Chapter 335: Heavenfire Star-Immolation Array?
The sound of the wooden window shattering was completely drowned out by the deafening roar that filled the entire Fen Tian Gate, unable to attract anyone's attention. But, as if by telepathy, Yun Che's gaze was pulled by something invisible, and he subconsciously looked up... and in that one glance, he saw Xiao Lingxi's figure as she broke through the window and fell.
Yun Che's eyesight at this moment was comparable to that of a King Xuan level expert; he could clearly see a blade of grass a hundred zhang away, but it was not enough to clearly see a face three hundred zhang away—he could even barely make out the silhouette. But the moment his gaze touched Xiao Lingxi's falling figure, his pupils suddenly dilated, and his heart crazily pounded... In his sea of consciousness, three words heavily slammed against his soul.
Little Aunt!!
Although he couldn't see her face, couldn't see her clothes, couldn't see her figure... he could only see a blurry image, but the name "Little Aunt" appeared overwhelmingly strongly in his heart. Because he was too familiar with her... For a full fifteen years, they had grown up together, day and night, inseparable. The time he had spent with Xiao Lingxi was even far more than with Su Linger. He was familiar with her appearance, temperament, preferences, eyes, thoughts... even her scent, down to the very marrow of his bones. Even their souls had long since almost merged into each other's.
Yun Che completely believed that even if his Little Aunt were transformed by some mythical magic into a small animal or a flower, he would still recognize her in an instant.
"Little... Aunt!!"
Falling from a height of seventy zhang would not injure a Xuan Adept above the Spirit Xuan Realm, but Xiao Lingxi's profound strength had only just barely broken through the Xuan Entry Realm. Falling from such a height was enough to kill her instantly! After a momentary daze, Yun Che's eyes cracked open, blood rushed to his head, and he let out a violent roar, putting away his Dragon Gate. Ignoring everything around him, he charged forward like a madman.
The ferocious Yun Che, who had been so terrifying that no one could even get close, suddenly had all his murderous aura dissipate, exposing a huge opening. He even put away that fearsome King Xuan heavy sword. The three Heavenly Xuan Elders broke through, their violent Fen Tian Blood Claws simultaneously slamming into Yun Che's back.
Yun Che let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. But using the attacks of the three Heavenly Xuan Elders, he rushed forward even faster, breaking free from the encirclement of all the Fen Tian Elders. His eyes bulged as if about to burst, staring fixedly at the falling Xiao Lingxi... Putting away the Dragon Gate, his speed became extremely fast, but with such speed, it was completely impossible to catch her before she fell.
A hundred zhang was quickly covered beneath Yun Che's feet, but Xiao Lingxi had already fallen halfway. Below was hard marble; once she landed, there was almost no hope of her surviving. Yun Che stretched his hand forward, letting out agonized cries from his throat... He had never before so crazily wished for the world to stop.
"Little Aunt... Little Aunt!!"
The hoarse shouts came as if from a dream. In mid-fall, Xiao Lingxi slowly opened her eyes. The wind in her ears was urgent and cold, like the summons of the Death God from hell, yet mixed with a voice she was infinitely familiar with and missed. Following the direction of the voice, she shifted her gaze and vaguely saw the figure rushing towards her like a madman, meeting his urgent, flustered, and terrified gaze...
Her heartstrings were heavily plucked. The will to survive suddenly grew rapidly within her heart. She closed her eyes and released all her profound strength, protecting her body.
Xiao Lingxi fell faster and faster. In less than three breaths, she would crash onto the hard cold ground, while the distance between Yun Che and her was still a despairingly long stretch.
"Ugh... Aaaaah!!"
"Purgatory!!"
A beast-like roar overflowed from Yun Che's throat. He forcibly opened the third realm gate. Instantly, a red light burst forth on his body, and all his profound strength blazed like flames, turning entirely into the momentum for his mad rush forward... Yun Che's speed abruptly increased, but Xiao Lingxi was getting closer and closer to the ground at an even faster speed... closer and closer...
"Phoenix Wing Firmament!!"
Yun Che's figure transformed into a flaming arrow, suddenly darting forward an extremely long distance... Then, his left arm extended, and a cyan light shot out like a meteor.
"Arcane Firmament... Go!!"
This Arcane Firmament poured in almost all of his faith and hope. His gaze was fixed on the trajectory of the Arcane Firmament flying towards Xiao Lingxi... At this moment, he could no longer pay attention, but his Arcane Firmament was actually cyan!
In normal state, Arcane Firmament was red; in Evil Soul state, it was orange; in Heart Incineration state, it was yellow. Following that, under the Purgatory state, Arcane Firmament should have been green... but the Arcane Firmament Yun Che released at this moment was actually cyan! The same cyan as Yun Canghai's!
The speed of Arcane Firmament far exceeded Yun Che's own, shooting forward like a fleeting flash of light... But in his sight, its trajectory was so slow. The flow of time seemed to slow down greatly in Yun Che's eyes at this moment. He kept his eyes wide open, watching Xiao Lingxi fall bit by bit, watching the Arcane Firmament approach bit by bit... Finally, when Xiao Lingxi's body was less than two chi from the ground below, the Arcane Firmament carrying all his hope, at that very instant, rushed beneath her...
Bang!!
The Arcane Firmament struck the rocky wall. A not-too-strong force exploded, and the wind it stirred shifted Xiao Lingxi's falling trajectory, sending her flying sideways like a leaf in the wind. At that moment, Yun Che pounced over, his arms firmly embracing Xiao Lingxi... In that instant, it was as if he had embraced the entire world.
Bang!!
Another heavy sound. Unable to stop his momentum, Yun Che's head smashed hard against the rocky wall, and he rolled over with Xiao Lingxi in his arms and fell to the ground. But Xiao Lingxi in his arms was firmly protected by his profound strength, suffering no injury. He quickly sat up, holding Xiao Lingxi tightly. The next moment, their eyes met directly, and both froze simultaneously. The scene seemed to be forever frozen in that instant.
They had grown up together, faced each other day and night, once never separated for even a single day... But this time, it was a separation of three whole years. And those three years of separation felt to them as long and agonizing as three centuries.
Xiao Lingxi's complexion was very pale, her breath weak. Although her body hadn't hit the ground, the impact from the fall and the collision, as gentle as possible, with the Arcane Firmament's force had thrown her internal profound energy and breath into chaos, and her internal organs suffered considerable damage. If not for the desire to see Yun Che one more time, she would have already fainted.
She stared blankly at Yun Che, her eyes dazed and blurred, as if in a dream. Slowly, the eyes that had been filled with the will to die began to gain more and more radiance... joy, tenderness, emotion, satisfaction, no regrets... She felt herself held tightly in his arms. This used to be such a familiar and ordinary feeling, but this time since the last was far too long... Quietly lying in his embrace, she could no longer hear any other sounds, could not feel any bodily pain or weakness, forgot all the calamities she had just endured... In her heart, there was only the peace, warmth, and happiness that only he could give...
Her lips curved up bit by bit. Her jade-like hand slowly lifted and gently covered Yun Che's face. From between her lips, a voice like a gentle breeze moved: "Little Che... you've finally... returned..."
With just one light sentence, a few words, Yun Che could clearly feel a sea-like depth of longing and missing. In that instant, Yun Che almost burst into tears right there. And Xiao Lingxi's hand fell at this moment, and she completely lost consciousness.
Three years without seeing each other, Xiao Lingxi had grown taller, but her waist had become even more slender and soft. Holding her in his arms, she was as light as a bundle of silk, weightless... She had grown up. She had transformed from a naive fifteen-year-old girl into an elegant eighteen-year-old maiden, but she had become so thin. During these most precious three years of life, what she had endured were loneliness and bitterness that ordinary people could hardly bear, along with the longing and missing that accompanied day and night.
Yun Che stood up, silently raising his head. On the high Juechen Heavenly Pavilion, he saw two figures looking down below... One was Fen Juecheng, and the other was Fen Juechen!
A violent killing aura burst from his body, and the hatred in his heart surged like monstrous waves in the ocean. But, he forcefully suppressed all murderous intent and resentment. Holding Xiao Lingxi, he summoned the exhausted Snow Phoenix Beast and rushed straight towards the east...
He no longer wanted to fight. He only wanted to take his Little Aunt safely away from this place, the faster the better! No matter how strong the anger or hatred, even if it were a thousand times fiercer, it was not as important as Xiao Lingxi by even a single hair.
Just as Yun Che rescued Xiao Lingxi, Fen Tian Gate also made a major move.
"Activate the Heavenfire Star-Immolation Array immediately!" Fen Duanhun roared... Looking at the miserable scene of devastation before him, at the bodies of elders and hall masters, he could no longer remain calm. His voice became twisted and violent.
Fen Moji, who was also still shaken, was greatly startled by Fen Duanhun's order and said hurriedly, "B-but, Gate Master, the Heavenfire Star-Immolation Array can only be used when the sect faces an overwhelming enemy. Once used, it requires a full three hundred years to rebuild..."
"Is what we are facing right now not an overwhelming enemy?!" Fen Duanhun shouted through gritted teeth. "Yun Che must die! Otherwise, if he leaves today, my Fen Tian Gate will surely face utter destruction in the near future! Hurry!"
"Y-yes!"
"All of you, get out of the way!!"
Yun Che drove the Snow Phoenix Beast at full speed. Since the Snow Phoenix Beast, after traveling six thousand li without rest, was in a state of utter exhaustion, when summoned again, its flying speed was not fast, and its altitude was less than ten zhang. But as he charged forward, not a single Fen Tian Elder came to meet him; instead, they all frantically scattered far away, seemingly intending to let him leave freely... At this moment, with his strength greatly depleted and carrying another person in his arms, it should have been the best opportunity for Fen Tian Gate to attack him.
Just then, Mo Li's warning voice suddenly rang out: "A powerful attack array is forming ahead, ready to unleash. Its power is enough to kill a late-stage King Xuan!"
Mo Li's words made Yun Che's heart tighten sharply... Kill a late-stage King Xuan? Could such a terrifying array be hidden within Fen Tian Gate? The foundation of the four great sects was certainly not to be underestimated.
"However..." Mo Li's voice then softened, a cold sneer in her tone. "This array is a pure... flame array!"
Not long after Mo Li's voice fell, a giant deep-purple profound array suddenly appeared on the ground beneath Yun Che, spinning rapidly. At the edges of the array, over forty pillars of azure-purple flame shot up into the sky. Each pillar was a full five chi thick and dozens of zhang tall, tightly enclosing Yun Che and the unconscious Xiao Lingxi in the center.
...