Chapter 302: Self-Inflicted Injury
"What person!"
The Fen Tian Gate disciples ahead let out a loud shout, then swiftly moved forward, forming a defensive formation and blocking the path ahead. A protective phalanx quickly formed around Fen Juecheng as well. Though they appeared to be bracing for an enemy, not a single face showed the slightest panic—because they were the Fen Tian Gate! Within the Cang Feng Empire, they had no reason to fear anyone. If the person descending from the sky truly came to cause trouble, they were simply seeking their own death.
The momentum of the figure landing from midair alarmed the surrounding crowd. The vast majority of them—even if they had tried to land with such force—would have been killed outright by the terrifying shockwave alone.
The kicked-up dust slowly settled, revealing Yun Che's face, cold as an icy abyss. His eyes shone with a chilling, penetrating light, and the massive Dragon Gate in his hand made anyone who saw it shudder.
Though someone had suddenly dropped from the sky and landed ahead, and even though the momentum clearly indicated this was a powerful expert, Fen Juecheng showed no alarm. Instead, he looked on with amusement. But when Yun Che's face and the Dragon Gate in his hand both entered his field of vision, his expression instantly froze, and he cried out in shock: "Yun... Yun Che!!"
Yun Che's name was known to every household in the Cang Feng Empire—almost no one was unfamiliar with it, and his portrait had long been widely circulated. As soon as they saw his face, people felt a sense of recognition. And Fen Juecheng's words directly set the entire wide street ablaze with commotion.
"Yun... Yun Che? Which Yun Che? Could it be..."
"Which Yun Che could it be? That person's appearance, and that strange giant sword in his hand, they're exactly the same as the legends describe!"
"But wasn't he supposed to have died more than a year ago? The ten great sects witnessed it with their own eyes. This should just be someone who looks like him, right?"
"Probably... right?"
...
The noise of the crowd drowned out all hearing. Others might have dismissed this as merely a look-alike of a deceased person, but Fen Juecheng would not mistake him. Faces could be similar, but that awe-inspiring Heavenly Xuan heavy sword—there was only one in the entire world! And it had been sealed together with Yun Che beneath the Sword Discussion Platform. His eyes, his demeanor, that indescribable aura—all exactly matched the Yun Che he knew!
Staring at the Yun Che before him, who seemed to have returned from the dead, Fen Juecheng was shaken beyond words: "You... you're not dead!"
"Hah!" Yun Che raised his eyes slightly and sneered at Fen Juecheng. "My life is long, Yun Che. Even you're still alive and well, so how could I bear to just die like that... I'm still alive. Disappointed?"
That voice, too, belonged entirely to Yun Che. Fen Juecheng's pupils shrank for a moment, then calmed, and he suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha, how interesting! Your life, Yun Che, is sure tough enough. Mu Tianbei couldn't kill you—instead, you killed him. Everyone thought you were beaten to death by that demon, and after so long, you actually crawled back out alive. I have to admire you to the extreme. As for disappointed—not really. Seeing you alive, I'm almost relieved, because your death that day was far too 'easy.' The great debt of you killing my second brother—my Fen Tian Gate hasn't properly settled it with you yet!"
The exchange between Yun Che and Fen Juecheng sent the crowd into an even greater uproar.
"Is he really... the Yun Che who was supposed to be dead?"
"Age, appearance, weapon... everything matches! Who else at such a young age could have such terrifying strength as the number one in the ranking battles? Who else would dare to block the Fen Tian Gate's procession? Only Yun Che!"
"I heard that Yun Che was severely injured by an extremely fearsome villain and then suppressed together with that villain under the Sword Discussion Platform... but no one saw his corpse! Maybe he wasn't dead back then and has now returned! If we could mistake him, could the young sect master Fen be wrong?"
"Big news! This is huge news that will shake the entire nation!"
As the peerless legend of the Cang Feng Empire, Yun Che had once sparked an almost unprecedented sensation. Now, the news that this fallen legend had returned alive—one could imagine how explosive it would be. Among those present, almost everyone with a Sound Transmission Jade immediately began transmitting the message. In just a few dozen breaths after Yun Che's appearance, the news of his survival spread like an all-penetrating ripple, scattering at lightning speed in all directions.
"Your Majesty! A major... a major incident! We just received a transmission: Yun Che... Yun Che has returned! He didn't die—he's come back alive!"
Cang Wanhe, who had just left the Lan Yue Palace in his imperial carriage, was listless and deathly still. Hearing this news, his whole body jolted: "What did you say? Yun Che? Impossible. Sheer nonsense. Yun Che fell at the Tian Jian Villa—everyone knows that. How could he suddenly return?"
"It's absolutely true! He is right now outside the imperial palace, blocking the Fen Tian Gate procession... Everyone present saw it clearly!"
The little eunuch had barely finished when a fully armored guard commander rushed over urgently and said, "Your Majesty! Something major has happened outside the palace. Yun Che, who should have been dead, has appeared alive and is blocking the Fen Tian Gate's procession!"
Cang Wanhe, who had almost no strength to move, suddenly sat bolt upright as if electrified, and said in a trembling voice: "Quick... quickly! Carry me there—now!"
Not far away, Qin Wushang and Qin Wuyou exchanged shocked and incredulous glances, then transformed into two gusts of wind, rushing out of the palace.
The entire wide street was now in complete chaos. The focus of the day should have been Fen Juecheng, but Yun Che's appearance pulled all eyes and attention onto himself. This showed just how great an impact he had left during the time he was "dead."
A figure flickered beside Fen Juecheng—Fen Moran appeared, staring at Yun Che and saying in a deep voice: "Is this Yun Che? Hmph, good that he's not dead. If he had died after causing the death of the second young sect master, it would have been far too easy for him. I'll capture him right now and bring him back to the sect for judgment!"
"Wait!" Fen Juecheng raised his hand to stop him and said with narrowed eyes: "Thirteenth Elder, no need to act today. Today is the happy day of my marriage to Princess Cang Yue. If blood is spilled unintentionally, it would bring bad luck. Yun Che, I really don't know whether to admire your audacity or mock your arrogant stupidity. You barely scraped back with your life, yet instead of hiding away obediently, you deliver yourself to death's door! But you're in luck—I'm in a very good mood today, so I'll grant you a few more days to live. As for my second brother's matter, after I marry Princess Cang Yue, I'll settle it with you properly... Now, before I change my mind, get lost!"
Fen Juecheng's demeanor and tone were like that of a lofty judge. After all, beside him were two thousand elite Fen Tian Gate disciples and eight Heavenly Xuan realm experts—a force that could bulldoze its way across the entire Cang Feng Empire. If he had been alone, he would naturally have been extremely wary of Yun Che. But with such a retinue, why would he care about Yun Che? As for letting Yun Che leave today—it certainly wasn't because he was "in a good mood." Rather, the influence Yun Che had built over the past year was simply too great. Even the Fen Tian Gate would find it inconvenient to act against him openly in front of so many people, as it would invite criticism.
The moment Fen Juecheng's voice fell, a trembling young girl's voice came from behind him: "Junior Brother Yun... is it really you... is it really you!?"
In a voice filled with extreme excitement, Cang Yue jumped down from her sedan and rushed toward Yun Che without any regard. The fragrance of wind rushed past; the speed she burst forth with, driven by urgency, made even Fen Juecheng instinctively reach out an arm, but he couldn't stop her in time. He could only watch helplessly as she charged straight to Yun Che's front and grabbed him tightly with both hands.
"Junior Brother Yun... it really is you... you're still alive... Junior Brother Yun... Junior Brother Yun..."
So close, yet Cang Yue could hardly believe her eyes. Tears streamed down like a spring bursting. She trembled with excitement, incoherent with joy. His face, his eyes, his sword, his aura—everything told her that the Yun Che she thought she had lost forever had now returned to her side, whole and complete. The enormous, dreamlike surprise nearly made her faint.
But Yun Che's expression was unusually calm, nothing like Cang Yue's intense excitement. He didn't even step forward to embrace her. Looking at her face, completely soaked in tears, he said softly: "It's me... I've come back alive. I arrived just in time... for Senior Sister's wedding."
Cang Yue's body trembled, and she shook her head frantically: "No... it's not like that. Junior Brother Yun, it's not what you think. I..."
"No need to say more. I understand." Yun Che interrupted her, not letting her continue. His expression remained flat—so flat that it made Cang Yue panic and her heart race. He had miraculously returned, and the first thing she saw was the scene of her being wed. Even she, at this moment, felt utterly unforgivable. But she truly did not want to marry Fen Juecheng. Yet, in her panic, she didn't know how to explain... but her wedding today was an irrefutable fact as solid as iron.
At that moment, Yun Che suddenly reached out like lightning, grabbing at Cang Yue's chest. His hand penetrated into her wide red wedding robe, then swiftly withdrew... Between his fingers, there was now a short, thin dagger with a blade three inches long. At its tip, a faint, pale green glimmer flashed—the gleam of a deadly poison!
Yun Che's nose was extremely sensitive to poisons. When Cang Yue approached, he had already smelled the toxic aura. This poisoned dagger was hidden right in the folds of her clothing over her chest!
Holding this poison-coated dagger, Yun Che made a move that shocked everyone. Amidst a torrent of gasps, he flipped his hand and violently stabbed the dagger into his own chest! Instantly, blood spattered from his wound, and the three-inch blade sank completely into his body.
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