Chapter 324: Homeward Bound

No one pursued him. Yun Che walked out of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, moving through the ice and snow. As he gazed at the vast, white Ice Extreme Snow Region, a deep sense of confusion and helplessness welled up within him for the first time.

"Little Fairy, where are you... Where did you go...? How can I find you...?"

Jasmine, clearly perceiving his state of mind, said calmly, "Perhaps you don't need to deliberately search for her. The news of you being alive will quickly spread, carried by your current influence. She should receive the news soon, and then she will naturally come looking for you."

"No!" Yun Che shook his head and sighed. "You don't understand her. Her nature is too cold; she is accustomed to solitude and isolation and has never been willing to have any form of contact with outsiders. After becoming pregnant and having her profound energy crippled, she will surely go to great lengths to avoid populated areas to protect the child... Otherwise, with her unparalleled beauty and temperament, which would cause a stir anywhere, why has there been no news of her being discovered by anyone after being away from Ice Cloud Immortal Palace for so long? Even Senior Sister Xue Ruo doesn't know she was expelled from Ice Cloud Immortal Palace... She must have gone to a secluded place, as desolate and cold as Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, to prevent anyone from disturbing her or harming our child... She won't be able to know that I'm alive... and I don't know where to look for her."

"Someone's coming!" Jasmine suddenly said.

Yun Che quickly looked sideways. From the direction of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, a white silhouette swiftly streaked through the air and soon appeared in his sight.

It was a gigantic, pure white avian profound beast, ten meters long, its entire body as white as snow. Its form resembled a falcon, yet it was stronger and more imposing, with an eagle-like head that was even nobler and prouder. Its talons were like white hooks, its eyes like cold blades. Majestic and swift as lightning, it carried a woman on its back. Dressed in white robes, her long, night-black hair cascaded to her waist. She resembled a winter plum blossom amidst countless mountains and snow, exuding a beauty that was both sacred and almost bewitching.

"Chu Yue... Li?" Yun Che frowned slightly. He stopped, silently watching Chu Yueli approach.

The snow profound beast was incredibly fast, swiftly reaching Yun Che's presence. Chu Yueli gracefully twisted her slender waist, her snowy veil fluttering, as she drifted down before Yun Che like a snow maiden descending from the heavens, amidst a faintly cold, fragrant breeze. A pair of icy eyes stared coldly at him.

Yun Che's eyebrows involuntarily rose but then relaxed slightly, as he felt no killing intent from Chu Yueli... not even hostility.

"Rest assured, I'm not here to cause you trouble. Right now, I'm no match for you," Chu Yueli said before he did, her voice like cold crystals falling into water, icy and clear. "Because of my sister, I once hated you to the core, but now I suddenly don't hate you anymore... Though you have wronged Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, trampled my palace today, destroyed our gates, and injured our Palace Mistress... at least you have been true to my sister."

"You chased me just to tell me this?" Yun Che asked.

Chu Yueli raised her jade arm and made a simple gesture. Immediately, the massive, snow-white bird circled once in the air before swiftly descending. It then folded its wings and docilely landed beside Chu Yueli. From its body, Yun Che distinctly sensed an aura of the Sky Profound Realm!

Could this be a Sky Profound Beast?

"This is a Snow Phoenix Beast, a powerful Sky Profound Beast that only exists in this Ice Extreme Snow Region," Chu Yueli said softly. "There are only three of them in the entire Ice Extreme Snow Region. Although it's a Sky Profound Beast, its temperament is extremely gentle, making it easier to tame into a contracted profound beast than many Earth Profound Beasts. Although your current strength is astonishing, you seem unable to fly due to the limitations of your profound energy realm, and you also don't have a profound seal for a contracted profound beast on your hand. So, I'll give you this Snow Phoenix Beast as a contracted profound beast."

When Chu Yueli was halfway through her explanation, Yun Che vaguely guessed what she intended to do. The value of a Sky Profound Realm contracted profound beast was no less than that of a Sky Profound Artifact! Even the four major sects would have only a handful of such high-level contracted profound beasts, perhaps two or three at most. Yet Chu Yueli was directly offering him one; this was an enormous gift. However, Yun Che shook his head without hesitation: "No need! I'm not used to relying on profound beasts for travel. For me, walking is also a form of cultivation."

Chu Yueli didn't seem surprised by his reaction. She said coolly, "Its name is Xiao Chan. My sister captured and tamed it. Its previous owner, and its only owner until now, was also my sister."

Yun Che suddenly looked sideways at the docile Snow Phoenix Beast, his eyes flickering.

"When my sister left Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, she severed her contract with it and left it here, seemingly not wanting us to find her because of it. If you wish to search for my sister, take it with you. It was born in the Ice Extreme Snow Region but can also adapt to extreme heat and dryness, and it possesses both wind and water attributes. Not only can it travel vast distances in a day, but it also has strong offensive capabilities. Furthermore, my sister was its first owner; although the contract was severed, it certainly won't forget her aura, and it might help you find her more quickly." After saying this, Chu Yueli added, "I'm giving it to you not for your sake, but purely for my sister's sake."

Yun Che's gaze shifted. He suddenly leaped up, extended a finger, and a drop of blood emerged from its tip, which he then touched to the Snow Phoenix Beast's forehead.

The Snow Phoenix Beast spread its wings and let out a soft cry from its mouth, a light flickering slightly on its forehead... Subsequently, a white contract profound seal appeared on Yun Che's hand, then slowly faded.

Aided by the contract mark Chu Yuechan had left, Yun Che's contract with the Snow Phoenix Beast was quickly completed. The Snow Phoenix Beast let out a long cry, flew up briefly, and then landed beside Yun Che.

"Thanks," Yun Che said indifferently.

Chu Yueli nodded slightly, saying no more. She floated up, preparing to depart.

"What about Qingyue? Why haven't I seen her?" Yun Che suddenly asked.

Chu Yueli paused, then after a slight hesitation, said, "A year ago, Qingyue passed the thirty-third level of the Ice Hell Trial, becoming the first person in our palace in nine hundred years to pass thirty levels. Currently, she is beneath the Ice Hell, comprehending the supreme divine art left by our ancestors a thousand years ago, the 'Ice Maiden Divine Arts,' which no one has ever successfully comprehended. I don't know when she will emerge. You are her nominal husband and owe her a great debt. If you have anything you wish to tell her, I will relay it to her on the day she emerges from the Ice Hell."

Yun Che was silent for a brief moment. Then he shook his head slightly, saying, "No need."

Chu Yueli said no more. She walked on the snow, quickly vanishing from Yun Che's sight.

"Chan'er..." Yun Che walked to the Snow Phoenix Beast's side. He reached out and gently stroked its cold, smooth snowy feathers, then whispered, "Very well, let's search for your mistress together then."

But where should he start looking? And how should he go about it?

Gazing at the vast, white expanse before him, Yun Che felt lost. He faced north, then turned west, then looked south... His gaze finally settled on the east.

The east... Floating Cloud City... Grandpa, Little Aunt...

Yun Che's eyes trembled violently.

It would soon be exactly three years since he left the Xiao Sect.

Three years...

When he was trapped beneath the Sword Discourse Arena, he thought he would never be able to fulfill his three-year promise. But he had emerged alive and well, and his strength was now sufficient to ensure that his grandpa and little aunt would no longer suffer any bullying in Floating Cloud City...

The images of his grandpa and little aunt became increasingly clear in his mind, gradually filling all his thoughts...

"Chan'er, let's go!"

The Snow Phoenix Beast let out a long cry, spread its wings, and soared into the air, kicking up ice and snow. Yun Che leaped onto its back. Then, together with the Snow Phoenix Beast, he transformed into a long white streak and vanished into the distant sky in an instant.

As a Sky Profound Beast, the Snow Phoenix Beast was incredibly powerful in both speed and endurance. Chu Yueli's mention of it being able to travel "three thousand li in a day" was no exaggeration at all.

After Yun Che left Heavenly Sword Villa, he traveled day and night to Cangfeng Imperial City, disrupting Feng Juecheng's wedding procession. He had originally planned to stay in the Imperial City for a day before returning to Floating Cloud City. However, Chu Yuechan's situation instantly consumed his thoughts, prompting him to rush to the Ice Extreme Snow Region in a desperate hurry. Now, though Chu Yuechan's matter was imprinted on his heart, the vastness of the region offered no starting point for a search, and when he would reunite with her depended only on fate. His heart yearned to return home, and he rushed eastward day and night with lightning speed, drawing ever closer to Floating Cloud City, which was so familiar in his memory.

On this day, he arrived above New Moon City.

His stay in New Moon City was brief, yet he encountered various minor incidents. It was also in New Moon City that he met Cang Yue, which led to him being taken to Cangfeng Imperial City and the subsequent series of trials and tribulations. One could say that meeting Cang Yue in New Moon City was a major turning point in his destiny.

He still remembered that he had originally come to New Moon City at Xiao Lie's behest, intending to find Sikong Han in the New Moon Profound Palace and secure a place to settle down. However, he ended up directly entering New Moon Profound Palace... But even there, he only stayed for less than two days in total.

After a moment's thought, Yun Che stored the Snow Phoenix Beast back into his contract profound seal and then directly descended into New Moon Profound Palace.

"...Have you heard! Yun Che didn't die back then; he returned alive to Cangfeng Imperial City. He snatched Princess Cang Yue back from the Burning Heaven Young Master's wedding procession and severely injured Feng Juecheng... I heard there were eight Sky Profound masters escorting Feng Juecheng... Eight Sky Profound masters! Yet Yun Che alone made them look utterly disgraced! He's simply powerful, overbearing, and lawless to an unbelievable degree!"

"Nonsense! Who doesn't know about this?!" another voice retorted. "But your news seems inaccurate; there weren't just eight Sky Profound masters. I heard there were twenty Sky Profound masters accompanying Feng Juecheng for the wedding procession! All of them were knocked down one by one by Senior Brother Yun Che's sword. The usually arrogant Burning Heaven Young Master was directly beaten like a dog, and in the end, it was Yun Che's great mercy that spared his life, allowing him to scurry back to the Burning Heaven Sect. Senior Brother Yun Che is practically a divine son sent from the heavens to our Cangfeng Nation!" The young man speaking had glowing eyes and a look of rapture when he mentioned "Senior Brother Yun Che." Just thinking that Yun Che had once stayed at New Moon Profound Palace, and that he could legitimately call himself Yun Che's junior brother, made him feel so lucky he was almost faint.

As soon as Yun Che landed and found a hidden spot, the first words he heard were rumors about himself.

He didn't know yet that simply because he had briefly been a disciple of New Moon Profound Palace, its popularity had skyrocketed explosively in the past two years, completely overshadowing all other branch profound palaces and ranking second only to the main Cangfeng Profound Palace.