Chapter 967: 葬神火狱,远古虬龙

"You'll have to ask him," Mu Bingyun said. "After Yun Che left the Ice Mystic Realm, his gaze shifted several times towards my hiding spot. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but after multiple instances, combined with his gaze and overly audacious behavior, the only explanation is that he knew I was there from the beginning."

"Hehe," Yun Che chuckled. "Actually, it's because there was still a trace of the heavenly... *cough cough cough*, a trace of the medicinal scent left on Fairy Mu from when I purified the fire poison for you. Others can't detect this scent, but I'm extremely sensitive to it, so I knew."

The purification power of the Sky Poison Pearl was originally formless, colorless, and odorless, imperceptible to anyone—except Yun Che, who had merged with it.

"..." Mu Xiaolan's lips parted, utterly speechless.

"I see," Mu Bingyun murmured, understanding dawning on her. She looked ahead. "The Thirty-Six Ice Phoenix Palaces are located in Ice Phoenix City, north of Snowfall City. We could use a mystic formation to teleport there, but since it's your first time here, I'll take you by flight so you can get a little familiar with the terrain."

"Master, you're so good to this big bad guy," Mu Xiaolan whispered, clearly a little jealous.

The Snowfall City region was quite vast, containing not only the One Hundred and Eight Snowfall Halls but also numerous places for cultivation, trials, healing, meditation, and secluded training. Mu Bingyun's speed was extremely fast, yet it still took a long time to fly across the entire Snowfall City region.

The further north they traveled, the colder the air became. The pervasive ice and snow pressure grew heavier and more formidable, and the outline of Ice Phoenix City gradually appeared in their sight.

Just then, from far to the south, a thunderous burst of laughter suddenly erupted.

"Hahahaha! Yan Wancang presumes to visit and seeks an audience with the Snow Song Realm King to discuss a grand matter that will benefit both our realms for generations to come. I humbly request the Snow Song Realm King to grant me the honor of an appearance."

This laughter and sound, despite clearly coming from an extremely distant place, echoed like a series of world-destroying thunderclaps right beside Yun Che's ears. His vision blurred, his blood surged chaotically as if boiling, and his chest felt a dull ache. He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Aaaaah!" Mu Xiaolan screamed in fright, covering her ears.

The roar utterly enveloped the immense Ice Phoenix Realm. Space trembled slightly, and the aura below abruptly shifted as countless disciples of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect poured out, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Fairy Mu, what's going on?"

After that voice subsided, it did not sound again. However, Yun Che's dizziness and discomfort lingered for a long time, and his heart was filled with shock.

Mu Bingyun's ethereal figure paused, her crescent brows slightly furrowed, yet her expression and aura remained quite calm. "It's a voice transmission from thirty thousand miles away. It seems he doesn't have the audacity to step into the core area of my Ice Phoenix Divine Sect."

"Thirty... thousand miles away?" Yun Che was so astonished he nearly bit his tongue.

From over thirty thousand miles away... just his voice alone nearly made him vomit blood...

What kind of monsters are all these people in the God Realm?!

"No need to be too surprised," Mu Bingyun said. "This person named Yan Wancang is no ordinary individual; he is the Vermillion Bird Sect Master of the Blazing Heaven Realm. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he is the foremost expert in the Blazing Heaven Realm."

Blazing Heaven Realm? Vermillion Bird Sect Master?

Mu Bingyun gently swept her snow-white hand, enveloping Mu Xiaolan in a veil of icy light. Mu Xiaolan's complexion gradually improved. Mu Bingyun turned, bringing Yun Che and Mu Xiaolan with her again, flying north. "He's here for the Great Realm King. Let the Great Realm King deal with him; we don't need to concern ourselves."

"Oh," Yun Che nodded, then pondered for a moment before quietly asking, "Fairy Mu, it seems you know why that person named Yan Wancang is here."

"What other purpose could there be!" Mu Xiaolan exclaimed, her expression showing deep indignation. "It must be for that flood dragon again!"

"That... flood dragon? What flood dragon?" Yun Che pressed, his face full of curiosity.

Mu Bingyun did not conceal anything, directly explaining to him, "Although the Blazing Heaven Realm and our Snow Song Realm have opposing climates and elemental attributes, they are closely adjacent. The Blazing Heaven Realm was formed because of an ancient blazing vein. Due to the existence of this blazing vein, the density and activity of fire elements in the Blazing Heaven Realm are exceptionally high, and the temperature far exceeds what ordinary people can withstand. However, it is a paradise for those who inherit fire-attributed bloodlines, fire-attributed profound beasts, and practitioners of fire-attributed profound arts."

"The core region of the Blazing Vein is a massive sea of fire stretching nearly a million miles, known as the 'Burial God Inferno'."

Burial God Inferno? Yun Che's eyebrows twitched... why did that name sound vaguely familiar?

"The Blazing Vein of the Blazing Heaven Realm, and the Burial God Inferno born from it, both existed before the Blazing Heaven Realm itself took shape, meaning they are legacies from the ancient era of the Gods. The people of the Blazing Heaven Realm hold the Blazing Vein and the Burial God Inferno in supreme reverence. At the same time, over countless years, they have never ceased exploring the Burial God Inferno. They firmly believe that something miraculous capable of transforming the Blazing Heaven Realm exists at its bottom. However, the Burial God Inferno is a relic from the age of the Gods; it is simply not something mortal bodies can conquer. Even the three great sect masters throughout the Blazing Heaven Realm's history have never managed to reach the bottom of the Burial God Inferno."

"Three great sect masters?" Yun Che questioned. "What about the Realm King, then?"

"The Blazing Heaven Realm doesn't have a Realm King," Mu Xiaolan said, dismissively pouting her lips. "They made their own rule: whoever can reach the bottom of the Burial God Inferno becomes the Realm King of the Blazing Heaven Realm. So, for hundreds of thousands of years, the Blazing Heaven Realm has never had a Realm King, which often leads to internal conflicts over who has the final say on important matters. Hmph, serves them right."

"Oh... it sounds like they have an almost religious obsession with conquering the Burial God Inferno," Yun Che said, stroking his chin. To prefer hundreds of thousands of years without a Realm King rather than abolish this rule, their obsession was indeed deep. "So, what's the deal with that flood dragon you mentioned?"

"That's an ancient flood dragon living within the Burial God Inferno!"

"Ancient?" These two words jolted Yun Che, and he suddenly understood.

"Records of this ancient flood dragon in the Blazing Heaven Realm date back at least six hundred thousand years. This means it has lived for at least over six hundred thousand years! Imagine, an ancient flood dragon that has survived for over six hundred thousand years—even a single whisker would undoubtedly be a priceless treasure, rare to find even in a hundred lifetimes. If they could hunt it down, it would be an unimaginably vast reward."

"I see," Yun Che slowly nodded.

"It seems you've largely understood?" Mu Bingyun turned back and said.

"Mm-hmm," Yun Che nodded. "To possess a lifespan of over six hundred thousand years, this flood dragon must be incredibly powerful. Even if the Blazing Heaven Realm used all its strength, they wouldn't be able to hunt it down. Furthermore, the people of the Blazing Heaven Realm cultivate fire-attributed profound arts. Since this ancient flood dragon lives in the Burial God Inferno, it must be a fire dragon. Although the Blazing Heaven Realm has a great advantage in resisting its attacks, their fire power would be greatly diminished against the ancient flood dragon itself."

"And to deal with a fire-attributed creature, ice-attributed power is naturally the most effective. Therefore, the Blazing Heaven Realm wants to borrow the power of the Snow Song Realm."

Mu Bingyun smiled faintly. "You are indeed very intelligent."

"However," Yun Che furrowed his brow, "since that ancient flood dragon lives in the Burial God Inferno, if it encounters any danger, it could just directly burrow into the inferno..."

"You're right. Within the Burial God Inferno, it is absolutely invincible," Mu Bingyun explained. "Normally, it almost never leaves the Burial God Inferno. However, it is a dragon after all. Every thousand years, it sheds its old scales and regenerates new ones. During this once-in-a-millennium shedding process, it must leave the Burial God Inferno. This is also the only opportunity to hunt it down in a thousand years."

"After realizing that they couldn't possibly succeed with their own strength, they began to consider borrowing the power of the Snow Song Realm, promising to split the spoils evenly between the Blazing Heaven Realm and the Snow Song Realm if the hunt succeeded."

As she said this, Mu Bingyun thought of something and let out a soft sigh.

"Hmph! Those despicable, hateful guys actually have the nerve to come back!" Mu Xiaolan said indignantly. "Back then, Master and the Great Realm King kindly went to help the Blazing Heaven Realm, but... but... it was outrageous! I can't believe they're so brazen. This time, if they dare come to our Snow Song Realm, the Great Realm King will definitely teach them a good lesson."

Yun Che's expression shifted... The ancient flood dragon in the Burial God Inferno sheds its scales once every thousand years. The fact that people from the Blazing Heaven Realm were now seeking the Snow Song Realm King indicated that its next shedding was approaching, meaning the last one occurred a thousand years ago.

And Mu Bingyun, afflicted by a deadly fire poison, escaped to the Azure Cloud Continent—also a thousand years ago...

"So, the fire poison you suffered, Fairy Mu, was from a thousand years ago, an ambush you encountered when you went to the Blazing Heaven Realm to help them hunt the ancient flood dragon?" Yun Che inquired.

"Exactly!" Thinking of the suffering her Master had endured over the years, Mu Xiaolan's small face flushed crimson all the way to her neck with indignation.

"It's a long story," Mu Bingyun said, her gaze distant.

Yun Che had always noticed that regarding the fire poison she suffered, during the time he had been purifying it for her, she never seemed to show much hatred or resentment. Even now, when asked, her eyes still held no trace of indignation; instead, they conveyed an unspoken complexity.

Mu Xiaolan, on the other hand, became furious whenever it was brought up, as if remembering a mortal enemy.

"After all, my sister was the one who accidentally gravely injured his son first..." Mu Bingyun's voice was soft and ethereal, as if she were speaking to herself.

Yun Che: "...?"

It sounded like the inside story was quite complex... But as a minor outsider with no involvement, it certainly sounded exciting.

As long as the gods' quarrels don't affect us mere mortals.

"That ancient flood dragon is extremely terrifying. Its breath is exceptionally poisonous, and its blood is exceptionally virulent, almost instantly fatal upon contact, incredibly perilous," Mu Bingyun paused, then said. "The fire poison I suffered was actually the poison from the flood dragon's breath. However, although the flood dragon is formidable, it's not impossible to hunt successfully. Last time... had that accident not occurred, we might have succeeded. So this time, I'm not surprised that the people of the Blazing Heaven Realm are coming to us again, nor will the Great Realm King be surprised. Moreover, the Great Realm King should not refuse, as the allure of the ancient flood dragon..."

Perhaps feeling she had said too much, Mu Bingyun subtly shook her head. Ahead, massive palaces forged from ice crystals were now close at hand. The cold qi and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here were more than twice as dense as in the Snowfall City region.

"We've arrived at the Ice Phoenix Palace. Let's go down."

Mu Bingyun slightly changed her hand gesture, leading Yun Che and Mu Xiaolan downwards.