Chapter 1742: Ice Shadow (Part 2)

The appearance of the Thunderclap Realm King had already pushed the Ice Phoenix Divine Hall to the brink of despair, let alone a Brahma King descending from the heavens!

Qianye Zixiao did not deliberately unleash his Brahma Emperor might, but everyone in the Ice Phoenix Divine Hall, from elders to disciples, was frozen stiff and unable to breathe.

The vast disparity in power and cultivation levels meant this feeling of dread was far beyond what willpower could overcome.

"Sect Master…" Everyone looked at Mu Bingyun.

Although Qianye Zixiao’s demeanor was sincere and his tone was so gentle it was unsettling, everyone knew that not a single person in the Ice Phoenix Divine Hall could refuse his every word.

"You're only 'inviting' me, right?" Mu Bingyun asked.

Projections from the Eternal Heaven Realm could be seen throughout the Snow Song Realm, showcasing the tragic state of Eternal Heaven and the horrifying demons, a truly soul-stirring sight. How could Mu Bingyun not know the purpose of this invitation from the Brahma Monarch God Realm?

"At a crucial moment, would I be used to restrain Yun Che?"

Heh, Yun Che's feelings for the Snow Song Realm are all centered on my sister. You all overestimate my importance in his eyes.

However, she naturally wouldn't voice these thoughts. Facing a Brahma King descending from the heavens, she needed to appear important enough to fully protect her sect.

"Of course," Qianye Zixiao smiled. "Realm King Bingyun, please rest assured, my King and I harbor no ill will. My King has repeatedly instructed me to ensure Realm King Bingyun's return, and I implore Realm King Bingyun not to make things difficult for me."

His face still bore a gentle smile, but his gaze leisurely swept across the Ice Phoenix Divine Hall behind her. The emphasis on "implore" carried an undisguised warning and threat.

"Very well."

Without hesitation, Mu Bingyun gently nodded. "As a mere mid-level Realm King, to receive an invitation from the Brahma Monarch God Realm is an immense honor. What reason do I have to refuse?"

"Haha," Qianye Zixiao chuckled. "Realm King Bingyun is indeed as intelligent as she is clear-headed. Then… please."

He stepped to the side, and a hundred-zhang long silver profound ark appeared in the snowy region. Within the ark, several profound isolation formations were inscribed, capable of greatly concealing its aura.

"Sect Master…" The Ice Phoenix elders and palace masters looked at Mu Bingyun, their gazes trembling with grief in their hearts.

They all knew perfectly well that Mu Bingyun's departure was almost certainly a journey of no return. But they could not stop it, could not resist.

Mu Bingyun did not immediately set off. Instead, with a gentle push of her snowy hand, the Snow Princess Sword, bathed in a cold gleam, flew down and landed in Mu Huanzhi's hand.

"Huanzhi," she whispered, "After I leave, if I do not return to the realm for a long time, you shall succeed me as Sect Master. Diligently cultivate Fei Xue and Hanyan; they are both destined for brilliant futures."

Cupping the Snow Princess Sword in both hands, Mu Huanzhi closed his aged eyes and spoke with difficulty. "Yes… Huanzhi will respectfully obey the Sect Master's command."

She handed Mu Huanzhi the Ice Phoenix Engraved Jade, a symbol of the Sect Master's authority and capable of opening the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, along with an ice-blue spatial ring. Mu Bingyun then turned and, with utmost calm, stepped onto the silver profound ark.

As the isolation profound formations on the ark glowed, Mu Bingyun's figure and aura completely vanished.

Qianye Zixiao smiled as he turned his head, his gaze briefly sweeping over everyone as if they were mere ants. His figure then vanished like mist… followed by the profound ark taking flight, carrying Mu Bingyun away in an instant, disappearing into the vast sky.

The Ice Phoenix Divine Hall's barrier slowly repaired itself, but the entire sect was enveloped in a long, profound silence.

Mu Huanzhi, with a heavy heart, arrived at the Ice Phoenix Sacred Hall. He intended to pay respects to the former Sect Master, praying for Mu Bingyun's safe return… But just as he was about to present the Snow Princess Sword, his aged eyes suddenly widened, and he froze on the spot.

The Snow Princess Sword had vanished without a trace!

The silver profound ark swiftly flew out of the Snow Song Realm, entering the vast star realm.

Mu Bingyun stood at the front of the profound ark, her jade-like face perfectly serene, showing almost no sign of alarm. She was not surprised by the arrival of this moment in the slightest.

Years ago, with Mu Xuanyin's departure, her already ice-like heart had become even more sealed off.

Qianye Zixiao walked over, his face still bearing a calm, collected smile, as if he controlled everything. "That Thunderclap Realm King was like a terrified rat upon seeing me," he said, "yet you, a mere mid-level Realm King, are so composed. Such courage truly earns respect. It must be said… you are indeed worthy of being Realm King Xuanyin's sister."

Hearing Qianye Zixiao mention Mu Xuanyin, Mu Bingyun's gaze turned cold, then softened, and she said indifferently, "A dignified Brahma King personally comes to invite a small mid-level Realm King. Isn't such a grand effort beneath your status, and aren't you afraid of making a wasted trip?"

Qianye Zixiao smiled faintly. "The devils in the Northern Divine Region are all like madmen, yet they absolutely never touch the Snow Song Realm. Furthermore, it seems Yun Che was brought from the lower realms to the Eastern Divine Region by Realm King Bingyun herself, back then. These two points alone are sufficient."

Mu Bingyun: "..."

"At the right moment, any friend can become an enemy, and vice versa. This has always been the principle of my Brahma Monarch God Realm. Also…" Qianye Zixiao's gaze darkened slightly. "I advise Realm King Bingyun to cherish your life greatly. If anything untoward were to happen to you… who would protect the Snow Song Realm?"

He was warning Mu Bingyun not to contemplate self-destruction.

But… in truth, in Mu Bingyun's heart, the Yun Che who returned like a demon god, full of hatred for the world, slaughtering realms with a flick of his finger, had clearly extinguished all past emotions and attachments amidst extreme pain and hatred.

Wanting to use her to restrain Yun Che… was merely wishful thinking on the part of the Brahma Monarch God Realm!

Neither Qianye Zixiao nor Mu Bingyun noticed a faint shadow consistently following them not far behind. Her figure was perfectly integrated with the dim star realm, so much so that even the powerful Tenth Brahma King did not detect her presence.

Chi Wuyao looked at the silver profound ark from afar, her crescent eyebrows deeply furrowed.

After all, she did not possess the ability to completely conceal her shadow. Her most proficient dark concealment was also somewhat weakened in the Eastern Divine Region. This distance was the maximum she could maintain to ensure she wouldn't be detected; moving even an inch closer would increase the chance of being discovered.

It would be easy for her to thwart Qianye Zixiao, but this Tenth Brahma King was clearly extremely cautious by nature. Mu Bingyun was only an eighth-level Divine Sovereign, posing no threat to him, yet he remained within ten paces, his aura never ceasing to suppress her. He clearly would not allow any possible oversight.

Forcibly intervening would likely put Mu Bingyun in danger.

As her brows remained tightly furrowed, her eyes suddenly flickered with intense emotion for a moment.

Wait…

This aura…

Could… it… be…?

Her profound energy and gaze suddenly showed a rare flicker of disorder, and her figure slowed slightly. But her decisiveness was not affected in the slightest. Dark light gathered in her lightly raised hand, and her trembling beautiful eyes shone with a captivating yet chilling dark profound light.

Just then, as Qianye Zixiao was unhurriedly speaking with Mu Bingyun, a chilling ice-blue light suddenly pierced out from the space in front of him.

There was no prior sign, no ripple of aura whatsoever. The distance was also a mere three zhang, virtually negligible for a Brahma King…

This chilling light appeared completely out of thin air, as if it had shot forth from a crack in the void.

It was a flawless ice-white sword, glowing with blue light. The moment it pierced through the air, its speed surpassed all meteors in the world.

Even though Mu Bingyun was only an eighth-level Divine Sovereign, Qianye Zixiao had indeed never underestimated his vigilance towards her. However, he couldn't possibly have any defensive measures against her in terms of power.

Completely caught off guard, and at such an extremely close distance… Qianye Zixiao's pupils instantly contracted, but his body and power had no time to react whatsoever. His protective profound energy barely managed to stir a wisp before the sudden ice-light pierced straight through his heart and passed clean through his body.

An indescribably terrifying, bone-chilling power that made even a Brahma King's soul tremble with fear surged rapidly into his body the moment the ice-light penetrated him, imperiously sealing his bones, organs, meridians, blood, and the profound energy he was just about to activate.

In his maximally contracted pupils, a cascade of light-blue ice-hair was reflected… along with a pair of ice-blue eyes that seemed to condense all the coldness in the world.

His already constricted pupils suddenly dilated in that instant, because he had witnessed the most unbelievable scene in this world.

He was a Brahma King of the Brahma Monarch God Realm, a powerful ninth-level Divine Master. Even completely unprepared, who could escape his spiritual perception?

Yet, before this chilling light shot out from a mere three zhang away, he had detected absolutely no figure, no aura, no trace whatsoever.

And this person, how could she…

The very next moment after Qianye Zixiao was pierced by the sword, a black long ribbon, glowing with dense dark light, arrived through the air, gently brushing against Qianye Zixiao, whose upper body was sealed.

*Buzz—*

There was no burst of dark power. The dark light on the long ribbon, like countless malevolent spirits with independent consciousness, surged wildly into Qianye Zixiao's body the moment it touched him.

The soul of a Brahma King was incomparably powerful.

But he was suddenly pierced through the heart by a sword, half of his body frozen, his mind and soul in an unprecedented state of shock and disorder. Then, he was suddenly struck by Chi Wuyao's demonic soul impact, and surprisingly had almost no power to resist. His vision suddenly went black, and his consciousness completely sank into boundless darkness.

Ice crystals burst, and Qianye Zixiao's body flew horizontally amidst the sky-filling ice dust, crashing far away, utterly motionless.

Under a sudden surge of resistance, the profound ark stopped flying. Chi Wuyao slowly descended, watching from afar the figure of the woman in blue robes with ice-hair, holding a snow sword. In her heart, emotions that were too intense and too complex surged.

Mu Bingyun: "…" She seemed completely oblivious to Chi Wuyao's arrival. She stared blankly ahead, her vision blurry, her soul trembling violently, her consciousness in disarray. It was as if she had suddenly fallen into an illusory dream.

The sword in her hand was the Snow Princess Sword. While in Mu Bingyun's hands it could only partially unleash its divine glow, in her grasp, it shone with boundless chilling heavenly light.

Her sudden appearance from the void was the Moon-Shattering Phantom, a unique profound art of the Ice Phoenix Divine Hall mastered by only two individuals.

And her back, her aura… they should only exist in the memories that brought tears to her eyes.

"Sis… sister…"

She murmured, her vision completely blurred by tears as her lips trembled. "Is… it… you…?"

Four years ago, she had personally watched Mu Xuanyin's lifeless ice body sink into the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake. In the years since, she would visit her at the Netherfrost Lake every now and then, speaking many words to her.

But in this world that was clearly reality, why would such an illusion appear…?

With a soft call, she slowly raised her hand, her feet wanting to move closer, but the moment she took a step, her vision suddenly spun, and she stumbled, falling into a daze…

Her body then fell into a cold, soft embrace, accompanied by a warmth and sense of security that had long been etched into her soul, yet lost for so long.

She closed her eyes, burying her entire snowy face deep into that abundant softness, the scent of ice jade and tender fragrance filling her five senses and her entire world… Even if it was a dream, she wished to be forever immersed in it, never to wake again.