Chapter 361: Phoenix Flame, Ice Yue (Part 2)

Xia Qingyue replied, "This is both my personal desire and the will of my sect. After all, he is my husband, and as his wife, I cannot stand idly by. He has deep connections with my palace and has rendered it great service. Our Palace Mistress anticipated that you, senior, would surely take action after the destruction of the Burning Heaven Sect, which is why she insisted I come here. Please show my palace some deference. The Palace Mistress has promised to personally visit Heavenly Sword Villa in the future to express her gratitude."

A flicker of surprise crossed Ling Tianni's face. He hadn't expected the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace to seek to protect Yun Che in the name of their entire sect. However, their brief exchange had left his heart trembling several times, solidifying his decision that Yun Che absolutely could not be left alive, as it would lead to endless future complications.

"While I certainly don't take your esteemed palace's reputation lightly, Yun Che's transgressions are immense; he simply cannot be spared."

Xia Qingyue let out a soft sigh. The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk descended from above, gracefully swirling around her icy form. "Since you are so resolute, senior, please forgive my presumption."

As Xia Qingyue finished speaking, the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk suddenly lashed out, extending an ice rope dozens of meters long. Her body descended simultaneously, emanating an bone-chilling aura.

The ice rope flew towards him, coiling like a serpent dancing in the air. For someone of Ling Tianni's cultivation, such an attack, while sharp, posed no real threat. Yet, as he watched the approaching ice rope, his expression flickered repeatedly. Just as it was about to wrap around him, he extended his arm. Instantly, golden light burst from his body, unleashing golden profound energy and an invisible sword intent. He didn't draw a physical sword, but a golden sword aura manifested before him—its very "body" was, astonishingly, his own.

Ling Tianni, using his body as a sword, slashed forward. His usually placid eyes now blazed with a light more piercing than any sword's edge. Where the tip of his 'sword' passed, space was compressed inch by inch, and an ever-deepening trench was gouged into the ground below.

The sheer power of this sword stance made everyone hold their breath. Even from miles away, they felt as though their bodies were on the verge of being crushed by its terrifying might. The terror of the Sword Saint completely transcended anything they could comprehend.

Could Xia Qingyue withstand such a strike?

With a series of shattering sounds, Xia Qingyue's ice ropes were completely destroyed, dissolving into a shower of ice fragments. Facing the Sword Saint's golden sword aura, Xia Qingyue's fair face remained serene. Suddenly, blue light flared around her entire body, and thousands of ice spirits detached, weaving together to form a colossal ice-blue light barrier that enclosed both the oncoming sword light and Ling Tianni within it.

Ice power and sword intent erupted simultaneously. Golden and blue lights violently collided and intertwined in the air, roughly displacing the surrounding atmosphere and sending chaotic currents spiraling into raging storms. Initially, the golden sword aura dominated, shredding the blue ice spirits piece by piece. However, its momentum gradually slowed, and an increasing number of its strikes were directly frozen and shattered.

Both combatants' profound energy erupted simultaneously, and they both retreated dozens of meters. The ground beneath them dramatically cratered, and a shower of shattered ice crystals rapidly fell, forming a thick layer of ice over the collapsed earth.

Ling Tianni's head, shoulders, and even his sword were covered in a thick layer of frost, making him appear somewhat dishevelled. With a surge of profound energy, he shook off all the ice crystals. When he looked at Xia Qingyue again, his gaze had completely changed, openly revealing his deep shock and admiration. "That's certainly not the Ice Cloud Art! Could it be... you've actually mastered... the Ice Yi Divine Skill?"

The moment the words "Ice Yi Divine Skill" were uttered, everyone present looked bewildered, but Ling Jie's body trembled, revealing an expression of utter shock.

The world knew the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's core profound art as the Ice Cloud Art.

However, few were aware that the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace also possessed a supreme ice-element profound art, far surpassing the Ice Cloud Art in power: the Ice Yi Divine Skill.

As an heir to the Heavenly Sword Villa Master's lineage, Ling Jie was privy to a secret: his ancestor from a thousand years ago, the very founder of Heavenly Sword Villa, had been defeated by only one person throughout the entire Azure Wind Continent.

That person was Mu Bingyun, the founder of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace.

Back then, the Heavenly Sword Ancestor's profound cultivation was at the eighth level of the King Profound Realm, and his Heavenly Sword Divine Art had reached its pinnacle. Mu Bingyun, conversely, was only at the sixth level of the King Profound Realm, two minor realms below him. Despite this, in all three of their encounters, he was utterly defeated by her Ice Yi Divine Skill.

According to the records left by the Heavenly Sword Ancestor, the Ice Yi Divine Skill far surpassed the Heavenly Sword Divine Art and was even on par with the supreme profound arts found in the Sacred Lands. While the Ice Cloud Art, when cultivated to its peak, could freeze all things, including profound energy and aura, Mu Bingyun's Ice Yi Divine Skill could even freeze his sword intent, his sword heart, and even his very soul.

However, cultivating the Ice Yi Divine Skill required not only the Ice Cloud Art as a foundation but also exceptionally strong comprehension. After Mu Bingyun established the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, a millennium passed, yet no one else ever managed to cultivate the Ice Yi Divine Skill. This potent profound art, which the Heavenly Sword Ancestor had lauded as surpassing the Heavenly Sword Divine Art, gradually faded from common knowledge over the centuries, with only the other three great sects retaining any records.

Faced with Ling Tianni's astonished gaze, Xia Qingyue remained silent—her silence was indeed an acknowledgment!

With the Ice Yi Divine Skill resurfacing, Ling Tianni's heart surged with emotion. He sighed, "I never imagined I would witness the legendary Ice Yi Divine Skill with my own eyes. With a successor like you, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is destined for a glorious resurgence. If your Ice Yi Divine Skill were fully mastered, reaching the legendary realms of freezing sword intent and soul, perhaps even I wouldn't be your match today. But you are clearly just at the introductory stage. As you are now, you cannot be my opponent... Retreat."

Ling Tianni shot straight forward, his green sword slicing out effortlessly. In an instant, his sword momentum dominated the sky, engulfing all beneath it. The sky-obscuring golden sword aura tore through space, appearing as if it would cleave the very firmament in two. Under the immense power of this strike, onlookers felt as though heaven and earth were on the verge of being severed.

The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk trembled slightly, emitting a mournful hum as if struggling under the immense pressure. Even the dance of the ice spirits seemed to slow.

Xia Qingyue's expression remained unperturbed, like an eternal ice maiden. She spread her arms, and her face suddenly turned ghostly white; even her flowing hair instantly transformed into a light, ice-crystal blue. A cold yet captivating ice lotus elegantly bloomed before her.

The blooming ice lotus fiercely collided with the Sword Saint's sky-splitting sword. Golden and blue lights once again intertwined chaotically, but the standoff lasted for only ten breaths. Then, the golden sword aura suddenly intensified, brutally suppressing and devouring the ice-blue light.

Just as Ling Tianni had stated, although Xia Qingyue had indeed cultivated the Ice Yi Divine Skill, she had only just begun to grasp its fundamentals. After all, merely half a year had passed since she started comprehending and practicing it. In such a brief period, despite her exceptional comprehension, she had only managed to cultivate the Ice Yi Divine Skill to its third stage. Moreover, Ling Tianni possessed a century of cultivation, granting him incredibly potent profound energy that Xia Qingyue was far from matching. Her ability to maintain a standoff with Ling Tianni for a considerable time was already enough to command respect throughout the world.

The Ice Yi Lotus burst apart completely, sending Xia Qingyue's body flying backward. Ling Tianni, his body still a sword, slashed downwards. Xia Qingyue had attacked him without hesitation, clearly resolute in protecting Yun Che. Thus, if he wished to kill Yun Che, he first needed to incapacitate Xia Qingyue.

The golden sword aura advanced irresistibly, piercing through most of Xia Qingyue's protective profound energy in an instant. Just then, a violently raging storm suddenly surged from behind him.

"Are you treating me as if I don't exist?!"

Yun Che's entire body was ablaze with phoenix flames, his black hair wildly dishevelled, and his eyes blood-red like an enraged demon. His ferocious expression and the terrifying power wielded by the Dragon Fault caused the Sword Saint's heart to momentarily seize. He spun around instantly, retracting his sword aura from Xia Qingyue's direction and confronting the Dragon Fault with full force.

Heavy sword against light sword—a direct clash, devoid of flourish.

A terrifying roar erupted between Yun Che and Ling Tianni. The profound energy storm directly hammered the earth, causing it to crater deeply, sending sand and stones flying. The sheer destructive power was no less than a roaring ocean.

A close-range frontal impact was precisely the heavy sword's greatest advantage. Under the power unleashed by the Dragon Fault, even the Sword Saint trembled violently, his right arm instantly numbed. Yun Che's gaze was fierce, veins bulging on his arms. With a low roar, a second wave of power surged from his body, erupting once more.

Ling Tianni was swept away as if by a gale, sent flying far back and only stabilizing himself in mid-air fifty meters away. He stared at Yun Che, his gaze filled with astonishment. "You still had energy left?"

Yun Che's body rapidly retreated, stumbling slightly upon landing. He quickly moved to Xia Qingyue's side, his gaze settling on her slender form. "Qingyue, are you alright?" he asked.

"...Why didn't you leave?" Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes remained unruffled, her voice soft and cold.

"We haven't seen each other for so long, and after finally meeting, your very first words are to tell me to leave?" Yun Che feigned a heartbroken expression. "You're being far too heartless as a wife, aren't you?"

Xia Qingyue's gaze rested on his face for a brief moment before silently moving away. She spoke softly, "The Sword Saint's power is beyond my ability to match. In a moment, I will do my utmost to hold him off for thirty breaths. You must use all your strength to escape. This is not a situation where you..."

"I didn't leave because I'm being reckless, but because he simply cannot kill me!" Yun Che interrupted her, stepping forward to stand beside Xia Qingyue. He placed a hand on his chest and stated in a low voice, "I dared to appear before him precisely because I am confident he cannot kill me. I had originally intended to flee after this encounter, but now, I've changed my mind."

From Yun Che's chest, three clusters of crimson flames, of unknown origin, suddenly ignited. Yun Che narrowed his eyes. "Although Ling Tianni is incredibly powerful, our current cultivation levels aren't an insurmountable gap compared to his! In our previous exchange, he was already forced to expend forty percent of his strength. If the two of us combine our forces, it might not be impossible to defeat him!"

Flames surged from Yun Che's body as three drops of phoenix blood began to burn furiously. His aura, previously significantly weakened, violently surged at that moment. Originally, he had intended to use the power gained from burning his phoenix blood to escape, but Xia Qingyue's presence had changed his mind. He would severely defeat this Sword Saint, who stood like a judge, right here in the Imperial City, in full view of everyone! He would make him pay the price he deserved!