Chapter 1040: Enemies Meet
In an area dense with profound beasts, one would normally hear all kinds of beast cries coming from afar, rising and falling in succession. But in Mist Abyss Valley, there was only a terrifying silence. When even the wind and snow had stopped, it was so quiet that it made one's heartbeat seem to stop as well.
Yun Che, who had fallen into Mist Abyss Valley, sat with his back against a sturdy dead tree, his legs deeply buried in snow. The moment he landed, he quickly used Flowing Light Thunder Concealment to suppress his aura, then remained completely still, carefully sensing his surroundings with both his vision and spiritual perception. Ice fog filled the air, limiting visibility to only a few dozen zhang. This fog was no ordinary thick mist—it not only restricted sight but also greatly limited spiritual perception. But on the other hand, that wasn't entirely a bad thing.
The terrifying silence created an eerie, hair-raising atmosphere. A sense of danger surged from all directions. This feeling told him that Mu Bingyun's description of Mist Abyss Valley was no exaggeration—this was a sinister, deadly place where a single moment of carelessness would cost one their life.
"Sigh, such is life," Yun Che muttered. In the morning, he had been full of ambition, thinking about how to launch a surprise attack and defeat Mu Xuanyin... The surprise attack had succeeded, but it had landed him in this situation.
After remaining motionless for a while, Yun Che finally began to move cautiously. He had only taken two steps when his foot stepped on something stiff. He paused, then kicked it out from under the snow...
It was a stiff corpse.
In this freezing environment, the body had hardly decayed, so it was impossible to tell how long it had been dead. But judging by the depth of the snow covering it, it couldn't have been very long. The body had been gnawed and bitten until it was a miserable sight, with only the head barely intact—enough to make out its expression: beyond terror and despair, there was clearly a hint of relief.
Its outer clothes were already tattered. On the shoulder was a small strip of cloth bearing an Ice Phoenix emblem—and that emblem represented none other than the Ice Phoenix Temple!
This was actually a disciple of the Temple!
To be able to enter the Ice Phoenix Temple, one's profound strength must be at least at the Divine Tribulation Realm, yet he had died here so miserably.
Yun Che took a step back and drew a light breath.
Just as Mu Bingyun had said, in this terrifying place, Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, which could hide one's aura, was his greatest asset... Beyond that, the extreme cold here would not have a negative effect on him; on the contrary, it would speed up his profound energy recovery. The profound beasts here were all ice-type, so their threat to him was also greatly diminished. This was another advantage of his.
The span of the Divine Way was far beyond that of the mortal way. On the Tian Xuan Continent, relying on the Evil God's power, he could leap directly across two major realms. However, when he was at Lord Xuan Realm, Level 5, he had to forcibly open Heaven-Shattering to defeat Ji Hanfeng, who was at Divine Origin Realm, Level 6. Now that he had reached Divine Origin Realm, Level 1, the limit he could cross should be around Divine Soul Realm, Level 1.
No... With the transformation of his meridians and his comprehension of tactile perception, he might be able to go even further.
But if he encountered a profound beast at the middle or late stage of the Divine Soul Realm, he would have no choice but to flee with all his might.
If he was unfortunate enough to meet a profound beast at the Divine Tribulation Realm... even escaping alive would be extremely difficult.
Yun Che began to move forward cautiously. The place he was in was relatively open. What he needed to do most now was to find a more concealed, suitable hiding spot and then suppress his aura as much as possible... After all, what he had to do in the next three days was not to find a way out, but to survive here for three days without dying.
The safest method was, of course, to rely on Flowing Light Thunder Concealment and just lie low.
The dangerous aura floating in the air made Yun Che afraid to make even the slightest sound as he walked. After moving some distance, he didn't sense any other living creatures. But just then, he couldn't help but stop... Under his feet, there was an indescribable sense of disharmony.
Tactile perception...
Before his mind could react, his body shot backward like lightning.
Riiip!!
The thick snow was thrown up, and a white shadow burst out from under the snow layer. A flash of cold light tore through the air, producing an ear-piercing screech... passing less than three inches in front of Yun Che's face.
Yun Che flipped backward and landed, his back slamming heavily against a thick tree. His right hand instinctively went to his face, and blood beads slowly seeped from between his fingers—although he hadn't been touched, the blade wind from that incredibly fast flash of cold light still cut three deep gashes on his face.
And if it weren't for the fact that he had comprehended and greatly improved his "tactile perception" under Mu Xuanyin's guidance, and his body had reacted instinctively in that first instant, that terrifying cold light might have gouged out his eyes.
What appeared before him was a snow-white wolf with crimson eyes. It exuded a violent, blood-reeking aura. The cold light that had just swept past his face was its wolf claw, gleaming with a sinister red light.
Like the Iceblood Howling Wolf, it was completely white, but it was definitely not an Iceblood Howling Wolf. It was half the size, but its aura was at least ten times more terrifying. The threat that felt like a knife at his throat told Yun Che that this white wolf, which looked utterly unthreatening in size, was clearly a Divine Soul Beast!
What a terrifying white wolf... Yun Che thought with alarm. This white wolf had pounced from less than five zhang in front of him, yet he had not detected its presence at all.
Hiding in the snow, perfectly concealing its aura to hunt... The very first profound beast he encountered here was this terrifying. Was it just bad luck? Or were all the profound beasts that survived in the cruel environment of Mist Abyss Valley such terrifying creatures?
The terrifying white wolf's lethal first strike had actually missed. Its wolf body pounced far and then turned back like lightning, but it didn't continue its pursuit. Its eyes, glowing with thick blood light, instead showed a trace of wariness. Yun Che's hands instinctively reached for something... but then he stopped summoning the Heaven-Defying Sword.
No... one swing of the sword would shatter mountains and split the earth. If it attracted all the surrounding profound beasts, he would be completely doomed.
Yun Che flipped his hand, and the Cloud Butterfly Blade given to him by Mu Bingyun appeared in his palm... Although the aura was frightening, the sense of threat wasn't overwhelmingly strong. He should be able to handle it!
With a thought, Yun Che was about to make a move and try to forcibly hunt this Divine Soul white wolf. But just as his profound energy was about to burst forth, a slight strange sensation came from behind him. He instantly reversed his profound energy and used Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick to teleport far away.
Siiip!!
Another equally ear-piercing sound of air tearing, as another white shadow burst out from under the snow, lunging at Yun Che. Almost at the same time, the first white wolf, which had briefly paused, also pounced at Yun Che.
Thud!
With Yun Che's instant teleportation, the white wolf from behind pounced into empty air. Due to the miraculous lingering aura of Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, the first white wolf didn't pounce toward Yun Che's landing point after the teleport, but also went for his afterimage.
At his original position, an afterimage was torn to shreds, scattering tiny ice crystals.
Meanwhile, Yun Che's true body, stepping on Phantom Lightning Extreme, fled far away like thunder, disappearing into the thick ice fog.
One white wolf—without using the Heaven-Defying Sword, he wasn't absolutely sure he could take it head-on. Two white wolves... he would have to be out of his mind not to run.
Unlike other evil wolves that would throw back their heads and howl, the two terrifying white wolves chased directly after Yun Che, moving so fast they were like two white lightning bolts.
So fast!
The aura closing in from behind startled him. Running at full speed in a place like this was extremely dangerous, but at the moment he had no choice. He couldn't even slow down slightly. He had to grit his teeth and charge into the thick fog, toward the unknown ahead.
After several dozen breaths, the two white wolves that had been closely pursuing suddenly slowed down, then seemed to forcibly stop, disappearing from Yun Che's perception entirely.
Yun Che let out a sigh of relief. But immediately, his brows furrowed... No! Judging by their astonishing hunting methods, these two white wolves had very high intelligence and awareness. Their sudden stop might not mean they had given up the chase; it could also be... that they were approaching a dangerous place that was a forbidden zone for them!
As soon as this thought arose, Yun Che quickly stopped, suppressing his aura as fast as possible.
Just as his figure was about to come to a complete halt, a pressure like a collapsing mountain descended from ahead.
Within the pale thick fog, a huge white shadow dozens of zhang tall slowly emerged.
Yun Che's gaze shot up like lightning... It was a snow-white giant ape, as big as a small mountain!
Like the white wolves from before, its eyes were also a bloody red. The moment it detected Yun Che, it released a terrifying and ferocious aura. Its powerful right arm, like a falling heavenly hammer, smashed heavily toward Yun Che's location.
Without a word, it attacked... It seemed that this was the only rule of survival in this world.
Yun Che's brows tightened. He leaped diagonally into the air, instantly opening the Evil God Barrier.
Boom!!
A sound like heaven collapsing and earth splitting. Snow, ice layers, and trees were thrown up a thousand zhang high. Yun Che lost his balance in the air, swept away like a leaf in a storm, flying far through the aftermath.
But fortunately, protected by the Evil God Barrier, although Yun Che's vision went black from the shock, he wasn't injured. He didn't dare pause for a moment. Gritting his teeth, he used the storm created by the giant ape's power to flee far away, disappearing into the thick fog again in an instant.
Thunderous roars came from behind, but that giant ape was obviously poor at speed. The sound quickly grew distant. Yun Che fled at full speed until he reached a safe enough distance, but before he could catch his breath, a storm, accompanied by a sharp screech, suddenly descended from above his head.
Yun Che looked up... In his pupils, a giant eagle rapidly enlarged. Its opened snow-white wings spanned ten zhang, dazzlingly beautiful. And its curved, spread eagle claws reflected a cold light that pierced through his eyes straight into his soul.
"Hong'er!"
Yun Che's pupils contracted sharply. He had no other choice. He grabbed the Heaven-Defying Sword in an instant, the Golden Crow Flame blazing on the blade as he swung it upward toward the giant eagle.
"Annihilation of Heaven and Earth!!"
Boom!!
Golden flames exploded in the sky. The giant eagle, diving from above, let out a sharp cry. White feathers scattered as it was knocked back, tumbling through the air. Yun Che grunted, feeling as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He plummeted from the air with the Heaven-Defying Sword, crashing heavily to the ground with a dull rumble.
Pff...
Before he could even get up, Yun Che spat out a mouthful of blood. But due to the Buddha Heart Divine Meridian, his profound energy did not fall into chaos... High above, the giant eagle he had shaken off with one sword briefly circled. Its icy eagle eyes locked onto his location, then it dove down like a meteor, its claws aimed precisely at his heart. Behind it swept a disastrous ice storm.
What a... hellish place this is... At least let me catch my breath...
Yun Che cursed in his heart, but his body reacted immediately. He didn't dare choose to withstand it head-on. Instead, he used Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick to teleport away, while opening the Evil God Barrier.
As his figure shifted, he suddenly heard voices...
Human voices!
"It really is the Blizzard Fierce Eagle!"
"It's descending... Now's the chance to seal it and take its profound pill!"
The giant eagle plunged down with a terrifying storm, stirring up a blizzard of snow and ice. But it didn't immediately rise again, because a blue light fiercely pierced its body, rapidly freezing its enormous form. As it struggled, its long cry turned into a wail.
Yun Che teleported far away, shocked. He had just experienced the terror of this giant eagle. But that blue light had sealed it so easily...
This aura... Could it be Divine Soul Realm peak?
Within the ice fog, two blurry figures rushed over. The one in front thrust his sword. The giant eagle's body, which had been unharmed even under Yun Che's full-force sword strike, was instantly pierced. As the profound energy on the sword exploded, thick ice layers quickly covered its massive body. When the ice spread all over, it completely stopped struggling, its vitality rapidly fading.
"Excellent! As expected of Senior Brother Yizhou!" the person behind exclaimed excitedly as he quickly approached the frozen giant eagle. "With this profound pill, we can definitely last much longer..."
Senior Brother Yizhou?
That address made Yun Che turn his head sharply. His gaze pierced through the layers of thick fog and landed on the man ahead... He saw a familiar face.
Mu Yizhou!!
What is he doing here?!
And as Yun Che saw him clearly, the other's gaze also locked firmly onto him. His eyes widened, and his body turned completely, his attention entirely leaving the Blizzard Fierce Eagle they had just hunted. After a long moment of astonishment, his face twisted with fury, excitement, and elation...
"Yun Che... It's you? It's—you!!!"
His eyes and voice changed abruptly, as if he had suddenly encountered an irreconcilable enemy!