Chapter 1041: Arson, A Moment of Bliss
Mu Yizhou — the first intersection between Yun Che and Mu Hanyi had been because of him...
Yun Che frowned deeply. This Mu Yizhou was the famed chief disciple of the Ice Phoenix First Palace. What was he doing here? And why did the way he was looking at him feel so wrong?
"What? Yun Che!?"
The other Ice Phoenix disciple accompanying Mu Yizhou was clearly shocked when he heard the name "Yun Che." Forgetting to retrieve the giant eagle's profound core, he quickly walked to Mu Yizhou's side. Upon seeing Yun Che's face, his expression was filled with disbelief.
Yun Che straightened his body, but the Heaven-Defying Sword remained dragged on the ground, not put away. He smiled lightly. "So it's Senior Brother... no, Junior Brother Yizhou. I didn't expect to run into you here. It seems we're truly fated."
"Yun... Che!" Mu Yizhou's lips and voice were clearly trembling. His eyes flashed with a terrifying hatred. "You despicable... shameless scoundrel... Even in my dreams, I wish I could cut you into a thousand pieces... I never thought... heh... heheh, hahahaha... That you would end up like this too! You were also exiled here, and you've fallen right into my hands. This is karma... Ha... hahahaha..."
"???" Yun Che's expression was unreadable, a faint, mocking smile on his face. "Junior Brother Yizhou, I don't understand what you're saying. There was indeed a minor grudge between us, but it was resolved long ago. This level of resentment from you is completely unreasonable."
Yun Che was indeed puzzled. Back then, he had clashed with Mu Yizhou because of Feng Mo, but Mu Hanyi had skillfully defused the situation. Although Mu Yizhou harbored resentment, he had promised in front of Mu Hanyi never to pursue it. Later, during the Heavenly Pool battle, when Mu Xuanyin announced she would choose Yun Che as her personal disciple, it scared Mu Yizhou so much that he waited anxiously outside the Heavenly Pool. After Yun Che emerged, he hurriedly apologized, knelt, and even offered gifts...
It had been a minor grievance, and it had already been settled. By now, Yun Che had almost forgotten about it.
But the look on Mu Yizhou's face—extreme hatred mixed with extreme pleasure—was as if Yun Che had seduced his wife and massacred his entire family.
"You despicable hypocrite, still playing dumb!" Mu Yizhou roared. "If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this!"
"Because... of me?" Yun Che squinted.
"Three months ago, after you became the Sect Master's personal disciple, the Palace Master immediately found out about the conflict between you and me. Within just a few days, she dug up everything I had ever done, gave me the cruelest punishment, and threw me into this hellish place!"
Yun Che: "..."
Mu Yizhou's breathing was ragged, his voice filled with bone-deep hatred. "It's all because of you... all because of you! Only a few people knew that I had a conflict with you back then. Luo Qiu couldn't have harmed me, Mu Xiaolan had no reason to, and Liu Cheng and Feng Mo didn't have the guts or the opportunity... It could only be you!"
After hearing this much, Yun Che finally understood. He sneered. "Couldn't it be Mu Hanyi?"
"He had no reason to, and he could never do something so despicable and shameless!" Mu Yizhou bellowed.
"Heheheh," Yun Che sneered. "You've done so many shameful things yourself; you long deserved this retribution. Yet you have the nerve to blame others."
While Yun Che smiled coldly on the surface, his mind was cursing furiously: *That bastard Mu Hanyi, he actually pulled such a dirty trick behind my back. Setting up Mu Yizhou like this must have been to make him think it was me, thus creating an enemy for me... I guess he never expected Mu Yizhou's misdeeds to be so numerous that he was directly exiled to Mistfall Valley.*
But then again, Mu Yizhou was the chief disciple of the Ice Phoenix First Palace, with profound strength at the peak of the Divine Soul Realm, just a hair's breadth away from the Divine Tribulation Realm. And here he was, still alive after three months.
"Heh, Yun Che, you're really still able to laugh. Three months ago, you were the Sect Master's personal disciple, majestic as can be. Now... you've fallen to this level too, and fallen right into my hands." Mu Yizhou's face contorted with hatred. "Guess how I'm going to welcome you!"
"No, no, no, I think you've misunderstood something." Yun Che showed no fear, speaking with a smug grin. "You people were exiled. I'm different. I'm just here on my master's orders to train. I'll leave in a few days. As for you, I'm afraid even your bones will be buried here forever."
As he spoke, the Ice Phoenix Emblem on his left shoulder, symbolizing his status as the Sect Master's personal disciple, began to shimmer with a unique ice-blue radiance.
"Senior Brother Yizhou, that... that is..." The Ice Phoenix disciple beside Mu Yizhou turned pale with fright. Before being cast here, they were first expelled from the sect and naturally stripped of their Ice Phoenix Emblem. But Yun Che still had one—a special one exclusive to the Sect Master's disciples! That meant what Yun Che said was likely true.
Mu Yizhou's pupils constricted, then darkened further. "Even if it is, so what! We were already destined to die; what more do we have to fear! And besides!"
*Clang!*
Mu Yizhou snatched the sword from the giant eagle's body with a single grab. He began walking slowly toward Yun Che, radiating murderous intent. "Just now, you almost died under this fierce eagle's claws. That means you're completely alone here, with no one secretly protecting you!"
Yun Che: "..."
"I'll cut you into pieces... Even if I die, it will be worth it!"
Mu Yizhou thrust his sword, profound energy mixing with sword aura surging in all directions. The Ice Phoenix disciple behind him cried out in alarm, "That will attract profound beasts!"
"Shut up!" Mu Yizhou roared, not restraining his profound energy or sword momentum in the slightest. Countless ice blades, filled with hatred and killing intent, slashed wildly toward Yun Che. He no longer cared about profound beasts. He had firmly believed that his fall was all because of Yun Che, never daring to hope for revenge—only struggling in despair, waiting to die. But now, an opportunity he wouldn't even dare dream of had dropped into his lap. If he could brutally kill Yun Che, even if he were devoured by a beast immediately afterward, he would laugh all the way to the Yellow Springs.
Instead of backing away, Yun Che charged forward, his figure flickering and weaving through the ice blades. In an instant, he reached Mu Yizhou and swung the Heaven-Defying Sword down.
"You're asking for death!"
The former chief disciple of the Ice Phoenix First Palace, with peak Divine Soul Realm Level 10 profound strength, was far beyond Yun Che's ability to contend with. But instead of fleeing, Yun Che chose to attack head-on. To anyone, this was a pure act of suicide.
*Boom!*
A thunderous crash echoed like a lightning strike hitting the ground. Yun Che was sent flying backward like a cannonball. Mu Yizhou's sword bent, his entire body trembling violently. A look of deep disbelief crossed his face.
He clearly sensed that Yun Che's profound energy was only at Profound Origin Level 1, yet his own peak Divine Soul profound energy had actually been knocked back half a step by Yun Che's sword!
Before he could recover from his shock, he suddenly realized that Yun Che, propelled by the impact, had already vanished deep into the thick mist, his aura retreating at an astonishing speed.
"Bastard!" Mu Yizhou gritted his teeth. Only then did he realize that Yun Che hadn't been suicidal; he had used his own power to escape!
"Where do you think you're going!"
Locking firmly onto Yun Che's aura, Mu Yizhou erupted with all his profound energy, chasing after him like a madman, completely ignoring the dangers of this place.
Yun Che activated his profound energy to the fullest, speeding through the dense mist with a fierce look in his eyes and a clenched jaw. *What terrible luck today! I accidentally offended my master and nearly lost my life. I was thrown into this place, then chased by a pack of violent profound beasts to the brink of death. Before I could even catch my breath, I run into Mu Yizhou—a man far more dangerous than the most savage beast, now seemingly insane!*
*Why didn't I check the almanac before leaving today!*
Yun Che's top speed far surpassed that of cultivators at his level, but the gap in profound strength between him and Mu Yizhou was enormous—almost two major realms. Even with no holds barred, the aura behind him was getting closer and closer.
Mu Yizhou, meanwhile, was both shocked and enraged. Chasing a Profound Origin Level 1 cultivator with his own strength should have been effortless, yet even after raising his profound energy to its maximum, he still couldn't see Yun Che's shadow. The distance between them was closing at an agonizingly slow pace.
Enraged, he let out a roar, forcing his speed up a notch. "Yun Che, you can't escape! I'll make you... wish you were dead!"
"This guy has completely lost his mind," Yun Che muttered, glancing back. His teeth clenched tighter. *At this rate, he'll catch up soon.*
*I'll have to take a risk.*
Yun Che condensed Golden Crow Flame in his palm and hurled it fiercely behind him.
"Blazing Sun Burst!"
*Boom!!*
The flame exploded, pale golden fire glaring brightly in this pale world. At the moment of the explosion, the aura locked onto him wavered for an instant. Yun Che's left arm lashed out like lightning, and the Arcane Firmament shot off to the right, carrying a strong aura. Simultaneously, Yun Che used Flowing Light Thunder Concealment to suppress his own aura completely. His body dove behind a thick tree under the cover of the mist, holding his breath.
The exploding fire startled a chorus of distant howls from profound beasts. In this pale, frozen world, flames were undoubtedly the most disturbing presence. But Yun Che had no other choice. Barely two breaths after he hid, Mu Yizhou's figure rushed past like a storm, chasing the direction of the Arcane Firmament.
Yun Che breathed a quiet sigh of relief. But the Arcane Firmament would dissipate quickly once it left his body. He dared not linger and was about to slip away in another direction, when two icy auras shot down from above.
*Pfft! Pfft!*
Two pure white, finger-thin thread snakes bit into his shoulders, their venomous fangs—deadly enough to kill a Divine Soul profound beast—sinking deep into his flesh. At the same time, a cold wind descended from above as a giant eagle, attracted by the flames, plummeted toward Yun Che.
Cursing inwardly, Yun Che released his profound energy, instantly snapping the two snakes. At the same time, he swung his arms, grasping the Heaven-Defying Sword, and struck upward with a Phoenix Heavenly Wolf Strike, a pillar of fire rising to meet the diving eagle.
*Boom!*
The eagle was knocked away, but the shockwave sent Yun Che hurtling far off. His barely concealed aura was now completely exposed. From the distant mist came Mu Yizhou's furious roar: "Yun Che! You dare play me for a fool!"
Yun Che's aura was instantly locked onto again. Above, the knocked-away eagle was clearly enraged and would likely dive again in the next moment. All around, dangerous auras were rapidly approaching.
Before entering Mistfall Valley, Mu Bingyun had advised him to stay hidden and avoid unnecessary confrontations. He had tried his best to do so. But now, he was pushed to the worst possible extreme—a situation that couldn't get any worse.
Yun Che didn't flee immediately. Instead, his eyes turned fierce. His no-longer-hidden aura grew wild and unrestrained.
*Since it's come to this... I might as well go all the way!*
*Whoosh!*
Wind howled, waves of heat surged. Yun Che spread his arms, and dozens of feet of Golden Crow Flame erupted from his body. As the flames grew denser, his eyes, hair, and entire body reflected a blaze of reddish gold.
"YELLOW... SPRINGS... ASHES!!!"
With his power madly dispersing and spreading, the air, falling snow, ice, and withered trees within a ten-mile radius all became fuel for the flames. With a mighty roar from Yun Che, the entire ten-mile space exploded.
*BOOM——————————*
In an instant, the pale, silent, frozen world transformed into a blazing inferno of fire. The eternally pale sky above turned into a scorching expanse of reddish gold.
There was no doubt that this sea of fire, unleashed in Yun Che's desperate last-ditch effort, had stirred up a hornet's nest of colossal proportions.
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