Chapter 1181: Like a Dream Awakened
Tomorrow, there will be a total of eight matches: four from the second round of the Divine Sealing Group and four from the third round of the Losers' Group.
Although they had been prepared for it, everyone in the Flame God Realm felt their hearts sink when they saw the opponent of Huo Poyun on the match list.
The successor of the Sword Lord, one of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain—Jun Xilei!!
Huo Poyun's expression did not change, but his hands slowly clenched.
Yan Juehai and Huo Rulie exchanged a glance. They both understood very well what the concepts of "Sword Lord's successor" and "Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain" meant. Before arriving at the Zhou Tian Realm, they had even come into close contact with the Sword Lord and his disciple in the Yinxue Realm. Though Jun Xilei was young in age, the aura of the Sword Dao within her was enough to make even the two Divine Sovereigns feel secretly alarmed.
There was absolutely no way Huo Poyun could be her match.
After a brief moment of gravity, Huo Rulie's brows relaxed. He heavily patted Huo Poyun's shoulder and said with a laugh, "Yun'er, in tomorrow's battle, just give it your all. Victory or defeat no longer matters. The fact that you've come this far has already surpassed our expectations by a thousandfold, and you've brought us, the Flame God Realm, an unprecedented glory. So, you don't need to bear any more pressure."
Huo Poyun slowly nodded but said nothing.
Yun Che glanced sideways at Huo Poyun. He was very clear that, for Huo Poyun, the real pressure did not come from the Flame God Realm but from himself.
The second match of the Divine Sealing Group finally brought the first battle between the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain—Luo Changsheng versus Lu Lengchuan.
A battle between the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain was undoubtedly the pinnacle showdown among the younger generation of the Eastern Divine Region.
When Yun Che saw the matchups for the third round of the Divine Sealing Group, he was taken aback.
Shui... Mei... Yin!?
She... hasn't been eliminated? And she's still in the Divine Sealing Group!?
What's going on?
The strength of the eight people still remaining in the Divine Sealing Group was self-evident. Among them, Luo Changsheng, Jun Xilei, Shui Yingyue, and Lu Lengchuan—the "Four Divine Sons"—occupied half the spots. Meng Duanxi and Chao Feng were both at the ninth level of the Divine Spirit Realm, absolute powerhouses who had consistently ranked in the top ten during the preliminary selection battles.
In comparison, Huo Poyun, with his seventh-level Divine Spirit Realm profound strength, was at the absolute bottom among the Divine Sealing Thirty-Two Sons, yet he was still in the Divine Sealing Group, which could already be considered an anomaly. In most people's eyes, the biggest reason for this was luck—after all, his first two opponents were Lu Chenyuan, who had been caught off guard by his arrogance and defeated before he could even display his true strength, and Luo Chang'an, whose profound strength was at the very bottom and had only entered the Divine Sealing Group by lying flat. Defeating him was hardly anything impressive.
But Shui Meiyin... why was she still in the Divine Sealing Group?
On the first day of the competition, he had directly left the venue after forfeiting his match. On the second day, he hadn't even shown up. So he had absolutely no idea about the battle results. Today, when he didn't see Shui Meiyin's name on the Losers' Group match list, he naturally assumed she had been eliminated... After all, although she had used a clever method to enter the Divine Sealing Thirty-Two Sons, her actual profound strength was only at the first level of the Divine Spirit Realm. It would be perfectly normal for her to be eliminated in the very first round.
He simply couldn't understand. Not only had she not been eliminated, but she was also on tomorrow's Divine Sealing Group match list.
"Palace Master Bingyun, Shui Meiyin... how did she win her previous matches?" Yun Che asked Mu Bingyun.
Among the eight in the Divine Sealing Group, four were at the tenth level of the Divine Spirit Realm, two at the ninth level, and Huo Poyun was already considered an anomaly. Shui Meiyin, at the first level of the Divine Spirit Realm...
Could there be some special trick?
Mu Bingyun said, "Shui Meiyin indeed relied on her own strength to stay in the Divine Sealing Group. Although her profound strength is only at the early stage of the Divine Spirit Realm, her combat ability cannot be judged by common standards... just like you."
"..." The reason Yun Che's strength far exceeded his profound power level was mainly because he possessed a unique Creation God inheritance and the Heaven-defying Evil God Mysterious Veins. So what was Shui Meiyin relying on?
"As for how she will handle her opponent tomorrow... you'll be able to see it with your own eyes in tomorrow's match."
Yun Che was startled again. What Mu Bingyun meant by this was clearly that she might even win tomorrow?
Defeating Meng Duanxi, who was at the ninth level of the Divine Spirit Realm?
"You should pay more attention to your own opponent tomorrow." Mu Bingyun's tone became serious.
On the third-round match list of the Losers' Group, Yun Che immediately spotted his name:
First Match: Shenwu Realm [Wu Guike] (Divine Spirit Realm, Level 8) vs. Yinxue Realm [Yun Che] (Divine Tribulation Realm, Level 8)
Wu Guike!?
Yun Che lifted his head and happened to meet a fierce glare shooting toward him. Wu Guike was sitting beside the Shenwu Realm King, Wu Sanzun. There was surprise in his eyes, but even more so, ruthlessness. After all, because he had helped Yun Che "cheat," he had nearly been ruined and disgraced.
And besides surprise and ruthlessness, there was also a hint of palpitation... After all, Yun Che was holding two big leverage points over him!
Yun Che averted his gaze and muttered, "What a small world."
From Yun Che's face, Mu Bingyun could not detect any trace of gravity. She asked in a low voice, "Against an opponent like Wu Guike, how confident are you of winning?"
"Ten out of ten," Yun Che answered without a moment's hesitation.
Mu Bingyun's eyes showed a hint of surprise, then she cautioned, "Do not underestimate Wu Guike. The profound arts of the Shenwu Realm are extremely fierce and domineering, making them difficult to control. Yet Wu Guike, despite his young age, has mastered them thoroughly and cultivated them to a very high level. His combat power far surpasses that of others at the same level."
"The reason he fell into the Losers' Group is because Luo Changsheng knocked him down."
With the conclusion of today's Divine Sealing battles, sixteen people had already been eliminated. The Divine Sealing Thirty-Two Sons were now reduced to just sixteen.
But no one expected that, after this round of battles, the name that would stir the greatest uproar and draw the most attention was Yun Che.
With profound strength at the eighth level of the Divine Tribulation Realm, he had utterly defeated Luo Chang'an, who was at the sixth level of the Divine Spirit Realm. Moreover, he had ignored the vast divine might of the Shengyu Realm and had returned Luo Chang'an's humiliation a hundredfold on the Divine Sealing Platform. Both the former and the latter shocked and even horrified everyone.
Even the experts from various star realms in the spectator seats, including those from the king realms, could hardly believe their own eyes.
Yun Che had naturally anticipated this result, but he paid it no heed. He let the Eastern Divine Region's profound realms stir up massive waves and countless speculations because of him. He returned to his lodgings, sat by the pond where he had once spent a quiet night, and fell silent, calming his mind.
Due to the regulation that, during the Divine Sealing battles, contestants were not to be disturbed without permission, the lodgings of the Yinxue Realm and the Flame God Realm were exceptionally quiet. Otherwise, given Yun Che's performance today, there would surely have been a flood of visitors.
"Yun Che." Mu Bingyun approached silently, her snow-white steps making no sound, and opened her palm before him: "This is the Time Wheel Pearl that was given to you after yesterday's match."
After every two rounds of matches, if one hadn't been eliminated, they would receive a Time Wheel Pearl to restore their condition. Although Yun Che had had a bye yesterday, it still counted as having gone through two rounds without elimination.
Yun Che took it: "Thank you, Palace Master Bingyun."
Mu Bingyun withdrew her snowy hand: "Aren't you planning to use this Time Wheel Pearl to adjust your condition? Tomorrow's opponent is nothing like Luo Chang'an."
"No need," Yun Che said with a smile. "Fighting Luo Chang'an hardly cost me any stamina."
And with his extraordinary recovery ability, far beyond normal people, even if he had been greatly depleted, he could fully recover overnight.
Mu Bingyun's eyes flickered with surprise. After a brief hesitation, she finally asked, "About how strong are you right now?"
Yun Che shook his head slightly: "I don't know. After witnessing the four matches of the Divine Sealing Group tomorrow, I'll probably have a rough idea. However, defeating Wu Guike shouldn't be a problem."
From Yun Che, Mu Bingyun did not sense the arrogance of someone whose strength had surged and who had just completely defeated Luo Chang'an. Instead, she felt a calm certainty, with no ripples in his heart. This calmness and certainty made Mu Bingyun's eyes become exceptionally complex. She averted her gaze and suddenly asked softly, "Yun Che, it seems you don't really know who gave you your current power."
Yun Che was taken aback and asked in confusion, "This... I refined the medicinal power of the Qiankun Five Jade Pill within the Time Wheel Barrier, which greatly increased my profound strength. What do you mean, Palace Master Bingyun?"
"...Then why do you carry the aura of your master on you?" Mu Bingyun slowly closed her beautiful eyes, her heart surging with emotion.
"The medicinal power of the Qiankun Five Jade Pill was too fierce. My own strength couldn't refine it at all, so my master was always helping me from the side," Yun Che replied, feeling even more puzzled... There's no reason Mu Bingyun wouldn't know this.
"...So, during the process of refining the Qiankun Five Jade Pill, you were always with your external senses sealed off?"
Yun Che nodded: "The medicinal power of that Qiankun Five Jade Pill was several times more violent than I had anticipated. I didn't dare to let my mind wander in the slightest. And even so, it was still fraught with danger. If my master hadn't later introduced her power into my body to help me refine it, I would likely have been in mortal danger."
"Introduced... her power into your body?"
Mu Bingyun's chest heaved heavily. She let out a very soft sigh and turned around: "The Qiankun Five Jade Pill does indeed provide a significant boost before the Divine Tribulation Realm. But you have already entered the Divine Tribulation Realm. Do you really think that a single Qiankun Five Jade Pill could elevate your cultivation from the early stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm to the late stage? Moreover... your profound veins are far from ordinary."
"..." Yun Che slowly stood up but only saw Mu Bingyun's back: "Although there was another reason, the medicinal power of the Qiankun Five Jade Pill was indeed somewhat unusual. Palace Master Bingyun, do you mean... while my master was helping me refine the medicinal power, she also applied some other secret technique on me?"
Mu Bingyun did not answer. Instead, she said softly, "The fact that she didn't tell you means she didn't want you to know... and she wouldn't want anyone else to know either. So, you don't need to ask further, not even your master."
Yun Che: "...??"
"Just remember one thing." Mu Bingyun's voice suddenly turned cold: "You saved my life, a great kindness. I should repay you in any way. But... your master owes you nothing. All the good she has done for you is only because she wants to treat you well. You... must never... do anything to let her down."
Mu Bingyun had always been as calm as still water; her voice was always gentle like clouds and soft like mist. But now, in her words, Yun Che could actually sense a deep chill.
"..." Yun Che stood there, utterly baffled. Mu Bingyun's back gradually faded into the distance and disappeared from his sight.
In the silence, Yun Che remained dazed for a long time. Mu Bingyun's words certainly concealed some profound meaning... And he vaguely remembered that two years ago, when Mu Xuanyin had captured him from the Phantom Sea Island and brought him back to the Yinxue Realm, when he woke up and saw Mu Bingyun, her tone had seemed... similar.
What did her words mean?
Yun Che sat back down by the pond, his brows furrowed. Soon, he closed his eyes and began to recall the process of refining the Qiankun Five Jade Pill within the Time Wheel Barrier.
The process of refining the Qiankun Five Jade Pill had taken quite a long time. When the refinement was complete and he finally opened his eyes, the Time Wheel Barrier still existed but was only a thin layer, clearly on the verge of dissipating. He didn't dare to delay and immediately focused on merging with the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul given to him by the Ice Phoenix maiden.
With his unique profound veins and soul, the merging of the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul was naturally very fast, completed in less than three days. But he hadn't woken up naturally; he had been called awake by Mu Xuanyin... When he woke up, the Time Wheel Barrier had already disappeared, and the time was close to the start of today's Divine Sealing battles.
Mu Xuanyin had brought him to the teleportation profound formation and rushed to the Divine Sealing Platform at full speed, almost being late.
Throughout the whole process, he had either sealed his six senses or concentrated his mind, or was in a frantic hurry. How could he have had the time to think about such things?
Now, driven by suspicion, he recalled the process of refining the Qiankun Five Jade Pill. Just a slight thought was enough to make him notice the anomaly.
The aura that surged forth every time the medicinal power went out of control...
Clearly an external aura, yet it could perfectly merge with his own aura... and each subsequent appearance was slightly weaker than the last... Most importantly, the very first sensation of familiarity...
Familiarity...
Yun Che's memories suddenly returned to that time in the Burial God Fire Prison, within the Primordial Mystic Ark. To prevent the severely injured Mu Xuanyin from being harmed by the Flood Dragon's blood, he had no choice but to go against the path and defiled her more than ten times... And that aura that spontaneously flowed back into his body each time, causing his profound strength to break through from the Divine Origin Realm to the Divine Soul Realm overnight...
Yun Che suddenly stood up as if struck by lightning. His eyes stared blankly for a long time, and his mind was in utter chaos.
Impossible...
How... could it be... How could my master...