Chapter 983: The Yinxue Realm King
Being able to enter the Ice Phoenix Temple was the ultimate pursuit of every profound practitioner in the Yinxue Realm. In the vast Yinxue Realm, the temple had only two thousand disciples—what an honor it was to enter, and that was evident to all.
But if a disciple was exceptionally outstanding, then the master would also take pride in that disciple.
That was exactly how Mu Yunzhi felt.
As an elder of the temple, her status in the Yinxue Realm was second only to the Realm King, above all others. And her disciple, Mu Hanyi, had displayed astonishing talent, gradually ranking among the best of all disciples. She was deeply proud of him, and her standing among the other temple elders had thus become different. If Mu Hanyi could become the personal disciple of the Sect Master, then as his direct master, her future position in the Ice Phoenix God Sect would also be extraordinary.
The one who succeeded the Sect Master had always been one of the Sect Master's personal disciples. If Mu Hanyi were to later become the next Sect Master and the new Yinxue Realm King, that would be even more monumental.
Thus, today was not only crucial for Mu Hanyi but also for her—a day that would determine their future fates. Different outcomes would lead to vastly different circumstances.
"Master." Mu Hanyi stepped forward, respectful and courteous.
Mu Yunzhi nodded slightly and gazed deeply at Mu Hanyi for a moment. Her meaning was clear without words. However, aside from Mu Hanyi, she did not spare a glance at any other disciple, nor did she say anything to him. Instead, she turned and stepped into the ranks of the elders, looking ahead at the barrier as she murmured, "It should be about time."
Just then, the azure barrier covering the Minghan Heavenly Lake suddenly flashed with light. All the blue starlight, as if pulled by an invisible force, scattered to both sides.
"The Sect Master is coming!"
A low exclamation struck everyone's nerves like a heavy blow. The faces of the elders and palace masters instantly became extremely solemn. Intense tension and excitement appeared on the faces of every temple disciple and Ice Phoenix Palace disciple. Ahead, a white line slowly appeared on the azure barrier. Then, the azure barrier began to slowly part to both sides, centered on that white line.
As the location of the Yinxue Realm's cold vein, the Minghan Heavenly Lake was the most sacred place in the Yinxue Realm. This barrier sealing the Minghan Heavenly Lake could only be opened by the Yinxue Realm King—also the Ice Phoenix Sect Master. Apart from her, no one else had the ability or qualification to interfere with the Minghan Heavenly Lake.
Everyone held their breath, and Mu Xiaolan was so nervous that her heartbeat nearly stopped. Beyond the slowly opening barrier, it seemed as if another world awaited them.
Grand Elder Mu Huanzhi's expression was solemn. He took a deep breath and said, "Let us enter. The Sect Master is already waiting for us inside. Remember, there must be no improper words or actions!"
Mu Huanzhi's last words were entirely unnecessary. The one they were about to face was the supreme Realm King of the Yinxue Realm. Even though they were the most top existences of the current generation and the younger generation, they would never dare to be even the slightest bit presumptuous.
The barrier fully opened, revealing a pale light curtain ahead. The elders led the way, and everyone slowly stepped into the light curtain. The footsteps of over five thousand people were orderly, without a sound.
Yun Che and Mu Xiaolan were at the very back. Entering the light curtain, what unfolded before them was an entirely different world.
Outside, snow covered the ground, the wind howled, and snowflakes filled the sky. But the world before them was as quiet as still water.
The air here was extremely cold, yet there was no pale, snow-filled sky. Instead, it was a scene of tranquility and incredible verdant green. Thousands of flowers bloomed, green grass stretched softly, and jade trees stood gracefully. For a moment, it felt as if they had left the eternally snow-covered Yinxue Realm and entered another world where spring reigned all year round.
At the center of this world lay a quiet little lake. The lake surface spanned thirty li, and with everyone's eyesight, they could see its edges at a glance. The lake water was still and waveless, yet astonishingly crystal clear. Simply looking at the lake, everyone felt as if their eyes and even their thoughts were being gently cleansed, becoming unusually clear.
Above the lake, countless azure-blue ice spirits danced lightly. Unlike any ice spirits Yun Che had ever seen before, these spirits were only the size of a finger joint, yet they radiated an exceptionally strong aura of life and soul.
These ice spirits, born from the Minghan Heavenly Lake, were not merely low-consciousness power entities... they seemed to possess complete souls!
"This is... the Minghan Heavenly Lake..." Like all disciples seeing it for the first time, Mu Xiaolan stood dumbfounded, as if in a dream. Yun Che was also stunned. He had imagined the Minghan Heavenly Lake to be covered in ice and frost—after all, it was the location of the Yinxue Realm's cold vein, the coldest place. He never expected such an incredible wonder.
"The water of the Minghan Heavenly Lake is born from the cold vein. Every drop contains an extremely high-level ice-cold power, yet it never freezes. Every tree, every flower, and even the most inconspicuous blade of grass here possess a very high level of cold aura. Moreover, all the trees, flowers, and grass here only grow in the Minghan Heavenly Lake and are absolutely unique in the entire God Realm. Most of the top-tier spiritual herbs in the sect come from the ice flowers and exotic plants here. The Fu Yun Han Lu you obtained a few days ago was taken from the Fu Yun grass and Fu Yun flowers here."
Mu Bingyun transmitted her voice to Yun Che and Mu Xiaolan.
"Such pure cold aura... So cold aura can be like this..." Mu Xiaolan said absentmindedly.
"The cold aura in the water of the Minghan Heavenly Lake contains extremely high-level ice laws. As the most difficult to comprehend field among water laws, ice laws have essentially reached their pinnacle at the Minghan Heavenly Lake."
As Yun Che listened to Mu Bingyun's narration, he suddenly sensed a malevolent gaze. He quickly turned his head and immediately saw a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent.
Ice Phoenix First Palace — Mu Yizhou!
As the leading disciple of the First Palace, he naturally had the qualifications to be here.
Not expecting Yun Che's gaze to suddenly turn his way, Mu Yizhou was clearly startled. Then his face turned cold, and he shot a fierce glare at Yun Che before turning his head away, focusing all his attention on the Minghan Heavenly Lake ahead.
The disciples stood neatly in front of the Minghan Heavenly Lake, their eyes wandering, letting out the greatest sighs of their lives. The wonder before them was something even the most talented painter in the world could never depict. The incredibly pure cold aura made the ice-cold profound energy in their profound veins throb involuntarily.
"ROAR!!"
The sky suddenly darkened. A dragon's roar, like a world-shaking thunderclap from the nine heavens, resounded through heaven and earth. Yet beneath the roar, the surface of the Minghan Heavenly Lake remained utterly still, without even the slightest ripple.
The dragon's roar made Mu Xiaolan cry out in alarm. All the disciples trembled violently, and Yun Che's ears also buzzed. Accompanying this world-shaking dragon roar was an overwhelming pressure that descended from above.
In the sky, a massive ice-blue figure approached rapidly. It was an enormous ice dragon, three thousand zhang in body length, five thousand zhang in tail length. Its spreading ice wings directly blotted out the sky. Its entire body was covered in crystalline scales, and at the center of each pair of scales stood an ice spike that shimmered with chilling light. The massive dragon's head was proudly raised, emitting two beams of light like polar rays.
It hovered a thousand zhang above, and its enormous dragon shadow cast over the entire Minghan Heavenly Lake.
"A... a... a... a sacred dragon!!" Mu Xiaolan stammered in shock. It wasn't her first time seeing a sacred dragon, but previously it had only been from a distance of a thousand li. This close, she wouldn't have dared to dream of it.
The dragon was the sovereign of all beasts, and its pressure was enough to make heaven and earth tremble. Although everyone in the Yinxue Realm knew of its existence, under the dragon's might, all the disciples, whether from the temple or the Ice Phoenix Palace, were terrified, their faces as pale as earth.
Yun Che was the only one who didn't even know of its existence. Mu Bingyun glanced at him and noticed that he was merely stunned. She transmitted to him, "This giant dragon is the Sect Master's mount. It has followed the Sect Master for ten thousand years and is known as the 'Sacred Dragon' in the Yinxue Realm."
As the sovereign of all beasts, at the same level, a true dragon's body, power, and pressure far surpassed those of other creatures. Slaying a dragon was extremely difficult, but taming a true dragon was a thousand times harder. Under the pressure of this ice giant dragon, even the temple elders ahead had trembling gazes and disordered auras. Its power was unimaginable, yet it had willingly submitted to the Yinxue Realm King for ten thousand years.
The Yinxue Realm King's power was simply unfathomable.
Led by the temple elders, everyone deeply bowed at this moment, even performing the most reverent kneeling bow. As Yun Che hesitated, a massive force from Mu Bingyun enveloped him, forcing him to bow along with everyone else.
"We welcome the Sect Master!!"
These four words carried the piety and awe of believers facing their faith. Among the strongest elders, palace masters, and over five thousand top disciples, not a single voice carried any profound energy, for fear of the slightest transgression or disrespect.
Everyone's head was deeply lowered. Even among the temple disciples, the top layer of the Ice Phoenix God Sect, less than half had seen the Sect Master. For the Ice Phoenix Palace, it was one in ten thousand. Now, with the Sect Master so close, not a single person dared to raise their head... except for Yun Che, who, driven by extreme curiosity, lifted his head to look upward.
On the head of the ice giant dragon stood a hazy white figure. Although it was only a thousand zhang away, the figure seemed shrouded in a strange ice mist, making its face and form indistinguishable, the outline extremely blurry. Only a misty whiteness could be glimpsed.
Was this the Ice Phoenix God Sect's Sect Master... the Yinxue Realm King?!
Everyone around, from the temple elders to the Ice Phoenix Palace disciples, was deeply prostrate on the ground, motionless as if frozen. Although Yun Che only lifted his head slightly, such a tiny movement was conspicuously noticeable among the crowd.
Mu Bingyun's heart skipped a beat. A surge of ice-cold power pressed down like lightning, forcibly pushing Yun Che's head down. Yun Che also stiffened, immediately becoming obedient, not daring to raise his head again.
Although Yun Che had heard more than once about the absolute authority of the Yinxue Realm King in the Yinxue Realm, no previous accounts were as shocking as this scene today. The elders and palace masters, whose status in the sect was second only to the Sect Master, were before the Yinxue Realm King like the humblest commoners before a reigning emperor.
Such extreme reverence was something Yun Che had never seen or even heard of in the families, sects, holy lands, or imperial courts of his two lifetimes.
In fact, in the past, although the Yinxue Realm King was the highest level of existence, the combined elders still had the right and ability to interfere with the Realm King's decisions.
But the current Yinxue Realm King was simply too powerful. Fourfold thunder tribulation, ultimate Divine Lord realm—unprecedented in the Yinxue Realm throughout history! No one could oppose her, no one could defy her, and gradually, no one dared to defy her... because all who dared to oppose had died.
After all, this was a world where strength reigned supreme.
In previous generations, the Yinxue Realm King could not truly dominate the Yinxue Realm with a single hand. But the current Yinxue Realm King truly held absolute power with just one finger!
"Rise."
Three words, like the decree of the Heavenly Dao, descended from above. The Minghan Heavenly Lake, which had been utterly still even amidst the ice dragon's roar, now rippled with endless rings that lingered long.
This was the voice of the Yinxue Realm King, the Ice Phoenix Sect Master. The timbre of the voice was somewhat similar to Mu Bingyun's. It fell upon the ears softly and plainly, but deep within the soul, it felt as if a giant hammer from the heavens had struck, causing violent tremors that would not cease.