Chapter 223: The Power of a Throne
"Chu Yuechan, what do you mean by this?"
Since things had come to this point, Fen Moli, in his rage and desperation, was essentially throwing all caution to the wind. Although he had only seen Chu Yuechan once many years ago, he still recognized her at a single glance. However, he had never expected that this legendary Ice Chan Fairy would suddenly attack him.
"As the Grand Elder of the Fen Tian Gate, attacking a junior without any reason is utterly shameless," Chu Yuechan said coldly.
"Hmph!" Fen Moli's face darkened. "He severely wounded the son of our Fen Tian Gate's Gate Master! For that alone, he deserves to die ten thousand times! Chu Yuechan, the affairs of my Fen Tian Gate are none of your Bing Yun Fairy Palace's business!"
"I've decided to involve myself!" Chu Yuechan extended a hand as smooth as ice-jade, and in her palm, a ball of azure light flickered faintly.
"Fine~~" Fen Moli's brows sank heavily. "I've long heard that Ice Chan Fairy, though young, has already stepped into the Half-step King Xuan realm, even surpassing the Yuxian Palace Master of old. Among the women of Cang Feng, none can match her. Today, this old man will test the foremost of the Ice Cloud Seven Immortals!"
Facing Chu Yuechan, Fen Moli was fully confident. Although both were at the Half-step King Xuan realm, Chu Yuechan had only entered it a few years ago, while Fen Moli had remained at that level for thirty full years. Even though he knew he would never break through to King Xuan in this lifetime, he was confident that he would not lose to anyone among Half-step King Xuan.
"Ha!!"
Fen Moli let out a loud shout, and his entire body erupted with intense purple flames. He raised his hands high, condensing a blade of flame dozens of zhang long from his purple profound flame, and slashed it down toward Chu Yuechan...
Purple profound flame, the strongest flame ever known to all profound practitioners in the Cang Feng Empire. At least the late stage of Heavenly Xuan realm is required to release purple profound flame. It is said that beneath purple profound flame, any profound practitioner with power below the late Earth Xuan realm would be instantly reduced to charcoal, without even a chance to resist or struggle. When purple flame sweeps across, even the water of a small lake would be completely evaporated within a very short time—incredibly terrifying.
This flaming blade of Fen Moli was not particularly fast, but not far behind Chu Yuechan was Yun Che. If she dodged, given the terror of the purple profound flame, Yun Che would have no escape even if he grew wings. However, if Chu Yuechan blocked it head-on, Fen Moli was confident that he could at least make her suffer a minor loss with this move.
Chu Yuechan did not move her feet; she had no intention of evading. Instead, she turned her palm upward and grasped toward the flaming blade in the void...
Clang!!
The enormous flaming blade, falling rapidly with a suffocating wave of heat, suddenly struck an invisible barrier and halted in midair. Then, a beam of azure light appeared at the tip of the blade and spread rapidly with the crisp sounds of "crack, crack, crack" as ice condensed. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire blade, turning the originally scorching purple profound flame into freezing blue ice.
When ice profound force reaches a sufficient realm, it can seal not only bodies and objects, but also all forms of profound force!
Snap!!
With a flick of Chu Yuechan's jade-like palm, a sound of shattering echoed across the entire Sword Discussion Platform. The frozen blade burst apart in midair, shattering into countless tiny blue ice crystals that scattered far and wide...
"Wha...what?!"
Fen Moli stumbled back two steps in panic, quickly shaking off the layer of ice on his own hand, his face full of shock and disbelief. At that moment, he saw Chu Yuechan extend her hand toward him, and a flash of blue light streaked across his vision...
A pillar of ice about half a chi in length suddenly materialized before him... That's right, it appeared completely out of thin air. With Fen Moli's supreme Half-step King Xuan profound force, he couldn't even see how it appeared or when. This seemingly unremarkable ice pillar carried a terrifying chill that made his entire body shudder. Before his pupils could even contract, the azure ice pillar, at a speed he simply could not comprehend, slammed into his chest...
Bang!!
The area where Fen Moli was struck by the ice pillar instantly caved in deeply, and his back bulged out grotesquely. A spray of blood accompanied by a pained groan burst from his mouth. His entire body shot backward like an arrow, flying far away. After crashing onto the surface of the Sword Discussion Platform, he slid across it for dozens of zhang, gouging out a deep scar dozens of zhang long in the hard platform.
Instantly, the entire venue fell into dead silence. Even Ling Kun of the Tian Wei Sword Domain, who had remained silent all along, finally showed a change in expression for the first time. Ling Yuefeng shot to his feet as if struck by lightning and exclaimed in disbelief: "Space compression... This... this is... Throne power!!"
The moment the words "Throne power" were uttered, it was like a thunderclap in a clear sky rang in everyone's ears.
"Th...Throne? Th-this... this can't be possible, right?"
"How can it be impossible? That was shouted out by Villa Master Ling himself! And if she weren't truly at the King Xuan realm, how could Fen Moli be beaten into such a miserable state with a single move?"
"My god, our Cang Feng Empire actually has another Throne, and such a young Throne at that. Even if she only entered the King Xuan realm this year, she would still be earlier than Villa Master Ling... She is the earliest person to enter the King Xuan realm in these past few hundred years!"
"With this, the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, besides the legendary Yuxian Palace Master, now has another Throne! There are also rumors that the Supreme Palace Master of Bing Yun Fairy Palace has actually been in the palace all along and hasn't passed away. If that rumor is also true, then wouldn't the Bing Yun Fairy Palace have three Thrones! Both Fen Tian Gate and Xiao Sect only have one Throne each!"
The news that Chu Yuechan had become a Throne shocked everyone. This already celestial and aloof Ice Chan Fairy, in the eyes of all present, had undoubtedly ascended even higher into the clouds, becoming an immortal so exalted that one could hardly even look up to her. In the Cang Feng Empire, a Throne was a legendary existence, and moreover, an invincible one. There was a very important reason why the Cang Feng Empire only had four great sects and not a "fifth great sect": only these four great sects possessed the supreme "Thrones". The expressions of everyone from Fen Tian Gate and Xiao Sect changed drastically. The appearance of another Throne in Bing Yun Fairy Palace meant that they had been left far behind in terms of strength. Xiao Sect Master Xiao Jietian slowly stood up, stared blankly at Chu Yuechan's back for a while, moved his lips, then slowly sat back down... Twenty years had passed, and she was still ethereally beautiful. Even her back was breathtakingly enchanting. However, at this moment, her radiance was too dazzling, so much so that he, the Sect Master of Xiao Sect, could only feel deep self-abasement.
Back then, after he first saw Chu Yuechan at the Ranking Battle, he too had become infatuated with her, dreaming of her day and night. However, he was not as crazy as Ling Yuefeng, nor did he humiliate himself to the dust like Ling Yuefeng, repeatedly going to Bing Yun Fairy Palace. He could only end up with nothing, but at least he had always felt that he was worthy of her...
But now, he almost didn't even have the courage to look directly into her eyes. Such a young Throne... Not to mention the present, but throughout the entire history of the Cang Feng Empire, such a thing had almost never occurred. She seemed to be the overly favored darling of the heavens, given far too many dazzling halos. Beneath these halos, he couldn't even think of anyone in the entire Cang Feng Empire who would be worthy of her...
At the very least, he himself, as the Sect Master of Xiao Sect, did not have the qualifications.
Over the past few hundred years, many Half-step King Xuan experts had appeared among the four great sects, but among those who reached that peak, fewer than one in ten ever ultimately entered the King Xuan realm. Fen Moli had remained at Half-step King Xuan for over thirty years and had to resign himself to the fact that he would never be called a true Throne in this life. Though the gap between Half-step King Xuan and true King Xuan was only half a step, that half step spanned the distance between heaven and earth. The disparity in power was like comparing the sky to the ground.
A Half-step King Xuan before a true Throne was no different from a weak infant, completely without threat. Fen Moli's initiative to attack Chu Yuechan was nothing but self-inflicted humiliation.
From the Fen Tian Gate seating area, Fen Juecheng rushed out quickly. He picked up Fen Moli, who was either unconscious from his injuries or from rage, and after quickly examining his wounds, he turned toward Ling Yuefeng and gave a hasty bow. "Villa Master Ling, Elder Ling, my younger brother was severely wounded, and Elder Fen Moli acted impulsively out of anxiety. I beg Villa Master Ling and Elder Ling to look past the fact that no serious consequences occurred and that he has already been taught a lesson by senior Ice Chan. Please be magnanimous and forgive Elder Fen Moli. After the Ranking Battle, this junior will definitely come with Elder Fen Moli to formally apologize to Villa Master Ling and Elder Ling."
"Hmph!" Ling Yuefeng's face showed anger. "Fen Moli, as a respected Grand Elder of the sect, presumed on his seniority, did not know his limits, ignored the rules of the Ranking Battle, and even maliciously attacked a contestant who had rightfully won. According to the rules of the Ranking Battle, not only should Fen Moli be expelled, but the entire Fen Tian Gate should be disqualified from participating!"
Having said this, Ling Yuefeng softened his tone. "However, considering that Fen Moli acted out of anxiety and has already been punished by Fairy Ice Chan, let this matter rest here. The qualification to explore the 'Heavenly Lake Secret Realm' after the Ranking Battle will also be retained. But if you dare to offend again, not only will the qualification to explore the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm be revoked, but I'm afraid your Fen Tian Gate will also lose the right to participate in the next Ranking Battle. Conduct yourselves accordingly."
After all, Fen Tian Gate was not like other sects, and Ling Yuefeng was unwilling to offend them lightly. So although his words were extremely severe, in reality, he had made a significant concession, which was also enough to give face to Fen Tian Gate. Fen Juecheng let out a long breath, performed a junior's bow to Ling Yuefeng, and led Fen Moli away from the Sword Discussion Platform.
All eyes turned back to Chu Yuechan. Yun Che stepped forward slowly and said with a smile, "Fairy Ice Chan, thank you for saving..."
Before Yun Che could finish his words, a shimmer of ice spirit passed before his eyes, and that beautiful, cold figure had already vanished from the Sword Discussion Platform, returning to her own seat.
Yun Che smiled silently, the meaning in that smile known only to himself.
"This Chu Yuechan is truly not simple. So young and already a Throne. No wonder you were so infatuated back then that you lost your soul." Xuanyuan Yufeng glanced sideways at Ling Yuefeng beside her and said.
Ling Yuefeng smiled faintly and said, "My wife's words are mistaken. What I was infatuated with back then was not her talent, but her appearance. I never expected that not only is she a beauty of unparalleled grace, but her talent is also so extraordinary. Truly astonishing."
Seeing that his smile was quite open, Xuanyuan Yufeng felt reassured and gently leaned half her body against Ling Yuefeng.
Second match of the Top Eight Battle: Tian Jian Villa's Ling Jie — versus — Tian Jian Villa's Ling Feiyu.
Both belonged to Tian Jian Villa, but one was at Spirit Xuan level 6 and the other at Spirit Xuan level 9. No matter how you look at it, it was a match where one could predict the outcome without even comparing.
Ling Jie was the first to step onto the platform, arms crossed, a slight smirk on his lips, looking like he feared nothing. After a long while, Ling Feiyu leaped onto the Sword Discussion Platform and stood before Ling Jie, but his expression was somewhat conflicted.
"You two have sparred many times before. This time, are you sure you want to go through it again?" Ling Wugou stood outside the profound force barrier and asked expressionlessly. As an elder, he naturally knew very well the strength of these two outstanding young disciples of the villa.
Hearing this question, the people below the platform understood completely that the gap in strength between these two must be very large. In their usual sparring, one side was completely suppressed by the other. Even if they fought again, there could not be a different result, and it would only be a waste of time.
Upon hearing Ling Wugou's words, Ling Jie did not have much of a reaction, but Ling Feiyu's lips twitched, and a brief struggle appeared in his eyes. Finally, he let out a breath and said, "Forget it, I concede."
Gasps—
The people below the platform immediately widened their eyes...
The one who voluntarily conceded was not Ling Jie, who was only at Spirit Xuan level 6...
But Ling Feiyu, who was at Spirit Xuan level 9 and had charged into the Top Eight Battle like a hot knife through butter!!
[Normal updates will resume tomorrow... Sorry to keep everyone waiting...]