Chapter 1394: Purification
Cang Feng Kingdom, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, Phoenix Remnant Clan.
The beast turmoil in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range continued, growing more violent with each passing day. Fortunately, the Phoenix Remnant Clan was protected by the Phoenix Barrier and remained unaffected.
A flash of light, and Yun Che appeared within the Phoenix Remnant Clan. Gazing at the familiar scene before him, a myriad of emotions surged in his heart.
He had obtained the Phoenix legacy here, been reborn here, slumbered here, and also found Chu Yuechan and Yun Wuxin here.
Back then, he had fallen here by accident while being pursued. At that time, he could never have imagined that this small haven would repeatedly change his life.
Within his sight, a young Phoenix disciple was meditating and cultivating in concentration. The Phoenix mark between his brows flickered with increasingly intense fiery light. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he opened his eyes and saw Yun Che standing before him with a gentle smile.
"Zu'er, it seems you’ve made further progress." Yun Che said with a smile.
"Ah!" Feng Zu'er exclaimed softly, quickly rising to his feet: "Brother Benefactor, you... you’re here."
"Mm, I came to find Xian'er." Yun Che said, his gaze shifting forward as he sensed the location of Feng Xian'er's aura.
Hearing "Xian'er," the excitement on Feng Zu'er's face stiffened slightly. He bit his lip, lowered his head, and spoke with a tone of deep pleading: "Brother Benefactor, I... I know Xian'er made a grave mistake, but... but she really didn’t mean to. These past two days, she... she has cried many times, locking herself in her little hut every day, refusing to take a single step out... She... she truly feels terrible guilt. Can you please forgive her, okay?"
"..." Yun Che's expression tightened. He exhaled softly and said: "Zu'er, Xian'er was never at fault. The one who should beg for forgiveness is not Xian'er, but me."
"Ah?" Feng Zu'er was stunned, at a loss. Just as he was about to say something more, Yun Che's figure had already vanished before his eyes.
Feng Xian'er's private chamber—a small, humble wooden hut. She sat quietly by the window, her beautiful eyes vacant as she stared outside.
Yun Che appeared silently... The air was filled with a bitter, sorrowful scent.
"Xian'er." He spoke softly.
Feng Xian'er's delicate body trembled. She hastily stood up, and when she turned around, tears still lingered in her beautiful eyes. She stared in disbelief at Yun Che, who had suddenly appeared... After a long daze, she hurriedly lowered her head, her hands clutching the hem of her dress: "Young... Brother Benefactor, I... I..."
Her voice was cautious and timid, panicked and at a loss. Her head hung deeply, not daring to meet his eyes, like a little girl who had committed a terrible wrong.
"Xian'er," Yun Che said gently, "These past two days without you by my side, I’ve felt very uncomfortable. So, will you come back?"
"Ah?" Feng Xian'er raised her head, her beautiful eyes wide open, as if she couldn’t believe what she had heard. Then she became even more flustered: "I... I made such a huge mistake. I caused Wuxin’s harm. I’m no longer worthy of..."
"The one who made the mistake is not you, but me." Yun Che interrupted her. "You never made any mistake from start to finish. On the contrary, you saved my Wuxin. As for me... at that time, I was consumed by rage and fury, devoid of reason. When I left Xiner’s room, my mind happened to get caught in the door frame, which is why I said such harsh words."
"Pfft..." Yun Che’s unexpected remark caught Feng Xian'er off guard, and she let out a stifled laugh. Then her cheeks instantly flushed scarlet, and she hung her head even lower.
"Forgive me, alright?" Yun Che said in an extremely gentle voice. "I promise I will never speak to you like that again, and I will never let you leave."
"..." Feng Xian'er twisted her fingers together nervously, her voice trembling: "But... but I..."
"Oh, right," Yun Che interrupted her again, "I’ve already found a way to help Xiner recover. After you come back with me, we will work together to restore her."
"Ah!?" Feng Xian'er jerked her head up: "Is... is that true?"
"Of course it’s true." Yun Che looked into her eyes and nodded with utmost seriousness. "Not only will her profound strength recover, but it will be even stronger than before."
Although none of this should have been blamed on Feng Xian'er, she had forcibly taken all the guilt upon herself... Because it was she who had brought Yun Wuxin before the Phoenix Spirit, and it was a fact that Yun Wuxin had lost all her power.
Thus, it had become a knot she had tied around herself.
If Yun Wuxin could fully recover, this knot in her heart would naturally be untied.
"Come back with me," Yun Che said with a smile, adding a touch of firmness to his words. "Then come with me to watch Xiner get better. It’s not just me—Yuechan, Xue’er, Caiyi, and my parents... they all miss you and are looking forward to your return. Heh, they even gave me a good scolding."
"..." Feng Xian'er stared at him blankly. Suddenly, her beautiful eyes became misty with tears. She raised a hand to cover her lips, trying with all her might to hold back the tears, but they still streamed down uncontrollably.
"Xian'er..." Yun Che quickly stepped forward. "Are you... still unwilling to forgive me?"
Feng Xian'er shook her head vigorously. Her fragile body trembled violently. After a long while, she spoke in a sobbing voice: "Can I... really... stay by your side forever?"
"Mm!" Yun Che nodded without any hesitation. "As long as you don’t mind."
"..." Feng Xian'er’s shoulders shook even more, and she could no longer speak.
"There’s one more thing I need to complain about a little." Yun Che tilted his head, his tone soft. "When you left, you took all my spare clothes, so I’ve had to wear old clothes for the past two days."
"Ah!" Yun Che’s words made Feng Xian'er exclaim softly. She instinctively reached for the space ring on her finger, a hint of panic coloring her tear-streaked face: "I... I forgot... I didn’t mean to..."
"Hahaha," Yun Che laughed heartily, reaching out and pulling her hand. "Then hurry up and come back with me."
"Mm..." Being suddenly grabbed by the hand, Feng Xian'er’s whole body tensed, but she only made a very faint attempt to pull away before letting him lead her toward the door. After taking just a few steps, a rosy blush had spread from her cheeks to her neck.
Yun Che did not immediately leave with Feng Xian'er. Instead, he first went to visit Feng Baichuan and Feng Caiyun, the couple, and solemnly explained a few things. Then, together with Feng Xian'er, he headed toward the Phoenix Trial Grounds.
It was also the place where the Phoenix God resided.
"Young master... are you... still blaming Lord Phoenix God?" Feng Xian'er asked softly.
Yun Che shook his head. "That day, when I woke up and saw Xiner with no profound strength and a faint breath of life... I truly hated everyone at that moment. Only after I calmed down did I realize that the only person I had the right to hate was myself."
"It chose to let you follow by my side precisely because it knew you would never harm me, thereby ensuring that I would have no psychological defenses against you." Yun Che sighed softly. "In truth, I should have sensed it earlier."
The two arrived before the Phoenix Trial Grounds. The Phoenix Barrier in front of them was rotating slowly, but it was vastly different from what they remembered.
The profound light radiating from the barrier was astonishingly faint.
Yun Che reached out his hand. Just as his palm was about to touch the barrier, the crimson fiery light before him suddenly flared... Then slowly dissipated completely.
"..." Yun Che's hand froze in midair.
"Ah..." Feng Xian'er let out a soft moan. Her phoenix eyes gradually lost focus, then welled up with deep sorrow. Her body slowly sank to her knees: "Lord Phoenix... God..."
The presence of the Phoenix that had resided and guarded this place for so many years vanished in that instant.
It was gone forever.
At that moment, the Phoenix Remnant Clan fell into absolute silence. Every single person clearly sensed the passing of the Phoenix God. They all knelt on the ground, looking up at the sky, tears falling upon the earth.
Its passing not only meant that this small remnant clan had lost its Phoenix God, but also that... in the entire Chaos Space, the last Phoenix Soul that bore the will of the Phoenix had dissipated between heaven and earth.
From now on, the final traces of the Phoenix remaining in the world would be only those who had inherited its bloodline and power.
Yun Che closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He knelt on one knee and bowed solemnly before him.
Back then, after granting him its soul source and Nirvana Flame, the time it had left was already scarce. Three days ago, in order to draw out the Evil God's divine aura from Yun Wuxin's profound veins, it had exhausted all that remained of itself...
It had been holding on all along, refusing to dissipate, waiting to bear Yun Che's resentment and anger. But just now, it had heard Yun Che's words—that he no longer resented it—and finally departed in peace.
Yun Che rose to his feet and murmured softly to himself: "You said I am the ‘Hope.’ I will no longer flee or deny it. Instead, I will do my utmost, before ‘that day’ arrives, to become the ‘Hope’ you wished for... This is the only repayment I can offer you."
After murmuring these words, his gaze suddenly shifted to the side.
With the passing of the Phoenix Soul, the Phoenix Barrier that protected the Phoenix Remnant Clan naturally dissipated as well.
The chaotic auras of countless profound beasts were closing in, each one exceptionally violent.
"Patriarch! This is bad!" At that moment, a hurried voice rang out over the Phoenix Remnant Clan: "The Phoenix Barrier has disappeared! A large number of rampaging beasts are surging in! We must engage immediately!"
In the past, even without the Phoenix Barrier, the deterrence of the Phoenix God's aura kept the profound beasts of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range from daring to approach. Now, without both the Phoenix Barrier and the Phoenix God's aura, the originally gentle beasts had become extremely ferocious. This once-peaceful haven, located at the center of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, had suddenly become a land of disaster.
This shout instantly plunged the atmosphere of the Phoenix Remnant Clan into gravity. Phoenix flames rapidly ignited, and everyone prepared for battle as if facing a great enemy. Feng Xian'er also hurriedly rose and flew into the air. Looking around, she saw that from all directions, the auras of countless agitated beasts were approaching this land they had never been able to set foot on before.
Yun Che turned his body and flashed to Feng Xian'er's side. His resonant voice carried to everyone's ears: "Everyone, no need to panic. Withdraw your profound energy and fall back for now."
As he spoke, he extended both hands, channeling the Light Profound Force. A faint, yet pure white radiance silently descended, enveloping the land of the Phoenix Remnant Clan, then rapidly spread outward. Within just a few breaths, it covered the entire Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range.
Immediately, the frenzied roars of the profound beasts gradually weakened until they ceased entirely. The rampaging beasts all froze in place, the chaotic glint in their eyes extinguishing like flames being doused, replaced by a dazed calm.
The heart-pounding, dangerous aura of madness receded like a tidal wave in every direction.
It wasn't just the beasts. All the Phoenix descendants felt as if their bodies had suddenly been placed amidst clouds—indescribably comfortable. Their hearts felt as if warm springs were flowing through, washing away the fear, panic, and anxiety that had just been churning within them... They even felt that the negative emotions buried deep in their souls were being quietly erased. Their entire souls became purer, leaving only an unprecedented peace in their hearts.
"What... what power is this?" Feng Baichuan looked up at the sky, murmuring to himself.