Chapter 1059: The Worst Outcome
"Hahahaha!" Huo Rulie threw his head back and laughed heartily. "The bottom of the Burial God Fire Prison? I knew you were still groggy from sleep, talking such nonsense."
"Brother Yun, you... you must be joking, right?" Huo Poyun looked at Yun Che with some concern. His words would never be believed by anyone, but his expression was just too strange.
"Is this kid really the personal disciple of the Yinxue Realm King? He's acting crazy!" a Phoenix elder shook his head and said.
"Ah," Yan Wancang did not laugh, but let out a heavy sigh instead. "Yun Che, as the personal disciple of the Yinxue Realm King, especially when you are outside of Yinxue, you should consider the honor of your sect and master and speak and act with caution. How can you utter such nonsense? And swear such a poisonous oath... Hurry up and take back what you just said."
Yan Wancang had always held Yun Che in extremely high regard, not only for his elemental talent surpassing Huo Poyun, but also for his composure that always far exceeded his age. But Yun Che's recent behavior made him feel utterly unreasonable, as if his mind had suddenly short-circuited.
Yun Che gritted his teeth and said, "How could I possibly joke about something like this! Regarding the two ancient horned dragons, there is not a single false word in what I said. Otherwise, as the personal disciple of the sect master, how could I swear such a poisonous oath!! I beg Sect Master Yan to believe me!"
"Enough!" Yan Juehai also couldn't stand it anymore and frowned. "Yun Che, do you know that ancient horned dragons were recorded in our Yan Shen Realm six hundred thousand years ago. In every generation since then, the search for them has never stopped! We know everything about them thoroughly! From beginning to end, there has only ever been one horned dragon. There is absolutely no possibility of a second one existing. Otherwise, how could our Yan Shen Realm have remained completely unaware for a full six hundred thousand years?"
"And you have only been in our Yan Shen Realm for a short three days. Our Yan Shen Realm's ancestors spanned sixty millenniums. Are they inferior to your mere three days?"
Just as Yun Che was about to speak, Yan Juehai's voice pressed down again. "Let's forget about this matter. Consider it an unfunny joke on your part. But the Burial God Fire Prison... Do you even know what kind of existence the Burial God Fire Prison is? Even I, Sect Master Yan, and Sect Master Huo dare not extend our bodies, not even our spiritual perception, beyond a thousand zhang at most. As for the bottom of the fire prison, no one in the entire history of the Yan Shen Realm has ever been able to reach it. And yet you, a mere Divine Origin Realm disciple of Yinxue, dare to boast about reaching the bottom of the Burial God Fire Prison..."
"As the sacred source of our Yan Shen Realm, the Burial God Fire Prison is revered by our entire realm. It is meant to be challenged, never to be joked about!"
"Hey!" Huo Rulie gave Yan Juehai a fierce glare, displeased. "You old immortal, a couple of reprimands are enough. Why be so harsh? He wasn't born in the Yan Shen Realm. Why should he care about our Yan Shen Realm's rules?"
"Alas," Yan Juehai shook his head.
Yan Wancang looked at Yun Che's expression and suddenly said in a low voice, "From the look of him, he doesn't seem to be deliberately spouting nonsense. It seems he's been affected by the fire prison."
Hearing this, the people around suddenly had a realization. Yan Juehai nodded and said, "Indeed, the intense scorching qi here can easily burn the heart and soul, leading to mental confusion. And he is a disciple of Yinxue, after all."
"I am perfectly clear-headed! Clearer than I have ever been!" Yun Che gritted his teeth, desperately trying to think of a way to make them believe him.
Huo Rulie grabbed his shoulder and said helplessly, "Alright, alright. Even if everything you said is true, even if there really is another horned dragon... Oh, not just one, even if there are two more ancient horned dragons, with your master's strength, escaping safely would be a piece of cake. So rest assured a hundred times over. Poyun, how about... you take him somewhere to rest for a while? The farther away, the better."
Huo Poyun was about to agree when Yun Che roared, "It's not that simple! These two horned dragons showed no flaws for a full sixty thousand years! Last time, when one was injured at the Dragon Gate, the other didn't come out. This shows how terrifying their cunning and patience are! So, the other one will either not make a move, or if it does, it will choose the optimal moment for them! My master has already expended a great deal of profound energy. If she is sneak attacked by the other one while completely off guard... she will definitely be severely injured!"
"This is the trump card the two horned dragons will never reveal until the very last moment. Once they reveal it, they will absolutely not give my master any chance to catch her breath! My master was already using all her strength to deal with one. Now her profound energy is greatly depleted, she is severely injured, and she has to face two ancient horned dragons at the same time—one of which is at its peak—how could she possibly escape!"
"Ahh, you kid!" Huo Rulie was nearly going crazy. If it weren't for Yun Che saving Huo Ye's life, with his already pitifully low patience, he would have directly slapped him unconscious. "If anything happens to your master, I'll pay with my own old life, alright!?"
No one would believe him. Even if he swore the most poisonous oath, no one would believe him. Yun Che slapped Huo Rulie's hand away and rushed to Yan Wancang again. "Sect Master Yan, you don't have to believe me. You can think I'm spouting nonsense. In that case, I won't ask you to send a voice transmission to my master telling her to escape. I only ask you to send a voice transmission to my master, telling her that another ancient horned dragon might be lurking in the surrounding fire prison, so that she can be on guard... That should be acceptable, right?"
"No!" Yan Wancang refused without a second thought. "When your master fights the horned dragon, she will first destroy the sound transmission jade, precisely to avoid any form of disturbance! If we send her such a voice transmission now, it will definitely distract her!"
Yun Che said urgently, "My master already has absolute superiority right now. The ancient horned dragon has no power to retaliate. So what if she is distracted by the transmission? A momentary distraction, no matter how severe, cannot possibly affect the current battle situation!"
"It's not just the distraction from the transmission itself!" Yan Wancang said patiently. "If your master believes there is another horned dragon, then while fighting, she will be constantly distracted and on guard! And the opponent is an ancient horned dragon that has lived for at least hundreds of thousands of years. Although it seems covered in blood now, it is by no means severely injured. Moreover, no one knows what other trump cards it might have. If you cause your master to be distracted because of this, it is entirely possible to ruin the current situation!"
"Do you know how many years our Yan Shen Realm has strived and waited for this day? And if everything is ruined because of your unreasonable behavior," Yan Wancang's tone became extremely severe, "not only will the Yan Shen Realm never forgive you, but your master will also definitely not forgive you after she finds out!"
"Fine..." Yun Che's lips trembled, and his hands were clenched so tightly that they crackled. "Then I will go tell my master myself!"
After saying that, he resolutely leapt into the air, charging straight toward the fire prison.
"Yun kid!" Huo Rulie was shocked. He reached out like lightning, and a force that Yun Che could not resist at all pulled him down from midair, crashing heavily beside Huo Rulie. Huo Rulie quickly reached out and held him down, roaring, "Are you crazy! With your little body, you will be reduced to nothing but bones before you even get within a thousand li!"
"It's better than watching my master perish with my own eyes!" Yun Che roared back.
"Yun Che!" Yan Wancang let out a furious shout that shook everyone's souls. His brows were deeply furrowed, and his face carried a rarely seen anger. "Do you know how important this hunt for the horned dragon is to our Yan Shen Realm? It is not just about the dragon's treasures. It also determines the future fate and status of our entire realm!"
"Right now, the hunt is on the verge of success. I will not allow any mistakes, any accidents, no matter how minor!" Yan Wancang's sharp eyes stared directly at Yun Che. "If it weren't for your master, I would have killed you on the spot for daring to cause such a disturbance over such an important matter! Now shut your mouth and behave yourself, or else... don't blame me for being rude!"
Among the Three Divine Flames, the Vermilion Bird Flame was the gentlest. Yan Wancang was also the most cultured and mild-tempered of the three sect masters. Even the elders of the Vermilion Bird Sect rarely saw him so angry—after all, the matter of hunting the horned dragon was far too important.
"..." Yun Che's chest heaved violently, but under Yan Wancang's gaze, his eyes slowly softened. His voice also completely softened, carrying a deep plea. "Sect Master Yan, my life has been short, but I rarely swear oaths, and I rarely beg people... I swear again, there is not a single false word in what I just said. Otherwise, I am willing to be judged by the Heavenly Dao and die a miserable death! I beg Sect Master Yan to send a voice transmission to my master... just warn her to be slightly more vigilant... I beg Sect Master Yan to grant this. My master's kindness to me is as deep as the sea. If my master is saved because of this, I, Yun Che, will never forget Sect Master Yan's kindness in this life."
"..." Yan Wancang did not speak. Instead, he turned around coldly... completely unmoved.
"But if something really happens to my master..." Yun Che's pleading eyes turned vicious in an instant, and his voice became hoarse with trembling. "Yan Wancang, I, Yun Che... will never let you off!!"
These words shocked everyone present.
"Bastard!" Before Yan Wancang could speak, the grand elder of the Vermilion Bird Sect furrowed his brows and cursed. "Who do you think you are to dare call our sect master by his name!? And you have the audacity to threaten..."
"Shut up, shut up! Who asked you to speak!" Huo Rulie gave him a fierce glare and frowned. "It looks like this kid's brain is indeed fried. Sect Master Yan, just pretend you didn't hear that. Poyun, hurry up and take him to find a..."
Crack crack crack crack crack crack...
A deafening sound of ice crystallization almost instantly tore at everyone's eardrums and pulled their gazes back to the Vermilion Bird projection.
On the body of the ancient horned dragon, a thick layer of ice crystals was spreading, quickly covering its entire body. The ancient horned dragon roared and struggled. Fine cracks kept appearing in the ice crystals, but they continuously froze over again, becoming thicker and thicker with each layer.
And the ancient horned dragon's roars and struggles grew weaker and weaker, until every part of its body was sealed within ice crystals several zhang thick, unable to break free anymore.
"Sealed... It's sealed!!" Yan Juehai roared with ecstasy.
Earlier, countless attempts at sealing it with ice had been shattered by the ancient horned dragon. This was the first time it had been truly and completely sealed. Although this complete seal couldn't last long... it created an excellent opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Mu Xuanyin's ice eyes closed. Her arms spread slightly, and the shadow of an Ice Phoenix danced silently on her body. A diamond-shaped ice light condensed at her fingertip, growing deeper and more profound as it expanded.
One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. Four breaths...
Cracks spread all over the ice crystals sealing the ancient horned dragon. The diamond-shaped ice light at Mu Xuanyin's fingertip had grown to a full zhang in size, emitting a deep blue light that no one had ever seen before.
Watching that blue light through the Vermilion Bird projection, everyone felt their vision silently sinking. And then, it was as if their entire being had suddenly fallen into an endless sea, then dropped into a bottomless abyss of ice.
What did it mean for a Divine Lord to calmly gather profound energy for a full four breaths?
Not to mention the current ancient horned dragon, even at its peak, if hit by this, it would be severely injured instantly. Given its current state...
The moment it broke out of the ice would probably be the moment of its death!
The air seemed to freeze. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the Vermilion Bird projection, waiting for that dreamlike moment to arrive... Only Yun Che, his eyes nearly splitting, was held down by Huo Rulie. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.
No... no! Master, run! RUN!!
Bang!!
The ice sealing the horned dragon exploded with a deafening roar.
And just as the ice diamond at Mu Xuanyin's fingertip was about to shoot out, the fire prison less than ten zhang behind her suddenly exploded. A fiery shadow, carrying the might of world annihilation and wrapping layers of shattered space, crashed down with devastating force.
All of Mu Xuanyin's power was concentrated at her fingertip, her mind completely locked onto the horned dragon ahead. Completely off guard, and at such a close range... the instant she sensed the danger, her back was violently struck. Her consciousness went blank in an instant.
Boom————————
The surrounding three thousand li of the fire prison completely boiled up, sending towering waves of flame ten thousand zhang high that seemed to devour the heavens.