Chapter 412: Pursuit
"Phantom Lightning Extreme... this movement technique, can it be passed on to others?" Yun Che asked seriously.
"Ah..." Hua Minghai's expression froze, then he shook his head in panic and bitterness: "I'm sorry, benefactor. I would never hesitate to do anything you ask, but only this matter... Phantom Lightning Extreme is a divine gift of my clan, and also our greatest taboo. It absolutely cannot be passed on to outsiders, I..."
"I understand." Yun Che nodded. "Clan techniques are naturally not to be passed on. I was presumptuous. Take good care of your wife."
With that, Yun Che turned and walked away slowly.
"Benefactor... I..." Hua Minghai looked at Yun Che's back, gritting his teeth, his face full of shame... What Yun Che had given him was undoubtedly a massive kindness. The one thing he wanted to reveal, Yun Che could easily accomplish, yet he simply couldn't allow it... He was someone who absolutely hated being indebted to others, let alone such a great favor. This feeling made him unbearably uncomfortable.
"Don't dwell on it." Yun Che waved a hand behind him. "Your focus now should be on your wife. Don't get distracted by trivial matters. Saving a life is also a way to atone for some of your own sins. If you truly want to repay me, then work hard to help your wife recover quickly. That way, my rescue won't have been in vain."
As his voice faded, Yun Che's figure disappeared into the night. Hua Minghai stared ahead, not saying a word for a long time, his expression complicated and strange, as if he was struggling intensely with something.
"I never thought that you, a man who kills without blinking and slaughters entire families without hesitation, would actually go out of your way to save someone completely unrelated to you." Mo Li spoke in a very indifferent tone.
"It shows that deep down, I'm probably still a good person."
"..." Mo Li snorted disdainfully.
By the time Yun Che returned to the inn, it was already midnight. He walked to his room, stopped at the door, and was about to push it open when his movements suddenly froze. His brows sank sharply, and every nerve in his body instantly tensed.
Because he clearly sensed someone inside his room!
The person hiding in his room was extremely well concealed. If he had relied solely on his profound strength rather than his spiritual perception, he would never have detected their presence... After sensing this person, a hair-raising feeling followed. It told him that the person inside was not only terrifyingly strong but also intended to kill him.
"Get out of here! It's a King Xuan Realm Level 8! He's already found you!"
Under Mo Li's swift warning, Yun Che didn't have time to think. He spun around instantly and used Star God Remnant Shadow to dart out of the inn, fleeing at top speed.
Boom!
Behind him came the sound of the door and wall being completely shattered. A scalding gust of wind also howled at his back... And this scorching heat was clearly... Phoenix Flame!
It was someone from the Fenghuang God Sect!
Yun Che's heart sank... Why would it be someone from the Fenghuang God Sect? And that murderous intent clearly meant they wanted him dead. Could it be... Feng Ximing!?
Yun Che's mind raced... It seemed that when he displayed Phoenix Flame at the Luoyan Merchant Guild earlier today, he was mistaken for a disciple of the Fenghuang God Sect. This matter had reached the Fenghuang God Sect immediately, and they had tracked him down to his lodgings.
It looked like he had been too careless during the day. He had been so focused on watching Hua Minghai that he had subconsciously forgotten a crucial fact... In Shenhuang City, eyes and ears of the Fenghuang God Sect were everywhere!
Yun Che's speed was absolutely no match for a late-stage King Xuan Realm super-strong expert. Within ten breaths, he had been chased to within twenty zhang. Behind him, a violent phoenix flame tore through the air.
Rip!!
The air burned violently. The crimson Phoenix Flame was especially dazzling in the night sky. Yun Che dodged quickly, evading the phoenix flame, then steeled his heart and stopped in his tracks, turning around... The man chasing him also didn't continue pursuing. He stopped as well, looking at his prey—a pitiful creature that could never escape his grasp.
"Who are you?" Yun Che asked, brow furrowed.
The other party scanned him from head to toe, then sneered: "Indeed, you have the aura of Phoenix Profound Power. You are indeed that rumored bastard... Yun Che. I didn't expect you to come so early."
"Heh," Yun Che sneered. "It seems the Fenghuang God Sect is very afraid of me."
"Afraid of you?"
"That's right!" Yun Che taunted. "I came to Shenhuang City intending to resolve the bloodline issue openly with your Fenghuang God Sect during the Seven Nations Ranking Battle. But your Fenghuang God Sect stoops to using assassination—such a despicable tactic. The so-called Fenghuang God Sect is nothing more than this."
"Heh heh," the middle-aged man sneered dismissively. "In the eyes of my Fenghuang God Sect, you are nothing more than a little worm who stole our sect's bloodline. Would my sect be afraid of a pathetic little worm? What a tremendous joke. Today, the Thirteenth Prince simply wants your life."
"As I thought..." Yun Che's gaze grew even colder.
"A mere Cang Feng vermin dares to offend the Thirteenth Prince. Even if the Cang Feng Emperor kneels and begs for your life, you won't survive tonight... But dying at my, Feng Chihuo's, hands is enough for you to brag about in the underworld until reincarnation! Now, rest in peace!"
Feng Chihuo's figure flickered, and he suddenly lunged at Yun Che. His five fingers, blazing with Phoenix Flame, aimed straight for Yun Che's chest, clearly intending to kill him in one blow... A King Xuan Realm Level 8, a bona fide high-level king, facing someone at only Earth Xuan Realm—if he couldn't achieve instant kill, he would consider it a joke himself.
Yun Che's eyes flashed. He stepped with Star God Remnant Shadow, instantly splitting into three afterimages, causing Feng Chihuo's sure-kill grab to completely miss. Drawing a deep breath, he channeled all his profound strength and fled south at top speed.
His claw missed. Feng Chihuo was stunned. With his eyesight, he hadn't even seen how Yun Che dodged. And then, Yun Che's escape speed was astonishingly fast—greatly surprising him... Clearly only at Earth Xuan Realm, yet his speed rivaled that of a low-level king!
"Hmph! Some tricks indeed." Feng Chihuo snorted coldly, a flicker of anger rising within him. Although Yun Che's speed far exceeded his expectations, it still couldn't help him escape his grasp. Moreover, Yun Che was only at the Earth Xuan Realm, incapable of flight, so he could only flee on the ground. There was no way he could escape Feng Chihuo's sight and spiritual perception.
"Kid, where do you think you're running!"
Feng Chihuo growled, shooting after Yun Che like an arrow from a bowstring. Under the overwhelming speed difference, in just a few dozen breaths, Yun Che was once again chased to within twenty zhang. Running, Yun Che suddenly turned back and hurled a pitch-black object at Feng Chihuo in the air.
The waning moon in the sky was completely obscured by the Primordial Mystic Ark, plunging the night into inky blackness. Feng Chihuo heard a sharp whistling sound coming straight at him. In the darkness, he couldn't see what it was. Not daring to block it with his body, afraid it might be some poison, he dodged quickly. As it passed by, he saw it was clearly an ordinary stone—probably picked up by Yun Che while fleeing.
"Swoosh!"
Another howl came straight at him. Feng Chihuo sneered disdainfully, casually slapping the stone into dust. "What a laughable struggle! Do you really dream of escaping my grasp?"
Within a few breaths, Yun Che was chased to within fifteen zhang. His face expressionless, he turned back and hurled another pitch-black object through the air.
Fifteen zhang was well within Feng Chihuo's attack range. He began gathering profound energy, ignoring the incoming object, and casually slapped it away.
Boom!!!!
In the silent midnight of Shenhuang City, it was like a bolt of heavenly thunder had struck. A massive storm of energy exploded violently in midair, looking from afar like a splendid firework blooming in the sky.
The first two stones were just decoys thrown by Yun Che.
The third was the Heaven-Destroying Pearl Yun Che had obtained from Xiao Wuyi!
The power of the Heaven-Destroying Pearl was immense, enough to seriously injure a low-level king. With Feng Chihuo's abilities, if he had been on full defense, the pearl's power might not have harmed him. But he had been chasing Yun Che in a cat-and-mouse game, completely off guard. In the blazing light of the pearl's explosion, his entire left arm was torn open, flesh exposed, blood dripping. His phoenix robes were shredded, and his chest, arms, even face were covered in tiny wounds. Half his hair was blown off, leaving a mess.
He looked utterly pathetic.
Yun Che, meanwhile, was long gone, vanished without a trace.
Though there were many wounds, most were minor. Only the injury on his left arm was somewhat serious. But compared to his physical wounds, Feng Chihuo was nearly exploding with rage. He looked at his arm, his face contorted, his whole body trembling... He, a high-level king of the Fenghuang God Sect, had been tricked into such a state by a mere Earth Xuan Realm junior... This was the greatest humiliation of his life!
"Yun Che... I'll tear you into a thousand pieces!" Feng Chihuo's hair stood on end, his body blazing with violent flames. With a roar, he unleashed his full speed, charging forward with overwhelming fury, expanding his spiritual perception to its maximum.
After fleeing at top speed for a distance, Yun Che actually slowed down, minimizing his profound energy fluctuations as much as possible. For escaping, the night was an excellent cover. At the same time, in the dead silence of the night, even the slightest noise would be amplified.
Feng Xichen had indeed sent someone to assassinate him before the ranking battle, and they acted so quickly... Now that he had been found, and Shenhuang City was full of the Fenghuang God Sect's eyes and ears, the city was no longer a suitable place for him to stay until the battle. He had to leave Shenhuang City before dawn, while evading Feng Chihuo's pursuit.
When being chased, Yun Che's mind remained extremely cold and alert. In the darkness, navigating this unfamiliar Shenhuang City, he used his concealment and counter-pursuit abilities to the fullest. Following a bizarre and unpredictable route, he rapidly approached the southern gate of Shenhuang City.
Time flowed slowly through the night. Gradually, a hint of dawn emerged in the east. Yun Che could already see the towering, majestic southern gate of Shenhuang City... And throughout the long night, the madly darting back and forth in the sky, Feng Chihuo had never once caught even a glimpse of him.
Yun Che took a deep breath, assuming a natural demeanor as he approached the city gate. Just as he neared, two heavily armored city guards blocked his way:
"By order of the imperial palace! No one is allowed to leave the city before the hour of Chen today. Anyone who violates this will be apprehended on the spot."