Chapter 436: Phoenix Flame
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"Canglan Kingdom, zero wins, ranked sixth among the six kingdoms!"
"Tianxiang Kingdom, one win, ranked fifth among the six kingdoms!"
"Jialuo Kingdom, two wins, ranked fourth among the six kingdoms!"
"Kuishui Kingdom, three wins, ranked third among the six kingdoms!"
"Heisha Kingdom, four wins, ranked second among the six kingdoms!"
"Cangfeng Kingdom, five wins, ranked first among the six kingdoms!"
As Feng Feiyan read out the results, the arena erupted in noise. The performances of the six kingdoms were remarkably balanced, leaving no need for additional matches. As for the final rankings, no one could have predicted them before the battle began. The top-ranked kingdom from the previous tournament, Canglan Kingdom, had been brimming with confidence this time due to a genius they had produced, but because Yun Che had crippled their core and shattered their momentum, they suffered a complete defeat. Meanwhile, Cangfeng Kingdom, which had always been a mere formality and a source of comic relief, now dominated with overwhelming superiority—a mere one-man lineup... crushing all five kingdoms! The entire audience was stunned.
The few Cangfeng profound practitioners present were already so moved that tears streamed down their faces... Cangfeng Kingdom, a name that had always been ridiculed and had only ever reaped humiliation in these Seven Kingdom Ranking Battles, now stood firmly atop the heads of the other five kingdoms.
"They won... Cangfeng won first place..."
"Five consecutive victories... it's like a dream..."
"So... does that mean our Cangfeng Kingdom is now the number one kingdom among the six? For real?"
The loud bell signaling the conclusion of the preliminary round had long since faded, but the shouting among the Cangfeng profound practitioners still showed no signs of quieting down. Their eyes were fixed on the figure standing on the Phoenix Stage, and in those eyes, there was even a faint trace of tears.
This was the first time ever that Cangfeng Kingdom had topped the rankings. But what moved them even more was that those five victories had been achieved by Yun Che alone. Yes... just one person.
For an entire kingdom, established for over a thousand years, to be carried to victory by a single person—
That in itself was a legend!
"The Seven Kingdom Ranking Battle, preliminary round, ends here. Tomorrow, the elite profound practitioners of the seven kingdoms will board the Primordial Mystic Ark. As for the final ranking of the seven kingdoms, since our Divine Phoenix Empire holds the authority over the Primordial Mystic Ark, we will not compete for the ranking of the seven kingdoms. However..."
Feng Feiyan's voice paused, and then a strange smile appeared on his face: "Since the representative of Cangfeng Kingdom, Yun Che, has publicly declared that he wants to trample our Divine Phoenix Empire underfoot and seize the top position in this tournament... then, the final battle of this Seven Kingdom Ranking Battle will be between Cangfeng Kingdom and Divine Phoenix Empire!"
"Ah!!"
Feng Feiyan's words were like a thunderclap, shaking the entire arena. Everyone's gaze suddenly shifted from Feng Feiyan's face to Yun Che's.
On the Four Divine Sons seats, Hua Minghai and Ling Jie were both dumbfounded. They had never dreamed that Yun Che would actually dare to say something like that to the Divine Phoenix Empire!
On the Cangfeng Imperial Family's spectator seats, Duke Huai's face was pale, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Helian Xun's expression was almost twisted with madness... He had originally thought that even if Yun Che had some conflict with the Divine Phoenix Empire, he would still avoid it on this kind of occasion, at least until the Seven Kingdom Ranking Battle was over, and then find a way to ease the tension. He never expected that Yun Che would take the initiative to provoke the Divine Phoenix Empire in the Seven Kingdom Ranking Battle!
Is he out of his mind?!
On the Fenghuang God Sect's seating area, the various princes, elders, and hall masters all wore disdainful smiles. Only Feng Hengkong's brow was deeply furrowed, his gaze sharp and low. At this moment, he realized he had gotten one thing wrong... Like Feng Ximing and the others, he had believed that Yun Che, knowing he couldn't escape, was using this ranking battle to come to the Fenghuang God Sect on his own initiative. After all, with the Phoenix bloodline in him, his fate only had two choices:
One was to pledge loyalty to the Fenghuang God Sect and become a lifelong member, thereby preserving himself.
The other was death.
If he came voluntarily, he could choose the former. If the Fenghuang God Sect had to go find him, it would naturally be the latter.
He came to the ranking battle and made a grand show of his power. Feng Hengkong had previously interpreted this as Yun Che deliberately displaying himself before the Fenghuang God Sect, proving he was no waste and had the qualifications to join them.
But now, the moment he spoke those words, it was clearly a provocation toward the Fenghuang God Sect!
And every previous match, where he had deliberately swept through his opponents in an extremely short time... thinking back, that wasn't a display at all—it was a show of force against their Fenghuang God Sect!
What exactly is he trying to do? Does he truly believe he has the qualifications and ability to clash head-on with the Fenghuang God Sect?
"Heh heh, so you're saying you want to represent Cangfeng Kingdom, defeat our Divine Phoenix Empire, and take first place in this tournament?" Feng Feiyan gave a faint smile, but it was impossible to read any emotion in it. His thoughts at that moment were essentially the same as Feng Hengkong's... He hadn't come this time to compromise and surrender to the Fenghuang God Sect—he was clearly here to play hardball!
Feng Feiyan sneered inwardly... At nineteen years old, with this level of strength, Yun Che ranked among the upper tier even among peers in the Fenghuang God Sect. And his ability to challenge above his level was almost incomprehensibly strong. Given his performance today, if he were willing to permanently become a member of the Fenghuang God Sect from now on, Feng Feiyan, as the Grand Elder, would be the first to approve, even if Yun Che had offended the Thirteenth Prince before—it could be overlooked. He believed that Sect Master Feng Hengkong and the other elders would make the same decision.
After all, no sect wants a waste, and no sect would reject a young disciple with such astonishing talent.
A path to survival had already been opened for him, and he might even secure a decent position in the Fenghuang God Sect in the future. But instead, he chose to seek death!
"You are the first person in history to dare claim you will trample our Divine Phoenix Empire in the Seven Kingdom Ranking Battle." Feng Feiyan smiled without mirth. "I almost admire your 'nerve' now."
He said "nerve" rather than "courage" or "audacity," clearly with more sarcasm than sincerity.
"But this 'first' isn't something you can talk about or imagine—it depends on whether you have the qualifications and strength!" Feng Feiyan's voice grew heavier, and his gaze shifted to the ten Fenghuang God Sect participating profound practitioners. "Phoenix disciples, do you understand clearly? A profound practitioner from Cangfeng Kingdom has challenged you and declared he will take first place in this tournament. Which one of you will fight?"
He said "which one," not a group deployment.
Yun Che was only one person. Though having all ten Fenghuang God Sect members deploy at once wouldn't violate the battle rules in the slightest, it would undoubtedly invite ridicule, and given the dignity of their Fenghuang God Sect, they would never stoop to such a level. So Feng Feiyan's meaning was clearly for only one to fight. The other implication was obvious... any one of them could easily defeat Yun Che.
The moment Feng Feiyan finished speaking, one person among the Phoenix disciples stepped forward slowly. As he walked, he said in a calm, indifferent tone, "It's almost the Hour of the Rooster. In another hour, the sky will darken. And tomorrow, exploring the Primordial Mystic Ark is of utmost importance, requiring ample time for advance preparations. So, it's best to end this battle quickly."
As he spoke, the man lightly floated up, his phoenix robe fluttering, trailing strands of gorgeous, dazzling golden light. He landed gently on the Phoenix Stage and looked at Yun Che with a faint smile. "So, let this prince handle this battle."
"Ah... it's the Fourteenth Prince!" The audience section erupted in exclamations. This outcome was entirely beyond their expectations.
"The Fourteenth Prince is personally taking action against Yun Che? Isn't that too generous to him?"
"Didn't you hear the Fourteenth Prince? He said it's to save time and end it quickly. After all, tomorrow we board the Primordial Mystic Ark."
Leaping onto the Phoenix Stage, the person standing before Yun Che was none other than the Fourteenth Prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire... He possessed terrifying talent, with profound strength as high as the King Xuan Realm, Level 8—Feng Xiluo!
He faced Yun Che with a faint smile, showing no trace of tension before battle.
Feng Hengkong nodded inwardly... Having Feng Xiluo fight Yun Che was the outcome he most wanted to see. Although Yun Che had swept through all his previous matches, displaying a combat strength roughly at the King Xuan Realm, Level 4, any of the ten Phoenix disciples could crush him. However, no one could guarantee that this was Yun Che's full strength. If he were hiding something and possessed an extremely powerful trump card, then the Phoenix disciple fighting him might fail to defeat him, or even lose.
Though the possibility was minuscule, even the tiniest risk—one in ten thousand—could not be taken lightly!
Because the Fenghuang God Sect, which had dominated Tian Xuan Continent for five thousand years, could not afford to lose! And it absolutely must not lose!
But if Feng Xiluo stepped onto the stage, then there was absolutely no possibility of defeat.
At the same time, Feng Xiluo's line upon stepping onto the stage was clever and flawless, showing not the slightest regard for Yun Che but rather contempt... because his reason for personally fighting Yun Che was to "save time," clearly implying that with a mere wave of his hand, he could easily defeat Yun Che.
"Hmm." Feng Feiyan nodded. "Very well. It seems the Fourteenth Prince, having watched the matches from the sidelines all day, is also a bit eager. Then, the Divine Phoenix Empire will have the Fourteenth Prince, Feng Xiluo, fight Yun Che! Though our Divine Phoenix Empire has ten members deploying, we are not so base as to bully the few with the many!"
"The 39th Tian Xuan Ranking Battle, the match to determine first and second place, now begins!"
Feng Feiyan waved his hand and gave the command to start the battle crisply.
Whoosh!!
Feng Xiluo raised his arm, and a ball of blazing flame ignited in his palm. He looked at Yun Che and said with a faint smile, "Yun Che, I don't know where you got your confidence, but you'll soon realize how laughable that confidence is. You and the profound practitioners you defeated are on two different levels, and I am likewise on a different level from you. But before that, I'll give you the chance to properly witness the invincible Phoenix Flame of our Fenghuang God Sect."
"Witness Phoenix Flame?" Yun Che replied with the same faint smile. "That won't be necessary. As for Phoenix Flame—who gets to witness whose is still up for debate!"
Yun Che extended his hand, and a ball of crimson Phoenix Flame blazed up rapidly. The height of the flame far surpassed that of the Phoenix Flame in Feng Xiluo's hand.
Hua———
The moment Yun Che's Phoenix Flame appeared, the entire arena exploded. All the Phoenix disciples' expressions changed dramatically, and Feng Hengkong and Feng Feiyan's brows deeply furrowed.
Hua Minghai and Ling Jie were so shocked they nearly fell out of their seats. Both of them clearly knew that Yun Che possessed the Phoenix bloodline... His direct provocation of the Divine Phoenix Empire earlier had already scared them badly. And now, when the Fenghuang God Sect hadn't even brought up the matter of his bloodline, he took the initiative to ignite his Phoenix Flame in front of the assembled heroes of the world...
Did he come here to resolve grudges, or to fight to the death?!