Chapter 793: Massive Ice Flame
Yun Che arrived at the entrance he had used to enter the Slay Moon Demon Cave earlier. He stood before the barrier, two surges of profound force simultaneously flowing into his left and right arms, igniting flames in his left hand and condensing ice in his right. Crimson profound light and icy blue profound light rapidly gathered and expanded between his hands. Then, closing his eyes, he focused his spirit, circulating the Evil God's Profound Power, slowly merging these two mutually restraining and opposing forces.
Three days ago, he had dared to forcibly remain in the Slay Moon Demon Cave, which possessed an extremely strong sealing barrier, precisely because he thought his Ice Flame might be able to forcibly melt through the barrier. Although this barrier was known as the strongest barrier in Tian Xuan Continent, said to be unbreakable even by the combined force of the Four Sacred Masters, his Ice Flame defied the laws of heaven and violated order—it was nothing short of an existence that overturned the heavens! Back when his profound strength was still at the Heavenly Profound Realm, he had used Ice Flame to forcibly melt through the wall of the Primordial Mystic Ark. When he had first entered the King Profound Realm, Elder Ye Shi of the Sun Moon Divine Palace had merely brushed against it and was incinerated into nothingness.
"Mo Li, although this barrier is said to be the strongest barrier on the continent, it shouldn't be tougher than the Primordial Mystic Ark, right! Since Ice Flame could even damage the Primordial Mystic Ark, it can definitely break through this barrier too." Yun Che said, quite confident.
In the beginning, when he held the Ice Flame in his hands, he had to concentrate his spirit to an extreme degree, and his profound veins and body would also endure immense pressure. With the slightest relaxation, the Ice Flame could spiral out of control and injure him. But now, he could do it quite casually.
"The Primordial Mystic Ark is an ancient relic; how could this sealing barrier compare to it?" Mo Li said disdainfully. "But don't forget, back then, to open a gap in the Ark's wall large enough for you to escape, it took you a full six months and nearly a thousand burns of Ice Flame."
"Moreover, the walls of the Primordial Mystic Ark had no self-healing power. Although the strength of this sealing barrier is far inferior to the Primordial Mystic Ark's, once it is damaged, it will rapidly repair itself! So if you want to get out, you must blast open a gap large enough in one go!"
"I know that." Yun Che nodded slightly. "So, do you think I can succeed?"
"I don't know." Mo Li didn't even think before rejecting the question. "The so-called 'Ice Flame' in your hands is fundamentally a defiance of the heavenly Dao! I've never even heard of it before. Moreover, I've never been able to sense its law of power, and its might is also incomprehensible... Or perhaps, it simply doesn't have the concept of 'might' at all, making it impossible to predict what effect it can achieve using common sense and understanding."
"Half a year ago at Bing Yun Fairy Palace, that elder from the Sun Moon Divine Palace merely touched the Ice Flame and was burned to ashes without any resistance. That result completely exceeded my expectations. Today, I naturally cannot draw any conclusions at all. You'll find out for yourself when you try."
"Alright, let me give it a try!" Yun Che withdrew his arms, then gently pushed them forward, pressing the Ice Flame against the isolating barrier.
The destructive power of the Ice Flame was unquestionably terrifying. Yun Che was certain that if it struck any of the Four Sacred Masters, it would surely inflict severe injuries. However, generating it not only required intense concentration and a considerable amount of time, but controlling it also demanded extreme caution—he couldn't even throw it with too much force. Therefore, while it might be useful for sneaky ambushes, it was almost impossible to use in actual combat.
Otherwise, if the Ice Flame could be casually ignited like other flames and hurled with full force, he could definitely trample over the Sacred Grounds and roam unhindered across Tian Xuan.
The Ice Flame touched the barrier and silently ignited.
The incineration of Ice Flame had never made a sound. This time was no exception. By the residual light, Yun Che clearly saw the exceptionally tough isolating barrier, which had existed for a full ten thousand years, instantly show a circular flaw where the Ice Flame touched it...
It was like a piece of cloth being burned through by a flame.
This flaw was the size of a palm. As the Ice Flame consumed it, the damaged area grew deeper and deeper until it reached half a foot in depth. Then the Ice Flame completely dissipated... but it still hadn't managed to penetrate the barrier.
Ssssssss!!
A series of thunder-like hisses rang out. Blue light flashed intensely at the damaged part of the barrier. Surges of power rushed in from all sides, rippling across the barrier like water waves.
After a single breath, the ripples subsided, and the gap burned by the Ice Flame had vanished without a trace, leaving not even a mark of damage.
Yun Che: "..."
Outside the barrier.
"Xue'er, won't you come back with Father... Father will immediately send people to guard this place around the clock. The moment there's any movement, I will inform you immediately, alright?"
Feng Hengkong looked at his daughter with heartache, pleading earnestly. Over these three days, he had come once every day, and each time, he saw her looking more haggard than the day before. Yet no matter how he tried to persuade her, Feng Xue'er remained unmoved.
Based on his understanding of his daughter, she was not a stubborn person. On the contrary, she had always been very obedient and compliant towards the Phoenix God, and towards him...
But when it came to Yun Che, she was so stubborn... even to the point of being resolute.
Once, Yun Che was the person he hated the most, wishing he could personally make him die a miserable death... Now, he was full of prayers that Yun Che absolutely must not die, preferably not even lose a single hair.
Because he was afraid that if something really happened to Yun Che, it would take away his daughter's lifelong joy.
"Father, don't worry about me. Brother Yun is definitely fine. Besides, he dotes on me so much; he definitely won't bear to make me wait too long." Feng Xue'er closed her eyes, her hands still placed in front of her chest, speaking softly.
"Phoenix Sect Master, there's no need to persuade her anymore. Tomorrow is the Demon Sword Assembly, and you must have many things to prepare. Don't worry about Sister Xue'er." Xia Yuanba spoke up.
The sky was dim, the stars were like brocade, and the night had already enveloped the heavens and the vast sea. When this layer of night was lifted, it would be the day of the Demon Sword Assembly. Counting the time, there were only about five or six hours left.
For this gathering that occurred once in a millennium, gathering almost all of the top experts of Tian Xuan Continent, and claimed to allow one to comprehend the "Secrets of the Divine Profound," all who had come held extremely high expectations.
"Alas..." Feng Hengkong's lips moved, but in the end, he could only let out a sigh. The matter of Yun Che being sealed in the Slay Moon Demon Cave had long spread throughout the Supreme Sea Palace. Everyone who came to participate in the Demon Sword Assembly already knew about it. At first, people constantly came near to find out if Yun Che could really get out. By the second day, there were very few people coming to inquire.
And by the third day, everyone believed that Yun Che was as good as dead.
Because that was the Slay Moon Demon Cave!!
Even if the Four Sacred Masters went in, it would be absolutely impossible for them to survive even a day.
"Xue'er, you believe that boy Yun Che can definitely come out alive. Father believes it too... Father will come to check again every day."
He lightly patted Feng Xue'er's fragrant shoulder. Feng Hengkong let out a low sigh inwardly and left with a heavy heart.
He increasingly felt that the Phoenix God Sect provoking Yun Che was simply the biggest disaster in five thousand years!!
Compared to Feng Xue'er, Xia Yuanba's worry was much lighter. With the awakening of his Overlord Emperor Divine Meridian, his temperament, spirit, and will had been affected, and his mind was far calmer than before. Coupled with his trust in Yun Che, even though three days had passed, he still firmly believed that since Yun Che dared to stay in the Slay Moon Demon Cave, he must have enough confidence to get out.
"What kind of method could possibly blast open this barrier..." Xia Yuanba stared at the barrier, frowning, his mind constantly mulling over the same question.
At that moment, Feng Xue'er's delicate body suddenly trembled violently. Her phoenix eyes snapped open, and she said excitedly, "Big brother, did you just hear something?"
"Hear something? What sound?" Xia Yuanba was taken aback. He had been lost in thought most of the time and hadn't heard anything.
"It came from the barrier!" Feng Xue'er's body descended, and she shouted with extreme agitation, "Brother Yun, is it you... Brother Yun, it must be you, right!"
Inside the Slay Moon Demon Cave.
"Although this barrier is a bit stronger than I expected, it can still be destroyed by Ice Flame."
Despite the failure, Yun Che's face didn't show much disappointment. He stepped back two paces, extended his arms again, with flames on the left and ice on the right... But this time, regardless of his injuries, he directly pushed his profound force to its maximum state. The flames burned fiercely on his left, and the cold air condensed wildly on his right... It continued for a full ten-some breaths without stopping.
"You want to fuse a large-scale Ice Flame?" Realizing what he intended to do, Mo Li's voice turned heavy. "You're taking an unnecessary risk! It will take me at most a day or two to reshape my body. Can't you even wait that short time?! And now... with your injuries not yet healed and your profound veins half-exhausted, forcibly fusing such a massive Ice Flame is simply risking your life!"
"No!" Yun Che shook his head with full confidence. "If it were before, it would indeed be risking my life. But now, I am almost one hundred percent confident."
"One hundred percent confidence? Where does that come from?" Mo Li questioned. "You have never fused such a huge Ice Flame before, and especially not in your current condition!"
"After I woke up just now, I noticed that not only was my spirit not fatigued, it was actually extremely clear. I even felt that my mental strength had greatly improved. When I burned the first Ice Flame earlier, I knew it wasn't an illusion. Didn't you notice? Even while severely injured and with greatly diminished profound strength, the speed at which I fused that Ice Flame was actually a bit faster than before?"
"...I was also wondering why you showed no signs of mental fatigue after waking up." Mo Li mused briefly, then muttered to herself, "Could it be that enduring the extremely cruel power of soul-separation... actually caused your soul level to ascend? Or was it that the Dragon God's Soul, Phoenix Soul, and Golden Crow Soul have fused further with your soul?"
"Or perhaps... both!?"
"Every time I tried to fuse a larger Ice Flame before, my mind would subconsciously produce self-doubt or even a sense of danger, making me feel that success was impossible and that forcing it might have serious consequences. But this time, even though I'm injured, that feeling is instead very faint."
Yun Che took a deep breath, withdrew his arms, and the two lights that had condensed extreme flame and ice powers slowly approached and merged...
A quarter of an hour passed...
Two quarters of an hour passed...
Just as the third quarter of an hour was about to end, Yun Che opened his eyes. In his palm, a foot-and-a-half-tall ice-blue flame was burning silently!
"Incredible..." Mo Li drew a slight breath. "The Netherworld Brahma Flower's soul-separating power not only failed to damage your soul power but instead granted you such a great boost. You really are a freak."
Yun Che's chest heaved, and cold sweat covered his forehead, but his face was full of excitement.
A flame a foot and a half tall—while insignificant for ordinary profound flames, it was an extremely terrifying concept for Ice Flame. Though it burned silently in his hand, only Yun Che knew that even though it had just been generated, he was already starting to feel that he couldn't control it.
"This time, I will definitely blast through this barrier!" Yun Che muttered to himself, then very carefully pushed his hands forward.