Chapter 1362: Heartless Yuechan (Part 2)
Feng Xian'er carried Yun Che and flew back into the center of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. Only after Ling Jie's aura completely faded from her divine sense did she withdraw the flame light covering Yun Che's body.
Yun Che's expression remained indifferent.
"It's alright," Feng Xian'er smiled gently to comfort him. "Father once secretly said that Benefactor Brother might not be willing to leave here for many years, but it's only been a little over a month. As expected of Benefactor Brother, you're truly amazing."
Yun Che tilted his head back slightly and let out a long breath, expelling the turbid air from his chest. "Was that what you called the 'Mystic Beast Uprising' just now?"
"Mm." Feng Xian'er nodded. "The Mystic Beast Uprising hasn't been going on for long, less than a year. It first started in the east, then gradually began spreading westward, and the spread is getting faster and faster."
"Apparently, it's not just the Cang Feng Kingdom; a similar situation has also occurred in the eastern part of the Huan Yao Realm."
Yun Che: "..."
"But don't worry," Feng Xian'er continued. "The Cang Feng Kingdom has the protection of the Fenghuang God Sect, so the Mystic Beast Uprising is suppressed quickly each time. It's not considered any major disaster."
Mystic Beast Uprising... starting from the east... spreading westward...
Feng Xian'er's words echoed in his mind, but he couldn't focus on them. Soon, he cast them aside entirely.
Otherwise, he might have thought of something.
"You mentioned the 'Phoenix Divine Maiden' earlier... it's Xue'er, right?" Yun Che asked, his mind conjuring the image of that woman with a face that could topple empires, a lineage and talent that defied heaven, yet her attachment to him surpassed everything else... The fleeting glimpse he caught before falling unconscious at Perching Phoenix Cliff back then had left an indelible mark deep in his soul.
"Mm." Feng Xian'er nodded, her phoenix eyes brimming with deep reverence and longing. "Three years ago, the Divine Maiden Sister achieved the legendary Divine Xuan Realm. On the Tian Xuan Continent, she is another myth besides Benefactor Brother."
"That day, my brother and I saw the Divine Maiden Sister. She was so beautiful, more beautiful than all the stars in the sky. And my brother and I also know that she is Benefactor Brother's betrothed wife... right?"
"..." Yun Che's gaze was lost and misty. Xue'er had already stepped into the Divine Path, and had done so three years ago... Xuanyuan Wentian's power back then was indeed already at the Divine Path level, but it was a twisted Divine Path achieved through an evil path, unable to advance even an inch, and it continuously devoured his lifespan. As for his own Divine Path, it had been achieved in the Yin Xue Realm.
Here on the Tian Xuan Continent, on Lan Ji Star, Feng Xue'er was undoubtedly the first person to truly step into the realm of the Divine Path.
With her here, any Mystic Beast Uprising, or even more severe disasters, could be easily annihilated.
In the Huan Yao Realm, there was Caiyi, his father and mother, watching over...
And I...
Not receiving an answer from Yun Che, Feng Xian'er looked ahead, her beautiful eyes growing hazy. A murmur escaped her lips, sounding like she was talking to herself or pouring out her heart: "Only a fairy like the Divine Maiden Sister is worthy of Benefactor Brother..."
Yun Che's heart felt as if it had been stabbed fiercely by something.
She was the everlasting myth of the Tian Xuan Continent, the Phoenix Divine Maiden, her face indisputably the number one beauty of the Tian Xuan Continent... And now, he was nothing but a cripple, utterly unworthy to stand by her side, let alone protect her or be the one she clung to.
Now, he had the body of an ordinary human, unable to cultivate profound energy. Even if he were piled high with spiritual herbs, he would only have a lifespan of a little over a hundred years...
To have the number one Divine Maiden of this continent marry a cripple?
The cold wind pierced his body, and Yun Che coughed painfully.
"Ah?" Feng Xian'er hurriedly turned back, quickly slowing down. "Is it because I'm flying too fast... I'll go slower."
Yun Che shook his head.
In this life, I have stood at the highest height, offering comfort and sarcasm to countless people. I have coldly watched and ignored endless darkness and despair. Back then, I was firmly convinced that since I was unafraid of death, I would never have a day like this... Little did I expect that once it fell upon me, I would realize that living is sometimes heavier than dying.
If you are ordinary all your life, you will be accustomed to it, even enjoy it.
But after a thirteen-year grand dream, waking up to ordinariness once again is so unbearably cruel.
"By the way," Feng Xian'er's voice came again from beside him. "The Divine Maiden Sister is now the Sect Master of the Fenghuang God Sect. The previous Sect Master, Feng Hengkong, after passing on the position, focused on the state affairs of the Shenhuang Empire. The Fenghuang God Sect has thus become one of the Four Sacred Grounds of the Tian Xuan Continent. But it is not ranked first. Can Benefactor Brother guess which sacred ground is number one?"
Yun Che: "..."
"It's the Bing Yun Fairy Palace." Feng Xian'er smiled. "Although the Bing Yun Fairy Palace's overall strength doesn't match the other three sacred grounds, Benefactor Brother was once the Palace Master of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. For that reason alone, no one would question its position at the top. That is the influence of Benefactor Brother."
"..." The Bing Yun Fairy Palace had actually become one of the new Four Sacred Grounds of the Tian Xuan Continent, and was ranked first.
But if the world knew that he had become a cripple, this honor... would certainly vanish like smoke and disperse like clouds.
At this moment, everything Yun Che thought and felt was negative.
He was well aware of his current dark and gloomy state of mind. He wanted to escape it... but was powerless to do so.
He had taken just thirteen years to reach a height that others could not dream of in a hundred lifetimes... only to fall to the very bottom in a single day.
No one could imagine or understand what kind of blow this was.
The Phoenix Barrier appeared in sight. As Feng Xian'er approached, the barrier once again opened a gap on its own.
Passing through the gap, the two returned to the land of the Phoenix Remnant Clan.
Once within the barrier, it was as if the external world's turmoil was cut off. Yun Che's chaotic state of mind calmed down somewhat. Then, a bitter, self-mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Feng Xian'er's gaze had been secretly fixed on him. Seeing his expression, her heart ached. She said softly, "Benefactor Brother, I don't know how to help you. But... but no matter what happens in the future, I will... always be by your side... until you no longer wish to see me..."
"..." These past days, the warmth that occasionally surged in his soul had mostly come from Feng Xian'er.
In his life, he had endured countless gazes of admiration, worship, adoration, and flattery, so many that he had grown numb, and they could no longer stir even the slightest ripple in his heart.
But now that he had fallen into ruin, and would be ruined forever, this girl, just one of countless passersby in his life, still poured all her gaze and heart onto him without reservation...
During this time, her presence and company had dispelled so much of the gloom in Yun Che's heart. Otherwise, Yun Che might have sunk even deeper, even more thoroughly...
But now, he didn't know how to respond or repay this too-precious intent...
Feng Xian'er flew very, very slowly, afraid the cold wind would harm Yun Che, or perhaps because she enjoyed this feeling of protecting him and being close to him.
The scenery below slowly passed by. Because they had encountered the Azure Scale Beast, their return route was different from when they left. Below was an area Yun Che had never set foot in. After passing a small grove of trees with falling leaves, he saw a patch of bamboo grove still verdant green.
At the center of the bamboo grove, he faintly saw a small bamboo house.
A bamboo house...
Yun Che's gaze fixed on it, unable to look away for a long time.
In that life on the Cang Yun Continent, after Su Linger had vanished like incense and jade in his arms, every time he saw a bamboo house, it felt like ten thousand arrows piercing his heart.
Even after he had found Su Linger again, the bamboo house remained a very special presence in his heart. Every time he saw one, his soul would be deeply stirred.
Linger, are you living well in the Huan Yao Realm...
You are so clever. By now, you must have become a very capable divine doctor, right.
After all, that was your dream back then.
"I want to take a look at that bamboo house." With the longing for Su Linger surging in his heart, he couldn't help but speak.
"Bamboo... house?" Feng Xian'er was slightly taken aback. When she understood what Yun Che was referring to, she immediately wanted to say something, but when her gaze met Yun Che's obviously dazed eyes, she retracted the words about to leave her lips, and instead lightly nodded her head. "Alright."
She carried Yun Che and floated down lightly, but she didn't land in the direction of the bamboo house. Instead, she landed in front of the bamboo grove where the bamboo house was located.
Feng Xian'er's action made Yun Che's brows twitch slightly, a hint of confusion appearing on his face.
The green bamboos formed a forest, swaying gently and bringing waves of refreshing cool breeze. Standing before the bamboo grove, Feng Xian'er did not lead Yun Che inside. Instead, she supported him, and her grip seemed a bit tighter than usual.
"What's wrong?" Yun Che asked. He could sense that Feng Xian'er was clearly nervous.
Feng Xian'er said, "That bamboo house has people living in it, but they are not from our clan."
"Oh?" Yun Che said thoughtfully, "Have they been here since a long time ago? But it seems you never mentioned them before."
"No," Feng Xian'er shook her head. "They came here after Benefactor Brother left back then."
"Afterward?" Yun Che was startled. "You said before that the Phoenix Barrier was set up after I left, and only those with Phoenix bloodline can pass through it. Why would they... Could they be people from the Fenghuang God Sect of the Shenhuang Kingdom?"
"This... I don't know." Feng Xian'er shook her head again. "Because they never communicate with us. Back then, we tried to approach and help them, but they all refused. Father and Mother said they must have been greatly harmed, so they are afraid of contact with others. We haven't disturbed them since. And all these years, not only have they never left this place, they rarely even leave this bamboo grove."
"However, since they can come here, they should have the Phoenix bloodline." Feng Xian'er said somewhat uncertainly.
Yun Che frowned. On this continent, those with the Phoenix bloodline were, apart from the Phoenix Remnant Clan here, only the Fenghuang God Sect. But why would people from the Fenghuang God Sect come here? And from Feng Xian'er's description, it seemed to be an extreme form of seclusion from the world?
Yun Che, deep in thought, said, "In that case, let's not disturb them. Let's go."
As he spoke, he glanced at her hand, which was gripping his arm noticeably tighter, and said half-jokingly, "Could it be that the person living in seclusion here is very terrifying? You seem quite tense."
Only then did Feng Xian'er realize something. She quickly loosened her grip on Yun Che's arm a bit, and said, "It's not that. It's just... there's a very terrifying 'Little Monster' inside, and I'm afraid she might accidentally hurt you."
"Little Monster?"
Just as Yun Che asked the question, a voice, exceptionally childish yet exceptionally sharp, rang out from within the bamboo grove: "Leave immediately! Don't come near here!"
As the voice sounded, a little girl walked out from the swaying bamboo grove.
The little girl looked to be only about ten years old. She wore a simple, clean little cloth dress. Despite her young age, her starry night-like hair reached down to her lower back, dancing gently in the wind. Her face was exquisitely carved, like jade, and very cute. But her bright, crystalline eyes were flashing with fierce light, full of warning and vigilance.
But she was simply too adorable, standing there like a delicately crafted porcelain doll. The fierce light in her eyes and the sharp aura around her held almost no deterrent force, even for Yun Che, who had lost his cultivation.
However, the appearance of this little girl made Feng Xian'er, who had just relaxed a bit, instantly tighten her grip again. Even her body stiffened noticeably, gripping Yun Che so tightly it caused him deep pain.
Yun Che turned his head and said in surprise, "This isn't the 'Little Monster' you were talking about, is it?"