Chapter 1051: Huo Ye
"It's truly indescribably magnificent." Yun Che gazed ahead, sighing deeply. His snow-white clothes, and even his pupils, were all reflected in a deep crimson red.
Huo Poyun glanced at Yun Che and asked in surprise, "Brother Yun, you... don't feel any discomfort?"
"It's fine."
Even a Yan Shen disciple who had just entered the Divine Path would find it difficult to endure here for long, yet Yun Che's appearance was far more than just "fine." His expression was normal, his breathing steady, and there wasn't even any protective profound energy circulating around his body.
But then, recalling how Yun Che had once completely isolated his Nine Suns Heavenly Wrath with ice, he felt relieved: "Such a divine miracle could only have been forged by the power of an ancient True God. True Gods... it's hard to imagine how powerful divine power must be."
"Master and the others have always believed that at the bottom of the Burial God Fire Prison, there must be relics left behind by an ancient True God. If we could find them, it might elevate our Yan Shen Realm to the next level. But..." Huo Poyun shook his head: "How could a mortal control the legacy of a True God? In truth, Master and the others have long known that the bottom of the Fire Prison will ultimately remain an unattainable hope, unless the day comes when the Burial God Fire Prison extinguishes. But if that were to happen..."
Huo Poyun didn't finish, but his meaning was self-evident.
Yun Che was silent for a moment, thinking of the Ice Phoenix at the bottom of Minghan Heavenly Lake.
That was the actual body of an ancient Ice Phoenix from the distant past!
If that news were to spread, it would shake the entire Shen Realm.
This Burial God Fire Prison was tens of thousands of times larger than Minghan Heavenly Lake, and the power it contained naturally far surpassed it. What might be hidden at its bottom...
Could there be some great opportunity that would allow his profound power to skyrocket!
Yun Che slowly clenched his hands... Good, I must find an opportunity to delve deep into the Burial God Fire Prison! With my body that is impervious to all flames, reaching the bottom would be effortless.
However, first, he couldn't attract too much attention from the Yan Shen Realm, and second... Huo Poyun had just mentioned that this area should be close to the lair of the ancient Flood Dragon. Given the ancient Flood Dragon's power, and the fact that its aura was fused with the Burial God Fire Prison, its spiritual perception range within the Fire Prison must be extremely vast. If he rashly dived down and was detected by it... even ten thousand lives wouldn't be enough to save him.
Thus, the best opportunity... would be when the ancient Flood Dragon emerged from the Fire Prison and his Master engaged it in battle!
At that time, everyone in the Yan Shen Realm would be focused on the hunt for the Flood Dragon, and no one would pay attention to his whereabouts. Diving into the Fire Prison would also carry no risk of encountering the ancient Flood Dragon.
"Brother Yun, what are you thinking?" Huo Poyun asked casually, seeing Yun Che lost in thought.
Yun Che replied equally casually, "I was thinking that this ancient Flood Dragon is actually a bit pitiful. It has never done anything wrong, has never even left the Burial God Fire Prison, yet it's been hunted and attacked year after year. Thinking about it this way, we're practically villains."
"Hahahaha," Huo Poyun laughed. "Indeed, that's true. But as far as the laws of the Xuan Path are concerned, its existence is a crime, and strength is the law."
"Well said." Yun Che nodded. "Speaking of which, how big is that ancient Flood Dragon? Could it be ten thousand zhang long... or even ten thousand li?"
"No, no, no," Huo Poyun immediately shook his head. "What I'm about to say might surprise you, Brother Yun. According to what Master said, although that ancient Flood Dragon has a lifespan of at least several hundred thousand years, its body length, including its tail, is only thirty zhang."
"Thirty zhang?" Yun Che was indeed greatly surprised. "Only thirty zhang?"
Although size alone couldn't determine strength, a Flood Dragon born from a million-li Burial God Fire Prison, with a lifespan of at least several hundred thousand years and possessing the power of the Divine Lord realm, having a body length of only thirty zhang... was really quite illogical.
If it were ten thousand li long, blotting out the sky and sun the moment it appeared, plunging the world into darkness, Yun Che wouldn't have been so surprised.
"Uh, although its body is very small, its strength is truly incomparably terrifying. Let alone fighting it, even getting close to it is completely impossible for someone like Master. The only one who can fight it is your Master."
As Huo Poyun spoke, a red-gold inscribed jade on his right shoulder suddenly began to flash with urgent golden light. He hurriedly reached out and placed his hand over the jade. Then, his face changed drastically, and a startled shout escaped his lips: "What!?"
Yun Che quickly turned his head. "Brother Poyun, what happened?"
"It's... it's Senior Brother Huo Ye. He... seems... to be dying."
Huo Ye? Yun Che suddenly recalled that before Huo Rulie left in haste, he had called out "Ye'er." Could it be...
"No! I must go back immediately. If Senior Brother Huo Ye really... really meets with misfortune, Master will surely go mad. And with such an important matter at hand, perhaps only I can calm Master down."
Before his voice faded, Huo Poyun had already turned around swiftly and flown off at top speed.
"Wait, I'll go with you."
In his anxious urgency, Huo Poyun had no time to say anything. He directly grabbed Yun Che with one hand and flew back at nearly ten times the speed they had come.
Huo Ye was Huo Rulie's first son. Later, when Huo Rulie was cultivating, he had been too eager for success and suffered a severe backlash from the Golden Crow Flame, which rendered him impotent. Thus, Huo Ye became his only son. But before Huo Ye could produce offspring, he was accidentally severely injured by Mu Xuanyin. He himself carried the Golden Crow bloodline and cultivated the Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record, making him extremely afraid of ice. He was directly injured to the point where all his bodily functions were crippled. That he could linger on until today could already be called a miracle, and it also showed how desperately Huo Rulie didn't want him to die.
After all, he was his only descendant. If he died, it would mean this bloodline was completely severed.
Having sustained this for so many years, consuming countless life-sustaining pills, Huo Ye had finally reached his limit. His condition had deteriorated sharply during this period. Out of worry, Huo Rulie, even when coming to the Burial God Fire Prison area, still brought him along.
"Get out! All of you get out! Get out!!"
"Ye'er... Ye'er!!"
An irritable, out-of-control voice carrying endless pain and sorrow came from afar like a thunderclap. Huo Poyun's whole body tensed, and his speed increased again. Soon, a temporarily built house appeared in his sight. Around the house were several layers of profound formations. The profound practitioners who came for the Flood Dragon naturally wouldn't need a house. Its existence was solely for Huo Rulie's son, Huo Ye.
Around the house, there were already a dozen figures. From their attire, they were all from the Golden Crow Sect.
Huo Poyun flew down swiftly. Seeing Huo Poyun at a glance, the people below all showed a hint of joy. An old man said urgently, "Poyun, hurry! Go and stop your Master!"
Huo Poyun had no time to reply and rushed straight into the house. Yun Che hesitated for a moment, then followed closely behind. The people of the Golden Crow Sect were taken aback and didn't have time to stop him.
Entering the house, all sorts of profound lights and dense auras hit them in the face. Yun Che saw at a glance a person with a face as white as paper, looking aged and withered, lying there weakly. His eyes were open, but he didn't move at all, and even the pupils were invisible. On his body, there was almost no aura at all. Anyone who saw him would directly conclude he was dead.
Underneath him, a thick layer of profound crystals was spread. These profound crystals were of various colors, but all emitted extremely high-level auras. Obviously, they were for the purpose of prolonging his life.
Huo Rulie knelt there, his head deeply bowed, his whole body trembling, panting like an ox. His aura was extremely chaotic, and his face was even covered with hot tears.
Huo Ye's condition made Huo Poyun's heart jolt with alarm. Although this day would come sooner or later, it had to be precisely at this time...
"Who let you in? Get out! Get out!" Huo Rulie let out a furious roar, his voice already completely hoarse, carrying deep pain and despair.
"Master, it's me!" Huo Poyun quickly stepped forward, wanting to help him up. "Senior Brother Huo Ye is so strong, he will be fine... Master, please calm down first. He will be fine."
He didn't know how to console Huo Rulie at this moment, could only say pale words with great effort.
Huo Poyun's voice slightly calmed Huo Rulie's trembling. He didn't roar again, and his deeply bowed head didn't lift. From his mouth came a mournful sob: "No hope... my Ye'er... is beyond saving... I, Huo Rulie... am about to lose my son..."
The grief from his soul infected every trace of aura here. At this moment, Huo Rulie was no longer the majestic Golden Crow Sect Master of the entire realm, but a father mired in endless sorrow and despair.
Huo Poyun knelt beside Huo Rulie and said softly, "Master's kindness to Poyun is as heavy as a mountain, like a father. Even if Master loses Senior Brother Huo Ye... as long as Master does not abandon me, Poyun is willing to accompany Master for life."
"Good... good Yun'er..." Huo Rulie murmured. Over the years, for Huo Rulie, who faced the possibility of losing his son at any time, Huo Poyun had become his greatest spiritual support.
Yun Che released his profound energy and quickly swept it over Huo Ye's body. His brow deeply furrowed... Huo Ye's condition was truly miserable. All the meridians, profound veins, blood vessels, and organs... all were a complete mess. Not only were they destroyed beyond repair, but they had already completely clotted together. It was simply indescribably miserable, giving Yun Che the feeling of a piece of dead wood that had been withered for a long time, yet still forcibly alive.
And the strongest thing in his body was the aura of dozens of various spiritual medicines. It was these spiritual medicines and various top-grade profound crystals that tenaciously sustained the last shred of life force in Huo Ye.
But in this state, even if alive, it would be worse than death. Better to be relieved earlier.
Yet Huo Ye had persisted until now... perhaps what sustained him was not the will to live, but the fear that Huo Rulie would collapse from his death.
Although his entire body was crippled, this Huo Ye was also a very tough and admirable person. He indeed lived up to being the Young Master of the Golden Crow.
"Sect Master Fire, Brother Poyun, please step out first. I have a way to save him," Yun Che said.
Huo Rulie suddenly lifted his head. Immersed in great pain, he only now noticed Yun Che's presence. Seeing Yun Che's Ice Phoenix snow-white clothes, his eyes instantly blazed with fury, and he roared, "Who let you in! Get out! Get out!!"
Yun Che's expression didn't change. "I'll say it again: I have a way to save him. If you don't want him to die, get out now!"
"Nonsense!" Huo Rulie slowly stood up, profound energy raging around his body. "My Ye'er ended up like this because of your Bing Huang God Sect, and you, you still dare to..."
"Master!" Huo Poyun quickly stepped in front of Huo Rulie, saying urgently, "Brother Yun said he wants to save Senior Brother Huo Ye."
"Save? How? How!!" Huo Rulie wailed mournfully. "As early as a thousand years ago, Ye'er was... beyond saving. All these years, how much have I spent to prolong his life until today. Now... now there is simply no way left. Just him..."
"Just me, so what? Since I dared to say what I did, do you think I want to save him, or harm him?" Yun Che pointed at the seemingly dead Huo Ye and said solemnly, "In his current state, how could I possibly harm him?"
This harsh remark left Huo Rulie stunned.
"He has only his last breath left and could die completely at any moment. If you truly don't want him to die, in this situation, even if it were your mortal enemy, or a passing beggar who said they could save him, you would have to believe them, you must believe them, with no reason to refuse or doubt! Of course, if you simply don't want him to live... then pretend I said nothing!"
Yun Che finished speaking and turned to leave.
"Brother Yun!" Huo Poyun shouted, quickly stepping forward to block Yun Che's path, and said urgently to Huo Rulie, "Master! Brother Yun is definitely not someone who speaks recklessly. Since he dared to say such words, he must have considerable confidence. Brother Yun is right: Senior Brother Huo Ye is already like this... there is no worse outcome. No matter how small the hope, there is no reason to refuse."
Huo Rulie took several deep breaths, his body still trembling incessantly. "Fine... fine, boy Yun, you are right... fine... whether what you say is true or false, even if you can prolong Ye'er's life by a few days, or a few hours, I, Huo Rulie..."
"Time is short, no need for more words, get out now! Before I come out, no one may enter! Nor may they use spiritual sense to observe!" Yun Che went to Huo Ye's side and said in a commanding tone.
"Master, let's go out first. I trust Brother Yun," Huo Poyun said.
Huo Rulie took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, pulled Huo Poyun, turned and left, then tightly closed the door.