Chapter 240: Couples' Battle (Part 1)

The two matches in the four-way battle concluded with unexpected results. Yun Che's fight with Ling Jie was a visual feast for the spectators, but Xia Qingyue's battle against Ling Yun completely shattered everyone's understanding. After their match, those who witnessed it were left with hearts unsettled for a long time.

A Domain appeared in a ranking battle, a competition for youths under twenty!

An elder from a prominent sect lamented, saying that the waves behind push the waves ahead, and they were old now, with the era of the youth having arrived sooner than expected. He added that Ling Yun alone had made them old-timers feel ashamed, and as for Xia Qingyue, in front of that young girl, he felt somewhat unable to hold his head high.

It was also considered good news, as it at least proved that the future of their Profound World in the Azure Wind Empire could reach even greater heights.

The consensus was that Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had found this disciple from nowhere. They believed that after this ranking battle, the name 'Xia Qingyue' would undoubtedly shake the entire Azure Wind Empire, and the title of the strongest among the younger generation was about to change hands. It was also noted that by making Heavenly Sword Villa a mere foil, this young girl was undoubtedly the first in history to do so, and Heavenly Sword Villa must be feeling quite ill at ease.

All discussions focused on Xia Qingyue, with very few mentioning Yun Che, the other protagonist of tomorrow's match. This was understandable; while Yun Che and Ling Jie's fight was exciting, it was several tiers below Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue's. Yun Che's victory over Ling Jie wasn't easy, and he even broke his weapon. Regardless, he could not possibly be an opponent for Xia Qingyue, who had defeated Ling Yun and could even employ a Domain.

Once Xia Qingyue's Domain appeared, perhaps no one within the entire Earth Profound Realm could stand against her. This ability to transcend both cultivation realms and profound energy rules was like a cheat code granted by the heavens.

The people of Heavenly Sword Villa were indeed having a difficult time.

Having his body and meridians frozen by the Domain, then wounded by Xia Qingyue's single strike, and suffering the after-effects of using his Sword Spirit Clone, Ling Yun remained unconscious for three full hours. In his coma, Ling Yun's face was pale, and a pained expression flickered across his brow... It was unclear whether it was due to physical pain or because, as someone who had never been defeated among the younger generation, he couldn't bear the public humiliation of defeat and the disgrace it brought to Heavenly Sword Villa.

Ling Yuefeng approached, his expression devoid of joy or sorrow, asking if Yun'er was still not awake.

Ling Jie replied with concern that he was not, explaining that the Sword Spirit Clone hadn't disappeared on its own but had been shattered, so his Big Brother's soul must have suffered considerable damage, but he should wake up in another hour or two.

Ling Yuefeng sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He said that in these two battles, both Ling Jie and his elder brother had displayed their full strength, and they had no words to argue their defeat. He mused that he had perhaps been too arrogant and narrow-minded these past years, questioning if the era of Heavenly Sword Villa's dominance was about to end.

As night fell, a crescent moon hung high in the sky, silently casting down its pure light. Under the moonlight, Xia Qingyue sat by a lotus pond, resting her chin in her hand, quietly gazing at the incomplete moon in the sky. Her eyes were like still water, without a ripple, her thoughts unknown.

A cold breeze gently stirred, and a snow-white figure silently appeared beside her. Xia Qingyue lowered her gaze, stood up, and bowed slightly, greeting her Senior Aunt.

Chu Yuechan nodded slightly, then extended a jade-like hand. In her palm was a medicinal pill as pure white as snow, emitting a moon-like glow. She explained that Xia Qingyue had used her Domain today, which caused a minor injury to her profound energy, and she would only recover 60% by tomorrow at most, but taking this pill would allow her to recover completely.

Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes showed surprise, and she paused before taking it, saying that the Ice Soul Reversal Pill was incredibly precious and shouldn't be wasted on Qingyue.

Chu Yuechan insisted that Xia Qingyue was the future pillar and hope of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and that the position of Palace Master would undoubtedly be hers in the future. She added that anything precious used on Xia Qingyue was not a waste, and urged her to take it.

Chu Yuechan held a reputation and authority second only to the Palace Master in Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. Xia Qingyue no longer resisted, reached out, took the pill, and swallowed it immediately.

Xia Qingyue thanked her Senior Aunt.

As the Ice Soul Reversal Pill entered her body, the surrounding night wind suddenly turned cold and sharp, swirling the world's profound energy and quickly drawing it into Xia Qingyue. Her injured profound energy and profound strength began to recover at an extremely rapid pace.

Chu Yuechan watched Xia Qingyue for a moment, her eyes shifting with a complex expression, and she softly advised Qingyue not to underestimate her opponent in tomorrow's battle, nor to assume she had victory secured. She explained that in terms of strength, while he might have hidden some, even if he released all of it, he was far inferior to Xia Qingyue, and within Xia Qingyue's Domain, indeed, no one below the Sky Profound Realm was her match. However, she warned that he possessed two things that Xia Qingyue was far lacking in.

Xia Qingyue looked up, a hint of surprise in her beautiful, moon-like eyes, and asked her Senior Aunt to enlighten her.

Chu Yuechan continued, explaining that the first was his combat experience and extremely keen five senses, noting that his combat experience, reactions, judgment, and decisiveness in dangerous situations were far beyond Xia Qingyue's, and even hers. She then stated that the second was his tenacity and explosive power. She warned that even if Xia Qingyue suppressed him to a desperate state where he had no power to fight back, she should never think he had lost. On the contrary, in desperation, he might become even more terrifying. Chu Yuechan elaborated that while an ordinary person's tenacity could wring out the last ounce of strength from their body, in desperation, he could wring out strength from his very soul. She concluded by stating that tomorrow's battle would not be easy for Xia Qingyue, and she might even find herself in a tough fight, adding that this was not empty talk, but her sincere advice as her Senior Aunt.

She even went as far as to say that she wouldn't be too surprised if Xia Qingyue lost.

Chu Yuechan's words filled Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes with deep astonishment.

Chu Yuechan's heart was like profound ice, her disposition cool and aloof. She rarely spoke, and every word was like gold. This was the first time Xia Qingyue had heard her revered Senior Aunt speak so many words at once. And all her words were giving an extremely high, almost unreal, evaluation to a man.

If Chu Yuechan hadn't said it herself, Xia Qingyue wouldn't have been able to believe it at all.

Xia Qingyue said softly that she would remember her Senior Aunt's words. Then, she hesitated slightly before asking if she might be so presumptuous as to ask her Senior Aunt a question.

Chu Yuechan closed her eyes slightly, asking if Xia Qingyue wanted to know why she understood him so well.

Xia Qingyue confirmed this.

Chu Yuechan turned around. Just as Xia Qingyue thought she was about to leave, she suddenly said softly that originally, to refine the 'Ice Heart Jade Liquid' for Xia Qingyue, she had left the palace to search for three profound cores of ice-elemental Sky Profound Beasts. She added that when she obtained the third profound core, she accidentally became poisoned, and that was when she met him. He had helped her cure the poison, which was how she came to owe him a favor.

Xia Qingyue's pink lips parted, and her gaze wavered.

She continued that two months after returning to the palace, she left again, and then disappeared for five months. During those five months, she was with him, protecting him to repay her favor, but ultimately, he also saved her life. She added that her breakthrough to the Sovereign Profound Realm was also because of him.

Xia Qingyue remained silent for a long time, completely unable to believe what she had just heard.

Even Chu Yuechan herself was unsure why she revealed these secrets, which she had intended to keep hidden for a lifetime, to Xia Qingyue. Perhaps, deep down, she felt an inexplicable sense of debt towards her... After all, Xia Qingyue was his lawfully wedded wife, and she, as Xia Qingyue's Senior Aunt, had...

She then instructed Xia Qingyue not to tell anyone these words, including her master.

Xia Qingyue nodded subconsciously, her mind in a daze.

In exchange, she asked if Xia Qingyue could answer a question of hers.

Chu Yuechan had spoken so much to her today that Xia Qingyue felt a sense of unreality. She nodded and told her Senior Aunt to please ask.

Chu Yuechan turned her gaze back, her voice soft with a hint of coldness. She explained that when she had taught Xia Qingyue the Ice Heart Arts, she had once delved into Xia Qingyue's consciousness and found that she didn't truly enjoy cultivating profound arts, yet she had an extremely strong desire for profound energy. She then asked if Xia Qingyue could tell her why.

Xia Qingyue was startled, and a fleeting, almost imperceptible trace of sadness flickered in her eyes. Her gaze subtly became hazy, and even the ice spirits around her body grew still.

Facing Chu Yuechan's frankness, Xia Qingyue chose not to remain silent or conceal anything, but answered in a very soft, cloud-like voice, explaining that it was because of her mother. She recounted that her father and mother's meeting was legendary: when Father found Mother outside the city, she was covered in blood and unconscious. After she woke up, she had no memories, and her constitution was very, very weak. Later, Mother married Father, and because of her weak constitution, giving birth to Xia Qingyue was very difficult; she almost didn't survive.

She continued that when she was four, Mother suddenly regained her memories. She left, flying away like an immortal. When she left, she held her brother and her, weeping heartbrokenly. She had said that if she didn't leave, she would bring disaster upon their entire family, and that the place she went to was called 'The Realm of Gods,' a place they could never reach. After that, although Father remained strong, Xia Qingyue often saw him weeping silently when he was alone. More than ten years had passed, and he had not remarried. Her younger brother was very young then, but when he grew up, what he envied most was that others had a mother.

Chu Yuechan's brows furrowed slightly, as even with her experience, she had never heard that name. She asked Xia Qingyue if she knew what kind of place 'The Realm of Gods' was.

Xia Qingyue shook her head absently, saying she didn't know, and that she had searched through many ancient texts but hadn't found that name.

Chu Yuechan then asked if Xia Qingyue pursued supreme profound energy so that once she reached a sufficiently high realm, she might be able to discover that name.

Xia Qingyue nodded slightly, raising her pale face and gazing blankly at the crescent moon in the sky. She expressed that she just wanted their family to be reunited. She admitted that this goal might be very distant, but she believed that as she ascended higher and higher, one day she would be able to see her Mother again.

At this moment, deliberately light footsteps approached from outside the courtyard. Following this, a clear voice came from the courtyard gate. It was Xiao Kuangyu of the Xiao Sect, seeking an audience with the 'Ice Moon Immortal' Xia Qingyue. He claimed to have no other intentions, but he just happened to have an Ice Jade Qionghua Hairpin that perfectly suited the Ice Moon Immortal, adding that only by adorning the Ice Moon Immortal would it not be a waste of a treasure, and kindly requested entry.

Before Xiao Kuangyu could finish his sentence, Chu Yuechan suddenly pushed out her hand. A surge of tangible cold energy abruptly erupted, forming a thick ice wall at the courtyard entrance, standing a full ten feet high. The bone-chilling cold that assaulted Xiao Kuangyu's face made him pale with alarm. He quickly retreated, his face twitching. Though enraged, he dared not speak, only clenching his teeth, flicking his sleeve, and leaving resentfully.

To make the esteemed Second Young Master of the Xiao Sect suffer such a setback, it was likely that only Ice Cloud Immortal Palace in the entire Azure Wind Empire could do so.