by Mars Gravity
Yun Che inhaled deeply before closing his eyes in regret. “I owe you my life, Master. When Master awakens, you will surely be angered beyond imagination upon learning what I have done… disciple can no longer face you. It is only natural that you would wish to sentence me to death. However, I cannot die now, for I still have an important wish to fulfill…
When disciple has fulfilled his wish, he will surely return to Master’s side and allow you to punish him however you wish.”
Yun Che bent his body and kowtowed quietly three times before Mu Xuanyin.
Then, he moved to Mu Xuanyin’s side before carefully and gently setting her clothes to order. After stroking the disheveled hair before her forehead with his fingers, he gently lifted her in his arms and walked out of the world of the Primordial Profound Ark.
He had to deliver Mu Xuanyin safely back to the Snow Song Realm before his departure.
——————————————
Vermillion Bird Sect’s main hall.
After Mu Bingyun and Mu Huanzhi arrived at the Flame God Realm, they immediately visited the Vermillion Bird Sect. They waited for a very, very long time before someone finally came to greet them… and it wasn’t one, but three people.
The Vermillion Bird sect master, Yan Wancang, the Phoenix sect master, Yan Juehai, and the Golden Crow sect master, Huo Rulie.
Mu Huanzhi was obviously caught off guard to find all three sect masters showing up at once. He immediately said with a bit of panic, “Mu Huanzhi of Divine Ice Phoenix Sect hereby greets the three sect masters. Haha, I must admit that I was not expecting to meet Sect Master Yan and Sect Master Huo here, what a coincidence.”
“Ah… you are too kind, Brother Huanzhi,” Yan Juehai said. All three sect masters were wearing extremely unnatural expressions on their faces.
They hadn’t yet sent word to the Snow Song Realm to inform them that Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che had “perished” in the Inferno Prison. That was because they hadn’t figured how to account for everything that had happened. Yan Wancang had been troubling himself over this since he returned from the God Burying Inferno Prison but he wasn’t able to find a solution even to this day. Then, he suddenly received the notice that Mu Huanzhi and Mu Bingyun had shown up at the Vermillion Bird Sect.
Whatever his reasons might be, there was no hiding the news of Mu Xuanyin’s death now that those two were already here. Anxious, he didn’t dare to meet the two alone and hastily called over Yan Juehai and Huo Rulie as well.
Mu Huanzhi was a little overwhelmed to find all three sect masters present and welcoming them with unbelievable courtesy but Mu Bingyun felt her heart sink at their abnormal reaction. She stepped forward and asked coldly, “Shouldn’t you all be at the God Burying Inferno Prison right now? Where’s my sister? Where is she?”
Her question immediately awakened Mu Huanzhi to realization in a flash. His expression changed. It was the horned dragon’s ecdysis period, so all three sect masters should be hanging out around the God Burying Inferno Prison. The fact that they had returned meant that the horned dragon hunt should be over already… but the problem was that they had still heard nothing from Mu Xuanyin!
“We…” The matter regarding Mu Xuanyin was too big, so big that none of the three sect masters knew how or where to start. Yan Juehai forced a smile to his face and said, “It’s a, it’s a long story…”
The fact that a sect master was humming and hawing immediately magnified the anxiety in Mu Bingyun’s heart a hundred fold. The coldness in her voice was completely drained, leaving behind only abject fear. “Where is my sister?… Speak, tell me now!”
“Palace Master Bingyun, please, calm down for a moment.” Yan Wancang let out a soft sigh.
“Alright, enough! I’ll say it!” Huo Rulie could hold it no longer as he strode forward and revealed the bad news frankly, “Mu Xuanyin perished during the battle against the ancient horned dragon yesterday!”
“What… what did you say!?” Mu Huanzhi trembled like a leaf in the wind. For an instant, he looked shocked enough to lose his soul.
“...” Mu Bingyun stared coldly at Huo Rulie. A long time later, she muttered, “Im… possi… ble…”
“Yes! Yes, that’s… impossible. Impossible.” Mu Huanzhi shook his head in panic, “How could a mere horned dragon harm our great sect master? Impossible, it’s… absolutely impossible. Sect Master Huo, if this is a joke it’s not… funny, you hear?”
“I know you can’t believe this but it is the truth!” Huo Rulie said in a heavy tone, “Of course a mere ancient horned dragon could not have harmed your sect master but no one could’ve imagined that there was not one but two horned dragons in the God Burying Inferno Prison all this time. She was ambushed and dealt a grievous blow by the two dragons and she wasn’t able to escape because both dragons did their best to keep her down. In the end…”
“...” Mu Bingyun neither moved nor spoke a word. Her face swiftly turned deathly pale as she looked like she was about to collapse on the spot.
“How could this be… impossible… impossible…” Mu Huanzhi slumped on his chair as the world spiraled all around him. He muttered incomprehensible things again and again with blank eyes as if a demon had suddenly possessed him.
If Mu Xuanyin truly was gone, then it was a gigantic disaster for Divine Ice Phoenix Sect and the entire Snow Song Realm… one on a scale that none dared to imagine.
“I… I… I refuse to believe this…” Mu Bingyun said in a slow and calm tone through quiet lips but the darkness behind those words cast a heavy burden upon everyone’s heart and soul.
“We, the Flame God Realm, are at fault in this matter,” Huo Rulie said. “Do not worry. We will compensate you for our mistake.”
“Compensate?” Mu Bingyun whispered monotonously, “Can you return me… my sister…?”
Huo Rulie was immediately silenced. Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai looked even more clueless as to what kind of a response they should give. Mu Bingyun didn’t yell at them, did not go on a rampage, or put on a suffering appearance, but the cold sadness that spread out during that instant stabbed deeply into their hearts… they could almost hear Mu Bingyun’s heart and soul break.
“Yun Che… Where is Yun Che?” She suddenly asked with a distant sounding voice.
“Yun Che, he…” Again, Huo Rulie was the one who answered her question. He sighed heavily as he spoke with terrible regret, “He forcefully made his way over in order to save your sect master and as a result he… Haah! I like this boy a lot but he… Haaaaaah!”
“...” Suddenly Mu Bingyun extended a hand and took out a glowing Ice Phoenix Engraved Jade. Then, she asked in a soft tone, “Yun Che… is that really you?”
“What… what did you say?” Mu Bingyun’s sudden words caught all three sect masters off guard.
A bit of focus and light suddenly returned to Mu Bingyun’s snowy eyes. Then, her hand holding the Ice Phoenix Engraved Jade suddenly trembled as she looked up in a sudden and said urgently, “Quick! Bring me to the God Burying Inferno Prison right now!!”
“Ah? What… what is…” The three sect masters looked completely clueless.
Mu Bingyun had already flown away in a rush of cold wind.
——————————
The profound dimensional formation next to the God Burying Inferno Prison sparkled as the three sect masters once again arrived at the place with Mu Bingyun and Mu Huanzhi. The second they stepped out of the profound formation, the three sect masters’ eyes bulged bigger than a cow’s eyes, as if they had seen a ghost or thunderstruck.
On the other side, not only was Yun Che alive and well, he was also holding… a slumbering woman.
“Yun Che… and… the S-snow Song Realm King!?” Yan Juehai blurted. He was so shocked that he actually bit his tongue.
“Ah… what… what is going on here?” Huo Rulie’s jaw nearly hit the floor too.
“Sister!”
“Sect Master!”
Both Mu Bingyun a
nd Mu Huanzhi were already rushing forward. Yun Che moved toward them and carefully passed Mu Xuanyin into Mu Bingyun’s arms, “Elder Huanzhi, Palace Master Bingyun, do not worry. Master is safe. She’s just going to be unconscious for a while because she used up too much strength.”
“Thank goodness… phew, thank goodness.” Mu Huanzhi pressed a palm to his heart and panted heavily for a moment. The great sadness and great joy he experience made him feel like he had gone back and forth from death’s door.
Mu Bingyun’s arms tightened bit by bit after she accepted Mu Xuanyin… She didn’t say anything. She simply felt the presence of Mu Xuanyin in her arms and cried silently.
“Palace Master Bingyun, I leave… Master in your hands.”
Yun Che’s voice was so soft that almost no one but himself heard what he just said. After casting one final glance at Mu Xuanyin’s face, he strode toward the three mind boggled sect masters and stood in front of them. He never looked at either Yan Wancang or Yan Huehai as he spoke to Huo Rulie, “Sect Master Huo, this junior wishes to speak with you in private about something… are you free for the moment?”
“...” Huo Rulie’s shock persisted for a moment before he finally regained enough senses to nod at Yun Che. Then, he carried Yun Che with one hand and flew toward the distance.
“Where are you going, Yun Che?” Mu Bingyun turned around and let out a cry when she sensed his suddenly departing presence. But Yun Che and Huo Rulie had already vanished from her vision and Yun Che never sent back a reply.
Chapter 1068: Departing for the Darkya Realm (2)
Huo Rulie took Yun Che to a faraway place that was completely out of everyone else’s perception range.
The second they landed, Huo Rulie immediately clutched Yun Che’s shoulder impatiently and half-roared, “What’s going on? How did you survive? I thought that you and your master were… was it a special dimensional escape? That can’t be right! There’s no way you had a chance to use it in that situation!”
Suddenly, Huo Rulie’s eyes turned round with astonishment, “What… what’s with your profound strength?”
He hadn’t noticed it before but he suddenly realized that the profound energy aura emanating from Yun Che’s body was at… Divine Soul Realm!?
Yun Che didn’t answer him. Instead, he waved his left hand and released a huge thing from his Sky Poison Pearl. The thing landed on the wilted land.
When a terrible stench surged towards his nostrils, Huo Rulie took a step backwards and let out an involuntary cry, “The ancient… horned dragon?”
The ancient horned dragon’s corpse was something the Flame God Realm had dreamed of for hundreds of thousands of years. Before this, they all thought that it was impossible to obtain the horned dragon’s corpse any longer because it fell into the God Burying Inferno Prison. They thought that their dreams had been burst like a bubble.
But now, the horned dragon had suddenly appeared just a few steps away from him.
The corpse was intact even though it was covered in wounds.
If this was in the past, someone of Huo Rulie’s temperament would’ve lost control and pounced towards the horned dragon corpse already, screaming in excitement. Now, despite bulging eyes he felt as if someone had nailed his feet to the ground. He wasn’t able to take a single step forward for a long time.
He didn’t feel that he deserved to touch it.
“After this horned dragon died, it did almost fall into the Inferno Prison like the first one. It’s something my master poured everything into and nearly died for, so I cannot let it go to waste just like that. Thankfully, I managed to secure its corpse.”
Yun Che answered with extraordinary calm. Accurately speaking, the horned dragon’s corpse was won by both him and Mu Xuanyin after they risked their lives.
“As agreed, the horned dragon shall be split fifty-fifty between the Snow Song Realm and Flame God Realm,” Yun Che said.
“Er…” Huo Rulie stared blankly at Yun Che and wasn’t able to say anything for a long time.
If there had been no surprises, they would’ve taken the other half of the ancient horned dragon after Mu Xuanyin had hunted it down without any qualms at all. After all, the hunt might’ve been carried out entirely by Mu Xuanyin alone but the ancient horned dragon was still the belonging of the Flame God Realm.
However, a terrible surprise befell them and because they didn’t believe Yun Che’s advice, because they ignored his blood oath and pleading in order to avoid “any miniscule slip ups or accidents”, they nearly lost Mu Xuanyin and Yun Che… they almost couldn’t believe that the two of them were still alive.
After that disaster, how could they dare demand half of the ancient horned dragon anymore?
Moreover, they all thought that both horned dragons had sunk beneath the God Burying Inferno Prison and were burned into nothingness. Yun Che could’ve taken the entire horned dragon for the Snow Song Realm and given them nothing. Even if they learned about it later, they could not fault him for his actions in any way.
“Are you… really… going to give us half of its body?” Huo Rulie asked shakily. He still couldn’t believe that Yun Che was really going to give him half its body.
“Of course. This is what we promised earlier,” Yun Che said.
“...” Huo Rulie sucked in a deep breath before pressing both hands heavily on Yun Che’s shoulder, “Yun boy, do you know what this horned dragon means to our Flame God Realm? I… I already can’t return your favor for saving Ye’er’s life and now… you deliver this thing right to our doorsteps. I can never repay this favor even if I were to give you my life.”
Yun Che smiled, “To be honest, if this was just about me then I would never have given you your share of the horned dragon. But this is between you all and my master and although you disappointed her and nearly caused her to die in the Inferno Prison, the Snow Song Realm never goes back on their promise! I am sure that Master will come to the same conclusion even after she wakes up… Please take these words back to the other two sect masters, Sect Master Huo.”
“...” Huo Rulie nodded strongly, “Alright.”
“Alright, I’ll be temporarily leaving the horned dragon’s body in your care, Sect Master Huo. Please return half of the body to the Snow Song Realm after you’ve taken the other half,” Yun Che continued.
A moment of surprise later, Huo Rulie asked in confusion, “You’re giving this to me? Shouldn’t you take it back to the Snow Song Realm and take your half of the share first?”
Yun Che’s eyes turned complicated but he didn’t answer Huo Rulie’s question. Instead, he said, “Sect Master Huo, there are three reasons I came to see you in person. If you may…”
“Please, speak!” Huo Rulie beckoned for Yun Che to speak without any hesitation, “I won’t even frown at anything you ask of me.”
Huo Rulie was a man who absolutely hated owing favors. After living for more than ten thousand years, Yun Che saving Huo Ye’s life and delivering the ancient horned dragon he dreamed of were the two biggest favors he had ever owed in his life. Therefore, he couldn’t be happier at the fact that Yun Che needed him for something.
That being said, he did notice that Yun Che was obviously very troubled about something.
Yun Che turned his gaze towards the horned dragon’s corpse, “Back then, the reason master suddenly asked for the entire horned dragon’s heart was for my sake. This junior has poor cultivation, so he is unable to cut open the horned dragon’s body. If you will, please extract the horned dragon’s heart for me.”
“That’s simple!”
Huo Rulie jumped towards the horned dragon’s corpse without asking a word. A flash of fiery light later, the dragon’s stomach was cut open.
Normally, the ancient horned dragon was so powerful that Huo Rulie would hardly be able to scratch it even if he were to attack it at full force but after it died and lost its dragon powers, it became much easier for Huo rulie to dismember its body.
While sealing away the drag
on blood with immense profound energy, Huo Rulie quickly spotted the dragon’s heart after scanning around with his spirit perception. He easily extracted the dragon heart before he sealed up its disemboweled abdomen with profound energy too.
The horned dragon might be huge but its heart was unusually “delicate”. It wasn’t even three meters wide.
“Catch! And watch out for the dragon blood!”
Huo Rulie pushed the horned dragon’s heart towards Yun Che gently.
Yun Che immediately stretched out and caught the horned dragon’s heart. He then put it into the Sky Poison Pearl.
Now, he had obtained the Ice Qilin’s horn and the ancient dragon’s heart. All that remained to be found now was the Wood Spirit Orb, Divine Nine Star Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass.
Although Mu Xuanyin’s impossibly powerful ice phoenix vital yin allowed him to break through to Divine Soul Realm in a single night, there were still only two years left before the Profound God Convention.
The ascension progress of the Divine Soul Realm was definitely going to be slower and more difficult than that of the Divine Origin Realm. Judging from how long it took to progress while he was at the Divine Origin Realm, it was basically impossible to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm in just two years even if he were to cultivate using the greatest resources in the Snow Song Realm and the spirit energy of the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake.
This goal would be even more impossible now that he was going to be heading out into the world, alone and without anyone to depend on.
Therefore, the one hope he had left was the Universe Penta Jade Pellet. Before the Profound God Convention happens, he could only rely on himself to search for the remaining three materials.
“Now, the second matter…” Yun Che said, “Sect Master Huo, I heard that you went to a star realm called the Darkya Realm many times to purchase a Wood Spirit Orb in the past thousand years, am I right?”