Chapter 1123: Returning to Yinxue Realm

Consciousness slowly awakened from a haze, and Mu Xuanyin's figure clearly emerged in his mind.

Master!

Yun Che jolted, sitting straight up.

"Ah!" A girl's startled cry came from beside him, followed by hurried footsteps drawing near: "Yun Che, you're awake!"

Looking at the blue-clad girl before him, Yun Che froze for a moment: "Xiaolan... Senior Sister?"

He was currently sitting on a half-height ice bed. His gaze fell upon familiar ice crystal amber; the breath in his nostrils was the familiar pure cold air. Before him, the girl with a face full of delighted surprise was the long-unseen Mu Xiaolan.

This place is... the Yinxue Realm... Ice Phoenix Thirty-Sixth Palace...

"Thank goodness, you came back unconscious. I thought you were injured, but it seems you're completely fine." Mu Xiaolan spoke happily, her bright eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "Where have you been all this time? Why did you faint? Master said you went out for training, and I thought you wouldn't be willing to come back for many years."

Mu Xiaolan said a lot, but the dazed Yun Che did not catch any of it clearly. He shook his head, recalling the scene before he lost consciousness, and asked somewhat absently: "Where is Master?"

"Oh... the Sect Master hasn't returned yet. Her holy dragon mount brought you back." Seeing Yun Che's strange expression, Mu Xiaolan hesitated for a moment but couldn't suppress her curiosity: "Yun Che, did something happen?"

Yun Che shook his head, unable to answer.

"Xiaolan, you may leave."

A gentle voice came. Mu Bingyun walked in slowly, her snowy face and icy eyes still as cold as ever.

"Yes." Although full of curiosity, Mu Xiaolan obediently left.

Mu Bingyun stepped forward, her gaze at Yun Che instantly becoming extremely complicated.

Yun Che lowered his head, for the first time not daring to meet Mu Bingyun's eyes. Because he knew how grave a mistake he had made, especially now facing Mu Xuanyin's sister, who had been so kind to him.

"Where did your Master find you?" Mu Bingyun asked, her voice still familiar and gentle.

"East, at the center of Huanhai Island, in an ancient secret realm called Huanhai Ancient Realm." Yun Che answered, still keeping his head down, his mind unsettled.

"I see..."

Yun Che: "..."

"Where is your Master now? Why hasn't she returned?" Mu Bingyun inquired.

Yun Che shook his head: "I don't know. The moment I saw Master, she was in a rage... and then I woke up here."

"..." Mu Bingyun did not ask further, nor did she look worried. After all, with Mu Xuanyin's strength, no matter where she was, there was no need for any concern. She shifted her gaze away from Yun Che, her high chest rising and falling slowly, clearly not calm inside. Her gentle voice carried a slightly suppressed coldness: "Yun Che, what you did in the Yan Shen Realm, I know all of it... besides your Master, I am the only one who knows."

Yun Che's face darkened: "I know... my crime is unforgivable."

"Indeed, your crime is unforgivable." Mu Bingyun's voice carried rare emotional fluctuation. She turned her back, as if afraid that looking at Yun Che for too long would cause her thousand-year-quiet icy heart to lose control: "The Sect Master is not only the Yinxue Realm King and the Ice Phoenix Sect Master, but also the greatest figure of the Yinxue Realm in hundreds of thousands of years. Her status is revered, her power unparalleled, unprecedented. Even an emperor of a nation would be committing blasphemy by daring to look directly at her. Getting within a hundred feet is a luxury; half a word of offense is an unforgivable capital crime!"

"She is also your Master!"

"And you..."

Even with her back to Yun Che, Mu Bingyun's voice could not remain calm. Her graceful figure trembled slightly, taking a long time to slowly settle.

Even though so much time had passed, she still could not accept or forgive.

Even if half a year ago Yun Che had offended her instead, she would not have been so upset.

Yun Che still kept his head down, with no words of dispute or refutation... and no way to refute.

"At the time, although the Sect Master was severely injured and contaminated by Qiulong blood, unable to save herself, you had already brought her out of danger. You could have easily used the power of the Three Yan God Sect Masters to dispel the Qiulong blood. Why did you have to..."

"I didn't trust them!" Yun Che lifted his head slightly, blurting out: "I was afraid they would take advantage of her weakness and harm Master. Also, I didn't want them to defile..."

At that time, he was still immersed in resentment towards Yan Wancang and the others for their selfish refusal to help. He not only harbored resentment but even had thoughts of killing them, so how could he have any trust? Moreover, even if they were willing to exert all their efforts to save her, there would inevitably be physical contact. Given Mu Xuanyin's proud and ice-cold nature, how could she accept that?

And the second half of his sentence, he could not finish.

Because in terms of results, what he had done to Mu Xuanyin was far more than defilement.

"Besides seeking help from the three Sect Masters, there is one more thing you don't know." Mu Bingyun said softly: "Within the Sect Master's body lies a powerful Ice Phoenix Source Soul. Even if her profound power was completely lost and her consciousness unconscious, mere Qiulong blood could never endanger her mind or life."

Yun Che jolted his head up, stunned.

"What you committed is the most unforgivable crime in the entire history of the Yinxue Realm. But before that, you did save the Sect Master's life... otherwise, she would have surely fallen in the Burial God Fire Prison."

Yun Che could only see her back, not her expression, but he could clearly feel her extremely complex emotions and state of mind.

"Even so, I still cannot convince myself to forgive you." Mu Bingyun sighed softly: "Your Master... she is also extremely disappointed and angry with you."

"I know." Yun Che murmured gloomily, then gave a self-deprecating smile: "I am now... no longer worthy of being her disciple. Ice Cloud Palace Master, you brought me to the Yinxue Realm and have cared for me many times since. Regardless, I will never forget your kindness. It's just... I probably won't have a chance to repay it."

Compared to Mu Xuanyin's status and the height she stood at, Yun Che was so insignificant that he wasn't even an ant.

It was like a lowly beggar defiling a universally revered empress; even a thousand cuts could barely atone for the crime.

Not only had he defiled her holy body, but he had also destroyed her complete yin essence... not to mention that she was his Master, who had shown him great kindness.

He had sensed Mu Xuanyin's anger when she looked at him. This time, he was prepared to accept severe punishment and had no intention of running away again.

Mu Bingyun was silent for a long time, then said softly: "Do you know why the Sect Master went to that place called Huanhai Island?"

"She must have sensed my aura." Yun Che replied. He didn't know how Mu Xuanyin had found him. When he went to the Heiya Realm, Huo Rulie had sworn to keep it secret. In the Heiya Realm, he went by the name "Ling Yun," and only Ji Ruyan knew his real name, "Yun Che."

To prevent being recognized as coming from the Yinxue Realm, he almost never used the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon. Even when cultivating, he chose the Heihun Mountain Range, which could greatly conceal and confuse his aura.

"No." Mu Bingyun slowly shook her head: "She was always searching for you, but the God Realm is vast, and she never found any trace of you. The reason she went to Huanhai Island was that she happened to learn that a Royal Immortal Herb had appeared there. She went personally to ensure it wasn't taken by others... because it was a necessary ingredient for refining the Qiankun Five Jade Pill for you!"

"...!" Yun Che was instantly stunned.

Mu Bingyun glanced deeply at Yun Che and slowly walked away, her icy voice like a dream from afar: "Compared to the great mistake you made, what disappointed and angered her more was your panicked escape."

Mu Bingyun left. Yun Che stood frozen, his soul seemingly extracted... After a long time, he slowly raised his hand and pressed it over his heart. There, something was churning violently, unstoppably.

"Master didn't want to kill me... She went there... to find the Royal Immortal Herb for me..."

"It was... for me..."

==========================

CRACK!!

Blue light rampaged within the ancient realm. Every phoenix cry and wolf howl caused the entire world to tremble and even flip.

This small independent world, preserved from the ancient divine era and existing for who knows how many years, had completely turned into a purgatory of extreme cold and destruction. Space shattered, all things perished, and even the laws were on the verge of total collapse.

The ancient realm was on the brink of collapse. Mu Xuanyin and little Mo Li naturally sensed it, but their fierce battle continued without pause, from the east of the world to the north pole, and then to the south pole's peak, with no moment of rest.

Mu Xuanyin was a powerful Divine Lord. In the God Realm, anyone who knew her name knew this; the Yinxue Realm and the neighboring Yan Shen Realm knew it clearly as well. But neither Yun Che, nor the Ice Phoenix Sect or the Three Yan God Sect Masters, would believe their eyes if they saw this scene.

In the Burial God Fire Prison battle, Mu Xuanyin was ambushed by two ancient Qiulongs. Although she escaped death thanks to Yun Che's life-risking protection, she was severely injured, her profound power completely drained. In a desperate situation, to forcibly kill one Qiulong, she heavily damaged her essence blood and unleashed the forbidden power "Moon-Breaking Destruction Sorrow." This not only aggravated her injuries but also greatly damaged her talent and cultivation.

Afterward, she lost her Ice Phoenix yin essence due to Yun Che...

Severe injury, coupled with the loss of profound power, essence blood, talent, and yin essence—the blow and damage to Mu Xuanyin were extreme. In Yun Che's expectation, Mu Xuanyin might need months to wake up, and recovering her profound power could take years, or even longer.

And even if she recovered, she would be weaker than before, and might never make any further progress for the rest of her life.

For someone at the pinnacle of the profound path, this was undoubtedly a cruel outcome that was simply unacceptable.

But now, in the fierce battle with little Mo Li, Mu Xuanyin showed no signs of unhealed injuries or weakened profound aura. This was already somewhat incomprehensible.

Even more astonishing was that her profound power showed no signs of loss; instead, she was stronger than when she fought the ancient Qiulong—and not just by a little.

The terrifying power that made the vast ancient realm tremble with a wave of her hand could easily annihilate even two or three ancient Qiulongs!

The Divine Lord Realm—the highest realm that countless profound practitioners in the God Realm dared not even dream of. In this realm, even the smallest step forward required astonishing talent, immense fortune, long years, and unimaginable effort.

Half a year is but a snap of the fingers for a Divine Lord. But in this short half-year, Mu Xuanyin, who was severely injured and damaged, not only fully recovered her injuries and profound power but had become several times stronger than before!

Not only was she unharmed and unscathed, but she could even be described as having been reborn.

Such a change, defying all understanding and common sense, would be utterly unbelievable even to the kings of the Realm Kings at the pinnacle of chaos.

Little Mo Li's power continued to rise. With each sword strike, its might overturned all the seas within the ancient realm, yet it still couldn't suppress Mu Xuanyin. An increasingly heavy shock gathered in her azure starry eyes, eventually turning into a blood-red, frenzied glare.

"Blood... Moon... Immortal-Slaying... Sword!"

The Celestial Wolf's shadow reappeared, no longer azure, but blood-red all over, as if from a hellish blood pool. Especially its two glaring wolf eyes, like two blood-red moons hanging in the sky, spreading world-ending light.

Mu Xuanyin's snow-white garments drifted lightly, like a banished immortal beneath the vast moon. Amidst the heavens and earth overturning, she remained untouched by even a speck of dust. Where the Snow Princess Sword pointed, all things froze. Nine ice rings quickly formed and instantly overlapped, spreading into a vast ice formation, covering the blood-red wolf shadow from above.

Ding...

In an instant, all light and sound in the world disappeared. Then, everything in the ancient realm—from the seas to the earth, from boulders to dust—was completely frozen, turned into ice, and shattered in the next moment. Endless powder drifted chaotically in the collapsing sky and earth.

Crack... crack... boom...

Countless spatial fissures frantically spread, connected, and expanded in every corner. With a overwhelming roar, the Huanhai Ancient Realm, which had been trembling and holding on for so long, finally completely collapsed...