Chapter 439: Phoenix Moon
A heavy sword is dominated by strength, while a long spear, though inferior to a heavy sword in sheer power, is much more flexible. Amidst the collision of the two king-grade weapons, the sea of fire continued to spread, gradually expanding beyond fifty zhang. The flames swallowed the figures of both combatants. From the spectator stands, only the thunderous sounds of clashing and the wildly dancing waves of fire could be heard.
Ling Jie and Hua Minghai both leaned forward, their eyes wide open, bigger than ox eyes... Ling Jie had never doubted Yun Che's strength, but he never dared to imagine that in just over half a year, Yun Che had grown so much more powerful than when he had defeated his grandfather, Ling Tianni! Back then, Yun Che was at the seventh level of the Earth Xuan Realm, and now he was at the tenth level—a difference of three minor realms within the Earth Xuan stage, yet they seemed like two completely different people!
"Brother Yun... is actually... this amazing..." Hua Minghai swallowed hard, his face frozen in shock. Yun Che was currently facing the number one young genius of the Phoenix God Sect, and he was holding his ground without any disadvantage! Recalling how he had disguised himself as Yan Xiaohua to approach Yun Che, only to be seen through and slapped from the sky with a single blow, cold sweat instantly dripped from his forehead... If Yun Che hadn't held back back then, he would have been dead long ago.
In the preparation area, the nine genius Phoenix disciples had all changed expressions. Earlier, they had been fully confident that Yun Che could never be their match, that defeating him would be effortless. But now, they realized that it wasn't Yun Che who was arrogant and overestimating himself—it was them!
The terrifying strength Yun Che was displaying now could easily suppress any one of them!
"This bastard..." one Phoenix disciple gritted his teeth in resentment. A person from the Cang Feng Empire, younger than them, whom they had previously mocked and scorned, was now showing strength that made even them tremble. It made their faces burn and their hearts feel unbearably bitter.
"Indeed, he's ridiculously strong," another Phoenix disciple took a deep breath. "Such combat power is almost close to the eighth level of the King Xuan Realm... Though it surprised us greatly, for him to defeat the Fourteenth Prince is still just wishful thinking."
"Exactly. The Fourteenth Prince hasn't even used his full strength yet. He's only used up to the second level of the Phoenix Ode Scripture at most. I just wonder why he's been fighting that kid for so long in this state."
"It's probably because the Fourteenth Prince wants to see the kid's limit, right? Hmph, over a hundred exchanges already—this must be the absolute limit of Yun Che's power. As soon as the Fourteenth Prince is willing, he can suppress Yun Che completely at any moment."
"Phoenix Wing Crushing Mountain!"
Within the fiery waves, Feng Xiluo tore through the flames, leaped into the air, and slammed down with his spear. With a deafening crash like a mountain collapsing, the phoenix flame on the Phoenix Stage was swept up as if by a hurricane, boiling over completely. The indestructible Phoenix Stage was blasted into a pit several zhang wide. Under the immense energy impact, Yun Che was thrown far away, landing at the edge of the Phoenix Stage.
Feng Xiluo floated in the air, his gaze locked on Yun Che's position. A ferocious smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Not bad—you managed to withstand that again. Then... how about this move?"
Feng Xiluo raised both arms, lifting the Phoenix God Spear high. Instantly, the violently burning sea of phoenix flame on the Phoenix Stage, as if drawn by an irresistible force, rose into the sky, shooting straight into the clouds. They rapidly converged above the tip of the Phoenix God Spear, and in the blink of an eye, formed a nearly twenty-zhang-wide, crimson-red... moon of flame!
"Ahhhhh! What... what is that?!" Ling Jie's eyes bulged as he shouted in alarm. The entire arena was filled with shocked cries.
In every previous exchange between Feng Xiluo and Yun Che, a large amount of phoenix flame had been scattered. The phoenix flame on the Phoenix Stage continued to burn, never extinguishing, eventually forming a sea of fire... And now, in an instant, he had gathered it all. Clearly, the phoenix flame he had scattered during their earlier exchanges was all preparation for this moment.
The moon of flame above the spear tip was bright red and scorching, its momentum surging like a tsunami and as vast as a mountain range. Even the spectators three hundred zhang away felt as if a heavy stone slab was pressing on their chests, making it hard to breathe. One could imagine the terrifying pressure Yun Che was enduring, less than twenty zhang from Feng Xiluo.
"It's really been a struggle for you to play with me for so long. To be honest, your strength surprised me a little. I've pretty much probed your limit. But unfortunately, you don't have the privilege of seeing mine," Feng Xiluo said with a faint smile. Though Yun Che's strength had shocked him far more than just "a little," he was still the number one genius of Shenhuang. The combat power Yun Che had shown still couldn't defeat him. With an easy and carefree expression, he continued, "Among peers, you're the first to have played with me this long. But it's only because I deliberately prolonged it, laying down the phoenix flame, so I could give you... the most... magnificent... death!!"
"Phoenix God Spear Finale—Phoenix Moon!"
Feng Xiluo's black hair flew wildly, his phoenix robe fluttering. The Phoenix God Spear swept down through the air. In an instant, the massive moon of flame in the sky rumbled, then, like a meteor from the horizon, plummeted toward Yun Che.
Boom, boom, boom...
Wherever the Phoenix Moon passed, space was severely compressed and distorted. Beneath it, the extremely hard Phoenix Stage showed obvious depressions from the immense pressure. Sensing the enormous power contained within the Phoenix Moon, Yun Che's expression became extremely grave. He quickly stepped back, and after a few steps, his back foot hit the edge of the Phoenix Stage...
The Phoenix Stage defined the range of their duel. Stepping off the stage meant losing the battle. In a normal fight, he could choose to use Star God Remnant Shadow to dodge completely, but since he couldn't fly and had been forced into a corner, unless he left the stage, there was simply no way to avoid it.
Rip... tear...
The Phoenix Moon grew larger in his pupils, gradually filling his entire field of vision. Under the violent surge of power, the roaring of the chaotic energy completely drowned out Yun Che's ears, leaving him unable to hear anything else. The scorching heat of the flames had no effect on him, but the violent profound energy tore his clothes into shreds.
Yun Che's brow slowly furrowed. Just as the Phoenix Moon was less than ten zhang away, a fierce light suddenly flashed in his eyes.
"HAH!!!"
With a loud roar, Yun Che swung his heavy sword horizontally, his arms bulging. Every vein stood out clearly on his skin, so swollen they seemed ready to burst at any moment. He channeled all his profound energy to the extreme, pouring it without reservation into his arms. Behind him, a azure-blue shadow of the Celestial Wolf roared in fury.
"Heavenly Wolf Strike!"
Yun Che leaped into the air, taking the initiative to meet the Phoenix Moon. The Dragon Gate heavy sword, infused with the power of the Celestial Wolf, smashed heavily into the Phoenix Moon. The azure-blue shadow of the Celestial Wolf, like an unstoppable sharp sword, pierced deeply into the flaming moon.
BOOM!!!!
The Phoenix Moon exploded violently, sending up sky-covering waves of flame that completely submerged the entire Phoenix Stage—and naturally swallowed Yun Che as well. But this was not the true power of the "Phoenix Moon" technique. The exploding phoenix flame did not scatter; instead, it transformed in midair into countless fierce fire lances. In an instant, the entire sky above the Phoenix Stage was filled with fire lances, thousands upon thousands of them, all controlled by Feng Xiluo's power and raining down on Yun Che's location.
It was like a horrifying, bloody rain of spears.
"Die!" Feng Xiluo laughed wildly. He believed that the explosive flame of the Phoenix Moon alone would be enough to take half of Yun Che's life and shatter all his profound energy defenses. Then, the ensuing rain of fire lances would pierce countless holes through his body, killing him on the spot.
Originally, he hadn't planned to kill Yun Che. After all, this was still the Seven Nations Ranking Battle, and in front of the seven nations and the Sacred Grounds, killing an opponent could easily invite criticism or even unnecessary trouble. But killing Yun Che was an order directly transmitted to him by Feng Hengkong, so he had no reservations.
"Big... Big Brother!"
Ling Jie's pupils shrank in terror, his legs trembling. He watched helplessly as Yun Che was swallowed by the exploding flaming moon, then struck by countless terrifying spear blasts concentrated on him... Under such an attack, even ten lives would be completely extinguished.
"...That's... too terrifying. Yun Che must be... dead for sure, right?"
"Nonsense! If he's not dead after that, I'll walk backward from now on."
"Ah, pity. A peerless genius from outside the Shenhuang Empire, yet he had to..."
"There's no helping it. Who would have thought he possessed the Phoenix bloodline? Unless he chooses to submit, he can never escape the fate of facing the Phoenix God Sect. Given the fierce temperament Yun Che has shown, he would obviously never choose the former. Indeed, a peerless genius who has come this far on his own would never willingly be completely controlled by a major sect."
"The Phoenix God Sect actually has such a terrifying technique... it's really too terrifying."
Feng Xiluo slowly descended from the air, a smug smile on his face. He had used "Phoenix Moon" to create such a magnificent and shocking effect, thereby covering up the embarrassment of his earlier miscalculation of Yun Che's strength.
But just as the tip of his foot was about to touch the Phoenix Stage, his pupils suddenly contracted, and the smile on his face froze instantly.
The firelight from the exploding Phoenix Moon and countless fire lances began to dissipate rapidly. Through the thinning phoenix flame, he saw a figure standing upright there. The next moment, the phoenix fire parted, revealing Yun Che's stern face.
"Wha... what?!" Feng Xiluo's expression changed dramatically for the first time. In his ears, cries of astonishment rose from all directions.
The flames continued to die down, gradually revealing Yun Che's complete figure. He stood there quietly, holding the Dragon Gate heavy sword, letting the surrounding phoenix flame burn him. His clothes were torn in many places, and his hair was a bit messy, but his gaze was still sharp and clear. Beneath the tattered clothes, his exposed skin was completely intact... except for three shallow bloody holes on his chest.
The energy surge of the Phoenix Moon was mostly pure phoenix flame. At most, it could impact him, but it couldn't harm him at all. However, the subsequent phoenix spear blasts forced him to open "Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking." After enduring thousands of strikes, the "Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking" was finally broken, and three phoenix spear blasts struck his chest. But with his True Dragon's Body, such concentrated attacks with dispersed power only managed to poke three barely decent bloody holes in him.
When Yun Che had fought desperately against Feng Chihuo back then, a third of his blood vessels and bones had been broken, and he had fully recovered in less than ten days. These minor injuries, which hadn't even touched the bone, were nothing to him at all.
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