Chapter 687

Chapter 687: Moon Cold Pavilion

The Ancestor of the Sword Path watched as Ye Yun cleaved through the mountain beast with the Purple Shadow Divine Sword and sighed. He wondered what the sword’s previous owner would think if they witnessed this. "They’d surely scold you harshly—or even beat you senseless if they were hot-tempered," the Ancestor mused as Ye Yun retrieved the mountain’s essence.

"Time to leave." White light flickered around Ye Yun’s body before he vanished into the sea, leaving only bubbles rising in his wake.

"Senior!" Golden Ling’er gasped when Ye Yun reappeared. "That technique was incredible! If I ever reach that level, I’ll finally teach Father a lesson!"

"Ling’er…" Jin An frowned. "If Master hears this, you’ll end up locked in the dark room again."

Jin An stared at Ye Yun with reverence. The sheer power displayed earlier—especially the fiery dragon that split the island—left him awestruck. He’d known Ye Yun’s fire element cultivation techniques were strong, but never imagined they could rend an entire island apart.

"Let’s rest here. The island should hold a while longer," Ye Yun said. His true qi and Fire Spirit Qi had been drained from battling the primordial mountain beast. Only the steady supply of top-tier Immortal Spirit Stones sustained him now. Even a Sixth Level Nascent Soul cultivator could threaten him in this weakened state.

Night blanketed the silent sea.

"Senior, how’s my swordplay now?" Jin An asked, planting his wooden sword into the ground.

"Not bad," Ye Yun replied.

"Pfft! Ling’er thinks it’s mediocre. Little Water, go teach Senior Brother a lesson!" Golden Ling’er nudged the drowsy Water Spirit Python coiled around her finger.

The python blinked awake and slithered toward Jin An, who initially ignored it. But when the creature thickened to barrel-size mid-approach, Jin An sighed and stowed his wooden sword. Golden light shimmered in his palms as he faced the Seventh Level Nascent Soul spirit beast.

"Oho! Brave of you to challenge Little Water!" Golden Ling’er chirped. "Don’t worry—I told him to go easy on you!"

"At least make it suppress its aura!" Jin An protested, trembling under the python’s pressure. His Round Blade shot out but was smacked aside by the python’s tail, its edge dulled. "These spirit beasts are absurd… How can their hides be this tough?"

Though humiliated, Jin An felt relieved. With this Seventh Level protector, Golden Ling’er’s survival odds in the Xumi Treasure had skyrocketed. She might leave this place unharmed—provided she avoided recklessness.

"Good snake!" Golden Ling’er rewarded the python with a low-grade Immortal Spirit Stone from her storage pouch. The creature coiled around its prize, wagging its tail contentedly.

"Ancestor, have spirit beasts grown tame these days?" Ye Yun asked internally.

The Ancestor of the Sword Path chuckled and gifted the python a wisp of soul power—insignificant to beings like them, yet transformative for the creature. The grateful python immediately slithered to Ye Yun’s feet and bowed.

"Amusing little thing," Ye Yun remarked, crushing another top-tier Immortal Spirit Stone. He absorbed its energy recklessly, wasting most as shattered fragments scattered. After obliterating ten stones, flames flickered in his eyes.

Noticing movement in his Thunder Sound Metamorphosis ring, Ye Yun sent in a wisp of spirit perception. The crescent blade inside glowed softly under the moon, absorbing Moon Goddess power. Ye Yun smiled. This supreme Immortal artifact, though spiritless, was healing.

He’d planned to wait for Jin An and Golden Ling’er before using the distance-breaking talisman. But with the Water Spirit Python guarding them, his presence felt redundant. After returning the crescent blade to the ring, Ye Yun withdrew a rune.

“Let me see what qualifies you to make me your lackey.” The blue rune in Ye Yun’s hand erupted with the power of spatial laws. He didn’t resist, allowing the force to pull him away. As he felt the immense pressure weighing on his body, he chuckled. “Ten thousand miles… The strain is over a hundred times greater than what I endure during ordinary teleportation.”

Ye Yun crushed the rune without informing Jin An or Golden Ling’er, departing instantly. He knew the two should remain relatively safe on the island.

In a flash, Ye Yun materialized in a moonlit clearing where members of the Moon Dynasty awaited.

He eyed them coolly. “What’s the purpose of you three lurking here?”

“Exactly what it appears.” A long-haired man at the Seventh Level of the Nascent Soul stage snorted. He unleashed a violent gust of true qi, aiming to intimidate Ye Yun.

“Attempting to humble me? Don’t blame me for responding in kind.” Ye Yun didn’t bother glancing at the approaching attack. Just before it struck, Yue Xiao shattered the gust and rebuked, “Yue Xia! Lengxuan instructed us to receive him properly. Are you defying her orders?”

“Merely a jest. Even this seventh-level Golden Core whelp understands that.” Yue Xia glared at Yue Xiao before turning to Ye Yun with mock courtesy. “They say a prodigy from the western wastes slays Nascent Soul cultivators while at the Golden Core stage. Seeing you now… how… remarkable.”

“I merely exterminated some rabid strays. Surely Brother Yue Xia takes no offense?” Ye Yun replied mildly.

Yue Xia blinked, then forced a laugh. “Why would dead mutts concern me?”

“I’d mistaken those fools for your kin, expecting outrage. Yet your composure proves your refinement. Such dignity befits the Seventh Level Nascent Soul stage—far beyond my humble Golden Core standing.” Ye Yun turned to leave.

“You!” Yue Xia’s spiritual power surged, but he restrained himself, channeling it into a palm strike that sent towering waves crashing into the sea.

“A viper-tongued pup,” remarked the man beside Yue Xiao.

“I warned you—underestimate him, and he’ll leave nothing but bones,” Yue Xiao sighed.

“A Golden Core brat grows bold because Lengxuan tolerates him? Once she claims the Sun and Moon Dual Souls, I’ll skin him alive,” Yue Xia spat. Moon Ling and Moon Hua exchanged glances.

“Killing her pawn after he serves his purpose might embarrass her,” they cautioned.

“She’d never question me. I’ve served her longest!” Yue Xia growled, glaring at Ye Yun’s retreating figure.

“Yet he easily destroyed…” Yue Xiao began.

“Enough!” Yue Xia snapped. “Don’t equate me with that trash. I’d crush him quicker!”

Yue Xiao shrugged. Let the fool court death.

Ye Yun ignored them, watching Yue Lengxuan approach.

“State our departure time and location,” he demanded coldly.

“Your fire poison’s purged. My congratulations. Still believe I’ll surrender the Sun Soul?” Yue Lengxuan’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, where murderous intent glimmered.

“Both souls rightfully belong to me. Pray I grant you the lunar soul,” Ye Yun countered.

Yue Lengxuan laughed, her voice echoing like windchimes in a frost-kissed valley. “Claim them from me, and I’ll yield willingly.”

“Save your enchantments for your sycophants,” Ye Yun retorted.

“Mediocrities aren’t worth my arts,” she mused, intrigued. Her Sixth Level Nascent Soul-stage charm ensnared most instantly—yet this seventh-level Golden Core youth shattered it effortlessly.

“Another threat emerges… Should I eliminate you now?” Her gaze turned calculating.

“Attempt it,” Ye Yun replied, unmoved by her moonlit radiance.

“Merely testing your mettle,” she demurred.

“Only fools fail such tests.” His eyes traced her ethereal silhouette—beautiful as winter’s first frost, lethally cold.