Chapter 252: Killing with a Borrowed Knife
Looking at Yun Che's appearance, Fen Juebi nearly laughed out loud. He half-closed his eyes and, together with Fen Juecheng, slowly approached: "Yeah, what a coincidence, running into each other in this vast, boundless place. But you don't look too good. After all this time, you've only made it this far—seems like the injuries you sustained before haven't healed well."
"There's no need to waste words on him," Fen Juecheng said coldly. His gaze was dark as he looked at Yun Che, letting out a faint sneer. "Yun Che, do you really think us meeting here is a coincidence?"
"Isn't it?" Yun Che blinked, then pretended to realize: "Oh! I get it! You must think it's too dangerous here and want to travel with me, right? That's no problem at all."
"No! We're just sending you somewhere—no need for company." Fen Juecheng's smile grew even darker.
"Sending me somewhere?" Yun Che looked puzzled. "Where?"
"The road to the Yellow Springs!" Fen Juecheng gave a cold laugh. A red light flashed in his hand as he grasped a long blade completely crimson in color. Its tip, radiating scorching murderous intent, pointed straight at Yun Che's face.
A flicker of panic passed through Yun Che's eyes as he quickly stepped back, his speech stammering: "Fen... Fen Juecheng, we have no past grievances or recent enmity—what's the meaning of this?"
"Hahahaha!" Seeing Yun Che's fearful expression, Fen Juebi laughed heartily. "No grievances? You're laughably naive. Fine, since you're about to become a dead man, I'll be merciful and let you die with clarity. In the ranking battle, you severely injured me and made me lose all face—that's one thing. But Princess Cang Yue is a woman my elder brother has his eyes on, and you actually dared to touch her! You clearly don't know how to write the word 'death'!"
"Ah?" Yun Che widened his eyes in disbelief. "This... this can't be right! Princess Cang Yue and I love each other and have been together for years. I've never once heard her mention that you had any designs on her! Oh! I see—Brother Fen Juecheng is just lovesick. My Princess Cang Yue has never taken you seriously at all. That just means you lack charm, Brother Fen. What does that have to do with me, Yun Che?"
"You!" Fen Juecheng's brows furrowed sharply, his face flushed with anger.
As if not seeing his fury, Yun Che continued: "Besides, even if you kill me today, what good would it do? To be blunt, Brother Fen Juecheng doesn't have a single quality that can match my Cang Yue. My Cang Yue is a true imperial princess—in terms of noble status, no woman in the Cang Feng Empire can compare. And you, Brother Fen Juecheng, are merely the young master of a sect. The Cang Feng Empire has only one princess, but young masters are as countless as stones in a cesspit—the difference is like clouds and mud! As for looks, my Cang Yue is a celestial beauty. And you? Donkey face, monkey nose, ox head, horse mouth—hideous as it is, with black energy all over your face, you look like you're destined for an early grave. Even I, a man, pity you."
"And achievements? I'm only seventeen, yet I've defeated a Level 3 Earth Profound cultivator and taken first place in the ranking battle. You're twenty-three or twenty-four and only at Level 2 Earth Profound. The gap is huge! Only a blind person would choose you over me. Oh, and I recently heard from Little Red, Little Green, and Little Purple of the Romance Courtyard that Brother Fen's little thing is only half an inch long and as thin as a stalk of hemp... Tsk tsk, with that, not only my Cang Yue but even a widow of forty years wouldn't look at you. As a man, my sympathy for you flows like a mighty river..."
From the time he could remember, Fen Juecheng had known he was a dragon among men, at the very pinnacle of the younger generation, enough to look down on everyone. But now Yun Che was making him out to be utterly worthless. Fen Juecheng wasn't easily provoked, but Yun Che's words were simply too venomous. Though he knew Yun Che was deliberately humiliating him, his face still turned ashen, and his killing intent exploded tens of times over: "You... seek... death!!"
Fen Juecheng attacked in a rage, blue flames igniting on his blade as he thrust it straight at Yun Che's chest. He held nothing back, pouring all his fury into that strike. Under the might of his Earth Profound power, the surrounding snow instantly vaporized, and even the thick snow beneath sank at an alarming rate.
As the blade came straight at his face, a cold smile curled at the corner of Yun Che's lips. He instantly grabbed the Longque Sword and swung it violently to meet Fen Juecheng's flame blade.
A loud crash rang out. Blue flames scattered, and the snow on the ground was blasted over ten zhang into the air, completely blocking the line of sight. Fen Juecheng's whole body shook, his arms went numb, and his flame blade nearly flew out of his hand. Startled, his mind quickly calmed. But Yun Che had vanished from in front of him. Without hesitation, Fen Juecheng flashed away, leaving a trail of red as he retreated thirty steps. At that moment, he heard a scream from Fen Juebi...
The falling snow revealed Yun Che's figure. He stood there smiling, holding the Longque Sword, with his foot planted squarely on Fen Juebi. The weight of the Longque Sword, over eight thousand jin, pressed down on Fen Juebi through Yun Che's foot, making him roll his eyes, his face pale, and wail in agony.
Fen Juecheng's face changed drastically, his eyes becoming extremely dark: "You... your injuries... actually..."
"That's right, I was faking it," Yun Che said, moving his foot from Fen Juebi's back to his waist, pressing down until he let out a pig-slaughtering scream. "I was waiting for a few overconfident trash fish to come and die on their own!"
The recovery ability granted by the Great Dao Pagoda Art was beyond ordinary comprehension. Yun Che's internal and external injuries had completely healed, and his profound energy had recovered about seventy percent. Though it would be too much to deal with Fen Juecheng, tormenting a still-injured Fen Juebi was as easy as flipping his hand. Of course, it was enough to intimidate Fen Juecheng. Since Yun Che had even defeated Xia Qingyue, a Level 3 Earth Profound cultivator, Fen Juecheng at Level 2 Earth Profound wouldn't be naive enough to think he could match him.
"Impossible! I checked your injuries. Not only were they severe, but your profound energy was completely depleted! In just five days, there's no way you could recover! And... how could you have known in advance that I would come to kill you?" Fen Juecheng gritted his teeth. Though he said "impossible," his heart was filled with shock. His arm still felt the numbness from Yun Che's earlier strike—if his strength hadn't recovered, how could he have delivered such a terrifying blow?
"Hehehehe." Yun Che laughed mockingly. "That's why I said you, Brother Fen Juecheng, are just a self-righteous fool. After the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm closes, all traces disappear. For you, it's a perfect place to kill. For me, it's the same. I've never known how to write the word 'mercy' for those who want to kill me. So let's start with your pitiful little brother."
Before he finished speaking, Yun Che increased the pressure from his foot, making Fen Juebi scream again, his internal organs twisted under the weight. Though Fen Juebi was not weak, he was like a dish in front of Yun Che, especially in his injured state. Fen Juecheng's face was as dark as a storm cloud. He ground his teeth and said, "Go ahead and try! As a precaution, the Grand Elder placed special soul marks on us before entering the secret realm. If he dies, the Grand Elder will know immediately who killed him! Then you... and everyone related to you will face the unrelenting vengeance of the Burning Heaven Sect! You will all die in the most miserable way in this world!"
"Yes! Yes! You... you can't kill me! If you dare kill me, the Grand Elder will know! You can't kill me!"
As the son of the Burning Heaven Sect's Sect Master, Fen Juebi had never been stepped on like this, let alone faced the threat of death. People like him were often the most afraid of death. His face was now deathly pale, his lips blue—half from Yun Che's beating aggravating his old injuries, and half from sheer terror.
"What he says is true. Those two do have special detection marks left on them. If they die, the one who left the marks will immediately know who killed them," Mo Li said.
"Is that so?" Yun Che's expression didn't change; instead, he sneered at Fen Juecheng. "Do you really think that will stop me from killing him? Do you think I'm afraid of your Burning Heaven Sect?"
As he spoke, the Longque Sword in Yun Che's hand suddenly dropped, ruthlessly smashing onto Fen Juebi's right leg. With a crack, the bone in Fen Juebi's right leg snapped. A piercing shriek like a ghost's wail rang out, echoing far across the snowy plain.
"You!!" Fen Juecheng hadn't expected Yun Che to be so vicious. The strike that would leave Fen Juebi crippled for life fell without a moment's hesitation. The agonized screams of Fen Juebi twisted Fen Juecheng's face, and his knuckles popped as he clenched his fists.
Yun Che's profound energy had recovered seventy percent, but that didn't mean his combat strength had recovered seventy percent. Because of the forced Burning Phoenix Blood, he couldn't use Phoenix Flame power for three months, which greatly reduced his overall strength. In his current state, it was impossible for him to defeat Fen Juecheng.
But Yun Che's expression was utterly confident. The brief exchange earlier had made Fen Juecheng cautious. Yet in front of Fen Juecheng, Yun Che showed no restraint, instead crippling Fen Juebi in a few moves, clearly unafraid of angering him—in fact, deliberately trying to provoke him. This, despite his fury, made Fen Juecheng even more hesitant to act recklessly. Not only did he not dare advance, but he also focused fully on defense, ready to retreat at full speed to avoid a sudden attack from Yun Che.
Crack!
Yun Che smashed down again, breaking Fen Juebi's left leg as well. Amidst Fen Juebi's hoarse screams, Yun Che slowly raised his head, a mocking and provocative smile on his face... That smile sent a shiver down Fen Juecheng's spine. He involuntarily took several steps back, then suddenly shouted upward: "Fortress Master Mu! What are you doing... strike now!"
As Fen Juecheng's voice fell, the wind and snow above Yun Che suddenly became chaotic. Amidst the raging blizzard, a silver spear shot forth with a terrifying howl. Wherever the spear passed, the snow was violently parted, looking from afar like a dazzling silver line drawn across the sky sealed by ice.
The death aura of the spear made every hair on Yun Che's body stand on end. But his gaze was eerily calm, and a sinister smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He drove the Longque Sword downward, smashing it heavily into the ground.
Boom!!
With that heavy blow, the snow on the ground was kicked up dramatically. Along with the snow, Fen Juebi's body was launched into the air. Before he could even react to what was happening, the silver spear pierced straight through his chest...
This was a fatal strike from a Heaven Profound level expert, its power unimaginably terrifying. With the spear through his chest, Fen Juebi couldn't even let out a scream before his body exploded, shattering into over a dozen pieces that scattered far away... The silver spear continued downward, piercing through the afterimage left by Yun Che's Star God Remnant Shadow, then buried itself deep into the ground.
[Flawless!!]