Chapter 995: Tianchi Goddess (Part 2)

Ten feet…Twenty feet…Thirty feet…

Yun Che was descending at a constant speed, and to everyone’s dumbfounded stares, he directly dived to a depth of thirty feet.

Yun Che, his eyes closed in the Heaven Pool, felt the unbelievably heavy cold air as nothing more than a refreshing coolness that soothed him from body to soul. He spread his arms, greedily feeling countless wisps of cool airflow surging into his body, allowing himself to sink freely in the Heaven Pool, so comfortable he almost wanted to fall asleep then and there.

Indeed, this feeling was just like when he was immersed in the Sea of Death in the Illusory Demon Realm, only far more intense.

After all, the strength level of the Netherfrost Heaven Pool vastly surpassed that of the Sea of Death.

And as he gradually descended, the cold air became heavier.

The Heaven Pool's cold air was a nightmare for others, but for Yun Che, this extreme elemental environment, combined with the Great Way of the Buddha, was like heaven.

In this environment, even if he did nothing, his profound energy would rapidly increase!

As he indulged, he unhurriedly sank to a depth of fifty feet, reflected on the light screen, causing mouths to gape wider and wider in shock.

The unusual atmosphere and sounds around him caused Mu Hanyi, who was dispelling the cold, to open his eyes. He immediately saw that the depth Yun Che had reached, reflected on the light screen, was already fifty feet.

Although his speed was very slow, and there was a world of difference between his depth and Mu Hanyi's one thousand feet, it had completely shattered their imagination.

"What... what's going on? This is impossible!" The disciples all exchanged bewildered glances.

As they stared in astonishment, Yun Che continued his steady descent...

Sixty feet…Eighty feet…One hundred feet!

"This..." The elders and palace masters also began to exchange glances.

Mu Bingyun had been steadily watching the light screen. If not for the earlier telepathic message, she would have been equally shocked. Even with prior knowledge, her heart still raced.

One hundred twenty feet…One hundred forty feet…

Mu Hanyi's eyes finally flickered. His recently settled aura became noticeably disturbed. Both he and Mu Yunzhi beside him began to feel uneasy amidst extreme shock.

One hundred fifty feet... At this point, Yun Che finally stopped.

The pause on the light screen made Mu Hanyi gasp, but his entire body was already covered in cold sweat.

None of them could have imagined that Yun Che, who had just entered the Divine Way and previously hadn't even dared to step into the Heaven Pool, could reach such a depth... The shock and disbelief brought by this scene were no less than what Mu Hanyi's previous thousand-foot dive had caused.

Profound energy at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm could actually dive to such a depth. Could his talent, physique, and mastery of laws really be so strong?

In the Heaven Pool, Yun Che had indeed stopped, but certainly not because he couldn't descend further. He didn't even know his current depth; he was simply hesitating about something.

The further down he went, the heavier the cold. And with his Water Spirit Evil Body, no matter how intense the cold was, it definitely couldn't harm him; instead, it would allow him to absorb it to a greater extent... So, what if he reached the deepest part, where the cold was most intense...?

Could it be possible for him to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm before the Profound God Convention purely through this extreme cold, without any further cultivation!?

It's just...

Yun Che's hesitation lasted for several breaths. Finally, he fiercely gritted his teeth and suddenly plunged down with resolute determination.

On the light screen, the blue light, which had been stagnant for several breaths, suddenly surged, shooting upwards like a ray. In an instant, it leaped from one hundred fifty feet to three hundred feet... and in the next moment, it reached five hundred feet!

"Wh-what?!?"

Mu Huanzhi, standing before the light screen, felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. His body trembled violently in horror, and his hair stood on end.

Beside the pool, a wave of throat-ripping cries erupted. Countless jaws dropped to the ground, and everyone's eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets along with the surging light pillar.

Mu Hanyi, who had been sitting on the ground, stood up as if electrocuted, his face stiff, his eyes glazed... as if he had suddenly fallen into an incredibly absurd dream.

Yun Che continued his descent, and far from slowing down, his speed increased, faster and faster...

Seven hundred feet!One thousand feet!!

Before anyone could recover from the shock of the surging light pillar, it had already reached a thousand feet, then pressed straight on, instantly eclipsing Mu Hanyi's originally astonishing achievement.

Two thousand feet…Four thousand feet…Seven thousand feet…

Ten thousand feet!!!

From above the gigantic ice dragon, a blue light suddenly shot down, impacting the light screen. The entire screen instantly disintegrated into blue fragments, leaving only two soul crystals still floating in the air, emitting a faint blue glow.

The Netherfrost Heaven Pool fell silent once more, everyone seeming to have suddenly fallen into a dream. Mu Huanzhi turned around, his pupils visibly and continuously contracting, his voice trembling slightly with extreme shock: "Sect Master, th-this... this this..."

"The victor has been decided; there's no need to watch further," the Snow Song Realm King stated coldly. Her awe-inspiring voice, piercing to the soul, affirmed to everyone that everything they had just witnessed was real and not a dream.

Mu Hanyi slumped to the ground, his face pale, his lips trembling, lost in a daze for a long time. If he had initially lost to Mu Feixue, he wouldn't have been so disheartened; he might even have shown sufficient composure... But at this moment, he felt as if he had plummeted from paradise directly into the Nine Nether Hells, the drop so immense it was cruel.

Mu Yunzhi, beside him, was completely petrified, her lips trembling violently like Mu Hanyi's, continuously, unable to utter a single word.

"But... but..." Mu Huanzhi wanted to say something, yet no words came out.

"What 'but'?" the Snow Song Realm King's voice suddenly intensified, making everyone shiver. "The result of this additional trial is clear. Since Yun Che has defeated Mu Hanyi, his previous offense is pardoned, and he is hereby approved as this King's personal disciple. A full sect assembly shall be held in the Saint Hall seven days from now for the disciple acceptance ceremony!"

"Huanzhi, you are responsible for leading the arrangements for this matter. There shall be no errors!"

Everyone was still processing and struggling to accept what had just happened, yet the Snow Song Realm King had already directly announced her decision. Mu Huanzhi was stunned for several breaths before hastily bowing his head: "Yes."

"Bingyun, for the next few days, Yun Che will remain in the Thirty-Six Ice Phoenix Palaces."

"Yes," Mu Bingyun softly replied. Behind her, Mu Xiaolan was already as dumbfounded as a wooden post.

Just as Mu Bingyun replied, an angry... and deeply helpless voice entered her ear: "This boy, having just received a lesson, is actually still so unrestrained. I truly want to slap him dead!"

Mu Bingyun smiled faintly and responded, "If something like innate nature were so easy to change, it wouldn't be innate nature. 'Evil God' means a perverse god. If he truly carries the inheritance of the Evil God's power, then perhaps his character is also related to that."

"Never mind. Since fate has brought us this far, I will follow heaven's will and accept him as my disciple. I just don't know... if the power within him, and his temperament, will be a blessing or a curse for my Snow Song Realm."

An atmosphere of utter bewilderment permeated the entire Netherfrost Heaven Pool, while the culprit behind it all was still inside the pool. At this moment, Mu Yunzhi suddenly stepped forward, nervously saying, "Sect Master, Yunzhi has something to say... The fact that Yun Che defeated Hanyi is simply too... too peculiar. And besides..."

No one had ever dared to defy the Snow Song Realm King's decision. For Mu Yunzhi to say these words, she was practically using up all the courage she had in her life: "And in two years, it will be the Profound God Convention. If Hanyi were your personal disciple, with your guidance, he would surely bring glory to our Snow Song Realm at the Profound God Convention. But Yun Che... his... his profound energy is truly too weak. Not only will he be unqualified to participate in the Profound God Convention by then, but he might... he might even attract... external criticism..."

After saying these words, Mu Yunzhi was drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse. For this last chance, she had practically risked everything.

"Oh? So you think this King's decision is foolish?"

The Snow Song Realm King's voice was faint, devoid of any anger, yet it startled Mu Yunzhi into immediately kneeling, her body trembling: "N-no... Yunzhi wouldn't dare... Yunzhi spoke out of turn, please forgive me, Sect Master."

"That's good," the Snow Song Realm King said lightly. Every time she spoke, those below held their breath, not daring to exhale. "I thought you were tired of living!"

Mu Yunzhi swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground. Everyone around them bowed their heads deeply, not daring to make a sound.

"Since a result has been reached, today's Heaven Pool Event should conclude."

A heaven-shaking command descended: "Fengshu, Sushan, you two shall wait outside the Heaven Pool. You are not to leave without this King's command. Everyone else, depart immediately and do not linger."

"Furthermore, the matter of this King accepting a disciple today shall not be publicized before the disciple acceptance ceremony seven days from now!"

Both Mu Fengshu and Mu Sushan showed surprise. They were rarely summoned by the Snow Song Realm King, perhaps once every few hundred years, yet this time, she had suddenly kept the two of them behind...

Could it be about some important matter concerning the Cold Snow Hall?

The two naturally dared not ask questions, bowing their heads in unison, filled with trepidation.

In the silence, this Heaven Pool Event, which had surprised everyone, ended amidst a strange atmosphere. Disciples from the Divine Hall and Ice Phoenix Palaces departed the Netherfrost Heaven Pool in an orderly fashion, led by the elders and respective palace masters.

The barrier of the Netherfrost Heaven Pool slowly closed, leaving only Mu Fengshu and Mu Sushan uneasily outside the barrier.

Above the Netherfrost Heaven Pool, the Snow Song Realm King did not leave. She silently gazed at the tranquil surface of the Heaven Pool. No one knew what this awe-inspiring and seemingly emotionless Snow Song Realm King was thinking.

Beneath the Netherfrost Heaven Pool...

Fifteen thousand feet…Twenty thousand feet…Thirty thousand feet…Forty thousand feet…Fifty thousand feet!!

The underwater world, which had been devoid of light, suddenly shimmered with blue. Yun Che's spirit stirred, and he quickly focused his gaze downwards... Less than a thousand feet beneath him, a strangely shaped blue arc of light was clearly visible.

That was...

The Cold Vein!!

The Cold Vein at the bottom of the Heaven Pool that Mu Bingyun had spoken of!!

He had already reached the bottom of the Heaven Pool!!

Yun Che's speed suddenly slowed.

Beneath the Netherfrost Heaven Pool, at a depth of fifty thousand feet, he miraculously felt no water pressure. The cold air here was so terrifying that 'heavy' couldn't even begin to describe it. After all, this cold vein, which appeared to be less than three thousand feet long, was responsible for the extreme cold of the entire Snow Song Realm.

Icy spiritual energy surged into his body like a storm. His Evil God Profound Veins combined with the power of the Wild God naturally had an upper limit for spiritual energy absorption. At five thousand feet, his absorption rate had already reached its limit. From that point onward, as he continued to descend, his absorption rate remained constant at that maximum speed, without any change.

The pool water was clear, and with the blue light from the cold vein, everything around him was visible. Aside from the shimmering blue cold vein, there were no foreign objects in sight; it was incredibly pure.

"Here, even if I do nothing, one year is equivalent to ten years of strenuous cultivation for others. However..." Yun Che sighed inwardly, "at this rate, it's still impossible to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm in two years."

The only possibility he could think of now... was the Snow Song Realm King, whose power was terrifying enough to reach the Divine Master Realm.

With this thought, Yun Che no longer lingered and was about to shoot upwards. Just then, a strange reflection suddenly flashed in the corner of his eye.

What was that...? Yun Che immediately stopped, his gaze shifting towards the source of the reflection.