Chapter 1126: Revisiting Yin Xue

Consciousness slowly awakened from a haze, and Mu Xuanyin’s figure clearly appeared in his mind.

“Master!” Yun Che jolted, sitting up abruptly.

“Ah!” A girl’s startled cry came from beside him, hurried footsteps rapidly approaching: “Yun Che, you’re awake!”

Looking at the blue-clad girl in front of him, Yun Che was momentarily stunned: “Xiaolan… Senior Sister?”

He was sitting on a half-height ice bed. As far as his eyes could see, there was familiar ice crystal amber; the scent reaching his nose was the familiar pure cold air. In front of him, the girl beaming with joy was Mu Xiaolan, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

This was… the Snow Song Realm… Ice Phoenix Palace Number Thirty-Six…

“That’s great! You were unconscious when you came back, and I thought you were injured, but it seems you’re perfectly fine,” Mu Xiaolan said joyfully, her bright eyes sparkling as she looked at him. “Where have you been all this time? Why did you faint? Master said you went out for training, and I thought it would be years before you’d bother to come back.”

Mu Xiaolan rattled on, but Yun Che, still somewhat disoriented, didn’t quite catch it all. He shook his head, recalling the moments before he fainted, and asked distractedly, “Where’s Master?”

“Oh… Sect Master hasn’t returned yet. It was the Sect Master’s Holy Dragon mount that brought you back.” Seeing Yun Che’s strange demeanor, Mu Xiaolan hesitated but couldn’t suppress her curiosity: “Yun Che, did something happen?”

Yun Che shook his head, unable to answer.

“Xiaolan, please leave.”

A gentle voice was heard, and Mu Bingyun slowly approached, her snowy complexion and icy gaze as cool as ever.

“Yes.” Though brimming with curiosity, Mu Xiaolan obediently departed.

Mu Bingyun stepped forward, her gaze at Yun Che immediately becoming incredibly complex.

Yun Che lowered his head, not daring to meet Mu Bingyun’s eyes for the first time. He knew the immense mistake he had made, especially now that he faced Mu Xuanyin’s sister, Mu Bingyun, who had shown him great kindness.

“Where did your Master find you?” Mu Bingyun asked, her voice still familiar and gentle.

“To the east, in the center of Phantom Sea Island, an ancient secret realm called the Phantom Sea Ancient Realm,” Yun Che replied, still keeping his head down, his mind unsettled.

“As expected…”

Yun Che remained silent.

“Where is your Master now? Why hasn’t she returned?” Mu Bingyun asked.

Yun Che shook his head: “I don’t know. I had just met Master when, under her immense wrath… I woke up already here.”

Mu Bingyun asked no further questions, showing no signs of worry. After all, with Mu Xuanyin’s power, there was no need to worry about her, no matter where she was. Her gaze shifted from Yun Che, her chest slowly rising and falling, clearly indicating an unsettled mind. Her gentle voice gained a touch of barely concealed coldness: “Yun Che, I know everything you did in the Flame God Realm… Besides your Master, I am the only one who knows.”

Yun Che’s expression darkened: “I know… my crime is unforgivable.”

“You are indeed unforgivable.” Mu Bingyun’s voice held rare emotional fluctuations. She turned her back, as if afraid that lingering her gaze on Yun Che for too long would cause her ice-cold heart, serene for millennia, to lose control: “The Sect Master is not only the Snow Song Realm King and the Ice Phoenix Sect Master, but also the foremost figure in the Snow Song Realm for hundreds of thousands of years. Her status is so esteemed, and her power so immense, that it is truly unparalleled. Even an emperor would be committing sacrilege by daring to look directly at her; approaching within a hundred feet is a mere fantasy, and a single offensive word is an unforgivable capital offense!”

“And she is your Master!”

“And you…”

Even with her back to Yun Che, Mu Bingyun’s voice still lost its composure. Her graceful figure trembled slightly, and it took a long time for her to slowly calm down. Even after all this time, she still could not accept or forgive. Even if Yun Che had offended her half a year ago, she wouldn’t have reacted this way.

Yun Che still kept his head down, not offering a single word of argument or rebuttal… nor could he.

“Although the Sect Master was gravely wounded and infected with Qilong blood, unable to save herself, since you had already rescued her from peril, you could have easily dispelled the Qilong blood with the help of the three Flame God Sect Masters. Why did you instead…”

“I don’t trust them!” Yun Che looked up slightly, blurting out, “I was afraid they would take advantage of her vulnerability and harm Master. And I didn’t want them to desecrate…” At that time, he was still immersed in his resentment towards Yao Wancang and the others for their selfish refusal to help. Besides his resentment, he even harbored murderous intent towards them, so how could he have believed them in the slightest? Moreover, even if they were willing to exert their full strength to help, there would undoubtedly be physical contact, and given Mu Xuanyin’s proud and ice-cold nature, how could she have accepted that? As for the latter part of his sentence, he broke off halfway, unable to continue. Because, in terms of the outcome, what he had done to Mu Xuanyin was far more than mere desecration.

“Besides seeking help from the three Sect Masters, there is one more thing you don’t know,” Mu Bingyun said softly. “The Sect Master possesses a powerful Ice Phoenix Origin Soul within her. Even if she had completely lost her profound energy and consciousness, mere Qilong blood would fundamentally pose no threat to her spirit or life.”

Yun Che snapped his head up, stunned.

“What you committed is the most unforgivable sin in the entire history of the Snow Song Realm. But after all, before that, you saved the Sect Master’s life… otherwise, she would have certainly perished in the God Burying Hell.” Yun Che could only see her back, unable to discern her expression, but he could clearly feel her incredibly complex emotions and state of mind.

“Even so, I still cannot bring myself to forgive you,” Mu Bingyun sighed softly. “Your Master… she is also extremely disappointed and furious with you.”

“I know,” Yun Che murmured dejectedly, then gave a self-deprecating smile. “Now… I am no longer worthy to be her disciple. Palace Master Bingyun, you brought me to the Snow Song Realm and have shown me great care many times since. No matter what, I will never forget your kindness. It’s just… I probably won’t have a chance to repay it.” Compared to Mu Xuanyin’s status and the heights she stood at, Yun Che was so insignificant he couldn’t even be called an ant. It was like a lowly beggar desecrating a universally revered empress; even ten thousand deaths by a thousand cuts would not atone for such a crime. He had not only defiled her sacred body but also ruined her complete Primordial Yin… Not to mention, she was his Master and had shown him immense kindness. He felt Mu Xuanyin’s wrath when she looked at him. This time, he was prepared to face severe punishment and had no intention of running away again.

Mu Bingyun remained silent for a long time before gently saying, “Do you know why the Sect Master went to that place called Phantom Sea Island?”

“She must have sensed my aura,” Yun Che replied. He didn’t know how Mu Xuanyin had found him. When he went to the Black琊 Realm, Huo Rulie had sworn to keep his presence a secret. In the Black琊 Realm, he had introduced himself as “Ling Yun,” and the only one who knew his real name, “Yun Che,” was Ji Ruyan. To prevent anyone from identifying him as coming from the Snow Song Realm, he almost never used the Ice Phoenix Divine Arts. Even for his cultivation, he chose the Black Soul Mountain Range, which could largely conceal and obscure his aura.

“No,” Mu Bingyun slowly shook her head. “Although she had been searching for you, the God Realm is vast, and she had never found any trace of you. The reason she went to Phantom Sea Island was that she accidentally learned of the presence of Royal Immortal Grass there, and she went personally to prevent others from taking it… because it is an essential ingredient for refining the Qiongdan of Five Universes for you!”

Yun Che was instantly stunned.

Casting a deep side glance at Yun Che, Mu Bingyun slowly departed, her cold, ethereal voice seeming to come from a dream: “Compared to the great mistake you made, what truly disappointed and angered her more was your cowardly escape.”

Mu Bingyun left, and Yun Che stood there stunned, as if his soul had been extracted… After a long time, he slowly raised a hand and pressed it to his chest. Something there was churning violently, ceaselessly.

“Master didn’t want to kill me… she went there… to find Royal Immortal Grass for me…”

“It was… for me…”

*Crackle!!**Crackle!!**Crackle!!*

Blue light raged within the ancient realm. Every phoenix cry and wolf howl caused the entire world to tremble and even overturn. This independent minor world, preserved since the era of ancient gods and existing for an unknown number of years, had completely transformed into a purgatory of bitter cold and destruction. Space shattered, all things perished, and even the laws were on the verge of complete collapse.

The ancient realm was on the verge of collapse, which Mu Xuanyin and Jasmine naturally couldn’t fail to notice, but their fierce battle continued relentlessly, from the east of the world to the North Pole, and then to the South Pole’s peak, without a moment’s pause.

Mu Xuanyin was a powerful Divine Master, whose name was widely known throughout the God Realm, especially clearly recognized in the Snow Song Realm and the adjacent Flame God Realm. However, neither Yun Che, nor the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, nor the three Flame God Sect Masters, would dare believe their eyes if they saw the current scene.

In the battle in the God Burying Hell, Mu Xuanyin was ambushed by two ancient Qilongs. Although she escaped falling to ruin thanks to Yun Che’s selfless protection, she was severely wounded, and her profound energy was not only depleted. In desperation, to forcibly slay one Qilong, she greatly damaged her vital essence and blood, unleashing the forbidden power "Broken Moon's Ruin." This act not only exacerbated her injuries but also severely damaged her talent and cultivation. And then, because of Yun Che, she lost her Ice Phoenix Primordial Yin…

Severe injuries, coupled with the loss of profound energy, vital essence and blood, talent, and Primordial Yin, constituted an extreme blow and damage to Mu Xuanyin. In Yun Che’s estimation, Mu Xuanyin might need to remain in a coma for several months before waking, and as for recovering her profound energy, it could take years, or even longer. Moreover, even if she recovered, she would be weaker than before, and might never make any further progress in her lifetime. For someone at the pinnacle of the profound way, this was undoubtedly a cruel and utterly unacceptable outcome.

However, Mu Xuanyin, currently locked in a fierce battle with Jasmine, showed no signs of unhealed injuries or weakened profound energy, which was already somewhat incomprehensible. But even more astonishingly, her profound energy showed no signs of depletion whatsoever; on the contrary, it was even stronger than when she battled the ancient Qilongs… and not by just a little. The terrifying power that made the vast ancient realm tremble with a mere raise of her hand could easily annihilate even two, or even three, ancient Qilongs!

The Divine Master Realm is the supreme realm that countless profound practitioners in the God Realm dare not even dream of. In this realm, even a tiny step forward requires astonishing talent, immense fortune, long years, and efforts unimaginable to ordinary people. Half a year is but an instant for a Divine Master. Yet, in just these short six months, Mu Xuanyin, despite her severe injuries and losses, not only fully recovered her injuries and profound energy but also became several times more powerful than before! Not only was she unharmed and undiminished, but she could practically be described as having undergone a complete rebirth! Such a change, completely contrary to common understanding and sense, would be utterly unbelievable even to the Kings of the King Realms who stood at the pinnacle of chaos.

Jasmine’s power continuously increased. The might of each sword strike would overturn all the vast seas within the ancient realm, yet she still couldn’t suppress Mu Xuanyin. An ever-deepening astonishment condensed in her sky-blue starry eyes, eventually transforming into a fierce, crimson blood-light.

“Blood—Moon—Slaying—Immortal—Sword!!”

The Celestial Wolf’s shadow reappeared, but it was no longer sky-blue. Instead, it was blood-red all over, as if from a hellish blood pool. Especially its two glaring wolf eyes, like two blood-red moons hanging in the sky, cast a world-ending light upon the realm.

Mu Xuanyin’s snowy robes fluttered lightly, like a banished immortal from the Moon Palace. She remained untainted by a speck of dust despite the world turning upside down. Where her Snow Princess Sword pointed, all things froze. Nine ice rings quickly formed, then instantly overlapped, spreading out a massive chilling ice formation that enveloped the crimson wolf shadow.

*Clang…*

In an instant, all light and sound in the world vanished. Subsequently, everything within the ancient realm, from oceans to land, from boulders to dust, was completely sealed and transformed into profound ice, only to shatter into countless fragments the next moment. Endless dust motes drifted chaotically amidst the collapsing world.

*Crack… crack… boom…*

Tens of millions of spatial cracks spread wildly, connected, and expanded in every corner of existence. With an all-encompassing roar, the Phantom Sea Ancient Realm, which had endured for so long amidst trembles, finally completely collapsed.