Chapter 340: Luring the Tiger Away
Xiao Lie leaned against a corner of the prison cage, his face gaunt and haggard. There was no anger, no resentment, no panic or struggle. He showed no reaction even to someone's arrival, as if he had completely become indifferent to life and death. A minor figure from a small city, brought to the dungeon of Fen Tian Gate—anyone could imagine what the final outcome would be.
Xiao Lie's aura was slightly weak, accompanied by traces of minor internal injuries, but there were no signs of external wounds. Yun Che let out a huge sigh of relief.
A prison guard stepped forward, opened the heavy cage door, and said coldly, "Go in. Make it quick."
"No need..." Yun Che's eyes turned cold. Before the four prison guards beside him could react, his Dragon Gate was already in his hand, sweeping out in an instant.
"You..."
Boom!!
The bottom floor of the entire Dragon Prison trembled slightly. The four prison guards were blasted away in an instant. Struck directly by the Dragon Gate, their death was an absolute certainty. In their dying moments, their wide-open pupils reflected the nightmare-like Dragon Gate.
This sudden change threw the seventh floor of the Dragon Prison into chaos. Everyone locked in the cages lunged forward, letting out howls that could be either excitement or terror. In the deathly silence, Xiao Lie also lifted his head. Yun Che dashed forward in a single stride, grabbing Xiao Lie's arm and shouting emotionally, "Grandfather, it's me... It's Che'er!"
As he spoke, Yun Che lightly wiped his face, and his true features appeared clearly before Xiao Lie's eyes. Xiao Lie's dim eyes suddenly burst with brilliance. He grabbed Yun Che's arm, his entire body trembling with excitement: "Che'er, you... you..."
Yun Che's eyes were firm as he said, "Grandfather, it's been a long time. I have so much to tell you, but now is not the time... Let's leave this place first... Don't worry, Grandfather, we will definitely escape! Little Aunt is already waiting for us in a safe place."
Xiao Lie stared fixedly at Yun Che, a surge of countless emotions and countless words welling up in his heart. Looking into Yun Che's eyes, feeling that unfamiliar yet deeply familiar aura—as heavy as a mountain, as vast as an ocean—he nodded heavily: "Good... Good!"
"What's going on!!"
Loud shouts came from above, accompanied by the sound of footsteps growing closer. Yun Che helped Xiao Lie up, wrapped his arm tightly around his body, and said in a low voice, "Grandfather, we're leaving this place now... Haa!!!"
Yun Che took a deep breath and let out a low roar. The Dragon Gate, accompanied by a resounding dragon's cry, crashed toward the ceiling...
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!
A deafening roar, like the collapse of heaven and earth, resounded throughout Fen Tian Gate, triggering alarms and cries from the previously silent night. With a single sword strike from Yun Che, he smashed straight through all seven floors of the Dragon Prison. Yun Che, carrying Xiao Lie, leaped up, rising over twenty zhang in an instant and landing back on the ground of Fen Tian Gate.
The sudden explosion of the ground naturally drew the gaze of everyone nearby. When the surrounding Fen Tian disciples recognized the figure that landed, their expressions instantly turned to endless terror: "Yun... Yun Che!!"
A profound mark flashed on the back of Yun Che's hand, and the Snow Phoenix Beast appeared beside him with a long cry. He quickly pushed Xiao Lie onto the Snow Phoenix Beast's back and said calmly, "Grandfather, let Xiao Chan take you away first. She will bring you to where Little Aunt is now... I'll stay behind to settle some personal grievances... Don't worry, in at most two hours, I'll return and meet up with you all!"
"Xiao Chan, go quickly!"
"Che'er, you..."
Before Xiao Lie's anxious words could fully leave his mouth, the Snow Phoenix Beast had already shot away on the wind with a long cry, swift as a white meteor under the dark night, disappearing from sight in an instant. Yun Che could no longer hear the rest of Xiao Lie's words, but he knew what Xiao Lie wanted to say.
Watching the Snow Phoenix Beast fade into the distance, Yun Che smiled contentedly. When he turned his face, his expression instantly turned cold. With the Snow Phoenix Beast's speed, not even the supreme sect master of Fen Tian Gate might be able to catch up. However, the Snow Phoenix Beast was currently relying on medicinal power to sustain itself, and its extreme speed state could not last long. Coupled with the fact that Xiao Lingxi's current hiding place was not far from Fen Tian Gate, Yun Che absolutely could not leave together with Xiao Lie. Otherwise, there would be a high chance of being caught up to or of their hiding place being discovered.
Moreover, Fen Tian Gate's target was never Xiao Lie in the first place—it was him. Since he had appeared, naturally no one would bother with Xiao Lie. Once Xiao Lie left like this, he would basically be completely safe!
Having safely rescued Xiao Lingxi and Xiao Lie from Fen Tian Gate, Yun Che's heart finally settled. But for him, things were far from over. Because now was the time for him to formally collect his debt from Fen Tian Gate.
The Dragon Gate slammed heavily into the ground, with dozens of cracks spreading rapidly from under his feet, extending all the way to the feet of many Fen Tian disciples around him. They stumbled back in fear. Watching their pathetic retreat, Yun Che laughed wildly: "That's right! Your Yun grandfather is back again! You all just wait obediently! I, Yun Che, swear here and now: within one month, I will have your Fen Tian Gate forever erased from the Tian Xuan Continent!"
Yun Che's voice was extremely loud, carrying clearly throughout the entire Fen Tian Gate stronghold. Amidst his wild laughter, he put away the Dragon Gate, turned around, and fled swiftly southward. His figure soon vanished into the night.
Not long after, a thunderous roar of rage descended from the sky: "You beast! Tonight, this old man will make sure you never return! Where do you think you're going!"
That voice was even more thunderous than Yun Che's, mixed with deep fury—clearly enraged by Yun Che's words. Before the sound had fully faded, two black figures swept across the sky, chasing straight in the direction Yun Che had fled, their speed as swift as ghosts... One of these two figures was Fen Yijue, the supreme sect master of Fen Tian Gate, and the other was Fen Ziya, the supreme elder.
Soon, Fen Duanhun and a group of elders rushed over. Looking at the mess above the Dragon Prison, they all drew in a cold breath.
"Sect Master, should we go assist the supreme sect master?" Fen Moji asked for instructions.
"No need!" Fen Duanhun raised his hand. "With my father and the supreme elder taking action, we're not needed. Hmph, he was severely injured just yesterday, his strength greatly depleted. I never expected him to dare break in today... This time, with my father and the supreme elder joining forces, he has no chance of escaping."
"Too young, after all. Just to save a worthless relative, he disregards his injuries and comes to die. With the supreme sect master and the supreme elder acting together, victory is absolutely certain. I believe they will succeed within half a quarter-hour... This time, we must make Yun Che pay the heaviest price!" Another elder gnashed his teeth, as if Yun Che was already firmly in their grasp.
Shortly after Yun Che burst out of Fen Tian Gate, two incredibly powerful auras chased directly after him. He was slightly startled, then let out a cold sneer... He hadn't expected that both of Fen Tian Gate's old monsters would chase after him at the same time. This was simply...
Perfect!!
Usually, carrying the Dragon Gate on his back and fighting with it was itself a form of training for Yun Che. With the Dragon Gate in hand, Yun Che possessed extremely strong destructive power, but his mobility was severely lacking—movement, evasion, and surprise attacks mostly relied on Star God Remnant Shadow. Once he discarded the Dragon Gate, it was like throwing off a great mountain from his back. His speed became as swift as thunder, making it impossible even for the two King Xuan powerhouses behind him to catch up immediately.
Three figures—one below, two above—moved through the dark night. The two above locked their auras firmly onto Yun Che. As their chase continued, their hearts grew increasingly astonished... The injuries Yun Che had suffered yesterday were all too clear to them. Yet with such injuries and consumption, after only a day and a half, he had recovered to the point of being able to flee for so long under their pursuit.
Unnoticed, seventy to eighty li had passed beneath their feet. The distance between the two King Xuan powerhouses and Yun Che had shortened from an initial one li to less than thirty zhang. At that moment, a dense, gloomy forest appeared ahead of Yun Che in the dark night.
"Beast! For what you've done to my Fen Tian Gate, tonight I will tear you into a thousand pieces! Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you won't escape this old man's grasp!" Fen Yijue roared angrily, drawing closer and closer to Yun Che.
"You're not worthy!"
Yun Che suddenly turned back mid-sprint, grabbing the Dragon Gate. With a fierce roar, the shadow of a wolf appeared behind him, and he smashed a Heavenly Wolf Strike toward the two in the air.
Awooo!!
A wolf shadow shot into the sky. The overwhelming power of the strike caused both of their expressions to change dramatically. Not daring to withstand it together, they simultaneously dodged in midair, veering sharply in two directions... The shadow of the Celestial Wolf grazed past them, causing every hair on their bodies to stand on end. This terrifying sensation made it clear that if that wolf shadow had struck them head-on, even they would have been severely wounded.
Their frantic evasions caused a momentary break in their lock on Yun Che's aura. Seizing this opportunity, Yun Che dashed into the forest ahead, speeding southward at an incredible pace.
"Hmph! Still delusional about escaping from our hands?" Both of them firmly locked onto Yun Che's aura and pursued. At speeds faster than a gale, the two figures quickly vanished completely into the night.
But at that moment, Yun Che's figure leisurely emerged from the very edge of the forest. He sneered mockingly in the direction the two King Xuan powerhouses had gone, his body covered in a thin layer of Ice Cloud Barrier.
That's right. What Fen Yijue and Fen Ziya were chasing was merely his Arcane Firmament.
Wrapped in the Ice Cloud Barrier, Yun Che turned back toward Fen Tian Gate. As the distance grew greater, his speed increased. Once the distance was completely safe, he dispelled the Ice Cloud Barrier, activated full speed, and charged straight for Fen Tian Gate.
Not long after, patches of fire rose into the sky in the far distance... In the dark forest, Fen Yijue and Fen Ziya, having suddenly lost Yun Che's aura, began setting the forest ablaze to force out Yun Che, whom they believed was "concealing himself with some special method." They absolutely refused to believe that Yun Che could escape their aura lock, and they certainly couldn't believe that the Yun Che who had "just disappeared" was already over ten li away.
...