Chapter 1440: Senior Sister, You've Grown Up
The two Ice Phoenix Palace Masters had no time to think further, and forcibly switched their power from offense to defense.
A dull boom rang out as the sky suddenly darkened, the power of the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape being tightly held back by the power of the two Ice Phoenix Palace Masters.
But in the next instant, they both let out a muffled groan, were heavily knocked away, and plummeted straight down.
At the same time, another Desolate Snow Spirit Ape pounced downward, enveloping them with a heaven-destroying force.
"Wretched... wretched!" The two knocked-back Ice Phoenix Palace Masters were greatly shocked.
"Fall back quickly!" The third Ice Phoenix Palace Master roared, already charging at the second Desolate Snow Spirit Ape, his sword like an ice rainbow, but he was utterly unable to fully withstand the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape's terrifying power... If that power struck down, thousands of Ice Phoenix disciples would be reduced to bones.
The sky was dim, and before the great force even descended, a deathly pressure had already nearly crushed the souls of the many Ice Phoenix disciples below.
Countless terrified shouts arose... Below, Mu Xiaolan, who had been so imposing just moments ago, was now heavily kneeling on the ground, her beautiful face pale. She wanted to flee, but under the Divine King's pressure, even moving half a step was a luxury.
The Ice Phoenix disciples around her were all the same, many already closing their eyes, waiting for death.
The three Ice Phoenix Palace Masters were gnashing their teeth in frustration, but were powerless. They deeply regretted underestimating the beast unrest here and not seeking help from the Divine Temple.
They should have realized long ago that mere rampaging profound beasts could never have broken through the barrier here!
Just then, a blazing light of extraordinary brilliance lit up the dim sky... accompanied by a most piercing phoenix cry.
A phoenix flame shadow dove down from above, crashing directly into the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape. In an instant, the Divine King's immense power and deathly pressure from the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape dissipated completely. The ape was engulfed in flames and sent flying sideways with agonizing roars.
At the same time, a flash of icy light appeared, instantly spreading out a massive Ice God Barrier that completely blocked the residual force, not harming a single Ice Phoenix disciple below even a little.
The crisis that had already made them despair suddenly vanished, stunning everyone in an instant. Mu Xiaolan raised her head in disbelief and saw Yun Che's silhouette...
"Yun... Senior Brother Yun!" She cried out in surprise, tears welling up in her eyes.
Yun Che grabbed with his hand, and the Ice God Barrier was directly fixed in the air, showing no sign of dissipating. His figure shot forward rapidly: "Three Palace Masters, please protect everyone well. Leave these two Divine King giant apes to me!"
Bang!
Everything happened in an instant. The two Ice Phoenix Palace Masters who had been thrown back only now heavily landed. They flipped up, their faces changing drastically... But before they could respond, a blaze of fire heavily struck the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape.
Fire had always been the bane of these ice-type profound beasts, let alone Yun Che's Phoenix Flame. Amidst the blazing red firelight, the two Desolate Snow Spirit Apes were forced back dozens of miles, their cold aura burning away like fire, becoming chaotic and unstable.
They were already out of their minds, and under the pain, they became completely enraged. Two streams of Divine King aura locked firmly onto Yun Che. They swung their massive arms, directly uprooting a thousand-zhang glacier and hurling it fiercely at Yun Che.
Yun Che quickly estimated the distance to the edge of Mist Death Valley and felt relieved. He extended his arm, and the Phoenix Flame on his body transformed into the even hotter Golden Crow Flame. A flame sword burst forth from his palm and slashed horizontally.
A pale golden arc was imprinted upon the eternally pale white world of Mist Death Valley.
The flame sword sliced through the glacier and then cut straight through one of the Desolate Snow Spirit Apes, leaving a golden mark on both the glacier and the ape.
In an instant, the glacier disintegrated in the air, and at the moment of its shattering, turned into mist scattered all over the sky... The next moment, even the mist completely vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, the enormous body of the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape shifted along the golden mark, then collapsed... Its split body let out a despairing roar, but was immediately buried in the suddenly erupting golden flames, quickly turning to ashes.
After all, the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape was a Divine King beast. Although it was rampaging under the Crimson influence, it wasn't completely devoid of reason like those lower-level profound beasts.
These two Desolate Snow Spirit Apes were originally a pair, having guarded Mist Death Valley together for many years. When one perished, the other let out an utterly despairing and anguished roar. It went completely mad and directly lunged at Yun Che with its massive body...
Yun Che's brows tightened slightly... Those Ice Phoenix disciples were still too close. He couldn't retreat, nor could he prolong the battle. Making a decisive choice, he swung his arm horizontally, summoned the Heaven-Defying Sword, and executed a Primordial Fang strike head-on.
The Heaven-Defying Sword broke through the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape's power storm and struck heavily at its heart. A massive azure-blue wolf shadow instantly flashed at its chest, emitting a roar that intimidated all spirits.
Bang!!
Dragging a long blue light, Yun Che with the Heaven-Defying Sword pierced straight through the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape's body.
That blue light continued for several miles behind the ape before finally stopping.
A huge hollow was imprinted in the center of the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape's body. The scene of the world froze at that moment. Then, the ape's chaotic eye light slowly dissipated, turning into relief and sorrow.
Countless cracks radiated outward from the hollow in the center of its body, covering its entire form. Then, like a completely shattered ice sculpture, it scattered into countless snow-white fragments, falling from the sky.
The Heaven-Defying Sword disappeared from Yun Che's hand. He let out a long sigh. To avoid affecting the other Ice Phoenix disciples, he had to go all out for a quick victory.
But at the moment of the Desolate Snow Spirit Ape's death, he felt its sorrow, pain... and relief.
Their rampage was not their will, but due to the influence of that terrifying aura that should not exist in this world... In comparison, they were actually the greatest victims.
With the destruction of the two Desolate Snow Spirit Apes, this sudden chaos should be considered ended. But Yun Che's mood became even heavier instead.
The Demon Emperor's return to the world... What would the future world become?
On the other side, the three Ice Phoenix Palace Masters had just risen into the air, not even having set up a formation, and the two terrifying Desolate Snow Spirit Apes were already destroyed.
Their hands stopped in midair, and their jaws simultaneously dropped to the ground, unable to close for a long time.
The Ice Phoenix disciples below were also all dumbstruck, not snapping out of it for a long while.
The last time they had seen Yun Che's strength was four years ago at the Profound God Convention, when he defeated Luo Changsheng, who had just entered the Divine King realm.
And now, facing two Divine King giant beasts, he had... just dealt with them like that?
Yun Che flickered a few times and arrived before the three Ice Phoenix Palace Masters, saying, "It's a bit regrettable, but the situation was urgent, and I had no choice but to directly blast them to death. I'll trouble the three Palace Masters with the aftermath."
"Uh..." They stared at Yun Che for a good while before finally coming to their senses: "Yun Che, you... are already a Divine King!?"
"Mhm." Yun Che nodded. "This junior still has important matters, so I won't stay long. Farewell."
After saying that, he directly turned and flew away, leaving three utterly bewildered Ice Phoenix Palace Masters.
Four years ago, Yun Che had just crossed the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation in the final battle of the God-Sealing Platform, achieving the Divine Spirit Realm. He did not enter the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, a fact known to all the world.
And now, only four years had passed... They simply couldn't imagine how Yun Che, without entering the Zhou Tian Pearl, had become a Divine King in just four short years!
If they knew that Yun Che had actually already been a Divine King three years ago, their brains would probably crack open from the shock.
"Senior Brother Yun... Senior Brother Yun! Hey! Wait for me!"
Yun Che hadn't gone far when a girl's urgent shout came from behind.
Yun Che stopped. Behind him, Mu Xiaolan, having used all her might, finally caught up. She took a few big breaths and said with a reproachful tone, "You... why are you running so fast."
"Hmm?" Yun Che pinched his chin, his gaze sweeping over her in great detail. "Isn't this Senior Sister Xiaolan? It's only been a few years, and you've grown so much."
Although she had heard that Yun Che had returned alive, seeing him in person, and so close, Mu Xiaolan's bright eyes still rippled with uncontrollable excitement. "Hmph! Nonsense! My appearance hasn't changed at all these years! Rather, it's you..."
As she was saying this, she suddenly noticed that Yun Che's gaze was a bit off... it was directly pointing at her chest. The smile on his face was indescribably lecherous. She suddenly realized, let out a soft cry, and instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, her face turning bright red. She said indignantly, "You... y-y-you... You're a big shot now, yet you still... still... Your nature hasn't changed one bit!"
"Of course." Yun Che said with a grinning smile. "I am the one you designated as the most despicable, shameless, lewd, and shameless person. As for nature, not just four or five years, even a hundred or eighty years won't change it, right?"
Although he was already renowned throughout the God Realm, his demeanor was even worse than before. But, to Yun Che's great surprise, Mu Xiaolan did not react with the same shame and anger as before and run away in panic. Instead, she suddenly dropped her arms protecting her chest and said with a sweet smile, "Senior Brother Yun Che, if you want to confirm whether I've grown or not, do you want to do it with your own hands?"
"..." Yun Che was instantly stunned... What the hell? What was up with this little girl? Only a few years gone, and she could actually counter-flirt!?
But Yun Che had seen all kinds of situations. After a moment of shock, his eyes immediately gleamed with brilliance and his face flushed red: "Great, great. Confirming size is something I'm quite good at. In all of Yin Xue Realm, if I say I'm second, no one dares to claim first."
Mu Xiaolan: "..."
"Mhm... Just from visual observation, Senior Sister Xiaolan has grown rapidly and has great potential. In the future, who knows, you might even catch up to your master... to half of her, hehehe."
Mu Xiaolan: "..."
While saying this with a grin, Yun Che had already extended both hands, fingers curved like claws, and made as if to pounce... But to his even greater surprise, Mu Xiaolan was still smiling cheerfully, with no sign of changing expression or dodging.
Hmm?
Something seemed off!
His heart tightened, and almost instinctively, he sharply turned around...
A stunning snow-white figure stood less than ten zhang behind him, her face like pristine snow, her eyes like deep pools, silent and still.
Mu Bingyun.
"~!#￥%..." Yun Che's hands, with fingers still spread, lowered like lightning. He quickly turned and bowed, his face calm and respectful, but his words came out with a slight tremble: "Disciple Yun Che greets Ice... Ice Cloud Palace Master."
"Master." Mu Xiaolan's icy silhouette flickered as she moved to stand beside Mu Bingyun, her head lowered demurely, looking obedient... But in the next instant, her little hand shot up and tightly covered her mouth, her body shaking as she struggled with all her might not to laugh out loud.
Mu Bingyun glanced at him and said, "Your master is waiting for you at the Holy Hall. Go see her."
Her words were always so cold yet gentle, like the lightly dancing snowflakes in this endless snow domain.
"Yes." Yun Che responded. "This disciple will go now."
Then, he raised his head and said apprehensively, "Ice Cloud Palace Master, just now... that... this disciple and Senior Sister Xiaolan... uh no, and Junior Sister Xiaolan..."
He wanted to explain something, but as soon as the words came out, he found that an explanation would only make things worse.
He shot a fierce glare at Mu Xiaolan from the corner of his eye, grinding his teeth: Little girl, just you wait. If I don't strip you naked and throw you into the Heavenly Lake, my surname won't be Yun!!
Once upon a time, she was such a pure and cute girl... Could it be that after women grow up, they all become this terrifying?
"..." Mu Bingyun didn't speak. She only gave Yun Che a faint glance, then led Mu Xiaolan away into the distance.
That one look in her eyes made Yun Che stand there in a daze for a long time...