Chapter 196: Instant Defeat
“Yun… Junior Brother Yun!!”
Cang Yue instantly covered her lips, staring in disbelief at the figure so close before her eyes. Her vision blurred in an instant, making her feel as if she had fallen into a dream, and even a wave of dizziness surged through her mind.
She stepped forward, forcefully restraining the impulse to throw herself into his arms, but the tears on her face simply wouldn’t stop, falling in streams. She looked at Yun Che, suppressing her sobbing voice, wanting to speak but already choked with tears, unable to utter a single complete sentence.
Yun Che walked up to Cang Yue, not caring that Qin Wushang and the other two were nearby. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her face, saying with a heartache-filled voice, “I’m sorry, Senior Sister, for making you worry.”
Yun Che’s voice—like the gentlest breeze—echoed in Cang Yue’s ears. She had thought she would never hear his voice again in this lifetime. She grasped Yun Che’s hand, her joyful tears unable to stop. She sobbed, “I… I thought… I would… never… never again…”
“Not telling you that the place I went to was the Death Wasteland was my fault… but I’m back, safe and sound, without even a single hair missing.” Yun Che smiled as he comforted her. “Before I left, I promised you I would definitely return within half a year. I almost missed it, but at least I didn’t break my promise to you. Senior Sister, don’t cry anymore… From now on, no matter where I go, I will honestly tell you, and never let you worry about me again.”
Cang Yue’s tears, Yun Che’s soft words… Even a fool could clearly see the relationship between them. Qin Wushang was one thing—he had already sensed something was off, and Qin Wuyou had hinted at it several times—so even if watching from the sidelines was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable, it was still acceptable. But the expressions on Feng Bufan and Fang Feilong’s faces were far more interesting… Half a year ago, Yun Che had been a figure of widespread attention, and they had also heard about his supposed death in the Death Wasteland. Being close to the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, they had occasionally heard that Princess Cang Yue had grown somewhat close to Yun Che. But now, they were watching up close as the two exchanged tears and emotions…
Whether Yun Che was alive or dead was irrelevant to them, after all, in their eyes he was just a minor figure, one of the same arrogant, self-important ones…
Feng Bufan had just begun to speak when Yun Che rudely interrupted, “The Ranking Battle is imminent, so let’s not waste time with unnecessary words. If the two senior brothers won’t make the first move, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
As his voice fell, Yun Che’s figure flickered and he charged straight at Feng Bufan and Fang Feilong. Midway, his body suddenly split into two, making both opponents clearly see a Yun Che attacking each of them.
An opponent at the True Xuan Realm—Feng Bufan and Fang Feilong felt no pressure at all, nor would they panic. The very idea of a True Xuan Realm cultivator daring to challenge two Spirit Xuan Realm cultivators at once was, in their eyes, the greatest joke under heaven.
“You’re asking for death!”
Both of them shouted coldly, each reaching out to grab the Yun Che before them. But their hands grasped nothing… Both Yun Ches were afterimages! Yet before they were struck, these two afterimages were completely indistinguishable from the real thing, without the slightest blur or illusory quality typical of an afterimage.
Such was the power of the Star God Remnant Shadow.
Yun Che’s true body appeared above them. He twisted sideways, thrust both hands wide open, and pushed them simultaneously toward the two opponents—like lightning, one left, one right—landing seemingly light strikes on their shoulders.
Their surprise at his sudden attack was brief, but they showed no fear toward it. An attack from a True Xuan Realm cultivator, and a split attack aimed at two people at once, could never break through their profound force defenses. The moment it struck, they both intended to use their profound force to counter-shock him. The combined backlash from two Spirit Xuan Realm cultivators would surely heavily injure this arrogant, reckless brat.
But when Yun Che’s palms struck their shoulders, an inexplicable sense of oppression made them feel ice-cold throughout their bodies, their heartbeats stopping instantly. Then, with a loud “bang,” they felt as if an enormous ten-thousand-jun hammer had smashed heavily into them. Their profound force defenses, along with their intent to counter-shock, shattered in an instant. Both let out a muffled groan and, like two bundles of straw thrown out, flew far apart—east and west—tumbling for over ten zhang before landing face-down on the ground, groaning in pain, unable to get up for a long time.
Yun Che’s profound force was indeed only at the tenth level of the True Xuan Realm, but his strength could hardly be measured by the standard of profound force levels!
Instant defeat!
And he had defeated two people in an instant!
These two individuals were among the young generation’s top experts who had dominated the second and third positions of the Inner Palace’s Heavenly Xuan List for over a year!
Qin Wushang’s old eyes bulged like an ox’s. Cang Yue also let out a soft cry, instinctively covering her mouth. The emotions in her beautiful eyes shifted from surprise to joy, and then to profound admiration and adoration… like a most ordinary maiden gazing in worship at the heroic prowess of the one she loved.
Looking at the two who still couldn’t get up, Yun Che glanced at his hands and said with a slightly embarrassed tone, “Sorry, senior brothers. I accidentally struck a bit too hard… Uh, Mansion Master Qin, this… I really didn’t mean it… It shouldn’t affect the Ranking Battle, right?”
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