Chapter 362: The Terrified Xiao Sect
Ling Tianni's injuries were extremely severe. If the wound on his chest had been just a fraction deeper, it would have been enough to destroy his internal organs. He was acutely aware that Yun Che's final strike had shown mercy—not only had he abruptly withdrawn most of his power, but the attack's trajectory had also deviated from the vital point. He let out a long sigh inwardly and said to Ling Jie in a weak voice, "Let us... leave..."
Ling Jie said nothing, lifting Ling Tianni and preparing to depart. At that moment, Yun Che's cold voice came from behind them: "Ling Tianni, do you think you can just leave like this?"
Ling Jie's steps faltered, and Ling Tianni's body also trembled slightly... And Ling Jie could clearly feel a shudder from Ling Tianni—yes, a shudder. And it seemed to be a shudder of fear. Once an inner demon is planted, even a peerless expert at the level of a Sword Saint would find it extremely difficult to shake off or resist.
Yun Che stared at Ling Tianni with a gloomy gaze: "If you leave like this, aren't you afraid that I'll hold a grudge and one day storm the Tian Jian Villa, turning it into a second Fen Tian Gate? Don't doubt that I have that ability... Three years ago, I had no profound strength at all. A year and a half ago, I won the top spot in the Ranking Battle. Now, I can destroy the Fen Tian Gate single-handedly... Although I can't defeat you alone right now, let alone destroy the Tian Jian Villa, give me two years—at most two more years—and I can turn the Tian Jian Villa into ruins with ease... Do you believe me?!"
In three years, going from having no profound strength to being able to severely wound Ling Tianni—such growth was unprecedented, shocking, and even chilling. No one could imagine what terrifying level of power Yun Che would reach in another two years at this rate of growth.
Perhaps by then, he really could single-handedly match the entire Tian Jian Villa.
Ling Tianni's body trembled again... A junior less than twenty years old, clamoring about destroying the Tian Jian Villa all by himself—this should have been a laughable joke. But Ling Tianni couldn't laugh; instead, he felt a chill throughout his body. Even without the inner demon, these few words from Yun Che were enough to make his heart tremble with fear. Because today, he had personally experienced Yun Che's terror... In fact, he was already deeply regretting coming to chase and kill Yun Che. In the end, he hadn't been able to kill Yun Che, had been severely wounded himself, had been left with an inner demon, and had brought a terrifying enemy upon the Tian Jian Villa.
"But don't worry, I won't!" Yun Che said through slightly gritted teeth. "Because the one who wants to kill me is only you, not the entire Tian Jian Villa. I didn't even kill you... because Xiao Jie is my brother, and I absolutely refuse to lay a hand on his family. I'm saying this to make you understand that I am not the heinous villain you claim I am. Whatever I do, whoever I kill, I have my own principles and bottom line. The enmity between the Fen Tian Gate and me has nothing to do with anyone else. If remnants of the Fen Tian Gate or their descendants come to seek revenge, that is only natural. But you, Ling Tianni... You are nothing but an outsider who knows nothing. What right do you have to appear before me as a judge, claiming to 'carry out justice on behalf of heaven'!"
"Although I still have enough strength left to kill you, today I will spare your life. In the future, I will not trouble the Tian Jian Villa. If you still believe I am that kind of depraved, utterly evil person, then by all means, come after me again once your wounds have healed!"
Ling Tianni closed his eyes and let out a long sigh: "Perhaps I was truly wrong. Since I have already been defeated today, I will never be able to kill you in the future. I sincerely hope... that I was wrong..."
"Jie'er, let us go."
Ling Jie glanced back at Yun Che, his eyes filled with gratitude, admiration, and an indescribable complexity. In the end, he said nothing, turned around, helped Ling Tianni onto the Wind Flame Bird, and vanished into the sky.
"Huff..."
Yun Che let out a long breath, and his body collapsed powerlessly, landing right against Xia Qingyue's soft chest. He closed his eyes and said softly, "Qingyue, don't leave just yet. For the next while... I need your protection..."
With that, Yun Che's consciousness could no longer hold out, and he sank into complete blankness...
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When the news arrived, Xiao Juetian's hands and feet turned ice-cold, his scalp went numb, and his head nearly exploded.
"Are all these things you said... true?"
"A thousand times true!" Xiao Boyun said with a dark face. "Ling Tianni did exactly as we predicted and struck, chasing Yun Che all the way to the Cangfeng Imperial City. But when they fought, not only did he fail to kill Yun Che, he was severely wounded by Yun Che and his ally combined. Yun Che deliberately held back in the end; otherwise, Ling Tianni might have died at Yun Che's hands. They fought right in the Imperial City, and countless people witnessed it."
"Furthermore, Xia Qingyue came to aid Yun Che under the banner of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace, even daring to face Ling Tianni head-on... Yun Che's individual strength is already terrifying, and behind him, he also has the full protection of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace! Additionally, witnesses say they heard the words 'Ice God Divine Art,' and it's very possible that Xia Qingyue has already mastered the legendary supreme profound art of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace. With Yun Che and Xia Qingyue joining forces as husband and wife, even Ling Tianni could only be defeated. No one in all of Cangfeng can match them!"
Xiao Juetian sat down heavily on his seat, sweating profusely.
"Sect Master, after severely wounding Ling Tianni, Yun Che's strength was greatly depleted, and he even fainted on the spot. He must be extremely weak right now. Should we..." Xiao Boyun didn't finish his sentence, but his tone and expression made his meaning clear enough.
Xiao Juetian's brow twitched slightly, but then he suddenly asked, "Has Xia Qingyue left?"
Hearing this, Xiao Boyun's expression changed slightly, and he shook his head: "She took Yun Che to the Cangfeng Imperial Palace and hasn't come out since."
"Legend has it that the Ice God Divine Art is a supreme profound art even more powerful than the Heavenly Sword Divine Art. If Xia Qingyue has truly mastered it, then even my father might not be her match. How could we possibly assassinate Yun Che under Xia Qingyue's protection? If we fail and leave behind evidence of our involvement, we won't even have the last bit of room to compromise!" Xiao Juetian said with resentment.
He suddenly stood up and said, "Prepare the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal, the Purple Jade Golden Scale Paste, and the Red Eagle Mysterious Blood immediately. You will personally deliver them to Yun Che as a consolation gift. Also, bring thirty jin of Purple Crystal and twenty jin of White Mysterious Jade. Additionally, select three female disciples from those under the age of eighteen who have outstanding talent and appearance, and offer them to Yun Che as gifts... Set out before dark today, and make sure you deliver them before Yun Che recovers from his injuries."
Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal, Purple Jade Golden Scale Paste, Red Eagle Mysterious Blood—these were the three most precious and rarest spiritual medicines in the Xiao Sect's collection. To express his sincerity to Yun Che, Xiao Juetian was gritting his teeth and bleeding resources. Xiao Boyun listened, his entire body aching from the pain of the loss, but faced with the threat of annihilation, they had no other choice.
………………………………
Yun Che was unconscious for a full two days before finally waking up.
The main reason he slept so long was not excessive depletion of his profound power, but rather the immense mental strain. After all, with his current abilities, using the Dragon Soul Domain was still too much of a stretch.
"You're awake."
As soon as Yun Che opened his eyes, a cool voice rang out beside him. He saw that he was lying on a soft bed, surrounded by luxurious curtains embroidered with golden-feathered phoenixes, and a faint, fragrant scent drifted in the air. He turned his head and saw Xia Qingyue's graceful figure by the bedside.
"Qingyue..." Yun Che called out, his voice a little hoarse, his entire body still filled with an oppressive sense of weakness. "How many days have I been asleep?"
"Two days," Xia Qingyue turned around. "I'll go get them."
"Ah... wait." Yun Che quickly reached out to stop her, and Xia Qingyue halted her steps.
"This time, it's a good thing you came," Yun Che said with a faint smile.
Xia Qingyue turned sideways, her voice cool and soft: "Even without me, Ling Tianni couldn't have killed you."
"Even if he couldn't kill me, I would have ended up fleeing in disgrace. But with you here, I made him slink back with his tail between his legs... The outcome was completely different."
"...Ling Tianni was severely wounded by you. Now rumors are spreading everywhere that the title of Cangfeng's number one might need a new owner." Xia Qingyue glanced at Yun Che.
"Is that so... But titles like that have always been the least useful." Yun Che said very flatly, staring straight at Xia Qingyue. Suddenly he said, "Qingyue, can you come a little closer? I feel like... it's been so long since I got a good look at you."
His suddenly ambiguous words caused Xia Qingyue's breathing to become slightly disturbed. Her body didn't move, but after a brief moment, she still stepped lightly and sat down on the edge of the bed.
At that moment, Yun Che also sat up. Although his body was weak, his profound power was not completely depleted. During the two days of unconsciousness, he had recovered about thirty percent of his profound strength. Now that he was awake, his recovery speed would increase several times over. Just as Xia Qingyue sat down on the bed, he suddenly reached out his arm and carefully wrapped it around her shoulder.
Xia Qingyue's body stiffened noticeably, and she instinctively tried to move away: "You..."
"Qingyue, close your eyes." Yun Che held her gently but firmly from behind, his arm slowly sliding down from her shoulder to her slender, willow-like waist. Looking at her face up close, her features were so perfect they were almost dreamlike.
"What are you... going to do?" Suddenly held by him like this, Xia Qingyue's breathing became completely erratic, and her entire body was frozen stiff. For a moment, she didn't even know if she should struggle to free herself.
Yun Che's face slowly drew closer, his voice like magic sounding in her ear: "Qingyue, my wife, we've been married for three years now. But in all that time as husband and wife, I've never kissed you. This time... let me kiss you, okay?"
"..." Yun Che's voice drew nearer, his warm breath moved from her ear slowly toward her cheek, even brushing against her lips. Xia Qingyue's entire body went rigid. Having never experienced anything like this before, she almost lost her ability to think, turning from a proud snow lotus into a wooden puppet.
Yun Che's face slowly closed in. Just as he was about to touch her lips, a flustered and icy force suddenly pushed him away. Xia Qingyue stood up, not daring to meet his eyes, and said in a somewhat flustered voice, "I'll go tell them you're awake." Then she fled like she was escaping.
Yun Che was pushed backward and banged his head against the wall, hissing in pain. He rubbed the spot where he hit it and muttered indignantly, "When I reach the Heavenly Xuan Realm, I'll just take you by force if I have to... Ow ow ow ow..."