Chapter 605: Fire Awakens in the Sea of Fire

"Integrity and righteousness?" Ling Yuefeng chuckled self-deprecatingly. "In the eyes of everyone in Cangfeng Nation now, my Heavenly Sword Villa has no integrity or righteousness left. Especially the Cangfeng Imperial Family... they've come to despise us, considering us sworn enemies... so what's the point of talking about integrity and righteousness?"

"The hatred born of your injustice, the enmity of your disregard, this empress will remember! If Cangfeng is not destroyed this time, there will be no past favors between Cangfeng and Heavenly Sword, only eternal enmity!"

These words were written by Empress Cang Yue herself and thrown on a silk handkerchief before the Heavenly Sword Villa's gates, after the Cangfeng Imperial Family had sought their help nine times and been ignored each time.

Princess Cang Yue had personally visited Heavenly Sword Villa twice for the Cangfeng Ranking Tournament. The impression she left on everyone was one of gentle grace, like water, and mildness, like wind... Yet, these few dozen words from her now were filled with hatred, each one resolute.

Clearly, their nine consecutive acts of disregard had turned her disappointment into bitter hatred.

Throughout his life, Heavenly Sword Villa Master Ling Yuefeng had weathered countless storms. Yet, when he personally held that silk handkerchief, his face flushed, and his heart was filled with bitterness... A shared oath between Heavenly Sword Villa and the Cangfeng Imperial Family dictated that if one faced a great calamity, the other would offer full assistance. Faced with the impending doom of the Cangfeng Imperial Family, he chose to prioritize the safety of the villa over its integrity.

After all, Heavenly Sword Villa had the backing of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. As long as the villa didn't intervene, the Divine Phoenix Empire would never provoke them. But if Heavenly Sword Villa were to get involved... while it could dominate Cangfeng Nation, what did it amount to in front of the powerful Divine Phoenix Empire?

But selfishness is still selfishness; no matter the reason, it cannot conceal its true nature.

Thus, when Ling Tianni mentioned "integrity and righteousness," Ling Yuefeng's heart was filled with bitterness.

"So, your decision... is to feign ignorance?" Ling Tianni asked, his voice calm and unperturbed, without looking at him.

"To be able to corner Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, their opponent's strength must be unfathomable. Even if my Heavenly Sword Villa went all out, it would likely be useless, would only increase casualties for the villa, and would draw immense enmity," Ling Yuefeng said, closing his eyes. A fleeting image of a figure more ethereal and dreamlike than any fairy flashed in his mind. "Heavenly Sword Villa has reached its current standing through a thousand years of accumulation. Now that I am the master, the villa's safety outweighs everything else... Not assisting the Cangfeng Imperial Family was already a violation of ancestral teachings and integrity. What harm is there in violating it once more? I believe our ancestors' spirits in heaven would surely agree. After all, today's Heavenly Sword Villa is not the sword-cultivating sect of a few hundred people it once was. As the master, how could I disregard the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in the villa for the sake of others?"

"...Sigh." Ling Tianni neither nodded nor shook his head, offering only a long sigh.

"I agree with my husband's decision."

The door to the ancestral hall opened, and Xuanyuan Yufeng gracefully entered. She bowed slightly to Ling Tianni and said, "Father, husband, I just received a tens-of-thousands-of-miles message from Elder Ling Kun, warning us not to respond if we receive a distress call from Ice Cloud Immortal Palace."

Ling Tianni turned his head. Ling Yuefeng frowned, asking, "Does Elder Ling Kun know who is attacking Ice Cloud Immortal Palace?"

Xuanyuan Yufeng extended her right hand and made a subtle gesture. This simple gesture instantly made Ling Yuefeng's expression change drastically, and Ling Tianni's body stiffened for a moment.

"What's going on?" Ling Yuefeng exclaimed in surprise. "Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is far to the north of Cangfeng, with almost no grievances against any outside forces, and no connection whatsoever to them. How could they suddenly... attack Ice Cloud Immortal Palace?"

Xuanyuan Yufeng said gravely, "Elder Ling Kun said he doesn't know the exact reason either, but he confirmed it is *that* force, and it seems to be the young master's personal order! If we actually intervene and ruin their plans... Hmph, you should know the young master's temperament. At that point, even if my father personally intervened, there would be no saving Heavenly Sword Villa."

Xuanyuan Yufeng slightly bit her lip, her voice lowering. In the depths of her eyes, a flicker of satisfaction danced, along with carefully concealed jealousy and hatred. "That Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is full of loose women and harlots, yet they still have the nerve to call themselves an 'Immortal Palace'... Hmph, it would be best if those scourges all died!"

"..." Ling Yuefeng remained silent. With a sweep of his sleeve, he gathered all the fragments of "Ice Chant Glaze" and sighed, "Father, let's just pretend this matter never happened."

Ling Tianni slowly extended his arm. In his palm was a purple sound transmission jade, reflecting several transmission imprints... He didn't need to look to know these were all distress calls from Ice Cloud Immortal Palace.

And the only one in Ice Cloud Immortal Palace who could send him a sound transmission was Grand Palace Master Feng Qianhui.

The sound transmission jade shattered in Ling Tianni's hand, scattering into fragments on the floor. Without turning, and with a surge of sword qi, he vanished from before Ling Yuefeng and Xuanyuan Yufeng, leaving not a single word behind.

***

Far north of Cangfeng, in the Ice Pole Snow Region.

A massive ice-blue barrier enveloped the entire Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. Outside the barrier, twelve individuals were gathered. One of them, a man in green robes, surged with profound energy and struck the barrier with a palm.

Bang!!

Blood splattered. The green-robed man tremblingly opened his fingers... The web between his thumb and forefinger was severely split, and his entire arm was both painful and numb. He took a sharp breath and yelled in exasperation, "What in the world is going on?! How could a mere Ice Cloud Immortal Palace have such a powerful protective barrier... This is impossible!"

"Palace Master, should we call for an elder?" a black-robed man behind him asked.

"Shut up!" the green-robed man roared. "If we, who personally came to this lowly place, still need an elder's help... what face will I have left in the future?"

"No need to rush," the purple-robed elder said relatively calmly. "Although this protective barrier is extremely unusual, it cannot last too long. It will disappear soon enough. When that happens, Ice Cloud Immortal Palace will be ours to do with as we please."

"Hmph!" the green-robed man flung his hand, sneering, "I thought this would be an utterly boring mission. Who knew Ice Cloud Immortal Palace would give us so many surprises! Rumor had it there were only three Monarchs at most here, but it turns out... there are nine Monarchs! And Xia Qingyue, who our Young Master wants, is only twenty-two, yet she's already a Half-step Tyrannical Emperor... She even froze one of my fingers! And now, there's this protective barrier..."

"I've changed my mind now! Once this barrier disappears, all women here, except for Xia Qingyue... will die!"

***

These twelve individuals were completely unaware that high up, ten thousand feet in the sky, a pair of cold, clear eyes was silently watching them... watching Ice Cloud Immortal Palace enveloped within the protective barrier.

It was a woman as graceful as a celestial being. Her figure was shrouded in drifting mist, her face obscured. Only a faint glimmer of her eyes, like a deep spring, could be vaguely discerned.

"This day has finally come," she sighed softly, her voice cold yet gentle, devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Master, are you... going to intervene?" Beside her stood a delicate young girl in blue, who looked at her master's face and asked respectfully and cautiously.

The white-robed woman closed her eyes slightly. "When I left back then, I swore an oath that my karmic ties with this place were severed. Whatever happens hereafter is fate; I would not intervene... A thousand years of peace, perhaps, is enough."

The blue-robed girl bit her lip, then bravely asked, "Then, Master, why did you... come here today at any cost? Master is so kind and soft-hearted; you must still have some lingering attachments, right?"

"Humans are not heartless. Even with an oath in one's heart, how can one be completely without attachment?" the white-robed woman murmured. "After all, it originated because of me... Witnessing its end can be considered a complete severance of these thoughts and karmic ties."

"Master, your disciple is very curious. You clearly recovered your profound energy and memories back then, so why did you leave Ice Cloud Immortal Palace behind before departing?" the blue-robed girl asked curiously.

"...Back then, my profound energy was completely crippled, and my memory was lost. It was the Eternal Night Royal Family of this world who saved my life from the claws of a profound beast. Not long after, the Eternal Night Royal Family was destroyed by villains. Although I later recovered my memory and profound energy, I once harbored thoughts of avenging them. However, I dislike slaughter and ultimately do not belong to this world. Leaving behind Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was a small way of repaying this world..."

At this point, the white-robed woman's voice suddenly paused. The blue-robed girl was startled, then tentatively asked, "Has the Realm King discovered that we left the Snow Song Realm?"

"Yes." The white-robed woman cast one last glance down, then turned away, no longer lingering. "We should go back. Don't tell your older sister we were here. She has always held a grudge about me leaving the Ice Phoenix Divine Arts here."

"Yes, Master." The blue-robed girl immediately nodded. "If the Realm King asks, I'll say we were touring the Cold Star Realm... Oh, Master, are we really leaving now? You could make all these bad people disappear with just a flick of your finger."

The white-robed woman tilted her head slightly, then gently shook it. "This is their destiny. Even if I were to help them escape this calamity now, what would follow would only be an even greater one. Whether they survive or are destroyed depends on their own fortune... Currently, the Star God Realm and Moon God Realm are embroiled in continuous battles, the Brahma Heaven God Realm's movements are peculiar, and the Flame God Realm eyes my Snow Song Realm covetously... Great chaos is approaching. Even if I wished to help, I cannot cause further trouble."

"Let's go back."

"Oh," the blue-robed girl responded, following behind the white-robed woman. Dreamlike mist drifted past them, like a scene from an immortal realm.

"Master, I heard yesterday that Princess Jasmine of the Star God Realm isn't dead... It seems some World-Devouring Beast saw her in a spatial fissure... Is that true? The Star God Realm King's 'ritual' only lacks Princess Jasmine. If Princess Jasmine is truly still alive, the Star God Realm King could..."

"...Don't believe or spread rumors. Matters at the Star God Realm's level are not for us to concern ourselves with," the white-robed woman said coolly.

"Oh, I see. Then Master, where exactly does the teleportation formation you left in Ice Cloud Immortal Palace lead?" the blue-robed girl asked again.

"..." The white-robed woman's voice paused slightly, then she softly said, "Perhaps this teleportation formation will be used very soon... As for where it leads, that depends on her destiny... I cannot decide that either."

***

Illusory Demon Realm, Death's Demise.

The warm currents surging into Yun Che's body were endless, growing more immense and turbulent. They circulated throughout his entire body, finally converging in his profound veins... After a full hundred cycles, Yun Che could barely feel the surrounding sea of fire. It was as if his entire being had transformed into a pure fire spirit body, completely integrating into this world of flames.

And the profound energy in his profound veins had tripled in concentration after these hundred cycles! Moreover, this sudden surge of profound energy contained no unstable elements. Throughout the entire process, he exerted no effort, merely focusing on guiding the flame aura that spontaneously flowed into his body.

Now, if he wished, he could break through at any moment and directly enter the Monarch Profound Realm.

Even Yun Che himself felt this cultivation method was like a dream.

After a hundred cycles, Yun Che withdrew his consciousness. He felt that about three or four hours had passed since he fell into Death's Demise... By now, Monarch Ming and Monarch Huai would surely have confirmed his and the Little Demon Empress's deaths and should have left the edge of Death's Demise. It was time to leave.

As his consciousness returned, Jasmine's voice chimed in simultaneously: "Hmph, you're finally awake. I thought you were so immersed you didn't want to come out."

"Uh... How many hours have passed? Are Monarch Ming and Monarch Huai's auras still nearby?" Yun Che asked telepathically.

"A few hours?" Jasmine sneered, "You've been in this Death's Demise for a whole month."

"What!!" Yun Che's eyes snapped open, and his entire body bristled with shock. "A month!?"