Chapter 239: Domain’s End

Behind the Heaven's Phoenix Sword, a phantom shadow suddenly appeared. As Ling Yun softly chanted and his profound energy surged, the shadow quickly solidified. Eventually, it transformed into a completely tangible figure—identical to Ling Yun in clothing, build, appearance, and even gaze. This figure reached out and grasped the Heaven's Phoenix Sword in front of it, instantly releasing a sword aura identical to Ling Yun's, without the slightest attenuation.

Two Ling Yuns stood side by side; apart from the swords in their hands, they looked absolutely identical!

Yun Che's mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide with astonishment. Was this... an illusion? An afterimage? No! If it were an illusion, there would be no "sword aura." Yet, this figure clearly emanated an aura no weaker than Ling Yun's. It was exactly like another true Ling Yun!

Two Ling Yuns?!

Everyone present was instantly dumbfounded, especially the younger profound practitioners whose eyes widened like oxen's. What kind of profound art was this? How could such an incredible profound art exist in the world... it was like a magic trick! Even the profound practitioners with the lowest cultivation felt an aura from the "second Ling Yun" that was in no way inferior to the true Ling Yun's.

"This is a Sword Spirit Clone! It's a special sword intent skill that can only be unleashed when one's comprehension of sword intent reaches the pinnacle!" Qin Wushang said with a furrowed brow. "This Sword Spirit Clone is formed from Ling Yun's sword intent. Not only does it not deplete or divide Ling Yun's own power, but it also possesses identical profound energy, profound arts, and profound skills as Ling Yun, essentially creating another exact copy of him! However, the Sword Spirit Clone heavily drains mental energy. When the clone disappears, Ling Yun will inevitably become extremely fatigued... But, with Ling Yun's sword intent, this Sword Spirit Clone will last for at least fifteen minutes!"

"For these fifteen minutes, Xia Qingyue will effectively face two Ling Yuns simultaneously. One Ling Yun is already incredibly formidable; facing two Ling Yuns... Xia Qingyue will find it extremely difficult to last even sixty breaths, let alone fifteen minutes."

As Qin Wushang spoke, Ling Yun's Heaven's Twin Sword lunged straight forward with a startling flourish. This single strike seemed to tear through space; even if a mountain stood before it, it would be sliced clean through.

Xia Qingyue's white silk ribbon danced, meeting the Heaven's Twin Sword. With a series of violent explosions, sword shadows clashed with white blurs, creating terrifying sounds like simultaneous thunder and lightning. Just then, the other Ling Yun had circled behind Xia Qingyue, thrusting his Heaven's Phoenix Sword with equally fierce momentum...

Unless she employed power that broke normal rules, Xia Qingyue's profound energy could only barely match Ling Yun's. And using power that transcended rules would undoubtedly incur immense consumption, something she absolutely couldn't activate frequently. Xia Qingyue could contend with one Ling Yun, but it was utterly impossible for her to face two Ling Yuns simultaneously.

Ice Lotuses burst open, and Xia Qingyue swiftly repositioned herself. However, the two Ling Yuns followed her like shadows. Two Heaven Profound Swords, one blue and one orange, wove two massive sword nets, firmly trapping Xia Qingyue. The Heaven's Twin Sword and Heaven's Phoenix Sword inherently complemented and empowered each other; with two people and two swords combined, their might was far more than simply doubled.

Crack!!

The entire Sword Discourse Platform violently shook. The platform stones below were ripped with vast spiderweb-like cracks. Ice Lotuses bloomed around Xia Qingyue, but they were immediately shredded by the blue and orange sword energy. Gradually, fewer attacking ice lotuses appeared, and more defensive ones emerged. Finally, all the ice lotuses concentrated on defense, and the Ice Phoenix Jade Ribbon also switched to full defensive mode, rapidly fluttering around Xia Qingyue's body, fending off the continuous sword energy from both swords.

Even so, she remained in perilous situations, being steadily pushed back by Ling Yun.

"I didn't expect Ling Yun could already use the Sword Spirit Clone... Sister, I remember you were defeated back then because Ling Yuefeng used this strange Sword Spirit Clone as well," Chu Yueli said, her voice soft and her expression cold. Although Xia Qingyue was in an absolute disadvantage, Chu Yueli didn't appear anxious.

Chu Yuechan's face was as cold as frost; she did not reply.

Chu Yueli closed her eyes and sent a soul transmission: "Qingyue, it seems there's no other choice. Use your 'Domain.' I believe the Palace Master won't blame you for using your domain after learning that Ling Yun can use the Sword Spirit Clone."

Xia Qingyue, who was desperately fighting against the two Ling Yuns, paused. Suddenly, ice spirits drifted around her, and a massive "Ice Prison Lotus" erupted beneath her feet, forcing both Ling Yuns back simultaneously.

The two Ling Yuns retreated thirty meters, then immediately closed in like lightning. At that moment, Xia Qingyue suddenly emanated large swathes of icy blue light. Her eyes closed, her face as serene as ice and snow. As she slowly opened her arms, her long, inky black hair floated without wind, and an intensely biting cold wind suddenly whistled down from the sky...

"Ice... Cloud... Domain..."

A low whisper slowly escaped her lips. In an instant, it was as if the world before them suddenly shifted. The hundred-meter space around her instantly turned a vast expanse of icy blue. Within this enormous azure domain, the air became hellishly cold. Frost silently fell everywhere, and the water elements in the air rapidly condensed into countless ice crystals, quickly forming an increasingly thick layer of gleaming white on the ground...

The movements of both Ling Yuns halted simultaneously. Their bodies rapidly froze with layers of ice, and their faces revealed deep horror.

"This is... this is... this is..."

"A Domain!?" Before Ling Yuefeng could gasp the words, Xuanyuan Yufeng grabbed his hand and cried out.

Ling Kun's expression also changed immediately. After his initial shock, he murmured to himself, "As expected... the Nine Profound Exquisite Body that defies rules!"

"A... Domain!?"

"No... Impossible! This can't be! A Domain... isn't that the power of a Sovereign?"

"But this is clearly the power of a Domain! And a complete Domain at that!"

This time, not only the young profound practitioners but also the elders were completely stunned. A Domain was still too distant for the younger generation, but these elders deeply understood the concept of a Domain... and such power was the highest goal they pursued throughout their lives!

"A Domain... a Domain..." Ling Wugou stared blankly at the world that had turned icy blue before him, his face completely frozen in stupor. He was currently at the eighth level of the Heaven Profound Realm, and the possibility of reaching the Sovereign Profound Realm in his lifetime was extremely slim. Being able to unleash a Domain was a definitive sign of a Sovereign's power. For him, this could only be an unattainable dream... yet this very dream was now fully manifested by a mere seventeen-year-old girl.

Of course, the power of Xia Qingyue's Ice Cloud Domain couldn't compare to what Chu Yuechan had demonstrated previously, but its completeness far surpassed it. After all, Chu Yuechan, at the half-step Sovereign Profound Realm back then, could at most unleash only half an Ice Cloud Domain, whereas Xia Qingyue's was entirely complete!

Within the Ice Cloud Domain, coldness, flying snow, frost, icy mist, biting winds... everything transformed into elements beneficial to Xia Qingyue, while simultaneously severely restricting Ling Yun in all aspects. The terrifying, bone-chilling cold permeated Ling Yun's body from skin to core, and the swirling snow and icy mist obscured his vision. Initially, he could barely hold on, but gradually, his body grew stiffer and stiffer. Both his movement speed and sword speed drastically declined, and even his sword aura weakened as if frozen...

Clang!

All of Ling Yun's sword gleams were instantly frozen in mid-air. Even the Heaven's Twin Sword and Heaven's Phoenix Sword rapidly became covered in thick layers of ice. The world within the Ice Cloud Domain was like an icy hell. Without a domain of equivalent strength to counteract it, one would endure the continuous torment of an ice prison piercing the soul. Ling Yun, at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, couldn't establish a true domain, not even if there were ten or a hundred of him.

As Ling Yun stared in horror and dismay, thick layers of ice imperceptibly formed beneath his feet and on his chest. The Ice Phoenix Jade Ribbon struck through the air, but his stiff body no longer obeyed him, moving incredibly slowly...

Bang!!

The ice on his chest shattered with a roar. Xia Qingyue had held nothing back in that strike, sending Ling Yun flying far away, a hundred meters, until he landed outside the Ice Cloud Domain.

Thud!!

Ling Yun crashed heavily to the ground. His Sword Spirit Clone vanished the moment he landed, and the Heaven's Phoenix Sword fell weakly beside him. Within the Ice Cloud Domain, not only his body but also his profound energy had been frozen. When attacked, his profound energy defense was extremely weak. This strike caused him significant internal injuries, and the dissipation of his Sword Spirit Clone heavily wounded his soul. The world before his eyes was a blur, and though he struggled, he couldn't stand up.

"Young... Young Master!"

Ling Wugou rushed forward and helped Ling Yun up. The moment he touched him, he realized Ling Yun's body was as cold as ice.

"I... forfeit..." Slowly opening his eyes, Ling Yun uttered these two words with immense difficulty, words he had once believed he would never say in his life. Then, his head slumped, and he fell unconscious.

Initially, he was evenly matched with Xia Qingyue, and after unleashing his Sword Spirit Clone, he gained a significant advantage. But the moment Xia Qingyue activated her Ice Cloud Domain, he was utterly defeated in the blink of an eye... because it was a power that transcended the laws of profound energy, a power that shouldn't appear at the Earth Profound Realm. He had no ability to resist it.

Ling Yuefeng slumped back into his seat, then took a long breath and quietly closed his eyes. The moment the Ice Cloud Domain appeared, he knew Ling Yun had lost, and Heavenly Sword Villa had lost too... there could be no glimmer of hope.

"She's clearly just in the Earth Profound Realm, how could she... how could she..." Ling Yuefeng muttered in a daze, repeatedly, still unable to accept what everyone had just witnessed.

"Ling Yun forfeits... Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's Xia Qingyue wins and advances to tomorrow's final battle!" Ling Wugou stood up and announced the outcome—a result no one had anticipated before the match—with a voice clearly tinged with pain.

Ling Yun... lost...

It was Ling Yun who lost!!

They found it hard to imagine what an enormous sensation this result would cause throughout the Azure Cloud Empire if it were to spread.

And if news spread that an Earth Profound Realm practitioner could use a Domain, the shock... would undoubtedly reverberate across the entire Profound Sky Continent!

Among those at the half-step Sovereign Profound Realm, some exceptionally talented individuals could forcibly unleash an incomplete domain, but never before had anyone heard of someone activating a domain, let alone a complete one, at the Earth Profound Realm!

The icy blue domain slowly dissipated. Under the deeply shocked and disbelieving gazes of everyone, Xia Qingyue floated down from the air. As she landed, her body swayed slightly, her chest heaved violently, and her face was covered with an unnatural paleness. Activating a Sovereign-level domain with Earth Profound Realm profound energy naturally caused immense consumption. Even in her peak condition, this dazzling Ice Cloud Domain could barely be maintained for twenty breaths at most.

The Profound Stone reappeared at the center of the Sword Discourse Platform, displaying the names of the two participants for tomorrow's final battle...

Yun Che of the Azure Wind Imperial Family — versus — Xia Qingyue of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace!