Chapter 395: Reverse Fusion, Ice and Fire (Part 2)

Xia Qingyue arrived at the stone door of the Ice Phoenix Shrine and asked in a voice loud enough to penetrate it, "Yun Che, may I come in?"

After speaking, she waited a long time for a response. She focused intently for a while, but heard no movement from inside.

Was he no longer inside?

"Yun Che, are you in there?" Xia Qingyue asked again.

This time, there was still no response.

Xia Qingyue extended her palm, and the light from her Ice Cloud Secret Art shone on the stone door. With a soft click, the door slowly opened. Xia Qingyue took a single step forward, and the moment she entered the Ice Phoenix Shrine, her body suddenly stiffened, and she froze in place.

Yun Che had not left. For the past seven days, he had remained inside the Ice Phoenix Shrine. The moment the stone door opened, Xia Qingyue immediately saw him. Yun Che was sitting cross-legged on the ground, eyes tightly closed, hands open with palms facing upwards. On his left hand, an Ice Phoenix tree shimmered with cold light, while on his right, a crimson flame swayed silently.

What stunned Xia Qingyue was not this sight, but the air that enveloped her.

Her right side felt like it was in an icy hell, while her left side felt like a purgatorial sea of fire. The vast Ice Phoenix Shrine had been astonishingly divided into two distinct worlds, completely separate and without interference.

Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes trembled violently. What was happening?

In the same space, intense heat and severe cold would normally cancel each other out, reducing the intensity of both, much like how flames and ice crystals neutralize each other. This was basic common sense, clear even to a child. Yet, what unfolded before Xia Qingyue completely defied logic! The cold on her right and the intense heat on her left showed absolutely no signs of cancellation, as if an invisible, insurmountable transparent barrier existed between them.

At this moment, Yun Che, who had been perfectly still, suddenly moved. Slowly, he brought his hands together, his movements incredibly sluggish, as if every inch of movement consumed immense power. As his arms moved, the Ice Phoenix and Phoenix Flame also drew closer bit by bit, finally touching each other.

There was no scene of the flame melting the ice or the ice suppressing the flame. What Xia Qingyue witnessed next completely shattered her understanding and overturned basic common sense: the Ice Phoenix and Phoenix Flame slowly merged with each other. The Ice Phoenix immersed itself into the flame, and the flame immersed itself into the Ice Phoenix. There was no repulsion, no cancellation; it was like two liquids of different colors permeating each other, then intimately and completely blending together.

Ice and fire... mixed together!?

Simultaneously, the extreme cold and intense heat that had been separated on either side of the Ice Phoenix Shrine also began to merge. The fusion of equally strong cold and heat should have balanced out to a normal temperature due to mutual cancellation. However, Xia Qingyue clearly felt that the space around her was an extreme co-existence of cold and heat, furiously intermingling. The space warped, and her entire body felt incredibly uncomfortable in this completely illogical environment until she activated ninety percent of her profound energy for protection, which offered slight relief.

By this time, the Ice Phoenix and Phoenix Flame in Yun Che's hands had completely merged. The ice-blue Ice Phoenix and the crimson Phoenix Flame had both vanished, replaced by an eerie blue flame resting on Yun Che's clasped hands.

According to the colors of profound flames, the weakest is orange flame, followed by crimson, then blue, and finally purple. However, the blue of the flame in Yun Che's hand was not the bright blue of a typical blue profound flame. Instead, it was an ice-blue, a color Xia Qingyue was intimately familiar with!

An ice-colored flame!

The ice-blue flame flickered and pulsated in Yun Che's hands, its movements growing increasingly violent. Yun Che's hands also trembled violently, as if the ice flame was gradually escaping his control. Finally, Yun Che's entire body suddenly swayed, his face turned pale, and a spray of blood mist erupted from his mouth. The ice flame slipped from his grasp and fell onto the ground paved with Heavenly Profound Stone.

Xia Qingyue's breath hitched, and her icy figure flickered as she instantly appeared in front of Yun Che. Just as she was about to speak, her gaze suddenly landed on the spot in front of him, and she froze once more.

Right where the ice flame had fallen, a perfectly circular pit appeared on the ground, half a chi in diameter and about one chi deep. Its interior was incredibly smooth, reflective like a mirror, as if meticulously polished with extremely exquisite craftsmanship.

Xia Qingyue was absolutely certain that such a pit had not existed there before. The walls and ground were paved with Heavenly Profound Stone, and within the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, even the most powerful Grand Palace Mistress Feng Qianhui could not damage Heavenly Profound Stone. Yun Che's heavy sword possessed astonishing destructive power; even wielding his Royal Profound Heavy Sword with ninety percent of his strength, he could not leave the slightest mark on the Heavenly Profound Stone.

But now, such a startling pit had appeared.

Could it be... that this was caused by that ice-colored flame?

Inside the pit, there were no traces of ice, nor any signs of burning!

"Haha... haha... hahahaha..."

Yun Che sat on the ground, disregarding the blood at the corner of his mouth, and burst into hearty laughter: "Finally... it's a success... hahahaha..."

"What... what exactly is this?" Xia Qingyue shifted her gaze to Yun Che's face, her expression showing unsuppressed shock.

"It's a special kind of fire, and also a special kind of ice. It's a power born from defying natural laws!" Yun Che wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a hand and grinned widely. "However, I've only just scratched the surface; I can barely use it, and I have to endure a massive backlash. But this at least proves that defying elemental rules isn't impossible! And the power it generates is far more terrifying than I imagined."

"Are you saying... you merged ice and fire? Is that truly possible?" Xia Qingyue exclaimed.

"I can, but others cannot," Yun Che said with a wry smile. Despite the backlash, the successful fusion of the ice flame filled him with immense excitement. He stood up, looked at Xia Qingyue, and said, "Consider this my secret. Don't tell anyone about it."

Xia Qingyue: "..."

"How many days have I been here?"

"Seven days."

"Seven days..." Yun Che raised a hand to tap his chin, then suddenly remembered something. He quickly picked up his sound transmission jade, and indeed, there were several new sound imprints from Cang Yue and Cang Wanhe.

"There's only one month left until the Profound Sky Seven Nations Ranking Tournament. It will take you over ten days to reach Divine Phoenix City, even if you hurry. It's time for you to prepare," Xia Qingyue said. Although she was immensely surprised, she did not mention the ice flame again.

"Mmm, I know." Yun Che nodded. "Wait, you said I should prepare... do you mean you're not coming with me?"

"The Palace Mistress won't allow me to participate in this Profound Sky Seven Nations Ranking Tournament."

"Why?"

Xia Qingyue sighed softly, not answering directly: "Come with me to see the Palace Mistress."

Following Xia Qingyue, Yun Che met Gong Yuxian. Before Gong Yuxian could even speak, Yun Che directly asked, "Palace Mistress, why won't you let Qingyue accompany me to this Profound Sky Seven Nations Ranking Tournament? The age requirement for the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament is eighteen to twenty-five, and in the Azure Cloud Nation, Qingyue is the most qualified to represent us."

Gong Yuxian had long anticipated his question. With a calm expression, she slowly replied, "This is not my decision, but the Grand Palace Mistress's."

"The Grand Palace Mistress? What's the reason?" Yun Che continued to ask.

Gong Yuxian looked at him deeply and said, "Yun Che, I know you've always wanted to know the true reason why the Grand Palace Mistress was willing to break the rules to let you enter the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. I can tell you the answer now. Actually, the Grand Palace Mistress didn't lie that day; her only reason for wanting you in the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was your potential and current strength. However, behind this reason, there is another extremely important one: the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's Millennium Calamity."

"Millennium Calamity?" Yun Che exclaimed in surprise.

"The Millennium Calamity is a prophecy left by the Ice Cloud ancestors, foretelling that the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace would suffer a great catastrophe a thousand years later. A millennium has now passed since that prophecy, and the Grand Palace Mistress has gradually sensed the impending doom. To increase our chances of surviving this calamity, she chose to let you enter the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, so we could leverage your power... After all, given your relationships with Qingyue and Yuechan, you likely wouldn't refuse."

Gong Yuxian's words left Yun Che slightly dazed. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Then the Grand Palace Mistress's reason for not letting Qingyue participate in the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament... could it be..."

"Because of your Phoenix bloodline, you have an inescapable enmity with the Divine Phoenix Sect. Four months ago, you severely injured and humiliated the Divine Phoenix Prince, deepening that enmity further. Therefore, your trip to Divine Phoenix City will undoubtedly be fraught with danger, with even the possibility of your demise there, yet you must go. If Qingyue were to accompany you, since you are husband and wife, she would certainly not abandon you if you encountered trouble, thus putting her in danger as well. Qingyue is the Young Palace Mistress of my Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and also the future hope of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. Nothing must happen to her! Therefore..."

"I understand." Yun Che nodded. Hearing this, he fully grasped Feng Qianhui's reason for not allowing Xia Qingyue to participate in the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament. Even with Xia Qingyue's cultivation, she would certainly shine brightly and bring great prestige to the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace across the Seven Nations. However, her presence there would very likely entangle her in the enmity with the Divine Phoenix Sect because of him. He was keenly aware of the immense risks and dangers of going to the Divine Phoenix Nation. If the entire Ice Cloud Immortal Palace were to perish in the calamity, as long as Xia Qingyue remained, there would be infinite hope. But if something were to happen to Xia Qingyue, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace could absolutely not accept it.

"The Palace Mistress's command cannot be defied. You must be careful in Divine Phoenix City," Xia Qingyue said softly.

"Don't worry, if I were so easily troubled, I wouldn't have survived until now," Yun Che said proudly. He performed a simple disciple's bow to Gong Yuxian and said, "Palace Mistress, in that case, I would like to leave the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace today, return to the Imperial City for a short time, and then proceed directly to the Divine Phoenix Empire."

"You want to go there early to scout out the movements of the Divine Phoenix Sect?" Gong Yuxian nodded. "That's good. Being proactive is always better than being passive. Once you're in Divine Phoenix City, you must be extremely careful and prioritize your own safety above all else. Don't forget, if a great calamity truly befalls the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, we will still have to rely on your strength."

"Yes, disciple will not forget his identity as a disciple of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. In these past few months, I have deeply benefited from the Ice Palace's grace, and I will certainly return alive to repay the sect's kindness," Yun Che said solemnly.