Against the Gods - Volume 09 - Realm of the Gods
Page 50
The surroundings immediately filled with the roars of laughter.
“No need,” Yun Che stood still, not a tinge of nervousness in any part of his body.
“You don’t even want to use a weapon? Oh that’s right, the outcome will be the same anyways.” Li Mingcheng laughed. He pressed his right hand behind him and stretched out his left to Yun Che. “Come, you go first then. I’ve given you enough time to store up energy so you’d better not disappoint me.”
“Heh.” Yun Che chuckled and then immediately put both his hands behind him. “Since you are the challenger, you should be the one going first.”
“Pfft…” The roars of laughter in the surroundings immediately erupted.
“…” Mu Xiaolan used her hands to hold her face.
However, Mu Sushan, who stood beside her, firmly locked his deep gaze on Yun Che without shifting it in the slightest.
Yun Che’s profound strength aura was only at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm; he had repeatedly confirmed this so it definitely couldn’t be wrong. Yun Che also definitely was not able to conceal his profound strength before him, even with the help of a profound artifact.
However, whether it be his expression or his aura, they both revealed an experience that seemed to have undergone a hundred lifetimes of change. His confidence and serenity also seemed to have gone through a myriad life and death situations. All this could not be faked.
This youth…
“Heh… heh heh…” Li Mingcheng instantly erupted in laughter. “I’m afraid it’ll be hard to find someone like you once every ten thousand years. This has completely widened my eyes. Alright, alright, then I’ll go along with your suggestion.”
While smiling darkly, Li Mingcheng suddenly jumped and his left hand casually lowered, as though it was aiming at Yun Che’s chest. The instant he acted, an ice-cold frost energy instantly gathered in the space around Yun Che, freezing everything in an ice seal.
When he offered “five moves,” he originally wanted to play with him for a while but he was unable to tolerate Yun Che’s “pretending to be strong” attitude. Since more and more spectators were also gathering, this was just the chance for him to display his strength before the new disciples.
Chapter 957: Only at this Level
Yun Che was completely motionless facing Li Mingcheng’s approach, both his hands still at his back. He didn’t assume a defensive stance, nor did he look like he was going to counterattack. Nobody felt like this was the slightest bit odd because they all sensed the frost power Li Mingcheng released. With Yun Che’s strength, he simply couldn’t struggle at all beneath Li Mingcheng’s ice seal.
The outcome of the match was decided in an instant.
To everyone present, this exchange of blows was a pointless joke.
Seeing Yun Che, whose movements had been “sealed” by his cold energy and thinking back to how Yun Che didn’t know what was good for him, a sinister look flashed on Li Mingcheng’s face. The profound strength in his palm that blasted at Yun Che suddenly intensified… he clearly wanted to give Yun Che heavy injuries.
“You asked for it!” Li Mengcheng shouted lowly, as the frost profound energy condensed in his hand maliciously shot toward Yun Che’s chest.
Bang!
An ear-splitting air explosion sounded in the space that had been frozen in ice. Right when Li Mingcheng’s hand touched Yun Che’s body, it immediately went through, scattering a false image. Caught off guard, Li Mingcheng fiercely staggered forward and nearly fell down. He immediately withdrew his power and quickly stabilized his balance as shock rushed through his heart.
“First move.” When his right hand was not even ten meters away, Yun Che’s voice drifted over.
No one had expected this scene. Li Mingcheng’s attack was indeed neither fast nor slow so it was great that Yun Che had dodged it but they had all clearly sensed the frost aura Li Mingcheng had released. With Yun Che’s strength, it was utterly impossible for him to have broken free…
Could it be that Li Mingcheng had not locked him place earlier?
“Ah? What happened?” Mu Xiaolan, who expected Yun Che to instantly get injured by Li Mingcheng’s attack raised her eyes, her mouth slightly opened.
“Oh… what an astonishing movement skill. This kid is indeed out of the ordinary,” Mu Sushan muttered.
No one was more clear than Mu Sushan on whether or not Li Mingcheng actually released frost profound energy earlier. In the space several meters around Yun Che, the circulation of air had already completely halted back then. Everything had been locked by cold energy and Yun Che was smack in the center of the cold energy seal… But in this frost seal, he was actually able to instantly dodge. It was as though the ice seal Li Mingcheng created had never existed.
Li Mingcheng was shocked and couldn’t remain calm at all. However, once he turned around, his face was a stretch of wild arrogance. His gaze was astonishingly one which a strong practitioner wore when praising a weaker practitioner. “Hehe. Not bad, kid. The move before was just a greeting. Since I have five moves to play with, if I instantly finished it off, then that wouldn’t be interesting. With your cultivation only at the middle stage of the Sovereign Profound Realm, I was worried that you wouldn’t be able to dodge that move. It seems like you haven’t disappointed me. Come, come, come, let’s continue.”
Once these words came out, the surrounding crowd immediately revealed expressions of understanding.
“Oh I see. So he was only playing with him, As expected.”
“This doesn’t prove anything.The cold energy from before probably didn’t even touch Yun Che. If it did, forget about dodging, having heavy injuries would be a light result.”
“Li Mingcheng’s actually in the mood to play with such a weak opponent. Could there be some sort of resentment between the two?”
“Li Mingcheng should have been the exam’s number one but Yun Che cheated to surpass him. Of course he’ll want to mess around with him. This Yun Che’s courage is also quite something, a little lower realm person dares to cheat as soon as he arrives at the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect. It seems like the lower realms are used to despicable means.”
“He’s going to totally fail this time. However, I heard that he was brought from a lower realm by an Ice Phoenix Palace Master… but he’s so weak and even dares to cheat on the Freezing Snow Hall’s examination. That Ice Phoenix Palace Master shouldn’t even bother to waste their power to protect him, right?
“Heh heh, he’s starting to panic a little.” Mu Sushan mysteriously laughed.
“Oh! He’s definitely panicked now! He just had to act this calm… I’m already a hundred times more panicked than him,” Mu Xiaolan commented madly. She thought Mu Sushan meant Yun Che.
Mu Sushan glanced at Mu Xiaolan and stated, “It looks like even though he was brought here by you and Palace Master Bingyun from the lower realms, you still do not quite understand him.”
“Of course I understand him,” Mu Xiaolan said indignantly. “He’s always been like this. He’s obviously this weak but he still acts this fearless. Not only is his mouth cheap, he also likes to show off, talk big and bully girls… he’s simply a despicable low person without a sense of shame! It’s fine if he was like that on his own planet but he’s still like this after coming to the Snow Song Realm. You can say that he brought Master a huge misfortune the instant he arrived! I don’t even know what I should do after this… This makes me so angry!!”
“…” Even though Mu Xiaolan suddenly began to ramble, Mu Sushan continued to stay silent.
Even though Li Mingcheng tried his best to make it seem as though he was playing with Yun Che earlier, he was well aware of what happened. Being able to instantly break away from his frost seal was definitely not something a Sovereign Profound Realm practitioner could accomplish. This had caused him to faintly feel a sense of unease.
“Yun Che, I’ll see how you’ll struggle out of what’s coming next!” Li Mingcheng muttered, both hands qu
ickly condensing two currents of cold energy. Then, with a step, he suddenly pushed out, releasing the two currents of cold energy which instantly transformed into two gigantic frost tornadoes. They both headed straight for Yun Che.
WAAAOOW——
The surrounding crowd immediately cried out in surprise. After all, the previous cold energy seal was colorless and formless so they could only sense its aura. However, these two frost tornadoes had become substance. This terrifying cold energy that came from the divine way had even made the bodies of the weaker profound practitioners, who stood quite a distance away, turn cold.
“Aaahh… does Li Mingcheng seriously want… to kill Yun Che?” asked a profound practitioner that had just passed the examination.
The ice-cold might released by the two frost tornadoes pressed onto Yun Che’s body. Li Mingcheng’s move this time didn’t seem like he held anything back. Even if it were a profound practitioner in the early stage of the Divine Origin Realm, they would find it difficult to move under this suppression. Li Mingcheng’s face revealed a slightly sinister expression. With a change in his hand posture, the frost tornadoes suddenly accelerated attacking Yun Che together.
Bang!!
With the burst of cold energy, countless ice shards wildly danced. However, it was still a slowly dissipating phantom that remained in the area of devastation.
Li Mingcheng’s pupils shrunk but he instantly responded. The two frost tornadoes that had yet to exhaust their energy suddenly merged, bursting amidst his somewhat fierce yell. The range of power he meticulously kept enclosed was violently released and a terrifying frost tornado instantly engulfed everything within a three kilometer radius.
“Let’s see how you’ll escape this time!!”
“Waahhhh!”
The spectating profound practitioners immediately cried out in surprise and couldn’t help but retreat in panic.
Mu Sushan’s brows furrowed and he quickly reached out a hand… But he then withdrew it, eyes still on the Li Mingcheng before him.
When the frost scattered, the air was still filled with an astonishing cold energy. Yun Che stood only a hundred meters away from Li Mingcheng. In front of a cold energy that was able to freeze the blood of a profound practitioner in the early stage of the Divine Origin Realm, his expression was actually a field of tranquility. He spoke with cold indifference, “This was the third move.”
Yun Che’s voice greatly startled Li Mingcheng.
As if the entire world had completely solidified, absolute silence reigned.
Those who were able to stand here today were all experts that had stepped into the divine way. Even they would have had to use all their might to evade the frost tornado that Li Mingcheng had suddenly released. The reason why he allowed the range of the frost tornado to cover such a huge expanse was so Yun Che had no place to escape.
But from Yun Che’s appearance, it was evident that he had always been at a place not too far from Li Mingcheng and didn’t escape the frost tornado’s range.
Yet he was still safe and sound!?
“Ah? This… what happened?” Mu Xiaolan was stunned yet again while surprise also appeared within Mu Sushan’s eyes.
He suddenly discovered that he had still underestimated this extremely strange person from the lower realms.
The spectators were all left dumbstruck. This time, even if they were idiots, they would never believe that Li Mingcheng was still “playing” with Yun Che.
“Yun Che, you… you obviously used some kind of protective profound artifact!” Li Mingcheng shouted as he pointed at Yun Che. He absolutely was unable to accept that someone who was only at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm would actually be unharmed under his power!
“After losing to me in the exam, you claimed that I cheated. After not being able to harm me in this exchange of blows, you say that I used a protective profound artifact.” Yun Che’s mouth curled slightly, revealing an undisguised sneer, “And you’re only at this level.”
“You…” Li Mingcheng’s chest heaved so hard that it seemed to nearly explode. He did this to sneer and said lowly, “It seems like I hit the mark. The three attacks I dealt earlier were all instantly dodged, evidence that you were drawing from the support of some kind of spatial profound artifact. With a profound strength only at the Sovereign Profound Realm, you were actually able to stay safe beneath my cold energy. Other than having the assistance from a protective profound artifact, there can’t be any other possible way you could’ve done that! Aside from drawing support from a profound artifact to dodge and protect yourself, you never dared to exchange blows with me directly! That is the best proof!”
“Since that’s the case,” Yun Che slowly raised his hand. “Please use an all out attack this time. I definitely will not evade it.”
The instant Yun Che’s voice fell, Li Mingcheng had already shouted, directly pouncing toward Yun Che, as though he was afraid Yun Che would renege on his word. Ice spirits surrounded his opened hand as he ruthlessly grabbed at Yun Che’s chest.
This time, Yun Che really did not evade. Instead, he took half a step forward and punched out with his right fist in welcome.
“You’re seeking death!” Seeing that Yun Che had actually chosen to directly meet his attack, Li Mingcheng’s eyes lit up. The profound energy in his body also surged greatly as his entire hand was shrouded in solidified frost. He was going to take back the grievance induced by the previous three moves with this one attack!
Bang!!
A vibration sounded as their two fists met under the gazes of everyone present. The two attacks that were not fancy at all came together and space slightly trembled. The savageness on Li Mingcheng’s face instantly changed into terror and incredulity because what he felt wasn’t a complete crushing of his opponent. Instead, it felt as though he had struck an extremely tall mountain.
In the next instant, amidst the burst of profound energy, the two people flew backward at the same time. Yun Che somersaulted in the air and landed steadily while Li Mingcheng was the one who stumbled and nearly knelt to the ground. He raised his head to look at Yun Che, his eyes fiercely trembling. His entire right arm slightly trembled and had become completely numb.
“This is your true strength?” Yun Che casually flicked his wrist and sneered, “I wondered how powerful you were since you were so arrogant previously… but it seems you’re only at this level.”
“If I had cheated inside the exam, then what are you?”
The current development had completely exceeded everyone’s expectations. They had originally thought that they were watching a joke in action. Those who had come to watch the show believed that the only outcome was the exposure of the “cheater” Yun Che. In front of Li Mingcheng, profound strength at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm basically couldn’t even put up a fight.
They never expected that the one being played was not Yun Che. It actually seemed to be Li Mingcheng!
Especially just a moment ago, all of them clearly saw it was a genuine direct confrontation. That shocking fluctuation of power was proof that Li Mingcheng went all out. However, not only did he not defeat Yun Che, it seemed as though he fell to a disadvantage!
“I-it’s a lie, right?” asked a horrified profound practitioner.
“I-is he really only at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm? T-this is impossible, right?”
“Li Mingcheng is at the peak of the third level of the Divine Origin Realm! How could this even happen!?”
Chapter 958: Cornered Dog
“He… he’s actually this powerful?” Mu Xiaolan was stunned, “But he’s obviously just at the Sovereign Profound Realm, how could he…”
“Profound strength that has yet to reach the divine way is actually comparable to a Divine Origin Realm profound strength that has just entered the divine way,” Mu Sushan sighed. “Forget about you, even I have never heard about this before. I doubt this has ever happened in the entire history of our Snow Song R
ealm. The man your master brought back home is truly an impressive fellow.”
“I suspect that this unprecedented display of power may alarm even a Great Realm King.”
Mu Xiaolan, “…”
Li Mingcheng was panting heavily. The odd gazes that were directed at him felt like sharp blades that plunged into his body. Not even in his dreams had he thought that Yun Che would be this powerful. Although he was obviously at the Sovereign Profound Realm, he was able to meet his power directly and not lose.
By now he realized, even through his shock, that Yun Che most likely didn’t cheat in the previous exams.
In fact, he might even have goofed around back in the Snowstorm Realm!
The reason he waited so many years to participate in this exam was for the Jadefallen Ice Soul Pellet. At first, he was sure that the prize might as well be in his pocket already but there was no way he could say that Yun Che was cheating now. This also meant that the Jadefallen Ice Soul Pellet was most likely going to fall into Yun Che’s hands.
After entering Freezing Snow Hall, the first thing he had wanted to do was to swiftly accumulate a considerable amount of fame through his outstanding talent and his status as the Main Hall Master’s nephew. Not only did he fail to show off his might, he was utterly humiliated before thousands of staring eyes. In fact, he had turned into Yun Che’s stepping stone instead!
Li Mingcheng clenched his teeth tightly and trembled all over. He felt like his lungs would burst from the fury he was feeling. He no longer had the patience to wonder how on earth Yun Che was able to unleash such unbelievable strength even though he was only at Sovereign Profound Realm. He only wanted to step over Yun Che’s body and regain the pride and fame he had lost with all his might!
“Heh…” Li Mingcheng let out a soft groan, “You have no doubt surprised me Yun Che, and I will admit that I’ve underestimated you. But you still don’t have the qualification to act all high and mighty before me!!”
While he said this, a blue glow suddenly appeared around his body. When the bluish light gradually turned thick and somewhat blinding, a large amount of ice spirits winked into existence and danced swiftly around him.