Chapter 1537: Silent and Dark Northern Region

The Snow Song Realm, in the Eastern Divine Region. Once exalted for its connection to Yun Che, the Snow Song Realm's atmosphere had undergone a drastic transformation. Especially in the Ice Phoenix Realm, home of the Ice Phoenix Sect, the pervasive snow veiled an suffocating silence.

The Ice Phoenix Realm was always quiet, but never had it been so cold and desolate. News of Mu Xuanyin's demise had arrived days ago, personally delivered by a Moon God Emissary from the Moon God Realm.

The Ice Phoenix Sect had lost its sect master, and the Snow Song Realm had lost its King. More critically, it had lost its core identity that once allowed it to stand proudly as a middle-ranked star realm, and the spiritual pillar of all Snow Song profound practitioners. No one knew the future fate of the Snow Song Realm. However, a pessimistic atmosphere silently pervaded every corner of the realm.

The Netherfrost Heavenly Lake. The cold meridians of the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake were still active, but the Ice Phoenix divine spirit was gone. Though the entire area still emanated an extremely high level of cold energy, it lacked some indescribable divine aura.

The barrier, long sealed, silently opened at this moment, then silently closed again. By the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, a figure emerged from the void. Dressed in black with waist-length black hair, for some unknown reason, his presence instantly made the air around the entire Heavenly Lake area exceptionally heavy and oppressive.

He floated above the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, gazing indifferently for several breaths at the eternally unfrozen water below. He had a very ordinary face, one that might not be remembered even after several glances. His aura was dense yet turbid, his profound energy roughly at the early Divine Spirit Realm, radiating an icy coldness rarely seen in the Snow Song Realm. No one knew who he was, and even less would anyone connect him… with Yun Che.

A flawless, crystal-clear coffin, faintly glowing with divine light, appeared before him. He gently and slowly lifted the sleeping woman from the coffin, devoid of joy or sorrow, anger or grief, and without allowing himself to linger. Instead, he slowly released his arms, watching her gently descend and sink into the cold lake below… until her figure completely vanished from sight… vanished from his world.

“Xuanyin,” he murmured softly, “Vast as the Primordial Chaos is, the only place left that can contain me is that dark abyss. I know that place must be where you hate most; your father was killed by its inhabitants… So, I will not let its aura disturb your peaceful slumber. Only here is the most suitable place for your rest.”

The ripples on the lake surface completely stilled. Yun Che cast one last gaze, then turned, muttering to himself, “Xuanyin, if there is a next life, would you still wish to meet me again…?” His figure flickered, and he was back at the edge of the Heavenly Lake. He stretched out an arm, and instantly, a distant chunk of profound ice was drawn to him, tumbling down.

Within the profound ice, a curled-up figure was sealed. Through the ice, the person inside saw an unfamiliar face, and immediately, hope and pleading appeared in his dim eyes. No one who saw him would ever guess that he was once one of the Four Divine Emperors of the Eastern Region, who had dominated the God Realm.

Without a word or even a glance at him, Yun Che flicked his finger, directly tossing the profound ice into the Primordial Profound Ark. At that moment, a strange aura emanated from outside the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake. Yun Che subtly turned his head. He did not leave or conceal himself. Tapping the Inverse Abyss Stone with his finger, he restored his original aura, and a swipe of his hand across his face revealed his true appearance.

Soon, the barrier of the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake opened again, then immediately closed, and an ice-and-snow fairy-like figure appeared before him. Mu Bingyun.

The barrier of the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake could originally only be opened by him and Mu Xuanyin. Now, Mu Bingyun could also open it. Evidently, Mu Xuanyin had left her Sect Master's Jade Medallion behind when she departed earlier, indicating she had left with the intent to die. Yun Che and Mu Bingyun's gazes met across the space. Though only a few days had passed since they last met, it felt like an eternity.

She looked at Yun Che, her chest heaving beneath her white robes, her icy eyes trembling with overly complex emotions: “You… you dare to come back!” “I brought her back,” Yun Che replied. He walked towards Mu Bingyun, holding up a long, ice-white sword: “This was her beloved sword, and also the symbol of the Ice Phoenix Sect Master… Please accept it, Palace Master Bingyun.”

Gazing at the Snow Princess Sword, shimmering with icy light, Mu Bingyun’s eyes instantly misted over. The Snow Princess Sword had returned, but Mu Xuanyin was no longer in the Snow Song Realm. Mu Bingyun had forever lost her most important, her only, family member. Her snow-white hand reached out, trembling as it gripped the Snow Princess Sword. Traces of her sister’s aura seemed to linger on it. Mu Bingyun swayed. The dreadful news had come days ago, and she thought she had accepted it, but at this moment, her heart and soul still ached so intensely it felt as though they would tear apart.

Slap!! She swung her arm, delivering a resounding slap to Yun Che’s face with the back of her jade-white hand.

Mu Bingyun’s hand froze in mid-air. Seeing Yun Che’s terrifyingly placid expression, utterly devoid of any pain, her resentment found no outlet, and her heart ached even more. In this world, nothing was more painful than loss; and more painful than loss, was betrayal. Yet he… had experienced all losses, and the greatest betrayal in the world.

No one suffered more, or resented more, than he did over Mu Xuanyin’s departure… especially his resentment towards himself. Her hand began to tremble, unconsciously wanting to touch the red mark on his face… but ultimately, it slowly lowered. “Sister, if you could choose again, would you still let him enter your world…? If I could choose again, would I… still bring him to the God Realm…?”

“Palace Master Bingyun,” Yun Che said softly, “The Snow Song Realm is very likely to suffer because of me. Even without my direct involvement, many old grievances with other star realms will erupt due to Xuanyin’s departure… So, please leave as soon as possible.” Clutching the Snow Princess Sword, Mu Bingyun looked at him and whispered, “Even if I die, I will die in the Snow Song Realm.”

It was an answer he fully expected. Yun Che nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to leave. “Yun Che!” Mu Bingyun’s voice echoed from behind him: “Remember this: your life was bought with my sister’s life! I forbid you to die! Even if it’s for revenge, you must live well! If you dare to disregard your own life for others again, as you always have… my sister will not forgive you, and neither will I!!”

Without a response, Yun Che left the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, his figure and aura completely vanishing from Mu Bingyun’s sight and perception. In the quiet Heavenly Lake area, Mu Bingyun gently clasped the Snow Princess Sword to her chest… Unconsciously, a crystalline tear silently fell, leaving a long wet streak on the jade-white sword blade.

She extended a finger and gently wiped away the wet streak. When she lifted her head, her icy eyes were filled with the cold gleam of determination. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she could never be as good as her sister. Without Mu Xuanyin, the Snow Song Realm would face countless crises that would never have occurred before. However, she would not compromise or flee. Tomorrow, she would succeed as the Ice Phoenix Sect Master and the King of the Snow Song Realm. As long as she lived, she would never allow the Snow Song Realm to suffer even the slightest harm!

Putting away the Snow Princess Sword, her icy figure floated up and slowly departed… And just as she left the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, a strange icy glow suddenly illuminated the silent, still center of the Heavenly Lake. It was a complete Ice Phoenix pattern, appearing from an unknown source. Though seemingly just a projection, it was so rich it felt substantial, and the icy light it emitted was so brilliant it resembled the light of a divine spirit that should not exist in this world. However, its existence was exceptionally brief; it dissipated after a few breaths and never reappeared.

One month later. The God Realm’s pursuit of Yun Che continued. As time passed, its intensity did not wane but grew stronger day by day. The search area rapidly expanded from the three divine regions to increasingly vast lower realms, with various types of detection profound artifacts deployed across different regions, searching for Yun Che’s aura. The scale of the operation was no less, and perhaps even greater, than when the Evil Infant was hunted years ago, surprising and perplexing countless profound practitioners.

The Heaven Smiting Star God was already extremely skilled at concealment, and after becoming the Evil Infant, she became unparalleled in power; detecting her aura was indeed as difficult as ascending to heaven. While Yun Che was exceptionally strong among the younger generation, this was an all-out hunt led by the King Realms. With his Divine King Realm aura and cultivation, how could he possibly evade them for so long?! It was as if he had completely evaporated from the world. Gradually, more and more people began to suspect that he had committed suicide under immense pressure and despair. However, they could never have dreamed that the person they were relentlessly searching for had, over the past month, passed countless times unnoticed by the spiritual senses of King Realm powerhouses and profound detection artifacts. Neither the individuals nor the artifacts ever registered any hesitation or lingering aura from him.

He stepped out of the Eastern Divine Region, out of the East, and journeyed north, arriving in an unfamiliar world he had never set foot in before. During this same period, news of the Brahma Monarch Goddess defecting from the Brahma Monarch God Realm rapidly spread, also causing immense shock and turmoil. One strange event after another. Even the lowest-ranked and most oblivious profound practitioners vaguely sensed a change in the heavens.

Far to the north lay a world shrouded in black mist. Step… step… step… It was an exceptionally quiet forest. The footsteps, not heavy, yet sounded chilling here. The ground here was black, the sky a gloomy gray-white, and even the sparse withered trees and vegetation were dark, dull gray-black. Even the air was hazy… and this was not an occasional fog, but had been so since ancient times.

This was a world unsuitable for ordinary living beings. Even Divine Dao profound practitioners would quickly feel extreme oppression and discomfort upon arrival, their emotions invisibly becoming agitated, panicked, or even uncontrollable. Lifespans would silently drain away, as if devoured by something. Even profound energy felt constrained by unseen spirits, making its circulation far more difficult and arduous than usual. Thus, no profound practitioner from the Eastern, Western, or Southern Divine Regions had ever been willing to set foot in this world.

In this dim, desolate world, a figure slowly emerged from the black mist. His arrival brought no life to this world; instead, it made it appear even more oppressive and grim. Because his eyes, and the faint aura emanating from him, were even more deathly still and somber than this world itself. He was like a solitary, malevolent spirit returned alive from the depths of hell.

“Northern… Divine… Region…” In the center of this black forest, his footsteps halted. Facing this terrifying, unfamiliar world, his lips slowly curled into a sinister, twisted smile. At that instant, even the eternally existing black mist here seemed to congeal.