Chapter 1042: Fatal Catastrophe

Before today, he had sparred with Mu Xuanyin eighty times, and his meridians had been tempered in the same way eighty times. Previously, he had felt his meridians growing stronger each day, but today marked a complete transformation.

Though it was only the difference of a single Buddhist Heart Lotus petal, the gap between incompleteness and the nine-revolutions grand perfection was as vast as heaven and earth.

"Hmph!" Yun Che roared, directly activating "Heaven Smiting." As the profound energy within him exploded, the immense pressure on his bones and flesh remained, but his meridians, which previously would have been the first to give way and gradually rupture, were now as stable as solid gold.

Since he still couldn't fully control the Heaven Smiting state, each forced activation brought an overwhelming sense of irritability and loss of control. However, at this moment, with power coursing through his entire body, the sensation of being able to release it freely had never felt so real and clear. While this wouldn't extend the duration of his Heaven Smiting state, it would allow him to maximize its power in this extreme condition.

Enjoying and adapting to his current meridians, Yun Che quickly reached his limit and deactivated the Heaven Smiting state. His profound energy and mind rapidly calmed. He sat down, closed his eyes, and slowly reflected on his sparring sessions with Mu Xuanyin over the past few months.

Although Mu Xuanyin had only made a few brief moves each time, every one of her attacks was deliberate, never casual, and always served a specific purpose.

Several hours passed unconsciously while he meditated. Yun Che slightly opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and whispered, "Good... Tomorrow, I must win against Master just once!"

Before the Divine Hall, ice and snow sealed the sky. Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che stood bathed in the snow. Mu Xuanyin remained as before, but Yun Che, due to the transformation of his meridians, now emitted a subtly different aura of profound energy.

"Master... your disciple means no offense!" Previously, he would only make a move cautiously after Mu Xuanyin spoke. Today, however, he spoke first, making a sudden move.

If his meridians from several months ago were mere streams, then at this moment, the profound energy coursing through them felt like raging torrents. While the total volume and intensity of his profound energy hadn't changed, its circulation speed was now incomparable.

Almost imperceptibly condensing and releasing profound energy, Yun Che shot forward like a phantom, directly approaching Mu Xuanyin. Unlike his previous caution, his eyes, in the instant he attacked, blazed with an unyielding fierceness and a cold glint.

Because today, his objective had completely changed. Mu Xuanyin had once said that besides enduring ten of her moves, merely touching her or even forcing her back slightly would count as his victory. Before today, he would never have dared to consider the latter, but now he harbored such "ambition"—not just for the sake of winning, but also to prove to Mu Xuanyin that he was worthy of the Buddhist Heart Divine Veins she had bestowed upon him!

This morning, before arriving at the Divine Hall, he had already meticulously planned how to execute this "surprise attack."

Though his profound strength hadn't increased, Yun Che's speed was noticeably greater than before. Mu Xuanyin remained serene, gently flicking her fingers. The swirling snow immediately changed direction, fiercely sweeping towards Yun Che.

"Cloud Locking Sun!" Activating the Evil God Barrier consumed immense energy, leading to a brief period of profound energy exhaustion afterward. But this time, the moment the Evil God Barrier unfurled, Yun Che instantly warped. With a flash of ice-shadow, he appeared behind Mu Xuanyin. All the snow that had been sweeping towards him was now blocked by the Evil God Barrier, and his palm shot out like lightning towards Mu Xuanyin.

Suddenly, everything before Yun Che's eyes turned white. An extremely dense ice mist enveloped his entire field of vision, or perhaps, the entire world. Everything within Yun Che's sight vanished completely. Even with his far-beyond-normal eyesight, his gaze couldn't penetrate the ice mist in the slightest; he couldn't even see his own chest or hands.

And this terrifyingly incredible ice mist blocked more than just vision. His spiritual perception was also completely cut off. Just a moment ago, he had been less than five steps away from Mu Xuanyin, but within the ice mist, he completely lost her aura and location. He couldn't even discern directions, let alone tell what was sky and what was ground.

Having his sight and spiritual perception severed in an instant, as if suddenly transported to another world, this terrifying ability completely surpassed Yun Che's understanding.

Though startled for a moment, Yun Che's mind remained incredibly calm. Gritting his teeth slightly, a dragon's shadow instantly appeared on his body, unleashing an earth-shattering roar.

Dragon Soul Domain! His greatest reliance for this surprise attack wasn't the newly acquired Buddhist Heart Divine Veins, but the Dragon Soul Domain!

His mental strength, compared to Mu Xuanyin's, was more than just a dimension apart. However, the Dragon God's Soul inherently possessed a suppressive quality. He didn't dare to hope for any substantial impact on Mu Xuanyin, but even a momentary disruption, given his successful close-range approach, would be enough to create a slight chance of success!

And this kind of "surprise attack" could, of course, only be used once—the first time Mu Xuanyin had no spiritual defenses.

The Dragon God's roar shook heaven and earth. Mu Xuanyin, trapped in the ice mist by Yun Che, instantly froze, and her star-like eyes showed a momentary flicker of realization.

Although it was only for an instant, this was a suppression exerted by someone at the Divine Origin Realm against a supreme existence at the Divine Master Realm. Perhaps throughout the entire world, and even the whole of chaos, only the Dragon Soul Domain had a slight possibility of achieving this.

The ice mist's intensity suddenly eased, and no attack from Mu Xuanyin followed immediately. Yun Che realized he might have succeeded, but in the white world, he still couldn't discern direction or aura. This fleeting, one-time opportunity allowed him no room for hesitation.

Following his instincts, his body shot forward, his palm reaching directly ahead.

From the moment Yun Che activated the Evil God Barrier, to his entrapment in the ice mist, and then his sudden strike after releasing the Dragon Soul Domain—all of this happened in mere instants.

Although Mu Xuanyin had suppressed her profound energy to the Divine Soul Realm, her sparring sessions with Yun Che were always as fast as lightning flashes, serving to temper Yun Che's reflexes and perception.

A cold sensation immediately came from Yun Che's outstretched hand, and he was instantly ecstatic... But this joy had barely arisen when it abruptly transformed into terror the very next second.

Because after the cold touch, his entire palm fully sank into a plump, soft mass.

He had lunged forward with all his might, his momentum naturally immense. The object in his hand was as soft as solidified cream and and exceptionally plump and large. His entire hand, from palm to fingertips, was completely immersed in it—and deeply so. Between his splayed fingers, it felt as though snowy fat was being fully squeezed out, and in his palm, he distinctly felt a raised curve.

Yun Che instantly understood what he had grabbed. The hairs on his entire body stood on end, his heart stopped in terror. Fumbling, he desperately reversed his profound energy, sending himself tumbling backward like a kicked ball, far away... It was the simplest of movements, yet utterly dishevelled.

As Yun Che's hand withdrew, snowy waves surged across Mu Xuanyin's chest, trembling for a good while before finally settling. Yun Che, however, did not witness this sight, which would have made any man's blood boil. He was already kneeling far away, his head bowed deeply, every pore on his body constricted in terror.

"Master... your disciple... did not... intend to..." He finished with difficulty, then couldn't utter another word.

How... how... how could this happen... Hiss... I clearly warped behind her... How could I have...?

For a long time, he waited, but no sound came from Mu Xuanyin. The entire world was utterly silent... The swirling snow, at this moment, completely froze.

The light dimmed, and the sky seemed to slowly descend.

Yun Che dared not move a muscle... in fact, he couldn't move at all. He couldn't breathe, and even his heart had completely stopped beating. All he could feel was the world growing colder and more bone-chilling...

With his Water Spirit Evil Body, there should have been no coldness in the world capable of making him feel "bone-chilling." Yet, he knew full well that this sensation, like being plunged into an icy hell, was clearly killing intent!

He had endured Mu Xuanyin's anger before, but never her killing intent—even with Huo Rulie, she had only displayed anger. Because in this world, there was truly little that deserved to provoke her genuine killing intent.

Let alone killing intent as intense as this!

It was the most terrifying killing intent Yun Che had ever witnessed in his life!

Even if Mu Xuanyin had cursed him or directly moved to gravely injure him, he might have felt a slight sense of relief. But this terrifying silence, this dreadful killing intent, made him realize that this time... he was utterly doomed...

In the Snow Song Realm, she was the supreme Realm King, the Sect Master of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect. No one dared to provoke her, no one dared to defy her; there wasn't even anyone who could be remotely compared to her. She was not only the foremost person in the Snow Song Realm today but also the undisputed number one throughout its ancient and modern history.

In her eyes, perhaps everyone except her sister Mu Bingyun was merely common folk. Who would dare to defile her... who could defile her?

Hardly anyone even dared to glance at her for too long, let alone touch her body. Not even the hem of her robes had ever been touched by a man. And now, Yun Che had... defiled her icy purity, which was more flawless than the most sacred snow lotus in the world!

This was a sin that countless deaths and the extermination of nine generations could not atone for!

*Clink...* Amidst the terrifying silence, a湛blue ice crystal coldly materialized at Mu Xuanyin's fingertip. Her seemingly calm eyes revealed an extreme, bone-chilling coldness capable of freezing the very stars.

The aura emanating from this ice crystal made Yun Che's entire body stiffen once more.

Normally, when striking Yun Che, she would suppress her profound energy to the Ice Soul Realm; even a direct hit would certainly not be fatal.

But this small ice crystal, with its dreadful aura, was enough to kill Yun Che ten million times over.

"..." Yun Che's lips trembled. He wanted to beg for mercy, but his rigid body couldn't produce a sound. Escape? That was utterly impossible. This was killing intent from Mu Xuanyin, from a peerless Divine Master. Not only was Yun Che's body unable to move, but even his vision and consciousness had already blurred.

If this continued, Mu Xuanyin wouldn't even need to strike; this terrifying and peerless killing intent alone would be enough to cause Yun Che's instant demise.

I haven't found Jasmine yet... I promised Caiyi and the others that I would return safely... But... although it was unintentional, the trouble I've caused is too great... and it's a disaster that can't be reversed or salvaged in any way... This time... I'm truly going to die...

In the horrifying silence, Mu Xuanyin's hand slowly rose, the ice crystal hovering at her fingertip shimmering with a chilling light from hell.

"You—deserve—to—die!" Mu Xuanyin finally spoke, each word colder and more piercing than the terrifying ice crystal at her fingertip.

"..." Taking a deep breath with all his might, Yun Che resignedly closed his eyes.