C883 Killing Heaven's Pride!
One after another, the figures of Chu Jing shattered like ice crystals in the biting frost.
Huddled under his large black umbrella, Chu Jing felt as though he was trapped at the deepest layer of the Nether Abyss, his limbs, soul, blood flow, and even his thoughts, all permeated by the relentless cold.
Above, the Ice Concubine, with her human torso and scorpion tail, seemed to chuckle softly.
The ground's ice crystals, under her command, soared skyward, aligning along a predetermined path to form a towering, translucent ice tombstone nearly a hundred meters tall.
Emblazoned upon the tombstone were two conspicuously ancient characters — Chu Jing.
The instant those characters emerged, Chu Jing, still clutching his black umbrella, sensed a terrible wrongness in his soul amidst the icy wilderness below.
It was as though he was ensnared within a frigid ice prison.
The colossal ice tombstone, like a mountain wreathed in endless frost, plummeted with a thunderous crash.
Boom!
The horrifying impact sent shockwaves that shattered the already frost-sealed trees of the forest in an instant.
A blizzard of glittering ice dust descended like a hailstorm, pummeling the earth.
The strike leveled the forest where Chu Jing had concealed himself.
All the duplicates of Chu Jing, conjured from wisps of his Qi and soul essence infused into the trees by secret arts, were obliterated.
His externalized soul and life force could not be reclaimed.
Inevitably, Chu Jing was gravely wounded.
Amidst the ice-laden, flattened forest, Chu Jing lay exposed and solitary.
The elaborate camouflage, the crafted illusions, the false doubles—all were gone.
Crack!
Yu Yuan's foot came down, and the ice beneath shattered under the weight. Sword sheath in hand, he had already secured the Soul Wood Puppet within his Universe Ring. "Against absolute power, your Spectral Umbrella's illusory tactics are nothing but a farce."
Chu Jing's eyes, perpetually half-closed as if caught between sleep and wakefulness, were now heavy with gravity.
"Qi Yunhong, that mad dog..."
He seethed internally at the mention of Qi Yunhong.
Within the Illusion Pearl, the Yang God fragments of Qi Yunhong, consumed by the Artifact Soul's refined 'Blazing Soul Lightning,' could have once contained the Ice Concubine in that peculiar microcosm.
Every Evil Demon within the Evil Cauldron would be reduced to dust should they dare to emerge, powerless against the might of the "Heaven and Earth." Yet, he stood a cut above Yu Yuan, armed with the Spectral Umbrella and an array of other artifacts at his disposal. He was convinced that bereft of the Evil Cauldron, Yu Yuan stood no chance against him in that confined realm—even if he managed to track him down.
But Qi Yunhong, in his madness, obliterated everything in a self-destructive rage. The Illusion Pearl lay in ruins, the "Heaven and Earth" depleted, and the Artifact Soul extinguished. Gone was his ally of Yang God caliber, the Ice Concubine.
With a whoosh, Chu Jing twisted the handle of the Spectral Umbrella, unleashing waves of darkness that seemed to swallow all light, expanding the shadowy expanse in this crystalline, frigid world.
"It began with the Crimson Desert, followed by the Seven Divine Sect. You've sealed your own fate, Chu Jing."
As Yu Yuan watched the darkness creep further, he surmised, "Your ties with Mo Yan of the Devil Palace are indeed strong. For someone as esteemed as the Spirit Void Sect's chosen, to harbor such dark devilish energy within your Spectral Umbrella is quite telling."
"However..." His voice trailed off as he exchanged a knowing glance with the Ice Concubine.
Crack! The massive ice tombstone bearing "Chu Jing's" name shattered, soaring high before thundering back to earth.
It crashed into the dark domain spawned by the Spectral Umbrella's devilish energy.
Boom! The earth trembled as myriad ice shards scattered chaotically within the darkness.
The colossal tombstone fractured into innumerable icy streams, assaulting the dark realm with a force far surpassing its own, shattering the shadows with overwhelming ferocity.
In a flash, the darkness dissipated, revealing Chu Jing, riddled with tiny wounds, still clutching his great black umbrella. The gashes, permeated by the icy current, bled not a drop.
The Spectral Umbrella, too, fell prey to the icy onslaught, now sheathed in a delicate layer of frost.
Yu Yuan needed no further insight to ascertain that the Spectral Umbrella's fantastical microcosm had succumbed to the same fate as the forest around them, transformed into a harsh, icy wasteland.
"I... Ka Ka..."
Chu Jing's teeth clashed against the ice covering his mouth as he attempted to speak, crushing it to bits.
His hair and eyebrows were encased in frost, as was his Consciousness Little World...
"It's unsurprising that a Late Period Yin God, when confronted with a Fiend Demon exuding the aura of the Nether Abyss and possessing strength comparable to a Yang God, would meet such a fate," he mused.
With a sigh, Yu Yuan gripped his sword's sheath and thrust it towards Chu Jing's brow.
"Broken Soul Slash!"
A crimson blade of light, infused with Yu Yuan's spiritual energy, blood, and soul essence—augmented by the power of the Yin Sunflower Essence—pierced into Chu Jing's mind in a flash.
The scarlet light penetrated deep, and Yu Yuan thought he could hear the wails of a soul in agony.
In a mere moment, Chu Jing's head burst open like a watermelon hitting the ground, his blood spraying out only to be crystallized by the intense cold.
The Broken Soul Slash ensured Chu Jing's death; his Yin God, main soul, and Life Soul were utterly eradicated.
"Huh!"
Yu Yuan could even detect the dissipating essence of Chu Jing's shattered soul and lingering thoughts, which began to dissolve immediately.
They transformed into invisible tendrils of smoke, seeping into the earth below.
"Do they ultimately converge in the Yin Vein deep underground, traveling through unknown mystical pathways to the source of the Yin Vein in Horror Land?" Yu Yuan had a revelation. "Is it because my Yin God underwent transformation in Horror Land that I possess this peculiar sense?"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Chu Jing's life ended, a glacial blue mist swirled towards the Ice Concubine, hovering in the air.
With the ascent of the cold mist, the forest, once sealed in extreme cold, gradually regained its warmth, though it could never return to its former state.
The trees lay shattered, insects perished, and the earth was scarred with deep ravines as if carved by a formidable sword...
Before long, the Ice Concubine collected the released chill into a graceful bow towards Yu Yuan in the sky.
"Your efforts are appreciated," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a smile.
Without a word, the Ice Concubine's piercing gaze flashed with a streak of blue light before she retreated back into the miniature world within the cauldron.
Scattered amidst the wood shavings and broken branches, the only things that stood out were Chu Jing's decapitated body and the "Spectral Umbrella," now shrouded in frost. The Ice Concubine alone recognized the umbrella's formidable power and had restrained from unleashing the full force of the cold current.
The lingering frost signaled that, even after its master's demise, the formidable black umbrella continued to suffer under the residual malice of the Ice Concubine's power. Yu Yuan could almost envision the shivering young man trapped within the icy realm inside the umbrella.
"Spectral Umbrella..." he whispered to himself. Grasping the handle, he willed it into his Universe Ring with a mere thought.
As he was about to examine Chu Jing's body, Qi Yunhong swooped in, landing abruptly on the ground.
"He's... he's dead?"
Qi Yunhong's eyes widened as he first took in the sight of Chu Jing's headless corpse, then turned to fix Yu Yuan with a piercing gaze. "Master, did you kill Chu Jing? Do you realize that Chu Jing was the heir-apparent to the Spirit Void Sect's leadership?"
"I'm aware," Yu Yuan confirmed with a nod.
"Master, isn't this a bit too..." Qi Yunhong's voice faltered, strained with concern, "Too reckless? By killing Chu Jing, the Spirit Void Sect won't just stand by. Even I, who have long coveted the Spectral Umbrella, wouldn't dare to provoke them so openly. And yet, it was you..."
His concern was for Yu Yuan's well-being. With Qin Yun capable of holding his own against the Seven Divine Sect, Qi Yunhong had hurried over at Qin Yun's behest, only to arrive at the scene of Chu Jing's death.
"This umbrella holds no value for me."
Yu Yuan retrieved the Spectral Umbrella he had just stowed away and tossed it nonchalantly to Qi Yunhong, adding, "Chu Jing likely had many possessions that are rightfully yours. Go ahead, take your time to search through them—they're all yours now."
"For me?" Qi Yunhong was taken aback.
Like the Illusion Pearl, the Spectral Umbrella was a Heaven Level item. Qi Yunhong was adept at refining such artifacts, and with the lessons from his past attempts, he would surely bind the Artifact Soul with numerous dark enchantments during the refinement process. This would guarantee that the Artifact Soul, in the guise of a young man, could never betray him.
Yu Yuan was correct; most of the treasures he had amassed over the years had indeed ended up in Chu Jing's possession following his misfortune.
Now, Yu Yuan had not only given him the opportunity to return the items to their rightful owners, but there was also the possibility of an additional, significant reward!
"They're all yours now," Yu Yuan reiterated.
After a moment of silence, Qi Yunhong bowed deeply to Yu Yuan and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Master!"
