Chapter 976: Mu Yizhou

Feng Mo watched helplessly as Yun Che actually broke Liu Hang's foot. Feng Mo, who had just begun to stand, immediately fell back to his knees, his eyes widening in shock, almost bursting from their sockets. He could barely articulate a single word.

Yun Che's words instantly made Liu Hang's pupils contract to pinpricks. The devilish sneer before him, the intense pain in his foot, and the sound of it being crushed, made him realize with terrifying clarity in that instant that Yun Che was the ruthless individual who had crippled the Grand Hall Master's own nephew and then disabled Ji Hanfeng right in front of the Grand Hall Master.

It wasn't just defeat or severe injury; both Li Mingcheng and Ji Hanfeng had been directly crippled, and rumors suggested there was almost no chance of recovery. The viciousness of his actions was absolutely horrifying. And that extremely ruthless person was now standing on him!

It was at this moment that he finally realized something utterly terrifying: how could someone who dared to cripple the Grand Hall Master's nephew be afraid to cripple him as well?! True fear wildly sprouted within his soul. His body, trembling from severe pain, now shivered from terror. He reached up and clutched the Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription on his shoulder, hissing in fright, "Cousin... save me... someone's trying to kill me... save me... save me! Ah!"

Yun Che stepped on his palm, pressing it into the snow. "I'll say it again," he said coldly, "obediently hand over all the Snow Rhyme Grass you have. Otherwise..."

"I'll hand them over... I'll hand them over..." Liu Hang was truly terrified. He endured the excruciating pain in his foot, not even daring to circulate profound energy to suppress his injuries. He shakily reached for his Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription, pulling out four pieces of Snow Rhyme Grass, and with a face full of terror, offered them to Yun Che.

Yun Che, however, did not reach out to take them. Instead, he sneered, "Liu Hang, it seems your ears aren't working too well. I said *all* the Snow Rhyme Grass on you, and you're trying to send me away with just this little bit? Being disobedient like that can have very serious consequences."

"No... no," Liu Hang quickly shook his head in terror. "Snow Rhyme Grass is already scarce. I really only have this much on me..."

"Senior Brother Yun Che," Feng Mo quickly interjected, "As disciples of the Frozen Snow Hall, we only receive one piece of Snow Rhyme Grass every three months. We usually use it immediately after acquiring it. Four pieces is a full year's supply; that's already a lot..."

"Ah!!!!!" Before Feng Mo finished speaking, a sharp scream suddenly erupted. This time, Yun Che's foot viciously stomped on Liu Hang's shin, mercilessly breaking his leg bone as well.

"Now, can you obediently hand over all the Snow Rhyme Grass?" Yun Che leaned down, staring at Liu Hang's face, twisted in agony, and spoke slowly.

"I... I truly only have... this much on me... Even if you kill me... there won't be... any other Snow Rhyme Grass..." Liu Hang's entire body convulsed, every word steeped in profound pain.

"Heh," Yun Che's lips curved slightly. "It seems you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

Yun Che extended a hand, and a broken sword flew out of the snow, gripped between his fingers. The sharp, broken blade slowly lowered, pointing just above Liu Hang's lower abdomen, beneath his suddenly dilated pupils. "I'll help you recall one last time if you have any other Snow Rhyme Grass on you," he said. "If you remember well, that's good. But if you happen to remember poorly, you might just be a cripple for the rest of your life."

Looking at the broken blade less than half an inch from his lower abdomen, Liu Hang's face instantly turned ashen, devoid of any color. He could face others' threats without fear because this was the Frozen Snow Hall, and no one had dared to cripple a formal Frozen Snow Hall disciple. But the person before him... he was someone who had dared to publicly cripple the Grand Hall Master's own nephew! He was a madman who, even after Liu Hang invoked the prestigious name of "Mu Yizhou," still broke his foot and leg bones without hesitation!

"No... no, no... don't... I remember, I remember now!!" Liu Hang was utterly terrified out of his wits. He reached for his Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription and instantly pulled out twenty-nine more pieces of Snow Rhyme Grass. Both his hands were shaking uncontrollably, and as soon as the Snow Rhyme Grass was taken out, it scattered all over the ground.

Including the previous four, there were a total of thirty-three pieces of Snow Rhyme Grass.

Feng Mo's mouth hung open, utterly speechless.

"These... are all of them... truly all of them..." After handing over the Snow Rhyme Grass, Liu Hang collapsed completely, as if all strength had been drained from his body, only trembling pleas for mercy escaping his lips.

Only a small portion of this Snow Rhyme Grass was for his own use; the rest was intended to curry favor with the Vice Hall Master, the Disciplinary Elder, and others... It was the same every year.

"Heh, it seems you've done plenty of unsavory things," Yun Che said. He scooped up all the Snow Rhyme Grass into his hand. With a casual flick of the finger holding the broken blade, a cold glint flashed, and the broken blade ruthlessly pierced Liu Hang's left arm, completely perforating his arm bone.

A pig-like shriek resounded, but Yun Che had already turned away, not bothering to spare Liu Hang another glance, and walked towards Di Kui.

Yun Che's ruthlessness and Liu Hang's miserable state had long since terrified Di Kui to the core. Suddenly seeing Yun Che's gaze turn towards him, Di Kui almost instantly felt his soul leave his body. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, frantically taking out all the Snow Rhyme Grass from his Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription. He shrieked, "These are all my Snow Rhyme Grass... I truly only have this much, please spare me... spare me, I'll never dare again."

Given Liu Hang's miserable condition, how could Di Kui dare to harbor even a shred of hope for leniency?

Yun Che took the six pieces of Snow Rhyme Grass that Di Kui offered, then stomped on his left arm.

"Wuwawawa—" Di Kui clutched his arm, rolling painfully on the snow. Yun Che turned slightly and said sidelong, "Liu Hang, you should learn from your subordinate. If you had listened earlier, you would have suffered less."

Liu Hang lay prostrate on the ground, his entire body convulsing. He didn't even dare to utter a single harsh word, only hoping that this nightmare would end soon.

Yun Che walked back to Feng Mo, who was still dazed. He pushed all thirty-nine pieces of Snow Rhyme Grass into his hands. "This is their compensation to you," he said. "If you think it's not enough, just go and casually break a few of their arms or legs."

A total of thirty-nine pieces of Snow Rhyme Grass was undoubtedly an incredibly vast resource for a Frozen Snow Hall disciple.

He naturally felt immense satisfaction at the consequences faced by Liu Hang and Di Kui. However, beneath that satisfaction, much of what he felt was dread, because Yun Che's actions were simply too daring and ruthless. By now, he even felt a little pity for Liu Hang and Di Kui.

"No, I can't..." Clasping the large pile of Snow Rhyme Grass, Feng Mo was a little flustered.

"I told you, this is their compensation to you. You deserve it, and it has nothing to do with me. Besides, I probably won't even need them," Yun Che said with a smile.

Feng Mo shook his head, urgently saying, "The Snow Rhyme Grass is a small matter, but... Senior Brother Yun Che, not only did you save me, you also avenged me, and all this Snow Rhyme Grass is even more... But, if it's true that Liu Hang's cousin is a chief disciple of the Ice Phoenix Palace, then... then things will be very bad! You must leave here quickly. Just now, Liu Hang most likely already sent a message to his cousin."

"You don't need to worry about me," Yun Che said indifferently. "I am, after all, a formal disciple of the Ice Phoenix Palace, and the Palace Master looks after me exceptionally well. As fellow Ice Phoenix Palace disciples, they can't do anything to me. Moreover, they were in the wrong first; they got what they deserved."

"But..."

"Junior Brother, why did you run all the way here!"

Just as Feng Mo was about to speak, a slightly hurried girl's voice came from behind them.

Mu Xiaolan descended from the sky. She was momentarily stunned when she suddenly saw two people on the snow, one covered in blood and the other rolling and screaming in agony.

"Senior Sister," Feng Mo quickly bowed.

"Isn't this Xiaolan... cough, Senior Sister? How did you know I was here? You couldn't have just happened to pass by, could you?" Yun Che asked, his face full of confusion.

Mu Xiaolan retorted in an annoyed tone, "You still have the nerve to ask! After you entered the Ice Phoenix Palace, you didn't collect your monthly allowance for three consecutive months. Master ordered me to collect it for you and deliver it, but then I found you weren't in your cultivation room. So I had to follow the aura of your Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription to find you here. What exactly happened here? What's wrong with those two people?"

Followed the aura of the Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription to find him? The Ice Phoenix Jade Inscription had this function?

"Senior Sister Xiaolan," Feng Mo, remembering Mu Xiaolan's name, quickly explained for Yun Che. "These two people are from the same hall as me. They tried to snatch the Snow Rhyme Grass I had just received. When I refused, they beat me until I was covered in injuries and my arm was broken. Luckily, Senior Brother Yun Che arrived and taught them a lesson."

As he spoke, Feng Mo also showed Mu Xiaolan his injuries.

"Oh, so that's what happened. Those two are truly despicable. However, Junior Brother Yun Che, your actions were too ruthless. You should have just driven them away and then reported it to the Frozen Snow Hall's Disciplinary Elder. Being so heavy-handed could very likely cause you trouble." Mu Xiaolan habitually lectured Yun Che.

"..." Yun Che pursed his lips, not bothering to respond. Feng Mo's neck recoiled slightly, and he looked as if he wanted to speak but held back.

"You!" Yun Che's indifferent attitude made Mu Xiaolan's cheeks puff out in anger. She turned her face, looked at the bloodied Liu Hang, and said worriedly, "You didn't, by any chance, cripple someone again like you did three months ago... ah!?"

Mu Xiaolan's voice suddenly stopped, and her beautiful eyes widened. "Liu... Liu Hang!?"

"Oh? You know this person?" Yun Che glanced sidelong.

"He... he... he..." Mu Xiaolan's small face completely changed color, and she started to stammer. "He's Liu Hang... one of his cousins is Mu Yizhou of the First Ice Phoenix Palace, and his older cousin is Mu Luoqiu of the Thirteenth Ice Phoenix Palace. He... you..."

"Oh, so what?" Yun Che lightly snorted.

"You, you, you... you big idiot!!" Mu Xiaolan's heart churned with anxiety. She stomped her foot fiercely, wishing she could scold Yun Che relentlessly. "Do you have any idea that his cousin, Mu Yizhou, is the chief disciple of the First Palace! He's the most powerful disciple in the First Palace! He's currently at Divine Soul Realm Level Ten! He's the kind of person who could crush you with one finger! In three years, he might even qualify to participate in the Profound God Convention. His older cousin, Mu Luoqiu, also ranks among the top hundred figures in the Third Palace. They belong to the same prominent family, which wields great influence in the western part of the Snow Song Realm, and they mutually look out for and protect each other in the Ice Phoenix Realm. And you actually... you actually..."

Mu Xiaolan hastily grabbed Yun Che's sleeve. "In any case, let's quickly leave here and find Master first! Otherwise, if Mu Yizhou and Mu Luoqiu find out, then..."

"Heh, leaving now, isn't it a bit too late?"

A voice filled with heavy malevolence suddenly came from above. Hearing this voice, Mu Xiaolan, who had been anxiously pacing, froze instantly, her small face turning ashen.

Meanwhile, Liu Hang, lying paralyzed, heard it like a heavenly melody. He struggled and shrieked, "Cousin, I'm here... Cousin!"