Chapter 666: After the Calamity Ice and Clouds

The sound of thunder shook for a hundred miles, only to be followed by a complete silence.

As the golden light faded, the southwest area of the Azure Wind Imperial City was left utterly empty. Both the Divine Phoenix Army and the massive beast horde had vanished without a trace—no bodies, no bloodstains, no shattered armor, not even a single mark. Only countless dark spatial cracks rapidly shrank and disappeared, twisting into nothingness.

This was the second wave of Divine Phoenix soldiers to arrive today, and their fate was exactly the same as the first.

Hundreds of thousands of Divine Phoenix soldiers were instantly incinerated into ash under Yun Che's furious flames, and an entire seventy-mile radius of space was annihilated into emptiness. The extreme shock from that scene left all who witnessed it unable to fully recover, even now, for what they saw was a legendary, truly world-destroying power!

Such power and such a scene appeared before their eyes a second time on the same day. This time, however, it wasn't Yun Che, but another individual. What remained constant was that both had annihilated sworn enemies of the Azure Wind Nation. This person's angry aura and roars were in no way weaker than Yun Che's earlier explosive fury.

The verdant giant bow in the hands of "Number One Under Heaven" had vanished. He was infinitely shocked but no longer panicked. This "giant's" strength was terrifyingly immense, almost on par with Yun Che, yet he was certainly not an enemy. His hatred was clearly directed at the Divine Phoenix Army, and as he unleashed his power with fury, he deliberately controlled it to prevent harming the Azure Wind Imperial City behind them. Otherwise, even the residual force would have been enough to reduce the southern part of the Imperial City to ruins.

Number One Under Heaven took a deep breath and asked Cang Yue, "The 'Yuanba' you just called out, is that this person's name? Do you know him?"

"His name is Xia Yuanba," Cang Yue said with immense excitement. "He is both my husband's and my junior disciple, and also my husband's close relative."

"Ju-ju-junior disciple?" Number One Under Heaven and Xiao Yun's eyes widened. They could barely believe their ears. "Could he actually be... younger than Big Brother?"

"Yes, he's more than a year younger than my husband," Cang Yue said softly.

Number One Under Heaven and Xiao Yun almost heard their jaws drop to the ground.

In the air, with the complete annihilation of the Divine Phoenix Army, Xia Yuanba's fury finally began to subside after its outburst. He slowly turned around and immediately spotted Cang Yue and Qin Wushang by her side. Though he had awakened the Overlord's Heart and was no longer cowardly, his eyes still trembled, and his eye sockets became slightly moist.

"Senior Sister Xueruo... Palace Master Qin..." he murmured, flying over at full speed. During his time at the Azure Wind Profound Palace, besides Yun Che, Cang Yue had been the kindest to him, and Palace Master Qin had also shown him much care. Seeing both of them safe and sound brought him unparalleled comfort.

*Crack!*

A faint cracking sound seemed to echo from deep within his soul, causing the agitated Feng Hengkong to suddenly open his eyes, his gaze shifting in confusion. He could only hope it was just a misconception.

But immediately, hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by a frantic cry: "Sect Master, bad news! Elder Fifty-Two's soul crystal... just shattered suddenly!"

"Messages sent to Elder Fifty-Two and Commander Han, who was with him, have also received no response!"

Feng Hengkong slowly stood up, his face grim. Less than half an hour ago, Han Xingchao had sent him a message, reporting an unsettling quiet in front of the Azure Wind Imperial City—no trace of Divine Phoenix soldiers, nor any signs of battle. Now, just like the main Divine Phoenix Army, they had become unreachable, with no further news!

What in the world was happening at the Azure Wind Imperial City?!

Ice Cloud Immortal Palace.

Using the Ice Cloud Immortal Soul within his body, Yun Che opened a special forbidden seal and, along with the Ice Cloud disciples, entered the Ice Cloud Secret Realm. There, they placed the ice coffins containing the peaceful remains of Fen Qianhui and Gong Yuxian in the ice chamber at the far end. The remains of all previous Palace Masters of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace rested here.

Murong Qianxue, Jun Lianqie, Mu Lanyi, Chu Yueli, Feng Hanyue, and Feng Hanxue knelt before the ice coffins, with all the other Ice Cloud disciples behind them. They remained kneeling for nearly an hour until Yun Che sighed lightly and said, "Let's go out now and let the Palace Masters rest peacefully. They toiled their entire lives for the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace; they deserve a good rest."

As he led the Ice Cloud disciples out of the secret realm, the sky outside had already darkened. Although the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had suffered a great catastrophe, it was protected by a barrier, and before it disappeared, all of them had retreated into the Ice Phoenix God Temple. Consequently, no fierce battle had occurred within, and the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had not suffered severe destruction.

The Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, subtly tinged by the twilight, possessed a dreamlike beauty, with its reflective snow and crystalline glaze, resembling an ice and snow wonderland. Yun Che glanced at the sky... no messages had come from the Azure Wind Imperial City, so it seemed no other Divine Phoenix forces had attacked.

However, he did not know that the special restriction in the Ice Cloud Secret Realm could not only isolate external auras but also block sound transmissions.

"Greetings, Palace Master!"

Just as Yun Che was about to turn around and speak, the Ice Cloud disciples around him—including the Seven Ice Cloud Fairies—all knelt down, bowing respectfully with lowered heads. He quickly said, "Rise, rise. There's no need to bow to me. Although I'm temporarily serving as Palace Master, you don't need to observe so many formalities with me."

Murong Qianxue said earnestly, "The Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and our very lives, were saved because of you, Palace Master. You are also the new Palace Master personally appointed by the previous Palace Master. Both by sentiment and by reason, we must kneel and bow. From now on, we sisters and disciples will obey your commands, Palace Master."

Every Ice Cloud woman possessed a beauty that could topple nations, yet their hearts were like ice and snow, making them unapproachable. This once made him secretly grit his teeth and bitterly lament that the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was a place that truly wasted heavenly treasures. But now, he had become the master of this Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, with all the Ice Cloud women bowing before him. This feeling was indescribably complex and subtle.

"...Alright, please rise quickly. Consider this my first command as Palace Master," Yun Che said, trying hard to compose his expression.

The Ice Cloud disciples then rose. They looked at Yun Che, their eyes still holding the sorrow of disaster, but they did not show much rejection towards Yun Che as their male Palace Master. Three years ago, when he became the first male disciple in the history of the Ice Palace, it caused confusion among almost all Ice Cloud disciples, including Gong Yuxian. But afterwards, he opened all profound openings for Murong Qianxue and others, achieving six astounding Heavenly Spirit Veins, and he comprehended the Ice Phoenix Divine Art faster than Xia Qingyue. Thus, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace no longer rejected or questioned him, and even their wariness diminished. After a few months, they had largely become accustomed to his presence.

Now that he had returned at the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's most desperate hour, rescuing them from certain death, the power he displayed made it impossible for them not to be impressed. The calamity of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had not been entirely lifted, and Yun Che, possessing power at the Sovereign Profound level, was undoubtedly a powerful protector they had never even dared to imagine before.

After enduring those nightmarish six months, their feelings towards this male Palace Master were now more of a strong reliance that they themselves hadn't even fully realized.

"Senior Aunts, Senior Uncles, and all Senior and Junior Sisters," Yun Che said in a calm and sincere voice, "Three years ago, my entry into the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace as a male disciple already broke thousand-year-old rules. Now, becoming Palace Master is ultimately highly inappropriate and will bring much criticism to our Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. The previous Palace Master passed the position to me out of desperation, so I am only temporarily holding the position. Once I find Qingyue, I will immediately return the Palace Master's position to her. However, please rest assured, I will always be an Ice Cloud disciple, and I will not break my promise to the previous Palace Master... Unless I die, I will never again allow anyone to bully our Ice Cloud Immortal Palace."

The "Ice Cloud Immortal Soul" that Gong Yuxian passed to him contained the important memories of past Palace Masters and most of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's secrets. According to its records, the escape profound formation Xia Qingyue used was a random teleportation array. There was no way to know where it teleported her, or even its maximum range.

He also learned that the purpose of Ye Qingsheng and his group attacking the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was, astonishingly, Xia Qingyue!

This was something that greatly puzzled and alarmed him. Before the age of sixteen, Xia Qingyue had always been in Flowing Cloud City, rarely leaving her chambers; even he, her fiancé, had only seen her a few times in sixteen years. Afterwards, she mostly stayed in the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, rarely venturing out, and the few times she did, she never left the Azure Wind Nation.

Why would the Sun and Moon Divine Hall suddenly target Xia Qingyue?

Could it be that Ye Xinghan was captivated by Xia Qingyue's beauty?

No, that's not right... Ye Xinghan shouldn't have met Xia Qingyue at all!

"Palace Master, what should we do next?" Murong Qianxue asked softly, her icy eyes filled with deep sadness and concern. Even now, they didn't understand why the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, which had always avoided worldly disputes, would suffer such a calamity.

Pairs of beautiful eyes were fixed on Yun Che. This young man, only twenty-two years old, had quietly become their reliance in the face of this calamity. After all, in this world, strength reigns supreme, and it's always been that way.

Yun Che pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's first interrogate that damned person!"

Yun Che extended his hand, and a cold wind swirled, sweeping a black-clothed figure from a distance with a whistling sound, dropping him heavily at his feet.

Ye Qingsheng's profound strength had been crippled by Yun Che, and his meridians severed. He couldn't resist or escape, let alone commit suicide. Under the icy snow, without profound energy to protect him, he shivered uncontrollably from the cold. The extreme chill pierced his body with countless ice needles every second, making his life a living hell. He looked at Yun Che, his eyes devoid of pleading, only fear, yet he couldn't even utter a single simple sound.

Looking at him, all the Ice Cloud women's faces showed anger and resentment. Yun Che stepped forward, too lazy to waste words on him. He extended his palm, and profound energy flew out, directly invading Ye Qingsheng's mind, instantly completing the Profound Spirit Soul-Snatching.

Ye Qingsheng's body trembled, and his eyes quickly lost focus, becoming hollow.

"What is your name?" Yun Che asked calmly as he withdrew his hand.

"Ye... Qing... Sheng..." Ye Qingsheng replied in a voice trembling from the cold.

Yun Che's brow twitched slightly. As expected, it was the Sun and Moon Divine Hall! Although the Sun and Moon Divine Hall was not a family-based power, everyone who entered it had to change their surname to "Ye". He then asked, "Is the sect you belong to the Sun and Moon Divine Hall?"

"...Yes..." Ye Qingsheng answered blankly.

"Ah!!"

The expected gasps rang in Yun Che's ears. The name "Sun and Moon Divine Hall" made all the Ice Cloud women's faces turn pale with fright.

There weren't many powers on the entire Profound Sky Continent capable of dispatching a Sovereign Profound realm expert. Over the past six months, the word "Sacred Ground" had occasionally appeared in their conjectures, but it was always immediately dismissed. For the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and for the entire Azure Wind Nation, the Four Sacred Grounds were existences above the Azure Clouds, like divine palaces. It was utterly impossible for them to have any dealings with the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and even less likely that they would have reason or motive to inflict such cruel harm upon them.

But the name they had just heard clearly belonged to one of those mythical Four Sacred Grounds that one could only look up to.

"Who sent you here?" Yun Che looked directly at Ye Qingsheng and continued to ask, amidst the voices of the women, filled with shock, confusion, and fear.

"It's the Young Master... Ye Xinghan..."

"Ye Xinghan wants you to come to the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace just to take Xia Qingyue away?" Yun Che asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yes... and to ensure Xia Qingyue... is completely unharmed..."

"Why does he want you to capture her? What does Ye Xinghan want with Xia Qingyue?" Yun Che's voice grew heavier.

Ye Qingsheng's hollow eyes showed a moment of confusion, and after a while, he said, "I don't know..."

Under the Profound Spirit Soul-Snatching, it was impossible to lie. Since he answered that he didn't know, then he truly didn't know.

The question that puzzled Yun Che the most remained unanswered. Yun Che took a deep breath, then suddenly said, "Then where did Ye Xinghan see Xia Qingyue? Or, how did he learn of Xia Qingyue's existence?"

"The Young Master... has not met Xia Qingyue... What the Young Master said... Xia Qingyue's name... came from an elder of the Heavenly Might Sword Region..."

"An elder from the Heavenly Might Sword Region?" Yun Che's brows furrowed tightly. "Which elder?"

"I... don't... know..."

Yun Che had lost all patience. He stepped on Ye Qingsheng's chest, placed both palms on his head, and released profound energy, rapidly reading all his memories. A few breaths later, his hands moved away from Ye Qingsheng's head, his expression grim.