by Mars Gravity
As Yun Che approached Phoenix City, a pressure which caused one’s heart to race and scorching air welcomed him.
This would be the second time Yun Che visited this place. But compared to three years ago, both his mission and his mood was drastically different this time around. As he looked at the phoenix sculpture which raised its head and spread its wings as it radiated a scorching hot brilliance, he no longer experienced the respect and awe that he had three years ago. Instead, what flashed in his mind was the desolated lands of Blue Wind Nation, the cities which had been reduced to rubble, the citizens of his nation who had lost everything, and the battlefield filled with blood and littered with bones… Cang Wanhe’s memorial tablet… Cang Yue’s tears… the cheers of the Blue Wind soldiers… Sikong Du’s wail of fury and despair….”
The fires of rage and hatred were lit in his chest, and they fiercely welled up… he could not forget the reason he had come to this place and the mission he had to accomplish, and he could definitely not forget the fifty million blood-drenched people… and the hatred of a nation that had nearly been consigned to the oblivion of history.
“Who is it?! This is Phoenix City, not a place that commoners like you should approach, hurry up and leave!”
In front of the gates of Phoenix City, a Divine Phoenix disciple who was guarding the gate strode forth as he yelled at Yun Che with an arrogant tone.
“Eh? Why does this person seem kind of familiar?” Another disciple who was on the right of the first disciple said as his mouth slanted.
Yun Che faintly narrowed his eyes faintly, and he gently said in the most even tone, “Go and report to your Sect Master, Feng Hengkong, that Yun Che has arrived to pay him a visit.”
Even though his tone was gentle and slow, every single word spoken contained a killing intent that was beginning to froth over.
Chapter 698: Destroying the Phoenix God Sculpture
“Yun… Yun Che!?”
Even if it was the name of someone who had fallen three years ago, in the ears of the Divine Phoenix disciples, it resounded like a thunderclap. The disciple to the right instantly realized why the face in front of him seemed so familiar… Three years ago, during the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament, he was one of the guards as well. In fact, he was on one side of the main gates during that event!
Even after the two disciples had gotten over their shock, the arrogance on their face did not decrease in the slightest… because this place was Divine Phoenix City, and they were Divine Phoenix disciples who possessed the bloodline of the Phoenix, the most noble existence within the Seven Nations. Not to mention one Yun Che, even if the emperors of the other six countries came, they might still not treat them with respect.
“Didn’t Yun Che die three years ago? Could this be an imposter?”
“Who cares if he’s an imposter, to think that he would have the audacity to request a meeting with our revered Sect Master the moment he arrived? Haha, how do you have the face to do such a thing?”
“Could it be that you have come to plead on behalf of the tiny Blue Wind Nation that is about to be extinguished? Hehe…” The two disciples who were guarding the gate looked at each other and simultaneously let out a huge roar of laughter together.
“Hehe.” Yun Che joined in as well before continuing, “Forget it, I don’t need you to convey my message anymore, This has truly been a waste of my time. I’ll call him out myself.”
While he was coldly laughing, Yun Che strode a step forward as his entire body burned with a crimson red flame that was tinged with dull gold. The wild laughter of the two disciples died the moment the Golden Crow Flames were ignited. Their phoenix robe began to suddenly smoulder as flames quickly spread to their entire body, causing them to frantically retreat while letting out wails of pain.
Boom!!
The Golden Crow Flames rushed forward and exploded with a loud bang as a pillar of fire shot hundreds of meters into the air; the sound reverberating throughout the entire Phoenix City was loud enough to shock the heavens. The emblem of the Divine Phoenix Sect’s might and prestige, the grand gate and the Phoenix God Sculpture, which had been standing for all five thousand years of Divine Phoenix City’s existence, came crashing to the ground as they shattered into little pieces…
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Gathered within the Phoenix Main Hall were all the core members of the current generation of the Divine Phoenix Sect. Among the fifty-six elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect, besides the deceased original great elder, Feng Feiyan; the deceased Nineteenth elder, Feng Feiheng; the deceased Forty-Third elder, Feng Feiying; the deceased Fifty-Second elder, Feng Hengjiang; and the two other elders who were still supervising the invasion of Blue Wind Nation, the rest of the elders had taken their seats and not a single elder of them was missing.
Given the absolute power the Divine Phoenix Sect possessed over the rest of the seven nations, for the past few millennia, all their elders had died from old age rather than falling in a battle against others. Feng Feiyan richly deserved the miserable death he earned for himself, and it brooked no discussion. But today, within the span of a single day, the soul crystals of three elders had shattered; they had all fallen in Blue Wind Nation. In the history of the Divine Phoenix Empire, this kind of thing had never happened before, and no one would have ever thought that the elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect, all of whom were at least mid stage Overlords and were invincible existences to the other six nations, would end up falling in Blue Wind Nation when they had just gone there as supervisors.
The atmosphere of this grand meeting of the elders was oppressive right from the get go. But the surprising thing was that the main topic of discussion was not the death of three elders, but instead the return of one person from the dead…
Yun Che!!
The discussion ranged from the dramatic increase in Yun Che’s profound strength that allowed him to kill Feng Huwei, the words that he had conveyed using Feng Huwei’s death imprint the day before… and the suspicion that he was the main culprit behind the disappearance of that Divine Phoenix Army that was several hundred thousand strong.
The name of Yun Che was naturally known to all the gathered elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect. The fact that he came back alive from the Primordial Profound Ark, which had suddenly disappeared, was enough to stun them all. However, as they gradually realized that the main agenda for the elder meeting that Feng Hengkong had convened was to discuss how to deal with Yun Che, even suggested that they should invite one of the grand elders out of seclusion in order to personally make the journey towards Blue Wind Nation to kill Yun Che, the expressions of all the elders turned into ones of bewilderment and astonishment… Yun Che’s return from the dead was indeed bizarre, and the fact that his profound strength had advanced to such a degree, wherein he was able to kill Feng Huwei, was indeed alarming. Given the fact that he was the Prince Consort of Blue Wind Nation, his intention to avenge his country against the Divine Phoenix Empire was completely understandable… However, he was only a mere Yun Che; even if his present strength was ten times stronger than what was previously estimated, what threat did he possess to merit such a large-scale mobilization of the Divine Phoenix Empire… and what qualifications did he possess for them to consider requesting one of their grand elders to come out of seclusion to personally deal with him?
It was only when Feng Hengkong brought up the matter with Feng Xue’er… that they all suddenly came to a realization.
As Feng Xue’er was the future Phoenix God of the Divine Phoenix Sect, no matter how small the matter was, anything related to her would be a huge issue that the Divine Phoenix Sect could definitely not ignore! If she truly held Yun Che in such high regard… then given the fact that the die had already been cast in regards to the current situation between the Divine Phoenix Empire and Blue Wind Nation, in addition to the attitude Yun Che had displayed since his return, Yun Che had to be eliminated in the shortest amount of time possible at all costs!!
; Since this was the case, in order to ensure that there would be no accidents, even if mobilizing a grand elder was akin to using a cleaver to kill a chicken, as long as the matter concerned Princess Snow, then it was something that had to be done.
At this time, a huge explosion rang out from outside, and it was as if a thunderbolt had descended from the heavens to strike the grand hall, causing the entire hall to tremble violently.
“What’s going on?!” Feng Hengkong and the gathered elders immediately shot to their feet. The light of fire shone on their faces as the Crown Prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire, Feng Ximing, rushed into the hall with blazing speed as he urgently yelled, “Father Emperor, we are under attack! The gate of Phoenix City and the Phoenix God Sculpture… have been destroyed by someone!!”
“What?!” Feng Hengkong’s complexion abruptly changed, and all the elders had also turned pale from shock. Even though the recent explosion had shaken the heavens, they still maintained their composure. Despite being caught off-guard, no one had panicked. They were the Divine Phoenix Sect, and no one would dare to act rashly against them when they were in the territory of the Divine Phoenix Sect. As such, it was most likely an accident, but even if someone was trying to pick a fight with them, that person would only be courting death… however, the city gate and the Phoenix God Sculpture, which represented the might of the Divine Phoenix had been destroyed… so this was no longer just simply a rash act of violence against them; this was an action that had completely stepped beyond the bottom line of what the Divine Phoenix Sect could endure!
Feng Hengkong took the lead as he immediately rushed out of the Phoenix Main Hall; all the elders followed closely behind him. As they looked in the direction of the city gate, their faces immediately turned dark and grim…
The Divine Phoenix City gate had stood for an entire five thousand years, and the Phoenix God Sculpture above it was the symbol of their Divine Phoenix Sect. It was customary for an elder of the sect to personally come and imbue the sculpture with Phoenix fire once every seven days, so every corner of Divine Phoenix City would be able to bask in the eternal glory and firelight of the Phoenix flames exuded by the Phoenix God Sculpture. It was not only a simple Phoenix God Sculpture; rather, it was a representation of the Divine Phoenix Sect’s five thousand years of pride and glory.
When normal people gazed at the Phoenix God Sculpture from afar, they would be overwhelmed by a sense of irresistible intimidation, and even their manner of walking would become more withdrawn and cautious. Even if members of the Four Sacred Grounds arrived, they would not dare to display a disrespectful attitude in front of the Phoenix God Sculpture…
But at this moment, all they saw was that the Phoenix God Sculpture, which had stood hundreds of meters tall, had been toppled from the sky… it fragmented into many pieces before falling to the ground with a loud boom. Then, it was burned into a crimson red pile of slag along with the city gate.
The collapse of the Phoenix God Sculpture could clearly be seen even from the outskirts of Divine Phoenix City, and it undoubtedly caused a great commotion throughout the entire city as nearly everyone either stood rooted in place or rushed out of the buildings as they all stared dazedly in the direction of Divine Phoenix City.
“Who… who was the person who did this!?” Feng Hengkong’s hair exploded outwards as every strand of his hair stood on end. Molten rage poured out from his body in a manner that was akin to a volcanic eruption. To think that the Phoenix God Sculpture would be destroyed during his reign… this was an intolerable insult! No matter who the culprit was, just based on this action alone, that person and everything related to that person would become the mortal enemies of the Divine Phoenix Sect… and as long as neither of them died, there would be no end to matters!
“To think that someone would dare to profane our sect’s Divine Spirit… and touch our sect’s reverse scale(refer to note at the end)! Unforgivable!” Feng Feiran, the Second Elder of the Divine Phoenix, said in a voice which trembled with anger.
“I will personally rip him to shreds!”
Boom!!
Feng Hengkong morphed into a beam of fire as he rushed towards the city gate. He had actually left a sonic boom in his wake as he shot out into the air; anyone could tell just how volatile the fury in his heart was.
All of the Divine Phoenix Sect elders followed suit. Fifty Divine Phoenix Sect elders mobilizing along with their Sect Master was something that had rarely ever been seen in the history of the Divine Phoenix Sect. Moreover, the destruction of the city gate and the Phoenix God Sculpture was akin to a thunderclap exploding within the Divine Phoenix Sect, and all of the princes, hall masters, palace masters, attendants, high-ranked disciples, and low-ranked disciples were all stunned into insensibility. No matter how important the affairs they were attending to at the moment, without caring for any possible repercussions, they immediately ceased work as all of them rushed towards the city gate as well.
In one brief moment, the entire Phoenix City had been thrown into disarray as it was enveloped in an aura which was both scorching and furious. People began to congregate in the air like a swarm of locusts.
Divine Phoenix City gate… oh, now, the gate did not exist anymore, and the only thing left was a tower of rubble. The Phoenix Flames within the Phoenix God Sculpture had also completely dissipated following the destruction of the sculpture. Although it had blazed out at first as a large conflagration of crimson red flames, it still quickly died out as well.
In front of the rubble lay the two lucky Divine Phoenix disciples who were responsible for guarding the gate. With their pupils dilated, they lay there paralyzed, their legs fiercely trembling and their faces completely white with shock. The stark terror on their faces made it seem like they had just woken up from a nightmare, and they had even completely forgotten the pain inflicted upon them by the Golden Crow Flames.
Fire and sand quickly fell to the earth, revealing a figure that was standing atop the rubble. Feng Hengkong left a windstorm in his wake as he cleaved through the air. Once he had taken a look at the person who was on top of the rubble, his eyes immediately widened as crackling flames washed over his entire body. “Yun Che… it’s… you!!!”
Even though Feng Hengkong was extremely furious, he did not lose his composure. In fact, during the time he had spent flying here, he had already made several guesses… but the only potential culprits he could think of were the Four Sacred Grounds! At the same time, he realized that there was a possibility that the death of the Phoenix God had already been completely exposed!
Because only the Four Sacred Grounds, under the condition that they had confirmed the death of the Phoenix God, would dare to attack the Divine Phoenix Sect in such a blatant manner!
However, he had not even given any thought that it would be Yun Che. He had one reason which was sufficient to rule him out completely… and that was the fact that when Yun Che had used Feng Huwei’s death soul imprint to communicate with him yesterday, he was still in Blue Wind Nation. Moreover, Floating Cloud City was fifty thousand kilometers away from Divine Phoenix City, and without the high grade Profound Ark that only the Sacred Grounds possessed, it would be impossible for him to reach this place within a day.
Yet the person who was standing atop the heap was indeed Yun Che.
And while Feng Hengkong was still shocked and furious, he also let out a huge sigh of relief at the same time. Unless it was the Four Sacred Grounds, the Divine Phoenix Sect would not feel the least bit intimidated. Furthermore, it was also clear that the death of the Phoenix God had not been exposed to the world, so the danger that had flashed through his mind did not materialize in reality.
In addition, the best part of it all was that, while they were busy discussing the matter of eliminating Yun Che, he had actually delivered himself to their doorstep… and he had done so when all the elders were gathered! He had even given them an extremely good reason to kill him… a reason so good that there would be no better reason in existence
! Originally, due to the fact that he had rescued Princess Snow three years ago, if they had killed Yun Che and news of it got out, they would undoubtedly face a lot of criticism. But today, he had personally destroyed the Phoenix God Sculpture, so even killing him ten thousand times would not be unreasonable!
So, no matter what, Yun Che should not think… that he would be leaving this place alive today! With that, Feng Hengkong could settle a matter that had been gnawing at his heart.
“Humph, you sure picked a great time to come, all of the people behind Feng Hengkong are in the mid to late stages of the Tyrant Profound Realm, so they should all be elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect. To think that they would all be gathered together in one place, they must have been in the middle of a grand meeting,” Jasmine said as she gloated at Yun Che’s misfortune.
Yun Che crossed both of his arms over his chest as his mouth slanted and crooked into a brash and sinister cold smile. He was facing Feng Hengkong and all the gathered elders and disciples of the Divine Phoenix Sect, but his face was devoid of any fear. Instead, he faced them with that cold smile as he said, “Divine Phoenix Sect Master, we have not met in the past three years, so I hope that you are still in good health. Che, to think that all those years ago, Divine Phoenix Sect Master was fixated on getting rid of me, to the extent that you did not forget to arrange for someone to assassinate me when we were on the Primordial Profound Ark. Ah, but to think that in just the short span of three years you have become so courteous. I have just arrived, but not only did Divine Phoenix Sect Master come to personally greet me, you even brought all the elders and disciples in the sect to welcome me as well… Ah, this truly makes this humble one feel rather embarrassed.”
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Translator’s note: The term, reverse scale originates from a Chinese saying, “Anyone who touches the reverse scales of a dragon will definitely die.” Legend has it that there is a portion of the scales on the dragon’s neck that are grown in reverse. In this case, it means something that is extremely sensitive and anyone who dares touch it would invoke the wrath of the owner.