Chapter 558: Big Defeat for Xiaodonglai

The individuals present in the Demon Imperial Hall were all exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced, representing the highest-level powerhouses of the entire Demon Imperial Realm. Yet, none of them had ever witnessed a profound skill being completely frozen. They were all utterly stunned, some rising to their feet in disbelief, repeatedly questioning if they were seeing things.

Bang, bang, bang! As Yun Che charged, the frozen storm shattered like brittle ice. Xiao Donglai, already in a state of chaotic alarm, watched Yun Che rapidly close in. With a flick of his hands, he gripped a long spear, conjured a massive whirlwind, and roared as he thrust it fiercely towards Yun Che. From the spear's tip, the majestic shadow of a Pegasus emerged, its wings spread as it let out a long cry.

Whoosh! The spear pierced straight through Yun Che's figure, tearing only through an afterimage. Xiao Donglai was instantly aghast; with the incredibly keen spiritual sense and perception he had cultivated from his wind profound energy, he hadn't detected at all when Yun Che had instantly repositioned himself. Fortunately, his reaction was swift; he retracted his profound energy at maximum speed, shielding his entire body.

Boom! It felt as if a ten-thousand-ton sledgehammer had slammed into his back. Xiao Donglai's back immediately caved in significantly, and the protective profound energy he had summoned with all his might trembled violently, almost completely shattering. In that instant, he suddenly understood why Jiufang Yu had instantly collapsed, bleeding from all seven orifices, after Yun Che's strike! If he hadn't immediately defended with all his might, this terrifying blow could have severely injured him. This was especially true for Jiufang Yu, who had disdained defending at all and was struck directly in the chest.

Amidst the thunderous roar, Xiao Donglai flew out like a cannonball. He spun dozens of times in the air before barely stabilizing himself with wind profound energy and landing at the edge of the arena. Upon landing, he stumbled and immediately dropped to one knee, his face exceptionally pale. With a gurgle in his throat, he forcibly swallowed the blood that had surged up.

Before he could even stand up, the wind howled in front of him. He looked up and saw Yun Che's cold eyes, now less than ten zhang away.

Facing Yun Che now, Xiao Donglai no longer dared to show even a hint of contempt or arrogance. Gritting his teeth, he endured his internal injuries to gather profound energy, tightly gripping his spear. But before he could fully stand, a profound light suddenly flashed beneath his feet. A massive Ice Phoenix tree burst from the ground, growing at an incredible speed. Within a breath, it had soared to the heavens, reaching the very top of the hall.

The Ice Phoenix Fourth Stage—Ice Phoenix Tree! The Ice Phoenix tree's spreading ice branches and snowy leaves densely entwined Xiao Donglai. He struggled for only a moment before being completely encased in ice. No matter how much profound energy he poured forth, he couldn't move an inch. It was as if chilling air from an icy purgatory surged into his body, making him feel his blood rapidly freezing.

"Good... bye!" Yun Che's lips curved slightly, and he murmured as his outstretched palm slowly opened.

Ping! The Ice Phoenix tree exploded with a thunderous roar, scattering ice crystals everywhere. The temperature throughout the entire hall plummeted, causing even those seated at the very edges to shiver violently. Amidst the fantastical fragments of ice, the completely frozen Xiao Donglai was sent flying like a discarded corpse, without a single struggle, remaining motionless even after he landed.

Silence once again fell over the hall. The crowd, who had been stunned speechless when Yun Che crippled Jiufang Yu with one blow, were now stunned again—or rather, utterly bewildered.

His previous strike, which severely injured Jiufang Yu, had been explained away by most as Jiufang Yu being overconfident and neglecting his defenses, coupled with Yun Che's specialty in immense strength. Ninety-nine percent of them believed that in a direct confrontation, Yun Che could not possibly be Jiufang Yu's match. After all, Jiufang Yu hailed from a guardian family with a ten-thousand-year heritage; in terms of foundation and profound arts, Yun Che simply couldn't compare.

However, the battle between Yun Che and Xiao Donglai was a genuine, head-on confrontation! Moreover, Xiao Donglai immediately unleashed the Xiao family's most threatening afterimage attack, only to be counter-restrained by Yun Che's own afterimage. His full-power storm attack was directly frozen by Yun Che. In his panic, he even drew his weapon, yet was still easily defeated. Furthermore, even the Xiao family's speed, renowned as the best in the Illusionary Demon Realm, was instantly nullified by Yun Che!

In this battle, not only did the two confront each other directly, but Xiao Donglai also fully utilized all his advantages. Yet, he suffered a crushing defeat at Yun Che's hands—a complete and utter rout!

Countless people were shocked, bewildered, and wide-eyed. More than anything, they simply couldn't believe their eyes.

In the Mu family's seating area, Mu Feiyan had risen to his feet, not even knowing when he had done so. Watching Yun Che leisurely walk back from the edge of the arena, his beard twitched violently, and he said, somewhat dazed, "This young man, he's extraordinary, truly extraordinary."

"What profound art is he using?" Mu Yuqing exclaimed in shock. "Such an astonishing ice profound art actually exists in this world, and I've never even heard of it!"

Mu Yubai shook his head. "Hmph, our Mu family has always prided itself on having unparalleled ice profound arts, but compared to this young man... just based on his ability to freeze profound energy itself, our family's profound arts are practically not worth mentioning. Hiss... A Sky Profound Realm practitioner comparable to a mid-stage Tyrant Profound Realm expert, this speed, this movement technique, this deadly ice profound art, and he's also a healer... This young man has far too many secrets! No! I'll risk my old life to become sworn brothers with him!"

"Big brother... is actually... so amazing," Xiao Yun murmured, his mouth agape.

"Husband, is... is this really our son?" Mu Yurou clutched Yun Qinghong's hand, moving from initial nervousness to surprise, then to almost uncontrolled excitement, speaking incoherently. This son, returned to them by the heavens, had given them one overwhelming surprise after another, making her feel as if she were still in a dream. The deep sense of relief and pride brought tears to her eyes.

"Yes... he is our son," Yun Qinghong nodded heavily, his trembling eyes gleaming with profound excitement and pride.

All the Yun family elders were flushed red, and even the three Grand Elders—Yun Jiang, Yun Xi, and Yun He—nodded continuously. As for the Yun family disciples who had previously scoffed in secret and often privately ridiculed Yun Che's profound energy, they were now so ashamed they wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

Xiao Donglai was carried back to their seats by members of the Xiao family. As the Xiao family members looked at Yun Che, their gazes were mostly not of anger, but of shock and disbelief. Yun Che had thoroughly crushed Xiao Donglai in terms of speed and even movement technique, which were the Xiao family's greatest pride. In their shock, they couldn't even utter a single word of anger or accusation.

The Jiufang family members, who had previously expressed various dissatisfactions and indignation over Jiufang Yu's defeat, all fell silent at this moment. They could no longer claim that Jiufang Yu lost because he underestimated his opponent. Jiufang Yu and Xiao Donglai were evenly matched in strength; Yun Che defeated Xiao Donglai in five moves. Even if Jiufang Yu had gone all out, he would have still suffered a crushing defeat at Yun Che's hands!

They had completely and utterly misjudged Yun Che's strength.

No! Yun Che's strength utterly defied all understanding!

In the Tyrant Profound Realm, those capable of challenging opponents one level higher were already considered peerless geniuses. Even the Yun family's incomparably powerful Profound Arcana energy, at its absolute limit in the Tyrant Profound Realm, could only allow one to exhibit strength two levels higher. This was the Tyrant Profound Realm, where the gap between each level was as vast as a chasm, unlike the Spirit, Earth, and Sky Profound Realms, where the gaps were not as enormous and could be easily bridged with exceptional talent.

For a practitioner in the early stages of the Tyrant Profound Realm to rival one in the mid-stages was akin to a myth; throughout the history of the Illusionary Demon Realm, there wouldn't be more than five such instances combined. And for a Monarch to be comparable to a Tyrant Profound expert—no one had ever heard of or seen such a thing. As for a Sky Profound Realm practitioner being comparable to a Tyrant Profound Realm practitioner, specifically a mid-stage Tyrant Profound expert, that was utterly unheard of in all history. If they hadn't witnessed it themselves today, then even if the most respected person in the world had said it, absolutely no one would have believed it.

Yet such a person now stood before their very eyes. Using profound energy at the tenth level of the Sky Profound Realm, he had directly defeated Xiao Donglai, who was at the fourth level of the Tyrant Profound Realm—and it only took him five moves!

No one could imagine how Yun Che had managed to unleash such exaggerated combat power, such an inconceivable leap in levels, with only Sky Profound Realm profound energy. It could only be described as "defying heaven." To challenge beyond one's level, at the very least, one must possess powerful innate talent. Could a person's innate talent truly be that immense!?

Prince Huai's face stiffened. Directly defeating Xiao Donglai was fundamentally different from previously severely injuring an unprepared Jiufang Yu with one strike. Yun Che's profound energy couldn't be faked, and everyone clearly saw his strength. Even Prince Huai himself was now completely filled with shock deep within.

Hui Ran, who had kept his head lowered, finally looked up and glanced at Yun Che. Then he calmly snorted, "Hmph, seems a bit interesting."

"This fellow's strength is quite exaggerated," said Prince Yuanque, the second of the Seven Illusionary Demons, with narrowed eyes and a faint smile. "It seems even Chi Yang Yanwu might not be his match."

Prince Huiye, beside him, had a grim expression. After staring intently at Yun Che for a moment, he suddenly sneered, "This prince actually hopes Chi Yang Yanwu loses to him as well. That way, this prince can personally make a move... and cripple him!"

"Oh!" Prince Yuanque turned his head. "Speaking of which, this Yun Che fellow seems to have ruined your big plans a month ago. This is indeed a rather good opportunity. Heh, this prince thought we wouldn't even get a chance to participate, but unexpectedly this game has suddenly become interesting. I just hope this young man isn't burned to ashes by Chi Yang Yanwu's flames, or wouldn't that spoil your fun, Huiye?"

"Don't worry," Prince Huiye grinned sinisterly. "If he falls into Chi Yang Yanwu's hands, it probably won't be any more comfortable than falling into this prince's hands; that woman is quite vicious with her attacks. While it would deprive this prince of the pleasure of acting personally, it would at least save some effort and keep my hands clean!"