Chapter 1535: The Silent Dark Northern Domain
Eastern Divine Region, Yin Xue Realm.
The Yin Xue Realm, which had once been deified because of Yun Che, now had an atmosphere completely transformed from before. Especially at the Bing Huang God Sect's Bing Huang Realm, beneath the endless falling snow, there was a suffocating silence.
The Bing Huang Realm had always been quiet, but it had never been this cold and desolate before.
The news of Mu Xuanyin's fall had arrived several days prior… delivered personally by a Moon Divine Envoy from the Yue Shen Realm.
The Bing Huang God Sect had lost its Sect Master, the Yin Xue Realm had lost its Realm King… and more than that, it had lost the core that allowed a mid-ranked star realm to stand proudly in the Northern Region, as well as the spiritual pillar of all Yin Xue profound practitioners.
No one knew what the future held for the Yin Xue Realm. However, a pessimistic atmosphere silently pervaded every corner of Yin Xue Realm.
Minghan Heavenly Lake.
The cold vein of Minghan Heavenly Lake still existed, but the Ice Phoenix Divine Spirit was gone. Although the entire area still overflowed with an extremely high level of cold energy, it lacked an indescribable divine aura.
The barrier that had been sealed for a long time silently opened at this moment, then silently closed again.
By the shore of Minghan Heavenly Lake, a figure walked out from the void. He was dressed in black, with long black hair reaching his waist. For some reason, his appearance made the air in the entire Heavenly Lake region suddenly become extraordinarily heavy and oppressive.
Arriving above Minghan Heavenly Lake, he looked down at the ancient, never-freezing water below, silent for a few breaths… He had an extremely ordinary face, one that might not even be remembered after a few glances. The aura on his body was thick and turbid, his profound energy roughly at the early stage of the Divine Soul Realm, overflowing with a cold energy that was common throughout Yin Xue Realm.
No one knew who he was, and even less would they associate him… with Yun Che.
A crystal coffin, flawless and faintly shimmering with divine light, appeared before him. He held the sleeping woman inside, his movements slow and gentle, without joy or sorrow, without anger or grief. He did not allow himself to linger, but slowly released his arms, watching her gently descend into the cold pool below…
Until her figure completely disappeared from his sight… disappeared from his world.
"Xuanyin," he murmured softly. "The chaos is vast, but the only place that can contain me is that dark land."
"I know that place must be the one you hate the most. Your father was killed by people from there… So, I won't let the aura of that place disturb your rest. Only here is the most suitable resting place for you."
The ripples on the pool's surface returned to complete stillness. Yun Che took one last long look, then turned around and muttered to himself: "Xuanyin, if there is a next life, would you still be willing to meet me again…"
His figure flickered, and he was back at the shore of the Heavenly Lake. He extended his arm, and a piece of profound ice from afar was drawn to him, tumbling down.
Sealed within the profound ice was a curled-up figure. The person inside saw a strange face through the ice, and hope and pleading emerged from his dim eyes.
Anyone who saw him would never imagine that he was once one of the Four Divine Sons of the Eastern Domain, a Divine Emperor who once dominated the Divine Realm.
Without saying a word to him, without even looking at him, Yun Che flicked his finger and tossed the piece of profound ice directly into the Primordial Mystic Ark.
At that moment, a trace of unusual aura came from outside Minghan Heavenly Lake. Yun Che glanced sideways. He did not leave or hide his shadow. He tapped the Abyss Stone with his finger, restored his original aura, and wiped his hand across his face to reveal his true visage.
Soon, the barrier of Minghan Heavenly Lake opened again and immediately closed. A snow-like immortal figure appeared before him.
Mu Bingyun.
The barrier of Minghan Heavenly Lake could originally only be opened by him and Mu Xuanyin. Now, Mu Bingyun could also open it. Clearly, Mu Xuanyin had left her Sect Master's jade token behind before she left… meaning she had left with the intent to die.
Yun Che's eyes met Mu Bingyun's across the space. It had only been a few days since they last saw each other, but it felt like an eternity.
She looked at him, her snow-white robe rising and falling violently over her chest, her icy eyes trembling with colors too complex: "You… dare to come back!"
"I came to send her back," Yun Che replied. He walked toward Mu Bingyun, holding in his hand a snow-white longsword: "This is her beloved sword, also the symbol of the Ice Phoenix Sect Master… Please accept it, Palace Master Bingyun."
Looking at the Snow Princess Sword flowing with icy radiance, Mu Bingyun's eyes were instantly flooded with mist… The Snow Princess Sword had returned, but the Yin Xue Realm no longer had Mu Xuanyin, and she had forever lost her most important, her only family.
She reached out her snow-white hand, trembling as she grasped the Snow Princess Sword. It seemed to still retain her aura… Mu Bingyun's body swayed. The bad news had come days ago, and she thought she had accepted it, but at this moment, her heart and soul were still wracked with pain, as if about to tear apart.
Slap!!
Her arm swung, and the back of her jade-white hand gave Yun Che a vicious slap.
Yun Che did not dodge, did not defend. He allowed the blood and sharp pain to spread across his face.
"…" Mu Bingyun's hand froze in midair. Looking at Yun Che's terrifyingly calm expression, which showed not a trace of pain, her anger found no release, and her heart only ached even more.
In this world, nothing is more painful than loss. More painful than loss is betrayal.
And he… had experienced all losses and the greatest betrayal in the world.
No one felt more pain or resentment over Mu Xuanyin's departure than he did… especially resentment towards himself.
Her palm began to tremble, unconsciously wanting to touch the red mark on his face… but in the end, she slowly lowered it.
Sister, if you could choose again, would you still let him enter your world…
If I could choose again, would I still… bring him to the Divine Realm…
"Palace Master Bingyun," Yun Che said softly. "The Yin Xue Realm will likely suffer because of me. Even without my involvement, many old grievances with other star realms will erupt because of Xuanyin's departure… So, you should leave soon."
Gripping the Snow Princess Sword tightly, Mu Bingyun looked at him and said in a low voice: "Even if I die, I will die in the Yin Xue Realm."
A completely expected answer. Yun Che nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
"Yun Che!" From behind him, Mu Bingyun's voice came from afar: "Remember, your life was exchanged for your sister's life. I will not allow you to die!"
"Even if it's for revenge, you must live well!"
"If you dare to sacrifice yourself for others as you always have… Sister won't forgive you, and neither will I!"
There was no reply. Yun Che left Minghan Heavenly Lake, and his figure and aura completely disappeared from Mu Bingyun's sight and perception.
In the quiet Heavenly Lake area, Mu Bingyun held the Snow Princess Sword gently to her chest… Unnoticed, a glistening teardrop silently fell, leaving a long, wet trail on the jade-white blade.
She reached out her finger and gently wiped away the trail of moisture. When she raised her head again, her icy eyes were filled with a resolute, cold determination.
She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she could never do as well as her sister.
Without Mu Xuanyin, the Yin Xue Realm would face countless crises that would never have arisen before.
But she would not compromise or run away. Tomorrow, she would succeed as the Ice Phoenix Sect Master and Yin Xue Realm King. As long as she was alive, she would never allow the Yin Xue Realm to be harmed in the slightest!
Putting away the Snow Princess Sword, her ice shadow rose and drifted away slowly…
And just as she left Minghan Heavenly Lake, at the silent center of the Heavenly Lake, a strange icy light suddenly flickered.
It was a complete Ice Phoenix pattern, emanating from who knows where. It was clearly just a projection, yet it was as substantial as if it were real. The icy radiance it released was so brilliant, it seemed like a divine light that should not exist in this world.
But its existence was exceptionally brief. It dissipated after a few breaths and never appeared again.
…
…
One month later.
The Divine Realm's pursuit of Yun Che continued. As time passed, the intensity did not let up but increased day by day. The scope also expanded from the three divine regions to an increasingly wide range of lower realms. Various types of detection profound artifacts were deployed in various areas, searching for traces of Yun Che's aura.
The scale was immense, no smaller than the search for the Evil Infant back then, so large that countless profound practitioners were shocked and baffled.
But despite such an exaggerated search, not a single trace of Yun Che's aura was captured.
The Tiansha Xingshen was already extremely skilled at concealment, and after becoming the Evil Infant, she was even more powerful and unmatched. Detecting her aura was indeed as difficult as reaching the heavens. As for Yun Che, although he was extremely strong among the younger generation, this was a full-scale pursuit led by the king realms. With his Divine King realm aura and cultivation, how could he have evaded capture for so long!
He seemed to have completely evaporated from the world. Gradually, more and more people began to suspect whether he had committed suicide under immense pressure and despair.
But they could never dream that the person they were searching for with all their might had, over the past month, passed by countless powerful beings from the king realms and detection profound artifacts countless times. Yet neither people nor devices ever hesitated or paused on his aura.
He stepped out of the Eastern Divine Region, out of the East, and traveled north, arriving at a strange world he had never set foot in before.
It was also during this time that the news of the Fandi Shennü's defection from the Fan Di God Realm spread rapidly, causing numerous shocks and tremors.
One strange event after another. Even the lowest-level, most dull-witted profound practitioners could faintly smell the change in the heavens.
In the distant north, a world shrouded in black energy.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
This was an unusually quiet forest. Even footsteps that were not particularly heavy sounded hair-raising when they echoed here.
The earth here was black, the sky a oppressive gray-white. Even the sparse dead trees and vegetation were a dull gray-black.
Even the air was a hazy gray… This was by no means an occasional fog, but had been so since ancient times.
This was a world unsuitable for ordinary life. Even for a profound practitioner at the divine path level, arriving here would quickly cause extreme discomfort and oppression. Their emotions would unconsciously become restless, panicked, and even out of control.
Their lifespan would silently drain away, as if being continuously devoured by something. Even their profound energy felt as if it were being pressed down by an invisible ghost, making it much more difficult and sluggish to circulate than usual.
Therefore, profound practitioners from the eastern, western, and southern divine regions had never been willing to set foot in this world.
In this dim, desolate world, a figure walked slowly out of the black mist. His arrival did not bring the expected vitality to this world; instead, it made it even more oppressive and gloomy.
Because his eyes, and the faint aura about him, were even more dead and dark than this world.
Like a lonely ghost and evil spirit that had crawled back alive from the bottom of hell.
"North… Divine… Region…"
In the center of this black forest, he stopped. Facing this strange and terrifying world, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up, revealing a sinister, ferocious grin.
At that moment, even the ancient black mist that had existed here since time immemorial seemed to freeze.