Chapter 1048: Ice Feather Spirit Flower

"Yun Che? You're still alive!?" Mu Yizhou's eyes suddenly narrowed, his heart filled with shock.

"Of course I'm perfectly fine, but you... you might be dying very soon." Yun Che sneered.

"Just you!?" Mu Yizhou's eyes flashed with hatred. "Excellent! I was just regretting not being able to kill you myself, and now you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep!"

"Mu Heng, don't let him escape! I'll kill him with my own hands!"

With a command, Mu Yizhou seized his longsword. But the moment he released his profound energy, he suddenly felt the scene before him rapidly sink, then sink further, before turning a sudden grey, and finally, pitch black...

The Ice Phoenix disciple, Mu Heng, whom Mu Yizhou had called, was just about to move behind Yun Che when he saw Mu Yizhou's head fly from his neck. Crimson blood erupted violently from his neck under the force of his profound energy, propelling his severed head dozens of meters away before it fell lifelessly into a snowdrift near Mu Heng's feet.

His expression was serene; there hadn't been time for fear to register. Only his rapidly dilating pupils betrayed a heart-stopping terror.

"Ah... ahh!" Mu Heng stood frozen, and it was a good while before he suddenly let out a terrified shriek. He stumbled backward in a panic, nearly collapsing onto the ground from immense fear.

Concealed presence, hidden aura, instant burst of profound energy under the Buddhist God Veins, extremely swift movement, and of course, the Cloud Stepping Blade... not a single element was missing; it was flawless.

All of this allowed Yun Che, whose profound energy was only at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm, to instantly deliver a fatal blow to Mu Yizhou, whose profound energy surpassed his by nearly two major realms!

In that fleeting moment, the Cloud Stepping Blade sliced through Mu Yizhou's neck... silently. Mu Yizhou didn't even sense it. He died without knowing how.

"Cloud... Cloud Stepping Blade!!"

Catching sight of the short blade with a faint icy shimmer in Yun Che's hand, Mu Heng's pupils contracted slightly, and he blurted out its name.

"Oh? You recognize it?" Yun Che put away the Cloud Stepping Blade, a little surprised. This person's aura was much weaker than Mu Yizhou's; he should just be an ordinary Ice Phoenix Palace disciple, yet he recognized the Cloud Stepping Blade.

It seemed the Cloud Stepping Blade indeed had a great reputation in the Snow Song Realm.

"No wonder, Senior Brother Yizhou was actually..."

Thump!

Only then did Mu Yizhou's headless body fall stiffly, crimson blood splattering across the ground in a shocking display. It seemed as though all the blood in his body had erupted.

"So. Are you going to leave, or... do you want to join him in death?" Yun Che said darkly. Since this person was exiled here, he certainly wouldn't be a good sort. However, they were strangers with no enmity. In such a place, it was always better to avoid unnecessary trouble. If Mu Heng wanted to leave, Yun Che wouldn't waste energy stopping him.

Mu Heng's steps faltered backward slightly, but he immediately stopped. The fear on his face gradually vanished, replaced by an increasingly deep malice. "Mu Yizhou was ambushed by your Cloud Stepping Blade. Do you think with your mere Divine Origin Realm profound energy, you're fit to act arrogantly in front of me?"

Yun Che's eyes narrowed. "So, you're choosing to seek death?"

"Seek death? Heh, *you're* the one who'll die!" Mu Heng's face twisted slightly. "Everyone dies here sooner or later! If I can drag a direct disciple of the Sect Master down with me... heh heh heh, then my death won't be in vain!"

"Hmm." Yun Che nodded in agreement. "That's indeed a good idea."

Within the sect, even with ten thousand times the courage, he would never dare show the slightest disrespect to Yun Che. But as a desperado in the Perished Fog Valley, Yun Che's identity only served to make his twisted mind wild with excitement.

"Then obediently die!!"

Mu Heng swept his sword, and bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped Yun Che, threatening to freeze him solid.

Yun Che brought his arm forward, the Heaven Smiting Sword firmly grasped in his hand. Profound energy, flames, and sword momentum erupted simultaneously, and his gaze turned grim. Judging by the intensity of his aura, Mu Heng's profound energy was likely around the second to third level of the Divine Soul Realm. Although far inferior to Mu Yizhou, dealing with him would certainly not be easy.

Fortunately, Mu Heng lived on the edge in the Perished Fog Valley every day. He was not only covered in injuries but also severely depleted of vitality, with significant loss of profound energy. In such a state, if Yun Che faced him with full strength, there was no reason to lose!

Yun Che surged forward against the cold, instantly appearing before Mu Heng and unleashing an unrivaled sword momentum that enveloped his entire body.

Yun Che's speed genuinely astonished Mu Heng, but he immediately brought his sword up horizontally, profound energy surging. He was absolutely certain that with his profound energy, this single sword strike would severely wound Yun Che.

With a heavy "clang," snow scattered everywhere. Yun Che was sent flying backward, but Mu Heng's sword snapped instantly. His arms went numb, and his legs sank deep into the ground.

"Ah!?" Mu Heng's pupils abruptly contracted, and his face showed terror. "This... how is this possible!"

Before him, a crushing pressure that absolutely shouldn't belong to the Divine Origin Realm suddenly descended. Yun Che, who had been sent flying, simply rolled in the air and struck down again with his sword. The flames surged with even greater intensity than before, a suffocating might.

Mu Heng gritted his teeth, flung away his broken sword, and dared not hold back anything. Icy light flickered all over his body, and with a furious roar, thirteen ice cones shot up from below, piercing straight towards the sky.

The thirteen ice cones were incredibly fast and unexpected. Yun Che's descending figure was instantly pierced by two ice cones simultaneously. Mu Heng was about to let out a triumphant laugh when he suddenly realized that the "Yun Che" pierced by the ice cones rapidly dissipated the next instant, leaving only a faint icy mist.

Behind him, a catastrophic force, wreathed in flames, slammed into him. By the time he sensed it, he only had time for a terrified shriek before he was mercilessly struck.

Boom!!

With a clear, almost ear-splitting "crack," Mu Heng's spine snapped. His entire body, like a broken blood bag, flew far away and slammed violently against the ice rock where Yun Che had been hiding.

With his spine shattered, Mu Heng's upper body was ruined. He couldn't possibly stand. His body writhed in agony on the ground, and crimson blood continuously spewed from his wide-open mouth.

"Such big talk, and yet you're nothing more than this." Yun Che scoffed. No sooner had he spoken than a low beastly roar, accompanied by a dangerous aura, rapidly approached.

It would have been abnormal if the commotion hadn't attracted profound beasts. Yun Che quickly sheathed his sword, not bothering to glance at Mu Heng again. He concealed his aura and unhurriedly retreated. A few hundred meters away, he silently leaped onto a tall, withered tree, and his figure gradually vanished.

In the distance, profound beasts' low growls and Mu Heng's desperate screams soon followed.

***

The end of Yun Che's third day in the Perished Fog Valley.

In just under half an hour, thirty-six hours would be complete, and Mu Xuanyin's spatial profound formation on Yun Che would activate, taking him out of the Perished Fog Valley.

A thick patch of mist dispersed, and Mu Xuanyin appeared silently above the Perished Fog Valley. As her divine sense spread out, she quickly located Yun Che, and her brows subtly furrowed.

Yun Che hadn't simply remained hidden in one spot to wait out the three days. His current location was nearly a hundred *li* different from yesterday.

She sensed Yun Che's location but couldn't see his figure. Clearly, Yun Che was in a miraculous concealed shadow state. However, this wasn't what surprised Mu Xuanyin.

What surprised her was that Yun Che's aura was clearly moving slowly!

Moving while maintaining the concealed shadow state!

"..." Mu Xuanyin's eyes rippled slightly, taking a long time to slowly calm down.

Yun Che maintained his concealed shadow state, walking unhurriedly through the Perished Fog Valley... though he couldn't move quickly.

After a day and a night of meditation, comprehension, and experimentation, he could now perfectly maintain the concealed shadow state while walking slowly or performing other non-strenuous movements. Although it had taken less than a day, this was undoubtedly a huge improvement compared to being unable to move at all.

Being able to move invisibly while concealed, Yun Che naturally no longer needed to hide in one spot. Instead, he began to wander around the Perished Fog Valley, admiring its unique scenery.

Hmm, admiring the scenery in the Perished Fog Valley...

Of course, he still had to be cautious. If he sensed the aura of a profound beast, he would avoid it as much as possible. After all, while profound beasts couldn't detect him, if one were to accidentally brush him with its profound energy... he would instantly become visible.

She silently watched Yun Che pass through layers of mist, strolling leisurely past fierce profound beasts as if entering an uninhabited realm. This entire experience, which was meant to be a severe lesson, punishment, and test for him, had unexpectedly turned into something like a leisurely tour.

It was just like three months ago when she sent him alone to the Ice Wind Empire!

In his current state, it would probably be difficult for him to even have an accident in the Perished Fog Valley. Mu Xuanyin withdrew her gaze, about to leave, when her eyes suddenly sharpened. She murmured, "Ice Feather Spirit Flower?"

Yun Che stopped walking because an extremely dangerous aura emanated from ahead. Moreover, it was the most terrifying aura he had sensed since entering the Perished Fog Valley. As he approached, he distinctly felt the hairs on his body prickle.

His gaze pierced through the thick mist, and soon he saw a massive white shadow.

The white shadow was ten *zhang* tall, and its outline resembled a gigantic ape. Its entire body was white... not the snowy white of thick fur, but an icy white! Even with the dense mist obscuring it, it still reflected a dazzling, cold light.

Its body surface wasn't fur; instead, it was a thick layer of ice armor! The mere astounding gleam was enough to imagine its incredible toughness.

And the terrifying aura of this ice-armored giant ape was in no way inferior to Mu Hanyi's!

This meant its strength was at least equivalent to a human in the middle stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm... possibly even the late stage!

Yun Che held his breath, slowing his steps, and retreated little by little. Although the ice-armored giant ape was motionless, seemingly asleep, and he was in a state of concealed shadow and hidden aura, he remained extremely cautious. If it were to discover him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Against Mu Yizhou, who was at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm, he could barely escape.

But if he were locked onto by this terrifying Divine Tribulation Realm profound beast, his hope of escape would be minuscule.

No wonder this area was so quiet; he hadn't sensed any profound beast auras for so long. It turned out this was the territory of a Divine Tribulation profound beast... how could other profound beasts dare to approach?

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a peculiar white light suddenly captured his attention.

Less than three *zhang* to the right of the ice-armored giant ape, a beautiful white flower was quietly blooming. Its entire body was icy white, especially its single blossom, which was so pure it seemed unreal. Its petals were strangely feather-shaped, appearing to sway gently with the breeze.

A strange spiritual energy permeated the surrounding space. Even under the terrifying aura of the ice-armored giant ape, it remained distinct and rich. Only then did Yun Che realize that this spiritual energy emanated from this wondrous flower.

Growing in the Perished Fog Valley, this unusual flower would naturally possess an icy aura. However, the spiritual energy it released didn't make Yun Che feel any coldness. On the contrary, a sense of warmth gently caressed his heart, lingering for a long time.

Yun Che gazed fixedly at the peculiar white flower, momentarily forgetting to retreat. He had seen countless rare and exotic flowers and plants in his life, but very few could touch his heart so deeply with a single glance.