Chapter 246: The Last Strike

Chu Yueli was utterly speechless, beyond mere shock. Her inner alarm far surpassed that of others, for she knew precisely what Yun Che was like a year and a half ago. Frankly, back then, Yun Che was nothing more than worthless mud in her eyes, someone she wouldn't have even deigned to look at if Xia Qingyue herself hadn't insisted on marrying him.

As for Xia Qingyue, her talent, comprehension, and mental fortitude were unlike anything Chu Yueli had ever witnessed. Her unique constitution allowed her to cultivate profound arts regardless of profound energy restrictions and even manifest domains, astounding Palace Master Lin Yuxian. Chu Yueli had taken Xia Qingyue as a disciple at the age of twelve, teaching her the Ice Cloud Arts and personally tempering her body with her own Sky Profound power for several years. During her time in the Ice Cloud Asgard, countless rare treasures accumulated over a millennium were lavished upon her without hesitation. Moreover, Xia Qingyue had more than one master. The two most powerful individuals in the Ice Cloud Asgard—Chu Yuechan and Lin Yuxian—also dedicated immense effort to her. To ensure Xia Qingyue's Ice Cloud power achieved the purest state, Chu Yuechan had even risked grave danger to obtain three profound pills from ice-elemental Sky Profound Beasts.

Throughout the history of the Ice Cloud Asgard, no disciple had ever received such extensive investment.

This was how the present Xia Qingyue came to be.

Yet now, Chu Yueli watched in disbelief as the young man, once considered a mere cripple, shattered Xia Qingyue's Ice Cloud Domain!

That Xia Qingyue could use a domain defied everyone's understanding, but for Yun Che to actually destroy it could only be described as an unbelievable miracle.

After destroying the domain with Phoenix blood, Yun Che's power was almost depleted. Xia Qingyue's condition was barely any better. Activating a domain with Earth Profound Realm profound energy undoubtedly consumed an immense amount of power. The domain's activation consumed over seventy percent of Xia Qingyue's profound energy, and its brief subsequent duration drained more than sixty percent of her remaining power. Coupled with previous expenditures, her current strength was less than half of her normal state. Furthermore, the domain's collapse caused a significant backlash, leaving her profound veins with considerable damage and making profound energy control difficult.

Xia Qingyue's cheeks were already snow-white, but now they were deathly pale, devoid of any color. At least, she appeared much better than Yun Che, who could barely stand.

They stood less than ten zhang apart, gazing at each other. Pain and difficulty flickered in Yun Che's eyes, while Xia Qingyue's eyes were violently trembling. It seemed as though she still hadn't processed the shock from moments ago.

"Ugh…" With a pained groan, Yun Che slowly rose, leaning on Dragon Fault. He clenched his jaw, gazing at Xia Qingyue, and murmured, "You actually… weren't hurt by those flames… That's good. I couldn't fully control those flames myself. If you had been caught in them, you might have… been severely injured… And if… your clothes were burned off… Heh, I wouldn't want anyone else seeing my wife…" Yun Che's words were fragmented, each few words punctuated by heavy gasps.

Xia Qingyue: "…"

He gripped Dragon Fault tightly with both hands, but didn't lift it from the ground, seemingly lacking the strength. Yun Che closed his eyes. After a series of fierce gasps, his breathing and voice suddenly grew calmer: "I only have enough power left for one more strike… If you can withstand this strike, it means you've beaten me… But… I absolutely… absolutely won't be defeated by you… So, no matter what, you won't be able to block this sword!!"

*Bang!!*

Dragon Fault was pulled from the ground. Its weight of over eight thousand jin made Yun Che's hands tremble as he held it. "Get ready to block… Qingyue, remember the honor of your sect, and remember what I told you before the match. Use all your strength! Otherwise, you'll be letting down your sect, letting me down, and letting yourself down!"

Xia Qingyue: "…"

The young man of her age in front of her seemed oddly unfamiliar. Compared to the profound-vein cripple he once was, the current Yun Che was a completely different person from the original Xiao Che. Yet, in Xia Qingyue's eyes, this young man whose destiny had been completely overturned was incredibly, profoundly familiar. His gaze, his tone of voice, that deeply ingrained arrogance… especially his stubbornness, which ten thousand oxen couldn't pull back, were identical to the Yun Che she had known during their short days together.

Xia Qingyue said nothing. The ice spirits that had faded around her body began to float once more. Behind her, a massive ice lotus slowly bloomed, and the Ice Phoenix Crystalline Silk hovered before her, forming an eerie "S" shape. An intensely perilous aura emanated and spread from every inch of the Ice Phoenix Crystalline Silk, exerting an incredibly heavy pressure on Yun Che.

"This is… the starting stance for 'Ice Cloud Ultimate Art - Waning Moon Ode'. Junior Sister Xia's aura is weak now; can she still perform this move?" Shui Wushuang worriedly asked, looking at Xia Qingyue.

"Barely. It seems Qingyue is also prepared to go all out. Yun Che simply cannot withstand this move," Chu Yueli stated. However, as she spoke, she lacked a bit of conviction. Although Yun Che now seemed unable to even stand steadily, his previous displays, especially the flames that incinerated the Ice Cloud Domain, prevented her from holding even a trace of disdain for this seemingly unthreatening young man.

She no longer dared to predict what earth-shattering feats he might accomplish next.

Yun Che slowly raised Dragon Fault above his head. The fifty-four profound openings of the Evil God's Profound Veins rapidly expanded, frantically condensing all his remaining profound energy… Suddenly, he roared, the ground beneath his feet cracked, and as he leapt into the air, the heavy sword swung down powerfully…

"Overlord's Wrath!!"

The might of this sword strike was far, far less than its initial display, but it was still astonishing. Xia Qingyue also soared into the air, her entire body flickering with chaotic ice spirits. The Ice Phoenix Crystalline Silk transformed from soft to firm, folding into a crescent moon of pristine white. Infused with Ice Cloud power, it shimmered with dazzling ice crystal light as it fiercely collided with Dragon Fault mid-air.

With a heavy clang, a vast ring of spatial ripples spread outwards from the point of impact between Dragon Fault and the Ice Phoenix Crystalline Silk. An intensely cold aura completely enveloped Yun Che, and the immense power from the Ice Phoenix Crystalline Silk forcibly bent Dragon Fault into a crescent shape.

Yun Che's eyes widened instantly. His hands were almost completely numb from the impact. He gritted his teeth fiercely, pouring all his remaining strength into Dragon Fault, but his depleted power was far inferior to Xia Qingyue's full-force strike. The might of Overlord's Wrath was completely blocked, and even the lingering shockwave was rapidly absorbed. A chilling force capable of utterly defeating him surged forward.

So it still had to come to this…

Yun Che wasn't surprised by this situation; after all, he knew his current state better than anyone. Feeling his power completely suppressed, he suddenly drew a breath, letting out a beast-like roar…

*My profound veins and body… you must hold on!*

"Evil God's Third Realm… Purgatory!!"

As Yun Che muttered internally, the third realm of the Evil God's Profound Veins… Purgatory, opened for the first time. The instant Purgatory activated, an eerie red light suddenly erupted from the third profound opening, turning his entire profound vein system crimson, as if drenched in blood. This red light didn't merely stay within his profound veins; it overflowed, forming a layer of crimson aura around Yun Che's body.

The whites of Yun Che's eyes and his pupils completely vanished, replaced by two entirely blood-red orbs. A fierce, violent aura, as if from purgatory itself, abruptly burst forth from him, completely suffocating Xia Qingyue for an instant.

"Evil God's Third Style… Extinguishing the Sky and Decimating the Earth!!"

*Boom!!!!*

This was a roar like the collapse of heaven and earth. The entire Sword Discourse Arena trembled violently, and even the ground itself shook, as if a terrible natural disaster had suddenly struck. Amidst the thunderous sound, some low-level profound practitioners instantly went deaf. On the arena, flying rubble and dust rose nearly a hundred zhang high, temporarily obscuring the sky and completely shrouding Yun Che and Xia Qingyue.

Cries of alarm spread across the Sword Discourse Arena, and unparalleled shock once again appeared on everyone's faces. Despite both Yun Che and Xia Qingyue being near profound energy depletion, the might of this strike surpassed all their previous ones, no less powerful than the colossal fiery wave that had incinerated the Ice Cloud Domain. Such terrifying energy waves and momentum would be difficult for even a powerful Earth Profound Realm expert to achieve. How could they possibly emerge from a clash between two young profound practitioners who had already exhausted so much power?!

Dust billowed, and no one could clearly see what had happened. They couldn't even begin to imagine what power enabled them to create such an earth-shattering collision.

The tremor in the Sword Discourse Arena quickly ceased, and the dust began to settle. As visibility gradually cleared, everyone gasped sharply.

What appeared before them was a massive crater, fully seventy to eighty zhang in diameter!!

The edges of the Sword Discourse Arena were also completely destroyed; not a single intact stone could be found.

In the center of the colossal crater lay two motionless figures… Looking at them, everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed, unable to utter a sound.

Xia Qingyue stood quietly, her long hair disheveled, her body covered in dust. Her clear eyes held an inexpressible bewilderment as she stared blankly at Yun Che in front of her.

Yun Che lay collapsed less than ten paces in front of her, his outer garments shredded. He was sprawled face down on the ground, blood oozing from almost everywhere: his mouth, forehead, limbs, back… His left hand clutched the ground, his right hand's back was completely stained with blood, yet he still held tightly to Dragon Fault's hilt.

"Finally… it's over."

Although "Purgatory" had only been active for less than three breaths, it was an almost destructive burden for his already nearly powerless body. And under "Purgatory," he had forcibly unleashed the corresponding Evil God's Third Style, "Extinguishing the Sky and Decimating the Earth"—an ultimate strike released with the power of his will and soul, which subjected his soul to a colossal burden no less than that on his body. That he could remain conscious for even a brief moment was nothing short of a miracle.

Countless cracks covered his body's surface, but his internal organs had only minor injuries. Yun Che painstakingly curled his lips into a smile—one of relief, satisfaction, and profound gratitude. He closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to sink into darkness. His final will transformed into a whisper audible only to Xia Qingyue…

"My second reason for coming to this ranking tournament… was to prove to you… that I… Yun Che… am worthy to be your husband… not… your… repayment… or… charity…"

Xia Qingyue: "…"

Time slowly passed in the dead silence… one breath, two breaths, three breaths, four breaths…

It wasn't until Yun Che finally lost consciousness, without any further movement, that people snapped out of the eerie stillness.

This duel had finally ended…

Nine breaths, ten breaths…

Ling Wugou had been closest throughout, and thus felt the earth-shattering blow most acutely. If anyone were to approach him now, they would find his forehead covered in fine cold sweat… Indeed! A super-expert of the Sky Profound Realm, eighth level, holding a high position in Heavenly Sword Villa, had actually been startled into a cold sweat by the battle between two juniors.

After ten breaths, Ling Wugou finally awoke as if from a dream. He cast an incredibly complex gaze at Yun Che, swiftly composed himself, and then announced in a resonant voice: "Yun Che has been down for ten breaths and not risen. The victor of this ranking tournament's final battle is…"