wushang’s sound transmission: Blue Wind Imperial Family had obtained first place in the Ranking Tournament…
Immediately, he also received a sound transmission from his daughter: Blue Wind Imperial Family had obtained first place in the Ranking Tournament…
While holding the Sound Transmission Jade, Cang Wanhe had been left in a muddled state. Even after half a day, he hadn’t regained his wits. He trusted Qin Wushang, he trusted Cang Yue even more, but he didn’t dare to believe what they had told him, even though it had been the same thing. Because that would be too fantastical, too unreal… as if these were the voices within his dreams about a fantasy.
Rapid footsteps resounded from outside. Very quickly, his personal eunuch had rushed into the chamber and kneeled before him, loudly shouting in a hoarse voice: “Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations! The Ranking Tournament has finally ended today, and our Imperial Family… Imperial Family… has actually gotten first place! First place!”
Cang Wanhe’s mouth twitched, trembling while asking: “This news, are you sure this is true?”
“That is the news that Heavenly Sword Villa has released, it’s definitely true! Right now, the same message is being spread all over the Empire. Not a word is false!” The eunuch continued in extreme excitement: “Yun Che, who represented the Blue Wind Imperial Family had won all of his matches in the first group stage, had won all of his matches in the second group stage as well, had fought against the Xiao Sect, Burning Heaven Clan, Heavenly Sword Villa, and Frozen Cloud Asgard in the elimination stage, and completely beat all of them to obtain first place!! If even half of this is false, may the heavens strike this servant with lightning!”
Cang Wanhe’s face became even redder as excitement rushed throughout the entirety of his body: “Good… Good… Good!! Haha… hahahaha… hahahahahahaha…”
Cang Wanhe started to heartily laugh with an incomparable jubilance. He had been in power for over ten years and this was the first time he had ever been this carefree. It was as if all the pent up frustration and worries over the years had been released through this unreserved laugh: “This is the glory my Blue Wind Imperial Family deserves! This is what is truly means to look down upon the world from above! Send an imperial order to all related parties. Say… Say… From today onwards, for the next three years, the resources given to each Profound Palace will increase! Blue Wind Profound Palace’s reward will be proclaimed another day! From today onwards, we will prepare the greatest banquet in the Blue Wind Palace’s main hall, We want to personally receive Yun Che when they return… As for Yun Che’s reward, I will proclaim it at a later date!”
“This servant has received the order…”
“Wait! Serve me some good wine immediately. I want to properly enjoy a drink, hahaha!”
Cang Wanhe usually had bad appetite, but because he was in a good mood today, his appetite was good. At the moment, he was extremely satisfied, and deeply felt that he wouldn’t even regret anything even if he died now.
Chapter 247 - Waking Up
A room which was quiet and neatly arranged. Rays of light which were not too bright spilled through the half-open bamboo window, hence, the room was not overly dim.
Yun Che quietly laid on the soft bed, his entire body was smeared with medicine which did not have a heavy smell. He had already maintained this posture for three days, which also meant that he had been in a coma for entire three days.
In front of the bed, ice spirits floated, and then, gradually, a figure of a woman dressed entirely in a snow dress appeared. She raised her snow-ice like palm, and placed it on Yun Che’s chest, sensing the recovery situation of his wounds and profound energy. A few moments later, the ice spirits around her body began to flutter quickly. Her palm was fully opened as well; as she held it in front of his chest, a pale, ice-blue glow silently enveloped his body…
This state lasted for an entire half a quarter of an hour. At this moment, footsteps that were intentionally made light could be heard from outside the door. The woman retracted her palm. With a gentle turn of her body, she disappeared from the spot, as though it was all but a dream.
And at this time, Yun Che’s eyes showed a slight tremble, and then, they were slowly opened.
There was nowhere in his body where he could not feel any pain, but the pain was not that unbearable, and there was even a trace of a cool feeling which made him especially comfortable. Yun Che tried to move his body, and he was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Although his movements were sluggish, the mobility of his body did not seem to be stiff. At the very most, he would feel a little pain from over-exaggerated movements, but this was enough to prove that his body functions had basically fully recovered.
As expected, the recovery ability bestowed by the Second Realm of the Great Way of the Buddha was not a joke!
The door to the room was pushed open. Cang Yue walked into the room with a bowl of soup in her hands, and following behind her was Qin Wushang. Currently, Princess Cang Yue looked really frail, as though she had not slept a wink for several days and nights. Yun Che slightly moved his body, and gently called out. “Senior sister, Palace Chief Qin.”
“Ah!” Cang Yue let out a tender cry, and had almost thrown aside the bowl of soup in her hands. She placed the bowl of soup on the table, and hastily arrived before Yun Che, saying surprisingly. “Junior brother Yun, you’re… you’re awake… This is great! Grandmother Jiumu said you might have to be in a coma for dozens of days, but I knew that you would definitely be safe and sound much sooner.”
The “Grandmother Jiumu” Cang Yue said out was referring to the number one genius doctor in Heavenly Sword Villa, who had lived in the Heaven Returning Pavilion for quite a while.
“I’m already fine. I’m sorry I had to cause Senior sister to worry.” Seeing Cang Yue’s expression, Yun Che answered with a pained heart. As he was speaking, he even raised out the right hand he could already freely move to grab onto Cang Yue’s small hand, to prove to her that he was really alright.
“Hoho, it’s good that you’re awake. This way, the Princess and I can finally feel at ease.” Qin Wushang nodded and laughed, as a relaxed expression revealed on his face. “Yun Che, do you know? Currently, you’re already famous throughout the world, and you’re even titled as number one among the younger generation this year. And you are entirely worthy indeed of this title. But, I believe that with your character, you wouldn’t overly care about such fame.”
“Things like titles, though they sound nice, there are many a time they can be a form of burden.” Yun Che smiled indifferently, and then, he asked. “Senior sister, how long have I been asleep for?”
“It’s already been three days.” Cang Yue replied. “Junior brother Yun, how do you feel right now? Do you feel especially uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Don’t worry, I feel that my body has already recovered to a certain extent… Three days…” Yun Che suddenly recalled something, and hurriedly asked. “When is the exploration of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm going to be conducted?”
“The Heaven Basin Secret Basin will open on the day after tomorrow.” Qin Wushang sighed. “But, in your current state, you should be unable to participate in the exploration this time. But, don’t worry. You’re only seventeen this year. Even if you miss this out, you will still have another chance three years later.”
“The day after tomorrow…” Yun Che closed his eyes. Within his Sky Poison Pearl, there were a large amount of Great Heaven Returning Pellets which he had refined himself, and adding his extremely powerful self-recovery ability, the injuries on his body should be healed by more than ninety-percent the day after tomorrow. However, it was impossible for the recovery of his profound energy to be as quick, and not even half of it could be recovered by then. Adding that he had burned the power source of the Phoenix blood, at the very least, he would not be able to make use of the power of the Phoenix flames for three months. His overall strength was thus greatly reduced.
Yun Che himself understood the condition of his body and its self-recovery ability. If he could recover about a half of his strength, it was not that impossible for him to participate in the exploration of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm the day after tomorrow; the danger would just be raised by a lot.
After all, entering the Heaven Basin Domain, was equal to leaving the Heavenly Sword Villa’s domain. People that did not dare to act rashly in the Heavenly Sword Villa, could finally act on their own free will.
“It might not have to be that pessimistic. My profound art carries a very strong self-recovery ability, when that day comes, I will make my decision of entering the Heavenly Basin Secret Realm based on the state of my recovery. But, the matter of me waking up, please do not tell anyone as of yet.” Yun Che said.
Qin Wushang did not know what Yun Che’s “Profound Art” was, and in the end, no one else was able to find out either. He nodded, and no longer said anything else.
Cang Yue fed the medicinal soup to Yun Che, and left after keeping him company for a while longer, allowing him to rest quietly by himself.
“You sure are reckless. Aren’t you afraid of being crippled?” Jasmine said snappishly.
“I have countless of similar experiences, and I have considered most of the factors in my mind. No matter how reckless I am, I wouldn’t really cause myself to be crippled.” Yun Che took up a more comfortable lying posture, took out a Great Heaven Returning Pellet from the Sky Poison Pearl and threw it into his mouth. Then, he slowly refined it with the little amount of profound energy he had recovered. “But in only three days, my injuries on the surface are actually healed to such great extent, and my internal injuries are completely healed. The second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha is extraordinary, as expected.”
“Hmph, do you really think that, by borrowing the strength of the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha, could heal you to such an extent?” Jasmine coldly snorted.
“… Could there be another reason?”
“In these three days, there’s someone who came by twice every day, and used a large amount of profound energy to heal your injuries. Otherwise, you would have been in coma for at least another two days, and it would have been impossible for your internal injuries to be completely healed this quickly.”
Yun Che was stunned, and then, he was suddenly agitated. “Could it be… Little Fairy?”
“This woman had always treated you coldly. Bluntly speaking, back then, she had even blasted you out of the room. But when you’re injured, she actually sneakily entered your room by herself, and treated your injuries without minding the large amount of profound energy she used. A woman’s way of thinking is really strange.” Jasmine said casually. However, no matter who it was, he would feel awkward when he realized the last line was actually said by a girl who was only fourteen years old.
“Haha, when you grow up, and become a real woman, you might be able to understand.” Yun Che laughed loudly, and his mood instantly improved greatly. “When does she usually come?”
“Noon, and midnight. What? You want to wait for her?”
“Of course! She definitely wouldn’t have imagined that I have already woken up, so, she will definitely come again.” Yun Che said very pleasantly.
“Dirty-minded!”
“Dirty…” Yun Che was angry now, as he growled. “Hey hey! Where the hell did a littlel brat like you learn this phrase? How can I be called dirty-minded? I really wish to see her out of very pure intentions, alright!? Even though you’re much stronger than me, and you even have much more knowledge stuffed in your brain than me, no matter the case, you’re still only a thirteen or fourteen year old little girl. Of course you wouldn’t understand the pure and beautiful feelings between us adults.”
“You… an adult? Me… a little brat?” Jasmine smiled coldly. “You actually dare to disrespect your master! There had never been anyone who dared to call me a little brat!”
Jasmine’s voice, evidently carried the thing called “killing intent”. Yun Che’s neck suddenly cramped, and he said hurriedly. “I-I-I’m in the wrong… Aaah… Jasmine, I definitely, definitely, definitely did not call you a small brat, you must have heard wrong…”
……………………
That night, it was exactly midnight, and everything was completely quiet and still.
The window in Yun Che’s room gently opened, and following after, a cool breeze blew. The figure of a woman, whose skin was snow-white like that of a dream’s, quietly appeared in front of Yun Che’s bed. Although the light was dim, it was still possible to see the blurred figure of her flawless and graceful curves. Yet, the aura emitted out of her body was cold and noble, imperceptibly carrying a resolute form of cold pride.
She raised out her hand, and gently placed it on Yun Che’s chest. Just when she was about to investigate the conditions of Yun Che’s injuries again, at this moment, Yun Che, who should have been in a coma, suddenly stretched out his right hand, and grabbed onto her hand which was placed on his chest.
With Che Yuechan’s current strength, there were not many in the Blue Wind Empire that could approach her. However, she was focused on Yun Che’s injuries, and was currently concentrating all her thoughts on gathering the purest profound energy within her. And, adding that she completely did not think that Yun Che would actually be awake, her palm was thus instantly grabbed just like that.
Che Yuechan’s hand was soft and cold, just like a piece of smooth, soft jade. However, her hand was not grabbed by Yun Che for that long of a time, as after that moment of pause, she abruptly broke away from his grasp. Chu Yuechan retreated quickly as well, and the aura emitted from her body turned bone-piercing cold.
“Little Fairy, I just knew that, you will definitely be worried about me…” Yun che straightened his upper body, and gently called out.
“So you were already awake.” Chu Yuechan’s cold voice did not have a single hint of emotion. She did not give Yun Che the opportunity to speak too much, and coldly said. “You don’t have to think too much about it. After all, you were injured because of Qingyue, as her Senior Master, I have that little bit of responsibility to heal your injuries. Since you’re well enough, then there’s no longer a need for me to act… And, do not call me Little Fairy. You can call me Chu Yuechan, or… Senior Chu!”
After saying that, Che Yuechan resolutely turned, and prepared to leave.
“Little Fairy…” Yun Che hurriedly shouted, and wanted to stand up in a rush. Suddenly, with an “Ah”, a large mouthful of blood suddenly splurged out of his mouth, and his entire body instantly fell towards the bed.
When Chu Yuechan, who was about to leave, saw that Yue Che had suddenly spit out blood, her entire body trembled, her snow-like body quickly charged towards Yun Che to support him. Although the light was dim, Yun Che could clearly see the hint of franticness that flashed past her usually ice-cold face… A man that could cause the heart of the world-famous Fairy of Frozen Beauty to fluster, he believed that he was the first, and was also the only one.
The blood he spat out from his mouth, was actually the bad blood that was forced out from his internal organs after taking in the Great Heaven Returning Pellet. It should have been spat out much earlier, but he desperately suppressed it, so as to prevent Chu Yuechan from leaving decisively after seeing that he had woken up. Evidently, this plan of his was completely effective. With the bad blood forced out, his organs momentarily relaxed. When Little Fairy held onto him, he followed up and embraced her cold, yet soft and tender waist… Although Chu Yuechan trembled slightly, facing this “heavily injured person” who had just spat out a large amount of blood earlier, she basically did not dare to break free. She simply allowed him to embrace her, and the embrace gradually became tighter.
Chapter 248 - The Night Before Heaven Basin
“Are you alright?” Chu Yuechan said, trying to sound less cold. However, because she was being hugged, her heartbeat had gone out of control and she had to make use of the Frozen Cloud Arts to calm herself.
Over the past five months, she had constantly been embraced by him. She could not possibly be more familiar with his touch. Sometime within that period of time, she had unknowingly started to enjoy the feeling of being embraced. However, a voice within told her that she had no choice but to be embraced because she was paralyzed and had to depend on him for protection. It was different now… She had already made a grave mistake by sleeping with him and she should not continue making more mistakes…
Yun Che pressed the entirety of his body weight onto Chu Yuechan, looking very feeble in a half-dead manner. He said in a very weak voice: “I… I’m okay. Little Fairy… don’t leave me…”
“…” Chu Yuechan could not reply. Hearing Yun Che speak with such a weak voice had sent pain equivalent to needles piercing through her heart. She couldn’t bear to push Yun Che aside. She could only quietly be embraced by him… She had actually tried to steel herself to push him aside, but she couldn’t bear to do so in the end.
It’s already very late. There’s only the two of us here and there’ll be nobody around to disturb us. He’s also badly wounded… I’ll give in this once. It’ll be the last time… This was what Chu Yuechan constantly repeated in her heart to console and convince herself.
It was only until Chu Yuechan had sent her profound energy into Yun Che’s body to check Yun Che’s current condition…
Bang!
The moment Yun Che had been pushed away by Chu Yuechan, his back hit the wall and he grimaced in pain and shouted: “Ah, it hurts. It hurts!”
“You actually dare to deceive me in this manner!” Chu Yuechan coldly said, her face still as cold as ever but her eyes showing her sullen mood. Although on the surface she was angry, she had felt relief in her heart upon knowing that his wounds were taking a turn for the better. However, this sort of relieved feeling had caused her mind to go into disorder… She was not supposed to be able to feel this way.
Yun Che rubbed his back with his hands and said in a pitiful manner: “I thought my Little Fairy would have just left like that. Little Fairy, I know that for the past few days, you have always…”
“You’re not allowed to continue talking!”
Chu Yuechan’s chest was trembling as she interrupted Yun Che with a cold tone. She turned around, and said with a cold voice devoid of emotion: “What has happened between you and I was a mistake. I have almost forgotten about it. I hope that you will do the same. If you’re unable to forget about it, then just pretend it was all but a dream. Please do not attempt to make it a reality.”
Yun Che: “…”
“What has happened between you and I cannot be known by outsiders. If you do not wish to encounter difficulties because of it, please do not reveal the six stages of the Frozen Cloud Arts that you have obtained… You are Qingyue’s husband. If you do not wish for her and Frozen Cloud Asgard to become the laughing stock of the world, and be questioned about their morals ethics, please forget about me…”
Chu Yuechan closed both of her eyes, and the ice spirits around her body floated around her in a crazed manner: “Once we leave Heavenly Sword Villa, we shall never meet again.”
After saying that, Chu Yuechan vanished from Yun Che’s sight. Yun Che could only silently gaze at the ice spirits which have yet to disappear…
“Sigh.” After a while, Yun Che returned to the bed and let out a long sigh. He put both of his hands on his nose and could still vaguely smell her fragrance, which was similar to an ice lotus.
“Looks like you’re unable to attain your goals.” Jasmine gloated.
“You won’t understand.” Yun Che tilted his head and muttered before sighing again. He gave Chu Yuechan’s parting words some thought… “Laughing stock of the world’, ‘questioned about their morals ethics’’… these words had been deeply etched into his mind.
Xia Qingyue was his wife.
Chu Yuechan was Xia Qingyue’s Senior Master, and at the same time, was also partially her teacher.
Matters that had violated moral ethics would definitely draw the attention of the world… Especially if it concerned a respected sect in Blue Wind Empire, like Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Even if Chu Yuechan truly had feelings for him as an individual, at the same time she was Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Fairy of Frozen Beauty. She could not knowingly ruin Frozen Cloud Asgard’s thousand year reputation without regard for the consequences.
Regardless of how she felt, rejection, was the only choice she could make.
——————————————
The Ranking Tournament at both the main and the secondary arena had finished. The rankings of over five hundred sects had been decided.
1st Place: Blue Wind Imperial Family
2nd Place: Frozen Cloud Asgard
3rd Place: Heavenly Sword Villa
4th Place: Xiao Sect
5th Place: Burning Heaven Clan
After these rankings were announced, it had caused large waves amongst those in Blue Wind Empire’s profound circle. Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were both only seventeen years old, but their names had already spread throughout every corner of the Blue Wind Empire and traveled towards the six other nations very quickly.
The other nations had always paid close attention to the Blue Wind Empire’s Ranking Tournament. The results of the Ranking Tournament had greatly shocked the other nations as well, making them unable to not remember the names Yun Che and Xia Qingyue.
Yun Che’s origin, his circumstances, the incidents he had been involved in within the Blue Wind Profound Palace, his performance at the Ranking Tournament… were all fabricated into various books which circulated around the market. His battle with Xia Qingyue had especially been exaggerated and hyped to be earthshaking and described as if it had been a battle between deities… The others, even included the exceeding sentimental love story of him and the Blue Moon Princess that could move even the heaven and earth…
If Yun Che was walking around any of the streets at any of the cities in Blue Wind Empire that talked about his exploits, he would have had a convulsion on the spot.
Yun Che had greatly underestimated the influence of the Ranking Tournament. While he was staying at the quiet Heavenly Sword Villa, he was clueless of the fact that his name and his deeds were being exaggerated and spread around as legends.
After the Ranking Tournament had ended, the various big sects had started to leave. Only the top ten sects of the Ranking Tournament had remained for the sake of entering the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. None of them were willing to pass this chance up.
As the days passed, the day when the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm would open quickly approached.
After Yun Che had awakened, the recovery of his wounds had considerably sped up. He did not go anywhere during the next two days and had quietly nursed his wounds. Based on his injuries on the Sword Discourse Arena the other day, nobody would believe that he had already woke up. Furthermore, his wounds were already mostly healed.
The night before the opening of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
Ling Yuefeng stood under an ancient tree in his courtyard, gazing at the crescent moon in the night sky. His clothes had gotten moist from the misty night atmosphere. It had shown that he had been standing here for a long time.
“Sigh.” Ling Yuefeng suddenly let out a very long sigh.
“Yuefeng, what has happened, has already happened. There’s no point in dwelling on it. Even though we had lost, it doesn’t mean that our Heavenly Sword Villa’s disciples are weak. Both Yun Che and Xia Qingyue being this strong was unexpected. Our loss was not without justifiable reason.”
Xuanyuan Yufeng walked over and consoled him.
Ling Yuefeng continued to gaze at the crescent moon while deep in thought. He had not realized that Xuanyuan Yufeng was nearby. He had a complex look in his eyes as he turned around and sighed, while saying: “It has been about a thousand two hundred years since our ancestors had constructed Heavenly Sword Villa. Nobody had ever challenged our position as the number one sect. But during my time as Villa Master, I actually… I have been trying to calmly accept the facts, but I am unable to let go. I have let our ancestors down. I have let the thousand year history of Heavenly Sword Villa down.”
“Don’t put it like that.” Xuanyuan Yufeng consoled: “You’ve taken up the heavy responsibility of Villa Master since you were young. It has been twenty one years since then. I’ve been with you throughout. We’ve watched Heavenly Sword Villa grow, we’ve watched Yun’er and Jie’er get strong under your care and surpass the younger you. We’ve already done enough to be proud of ourselves. Although we didn’t perform as expected during the Ranking Tournament, the Ranking Tournament is only a competition between the younger generation. Whether it is our foundation, resources, prestige or overall strength, we wouldn’t lose even if you put the nine other ranked sects together. Why can’t you just let go if that’s the case?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s words had greatly calmed Ling Yuefeng down. He embraced Xuanyuan Yufeng and said with emotion: “My wife, you’re right. To be wed to you in this lifetime is my, Ling Yuefeng’s greatest blessing. What can’t I let go?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng gently smiled and leaned on her husband’s shoulder.
Ling Yuefeng shifted his gaze, looked into the distance, and said: “There’s still light in Yun’er’s room… Sigh, I can tell that he has been very restless lately. I believe the one who’ll have the hardest time letting go would be Yun’er. I’m worried that his self confidence and love towards swordsmanship will take a hit. I should pay him a visit and talk to him about this.”
Xuanyuan Yufeng stood up and slowly shook her head: “Yun’er’s restlessness has nothing to do with his defeat the other day.”
“You mean…”
Xuanyuan Yufeng said: “That’s good too. Yuefeng, go ahead and pay him a visit. Let him speak of his troubles and maybe you can give him some advice. He will know what to do from then on.”
Ling Yuefeng nodded, then walked out of the courtyard slowly, towards the direction of Ling Yun’s courtyard.
Xuanyuan Yufeng returned to her room. Not long later, someone had knocked on the door: “Yufeng, it’s me.”
Hearing that, Xuanyuan Yufeng immediately went to open the door. Surprisingly, it was Ling Kun.
Ling Kun sat down upon entering the room. He looked at Xuanyuan Yufeng for a bit before saying: “Yufeng, how have you been for the past years? Did that Ling Yuefeng brat ever mistreat you?”
“Yuefeng has always treated me well. Thank you for the concern, Uncle.” Xuanyuan Yufeng replied with a smile. She poured a cup of tea for Ling Kun before sitting down opposite him. She asked sullenly: “I wanted to meet Uncle this late at night because I wanted to know… I wanted to know if my father… Is my father still… Is he still mad at me?”
“Heh heh.” Ling Kun laughed and said: “Yufeng, as his daughter, you should be the most clear about what kind of person your father is. The Ninth Elder has gotten over it a long time ago. Do you really think that the relationship between Mighty Heavenly Sword Region and Heavenly Sword Villa could be facilitated by a lowly aide like myself? The Ninth Elder had always been secretly pulling strings from behind. The Dragonscale Armor that I had brought over was from the Ninth Elder. Although the Ninth Elder had long accepted your marriage with Ling Yuefeng… his stubborn personality had prevented him from saying anything. The only thing he has been displeased with over the years is that you have not went back to visit him even once.”
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s eyes became watery: “That year, father flew into such a huge rage and I had even caused him to lose face. How would I dare to go back?”
“Sigh, silly girl. You’re wrong… You are the Ninth Elder’s only daughter. He would never truly resent you. Even though he doesn’t openly say so, anyone can tell that he sorely misses you. If not, he wouldn’t keep talking about what you did in the past… After we’ve sealed the demon, you should bring Yuefeng, along with Yun’er and Ji’er and visit Mighty Heavenly Sword Region with me. When the Ninth Elder sees you along with his two grandsons, he will be extremely elated. After you have reunited with the Ninth Elder and removed the gap between you and him, he might regularly visit you and his grandsons. At that point of time, Heavenly Sword Villa will greatly benefit. If Yun’er and Jie’er are able to personally receive guidance from the Ninth Elder, their prowess will definitely skyrocket.
Xuanyuan Yufeng, with great difficulty, controlled her emotions and slowly nodded her head: “…Alright. When Yuefeng returns, I will talk to him about this.”
“That’s good.” Ling Kun laughed. He then casually asked: “When I was coming over, I saw Yuefeng rushing towards the southeast, is there an urgent matter?”
“He went…”
Xuanyuan Yufeng’s voice suddenly changed as she abruptly raised her head. She had an ugly expression on her face: “Southeast? You said… southeast?”
Chapter 249 - Heaven Basin Secret Realm (1)
Ling Kun knitted his eyebrows, gave it some consideration and nodded saying: “It’s definitely the southeastern direction. Why do you ask?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng stood up, her face turning extremely ugly. Ever since the various sects left, Heavenly Sword Villa’s guest area had been virtually empty. The only sect that had remained in the southeast area… was Frozen Cloud Asgard!
“Uncle Ling, do me a favor…”
——————————————
A lone moon hung in the night sky, with several stars shining brightly.
Ling Yuefeng flew through the night sky. He was originally heading towards Ling Yun’s courtyard, but changed directions midway and went towards Frozen Cloud Asgard’s residence.
The atmosphere around Frozen Cloud Asgard’s courtyard carried a unique calmness. Ling Yuefeng shut his eyes and lightly inhaled, as if he was savoring something. A short while later, he opened his eyes and gazed at the room Chu Yuechan stayed in. The lights were still on. Though, as he gazed upon the light in the room, he felt a piercing cold chill emitted from within… He knew he had been discovered. Chu Yuechan’s current cultivation wasn’t beneath his.
Ling Yuefeng inhaled slightly, then used voice transmission, projecting his thoughts towards Chu Yuechan: “I, Ling Yuefeng, would like to request a meeting with the Fairy of Frozen Beauty. Would you grace me with your presence?”
“What do you want? Speak!”
Chu Yuechan didn’t appear. She only replied with five short words, each of them without a shred of emotion in them. They were cold to the point where they could freeze humans into ice sculptures.
In the Blue Wind empire, only Chu Yuechan would dare to speak to Ling Yuefeng in such a manner. Even the Mistress of Frozen Cloud Asgard wouldn’t dare. Hearing such cold words from Chu Yuechan, Ling Yuefeng could only bitterly smile. “Ever since the first time we met in the Ranking Tournament, I’ve gone to Frozen Cloud Asgard twenty times within ten years, but I’ve never been able to see you even once, until this year’s Ranking Tournament…”
“There’s no need to speak of matters of the past. If Villa Master Ling has any matters, please speak of them immediately.” Chu Yuechan coldly said.
Ling Yuefeng sighed: “Back then, everyone knew about how I felt for you. Even if I had to be the laughingstock of the entire world, even if I had to incur my parent’s anger, I still continued to visit Frozen Cloud Asgard. All I hoped for was to meet you once again… Alas, after so many years, my memories of you are still of that year… Even today, the greatest wish of my lifetime is that I could see you once again… I no longer wish to obtain your love, all I wish is to see you once more, so I can see how you look like now…”
Ling Yuefeng was a passionate person, but it wasn’t easy to get him infatuated. Before meeting Chu Yuechan, he had devoted all of his efforts into swordsmanship. But on the day he met Chu Yuechan, the emotions he’d been burying burst open. Thirty years have passed since that moment. Figuratively speaking, any emotion should have waned over the long period of time, but in Ling Yuefeng’s heart, Chu Yuechan’s image had never waned. Was it because of Lin Yuefeng’s undying passion, or was it because Chu Yuechan was simply too charming? Nobody knew.
“You already have a wife and plenty of kids. You and I are simply strangers who’ve met a few times, there’s no need to meet again. My current appearance has nothing to do with you. If you have no further matters, please leave. Your hospitality should not include disturbing female guests late in the night!” Chu Yuechan remarked, with a faint hint of anger in her voice.
“Sigh, your temper hasn’t changed since that year. All I wish is to see you once more, so I can put aside my wish. I have no other hidden agendas. Once I’ve seen you, I will immediately leave. I will not bother you for as long as I live after that…”
“Rip!”
Following a slight tearing sound, an icicle came out of nowhere and flew directly towards Ling Yuefeng. Ling Yuefeng stuck his hand out and grasped the icicle. The icicle’s freezing feeling quickly spread throughout his hands, into his heart.
Without bidding Chu Yuechan farewell, without having said anything, Ling Yuefeng left. His lonely figure vanished in the night sky very quickly. That year, he was not only the Young Villa Master of Heavenly Sword Villa, but also an incomparably outstanding youth. The amount of female admirers he had was not few… but he had blindly fell in love with one he wasn’t supposed to. With his strength, in the Blue Wind Empire, he could obtain fame and power easily. There was nothing he couldn’t obtain within his lifetime, with the sole exception of Chu Yuechan… The heavens had blessed her with the most beautiful outer appearance, but had given her an icy cold heart. She was the only missing piece in Ling Yuefeng’s life.
Not far away at a dark corner, Xuanyuan Yufeng was trembling with a very ugly expression on her face.
Under Ling Kun’s profound strength’s isolation, neither Ling Yuefeng nor Chu Yuechan were able to sense their presence. Although they have been communicating using voice transmission, everything they’ve said had been silently tapped by Ling Kun. Xuanyuan Yufeng was only trying her luck originally, but when she had heard everything Ling Yuefeng had said to Chu Yuechan with her own ears, she exploded with rage.
“Ling Yuefeng… You really are a passionate man… It has already been thirty years, thirty damn years, but you’re still unable to forget that woman… I thought you were unable to accept what happened in the Ranking Tournament, so I comforted you for half a day… but who… knew you were actually thinking of that woman! You even dared to ask to meet her in secret!”
Xuanyuan Yufeng uttered each word with deep hate and rage: “I, Xuanyuan Yufeng, shortchanged myself, shamed my family, and married into this migre Heavenly Sword Villa for more than twenty years… Yet I am still not equivalent to a woman who had made a fool out of you in front of the world, who refuses to even meet you. Ling Yuefeng… you’ve really outdone yourself!!”
When a woman had sufficient hate and envy, she would transform into the most terrifying demon. Ling Yuefeng and Ling Kun were still members of the same clan, so Ling Kun didn’t want this matter to continue spiraling out of control. He immediately urged: “Yufeng, you don’t have to get this angry. You’ve already been with Yuefeng for more than twenty years and should know his personality. What he has said just now was very clear, all he wanted was to see Chu Yuechan one last time. From then onwards, he wouldn’t think about her again. I’ve heard that in the past, in order to obtain her love, he’s made many visits to Frozen Cloud Asgard within a span of ten years but has never succeeded. All he’s doing now is to fulfill what he was unable to do in the past: to see her again.”
“Rightfully speaking, as the Villa Master of Heavenly Sword Villa, nobody would dare to humiliate him and not give him face. But today, that woman treated him coldly, without giving him any face. As his wife, this is where you should feel bad for him. If instead, you return and start quarreling with him, all you would be doing is creating discord between the both of you. However, if you do not stop him from doing what he’s doing and treat him as per normal, he might feel guilty because of what he’s doing. If that’s what happens, you would benefit instead, right?”
“Not stop him? How can I not stop him?!” Xuanyuan Yufeng’s chest shook while saying so, but the anger in her voice was already half gone. She stared at the light within Chu Yuechan’s room and softly said: “Uncle Ling’s words have enlightened me. I should not be blaming Yuefeng. The fact that he hasn’t forgotten that woman also shows that he’s honest to his feelings… If this woman no longer existed, what I wouldn’t want to see wouldn’t happen! While Chu Yuechan has harmed Yuefeng…. someone else is doing the same to Yun’er. Yun’er hasn’t been himself as of late, I suspect he’ll make the same choices as his father once did.”
“You’re talking about Xia Qingyue?”
“I’m going to destroy Frozen Cloud Asgard for causing harm to my husband and son.” Xuanyuan Yufeng colded remarked.
Ling Kun furrowed his eyebrows as a strange light flited past his eyes. Towards Xuanyuan Yufeng’s proclamation out of envy and hate, he had not only not stopped her, but instead nodded, saying: “If you really intend to do so, there’s no reason for me not to help you. Except, Frozen Cloud Asgard is not a normal, easy to destroy sect. The fact that it has existed for a thousand years shows its considerable influence. How about you return to Mighty Heavenly Sword Region with me and let the Ninth Elder know of this matter. He has missed you for so many years and would not reject any request from you. At that time, I will personally volunteer myself to carry out this mission. Within three years, we’ll make Frozen Cloud Asgard vanish, never to be seen again. Nobody will know that Mighty Heavenly Sword Region was behind this. How about it?”
Xuanyuan Yufeng had only said that she wanted to destroy Frozen Cloud Asgard in a moment of rage. Who knew that Ling Kun had actually agreed to do so. If one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds had agreed to help, getting rid of Frozen Cloud Asgard was as easy as squashing an ant. Bearing great hate towards Frozen Cloud Asgard, how could Xuanyuan Yufeng disagree? She nodded, saying: “We’ll do as Uncle Ling had advised. Yufeng thanks Uncle Ling.”
“Hoho, it’s only a small matter.” Ling Kun laughed. His laughter had concealed deeper meaning.
————————————————
Deep into the direct north of Heavenly Sword Mountain Range was a flat clearing. Within the imposing Heavenly Sword Mountain Range filled with sword energy, this place was one that was completely different. The atmosphere was calm and quiet, and even the sounds of the wind were exceptionally soothing.
At noon, a group of people arrived. This group of people were all of the ten sects who had ranked in the top ten of the Ranking Tournament. This was the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. Everyone here carried varying levels of excitement, especially those who’ve yet to enter the Heaven Basin Secret Realm before. Their eyes were oddly bright and looked as if any possible encounters were already in front of them, within reach.
However, within this group of people, Yun Che was not present. Representing Blue Wind Empire’s group was solely Qin Wushang.
Ling Yuefeng stood at the front and announced: “Shortly, the entrance to Heaven Basin Secret Realm will appear. Before that happens, I will need to remind all of you of some things.”
“Heaven Basin Secret Realm can only take at most fifty people at a time. With that said, each sect can only send five representatives. As for which five, you are free to choose. After entering the realm, you will only stay for two days. After forty-eight hours, you will all be teleported back here against your free will. There’s only one exception to this rule…”
Ling Yuefeng coldly said: “And that is a dead person!”
Chapter 250 - Heaven Basin Secret Realm (2)
“Do not ever think that the Heaven Basin Secret Realm only contains innumerable resources and treasures. At the same time, it also contains immeasurable danger! If you pay no heed to safety and are driven by greed, you may very well lose your life! The Heaven Basin Secret Realm is immeasurably huge and there has never been anyone who was able to travel to the end. At the same time, what you see within the Secret Realm changes every single time. Even if you’ve once traveled deep into the Secret Realm, you might see a completely new world this time around.”
“While exploring the Secret Realm, you can choose to travel alone or travel in a group. But in order to truly gain experience, the young and older generation should split up.”
Ling Yuefeng’s speech had left everyone in deep thought. If the younger generation still needed the older generation’s protection, that would wasting this precious training opportunity and incur the embarrassment.
“Within the Secret Realm, sound transmission does not work. Nobody will be able to communicate via sound transmission.”
“The Secret Realm is a place for exploration and training, it’s not for settling grudges! If you wish to settle your grudge within the Secret Realm, I would advise you to not do so. Do not waste this precious chance to train! Especially the older generation, I hope that you wouldn’t stoop that low and disregard your dignity and attack someone of the younger generation. If I happen to find out, you wouldn’t like the outcome.” Ling Yuefeng distinctively said. “Even if there’s conflict between the younger generation due to a treasure found at the same time, the older generation is not allowed to intervene.”
“The deeper you go into the Secret realm, the higher the danger! If you are not strong enough, do not try to push your luck. Even the season within the Secret Realm is not fixed. Sometimes we’ll get the warm spring season, sometimes we’ll get a cool summer season, but if luck is not on our side, we might get a harsh winter…”
The younger generation who did not have experience entering the Secret Realm earnestly listened to Ling Yuefeng’s long speech and took them to heart. At this time, a “Zizi” sound came from behind Ling Yuefeng, beckoning people to look towards the sound. To their surprise, a spatial distortion had formed behind Ling Yuefeng. Its surface was just like a stormy wave, with layers and layers of constantly forming ripples.
The spatial ripples started to speed up its vibrations and began to revolve at high speed until it formed a gigantic swirling vortex. The surrounding air currents around the vortex were sucked towards it, giving rise to the howling of the wind. Eventually the revolution of vortex started to slow down, and when it completely stopped, it became a jet black hole which was almost three meters long in diameter. Through the jet black hole that floated in midair, nothing could be seen other than complete darkness.
“This is the entrance into the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.” Ling Yuefeng stood in front of the entrance, looked at the crowd who had faces of astonishment and excitement, and said: “Each time the Secret Realm has been accessed, on average there will be two or three people who get left within the realm, never to return. Now that the entrance to the Secret Realm has opened, it will only stay open for seven and a half minutes. Anyone who wishes to back out may choose to do so now!”
There were none who wished to back out. Those who were afraid of death were meant to never become truly strong. Furthermore, the risk was not high. Two or three out of fifty wasn’t even comparable to the risk they took when they chose to join their respective sects’ special training. Within some of the sects with higher standards, those that had several hundred to thousands of deaths weren’t uncommon.
“I’ve already said what has to be said. Let us enter the secret realm based on the results of the Ranking Tournament. Our friends from Blue Wind Imperial Family shall enter first.”
Of the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s representatives, only Qin Wushang proceeded. Xia Yuanba’s cultivation was too low and he would only be seeking death if he had entered, as much as he was curious as to what was within. Cang Yue’s cultivation was too low as well, but she had no interest in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm to begin with. Both of them remained at the Villa to take care of the heavily injured Yun Che.
As such, only Qin Wushang represented the Blue Wind Imperial Family and entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
“Palace Chief Qin, go ahead.” Ling Yuefeng was naturally aware of the circumstances. He didn’t say anything unnecessary and just led Qin Wushang towards the entrance.
“Hmph! As expected, he really did not show up! What a waste of my time.” Fen Juecheng coldly remarked, at the same time he took quick glance at the nearby Mu Tianbei. Mu Tianbei looked similarly upset.
“It’s okay. When I’m done exploring the Heaven Basin Secret Realm and leave the Heavenly Sword Villa, I’ll be able to kill him any time I want!”
The one who said this was Fen Juebi. After a few days of recuperation, his injuries could be said to be roughly half recovered. However, the aftereffects of damaging his blood essence were still there. Currently, he could only display half of his strength at best. However, this was his only chance to enter the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, so he couldn’t give it up regardless.
Not only did he get heavily injured from Yun Che’s attacks, he had also lost all of the face he had and he would inevitably be punished upon returning to the Burning Heaven Clan. He had completely remembered all of the above as debts that Yun Che owed him, and he would make sure to collect them. His desire of wanting to kill Yun Che wasn’t less than that of Fen Juecheng’s.
“It’s not the same.” Fen Juecheng whispered: “Killing someone in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm will not give us any future troubles. Once the Heaven Basin Secret Realm closes, there will be no traces of evidence left. Having gotten first place in the Ranking Tournament, Yun Che’s fame has gone through the heavens. He’s not someone we can kill whenever we want! It’ll be very difficult to kill him without leaving behind evidence, much more difficult than doing so within the Secret Realm. Besides… although Mu Tianbei bears a similar grudge towards Yun Che, he wouldn’t dare to strike outside of the Secret Realm!”
At that moment, someone hurriedly shouted from the distance: “Hey! Palace Chief Qin, wait for me!”
The crowd turned their heads, and surprisingly, they saw a Yun Che anxiously running towards them. After the Ranking Tournament, towards the seventeen year old youth capable of destroying a Domain to obtain first place, the younger generation only had faces of awe and respect.
The current Yun Che didn’t look very well. His face was a serious illnesses’ pale white, and his steps were weak. From time to time, he revealed marks of bandage wrapped indents on his body..
Although the distance from Heavenly Sword Villa to this place was far, to someone who was able to achieve top ten in the Ranking Tournament, even if they had ran at top speed, it wouldn’t take much effort. But when Yun Che had come dashing here, he was out of breath and his breathing was unsteady. Looking at his condition, he only had twenty to thirty percent of his usual strength.
Compared to what he was like five short days ago, his recovery speed was almost miraculous and very shocking.
“Yun Che, why have you…” Yun Che had given Qin Wushang a huge shock.
Yun Che waved both of his arms and calmly said: “Rest assured, Palace Chief Qin, my injury is already about sixty to seventy percent recovered and I’ve regained some of my profound energy. Furthermore, this is a rare chance. Forget about me being able to freely move, even if I had to crawl here, I wouldn’t miss it!”
Qin Wushang looked at Yun Che, and helplessly said: “Since you’re already here… so be it.”
“Yun Che, the Heaven Basin Secret Realm is not as its name makes it out to be. It carries significant danger within and you have to be extremely careful, especially with your current condition. Don’t force it.” Ling Yuefeng reminded.
“Mn. Thank you, Villa Master Ling, for the reminder.” Yun Che nodded. He glanced around him and saw Ling Jie and Ling Yun. Ling Jie made a “It’s okay, I’ll protect you” gesture… When he looked at the group of five from Frozen Cloud Asgard, Chu Yuechan had already looked away… Lastly, he took a glance at the people from Burning Heaven Clan and Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress before he followed Qin Wushang through the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
When Qin Wushang and Yun Che’s visages vanished through the entrance, Fen Juecheng couldn’t control his laughter anymore: “The heavens gave you a path, but you chose to barge through hell instead!”
Yun Che was no stranger to the feeling of spatial travel. This was the exact feeling he had when he had entered the Dragon God Trial Grounds. Very quickly, the mysterious feeling vanished and an ice cold air assaulted him. He involuntarily shivered. He opened his eyes and couldn’t help but stare at what was before him.
The bone chilling cold wind blew snow to fill the entire sky. A mirror-like smooth ice field continually extended beyond what he could see and giant mountain range of ice stood erect before him like steep cliffs. Unable to be seen, the highest peak towered beyond the clouds and radiated coldness even in this thick cold climate.
An uncountable amount of hail that had been broken by cold wind pelted down. When it hit the face, it caused severe pain. If people with lower cultivation were to be here, they might have already been been covered with bloody holes just the hail.
“This is the Heaven Basin Secret Realm?” Yun Che murmured in a daze. What was before him was nothing compared to what he had imagined. Looking at the nearby Qin Wushang, it would seem that he too, was shocked.
Behind him, the spatial vortex constantly distorted, and each time it distorted, someone else was sent here. When they opened their eyes, their reactions were even more exaggerated than Yun Che’s. Nobody had expected the legendary Heaven Secret Basin to contain a snow white world.
Ling Yuefeng was the last to enter, and he said furrowed brows: “Looks like we are very unfortunate this time. To have drawn Heaven Basin Secret Realm’s harsh winter climate! This is the worst and most dangerous condition. However, this should be favorable… to our friends from Frozen Cloud Asgard.”
“Yueli, let’s go!” Ling Yuefeng’s words were unable to affect Chu Yuechan at all. Without making eye contact with anyone, amongst the fluttering cloaks, she had already left into the distance. Her figure soon changed into a strip of white in the winter sky, looking at home with the blowing snow.
“Wushuang, Xuexin, you should both travel together. Qingyue, you should travel alone. It’ll be up to your abilities to obtain benefits here.” After a short exchange, Chu Yueli also vanished into the winter sky, following Chu Yuechan.
Ling Yuefeng helplessly looked towards the direction Chu Yuechan left in before floating up and said: “It is time that we left too. Let the younger generation choose where they want to go. They will have to depend on themselves for everything from now onwards.”
Without saying a word to Ling Yun and Ling Jie, he too, vanished far into the winter sky. The regions that the older generation explored could not be compared to those that the younger generation did. The rest of the elders did not object to what Ling Yuefeng had said and had only given at most, simple instructions before leaving in different directions and quickly disappearing from their line of sight. If they had stayed out of concern to protect the younger generation, it would cause more harm than good.
All that was left were the people of the younger generation. Among the younger generation, other than the disciples who had participated in the Ranking Tournament, there were other outstanding individuals… such as Xiao Sect’s Xiao Kuangyu and Burning Heaven Clan’s Fen Juecheng.
All of the sects had left at least three younger disciples and at most five members except the Blue Wind Imperial Family. Therefore, Yun Che was especially awkward amongst the group of young disciples. Him being alone was secondary, because due to his placing in the Ranking Tournament, most of the other disciples were eager to travel with him. But the problem was, due to his injuries, he was only able to display twenty to thirty percent of his strength. Without doubt, the current him was going to be a burden to whomever he went with.
Chapter 251 - Jasmine’s Decision
The instant Ling Yuefeng left, Ling Jie took a big stride to Yun Che’s side: “Boss! Whaddya say, let’s form a group! Even though it’s my first time entering this place, my old man has told me a lot regarding this place. Much of it will come in handy, I guarantee that I won’t drag Boss down!”
While he said “I won’t drag you down”, it was evident his real intention was to protect Yun Che. After all, it would be way too dangerous if he traveled alone in the state he was currently showing.
Yun Che was naturally moved by Ling Jie’s kind intentions, but he actually waved him off, and said: “It’s alright. Since this is training through experience, it’s still better to travel alone. Especially you, Little Jie. Though your talent is pretty good, and your sword intent and sword heart are first-class, you’ve always resided within the Heavenly Sword Villa. What you’re missing the most is training through experience in dangerous situations. If you were to travel with me, the results of your training will be greatly diminished.”
“But, but…”
“There are no buts.” Yun Che extended a hand and pinched his chin: “You personally agreed to be my little brother. What, you’re not even going to listen to my first decision?”
“Eh…” Ling Jie, who had an innocent mind and a head not really capable of making turns, was held up by Yun Che’s words. After being confused for quite a while, he could only reply: “Fine. Boss, you must be careful. My old man really wasn’t trying to frighten you guys with his words just now.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person to die easily. Furthermore, I’m currently wearing the Dragonscale Armor.” Yun Che pinched the corner of his clothes, revealing a sheet of dragon scales, which reflected an icy-cold light. As the reward for placing first in the Ranking Tournament, although the Heavenly Sword Villa was extremely reluctant to part with it, they had no choice but to give the Sky Profound Armor to Qin Wushang while clenching their teeth and resisting the pain. Qin Wushang had given this Dragonscale Armor to him yesterday, and he directly wore it today.
The Dragonscale Armor only had one very thin layer. When one wore it, it wasn’t cold nor cumbersome; moreover, it would automatically adjust itself to fit the build of the wearer. This armor was entirely worthy of being a life-protecting tool. As he had expected, the instant he revealed the Dragonscale Armor, several tens of surrounding gazes filled with greed and jealousy instantly shot in his direction.
Ling Jie turned around and said to Ling Yun: “Big Bro, Boss said it’s best for me to travel alone, so I won’t go with you. I’ll be leaving first… Boss, you must be careful. Otherwise, my beautiful Princess Sis will be all alone… Aaaaahh! I’m off!”
Ling Jie called out the Celestial Yang Sword, puffed his chest, and walked forward by himself in an imposing manner. Ling Yun nodded at Yun Che, and his gaze seemed to inadvertently shoot towards Xia Qingyue’s location. He walked forward a few steps, finally took a small breath, and walked in front of Xia Qingyue and said politely: “Xia Fairy, would you like to form a group? I came here three years ago, so I’m somewhat familiar with this place. This place is extremely dangerous, but we should be able to handle any dangers if we travel as a group, and we’ll also be able to travel much farther. If we discover any treasures, Xia Fairy will also have the priority in selecting them. How does that sound?”
Not far away, Fen Juecheng and Xiao Kuangyu’s faces both revealed strange expressions. They had also entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm three years ago, and at that time, Ling Yun had left early by himself, giving no one any chance at all to partner with him. But now, he had actually taken the initiative to travel with someone else, and his words even carried a sense of entreatment.
Only idiots wouldn’t be well aware of his thoughts.
“I thank Young Villa Master Yun for the good intentions, but Qingyue has already decided to travel alone.” Faced with Ling Yun’s voluntary invitation, Xia Qingyue nevertheless directly rejected his offer without any hesitation at all.
The number of people Ling Yun had voluntarily invited before did not exceed five, and this was the first time he had been rejected. Ling Yun’s expression didn’t change; without any more insistence, he nodded: “If this is so, then Xia Fairy must be careful.”
After he finished speaking, Ling Yun also left by himself, and his silhouette rapidly disappeared into the flurry of snow.
Even Ling Yun had been rejected, so Xiao Kuangyu, who had originally been eager to give it a try, also clenched his teeth, and after struggling for a long while, decided to give up as well. As for the other people, not one even dared to go up and try. Even Xiao Kuanglei, who was also the current Xiao Sect Master’s son, could not gather the courage to talk to Xia Qingyue. With the strength she had displayed in the Ranking Tournament, she handily surpassed them by an entire plane. The status of these disciples from the large sects may be exceptional elsewhere, but in front of Xia Qingyue, they couldn’t even bring themselves to lift their heads up.
Disregarding everything else, just on the basis of strength, they didn’t have the qualifications to travel with Xia Qingyue.
The lone Yun Che swept his surroundings with a glance. Without greeting anyone, he casually selected a direction and began walking at a leisurely pace.
“Junior Sister Xia, we’ll be off now. You must be careful.” Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin bade farewell, and left together Xia Qingyue nodded; she watched them leave, and accidentally glanced at the direction Yun Che had walked, causing a complicated expression to flash in her eyes. After, she began walking north alone.
The entire world had been covered with snow. The only thing that could be used to distinguish direction was that single icy mountain which reached into the clouds. As Yun Che traveled forward, even though he had profound energy protecting his body, he was still chilled to the point of non-stop shivering.
“Where there isn’t ice, this place is filled with snow. As for that ‘Heaven Basin’, I can’t even see its shadow. And how can this kind of place contain any heaven-quality items. Even if there were any, they definitely have long since been buried under the icy snow… Huff, how cold.”
Yun Che walked for more than an hour. He only saw the boundless plains of snow and snow-filled sky, and nothing worthwhile at all. This was completely different from the rare and exotic flowers and plants, with strange stones and spirit jades aplenty within a scenery filled with high majestic mountains and jungles he had envisioned. Furthermore, after walking for such a long time, he had yet to see even the shadow of a profound beast!
How is this a search for rare treasures, I simply came here to suffer!
“The existence of this little world is really strange.” Jasmine muttered to herself.
“Strange?”
“This little world was indeed made by humans. Furthermore, its level of power is extremely high, and it must have existed for a very long time, so the appearance of a few heaven-grade treasures isn’t strange… What’s strange is that this kind of small world shouldn’t appear in this sort of location, because it’s simply not something that can be created with the strength of this plane.”
“It’s probably something a strong expert left a very long time ago.” Yun Che said without thought. He wasn’t concerned about the origin of this Heaven Basin Secret Realm at all. As he was walking leisurely, he suddenly said: “Jasmine, how many people are following me right now?”
“Four”. Jasmine responded.
“Four?” Yun Che was startled. This number didn’t match the number he had in mind.
“There will never be a shortage of enemies that want to kill you by your side. Have you ever wondered why this is so?” Jasmine said coldly.
“No! These people can’t even be considered my enemies.” Yun Che wagged his finger, and said with a cold smile: “They’re nothing more than a bunch of stepping stones seeking death!”
“Of these four people, three of them should be here to kill you. It seems the other person isn’t; on the contrary, this person might be here to save you.” Jasmine said.
“Mn? Save me? Who is it?”
“You’ll know in a bit.”
Yun Che’s footsteps gradually grew slower. After muttering to himself for a while, he said: “Jasmine, in a bit, I need your help to kill a person.”
“Okay!”
Yun Che froze for an instant, because Jasmine had agreed too quickly. Every time Jasmine attacked, the toxic poison in her body would spread. So, if it wasn’t a life-or-death matter or an opponent Yun Che definitely couldn’t contend against, she definitely wouldn’t strike out. But this time, she had directly agreed just as Yun Che began to open his mouth. Yun Che couldn’t help but feel nervous, and asked weakly: “Eh… could it be that you have some other… additional conditions?”
“Of course I do!” Jasmine’s voice gradually became more cold and stiff: “You should be clear about the state of your body right now. This small world is the perfect place to kill people. You should also be clear about who might try to kill you in this place. Yet you still dared to come here, just because of my existence! I must kill whoever you want me to kill, otherwise, you will die, which means I will die as well.”
“I remember you once said that you definitely weren’t willing to become dependent on my strength. But you seem to have completely forgotten your words. In a lot of the things that you do, when you consider your capability, you will also include my strength within your calculations. When I can use my power, in the entire Profound Sky Continent, it’s impossible for you to encounter any risky situations. The hidden dependency in your thoughts will greatly restrict your growth…” Jasmine spoke every word with extreme seriousness. Her tone of voice was just like a great master, who had experienced countless dangers, instructing a disciple.
Yun Che actually approved of a small portion of what Jasmine had said. For example, this time, he didn’t want to give up the chance to explore the Heaven Basin Secret Realm; if it wasn’t for Jasmine’s existence, he definitely wouldn’t have entered this place in his current state. Contrary to what one might expect, Fen Juecheng was actually of secondary importance. The crucial point was that he had also detected killing intent from Mu Tianbei’s body.
Mu Tianbei, as the Fortress Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, was definitely not inferior to Qin Wushang in terms of strength.
“I’ll help you kill one last person. After, I’ll self-seal my profound strength for a very long time, and focus on detoxifying the poison in my body in the Sky Poison Pearl. In the future, you can only rely on yourself for everything you do. Don’t even consider hoping for my help.” Jasmine said coldly.
“… There’s no need to be this absolute, right?” Yun Che’s heart shook: “What’ll happen when I encounter some life-threatening danger I’m unable to withstand? If I die, you will also die. So you’re not afraid…”
“Hmph! After attaching myself to the Sky Poison Pearl for such a long time, the poison has flared up numerous times because I’ve forcefully activated my strength. Up until now, barely any poison has dispersed since I first met you! Rather than suffering through these poison flares again and again, and being unable to see any hope of recovering, it might actually be better to end it all with death.” Jasmine said snappily.
Yun Che opened his mouth, contemplated silently for a moment, then nodded slowly: “Alright, I understand. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly approve of your decision.”
At this time, in the midst of the endless snow, two blurred silhouettes suddenly appeared. Following Yun Che’s leisurely strides forward, these two silhouettes gradually grew clearer.
When he could see the two people clearly, Yun Che stopped walking. He revealed an expression of pleasant surprise, as if he had met an old friend. He jogged over and greeted: “Isn’t this the Burning Heaven Clan’s Young Clan Master and Juebi ol’ chap? What’re you two doing here? For us to meet in this boundless Heaven Basin Secret Region, who wouldn’t agree that this is a beautiful heaven-fated destiny!!”
Chapter 252 - Killing with a Borrowed Blade
Seeing Yun Che’s appearance, Fen Juebi nearly laughed out loud. He narrowed his eyes, and edged closer step-by-step with Fen Juecheng: “Indeed, what a coincidence it is for us to meet in this boundless land. However, you don’t look very well right now. You’ve only walked to here after such a long time; it looks like you haven’t recovered much from your previous injuries.”
“There’s no point in wasting words with him.” Fen Juecheng said coldly. He looked at Yun Che gloomily, and sneered indifferently: “Yun Che, do you really believe our meeting here was a coincidence?”
“Could it be that it wasn’t?” Yun Che froze, then exclaimed suddenly: “Oh! I know, you must’ve thought this place was too dangerous, and wanted to travel with me, right? That’s certainly not a problem.”
“No! We’re only here to send you somewhere. Traveling together is unnecessary.” Fen Juecheng smiled even more darkly.
“Send me somewhere?” Yun Che’s face revealed some doubt: “Where?”
“The Yellow Springs Road !” Fen Juecheng laughed coldly. A red light flashed in his hand as he grasped a deep-red longsword. The tip of the sword carried a scorching killing intent, and pointed straight at Yun Che.
A look of fright flashed in Yun Che’s eyes. He stepped backwards rapidly, and even spoke with a small stutter: “Y… Young Burning Clan Master, in the past, we’ve had no grievances nor enmity. What do you mean by this?”
“Ha ha ha ha!” Seeing Yun Che’s frightened appearance, Fen Juebi laughed heartily: “No prior grievances? You’re actually innocently stupid. Alright, seeing as you’re about to become a dead man, I’ll explain why I want you dead. In the Ranking Tournament, you dealt several severe injuries to me. It’s nothing if I just lost face, but the Blue Moon Princess is a woman my Big Bro has taken an interest to, and you actually dare to touch her! You truly don’t know how death is written!!”
“Ah?” Yun Che stared wide, and revealed an expression of incredulity: “That… that can’t be! Princess Cang Yue and I are a harmonious couple. In these past several years, how come I’ve never heard her say you were interested in her? I understand, this is probably only Young Burning Clan Master’s wishful thinking. My Princess Cang Yue doesn’t even pay attention to you. That only means that Young Burning Clan Master doesn’t have enough charm; what does that have to do with me?”
“You!” Fen Juecheng furrowed his brow ferociously, as his face flushed with anger.
Yun Che seemed as if he hadn’t noticed his overflowing anger at all, and continued: “Moreover, even if you do kill me today, what do you think will happen? Forgive me for my blunt words, but Young Burning Clan Master has absolutely nothing to deserve my Cang Yue… My Cang Yue is the majestic princess of the imperial family; in terms of status and respect, there’s not one woman in the Blue Wind Empire that can compare to her. Yet you, Young Burning Clan Master, is but a young clan master. There is only one princess in the Blue Wind Empire, but there are thousands of young clan masters, as many as there are stones in a dung pit. It’s practically the difference between a white cloud and mud. Furthermore, in terms of appearance, my Cang Yue looks like a fairy. Look at you: a donkey’s face and a monkey’s nose, an ox’s head and a horse’s mouth, and a face full of malevolence. Forget about just being ugly. You have a face full of vile air, and my life shortens every time I look at you. Even I, a man, pity you.”
“Moreover, in terms of accomplishments, I’m seventeen this year, yet I have already defeated someone at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm and placed first in the Ranking Tournament. You’re twenty three or four this year, yet you appear as if you’re only at the second level of the Earth Profound Realm. This disparity is a bit too great. Between you and me, only someone blind would pick you… Oh oh, some time ago, I heard Happy Marriage Courtyard’s Little Red, Little Green, and Little Purple mention that Young Burning Clan Master’s little wee wee is only half an inch long, and is as thick as a hemp stalk … Tsk tsk, with your situation, even a forty year old widowed aunt wouldn’t be interested in you, let alone my Cang Yue. Sigh, as a man, I pity Young Burning Clan Master’s situation which is like turbulent river water…”
Since he could remember, Fen Juecheng had been fully aware that he was a dragon among men. In the younger generation, he stood at the highest level, so much that he could show disdain to everyone. But just now, Yun Che had practically called him a good-for-nothing. Fen Juecheng wasn’t easily angered, but Yun Che’s were just too malicious. He was well aware that Yun Che was deliberately humiliating him, but his face still turned the color of a pig’s liver, and killing intent several times stronger exploded out: “YOU’RE… COURTING… DEATH!!”
Fen Juecheng’s fury erupted. A blue fire ignited on his sword, which stabbed straight at Yun Che’s chest. Fen Juecheng didn’t hold back at all in this strike, and even threw in the fury that filled his heart. Under the might of the Earth Profound Realm, the nearby snow turned into water vapor in an instant. Even the thick mantle of snow underneath subsided at a terrifying pace.
As the sword pierced forward, Yun Che’s mouth revealed a cold smile. He grasped Dragon Fault in a flash, and immediately smashed straight at Fen Juecheng’s flaming blade.
An enormous sound erupted, and blue flames flew in all directions, spewing the snow on the ground ten feet high into the air, completely veiling one’s line of sight. Fen Juecheng’s entire body shook as both his arms felt a numbing feeling and the flaming blade flew out from his hands. His heart grew alarmed, and his mind calmed a bit later. But all traces of the Yun Che in front of him had vanished. Without any hesitation, his body flashed, leaving behind a crimson silhouette, and retreated thirty steps. At this time, he heard Fen Juebi scream miserably…
When the snow which filled the sky descended, Yun Che’s silhouette appeared. He was carrying Dragon Fault, and beaming as he stood in place. Under his foot, was shockingly, a stepped on Fen Juebi. Dragon Fault, which weighed over four thousand kilograms, completely pressed Fen Juebi’s body down along with Yun Che’s trampling, causing his eyes to turn white and complexion to turn green as he howled with incomparable pain.
Fen Juecheng’s complexion changed abruptly, and his expression became incomparably overcast: “Your… your injuries, are actually…”
“That’s right, I faked them.” Yun Che’s foot moved from Fen Juebi’s back to his waist, and pressed till he shrieked like a pig about to be slaughtered: “In order to wait for a few trash that overestimated their own capabilities to voluntarily send themselves up for death!’
The recovery ability brought by the Great Way of the Buddha was not something an ordinary person could imagine. Currently, Yun Che’s internal and external injuries had recovered completely, and he had recovered around seventy percent of his profound strength. Though dealing with Fen Juecheng would be a bit too difficult, messing with the heavily-injured Fen Juebi was as easy as turning his hand. Of course, scaring Fen Juecheng for a bit would be sufficient; Yun Che had even defeated Xia Qingyue, who was at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, so Fen Juecheng, who was at the second level of the Earth Profound Realm, wouldn’t be naive enough to think of himself as Yun Che’s opponent.
“Impossible! I heard that not only were your injuries extremely grave, your profound strength had also diminished completely! It’s simply impossible for you to recover in five short days! Furthermore… how did you know in advance that I was coming to kill you?” Fen Juecheng said while clenching his teeth. Although he had said “impossible”, his heart had been completely shocked. The numb feeling he had received from Yun Che’s strike still lingered. If his strength hadn’t recovered, how could he have attacked with such a frightening strike?
“Heheheheh,” Yun Che began laughing with ridicule: “That’s why I said that Young Burning Clan Master is nothing but a mere idiot who believes he is infallible. Once this Heaven Basin Secret Realm closes, all traces will vanish. For you two, this is the perfect place to kill someone, but it’s the same for me as well. To the people I want to kill, I never show even a hint of mercy… So let’s start with your pathetic little brother.”
Before the sound of his words descended, the power under Yun Che’s foot increased suddenly, causing Fen Juebi to emit a blood-curdling shriek again, as his five viscera and six bowels warped under the great pressure. Although Fen Juebi’s strength wasn’t weak, he was but a dish of food in the face of Yun Che, let alone the fact that he had several grave injuries and his strength had diminished greatly. Fen Juecheng’s face became as overcast as a dark cloud as he fumed with rage between gritted teeth: “Then let’s see you try to attack! To guard against any accidents, before we entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, Great Elder left a special soul imprint on his body. If he were to die, Great Elder will immediately know who killed him! At that time, you… and everyone related to you, will receive the wrath of the entire Burning Heaven Clan! Every one of them will die in the most miserable way possible!!”
“Right… right… you… you can’t kill me! If you dare to kill me… Great Elder will know… you can’t kill me!!”
As the son of the Burning Heaven Clan Master, Fen Juebi had never been trampled by anyone before. Moreover, this was the first time he had actually faced the menace of death. This kind of person was often someone who fears death the most. At this moment, Fen Juebi’s face was a deathly white color, and his lips were ashen. Half of his condition was due to a relapse in injuries from Yun Che’s beating, and the other half was due to fright.
“What he says is actually true. Detection imprints have indeed been left on both of their bodies. If they were to die, the person who left the imprint will immediately know who killed them.” Jasmine said.
“Really?” Yun Che’s expression didn’t change. On the contrary, he started laughing coldly at Fen Juecheng: “Do you really believe I wouldn’t dare kill you because of that? Do you really think I’m afraid of your Burning Heaven Clan?”
As he spoke, Dragon Fault in Yun Che’s hands suddenly dropped, and smashed onto Fen Juebi’s right leg without any mercy. Only a “snap” sound could be heard, and the bones in Fen Juebi’s right leg snapped. An incomparably mournful sound akin to the wail of ghosts and the howl of wolves spread outwards. Even though the sky was filled with snow, the sound still traveled a great distance.
“You!!” Fen Juecheng didn’t think Yun Che would actually be this vicious and merciless. He had executed this strike that was capable of permanently handicapping Fen Juebi, without any hesitation at all. Fen Juebi’s mournful shriek had caused his entire facial expression to warp, as the joints in both his hands made cracking sounds.
Seventy percent of Yun Che’s profound strength recovering didn’t equate to seventy percent of Yun Che’s actual strength recovering. Because he had forcefully burned the Phoenix Blood, he wouldn’t be able to utilize the strength of the Phoenix Flame for three months, causing his overall strength to diminish significantly. With his current state, there was absolutely no possibility of him defeating Fen Juecheng.
But Yun Che’s expression remained incomparably confident. The head on exchange had also let Fen Juecheng’s heart give birth to fear. And in front of Fen Juecheng, he was not worried in the slightest and had instead quickly crippled Fen Juebi. It was clear that he was not afraid of angering him; on the contrary, it seemed as if he was trying to anger him on purpose. This infuriated Fen Juecheng to no end, yet made him even more cautious about daring to act without thinking. Not only did he not dare to advance, he was completely on guard, and had even made preparations to withdraw at full strength, as to evade the chance of Yun Che suddenly attacking him.
SNAP!
Yun Che smashed down with his sword again, directly snapping Fen Juebi’s left leg as well. Amidst Fen Juebi’s blood-curdling screams, Yun Che slowly raised his head. A sneer and a provocative smile hung on his face… This smiling expression caused Fen Juecheng’s scalp to feel numb for a moment. His body retreated backwards uncontrollably, and his sudden howl charged into the sky: “Fortress Master Mu! What are you doing… Why haven’t you attacked yet!!”
Just as Fen Juecheng’s voice fell, the snow diagonally above Yun Che suddenly became chaotic. Amidst the chaotic snowstorm, a silver colored spear shot out with an incomparably terrifying screeching sound. Wherever the spear went, the snowstorm was roughly split open. From a distance, it was like a dazzling silver colored line that was drawn on a sky sealed with ice and snow.
The aura of death brought along by the spear instantly made all of Yun Che’s hair stand up.However, his expression was nevertheless, still incomparably tranquil. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled into an evil smile as the Dragon Fault Sword easily swung down and suddenly smashed onto the ground.
Boom!!
Following Yun Che’s strike, the snow on the ground rose in excess. Aside from the snow being raised, Fen Juebi’s body had also been lifted. Before Fen Juebi, who was jolted into the air, had time to react, his chest was pierced through by a silver spear…
This was a fatal strike from a Sky Profound expert, so how could its strength not be terrifying? Before Fen Juebi, who had been speared through the chest, had time to let out a wretched shriek, his body had immediately exploded open, bursting into more than ten lumps that scattered into the distance… The silver spear continued downwards, pierced through the after image Yun Che had left with Star God Broken Shadows, before burying who knows how deep into the ground.
Chapter 253 - How do you want to die?
Heaven Basin Secret Realm, northwest direction.
BOOM!!
The mountain was directly blown apart, revealing large chunks of soil and rocks that were buried under the snow and ice. According to the previous experiences of those who entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, some unusual stones tend to frequently be laid beneath the mountain.
However, after blowing the mountain apart, Fen Moli did not advance. Instead, his entire body trembled and froze on the spot, and he wore an extremely ugly expression. The middle-aged man that was beside him immediately asked: “Great Elder, what’s wrong?”
Fen Moli’s expression slowly turned incomparably gloomy. The anger and murderous intent that were being released from his body caused the middle-aged man to tremble with fear. After quite some time, he then said with a low voice: “Juebi… has died!”
“What!!” The middle-aged man exclaimed. Not even two hours had passed since they entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. Before they even reaped any rewards, they had instead received such a grievous news first. He asked in alarm: “Great Elder, you had left a soul imprint on Juebi’s body. Who is it… Who is the one that had such nerve to actually kill Juebi!”
“It is Mu Tianbei!” Fen Moli tightly clenched both his fists, and nearly crushed his hand bones. Suddenly, he let out a punch, releasing a path of purple flames in front of him that directly blew the small mountain in front of him into rubble. A roar filled with extreme anger came from his mouth: “Mu Tianbei!! There are no grudges nor enmity between you and my Burning Heaven Clan, yet you actually committed such an evil act. In the span of one month, I will definitely erase your Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress from the face of this world, forever!!”
On the other side, Mu Tianbei descended from midair and looked towards the dismembered body of Fen Juebi that was all over the ground. His body spasmed a bit and his face turned ugly, as if he had swallowed a dead fly. Fen Juecheng’s expression was ten times uglier. A face that was originally handsome and outstanding was now distorted to the point that even his biological mother would never be able to recognize it.
Fen Juebi died… He had just used the existence of the soul imprint to threaten Yun Che, but now Fen Juebi died in the blink of an eye… He didn’t even die in the hands of Yun Che, but died because of the fatal blow Mu Tianbei was preparing for Yun Che.
Bang Bang Bang Bang….
Light and brisk clapping sounds echoed from the side. Yun Che had a face full of schadenfreude. His gaze shifted towards Mu Tianbei as he gratefully said: “You are worthy of being called the Fort Master of Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress. That strike of yours is so fleeting, transcendent, and incredibly exquisite. This junior didn’t know that you were still brooding over the clash he had with the Young Fort Master Mu from before, and still had some problems with it. Not only were you prepared to hit a person who was already down, you had the indifference of a bystander. You stuck by your actions and killed the second young master of the Burning Heaven Clan! This mind, this spirit, this boldness, makes this junior feel shame and admiration at the same time. I heard that Fen Juebi carried the soul imprint that Fen Moli left for him on his body. Right now, Fen Moli should already know about Fort Master Mu’s impressive feat of having killed his clan’s second young master in one spear strike. He must be angered to the brink of life and death by now, hahahahahaha…”
After Yun Che’s sarcastic ridicules, he didn’t forget to let out a burst of mad laughter. Mu Tianbei’s complexion went from clear to black, then black to white. The anger he held within his belly narrowly avoided exploding his stomach. He clenched his fists and angrily roared: “Little junior! Young Burning Clan Master would naturally resolve this matter for this Fort Master. Death is close at hand, yet you are still able to laugh! Just watch as one of my strikes ruthlessly break the bones in your body!!”
Mu Tianbei angrily rose, and charged toward Yun Che. His right hand became a claw that grabbed straight towards the top of Yun Che’s skull.
Yun Che stood motionlessly in place as he gazed at Mu Tianbei’s approaching right claw with ridicule. This reaction immediately made Mu Tianbei’s heart waver as his movements slowed. But at this exact moment, an extremely cold air suddenly assaulted him from ahead. A few specks of cold bristles shot right toward his eyes and Mu Tianbei’s figure stopped to grab those incoming things which were in fact icicles that released a bone chilling coldness.
But at the same time, a long strip of white ribbon shot out from within the wind and snow. It wrapped around Yun Che’s waist and brought him flying along with it. On the other side of the long ribbon was the fine, snow white figure of a female!
“Qingyue?” Yun Che looked at Xia Qingyue, who had suddenly appeared. He never thought that the fourth person who was following him whom Jasmine mentioned… was actually Xia Qingyue.
“Don’t say another word. Let’s leave quickly!”
Xia Qingyue’s crescent eyebrows furrowed tightly. She took Yun Che with her as she moved forward through the snowstorm at an extremely fast pace. Under these kinds of situations, the movements of other profound practitioners would be greatly hindered. For her, not only would there be no harm; on the contrary, she could draw strength from the ice and snow to quickly recover her profound strength. Therefore, even if she brought along Yun Che, her speed was still extremely fast, as the two quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.
Mu Tianbei had also obviously recognized that it was Xia Qingyue. He flung off the icicles on his hands and did not pursue them. Instead, he stopped in place and did not move for a long while. Only his expression was constantly changing.
“Fort Master Mu, what are you still standing there for! Quickly go, and kill him!” Fen Juecheng anxiously yelled.
Mu Tianbei still made no movements. He breathed in a large breath of air and said: “That person is Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Xia Qingyue! When Yun Che was just by himself, I obviously wanted to get rid him to save trouble in the future! However, Xia Qingyue is by his side now. If I kill her, Frozen Cloud Asgard’s people will know! If news got out that I, the Great Fort Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, killed Yun Che within the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, how can I still stand up!”
“Then go kill Xia Qingyue along with him!” Fen Juecheng said with a sinister face.
“Wuh… What?!” Mu Tianbei’s was suddenly shocked. What kind of person was Xia Qingyue? She should be considered the most talented disciple in all of Frozen Cloud Asgard’s history. If by chance Frozen Cloud Asgard knew about it, then the issue would not be about whether or not he could stand up. Instead, the entire Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress would become Frozen Cloud Asgard’s mortal enemy. Against their extreme rage, his sect’s hundreds of years of foundation would be pulled up by its roots. The consequences were something he absolutely could not bear.
“Why is this something to hesitate about?” Fen Juecheng said with a loud voice: “After killing those two, and once the secret realm closes, this matter would become top secret! The matter regarding my second brother, I’ll explain it clearly to my Great Elder. If you let them go like this, the fact that you took action to kill Yun Che would spread out anyway. The reputation of you, Mu Tianbei, would suffer in the future just the same. You’ve seen how very fiery Yun Che’s temper was. You provoked him earlier and just now, you acted with the intent of taking his life. When he matures in the future, do you feel that your Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress would still have peaceful times? The ones to suffer would be more than just yourself.”
“If you still can’t think it through!” Fen Juecheng started to have a threatening voice: “Then I won’t feel like explaining the matter regarding my second brother to my Great Elder… hehe. Do you want to make matters worse and kill me as well to make Burning Heaven Clan despise you even more?”
Mu Tianbei’s entire body froze. After a twitch of his face, the ice and snow beneath his feet suddenly rose up. He chased in the direction of where Xia Qingyue and Yun Che left like a hawk.
“Qingyue, you… why… are you here …?”
The speed of their pace was too fast. When Yun Che opened his mouth, large amounts of wind and snow poured into his mouth. After making the effort for quite a while, he was able to finally ask a question, which had a very obvious answer.
Xia Qingyue said nothing. It was unknown whether it was because she didn’t hear it or that she was too worried about Mu Tianbei chasing up to them. She didn’t dare to be distracted in the slightest.
Earlier, before Yun Che had left, she quietly changed directions and followed behind him because she feared Yun Che would run into some danger. In an environment filled with wind and snow, it was very easy for her to conceal her aura. Therefore, whether it was Yun Che or Mu Tianbei, none of them found out that she was always in their vicinity. As for why she was unable to control herself from following him, she gave herself the reason that since Yun Che’s injuries were caused by her, she was responsible for protecting his safety in this dangerous place.
Only, she didn’t think that Fen Juecheng and Fen Juebi would take advantage of this situation to kill him, and expected the Sect Master class Mu Tianbei even less!
Yun Che’s eyeballs shifted as his body tilted and his head fell into the ice and snow. Then, he was miserably dragged across the ice and snow by Xia Qingyue. She stopped right away and hurriedly asked: “Are you alright? Hurry up and quickly get up! If Mu Tianbei catches up, it’d be a disaster.”
Yun Che straightened his upper body, shook the ice and snow off his head, and miserably said: “Qing… Qingyue my wife, my internal injuries seemed to have worsened… I already… I already can’t run anymore… You should leave… don’t worry about me! The one he wants to kill is me… As long as you get far away from here, he won’t do anything… to you… Cough cough cough cough…”
Yun Che coughed for a while to forcefully cough out the ice and snow that had previously poured into his stomach.
Xia Qingyue nervously looked back. Without caring about anything else any longer, she retracted the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, put her right hand under Yun Che’s ribs, and supported him up: “Hold onto me tightly… In this environment, it’s not impossible for us to escape!”
This time, Yun Che had indeed swiftly reached out to hold onto Xia Qingyue’s soft and slim waist. Just by holding it, it was hard to imagine that this body, which was seemingly as weak as a willow, could unexpectedly release a heaven freezing, earth sealing power. Once Yun Che held onto it, he couldn’t bear to let go. It was comforting to the point that he almost let out a groan.
Having her body touched and held by a male, caused a deep and peculiar feeling to flash within Xia Qingyue’s heart. She immediately activated the full power of her Frozen Cloud Arts to use Frozen Cloud Asgard’s exclusive profound movement skill, “Frozen Fantasy Snow Dance”, and moved towards the north at an extremely fast speed.
“Juniors! Where are you running off to! Prepare to die!”
Mu Tianbei’s roars suddenly sounded from behind them. Xia Qingyue quickly looked back, only to astonishingly discover that within the wind and snow behind them, the figure of Mu Tianbei appeared, and was gradually approaching.
Cold light concentrated within Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes. She extended her left arm and a ball of icy blue light danced about. The flying snow in an area of a few hundred meters around her all became under her control and flew towards Mu Tianbei.
Bang!!
After a huge sound, all the flying snow was easily dispersed by Mu Tianbei. Mu Tianbei was Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress’ Fort Master with a profound strength that had surpassed the fifth level of the Sky Profound Realm. His total strength seemed to not be inferior to Xia Qingyue’s teacher, Chu Yueli. He was someone that Xia Qingyue had absolutely no chance of defending against. Even if she forcefully activated her Frozen Cloud Domain, it would basically be ineffective against him.
At the moment, Yun Che comfortably held Xia Qingyue and his hands rubbed her slender waist from time to time. He wasn’t satisfied at all because Mu Tianbei stubbornly came and disturbed them as he chased closer when he got into a distance where he could attack them. Yun Che bore his teeth in quite a bad mood and lightly muttered: “Jasmine, kill him!”
Bang!!
There was clearly nothing ahead of him, and Mu Tianbei, who saw that he would soon overtake Xia Qingyue and Yun Che, suddenly collided into an incredibly tough thing that made him dizzy. Only after he spun a few circles in midair did he steady his body. He shook his head and looked up front again, but any traces of Xia Qingyue and Yun Che had long since been lost. What calmly floated in front of him was a little girl clothed in a cute, red colored princess dress.
Flying snow fell down in great packs and flooded every corner of the surrounding, but not a trace of snowflake landed on the body of the little girl. Mu Tianbei stared blankly for a long while as he looked at her, because this little girl was too refined; practically a hundred times more refined than the highest quality porcelains dolls meticulously sculpted by the top artisans of the Blue Wind Empire. It was exactly this excessively refined little face that hung a completely grim expression which didn’t match her age and lovely figure at all.
She extended her finger which was more tender than snow and pointed towards Mu Tianbei. Her crystalline eyes emitted a bloody ray of light: “How do you want to die?”
Chapter 254 - A Woman’s Heart
“Who… Who are you?”
Mu Tianbei had never thought that there would ever come a day where he would be frightened by a little girl, to the point where his entire body spasmed. For Jasmine, who was currently only in a half-soul form, her strength was not even ten thousandth of her normal form. However, to Mu Tianbei, it was still a nightmare-like pressure. Even though in front of him was just a little girl whose beauty could not be described, he felt as though he was looking at the abyss of death. Every part of his body was uncontrollably trembling crazily.
Jasmine’s tender lips slightly tilted, revealing an ice-cold light smile. “This princess has already given you a chance to choose your method of death. Since you refuse to choose, then this princess shall choose on your behalf… Disappear!!”
Jasmine’s small hand gently sliced the empty air…
Bang!
A gentle explosive sound rang. Before this sound could travel too far, it had already been submerged completely into the snowstorm. In this slight commotion, Mu Tianbei’s body instantly burst… To be more exact, his body was instantly broken down! His body broke down into countless of extremely small fragments, and then, these fragments continued to break down, and break down… and they broke down into fragments even smaller than dust, until the fragments completely disappeared. Not even a trace of his body was left… as it was taken over by complete nothingness.
As she watched Mu Tianbei disappear in front of her eyes, Jasmine’s expression was completely indifferent. Her two hands held in front of her chest, and following the flipping of her palms, she cast a mystical profound formation. This profound formation spiraled at high speed, and disappeared within her chest. After that, Jasmine’s figure disappeared from the spot.
With Mu Tianbei nearing their backs, Xia Qingyue initially thought that they no longer had any possibility to escape. Just when she was about to forcefully open her Frozen Cloud Domain, she was surprised to feel that the pressure coming from Mu Tianbei had suddenly disappeared. When she turned to look, she could no longer see Mu Tianbei’s figure as well. Although she was surprised, she did not dare to stop even for a single moment as she brought Yun Che further and further away at an incredible speed… Unconsciously, she had already went past one ice mountain after another.
Sensing that Jasmine had returned, Yun Che immediately asked. “Is the deed done?”
“Do you really believe that he can escape alive under my hands?” Jasmine said snappily.
“… Then what about Fen Juecheng? Did you deal with him as well?”
“I only told you that I will help you kill a single person. I don’t have the mood to care about some Fen Juecheng!”
“Shit… If Fen Juecheng isn’t dead, then didn’t I kill Fen Juebi for nothing!? He only has to tell Fen Moli, and whole world will know that I was the one who killed Fen Juebi! If that’s the case, I might as well kill Fen Juebi personally with my hands back then!”
“That’s your problem. What does that have to do with me?”
“…” Yun Che’s face cramped for a moment. He could only take a deep breath, and helplessly said. “Never mind! Where’s Mu Tianbei’s corpse? Is it still at the place where he almost caught up to us earlier?”
“I have already made sure that he completely disappeared from this world. Forget about a corpse, not even a single speck of ash is left. What did you want to do with his corpse?”
“F*ck!” Yun Che almost leapt out of Xia Qingyue’s body. “Mu Tianbei is the Fort Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress! The Fort Master, you know! There’s definitely a large amount of sect treasures in his spatial ring, or he might even have some sort of world-shocking secret, and you actually made him to vanish just like that! It would have been great if you had casually sliced him into half, it would have saved you time and effort as well! Y-y-y-you… You will definitely be a spoiled woman when you grow up in the future.”
Jasmine coldly snorted. “You don’t have the capability to kill him yourself, and had me deal with him instead, so stop with all this nonsense!”
“…” Yun Che had no words to rebut her with.
Turning back to give another glance, Yun Che could only swallow down the thought of turning back to kill Fen Juecheng. In the vast snowfield, it was basically impossible to determine one’s direction. When Xia Qingyue sprinted, she did not leave any trace, and even if there were some traces left behind, they would have already been covered by the snowstorm. The possibility of turning back to find them was basically none.
“Currently, I have already sealed my profound energy. In the next very long period of time, my strength will only be used to expel the poison, and it cannot be released outside. A seal like this is something I can’t even remove myself. When you once again encounter some danger, just pray for the best.” Jasmine said, and her words were definitely not a joke. She had seriously sealed her own profound energy. However, a seal like this did not prevent her from circulating profound energy, rather, it prevented her from releasing her profound energy outside her body.
“A very long period of time? How long is that?”
“It is a sealing profound formation that I casually casted, I don’t know how long the seal will last either. The shortest is a single year, while the longest might be a few dozen years!”
“…”
After continuously proceeding forward for more than two hours, and after confirming that Mu Tianbei would not be chasing after them, Xia Qingyue’s mind finally relaxed as she fell onto the patch of snow with Yun Che.
As though he had been startled, Yun Che let out a “Aiya” sound. His body was suddenly thrown forward. He instantly landed on Xia Qingyue’s body and hugged her really tightly.
After sprinting with her full strength for so long, a large majority of Xia Qingyue’s profound energy was used up. She steadied her breathing for a moment, and then, neither lightly nor heavily, raised her hand to push away Yun Che, who was on her body. Then, she stood up, and her breathing had slowly calmed down as well. Her expression was even more calm, with not even a hint of emotions on her face.
“Stand up. There’s no need to act anymore, I know that your internal injuries never acted up in the first place.” Looking at Yun Che who she had pushed into the pile of snow, Xia Qingyue spoke with an indifferent expression.
Yun Che stood up from the pile of snow and casually patted off the snow on his body. Just when he was about to speak up, he was suddenly stunned for a moment… Earlier, when Xia Qingyue had brought him to flee with all her strength, the veil on her face had long fell off somewhere along the way. A beautiful face, so absolutely beautiful to the point of causing people to hold their breaths, was revealed before him, at such a close distance. Her snow-dress fluttered, bathing within the snowstorm. A charm like this, even the legendary snow woman would pale in comparison.
Seeing that he did not say anything for a long while, and was instead looking at her own face while in a slight daze, Xia Qingyue reached out her hand to touch her own cheek. Only then did she realize that her veil had gone missing. Her brows slightly twitched. She slanted her face to the side, and lightly asked. “The reason why Fen Juecheng and Fen Moli wished to kill you, is because of Princess Cang Yue. But why did Mu Tianbei want to kill you?”
Evidently, she had heard the conversation between Yun Che, Fen Juecheng and Fen Juebi. Yun Che regained his senses, slightly curled his lips, and said. “Mu Tianbei had once invited me to join Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, and even ridiculed the Blue Wind Profound Palace. Then, he was sent back by my ridiculing comments, and I even harmed his core disciple, hence, he held a grudge against me… It was just something like that.”
Xia Qingyue softly said. “Mu Tianbei is number one in the Northern Passes, and no one would dare to offend to him. People like him would never tolerate even a little bit of offense that come their way, and I had heard from Master once that he had always been prideful and egoistic… People like him, it’s best that you don’t offend them in the future.”
“I had never take the initiative to offend someone, all of them were the ones who came to offend me. It’s just that I have learnt to never be polite and tolerate people who offend me.” Yun Che said without a care. Looking at the side-view of Xia Qingyue’s perfect face, he smiled. “Qingyue my wife, it’s good that you’re here this time. Otherwise, I would have definitely died in Mu Tianbei’s hands. But, you’re my wife, after all, so I won’t say thank you… Speaking of which, why were you nearby back then? You couldn’t have seen that I had yet to recover from my injuries, was worried about my safety, and have been sneakily following after me, right?”
“I just happened to pass by.”
Evidently, Xia Qingyue was not good at lying. When she said those words, her tone and demeanor was very unnatural. She shifted her gaze away as well, not wanting to make eye contact with Yun Che. She turned to the side, and coldly said. “Mu Tianbei should have lost us, it’s nearly impossible for him to think of finding you in this Secret Realm. Your injuries have already fully healed, and your profound energy has already recovered by at least seventy percent. It should be enough to fend for yourself in this place. Take care.”
After saying that, Xia Qingyue’s snow-dress fluttered, and she was about to leave.
“Hey, hey! Wait a minute!” Yun Che hurriedly stepped forward, and blocked her front. “You can’t really be leaving like this, right? In truth… In truth, earlier, those words were used to fool Fen Juecheng, my wounds are basically not fully healed at all. At most, I’m only fifty percent healed, especially my internal injuries, right now, they’re still… Kuh kuh… Cough cough cough cough… My profound energy has only recovered by thirty percent at most, really… If, I’m once again found by Fen Juecheng and Mu Tianbei, without you by my side to protect me, then wouldn’t I… It doesn’t matter if I die, but to burden you to become a widow, how could I bear such a thing…”
Xia Qingyue’s beautiful brows evidently twitched for a moment.
“Besides, we are a legally wedded husband and wife, and since we’re husband and wife, we should live together on the same bed, die together in the same hole, share our blessings and depend on each in times of crisis. Now that I’m currently troubled by various things, as my wife, shouldn’t you do your part as what a wife would do, and take up the responsibility to protect me… Hey, hey! Don’t go…”
Back then, when Yun Che’s meridians were crippled, facing Xia Qingyue who was too high for him to reach back then, he would frequently say these cheap words, causing her to feel angry and helpless. Currently, in terms of strength, Yun Che could not compete with Xia Qingyue, but in terms of persistence, Xia Qingyue was definitely unable to compete with Yun Che. Hence, the two of them were basically six of one and half a dozen of the other. When Yun Che spoke with Xia Qingyue, naturally, he would not have any sort of scruples at all.
Xia Qingyue did not bother to pay attention to what he was saying as she directly circled around him, and lightly stepped on the snow as she headed towards the north. Yun Che stood at the same spot, and said very resentfully. “You can’t… really be leaving me here alone like this, right?”
Xia Qingyue did not answer. After walking very far away, she suddenly stopped her steps, and said with an extremely soft voice. “What are you still standing there for? Hurry and catch up to me.”
“As you command!” Yun Che instantly grinned from ear to ear. With a slight tap underneath his feet, he caught up with Xia Qingyue’s side swiftly… He did not look as though he had not fully recovered from his heavy injuries at all.
The two of them headed northwards, and very quickly, they disappeared within the snowstorm.
In regards to Xia Qingyue appearing and saving him, it was impossible for him not to feel grateful in his heart. Because the person he faced back then was Mu Tianbei, an extreme expert of the Sect Master class. When Xia Qingyue saved him, she undoubtedly carried the same risk of dying under Mu Tianbei’s hands, together with him. And, at the same time, he was very puzzled… When he encountered Xia Qingyue again at Heavenly Sword Villa, he could only feel indifference from her body. Not closeness, not rejection, not coldness, but just the form of indifference that he could extremely not bear at all.
The few days after their marriage, he worked hard to plant his figure into Xia Qingyue’s heart. But, such a long period of separation, was evidently enough to completely disperse his shallow figure in Xia Qingyue’s heart. Also, to a certain degree, he believed that currently, in Xia Qingyue’s eyes, he was nothing but a normal existence whom she was binded with a marriage certificate. Someone who could she do with, and could do without. But, today, when Xia Qingyue followed him to protect him, and came out to save him, he was once again confused… He completely unable to figure out what kind of place he currently had in her heart.
To a man, if there was something in the world that he would never be able to understand, it would undoubtedly be a woman’s heart.
Chapter 255 - Heaven Basin’s Enormous Beast (1)
Yun Che and Xia Qingyue journeyed together just like that. The two of them were unquestionably the strongest combination among Blue Wind Empire’s younger generation. The two of them continued straight north… To speak more precisely, they didn’t know what direction laid ahead of them either. Only boundless snow-covered plains and blizzard could be seen; there weren’t any rewards, nor did they meet any danger. Not even half a silhouette of profound beasts was seen.
Yun Che kept on chattering endlessly, asking Xia Qingyue various questions, and then self-servingly told her about Xia Yuanba’s situation from back then to now. Xia Qingyue’s response was always impeccably indifferent, and only occasionally replied nonchalantly. Her hands continuously waved, sweeping away the ice and snow on the ground, but never found anything throughout the process.
“Qingyue my wife, don’t you have anything you want to ask me? Like… Have I been well after you left, what places have I been to, and was I bullied by anyone…”
“With your personality, it would already be good if you didn’t bully others; who could truly be able to bully you.” Xia Qingyue expressionlessly replied with her charming eyes looking toward the front. After that, the light in her eyes moved, and she finally voluntarily asked him a question: “But I want to know, during this period of time, just how did you grow to such an extent?
Xia Qingyue had finally taken the initiative to ask him a question. Yun Che’s expression immediately became serious, and he spoke: “This matter is my secret, and I absolutely would not tell other people. But since you are my wife, so that’s a different story. Mn… I met a master, she allowed my profound veins to grow anew and also taught me a bunch of random things. Furthermore, I’ve also had some special encounters during this period of time. That is how I came to be today.”
“Your Master?” A hint of surprise flashed through Xia Qingyue’s eyes: “To be able to bring you up to such a height within such a short period of time, your Master is definitely a supremely extraordinary person.”
Yun Che waited for a bit, but didn’t hear any further questions. He instantly said: “Don’t you want to ask me who this master of mine is?”
“That is your privacy, I have no right to probe.” Xia Qingyue replied with indifference.
“Mm…” Yun Che pondered a little, and said while smiling: “This master of mine, indeed is a supremely remarkable being. But you definitely won’t be able to guess just exactly why she is “remarkable”. She is even more amazing than you imagined, and also completely changed my fate. However, she definitely isn’t a good master. Because, to be precise, she didn’t truly teach me anything, and had just always stuffed a bunch of things directly into my head. Then, she made me comprehend and practice them myself. But I, as the disciple, had never disappointed her, alright? Everything she stuffed into me, I would always comprehend them in a very short amount of time. That’s how the present me came to be.”
“Hmph, you narcissist!” In his mind, resounded Jasmine’s voice that was full of contempt.
At this time, an eccentric feeling suddenly came from Yun Che’s left hand’s palm. He immediately lifted up his left hand, and shockingly discovered that his palm was currently flashing with a green brilliance that belonged to the Sky Poison Pearl.
This is….
The Sky Poison Pearl’s reaction toward treasures!!
And to make the Sky Poison Pearl react, it certainly wasn’t just any ordinary treasure either. At the very least, it would be at the rank of the Star Concealing Grass.
After coming back to the Blue Wind Empire, the Sky Poison Pearl had a total of two detection reactions. The first time had discovered the Star Concealing Grass, and the second time had detected the existence of the Evil God’s Fire Seed. And this third time… the direction that the reaction pointed at, just happened to be directly ahead of them.
“What happened?” Xia Qingyue saw that he stopped moving, and asked while turning her head back.
“I’m guessing that we will have an enormous reward very soon!” Yun Che clasped his palms: “Let’s go continue forward.”
The blizzard did not have any hint of stopping, and it was unknown just how long this blizzard had been going on. The ice and snow under their feet also thickened to an unimaginable extent. The two of them continued traveling forward for more than four hours; the Sky Poison Pearl’s reaction was still there, but nothing was gained yet. This did not disappoint Yun Che, and the inside of his heart instead became even more excited… To make the Sky Poison Pearl have an reaction across such a long distance, the thing that it discovered must be no trivial thing! At the very least, it would be much more rare than the Star Concealing Grass!
Just what would it be?
The temperature of this place was frighteningly low. After walking for so long under this sky and earth of ice, in order to defend against the acute cold, the profound energy expenditure speed was also extremely fast. Even for Yun Che, who had a body not inferior to a true dragon, this was also starting to become a little unbearable, so it could be imagined how much more unbearable this was for the other young profound practitioners with slightly weaker profound strength. He shrunk his neck a little as his gaze looked toward the front with care, and then asked on a whim: “Qingyue my wife, your Master and Senior Master should have come here many times before, what rewards did they usually obtain?”
Xia Qingyue thought for a bit, and said: “Master had come to this place twice before, and was rewarded plentifully every time. The first time, she acquired three pieces of Pure Cloud Jade and two Ten Thousand Year Old Blood Reishi ; the second time, she obtained a chunk of Purple Veined Heaven Crystal, three drops of Profound Spirit Jade Dew and a chunk of an enormous beast’s bone. Master said that there are a total of three seasons here, and the season’s characteristics are exhibited to an extreme. Amongst them, the most unlucky would be encountering winter. It is because the winter’s blizzard would cover everything tightly, thus, it would be very difficult to obtain anything rewarding.
Very unfortunately, Yun Che and Xia Qingyue encountered the cold winter with overwhelming flying snow on their first time entering the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. That’s right, any and everything was tightly covered by the ice and snow. Let alone treasures, even a chunk of rock could not be seen.
“What is the best thing that someone who entered this Heaven Basin Secret Realm had found?” Yun Che asked. As he spoke till here, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Xia Qingyue also stopped right after, and slightly nodded: “I don’t know. If someone really found anything great, they normally would stay quiet about it. However, I had heard my Master bring up that more than four hundred years ago, someone had found a Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus in the Heaven Basin before.”
“Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus?” Yun Che had a surprised face. Out of all the grasses and herbs in the world, the ones that Yun Che did not know could be counted with one hand. Yet he had never heard his Master bring up the name Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus. Today was actually the first time he had heard of it.
Xia Qingyue slightly lifted her gaze, and slowly spoke: “The Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus is a type of sacred object that’s recorded in my Sect’s 《Frozen Cloud Sacred Book》, and the other top Sects also has records of it. In the records, it is a sacred object gifted by the heavens, and is also a kind of object which shouldn’t exist in the mortal world because it opposes the heavens. Legends say that one appeared long ago, and never appeared again afterwards. It only existed within the many records that spoke about it. Four hundred years ago, a Senior of the Xiao Sect had used Spirit Sound Transmission and told everyone who were in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm at that time that he found the “Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus” which was exactly the same as in the records… However, those were his last words. After he spoke those words, there was no further contact from him. He never could walk out of the Secret Realm, and fell there.”
“Sacred object gifted by the heavens”, “Object that opposes the heavens”. All of these descriptive words that came from Xia Qingyue hinted at how shocking of an existence the “Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus” was. Yun Che followed up and asked: “Just how exactly does this ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ oppose the natural law? Don’t tell me that one would become immortal after eating it or something?”
“…No one had actually seen it so everything about it are only from the records.” Xia Qingyue said with a light voice: “I heard my Master say that after consuming the ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’, it could make someone without any profound strength step into the Earth Profound Realm in a day’s time… With my current realm, if I were to consume the ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’, I could step into the Sky Profound Realm with a single step. Furthermore, the power hidden inside ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ is extremely gentle, and absolutely would not cause a situation, where the person who consumed it cannot endure the change and become injured, to appear.”
“…It’s that amazing?!” Yun Che’s mouth flew wide open. To make someone without any profound strength at all to directly step into the Earth Profound Realm, and allow a profound practitioner of the Earth Profound Realm to enter the Sky Profound Realm, that the vast majority would not even dare to peek at, with a single step; it was simply hard to believe that there existed something like that in this world.
If one could acquire it, one could climb to a height that others may not achieve even if they worked hard for their entire lives. The words “object that opposes the heavens”, was not at all an exaggeration for it. And this kind of thing that breaks the balance too much, should indeed, not exist in this world.
“Speaking of which, what does that ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ look like?” Yun Che’s hand tapped his chin, as his face revealed an extremely odd complexion. His gaze was also somewhat erratic.
Xia Qingyue’s pink lips slightly opened, and said vividly: “I have seen the records regarding ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ before. It is much larger than a normal lotus flower, and its diameter when blooming is as long as five feet. On its petals, is a somewhat eccentric light blue color…”
“…Is it a blue color like a blue crystal? Every single petal also had the luster of glazed glass like crystals. The stamen in the center of the flower is a scarlet red, and even glows. The flower stem that supports it is also blue, a type of illusory blue that’s much deeper than the petal’s color…” Yun Che stared at Xia Qingyue, and spoke sentence by sentence with an odd expression.
A hint of surprise condensed in Xia Qingyue’s charming eyes: “So you actually had seen the records about it before?”
“No no, definitely not.” Yun Che extended his finger, and probingly pointed behind her: “What I am talking about, is that lotus flower behind you.”
Xia Qingyue suddenly turned around. And then, her fragrant lips slightly opened, as her entire being froze there.
In a place no more than fifty steps away from them, appeared a light blue colored silhouette. That’s right; that was a lotus, an enormous lotus flower. Its diameter was as long as five feet, it had an illusory blue colored jade-like flower stem and light blue flower petals that flowed with fluorescent brilliance. Yet its stamen was like a red colored starry sky that had gathered together, and flashed with a mysterious and eccentric light.
A lotus ought to bloom in the summer with a scorching sun, yet this lotus, had lofty bloomed within the blizzard. The wind howled and the falling snow flew about, so it would be difficult even for an ordinary person to stand upright under this kind of blizzard. Yet this lotus flower unyieldingly stood there; neither the petals or the stamen had the slightest of waver. It was as if none of its petals could possibly fall even if the blizzard was ten times stronger.
Under the snow, the entire land was even submerged underneath. Yet only this lotus flower was not covered. On the petals, even a trace of the drifting snow could not be seen. In this world of overwhelming blizzard and snow, it became the only, and also the most blinding existence.
Chapter 256 - Heaven Basin’s Enormous Beast (2)
“Emperor Awakening… Heart… Lotus….” Xia Qingyue was completely stunned. That lotus flower in her sights and the “Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus” from the records were exactly the same. None of the characteristics were any different. The color of its unique petal, its radiance, and furthermore, it was being battered by the elements, yet still had the attitude of arrogance towards all living things on heaven and earth. All of this proved that this was absolutely an extraordinary object. Only at this moment, Xia Qingyue had a look of disbelief in her eyes. She didn’t dare to think she could inadvertently and unexpectedly encounter such a divine existence from the legends and records.
“Could that really be the ‘Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ that you mentioned?” Hearing Xia Qingyue’s disillusioned murmurs, Yun Che’s expression was similar stirred in a peculiar manner… this was the one of the divine objects from legends, the heaven opposing lotus? Found just like this?
So quaint? So simple? So lucky?
Wait… Lotus flowers all bloomed in the water. The person who discovered the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus on the verge of the death four hundred years ago told everyone that when he discovered it, he was within the Heaven Basin… Could it be, that he himself and Xia Qingyue just happened to stepped onto the Heaven Basin… on the Heaven Basin which had frozen over?
“There’s no mistake, it’s exactly the same as the records.”
Yun Che saw an extremely rare expression of excitement from Xia Qingyue’s face. Such a divine object from legends just suddenly appeared right in front of their eyes. Let alone her, even Chu Yuechan would probably have difficulty maintaining her composure as well. Xia Qingyue took some steps forward and prepared to approach that blue lotus, but she was blocked by Yun Che’s hands right way: “Wait, don’t go near it yet. If that event from four hundred years ago is real; then, the one which that person discovered was perhaps this exact one! In other words, right now we are already standing on the Heaven Basin. After that person discovered it, he left behind a note before death… to state that it was extremely likely that a huge, hidden danger hid behind this lotus flower.
Xia Qingyue withdrew her footsteps and slowly nodded. The rarer the object, the more likely it was protected by a powerful profound beast. Naturally, it wasn’t because those profound beasts were looking out for its safety, but it was for the powerful strength it contained. It would nourish the growth of the profound beast and at a suitable time, the profound beast guarding it would consume it in order to advance its strength by leaps and bounds. Therefore, it would guard it with its life and absolutely did not let another person approach and touch it.
“Jasmine, are there auras of powerful profound beasts nearby?” Yun Che calmed down and asked Jasmine.
But he waited a good while, but still did not hear a response from Jasmine.
Yun Che shut his eyes and entered into the Sky Poison Pearl, but discovered that Jasmine peacefully laid down on her white jade bed with a tranquil look over her snow white face. Her hands intersected over her chest and formed a very strange gesture. Around her body, green light flickered from time to time.
Could she be detoxifying herself?
Yun Che didn’t dare to bother Jasmine and exited from the Sky Poison Pearl. He then concentrated and spread his senses in all four directions, but was in fact unable to detect the existence of any dangerous auras. He then muttered hesitantly to himself: “It’s so empty here, if a profound beast was here, then I could probably spot it right away. Additionally, if we stepped into the Heaven Basin and the Heaven Basin had been iced over a long time ago, all the profound beasts would naturally be sealed under as well and would probably not come out. If I think of it like this, then perhaps it wouldn’t be as dangerous as we thought.”
“But still, it’s still good to be careful. There could still be profound beasts hiding under the snow. If this Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was truly being guarded by a profound beast, then it would certainly be an extremely dangerous one.” Xia Qingyue raised her brows slightly.
Yun Che sensed the situation around himself again and then stepped forward: “Don’t move from that spot, I’ll go take a look.”
“Let’s go together.” Xia Qingyue followed beside him: “Just in case there is a danger, us two can look after each other.”
Accidentally discovering this divine object from the legends, the two were nervous and excited at the same time. An object such as the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was absolutely not something ordinary people could discover, let alone obtained by ordinary people. The two slowly moved forward, and cautiously and carefully approached… Until both of them stood at a position within reach of the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus, and still without any accidents occurring.
The two then let out a long sigh of relief at the same time.
Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was almost right in front of them. Looking at the incomparably captivating petal and pistil, Yun Che rubbed his hands in unimaginable excitement “Hehe, it looked like it wasn’t a completely terrible misfortune to encounter winter here! The effect of the weather here on the profound beasts, especially the profound beasts in the Heaven Basin is much greater than it is on us.”
As he spoke, Yun Che reached out with his left and touched the blossoming Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus.
“Wait!” Xia Qingyue yelled at him to stop: “If you wanted to pluck it off, you have to be careful. Plucking such a high valued divine object, the difficulty would be extremely high. If you’re even the least bit careless, it would easily drain away a great deal of effect.
“You can be at ease about this, don’t forget, I’m a genius doctor.” Yun Che laughed with great self-confidence. With the Sky Poison Pearl, no matter the plant, he could seize it with absolute perfection. After plucking it, it would directly enter the Sky Poison Pearl and not even a trace of the power it contained would be lost.
Yun Che softly nipped at the stem of the otherworldly blue flower with his left hand that silently released a green light. At this moment, he suddenly raised his head and asked: “Qingyue my wife, aren’t you afraid that I’ll keep it to myself after pluck it?”
Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes slanted and with an indifferent expression: “This Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was found by you, it should belong to you anyway. How does it concern me in any way?”
Yun Che was suddenly startled. A peculiar feeling flashed within his mind and he immediately stopped talking. A green light flashed in his palms; then, the entire Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus disappeared into the Sky Poison Pearl.
Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was absolutely an extremely valuable treasure, but no matter how valuable it was, it was impossible for it to surpass the Sky Poison Pearl. Under the effects of the Sky Poison Pearl, the originally hard to pluck Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was plucked off by Yun Che with as much ease as the most ordinary of flowers.
From discovery to approach, to successfully plucking it, the entire process was incredibly smooth. Let alone risks, even an obstacle did not exist. It was simple to the point that it was somewhat abnormal. Yun Che smacked his hands and stood up. Just as he was about to speak, an incomparably muffled sound like a roar originating from the endless abyss suddenly echoed past… The source of that sound seemed to come from underneath his foot. Then, a faint vibration occurred beneath them that gradually intensified.
Yun Che’s expression suddenly changed. He grabbed Xia Qingyue’s hands right away and muttered: “Quickly, leave!!”
The Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus was indeed not unguarded by a profound beast.
A severe winter descended upon the Heaven Basin, so it froze over. As for this profound beast which stood guard by the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus’ side all year round, it had entered deep hibernation on the bottom of the Heaven Basin. Since it did not sense Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s approach, it was still fast asleep then. However, once the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus had been plucked away, when its aura had completely disappeared, it had finally woken up, evoking a fury that surged to the skies.
That was the most terrifying roar that Yun Che had heard in his two lives. The oppressing power that the roar contained practically crushed his spirit, as well as his five visceras and six organs. Xia Qingyue’s expression was not any different from Yun Che’s expression. They rushed into the distance at their fastest speed. Under their top speed, they traveled outwards past about six hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The vibrations underneath their feet gradually intensified at this moment, as if mother earth could collapse at any moment.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
AWOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A huge heaven crashing earth splitting sound echoed from behind Yun Che and Xia Qingyue, followed by a terrifying roar that was enough to burst heaven and earth.
This roar suddenly shook Yun Che’s brain into a blank state as he fell into the ice and snow together with Xia Qingyue. Then, they subconsciously looked back at the same time, and discovered the most shocking scene they had ever seen in their lives.
The ground was entirely uplifted. The ice and snow that covered the ground and countless huge chunks of ice was lifted into the skies quite far away, until it reached an altitude they were no longer capable of seeing. Then, a huge wave of water soared into the sky… that’s right, a wave of water! Yun Che’s thoughts weren’t wrong. They were stepping on the frozen Heaven Basin beneath them. The ice covering the Heaven Basin was over thirty meters thick, but was easily broken like thin sheets of paper. The basin water beneath them rose into mid air and became an incredibly tall tower of ice. Underneath the wave of water, an incredibly huge white figure rushed into the air until it leapt over a hundred feet high. Then, it heavily landed…. The sound it caused the instant that it landed was world-shaking. The layers of ice in the surrounding was widely ruptured as well. One of the cracks reached right below Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s feet.
This was an enormous beast that completely surpassed Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s imagination. It was around three hundred meters tall and white hair covered its entire body. It had a humanlike body and a vicious wolflike head with scarlet red eyes. When it landed, it was like a small mountain that blocked a huge amount of light from the heavens, and the aura it released, was way more terrifying than over ten thousand mountains. In front of its huge body, Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were as insignificant as two little flies. The distance they ran with their fastest speeds to escape, was covered by its feet in merely two steps.
…………………………
In between two icy mountains, Ling Yuefeng finally found his first reward from an ancient forest that wasn’t completely covered in ice and snow. Just as he was about to pluck that pitch black Reishi , the sound of a profound beast suddenly echoed from the distance. The place it came from was very far away, so the sound wasn’t very loud, but it indeed shook Ling Yuefeng’s entire body. His face showed an incredibly shocked expression, and even his soul was unexpectedly trembled by the roar that originated from faraway.
“This is… this is… the power of a Tyrant Profound Beast!!” Ling Yuefeng looked in the distance and an uncontrollable fear loomed over his face.
“Inside the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, there was actually a Tyrant Profound Beast…”
“Wait! This cry is filled with anger! Could it be that someone stepped into its territory or provoked it?”
While thinking about these things, Ling Yuefeng’s expression kept changing. The power that this sound contained could send him, a Throne, into deep fear. He felt that the owner of this sound could destroy him effortlessly. Tyrant Profound Realm… a level never before seen in Blue Wind Empire, because in the history of Blue Wind Empire, there never was a true Overlord. “Throne” was already the peak and limit of the Blue Wind Empire. Titles like “Overlord” and “Monarch” could exist only in the fantasies of Blue Wind profound practitioners. It was a level that they absolutely could not comprehend and imagine.
The person who offended this Tyrant Profound Beast, he would turn into dust particles in the blink of an eye… It was impossible for there to be a second outcome.
Ling Yuefeng subconsciously retreated two steps, and then flew towards that roar in the distance. Right now, he could only deeply pray that the ones who offended this terrifying Tyrant Profound Beast wasn’t a part of his Heavenly Sword Villa.
Chapter 257 - On the Brink of Death
That roar transmitted an extremely terrifying pressure and penetrative power into every corner of the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. It completely overwhelmed the most powerful experts of the top ten sects with shock, and made each of them retreat from the source of the roar. They simultaneously thought that death would be inevitable, but none of them could have imagined that the people who encountered this terrifying profound beast were the two most talented people of the younger generation!
Jasmine, who was concentrating all her energy on detoxifying herself, was suddenly startled by the terrifying aura. Her severe and astonished voice echoed within Yun Che’s mind: “What’s going on? You guys actually provoked a Tyrant Profound Beast!”
“Tyrant Profound Beast?” Yun Che was terrifyingly alarmed. The oppressing feeling that this incredibly huge beast gave Yun Che was far superior to that Emperor Profound Flame Dragon, but he never could have thought that this was a Tyrant Profound Beast, since the level of Tyrant Profound Realm was never before seen in the Blue Wind Empire! It was a fantastical existence only told in legends!
The powerful pressure from the Tyrant Profound Beast caused Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s bodies to stiffen. Their five visceras spasmed and their heartbeats practically halted. To defend against a Tyrant Profound Beast or to escape from underneath its claws was undoubtedly just a crazed dream. Yun Che clenched his teeth and said: “Jasmine! Is your strength truly completely sealed off, and you can’t utilize even a bit of it?”
“…” Jasmine remained silent for a long time and furrowed her delicate eyebrows. She never could have thought that not long after she sealed off her profound strength, Yun Che would provoke such a terrifying guy. But according to her, because she sealed herself, she could not unseal herself. The sole hope that Yun Che had to avoid this critical situation was already completely broken.
As matters stood, Jasmine was also beginning to have some regret.
“This time you are surely going to die.” Every one of Jasmine’s words were incredibly solemn.
“No!!” Yun Che suddenly shook his head: “I still don’t want to die… I can’t die!!”
“Qingyue… Let’s escape quickly!!”
Yun Che clenched his teeth and shouted loudly. He got up with incredible difficulty under that incredible mountain-like pressure. He grabbed Xia Qingyue’s hands and fled away with all his might.
“ROAR!!!”
Their movements invoked an angry roar from that huge beast. The giant beast lifted up its right arm and smashed downwards towards the direction they fled in…
The sound of wind that whistled from behind Yun Che made him subconsciously turn around. That huge fist wasn’t attacking them, rather it fell beneath that huge beast’s own feet, but it still caused Yun Che’s pupils to suddenly contract. He grabbed Xia Qingyue with one arm and used all his strength to leap high in the air. “Burning Heart” opened, and following the crazy surge of profound power, a translucent barrier suddenly appeared around him and Xia Qingyue’s bodies.
“Sealing Cloud Locking Sun!!”
Boom!!
Like a heavy hammer that came from heaven, it smashed the ground viciously, causing the entire Heaven Basin to vibrate. If it wasn’t a state of severe winter right now, but a summer day instead, perhaps a great amount of the Heaven Basin’s water would quake into the sky.
Feeling a great danger from beneath him, Yun Che carried Xia Qingyue and leapt high in the air as he fiercely inhaled. Using Star God’s Broken Shadow, he instantaneously pulled even higher into the air. Then, he flipped over facing downwards with his back to protect Xia Qingyue with the front of his body.
“Yun Che…!”
When Xia Qingyue cried from shock, it was immediately drowned out by the sound of that heaven shocking, earth shaking explosion.
After all, this was an indirect attack from a Tyrant Profound Beast. Even though Yun Che had leapt high into the sky a long time ago, the shockwave from the impact of the attack was still something he was incapable of resisting. His “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” was instantly broken through and a chunk of broken ice and fine snowflakes struck him on the back. Yun Che’s eyes bulged outwards and his face suddenly turned deathly pale. An arrow of blood sprayed out from high up in the sky and a small bit of landed on top of Xia Qingyue’s clothes, dying her snow white cloud dress into a patch of red.
Without the protection of “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun”, that single instant was already enough to kill Yun Che. He violently bit the tip of his tongue to prevent himself from fainting. He channeled his profound strength vigorously and activated “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” once again. However, this time, an extremely terrifying scene appeared within Xia Qingyue and his line of sight…
They saw an incomparably large head that was still more than thirty meters away from them, but it already covered their entire vision range. On its head were two eyes as scarlet as blood, and the two bloody eyes were focused entirely on them. Following that, it opened its large, deep as the abyss mouth towards them and spread forth an incredibly powerful suction force. The solid ice, the flying snow… and the embracing Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were absolutely incapable of resisting the suction force, so they flew toward the middle of that wide open mouth.
Yun Che and Xia Qingyue suddenly shouted out instinctively, and Yun Che suddenly realized during this exact moment why the attack of the huge beast smashed the ground instead towards them. It was because that huge beast knew that Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus had been seized by them and was bound to be on their body right now. If it destroyed them, then the Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus would be destroyed as well. However, if it shook them high in the air and sucked them inside its stomach, it was equivalent to swallowing that Emperor Awakening Heart Lotus that they had on their body!
When he noticed this, a strand of hope flashed across Yun Che’s eyes. Under the tremendous suction force, Xia Qingyue and himself gradually neared that deep abyss like huge mouth; even if Xia Qingyue and himself used all their power, they still did not have even the slightest chance of breaking free. Yun Che unwaveringly stared forward while maintaining “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” with all his power. Both his hands embraced Xia Qingyue tightly, and he loudly yelled over and over again: “Hold onto me tightly… Hold onto me tightly.. Don’t let go… Hold onto me tightly!!”
Before Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s eyes, everything suddenly became pitch black as the large mouth of that enormous beast finally closed.
The sound of the wind still whistled beside their ears. The moment they entered inside the mouth of that huge beast, Yun Che felt himself enter a dark and icy purgatory which possessed a freezing sensation that dug into his heart and pierced his bones. The temperature of this huge beast’s body was unexpectedly much lower than being within the Realm of Heavenly Snow Invocation. Under those huge impulsive movements, his body unceasingly collided with the surrounding as they rapidly advancing forward. In the darkness, he experienced countless canyons and incredibly long tunnels. He closed his eyes and maintained “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” with all his strength during this process, because this was the only thing they could rely on to not be smashed to bits during these courses of events.
An unknown amount of time passed by and the impacts had finally ended. They landed in an incredibly solid surface and finally stopped moving.
“Sealing Cloud Locking Sun”, which he had maintained for all this time, silently disappeared.
After it had been calm for awhile, Xia Qingyue finally opened her eyes. She realized where she was, but she was incapable of believing that she was still alive… Furthermore, apart from her slightly aching body, she was not injured in the slightest.
She raised her eyes and saw a empty space around her. Then she extended her right hand and a lump of illusionary blue light condensed in her palm, slightly illuminating an empty area of ten meters around her.
This should be the stomach of that enormous beast, but the incredibly strange thing was that this place did not seem like the interior of a profound beast’s body at all. It was actually more like an icy cave. The floor was incredibly hard and icicles both long and short suspended in the surrounding. The air here was extremely foul, making it hard to breathe. The temperature was lower than what she could have imagined. Even with the seventh stage of the Frozen Cloud Arts, and an intimate connection with the water element, Xia Qingyue was still feeling slightly uncomfortable.
“Yun Che, you’re okay right?”
Xia Qingyue called out gently, but she did not hear a response from Yun Che for a long time. Xia Qingyue moved her hands down to let that weak blue light shine on Yun Che’s body, but she discovered that his eyes were half shut and his complexion was deathly white like paper. A smudge of blood slowly extended from the corner of his mouth… When she touched his body, the only thing she felt was an ice-cold sensation.
Xia Qingyue quickly knelt beside his body. Her palms pressed against his stomach and her voice became more panicky: “Yun Che, are you still okay?”
When she checked the flow of his internal energy, Xia Qingyue’s hands distinctively shuddered. Because at this moment, his internal energy was as weak… as an infant’s.
Yun Che’s eyes slowly opened up a bit. His face exposed an incredibly faint smile: “So… great… we’re both… alive…”
It took him a great amount of effort to say these few short words.
Under the enormous beast’s earth-quaking fist, Yun Che suffered an extremely severe injury, but he didn’t have time to stabilize his energy and had to forcefully maintain “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun.” “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” wasn’t a normal profound technique, but an explosive technique of the Evil God. Although it was an explosive defensive technique, it wasn’t an ordinary defensive barrier, but a defensive skill that could only be utilized for a short moment to save his life. With each breath that “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” was active, the consumption of profound strength was equivalent to an activation of “Falling Moon Sinking Star”.
From being shaken into the sky until they were completely sucked into the stomach of the huge beast, a total of thirty breaths had passed by. During this period of time, “Sealing Cloud Locking Sun” had to be continuously maintained; otherwise, he and Xia Qingyue would have met their deaths a long time ago. The thirty breaths of activation had a huge consumption that an ordinary person would have difficulty imagining; furthermore, this consumption was still in a state where Yun Che suffered a severe injury.
Now, he finally calmed his energy, and his internal injuries had also intensified by many times. His profound strength was completely exhausted without even a trace remaining.
His internal injuries were incredibly severe, and he did not have even the slightest bit of profound strength to combat the cold. Every second in this frighteningly low temperature deprived Yun Che of a great deal of life force. He felt like his body was pierced by a myriad of needles, and very quickly, the ice cold sensation he felt disappeared bit by bit until he gradually lost all feeling of his body.
He smelled the taste of death and it was the first time he was this close within reach of it.
Xia Qingyue took her hands away from Yun Che’s body. Her eyes became confused: “Yun Che, you…”
“Qingyue… don’t say anything… listen to me…”
Yun Che’s breathing became incredibly weak. The temperature here caused both his hands, legs, and body to become frozen stiff in this short amount of time. Both his eyes had also lost all color. He was able to speak because he relied on his strong and unwavering consciousness, but he knew that this last bit of consciousness could disappear at any moment…
Death came too fast and sudden.
“Qingyue… good thing… nothing happened to you… I should… die any moment now… After I die… don’t… take care of me… You don’t fear cold… perhaps it’s possible… escape from here… even if this… huge beast… is even more frightening… you have to… use all your strength… to escape…”
“Yun Che! Don’t talk anymore! You can’t die that easily… If you want me to leave, we have to leave together! You won’t die!”
This calamity was too sudden, and it caught her completely unprepared. Yun Che’s internal injuries were incredibly severe. His five visceras and six internal organs were practically all smashed apart. His life force was incredibly weak and it was possible that it could disappear in the next second. She knew how he suffered such a severe injury. She also knew why he was so weak right now… When they were shaken into the sky, his back faced downwards to bear all the force of the impact and left her without the slightest bit of injuries. From the moment they were sucked into that enormous beast’s mouth until they landed here, that incredibly terrifying force was something that even her most powerful ice crystal defense could not withstand, but that barrier that constantly protected them blocked all the impact… That was without a doubt, an extremely tough and resilient barrier. With such an incredibly powerful barrier, one could imagine just how much power it consumed.
Except, Yun Che was already unable to hear her voice. His eyes were still half open, but not a trace of light remained. His four limbs, body, cheek, hair… Was already completely covered by a layer of ice. Underneath that layer of ice was an ice-cold body that was on the verge of completely burning out its entire life force.
“Qingyue…” He softly muttered: “If we meet again in the next life… become my wife again… okay… because… this life… I still have not completely conquered you… I… am not satisfied…”
Xia Qingyue’s body shook and her vision became fuzzy all of a sudden.
Both of Yun Che’s eyes lost their final traces of focus and spirit during this moment. His entire body became still. Only his throat moved ever so slightly to say the words that came from his soul…
“Grandfather… Little aunt…”
“Senior sister Xueruo… Jasmine… I’m…sorry…”
“…”
“Ling’er… I’m coming for you… Ling’er… Ling’er…”
His final mutters were as weak as a breeze, until it completely faded away… Then, a shining drop of blue starlight descended from Xia Qingyue’s face and lightly struck his completely stiff lips.
Chapter 258 - Finding the Hope of Life in Despair
Xia Qingyue touched her own cheeks and felt her ice cold tears.
She was stunned in place, because she couldn’t believe that she was shedding tears.
Things such as tears were too unfamiliar to her. After she wept that one time when she was four, she never shed a single tear again. Frozen Cloud Asgard’s Frozen Heart Arts made her calm under any circumstance; no happiness, grief, sorrow, or anger. Under the Frozen Cloud Arts, her heart was always cold and effective. Practically nothing could invoke a tremble in her heart… Apart from when she faced Yun Che.
…And only when she faced Yun Che.
She did not understand the reasoning behind this either.
But at this moment, after touching the tears on her own face, she finally came to a conclusion…
Her jade white hand slowly hung down and lightly touched Yun Che’s face. Her line of sight had already became fuzzy because of her tears. In this fuzziness, what she saw wasn’t a frozen stiff face, but a face that was sometimes unwavering, sometimes apathetic, sometimes overbearing, and sometimes smiling…
In her world, Yun Che was a very special existence. It was not only because they were husband and wife, but also because he was different from all the other men she had met… Those other men were either terrified and couldn’t look her in the face in front of her, or tried too hard to put on a guise of an elegant noble, but were still unable to hide their lecherous eyes, which disgusted her. Only Yun Che… was able to completely be himself in front of her. Even when he was in his most dire straits, he did not feel the slightest bit inferior to her. He was so incredibly mysterious that it felt like she wanted to completely understand everything about a man for the very first time. Sometimes, he was so calm that it amazed her, sometimes he talked and acted like a child, and sometimes he acted like a scoundrel… But she was able to instill every one of his aspects into her heart, and then accidentally recalled them one time after another…
Only, she was a person who was destined to chase after the peak of the profound road. To achieve this height, she was willing to let go of everything and naturally expel those images which were subconsciously imprinted in her heart…
Except, in this world, not everything was controllable through willpower alone.
After the first tear dropped, her eyes became stream that overcame all its obstacles. Streaks of tears flowed down uncontrollably and quickly moistened her entire face.
“Yun Che… You don’t need to wait for the next life… In fact… on the Sword Discourse Arena, when you defeated me, you had already conquered me…”
“No matter how much I meditate… I couldn’t genuinely completely seal away all of my emotions. My constant indifference was merely my own selfish way of escaping…”
“At that time, for the sake of opening all of my profound entrances, you used more strength than you could bear and almost permanently damaged yourself. If not for you, the Xia Qingyue today would not exist… You have fought with all your might on the Sword Discourse Arena only for the sake to prove that you are qualified to be my husband. You would rather use extra energy and intensify your internal injuries to divert the direction of your attack than harm me… And right now, you protected me for my sake again, with all your strength and life force… You’re obviously very smart, but do you actually believe after doing all this for a girl… that there would still be a girl who wouldn’t be conquered by you…”
Xia Qingyue slowly stood up and placed both her hands on her chest. She shut her eyes and lightly said: “Yun Che, you’re the man who I, Xia Qingyue, had married. How can you just die like this… As a husband, you did many things for me, and I never bore any responsibility as your wife…”
“At least this one time, I want to let you know… I, Xia Qingyue… am willing to be your wife…”
A dim ray of blue light emerged slowly from Xia Qingyue’s body and gradually became more concentrated. Its illumination made this ice-cold area seem extra illusionary. These blue lights lasted a long time until Xia Qingyue drew it out and gathered all of it into both her hands, and condensed it into gaudy, icy bristles of blue light within her jadelike hands.
Xia Qingyue gently stooped down and laid both her hands over his stomach. She had a bewildered expression as she silently watched the blue light flow out like water onto Yun Che’s stomach enter within his body bit by bit… Very quickly, a layer of dim blue colored halo of light appeared over the surface of his body.
When the light dimmed, a weak and gentle light illuminated the incredibly tranquil face of Xia Qingyue. She lightly shut her eyes. At this very moment, she was indescribably beautiful.
………………………………….
Yun Che had already fallen into the abyss of death. Before the moment his consciousness had completely faded, he believed that he would never wake up again.
But under the abyss of death, he suddenly started sensing the existence of his body. The ice cold sensation on the surface of his body became clearer and clearer, and was no longer as unbearably cold as before…
Did I arrive in an icy hell?
…Before he died, he killed many people; after death, he was going to go to hell no matter what…
Yun Che felt a sharp pain slowly being transmitted from his chest that made his consciousness become increasingly awake. Little by little, he opened his eyes and barely caught a glimpse of a few weak rays of blue light.
“You’re finally awake, hmph! You didn’t die even like this, your life is really tenacious.”
The sound of Jasmine’s voice echoed by his ears. Although the her voice was panting with rage, it was still unable to conceal the sound of joy and relief.
“I… didn’t die?” Yun Che made great effort to open his eyes and said with a tone of disbelief. Although his internal organs were still in pain, it wasn’t like the shattering pain from before. The air was ice-cold, but it was no longer a bone-piercing cold. On the contrary, a feeling of warmth spread over the surface of his body. His five senses had been restored to normal and his four limbs had also regained their sensations. His originally completely exhausted body had also regained some strength.
“You should have died, but that girl gave all of her profound strength to you, sealed your internal injuries and isolated you from the cold air, so that you can temporarily regain consciousness. However, this is the inside of a Tyrant Profound Beast’s body, it’s simply impossible for you two to leave. Therefore, you two will still die in the end… The only difference is that the order is inverted. She is going to die before you.”
It was… Qingyue?
Her profound strength… she gave me all of it?
Yun Che’s was astonished. He clenched his teeth and suddenly supported himself up. Under the weak blue light, he saw Xia Qingyue peacefully crouching over his body. Her snow white face was incredibly calm and peaceful without a trace of emotion, but it had a slight trace of an incomprehensible satisfaction.
“Qingyue! Qing….”
Yun Che’s hand touched Xia Qingyue’s hand. Then, he withdrew it like lightning with a look of horror on his face. Because she cultivated in Frozen Cloud Arts, Xia Qingyue’s body was slightly cold already; however, it wasn’t a freezing cold, but a rather refreshing cold. But now, Xia Qingyue’s body was as cold as profound ice.
“She used all her profound strength to moderate your internal injuries, help you withstand the cold, and restore your vitality. She doesn’t have any profound strength left to protect her own body and simply cannot withstand the cold air here. If it wasn’t for her body being accustomed to the frigid cold all year round, then she might have already froze to death before you woke up. However right now, she is at her last breath… This is an ice attributed Tyrant Profound Beast, the cold air within its body is severe. It is simply something you two cannot hope to resist!” Jasmine said coldly with furrowed brows.
“Qing… yue…”Yun Che got up with great difficulty and slowly touched Xia Qingyue’s cheeks with his hands… His movements were very very soft since the Xia Qingyue right now was like an icy beauty that would break on contact. It made one’s heart ache and suffocate.
She, who was obviously cold and detached towards him from the start was willing to quietly protect him before his severe injuries had healed, and when he met great danger, was willing to leave with him… Now, she was willing to risk her own life in order to save him.
He never understood why she was cold and indifferent towards him all the time, but right now, he clearly saw through her true intentions under the surface of that frozen exterior.
“Qingyue! Wake up quickly… Qingyue… Wake up!”
He gently shook Xia Qingyue’s upper body and worriedly shouted for her to get up. He immediately had an idea and took out a large pile of clothes from within the Sky Poison Pearl and laid them over Xia Qingyue’s entire body until all his own clothes had been taken out… And in the end, even took out the Jasmine’s pink bed sheet to wrap them tightly over Xia Qingyue’s body.
Only, the temperature here was too terrifyingly low. The cold air permeated Xia Qingyue’s body like a nightmare and gnawed away more and more of her remaining life force.
“Not good… I must leave. Only death awaits here… Have to leave!!” Yun Che clenched his teeth with all his might and tried to get up. A sharp pain transmitted from his chest. His back and his rigid limbs weren’t completely listening to all of his orders, and made him fall down ruthlessly again. Before he struggled one more time, he suddenly discovered that in this pitch black darkness, in addition to the blue glow on the surface of his body, there was another strand of green light.
Yun Che rapidly raised his left hand and shockingly saw the Sky Poison Pearl was glowing with an illusory ray of green light.
This was the Sky Poison Pearl’s detection light, and the flickering green light was especially strong, proving that it the thing it discovered was so close to him that it was only a few steps away!
“Don’t tell me there is actually a treasure hidden inside here?” Yun Che said subconsciously.
Jasmine appeared and looked at Xia Qingyue, then looked at the shining Sky Poison Pearl and coldly said: “This ice attribute profound beast is able to open its mouth and swallow half a mountain. Swallowing an extraordinarily precious treasure is not strange at all.”
Yun Che gasped for breath with all his strength and reached out to point forward: “Jasmine, can you go take there and take a look at what the Sky Poison Pearl found… After all, the Sky Poison Pearl is emitting a very strange light time time. Not only is this time’s light intense, the frequency it is flickering at is also very high. Perhaps it’s something that it doesn’t usually find.”
“You’re dying soon, why do you still care about some strange treasure?” Jasmine’s small and exquisite brows locked in place as she said somewhat angrily.
“I don’t care about some strange treasure… Rather, I care about any possible traces of hope!” Yun Che crudely gasped for more air and said: “There is nothing on me that can help Qingyue and I leave this place… Right now, the only thing that can save Qingyue and me is only some sort of teleportation thing… Just in case…just in case what if that precious treasure actually had a space attribute!?”
“Naive! Do you truly believe there are such coincidences in this world?” Jasmine mumbled to herself, but still walked towards the direction that Yun Che pointed in. Her exquisite and delicate red figure quickly entered the darkness… Shortly after, Jasmine suddenly let of a cry of surprise from up ahead.
Yun Che’s mind suddenly trembled. Something that made Jasmine cry out in such alarm absolutely had to be some extraordinary object. He eagerly asked: “What did you find? Is it actually a treasure with space attribute?”
Jasmine’s voice echoed through in a peculiar way: “Your life is truly tenacious to the point that makes me jealous! Although it’s not the the precious treasure with space attribute that you wanted, it could still protect you against death… It’s no wonder that an ice attribute Tyrant Profound Beast could appear here. So it actually swallowed it into its stomach! All year round, it had been absorbing its overflowing power… Yun Che! Catch, then swallow it!”
Under the half excited, half serious Jasmine’s voice, an azure blue speck of light flew out from the darkness and landed in the middle of Yun Che’s palm.
Chapter 259 - Another World
This was a very small bead the size of an ordinary glass ball that sparkled all over like a sapphire; however, the rich rays of blue light it emitted was much stronger than a sapphire, making it shine like little star. When Yun Che grabbed it, it seemed as though it had suddenly awakened from its slumber. Suddenly, it released an incredibly intense azure blue light that shrouded Yun Che’s entire body inside.
“This is…” The azure blue ray of light was rich and enchanting, illuminating every corner of the place. Yun Che brought it in front of his eyes and looked at it in a stupor. At this moment, a violent turmoil suddenly transmitted from within his exhausted profound veins —— that was a turmoil of excitement that spurred his stiff body’s blood and mind. At this moment, a strange sensation attacked Yun Che’s heart… He had a incredibly calm sensation when holding the azure blue bead in his hand. It felt as if something that should have originally belonged to him, had finally returned to his side.
And this feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to him. This same feeling emerged when he obtained another object. His memories suddenly returned to the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range —— Flame Dragon’s cave —— that red colored —— Evil God’s fire seed!
“Why are you still distracted, eat it quickly! Aside from the attribute, its aura and the fire attribute Evil God’s seed you had eaten that time, should be exactly the same! This is clearly the Evil God’s water seed that was swallowed by this big guy into its stomach; thus causing the existence of this ice attribute Tyrant Profound Beast!”
Jasmine judged by relying on its aura, but Yun Che’s sensation was more accurate than Jasmine’s. He was completely sure that this and the Evil God’s seed at that time in the Flame Dragon’s cave, were exactly the same! After glancing at Xia Qingyue, whose life was coming closer to its end with every passing moment within this icy cold place, he stuffed that azure blue colored bead into his mouth, and swallowed it.
Instantaneously, Yun Che’s profound veins was suddenly put into a state of violent turmoil. The surface of his body suddenly emitted azure blue rays of light. These rays of azure blue light had completely engulfed Xia Qingyue’s light blue colored profound strength that she gave him. Afterwards, like a lump of azure blue flame, the surface of his body began to ignite.
The icy cold sensation completely disappeared. Yun Che closed his eyes and his entire body was full of unspeakable coziness. The azure blue light on his body became increasingly rich and gradually spread to Xia Qingyue’s body. In a split second, the ice crystals that covered Xia Qingyue’s body disappeared without even going through the process of melting. All the icicles in the surrounding areas which had been touched by the blue light disappeared as well. The extremely frightening cold air within the Tyrant Profound Beast’s body was unexpectedly unable to exist underneath the azure blue radiance.
During the frantic turmoil of his profound veins, a profound strength that seemed to have come out of nowhere rapidly surged forth. His profound strength in his originally exhausted profound veins began to recover at a rapid pace… With the warm strength that came out of nowhere, his practically broken internal organs were also healing at an amazingly quick speed.
The profound strength within his profound veins gradually increased and reached its capacity, yet it still did not stop…
A soft sound rang, and Yun Che heard a faint noise of something breaking. At this moment, the sensation that a hurdle had been directly overcome was transmitted from his profound veins. The blue rays of light that had shined for a long time over his body had also finally burned out at this time.
During that split second, Yun Che clearly felt as though his profound veins had evolved. The profound strength it held condensed into such a density that he could hardly believe. His perception of his own body and his surroundings also changed immensely. His entire body, soul, and profound veins were all suddenly reborn and became anew…
Yun Che raised his head and slowly exhaled. A sudden surge of profound strength many times more tyrannical than what he had before dispersed from his body! The aura of this kind of profound strength had already broken through the True Profound Realm, and stepped into Spirit Profound Realm! Even his internal injuries had all healed!
Yun Che silently inspected his interior and he saw his originally crystal-like body so vividly that it seemed as if it was see-through. His original profound veins which were as crimson as flames were now transformed into a mix of scarlet and blue. Each of his fifty four profound entrances all flickered alternatively in blue and scarlet rays of light. Not only his profound veins, even his channels, plasma, and cells all had a hint of an azure blue to them now.
The scarlet and the blue colors weren’t completely separate, but they weren’t completely fused either. They were somewhere in between, all mixed up in a mess without repelling each other in the mess, without intruding upon each other’s independent existences.
What Yun Che consumed was indeed the water seed that the Evil God originally left behind.
When he ate the fire seed back then, Yun Che’s profound veins gained a fire attribute and gained the ultimate affinity with the fire element. He was also able to to control fire to a certain degree, and could not be harmed by fire in any shape or form.
Now that he consumed the water seed, Yun Che’s profound veins gained both water and fire attributes. In nature, water and fire were two incompatible elements, but these two attributes coexisted perfectly within the Evil God’s Profound Veins.
At the same time, what Chu Yuechan left behind that time, the Frozen Cloud Arts that had to be sealed up because of incompatibilities with the fire attribute profound veins, had also completely awakened!
Yun Che opened his eyes and rubbed his hands. An azure blue barrier spread outwards to completely isolate Xia Qingyue’s body from the cold air outside. The miraculous power of the Evil God had completely healed all of his injuries, restored all of his profound strength, and let him breakthrough from the True Profound Realm right into the Spirit Profound Realm. All of his nervousness, apprehension, and worries had also completely faded away, as his heart became incomparably tranquil… Because his soul had also risen to a higher level.
Yun Che extended his hand. With a thought, a small chunk of ice crystal solidified in his palm. Then, this piece of ice crystal became water, then snow, then into mist… Using just his thoughts, he was able to change its form however he pleased. Now, his body was completely familiar with the water element. Along with fire, any form of water attributed power were also unable to harm him anymore.
Jasmine returned to his side. Although her expression was unwavering, the burden in her heart had been lifted: ”You really do possess some powerful luck. For the sake of finding the Evil God’s seeds, I came to the Sky Profound Continent, but didn’t find anything. But, within a span of less than two years, you already came across two seeds! Especially this seed which appeared at such an incredibly fortunate time! The Evil God’s seeds contains powerful elemental strength. Right now, not only can you control the water element, you also gained an absolute immunity to it. The cold air here is now completely harmless to you!
“But this doesn’t mean I can get out alive!” Yun Che clasped his hands tightly. His eyes shifted toward Xia Qingyue’s body which still had an incredibly weak aura and was still as cold as before: “I have to take her and leave this place as soon as possible! Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for her to continue on.”
At this moment, a buzzing sound rang within Yun Che’s mind. Then, an incredibly old and distant voice that felt like it came from an ancient era sounded.
“Successor of my powers… You are finally here…”
This voice is… is…
Yun Che quickly shut his eyes. As he concentrated his mind, he tried to respond with his thoughts: “You’re… the Evil God?”
“That’s right… the seed you had just consumed… contains a fragment of my soul that I left behind… I waited many many years within this small world… and finally waited until your arrival…”
Yun Che’s heart stirred and and then blurted out his thought: “Could it be, that the small world that I’m in right now is something you established back then?”
The old voice gently said: “Correct… except… this isn’t important… the seeds I left behind has already gotten a new owner… this trace of soul…will also soon disappear… Successor of my powers… relax your mind… steady your breathing… let me take a look at your memories… let me understand with the last bits of my power… what I can do for you…”
Yun Che did not resist, and did not stay on guard either. He completely relaxed his mind, and allowed this insignificant strand of power invade the sea of his consciousness… A few breaths later, this strand of power then pulled out from within his sea of consciousness.
“So it’s like this…you’re only an ordinary human… yet you possess an extraordinary fortune and fate… Your experiences tells me… that you’re a qualified successor… I have much expectations for your future… only… it’s destined that it’ll be impossible for me to see your future… Your strongest wish right now… is to leave this dangerous place… I’ll use the final bits of my power to fulfil this wish of yours… and also send you to a special place…”
Although he didn’t know what kind of place the “special place” that the old voice mentioned was, leaving this place was already enough to make him almost mad with joy: “Thank you! My wife’s current condition is really dangerous. if we stayed here any longer, it would put her life in danger! Please, send us away from here as soon as possible!”
“I understand…but there is no need to thank me… You have inherited my powers… which means you are also destined to inherit my mission… The one who should say thank you… should be me… Your future… is destined to exceed your imagination… Continue to become stronger… this is your only choice… Now then… go… But that place… you two can only stay for twenty four hours there… After twenty four hours… you two will be taken back to this small world…”
Mission?
Evil God’s mission?
The old voice disappeared from Yun Che’s sea of consciousness; then, the space where he was with Xia Qingyue suddenly distorted. He embraced Xia Qingyue tightly and disappeared with her into the twisted space.
……………………………………
A wave of cool and refreshing air mixed with the faint scent of flowers and the fragrance of soil assailed their nostrils.
Dark green grass, a small running river, and trees of various height and width were unevenly distributed everywhere. This was the scene that Yun Che saw after he opened his eyes. But this scene that couldn’t be any more ordinary, was extremely precious right now; it made him breath out a long sigh of relief, and then carefully lowered Xia Qingyue who was in his bosoms.
Xia Qingyue’s entire body was still ice cold and unconscious. Her aura was still delicate, but this change of environment alleviated a great deal of tension from her serene face. Yun Che quickly took out his most effective and mild Small Dewdrop Pellets, and put it inside of Xia Qingyue’s mouth. His left hand pressed above her heart. He used his profound strength to protect her life, and then dispersed the cold air within her body bit by bit.
This was a place that didn’t seem to be visited by many people, and it didn’t seem to be anything special. Yun Che didn’t know where this place was, and didn’t know why the Evil God used the final bits of his strength to send them to this place. His energy concentrated all over Xia Qingyue’s body. While he was concentrating on expelling the cold inside her, he silently admired her devastatingly beautiful complexion and gradually became lost in his gaze…
You… you’d rather use your own life to save me…
If you hadn’t risked your life to save me… then right now I… should already be a thoroughly dead person.
When I’m facing you, what I think about the most is how to conquer you… but only the thing I am most clear about is that among the reasons, love makes up only a tiny portion. What it’s mostly made up of is a male’s desire to possess beautiful things. My identity as your husband… is a bit funny, but I cannot let go of my arrogance and dignity.
After today, I won’t think about conquering you anymore… but to completely and totally possess you… even if I have to tear apart the entire Frozen Cloud Asgard, I must completely and totally, make you mine!
“Save me… Save me…”
When Yun Che was deep in thought, an urgent cry for help echoed from nearby; this was the cry of a young girl with an empty voice that sounded like it originated from a remote valley spring; it contained deep terror and fear. Then, the sound of chaotic footsteps grew closer.
Once Yun Che’s profound strength reached the first level of the Spirit Profound Realm, his vision range also substantially increased. He looked towards the source of the sound and found a little girl who wore yellow clothes quickly fleeing his way. She was too far to be able to discern her appearance, but from her petite and exquisite body, she should only be around ten years old. However, she had clearly already established the foundations of profound strength since her running speed wasn’t slow at all.
Behind her, three men in black calmly and unhurriedly chased her as they teasingly laughed: “Hey hey, you can run all you want. Let’s see how far you can run once you run out of strength…”
Yun Che was concentrating on protecting Xia Qingyue’s heart vessels and didn’t want to be distracted; furthermore, in this place that he didn’t completely understand yet, he didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business. He quickly retracted his gaze and didn’t care about it anymore.
“Plop”… The weary little girl fell on the ground. She struggled for a bit, but she couldn’t get up. Her tears already filled her eyes and clenched her teeth, but she stubbornly did not want to let the tears flow out.
Behind her, three men in black calmly and unhurriedly walked over. The man in the middle extended his hand, grabbed towards her and laughed recklessly: “Su Ling’er, run again, keep running…. hahahaha…”
Yun Che’s eyes suddenly opened wide and his entire body felt like it had been electrocuted.
Su… Ling… er!?
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