Chapter 418: Snow Princess

After an unknown period, Yun Che's consciousness slowly revived, and pain surged from every corner of his body. The price he paid to kill Fen Juecheng was far greater than he had anticipated. Nearly half of his blood vessels had ruptured, almost seventy percent of his muscles suffered varying degrees of damage, and his internal organs were riddled with dozens of large and small fissures. Any one of these injuries would have been fatal to an ordinary profound practitioner.

The sensation of pain let Yun Che know he was still alive, and his bodily functions had also begun to recover. Vaguely, he felt a warm profound energy slowly flowing through his body. This was not his own profound energy; it came from someone else. This profound force was gentle and cautious, seemingly intended to heal his injuries while also fearing to accidentally harm him. This careful and unpracticed action indicated that the profound energy's owner had likely never used profound energy to heal someone before.

"Who could it be…?" "Who is saving me…?" At that moment, the image from before he lost consciousness appeared in Yun Che's mind. It was a face of such beauty and purity that it seemed not to belong in the human world. Although it was merely a fleeting glance before he collapsed, it was seared like a brand deep into his soul. Such beauty was unforgettable to anyone who saw it, even for a moment.

Was it a dream… or a painting? No, such peerless beauty could not be depicted, even in a dream, even by the world's finest painter. That dream-like beautiful face caused Yun Che's newly awakened consciousness to become uncontrollably dazed and enchanted, even making him forget the pain throughout his body. Gradually, the warm profound energy in his body slowly vanished, and Yun Che's consciousness once again fell into silence.

After another unknown period, Yun Che's consciousness lightly awakened again, and what he felt was still that warm, gentle profound energy. Over the following period, his consciousness repeatedly revived and then faded. Each time he revived, he would feel the presence of that profound energy—or rather, each time the profound energy arrived, it would cause his consciousness to briefly awaken.

Finally, at a certain moment, Yun Che's fingers on both hands twitched simultaneously. His impossibly heavy eyelids slowly opened under the urging of his will.

What met his eyes was bright light and a clear blue sky. Yun Che's body possessed astonishing regenerative capabilities. As he opened his eyes, he felt the presence of his limbs and body; though heavy, he had a clear sense of control over them. A small amount of profound energy had also gathered in his previously empty profound veins. This profound energy, along with the partial recovery of his bodily functions, was enough for him to perform some simple movements, including struggling to stand up.

Yun Che pressed his palms against the ground, gritted his teeth, and struggled to sit up from the dirt.

“Oh, you're awake!”

A girl's voice came from beside him; it was melodious and tender, ethereal as if it didn't belong to this world. Hearing this voice, Yun Che's soul trembled uncontrollably, and an incredibly wild, uncontrollable desire surged within him—a desire to see the owner of that voice, to see what kind of girl could utter such an ethereal and pure sound.

He turned his head to look at the young girl standing beside him. She was a girl who seemed to have stepped out of a celestial realm. The moment he saw her face clearly, Yun Che's consciousness wavered for a moment; he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing, because he couldn't believe such exquisite beauty could exist in this world. Yun Che searched through all his memories but found no words to describe that face.

The girl wore a lavish red gown, embroidered with soaring, circling phoenixes. This wasn't the first time Yun Che had seen phoenix robes, but hers was more magnificent and noble than any he had ever seen. Both the red and gold gleamed resplendently, as if every thread and every embellishment was crafted from the world's most precious materials. Yet, this phoenix robe was rendered dim and lusterless by her snow-white skin, which was like jade and seemed to put frost to shame. This luxurious attire, which would have stunned anyone else, failed to capture even an iota of Yun Che's attention. His eyes remained fixed on the girl's face, unable to move away for a long time. Especially her beautiful eyes—it was as if all the serene, shimmering azure waves in the world had converged into those dreamlike, ethereal eyes before him, transforming into a poetic, illusory, almost divine charm.

This was the ethereal figure he had seen before losing consciousness, and it was not an illusion, nor a dream. She stood there quietly, her cicada-wing-like eyelashes fluttering, her pure eyes, like clear springs in an empty mountain, watched him with both joy and a hint of nervousness. A gentle breeze softly lifted the hem of her skirt; that simple grace was beyond the description of even the world's most beautiful poems.

She appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, her dreamlike exquisite beauty imbued with a delicate, youthful innocence. Perhaps in terms of bearing, she couldn't compare to Xia Qingyue, but when it came to the refinement and perfection of her features, even Xia Qingyue, widely acclaimed as the number one fairy of Cangfeng, would fall short. Among all the women Yun Che had encountered in his two lives, in terms of beauty, only Jasmine, who did not belong to this world, could rival her. It was as if heaven had bestowed all its favoritism upon this face, upon this fairy-like girl.

If he were merely a mortal, he was certain his soul would have been completely lost. But he was no ordinary person after all. Across the entire Profound Sky Continent, it was unlikely there would ever be another person whose beauty alone could captivate him to such an extent. He quickly averted his gaze, bowed his head slightly, and calmed his inner turmoil. When he looked up again, her angelic face was still indescribably beautiful, but he no longer lost himself.

He parted his dry lips, his voice hoarse and strained: “Did… you save me…?”

“Hmm… I think so.” The girl's petal-like lips curved slightly as she spoke with an uncertain tone: “It's my first time trying to save someone, so I didn't really know what to do. For many days, I was wondering whether to tell my Imperial Father, but it's good that you woke up. Oh, by the way, what's your name? Which elder are you a disciple of, and why did you fall from Phoenix Ledge?”

The two words “Imperial Father” that the girl uttered casually made Yun Che's heart tremble violently. Imperial Father… An extremely lavish phoenix robe… An age of fifteen or sixteen… And a beauty so profound it seemed unreal… Could it be that she was the “Snow Princess” that Hua Minghai had spoken of, the one known as the most beautiful woman in the Profound Sky Continent!?

Back then, when Hua Minghai had exaggeratedly told him about the “Snow Princess,” he had been dismissive. However, the girl before him—her beauty truly and completely deserved the title of “Most Beautiful Woman in the Profound Sky Continent.” But if she truly was the Snow Princess, the Phoenix Divine Sect's most precious jewel, a heaven-sent treasure of the entire Divine Phoenix Empire, then why was she here? She mentioned “many days,” meaning he had been unconscious for several days, and she had been here all that time! What was going on? What was his current situation?

Yun Che's mind raced, various possibilities flashing through his thoughts. He shifted his body and spoke with a hint of apprehension in his sincerity: “My name is Feng Lingyun. I am a disciple of the Nineteenth Elder. I was training alone in the Phoenix Mountain Range when I encountered a terrifying profound beast and was forced down from Phoenix Ledge. Thank you, Snow Princess, for saving my life.”

The girl's eyes were clear and flawless, shining brightly like stars. Facing such a pair of beautiful eyes, and from the girl who had saved him, lying certainly felt like a great sin. However, no matter what, his top priority, gravely injured as he was, was to survive. He knew that the reason the girl had saved him, and had no defenses against him, was because he possessed the same phoenix aura as her.

“Oh, is that so…?” The Snow Princess tilted her beautiful head a little innocently, then her delicate brows curved, and she chuckled softly: “It's just as Imperial Father said, you recognized me right away. Imperial Father said that even though I've met very few people in the sect, all our clansmen can recognize me instantly, even if they've never seen me before.”

The girl's smile was so pure, like celestial music from the clouds, almost enough to cleanse even the most sinful heart in the world. Yun Che opened his mouth and spoke: “Your Royal Highness is the most beautiful woman in the world; no one who sees the Snow Princess could ever mistake her… Where is this place? Have I… disturbed Your Royal Highness's cultivation?”

“This is Phoenix Perch Valley; it's where I've played since I was a child.” The Snow Princess had no defenses against Yun Che at all, answering him very naturally. Perhaps his phoenix bloodline served as the best evidence, or perhaps she was simply so pure that she had never encountered evil and thus never had any defenses: “My Imperial Father has been very busy lately, and he was afraid I might be harmed by others, so he sent me here to focus on cultivating the World Ode of the Phoenix. Normally, no one is allowed to enter this place except for Imperial Father and me. You're the first one, you know.”

“Then, Your Royal Highness, why didn't you tell… the Sect Master about me? Are you not afraid that I… am a bad person?” Yun Che covered his chest with his hand, trying to soothe his injuries as he spoke.

“I did think about telling Imperial Father,” the girl said, slightly twitching her exquisite, jade-like nose. “But if Imperial Father knew, he would definitely kill you. You fell from up there and were already so badly injured; if Imperial Father killed you, that would be too pitiful, and Little White would be sad too. A bad person?… You are like me, a phoenix descendant; how could you be a bad person? Besides, Little White is so beautiful and gentle; its master couldn't possibly be a bad person.”

What saved Yun Che was not just her profound energy, but also her tender heart—even though he had intruded into her exclusive territory in a very sudden manner. But… Little White? What did that mean?

From nearby, a somewhat weak but still clear cry rang out. At this sound, the Snow Princess let out a soft “Ah,” turned around, and her elf-like figure lightly ran towards a snow-white, magnificent shadow: “Little White, your injuries aren't healed yet, you mustn't move around carelessly, or you won't be a good boy… Even if you see your master wake up, you mustn't move around recklessly.”

Less than ten zhang behind Yun Che, a Snow Phoenix Beast rested on the ground, its wings spread. The bloodstains on them had been thoroughly cleaned, leaving no trace. The Snow Princess stood beside it, gently stroking its soft, cool snow-feathers with her pure white hands, making it quietly calm down from its agitation and carefully retract its wings.

Yun Che's face was filled with surprise. It was the Snow Phoenix Beast! It was actually unharmed! Falling from such a height, his own body could barely withstand it. The Snow Phoenix Beast had been unconscious during its descent, unable to use its levitation or defensive abilities. Plummeting straight down from that height, it should have been utterly shattered, yet it clearly appeared to be much less injured than he was.

Could it be that this girl had saved it before it hit the ground? In that case, the “Little White” she spoke of was… the Snow Phoenix Beast, Little Chan!?