Chapter 1185: Instant Defeat

The next morning, when Mu Bingyun arrived in the courtyard, she saw Yun Che standing silently by the pond, covered in heavy morning dew, clearly having been awake all night.

Yun Che turned around and looked at Mu Bingyun. From his gaze, Mu Bingyun sensed something, yet he did not avert his eyes. His gaze was as calm as yesterday, but now carried an added hint of determination.

"Palace Master Bingyun, I promise you, I will never do anything to betray master," Yun Che said somewhat abruptly.

Mu Bingyun was startled for a moment, her eyes filled with immense complexity. She said softly, "You don't need to promise me anything... The Conferred God Battle is about to begin, let's go."

Today's Conferred God Battle, a competition between the top sixteen, would undoubtedly be much more intense and exciting than previous rounds.

Mu Bingyun took Yun Che and flew together towards the Conferred God Stage. Their pace was slow, and silence filled the journey. Because of Mu Xuanyin's actions, the atmosphere between them had inevitably become delicate. For Mu Bingyun in particular, her state of mind when facing Yun Che was destined to never return to how it was before.

She could not accept, nor could she understand, what Mu Xuanyin had done.

Two years ago, she could barely accept Mu Xuanyin's forgiveness, as Yun Che's original intention had been to save her. But this time... why?!

"Brother Yun... Senior Bingyun!"

Huo Poyun's voice came from behind. Mu Bingyun's figure paused. With a gentle push of her snowy hand, she withdrew the power she had been applying to Yun Che. "Remember not to be late," she said.

With that, her snowy figure flickered, and she was already several miles away.

Yun Che: "..."

Huo Poyun, alone, quickly arrived beside Yun Che. Yun Che turned and smiled. "Brother Poyun, why are you alone? Where are your master and the others?"

Huo Poyun explained, "Last night, Master and Sect Master Yan jointly created a 'Spirit Fire Realm' for me, allowing me to cultivate within it using a Time Wheel Pearl. They are currently withdrawing the 'Spirit Fire Realm,' and since my match is the first one, they were worried about me being late, so they sent me ahead. They should arrive shortly."

"I see," Yun Che nodded. "Brother Poyun, your opponent today is Jun Xilei. How confident are you?"

"Well..." Huo Poyun gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I have no confidence at all. However, while I'm not confident I can defeat her, it won't be easy for her to win against me either."

Sensing that Huo Poyun was not intimidated by Jun Xilei's fame but was instead full of fighting spirit, Yun Che felt relieved and said with a smile, "Of course."

"Speaking of which... Brother Yun," Huo Poyun's voice suddenly lowered, and he asked hesitantly, "Senior Bingyun... why did she suddenly leave you?"

"...Isn't that normal?" Yun Che said.

"No," Huo Poyun shook his head. "If it were any other senior, I wouldn't think anything of it. But Senior Bingyun treats Brother Yun... how should I put it, not at all like a junior disciple. She's always been as gentle as a mother or an older sister—at least that's what I've seen, and I've always been quite envious. That's why, just now... I found it strange."

Yun Che was slightly startled, then uncomfortably turned his face away, avoiding eye contact, and let out a light breath. "Because she's a woman," he said.

Huo Poyun: "???"

At that moment, a remarkably stern aura swept past them, like a sharp sword suddenly cutting through their souls.

Yun Che and Huo Poyun simultaneously turned their heads like lightning. Not far to the east, a young girl had appeared unnoticed. She was clad in snow-white attire, her beauty unparalleled, with an ancient bronze sword strapped to her back. She seemed like a goddess stepping out of an ancient painting; her bright eyes, originally extremely beautiful, now pierced through with a chilling light that could penetrate souls.

The Sword Sovereign's successor—Jun Xilei!

The brief eye contact was like a sword blade at their throats. In the next instant, Jun Xilei turned her gaze away, no longer looking at them, and with a flutter of her white robes, she instantly moved far away.

"Such... such a powerful aura," Huo Poyun said, drawing a heavy breath. "Is this the invisible sword intent Master spoke of last night?"

Yun Che frowned slightly. Jun Xilei's clearly hateful gaze and aura just now suddenly made his heart feel several times heavier. Although Jun Xilei was like this every time she saw him, the situation was different this time.

"Brother Poyun," Yun Che said with utmost seriousness, "when you fight Jun Xilei later, you must be extremely careful."

"Yes, I know," Huo Poyun nodded heavily.

"No, what I mean is, be careful that she might strike you ruthlessly."

"Ah?" Huo Poyun was startled and asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"Have you forgotten that when we were in the Snow Song Realm, she was forced by my master to kneel and apologize to me? As the Sword Sovereign's successor, watched by the world, this must be the greatest humiliation of her life. In the Brahma Heaven Realm, every time she sees me, she wishes she could tear me to shreds with her gaze, but she hasn't had the chance to lay a hand on me. However, she knows about our friendship, and it's highly likely she'll vent her anger on you."

Yun Che spoke quite gravely. Huo Poyun raised his eyebrows and said hesitantly, "This... that shouldn't happen, right? Jun Xilei is the Sword Sovereign's successor, a famous figure, one of the Four God Children of the Eastern Region. She wouldn't do something so undignified, would she?"

"She is the Sword Sovereign's successor, that's true, but she's also a woman! How vengeful women can be... Phew, it seems you haven't stumbled over a woman yet."

"Uh... Thanks for the reminder, Brother Yun. I'll be careful," Huo Poyun could only nod. Although he was unconvinced, out of trust in Yun Che, he did not completely disregard his advice and took it very seriously to heart.

Upon arriving at the Conferred God Stage area, Yun Che immediately attracted countless gazes; even the various God Emperors lingered on him for a considerable time.

When he first arrived in the God Realm, he only wanted to see Jasmine, and had planned to keep an extremely low profile. However, he quickly alarmed the entire Ice Phoenix Divine Sect, even becoming the Sect Master's personal disciple. In just a few short years, under Mu Xuanyin's exclusive favor, he was virtually second only to her in the Snow Song Realm.

Upon arriving in the Brahma Heaven Realm, he originally wished to remain unnoticed by anyone, yet in less than two months, his name became famous, drawing the attention of various Realm Kings and God Emperors. Yesterday's battle had even startled the entire Eastern Divine Region.

What he possessed and carried seemed to have long destined him not to return to peace and tranquility. He himself had somewhat realized this... Perhaps it was also related to his temperament?

Soon, the One Emperor and Five God Emperors all arrived, and it was time for today's Conferred God Battle to begin. The "big matter" was known, but even today, the Dragon Monarch and the Brahma Heaven God Emperor still had not left. It was clear they were genuinely interested in this Profound God Convention in the Eastern Divine Region, or perhaps in a particular person or people within it.

"Conferred God Group, Round 2, Match 1: Huo Poyun of the Blazing Heaven Realm versus Jun Xilei, the Sword Sovereign's successor!"

Jun Xilei originated from "Yaoxin Sword Pavilion," but Venerable Quhui's announcement was "Sword Sovereign's successor," clearly indicating that the latter carried much more weight than the former.

Today's battles began with the Conferred God Group. As Venerable Quhui made the announcement, Huo Poyun leaped and landed on the Conferred God Stage. Holding his Demon-Slaying Sword, Golden Crow flames spread from his entire body to his sword, and he immediately entered battle mode. Every corner of the Conferred God Stage could feel the intense Golden Crow aura and soaring fighting spirit.

"This young man is good," the Brahma Heaven God Emperor said, nodding slightly from the east seats, not holding back his praise. "To come from a mid-level star realm and achieve so much, so young, yet able to control the most difficult Golden Crow flames to such an extent, especially facing an opponent like the Sword Sovereign's successor without any fear. He is surely destined for great achievements in the future."

"Indeed commendable," even the Dragon Monarch nodded, then asserted, "It's just a pity that in this match, he is sure to lose."

Jun Xilei's figure flickered, as if carried by a gentle breeze, lightly landing on the Conferred God Stage. But unlike Huo Poyun, whose fighting spirit blazed and who stood ready for battle, she stood quietly, her expression cold and emotionless. The "Nameless Sword," belonging to the Sword Sovereign and beyond her control, remained strapped to her back. She seemed detached from the world, indifferent to the mortal realm.

"Begin!!"

At Venerable Quhui's command, the flames on Huo Poyun's body instantly shot up a hundred zhang, and more than half of the Conferred God Stage was dyed a faint golden color.

But Jun Xilei remained calm and silent, not even a hint of change in her aura. Her beautiful eyes, devoid of emotion, did not seem to be focused on Huo Poyun at all.

A feeling of being underestimated made Huo Poyun's eyebrows twitch, but he was not enraged. Instead, his fighting spirit blazed even brighter, and with a great roar, he declared, "Huo Poyun of the Blazing Heaven Realm, please enlighten me!!"

"Hup!!!!"

Screeeeech—

Among the three supreme flames, the Golden Crow possessed the strongest destructive power, as well as the strongest pride and dignity. Huo Poyun, who possessed the most extreme Golden Crow bloodline in the history of the Blazing Heaven Realm, naturally had his temperament influenced to the greatest extent by this. It wouldn't usually manifest, but once power was involved, it would be fully unleashed.

A colossal Golden Crow flame phantom appeared behind Huo Poyun, spreading its wings and letting out a mighty cry.

Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—

Dozens of Golden Crow flame rays simultaneously exploded at this moment, blooming into dozens of crimson-golden fire lotuses. When the firelight reached its peak intensity, it was as if dozens of suns had appeared simultaneously above the Conferred God Stage, making all the strong practitioners almost afraid to look directly, their hearts filled with astonishment.

"This aura... and the speed of releasing fire profound energy... Is he really only at Divine Spirit Realm Level Seven?" a mid-level star realm practitioner of fire profound arts exclaimed involuntarily.

"And that's not ordinary profound fire," exclaimed another, "but something far more difficult to control... No, it's the Golden Crow flames, the most difficult of all divine flames to command!"

"It seems this is his true strength," another observer remarked. "His previous crushing defeat of Lu Chenyuan wasn't just because Lu Chenyuan was arrogant; it certainly wasn't an accident!"

Facing Jun Xilei, Huo Poyun unleashed his flame power without reservation, drawing countless powerful practitioners to marvel. However, Jun Xilei, directly facing Huo Poyun, remained motionless, allowing Huo Poyun to release his profound energy to its maximum. Only her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

This was clearly a deep sense of arrogance, but Huo Poyun was not startled or enraged. His Blazing God Demon-Slaying Sword slowly pointed forward, and as the Golden Crow flame phantom let out another sky-shattering cry, all the fire lotuses connected their auras, descending towards Jun Xilei like falling meteors from outside the heavens.

"Good!!" Huo Rulie couldn't help but let out a great roar, standing up excitedly.

"Dare to underestimate Poyun, and even if she's the Sword Sovereign's successor, she'll pay the price," Yan Juehai also whispered.

Yun Che's eyes also shone with a strange light. He perceived more clearly than anyone else how powerful these fire lotuses would be once their auras connected. Although Jun Xilei surpassed Huo Poyun by three minor realms in profound energy, Huo Poyun possessed extraordinary Golden Crow flame power. From his easy victory over Lu Chenyuan, Yun Che absolutely believed he was capable of matching Divine Spirit Realm Level Nine practitioners. Jun Xilei had remained arrogant and motionless, without releasing any aura. Facing Huo Poyun, who had enough time to fully gather and release his flame power, it would surely be difficult for her to contend head-on.

The instant the fire lotuses approached her, Jun Xilei finally moved.

As she waved her arm, a sharp sword flashed into view. Her sword was entirely translucent white, less than half an inch thick and less than five feet long. Under the sky full of Golden Crow flames, it strangely did not reflect any golden light.

This sword, named "Mist Light," was bestowed upon Jun Xilei by Jun Wuming himself. It was a sword he personally forged for his future successor during the tens of thousands of years he spent searching for one.

Mist Light was unsheathed and lightly swung.

In an instant, all sounds between heaven and earth suddenly vanished, and even the light abruptly dimmed. In everyone's line of sight, only a stream of light, more dazzling and piercing than a meteor, flashed across in an instant...

This stream of light passed through the fire lotuses, pierced through space, passed through layers of firelight, touched Huo Poyun's chest... and then passed straight through his chest.

This stream of light was clearly incredibly fast, but in that instant, time seemed to slow down completely. Everyone, including even the weakest Divine Tribulation Realm profound practitioners, clearly saw every inch of its trajectory.

Clang!!

The stream of light collided with the isolation barrier and instantly dissipated. The world suddenly returned to "normal" at this moment. All the fire lotuses, including those that were not even touched by the stream of light, were perfectly split in two and dispersed in mid-air. Blood splattered from Huo Poyun, and with a scream, he was fiercely sent flying backward, out of the barrier, and crashed outside the Conferred God Stage.

Jun Xilei made her move, and Huo Poyun was defeated in an instant.