Against the Gods

“Elder Sister! Stop!!”

The icicle would’ve penetrated his body and turned him into icy dust in the next moment but an urgent female cry rang from afar and caused everything to become frozen.

Then, Mu Bingyun trailed a storm of ice and appeared in a flash to grab Mu Xuanyin’s wrist tightly. The icicle was dissolved by her profound energy in the process.

“Sis, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill him?”

She didn’t need to ask to know the answer. That was because even she hadn’t felt a killing intent like this from Mu Xuanyin for the past couple thousand years, until today. A killing intent at this level meant that she not only wanted to kill Yun Che but also cut him into many, many tiny pieces.

“He—deserves—to—die!!”

A Frozen Heart Soul Gouger appeared in her hand for every word she uttered. Four icicles containing far greater ice energy than the one before appeared in her hand instantly.

“Sis!!” This time Mu Bingyun used both hands to hold down Mu Xuanyin’s wrist firmly, “I may not know what crime Yun Che has committed but I believe that he is no repulsive or despicable person. You must agree with me or you would not have given him such special treatment, don’t you agree!?”

“Also… even if he had committed a grave error, he still saved my life. This favor alone should earn him the second chance he needs to make up for his error!”

Her tone was urgent and her eyes were even imploring her for forgiveness. Her feelings for Yun Che were a mixture of curiosity, admiration and deep, deep gratitude. Yun Che had not only saved her life but also the Frozen Cloud Asgard she had poured countless effort into and made countless bonds in. Moreover, she knew very well that Yun Che was the indirect savior of countless lives that were currently living in the Snow Song Realm and the Flame God Realm.

Had she died from the horned dragon’s poison, Mu Xuanyin might have controlled herself while she was still Realm King, but the moment the responsibility was taken off her shoulders, Mu Bingyun had no doubt that her sister would have exacted a most terrible revenge against the Flame God Realm. If the Flame God Realm were to have lost their minds as a result of that, then the scale of the calamity that might have befallen the two realms was beyond even her imagination.

“...” Mu Xuanyin said nothing. Her eyes were just as cold as they were before.

“Sister!!” Mu Bingyun moved in front of Mu Xuanyin and blocked Yun Che out of her sight. She said, “He is your direct disciple and the disciple you like the most out of anyone you’ve ever taken under you. There is no way you would’ve given him such special treatment otherwise. You once said that he is the only disciple that may surpass you in the future and to that end you even gifted him the Buddha Heart Lotus of Nine Resurrections that you spent nine thousand years cultivating… are you really going to bury your hope and nine thousand years of effort just like that?”

Yun Che: “...”

Mu Xuanyin was still quiet but the icicles in her hand dimmed a little.

“Your master sacrificed her life to obtain the Buddha Heart Lotus of Nine Resurrections. It doesn’t only contain your lifelong efforts but also your late master’s dying hope… please, please don’t do something that you’ll regret for your whole life because of one impulse!”

“Enough!”

The icicles gradually dissipated and Mu Xuanyin turned away before uttering coldly, “I don’t want to see him right now, so you’ll be the one to throw him into Mist End Valley on my behalf, Bingyun!”

“Mist End Valley!?” Mu Bingyun exclaimed in shock, “Even Feixue would die if she were to go in there! What’s the difference between that and killing him outright?”

“Three days. He shall struggle for three days. If he survives three days inside Mist End Valley, I shall spare his life!”

Mu Xuanyin then pointed backwards as quick as lightning, shooting an icy beam that imprinted a tiny profound formation onto Yun Che’s chest. The formation turned invisible right after.

“This profound formation will activate seventy-two hours later and send him back from Mist End Valley. Whether he comes back a corpse or a living person, hmph, that will be his own fate to make!”

A short pause later, Mu Xuanyin’s voice abruptly turned stern and frigid, “Hear me, Yun Che! This chance of yours is the biggest concession I’ve ever made in my life! Whether or not you live or die three days later, we owe you nothing for saving Bingyun’s life after this! No longer will I help you to go to the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, nor will I help you to get the Universe Penta Jade Pellet!”

Three days sounded very very short but the shock on Mu Bingyun’s face didn’t relent in the slightest. This was because Mist End Valley was an absolute place of death for Yun Che at his current level. Forget three days, even six hours was almost an impossibility.

Mu Bingyun instinctively parted her lips slightly in attempt to beg for Yun Che further but she immediately stopped herself when she recalled that killing intent that cowered even her… It was true that this might be the biggest concession Mu Xuanyin had ever made in her life. Any further attempts to beg for mercy might backfire instead.

What on earth did Yun Che do to anger her so much!?

Mu Bingyun walked before Yun Che and lifted him up gently, “Stand up, Yun Che.”

Yun Che got up, “Thank you, Palace Master Bingyun.”

Mu Bingyun shook her head, “If you’ve recognized your mistake, then please repent on it and accept your punishment… I will bring you to Mist End Valley now.”

Yun Che sneaked a glance at Mu Xuanyin’s back but he ultimately didn’t dare to speak despite a moment’s hesitation. Right now he was already being carried away by Mu Bingyun.

“Wait a moment!” Mu Xuanyin suddenly said, “Why had you come to me, Bingyun?”

Mu Bingyun turned around, “I just heard from Flame God Realm that the aura surrounding the Ancient God Burying Inferno Prison is starting to grow abnormal. The time when the horned dragon casts off its scales is neigh. Therefore, they will send someone over to receive you and bring you to the Flame God Realm five days from now. Barring any surprises, Yan Wancang and Yan Juehai are probably the ones who will come.”

“...” Mu Xuanyin didn’t answer her. Although she had granted Yun Che a chance to live, her body was still rippling with peerlessly cold killing intent.

“Let me come with you when the day comes, sister,” Mu Bingyun said softly.

“No need!”

Mu Xuanyin threw down those cold words before her figure slowly blurred until she vanished completely.

The snow that had stopped falling for a very long time restarted again and the frozen world quietly and carefully melted after her departure.

“Haah.” Mu Bingyun sighed and grabbed Yun Che tightly, “Let’s go.”

Mist End Valley was a place Mu Xuanyin had brought him over personally just a few months ago. Here, there was mist as thick as demonic barriers. Ice Phoenix disciples who committed grave errors, abandoned and left to their own devices here in the penetrating cold with ferocious profound beasts.

Mu Xuanyin once said that he would eventually enter here and train for experience but… he never thought that he would become of of those disciples who were thrown into this place for committing a grave error.

“Yun Che, what on earth did you do to anger your master so much?” Mu Bingyun finally dared to ask the question she had been holding inside her after they arrived at this place. She didn’t dare ask Mu Xuanyin what happened earlier because her reaction suggested that reminding her about it was only going to anger her even more.

“...” Yun Che said softly with a bowed head, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

He could add ten galls into his body and he still wouldn’t dare speak the truth to Mu Bingyun. Otherwise, Mu Bingyun herself might forget that she had defended him so vehemently earlier and cut him down in one palm strike.

Although it was completely an accident, a grave error was a grave error all the same. The fact that he was alive despite committing a sacrilege like that was a miracle on its own.

“I know that there’s no way you would’ve done it on purpose.” Mu Bingyun didn’t force the issue and looked away upon seeing that he was either reluctant or afraid to respond.

Did he accidentally damage something very important to sister? That can’t be right… If sister could give him the Buddha Heart Lotus of Nine Resurrections that she viewed to be as important as her life, then there’s no way she would want to kill him for a reason like that.

Mu Bingyun was never going to find out what kind of grave error Yun Che committed because she wouldn’t have believed it even if Yun Che had told her the truth… After all, even if Yun Che’s strength were to be multiplied a thousand times stronger, he still wouldn’t be able to catch the corner of her sleeve, much less...

“You may not know this but your master has always treated you specially, Yun Che. She has taken in a few direct disciples during the time she has been Realm King but there has never been anyone whom she gave such special treatment to, until now. Not only did she care deeply for your growth, she cares just as much for your safety too. A few months ago, when you were at the Ice Wind Empire… she never stopped worrying if you’d fall for Mu Hanyi’s schemes.”

“...I know. It is I who disappointed her.” Yun Che bowed his head like a repentant child.

“She has great expectations for you. She once told me that she would do everything in her power to raise you. Your master’s master lost her life to obtain the Buddha Heart Lotus of Nine Resurrections before your master nurtured it with her own profound ice phoenix energy and the water from the heavenly lake for a total of nine thousand years… But in the end, she gave it all to you. You have no idea how surprised I am to hear this.”

“...” Yun Che’s head drooped even lower.

“Your master is the only family I ever had in this world and I am the one person who understands her the best. Normally, corpses litter the ground when she exudes even a tiny bit of killing intent. However, she ultimately chose to forgive you despite unleashing a level of killing intent that cowed even me. This outcome literally is the best scenario you can hope to get.”

“Thank you, Place Master Bingyun.” Yun Chen looked up slightly and said gratefully, “If you hadn’t begged for me, I would’ve…”

Mu Bingyun shook her head slightly, “You don’t have to thank me. After all, I would’ve died a long time ago if you weren’t there to save me. I wouldn’t have been here to beg for you if that had been the case.”

She looked at the valley beneath them, “I won’t be able to help you after you enter Mist End Valley. Your master will notice it and she will only grow angrier as a result. Therefore, the only person you can rely on is yourself. I heard from your master that you possess a profound art that can aid you in concealing your presence and it is so great that it impressed even your master herself. I believe that it must be very extraordinary and it will be your greatest chance to survive three days in the Mist End Valley.”

“Remember well. You absolutely must avoid or hide from all enemies while you’re in Mist End Valley even if it is only the weakest lifeform that exists, the Winterfrost Direwolf. This is because there is a high concentration of profound beasts in Mist End Valley and every one of them is incredibly violent. Any anomalies may draw an entire group of profound beasts that you cannot possibly go up against.”

“Also, do not fly in midair unless you have no other choice. You will be a clear blip on the radar and those flying profound beasts especially have extremely acute senses. You won’t be able to hide anywhere the moment you’re found.”

“Also, no matter how kind the Ice Phoenix disciples you meet in the valley act, you must never put down your guard for even a second… in fact, it will be best if you can avoid them altogether.”

Yun Che nodded repeatedly and engraved Mu Bingyun’s advice deeply into his mind.

“Take this with you.”

A small and delicate blade appeared in Mu Bingyun’s palm. Its hilt was two inches long and its blade was only four inches long. It was shaped like a butterfly’s wing and it was completely icy white in color. A tiny ripple of light covered the weapon.

“This blade is called the ‘Cloud Butterfly’. Your master herself holds the mate to this blade, called the ‘Sound Butterfly’. It is a weapon that has been passed down inside our family for many generations and it is quite famous in the Snow Song Realm. Your heavy sword is mighty but it also causes a lot of noise. This blade however, will enable you to kill your enemies without a sound. As for how powerful it is, you will know it when you use it… I hope that you will never have to.”

Yun Che accepted the blade. He could feel an icy sharpness piercing all the way to his soul the moment he touched it. It felt as light as snow even though it was right within his palm.

The fact that the weapon was an inherited weapon and that Mu Xuanyin held the other pair of the blade proved just how extraordinary the blade really was.

“Thank you, Palace Master Bingyun.” Yun Che thanked her gratefully again after carefully putting away the Cloud Butterfly.

“Your master is angry right now. She might perhaps change her mind and take you away ahead of time after her anger subsides a little… Take care.”

Mu Bingyun sighed softly and pushed Yun Che gently into the valley. Yun Che’s figure vanished into the thick mist in the blink of an eye.