by Mars Gravity
Although the distance from Heavenly Sword Villa to this place was far, to someone who was able to achieve top ten in the Ranking Tournament, even if they had ran at top speed, it wouldn’t take much effort. But when Yun Che had come dashing here, he was out of breath and his breathing was unsteady. Looking at his condition, he only had twenty to thirty percent of his usual strength.
Compared to what he was like five short days ago, his recovery speed was almost miraculous and very shocking.
“Yun Che, why have you…” Yun Che had given Qin Wushang a huge shock.
Yun Che waved both of his arms and calmly said: “Rest assured, Palace Chief Qin, my injury is already about sixty to seventy percent recovered and I’ve regained some of my profound energy. Furthermore, this is a rare chance. Forget about me being able to freely move, even if I had to crawl here, I wouldn’t miss it!”
Qin Wushang looked at Yun Che, and helplessly said: “Since you’re already here… so be it.”
“Yun Che, the Heaven Basin Secret Realm is not as its name makes it out to be. It carries significant danger within and you have to be extremely careful, especially with your current condition. Don’t force it.” Ling Yuefeng reminded.
“Mn. Thank you, Villa Master Ling, for the reminder.” Yun Che nodded. He glanced around him and saw Ling Jie and Ling Yun. Ling Jie made a “It’s okay, I’ll protect you” gesture… When he looked at the group of five from Frozen Cloud Asgard, Chu Yuechan had already looked away… Lastly, he took a glance at the people from Burning Heaven Clan and Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress before he followed Qin Wushang through the entrance to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm.
When Qin Wushang and Yun Che’s visages vanished through the entrance, Fen Juecheng couldn’t control his laughter anymore: “The heavens gave you a path, but you chose to barge through hell instead!”
Yun Che was no stranger to the feeling of spatial travel. This was the exact feeling he had when he had entered the Dragon God Trial Grounds. Very quickly, the mysterious feeling vanished and an ice cold air assaulted him. He involuntarily shivered. He opened his eyes and couldn’t help but stare at what was before him.
The bone chilling cold wind blew snow to fill the entire sky. A mirror-like smooth ice field continually extended beyond what he could see and giant mountain range of ice stood erect before him like steep cliffs. Unable to be seen, the highest peak towered beyond the clouds and radiated coldness even in this thick cold climate.
An uncountable amount of hail that had been broken by cold wind pelted down. When it hit the face, it caused severe pain. If people with lower cultivation were to be here, they might have already been been covered with bloody holes just the hail.
“This is the Heaven Basin Secret Realm?” Yun Che murmured in a daze. What was before him was nothing compared to what he had imagined. Looking at the nearby Qin Wushang, it would seem that he too, was shocked.
Behind him, the spatial vortex constantly distorted, and each time it distorted, someone else was sent here. When they opened their eyes, their reactions were even more exaggerated than Yun Che’s. Nobody had expected the legendary Heaven Secret Basin to contain a snow white world.
Ling Yuefeng was the last to enter, and he said furrowed brows: “Looks like we are very unfortunate this time. To have drawn Heaven Basin Secret Realm’s harsh winter climate! This is the worst and most dangerous condition. However, this should be favorable… to our friends from Frozen Cloud Asgard.”
“Yueli, let’s go!” Ling Yuefeng’s words were unable to affect Chu Yuechan at all. Without making eye contact with anyone, amongst the fluttering cloaks, she had already left into the distance. Her figure soon changed into a strip of white in the winter sky, looking at home with the blowing snow.
“Wushuang, Xuexin, you should both travel together. Qingyue, you should travel alone. It’ll be up to your abilities to obtain benefits here.” After a short exchange, Chu Yueli also vanished into the winter sky, following Chu Yuechan.
Ling Yuefeng helplessly looked towards the direction Chu Yuechan left in before floating up and said: “It is time that we left too. Let the younger generation choose where they want to go. They will have to depend on themselves for everything from now onwards.”
Without saying a word to Ling Yun and Ling Jie, he too, vanished far into the winter sky. The regions that the older generation explored could not be compared to those that the younger generation did. The rest of the elders did not object to what Ling Yuefeng had said and had only given at most, simple instructions before leaving in different directions and quickly disappearing from their line of sight. If they had stayed out of concern to protect the younger generation, it would cause more harm than good.
All that was left were the people of the younger generation. Among the younger generation, other than the disciples who had participated in the Ranking Tournament, there were other outstanding individuals… such as Xiao Sect’s Xiao Kuangyu and Burning Heaven Clan’s Fen Juecheng.
All of the sects had left at least three younger disciples and at most five members except the Blue Wind Imperial Family. Therefore, Yun Che was especially awkward amongst the group of young disciples. Him being alone was secondary, because due to his placing in the Ranking Tournament, most of the other disciples were eager to travel with him. But the problem was, due to his injuries, he was only able to display twenty to thirty percent of his strength. Without doubt, the current him was going to be a burden to whomever he went with.
Chapter 251: Jasmine’s Decision
The instant Ling Yuefeng left, Ling Jie took a big stride to Yun Che’s side: “Boss! Whaddya say, let’s form a group! Even though it’s my first time entering this place, my old man has told me a lot regarding this place. Much of it will come in handy, I guarantee that I won’t drag Boss down!”
While he said “I won’t drag you down”, it was evident his real intention was to protect Yun Che. After all, it would be way too dangerous if he traveled alone in the state he was currently showing.
Yun Che was naturally moved by Ling Jie’s kind intentions, but he actually waved him off, and said: “It’s alright. Since this is training through experience, it’s still better to travel alone. Especially you, Little Jie. Though your talent is pretty good, and your sword intent and sword heart are first-class, you’ve always resided within the Heavenly Sword Villa. What you’re missing the most is training through experience in dangerous situations. If you were to travel with me, the results of your training will be greatly diminished.”
“But, but…”
“There are no buts.” Yun Che extended a hand and pinched his chin: “You personally agreed to be my little brother. What, you’re not even going to listen to my first decision?”
“Eh…” Ling Jie, who had an innocent mind and a head not really capable of making turns, was held up by Yun Che’s words. After being confused for quite a while, he could only reply: “Fine. Boss, you must be careful. My old man really wasn’t trying to frighten you guys with his words just now.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of person to die easily. Furthermore, I’m currently wearing the Dragonscale Armor.” Yun Che pinched the corner of his clothes, revealing a sheet of dragon scales, which reflected an icy-cold light. As the reward for placing first in the Ranking Tournament, although the Heavenly Sword Villa was extremely reluctant to part with it, they had no choice but to give the Sky Profound Armor to Qin Wushang while clenching their teeth and resisting the pain. Qin Wushang had given this Dragonscale Armor to him yesterday, and he directly wore it today.
The Dragonscale Armor only had one very thin layer. When one wore it, it wasn’t cold nor cumbersome; moreover, it would automatically adjust itself to fit the build of the wearer. This armor was entirely worthy of being a life-protecting tool. As he had expected, the instant he revealed the Dragonscale Armor, several tens of surrounding gazes filled with greed and jealousy instantly shot in his direction.
Ling Jie turned around and said to Ling Y
un: “Big Bro, Boss said it’s best for me to travel alone, so I won’t go with you. I’ll be leaving first… Boss, you must be careful. Otherwise, my beautiful Princess Sis will be all alone… Aaaaahh! I’m off!”
Ling Jie called out the Celestial Yang Sword, puffed his chest, and walked forward by himself in an imposing manner. Ling Yun nodded at Yun Che, and his gaze seemed to inadvertently shoot towards Xia Qingyue’s location. He walked forward a few steps, finally took a small breath, and walked in front of Xia Qingyue and said politely: “Xia Fairy, would you like to form a group? I came here three years ago, so I’m somewhat familiar with this place. This place is extremely dangerous, but we should be able to handle any dangers if we travel as a group, and we’ll also be able to travel much farther. If we discover any treasures, Xia Fairy will also have the priority in selecting them. How does that sound?”
Not far away, Fen Juecheng and Xiao Kuangyu’s faces both revealed strange expressions. They had also entered the Heaven Basin Secret Realm three years ago, and at that time, Ling Yun had left early by himself, giving no one any chance at all to partner with him. But now, he had actually taken the initiative to travel with someone else, and his words even carried a sense of entreatment.
Only idiots wouldn’t be well aware of his thoughts.
“I thank Young Villa Master Yun for the good intentions, but Qingyue has already decided to travel alone.” Faced with Ling Yun’s voluntary invitation, Xia Qingyue nevertheless directly rejected his offer without any hesitation at all.
The number of people Ling Yun had voluntarily invited before did not exceed five, and this was the first time he had been rejected. Ling Yun’s expression didn’t change; without any more insistence, he nodded: “If this is so, then Xia Fairy must be careful.”
After he finished speaking, Ling Yun also left by himself, and his silhouette rapidly disappeared into the flurry of snow.
Even Ling Yun had been rejected, so Xiao Kuangyu, who had originally been eager to give it a try, also clenched his teeth, and after struggling for a long while, decided to give up as well. As for the other people, not one even dared to go up and try. Even Xiao Kuanglei, who was also the current Xiao Sect Master’s son, could not gather the courage to talk to Xia Qingyue. With the strength she had displayed in the Ranking Tournament, she handily surpassed them by an entire plane. The status of these disciples from the large sects may be exceptional elsewhere, but in front of Xia Qingyue, they couldn’t even bring themselves to lift their heads up.
Disregarding everything else, just on the basis of strength, they didn’t have the qualifications to travel with Xia Qingyue.
The lone Yun Che swept his surroundings with a glance. Without greeting anyone, he casually selected a direction and began walking at a leisurely pace.
“Junior Sister Xia, we’ll be off now. You must be careful.” Shui Wushuang and Wu Xuexin bade farewell, and left together Xia Qingyue nodded; she watched them leave, and accidentally glanced at the direction Yun Che had walked, causing a complicated expression to flash in her eyes. After, she began walking north alone.
The entire world had been covered with snow. The only thing that could be used to distinguish direction was that single icy mountain which reached into the clouds. As Yun Che traveled forward, even though he had profound energy protecting his body, he was still chilled to the point of non-stop shivering.
“Where there isn’t ice, this place is filled with snow. As for that ‘Heaven Basin’, I can’t even see its shadow. And how can this kind of place contain any heaven-quality items. Even if there were any, they definitely have long since been buried under the icy snow… Huff, how cold.”
Yun Che walked for more than an hour. He only saw the boundless plains of snow and snow-filled sky, and nothing worthwhile at all. This was completely different from the rare and exotic flowers and plants, with strange stones and spirit jades aplenty within a scenery filled with high majestic mountains and jungles he had envisioned. Furthermore, after walking for such a long time, he had yet to see even the shadow of a profound beast!
How is this a search for rare treasures, I simply came here to suffer!
“The existence of this little world is really strange.” Jasmine muttered to herself.
“Strange?”
“This little world was indeed made by humans. Furthermore, its level of power is extremely high, and it must have existed for a very long time, so the appearance of a few heaven-grade treasures isn’t strange… What’s strange is that this kind of small world shouldn’t appear in this sort of location, because it’s simply not something that can be created with the strength of this plane.”
“It’s probably something a strong expert left a very long time ago.” Yun Che said without thought. He wasn’t concerned about the origin of this Heaven Basin Secret Realm at all. As he was walking leisurely, he suddenly said: “Jasmine, how many people are following me right now?”
“Four”. Jasmine responded.
“Four?” Yun Che was startled. This number didn’t match the number he had in mind.
“There will never be a shortage of enemies that want to kill you by your side. Have you ever wondered why this is so?” Jasmine said coldly.
“No! These people can’t even be considered my enemies.” Yun Che wagged his finger, and said with a cold smile: “They’re nothing more than a bunch of stepping stones seeking death!”
“Of these four people, three of them should be here to kill you. It seems the other person isn’t; on the contrary, this person might be here to save you.” Jasmine said.
“Mn? Save me? Who is it?”
“You’ll know in a bit.”
Yun Che’s footsteps gradually grew slower. After muttering to himself for a while, he said: “Jasmine, in a bit, I need your help to kill a person.”
“Okay!”
Yun Che froze for an instant, because Jasmine had agreed too quickly. Every time Jasmine attacked, the toxic poison in her body would spread. So, if it wasn’t a life-or-death matter or an opponent Yun Che definitely couldn’t contend against, she definitely wouldn’t strike out. But this time, she had directly agreed just as Yun Che began to open his mouth. Yun Che couldn’t help but feel nervous, and asked weakly: “Eh… could it be that you have some other… additional conditions?”
“Of course I do!” Jasmine’s voice gradually became more cold and stiff: “You should be clear about the state of your body right now. This small world is the perfect place to kill people. You should also be clear about who might try to kill you in this place. Yet you still dared to come here, just because of my existence! I must kill whoever you want me to kill, otherwise, you will die, which means I will die as well.”
“I remember you once said that you definitely weren’t willing to become dependent on my strength. But you seem to have completely forgotten your words. In a lot of the things that you do, when you consider your capability, you will also include my strength within your calculations. When I can use my power, in the entire Profound Sky Continent, it’s impossible for you to encounter any risky situations. The hidden dependency in your thoughts will greatly restrict your growth…” Jasmine spoke every word with extreme seriousness. Her tone of voice was just like a great master, who had experienced countless dangers, instructing a disciple.
Yun Che actually approved of a small portion of what Jasmine had said. For example, this time, he didn’t want to give up the chance to explore the Heaven Basin Secret Realm; if it wasn’t for Jasmine’s existence, he definitely wouldn’t have entered this place in his current state. Contrary to what one might expect, Fen Juecheng was actually of secondary importance. The crucial point was that he had also detected killing intent from Mu Tianbei’s body.
Mu Tianbei, as the Fortress Master of the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, was definitely not inferior to Qin Wushang in terms of strength.
“I’ll help you kill one last person. After, I’ll self-seal my profound strength for a very long time, and focus on detoxifying t
he poison in my body in the Sky Poison Pearl. In the future, you can only rely on yourself for everything you do. Don’t even consider hoping for my help.” Jasmine said coldly.
“… There’s no need to be this absolute, right?” Yun Che’s heart shook: “What’ll happen when I encounter some life-threatening danger I’m unable to withstand? If I die, you will also die. So you’re not afraid…”
“Hmph! After attaching myself to the Sky Poison Pearl for such a long time, the poison has flared up numerous times because I’ve forcefully activated my strength. Up until now, barely any poison has dispersed since I first met you! Rather than suffering through these poison flares again and again, and being unable to see any hope of recovering, it might actually be better to end it all with death.” Jasmine said snappily.
Yun Che opened his mouth, contemplated silently for a moment, then nodded slowly: “Alright, I understand. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly approve of your decision.”
At this time, in the midst of the endless snow, two blurred silhouettes suddenly appeared. Following Yun Che’s leisurely strides forward, these two silhouettes gradually grew clearer.
When he could see the two people clearly, Yun Che stopped walking. He revealed an expression of pleasant surprise, as if he had met an old friend. He jogged over and greeted: “Isn’t this the Burning Heaven Clan’s Young Clan Master and Juebi ol’ chap? What’re you two doing here? For us to meet in this boundless Heaven Basin Secret Region, who wouldn’t agree that this is a beautiful heaven-fated destiny!!”
Chapter 252: Killing with a Borrowed Blade
Seeing Yun Che’s appearance, Fen Juebi nearly laughed out loud. He narrowed his eyes, and edged closer step-by-step with Fen Juecheng: “Indeed, what a coincidence it is for us to meet in this boundless land. However, you don’t look very well right now. You’ve only walked to here after such a long time; it looks like you haven’t recovered much from your previous injuries.”