Chapter 1693: 吟雪危机

Inside the Primordial Profound Ark.

Qianye Ying'er was enveloped in an intensely thick profound light. Her aura was incredibly pure, yet it stirred up exceptionally violent profound energy vortexes, sweeping across dozens of miles around her. Yun Che perceived the changes in Qianye Ying'er's aura. She had already refined nearly half of the second Desolate World Pellet, a significantly faster pace than the full six months it took her to refine the first. This speed was also very close to Yun Che's expectations.

In about half a month, Qianye Ying'er would complete the refinement of the second Desolate World Pellet. At that point, even with the Yama Ancestors as his servants and the Yama Devils subjugated, she would undoubtedly be his greatest asset.

Without disturbing Qianye Ying'er, Yun Che took He Ling's hand and moved to another area. The world within the Primordial Profound Ark remained barren, with few flowers, plants, or lush trees. The occasional profound beasts encountered were also quite low-grade. To minimize the Primordial Profound Ark's energy consumption, Yun Che had never attempted to transform it into a more fertile world. Instead, he kept it in a stable state, preserving its energy as much as possible for spatial travel in times of crisis.

"He Ling," Yun Che said slowly, looking ahead, "You must find me terrifying now, right?"

He Ling's lips parted slightly, and she didn't answer immediately, lost in thought.

"Once, I revered every life and respected everyone's fate. Now, in my eyes, there are only useful tools and useless discarded things."

"Once, even when facing those I deeply hated, I would never resort to torture or allow myself to lose my humanity. But now, I can torment the three Yama Ancestors—who I held no hatred or even the slightest past grudge against—with the most brutal methods, making them wish for death for six days and six nights, all without a hint of reluctance in my heart."

"Once, I embraced the mission of saving the God Realm and the current world, hoping it would become a source of honor and a protective charm for my family and me. Now, I crave day and night to witness the God Realm's despair and agonizing cries."

"And the fact that I'm not at all afraid of this version of myself... perhaps that's the most terrifying part," Yun Che slowly closed his eyes.

He possessed unparalleled talent and an immeasurable future, one destined to break through the limits of this era. Yet, he lacked the ambition that should have accompanied it... In those days, Shen Xi had told him this, Xia Qingyue had told him this, and even the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had said it. He understood, but a person's pursuits and will are not easily changed.

On the other hand, if the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had left, and the Brahma Heaven God Emperor had not betrayed him, and the three Divine Regions had put aside their fear of him, then everything would have remained peaceful. Yun Che would have returned to the Blue Pole Star with Jasmine. Even if he went back to the God Realm, it would essentially only be for the Snow Song Realm and Shen Xi. Even if Yun Che truly broke through the limits of this world in the future, surpassing even the Evil Infant, the worries of the powerful figures from various realms would never have come to pass... because that was Yun Che's true nature, his greatest wish and pursuit, which would not change.

However, their fear of the Evil Infant and their apprehension about Yun Che's future led them to bare their exceptionally cruel fangs at this savior who had just completed his "mission"... They never dreamed that Yun Che, forced into ambition, would become such a terrifying monster.

"Master," He Ling said, looking at him, her green eyes shimmering, her gentle voice like a soft breeze in a valley, "This isn't your fault, never has been. Even if you destroy all three Divine Regions in the future, it would only be taking back the grace you once bestowed upon them."

Perhaps no one would believe such words could come from a Wood Spirit.

Yun Che suddenly turned his gaze and smiled. Looking at He Ling's slightly dazed, beautiful face, he softly said, "Actually, you don't need to worry about me. Because in my world, you, Hong'er, and You'er still exist. Therefore, I will never bear to abandon my last shred of humanity."

Her somewhat flustered heartstrings were gently touched. He Ling's lips parted slightly, and a dreamlike mist silently welled up in her emerald eyes.

Yun Che looked into her eyes, his smile devoid of darkness or coldness. "Let's cultivate together. Your supremely pure Wood Spirit aura will definitely aid my comprehension of the law of nothingness. Likewise, it will also help your spiritual energy grow, perhaps greatly accelerating the recovery of the Sky Poison Pearl's toxicity."

He Ling nervously lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze directly.

"This will speed up our revenge. However, you will never be my tool, but rather a part of my life—from the moment our lives became connected until our deaths, that will never change."

Innumerable ripples gently spread within her heart, silently dissipating all her worries, fears, and uncertainties. She raised her head, gazing into Yun Che's eyes, her beautiful eyes shimmering as if with countless brilliant stars. She deeply liked what Yun Che said, a kind of... liking that couldn't be described with words.

Yun Che suddenly extended his arm. A mix of sacred white and emerald green light shone between his fingers, then rapidly bloomed, spreading through the surrounding space and exuding a rich aura of life. Back on the Blue Pole Star, the royal Wood Spirit Pearl that He Lin gave him disappeared after triggering a miracle of life, but it still retained its stored memories and a trace of Wood Spirit power. Instantly, green grass swayed on the ground within sight, lush trees provided shade, and flowers bloomed everywhere. It was as if, in a single moment, they had been transported to an entirely different, dreamlike world.

He Ling's vision suddenly blurred. For years, she had been in the Northern Divine Region and the God Realm of Absolute Beginning, where the world's colors were only gloom, grayscale, and crimson blood... The world before her seemed to exist only in a distant dream.

"Ah..." She let out a soft, flustered murmur as her slender waist was suddenly embraced. She then lost all sense of gravity in Yun Che's arms, gently pressed down into the joyfully blooming flowers and grass.

Her heart pounded like a drum, and her gaze darted about in confusion. Her hands, flustered, didn't know where to rest. Involuntarily, countless scenes and sounds she had previously overheard flooded her mind, making her body go limp and her breathing become ragged.

"Are we... are we going to... cultivate together?" She tried with all her might to remain calm, but her breathing grew increasingly rapid, and the blush spreading across her skin intensified.

Qianye Ying'er, the Little Demon Empress, Feng Xue'er, Chu Yuechan, Cang Yue, Su Ling'er, Feng Hanyue, Feng Hanxue... those images seemed to be right before her eyes, impossible to shake off.

Although Yun Che's life had not been long, he had encountered many women of varied charms. The moving, delicate Wood Spirit maiden beneath him possessed an illusionary beauty as if bestowed by gods. Yet, her beauty was unlike any woman Yun Che had ever experienced; she was exquisitely fragile, like a freshly bloomed petal, like the first wing of a young butterfly.

"No," Yun Che shook his head, his voice and movements unconsciously softening, "First, I want to make my He Ling completely and utterly my little Ling'er."

Snow Song Realm, Ice Phoenix Realm, Netherfrost Heavenly Lake.

"Sister, I'm here to see you."

By the edge of the Heavenly Lake, Mu Bingyun gently knelt, scattering a few freshly bloomed Ice Phoenix Spirit Flowers into the lake. With icy eyes, she silently watched them slowly drift away. Those were her sister's favorite flowers in life... though she never understood why her sister had suddenly grown so fond of them.

"Sister, after you left, everyone truly understood how important you were to the sect, to the Snow Song Realm."

"Only by standing in your position did I truly understand how remarkable you were."

Her icy eyes closed, and her long hair brushed against the lake's surface, stirring ripples of sorrow. She softly said, "Sister, you are the greatest pride of my life."

"I brought Yun Che here, and he, in turn, took you away. Yet, no matter what, I can't truly hate him... because he was the person Sister loved. How could I hate someone Sister loved so much...?"

"Instead... every year, every day... I worry about him..."

"My greatest fear is hearing news of his death."

She murmured softly, like a gentle whisper in a dream.

"Sister, in life, you used your very existence and the future of the Snow Song Realm to protect him. In the world after death, you must also be working hard to bless him, right...?"

Mu Xuanyin's demise caused the Snow Song Realm to lose its greatest pillar. Had it not been for the Moon God Emperor's public warning back then, the Snow Song Realm would certainly have been subjected to attacks from numerous star realms holding past grudges or harboring ill intentions. Mu Bingyun's cultivation and reputation were, after all, far weaker than Mu Xuanyin's. After she succeeded as the Snow Song Realm King and Ice Phoenix Palace Master, the pressure she bore was immense. Yet, the greater the pressure, the more she had to avoid showing any weakness. Once, she was as gentle and soft as a light cloud. Now, she had to force herself to be cold and decisive... even ruthless. Only when she was alone with her sister here did she allow herself to fully release her weakness.

Not lingering for too long, once the Ice Phoenix Spirit Flowers had drifted out of sight, Mu Bingyun gracefully rose. As she turned, the mist in her eyes vanished instantly, leaving behind only a chilling, awe-inspiring frost.

Upon returning to the Ice Phoenix Sacred Region, Second Elder Mu Tanzhi was already waiting outside the hall. With an exceptionally grave expression, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Palace Master, something terrible has happened. The very thing we've been most worried about for these past few years has finally occurred."

Mu Bingyun sighed faintly, her stunning, world-defying icy face showing no change in expression. "Is it the Northern Region, or the Southern Region?"

The Snow Song Realm had three powerful Divine Sovereign profound beasts, each a profound beast overlord in its respective domain, located in the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Regions of the Snow Song Realm. When Mu Xuanyin presided over the Snow Song Realm, these three profound beast overlords were all suppressed by her and remained obediently submissive. Not only did they never step out of their territories, but they also faithfully managed and restricted the profound beast order in their respective domains. During the profound beast rebellion back then, the Divine Sovereign beast of the Eastern Region, in its rage, ventured out of its territory and was slain by Huo Poyun, who had rushed over from the Blazing Heaven God Realm for Mu Feixue's sake. Now, with Mu Xuanyin gone from the Snow Song Realm, the two Divine Sovereign profound beasts in the Southern and Northern Regions were finally unwilling to remain submissive.

"The Southern Region," Mu Tanzhi said.

Mu Bingyun secretly let out a small breath of relief. After all, if the one in the Southern Region rebelled, they still had the ability to forcibly suppress it.

"Palace Master, are we truly not going to ask for help from the Moon God Realm?" Mu Tanzhi asked. "While a single mid-stage Divine Sovereign beast can be forcefully killed by our combined efforts, it can command millions of profound beasts. Even if we manage to suppress them... the losses will undoubtedly be severe."

"And what if the one in the Northern Region..."

"No," Mu Bingyun's aura instantly turned chilling upon hearing the words "Moon God Realm," and her voice was frigid with every word. "Even if the Ice Phoenix lineage faces extinction, we must never seek even the slightest help from the Moon God Realm! Anyone who dares to defy this will be immediately expelled from the sect!"

"Inform the Grand Elder to guard the sect. I will personally go to the Southern Region... Also, try to suppress the news to prevent panic."

Mu Tanzhi acknowledged the order and departed, but his eyes were full of worry. Despite the Moon God Realm's warning, the Snow Song Realm was still branded with the word "guilt" in the eyes and mouths of the world, all because of Yun Che and Mu Xuanyin, who helped him escape.

What would become of the Snow Song Realm's future...?