Chapter 245: The Final Strike
Beyond shock, Chu Yueli was utterly speechless.
As for Xia Qingyue, her talent, comprehension, and mental state were unlike anything she had ever seen. She could cultivate profound arts and even activate domains while ignoring profound strength limitations—a physique that had astonished even Palace Master Lin Yuxian. Chu Yueli had taken her as a disciple when she was twelve, teaching her the Ice Cloud Art and personally refining her body with her own Heavenly Xuan force over the following years. During Xia Qingyue's time at Bing Yun Fairy Palace, countless rare treasures accumulated over a millennium were lavished upon her without reservation. Moreover, Xia Qingyue did not have only one master—the two strongest figures of Bing Yun Fairy Palace, Chu Yuechan and Lin Yuxian, had also poured tremendous effort into her. Chu Yuechan had even risked great danger to acquire three ice-type Heavenly Xuan beast profound pills to ensure her Ice Cloud force reached absolute purity...
Throughout the history of Bing Yun Fairy Palace, never had so much been invested in any single disciple.
This was how Xia Qingyue had become what she was today.
And now, she watched helplessly as that youth, once dismissed as a waste, shattered Xia Qingyue's Ice Cloud Domain!
The mere fact that Xia Qingyue could use a domain had shattered everyone's understanding. But that Yun Che had actually destroyed that domain could only be described as an impossible miracle.
After burning away the domain with Phoenix blood, Yun Che's power was nearly depleted. Xia Qingyue's condition was not much better. Activating a domain at the Earth Xuan Realm was undoubtedly an enormous drain. Opening the domain had consumed over seventy percent of her profound strength, and maintaining it for that brief moment had used up more than sixty percent of what remained. Combined with all her previous expenditures, she now had less than half a percent of her normal strength left. Furthermore, the collapse of the domain had caused a certain backlash, lightly injuring her profound veins and making control of her profound force difficult and sluggish.
Xia Qingyue's face had always been pale, but now it was white to the extreme, not a trace of color left. At least, she looked far better than Yun Che, who could barely stand upright.
They faced each other from less than ten zhang apart. Pain and strain flickered constantly through Yun Che's cold eyes, while Xia Qingyue's gaze trembled violently, as if she still hadn't recovered from the shock of moments ago.
"Ugh..." With a pained groan, Yun Che supported himself on Dragon Gate and slowly stood up. Clenching his teeth, he looked at Xia Qingyue right before him and said in a low voice, "You actually... weren't hurt by that flame just now... Good. I couldn't fully control that flame either. If you had been caught in it, you might have been... seriously injured... And if your clothes had been burned... heh, I wouldn't want anyone else seeing my wife..."
Yun Che's words came out broken and halting, every few words punctuated by heavy gasps.
Xia Qingyue: "..."
Both hands gripped tightly around Dragon Gate, but he didn't pull it from the ground—as if he lacked the strength. Yun Che closed his eyes. After a violent bout of panting, his breath and voice gradually calmed. "I have just enough strength left for one more strike. If you can block this strike, it means you've won... But... but I absolutely refuse to lose to you. So this strike... you absolutely cannot block!!"
Boom!!
Dragon Gate was yanked from the ground. Its eight-thousand-jin weight made Yun Che's hands tremble as he held it. "Prepare yourself, Qingyue. Remember your sect's honor, and remember what I told you before the match. Give it your all! Otherwise, you'll be letting down your sect, letting down me, and letting down yourself!"
Xia Qingyue: "..."
The youth before her, the same age as herself, seemed so unfamiliar. Compared to the crippled profound veins of that time, the Yun Che before her was a completely different person from the Xiao Che of back then. Yet in Xia Qingyue's eyes, this youth whose fate had been turned upside down was utterly, terribly familiar—his gaze, his tone of voice, the pride etched into his bones, and especially that stubbornness that couldn't be pulled back by a hundred thousand oxen. It was all exactly the same as the Yun Che she had come to know during those few short days together.
Xia Qingyue said nothing. The ice spirits around her, which had faded, began to flutter again. Behind her, a massive ice lotus slowly bloomed. The Ice Phoenix Glazed Silk floated before her, twisting into an eerie "S" shape. An extremely dangerous aura emanated from every inch of the Ice Phoenix Glazed Silk, pressing down on Yun Che with immense weight.
"This is the starting stance of the 'Ice Cloud Ultimate Technique—Waning Moon Ode.' Can Senior Sister Xia still use this move in her weakened state?" Shui Wushuang watched Xia Qingyue with concern.
"She might barely manage it. It seems Qingyue is also preparing to go all out. This is a move that Yun Che absolutely cannot block," Chu Yueli said. But even as she spoke, there was a certain lack of confidence in her voice. Although Yun Che looked like he could barely stand, his earlier performance—especially the flames that had burned away even the Ice Cloud Domain—made her dare not underestimate this seemingly harmless youth any longer.
She no longer dared to predict what earth-shattering feat he might pull off next.
Dragon Gate was slowly raised above Yun Che's head. The fifty-four profound gates of the Evil God's Profound Meridian rapidly expanded, frantically gathering every last bit of profound strength left in his body... Suddenly, he let out a roar. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and he leaped into the air. The heavy sword swept through the air, slashing down with tremendous force—
"Overlord's Wrath!!"
The might of this strike was far less than his initial ones, but it was still astonishing. Xia Qingyue also soared into the air, ice spirits flickering with chaotic, intense light. The Ice Phoenix Glazed Silk shifted from soft to hard, folding into a snow-white waning moon shape. Infused with Ice Cloud force, it shimmered with blinding crystalline light, and it clashed violently with Dragon Gate in midair.
A heavy boom. At the point where Dragon Gate and the Ice Phoenix Glazed Silk met, a wide ring of spatial ripples spread outward. An icy, bone-chilling aura completely enveloped Yun Che. The immense force from the Ice Phoenix Glazed Silk bent Dragon Gate into a crescent shape.
Yun Che's eyes widened. In that instant of impact, his hands went almost completely numb. He gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of his remaining strength into Dragon Gate. But his remaining power was far too weak compared to Xia Qingyue's all-out strike. The force of Overlord's Wrath was completely blocked, its residual energy rapidly devoured. An icy power capable of utterly defeating him surged toward his face.
So it really comes down to this after all...
Yun Che was not surprised at all by this outcome—after all, no one knew his current state better than himself. Feeling his power being completely suppressed, he took a deep breath and let out a beast-like roar—
My profound veins and body... must hold on!
"Evil God Third Realm... Purgatory!!"
With Yun Che's internal chant, the third realm gate of the Evil God's Profound Meridian—Purgatory—opened for the first time.
The moment "Purgatory" activated, an eerie red light burst from the third realm gate, dyeing the entire profound vein a bloody crimson, as if soaked in blood. This red light did not remain only within the profound veins—it overflowed, forming a layer of scarlet radiance around Yun Che's body.
The whites and pupils of Yun Che's eyes completely vanished, replaced by two blood-red orbs. A fierce, murderous aura, as if from the very depths of hell, erupted from him. In an instant, Xia Qingyue was completely suffocated.
"Evil God Third Technique... Annihilation of Heaven and Earth!!"
BOOM!!!!!!!!
A thunderous roar, as if heaven were collapsing and earth caving in. The entire Sword Discussion Platform trembled violently. Even the whole ground shook, as if a terrible natural disaster had suddenly struck. Amid the deafening noise, the eardrums of low-level profound practitioners instantly went numb. Fragmented rocks and dust rose nearly a hundred zhang high, blotting out the sky and sun, completely concealing Yun Che and Xia Qingyue.
Terrified cries spread across the platform. Unprecedented shock appeared on every face. Both Yun Che and Xia Qingyue had been on the verge of profound strength exhaustion, yet the force of this strike surpassed all their previous clashes, rivaling the towering flames that had incinerated even the Ice Cloud Domain. Such a terrifying shockwave and momentum would be difficult even for a powerful Earth Xuan Realm expert to produce. How could it appear in the collision of two young profound practitioners whose power was already so depleted?!
Dust filled the air. No one could see what had happened. They couldn't even begin to imagine how such an earth-shaking collision had been produced.
The trembling of the Sword Discussion Platform soon stopped. The dust began to settle. As visibility gradually returned, everyone drew in a sharp, cold breath.
Before them lay a massive crater, a full seventy to eighty zhang in diameter!!
The edges of the platform had been completely destroyed. Not a single intact stone remained.
At the center of the crater stood two motionless figures... Staring at them, everyone held their breath, their gazes stiff, unable to make a sound.
Xia Qingyue stood there silently, her long hair disheveled, her body covered in dust. Her clear eyes held an indescribable daze as she stared blankly at Yun Che before her.
Yun Che lay on the ground less than ten steps in front of her. His outer garments were torn to shreds, his whole body prone. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, his forehead, his limbs, his back—almost everywhere. His left hand clawed at the ground; the back of his right hand was completely stained red, but it still gripped Dragon Gate's hilt firmly.
"Finally... it's over."
Although "Purgatory" had only been active for less than three breaths, for his body, which had already been nearly powerless at the time, it was an almost devastating burden. And under "Purgatory," he had forcibly executed its corresponding Evil God Third Technique—"Annihilation of Heaven and Earth"... A final strike released using the power of his will and soul, subjecting his soul to a burden no less than that of his body. That he could maintain even a brief moment of clarity was nothing short of a miracle.
His body was covered in countless surface cracks, but his internal organs only suffered light to moderate damage. Yun Che painfully twisted the corner of his mouth, letting out a light, relieved, and deeply grateful laugh. He closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to sink heavily into darkness. His final will transformed into a whisper only Xia Qingyue could hear...
"The second reason I came to this Ranking Battle... was to prove to you... that I, Yun Che... am worthy of being your husband... Not... your token of gratitude... nor... your charity..."
Xia Qingyue: "..."
Time passed slowly in the dead silence... One breath... Two breaths... Three breaths... Four breaths...
It wasn't until Yun Che was completely unconscious, with no further movement, that people finally snapped out of their stupor.
This battle was finally over...
Nine breaths... Ten breaths...
Ling Wugou had always been the closest, and he had felt the earth-shaking impact most keenly. If anyone approached, they would have seen his forehead covered in fine cold sweat—yes! A super-strong expert at the eighth level of Heavenly Xuan Realm, holding a high position at Tian Jian Villa, had actually been so startled by the battle between two juniors that he broke into a cold sweat.
After ten breaths, Ling Wugou finally woke as if from a dream. He shot a profoundly complex glance at Yun Che, quickly calmed his mind, and announced loudly with a deep voice: "Yun Che has been down for ten breaths without rising. The victor of the final match of this year's Ranking Battle is..."
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