Chapter 329: Blazing Heaven's Fury |||
[This chapter is nearly five thousand words... do you believe it?]
"And so?" Fen Juecheng's brows were tightly knit, his expression somewhat ferocious. "We should immediately release his two family members, and then go beg Yun Che for mercy? That way we can preserve the prestige of our Blazing Heaven Sect?"
"You!" Fen Duanhun raised his hand, about to slap Fen Juecheng across the face, but seeing his grievous injuries and the resentment on his face, he still couldn't bring himself to swing.
"The dignity of our entire sect was utterly destroyed by Yun Che on the day I went to welcome the bride! Now, throughout the Cang Feng Kingdom, who isn't laughing at our Blazing Heaven Sect! Our sect's thousand-year prestige has now become nothing but a foil to enhance Yun Che's reputation! If news gets out that all seven Grand Elders died at Yun Che's hands, we will have completely become a joke! And under these circumstances, if we choose to hold back out of fear and temporarily endure, even I, as the Young Sect Master, will look down on the Blazing Heaven Sect!" Fen Juecheng gritted his teeth, almost shouting. Usually, he was always obedient in front of Fen Duanhun, but today he would not yield an inch.
"The only way to recover our lost reputation and honor our deceased elders and ancestors is to kill Yun Che! For that, what's wrong with using any means necessary?! If Father is afraid of sullying his own name, after killing Yun Che, you can blame everything on me, saying that I, Fen Juecheng, personally kidnapped Yun Che's family, and that no one else in the Blazing Heaven Sect had anything to do with it."
Each word Fen Juecheng spoke was more sinister than the last. His actions were only partly for the sect's reputation; mostly, of course, they were to exact his bone-deep vengeance against Yun Che! As his father, Fen Duanhun naturally knew Fen Juecheng's true thoughts, but what he said hit the mark every time... Among the Council of Elders, this was also the prevailing sentiment. If the majority hadn't favored this course of action, as the Sect Master, how could he have only learned of it today?
Others could act impulsively, could stop at nothing based on their own emotions, but he could not. As the Sect Master of the Blazing Heaven Sect, he had to consider the overall situation and weigh the pros and cons in every matter... But now that things had come to this, aside from using this to lure Yun Che here and kill him, he had no other choice.
"Enough." Fen Duanhun lowered his hand and sighed helplessly, but his gaze remained extremely sharp. "You have rarely been defied in your life, much less bullied. Yet Yun Che has humiliated you several times. I know you will never rest until you have your revenge. The hatred for killing the Grand Elders and others must also be avenged... I will indulge you this once. I will personally arrange the formation to kill Yun Che... But only this once. If you ever dare to act on your own without considering the consequences again, I will not forgive you!"
Fen Duanhun's authority as Sect Master was not something Fen Juecheng could truly withstand. His upper body trembled slightly, and he quickly said, "My hatred for Yun Che is extremely deep. The Second Elders and others were also eager to kill Yun Che to avenge the Grand Elder, so... that's why we concealed this matter and did this... I, Juecheng, promise there will never be anything like this again. After we kill Yun Che, I am willing to accept any punishment for acting without authorization."
"Hmph!" Fen Duanhun gave a light cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and left. When he reached the door, he stopped and suddenly asked, "Why did you let Chen'er take charge of this matter? His temperament is fierce; he would never accept such a method of threatening family members. How did you convince him?"
"Father may not know this." Fen Juecheng said. "The reason Third Brother couldn't participate in the ranking battle back then was because of Yun Che. At the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, Yun Che not only defeated him but also trampled him underfoot... When Second Brother once insulted him with words, he left the sect for several years, vowing to make Second Brother pay. But Yun Che trampled his dignity underfoot. The Duan Cang Pavilion Master, whom Yun Che killed, was the person he respected most in his life. His hatred for Yun Che is no less than mine! I promised him that when Yun Che was on his last breath, he could humiliate him as he pleased and then personally finish him off, so he agreed... And as for letting Third Brother go..." Fen Juecheng lowered his head. "Only if Third Brother leaves the sect for days without returning would Father not suspect or discover anything in advance."
"Hmph!" Fen Duanhun turned his head, said nothing more, and left angrily. Ten breaths later, his low voice penetrated every corner of the Blazing Heaven Sect: "All Elders and Pavilion Masters, hear my command! Gather at the Council Hall within half an incense stick's time! There are important matters to discuss!"
"Old Nine! Where are those two people being held?" Fen Juecheng called out.
Outside the door, a man with a slightly hunched back walked in and said in a low voice, "Xiao Lie is being held at the very bottom of the Prison Dragon Prison. As for the girl called Xiao Lingxi... the Third Young Master ordered her to be held in the Juechen Celestial Pavilion."
"Juechen Celestial Pavilion?" Fen Juecheng was stunned. "Are you sure it was Fen Juechen's own order... Hah, how interesting. The Juechen Celestial Pavilion has always been his forbidden ground; even I get a cold shoulder if I go up there casually. Yet he actually arranged for a woman used as bait to be held there."
The man called Old Nine said in a cryptic voice, "Although Xiao Lingxi is Yun Che's aunt, she looks even younger than the Third Young Master. She is extremely beautiful and has a unique aura of spirituality. Perhaps the Third Young Master has some other intentions toward her."
"Oh, is that so?" Fen Juecheng crooked the corner of his mouth and suddenly let out a sinister laugh. "Come with me to the Juechen Celestial Pavilion... It will take at least seven or eight days for Yun Che to receive the news and arrive. During that time, there are plenty of things we can do!"
"Yes!"
The Blazing Heaven Sect was located within the Blazing Heaven Valley. The sect's grounds were not flat but consisted of undulating mountain terrain, crisscrossed with various high and low cliff faces. The Juechen Celestial Pavilion was Fen Juechen's residence, and it was called the "Juechen Celestial Pavilion" because it was built on the highest cliff face within the Blazing Heaven Sect, nearly thirty zhang tall.
This was Fen Juechen's residence, sometimes used as a training ground, and no one was ever allowed to set foot there casually. Of course, if Fen Juecheng insisted on entering, no one would dare to stop him.
Fen Juechen was not in the Juechen Celestial Pavilion. Fen Juecheng entered unimpeded, pushed open the door, and immediately saw a girl standing by the wooden window, looking back with a panicked expression.
Seeing this girl, Fen Juecheng's eyes lit up immediately, revealing a lecherous light like a hungry wolf.
The girl before him looked only seventeen or eighteen years old. Although the information he had received said that Yun Che's aunt was not old, he hadn't expected her to be so young—clearly even younger than Yun Che. The girl's tender cheeks were snow-white and delicate, her rosy lips were enticingly moist, her delicate nose was exquisite, and beneath her jet-black eyelashes were eyes as clear and beautiful as star diamonds, even though they shimmered with panic. Her long dress was very ordinary and even slightly worn, but on her, it presented a sense of pure elegance.
Fen Juecheng fixed his gaze on her, unable to look away for a long time. Liu Yun City—a place he couldn't be bothered with—he never imagined it could nurture such a stunningly beautiful girl, so full of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth. Compared to her beautiful face, what was even more captivating was the spiritual purity that seemed untouched by any worldly filth, and the delicate fragility that was clearly reflected in her, instinctively arousing a desire to protect her. Especially her beautiful eyes, like a pool of crystal clear spring water, transparent and touching.
Fen Juecheng's gaze alternated between greed and lewdness. He kicked the door shut and walked toward Xiao Lingxi with a leering smile.
"You... who are you? What do you want?" Meeting Fen Juecheng's gaze, Xiao Lingxi felt a chill run through her body. She stepped back in panic, her right hand clutching the clothes at her chest.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." Fen Juecheng said with a smile. "I am the Young Sect Master of the Blazing Heaven Sect, Fen Juecheng. You should remember this name well. You are Yun Che's aunt? If I remember correctly, your name is Xiao Lingxi? Not many people in this world can make me remember their names, but fortunately, you not only didn't disappoint me, you gave me a huge surprise."
As he spoke, Fen Juecheng's smile grew more wanton.
The Blazing Heaven Sect was something that, to Xiao Lingxi, only existed in legends. The Young Sect Master of the Blazing Heaven Sect was an even more legendary figure... like half a father, half a master! With my current abilities, I simply cannot defeat him... If I can avenge this humiliation, what does it matter if I am despicable and shameless once!?"
At that moment, Fen Juechen suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. A cold, sharp killing intent, filled with deep hatred, seemed to come from nowhere, causing him to choke suddenly... This was the first time in his life he had felt such terrifying killing intent. And then, a roar descended from the sky like a thunderclap from the nine heavens:
"YOU BASTARDS OF THE BLAZING HEAVEN SECT! ALL OF YOU, GET OUT HERE AND DIE!!!!"
The earth-shattering roar shook the entire Blazing Heaven Sect, even the entire Blazing Heaven Valley. That overwhelming killing intent completely enveloped the vast sect, causing every single person in the Blazing Heaven Sect to feel as if they had fallen into an ice cavern, shivering involuntarily. Fen Juechen, Fen Juecheng who hadn't yet fully descended from the Juechen Celestial Pavilion, and Fen Duanhun and the Elders who were in the Council Hall discussing matters—all their expressions changed drastically.
They had kidnapped Xiao Lingxi and Xiao Lie precisely to lure and force Yun Che to come.
But they never expected Yun Che to arrive so quickly! So fast that it caught them almost completely off guard.