Chapter 323: The Words That Pierce the Soul

The ferocity and oppressive power of that sword made Gong Yuxian frown deeply. Her body descended, landing on the ground, her long sash dancing as ice crystals scattered around and snow whirled. A towering ice lotus bloomed amidst the wind and snow...

"Crack!!"

Like a thunderous explosion, violent energy erupted like a surging tsunami, roughly tearing up the ice layers below and obscuring all of the sky within their sight.

Yun Che and Gong Yuxian simultaneously retreated. All the ice and snow within a radius of over three hundred zhang around where they stood turned into the finest powder.

No one in the Azure Cloud Empire dared to question Gong Yuxian's strength, yet in this momentary clash with Yun Che, she was actually evenly matched! This left all the Frozen Cloud disciples utterly astonished. This brief exchange further fueled the anger of both Yun Che and Gong Yuxian. After a short pause, Yun Che roared again, swinging the Dragon Fault. Blazing phoenix flames burned intensely on his body and sword.

Phoenix flames scorched the sky, and ice and snow obscured the sun. Accompanied by deafening explosions, sword shadows and sash gleams continuously collided, the terrifying sounds like thunder and lightning striking simultaneously.

Gong Yuxian's figure drifted elusively amidst the ice, snow, and phoenix flames. This was the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's supreme movement technique, the Icefall Snow Dance Steps. Yun Che had personally experienced it when he fought Xia Qingyue in the ranking battles. When Xia Qingyue used the Icefall Snow Dance Steps, her movements were ethereal and otherworldly, like an immortal descending from the clouds, breathtakingly beautiful and dazzling to the eyes. However, under Gong Yuxian's feet, it was truly as unpredictable as a ghost's shadow! Yun Che countered with the Star God Broken Shadow. Although his Star God Broken Shadow was only at the third realm, it was in no way inferior to Gong Yuxian's Icefall Snow Dance Steps, which was at the eighth realm.

Even with nearly a century of mastery in the Icefall Snow Dance Steps, she gained no advantage in movement technique!

Behind Gong Yuxian, a phantom ice lotus began to bloom, gradually solidifying. With each movement of her white sash, she released hundreds of phantom ice phoenixes. In the early stages of her fight with Yun Che, she hadn't used her full power. But when she realized she couldn't overpower him, she began to gradually increase her profound energy. However, she was immediately shocked to find that for every bit her profound energy increased, her opponent's strength also grew proportionally, never allowing her to gain even the slightest upper hand! When her Ice Dance transformed into the Dance of the Ice Phoenix, his heavy sword began to emit soul-shaking dragon roars, tearing her ice phoenixes to shreds.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged hundreds of blows, yet neither could gain an advantage over the other.

The two seemed to be evenly matched.

However, one of them was the Frozen Cloud Palace Mistress, famous for decades, renowned throughout the world, and feared by all!

The other was merely a nineteen-year-old youth!

All the disciples of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace were silenced by boundless shock. Their understanding was completely shattered by this battle.

"Frozen Heaven Core!"

After another violent collision, the two separated far apart. Gong Yuxian steadied herself before Yun Che, gathering her hands. With a series of cracking sounds, a crystal-like ice coffin quickly formed around Yun Che's body. The ice coffin was not thick, but it contained incredibly dense Frozen Cloud energy. Once sealed inside, even an opponent of the same level couldn't hope to break free quickly.

With the Frozen Heaven Core successfully sealing Yun Che, Gong Yuxian's expression immediately relaxed. She sternly declared, "Given your current age and strength, you are comparable to a Holy Land successor! You are almost on par with Xia Qingyue of my Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace! I don't wish to destroy such a talent as you, who has appeared in the Azure Cloud Empire! But your offense against my Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace is unforgivable!"

Yun Che paid no attention. He struck the ice coffin with his sword, causing a resounding "bang."

Gong Yuxian coldly stated, "This is the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's strongest sealing technique—the Frozen Heaven Core. Once sealed within, it's impossible to break free quickly..."

With a "crack," a long crack rapidly spread across the ice coffin. This caused Gong Yuxian's voice to catch in her throat, her face filled with horror.

Yun Che sneered. His second sword strike came down violently.

"Falling Moon Sinking Star!"

BOOM!!

With an explosive sound, the Frozen Heaven Core completely shattered. Amidst the scattered ice crystals, Yun Che's figure seemed to tear through space, rushing like a phantom directly in front of Gong Yuxian. Behind him, the proud shadow of a Heavenly Wolf appeared.

"Heavenly Wolf... Slash!"

The incredibly tough Frozen Heaven Core was shattered by Yun Che in just two strikes. Under immense shock, Gong Yuxian experienced a momentary daze. She was then heavily struck in the chest by a wolf shadow containing the power to shatter mountains.

"Pfft!!"

The terrifying power contained within the wolf shadow far exceeded Gong Yuxian's expectations. Her internal organs were instantly slightly displaced, and her blood surged chaotically throughout her body. A mist of blood vigorously sprayed from her mouth. She staggered back more than a dozen steps, a shocking streak of blood appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"Palace Mistress!""Palace Mistress!!"

The Six Frozen Cloud Fairies, greatly alarmed, quickly rushed forward to guard Gong Yuxian. Their ice spirits trembled throughout their bodies, and chilling energy pierced their hearts. But more than that, there was an extreme shock they couldn't dispel. Although it was a sneak attack, he had actually injured Gong Yuxian!

His combat strength had endlessly shattered their imagination and understanding. That was, at the very least, the power of the Sovereign Profound Realm!

To achieve this before the age of twenty, his future accomplishments were simply unimaginable!

But Yun Che did not continue his attack. In the sight of all the Frozen Cloud disciples, he withdrew his sword stance, and even the Dragon Fault vanished from his hands.

"Gong Yuxian..." The anger in Yun Che's expression and eyes had vanished. It was replaced by a solemn stillness that should not have been present in someone his age. It was as if he wasn't facing the Frozen Cloud Palace Mistress, but a sinner awaiting judgment. "You cannot understand my rage, just as I cannot understand the significance of the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's rules and reputation to you. Everything you did to Chu Yuechan, perhaps from your perspective, was not wrong. But to me, allowing her to leave the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace while pregnant, putting her in unpredictable danger, was an unforgivable mistake! This strike, you owed me!"

Gong Yuxian slowly suppressed her internal injuries and sternly retorted, "Your talent is astonishing and peerless, but your temperament is extreme and arrogant, and your mind is selfish and narrow! Yuechan was brought back to the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace by me personally; she was my last direct disciple! I poured most of my life's effort into her, which led to the renowned Ice Fairy Yuechan! Not to mention her violating the sect rules, defiling the Ice Palace's reputation, or even crippling her own profound cultivation, even if I had personally crippled her profound cultivation without reason and expelled her from the Ice Palace, I would not owe her anything! As for you... Hmph! You defiled my Ice Palace disciple and stained my Ice Palace's thousand-year reputation. It would be perfectly justifiable for me to personally kill you; why should I protect you and Yuechan's illegitimate child?! Your accusations and self-righteous questioning are utterly ridiculous!"

Yun Che slowly turned his gaze, coldly stating, "You don't owe Chu Yuechan anything? Heh... No! You owe her! You owe her a great deal! If Chu Yuechan hadn't met you and been brought to the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace back then, she would have lived the life of a normal woman. With her peerless beauty, she could have found a man who cherished her as his entire life, experiencing complete emotions and a perfect life. And you, what did you give her, besides powerful strength? Did she ever laugh, cry, or feel true joy? Daily, she was in a world of ice and snow, immersed in Frozen Cloud cultivation, and absolutely forbidden from touching emotions under the shackles of your rules... What you gave her was the transformation of a living, breathing person into an ice sculpture with almost completely frozen emotions!!"

"You almost ruined her entire life!"

"Although our acquaintance was brief, I made her willing to abandon the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, where she had lived for decades. This is because during that time, I allowed her to become a true woman again, no longer a heartless ice sculpture bound by the Frozen Cloud's restrictions!" Yun Che's voice was slow and desolate: "Every year, your Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace scours the land for women with exceptional talent and breathtaking beauty, bringing them into the Ice Palace and placing lifelong shackles upon them. To perpetuate your Ice Palace's foundation, how many of the most exceptional women's complete destinies, which they should have enjoyed, have you sacrificed! When I say that the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace's rules are the most inhumane shackles in the world, I am not wronging you in the slightest! To countless people, the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace might be like a sacred land, but in my eyes, it is merely a tomb for the living dead that should not exist!"

"You... you... shut up!" Gong Yuxian roared, her face twitching. Indeed, it was twitching! Even Yun Che hadn't expected his words to provoke such a massive reaction from Gong Yuxian. All the Frozen Cloud women were stunned. No one had ever spoken such words to them before. They should have been angry and repulsed by such slanderous, even insulting, remarks about their sect. But every word, every phrase, every syllable, sank into their souls like a curse, stirring the emotions that lay dormant deep within them, emotions that could never truly vanish.

Yun Che gave Gong Yuxian a faint glance and continued, "You say I'm selfish; I completely agree with that, because I am indeed an extremely selfish person! If I had to exchange the lives of ten thousand innocent strangers for Chu Yuechan's life, I would directly kill those ten thousand innocent people like a devil, without even a moment's hesitation! That is my selfishness! For Chu Yuechan, I can endure any nightmare and commit any sin, but you... and the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, never could!"

Gong Yuxian was speechless.

Yun Che turned his back, stating indifferently, "Although I resent you for expelling Chu Yuechan from the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, I also feel a certain relief. Because when I find her, she will be entirely mine, a Chu Yuechan with no ties whatsoever to your Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace! She will no longer need to bear such heavy spiritual shackles because of you!"

Having finished speaking, Yun Che lifted his feet. He slowly walked towards the palace gate.

"Don't stop him!" Gong Yuxian reached out, grabbing Murong Qianxue and Jun Lianqie, who were about to pursue Yun Che. With a pale face, she said, "You... are no match for him. Let him go."

After saying this, Gong Yuxian seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Despite what should have been minor internal injuries, she slowly collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were completely vacant, and she couldn't hear the alarmed cries around her.

In her mind, the figure of a young man appeared as if in a dream. He had melted her frozen heart with his profound affection, and through him, she had found a happiness she had never experienced in the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace. But she wasn't as brave as Chu Yuechan. She retreated, decisively, never to meet again. Then, at the edge of the Extreme Ice Snow Region, where they first met, she found his cold corpse, still emanating an aura of sorrow.

Eighty years had passed. That dream, which should have been beautiful, had transformed into the most piercing nightmare. It repeatedly pricked her soul, which she had believed was completely frozen and silent.

Yun Che's words caused this nightmare, which she had always desperately tried to forget, to violently awaken and stir.