Chapter 977: Strong Confrontation

Bang!!

A towering young man, over eight feet tall and robustly built, with thick, ink-dark eyebrows, arrived, bringing with him a heavy, suffocating pressure. He landed beside Liu Hang, not sparing a glance for Yun Che or the others, and immediately bent down to examine Liu Hang's injuries.

“Cousin,” Liu Hang’s voice was already tinged with a sob. In stark contrast to his previous fear and trembling, he struggled to turn and point at Yun Che: “It was him! He’s Yun Che! He’s the one who injured me like this!”

“Mu… Mu Yizhou!” Mu Xiaolan’s face went pale. She had realized the seriousness of the situation the moment she recognized Liu Hang. She hadn’t expected such a huge problem to appear so quickly, leaving her no time to react.

“Ah! He… he’s…” Feng Mo was stunned on the spot. To a disciple newly admitted to the Snow Hall, the chief disciple of the First Ice Phoenix Palace was like a towering mountain.

Yun Che was silent.

This powerfully built, imposing man was none other than Mu Yizhou, the cousin Liu Hang had spoken of, and the chief disciple of the First Ice Phoenix Palace!

Mu Yizhou extended his hand, hovering it over Liu Hang’s leg. A faint ice-blue glow immediately enveloped it, soothing Liu Hang's injuries. He then glanced at Liu Hang’s shoulder, his brows furrowing even deeper. He muttered, “So ruthless, huh.”

“That Yun Che… he’s a complete madman!” Liu Hang cried out indignantly. “Not only did he injure me like this, but he also…”

“Enough!” Mu Yizhou said gravely. “Aren’t you ashamed enough of yourself looking like this?!”

“No, Cousin, you don’t understand!” Liu Hang said frantically. “Yun Che not only injured me like this, but he also… he didn’t even put you in his eyes! I told him your name and identity, but he didn’t let me go; he almost crippled me, and he even said… he said, ‘What is Mu Yizhou?!’”

“What?!” Mu Yizhou’s face instantly darkened. Whether the other party knew his identity before injuring Liu Hang were two entirely different matters.

“Yes, he… he really said that,” Di Kui, who was nearby, quickly echoed. “Senior Brother Yizhou, our humiliation doesn’t matter, but he not only showed no respect for you, Senior Brother Yizhou, but also insulted you so brazenly. You absolutely cannot let him off, Senior Brother Yizhou.”

“Did… did you really say that?” Mu Xiaolan, whose heart was pounding with dread, whispered anxiously to Yun Che.

Yun Che crossed his arms, snorted, and disdained to reply. He then told Feng Mo, who was behind him, “Feng Mo, you should leave here first.”

Although Feng Mo’s face had turned ghastly pale and his heart was filled with terror, he shook his head with surprising resolve. At that moment, Mu Yizhou slowly stood up, his seemingly calm gaze transforming into a tangible, immense pressure that made Feng Mo and Mu Xiaolan’s hearts skip a beat, instinctively taking a step back.

This was the absolute dominance and intimidation of a strong individual over weaker ones. Though Mu Xiaolan was also an Ice Phoenix Palace disciple, she had been specially allowed entry, and was not on the same level as a chief disciple like Mu Yizhou.

“Yun Che?” Mu Yizhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze dangerous yet tinged with mockery. “I’ve been hearing that name quite often lately. I heard that on your very first day in the Ice Phoenix Realm, you were arrogant enough to offend Palace Master Feng Shu, relying on Palace Master Bingyun’s favor. And now, you dare to show such arrogance towards me, Mu Yizhou!”

Mu Xiaolan quickly interjected, “Senior Brother Yizhou, it’s not what you think. Junior Brother Liu Hang was the one who first…”

“No need to explain!” Mu Yizhou roughly cut Mu Xiaolan off. He naturally knew what kind of person Liu Hang was. However, regardless of the reason, for a profound practitioner whose profound strength was only at the Sovereign Profound Realm, and who came from a lower realm, to dare injure Liu Hang so severely, defying his name—never had anyone dared to disregard him so utterly since he entered the Ice Phoenix Palace. How could he possibly let this go?

“All I see is my cousin now covered in injuries. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

“Aren’t you mistaken?” Facing Mu Yizhou’s intimidating gaze, Yun Che’s expression remained calm. “Your cousin Liu Hang maliciously snatched resources from other disciples in the Snow Hall and injured them. I caught him in the act. As an Ice Phoenix Palace disciple, it was only natural for me to intervene. Liu Hang’s current predicament is well-deserved; he has no one but himself to blame. As Liu Hang’s cousin, if you were to feel ashamed of your poor guidance, sincerely apologize to the junior brother Liu Hang bullied, offer compensation, and then take Liu Hang away to discipline him severely, I might still respect you as a Senior Brother. But instead of feeling ashamed, you’re being aggressive right away and demanding an explanation from us?”

Yun Che sneered, “Heh, you’re right. If you, his cousin, weren’t backing him, how would Liu Hang dare to act so recklessly in the Snow Hall? Ultimately, you’re birds of a feather. If the chief disciple of the First Ice Phoenix Palace is truly of such caliber, then that’s quite a tragedy.”

Yun Che’s words made Mu Yizhou freeze for a moment, and Mu Xiaolan’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest in shock. She quickly pulled Yun Che back and said frantically in front of him, “Senior Brother Yizhou, Yun Che… he… he just arrived in the Ice Phoenix Realm not long ago, he doesn’t understand anything at all, and he definitely doesn’t know your identity. And… and he also has some mental issues, so please, please don’t take his words to heart. For today’s matter, I… I will report it to my master immediately and will certainly give you and Junior Brother Liu Hang an explanation.”

“Hmph, wasn’t I clear enough? Liu Hang brought this upon himself! I put in so much effort to discipline him; he doesn’t need to thank me, but why should I give him an explanation?” Yun Che sneered.

“You… won’t you just shut up!” Mu Xiaolan wished she could kick him away on the spot. Profound practitioners from lower realms, upon arriving in the Divine Realm, were always extremely restrained and cautious with every step. Yun Che, however, seemed to be the complete opposite.

The person opposite them was the chief disciple of the First Ice Phoenix Palace! To be a chief disciple in an Ice Phoenix Palace of the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect was absolutely enough to dominate the entire Snow Song Realm. In the future, he was destined to become a powerful figure whose name would shake the entire realm. Even emperors of the various regions and nations of the Snow Song Realm would have to show him utmost respect.

“He can’t really have something wrong with his head, can he?” Mu Xiaolan groaned inwardly in distress.

“Hehehehehe…”

A burst of rather unrestrained feminine laughter drifted down from above, and a female figure slowly descended amidst the laughter. “A boy from a lower realm, daring to be so arrogant in front of Big Brother? It truly seems he has something wrong with his head, hehehe.”

Hearing this voice, Liu Hang was once again overjoyed and loudly called out, “Cousin!”

“Luo… Senior Sister Luoqiu.” Mu Xiaolan’s eyes widened in dismay once more.

The woman lightly descended beside Mu Yizhou. She appeared to be in her thirties, clad in white Ice Phoenix robes. She was tall and slender with a radiant complexion, her slightly upturned eyes exuding deep arrogance and haughtiness.

Mu Yizhou glanced sideways at her. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw Big Brother rush into the teleportation formation and thought something big had happened. I had nothing to do anyway, so I followed to see. I didn’t expect to find such an interesting scene.”

Mu Luoqiu bent down to examine Liu Hang’s injuries, her brows immediately furrowing. “So heavily injured? What a vicious attack. Little Hang, don’t worry. Whoever injured you, their injuries will be at least ten times worse than yours.”

“Cousin, you absolutely must not let him go!” Liu Hang cried out, his face contorted in pain.

Mu Luoqiu stood up, her gaze instantly turning into two icy glints as she swept her eyes over Mu Xiaolan and Yun Che. “Not only did you lay a vicious hand on someone from our Liu family, but you also dared to speak so presumptuously in front of my Big Brother. Your Thirty-Sixth Palace is truly becoming something else.”

“Thirty-Sixth Palace?” Mu Yizhou sneered. “For centuries, there have only been thirty-five palaces. Our Ice Phoenix Palace isn’t a place just any stray cat or dog can enter. The so-called Thirty-Sixth Palace… it now seems like nothing more than a joke that brings shame upon our Ice Phoenix Palace!”

“How… how can you say that!” These words were not only directed at Yun Che but at the entire Thirty-Sixth Palace, even implicating Mu Bingyun. Mu Xiaolan’s face instantly flushed with anger.

“Did I say something wrong?” Mu Yizhou’s smile grew even more scornful. “Your so-called Thirty-Sixth Palace originally only had you as a disciple, which was bad enough. But now you’ve added another one from a lower realm, whose cultivation is a joke, and who’s a lowly, idiotic fool asking for death by not knowing his place. What else could it be but a disgrace to our Ice Phoenix Palace?”

“Big Brother shouldn’t say that,” Mu Luoqiu chuckled softly. “This young Yun’s cultivation is indeed only at the Sovereign Profound Realm, just as the rumors say, but to be able to injure Little Hang like this, he certainly has some ability. Oh? I recall the rumors said his cultivation was at the mid-Sovereign Profound Realm. It seems the rumors were mistaken.”

“Hmph!” Whether it was mid- or late-Sovereign Profound Realm made no difference to them. Mu Yizhou raised his gaze, his slow, chilling tone laced with menace: “Mu Xiaolan, this matter has nothing to do with you. You can leave immediately. As for Yun Che… heh, don’t worry. He is, after all, a disciple personally accepted by Palace Master Bingyun. Out of respect for Palace Master Bingyun, I will leave him with half a breath.”

“No!” Mu Xiaolan quickly shielded Yun Che, pleading. “Senior Brother Yizhou, Yun Che is just a newcomer; he really doesn’t understand anything. You are a highly respected Senior Brother of the Ice Phoenix Palace, so please… be magnanimous and don’t take his words to heart. I… I’ll immediately make him apologize to you and Junior Brother Liu Hang.”

“Heh, too late!” Mu Yizhou sneered, his hand slowly rising. “Just for those few words he said to me, he won’t be leaving here in one piece today!”

“Wait! Wait!” Feng Mo, clutching his arm, stumbled forward. “Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, this whole matter started because of me. Senior Brother Yun Che only accidentally injured Senior Brother Liu Hang because of me. If you want to vent your anger, just take it out on me, not Senior Brother Yun Che…”

“What are you?” Mu Luoqiu’s gaze flicked sideways. “You have no right to speak here.”

Feng Mo was instantly stunned, unable to utter a word.

“Move.” Yun Che pushed Mu Xiaolan aside with one hand, directly facing Mu Yizhou and Mu Luoqiu. “You want to leave me with half a breath? I’m afraid you don’t have the ability to!”

“Yun Che! You big idiot!” Mu Xiaolan was almost in tears from anxiety. “Senior Brother Yizhou is at Divine Spirit Realm Level Ten, and Senior Sister Luoqiu is at Divine Spirit Realm Level Eight! If they want to deal with you, there’s absolutely… what are we going to do?!”

“Heh, truly a complete fool.” Mu Yizhou didn’t even bother to smile, tilting his head. “Luoqiu, he’s yours. This idiotic profound practitioner from a lower realm, only at the Sovereign Profound Realm, would just dirty my hands.”

“Oh, Big Brother,” Mu Luoqiu turned her face away, saying slowly. “We girls are even more afraid of getting our hands dirty. Can’t you be a little more considerate?”

“Tsk, I don’t have as many hang-ups as you two. My hands aren’t afraid of getting dirty at all.” Yun Che let out a strange, cold laugh at that moment. His entire body’s profound energy suddenly erupted, releasing a crimson profound glow, and he transformed into a swift, unparalleled streak of light, charging directly towards Mu Yizhou and Mu Luoqiu.