Chapter 676: Absolute Deterrence

“However, a confrontation is unnecessary,” the black-clad elder spoke lightly. He raised his left arm, and from beneath his dark, wide sleeve emerged a pale, slender hand. As his palm slowly turned, a fist-sized flame appeared silently, burning quietly in his palm.

This was a cluster of blue mystic flame. Among mystic flames, blue mystic flame is relatively low-grade, belonging to lower realms. Above the Earth Profound Realm, only purple mystic flames burn. This meant that blue mystic flame, let alone to these incomparably powerful Monarchs, could not even harm a Sky Profound practitioner.

However, unlike normal mystic flames, the blue of this flame was a strange ice-blue, resembling the color of extremely dense ice energy. Even more bizarrely, no mystic energy fluctuations could be felt from this ice-blue flame, as if it wasn't a mystic flame at all, but rather the most ordinary, powerless natural fire that could only burn mundane objects.

“You only need to withstand this spark from me, and I will leave immediately, no longer interfering with your Sun Moon Divine Hall's affairs. But if you cannot even withstand this spark from me... then you must retreat immediately and never set foot here again!”

The ice-blue flame flickered slightly in the black-clad elder's palm. His grave voice remained calm, carrying immense pressure, and his tone was not one of negotiation but an undeniable command. The clear subtext of his words was: You are utterly unworthy of fighting me; simply surviving this small flame of mine would count as your victory!

Having achieved the Monarch realm, they were beings at the pinnacle of the world, looking down upon all living things. Never had they been so openly scorned. Rage flared in Ye Shi's heart, and he sneered, “Even the Phoenix God of the Phoenix Divine Sect, possessing divine profound power, would never dare to scorn an elder of my Sun Moon Divine Hall! Aren't you afraid your boastful words will trip you up, sir?”

“Heh heh...” The black-clad elder chuckled indifferently, saying nothing more. He gently pushed his palm forward, and the ice-blue flame slowly floated out, unhurriedly approaching Ye Shi's chest.

The stronger the profound energy and the higher the laws, the denser and more potent the released power naturally becomes. At the Monarch level, even a flick of the finger could twist space in tremor. Yet, as this ice-blue flame flew out, there were still no fluctuations of profound energy. Wherever it passed, space remained undisturbed, without ripple or distortion. Not only space, but even the surrounding natural elements showed no sign of disturbance.

When it was in the black-clad elder's hand, its lack of aura could perhaps be understood as being suppressed by his profound energy. But now, having left his hand, it still carried no discernible energy signature. The only explanation was that this flame possessed no laws whatsoever; it was simply the most ordinary, mundane fire!

There could be no other possibility!

Ye Shi's last shred of nervousness vanished instantly. He was now completely certain that this black-clad elder, who had appeared out of nowhere, was merely posturing. His incredibly powerful aura must have been created by some highly specialized method to intimidate people. That's right! Besides the Phoenix God of the Phoenix Divine Sect, it was simply impossible for anyone in this world to surpass the Saint Emperor, Sea Emperor, Heavenly Monarch, or Sword Master! They had almost been bluffed!

Ye Shi's expression instantly darkened. With a cold sneer, he didn't even bother to circulate his profound energy, simply swatting his palm at the approaching ice-blue flame. The moment his palm touched the flame, he felt not even the slightest sensation of burning. The flame completely vanished from sight, leaving not a trace.

“Hahahahaha!” Ye Shi burst into uproarious laughter. “I thought you were some grand master, but you're just a posturing clown trying to deceive! Hahahahaha, you're absolutely ridiculous!” Still laughing, he turned to Ye Xinghan. “Young Master, Ninth Elder, it seems today we...”

He stopped abruptly mid-sentence, his voice catching. He suddenly realized that Ye Xinghan, Ye Guying, Ye Juanyun, and Ye Xiaoran were all wide-eyed, pupils dilated, as if witnessing something utterly terrifying. And the fifteen protectors behind them... their faces were etched with profound horror, their facial muscles, even their entire bodies, trembling. The further away they were, the more violently they trembled. Their mouths hung open as if to scream, but no sound escaped them in their extreme terror.

The entire world seemed to freeze, falling into a brief, deathly silence. Then came Ye Guying's hoarse, desperate roar, “Your hand! Your hand!”

Ye Shi instinctively turned his head to look at his own palm... Instantly, his pupils dilated more than tenfold, and his entire face turned deathly pale with extreme horror.

Because on the arm he had raised... his hand was no longer there!!

His right hand... had vanished!!

And a cluster of ice-blue flame was silently burning on the wrist where his hand had been... No! It wasn't burning; more accurately, it was devouring! Wherever the ice-blue flame touched, his arm disappeared inch by inch. In the blink of an eye, the flame reached his elbow, and half of his arm had completely vanished from his body.

Throughout the entire process, there was no aura, no sound, and not the slightest pain or other sensation! Not even a trace of burning—not even a speck of ash!

It was as if his arm was being mercilessly devoured by an invisible, terrifying black hole!

And what was being devoured was the body of a mighty Monarch!!

This was a horrific scene that no one had ever seen or heard of, completely beyond comprehension. Ye Shi's pupils dilated to the point of almost bursting. The greatest fear of his life surged upon him in an instant, causing him to let out a hoarse, twisted shriek. He frantically channeled all his profound energy into his right arm, attempting to suppress this terrifying "flame." But when his profound energy touched the ice-blue flame, it vanished instantly without a trace, like a clay ox entering the sea. Far from being suppressed, the ice-blue flame showed no disturbance whatsoever, continuing its unhurried consumption, gradually nearing his shoulder...

There was no pain... not even a hint of it. Yet, watching his own body disappear before his eyes was a terror infinitely worse than falling into hell. His whole body trembled, and he let out arier and more piercing shriek. His eyes, bulging from extreme fear, seemed about to pop out of their sockets, and the veins on his forehead stood out like earthworms.

But no matter how he shrieked or struggled, the flame, as pure and beautiful as an ice crystal yet more terrifying than a devil, continued to burn silently...

“Save... save me...”

*Clang!!*

Ye Xiaoran snatched a long, deep-purple sword from his spatial ring. His body blurred into a shadow, and a purple sword arc sliced through the air, striking Ye Shi's shoulder and brutally severing the remains of his arm, which was still tainted by the ice-blue flame!

However, before the people of Sun Moon Divine Hall could even sigh in relief, they were horrified to discover that Ye Shi's severed arm had completely vanished in mid-air. Yet, the ice-blue flame still persisted, dispersing into more than a dozen clusters in mid-air... all of which then descended back onto Ye Shi's body.

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen holes appeared on Ye Shi's arms, legs, chest, and abdomen, rapidly expanding as the flames spread, gradually consuming his body into utter nothingness.

Ye Shi's horrified screams grew even more piercing. His body twisted in spasms, and his remaining left arm frantically flailed and clawed at himself. But the moment his left hand touched the ice-blue flame, it too began to rapidly disappear. His frantic struggles only caused the ice-blue flame to spread even faster across his entire body, rendering the mighty Monarch's physique riddled with holes.

Among the Sun Moon Divine Hall members present, the weakest were Tyrant Sovereigns, and the strongest were nearing the late Monarch realm. Yet, profound terror was etched on every face, and the Ice Cloud maidens were utterly pale. What they were witnessing was a scene so terrifying that they simply couldn't comprehend it! At that moment, Ye Guying suddenly roared at Ye Xiaoran, “Xiaoran, throw away your sword quickly!”

Ye Xiaoran froze, instinctively looking down, and instantly his soul nearly fled his body in terror. The purple sword in his hand, which had just severed Ye Shi's shoulder, had a tiny speck of ice-blue flame on it. Though just a speck, it had already made the entire sword tip vanish and was now rapidly spreading upwards.

Ye Xiaoran's hand trembled, his mind reeling, but he didn't immediately throw the sword away. This purple sword was Ye Shi's cherished personal weapon, having accompanied him for over three hundred years, and he normally regarded it as precious as life itself. However, in that brief moment of hesitation, the ice-blue flame had already consumed part of the sword, rushing directly towards his hand.

Ye Guying suddenly lunged forward, slamming a powerful punch onto Ye Xiaoran's wrist. The sudden blow was delivered with full force, directly dislocating Ye Xiaoran's wrist and sending the purple sword flying far away. Ye Guying halted, growling, “Are you trying to die?!”

Cold sweat poured from Ye Xiaoran's entire body. If the flame had touched his hand just now, the consequences would undoubtedly have been the same as Ye Shi's! A wave of belated fear washed over him, and he quickly stammered, “Thank... thank you, Ninth Elder, for saving my life.”

By now, Ye Shi could no longer make a sound. Most of his body had vanished, and his remaining torso no longer resembled a human form, disappearing even faster under the ice-blue flame's consumption. Occasional twitches indicated that this Sun Moon Elder, who possessed the power of a Monarch, still clung to a trace of life. But soon, this last breath too faded away... and his entire body completely vanished from that spot!

Not a single trace remained!

Staring at the spot where Ye Shi had vanished, everyone stood frozen in fear and stupefaction, as if turned to stone. A cold wind blew, and they all shivered collectively. A chill thousands of times colder than the wind surged wildly through their bodies, and their entire beings were already drenched in cold sweat.

The Sun Moon Young Master and the Sun Moon Elders were undeniably top figures in the current age. Yet, at this moment, their hearts held nothing but terror; even shock was overwhelmed by the profound fear. This black-clad elder possessed an overwhelmingly powerful aura. They had anticipated that he might indeed possess extreme strength, but they had utterly failed to imagine that his mere action would be so terrifying!

A mere spark had caused a powerful Monarch to vanish from the world without any resistance. The scene they had just witnessed was more than terrifying; it was a power that simply should not exist in the mortal realm, belonging only to illusory myths and legends!

Furthermore, this flame had merely been conjured by the black-clad elder with a casual gesture, without even a ripple of profound energy.

“Sigh...” The black-clad elder let out a soft sigh. “I only intended to deliver a punitive warning, never imagining that an elder of a Sacred Land would directly perish from this mere spark. Has the profound way of the Azure Profound Continent truly declined to such an extent...”

The black-clad elder's sigh seemed to convey disappointment, or perhaps wistfulness. His words implied that he had only intended to warn Ye Shi with this small flame, never expecting that a dignified elder of a Sacred Land would die instantly without any resistance...

In other words... “I knew you were weak, but I never imagined you were this weak!”

“Since the killing precept has been broken... then all of you shall remain here as well.” The black-clad elder sighed again softly, extending his pale hand. A cluster of ice-blue flame, identical to the previous one but more than twice its size, ignited in his palm.

It was still conjured with a casual gesture, without any sign of profound energy being circulated! It was as if this was merely the most ordinary ability for the black-clad elder, not even requiring concentration of power.

Upon seeing this ice-blue flame, the remaining three Sun Moon Elders' hairs stood on end instantly. Ye Xinghan retreated several steps, his face devoid of any arrogance or haughtiness, replaced only by deathly pale terror.