Chapter 1069: “Difficult” Choice

An unknown world.

Yun Che's silent consciousness struggled intensely, slowly regaining awareness.

Where is this place? No... I must wake up... Master's profound energy is depleted... severely injured... poisoned... Only I can save her... Otherwise, Master will surely die... I must wake up!!

His Dragon Soul Domain, unleashed with his entire will, performed a miracle, briefly suppressing the ancient Scaled Dragon. This caused its final desperate attack to dissipate along with its consciousness. Otherwise, both he and Mu Xuanyin would have perished simultaneously from the ancient Scaled Dragon's last strike before its death. This Dragon Soul Domain, the most extreme in history, directly caused the Azure Dragon's shadow to explode with a roar. The consequences were, naturally, extremely severe.

He had never felt so exhausted and heavy. Perhaps even days and nights of sleep wouldn't fully restore his mental energy... Yet, he absolutely could not fall into a deep slumber now.

Amidst his strenuous struggle, deep within his soul, the dormant Phoenix Soul and Golden Crow Soul simultaneously ignited. His heavy consciousness instantly cleared, and his eyes, which he had been unable to open despite all previous efforts, slowly trembled open.

The moment his consciousness awoke, Yun Che immediately sat up. Before him lay a desolate and vast world, the independent space within the Primordial Profound Ark. His gaze darted rapidly, then instantly fixed on the woman beside him.

Mu Xuanyin was right beside him, within reach. The Grand Sect Master of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, the Great Realm King of the Snow Song Realm—her every word could change the entire realm, and her wrath could make everyone in Snow Song shiver in fear. She was the most powerful woman in the history of the Snow Song Realm, a divine miracle bestowed upon it by the heavens.

At this moment, her snowy robes were stained with blood, her long hair had lost all its icy brilliance, her skin was like radiant jade, and her exquisite face was flawless. Yet, there was no trace of her usual imposing aura; she was tragically beautiful, inspiring pity and heartbreak.

It was the first time Yun Che had seen Mu Xuanyin from such close proximity... Perhaps he was the only person in the world, besides Mu Bingyun, who could be this close and look at her directly. Even with her jade-like face and lips pale as paper, she still exuded an innate cold arrogance, nobility, and ethereal transcendence that made one feel ashamed of their own inferiority.

Yun Che's gaze lingered for a moment in a daze, then he quickly leaned down, reaching out to press his hand on her snowy neck. The moment he touched her, his fingers trembled slightly... Bearing the Snow Song Realm's ultimate Ice Phoenix God Sealing Canon, her body had always been frigid. But the touch of his fingers now felt a burning heat.

His heart tightened abruptly, then was suddenly filled with ecstasy. He clearly felt a faint, yet robust, breath of life emanating from Mu Xuanyin!

Although he had forced himself awake, he had no idea how long he had been unconscious, and had been consumed by deep dread... But now, the immense weight pressing on his heart and soul suddenly vanished, and the entire world seemed to brighten considerably.

"This is great... Phew! I was too naive. How could someone as powerful as Master die so easily?" "As long as there's still a breath of life... I can definitely save her! At the very least, I can preserve Master's life."

Yun Che quickly extended both arms, placing his left hand on Mu Xuanyin's chest and his right hand over her lower abdomen. The purifying power of the Sky Poison Pearl and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth simultaneously surged into Mu Xuanyin's body.

Rumble...Rumble, rumble...

The surrounding space suddenly began to tremble, accompanied by dull, heavy roars... Or perhaps it had been trembling all along, and Yun Che, focused solely on Mu Xuanyin, hadn't noticed.

Yun Che looked up in astonishment: "What's happening? This is clearly the inner world of the Primordial Profound Ark, and it's impossible to be caught in a spatial storm right now, so how...?"

He quickly extended his consciousness to observe the external world of the Primordial Profound Ark, and was immediately shocked. "This is...?" "The bottom of the God Burying Inferno Prison!?"

He finally realized that after his consciousness had fallen dormant, the Primordial Profound Ark must have naturally plummeted due to losing soul control, falling directly from above the inferno to its very bottom.

"Damn it! Hong'er, that girl... sleeping again at a critical moment!"

The very bottom of the God Burying Inferno Prison was a terrifying region that even the three sect masters of the Flame God Realm—and even Supreme Experts at the God Master level—could not withstand. As a remnant from the ancient True Gods, he had every reason to believe that the intensity of power at the bottom of the God Burying Inferno Prison could only be endured by ancient True Gods.

In an age without True Gods, besides the ancient Scaled Dragon born from the God Burying Inferno Prison, he was the only living being who could survive at the bottom of the inferno. As for profound arks... if any other profound ark were to fall here, even the strongest profound ark from a higher star realm would surely turn to ashes in an instant.

However, the Primordial Profound Ark was, after all, an artifact of the ancient gods. Before Yun Che awoke, it had managed to endure at the bottom of the inferno for several hours. The trembling within its internal world seemed to indicate that it, too, had reached its limit.

"Damn it... I can't risk this!" Yun Che quickly channeled his will. Instantly, the Primordial Profound Ark rapidly ascended from the bottom of the inferno, shooting straight up until it broke free of the prison and floated in the crimson sky. The spatial trembling finally ceased.

Yun Che had no time to check for damage to the Primordial Profound Ark; he fully concentrated his mind on purifying the Scaled Dragon poison from Mu Xuanyin and healing her injuries.

The Scaled Dragon poison that Mu Xuanyin had been afflicted with was dozens of times stronger than what Mu Bingyun had endured. Fortunately, the time elapsed was short, making it easier to purify than Mu Bingyun's poison. In just fifteen minutes, more than half of it was successfully purified. Under the miraculous spiritual energy of heaven and earth, both her internal and external injuries stabilized completely, and her life force slowly became steady and robust.

However, even if all her injuries were healed, her almost completely depleted profound energy and dormant Ice Phoenix blood didn't know how long it would take to recover... Furthermore, by unleashing the Ice Phoenix Forbidden Array, she had lost a vast amount of essence blood, which was said to potentially cause a drop in her cultivation.

As for the massive loss of essence blood... he could use the power of the Desolate God to help her recover, though it would take time. But for a drop in cultivation, there was absolutely nothing he could do. He could only hope that Huo Rulie's words were mere rumors.

After a long while, the potent poison in Mu Xuanyin's body was finally completely purified. Yun Che let out a long sigh of relief and slumped heavily onto the ground. The true threat to Mu Xuanyin's life had been the Scaled Dragon poison. With the poison entirely purified, even though Mu Xuanyin's profound energy was depleted and her internal injuries severe, with her incredibly profound foundation, it could be said that it would be difficult for her to die.

Finally relieved, Yun Che's strained consciousness instantly became impossibly heavy. He closed his eyes, ready to let himself drift into a deep sleep... then suddenly snapped them open.

"Wait? The Scaled Dragon poison has been completely purified, so why is there still a burning sensation?" Yun Che turned his gaze and slowly reached for Mu Xuanyin's neck, testing... The burning sensation on her snowy skin, transmitted to his fingertips, had barely diminished compared to before.

"What... what is going on?"

As Yun Che's mind reeled, he suddenly saw Mu Xuanyin's eyelashes twitch slightly, and then, her eyes gently opened...

"Master, you're awake?" Yun Che called out anxiously, but Mu Xuanyin showed no reaction. An unnatural flush colored her cheeks, her opened eyes seemed veiled by a hazy mist, and her cherry lips parted slightly. The breath escaping from her lips was exceptionally soft, yet when it brushed Yun Che's face, it felt scorching hot.

"This... What is this!?""Wait! This is!?"At that moment, something suddenly clicked in Yun Che's mind.

He remembered that after he completed the master-disciple ceremony, Mu Xuanyin, in a fit of rage, had forcibly infused a drop of Scaled Dragon blood into his body to compel him to take Mu Feixue's Ice Phoenix Primordial Yin!

It's Scaled Dragon blood!

When the ancient Scaled Dragon was repelled by his sword and pierced through its dragon gate by Mu Xuanyin's sword, dragon blood had splattered everywhere, drenching both him and Mu Xuanyin. However, he had no open wounds, so the dragon blood didn't invade his body. But Mu Xuanyin was covered in injuries, and the dragon blood that had splattered on her... would undoubtedly have entered her body. It might even have been a large invasion!

Dragon breath is a strange poison, but dragon blood is a powerful aphrodisiac! Yun Che had personally experienced the terror of even a single drop of Scaled Dragon blood; the effects of a large quantity were simply unimaginable. If Mu Xuanyin were in her normal state, she could easily dissolve this dragon blood, but given her current condition... a single drop of dragon blood would absolutely be fatal to her!

Dragon blood is not a poison, so he couldn't purify it with the Sky Poison Pearl. His profound energy was also far from sufficient to dissolve it; otherwise, he wouldn't have been forced into such a miserable state himself back then. So, to resolve the dragon blood, there was only one way...

“!#$...” The thought that flashed through Yun Che's mind instantly made him break out in a cold sweat, his heart seizing up.

“Ah...” A soft, dreamlike moan sounded in Yun Che's ear, like a succubus's seductive whisper, instantly numbing his soul and every bone in his body.

As Yun Che's mind reeled, a jade-like hand slowly lifted and gently encircled his neck under his dazed gaze. The touch of her arm was light and soft, completely lacking strength, and her watery eyes were hazy and unfocused. The Scaled Dragon blood was taking effect, and in her dazed state, she was likely completely unconscious, instinctively drawn to Yun Che's masculine aura.

Yun Che's heart rate and intensity accelerated severalfold... "No... This won't do... She's my Master... She's the Great Realm King of the Snow Song Realm... If I actually..." "She would surely kill me once she regained consciousness!"

He vividly remembered the terrifying killing intent Mu Xuanyin had unleashed during his accidental desecration that day. If Mu Bingyun hadn't arrived in time, he might not have survived until now. A mere momentary touch of her body had provoked such a reaction; if he actually... Even if it were to resolve the dragon blood and save her life, she would absolutely tear him to shreds! There would be no chance, not even a sliver, of escaping her wrath!!

"But... in her current state, if the dragon blood isn't resolved, she will certainly die!" "What should I do... What should I do!?"

As his thoughts spiraled into chaos, his upper body was slowly pulled down by Mu Xuanyin's unconsciously entwining arms. Her warm body pressed almost completely against his. Though she was as weak as cotton, under the influence of the Scaled Dragon blood, her body writhed restlessly like a water snake. Her lips parted and closed, continuously exhaling a warm, orchid-like breath. Every moan, like a seductive whisper from a dream, instantly left Yun Che's mouth dry and his internal 'evil fire' raging... He bit down hard, roaring in his mind: "No, absolutely not..."

He violently shook his head, not daring to look into Mu Xuanyin's hazy eyes again. As his gaze dropped, it penetrated her partially torn snowy robes, beneath her glistening, jade-like collarbone, where two firm, prominent mounds of snowy flesh trembled gently.

Yun Che's gaze straightened abruptly, his entire body's aura becoming turbulent to the point of explosion. Then, his eyes gradually hardened with determination.

"Compared to my own life... Master's life is, of course, far more important!"

Under the weight of this moral imperative, all hesitation completely vanished. He reached forward with both hands and, with a swift motion, tore open the snowy robes covering Mu Xuanyin's chest.

With a ripping sound, the breathtaking sight he had once fantasized and imagined appeared before his eyes as if in a dream. In an instant, almost all the blood in his body rushed to his head, Yun Che's eyes widened, and he completely lost the ability to think. The sudden burst of heat in his own body almost surpassed that of Mu Xuanyin's.

He opened his mouth, but no sound escaped. Facing Mu Xuanyin, who was now in a hazy state, softer than an ordinary girl, he should have been incredibly cautious... but when he pounced, he transformed into an uncontrolled beast.

As for the inevitable consequence of being torn to shreds by Mu Xuanyin, it had long been completely cast out of his mind.