Chapter 1182: Instant Defeat
The next morning, when Mu Bingyun arrived at the courtyard, she saw Yun Che standing quietly by the pond, covered in a heavy layer of morning dew—clearly, he had not slept all night.
Yun Che turned around and met Mu Bingyun's gaze. From the look in his eyes, she sensed something. However, he did not look away, remaining as calm as the day before… in fact, there was even a hint of added determination.
"Ice Cloud Palace Master, I swear to you that I will never do anything to wrong Master." Yun Che said somewhat abruptly.
Mu Bingyun was taken aback, her expression incredibly complex. She said softly, "You don't need to promise me anything… The Feng Shen Battle is about to start. Let's go."
Today's Feng Shen Battle would be the competition between the top sixteen, undoubtedly far more intense and spectacular than before.
Mu Bingyun lifted Yun Che and flew together toward the Feng Shen Platform. Their speed was not fast, and they traveled in silence. Because of Mu Xuanyin, the atmosphere between them had inevitably become delicate. Especially for Mu Bingyun, her state of mind when facing Yun Che would never return to what it once was.
She could not accept, nor could she understand, what Mu Xuanyin had done.
Her forgiveness two years ago, Mu Bingyun could barely accept—after all, Yun Che's original intention had been to save her. But this time… why!?
"Brother Yun… Senior Bingyun!"
At that moment, Huo Poyun's voice came from behind them. Mu Bingyun paused, her jade-like hand pushing gently to withdraw the power enveloping Yun Che: "Remember not to be late."
With that, her snowy figure flickered and was already several miles away.
Yun Che: "…"
Huo Poyun was alone and quickly arrived beside Yun Che. Yun Che turned and smiled: "Brother Poyun, why are you alone? Where are your master and the others?"
Huo Poyun explained: "Last night, Master and Sect Master Yan joined forces to set up the 'Spirit Fire Realm' for me, allowing me to train inside with the Time Wheel Pearl. They are currently retrieving the 'Spirit Fire Realm,' and since my match is the first one, I was worried about being late, so they let me come ahead. They should be here soon."
"I see." Yun Che nodded. "Brother Poyun, your opponent today is Jun Xilei. How confident are you?"
"Ah…" Huo Poyun gave a wry smile. "Honestly, I have no confidence at all. However, although I'm not sure I can beat her, it won't be easy for her to defeat me either."
Sensing that Huo Poyun was not intimidated by Jun Xilei's fame but instead full of fighting spirit, Yun Che felt reassured and said with a smile: "Of course."
"By the way… Brother Yun," Huo Poyun's voice suddenly lowered as he hesitated, "Senior Bingyun… why did she suddenly leave you behind?"
"…Isn't that normal?" Yun Che said.
"No." Huo Poyun shook his head. "If it were another senior, I wouldn't think anything of it. But Senior Bingyun treats Brother Yun… how should I put it? It's not like she's treating a junior disciple at all. She's always been gentle, like a mother or an older sister—at least from what I've seen. I've always been envious. That's why I found it strange just now."
"…" Yun Che was slightly startled. He turned his face away unnaturally, avoiding eye contact, and let out a light breath: "Because she's a woman."
Huo Poyun: "???"
At that moment, an extraordinarily sharp aura swept past them, like a sword abruptly slashing through their souls.
Yun Che and Huo Poyun both turned their heads like lightning. Not far to the east, a young girl had appeared without warning. She was dressed in pure white, peerlessly beautiful, with an ancient bronze sword strapped to her back. She looked like a goddess stepping out of an ancient painting. Her bright eyes were stunningly beautiful, yet they emitted a cold light sharp enough to pierce the soul.
Sword Lord's Successor, Jun Xilei!
A fleeting glance met, but it felt like a sword blade at the throat. In the next instant, Jun Xilei turned her gaze away, not sparing them another look. Her white robes fluttered as she vanished into the distance.
"What… what a formidable aura." Huo Poyun took a deep breath. "Could this be the 'invisible sword intent' that Master mentioned last night?"
Yun Che frowned. The look of obvious hatred in Jun Xilei's gaze and aura just now made his heart sink several degrees. Although Jun Xilei always looked at him that way, the circumstances this time were different.
"Brother Poyun," Yun Che said with extreme seriousness, "when you fight Jun Xilei later, you must be extremely careful."
"Mn, I know." Huo Poyun nodded emphatically.
"No, I mean you need to be careful that she doesn't go too hard on you."
"Ah?" Huo Poyun was stunned. "Why?"
"Have you forgotten? Before, in the Yin Xue Realm, my Master forced her to kneel and apologize to me. As the widely admired Sword Lord's Successor, that must be the greatest humiliation of her life. In the Zhou Tian Realm, every time she sees me, she glares as if she wants to cut me into a thousand pieces. She just hasn't had the chance to strike at me. But she knows about your friendship with me, and it's very likely she'll take out her anger on you."
Yun Che spoke rather solemnly. Huo Poyun furrowed his brows, hesitating: "This… it shouldn't be, right? Jun Xilei is the Sword Lord's Successor, one of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain with great fame. She wouldn't do something so graceless, would she?"
"She is indeed the Sword Lord's Successor, but she is also a woman! Women hold grudges like… ha, it seems you've never suffered at the hands of a woman before."
"Uh… thanks for the warning, Brother Yun. I'll be careful." Huo Poyun had to nod. Though he was somewhat dismissive, he did not completely ignore Yun Che's advice out of trust and took it to heart cautiously.
When Yun Che arrived at the Feng Shen Platform area, he immediately drew countless gazes. Even the Divine Emperors' eyes lingered on him for a long time.
When he first arrived in the God Realm, his only goal was to see Mo Li. He had intended to stay low-key to the extreme, but he quickly shook the entire Bing Huang God Sect and became the personal disciple of the Sect Master. Within a few short years, under Mu Xuanyin's exclusive favor, he was second only to her and above all others in the Yin Xue Realm.
When he came to the Zhou Tian Realm, he wanted to avoid attracting anyone's attention, but in less than two months, he became famous, drawing the attention of Realm Kings and Divine Emperors. Yesterday's battle had shaken the entire Eastern Divine Region.
What he possessed and carried seemed to have destined him to never find peace and stillness—he himself had sensed this… Perhaps it was also related to his temperament?
Soon, the One Sovereign and Five Emperors all arrived, and today's Feng Shen Battle was about to begin. The "major matter" was already known, yet even now, Long Huang and Shitian Shen Di still had not left. Clearly, they had genuinely become interested in the Xuan God Conference of the Eastern Divine Region… or perhaps in some specific individuals within it.
"First match of the Feng Shen Group, second round: Huo Poyun of the Yan Shen Realm versus the Sword Lord's Successor, Jun Xilei!"
Jun Xilei was originally from the "Yao Xin Sword Pavilion," but Quhui Zunzhe announced her as "Sword Lord's Successor"—obviously, the latter title carried far more weight.
Today's matches began with the Feng Shen Group. As Quhui Zunzhe announced, Huo Poyun leaped and landed on the Feng Shen Platform. He held the Demon-Slaying Sword, and Golden Crow flames spread from his entire body to the blade, immediately entering a combat-ready state. Every corner of the Feng Shen Platform could feel the intense aura of the Golden Crow and his soaring fighting spirit.
"This youth is impressive." On the eastern seats, Zhou Tian Shen Di nodded slightly, not sparing his praise: "Born in a mid-tier star realm, yet achieving such heights. Young as he is, he has mastered the hardest-to-control Golden Crow Flame to this degree. Especially facing an opponent like the Sword Lord's Successor without any fear—he will surely achieve great things in the future."
"Indeed, commendable." Even Long Huang nodded, then asserted: "Unfortunately, in this match, he is doomed to lose."
Jun Xilei's figure flickered, as if carried by a gentle breeze, landing softly on the Feng Shen Platform. But unlike Huo Poyun, whose fighting spirit was burning and who was fully on guard, she stood still, cold-faced and emotionless. The "Nameless Sword," which belonged to the Sword Lord and was beyond her ability to wield, remained strapped to her back. She seemed detached from the world, indifferent to all mortal affairs.
"Begin the battle!!"
With Quhui Zunzhe's command, Huo Poyun's flames shot up a hundred zhang in an instant, dyeing most of the Feng Shen Platform a pale gold.
But Jun Xilei remained silent, her aura unchanged. Her beautiful eyes, devoid of any emotion, did not even seem to be focused on Huo Poyun.
The feeling of being underestimated made Huo Poyun's brows twitch. But instead of being provoked into anger, his fighting spirit only flared higher. He let out a mighty roar: "Huo Poyun of the Yan Shen Realm, I request your guidance!"
"Haah!!!!"
Screech—
Among the three Flame Supreme Lords, the Golden Crow possessed the strongest incinerating power and the highest pride and dignity. Bearing the most extreme Golden Crow bloodline in the history of the Yan Shen Realm, Huo Poyun's temperament was naturally influenced to the greatest extent. It did not show in daily life, but once power was involved, it was fully triggered.
A massive Golden Crow flame shadow manifested behind Huo Poyun, spreading its wings and screeching majestically.
Boom boom boom boom boom—
Dozens of Golden Crow flames exploded simultaneously, blooming into dozens of red-gold fire lotuses. When the flames reached their peak intensity, the sky above the Feng Shen Platform seemed to have dozens of suns appearing at once. Even the experts could hardly bear to look directly, their hearts filled with shock.
"Such an aura… and the speed at which he releases flame profound energy… is he really only at the seventh level of the Divine Spirit Realm?" A middle-tier star realm cultivator who practiced fire profound arts exclaimed in astonishment.
"And that is no ordinary flame profound energy—it is far harder to control than normal… no, it is the hardest of all divine flames to control: the Golden Crow Flame!"
"It seems this is his true strength. His previous easy defeat of Lu Chenyuan was not just because Lu Chenyuan was overconfident, nor was it a fluke!"
Facing Jun Xilei, Huo Poyun unleashed his flame power without holding back, drawing gasps of admiration from countless experts. However, Jun Xilei, who was directly facing him, remained motionless, allowing Huo Poyun to push his profound energy to the limit. Only her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
This was clearly a deep arrogance, but Huo Poyun was neither angered nor alarmed. He slowly pointed the Flame God Demon-Slaying Sword forward. As the Golden Crow flame shadow let out another sky-shaking screech, all the fire lotuses became connected in aura, descending upon Jun Xilei like meteoric flames from beyond the heavens.
"Excellent!" Huo Rulie could not help but roar, standing up excitedly.
"Daring to underestimate Poyun—even if she is the Sword Lord's Successor, she will pay a price." Yan Juehai also murmured.
Yun Che's eyes also flashed with a strange light. He understood better than anyone how powerful those connected fire lotuses were. Although Jun Xilei surpassed Huo Poyun by three minor realms in profound strength, Huo Poyun possessed an extraordinary Golden Crow flame power. From his effortless defeat of Lu Chenyuan, Yun Che firmly believed he could match even a ninth-level Divine Spirit Realm cultivator. Jun Xilei, having been too proud to move and not even releasing her aura, would find it difficult to face Huo Poyun head-on after he had fully gathered and released his flame power.
The moment the fire lotuses approached, Jun Xilei finally moved.
With a wave of her arm, a sharp sword flashed into existence. The sword was pure white, less than half an inch wide and less than five feet long, yet it did not reflect the golden glow under the blaze of Golden Crow flames.
This sword was called "Fog Light." It was the sword that Jun Wuming personally bestowed upon Jun Xilei, and it was also the sword he had forged with his own hands for his future successor during the tens of thousands of years he searched for a disciple.
Fog Light left its sheath and swung lightly.
In an instant, all sound in heaven and earth vanished. The light itself seemed to dim sharply. In everyone's vision, there was only a streak of flowing light, more brilliant and dazzling than a meteor, flashing past in a single moment…
This streak of flowing light passed through each fire lotus, through space, through layers of flames, and struck Huo Poyun's chest… then pierced straight through his chest.
The streak of light was incredibly fast, yet in that instant, time itself seemed to slow down completely. Everyone—even the weakest cultivators at the Divine Tribulation Realm—clearly saw every inch of its trajectory.
Clang!!
The flowing light collided with the isolation barrier and dissipated instantly. The world suddenly returned to "normal." All the fire lotuses—including those that had not even been touched by the flowing light—were split cleanly in half, dissolving in midair. Blood splattered from Huo Poyun's body, and with a miserable cry, he flew backward violently, all the way out of the barrier, crashing down outside the Feng Shen Platform.
Jun Xilei struck, and Huo Poyun was defeated in an instant.