Chapter 1711: Mountain Has Trees and Trees Have Branches

The melted ice branch turned into a pale mist, vanishing in an instant.

Huo Poyun swiftly turned, his gaze instantly falling upon Mu Feixue. Her icy eyes reflected the dissipating mist, yet held no trace of his reflection.

“Fairy Feixue…” Huo Poyun’s hand froze mid-air, for a moment forgetting to lower it.

Mu Feixue’s figure flickered, appearing before Huo Poyun. Her jade-like fingers coalesced coldness, releasing an icy aura. The ice branch reformed, but this time, it bore none of the marks she had carved with her snow-white hand and pure heart.

“My apologies,” a flicker of panic crossed Huo Poyun’s eyes. “I was lost in thought, gazing at the ice flower, and momentarily lost control…”

One breath… two breaths… a brief, chilling silence. Mu Feixue turned, her snow-white face and icy eyes devoid of anger or unusual expression, only the cold indifference Huo Poyun knew all too well. “Flame God Realm King, what brings you to the Ice Phoenix Palace?”

“I… I merely…” Huo Poyun quickly lowered his hand. “I came to visit Realm King Bingyun and stopped by to observe.”

As the Flame God Realm King, he could face any other high-ranking realm king without losing his imposing presence. Yet, only before Mu Feixue would his aura and heartbeat inexplicably spiral out of control.

“The Sect Master is in seclusion and cannot receive visitors. Flame God Realm King, please return,” Mu Feixue said.

Huo Poyun secretly gathered his aura, swiftly suppressing the chaos in his heart. As the newly carved characters on the ice branch flashed through his mind, his inner turmoil gradually solidified into an unprecedented resolve. He looked into Mu Feixue’s eyes and suddenly said, “Actually, I came specifically to see you. I even deliberately…”

“Now that you have seen, please return.” Mu Feixue’s reply was as calm as ever. Her exquisite face and crystalline eyes showed no trace of emotion. “The Flame God Realm King holds a noble status; it might be beneath your dignity to condescend to meet a disciple from a middle-tier star realm.”

As her words fell, her figure glided past Huo Poyun and slowly walked out of the hall.

“Feixue!” Huo Poyun abruptly turned, calling her name directly. “In your heart… are you still fixated on Yun Che?!”

Her icy eyes rippled slightly, but her steps did not halt, nor did she reply.

“But he never cared about you!” Huo Poyun’s voice rose several decibels. Having uttered the words, he finally resolved to cast aside all hesitation in his heart. “Do you know, he personally told me that Realm King Xuanyin once offered you to him as a cultivation partner, but he flatly refused… he told me this himself!”

Her steps finally stopped, but her snow-white face still showed no emotion. She simply said softly, “Whether my heart holds him, and whether his heart holds me, what does it matter?”

This statement was also a gentle admonition to Huo Poyun.

But the tranquility of ice and the ferocity of fire are, in the end, fundamentally different.

“But he is a devil! A devil! A devil!” Huo Poyun growled three times. “A devil, whose eradication is written in your Ice Phoenix Sect’s rules, who must be slain upon sight!”

His figure flickered, blocking Mu Feixue’s path. Staring into her eyes, he said, “Moreover, in the Northern Divine Region, he is revered as the Dark Master! The Yun Che of today is not just a devil, but the most extreme, most evil devil! All the God Emperors of the Three Divine Regions see him as a great menace. Aside from the dark Northern Divine Region, there is no longer any place for him in this world. Why… why are you still so deluded?”

“Dark Master…” Mu Feixue murmured softly, a faint blue, hazy glow appearing in her beautiful, crystalline eyes. “It is just like him. Even if the world casts him into the abyss of darkness, he can still shine so brightly.”

Even though he was so close, directly in her line of sight, Huo Poyun still could not see even a sliver of his reflection in her icy eyes.

Upon hearing that Yun Che had become the Dark Master, her eyes did not show fear, but rather an admiration and infatuation… which he had never seen before and could never hope to inspire in her. Huo Poyun’s pupils dilated imperceptibly, and in his heart, countless raging flames seemed to burn in chaos. He could not understand why, despite reaching such a pinnacle, the woman before him still refused to spare him a glance.

Yet, Yun Che, who had once rejected her, never thought of her, and had now become a devil, was the one who captivated her to this extent.

“Then do you know how many women he has out there?!” In his turmoil, Huo Poyun began to speak recklessly. “It is said that in the lower realms, he already has several wives and concubines, and apparently even children! He and Shui Meiyin of the Glazed Light Realm had an engagement, the Moon God Emperor was once his wife, and the Heaven Smiting Star God is entangled with him.”

“Even your Master, the outside world is spreading rumors of an impropriety between them…”

Suddenly remembering Mu Feixue’s respect for Mu Xuanyin, Huo Poyun immediately stopped speaking.

Without any response, Mu Feixue again walked around him and slowly departed.

Huo Poyun turned, watching Mu Feixue’s receding back. As a high-ranking realm king, the greatest glory in the history of the Flame Gods, he felt an unprecedented powerlessness and suppression in his heart. “Why! I don’t understand! Why are you like this for him?!”

Why…

Mu Feixue’s footsteps on the snow were silent, the misty light in her eyes dreamlike. Her lips moved, seemingly murmuring to herself, yet also confiding: “Because… he is Yun Che.”

Huo Poyun stood frozen there until Mu Feixue vanished from his sight and perception. He remained unmoving.

Realm King Bingyun slowly approached and said to Huo Poyun, “Flame God Realm King, release your obsession with Feixue. No matter how much you push, it will not yield results. With your current status and position, there are countless wonderful women in the world for you to choose from. Why insist on a notion destined for futility?”

Huo Poyun’s eyes regained focus. He gave Realm King Bingyun a somewhat stiff nod and a smile. “You’ve seen quite a spectacle, Realm King Bingyun. I will take my leave.”

With that, he rose into the air and swiftly departed.

“Flame God Realm King, was it you who quelled the beast turmoil in our realm’s Southern Region recently?” Realm King Bingyun asked aloud.

Huo Poyun, his heart in turmoil, was already far gone in an instant, offering no reply.

Time flowed on, and before anyone realized, a year had passed.

It was a remarkably peaceful year.

In the Eastern Divine Region, the Brahma Monarch God Realm had been recuperating since the three Brahma Gods died at Jie Yuan’s hand and the Brahma Monarch Goddess was first crippled and then fled. There had been no major movements, and Qianye Fantian had not appeared in public again.

However, there were subtle rumors that the Brahma Monarch Divine Power inherited by the three Brahma Gods had already found new successors.

Only six Star Gods remained, and the Star God Realm, which had yet to find Xing Juekong, remained dormant. In the eyes of the world, the Star God Realm had withered to such an extent after the Evil Infant’s tribulation that it would take at least several generations to recover its peak.

However, the six Star Gods knew clearly… the disappearance of the Star God Emperor was a minor issue. If the Star God Heavenly Wheel could not be recovered, the Star God Realm would have no next generation at all.

The Moon God Realm remained calm as usual. It was rumored that the Moon God Emperor had been in seclusion during this period, refusing to see any visitors.

As for the Eternal Heaven God Realm, it had remained closed off since the loss of the Eternal Heaven Crown Prince.

However, a piece of news recently spread: the Eternal Heaven God Realm was preparing a grand ceremony to appoint a new Crown Prince, though no external guests would be invited.

Although the speed at which the Eternal Heaven God Realm appointed a new Crown Prince exceeded everyone’s expectations, it was not entirely surprising. Two or three years prior, rumors had already circulated in the Eastern Divine Region that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor intended to retire. Such a swift appointment of a new Crown Prince seemed to both alleviate the pain of losing his son and confirm the earlier rumors.

However, another rumor quietly began to spread from some lower and middle-tier star realms.

“I hear that the Eternal Heaven God Realm has frequently sent people to the Northern Divine Region border in recent months. This is definitely not baseless fabrication. The news seems to have come simultaneously from the Northern borders of the Eastern and Western Divine Regions, specifically from the star realms closest to the Northern Divine Region, so it’s likely true.”

“I seem to have heard that the Eternal Heaven God Realm’s swift appointment of a new Crown Prince is because the Eternal Heaven God Emperor wishes to focus entirely on assaulting the Northern Divine Region and carrying out a large-scale purge of devils.”

“Ah? Why?!”

“Remember that rumor from a year ago? It also came from the northern border: the Eternal Heaven God Emperor supposedly quietly entered the Northern Divine Region with Zhou Qingchen, and that rumor also claimed that Zhou Qingchen actually died in the Northern Divine Region at that time.”

“No one believed that rumor from a year ago, but if it aligns with this new information… *hiss*!”

“It can’t be true, can it?”

“Could Zhou Qingchen really have died in the Northern Divine Region? Has the Eternal Heaven God Realm been closed and silent all this time, preparing for revenge?”

“Zhou Qingchen was the Eternal Heaven God Emperor’s only legitimate son, cherished as his own life. If he truly was harmed by devils, it’s not surprising that the Eternal Heaven God Emperor would be furious beyond measure.”

“On that note, while devils are indeed ugly creatures that should have been eradicated long ago, if they remain holed up in the Northern Divine Region, that ‘dog cage,’ a forceful assault would be extremely difficult. Otherwise, the Three Divine Regions would have long since united to wipe out the Northern Divine Region.”

“So these are probably just baseless, chaotic rumors; just listen and forget.”

“Besides, matters at the Eternal Heaven God Realm’s level are hardly for us to speculate upon.”

Again, “rumors” from the northern border, though not spreading quickly, covered a considerable area.

While still not entirely credible and mostly treated as novelty gossip, this latest rumor couldn’t help but make people recall the almost forgotten rumor from a year ago, which few had believed… there seemed to be a subtle connection between the two.

Northern Divine Region, Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea.

In the dark world, ancient yin energy incessantly swept through like a hurricane.

After several hours, finally, with an exceptionally muffled roar, the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea fell silent.

Following this, a man clad in a tattered black robe, enveloped in dark malevolent aura, slowly walked out from the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea.

Rumble!

The moment he stood under the sky, dark clouds surged and churned tumultuously above the Yama Devil Realm.

The Three Yama Ancestors, guarding the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea’s exit, immediately knelt when they saw Yun Che, roaring in unison, “Congratulations on your breakthrough, Master!”

Behind them, all the Yama Devils bowed to the ground, their shouts shaking the heavens: “Congratulations on your breakthrough, Devil Master!”

Yun Che slowly raised his hand. In his pupils and between his palms, a dark radiance glowed, growing even deeper and more profound.

A demonic sneer played at the corner of his mouth, chilling the entire Yama Devil Imperial Region.

In one year, with the aid of the Everlasting Darkness Bone Sea’s ancient yin energy, he swiftly broke through from an eighth-level Divine Sovereign to a ninth-level Divine Sovereign… and today, he successfully reached the highest realm of Divine Sovereigns.

Tenth-level Divine Sovereign.

His agreement with Chi Wuyao: the day he reached tenth-level Divine Sovereign…

Would be the day the curtain of revenge would rise!

Four years, a very short time.

But for him, it had already been far too long.

He could no longer wait!