Chapter 1413: Difficult, So Difficult
The scale of Huanyan City was similar to that of the Cangfeng Imperial City. The latter was the imperial capital of a country in the lower realm, while Huanyan City, located in the Yin Xue Realm, was truly a remote and tiny city—one that over ninety percent of the people in Yin Xue Realm couldn't even name.
A great city defense battle had caused Huanyan City tremendous losses. Under such circumstances, the City Lord of Huanyan should have been fully engaged in arranging the aftermath. However, because a few terrifyingly honored guests had appeared in the city, he spent the entire time accompanying them, delegating all aftermath matters to others.
Mu Feixue began to focus on healing her injuries, with a group of Ice Phoenix female disciples guarding her side.
Yun Che stood on a rooftop, silently gazing at the snow-covered domain scarred with devastation in the distance. What he had seen today was merely the tip of the iceberg of the current state of Yin Xue Realm. He could not even imagine the situation of the entire Dong Shen Domain.
And with the lesson of the Lan Ji Star, one could imagine that if things continued like this, the levels of affected Profound Beasts would become higher and higher. At a certain point, demons, humans, and spirits would also begin to be affected. By then, the Dong Shen Domain would truly become an incomparably terrifying disaster zone.
There was also a great possibility that it would affect the lower realms. Regardless, this calamity must be stopped.
"Brother Ling." Suddenly, a voice came from beside him. It was Huo Poyun, who had somehow appeared there. Dressed in red robes with an extraordinary bearing, he had completely transformed from the naive youth of the past into a supreme being who overlooked heaven and earth.
Yun Che turned back and said half-jokingly, "I've heard that Young Sect Master Huo is one of the Divine Sons who experienced three thousand years in the Zhou Tian Divine Realm. I really don't deserve to be called 'brother' by you."
Huo Poyun smiled faintly. "Three thousand years in Zhou Tian, but only three years in the mortal world. Although my lifespan has already existed, in terms of seniority, we should still go by the mortal world."
Yun Che also laughed. "It is said that those who become Divine Lords will have the power to dominate heaven and earth, worshipped by all living beings. A Divine Lord like Young Sect Master Huo, who has absolutely no arrogance, is probably the only one in this world."
Huo Poyun shook his head. "Brother Ling flatters me. Actually, I think Brother Ling is the remarkable one."
"Oh?" Yun Che looked askance. "How do you mean?"
Huo Poyun sat down beside him casually, without any of the dignity of a Divine Lord. "While Brother Ling says I have no Divine Lord bearing, you yourself show no awe toward the title 'Divine Lord' at all. Just this one point makes Brother Ling no ordinary person."
"..." Yun Che smiled. Indeed, facing a Divine Lord descending from the heavens, the Huanyan City Lord's reaction was the most normal one.
"Moreover, for some reason, I always feel a sense of instant kinship with Brother Ling." He looked at Yun Che and said seriously.
"Then that is my honor."
"I mean it." Huo Poyun said with emotion. "This feeling has been absent for too long. Brother Ling, you must think that becoming a Divine Lord means one can dominate the world, be worshipped by all, be all-powerful, and have everything go smoothly. But in reality... it also makes one lose many things."
"Probably some troubles that ordinary people cannot understand?" Yun Che said.
"No," Huo Poyun shook his head. "On the contrary, they are things you consider most ordinary. For example... friends."
Yun Che: "..."
"A year ago, I left the Zhou Tian Divine Realm and returned to the Yan Shen Realm. Becoming a Divine Lord shook the entire realm and brought me boundless glory. But over this past year, I could no longer find anyone to speak with on equal terms. My former senior brothers, junior brothers, senior sisters, junior sisters, and those playmates and friends I cherished so much—they all changed... No, I should say, I changed. No matter how I tried to act the same as before, no matter how I tried to show affability, they were always so respectful and reverent toward me..."
"And what's even more frightening is that I began to find them childish, and even felt they were insignificant... No matter how I suppressed it, no matter how I tried, these feelings simply wouldn't go away." Huo Poyun closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
"Hahaha," upon hearing Huo Poyun's words, Yun Che burst out laughing. "Brother Poyun, this is definitely not your fault, nor is it your loss. Rather, with the passage of time and the elevation of your cultivation and state of mind, the height you stand at and the world you see are completely different from back then. Having this feeling is utterly normal. Just like when you look at yourself 'three thousand years' ago, weren't you also childish and insignificant?"
"..." Huo Poyun was slightly stunned, then smiled. "Perhaps you are right. I have thought the same, but..."
"You just haven't adapted yet. I think by this time next year at most, you won't have such troubles anymore." Yun Che said.
Huo Poyun turned his gaze. "Brother Ling's life force aura suggests you are not yet a hundred years old, yet your breadth of mind is so magnanimous that it makes me feel like a junior. It seems Brother Ling must have had extraordinary experiences in your life."
Yun Che smiled and did not confirm or deny.
"But if there was still one person alive, he would definitely still treat me as a friend. Yet he..." Huo Poyun looked up at the pale sky, his aura sinking, filled with disappointment.
Yun Che: "..."
"When I became a Divine Lord and left the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, I thought I was fearless and could become the eternal pride of the Yan Shen Realm. But I am still far more fragile than I imagined. After hearing that 'he' was no longer in this world, I wept bitterly for several days before recovering... Perhaps, having once had someone in this world who could make you feel this way is also a kind of fortune."
Yun Che: "..."
Huo Poyun snapped back to reality and quickly apologized, "Sorry, it seems I've said a bunch of pointless things. He was a friend from my past, no longer alive now. Back then, he also called me 'Brother Poyun,' so I was touched."
"You seem to admire Fairy Feixue?" Yun Che asked abruptly.
"Uh..." Huo Poyun was slightly surprised. The Huo Poyun of the past, if asked such a question, would definitely have blushed and hurriedly denied it. But now, after a brief moment of surprise, he nodded gladly. "That's right. Before I saw her, I never knew that such a beautiful woman could exist in this world."
"I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me," Huo Poyun chuckled. "Early on, before entering the Zhou Tian Pearl, I was captivated at first sight. But at that time, my heart was passionate yet timid, and I felt I could never be worthy of such a fairy-like person, so naturally I dared not show any sign."
"During the three thousand years in the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, I was single-minded, but I simply could not forget her figure. That did not hinder my cultivation; instead, it became one of my greatest motivators. Only after becoming a Divine Lord and leaving the Zhou Tian Divine Realm did I finally have the courage and confidence to approach her."
"However..." Huo Poyun shook his head with a bitter smile. "As you can see, she is completely indifferent to me, even though I have reached such heights."
Yun Che thought for a moment and said, "With your current cultivation and status, if you wish, among ten thousand realms, from princesses of kingdoms to daughters of Realm Kings, you can choose any. Why are you so fixated on her?"
"A true touch that reaches the deepest part of the soul may only happen once in a lifetime." Huo Poyun said softly. "At least, I can no longer find that feeling in any other woman, not even a trace. Don't you think so, Brother Ling?"
"..." Yun Che reached up and pinched his chin, not knowing how to answer.
"Master has repeatedly warned me that the Ice Phoenix God-Sealing Canon cultivated by Ice Phoenix women freezes emotions. Many Ice Phoenix women live solitary lives and strongly reject men with yang aura. Someone like me who cultivates flame profound force is especially repulsive to them, but..." Huo Poyun sighed again. "I cannot control myself. Brother Ling, do you have any method?"
"This... only depends on yourself. No one can help you." Yun Che could only answer like that.
Huo Poyun smiled bitterly and stood up. "We've only just met, yet I've unconsciously vented so many complaints to Brother Ling. I hope you won't laugh at me or take offense."
"Not at all," Yun Che laughed. "Brother Poyun is so candid with me; I only feel grateful and honored."
Huo Poyun nodded slightly. "Brother Ling seems to be someone who enjoys traveling. If one day you come to my Yan Shen Realm, I will definitely treat you as an honored guest."
"Good, with Brother Poyun's words, I must visit Yan Shen Realm." Yun Che laughed heartily.
"Mm, it's settled." Huo Poyun nodded with a smile, then his red figure flashed and disappeared before Yun Che's eyes.
Yun Che let out a quiet sigh... Difficult, truly difficult. Of all people, Huo Poyun had to like the one person in the entire Yin Xue Realm who was the hardest to develop feelings for. It wasn't just any kind of difficult.
Oh no no, let's not even talk about whether it's difficult or not. Huo Poyun is now a Divine Lord—a Divine Lord! The highest-level figure of the current world. Wherever he goes, he is like a god. If he wants, what kind of woman can he not obtain? And yet he chooses one who is almost completely emotionless.
This is no longer just a matter of being single-minded; it's simply having a hole in the brain!
How many extraordinary heroes fear neither heaven nor earth, yet they cannot pass the test of a beautiful woman. Let's hope Huo Poyun doesn't end up like that.
Yun Che did not move and continued to sit in place, silently watching the snowy domain in the distance, his thoughts already flying to who knows where.
Having just returned to Yin Xue Realm, he would soon go back to the sect. There were simply too many things for him to think about.
Time passed silently. Several hours later, Mu Feixue, who had been focusing on healing, finally opened her eyes. Her injuries were essentially fully stabilized. She dismissed the Ice Phoenix disciples guarding her side and slowly walked out, her gaze somewhat hazy, as if burdened with worries.
In the distance, Huo Poyun, who had been constantly paying attention to her aura, stirred and hurried over, wanting to be the first to express his concern. After a few quick movements, Mu Feixue's figure appeared in his sight.
His heart filled with joy, he was about to step forward, but his foot suddenly stopped mid-step... and remained motionless for a long time.
The blood-stained Ice Phoenix snow robe had been changed, and her body was once again immaculate. Her face, already like ice and snow, now bore a slight pallor and frailty from her injuries, making her even more pitiable. Her light pink lips shimmered with a pearl-like luster, and her icy eyes held a grace that others wouldn't dare dream of in a thousand lifetimes...
She stood there quietly, turning the world around her into a stunningly beautiful painting.
Her gaze was especially misty and hazy, like fog and dream. And where her line of sight landed... on that not-very-high rooftop, Yun Che sat with his back to her, completely still, evidently deep in thought.
She too stood motionless, staring blankly and infatuatedly... for a long time, silent and wordless.
"..." Huo Poyun also froze there, equally motionless.
He had never seen such a gaze from Mu Feixue before, yet it was not unfamiliar at all... because it was exactly like how he had so many times secretly watched her back, unconsciously becoming entranced...
Suddenly, he lost the ability to think.
The world froze for a long time with this scene.
Finally, after who knows how long, Yun Che snapped out of his reverie. He stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff back. At that moment, he also noticed Mu Feixue's aura. He turned around and said with a grin, "Oh! Isn't this Fairy Feixue? It seems your injuries are recovering well. Are you ready to return to the sect?"
"..." Mu Feixue seemed to wake from a dream, her gaze flickering intensely. Without answering, she suddenly rose into the air and lightly landed in front of Yun Che, like a snow butterfly dancing in the sky, breathtakingly beautiful.
The spot where she landed was only one step away from him.
This action of Mu Feixue caught Yun Che quite off guard. He blinked and asked, "What are you doing? If it's to thank me for saving your life, forget it. The reason I stepped in wasn't to save you; I simply couldn't bear to see a beautiful woman wither away before my eyes."
Mu Feixue looked at him, her lips moved slightly, and her voice was as soft as a gentle breeze: "Brother Yun... so you are still alive..."
"~!#$%^...??" Yun Che was stunned inside but kept his face calm. "What Brother Yun? What are you talking about? My surname is Ling, as in Ling Yun, Ling Jie, Ling Chen! Not Yun, and certainly not your Brother Yun! Are you still not fully healed... so your thoughts are a bit confused?"