Chapter 181 Holy Son, Long Time No See!

Inside the Yunxu Secret Realm, the space in front of his eyes twisted and stretched violently. A familiar feeling of weightlessness and dizziness washed over him, but it lasted only for an instant. Mu Changge felt his body lighten, and then his feet touched solid ground.

However, the chirping birds and fragrant flowers, or the rich Spiritual Qi he had anticipated, did not appear. In their place was a bone-chilling cold and a biting gale mixed with ice crystals that rushed toward him.

"Hiss..."

Even with Mu Changge's Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, he couldn't help but shiver subconsciously in this sudden, extreme cold. Looking around, the world was vast and covered in silver. He was standing on a vast, boundless glacier. Beneath his feet was eternal black ice, hard as iron and smooth as a mirror, reflecting the gray, gloomy sky. In the distance were rolling ice mountains and snow ridges, like silent giant beasts lying in wait. Further away, one could vaguely see huge glacial crevasses, bottomless and emitting a faint, cold aura. The sky was low, drifting with dense ice crystals and snow particles. The temperature was shockingly low; even his exhaled breath instantly turned into white mist and then froze into ice powder.

"So cold..." Mu Changge frowned slightly. This chill was not ordinary; it seemed to contain a trace of a special icy force capable of freezing spiritual power, constantly trying to erode his protective spiritual light. "This Yunxu Secret Realm is truly all-encompassing, even containing such a place of extreme cold glaciers."

For some reason, this bone-piercing cold made him inexplicably think of his Revered Master in the Heavenly Demon Sect—Luo Li, who was as cold as frost and cultivated year-round on Heartless Peak.

It was the same coldness, but the feeling Revered Master gave outsiders was that of eternal ice on a mountain peak, a cold blade unsheathed by half an inch; it was a kind of aloof, indifferent, and high-and-mighty coldness. A single glance from her was enough to make countless Disciples and Elders in the Sect tremble in fear.

However, only Mu Changge knew what kind of warm spring, meant for only one person, was hidden beneath that coldness.

Whenever he was "audacious" enough to get close or even "offend" her, that iceberg Revered Master, who seemed unreachable in the eyes of outsiders, would quietly shed that biting cold. She would helplessly indulge any of his "transgressions," a glimmer of indulgence rippling in her cold eyes. When he was tired from cultivating, she would personally hand him spiritual tea and fruits to nourish his Meridians. Even when he "betrayed the Sect and his Revered Master," she would only half-heartedly resist before ultimately acquiescing. That gaze, seemingly cold but actually containing hidden doting and love, was the tenderness she never spoke of.

It was a kind of exclusive, almost doting tolerance and love, completely opposite to her image in front of others, as if a hot spring, flowing only for one person, was surging beneath the frozen lake surface.

"Cough... I wonder if Revered Master has finished her seclusion?" Mu Changge's lips curled into an unconscious, evil smile, and Luo Li's cold, peerless face appeared in his mind, along with the gaze—seemingly helpless but actually containing indulgent compliance—she had when he was occasionally "rebellious." "Once this Secret Realm matter is over, perhaps it's time to go back to the Heavenly Demon Sect. It's been a while since I left."

With a thought, the massive spiritual power in his body accelerated on its own, and a warm current quickly flowed through his entire body, dispersing the pervasive chill. His Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, combined with the pure Qi refined by his God-Demon Body (half Devilish Qi, half Spiritual Qi), was enough to withstand this environment.

Steadying himself, Mu Changge began to survey his surroundings. The glacier was vast and silent, with only the howling cold wind. He spread out his Divine Sense, but due to the special environment and the suppression of an invisible force field, its range was greatly reduced, though it could still cover a radius of several dozen miles. Aside from ice, snow, and pure ice-attributed Spiritual Qi, he did not detect any other powerful life forms or obvious treasures for the time being.

"Random teleportation, huh... not bad." Mu Changge was not surprised; large Secret Realms mostly had this rule to prevent Disciples from grouping up too early, and to increase the difficulty and fun of exploration. "The top priority is to determine my location, find the Child of Fortune, and then harvest him to my heart's content."

A cold light flashed in his eyes. He touched the soul-containing jade on his chest and whispered, "You Li."

As soon as he finished speaking, ripples like water appeared in the space beside him, and a stunning figure emerged silently.

She wore an ancient, dark black palace dress, with dark golden patterns on the skirt flowing with a gloomy luster, setting off her tall and graceful figure as if she were a goddess of the dark night. Her silver hair, reaching her waist, cascaded like moonlight, moving without wind, each strand shimmering with a cold and dreamy luster. Her skin was a nearly transparent cold white, her face peerless and transcendent, her features exquisite like a painting, carrying a kind of ultimate, tranquil perfection. The eyes she slowly opened were a deep, mysterious purple, currently looking quietly at Mu Changge, with cold and enchanting light flowing within, as if they could suck a person's Soul into them.

It was his female ghost attendant, You Li.

"Revered Master." You Li's red lips parted slightly, her voice ethereal and pleasant, yet carrying a hint of unearthly vagueness. She just stood there, and the surrounding cold seemed to retreat because of her, forming a quiet space that belonged solely to her.

Mu Changge asked directly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the glacier, "Can you sense that guy's location? I need to find him as soon as possible." The "that guy" he referred to was naturally the Wandao Sword Sect Saint, Jian Wushuang—his good Senior Brother.

You Li's amethyst-like eyes stared quietly at Mu Changge, as if they could penetrate his calm exterior and see the darkness and killing intent hidden deep in his heart. She didn't seem to need further explanation to understand who Mu Changge meant.

"Revered Master," she spoke softly, her ethereal voice carrying a hint of natural charm and concern, "Do you want me to kill him?" To her, dealing with a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator, even if the other party was some Saint, was not difficult. She cared more about Revered Master's wishes, and... whether she could relieve Revered Master's worries.

Mu Changge shook his head, a cold arc curling on his lips: "No need. That kid, I will deal with him personally." What he wanted was not just Jian Wushuang's life, but also the Opportunity and... Luck belonging to the "Child of Fortune" on him. Such a well-grown leek was ready to be harvested.

Upon hearing this, a trace of disappointment flashed imperceptibly across You Li's beautiful face, seemingly dissatisfied that she couldn't immediately clear the obstacles for Revered Master. She slightly pouted her alluring red lips, and this slightly coquettish little action, appearing on her perfect face, had a kind of breathtaking contrast.

But she didn't say much, just obediently replied: "Yes, Revered Master."

Immediately, she slowly closed those enchanting purple eyes. An invisible yet vast and majestic power of Divine Sense, centered on her, silently spread in all directions. This Divine Sense was pure and condensed, seemingly having unique resistance to the suppression in the Secret Realm, penetrating the ice layers and crossing the mountains with astonishing speed.

After just a few breaths, You Li's long, butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. A deep light flashed and vanished in her purple eyes.

"Found him." She looked at Mu Changge, her ethereal voice carrying a hint of imperceptible desire for praise... joy? And a kind of almost fiery attachment.

However, after answering, she didn't immediately reveal the location. Instead, she just stood there, staring straight at Mu Changge with those purple eyes that seemed to be filled with stars and mist. The gaze was too focused, too fiery, as if she wanted to engrave his figure into the depths of her Soul, and it also contained a hint of imperceptible... resentment? It was as if she was blaming Revered Master for not letting her do it for him, and as if she was expecting something.

Mu Changge was slightly stunned by her gaze, and then felt speechless in his heart.

'Found him? If you found him, then tell me where he is! Sigh... sigh, sigh, with this straight-forward gaze, don't tell me you want to... again.'

But facing You Li's purple eyes, which seemed to be able to speak and were filled with complex emotions like "Revered Master, praise me quickly," "Revered Master, reward me quickly," and "Does Revered Master not like You Li anymore," he swallowed the words that were just about to reach his lips. Regarding this beautiful ghost attendant who was simple-minded (in his opinion) yet had an extraordinary reliance and adoration for him, he sometimes really had a headache, and was also... inexplicably enjoying it.

Helplessly rubbing his forehead, Mu Changge eventually gave in, closed his eyes, and spread his arms slightly, adopting a posture of "I really can't do anything about you."

You Li's cold and peerless purple eyes instantly lit up, as if sprinkled with starlight. She let out an almost inaudible, satisfied hum. The next moment, her figure, like a swallow returning to the forest, carried an ethereal fragrance and "crashed" directly into Mu Changge's arms.

She wrapped herself tightly around him like an octopus, her slender yet strong arms circling Mu Changge's neck, her cold and soft body pressing tightly against him. Her beautiful face was buried impatiently into his neck, greedily breathing in the refreshing, pleasant masculine scent on him, and she even rubbed against him gently like a little kitten.

Mu Changge's body stiffened slightly, but he immediately relaxed. Feeling the cool, soft touch in his arms and that undisguised reliance, the trace of helplessness in his heart turned into a faint warmth. He reached out, naturally wrapping his arm around You Li's slender waist, which could be spanned by a single hand, and held her steadily in his embrace.

You Li seemed to thoroughly enjoy this position and her Revered Master's scent, but she also knew that business came first. After lingering for only a few moments, she lifted her head, a flash of purple light crossing her eyes as she locked onto a direction.

"Revered Master, hold me tight," she said softly, her ethereal voice carrying a hint of imperceptible joy.

Mu Changge complied, tightening his arm slightly.

The next moment, the figures of the two flickered slightly like reflections in water, then eerily vanished from the spot. They didn't stir a whisper of wind, and even the spatial fluctuations were minimal, as if they had never appeared there at all.

…After only about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea (given You Li's Body Integration Stage cultivation, this distance could have been covered in an instant, but it seemed she had intentionally slowed down—or rather, she thoroughly enjoyed being held by her Revered Master and lingering in his embrace for a while longer), Mu Changge felt the scenery before him blur and shift, and then his feet touched solid ground again.

Focusing his eyes, he saw that it was no longer that monotonous, vast glacier, but rather a relatively warm valley. The surroundings were steep cliffs, but at the bottom of the valley was a small patch of exposed black soil, growing some strange vegetation. And most eye-catching of all was a small, crystal-clear tree in the center of the valley, no taller than three feet.

The small tree had already withered, its branches and leaves drooping, with only a few listless leaves remaining at the top, along with a bare stalk where the fruit had seemingly been forcibly plucked. Around the small tree, a sharp fluctuation that had not yet completely dissipated lingered, with a faint sense of Sword Qi ringing out.

"This is… Sword Intent Spirit Fruit?" Mu Changge's gaze sharpened as he instantly recognized the origin of the tree. This was an extremely rare Heaven And Earth Treasure; the "Sword Intent Spirit Fruit" it produced had incredible miraculous effects for a Sword Cultivator in comprehending Sword Intent and refining their Sword Heart, and could even help one Breakthrough a Bottleneck in the Dao of the sword. Judging by these residual Sword Qi fluctuations and the withered state of the tree, it was clear that the ripe spirit fruits had just been plucked by someone, and no fewer than five of them!

"What good Luck…" Mu Changge thought to himself, his gaze sweeping like lightning toward a stone platform not far from the small tree.

There, a figure sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, surrounded by swirling Sword Qi, his robes fluttering without any wind. An incomparably sharp Sword Intent, seemingly capable of severing everything, was pulsing around him, at times condensing like silk, at other times erupting like a tide. He was clearly at a critical stage of comprehending Sword Intent, his perception of the outside world reduced to its lowest point. The person carried a long sword on his back, his face handsome (though actually a bit sinister) yet carrying a natural arrogance—who else could it be but the Wandao Sword Sect Saint, Jian Wushuang?

Mu Changge looked at the stripped Sword Intent Spirit Fruit tree, then at Jian Wushuang, who was clearly digesting the benefits of the spirit fruits and making further progress in his comprehension, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.

"Damn it…" Even with his composure, he couldn't help but curse internally at this moment. "As expected of a Child of Fortune, the Heavenly Dao's favorite son! I just got in and was shivering in the ice and snow trying to adapt to the environment, but this guy has it good—a top-tier Sword Dao Opportunity waiting right near the teleportation point, and it was perfectly ripe. He ate everything up and immediately started meditating to comprehend it… This Luck, it's truly f*cking unrivaled!"

A faint emotion called "jealousy" surged back and forth in the depths of Mu Changge's heart. It wasn't that he was jealous of Jian Wushuang's Opportunity, but rather he felt a sense of speechlessness at this Heaven-Defying Luck where one could "pick up treasure just by walking." Ordinary people (himself) had to painstakingly scheme, cheat and swindle (strike that) work hard to Cultivate just to get to where they were today, while others could just stroll around and obtain a major Opportunity that perfectly suited them… Truly, comparing people only leads to anger.

"Sigh, the Heavenly Dao is unfair." Mu Changge shook his head helplessly, casting aside the jumbled emotions in his heart. A Child of Fortune, after all—standard treatment. Understandable, understandable.

Then, he looked down into his arms. You Li was still leaning on him like an octopus, her pretty face buried in his shoulder and neck, seemingly indifferent to everything in the outside world, immersed only in the scent of his embrace. Feeling Mu Changge's gaze, she shifted slightly and lifted that stunningly beautiful face, her purple eyes looking at him in a daze. Her exquisite face carried a hint of reluctance at being disturbed, as if asking, "Revered Master, do what you need to do, Li'er won't get in the way."

Looking at her wholehearted reliance, as if he were her entire world, the annoyance Mu Changge felt due to Jian Wushuang's good Luck instantly dissipated, and he even felt like laughing. He raised his hand and gently patted You Li's back, which felt amazingly supple even through her palace attire, then used his palm to gently lift her exquisite chin, making her purple eyes meet his.

"Alright, You Li," Mu Changge's voice softened involuntarily, carrying a hint of coaxing. "Let's handle business first. After dealing with this guy, then… hmm?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but You Li seemed to understand his unspoken words. A flash of brightness crossed her purple eyes, and her reluctance immediately vanished, replaced by a docile obedience. Yet, she still had no intention of leaving Mu Changge's embrace; instead, she rested her head gently on his shoulder, her arms still wrapped around his neck, looking compliant as if to say, "I'll just hold you like this, it won't hinder you from getting things done."

Mu Changge couldn't help but chuckle, letting her be. His arm still wrapped around that slender, supple waist, his gaze turned back toward Jian Wushuang on the stone platform, who was completely unaware and in the critical period of comprehension.

A wicked and bold plan instantly took shape in Mu Changge's heart. Cold light flickered in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled into a cold, mocking arc.

"Hey, what a coincidence, Saint," Mu Changge cleared his throat and said in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, yet clear enough, and even carried a slightly cheeky tone. "We've met again so soon; it seems our fates are quite intertwined."

His voice seemed exceptionally abrupt in this silent valley, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

Arriving almost simultaneously with his voice was a silent, yet lightning-fast pitch-black palm print! The palm print was only the size of a hand at first, but after leaving his hand, it expanded in the wind, instantly transforming into a terrifying giant palm a zhang in radius, filled with Devilish Qi and seemingly capable of devouring all light! Over the giant palm, an aura of destruction and death permeated, and wherever it passed, even the water vapor and Spiritual Qi in the air were instantly eroded and annihilated!

Great Nirvana Soul Palm! One of the Heavenly Demon Sect's top Demonic Techniques, specializing in attacking the Divine Soul and eroding vitality; its power was incomparably domineering! The moment Mu Changge struck, it was a ruthless killing blow—take advantage of your illness to end your life!

On the stone platform, Jian Wushuang, who was fully immersed in comprehending Sword Intent, was suddenly and forcibly awakened from that deep state of comprehension the moment Mu Changge's voice rang out—whether it was the mysterious crisis premonition of being a "Child of Fortune" (or rather, a Heavenly Dao cheat), or his own willpower far exceeding that of ordinary people!

"Who?" Alarm bells rang in his heart, and a fatal sense of crisis poured over him like ice water, making his hair stand on end! He didn't even have time to see who the person was, nor time to think about why someone had appeared so silently, and even less time to be angry about having this once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity for comprehension interrupted. Relying entirely on instinct, he frantically circulated the Spiritual Qi in his body, intending to use his movement technique to dodge to the side!

However, the timing of Mu Changge's sneak attack was calculated to perfection; it was the exact moment when Jian Wushuang's mind was most deeply immersed in Sword Intent and his reaction to the outside world was most sluggish! Moreover, this Great Nirvana Soul Palm was too fast and too eerie, arriving almost simultaneously with the sound!

"Pfft!"

Although Jian Wushuang had already made an evasive maneuver, his figure darting to the side, that pitch-black demonic palm still slammed solidly onto his left shoulder!

"Urgh, ah—!"

A muffled groan mixed with a low roar of pain rang out. There was no earth-shattering explosion, but where the demonic palm struck, his protective Sword Gang shattered like paper, the white clothes on his left shoulder instantly turned to ash, and the flesh beneath it turned gray and withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it had lost all vitality! Furthermore, a wisp of cold, vicious, and deathly Devilish Qi, like a maggot on a bone, frantically bored into his Meridians along the wound, heading straight for his heart and Sea of Consciousness!

Jian Wushuang staggered, nearly falling off the stone platform. He twisted his head violently, his handsome face twisted by severe pain and extreme rage. When he saw Mu Changge standing not far away, embracing someone and looking perfectly at ease, as well as the black-clad, silver-haired woman in his arms who was so beautiful she didn't seem like a Mortal, yet radiated an aura that made his very Soul tremble, Jian Wushuang's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpricks!

"It's you?" A roar of shock and rage, accompanied by towering Sword Qi, erupted! In the valley, a great battle was on the verge of breaking out!