# Chapter 1029: Strange
Yun Che moved swiftly through the secret passage, slowing down as he approached the exit and quickly concealing his aura with Flowing Light Thunder Concealment.
Chaotic sounds reached him from afar, but the medicine garden area outside the exit showed no abnormalities. After confirming it was safe, Yun Che slowed his pace, maintaining Flowing Light Thunder Concealment as he emerged from the passage and moved cautiously under the cover of night. Once he confirmed he had left the perception range of the guardian profound beasts in the medicine garden, he accelerated and headed straight toward Bingyi Palace.
The originally silent Bingfeng Imperial Palace was now filled with shouts that shook the heavens. Figures flew like flocks of large birds toward the direction of the treasure vault. The area around the treasure vault, which normally had no light, was now ablaze with profound light... A breach of the treasure vault was an event that had not occurred in Bingfeng for over ten thousand years, enough to alarm the entire city. More than half of the palace's top experts swarmed in.
Yun Che tried to avoid the figures as much as possible, drawing closer to the palace's central area, his brows tightly furrowed. Taking the Qilin Horn and triggering the profound array beneath it had caught him off guard, but it wasn't enough to make him panic... What truly unsettled him was undoubtedly the disappearance of Mu Hanyi's corpse.
He could already see the lights of Bingyi Palace, but Yun Che's steps suddenly slowed, then came to a complete stop. He turned around and gazed toward the northern treasure vault area.
Soon, a group approached rapidly from behind him. At the forefront were none other than Feng Huituo and Feng Hange. Behind them followed over twenty people—few in number and unarmored, yet each exuded an extremely dense aura, and their eyes carried a chilling sharpness.
As soon as they saw Yun Che, Feng Huituo and Feng Hange quickly rushed over. Feng Huituo called out from a distance, his tone flustered: "Nephew Yun!"
Yun Che turned around and said, "Lord of Bingfeng, with such a commotion, could it be that an external enemy has invaded?"
Feng Huituo approached, bowing slightly. "That area is our imperial treasure vault, under heavy guard. I never imagined a vile thief would infiltrate and disturb Nephew Yun's rest. I am utterly ashamed and terrified. Once I personally capture that thief, I will surely dismember him into ten thousand pieces!"
"Father!" Feng Hange interjected urgently. "Since that thief could trigger 'that profound array,' it means he has already infiltrated the depths of the treasure vault. To infiltrate under layers of defense, that thief's strength must be extraordinary. Father should not risk himself."
"By now, one hundred thousand guards have completely surrounded the treasure vault area. That thief cannot escape even if he grows wings. With all of you..." Feng Huituo's expression turned gloomy and uncertain.
Mu Xiaolan kept sneaking glances at Yun Che, growing increasingly suspicious. Since Yun Che's arrival, his brows had remained tightly knitted and never relaxed. His gaze was constantly shifting and unsettled. She reached out and waved her hand before his eyes: "Hey? What's wrong with you?"
Yun Che tilted his head slightly. "Nothing. Just thinking about something strange."
"Something strange?"
Just then, the aura ahead suddenly became chaotic. Over a dozen figures approached at extreme speed, accompanied by a disturbance that was unusually intense.
"Father... Father!"
Feng Hange lunged forward through the air and dropped to his knees before Feng Huituo. Under the night, his face was terrifyingly pale, as if he had just suffered a severe illness. Upon closer look, his body was trembling slightly. Behind him, the dozen or so experts who had come with him also bore extreme terror on their faces.
Feng Huituo's heart lurched. He roared, "What happened? Did that vile thief escape?"
"Father..." Feng Hange's voice was trembling, almost tearful. "The sacred artifact... the sacred artifact has been stolen. The thief has vanished without a trace, and moreover... moreover..."
"Wh... what?" The triggering of the profound array clearly indicated the Qilin Horn had been taken. Feng Huituo had mentally prepared himself, but hearing it still shook him to the core. The fact that the thief had vanished meant they couldn't capture him and retrieve it. He stepped forward, grabbing Feng Hange's shoulder, his pupils dilated to their maximum: "Moreover what?!"
"..." Feng Hange's face contorted, and he finally forced out a pained voice: "In the medicine garden... a corpse was found... it's..."
"It's Hanyi's corpse..."
Feng Hange's tearful words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, causing everyone's expression to change drastically. Yun Che whipped his head around...
Mu Hanyi's corpse...
Medicine Garden!?
What is going on?
Feng Huituo's entire body trembled violently, and he stumbled backward. Then, with a strange cry, he lunged like a madman at Feng Hange, his index finger digging almost into the boy's flesh: "What did you say?! What did you say?!"
The crowd parted as an elderly man carefully carried a lifeless body forward and gently laid it on the ground.
Whoosh—
The body, devoid of any life force, sent a shockwave through the entire hall.
Although the body was horribly twisted and the face was drained of all color, it was still clearly recognizable—the Thirteenth Prince of the Bingfeng Empire, once hailed as the number one young expert of the Yinxue Realm—Mu Hanyi!
"Ah—Han... Senior Brother Hanyi!" Mu Xiaolan covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a long scream. Her wide eyes trembled violently, unable to believe what she saw.
"Ah... ah..." Feng Huituo seemed struck by heavenly thunder; his face turned deathly white in an instant. His mouth gaped open, his lips quivered, and his throat emitted a sound like sandpaper scraping together. Then he swayed and fell heavily to his knees before Mu Hanyi's corpse.
"Your Majesty!" Yan Lao quickly stepped forward, his expression dark, but he didn't attempt to help him up. He knew all too well that Mu Hanyi was not only Feng Huituo's most prized son but also the greatest pride of his life. His sudden, violent death was undoubtedly a devastating blow to Feng Huituo.
"Father, the passage... the passage was open. That thief must have... must have kidnapped Hanyi, entered the treasure vault through the passage, and then escaped via the same route. After using Hanyi, he discarded him... discarded him..." As Feng Hange spoke, he ground his teeth as if to shatter them, tears streaming like a fountain.
The imperial family members around them were all weeping. The guests from afar exchanged glances, sighing continuously. With Mu Hanyi's reputation in the Yinxue Realm, his sudden death was not just a major event for the Bingfeng Empire—it was enough to shake the entire Yinxue Realm.
Mu Hanyi was not just a prince of Bingfeng; he was also the foremost disciple of the Bing Huang God Sect! Who would have such audacity as to kill the top disciple of the Bing Huang God Sect?
"..." Feng Huituo's body trembled to a terrifying degree, as if he were in the coldest hell on earth. Yan Lao supported his shoulder, offering only a helpless consolation: "Your Majesty, please restrain your grief. I will surely find that villain and avenge the Thirteenth Prince."
But at this moment, Feng Huituo slowly raised his head and spoke in a low voice: "Yan Lao, go and see what power killed my Hanyi."
Feng Huituo's voice was alarmingly calm. Yan Lao nodded slightly, extended his hand, and placed it on Mu Hanyi's chest... In an instant, his hand jerked back as though shocked, and his face was filled with terror.
All eyes focused on Yan Lao. Yun Che's brows knit tightly... What kind of reaction was that?
"Speak!" Feng Huituo's gaze was dim, but the hatred contained in that single word was bloodcurdling.
This old man called "Yan Lao" had served in the Bingfeng Imperial Palace for thousands of years. He was the number one expert in the palace, with few rivals in all of Bingfeng Empire. But now he wore a look of sheer terror, as if afraid to speak. His mouth opened and closed several times before he finally forced out with difficulty: "The Thirteenth Prince was killed by an extremely heavy aura of cold. The residual cold energy on his body is of an exceptionally high level. Such a level of cold energy can only come from... only from..."
Yan Lao did not finish, but his gaze quickly swept toward Yun Che's position.
Though he didn't say it aloud, everyone present immediately understood what he meant...
Cultivators in the Yinxue Realm almost exclusively practiced ice-based profound arts. The highest level was undoubtedly—the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon!
Mu Hanyi... had been killed by the power of the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon!
"~!@#$%..." Yun Che's mind went blank. Mu Hanyi had clearly died from Qiulong poison. After confirming his death, he had even purified the residual poison from his body... How could it be the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon!?
And in the imperial palace, the only ones who could use the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon were two disciples of the Ice Phoenix Sect—Mu Xiaolan and Yun Che!
But both of them were far weaker than Mu Hanyi and shouldn't have been able to kill him.
"This... this... shouldn't be..." Feng Hange was dumbfounded. Everyone else was equally stunned.
But Feng Huituo slowly stood up. His turbid eyes turned toward Yun Che, and from his mouth came a voice so calm it was suffocating: "My Hanyi was smarter than anyone, more cautious than anyone. And this place is his home. How could he have been kidnapped without a sound?"
Yun Che: "..."
"Outsiders could not possibly know about the secret passage, so how could they use it to kidnap him? The only possibility for the passage being opened is that Hanyi voluntarily led that person inside. The reason might have been to show that person the sacred artifact. And in this palace, there is only one person for whom Hanyi would be willing to do that... Nephew Yun, am I correct in my reasoning?"
In the end, he was still an emperor of a nation. In the midst of immense grief over his son's death, his mind remained terrifyingly clear.
As soon as Feng Huituo uttered these words, the entire hall fell into an icy silence, as if a cold front had descended. Even a fool could understand his implication. Instantly, everyone held their breath, afraid to make a sound. The visiting guests especially ceased breathing, their feet quietly moving backward.
"Lord of Bingfeng, are you suspecting that I killed Mu Hanyi?" Yun Che's gaze suddenly turned icy cold.
"How would I dare?" Feng Huituo let out a bitter laugh, filled with sorrow. He turned his gaze to a pale-faced girl: "Jin'er, you have been attending to Nephew Yun in Bingyi Palace. Tell me, did Nephew Yun sleep well tonight?"
Feng Hanjin's frail body shrank back, then she lowered her head and spoke in a trembling, fearful voice: "Young Master Yun... Young Master Yun... half an hour ago... he was no longer in Bingyi Palace..."
Feng Hanjin's words made everyone's hearts tighten even more.
Half an hour ago... The timing was too delicate.
Mu Hanyi was the number one disciple of the Ice Phoenix Sect. Yun Che was the newly accepted personal disciple of the Great Realm King...
Things had completely spiraled out of control. They could hardly fathom what this meant or how it would be resolved.
"Heh, heheh," Feng Huituo laughed, his laughter growing increasingly sorrowful. "Where are the guards of Bingyi Palace?"
Fifteen people with deep auras stepped forward, each with faces full of terror and unease.
"I ordered you to protect Nephew Yun at all times. Did you do as commanded?"
The fifteen guards trembled from head to toe, then knelt simultaneously. The one in front said in a panicked voice: "Half an hour ago, Young Master Yun said he wanted to go out for some air and ordered us not to follow. We... we dared not disobey... Please, Your Majesty, forgive us!"