Chapter 1010: Timeless and Unparalleled

"W-what just happened?" The entire Ice Phoenix Divine Sect was completely stunned. Mu Huanzhi, who had been poised to rescue Yun Che, froze in place, his eyes wide in disbelief. Huo Poyun had clearly used only a small fraction of his power, but even that was far beyond what a profound practitioner at the Divine Origin Realm could withstand. Yet, Yun Che didn't resist; instead, he directly dispersed the Golden Crow Flames. This was undoubtedly much more difficult than simply enduring the attack unscathed. Furthermore, while Huo Poyun had suppressed his power, Yun Che's demeanor suggested he had done so with equal ease.

"This kid... what's his deal?" Huo Rulie's smile vanished instantly. A profound practitioner at Divine Origin Realm Level 1, yet he could effortlessly disperse Huo Poyun's Golden Crow Flames with ice profound energy… Could his ice mastery truly be that advanced? That was Huo Poyun's Golden Crow Flames! He knew better than anyone the power and nature of the Golden Crow Flames Huo Poyun unleashed.

"As expected of one whose ice mastery defeated Mu Hanyi and penetrated a thousand zhang into the Celestial Lake... to achieve such a feat!" Mu Huanzhi murmured. "What are you waiting for? Continue your attack!" Mu Xuanyin suddenly interjected, her tone filled with extreme impatience. Huo Poyun, jolted from his daze, quickly regained his composure, his gaze upon Yun Che instantly changing significantly.

"Poyun, since the Snow Song Realm King has already said so, there's no need to hold back with him!" Huo Rulie instructed, then lowered his voice slightly, "Use Golden Annihilation!" Huo Poyun remained silent. He raised his right arm high, and Golden Crow Flames surged skyward, burning directly into the heavens, before rapidly contracting into a dazzling, golden flame sword. "It's... it's that flame sword from earlier!" an Ice Phoenix disciple exclaimed in shock. This was the same flame sword that had instantly crumbled Mu Hanyi's ice defenses, utterly defeating him on the spot. Now, facing Yun Che, Huo Poyun had once again ignited this terrifying flame sword. Furthermore, its aura and fiery brilliance were no weaker than before! Evidently, after Yun Che had unexpectedly and effortlessly countered his first move, Huo Poyun was no longer willing to give him any chance.

"Use your full power," Huo Poyun said, his brow slightly furrowed. "But don't worry, even if you can't block it, you won't be injured." His mastery over the Golden Crow Flames was exceptionally high; just moments ago, he had shattered all of Mu Hanyi's defenses and even ripped apart his protective profound energy, yet he hadn't harmed him. This time, he naturally wouldn't injure Yun Che if he failed to withstand the attack. Yun Che remained silent, his gaze fixed on the golden flame sword. However, unlike Mu Hanyi, he didn't swiftly conjure an ice shield. Instead, he extended his right hand again, a blue light gathering on his palm and rapidly growing more intense. Beyond this, he made no other movement.

Huo Poyun’s gaze subtly shifted, and flames flickered around him as the golden flame sword suddenly descended amidst countless terrified gazes. The golden fiery light sliced across the sky, as if to cleave the entire world in two. Yun Che remained perfectly still, his profound energy showing no fluctuations. Only his right hand continued to gather an increasingly profound blue light. "This kid, having witnessed Poyun's Golden Annihilation, is indeed too lazy to even put up a fight," Huo Rulie chuckled. Although they knew Huo Poyun would likely not injure Yun Che, as the golden flame sword descended, everyone's nerves instantly tightened. Yet, as the golden flame sword rapidly drew closer, Yun Che remained utterly motionless, making no move.

Huo Poyun’s flame-imbued eyes had been fixed on Yun Che’s every move, but he found Yun Che seemingly paralyzed by fear, completely unresponsive. At this point, the golden flame sword was less than ten feet from Yun Che's head. Huo Poyun's brow furrowed, and he abruptly halted the golden flame sword just as it was about to make contact with Yun Che. Almost in the same instant, Yun Che suddenly reached out, his hand darting directly towards the golden flame sword.

Yun Che's sudden move utterly shocked everyone from the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect and the Flame God Realm. This terrifying flame sword had incinerated even Mu Hanyi's full defenses; it was unimaginable how much destructive power it contained. If Yun Che's hand touched it... wouldn't he be instantly reduced to ashes? "Yun Che, stop!" Mu Huanzhi roared, his voice nearly tearing his throat. "Ah!" Mu Xiaolan shrieked. "Is this kid insane?!" Huo Rulie bellowed.

Huo Poyun was equally astonished, but even if he had wanted to withdraw the golden flame sword, it was already too late. He could only watch, eyes wide, as Yun Che's palm, enveloped in blue light, swiftly grasped the golden flame sword. *Hiss!* A pale mist surged skyward, accompanied by the sound of ice profound energy being instantly incinerated. Within the white mist, the flame sword, emitting blinding golden light, suddenly fractured and broke apart at the point where Yun Che’s palm made contact. *Boom!* "Wh-what?!" This sight made Huo Rulie stumble backward in shock. As the flame sword shattered, the Golden Crow flame power instantly spiraled out of control and rapidly dispersed. The hundred-zhang long flame sword transformed into scattered fiery embers in the blink of an eye, swiftly extinguishing in the cold wind.

"..." Huo Poyun's arm remained in the posture of wielding the golden flame sword, but his entire body seemed frozen, motionless for a long time. His face was fixed in a state of extreme shock he had never experienced in his life. "Wh-what happened?" Yan Juehai, the esteemed Phoenix Sect Master, was so astonished he was rendered speechless on the spot. Yan Wancang slowly shook his head, the shock on his face no less than that of Yan Juehai or Huo Rulie. As for the rest of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, they were all utterly bewildered. Moments ago, they had witnessed with their own eyes Mu Hanyi being effortlessly defeated by this very flame sword; its terrifying power was undeniable. Yet Yun Che... had actually caused the flame sword to dissipate?! Mu Hanyi, who had just been defeated by Golden Annihilation and personally felt its terror, was petrified on the spot, the very colors in his eyes completely frozen, showing not the slightest ripple for a long time.

Yun Che lowered his arm and calmly looked at Huo Poyun. "You have one last move." Although Golden Annihilation was formidable, it was, in the end, purely Golden Crow flame energy. And as long as it was pure flame, even if it were a hundred times stronger, it could not genuinely harm him.

"Hahahahaha!" Mu Huanzhi, who had been standing in a daze for some time, suddenly burst into laughter. "As expected of an ice talent capable of reaching a thousand zhang into the Celestial Lake. Ice profound energy at the Divine Origin Realm can actually dissolve Golden Crow Flames from the Divine Tribulation Realm. This is simply unprecedented..." Realizing he had spoken out of turn in his excitement, Mu Huanzhi instantly fell silent.

"What? Penetrated a thousand zhang into the Celestial Lake?" Mu Huanzhi's words simultaneously startled Yan Wancang, Yan Juehai, and Huo Rulie. The Celestial Lake was, of course, the Underworld Cold Celestial Lake, a place they were all familiar with. To penetrate a thousand zhang into it with Divine Origin Realm profound energy... what terrifying ice talent would that require! The three Sect Masters of the Flame God Realm exchanged glances, their expressions changing. Such talent was more than just unprecedented; it was truly extraordinary! No wonder Mu Xuanyin had forsaken a rare genius like Mu Hanyi, choosing instead Yun Che, who hailed from a lower realm and whose profound energy had only just entered the Divine Origin Realm! The three instantly realized why this particular method of competition had been proposed. In a direct combat scenario, a Divine Origin Realm Level 1 practitioner could never hope to compare with one at the Divine Tribulation Realm. However, if they only competed using profound arts, releasing pure elemental power through their techniques, then if one's ice mastery was sufficiently advanced, they could unleash high-level ice profound energy at a lower realm, potentially resisting flame profound energy from a higher realm. The challenge, however, was that two major realms separated them, and Huo Poyun's flame mastery was already exceptionally high. To achieve this feat... it would require an ice mastery of truly monstrous proportions. But to penetrate a thousand zhang into the Celestial Lake at the Divine Origin Realm... that was already monstrous! Yun Che had genuinely blocked Huo Poyun's golden flame sword just now, which unequivocally proved his vast superiority over Huo Poyun in elemental laws!

"Yun Che is... that powerful?" All the Ice Phoenix disciples were wide-eyed and speechless. "He's only at the Divine Origin Realm... but... he's stronger than Senior Brother Hanyi? This is..." "No wonder the Sect Master chose him..." Most Ice Phoenix disciples had only vaguely heard about the Underworld Cold Celestial Lake. When Mu Xuanyin ultimately chose Yun Che, abandoning Mu Hanyi and Mu Feixue, almost all the disciples, despite their shock, found it incomprehensible, even indignant. Yet, at this moment, the vastly different results when Mu Hanyi and Yun Che faced Huo Poyun's identical golden flame sword completely shattered their previous understanding.

"Congratulations, Snow Song Realm King... you've certainly taken in a fine disciple!" Huo Rulie said through gritted teeth. At this point, he finally had a faint suspicion that he had been outmaneuvered. The image of Yun Che destroying Golden Annihilation replayed in his mind repeatedly, making it impossible for him to calm down. "But unfortunately, compared to my unworthy disciple... he still falls far short!" "Poyun!" Huo Rulie had completely lost his composure. "For the final move, you don't need to hold back at all... let the Snow Song Realm King truly witness the greatest prodigy our Flame God Realm has seen in eons!"

Huo Poyun was startled and turned to ask, "Master, are you suggesting..." "Yes!" Huo Rulie nodded slowly, his now fierce gaze conveying everything. Thinking of the wager and the Golden Annihilation that Yun Che had effortlessly dismantled with one hand, Huo Poyun clenched his fists, then slowly nodded. Yan Wancang seemed about to speak, but he took a step, then paused, before retracting his foot and letting out a faint sigh. Although this move would completely reveal their ultimate trump card, the stakes for this contest had already been laid, and Huo Rulie truly could not afford to lose.

"The greatest prodigy in eons?" Mu Xuanyin scoffed coldly. "Such arrogance! Very well! Then this King shall see where you get such confidence!" "Don't you dare be scared senseless!" Facing the Divine Master Realm Snow Song Realm King, Huo Rulie uttered an utterly exaggerated remark: "Poyun!"

Huo Poyun's expression became incredibly solemn. The Golden Crow Divine Flames rekindled around him, but this time, they burned unusually thin and slow. "Hmph!" Huo Poyun let out a low growl, which then escalated into a violent, almost pained scream. "HAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Golden Crow soul image appeared above him. But unlike before, this Golden Crow soul image possessed no ethereal quality; it was virtually corporeal, as if a true Golden Crow deity had suddenly descended.

The falling snow ceased. The surrounding ten-thousand-year profound ice silently sank at a terrifying speed. A searing heat consumed the cold energy, silently radiating outwards. As the heat intensified, the ambient light also began to change dramatically. The world before their eyes suddenly took on a reddish hue, which then deepened, slowly transforming into a fiery gold. "This... what is this?" The air’s scorching heat had reached an alarming level and was still increasing with near-frantic intensity. At this moment, Mu Huanzhi subconsciously glanced up, then froze abruptly. The sky, originally as pale as snow, was now a fiery crimson. And against the crimson heavens, a dazzling golden sun, which had appeared unnoticed, was emblazoned! Staring at this golden sun, Mu Huanzhi was first surprised, then briefly bewildered, before suddenly realizing something, his pupils constricting to their absolute limit. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not utter the name that seemed utterly impossible to speak.

"Nine—Sun—Heaven—Wrath!" Mu Xuanyin looked up, the cold words escaping her snow-like lips. These four short words were unknown to the Ice Phoenix disciples, but all the elders and palace masters were struck as if by lightning, their faces contorted in a horror typically reserved for encountering gods or ghosts. This was an astonishment and disbelief several times more intense than witnessing Yun Che block Huo Poyun's golden flame sword with their own eyes. Nine Sun Heaven Wrath... the Divine Dao power of the tenth stage of the Golden Crow Burning World Record! It was the ultimate divine flame that Huo Rulie himself had yet to master!