Chapter 1369: Crimson Star
"Lord Phoenix God's command, Xian'er will not disobey. The word 'request'... Xian'er could never bear such a heavy honor." Feng Xian'er bowed deeply, filled with fear and trepidation.
"No, you can bear it." The Phoenix Soul Spirit spoke, its gaze growing fainter with each passing year, its voice also heavier year by year: "I hope that you will leave this place and, as much as possible, stay by Yun Che's side."
"Ah?" Feng Xian'er was startled, and then thinking of the word 'request' it had just spoken, her heart grew even more flustered: "He is Xian'er's great benefactor. Xian'er would never, under any circumstances, do anything to harm him."
"I want you to stay by his side, not to do anything harmful to him, and certainly not to plot against him."
"Then... is Lord Phoenix God asking Xian'er to protect him?" She relaxed slightly.
The Phoenix Soul Spirit said: "The strongest individuals on this continent are all close to him; he does not need your protection. But there is one thing that only you can do."
"Only... me?" Feng Xian'er murmured, at a loss.
"Next, you must remember every word I say, not forgetting a single one. Because this concerns Yun Che's life and fate, and even... the very survival of this continent!"
Feng Xian'er looked ahead, her mind in chaos...
...
...
Passing through the Phoenix barrier was the "outside world," a world Yun Wuxin had never set foot in.
Feng Xian'er carried Yun Che, while Yun Wuxin carried Chu Yuechan. High up in the sky, with a boundless field of vision and air that tasted completely different... Yun Wuxin's starry eyes constantly looked around, breathing in the unfamiliar air, as excited as a bird released from its cage.
"We've finally left this place." Chu Yuechan gazed into the distance, her expression complex.
Those years at the Bing Yun Fairy Palace were cold and passionless, and these years among the Phoenix Remnant Clan were isolated from the world. To others, it might have been a prison, but to her, it was already a habit. Thinking of the future, her heart was instead filled with apprehension.
The greatest reason she was willing to leave with Yun Che was still Yun Wuxin.
"Little Fairy," he knew what Chu Yuechan was thinking, and said softly, "I will always be by your side."
In the distance, a trace of dangerous aura suddenly approached.
It was a giant eagle, its entire body a bluish-green. As it flew, it churned up a storm, and the storm's direction was unmistakably aimed at their location.
Feng Xian'er's fair face tightened, and she immediately shielded Yun Che. Yun Che, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned.
"Huh?" Yun Wuxin turned her gaze, stretched out her small hand, and lightly pointed toward the direction of the giant eagle.
Instantly, all the storm dissipated. The giant eagle, which had been diving downwards, was locked firmly in midair by a force it could not resist even if it were ten times stronger.
Yun Wuxin studied it seriously, then asked curiously: "What is this? It looks very pretty, but also very fierce."
Yun Che smiled: "This is a Storm Fierce Eagle. Back then, I was chased by one and fell into this place."
"Huh?" Yun Wuxin's lips parted, and then she said indignantly: "It chased Daddy? It must be bad!"
She gently poked with her finger, and instantly, the poor Storm Fierce Eagle spun like a top and fell away... until it disappeared beyond the limits of Yun Che's vision.
"Hahahaha." Yun Che laughed heartily, then furrowed his brow slightly.
First the Green Scale Beast, then the Storm Fierce Eagle. Their temperaments were completely different from what he knew, as ferocious as if they had been twisted.
Wait... twisted!?
The first thing that came to Yun Che's mind, or rather the only thing he could think of, that could twist the nature of living beings invisibly, was Dark Profound Force!
But this was the Tian Xuan Continent. Since Fen Juechen and Xuanyuan Wentian had vanished, no one else possessed Dark Profound Force except him. The Slay Moon Demon Cave near the Supreme Sea Palace was sealed all year round. Even if it weren't sealed, any leaked demonic aura wouldn't reach this far.
As Yun Che pondered in silence, a flash of red light appeared at the corner of his eye.
He instinctively turned his head to look east... In the sky directly to the east, a crimson star was blazing brightly.
It was broad daylight, and the scorching white sunlight was enough to obscure all starlight and moonlight. But this star not only existed, its starlight seemed powerful enough to pierce through everything. The moment Yun Che looked directly at it, it felt like a red-hot steel needle stabbed into his eyes, and even his soul shuddered with a nameless sting.
That was...
"Oh? Mom, look, that red star has appeared again."
As Yun Che was astonished, he heard Yun Wuxin's soft exclamation. As her voice faded, the red light completely vanished from the sky, not reappearing for a long time.
A red star... again!?
"What was that red light? Does it appear often?" Yun Che turned and asked.
Feng Xian'er replied: "It's a 'Crimson Star.' It started appearing about half a year ago. It often flashes briefly and then disappears. To this day, no one knows what it is. There are many rumors that a red star shining over the Tian Xuan Continent is an auspicious omen."
Yun Che: "..."
"Actually, it's not just the Tian Xuan Continent. My brother and I also saw it appear when we were traveling in the Huan Yao Realm." Feng Xian'er finished, then murmured to herself: "It seems to be appearing more and more frequently lately."
"Half a year ago..." Yun Che frowned, then suddenly said: "Isn't that around the same time the Profound Beast riots started?"
"Ah?" Feng Xian'er was stunned: "It seems... yes. Could there be a connection between the two?"
"..." Yun Che was silent for a moment, then smiled: "I was just saying. Let's go."
"By the way, Xian'er, what did Lord Phoenix summon you for?" Yun Che asked casually.
"This..." Feng Xian'er lowered her head slightly and said softly: "I don't want to hide it from you, but... but Lord Phoenix said that this matter cannot be spoken of to anyone, so... I'm sorry..."
Yun Che quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need. Lord Phoenix personally summoned you, so it must be something important. I shouldn't have asked."
Feng Xian'er opened her mouth but ultimately held back her words.
The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range was home to many Profound Beasts, and most had become ferocious. The moment they noticed the group, they charged madly to attack.
By the time they left the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range area, they had endured a total of twelve waves of Profound Beast attacks.
The Profound Beasts here were mostly at the Spirit Xuan and Earth Xuan levels; Heavenly Xuan Beasts were extremely rare. With Feng Xian'er and Yun Wuxin by his side, no matter how many frenzied Profound Beasts came, they posed no threat.
Finally leaving the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, Yun Che discovered that Profound Beasts, which normally wouldn't step out of their territories, were now appearing in large numbers in the outer areas. The villages near the outskirts had all been reduced to ruins, and even the main roads were eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight even in broad daylight.
"Is the Profound Beast riot the same in other places?" Yun Che asked.
"Yes." Feng Xian'er nodded: "The most severe is the Death Wasteland area. For hundreds of li around, it's become a disaster zone; no one dares to approach. Although it's been suppressed repeatedly, it's said that the range of the riot keeps expanding. If this continues, it's very likely that all the Profound Beasts in the entire Death Wasteland will go berserk."
That meant that to resolve the riot there, they might ultimately have to kill all the Profound Beasts in the Death Wasteland.
The entire eight-hundred-li Death Wasteland... the most dangerous place in the Cang Feng Kingdom, home to countless dangerous Profound Beasts whose levels were far beyond those in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. The two jiaolongs inside had once nearly killed Chu Yuechan.
It was easy to imagine that without the help of the Fenghuang God Sect, such a riot would be a catastrophic disaster for the Cang Feng Kingdom.
What the hell was going on!?
Yun Che carefully described to Yun Wuxin the customs and traditions of the Cangfeng Imperial City and the Cang Feng Kingdom they were heading to. As they advanced a little, the sounds of Profound Beast roars and the rapid, overlapping sounds of tearing came from ahead.
Yun Che could tell it was the sound of sword light tearing through space.
Feng Xian'er stopped and said to Yun Che: "It's that Ling Jie we met the day before yesterday."
"Ling Jie?" Chu Yuechan turned her head: "The second young master of the Tian Jian Villa?"
Back at the Cang Feng Ranking Battle, Ling Jie's fight with Yun Che, the power of his sword at just sixteen years old, and his talent surpassing his elder brother Ling Yun, had completely stunned everyone present.
"It's him." Yun Che said: "Over the years, he left the Tian Jian Villa and has been wandering outside, both for cultivation and to help me find you, in order to atone for his mother's sins."
Chu Yuechan: "..."
"He has done me several favors. When I was fighting the Fen Tian Gate, he was worried about my safety and traveled a long distance to help me... When his grandfather Ling Tianni wanted to kill me, he stood in front of me with his life on the line... When I went to the Shenhuang Kingdom for the Seven Nation Ranking Battle, he took risks to go there to cheer me on. Although these aren't great kindnesses, they are extremely precious and pure."
Yun Che sighed softly, his emotions mixed: "That's also why, even though I learned what Xuanyuan Yufeng had done, I ultimately couldn't bring myself to kill her."
"Should we avoid him?" Feng Xian'er asked. The day before, Yun Che had clearly not wanted to meet him.
"No need." Yun Che smiled: "Since we've met again by chance, I should at least say hello."
Ling Jie was here, naturally not for training. With his current cultivation level, this was not a place for him to train. He had stayed here for several consecutive days, obviously to save as many people as possible who had wandered here by mistake.
Just like the day before, when Feng Xian'er and Yun Che were surrounded by Green Scale Beasts, he rushed out like a thunderbolt.
Clang!!
The sword light was dazzling, tearing black scars in the space. The rampaging Profound Beasts fell in droves under his sword. As the last mournful roar of a Profound Beast faded, Yun Che's figure appeared in his sight.
At that moment, his entire body froze, and his vision blurred.
"Xiao Jie, long time no see. You look pretty much the same." Yun Che, supported by Feng Xian'er, descended from the sky and said with a smile.
Ling Jie was still stunned, his eyes vacant. It took a full few breaths before he spoke in disbelief: "Yun... Yun... no... are you... are you really..."
"Haven't seen me for only five years, right? Don't you recognize me anymore?" His reaction made Yun Che smile.
"No, that's not it..." Ling Jie quickly shook his head. Only at this moment did he seem to finally trust his own eyes. He stepped forward excitedly: "Boss, is it... is it really you? The legend says you went to a higher realm... you... you... came back from there? But... your appearance..."
He could naturally sense that Yun Che had no aura of profound cultivation. This could be explained by the gap between them being too great to perceive. But he could also clearly see that Yun Che's skin was rough and his eyes unusually murky...
"Yes," Yun Che nodded: "I did go to another world. I only came back not too long ago. My current appearance... as you can see, my profound power is completely wasted. I'll basically be a cripple from now on."
Ling Jie was greatly shocked. A murmur of disbelief and unbearable denial escaped his lips: "How... could..."
As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently shifted and landed on Chu Yuechan... At that instant, he felt as if struck by lightning. The Tian Yang Sword, which he never let leave his hand, slipped from his grasp, clattering against the rubble at his feet.
"Yuechan... Fairy!?" He froze again, his pupils trembling even more violently than when he had seen Yun Che.
Chu Yuechan, once the number one beauty of the Cang Feng Profound Realm, the woman his father had been madly infatuated with, and the woman his mother had been insanely jealous of... was also the person he had dreamed of finding all these years.
"Yes," Yun Che smiled: "I finally found her."
Boom!!
Ling Jie knelt heavily before Chu Yuechan, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face: "I, Ling Jie, descendant of a sinner, on behalf of my deceased mother... beg for forgiveness from Fairy Yuechan!"
With these words, he slammed his head heavily to the ground. Without any protection from profound energy, his forehead immediately split open, blood spreading across the dusty ground.