Chapter 1025: Ice Wind Treasure Vault
"This…" Mu Hanyi's expression froze, a look of awkward embarrassment appearing on his face.
Yun Che immediately realized his misstep and quickly said, "I was being presumptuous. Since it's a national guardian sacred object, it's naturally not something to be shown lightly. Brother Hanyi, please consider my words unsaid."
"No, no," Mu Hanyi replied with a panicked look at Yun Che's words. "If Brother Yun Che commands it, how could I dare to disobey? Besides, a Qilin Horn is indeed a rarity—anyone who hears of it would want to see it with their own eyes. It's just… the Qilin Horn is, after all, the national guardian sacred object of our Ice Wind Empire, and I have no authority over it. Even I, if I want to catch a glimpse of the national guardian sacred object, must obtain the Emperor Father's explicit permission; otherwise, I cannot even approach it."
Having said that, Mu Hanyi took out a Sound Transmission Jade, but he remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting continuously. After a good while, he finally let out a quiet sigh and put the Sound Transmission Jade back down.
"Brother Hanyi, are you worried that your Emperor Father might not agree?" Yun Che asked, observing his expression.
Mu Hanyi was startled, then gave a bitter smile. "Brother Yun Che truly has keen insight. At today's birthday banquet, the Emperor Father publicly declared that if Brother Yun Che made any request, he would go through fire and water without hesitation—I believe those words came from his heart. But… matters of national destiny, though I don't fully believe in them, the Emperor Father takes them extremely seriously. Therefore, anything involving the national guardian sacred object is a massive taboo for him. So… I fear the Emperor Father might politely decline, or even if he agrees, he might harbor some resentment. If that leads to discord between the Emperor Father and Brother Yun Che, it would be terrible."
Having said this, Mu Hanyi shook his head heavily.
Yun Che's expression remained calm, showing no displeasure. "Thank you for being so forthright, Brother Hanyi. Anything that might relate to a nation's destiny is indeed a great taboo. It would be perfectly reasonable for your Emperor Father to refuse. Let's just pretend I never said anything."
"No," Mu Hanyi suddenly smiled. "Brother Yun Che misunderstands. I've merely decided not to report this matter to the Emperor Father, but I haven't said I won't take you to see the Qilin Horn."
"Oh?" Yun Che's eyes showed surprise.
"Brother Yun Che, look," Mu Hanyi turned and pointed to a place in the northern part of the imperial palace where many ice peaks stood. "Everywhere in the palace is brightly lit, but that area alone is shrouded in darkness. That's because it's the greatest forbidden zone in the entire imperial city. Below it lies the most important treasure vault of our Ice Wind imperial clan, and the national guardian sacred object, the Qilin Horn, is kept there."
"Oh!" Yun Che nodded.
"Of course, the security there is also the tightest. Outside the treasure vault, many experts stand guard day and night, preventing anyone from approaching. Inside the treasure vault, there are layers of mechanisms and profound formations. Even if a Divine King realm expert arrived, it would be nearly impossible to force their way in. Of course, for extraordinary experts like the Sect Master or the Ice Cloud Palace Master, it's as good as decoration."
"However," Mu Hanyi touched his nose bridge with a somewhat embarrassed look, "I am, after all, a prince of the Ice Wind imperial clan, and I'm quite favored by the Emperor Father. I happen to know of a secret passage that only the Emperor Father and the Crown Prince Brother are aware of. It bypasses all the guards' senses and leads directly into the treasure vault. Moreover, I'm quite familiar with the mechanisms and profound formations inside the treasure vault, so I can handle them easily; there's definitely no danger."
"Thus, though it might be somewhat unfair to the Emperor Father, this way we can avoid putting him in a difficult position and creating unnecessary discord, while also fulfilling Brother Yun Che's wish. It's a win-win solution. The only downside is that having to use a secret passage might be an inconvenience for Brother Yun Che. What do you think?"
"This would be excellent. To see a legendary object with my own eyes is a great fortune. It's just… this is putting you through too much trouble." Yun Che hesitated slightly.
"Not at all, not at all," Mu Hanyi smiled. "Brother Yun Che's visit this time has brought immense honor to our Ice Wind Empire. And you've only made this one request. If I can't even fulfill that, I'd be too ashamed to return to the sect with you."
"Then, I ask Brother Yun Che to return temporarily to Bingyi Palace."
"Hmm?" Yun Che looked puzzled. "Why? Can't we go now?"
Mu Hanyi shook his head with a faint bitter smile. "Although in the Yinxue Realm, no one would dare to harm Brother Yun Che, the Emperor Father still must ensure your safety. You may not have noticed, but a thousand paces away, palace experts are constantly protecting you in secret. If we get any closer, they might hear our conversation. Moreover, it's still early; the Emperor Father surely hasn't retired yet. He might even come to Bingyi Palace to greet you. If he finds you missing, he'll certainly send people to look for you out of concern. If that happens, it would be much worse."
"I see." Yun Che nodded in realization. "Brother Hanyi, you are truly thorough. Thinking about it, sneaking around the imperial palace with you is rather exciting. Not a bad feeling—quite the opposite, actually. Haha!"
"Hahaha!" Mu Hanyi laughed as well. "Humans are creatures that love excitement. In the end, the thrill of sneaking around can't be matched by following the rules. Tonight, I'll take you on a good adventure."
"Then I'll return to Bingyi Palace for now. In two hours, I'll shake off the guards and come back here." Yun Che's expression showed anticipation and excitement.
"Good! I believe Brother Yun Che will find it well worth the visit when he sees the Qilin Horn!"
Yun Che left. Mu Hanyi watched his back, then slowly looked up, his smile still in place, but his eyes reflected a strange glint that no one had ever seen in him before.
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At the hour of the Ox, deep in the night, all was quiet.
Yun Che, who had been resting with his eyes closed for some time, suddenly opened them, leaped off the bed, and walked out.
"Ah… Young Master Yun." Feng Hanjin, who had been waiting outside, hurriedly bowed. "Are you going out, Young Master Yun?"
"Mm, going for a walk. Don't bother with me." Yun Che waved his hand.
"Yes." Feng Hanjin bowed respectfully and dared not ask further.
The midnight Ice Wind imperial palace was especially silent. After leaving Bingyi Palace, Yun Che walked for a short while, then suddenly stopped and said in a low voice, "I'm going out to clear my head. No one is to follow me!"
The authority of a personal disciple of a Realm King far exceeded that of an emperor. Under his command, the people sent by Feng Huituo to protect him in secret naturally dared not disobey.
Moreover, even they had always felt that all this fanfare of secret protection was completely unnecessary.
Following the previous route, Yun Che quickly returned to the earlier spot, where Mu Hanyi was already waiting.
Mu Hanyi extended his spiritual sense, scanned the surroundings, then sighed with a smile, "As expected of Brother Yun Che. A single word from you is far more effective than the Emperor Father's. Truly, no one dared to follow."
"Hehe, you flatter me, Brother Hanyi. Shall we go now? The Qilin Horn—even if I only catch a glimpse from a distance and feel the aura of the legendary auspicious beast, it will be a journey well worth it."
Though Yun Che's expression was calm, his words still betrayed an undisguised eagerness.
"If the sacred object had a spirit, knowing that someone as extraordinary as Brother Yun Che yearns for it so much, it would surely be delighted."
Mu Hanyi led Yun Che toward the eastern side of the imperial palace. Their destination seemed to be the palace medicinal garden, filled with all kinds of strange trees and exotic flowers. There were no bright lights, and whether because Mu Hanyi was deliberately avoiding people or because it was always like this, they walked a long way without seeing a single person.
"This is the palace medicinal garden. Although it has many varieties, it pales in comparison to the sect's. Don't laugh at it, Brother Yun Che." Mu Hanyi said. "Ordinarily, this place is guarded by profound beasts. If anything unusual happens, they will immediately cry out. But rest assured, Brother Yun Che, with my aura here, they won't react."
Yun Che extended his spiritual sense and indeed detected the presence of several profound beasts in different directions… and they were quite powerful divine path profound beasts.
They walked until they reached the end of the medicinal garden, where Mu Hanyi finally stopped. Ahead was a massive oddly shaped rock, several zhang high, covered in blackish-green vines, looking as if it had been there for ages. Yun Che's gaze swept up and down, and he frowned. "The entrance you mentioned… is it here? But…"
Mu Hanyi smiled slightly, swept his hand to clear the vines from the rock, then pointed his finger out. A drop of blood flew from his fingertip and landed on the rock.
The bright red blood droplet fell onto the rock and slowly seeped into it like mercury, vanishing without a trace.
*Clang!*
A soft sound, and the originally unremarkable rock suddenly shimmered with a small profound formation. The smooth stone surface slowly split apart on both sides, revealing a passage wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
"Oh!" Yun Che's mouth fell open slightly, his face full of surprise. "Such an ingenious design."
"This profound formation is normally silent and undetectable. It can only be activated when it comes into contact with the direct bloodline of our Ice Wind imperial clan. However, aside from the time the Emperor Father told me about this passage, this is the first time I've opened it."
"Brother Yun Che, don't laugh at me, but this passage was actually created for escape in case of emergency." Leading Yun Che into the passage, Mu Hanyi explained slowly. "Both its entrance and exit use the same type of profound formation, extremely concealed, and only activated by Ice Wind imperial blood. It can provide relatively safe hiding and escape."
"I just hope it will never have to be truly used." Mu Hanyi sighed deeply.
Yun Che had seen this kind of profound formation with bloodline imprints before in the Huan Yao Realm.
"The end of this passage is the imperial treasure vault you mentioned earlier?" Yun Che asked as they walked. The passage ahead remained narrow for a long time.
"Correct. The treasure vault hides a great number of trap mechanisms and profound formations. Triggering any one of them would have serious consequences."
As he spoke, Mu Hanyi stopped in front of a pitch-black wall with no gaps, seemingly a dead end. He said with great caution, "Brother Yun Che, ahead is the treasure vault. Once we enter, you must follow closely behind me and not move around carelessly. The profound formations might just result in a scolding from the Emperor Father, but if you get injured by a mechanism, I would be guilty beyond redemption."
Yun Che nodded, reassuring him.
Mu Hanyi extended his hand, and another drop of blood flew out, landing on the pitch-black wall ahead.
The same type of profound formation as before appeared in a faint profound light, and then the pitch-black wall split apart on both sides, revealing a vast space before their eyes, accompanied by an extremely dense mixture of auras.
The breath of medicinal herbs, the breath of profound crystals, the breath of profound artifacts… each one, every wisp, was extremely intense. This meant that nothing releasing these auras was a low-grade, ordinary object!
After all, this was the treasure vault of the Ice Wind imperial clan, which ruled over the vast Ice Wind Empire!
What it stored was the heritage and accumulation of over eighty thousand years of the Ice Wind Empire!