Chapter 355: The Forbidden Secret of Fen Tian Gate
But these words falling on Fen Juechen's ears only made him feel endless humiliation. No matter what reason Yun Che had for sparing him, to him it was a form of charity... a charity from the one who killed his family and wiped out his entire clan.
"Yun Che... if you have the balls, just kill me! I don't need your demon's pity or charity!" Fen Juechen gasped heavily, his ten fingers deeply digging into the ground, the gaps between them filled with bloodstains. His two gazes were as sharp and ferocious as two blood-stained spikes, as if he wished he could tear Yun Che to pieces with his eyes alone.
"I'll say it one more time: I'm not killing you, not out of pity, and even less out of charity, but because my Little Aunt asked me to spare you... However, I will only spare you this once! If someday you dare to do anything against me, I will surely kill you! So if you want to seek revenge from me, cultivate until you are strong enough before coming to find me. Don't waste this life you barely managed to keep!"
Yun Che didn't spare Fen Juechen another glance. He turned around and silently walked away.
Watching Yun Che leave, Fen Juechen's eyes widened to the point of cracking, his frail body struggling violently, a hoarse, sandpaper-like roar tearing from his throat: "Yun Che... don't go! Don't go! I haven't killed you yet... I'm going to kill you! I'll cut you into a thousand pieces, grind your bones to dust! I'll make you suffer every pain in this world... Don't go! Get back here! Ah!!!!"
No matter how hysterical Fen Juechen's roar was, it couldn't stop Yun Che's departing steps. Soon, there was no trace of Yun Che in Fen Juechen's line of sight. He collapsed forward, his bloodied hands grabbing the scorched ashes on the ground, crying like a hopeless wolf in anguish.
Since he had started cultivating profound energy more than a decade ago, he had never shed a single tear.
But today, he cried his heart out.
His parents, his grandfather, all his relatives, his clan, and his entire home were all gone! Once the son of a sect master, in a single day he was left alone, with nothing. All that remained was the endless, boundless hatred filling his heart, his blood, his marrow, his soul...
Every place in his consciousness that could be branded was deeply imprinted with Yun Che's image.
"I will take revenge... I will take revenge... I will take revenge... Yun Che... I will definitely... kill you!!!"
"Even if I have to suffer a thousand cuts and the torments of the Nine Nether Purgatory, I will definitely kill you!!!"
The blood-soaked oath traveled far on the desolate wind. The sky gradually darkened, and the wind's howling became urgent, as if even the heavens were shaken by the boundless hatred contained in his voice.
"The reason I didn't kill you... was because my Little Aunt asked me to spare you..."
It was her...
She was the one who told Yun Che not to kill me...
She was the one... who let me keep this broken life...
Fen Juechen's eyes suddenly became blurred. In his mind, the image he could never forget for the rest of his life surfaced...
That day, he had personally led people to Liu Yun City to bring back two of Yun Che's family members. The moment he arrived at the back mountain of Xiao Sect and saw Xiao Lingxi, his mind, which had always been filled with arrogant pride, completely lost its composure in an instant.
Xiao Lingxi was sitting by the stream, her hands supporting her knees and cupping her delicate cheeks, her eyes misty and dreamy, her gaze tender, lost in thought. Her waterfall-like hair fell into the water, the tips spreading out with the current. From Fen Juechen's angle, he could only see half of her profile, yet just that half of a side face caused his heart to tremble violently for the first time in his life.
Her brows were delicate and exquisite, her nose straight and dainty, her lips pink and tender, her eyes like sparkling gems, and her snow-white skin shimmered with a moist luster, as if coated with a layer of pearl powder.
The mountain had water, and it was the season of spring blossoms and lush greenery. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, but under the radiance of the young girl, it all paled in comparison, becoming mere background. Fen Juechen felt his heartstrings struck hard. He had never looked at any woman with real attention, but at this moment, a sudden impulse to sink into her arose... He couldn't even be sure if what he was seeing was a girl or a mountain spirit, ethereal and stunningly beautiful.
At that time, he felt as if he had suddenly fallen under some kind of inescapable curse.
From Fen Tian Gate to Liu Yun City, it took him four days. But from Liu Yun City back to Fen Tian Gate, it took him nearly six days. He deliberately slowed down because he was worried that Xiao Lingxi couldn't handle the fast journey. Along the way, he didn't let anyone harm Xiao Lingxi, and instead actively assured her that he would never do anything to endanger her safety, and that he would personally send her back in the near future.
And he had indeed kept his promise. Even when he fought with Fen Juecheng, he absolutely would not allow him to harm Xiao Lingxi in the slightest.
He never expected that Xiao Lingxi would actually plead with Yun Che on his behalf... to spare his life.
An indescribable feeling sprouted in his heart. In a world originally filled with hatred and coldness, there suddenly appeared a softness so tender it was almost unbearable. But immediately, he shook his head violently, throwing that feeling away completely... All he could think about now was revenge! And she was Yun Che's Little Aunt, a relative of the demon who had annihilated his entire clan!
"Kill you... kill you... I will definitely kill you... I will take revenge!!"
Fen Juechen stood up, looking at the scorched black ground, his eyes hollow. He staggered forward, not knowing where to go or where he could go. He just moved mechanically, stepping on the unrecognizable land. Bodies passed beneath his feet one after another... And then, his ears caught the faintest sound of groaning.
Fen Juechen's steps halted, then he lunged forward, scrambling and crawling to the side of Fen Yijue's body... Fen Yijue's chest had a hole the size of a head in it, his internal organs completely shredded. At that time, he had no vital signs, and nearly an hour had passed since then. Even as a Throne, he should have been dead beyond a doubt...
But he hadn't completely died. He still clung to a final breath. When Fen Juechen fell beside him, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Grandfather... Grandfather!"
Fen Juechen usually had little communication with Fen Yijue and hardly any emotional connection, but now, seeing his own grandfather still clinging to life, Fen Juechen trembled all over with excitement.
"Chen'er..."
Fen Yijue let out a weak call. Slowly, with all his remaining strength, he raised his right hand, between his fingers holding a pitch-black key wrapped in black mist.
"Chen'er... this key... was left by our ancestors... sealed within it is... a forbidden... and terrible secret... Our ancestors' dying words said... only when all hope is lost... should you... take out this key... Within the key... is a memory imprint... It will guide you to... the place where the key is to be used... It will make you lose your soul... lose everything... and even destroy... the entire... Tian Xuan Continent..."
"But... our Fen Tian Gate... should not have suffered such a fate... You must take revenge... re... venge..."
Fen Yijue's raised right arm fell heavily, and there was no more sound. He had clung to his final breath, refusing to die, all for this last secret of Fen Tian Gate...
A forbidden, world-shaking secret.
Fen Juechen extended a trembling hand and closed Fen Yijue's eyes that refused to shut. With his other hand, he picked up the pitch-black key and clenched it tightly in his palm... Immediately, strange black mist seeped out from between his fingers, writhing eerily...
---
With Fen Tian Gate destroyed, the anger in Yun Che's heart was finally fully vented. He knew very well what he had done, and he knew even more clearly how huge a commotion this would cause and what the consequences would be.
After leaving Fen Tian Gate, Yun Che summoned the Snow Phoenix Beast, rose into the air, and headed north, straight for Cangfeng Imperial City.
"You really once touched the Lunhui Jing, crossed reincarnation, and altered the cause and effect!"
Just as Yun Che lay down on the back of the Snow Phoenix Beast, preparing to sleep soundly, Mo Li's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
"Uh, why do you say that?" Yun Che opened his just-closed eyes and asked back.
"Killing so many people at once, not only did your expression not change, but even your breathing and heart rate showed no change! Even the most brutal murderous demon would not be so calm after killing so many people," Mo Li said coldly. "You are only nineteen years old. With your life experience, it would be impossible for you to achieve this. The only possibility is that you once used the Lunhui Jing to traverse reincarnation! Before you activated the Lunhui Jing, your life experience was definitely extraordinary. You must have killed countless people and borne countless sins and blood debts. And the fact that there is no power reaction on the Lunhui Jing proves it was used within the last twenty years!"
"The time wheel of the Cang Yun Continent and the Tian Xuan Continent are misaligned. After the Evil God's soul sent you to the Cang Yun Continent, your various reactions were also extremely unusual. I suspected it then, and now I can confirm... You must have had a past life on the Cang Yun Continent. That Su Linger, hmph... She is probably another one of your women, right?"
"Hoo..." Yun Che let out a soft breath. There was really nothing he could hide from Mo Li. Closing his eyes, he spoke slowly: "Your guess is correct. I indeed had an incredible 'previous life,' and it was on the Cang Yun Continent. Back then, I was supposed to have fallen off a cliff to my death. I had no idea why I was reborn here until I found out I had the Lunhui Jing on me. Then I vaguely understood some things. But besides you, even if I told anyone else, they wouldn't believe it, right?"
"Do you still remember? I once told you that the number of people I've killed exceeds yours. You scoffed at it then... But I really wasn't joking. The people I've killed are not only more than you, but many, many more... If you consider yourself a villain, an unforgivable demon, then I..." Yun Che slowly turned his head, his expression calm: "I am a demon among demons. But I never kill without reason, and I never regret any of my killings. I believe you are the same."
Mo Li fell silent for a long time.
After a good while, Mo Li suddenly said: "This time, you spared the one person you should never have spared! That Fen Juechen is very dangerous. In the future, he might become a threat to you."
"I know. His willpower is astonishingly strong. Under today's stimulation, in order to seek revenge from me, he will turn into a madman who will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything for the sake of power. However, whether because he saved Little Aunt or because of Little Aunt's plea, I couldn't bring myself to kill him."
Then, Yun Che pursed his lips, his expression relaxed: "I have the Dragon God and Phoenix bloodlines, and I practice divine arts. Even if he becomes a madman among madmen, he can never catch up to my pace. I actually hope he can cherish this life that my Little Aunt granted him, find a safe place to live quietly. But if one day he really comes to seek revenge from me, I'll have no choice but to send him to reunite with his clan."