Chapter 1009: Unusual Fire Break Cloud

Yun Che’s brows slowly furrowed as he stared intently at Huo Poyun.

This feeling...

Bloodline suppression?!

Yun Che possessed nine drops of Golden Crow Divine Blood, which were source blood personally bestowed by the Golden Crow Soul, along with a trace of its divine soul. Yet, when Huo Poyun unleashed the Netherworld Ash, Yun Che distinctly felt a sense of bloodline suppression—and it was quite pronounced. The only explanation for this phenomenon was that Huo Poyun’s Golden Crow bloodline couldn’t merely be inherited; it had to be from a source blood, and one even purer than his own! It was even highly probable that Huo Poyun also possessed a Golden Crow divine soul.

Yun Che’s Phoenix and Golden Crow bloodlines both originated from source blood, not inheritance. Before today, the only person capable of suppressing him in terms of bloodline was Feng Xue’er, whose Phoenix bloodline came from a complete bestowal by the Phoenix Soul.

Unlike the Azure Cloud Continent, in the Divine Realm, which had a history spanning nearly a million years, divine inheritances had largely been unearthed, and soul fragments left by ancient gods before their demise should have been discovered hundreds of thousands of years ago, making it impossible for them to remain hidden until now like on the Azure Cloud Continent. But Huo Poyun... could it be...?

Mu Hanyi gasped for breath a dozen times before his complexion finally improved slightly. He then chuckled faintly, shifting his right foot back, and said, "Brother Poyun, make your move!"

As the most destructive of the three divine flames, the Golden Crow Flame’s power naturally far surpassed that of the Ice Phoenix. However, in terms of defensive capability, fire was inherently far inferior to ice.

Huo Poyun remained silent. A fiery glint flashed in his eyes as he flicked a finger, sending a fist-sized fireball streaking out. It expanded rapidly, growing to several times a person's height by the time it reached Mu Hanyi.

Mu Hanyi frowned, swung his palm, and a blue light flashed. The fireball was swept far away, disintegrating and vanishing in mid-air.

"That was for your earlier 'greeting'," Huo Poyun said coldly, revealing his inherent arrogance.

"No need for politeness," Mu Hanyi replied stiffly.

At that moment, Huo Poyun slowly raised his right hand, and his arm ignited with roaring flames. This burst of Golden Crow Flame expanded rapidly, soaring a hundred zhang high in an instant, then suddenly contracted just as quickly. As it contracted, the flame’s color transformed from fiery red-gold to a progressively deeper, purer gold.

As the flame’s color shifted, its destructive aura intensified severalfold.

Finally, the sky-piercing Golden Crow flame in Huo Poyun’s hand had transformed into an extremely slender golden ray.

It was like a hundred-zhang long golden flaming sword!

"Golden Annihilation Slash!" Yun Che murmured aloud, "It looks like Mu Hanyi is about to fall directly."

The Golden Crow Flame, as the strongest destructive force, could both incinerate large areas and compress its power to an extreme for focused annihilation. In the past, when Yun Che was in the King Profound Realm, he used the Golden Annihilation Slash to severely wound Prince Huai, who was in the Sovereign Profound Realm. Later, when Xuanyuan Wentian invaded the Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Che also used the Golden Annihilation Slash to inflict significant damage on him, even though Feng Xue’er and the Little Demon Empress combined forces could not defeat him.

Therefore, Yun Che was acutely aware that a direct confrontation with the Golden Annihilation Slash was almost impossible between cultivators of the same rank. Because the Golden Annihilation Slash had a very small destructive range and required some time for flame power compression, it was relatively easy to avoid. However, under the current rules, Mu Hanyi had no choice but to face it head-on, unable to dodge.

Mu Hanyi’s three previous attacks had all been neutralized by Huo Poyun, proving his overall strength was far inferior. To withstand this Golden Crow Flame head-on...

Yun Che could definitively say... it was utterly impossible!

At that moment, Huo Poyun let out a low cry, and the golden flaming sword descended from the sky, carving a massive golden arc as it cleaved directly towards Mu Hanyi’s head.

"Oh no!" Mu Yunzhi, Mu Hanyi’s master, exclaimed.

Mu Hanyi had never previously fought against someone from the Flame God Realm, nor had he witnessed this flame-to-sword technique. However, the terrifying aura descending from the sky made all the hairs on his body stand on end. This dreadful sensation made his entire body tense, and he dared not hold back the slightest bit. He frantically unleashed all his profound energy, instantly forming ten thick layers of ice in front of him.

In another instant, over a dozen more layers of ice appeared.

The Golden Flaming Sword, at this moment, struck the first layer of ice.

*Buzz—*

Ice clashed with flame. The first ice layer instantly split, not with a shattering sound, but a dull thud of being directly incinerated.

Beneath the incinerated ice layer, the Golden Flaming Sword’s momentum and aura showed almost no weakening. The second layer... the third layer... the fourth layer... the fifth layer...

The ninth layer... the tenth layer!

This was Mu Hanyi’s ice defense, unleashed with the full power of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect’s most formidable disciple of this generation. Yet, under Huo Poyun’s flaming sword, it melted layer by layer like thin paper.

After incinerating ten layers of ice in an instant, the Golden Flaming Sword’s power had barely weakened by less than twenty percent. Mu Hanyi’s profound energy was pushed to its limit, his pupils dilated as he watched, helpless, as the ice shields, imbued with his utmost power, were annihilated. The intense, dazzling golden flame completely disregarded the ice layers before him, rapidly approaching within his vision...

*Bang!!*

The last ice shield in front of Mu Hanyi also melted away. The Golden Flaming Sword plunged down, effortlessly tearing through the blue light on his body’s surface... and then abruptly stopped at his left shoulder.

Mu Hanyi’s snow-white robe on his left shoulder was instantly incinerated. Had the stopped flaming sword descended just a little further, it would have melted his left arm directly off his body.

Mu Hanyi didn’t take the opportunity to retreat. Instead, he stood there in a daze, unable to recover for a long time.

If he had faced someone whose profound energy vastly surpassed his own, he could have accepted such a defeat gracefully. However, he had been defeated by someone whose profound energy was comparable to his own, and who was even younger. For him, a highly talented individual who was virtually unrivaled among his peers, this was an unprecedented and utterly unacceptable blow.

"You've lost," Huo Poyun said calmly. With a casual flick of his wrist, the Golden Flaming Sword soared into the sky, scattering into countless fiery fragments.

"..." Mu Hanyi finally sank to the ground, his face pale.

"Ah... how could this be... Senior Brother Hanyi actually... actually..." Not only Mu Hanyi, but all the Ice Phoenix disciples found this result unbelievable and unacceptable.

The gazes of all the Ice Phoenix elders and palace masters were almost entirely fixed on Huo Poyun. Deep shock flickered in everyone’s eyes.

"Hanyi, step down," Mu Xuanyin said coldly.

"..." Mu Hanyi stood up, took a deep breath, and bowed to Huo Poyun. "I, Mu Hanyi, willingly concede defeat. My earlier words were made to boost morale and bore no ill will. I hope you can forgive me."

Huo Poyun paused, then nodded and returned a deep bow.

Mu Hanyi turned, gave Yun Che a profound look, shook his head slightly at him, conveying an expression of apology and warning, and then returned with heavy steps to Mu Yunzhi’s side.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

Huo Rulie clapped heavily, then let out his usual deafening laughter. "Hahahaha, I've long heard that your sect has produced a disciple named Mu Hanyi in this generation, whose talent and strength are astonishing. Seeing him today, it truly lives up to his reputation. This exchange was incredibly splendid and thrilling. Although my unworthy disciple won, it was a narrow victory, a truly shameful one!"

"Then surely, the esteemed disciple newly taken by the Snow Song Realm King must be even more formidable. Poyun, you must give it your all and at least avoid losing too badly, hahahaha."

Every word from Huo Rulie carried deep pride and blatant mockery. The entire Ice Phoenix Sect displayed angry expressions but were unable to retort.

"Sect Master?" Mu Huanzhi could only turn his gaze to Mu Xuanyin.

"Che'er, go ahead," Mu Xuanyin said coldly, then quietly added, "After all, he's a guest from afar. Let's humor Sect Master Huo; don't let him lose too badly."

These words instantly made Huo Rulie nearly choke on his laughter, while the Ice Phoenix Sect members exchanged bewildered glances.

"...Yes," Yun Che responded, slowly walking forward to stand opposite Huo Poyun, a hundred zhang apart.

"We made the first move just now. This time, you go first," Yun Che said with a hint of helplessness in his tone. To this point, he still hadn't figured out Mu Xuanyin's true intentions.

Huo Poyun was about to refuse when Huo Rulie laughed loudly and said, "Since he's an esteemed disciple of the Snow Song Realm King, there's no need for modesty. Poyun, go on and properly experience the strength of this esteemed disciple of the Snow Song Realm King. Just make sure not to disgrace your master, hahahaha."

"...Yes," Huo Poyun replied. Although he found it genuinely difficult to initiate an attack on someone only at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm, a master's command was inviolable.

At that moment, Yan Wancang's voice transmission reached his ear: "Poyun, be careful to control your profound energy. If you accidentally seriously injure him, given Mu Xuanyin's temperament, she will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to cause trouble. In this situation, that is very likely the outcome she desires most."

"However, don't underestimate him too much. To become a direct disciple of the Snow Song Realm King, he must be extraordinary."

Huo Poyun nodded slightly, looking at Yun Che. "Be careful."

Huo Poyun paused, then thrust out a palm. A ball of fiery red-gold flames suddenly condensed in front of Yun Che, emitting a dazzling blaze. As he lightly clenched his five fingers, this newly appeared golden flame exploded in mid-air, engulfing Yun Che.

"Watch out!" Mu Huanzhi cried out in alarm.

This was the Blazing Sun Burst, a technique from the third stage of the Golden Crow Burning World Record, and also the most basic Golden Crow annihilation skill. From its power aura, it was clear Huo Poyun had used less than ten percent of his strength. However, it was still far beyond what Yun Che should be able to withstand.

The hearts of everyone from the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect instantly tightened. Yet, Yun Che's feet remained unmoving. Only his palm slowly extended, meeting the oncoming Golden Crow flames... A bright blue light pulsed above his palm.

*Whoosh!!*

A wave of heat surged. As the Golden Crow Flame, imbued with powerful destructive force, approached Yun Che, it suddenly split like a stream of water being cut, diverging into two currents that swept past Yun Che's left and right sides, rushing towards his back.

*Boom!!*

The flames exploded, sending ice shards soaring behind Yun Che. He lowered his arm, and the blue light on his body vanished.

Apart from his hair being ruffled by the heatwave, he was completely unscathed from head to toe... not even a single strand of hair had been touched by the Golden Crow Flame.

"First move," Yun Che said in a calm tone.

Opposite him, Huo Poyun stood dumbfounded. Even Huo Rulie, who had been waiting to enjoy the show by his side, found his smile frozen on his face.

Huo Poyun was extremely wary of inflicting severe flame damage on Yun Che, so his first move used only a very weak amount of power—so weak that Yun Che could directly counter-control it. As for the blue light and ice profound energy... they were merely a facade, used to create the illusion that he had repelled the flames with ice profound energy.