Chapter 845: Last Hope

With her profound strength fully unleashed, the Empress's speed was incredibly fast even while carrying six people, and they had unconsciously flown hundreds of miles.

At this moment, the Empress slowed down and suddenly asked, "Yun Che has a formally wedded wife on the Profound Sky Continent, and she's also a princess of a nation. Where is she?"

"That's Sister Cang Yue," Fen Xue'er replied. "But she's no longer a princess; she's now the Emperor of the Azure Wind Nation, and she's in the Imperial City."

The Empress turned her head. "Tell me the direction. We're going to the Imperial City first!"

Immediately, the Empress changed direction, arrived at the Azure Wind Imperial City, stormed directly into the Imperial Palace without a single word of explanation, forcibly took Cang Yue, who had no idea what was happening, and then flew straight north towards the Ice Cloud Snow Region.

Today, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was as cold and quiet as ever. Anyone who came here would find their mind calming down, just like the endless ice and snow.

Every woman in the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace held Yun Che in the deepest respect, gratitude, and reliance. Not one of them disliked Fen Xue'er; their affection for her was heartfelt. Their engagement was a great joyous occasion for the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, yet they were completely unaware that the situation had already undergone a drastic change.

At dusk, in the quiet, snowy southern part of the Ice Cloud Snow Region, an extremely terrifying wave of energy suddenly surged. Mu Rong Qianxue and others from the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace were almost simultaneously alerted, and quickly gathered, rushing outside the palace gates.

"Who's there?!" Mu Rong Qianxue sharply demanded, her voice, amplified by profound energy, carrying for dozens of miles. But in the next instant, several figures appeared before them as if teleporting.

Behind them, a hundreds-of-feet-high wave of icy wind and snow surged.

"Senior Aunts and Uncles, quickly take us to the Cold Pond!" Fen Xue'er, holding Yun Che, leaped down from the sky and urgently cried out, without time to explain.

"Princess Xue? And who are they?" Mu Rong Qianxue and the others were momentarily stunned. The Ice Cloud Immortal Palace rarely received outside guests; this had been the case for thousands of years. Although Yun Che was the Palace Master, out of respect for the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, he rarely brought outsiders, and besides Fen Xue'er, he had only ever brought Xiao Yun—and that was for an important reason.

But their astonishment lasted only an instant. They suddenly realized that the person Fen Xue'er was clutching was Yun Che. Immediately, all six were thunderstruck and gathered around him in horror. "Palace Master?! What happened? Who harmed the Palace Master?"

"Didn't you hear me?!" the Empress coldly rebuked. "If you don't want him to die, take us immediately to that place called the Ice Cloud Cold Pond."

"Senior Aunts and Uncles, hurry! Only that place can save Brother Yun," Fen Xue'er said, her voice laced with a sob.

"Quickly, follow us!" Mu Rong Qianxue didn't ask another word. She unleashed her full profound energy, and the moment she turned, she waved a hand, instantly lifting all restrictions on the palace gates. She rushed forward at top speed, and simultaneously, her majestic yet slightly trembling voice echoed throughout the entire Ice Cloud Immortal Palace: "Mu Xuexin, Shui Hanyin, and all disciples near the Cold Pond, heed my command! Immediately lift all restrictions around the Cold Pond. This concerns the Palace Master's life; not a moment's delay is permissible!"

Since their last encounter with calamity, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had re-established numerous restrictions, especially around the Ice Cloud Cold Pond, which was at its core. These restrictions were so powerful that even Fen Xue'er would need a great deal of time and effort to forcibly break through them.

However, from the palace gates to the Cold Pond, all restrictions were lifted by Mu Rong Qianxue and the other five in the most direct manner. As they rushed directly to the center of the Ice Palace, the restrictions around the Cold Pond had already been fully released. Feeling the dense, extremely high cold energy, the Empress directly took Yun Che from Fen Xue'er's hands, instantly teleported, and cast him into the Cold Pond, which was shrouded in white mist.

"Empress Sister, can this truly save Brother Yun?" Fen Xue'er asked, worried and timidly.

The Empress was silent. Then she quietly said, "A year ago, he was gravely injured by Prince Huai's attack and forced into the Sea of Death with me. The Sea of Death is ordinarily fatal to touch, but not only was he unharmed, his injuries also healed rapidly. When I questioned him later, he said that pure flame energy not only couldn't harm him but could also be absorbed by him to quickly restore his vital and profound energy. He also mentioned that it wasn't just fire; ice was the same."

"Although the power density and level of this Cold Pond are far from comparable to the Sea of Death, it truly contains extremely pure and dense ice energy. It hasn't disappointed me too much."

"So, does that mean Brother Yun... Brother Yun is saved?" Fen Xue'er asked excitedly.

The Empress gazed steadily at Yun Che, submerged in the water, her voice cold as frost. "The level of power that injured him is extremely high, and it still remains within his body. My power cannot even dispel that energy, let alone heal his injuries. This mere Cold Pond alone cannot possibly save him. In this Cold Pond, he could still die at any moment. What I hope for is that this Cold Pond can grant him a bit more vital energy, allowing him to awaken once more before death, and then activate the Primordial Profound Ark to return to the Demon Imperial Clan. This is the only hope."

Mu Rong Qianxue and the other five were already dumbfounded by what they heard. Chu Yueli stepped forward and urgently asked, "Princess Xue, what exactly happened? Who—who harmed the Palace Master?"

"I don't know," Fen Xue'er said, distraught. "I was right by Brother Yun's side at the time, and Imperial Father, Grandfather, and Great-Grandfather were all there too, but not one of us knew what happened. I only heard Brother Yun shout, then he pushed me away. By the time I turned around, Brother Yun was already... already..."

The Empress was silent for a long time. Then she said, her voice devoid of emotion, "Tell me everything that happened after he returned to this continent. Tell me everything you know; don't omit anything."

"Mmm," Fen Xue'er agreed without hesitation.

In the Empress, she saw the power that had defeated the Three Sacred Masters, a suffocating authority and coldness. Even when facing Yun Che, who could completely die at any moment, she remained perfectly calm and emotionally unperturbed, so calm that it was as if his life or death held no consequence to her.

However, she also clearly saw that from the moment she first saw the Empress, all her actions, words, and even her almost terrifying composure, were, every single moment, for Yun Che.

Her aura was suffocating, yet it also allowed Fen Xue'er, feeling utterly lost, to find immense trust and even a sense of reliance in her.

The Ice Cloud Cold Pond had existed far longer than the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. It was at the core of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and also the heart of the Ice Cloud Snow Region. Despite being in an extremely cold place, it had never frozen throughout the ages. Its spring water was exceptionally clear, every grain of sand and pebble at the bottom clearly visible. The cold energy it contained far surpassed profound ice. Normally, this was a cleansing and aiding place for Ice Cloud women; immersing themselves in it could calm their minds and soothe turbulent cold energy.

In recent days, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had been on constant alert, day and night, and the Ice Cloud Cold Pond had become the greatest forbidden area. Not only were no Ice Cloud disciples allowed near it, but even sounds were firmly sealed off.

The already cold and quiet Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had been terrifyingly silent these days, shrouded in an unprecedentedly oppressive aura.

One day... two days... three days... seven days... ten days passed.

For ten days, Yun Che's body lay quietly submerged in the Cold Pond. In this pond, even a corpse would remain unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Throughout these ten days, the Empress remained above the Cold Pond, never leaving. Her aura remained continuously linked to Yun Che's body, never deviating for even an instant.

After ten days, Yun Che remained motionless, showing no signs of awakening. His extremely severe injuries showed no signs of healing whatsoever. His last trace of life energy was as faint and fragile as it had been ten days prior, yet it stubbornly clung to his body, never fully dissipating, and painstakingly preserving that final glimmer of hope.