Chapter 967: Staking Life, Jade Fall Ice Soul (Part 1)
Mu Bingyun's gaze shifted over. Yun Che's expression was by no means that of someone speaking impulsively under a moment of heat. But such words, no matter who they came from, were far too absurd. And coming from someone who had yet to step into the Divine Path, who hadn't even cultivated to the peak of the Sovereign Xuan Realm... it was an even greater joke.
"Yun Che, this is impossible." Mu Bingyun's tone was very calm: "Currently, you are still in the middle stage of the Sovereign Xuan Realm, which is among the nine realms of the mortal body. Although the strength you've erupted with barely managed to defeat even Ji Hanfeng, who is at the middle stage of the Divine Origin Realm, you ultimately have not yet truly touched the Divine Path. Now that you are in the Yin Xue Realm, your cultivation speed will certainly surpass what it was on Lan Ji Star. However, to achieve the Divine Origin Realm, you will need a considerable amount of time, cultivation, and enlightenment."
"Moreover, the improvement across the seven realms of the Divine Xuan is far from comparable to the nine realms of the mortal body. After the Divine Origin Realm, every small realm advancement is much more difficult than in the Sovereign Xuan Realm. Even if your talent is the highest, your comprehension the strongest, and you possess immense fortune, in just two and a half years, it is absolutely impossible for you to cultivate to the Divine Tribulation Realm."
"Hmph, let alone going from the Sovereign Xuan Realm to the Divine Tribulation Realm, in the hundreds of thousands of years of history in the Yin Xue Realm, no one has ever managed to break through from the first level of the Divine Origin Realm to the first level of the Divine Soul Realm in just thirty months." Mu Xiaolan said softly. "So silly."
Yun Che: "..."
Although Yun Che had clashed with Divine Path power before, his profound force level was ultimately still at the Sovereign Xuan Realm. He was completely ignorant of cultivation in the Divine Xuan realms. Mu Bingyun's and Mu Xiaolan's words were undoubtedly another bucket of cold water after a heavy blow, making his clenched hands tighten again.
"It seems the person you want to see is extremely important to you." Seeing Yun Che silent, his aura slightly disordered, yet with no intention of giving up, Mu Bingyun said softly. "You need not be too disheartened. There are still thirty months left. I will discuss this matter with the Great Realm King as soon as possible. Perhaps..."
Mu Bingyun did not continue, because giving him hope now would only bring him greater disappointment when the time came. She was already very clear that this was not only a restriction imposed by the four great king realms, but also a limitation from the divine power of the Zhou Tian Pearl... there was fundamentally no chance of a turnaround.
What she should consider now was what compensation to give Yun Che.
"Yun Che, first calm yourself down. If you come to any other decisions, feel free to tell me at any time."
Mu Bingyun gave a soft sigh and left with Mu Xiaolan. Yun Che's entire body stiffened, trembling. After a long while, he heavily plopped down onto the ground.
A person who was only at the middle stage of the Sovereign Xuan Realm, hadn't even touched the threshold of the Divine Path, and knew nothing about Divine Path cultivation, had just shouted that he would surpass that in just thirty months. But, what had allowed him to grow so quickly was mostly all kinds of dangers, adversities, crises, desperate situations, and fatal circumstances... even he himself couldn't count how many times he had brushed past death.
Or rather, it could be said that everything he now possessed had been fought for with his life and obsession.
"Thirty months... Divine Tribulation Realm... I must find a way... even if I have to resort to any means!"
A fierce, brutal aura surged in Yun Che's pupils and soul, but this aura was not directed at any enemy—it was directed at himself.
"Eh? Master, what are you doing? Why do you suddenly look so angry?"
Inside the sword hilt's jewel, Hong'er, who was rarely not asleep, was staring at him with wide, vermillion eyes, her small face full of curiosity. Because Yun Che's current expression was indeed a bit frightening, baring his teeth like a ferocious beast about to devour someone.
"No matter how difficult, I must... see Mo Li." Yun Che gritted his teeth. "Hong'er, you must miss your sister Mo Li a lot too, right?"
Mo Li was a divine maiden in the heavens, a figure who stood high and mighty even in the Divine Realm. The Divine Tribulation Realm would only be a speck of dust in her eyes. And if I can't even cross such a threshold... what right do I have to appear in her life again.
"Hmm... maybe a little." Hong'er tilted her head and said uncertainly.
"~!@#$%^..." Yun Che twitched the corner of his mouth, took a deep breath, and muttered to himself, "The condition for participating in the Profound God Convention is an age below one Jiazi and profound force not lower than the Divine Tribulation Realm. If I had to reach the Divine Tribulation Realm before the age of one Jiazi, I could say with a thousand-fold confidence. But now... two and a half years... what exactly should I do..."
"Jia...zi? Master, why are you clamping yourself? Is something uncomfortable?" Hong'er's tender red lips parted.
Yun Che was exasperated: "It's Jiazi! Not a clamp! One Jiazi means sixty years old!"
"Sixty years, that's so old! When Master is sixty, will you turn into an old grandpa too?" Hong'er blinked her eyes and even bit her finger with a somewhat worried look.
"Of course not! Even if I'm six thousand years old, I'll look the same as now." Yun Che rolled his eyes. This little girl, who was at least a million years old, actually thought sixty was old...
Speaking of which, with my current cultivation and unique bloodline, my lifespan should already be over six thousand years, right.
As he frowned in thought, Yun Che gradually put down the Heaven-Defying Demon-Slaying Sword, then slowly picked up a round bead that shimmered with a strange blue light, crystalline and transparent like ice.
The Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill!!
This was the first Divine Realm pill he had ever encountered. Its aura was incomparable to any pill Yun Che had seen before, and he knew nothing about its medicinal power. He only knew from others' descriptions that it could temper the body and greatly boost profound force.
The shock it caused when taken out, and the desire Li Mingcheng and Ji Hanfeng had shown for it, proved that its effects were absolutely extraordinary—and this was still within the scope of Divine Path cultivation.
If used on himself...
But, Mu Bingyun had also sternly warned him that with his current cultivation, it was absolutely impossible for him to withstand the medicinal power of this Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill, so he must absolutely not take it. Even if he achieved the Divine Path in the future, he could only take it under her assistance.
Yesterday, he had kept these words firmly in mind and had no thought of hastily taking the Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill.
But now...
"Hoo..." Yun Che took a deep breath, his fingers gripping the Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill tighter and tighter.
My body can already withstand the power that defeated a Divine Path powerhouse like Ji Hanfeng... how could it not withstand a mere pill!
With a thought bordering on madness and his reliance on his Dragon God body, Yun Che finally gritted his teeth, flicked his finger, and tossed the Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill into his mouth, swallowing it without hesitation.
Buzz—
In an instant, in a split second too fast to react, Yun Che's body suddenly turned cold, and within his mind came a deep, dull hum.
It was as if an ice river that had been sealed for ten thousand years had suddenly exploded inside his body. A vast, frigid energy condensed into countless cold torrents that burst forth. Even the smallest of those torrents possessed power far beyond Yun Che's imagination.
Yun Che felt as if thousands of arrows had pierced his heart, and he dropped to his knees. Even the iciest of energies held no fear for him, but this was, after all, a Divine Path-level pill—one whose potency could greatly enhance the power of even those at the Divine Origin Realm within a short time.
Yun Che clenched his teeth, letting out painful groans. His body, almost losing control, slowly straightened up with a nearly twisted motion. His powerful will desperately directed his entire profound qi, trying to guide the rampaging medicinal power.
I must... hold on...
A layer of blue light appeared on Yun Che's body. Though cold, this blue light was not gentle at all; instead, it flickered and surged violently like flames.
Not just on the surface of his body, but inside him—every drop of blood, every meridian, every cell—was completely filled, permeated, and enveloped by the same blue light. In such a state, if he couldn't withstand the overly fierce medicinal power even slightly, it would undoubtedly result in a catastrophic and complete destruction of his body.
But instead of trying to guide or expel the violent medicinal force out of his body, Yun Che used his profound qi to gather it with all his might, channeling it toward his profound veins and meridians. He didn't just want to endure; he wanted to absorb and refine it as much as possible!
The blue light grew more intense and violent, like blue flames whipped by a fierce wind. The atmosphere of the cultivation room changed accordingly. Unbeknownst to him, a pale blue vacuum about a dozen zhang in size had formed around Yun Che.
Even within the Bing Huang God Sect, the Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill was considered a fairly high-level pill. Although it was very small, it was made by condensing the profound pill origin power of a high-level ice beast with the waters of the Minghan Heavenly Lake, and its medicinal power was quite fierce. A Bing Huang disciple at the Divine Soul Realm would find it difficult to refine it alone, while one at the Divine Origin Realm would absolutely require assistance from at least a Divine Spirit Realm powerhouse to refine it. Doing it alone would be nothing short of suicide.
As for the Sovereign Xuan Realm... that was simply asking for death.
Moreover, the one Yun Che had obtained was the one Mu Fengshu had specially left for Li Mingcheng—the pill with the strongest medicinal power among all the Jade Fall Ice Soul Pills rewarded by Cold Snow Hall this time. The profound pill origin power contained within it came from an ice beast at the middle stage of the Divine Soul Realm!
If it weren't Yun Che who had taken this Jade Fall Ice Soul Pill, but any other cultivator at the same level, within just a few breaths of the medicinal power being released, their profound veins would explode, their body would be destroyed inside and out, and they would turn into a pile of ice powder on the ground.
The Evil God's profound veins, the Dragon God's body, the protection of the Desolate God's power... these were the capital and reliance that allowed him to stake his life so recklessly!!
Yun Che's body sometimes swelled, sometimes shrank sharply. Sweat poured down like a rainstorm, instantly turning into ice shards on the ground. Gradually, even his skin began to turn a deeper and deeper blue. Only the constant "crack, crack" sounds from between his teeth proved that his will had not yet collapsed.
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(End of this chapter)