Chapter 1049: Reeliminating the Divine Tribulation

Yun Che stopped retreating. After staring intently at the Ice Feather Spirit Flower for a long time, he suddenly began to slowly advance, step by step, towards the extremely dangerous Ice Armored Giant Ape. His gaze remained fixed on the Ice Feather Spirit Flower.

Yun Che's intention was obvious. Mu Xuanyin watched, her face clouding with anger. "You fool! To risk your life for a momentary greed, this boy never learns his lesson!" She added, "And for just a mere Ice Feather Spirit Flower! Any exotic flower in the Frozen Cloud Asgard is far superior to it!"

Yun Che gradually approached, each step painstakingly slow. The terrifying aura intensified as he drew nearer.

Despite the immense danger, Yun Che remained quite confident. With the dual aura concealment provided by Broken Moon Flickering Shadow's "Shadow Concealment" and Flowing Light Thunder Hide, he was sure that even if he approached within ten zhang, the ape would hardly notice him, unless it was in an alert state with its spiritual sense expanded. Moreover, it was currently asleep.

In the icy quiet, Yun Che maintained an extremely slow, uniform pace, silently reaching the Ice Feather Spirit Flower. The entire process was surprisingly uneventful. At this point, the Ice Armored Giant Ape was only three zhang from his side, and he could faintly feel its heavy breathing in its sleep. Yet, from beginning to end, the Ice Armored Giant Ape's aura showed no abnormality; it was clearly oblivious.

Upon closer inspection, Yun Che found the Ice Feather Spirit Flower even more breathtaking. It was only the size of an adult's palm, unfurling seven feather-like petals, each emitting a distinct aura, as if possessing its own life. It radiated an icy white glow, appearing exceptionally cold yet exquisitely beautiful. However, as Yun Che's palm slowly approached, what he felt was not the usual frigidity of ice-element exotic flowers, but rather a comforting sense of peace, even tending towards warmth.

"Good..." Yun Che's hand gently touched the Ice Feather Spirit Flower, his movements incredibly careful. With a faint glimmer from the Sky Poison Pearl, the Ice Feather Spirit Flower was silently plucked.

High above, Mu Xuanyin's moon-like eyebrows furrowed slightly. "To teach you a lesson!" she muttered. She believed that one should take a risk for an essential task, even if it meant danger to life. However, greed for unnecessary things was undoubtedly a major taboo. What particularly angered her was that among the countless spirit flowers and exotic herbs in the Frozen Cloud Asgard, he risked approaching a Divine Tribulation profound beast for a mere Ice Feather Spirit Flower. It was simply outrageous! She lightly tapped her finger, and a needle-like blue light flashed instantly.

Yun Che held the plucked Ice Feather Spirit Flower in his palm, gazing at it deeply. Just as he was about to place it into the Sky Poison Pearl, the surrounding aura abruptly changed, and a sense of fatal danger instantly pierced through all his nerves.

"ROAR!!!!"

The previously calm air suddenly churned violently like a tsunami. The Ice Armored Giant Ape flipped over and rose, letting out an earth-shattering roar that nearly made Yun Che, who was only three zhang away, cough up blood. Under its furious release of power, the surrounding ice and snow were violently pushed aside. Yun Che's figure instantly became visible, and the Ice Feather Spirit Flower in his hand was clearly reflected in the Ice Armored Giant Ape's eyes, which glowed with furious rage.

"...?!" Yun Che paled in shock. He quickly placed the Ice Feather Spirit Flower into the Sky Poison Pearl, then darted out like lightning. Any creature naturally waking from sleep would have a considerable period of disorientation. Therefore, even if the Ice Armored Giant Ape had woken up precisely when he picked the Ice Feather Spirit Flower, he would have been confident of leaving safely. However, the Ice Armored Giant Ape's state was as if it had been violently stabbed in its sleep. One moment it was in deep slumber, its aura incredibly stable, and the next, it became incredibly violent the instant it woke up. "Damn it..." Yun Che clenched his teeth. "How could this be? Is this also a characteristic of the violent profound beasts in Mist Depths Valley?"

It was no accident that the Ice Armored Giant Ape slept near the Ice Feather Spirit Flower, as the flower's aura had a strong attraction for it. Even if it hadn't been startled awake, it would have woken up on its own not long after the Ice Feather Spirit Flower's aura disappeared—but by then, Yun Che would have already left safely. Now, however, not only was it violently awakened, but it also saw the Ice Feather Spirit Flower clutched in Yun Che's hand. Its already ferocious aura instantly erupted like a second volcanic eruption. It leaped high towards the direction Yun Che was fleeing, and its gigantic fist, filled with violent rage, smashed down fiercely.

BOOM!!

Like a thunderclap shaking the sky, the terrifying might of the Ice Armored Giant Ape's punch enveloped the entire thousand-zhang space ahead. All ice stones, massive trees, and glaciers were instantly shattered, and the snow layer rapidly collapsed. A deadly oppressive force assailed Yun Che from behind, leaving him no escape. He instantly activated "Heaven Smiting" and fully unleashed "Cloud Sealing, Sun Locking."

BOOM—

Yun Che was struck as if by a massive hammer, plummeting violently from the air. With another loud crash, he created a crater dozens of zhang deep in the ground. "Hiss..." Yun Che quickly straightened up from the crater, his entire body throbbing with pain mixed with numbness. The moment he stood up, blood quickly seeped from the corners of his mouth, nostrils, and ears—had he not swiftly activated "Heaven Smiting" and opened the Evil God Barrier, even if he didn't die, he would have lost half his life. That was the might of the Divine Tribulation!

He barely withstood the blow, but this by no means meant he was out of danger. On the contrary, he didn't even have a chance to catch his breath. Before he could calm the agitated profound energy throughout his body, he was enveloped by two dazzling crimson eyes. The giant arm, covered in thick ice armor and carrying the might of death, smashed down from above his head once more, instantly filling his entire vision.

Yun Che instantly moved, then again fully activated the Evil God Barrier.

BOOM!!

The earth cracked, and even small mountains several miles away completely collapsed. Yun Che was once again struck as if by a heavy hammer, instantly sent flying high into the air. Although it was just the aftershock, the Evil God Barrier completely shattered after a brief sustain, barely and perilously helping him evade another disaster.

Yun Che's qi and blood were in complete disarray. He desperately struggled to stabilize himself in the air, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his clenched teeth almost breaking. "No! There's no way to escape. One more hit and it'll be truly dangerous." Continuously unleashing "Cloud Sealing, Sun Locking" twice while in the "Heaven Smiting" state was already close to his limit. To survive, there was only one method... to kill it!!

As his thoughts raced, the Ice Armored Giant Ape's blood-red gaze once again enveloped him. Yun Che's aura was locked onto, leaving him nowhere to hide. The giant ape's arm swung up for the third time, the Divine Tribulation's might about to descend upon the sky once more. Yun Che's eyes darkened. Instead of fully retreating, he actively charged towards the Ice Armored Giant Ape. Just as its massive arm was about to smash down, blue shadows flickered around him, and he unleashed the world-shaking Dragon Roar.

"ROAR!!!!!"

Under the Dragon Soul Domain, the Ice Armored Giant Ape's entire body trembled violently. Deep fear rapidly emerged in its furious eyes, and its attacking motion momentarily froze. At this moment, Yun Che's profound energy completely erupted without reservation, directly charging towards the Ice Armored Giant Ape's head. His right hand clutched the Cloud Butterfly Blade. His left hand covered the blade, and a green light flashed across it.

When he poisoned Mu Hanyi in the Ice Wind Empire, he had only used half of the Dragon God's Breath given to him by Mu Xuanyin. Now, he poured the remaining half entirely onto the Cloud Butterfly Blade. This was because the only thing on him that could kill the Ice Armored Giant Ape was the Dragon God's Poison! To inflict the Dragon God's Poison upon the Ice Armored Giant Ape, he had to inject the poison into its body. However, the Ice Armored Giant Ape had incredibly thick ice armor and was protected by Divine Tribulation power. Even holding the Cloud Butterfly Blade and maintaining the extreme "Heaven Smiting" state, he had no absolute certainty of breaking through its ice armor and piercing it. He had only this one chance, with no room for error. And the most vulnerable part of any living creature... was undoubtedly its eyes!

Facing the Ice Armored Giant Ape, which was momentarily stunned by the Dragon God's might, Yun Che's profound energy and speed reached their peak. His body like a meteor, the Cloud Butterfly Blade in his hand shot out an invisible blade light nearly a foot long, piercing directly towards its head... SHING!! The Ice Butterfly Blade plunged fiercely into the Ice Armored Giant Ape's right eye, which was as large as an adult's head. The sound it made was a horrifying screech, like tearing through tough rock.

"ROOARRGH!!!!!!"

The Ice Armored Giant Ape's upper body suddenly recoiled, letting out a roar of pain. Yun Che grunted, thrown far away. The next instant, his vision suddenly turned black. The Ice Armored Giant Ape's massive arm, wildly swinging in pain and fury, violently swept across his body. OOOOOOOM— His consciousness instantly went blank. Yun Che felt no pain at all, only his body like a falling leaf caught in a hurricane, drifting through a blank world...

"Oh no!" Mu Xuanyin's face changed, and she swiftly flew down.

Yun Che crashed heavily to the ground, his body plowing a hundred-zhang long furrow in the ice before finally coming to a stop. His consciousness, which had been instantly scattered, slowly began to return at this moment. Increasingly intense pain mercilessly emanated from all parts of his body.

The Ice Armored Giant Ape's previous two heavy blows had been endured while Yun Che was in the Heaven Smiting state, fully deploying the Evil God Barrier—his most extreme defensive posture. Even then, he had only suffered aftershocks but still sustained internal injuries. This time, however, he was hit directly by the Ice Armored Giant Ape without the Evil God Barrier.

The intense pain also meant returning consciousness. Yun Che's eyes slowly opened, his right hand's fingers twitched, then he painstakingly raised his arm, reaching for a cracked ice stone behind him, as if trying to stand. But as his arm lifted, he saw it was covered in blood... And his left arm was completely broken, devoid of sensation. His right arm, which he had tried to raise with all his might but couldn't fully lift, also fell heavily. Aside from the intense pain throughout his body, he found it difficult to even make a slight movement. Not just his left arm, he felt that most of his left ribs, and even his sternum, were fractured, and his internal organs were severely displaced with countless ruptures.

"Oww... ROAR!!"

"Whooo roar!"

From a distance, the furious, painful, and maddened roars of the Ice Armored Giant Ape could be heard. In his blurry vision, he saw a massive shadow clutching its left eye, twisting and struggling wildly. Starting from its pierced left eye, a layer of eerie reddish color began to spread across its thick ice armor, rapidly covering its massive body, then quickly deepening. Soon, its originally icy white body became completely crimson. Its roars and struggles also grew weaker and more powerless during this process, until it collapsed heavily to the ground, leaving only desperate writhing and twitching.

"Heh... heheh..." Lying paralyzed on the ground, severely wounded, Yun Che was smiling. After Mu Hanyi three months ago, he had actually killed another Divine Tribulation Realm existence. Although both times he relied on the Dragon Soul Domain and the Dragon God's Poison, this was indeed a miracle only he could create. Although extremely wounded, surviving a direct hit from Divine Tribulation power was also something only he could do. Any other profound practitioner, even at the Divine Soul Realm, would have been instantly obliterated, leaving not even a breath or a single intact bone. However, this time he was truly injured terribly; even after his fierce battle with Xuanyuan Wentian, he hadn't been hurt to this extent.

Although the Ice Armored Giant Ape was dead, the danger was far from over, as this was Mist Depths Valley, where ferocious profound beasts could appear at any moment. He couldn't even use Shadow Concealment now, let alone stand up; even the weakest Frost Chatterwolf could easily finish him off. Just then, a bright profound light suddenly flashed from Yun Che's chest. Beneath the light, a small profound formation quickly activated, releasing a sphere of light that completely enveloped Yun Che, carrying him away from the spot instantly.

The thirty-six hours of being in Mist Depths Valley had just been completed at this moment, which triggered the spatial profound formation Mu Xuanyin had left on him, finally ending the severe punishment she had given him.

"He really has nine lives," Mu Xuanyin murmured from high above. As she turned, her figure silently vanished.