Chapter 1123: Like a Dream Encounter

It wasn't just Mu Xuanshi who was stunned; Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan also reeled in shock, their gazes instantly darting to the space behind Mu Xuanshi. Yun Che stood there in his previous posture. They were all powerful Divine Kings, yet they hadn't seen how he appeared there at all.

Yun Che's eyes were cold, filled with a hint of mockery, as he sneered, "Mu Xuanshi, your true colors are truly ugly."

A dignified Divine King had used the most despicable and shameless method to launch a sudden, fatal attack from two paces away on a young profound practitioner who was only at the Divine Soul Realm. Yet, the attack missed. In their understanding, this was utterly impossible and incomprehensible. Mu Xuanshi slowly turned around, glancing at Yun Che, then at the rapidly dissipating ice clone in his hand. His expression shifted between light and dark.

"Remarkable! Truly remarkable," Emperor Nanlie exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. "Old man Mu, I thought your acting skills were superb. It turns out this kid was wary of you all along. A mighty Divine King, unable to ambush a mere Divine Soul Realm boy – what a joke! You've probably lost face for half your life, hahahaha."

"Heh," Yun Che chuckled softly. "How could a king who treats outsiders and juniors with such warmth and humility raise a son so utterly lacking in manners and upbringing? His son's character, combined with your outwardly gentle and righteous facade, told me from the start that you were either a hypocritical and cunning individual, or a deeply sinister one, or both."

"Hahahahaha, hahahaha!!" Emperor Nanlie clapped his hands and roared with laughter. "Excellent! Well said! Old man Mu, old man Mu, this boy has only known you for an hour, yet he's stripped you bare, leaving nothing behind. This is truly spectacular. I deeply regret not recording it with a profound image stone; otherwise, I could have felt refreshed every day for the next tens of thousands of years, hahahahaha."

"..." Mu Xuanshi's hand unclenched, but he showed no sign of indignant rage, only a profound gloom. "You are Mu Xuanyin's personal disciple, the Snow Song Realm King!"

Yun Che was startled, and at the same time, Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan's expressions changed. "What did you say?"

"Island Master Mu, why do you say that!?" Han Kuan asked sternly.

"..." Yun Che's heart stirred. How did he recognize me? Could it be...

"The Snow Song Realm's Ice Phoenix Divine Sect has two divine arts: the Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon and Moon-Shattering Phantom!" Mu Xuanshi said in a deep voice. "His instant movement just now was no ordinary footwork; otherwise, how could he have evaded my spiritual sense's lock? That was very likely the Snow Song Realm's divine art, Moon-Shattering Phantom!"

"The Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon can be cultivated by high-ranking disciples of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, but Moon-Shattering Phantom, it is rumored, has only ever been mastered by the Snow Song Realm King, Mu Xuanyin. I once chanced upon it years ago and was profoundly shocked, unable to forget it. For him to be able to use Moon-Shattering Phantom, the only possibility is that he was personally taught by the Snow Song Realm King, Mu Xuanyin!"

The dominant sects of the Three Realms of the Coast all cultivated water-element profound arts, and since ice and water share the same origin, they were naturally more knowledgeable. Mu Xuanyin of the Snow Song Realm was the strongest ice-element practitioner in the Eastern Divine Region; how could Mu Xuanshi and the other two not know of Mu Xuanyin and the Snow Song Realm?

"Hehehe, old man Mu, you must be mistaken. How could the Snow Song Realm King's personal disciple come here alone?" Emperor Nanlie said, though his smile was visibly strained. A Divine Soul Realm practitioner perfectly evading a Divine King's close-range ambush was something he had never seen or heard of; it was certainly beyond ordinary footwork. Furthermore, Mu Xuanshi's expression was grim and troubled, and given Emperor Nanlie's years of acquaintance with him, it didn't seem feigned.

After his initial surprise, Yun Che instead smiled faintly. "Island Master Mu is indeed well-informed. That's right, the Snow Song Realm King is indeed my master!"

As he spoke, blue light flickered around him, and an ice phoenix phantom briefly appeared behind him. The biting cold energy rapidly spread outward and lingered for a long time.

"The Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon!"

Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan's expressions finally changed dramatically. They had never seen Moon-Shattering Phantom, but how could they not recognize the Snow Song Realm's Ice Phoenix God Investiture Canon?

The Snow Song Realm was a Middle Star Realm, one they absolutely could not afford to offend. Furthermore, Mu Xuanyin, the Snow Song Realm King, was a Divine Master comparable to an Upper Realm King—a transcendent existence they weren't even qualified to look up to. As for her personal disciple, in terms of status within the God Realm, he was absolutely no less than the three of them, the kings of Lower Star Realms, and in some aspects, even surpassed them.

After a brief moment of shock, the three realm kings' gazes gradually softened. Emperor Nanlie leisurely remarked, "No wonder you're so daring. So you're actually the Snow Song Realm King's disciple. No wonder, no wonder."

"Since you already know, I won't waste any more breath," Yun Che said, his demeanor completely relaxed. "I'll be taking this Emperor Immortal Grass. As for what happened before, I'll simply pretend it never occurred. You have no objections, do you?"

"Thinking of leaving? Hehehe, I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Mu Xuanshi sneered.

Yun Che's eyes narrowed. "What? Do you still intend to forcefully seize the Emperor Immortal Grass from me?"

"No, no, no, I never said I would seize your Emperor Immortal Grass," Mu Xuanshi said, shedding his hypocritical facade to reveal a chillingly sinister expression. "After all, we had an agreement earlier: whoever finds the Emperor Immortal Grass first gets it, and no one else may forcefully take it. As a realm king, how could I go back on my word and invite ridicule?"

"However, we never said we wouldn't kill you! Once you're dead, the Emperor Immortal Grass will become ownerless. Of course, we can then openly take it, without violating the agreement. Don't you agree?"

Yun Che's expression darkened, and he mocked, "I've seen many shameless old villains, but rarely one as disgustingly shameless as you. Heh, you want to kill me? I forgot to tell you, I have a soul imprint left by my master on me. The moment I die, my master will immediately know. She will also see all the images I witnessed before my death!"

"Since you know my master's name, you should also know that her temper is quite bad. By then, not only you, but your families, sects, and even your entire star realms will be annihilated under my master's wrath. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Hahahahaha," Mu Xuanshi laughed, showing no fear. Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan also sneered simultaneously. Mu Xuanshi slowly walked towards Yun Che. "Ling Yun, I must admit, at your age, you are indeed a remarkable individual, and it's no wonder the Snow Song Realm King took you as her personal disciple. But alas, your experience is ultimately too shallow."

"If this were anywhere else, I truly wouldn't dare lay a hand on you; I might even have to offer you kind apologies. But this place is an independent world within an independent world. Even if your master planted a hundred soul imprints in your spirit, you wouldn't be able to sense anything after death."

"Heh, what a pity," Emperor Nanlie shook his head, a genuine hint of regret mixed with his pity. "If you had been a bit more obedient, perhaps you wouldn't have had to die. But now that you've exposed your identity, death is unavoidable!"

"Hehehe," Yun Che still smiled. "Mu Xuanshi, even though you suddenly tried to kill me just now, we have no past grievances or deep enmity between us. There was plenty of room for maneuver. But now that you know my master's name, you still haven't changed your wicked intentions. It seems you're determined not to leave yourself any escape route!"

He glanced sideways at Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan. "The two of you, too."

"Then don't blame me for telling my master your names, precisely as they are, after I leave this place!"

"Leave here? Fine," Mu Xuanshi laughed heartily, an invisible Divine King aura firmly enveloping the space around Yun Che. "Then I'd like to see how you leave here alive!"

Yun Che raised a hand, grabbing a dull, grayish-white profound stone in his palm. "Then don't you dare regret this!"

"Hahahahaha!" Seeing the profound stone Yun Che held, the three realm kings burst into laughter as if they had just witnessed another joke. "You mean to leave by relying on that dimensional profound stone? You truly are comically naive. It seems your master never taught you about the laws of space. The power of a dimensional stone only allows travel within the same space. If you use it here, forget escaping to the outside; you won't even reach the outer layers of the Illusory Sea Ancient Realm. Even if you had ten thousand of them, you would never be able to leave this small worl—"

Mu Xuanshi stopped mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly narrowing. After a brief moment of stunned realization, his face dramatically changed, and he blurted out, "Void Illusion Stone!?"

"What?" Mu Xuanshi's low cry startled Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan, their gazes shooting directly to the gray profound stone in Yun Che's hand. The higher the grade of a dimensional stone, the longer the distance it could traverse, but even the highest-grade dimensional stone could not cross different spaces.

Although a Void Illusion Stone was essentially a dimensional stone, its level was simply incomparable to ordinary dimensional stones. Its spatial travel could not be restricted by any laws of space because its very existence stood at the pinnacle of spatial laws.

"It's too late for regrets now," Yun Che chuckled softly, gripping the Void Illusion Stone.

"Ah!" Mu Xuanshi let out a low roar. The aura covering Yun Che instantly tightened, and profound energy erupted from his body as he lunged directly at Yun Che, his face clearly showing terror.

He had already confirmed that the other party was the Snow Song Realm King's personal disciple. If Yun Che escaped, given the Snow Song Realm King's power and her rumored cold and ruthless temperament, Mu Xuanshi knew he would have no chance of survival after she learned of everything that transpired today!

Boom!!

Amidst the surging explosion of energy, Mu Xuanshi's grasp missed again, his hand still closing on a rapidly dissipating ice clone. He let out a strange cry and lunged forward once more.

Yun Che, who had been forcefully pushed back by the residual energy of the explosion, instantly channeled his profound energy towards the Void Illusion Stone. A cold smile played on his face, but inwardly, he sighed softly.

After leaving the Black Soul Realm and before entering the Illusory Sea Ancient Realm, all his plans revolved around the Void Illusion Stone. After managing to obtain the Emperor Immortal Grass, he also had to ensure his survival in getting away. The former was already extremely difficult, and the latter was countless times harder.

However, with the Void Illusion Stone, which allowed for perfect long-distance escape, the latter became an easy task. His goal was to acquire the Emperor Immortal Grass at all costs; once it was in his hands, he could safely flee, even with countless eyes watching him.

In the God Realm, in terms of value and rarity, the Void Illusion Stone definitely surpassed the Emperor Immortal Grass. Though he didn't hesitate, he felt a slight pang of regret, and also some unease about where the Void Illusion Stone might teleport him.

But in that instant, even quicker than a flash of lightning, Yun Che's palm suddenly felt empty. The Void Illusion Stone had vanished directly, and the profound energy he was channeling towards it also went into empty space.

"!!??" Yun Che's expression changed dramatically, while before him, Mu Xuanshi's figure, carrying boundless, ocean-like Divine King power, had already lunged forward. The next instant would be enough to bury him in the abyss.

Suddenly, a faint yet soul-stirring hum echoed between heaven and earth. A flicker of blue light appeared before Mu Xuanshi. The moment he touched this blue light, the violent profound energy on his body completely dissipated without a trace. He himself was sent flying backward as if he had crashed into an invisible spatial barrier, landing heavily on the ground with a muffled groan.

This sudden anomaly startled Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan, turning their faces pale with fright. Mu Xuanshi quickly scrambled to his feet and roared, "Who's there!!"

But just as he roared, he suddenly froze, unable to utter another sound. Emperor Nanlie and Han Kuan also stood stunned, completely motionless as if suddenly frozen, only their eyeballs violently contracting and trembling.

This small world, originally bathed in gentle breezes, suddenly turned incredibly cold, every wisp of wind becoming bone-chilling.

Before Yun Che, a figure slowly materialized like a dream. Dressed in white, without any ornamentation, she embodied an elegance beyond description. Her long hair cascaded to her waist, each ice-blue strand seemingly imbued with the purest essence of ice and snow in the world.

Beneath her snowy sleeves, a pair of jade-like hands, too beautiful to be of this mortal world, gently held the Void Illusion Stone that had vanished from Yun Che's grasp.

Her arrival rendered the world utterly frigid and silent. Flowers and plants ceased their sway, and the wind completely stopped blowing. Gradually, the flora around her began to lose its vibrant colors, transforming into translucent ice flowers, and this transformation spread piece by piece. The world's palette became monochromatic, yet it grew even more breathtakingly beautiful.

"............" Staring blankly at the figure before him, which seemed to have emerged from a dream, Yun Che's vision blurred. A myriad of complex emotions surged and collided chaotically within his soul, until they all coalesced into a blank emptiness.

After a long moment of stunned silence, he finally uttered a choked whisper, "Mas...ter..."