# Chapter 989: A Catastrophic Calamity
"Oh?" In response to Yun Che's cold and resolute refusal, Mu Huanzhi's brow twitched slightly, but he seemed to have expected it, showing no surprise at all. "Why is that? Mu Hanyi has already conceded eighty percent to you. Don't you think that's still insufficient?"
"That has nothing to do with it." Yun Che knitted his brows and said, "I want to ask: in the earlier Ice Spirit battle, the gap between Mu Hanyi and Mu Feixue was negligible, and the final result depended more on luck, yet none of you proposed a supplementary test. But my Ice Spirit count completely surpassed Mu Hanyi's, yet you forcibly declared Mu Hanyi the victor first, and now you propose so-called supplementary tests... on what grounds?!"
"This..." Mu Huanzhi was momentarily at a loss for words under the questioning.
Gazes of various colors focused on Yun Che, but more of them were mocking... and pitying.
"Heh heh heh, I knew he wouldn't dare," a Binghuang Palace disciple said with a low laugh.
"Do we even need to ask? He didn't even dare go down into the Heavenly Lake earlier. How can he compare to Senior Brother Hanyi? He's definitely going to refuse and then stubbornly cling to the previous result... Sigh, he's only just entered the Divine Path, yet he dreams of becoming the Sect Master's personal disciple. Even if it's a toad lusting after a swan's flesh, this is just too ridiculous."
"There's no helping it. After all, the temptation of becoming the Sect Master's personal disciple is too great. No one could resist it."
………………
The disciples were all mocking him, and Mu Hanyi also shook his head, letting out a silent sigh.
"Concede eighty percent to me? Hah! What great boldness, what great face!" Yun Che completely ignored the surrounding voices, releasing his pent-up anger without restraint: "To give me fairness? But this supplementary test is itself an injustice to me. The so-called fairness of conceding eighty percent... is nothing but a joke! Why should I accept it?"
"You speak eloquently of fairness and justice, you shout loudly about the affairs of the sect, yet you forcibly ignore the fact that I had already completely defeated Mu Hanyi in the Ice Spirit battle and add another test—is this what the Bing Huang God Sect calls fairness?!"
Yun Che's words had by the end turned into an outright roar... aimed at all the elders and palace masters. The expressions of all the elders and palace masters changed abruptly at the same time. Mu Bingyun also showed a shocked expression and said urgently, "Yun Che, shut up!"
"Insolence!!"
A single rebuke, and the Minghan Heavenly Lake instantly fell into dead silence. All the Ice Spirits on the lake's surface were as if frozen, completely still. Those two short words instantly terrified the disciples who had been secretly laughing, their faces turning ashen. The elders and palace masters who had been about to speak also dropped their heads like lightning, all falling silent like cicadas in winter.
Because this rebuke came from none other than the Yinxue Realm King.
"Yun Che, the matter of the supplementary test was approved by me. How dare you refuse! You, a mere disciple, not only defy orders but also dare to utter wild words that disgrace the sect. Who gave you the courage?!"
The temperature plummeted. The still air was bitingly cold. In the Yinxue Realm, there had long been a saying: When the Realm King's wrath descends, ten thousand miles have no life.
The Yinxue Realm King rarely lost her temper, but whenever she did, the consequences were horrifying—so horrifying that people dared not even recall them. Even these high-level figures who had long resided in the Binghuang Realm had only seen the Yinxue Realm King angered a few times in several millennia.
And today, because of a mere Binghuang Palace disciple from the lower realm, she had actually... become enraged!
All their hearts violently leapt into their throats, every pore of their bodies tightened... They had also been somewhat angered by Yun Che's wild words earlier, but now, in their fear, they only felt sympathy for Yun Che.
It's over. This kid is finished. Please, just don't let the disaster spread to us.
The rebuke from the Yinxue Realm King struck Yun Che like ten thousand mountains crashing down on his head, making all his bones feel nearly broken. But he forcibly lifted his head and said, slowly but firmly, "You are the Yinxue Realm King. Your words should carry the weight of nine tripods. I won, so I won... Why should there be a supplementary test?!"
"...!" Everyone was collectively dumbstruck.
In the face of the already enraged Yinxue Realm King, he talked back... He actually dared to talk back!
This time, he was completely finished. Dead as dead could be.
Mu Bingyun's icy countenance lost all color. She hurried to Yun Che's side and said, "Sect Master, Yun Che's nature is like this. He absolutely meant no offense. I beg you..."
"Nature?" The Yinxue Realm King let out a contemptuous sneer. "A mere ignorant junior who has just entered the Divine Path, as weak as an ant, dares to show me 'nature'? Dares to bargain with me? Bingyun, you rarely bring someone back from the lower realm, and this is the kind of reckless, ignorant fool who doesn't know the meaning of death that you bring!"
"You want me to keep my word? Hmph! What ability do you have? I could say a word to protect your entire family one moment, and the next, slaughter your whole clan. What can you do to me? In my eyes, you are no better than a tiny crawling insect. Not to mention killing you—if I wanted to destroy the star you were born on, it would be but a single thought. You don't cherish the opportunity you have here, yet you dare to show me 'nature'? A fool like you is a disgrace even to be a disciple of the Binghuang Palace, and you still dream of becoming my disciple?"
"Bang!"
Mu Bingyun heavily dropped to one knee and pleaded, "Sect Master, Yun Che was brought by me from the lower realm. His temperament is unyielding and unbending, and I previously saw no harm in it, so I never restrained him. This is entirely my failure to discipline him properly. I implore you to punish me and deal leniently with Yun Che... at least spare his life."
Yun Che had "caused trouble" several times before, and Mu Bingyun had never stopped him, even secretly shielding him, because she did appreciate his temperament to some extent. But before entering the Minghan Heavenly Lake, she had seriously warned Yun Che not to engage in any improper words or actions... Unexpectedly, he still caused trouble, and such a catastrophic calamity at that.
He had actually provoked the Realm King's wrath!
But then again, Yun Che was new to the Yinxue Realm and had no concept of what the Realm King's wrath meant... And he even dared to talk back right after she had gotten angry!
As if countless basins of cold water had been poured over him, Yun Che's body and soul turned ice-cold. All his self-respect, pride, stubbornness, and resentment dissipated completely... replaced only by a sudden clarity beneath the cold, and a genuine fear.
In his mind flashed the scene when he had become Mo Li's disciple. Back then, thinking himself dignified, he had stubbornly refused to kneel, but Mo Li had stepped on his head to complete the apprenticeship ceremony. Her mockery at that time also rang clearly in his ears:
"Do you think you have very hard bones, that you are very impressive? Without strength, you don't even have the ability to refuse kowtowing to me. What right do you have to be arrogant before me? Without strength, in the face of absolute power, the dignity and pride you think you have are nothing but a joke."
…………
Yun Che took a deep breath, the air entering his chest and chilling his entire body... On the Lan Ji Star, he had stood at the peak of his world, able to do as he pleased, to be unrestrainedly proud, to freely display his temperament—because he had absolute power.
But here, in front of the Yinxue Realm King, who was powerful enough to dominate heaven and earth, what was he?
Not to mention the Yinxue Realm King, who existed like the firmament itself, but even these elders, palace masters, and the disciples present—how many of them truly thought highly of him?
Why had they ignored his Ice Spirit count and declared Mu Hanyi the victor? Because he was weak! Because in everyone's eyes, he was not worthy of being compared to Mu Hanyi.
Why had they forcibly imposed a supplementary test? Because he was too weak, because no one thought he deserved to become the Sect Master's personal disciple! If he had sufficiently high strength, how could there have been a so-called supplementary test?
The stubbornness, pride, and dignity he thought he had were truly just a joke in their eyes. His resistance, even if entirely justified, would only draw mockery and disdain, not recognition.
And what right or leverage did he have to bargain with the Realm King? The only consequence was simply seeking death. In the end, he would also drag Mu Bingyun down to kneel and plead for him.
The Yinxue Realm King had called him extremely stupid... and she was right.
"Yun Che, hurry... hurry up and admit your mistake and beg for mercy... hurry!" Mu Xiaolan's face had long turned pale with fright. Despite the Yinxue Realm King's wrath, she still loyally mustered unprecedented courage to send him a sound transmission.
The reactions of those around him had already made Yun Che realize just how catastrophic a calamity he had caused. Although he had saved Mu Bingyun's life... But the Yinxue Realm King was an existence of such stature. To kill him, even ten thousand times over, would cost her no effort at all.
I can't die... Not before I see Mo Li. How can I die here?
"Bang!" Yun Che also heavily knelt beside Mu Bingyun, bowing his head deeply. "Disciple... spoke wildly in arrogance. I beg the Sect Master to forgive my transgression."
A disciple kneeling to a Great Realm King was entirely proper and reasonable, but no one knew that in his entire life, besides his parents and family, Yun Che had only ever knelt to one person—Mo Li.
The Minghan Heavenly Lake was frighteningly silent, not even a breath or a heartbeat could be heard. Everyone had only one thought in their minds: Forgive his transgression, my ass! You made the Realm King angry. If you can keep your whole corpse today, I'll change my surname to yours!
"You deserve death ten thousand times over. However, Bingyun is my sister. For the sake of her pleading for you, I will grant you a chance to live." The Yinxue Realm King's every word carried heavenly might. "In your Heavenly Lake competition against Mu Hanyi, if you can win, I will not only spare your life and let bygones be bygones, but I will also take you as my personal disciple!"
"But if you lose... there will no longer be a place for you in the Yinxue Realm!"
The Yinxue Realm King's words initially shocked everyone, but then they all understood... Sure enough, the Sect Master could never forgive someone who had angered her. The fact that she greatly shielded Mu Bingyun was known throughout the sect. The so-called chance to live was clearly just to soothe Mu Bingyun's feelings. In the end, Yun Che would still die without a burial place.
After all, how could Yun Che possibly defeat Mu Hanyi?
At this point, all the elders and palace masters secretly breathed sighs of relief and raised their hands to wipe the cold sweat covering their foreheads... Although Yun Che was as good as dead, at least the disaster had not spread to them. Under the Sect Master's wrath, this was already a stroke of luck.
Mu Bingyun was extremely anxious: "Sect Master, this matter..."
"Enough!" The Yinxue Realm King sternly cut off Mu Bingyun's words. "Yun Che, this is your only chance to live. Either you accept, or I can make you vanish into thin ash right now."
This time, Yun Che had learned his lesson. Without hesitation, he said, "Yes, this disciple obeys the Sect Master's command."
"Hmph. Huanzhi, arrange their competition," the Yinxue Realm King commanded.
"Yes, Sect Master." Mu Huanzhi's voice was at least eight times more cautious than before. He carefully straightened his back, not daring to delay at all, and raised his hand, saying, "Hanyi, Yun Che, follow me up to the Heavenly Lake."