Chapter 1191: Breaking the Clouds and Abandoning the Battle

Huo Rulie strode forward, laughing heartily. "That's good, Yun'er! Don't be discouraged. The fact that that little girl Jun Xilei could defeat you definitely doesn't mean your Golden Crow Flame is inferior to her sword arts. Apart from other factors, her 'Misty Light' sword is unfairly powerful! Although the Blazing God Demon-Slaying Sword is strong, it truly can't compare to 'Misty Light.' If you could obtain the 'Golden Crow Sacred Sword,' I guarantee you'd defeat that little girl... huh?"

As Huo Rulie spoke, Yun Che frantically winked at him. If such deep-seated melancholy could be so easily dispelled, it wouldn't be melancholy at all. What had collapsed for Huo Poyun was a belief that had sustained him his entire life. Although Yun Che's advice had provided some relief, it was absolutely impossible for him to find peace so easily; it would require a long time, and haste was the worst approach.

Unless there was a similar or even stronger counter-stimulus.

Under Yun Che's gaze, Huo Rulie obediently fell silent.

However... what was this "Golden Crow Sacred Sword" that Huo Rulie mentioned? From his tone, it sounded even more powerful than Jun Xilei's "Misty Light."

"Master, you sacrificed so much of your talent and profound energy to help me achieve the Divine Master Realm. Yet, I have brought shame upon you," Huo Poyun said, feeling ashamed.

"You are the greatest pride of my life as a master. You were in the past, and you are even more so now," Huo Rulie said, looking at his beloved disciple with unwavering conviction.

"Brother Poyun, what is this 'Golden Crow Sacred Sword' that Sect Master Huo just mentioned? It sounds like an extraordinary artifact," Yun Che suddenly asked, intending to distract Huo Poyun.

Huo Poyun looked up, his eyes filled with longing. "When the Golden Crow Divine Spirit was still alive, he once spoke of a 'Golden Crow Sacred Sword' preserved in the God Burial Inferno Prison, dating back to the Age of Gods. Although its power has gradually weakened with the dissipation of primordial aura, it remains a supreme weapon in the current Chaos. However, no one in the Blazing God Realm has ever been able to touch it."

"The Golden Crow Sacred Sword is also one of my highest pursuits in this life. If I could achieve that wish before I die, I would have no regrets, even if I died ten thousand times."

"For Brother Poyun, it's definitely not a hopeless endeavor," Yun Che said with a smile.

When Yun Che returned to his residence, Mu Bingyun and the others had just arrived.

"Are today's matches over?" Yun Che asked, his brow twitching. "Palace Master Bingyun, who is my opponent tomorrow?"

Tomorrow, only the loser bracket matches would take place—the fourth round of the loser bracket!

The winners would advance directly to the top eight!

"Huo Poyun," Mu Bingyun said slowly.

"Huh!?" Yun Che was startled.

After today's matches, eight participants remained in the loser bracket.

Among these eight, the two he least wanted to face were Huo Poyun and Lu Lengchuan.

Yet, the result was precisely one of them.

"In terms of profound energy cultivation, Huo Poyun is not as strong as Wu Guike. And his most proficient Golden Crow Flame should pose very little threat to you. So, even if his overall strength surpasses Wu Guike's, it will actually be easier for you to defeat him," Mu Bingyun explained.

"It's not a question of whether I can defeat him," Yun Che said. "Huo Poyun has taken pride in his Golden Crow Flame power his entire life, but today he was defeated by Jun Xilei's single sword, which was a tremendous blow. He might even be doubting whether his Golden Crow Flame power is truly as strong as he always believed. It will likely be difficult for him to get over this in a short time. Therefore, in tomorrow's match, he might very well forfeit... especially after knowing his opponent is me."

Mu Bingyun's moon-like brows twitched slightly. "Huo Poyun is, after all, too young and likely has never suffered such a severe setback. This reaction isn't surprising... Jun Xilei might even have done it intentionally."

Yun Che's brows furrowed as he pondered something.

"Are you going to talk to Huo Poyun?" Mu Bingyun asked.

After a brief hesitation, Yun Che shook his head. "No, let Brother Poyun make his own choice. If he chooses to fight me, that would be the best outcome, and I will defeat him honorably and without holding back!"

"If he chooses to forfeit..." Yun Che paused, then continued, "It means the blow he suffered is far greater than I imagined. After all, not only does he possess immense profound dao dignity, but only he truly knows how strong his original belief in 'Golden Crow Flame power' was."

"He has his own choices, Yun Che, and this is not the time for you to be distracted." Mu Bingyun's gaze at Yun Che was still gentle, but it held less of its usual tranquility and more of an irreducible complexity. "Although I don't know what you're thinking right now, your performance today was utterly shocking. Countless people will want to know everything about you, so you... must be more careful than ever!"

"I know," Yun Che nodded.

The night passed quietly.

The next day, on the Conferred God Stage, the fourth round of the loser bracket commenced intensely.

Yun Che arrived early, but Huo Poyun did not appear in the adjacent seating area, even after the first match began.

Yun Che did not inquire with the Blazing God Realm, choosing to wait quietly.

In the first match, Lu Lengchuan easily defeated his opponent, advancing to the top eight.

In the second and third rounds, Meng Duanxi and Chao Feng, who had just been eliminated from the Conferred God Group, also demonstrated their exceptional strength, defeating their opponents and advancing to the top eight.

The fourth match...

"Fourth match of the loser bracket's fourth round: Huo Poyun of the Blazing God Realm versus Yun Che of the Snow Song Realm!"

In an instant, the entire arena fell silent. All eyes were drawn as if by a magnet, focusing on Yun Che.

On the eastern seats, the gazes of the various God Emperors also shifted. Cang Shitian, who had been dozing, shot upright like a spring.

Not even Luo Changsheng received such attention.

Yun Che rose, but sighed.

Because Huo Poyun still hadn't appeared, and there was no trace of his aura nearby.

Yun Che flew up and landed on the Conferred God Stage. After a long moment, everyone realized that Yun Che's opponent had not appeared in the Blazing God Realm's seating area.

At that moment, Yan Juehai stood up and said calmly, "Venerable Quhui, the Blazing God disciple Huo Poyun is unable to participate because he exhausted his Time Wheel Pearl too early and his severe injuries from yesterday have not yet healed. I, Yan, hereby declare Huo Poyun's forfeit on his behalf."

Yun Che: "..."

A chorus of boos immediately erupted from the spectator stands.

Venerable Quhui's gaze sharpened, and he spoke in a solemn voice, "In the Conferred God Battle, no one can make any decision on behalf of a Conferred God Son!"

"Huo Poyun of the Blazing God Realm, appear on the Conferred God Stage within fifteen breaths, or it will be considered a forfeit!"

Venerable Quhui's voice echoed across the four fields, but... five breaths... ten breaths... time quickly passed, and finally, even after fifteen breaths, Huo Poyun still did not appear.

"Huo Poyun has not appeared on the Conferred God Stage and is deemed to have forfeited, ending his participation in the Profound God Convention!"

"Yun Che wins and will proceed to tomorrow's fifth round of the loser bracket!"

The spectators wore various expressions, murmuring amongst themselves, some sighing, others looking perplexed.

Huo Poyun was defeated by Jun Xilei's sword, but that was because he faced Jun Xilei, not because Huo Poyun was too weak. On the contrary, he had received countless praises and recognition throughout this Profound God Convention. A large portion of people, including Mu Bingyun herself, even believed that Huo Poyun's overall strength surpassed Wu Guike's.

Everyone had held high expectations for his match against Yun Che.

Unexpectedly, Huo Poyun simply collapsed without a fight. As for Yan Juehai's claim that he was unable to heal his injuries in time due to exhausting his Time Wheel Pearl prematurely, no one believed it.

It was undoubtedly regrettable that such a highly anticipated dark horse ended his Profound God Convention in such a manner.

Returning to the spectator stands, Yun Che finally asked, "Sect Master Huo, Brother Poyun..."

Yan Juehai shook his head, simply saying, "It's not because of you."

"It seems yesterday's persuasion only worked temporarily," Yun Che thought to himself. "Sigh, honestly, Huo Poyun's life has been too smooth sailing, and this setback is too devastating. That little girl Jun Xilei was a bit too ruthless!"

Hmm? Speaking of which, Jun Xilei isn't much better than Huo Poyun. So much time has passed, yet every time she sees me, her murderous intent, anger, and resentment only increase, never decrease. She looks as if she wants to swallow me whole.

These spoiled young ones, sigh... Yun Che sighed, shaking his head.

This outcome meant that Yun Che advanced to the top eight without a fight.

Having cheated in the preliminaries and lost his first match by forfeit, Yun Che was originally the biggest joke of this Profound God Convention. If God Emperor Shitian hadn't acted on a whim and meddled, Yun Che would have long been expelled from the Heaven Smiting Realm.

God Emperor Shitian's actions at the time were, firstly, to disgust the Eastern Divine Region, and secondly, to make a spectacle of them. However, he never expected Yun Che to repeatedly astonish everyone, transforming from the biggest joke into the greatest focus, and today, even making it into the top eight.

This was undoubtedly the most bizarre storyline in the history of the Conferred God Battle.

The top eight in the Conferred God Battle—what concept did that represent? It meant being ranked among the top eight young profound practitioners in the entire Eastern Divine Region, as numerous as the stars!

And Yun Che, hailing from the Snow Song Realm, was the only Conferred God Son from a mid-rank star realm to enter the top eight.

A young profound practitioner from a mid-rank star realm had trampled over countless young prodigies from higher-rank star realms. Without a doubt, with Yun Che's shocking upset, his name startled the Eastern Divine Region, and the Snow Song Realm's reputation reached an unprecedented peak. At least during this Conferred God Battle, the Snow Song Realm's name even surpassed many higher-rank star realms.

In the distant Snow Song Realm, the entire realm had been jubilant for days. This was the Conferred God Battle, a level the Snow Song Realm had never even dared to dream of touching. The Sacred Universe Realm and Divine Martial Realm were even more transcendental existences they could only look up to. Yet, Yun Che had not only ascended the Conferred God Stage but also decisively defeated the Crown Prince of the Sacred Universe Realm, swept aside the Crown Prince of the Divine Martial Realm, and now directly entered the top eight. This immense surprise and honor undoubtedly made them feel as if they were in a dream.

In the spectator stands, the people from the Snow Song Realm were also flushed, each one excitedly flustered. Luo Changsheng, Jun Xilei, Shui Yingyue... those who entered the top eight were all figures already renowned throughout the world, veritable monsters. And Yun Che, a disciple from their Snow Song Realm, was ranked among them!

However, Yun Che himself showed no joy, for his goal was far beyond merely reaching the top eight.

Mu Bingyun's eyes were like cold crystal as she looked at the space above the Conferred God Stage, whispering to Yun Che, "Now, in the loser bracket, besides you, the other three are Lu Lengchuan, Meng Duanxi, and Chao Feng. As long as your luck isn't too bad and you don't encounter Lu Lengchuan, the other two, though strong, should be within your fighting capacity with your current strength."

As the fourth round of the loser bracket concluded and the murmurs from the spectator stands began to subside, a clamor several times louder suddenly erupted.

On the light screen of the Conferred God Stage, tomorrow's battle roster appeared:

Conferred God Group, Third Round:First Match: Luo Changsheng of the Sacred Universe Realm vs. Jun Xilei of the Jade Heart Sword PavilionSecond Match: Shui Yingyue of the Glazed Light Realm vs. Shui Meiyin of the Glazed Light Realm

Loser Bracket, Fifth Round:First Match: Meng Duanxi of the Flying Star Realm vs. Chao Feng of the Sacred Yang RealmSecond Match: Lu Lengchuan of the Heaven Covering Realm vs. Yun Che of the Snow Song Realm