Chapter 1125: "Imprisonment"
Ice Phoenix Holy Domain, flying snow like rainbow.
When news of Yun Che's return spread, it did not cause any stir within the Ice Phoenix God Sect. After all, what everyone knew at the time was that the Ancient Flood Dragon had been successfully killed, Mu Xuanyin was injured, returned and entered seclusion, while Yun Che remained outside to train.
The people of the Ice Phoenix God Sect would only be surprised that he returned too early, since it was very normal for a personal disciple to train outside for ten or eight years.
As for what happened in the Burial God Fire Prison back then, apart from the Three Flame God Sects, and Mu Xuanyin, Mu Bingyun, and Mu Huanzhi, no one else knew. They only knew the result: the Ancient Flood Dragon was killed and Mu Xuanyin was injured.
But the scene of Yun Che flipping the Ancient Flood Dragon with a single sword strike, exposing its fatal flaw, and saving Mu Xuanyin—all the Flame God people who witnessed it would never forget it.
Returning to the Ice Phoenix Holy Palace, although only half a year had passed, Yun Che felt as if an entire lifetime had gone by. Because from the moment he fled, he never again hoped to return here alive.
As the supreme sacred ground of the entire Yin Xue Realm, apart from Mu Xuanyin, only he could freely enter and exit. Even Mu Bingyun came extremely rarely. Having committed such a grave mistake, he should no longer be qualified to set foot here…
"Master… does she really not intend to kill me?" Yun Che murmured absently. He knew very well what an unforgivable mistake he had made. Even an ordinary woman would never forgive it, let alone his master and the Realm King who ruled an entire realm…
"Are you that afraid of death?!"
While Yun Che was lost in melancholy, a voice cold enough to freeze the heart sounded by his ear.
Yun Che's entire body froze for a few breaths before he turned around, not daring to raise his head to look at the source of the voice. He bowed and paid his respects: "Disciple Yun Che greets Master."
Mu Xuanyin wore an ice phoenix long dress, with snow feathers draped over her shoulders. Her extremely beautiful eyes released a bone-chilling gaze: "Why didn't you run this time?!"
"…" Yun Che moved his lips but was silent for a long time, unable to find words.
The world fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sound of falling snow. Mu Xuanyin quietly watched Yun Che. In the past, whenever Yun Che paid his respects to her, he never bowed his head like this. No matter when, even in her presence, he could never suppress his almost innate arrogance.
But…
Others bowed to her trembling, because they feared her.
But as for Yun Che… Mu Xuanyin sensed not fear, but deep guilt.
Her gaze unconsciously shifted, no longer able to maintain its previous coldness. Fear was about oneself, while guilt was about the other person.
"Forget it."
The voice by her ear softened, and a very faint sigh seemed to drift: "Although you committed a grave mistake, you saved your master's life first, so merits and faults cancel out. You may rise."
"…" Yun Che was stunned, momentarily unable to believe his ears. Dazedly, he stood up but still kept his head lowered, because he had no idea how to face Mu Xuanyin after what happened.
After a long while, he still heard no more sound. Finally, he slightly raised his head, only to see a beautiful back silhouette bathed in the flying snow.
Perhaps Mu Xuanyin found it even harder to face him than Yun Che.
The world fell silent once more. This time, even the sound of falling snow was almost inaudible. Mu Xuanyin was silent for a long time, and Yun Che naturally dared not speak. In both his lives, he had never encountered such a stiff, cold, and helpless situation.
Finally, Mu Xuanyin slowly turned around, her icy eyes having regained their cold, deep-pool-like stillness: "Take out the Qilin Horn, Flood Dragon Heart, and the Royal Immortal Herb you just obtained."
"Yes." Yun Che quickly responded without asking why, and took out the Qilin Horn, Flood Dragon Heart, and Royal Immortal Herb one by one.
The Qilin Horn was huge and heavy, emitting a faint but ancient and profound aura.
The Flood Dragon Heart was still beating violently. With each beat, it released an intensely hot flame. It had only been out for a few breaths, but a large area of surrounding snow had already melted and sunk significantly.
The Royal Immortal Herb was wrapped in the purifying light of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, with no leakage of its aura.
Mu Xuanyin swept her gaze over them and said coldly: "Then only the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and the Wood Spirit Pearl remain."
Without hesitation, Yun Che quickly said: "Master, actually, this disciple has already obtained both the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and the Wood Spirit Pearl."
"?" Mu Xuanyin's icy brow moved slightly.
After saying that, Yun Che also took out the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and the Wood Spirit Pearl.
As the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and Wood Spirit Pearl appeared, their unusual light and aura caused Mu Xuanyin's gaze to change noticeably. Especially when her spiritual sense swept over the Wood Spirit Pearl, she exclaimed in surprise: "A perfect Wood Spirit Pearl? Where did you get it?"
"To answer Master, this Wood Spirit Pearl…" Thinking of the Wood Spirits who died because of him, Yun Che's voice lowered slightly: "This disciple bought a young Wood Spirit from an underground chamber of commerce in the Heiya Realm, but couldn't bear to forcibly take its Wood Spirit Pearl. Instead, I sent it back to the place where it was hiding. This Wood Spirit Pearl was given to me by a Wood Spirit senior there."
"…" Mu Xuanyin was visibly startled.
"As for this Nine-Star Buddha God Jade, this disciple unintentionally picked it up from the corpse of the Heiya Realm King."
"Heiya Realm King's corpse… picked up?" Mu Xuanyin frowned again, evidently finding it even more incomprehensible.
"It does seem a bit incredible, but this disciple dares not lie. Oh, and the Void Stone that I almost crushed earlier in the secret realm—I also picked it up from the Heiya Realm King's corpse together with the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade." Yun Che reported truthfully.
"…I see."
Mu Xuanyin already understood that the Nine-Star Buddha God Jade and the Void Stone that Yun Che had "picked up" were actually tricks secretly played by Princess Cai Zhi.
As for that Heiya Realm King, even if she didn't kill him, it must have something to do with her.
With a flick of her snow sleeve, the Qilin Horn, Flood Dragon Heart, Royal Immortal Herb, and the Buddha God Jade and Wood Spirit Pearl in Yun Che's hand all disappeared in an instant, taken into Mu Xuanyin's personal space without giving Yun Che any time to react.
"To obtain a Qiankun Five Jade Pill is normally as hard as ascending to heaven. Yet you managed to gather the 'Five Jades' in such a short time—that is not easy." Mu Xuanyin's tone shifted slightly: "But although your great mistake can be offset, you ran away after the mistake, betraying your master and the sect—that cannot be lightly forgiven! You need not think about the Qiankun Five Jade Pill any longer!"
"…" Yun Che opened his mouth, then bowed his head: "Yes."
"There are less than two years until the Profound God Convention." Mu Xuanyin continued: "With your original cultivation progress, if you rely solely on training, it is absolutely impossible to step into the Divine Tribulation Realm before the Profound God Convention."
"But, since you have already obtained your master's Ice Phoenix Primordial Yin, you are now at the Divine Soul Realm. If you don't rely on the Qiankun Five Jade Pill, and with your master's assistance, it may not be impossible!"
The words "Ice Phoenix Primordial Yin" spoken from Mu Xuanyin's mouth made Yun Che's heart jolt. He suddenly looked up, only to find that Mu Xuanyin's face was utterly cold and still, without any ripples, as if she were merely stating something extremely ordinary.
"You were only just beginning the Divine Way, not even having fully comprehended the Divine Origin Realm, yet you leaped straight to the Divine Soul Realm. The Divine Way is hardly comparable to the mortal way! Although it caused a surge in your profound strength, it left endless hidden dangers. Moreover, the lag in your understanding of the Way will make your future progress a hundred times more difficult. If you forcibly supplement it with the Qiankun Five Jade Pill, although it might let you reach the sky in one step, the consequences will be far more severe than you imagine… even with your Evil God's Profound Meridians!"
Mu Xuanyin's gaze swept over Yun Che: "I'm sure you have already sensed it."
"Yes." Yun Che obediently responded. After becoming a Divine Soul Realm cultivator overnight due to Mu Xuanyin's Ice Phoenix Primordial Yin, his profound strength had stopped at the second level of the Divine Soul Realm. For an entire half year, there was almost no progress.
"Starting today, you are not allowed to step even half a step outside this Holy Domain! Every day, two hours for enlightenment, two hours for mind cultivation, two hours for body tempering, and six hours for training."
"Your master will teach you to re-understand the Divine Way and re-cultivate the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon. Apart from training, you are not allowed to see anyone, not allowed to go anywhere, not allowed to have any distracting thoughts or wild ideas. Every word, every action, every move must follow your master's will, without the slightest disobedience."
A pair of icy eyes were devoid of emotion, only carrying the authority and severity that brooked no disobedience: "This is the punishment you deserve, and also your only chance to enter the Zhou Tian God Realm. Whether you accept it or not, you must accept it!"
Although Mu Xuanyin had been quite strict with him before, she had never restricted his freedom. But this series of commands now was completely equivalent to imprisoning him tightly within this Ice Phoenix Holy Domain and her will.
Yun Che was stunned for a moment, then said heavily: "Yes, this disciple will obey Master's orders."
"Very well!" Seeming surprised that Yun Che agreed without any resistance, Mu Xuanyin gave him a silent look: "Go temper your body at Minghan Heavenly Lake for three hours, then come find me at the Holy Palace!"
As her voice fell, Mu Xuanyin soared into the air. As her figure turned, the direction of the flying snow throughout the entire Holy Domain changed accordingly.
"Master," Yun Che suddenly spoke, his voice filled with doubt and concern: "Your injuries… have they fully healed?"
Given the severity of Mu Xuanyin's original injuries and losses, coupled with the loss of her Primordial Yin, even if her injuries had healed, her profound aura would certainly have dropped significantly. Therefore, her aura should have been much weaker than before.
But now, the feeling Mu Xuanyin gave Yun Che was even more ethereal and hazy than before.
Mu Xuanyin halted her figure without turning back, and said indifferently: "Within your master's body lies the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul bestowed by our ancestors. I cultivated bitterly for ten thousand years and only awakened three-tenths of its divine power… Yet in this short half year, I suddenly awakened seven-tenths! Not only have my injuries fully healed, but my profound strength is also far greater than before. So you need not worry unnecessarily. Just take care of yourself."
With her back to him, Yun Che did not see the extremely complex look in Mu Xuanyin's eyes as she said these words.
Yun Che showed surprise, then said joyfully: "It must be because Master's desperate gamble at that time stimulated the awakening of the Divine Soul. Master must be blessed by heaven and earth, turning misfortune into fortune."
"…" Not only her gaze, but even Mu Xuanyin's breathing paused for several breaths. Then she gave a light snort, stepped on the snow and floated into the air, her figure soon disappearing into the flying snow.
And a Void Stone fell from the sky, landing lightly beside Yun Che.
Knowing that Mu Xuanyin was not only unharmed and uninjured, but her profound strength had even increased, Yun Che felt heartfelt joy. He let out a heavy sigh, plopped down on the snow, picked up the Void Stone at his side, and became completely relaxed.
Since his "escape," the two heavy boulders that had been pressing on his heart fell at the same time, dissipating.
Not only was his master's body and cultivation unharmed, but she had also let him off so easily…
There was no killing intent toward him at all, and almost no anger was even felt.
Compared to the heavy worry, guilt, and trepidation of this period… this result was like a dream, so wonderful that he could hardly believe it.
"Master really forgave me, heh." Yun Che couldn't help but laugh. He looked up and muttered happily to himself: "If it were someone else, given Master's temperament, they would have died ten thousand times already. Seems I underestimated myself. Sure enough, for an outstanding disciple like me, no matter how big the mistake, Master would never really be willing to kill me."
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(End of chapter)