Chapter 895: New Debts and Old Debts

Mu Yingchan felt as if a basin of cold water had suddenly been poured over his head, and his whole body stiffened abruptly.

The voice seemed to emerge from shattered space, right next to his ear, yet as the Grand Sect Master of the Skyfall Sword Sect and one of the three strongest individuals in the Azure Cloud Continent, he hadn't detected the speaker's presence beforehand. What was even more terrifying was that although the voice was soft, it contained an icy coldness and murderous intent that seeped directly into the soul, causing the hair on his body to stand on end almost instantly.

He had never experienced such a feeling in his entire life.

"Who?!" Mu Yingchan roared, whirling around like lightning. He then instinctively looked upwards, and everyone's astonished gaze simultaneously fixed on a spot diagonally above Mu Yingchan.

They saw a young man in white hovering in the air, holding a girl in green who appeared to be around sixteen years old. The girl possessed breathtaking beauty and was nestled closely against the man, her eyes showing three parts fear and seven parts peace. They were only a mere ten zhang (about 33 meters) high, yet no one present had any idea when they had appeared there.

Two overly young and completely unfamiliar faces. The girl's profound energy cultivation was only at the third level of the Spirit Profound Realm, while the man had just entered the Sovereign Profound Realm. The three sect masters were all slightly astonished. Emperor Profound Realm practitioners in the Azure Cloud Continent were exceedingly rare, and they knew every single one of them by name. To reach the Emperor Profound Realm at such a young age was absolutely an unprecedented talent, yet none of the three had ever encountered him.

"Who are you?" Mu Yingchan narrowed his eyes. "Were you just speaking to this Sect Master?"

"Sect Leader, he's just an ignorant youngster. Should we drive him away or..." A person behind Zuo Hanshuo said disdainfully.

"Ignorant youngster?" Zuo Hanshuo, however, chuckled softly. "Judging by his life aura, he's no older than thirty, yet his profound energy has already entered the Sovereign Profound Realm. This 'youngster' has quite a background."

"Oh?" Zuo Hanshuo's words surprised everyone except the three sect masters. But it was only surprise; immediately, that person continued, "No wonder his aura is so arrogant. He indeed has the capital to be arrogant, but unfortunately, he's completely picked the wrong target today."

"Young man, you called this Sect Master's hands 'dirty hands.' That's quite insulting." Mu Yingchan playfully wagged his palm. "This Sect Master has lived for seventeen hundred years, and it's the first time I've heard anyone use 'dirty' to describe me. Would you like to try saying that again?"

Yun Che said nothing, nor did his expression change. His and Su Ling'er's gazes were fixed on Yun Gu, barely even hearing what Mu Yingchan had said.

Yun Che's figure flickered, and he instantly passed by Mu Yingchan with Su Ling'er, arriving at Yun Gu's side. Mu Yingchan did not try to stop him; he calmly turned around. From his demeanor, he was clearly very interested in Yun Che's identity, and he naturally misunderstood Yun Che rushing to Yun Gu's side. He sneered, "You truly came for the Sky Poison Pearl as well."

Looking at Yun Gu, who was so close, Yun Che's heart cried out. The drastic change in his character and the greatest madness of his two lives were all for this old man before him. The grace of his upbringing and guidance surpassed the heavens and was deeper than the ocean. He had believed that they were forever separated by life and death, never expecting that they would actually meet again.

Yun Gu's appearance hadn't changed at all, and his aura was still as gentle as the wind. His entire body carried a rich, fragrant scent of herbs, and his eyes revealed a profound wisdom capable of encompassing the world. In this world, many are called great men, and many are called sages, but in Yun Che's eyes, if there was only one true sage in this world, it would undoubtedly be Yun Gu, who was both his master and his father.

Yun Gu was also looking at Yun Che, his gaze sometimes clear, sometimes hazy, as if he was too excited to control himself. Yet, there was no hint of greed in his eyes—at least, he certainly wasn't there for the Sky Poison Pearl. He was certain he had never seen this person before, yet vaguely, there seemed to be an inexplicable, ancient sense of familiarity.

"Brother," Yun Gu advised, "though I don't know why you've come to me, you surely aren't here to seize the Sky Poison Pearl from me. Perhaps you've simply mistaken me for someone else. This place is far more dangerous than you imagine; you should leave quickly."

Yun Che calmed his turbulent emotions, squeezed Su Ling'er's hand, and whispered, "Ling'er, take Yun Gu back to the profound ark first. I'll send Yun Gu up there by force."

Su Ling'er tightened her grip, looked at him for a long moment, and then finally nodded gently. "Big Brother Yun Che, you must be careful."

A ripple of spatial fluctuation stirred by Yun Che's side. Before the surrounding crowd could react, Su Ling'er and Yun Gu had simultaneously vanished from the spot.

Mu Yingchan, Duan Heisha, and Zuo Hanshuo were first startled, then their expressions drastically changed. The three almost simultaneously rushed to where Yun Gu had been, but Yun Gu, both his figure and his aura, had vanished without a trace, leaving not even a hint behind.

"It's a spatial escape!" Zuo Hanshuo roared, angrily turning to glare at Yun Che, his aura locking onto him. "He has some kind of spatial profound artifact hidden on him!"

"To think we fell for this youngster's trick." Mu Yingchan's face completely darkened. Their three overlord sects, with all three sect masters present, represented a power in the Azure Cloud Continent that no one could defy or struggle against, a power that could dominate everything. Yet, they had watched their prey vanish right before their eyes.

"Hehehe, it seems Sect Leader Zuo and Sect Master Mu haven't made much progress over the years. Such a small unexpected incident, and they lost their composure so easily."

Duan Heisha, however, remained calm and composed. He stared at Yun Che, his smile meaningful. "No matter how far Yun Gu runs, where can he go? Don't you think another great gift has delivered itself right to our doorstep?"

"Oh? What does Prefecture Master Duan mean?" Mu Yingchan and Zuo Hanshuo's eyes narrowed, then they understood.

"Heh," Duan Heisha slowly walked towards Yun Che. "Youngster, this Prefecture Master must commend your courage. Of course, the reason you're so bold is because you don't know who we are. Before this Prefecture Master tells you personally, you have one last chance. This Prefecture Master is now very interested in the spatial profound artifact you just used. If you hand it over obediently, this Prefecture Master might overlook your previous actions. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what?" Yun Che's lips curved into a cold sneer. "Duan Heisha, I heard that some time ago, the Seven Star Divine Palace dispatched an elder and a group of disciples to shamelessly slaughter an innocent sect in Fusang Nation, all to seize a coiled dragon whisker. In the end, they all met their retribution and died horribly. I wonder, has your Seven Star Divine Palace found the person who sent them to hell?"

Duan Heisha's expression gradually stiffened, and an elder from his Divine Palace behind him roared, "So you're the one who killed Elder Nineteen and the others!!"

"Preposterous!" Duan Heisha laughed in extreme anger. He had originally thought that Yun Che was so audacious in their presence because he simply didn't know their identities; otherwise, he would have been scared senseless long ago. But now, Yun Che had called out his name directly and even mentioned the Seven Star Divine Palace behind him. He even, in a contemptuous tone, proactively told them that he was the one who had slaughtered dozens of Seven Star Divine Palace disciples and an elder ten days ago! If before, they had merely considered him ignorant and fearless, now the opponent not only knew their identities but was clearly arrogantly contemptuous and provoking their Seven Star Divine Palace!

"Sect Leader Zuo, Sect Master Mu, this youngster will be apprehended by my Seven Star Divine Palace. Do you have any objections?" Duan Heisha's face was slightly green, clearly in genuine anger.

"Apprehending him is fine, but make sure he's alive," Zuo Hanshuo said with a hint of schadenfreude. "Whether it's the Sky Poison Pearl or the spatial profound artifact, once those matters are settled, you can do whatever you like with him."

"Fine, leave him to Prefecture Master Duan. As for this youngster calling my hands dirty just now, I'll pretend I've forgotten," Mu Yingchan said with an indifferent shrug, but his venomous gaze remained fixed on Yun Che.

Seeing the other two sect masters agree, an elder from behind Duan Heisha stepped forward, saying aggressively, "Prefecture Master, allow me to teach this presumptuous youngster a lesson. A mere first level Sovereign Profound Realm cultivator, thinking himself invincible under heaven? How dare he kill people from my Seven Star Divine Palace!"

"Leave him alive, but first break his arms and legs!" Duan Heisha said darkly. As the Seven Star Prefecture Master, he naturally disdained to act personally.

"Yes!"

The Divine Palace elder stepped forward, then abruptly lunged at Yun Che. A majestic aura of an Emperor Profound Realm practitioner unfurled, stirring violent winds for dozens of miles around. "Youngster, kneel before your granddaddy first!" he roared, his outstretched palm now less than three feet from Yun Che's head.

Yun Che stood motionless, his gaze level, his expression indifferent, not a ripple of emotion on his face. Only a faint thought echoed in his mind: "Old debts from previous years, new debts from today—let's settle them all at once!"

Riiiip!!

The Divine Palace elder's palm gripped Yun Che's head. The instant his profound energy erupted, he suddenly found his hand completely empty. The profound energy he released merely tore a long, black mark through the space. Wh-what!? Where is he?! Where is he?!

The Divine Palace elder's heart lurched in shock; he simply couldn't believe his eyes. Before he could recover from his astonishment, a muffled, extremely dull sound suddenly came from behind him. The sound wasn't loud, let alone intense, but it was so dull that it caused extreme discomfort in everyone's eardrums and even their entire bodies, as if something had suddenly slammed into their hearts.

The "vanished" Yun Che appeared like a ghost directly in front of Duan Heisha, the Seven Star Prefecture Master, his right elbow pressed against Duan Heisha's chest. At that very instant, Duan Heisha still wore a grim expression, and even astonishment had yet to register on his face. That dull sound was Yun Che's elbow striking Duan Heisha's chest.

When everyone's disbelieving gazes finally located Yun Che again, he was casually withdrawing his elbow from Duan Heisha's chest. Duan Heisha's entire body remained still. The impacted area didn't even buckle or indent, and his expression hadn't changed in the slightest. Yun Che's speed made them feel as if they had seen a ghost. But seeing Duan Heisha seemingly unharmed after Yun Che's "sneak attack," the surrounding Divine Palace elders and disciples, after their initial astonishment, were about to burst into laughter, mocking Yun Che's overestimation of his abilities. However, before their laughter could escape their lips, they suddenly saw Duan Heisha's face turn shockingly pale, then rapidly shift from pale to dark purple. Immediately after, his entire body, like a wooden stake struck by a strong wind, toppled straight backward.

Duan Heisha crashed to the ground, his eyes wide and unblinking. Large amounts of white foam mixed with crimson blood gushed wildly from his mouth and nose.

"Pre-Prefecture Master!!"

This scene terrified the Divine Palace disciples, shocking everyone present to their core. The Divine Palace elders scrambled forward, but before they could even get close, Duan Heisha's body suddenly trembled.

Whoosh----

Duan Heisha's profound veins and Dantian were like a punctured balloon; the profound energy he had cultivated his entire life transformed into countless turbulent streams of air, gushing out from every part of his body until it was completely depleted.