Chapter 1120: Meeting Like a Dream
It wasn't just Mu Baimei who was stunned; Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan both jerked in shock, then instantly turned their gazes to behind Mu Baimei. Yun Che stood there in his previous position, yet all three of them, powerful Divine Kings, had no idea how he had appeared there.
Yun Che's eyes were icy cold, laced with mockery. He sneered, "Mu Baimei, your fox tail is truly ugly."
A dignified Divine King, using the most despicable and shameless method to suddenly strike a fatal blow at a young profound cultivator only at the Divine Soul Realm from a distance of two steps—yet he missed completely. In their understanding, this was impossible, utterly incomprehensible. Mu Baimei slowly turned around, glanced at Yun Che, then looked at the ice shadow dissolving in his hand, his face shifting between dark and uncertain.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful." Nanlie Great Emperor's eyes gleamed with strange light. "Old man Mu, I thought your acting was so brilliant, but it turns out this kid has been on guard against you all along. A dignified Divine King Realm, unable to even successfully ambush a mere Divine Soul Realm brat—what a huge joke. You've probably lost half a lifetime's worth of face, hahahaha."
"Heh." Yun Che laughed lowly. "A realm king who shows no airs toward an outsider junior, gentle and modest—how could he raise a son with no manners or upbringing? The son's conduct, combined with that genteel and righteous face, told me from the start that this person was either a hypocritical and cunning fox or a deep and sinister schemer—or both."
"Hahahaha, hahahaha!" Nanlie Great Emperor clapped and laughed heartily. "Good! Well said! Old man Mu, this kid has only known you for an hour, yet he's stripped your skin clean off. Truly brilliant. I really regret not recording this with a Mysterious Shadow Stone; if I had, I'd be feeling refreshed every day for the next ten thousand years, hahahaha."
"..." Mu Baimei loosened his grip but did not fly into a rage. Only a deep gloom remained. "You are the personal disciple of Yin Xue Realm King Mu Xuanyin!"
Yun Che was taken aback, and Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan both changed color simultaneously. "What did you say?"
"Lord Mu, what makes you say that?" Han Kuan asked sternly.
"..." Yun Che's heart also stirred. How did he recognize me? Could it be...
"Yin Xue Realm's Bing Huang God Sect has two divine techniques: the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon and the Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick!" Mu Baimei said grimly. "His instantaneous movement just now was no ordinary footwork—otherwise, how could it evade my spiritual perception lock? It is most likely the Yin Xue Realm's divine technique, Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick!"
"The Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon can be cultivated by high-level disciples of the Bing Huang God Sect, but the Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick is said to be mastered only by Yin Xue Realm King Mu Xuanyin. I happened to see it once years ago and was deeply shaken, unable to forget. For him to be able to perform the Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, it can only mean he was personally taught by Yin Xue Realm King Mu Xuanyin!"
The ruling sects of the three coastal realms all cultivated water-type profound arts, and ice and water share the same source, so they naturally knew this well. The strongest ice-type cultivator in the Eastern Divine Region was Mu Xuanyin of Yin Xue Realm. How could Mu Baimei and the other two not know of Mu Xuanyin and Yin Xue Realm's fame?
"Hehehe, old man Mu, you must be mistaken. How could Yin Xue Realm King's personal disciple come here alone?" Nanlie Great Emperor said, but his smile was clearly strained. For a Divine Soul Realm cultivator to perfectly evade a close-range ambush by a Divine King—it was something he had never seen or heard of. That was definitely not something ordinary footwork could accomplish. Moreover, Mu Baimei's expression was heavy and ugly; based on his years of knowing Mu Baimei, it didn't seem fake.
After the initial shock, Yun Che instead broke into a light smile. "Lord Mu is indeed well-informed. Yes, Yin Xue Realm King is indeed my master!"
As he spoke, a blue light flickered around him, and a shadow of an Ice Phoenix flashed behind him before disappearing, but the bone-chilling cold spread rapidly and lingered for a long time.
"Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon!"
Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan's faces finally changed drastically. They had never seen the Moon-Breaking Shadow Flick, but how could they not recognize Yin Xue Realm's Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon?
Yin Xue Realm was a middle-ranked star realm, something they absolutely could not afford to offend. And Yin Xue Realm King Mu Xuanyin was a Divine Lord comparable to an Upper Realm King, an existence so transcendent they didn't even have the right to look up to her. And her personal disciple, in terms of status within the Divine Realm, was in no way inferior to the three of them as lower star realm realm kings—in some respects, even superior.
After a brief shock, the three realm kings gradually relaxed their expressions. Nanlie Great Emperor said leisurely, "No wonder you have such guts. So you're Yin Xue Realm King's disciple. No wonder, no wonder."
"Since you already know, I won't waste more words." Yun Che's demeanor completely relaxed. "I'm taking the Royal Immortal Herb and leaving. As for what happened before, I'll pretend it never happened. Any objections?"
"Leave? Hehehe, I'm afraid it's not that easy." Mu Baimei let out a sinister laugh.
Yun Che narrowed his eyes. "What? You still want to forcibly take the Royal Immortal Herb from me?"
"No, no, no. I never said I wanted to take your Royal Immortal Herb." Shedding his sanctimonious facade, Mu Baimei's face showed a chilling malevolence. "After all, we had an agreement earlier: whoever finds the Royal Immortal Herb first gets it, and others must not forcibly take it. I am, after all, a realm king; how could I go back on my word and invite ridicule?"
"But we never said we wouldn't kill you! And once you're dead, the Royal Immortal Herb becomes ownerless. Naturally, we can take it openly and without violating the agreement. Don't you agree?"
Yun Che's face darkened. "I've seen plenty of shameless old bastards, but ones as nauseatingly shameless as you are rare indeed. Heh, you want to kill me? I forgot to tell you—I have a soul mark left by my master on me. The moment I die, my master will know immediately. She will also see all the images I saw before my death!"
"Since you know my master's name, you should also know that her temper is quite bad. By then, not only you, but your families, your sects, even your entire star realm will be annihilated under my master's wrath. Do you want to test that?"
"Hahahaha." Far from being frightened, Mu Baimei burst into laughter. Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan also wore sneers. Mu Baimei slowly walked toward Yun Che. "Ling Yun, I have to admit that at your age, you are indeed an extraordinary figure. No wonder Yin Xue Realm King took you as her personal disciple. But unfortunately, your experience is still too shallow."
"If this were any other place, I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you; I might even have to give you a polite apology. But here—this is an independent world within an independent world. Even if your master planted a hundred soul marks in your spirit, after you die, she won't sense a thing."
"Heh, what a pity." Nanlie Great Emperor shook his head. There was a hint of genuine regret in his pity. "If you had been more obedient, you might not have had to die. But revealing your identity makes death an absolute necessity!"
"Hehehe." Yun Che was still smiling. "Mu Baimei, although you just tried to kill me without warning, we have no old grudges or deep enmity. There's plenty of room for negotiation. But even after learning my master's name, you still have malicious intent. It seems you're determined to leave yourself no way out!"
He slanted his gaze toward Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan. "And the two of you as well."
"Then don't blame me for reporting your names to my master in full after I leave here!"
"Leave here? Fine." Mu Baimei laughed loudly. An invisible Divine King aura had already locked tightly around the space where Yun Che stood. "Then let's see how you leave alive!"
Yun Che raised his hand, and in his palm appeared a gray, dull profound stone. "Then don't regret this!"
"Hahahaha!" Upon seeing the profound stone in Yun Che's hand, the three realm kings burst into laughter again, as if seeing another joke. "The 'leave' you speak of—relying on this dimensional stone? You're truly laughably naive. It seems your master never taught you about space laws. The power of a dimensional stone can only perform teleportation within the same space. Using it here, you won't even reach the outer Phantom Sea Ancient Realm, let alone escape outside. Even if you had ten thousand of these, you could never leave this small world..."
Before Mu Baimei finished speaking, his eyes suddenly focused. After a brief pause, his face drastically changed, and he exclaimed, "Void Stone!?"
"What?" Mu Baimei's low cry startled Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan. Their gazes shot toward the gray profound stone in Yun Che's hand. The higher the grade of a dimensional stone, the longer the distance it could teleport. But no matter how high-grade, a dimensional stone could never teleport across different spaces.
A Void Stone, though essentially a type of dimensional stone, was on a level incomparable to ordinary dimensional stones. Its spatial teleportation could not be limited by any space laws, because its very existence stood at the apex of space laws.
"Now it's too late for regrets." Yun Che let out a low laugh and grabbed the Void Stone.
"Ah!" Mu Baimei let out a low roar. The aura locking Yun Che instantly tightened, and his profound energy erupted as he lunged straight at Yun Che, his face clearly showing terror.
He had already determined that this person was the personal disciple of Yin Xue Realm King. If he escaped, with Yin Xue Realm King's strength and her rumored cold and merciless temperament, once she learned of today's events, how could he have any path to survival?
Boom!!
Amid the violent explosion of air, Mu Baimei grabbed at empty space again. His hand held only a rapidly dissolving ice shadow. With a strange cry, he lunged again.
Yun Che, thrown back by the shockwave, had already channeled his profound energy into the Void Stone. Though he wore a cold smile, his heart let out a silent sigh.
After leaving Heiya Realm and before entering the Phantom Sea Ancient Realm, all his plans had revolved around the Void Stone. He needed to survive after obtaining the Royal Immortal Herb. The former was already extremely difficult, but the latter was infinitely harder.
But with the Void Stone that could perfectly teleport him far away, the latter became an easy task. All he had to do was obtain the Royal Immortal Herb at all costs. Once it was in hand, even if thousands of eyes were watching him, he could safely escape.
In the Divine Realm, in terms of value and rarity, a Void Stone was definitely even more valuable than the Royal Immortal Herb. Though he used it without hesitation, he was somewhat regretful and also a little uneasy about where the Void Stone would teleport him.
But at that very moment, in a span shorter than a flash of lightning, Yun Che's hand suddenly felt empty. The Void Stone vanished, and the profound energy surging into it also met nothing.
"!!?" Yun Che's expression shifted dramatically. Before him, Mu Baimei's figure, carrying the surging Divine King power like a vast ocean, had already lunged. In the next instant, it would be enough to send him into the abyss.
Ding!
Suddenly, a faint but soul-shaking chime rang through heaven and earth. A trace of blue light flickered in front of Mu Baimei. The moment it touched that blue light, Mu Baimei's violent profound energy completely dissipated into nothing. He himself crashed into an invisible spatial barrier, let out a muffled groan, and flew backward, slamming heavily to the ground.
This sudden change shocked Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan. Mu Baimei quickly scrambled up and roared, "Who?!"
But as soon as he shouted, he froze completely, unable to utter another sound. Nanlie Great Emperor and Han Kuan were also rooted in place, motionless from head to toe, as if suddenly frozen solid. Only their eyeballs were violently constricting and trembling.
The small world, which had been gently breezy, suddenly turned bitterly cold. Every wisp of wind became bone-chilling.
Before Yun Che, a back figure slowly materialized like a dream. A snow-white garment, unadorned, yet outlining a grace that no words could describe. Long hair cascading to her waist, each strand of icy blue hair seemed to embody the purest snow blossom in the world.
Beneath her snow-white sleeves, a pair of jade hands, too beautiful to belong to the mortal world, gently held the Void Stone that had vanished from Yun Che's hand.
Her arrival made the world intensely cold and profoundly silent. Flowers stopped swaying, wind ceased to stir. Gradually, the flowers and grass around her began to lose their original colors, turning into crystalline ice flowers, spreading patch by patch. The world's colors grew monotonous, yet even more dazzlingly beautiful.
"............" Staring blankly at the back figure before him, as if from a dream, Yun Che's vision blurred. A myriad of complex emotions clashed chaotically in his heart and soul, until they dissolved into blankness.
After a long daze, he finally managed to utter a hoarse murmur: "Mas...ter..."
—— End of Chapter ——