Chapter 1064: Helplessness, Broken Moon's Tragic End

“Aaaaaaaah!!!”

On the north bank of the Hell of Flames, screams of extreme terror echoed. The space trembled, and the dry ground beneath their feet had completely cracked. The Hell of Flames ahead churned violently, and if not for the barriers erected by the elders of the great Flame Gods, everyone would have already been engulfed. The power of that fiery shadow was immense, as one could well imagine. Clearly, it had been preparing its attack beneath the Hell of Flames for a long time.

“Master!!!” Yun Che roared, his eyes wide with terror. The moment he feared most had arrived so swiftly… and it was far more devastating than his worst expectations. It was not only a full-force attack from another ancient Horned Dragon, prepared for a long time, but it also struck Mu Xuanyin precisely when she was concentrating all her power to deliver a killing blow to the first Horned Dragon, leaving her with almost no defensive profound energy! Like suddenly falling from heaven to hell, everyone’s hearts nearly burst from the shock. Yan Wancang recoiled several steps in horror, while Yan Juehai and Huo Roulie’s hair stood on end, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Ah… ah…”“How… how could this happen?!”In that fleeting moment, like a streak of light, all three sect masters clearly saw what had suddenly struck Mu Xuanyin from behind… It was undeniably a dragon’s tail!! A Horned Dragon’s tail!! As the curtain of fire fell, within the Vermilion Bird projection, above the constantly churning Hell of Flames, beside the Horned Dragon that had just broken free from its icy prison and was covered in blood… Suddenly, another identical ancient Horned Dragon appeared, completely uninjured! Mu Xuanyin’s figure had vanished, buried deep within the vast Hell of Flames.

Before anyone could recover from their utter terror, the second Horned Dragon roared and lunged forward.Rumble—Flames surged sky-high, and the thousand-mile sea region was violently churned once more… Amidst the scattered embers, a striking white figure appeared. This white figure made Yun Che cry out in surprise: “Master!” But no sooner had the words left his lips than his joy turned to terror once again. She had fought bitterly against the ancient Horned Dragon for over four hours, and despite the immense exhaustion, she hadn’t suffered a single injury. Yet now, her snow-white robes were drenched in blood, her icy hair disheveled, and crimson streaks of blood stained her lips and eyes, stark against the terrifying paleness of her snow-white skin. Her back was completely crimson with blood. The Snow Princess Sword was still clutched in her hand, but drops of blood slowly dripped from its tip. The chilling aura that had previously enveloped almost the entire Hell of Flames was now incredibly faint and chaotic. The moment she was blasted out of the fiery sea, the dragon flames of both Horned Dragons instantly descended, giving her no chance to breathe, not even for a fleeting moment. Mu Xuanyin rapidly retreated, her flight path somewhat erratic, like a leaf bobbing in giant waves. She swept her Snow Princess Sword, conjuring a sky full of ice… but it was instantly consumed by the waves of fire, vanishing without a trace…Pffft!!A large spray of blood mist scattered across the sky, and Mu Xuanyin, like a shot-down white sparrow, fell once more into the endless sea of flames.

Yun Che’s mouth hung open, but he couldn’t even utter a sound. A chill ran through him, leaving only intense resentment and helplessness. His power was merely at the beginning of the Divine Path, while Mu Xuanyin and the Horned Dragons she fought were at its pinnacle; they were completely on different planes of strength. With the second ancient Horned Dragon finally appearing, Mu Xuanyin had no chance to react and was instantly pushed to the brink, yet he could do nothing… Not to mention rushing to save her, he couldn’t even get close. Even if he could get close… what use would a thousand of him, or a million of him, be with his current power? He even knew about the existence of the other ancient Horned Dragon beforehand but couldn’t inform Mu Xuanyin… In his anxiety, he had sworn and begged, but no one believed him. All he could do was watch… helplessly watch. Because he was merely a humble grain of sand… Even if he sacrificed his very existence, he couldn’t block the towering waves that threatened to engulf Mu Xuanyin—and more tragically, he couldn’t even accomplish that much.

Rumble!! Rumble!!Repeatedly blasted into the Hell of Flames, Mu Xuanyin’s aura grew progressively weaker. The bloodstains on her body spread rapidly, and under the furious onslaught of the two ancient Horned Dragons, she was too weak even to seal her wounds. Just as Yun Che had said earlier, once both Horned Dragons were forced to appear simultaneously, it would be a death blow, giving Mu Xuanyin no chance to escape. Greatly depleted profound energy, severe injuries, surrounded… This was their only chance! If she escaped today, they would never again have the opportunity to destroy Mu Xuanyin—Huo Roulie’s previous words were no exaggeration; Mu Xuanyin might not be able to defeat two ancient Horned Dragons, but if she merely needed to escape, let alone two, even three wouldn't be able to stop her. The attacks of the two ancient Horned Dragons were like a raging storm, ceaseless for even a moment. Mu Xuanyin could barely defend, let alone counterattack, her defenses growing weaker and weaker. She was repeatedly blasted into the Burial God Hell of Flames, and each time she struggled out, her aura weakened further. Furthermore, unable to attend to her injuries yet forced to exert all her strength, her wounds rapidly worsened… She was like a duckweed struggling and swaying in a storm, on the verge of being shattered at any moment. Yun Che stared blankly, simply watching… What flowed through his soul was the sorrow and helplessness of the weak, and self-loathing for his own inadequacy. "Why did I come to the God Realm?" he muttered to himself in agony. "How good it was in the lower realm, where there was no one I couldn't save, nothing I couldn't do, and where I never had to endure this helplessness and torment. And why must you be so good to me? If you had always been as stern and ruthless as you appeared… then how could I be in such despair…?"

“There were… there actually were two Horned Dragons… How could… how could this happen?!” Yan Juehai’s pupils constricted. Even now, he was still shaken to his core, unable to believe it.“It’s over… All over…” Yan Wancang muttered, lost in despair. Mu Xuanyin was finished… Their dream of cultivating a Divine Master was also shattered…“We were actually… actually kept in the dark for so many years…” Huo Roulie’s body swayed, the arm he had on Yun Che completely losing all strength.Yun Che glanced sideways and said coldly, “You certainly won’t go save my master, will you?!”At this cold remark, Yan Wancang, feeling guilty, could only let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and saying, “It’s not that we don’t want to, but with our strength, even if…”“No need to explain. I know you won’t!” Yun Che laughed, his laughter chilling to the bone. “Even a small reminder, a reminder that would have had no negative impact whatsoever, yet could have saved my master’s life, you refused to give. So how could you possibly be willing to risk your lives to save my master now—even though she faces this desperate situation because of you!!”“…” Yan Wancang’s breathing hitched. His lips trembled, but in the end, he said nothing, his gaze fixed on the Vermilion Bird projection, momentarily dazed. The elders of the Vermilion Bird Sect behind them all showed anger on their faces, but this time, not a single one spoke up to rebuke him.“Alas!” Huo Roulie sighed heavily. “Now, the only one who can save your master is herself. Perhaps she can find an opportunity to escape… That’s the only way.” But looking at Mu Xuanyin’s current state and the insane suppression from the two Horned Dragons, he knew perfectly well how slim the hope was. Earlier, Mu Xuanyin had easily extinguished the ancient Horned Dragons’ fire, but now, the situation had completely reversed… several times over. Her ice, barely formed, was instantly shattered. Mu Xuanyin was retreating with every breath, the blood oozing from her lips already staining her entire neck… And then, Yun Che saw an abnormal crimson on her face. That was… Poison!! The Horned Dragon’s poison!!“Hiss!!” Blood oozed from between Yun Che’s fingers… The Horned Dragon’s breath poison was not formidable to Mu Xuanyin normally, but now, it was lethal. It was just like Mu Bingyun a thousand years ago. With her power, after being poisoned by the Horned Dragon, she could have quickly neutralized it with profound energy. But after she was poisoned, she had no chance to neutralize it, and instead had to fight fiercely against Huo Roulie with all her might. The more violently her profound energy circulated, the more intensely the poison acted. Afterwards, she was severely wounded by Huo Roulie and barely escaped… After falling into the Azure Cloud Continent, she even lost all her profound energy for a period, which led to the virulent poison invading her soul, leaving her incurable. Mu Xuanyin’s current state was precisely that of Mu Bingyun back then! Poisoned by the Horned Dragon, she could neither neutralize it, and fighting with all her might would only make the virulent poison spread and worsen rapidly. The continuously worsening Horned Dragon poison would, in turn, cause her body and profound energy to deteriorate, greatly accelerating the approach of death.

Boom!!Mu Xuanyin was blasted into the Hell of Flames once again… But this time, in just an instant, she flew up, suddenly spewing a large mist of blood from her mouth, which splattered onto the Snow Princess Sword in her hand. Yun Che’s Ice Phoenix bloodline suddenly pulsed violently at that moment. He quickly looked up… Within the Ice Phoenix projection, an intensely powerful Ice Phoenix aura descended. Yun Che’s expression instantly changed, revealing deep horror… Ice Phoenix Source Blood!? But immediately, his horror magnified several times over… No! This is… this is vital essence blood! Besides Ice Phoenix Source Blood, there’s also vital essence blood!! Master, could it be… could it be…?

The world suddenly became incredibly quiet. The fiery sea stopped churning; the entire Hell of Flames seemed to have been suddenly sealed, falling into complete silence. The faint blue light on Mu Xuanyin, which had been so weak it was almost extinguished, suddenly flared up violently… dozens of times more intense than at any previous moment!! Even the two ancient Horned Dragons, which had been giving their all to destroy Mu Xuanyin, suddenly slowed their movements. Increasingly cold blue light reflected off their crimson scales. Then, they let out a strange roar and simultaneously began to retreat, the flames that had perpetually burned on their bodies rapidly extinguishing. The blue light spread; the surrounding Hell of Flames and the image of the Vermilion Bird projection were entirely transformed into blue. Mu Xuanyin’s beautiful eyes held a hint of unfocusedness, and the blood covering her body outlined a cold, stunning, and poignant beauty. The Snow Princess Sword in her hand slowly lifted, and on its tip, a tiny profound array slowly spun and shimmered. The moment this profound array took shape, the two ancient Horned Dragons, like the surrounding ice prison, became utterly motionless, as if space was sealed and time had been frozen.

“This… this is…”Even through the Vermilion Bird projection, everyone felt a chilling cold and dread that pierced their very souls.“Could it be… the legendary Ice Phoenix Forbidden Array?” Huo Roulie murmured.“Ice Phoenix Forbidden Array? What’s that?” Yun Che gritted his teeth and urgently asked.Huo Roulie stared blankly at the Vermilion Bird projection, saying, “Many dominant sects possess forbidden techniques that are only activated in desperate situations. Our Vermilion Bird Sect has one, and so does the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect… It’s called ‘Moon Shattering Desolation’.”Yun Che: “…”“Although I’ve never seen it, I’ve read about it. The Ice Phoenix Divine Sect’s forbidden profound array requires Ice Phoenix Source Blood and a large amount of vital essence blood to activate. Its power is sufficient to destroy heaven and earth… but it not only consumes immense energy, it also drastically reverses one’s profound cultivation and severely reduces lifespan and… talent. If activated forcibly without sufficient cultivation, one could even be directly killed by the backlash.”“What!?” Yun Che’s pupils dilated. He gnashed two of his teeth, shattering them, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, yet he felt no pain whatsoever.“It seems your master knew escape was hopeless, and in a certain death situation, only then did she…” Huo Roulie’s body tensed, and he did not continue speaking.

Mu Xuanyin’s expression was exquisitely beautiful and serene… It was a calmness Yun Che had never seen before. In that miraculously vibrant blue world, her arm gently pushed forward… Time seemed to have truly frozen; not a single sound remained. Within the Vermilion Bird projection, and in everyone’s dilated pupils, there was only that streak of light formed by the Snow Princess Sword. That streak of light flew very, very slowly, or perhaps it was completely motionless. After an unknown duration, the sword tip finally touched something, and the profound array on the tip instantly burst forth, releasing dazzling blue radiance. The sword tip had pointed directly at the Horned Dragon’s vital point—its dragon’s heart! It was the ancient Horned Dragon that had appeared later, the one completely uninjured! Within the rotating icy-blue profound array, the Snow Princess Sword did not falter, but continued forward, silently piercing through. Between heaven and earth, it carved out a dreamlike blue light-trace. No one even realized that it had actually pierced through the body of an ancient Horned Dragon. The two ancient Horned Dragons remained motionless, but two streams of blue radiance shot out from both sides of the Horned Dragon that had been pierced at its dragon’s heart by the Snow Princess Sword, followed by a third, a fourth, a fifth…Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing…A tenth!A twelfth!Beneath the blue radiance, the ancient Horned Dragon, maintaining its completely still posture, rapidly transformed into an icy blue color. And the moment the radiance fully dissipated, a long crack suddenly split open on the ancient Horned Dragon’s body, then rapidly spread, reaching its claws and tail. Following this, its massive dragon body crumbled under rapid fragmentation… It transformed into countless shards of ice, scattering down onto the Hell of Flames that had been frozen solid below.