Chapter 1005: Unsurpassed Cold Might

Mu Xuanyin's earlier outburst had already paled everyone's faces, but the sudden surge of killing intent instantly terrified them to their core. This was the Snow Song Realm King's killing intent!

"Wait! Hear me out, Sect Master Yan!" Yan Wancang stepped forward heavily, shouting urgently. He now bitterly regretted bringing Huo Rulie along. The three of them had come in person, bringing only three young disciples, precisely to show they harbored no hostility or threat, but were only there for the matter of the Horned Dragon. Yet, despite their meager numbers and being in the Ice Phoenix Realm, Huo Rulie had brazenly defied Mu Xuanyin on the spot, uttering ruthless words of endless conflict.

They could barely conceive of a worse situation. Had Huo Rulie's brain turned to mush?!

Not only Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai, but the elders on both sides were also greatly alarmed by Mu Xuanyin's killing intent. Mu Huanzhi urgently cried out, "Sect Master! Please listen to Sect Master Yan first..."

Mu Xuanyin's figure, however, had already surged forward like a storm.

"Get back!!" Yan Wancang roared, flames erupting from his body, and a massive wave of energy swept Yan Zhuo, Yan Mingxuan, and Huo Poyun far away. "Form up!!" The seventy-two elders simultaneously leaped into the air, and a massive ice crystal barrier instantly materialized.

With Mu Xuanyin's attack, the scene completely spiraled out of control. Yun Che, however, remained rooted to the spot, his face showing no great fear, but rather a thoughtful expression.

He saw clearly that it wasn't Huo Rulie who had caused the situation to escalate, but Mu Xuanyin.

Yan Wancang had shown ample sincerity, presented lavish gifts, and remained calm throughout. In return, Mu Xuanyin had met him with a cold face and sharp rebukes. She had also deliberately brought up the thousand-year-old grudge, instantly igniting the hatred that Huo Rulie had barely kept suppressed. As if that weren't enough, she had publicly exposed his impotence before so many people.

Such a revelation, when made public, was unacceptable to any man, let alone the dignified Sect Master of the Golden Crow Sect.

Furthermore, bearing the Golden Crow Flames, his temperament was naturally like a volcano. It would have been strange if Huo Rulie hadn't exploded in rage and lost control.

Mu Xuanyin ought to know Huo Rulie's temperament well enough. She couldn't have been unaware that such actions would drive Huo Rulie into a mad rage.

The only explanation was that she had done it deliberately.

But beyond temporary satisfaction, breaking ties would bring absolutely no benefit to either the Snow Song Realm or the Blazing Heaven Realm. Mu Xuanyin had always struck him as unfathomable, not just in terms of profound energy. Even the Ice Phoenix herself had said Mu Xuanyin possessed supreme wisdom.

Why would she deliberately provoke Huo Rulie? Was she creating a pretext to kill him?

No, that's not right!! If she truly wanted to kill Huo Rulie, she would have done so long ago. During the thousand years Mu Bingyun suffered from the potent poison, Mu Xuanyin had not killed Huo Rulie. Now that Mu Bingyun had recovered, Mu Xuanyin should have even less reason to kill him.

She had just said that she once vowed that if Mu Bingyun died, the day she stepped down as Realm King would be the day the Golden Crow Sect was annihilated. Indeed, for a thousand years, Mu Xuanyin had sworn to kill Huo Rulie, but only after she abdicated as Realm King. Clearly, while in her position as Realm King, she had to consider the Snow Song Realm. If the Snow Song Realm and Blazing Heaven Realm were to completely tear apart, she herself might be unafraid, but the Snow Song Realm would certainly suffer a crushing defeat.

So now, what exactly was she trying to...

These thoughts flashed through Yun Che's mind in an instant, while Mu Xuanyin had already closed in on Huo Rulie.

"I—will—fear—you—not!!" Huo Rulie's body burst into flames, and he roared furiously. With a furious cry of the Golden Crow, scarlet flames, like a capsizing ocean, surged directly towards Mu Xuanyin.

Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai also had no choice but to brace themselves and attack. They positioned themselves to Huo Rulie's left and right, and their Vermilion Bird Flames and Phoenix Flames erupted simultaneously. The three ancient divine flames dyed the pale sky crimson as they collectively blasted towards Mu Xuanyin.

The three Blazing Heaven Realm disciples, who had been blown away by Yan Wancang, now knelt on the ground, watching from afar with wide eyes. For the first time in their lives, they saw their three sect masters unite to fight a single person... and that person was a woman.

Yun Che's gaze, however, was firmly fixed on Yan Wancang.

The Golden Crow Flames were violent and difficult to control, possessing the most intense fiery aura and destructive power. While the Phoenix Flames were relatively gentle, they still carried the scorching might to incinerate all. However, the flames emanating from Yan Wancang gave Yun Che a feeling that was more gentle, even warm.

Was this the Vermilion Bird Flames, the head of the three supreme flames, known as the "Sacred Flames" and feared by all devils?!

The three divine flames from the three Blazing Heaven Sect Masters were undoubtedly the ultimate power of the Blazing Heaven Realm. Their terrifying fiery might utterly suffocated Yun Che. Yet, facing these three divine flames, Mu Xuanyin merely extended her hand with effortless grace... and it was only her left hand.

Time suddenly seemed to slow down. Even the lowest-cultivating disciples of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect clearly saw the movement of Mu Xuanyin's snowy hand. That hand, more glistening white than fresh snow, slowly opened and gently pushed forward. A faint, almost invisible, ice-blue light met the three divine flames that bore the might to incinerate the world.

It was like a blue firefly flying into an erupting volcano.

The faint blue light touched the sky-obscuring divine flames. In the instant everyone's hearts tensed, there was no sound of profound energy erupting. Instead, at that very moment, the scene suddenly froze. The blue light stopped flickering, and all three divine flames ceased their roiling... as if time had abruptly halted.

The only evidence that time was still flowing were the violently trembling pupils of the three Blazing Heaven Sect Masters.

This incredible stasis lasted for a mere three breaths. With a soft click, the blue light suddenly flared and then rapidly spread. The pale red Vermilion Bird Flames, the deep red Phoenix Flames, and the golden-red Golden Crow Flames all transformed into a frosty blue in the blink of an eye.

"Wh... what!?" Yun Che's heart churned with shock.

Flames... and divine flames from the combined efforts of the three Blazing Heaven Sect Masters, had actually been turned into ice!!

Mu Xuanyin's expression remained cold, serene, and devoid of emotion. Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai both showed faces contorted in pain. Even Huo Rulie, amidst his fury, clearly displayed a hint of terror.

Bang!! The ice shattered, and space instantly turned into countless flying fragments. Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai were instantly sent flying. Yan Wancang dug his feet firmly into the ground, sliding back a hundred zhang before his back heavily slammed into the ice barrier erected by the combined efforts of the Ice Phoenix elders. Yan Juehai, on the other hand, was flung to the barrier on the other side. He knelt on the ground but remained unable to rise for a long time, his hands covered by a thin layer of ice.

Yet, it was this seemingly thin layer of ice that he had to desperately surge his Phoenix Flame energy multiple times to slowly melt.

But Huo Rulie was far less fortunate than the two of them. Amidst the shattering ice, a blue light pierced through space, effortlessly dismantling Huo Rulie's protective profound energy. It silently struck his chest and then silently burst forth from his back.

"Ugh!!" Huo Rulie let out an excruciating groan. His body, trailing a long stream of blood, tumbled away and crashed a hundred zhang distant.

Before the stream of blood hit the ground, it had already turned into blood-ice.

Whoosh!! The cold wind howled, and a catastrophic blizzard fell mercilessly. Mu Xuanyin floated high in the air, bathed in the eye of the blizzard, coldly gazing down at Huo Rulie, who convulsed in agony amidst the icy cold.

The Sacred Hall Plaza was completely silent. The three disciples brought by the sect masters were utterly dumbfounded, unable to believe anything they had witnessed. Although they had long heard of the Snow Song Realm King's immense power, they could never have imagined, nor could they accept, that their three sect masters, whom they revered as gods and considered invincible in the Blazing Heaven Realm, had suffered such a crushing defeat at the hands of the Snow Song Realm King alone... and so quickly, so completely.

In just a few breaths, two were repelled, and Huo Rulie was directly injured.

They finally understood why the Blazing Heaven Realm, despite being more than ten times stronger than the Snow Song Realm, had chosen to swallow their anger after Mu Xuanyin destroyed all the star realms under their control back then.

Yun Che's mouth hung open, and it took him a while to slowly close it. But his chest was filled with cold air.

Although on his very first day in the Snow Song Realm, Mu Bingyun had casually mentioned that even the three Blazing Heaven Realm Sect Masters combined would be no match for the Snow Song Realm King, he had not expected the gap to be so enormous. The three sect masters' strength was equivalent to that of three mid-star realm kings in total, yet under Mu Xuanyin, they could almost be described as utterly vulnerable.

It certainly wasn't that they were too weak; rather, Mu Xuanyin was truly too terrifying.

Her strength might genuinely be on par with Jasmine in her full state. Yun Che thought to himself in silent shock.

"Master!" Huo Poyun frantically rushed to Huo Rulie's side. He saw that although Huo Rulie's face was pale and his body was cold, his injuries weren't severe, which brought a slight sense of relief. However, his inner trembling wouldn't cease.

Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, no one in the Blazing Heaven Realm would ever believe how terrifying the Snow Song Realm King truly was. She and the three sect masters of their Blazing Heaven Realm seemed to exist on entirely different planes.

"Snow Song Realm King... please show mercy!" Yan Wancang cried out with all his might, "We came here with absolutely no hostility."

"Sect Master, please calm your wrath!" Mu Bingyun had already rushed forward and stood beside Mu Xuanyin, slowly shaking her head.

"Killing Huo Rulie would benefit neither of our realms... Please, Snow Song Realm King, reconsider." Yan Juehai stood up, his frostbitten hands still trembling slightly. "We came only for the Horned Dragon, with absolutely no intention of provocation."

Mu Xuanyin completely ignored them both, though she also didn't continue her attack. She glared coldly at Huo Rulie and mocked him mercilessly, "Huo Rulie, I thought you'd gained great power over the years to dare bark so wildly before this King. Turns out, you're merely all bark and no bite."

"Mu Xuanyin!!" Huo Rulie propped himself on the ground, his two crimson eyes almost bursting. The moment the words left his mouth, Yan Wancang roared, "Huo Rulie, shut your mouth!"

Yan Juehai, gritting his teeth, transmitted a message to him: "Huo Rulie, if you want to die, don't drag us down with you! To be provoked by a few words—have you been living like a dog all these years?! You just took in a personal disciple less than two years ago, personally stating you'd treat him like your own son. Are you now planning to get him killed here?!"

Yan Juehai's message was like a bucket of cold water poured over Huo Rulie's head. His teeth clattered, but... looking at Huo Poyun beside him, he finally swallowed back the curses mixed with blood that were about to escape his lips.

"Fine... fine..." Huo Rulie said with a trembling voice. "Mu Xuanyin, I, Huo Rulie, concede today... I admit defeat! You're right, before you, I'm a damn waste! I can't beat you, I couldn't save my son, and I can't even avenge him!!"

"But there's one thing you, Mu Xuanyin, will never be able to compare to me in!" Huo Rulie's voice suddenly rose, and he panted as he roared: "Your Snow Song Realm, besides you, Mu Xuanyin, what single aspect can compare to my Blazing Heaven Realm?! In this pathetic Snow Song Realm, you can't even find a worthy successor! I am indeed far inferior to you... but it's just me alone! After I die, and after you die, your successor, and your successor's successor, will forever kneel at the feet of my successor, for a thousand generations and ten thousand generations! Hahahahaha!"