Chapter 271: Borrowing Authority to Deter

As Xia Qingyue had previously stated, consuming a Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus would allow a practitioner at the Earth Profound Realm to directly advance to the Sky Profound Realm. However, the Bodhi Imperial Heart Lotus Xia Qingyue consumed was refined with the Sky Poison Pearl, making its effects several times more potent than legendary accounts suggested. Yun Che had considered that she might directly advance to the mid-Sky Profound Realm, or even the late-mid Sky Profound Realm...

But he had never imagined that she would shatter two realms in succession from the Earth Profound Realm, reaching the terrifying King Profound Realm! She had become a revered Throne, looked up to by countless people!

A female Throne, merely seventeen years old!!

"This... is... just... too... outrageous!" Yun Che groaned inwardly.

What exactly was the King Profound Realm? In the entire Azure Cloud Continent, the total number of Thrones did not exceed ten. These ten individuals were the absolute peak of profound practitioners in the Azure Cloud Continent. Each of them commanded a reputation far exceeding that of the Azure Cloud Emperor. Among these Thrones, the youngest had originally been Ling Yuefeng of Heavenly Sword Villa. Later, due to an unexpected event, Chu Yuechan, who would have normally taken at least another decade to break through, directly advanced because of Yun Che's dragon breath-infused True Yang, replacing Ling Yuefeng as the youngest Throne.

And now, Xia Qingyue was only seventeen and a half!!

This was not just exaggerated; it was simply preposterous! In the Azure Cloud Continent, it was entirely unprecedented... and perhaps never to be repeated.

In the Jiangdong region of Fusu Nation, a Throne... was a god! A god capable of crushing anything in their path! While Jiangdong wasn't considered the pinnacle of Fusu Nation's profound world, it was certainly not low-ranked. Yet, no Throne had appeared there for over three hundred years. Historically, any Thrones who had emerged were always seventy years of age or older.

"The power required to advance from the Sky Profound to the King Profound Realm is tens of times greater than that needed to go from the Earth Profound to the Sky Profound Realm. Her astonishing breakthrough might be related to her Nine Mysterious Exquisite Body," Jasmine murmured softly to herself, though Yun Che did not hear her.

Some powerful practitioners from Blackwood Fortress and Su Hengyue's faction, including Su Wangji, had been preparing to intervene. However, when they suddenly witnessed Blackwood Qingya and Su Hengyue's instant defeat, they were struck as if by a thunderbolt. Their eyes widened, and their bodies trembled violently, displaying expressions as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Su Hengshan's mouth fell open, his mind dazed with shock. After a long moment, he quietly asked Yun Che, "Young Brother Yun, may I ask... what is this young lady's current cultivation level?"

"Oh!" Yun Che raised an eyebrow and replied with a sufficiently loud, yet casual tone, "My wife's aptitude is quite ordinary. She's already seventeen this year, and she's only managed to reach the second level of the King Profound Realm. It's truly embarrassing to mention."

"Wh-wh-what!"

Yun Che's words exploded like thunder in everyone's ears, causing them all to shudder. The gazes they directed at Xia Qingyue began to fill with terror, and Su Wangji was so startled that he collapsed onto his seat.

Under normal circumstances, if someone claimed a seventeen-year-old girl possessed the cultivation of the King Profound Realm, everyone would dismiss them as a madman. But just moments ago, they had personally witnessed two super-strong Sky Profound Realm practitioners suffer a crushing defeat simultaneously with a single move from her. This was power that only a late-Sky Profound Realm practitioner, at the very least, could possess!

This girl... she might truly be a Throne at just seventeen years old!

The atmosphere in the hall abruptly shifted. All attention and focus now centered on Xia Qingyue. The shock she delivered overshadowed everything else; the various grudges and disputes that had just unfolded seemed utterly insignificant in the face of such immense awe.

Observing the reactions of those around him, Yun Che sighed inwardly... This was the advantage of absolute power. When one possessed the absolute power to crush everything, they also gained overwhelming control. People would feel fear, awe, reverence, worship, and submission... No one would dare to bully, threaten, persecute, or assassinate them...

To truly protect oneself and those around them, possessing absolute power was the only way. Everything else was mere talk.

This was also what Yun Che had always strived to achieve.

If he hadn't used that Bodhi Imperial Heart Pill on Xia Qingyue but had consumed it himself, then perhaps he would be the one possessing this power now... The King Profound Realm, a mythical realm he couldn't even fathom when he was struggling, cultivating, and breaking through the Elementary Profound and Nascent Profound realms. Now, less than two years later, he stood shoulder to shoulder with a true Throne, yet he had also brushed past such power himself.

Looking at Xia Qingyue beside him, Yun Che felt a surge of emotion, but not a hint of regret or misgiving. The fact that Xia Qingyue was his wife was entirely sufficient.

Observing Blackwood Qingya being helped up by two personal bodyguards, Yun Che's gaze darkened as he sneered, "Blackwood Qingya, you intended to abduct my fiancée Ling'er, and you even attacked me. Have you thought about how you'll explain yourself to my father-in-law and me now?"

Blackwood Qingya gasped for breath, the profound cold writhing within his body making him writhe in agony. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Explain? Heh... if you have the guts, kill me!"

"Kill you? Do you think I wouldn't dare?" Yun Che's expression instantly darkened. "My father-in-law, as the sect master, must consider the larger picture in all matters. Even if you targeted Ling'er, he would have many reservations about dealing with you. But I am different... you are merely a small Blackwood Fortress master. My killing you is no different from killing a dog! Wife Qingyue, kill him!"

Yun Che's words sharply reminded everyone, prompting them to realize simultaneously: a pair of young individuals capable of cultivating such power at their age must be backed by an incredibly terrifying and colossal force! The sect they belonged to, the level they operated on, must be so high that they weren't even qualified to look up to it.

Therefore, from their perspective, killing a Blackwood Fortress master might truly be no different from killing a dog!

Xia Qingyue, now fully conscious, showed unexpected obedience to Yun Che. The moment his words ceased, profound cold energy surged around her. A small lotus blossomed in her palm, then abruptly spun and flew towards Blackwood Qingya as her fingers danced.

A wave of profound cold, accompanied by bone-chilling killing intent, rushed towards him. At that instant, Blackwood Qingya was utterly terrified. His previous defiance had been a mere bluff. Only after speaking did he suddenly realize that he wasn't facing the Tai Su Sect at all, but a Throne who didn't even belong to the Tai Su Sect! What reservations would a Throne have about killing him?

The cold light emanating from the dancing ice lotus appeared incredibly beautiful, but as it approached, it made every hair on his body stand on end. He had no doubt that if that ice lotus touched him, he would surely die, without even a glimmer of hope.

Under the threat of death, Blackwood Qingya let out a strange cry. Despite his severe injuries, he somehow unleashed 120% of his power, leaping backward with incredible speed like a grasshopper, dodging Xia Qingyue's ice lotus. However, upon landing, he collapsed like a dead dog, unable to stand up for a long time... As the Blackwood Fortress master, a powerful Sky Profound Realm practitioner, he probably never imagined he would one day be so utterly wretched and pathetic.

Xia Qingyue's eyebrow twitched. She flipped her snow-white palm, and another ice lotus bloomed there. The previous ice lotus had clearly shown everyone that even the formidable Blackwood Fortress Master, who dominated Jiangdong, could be killed by her on a whim, without the slightest hesitation. When the second ice lotus bloomed, all the Blackwood Fortress members' faces drastically changed. Su Wangji abruptly stood up and bellowed in an aged voice, "Stop! Don't be too ruthless, or else..."

"Or else what?" Yun Che glared at him from the side, his voice cold. "When he tried to kill me, you stood by and watched. Now that we want to kill him, you come out to squawk? Ha, my father-in-law and my fiancée Ling'er are both from the Tai Su Sect. Out of respect for them, I can pretend I didn't hear what you just said. If you dare utter another word, I'll immediately have my wife kill you! Do you want to test that?"

Su Wangji's eyes widened, and his body trembled. A choked sound escaped his throat, but facing Yun Che's sharp glare, he forcibly swallowed the "you" that was almost out of his mouth. He then sank heavily back into his chair, not daring to utter another word. The fear of death was a human instinct. As a Grand Elder, he was accustomed to wielding power and authority, never having experienced a true death threat before. This was genuinely his first time. Faced with such a threat, all his so-called backbone and courage melted into the coldest fear. He trembled all over but dared not speak another syllable.

Frankly, Su Hengshan felt immensely relieved. Blackwood Qingya was practically his mortal enemy, yet he had never been able to defeat him. Su Wangji, as a Grand Elder, often looked down on him, and despite his anger, Su Hengshan had always endured it. Now, seeing Blackwood Qingya and Su Wangji both cowering in fear, he naturally felt exceptionally pleased. However, by his nature, he also didn't want things to escalate to an extreme. He stepped forward, patted Yun Che's shoulder, and shook his head, saying, "Young Brother Yun, let it go. Although Blackwood Qingya is despicable, he has a significant reputation in Jiangdong. Killing him right here in the Tai Su Sect would be somewhat improper. He is already severely injured and won't recover for at least a year or two. Let him pay some price, and then let him go."

Yun Che wasn't surprised by Su Hengshan's words. He gave a wry smile and said, "Father-in-law, Ling'er and I are already publicly engaged, and you're still calling me 'Young Brother Yun.' You're truly too polite... If you don't like calling me 'son-in-law,' you can just call me Yun Che, or 'Che'er.'"

Su Hengshan was momentarily stunned. Judging by Yun Che's demeanor, it was clear that he had taken today's "engagement" completely and truly to heart. Su Hengshan chuckled, "Look at me, I was so focused on the engagement that I forgot to change my address... Che'er, what do you think about what I just said?"

Yun Che smiled faintly. "Since Father-in-law has spoken, Che'er will naturally comply. However, what price does Father-in-law wish for him to pay?"

Blackwood Qingya, who had been completely tense with cold sweat trickling down his forehead, perked up at their conversation. He quickly took out a spatial ring and tossed it towards Su Hengshan, remaining silent throughout. To save his life, he had to swallow his pride and publicly hand over the "price." Under such humiliation, his chest felt like it would burst, rendering him speechless.

Su Hengshan took the spatial ring and, with a sweep of his profound energy, saw that it contained three full cubic meters of Violet Cloud Profound Iron. Given the rarity of Violet Cloud Profound Iron, this was essentially Blackwood Fortress's annual income. He nodded in satisfaction and waved a hand at Blackwood Qingya. "Since Fortress Master Blackwood is so generous, I won't stand on ceremony... You may leave now!"

Blackwood Qingya's chest heaved violently, then his eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted. His two bodyguards quickly lifted him, casting a terrified glance at Xia Qingyue before daring to linger. The accompanying Blackwood Fortress disciples also followed, slinking away in disgrace.

Yun Che secretly sighed in relief, then cast a grateful look at Xia Qingyue.

Back when he first met Su Ling'er, her world was completely filled with melancholy and gloom... Considering Su Ling'er's current identity, it was clear that she must have experienced immense family upheaval and various forms of despair at that time.

Yun Che never knew what exactly she and her family had gone through. Looking at the innocent, carefree Su Ling'er now, he never wanted her to relive that past fate. Therefore, today, he leveraged Xia Qingyue's absolute power, using formidable words and actions to establish a deterrent for the Tai Su Sect and create the illusion of strong backing for them against malevolent forces... Although it was somewhat naive to hope the Tai Su Sect wouldn't repeat its past fate based on an illusion that couldn't last, this was the only thing Yun Che could do at that moment...

Even though... this was merely an illusion... everything would vanish into thin air after twelve hours... he still poured all his heart and effort into doing everything he could for Ling'er, driven solely by his deep love and profound guilt towards her.