Chapter 440: Phoenix Flame Scorches the Sky
"It's... it's Yun Che! He actually... didn't die!!"
"Not only did he not die, it doesn't even seem like he suffered any serious injuries."
"Such a powerful attack, even the Phoenix Platform was shaved off a layer, yet he didn't die... How is this possible!!"
The entire arena nearly exploded. This was definitely the most unbelievable, most inconceivable scene they had ever witnessed in their lives.
Even the faces of the four from the Sacred Grounds clearly flashed with shock.
"Ah... ah... ah..." Ling Jie opened his mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time. Yun Che hadn't died, and clearly didn't even have serious injuries. But what he first felt was not joy, but the same shock—even terror—as everyone else. Because everyone had watched with their own eyes as he was swept into the center of that terrifying Phoenix Moon, then bombarded by thousands of spear rays concentrated on him... How could he possibly still be alive under those circumstances?!
"F*ck... this freak... an absolute freak!" Hua Minghai, who had seen "the big world" and claimed to be one of the most powerful figures in the entire Tian Xuan Continent, was so shocked his eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
Amidst the flames, Yun Che stared straight at Feng Xiluo and took a step forward... That step caused Feng Xiluo's heart to jump violently. In that moment, facing Yun Che, he was genuinely alarmed. He finally began to understand that he had vastly underestimated Yun Che's strength, and at the same time, the other party had clearly been hiding his true power.
"You're nothing special, only capable of spewing ridiculous boasts," Yun Che said mockingly, squinting.
At this moment, all the jade on the top layer of the Phoenix Platform had shattered, and the spot beneath Yun Che's feet had been reduced to fine sand. The two faced each other across a distance of ten zhang, the atmosphere becoming extremely tense. Yun Che's expression was calm, but the corner of his mouth curled with a hint of sarcasm. Feng Xiluo's brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze flickering unsteadily.
Then, Feng Xiluo's brows slowly relaxed, and his face suddenly regained its composure. A somewhat... ferocious smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Good... very good indeed." Feng Xiluo's eyes darkened, murderous intent slowly gathering within them. As he spoke, Phoenix Flame reignited on his body, climbing upward rapidly. His bones crackled and popped, and an increasingly powerful aura burst forth from him: "I never imagined that a mongrel like you, who accidentally leaked out from my Phoenix God Sect, could be this strong, causing me to completely misjudge your strength."
"But a mongrel is still just a mongrel. This level of yours is only barely enough to force me to use my full power. Still, as a mongrel, you can be proud of yourself on your way to the underworld!"
The Phoenix Flame continued to burn, and Feng Xiluo's aura continued to swell. In just a few breaths, it was far greater than before!
He was not lying—he truly hadn't used his full power earlier.
But he was somewhat out of control. Every word he spoke was full of insults, revealing the turmoil and fury within. He was a prince of the Shenhuang Empire, the strongest among the younger generation of the number one sect under heaven, and would one day become the supreme ruler of all Tian Xuan! Yet, in front of so many eyes, he had been forced to use his full power by a nameless guy whose profound strength was only at the Earth Xuan Realm and who was even younger than him!
Now, he no longer cared about anything. He released all his profound energy without reservation, operating the Phoenix Ode Scripture at full power... Unless he utterly annihilated Yun Che in the most brutal way, leaving not a trace, this anger would never subside!
"The prince has finally decided to use his full power... Damn! Being forced to go all out by Yun Che!" a Phoenix disciple in the waiting zone said through gritted teeth, his face still bearing traces of shock.
"The prince must be completely enraged now! If Yun Che still doesn't die this time, then I'll die!" another Phoenix disciple ground his teeth. Not only Feng Xiluo, but even they felt deeply shocked and humiliated.
Feng Xiluo's Phoenix Flame continued to rise, his aura still climbing. Under the immense suppression of his aura, it was as if he had carved out his own space around him, where everything within was forcibly repelled by the overwhelming power.
Bang!!
A dull roar. The Phoenix Flame flickered violently and finally stopped rising. Feng Xiluo was enveloped in blazing Phoenix Flame, holding the Phoenix God Spear, his eyes sinister, a cold smile on his lips. His Phoenix robes billowed, his black hair danced wildly, and around his body, phoenix flame threads crackled like lightning... Then, slowly, a pair of crimson Phoenix Wings spread open behind him! Those wings bathed in flame did not look like mere illusions, but rather like real Phoenix Wings!
At this moment, Feng Xiluo looked like a Flame Demon God descending upon the world.
"Oh? Is this the legendary... fourth stage of the Phoenix Ode Scripture, also its highest realm—the 'Phoenix Spirit Body'?" Ye Xinghan watched Feng Xiluo's transformation with interest. As he spoke, his hands were already groping inside the robes of two seductive women, completely ignoring the gazes around him.
"Correct," Ling Kun nodded. "This realm can draw upon the Phoenix bloodline, allowing one's body to barely take on the form of a phoenix. The corresponding Phoenix flame technique, 'Phoenix Flame Scorches the Sky,' is the Phoenix God Sect's strongest signature skill."
"An eighth-level King Seat, yet by operating the Phoenix Ode Scripture to this realm, his aura actually faintly surpasses a ninth-level King Seat. This Phoenix Ode Scripture does have some tricks after all," Ye Xinghan said with narrowed eyes.
"Oh my, little Hanhan's words leave me quite confused."
As soon as Ye Xinghan finished speaking, Ji Qianrou's voice sounded in his ear, instantly making his skin crawl: "This little prince, using the Phoenix Ode Scripture to boost his strength by at most two levels, still earns little Hanhan's praise. But as for Yun Che... with a casual move, he displays combat power spanning more than a dozen levels, yet I never hear little Hanhan singing his praises to the skies?"
Ji Qianrou's words sent a shock through both Ye Xinghan and Ling Kun. Even Gu Cang Zhenren's brow twitched slightly. Amid Yun Che's increasingly astonishing performances, they had all subconsciously forgotten... Yun Che's profound strength was only at the mere Earth Xuan Realm, Level 10!!
An Earth Xuan Realm cultivator forcing an eighth-level King Seat like Feng Xiluo to use his full power...
What secret was hidden within this Yun Che?!
Feng Xiluo, like a Flame God descending, radiated an aura of contempt for the world, causing every young profound cultivator in the arena to tremble, looking up at him in terror as if at a supreme deity. They too had never imagined that Feng Xiluo, whose strength was already terrifying to such a degree, had still not been using his full power!
Now, Feng Xiluo's aura was clearly more than double what it was before!!
"This is the highest realm of my Phoenix God Sect's Phoenix Ode Scripture." Feng Xiluo extended his hand toward Yun Che, Phoenix Flame hissing on his palm: "Unfortunately, you're just a mongrel, unworthy of learning this invincible divine skill bestowed by the gods. Now, struggle all you want, because after today, you'll never have the chance to struggle again."
Looking at Feng Xiluo's Phoenix Flame and listening to his arrogant words, Yun Che's gaze was like that of someone watching a complete moron: "You've said something similar several times already. Does slapping yourself in the face feel that good? Idiot!"
Yun Che's words were like a knife dipped in salt water stabbing into Feng Xiluo's already bloody wounds. The word "idiot" at the end caused his fury to explode instantly... From childhood to adulthood, everyone had treated him with utmost respect. Even Feng Hengkong had always praised him and taken pride in him. With his exceptional talent, he was arrogant and unbridled even in front of Crown Prince Feng Ximing. Who dared to call him an "idiot"!
Feng Xiluo was so angry he laughed, his smile dark and vicious: "Little mongrel, at death's door, you still dare to provoke my anger. Originally, I planned to give you a quick death, but now... I've changed my mind. I'll make you suffer a fate worse than death in the Phoenix Flame!"
"You... with your Phoenix bloodline from five thousand years ago, diluted and impure after hundreds of generations, dare to speak of the Phoenix Flame in front of me?" Yun Che sneered quietly.
This was no exaggeration. Back in the Cangfeng Imperial Palace, when facing the Black and Red Elders who had accompanied Feng Xichen, he had suppressed their Phoenix Flame—infused with the Phoenix Ode Scripture—with his own ordinary Phoenix Flame. This was because the Phoenix God Sect's bloodline was passed down generation by generation. To maintain its purity, Phoenix God Sect members usually married within the sect, rarely outside... unless the other party had extremely high talent or status. Even so, with each generation, the bloodline inevitably became somewhat diluted and mixed.
But Yun Che had received the most direct, purest bestowal of Phoenix blood from the Phoenix Spirit itself!!
Thus, in terms of pure Phoenix bloodline purity, Yun Che was practically Feng Xiluo's ancestor!
And an ancestor several hundred generations higher!
"Let me show you what true... Phoenix Flame is!"
Yun Che whispered, and Phoenix Flame ignited on his body. But this time, it wasn't just ordinary Phoenix Flame. He also activated the Phoenix Ode Scripture, directly raising it to the fourth realm's height... Instantly, the momentum of his Phoenix Flame exploded, the temperature skyrocketing. The already raging flame became like a boiling cauldron, dancing madly.
Behind Yun Che, a pair of Phoenix Wings also appeared. The color of these flame wings was even deeper than Feng Xiluo's.
"Phoenix Ode Scripture!!"
Feng Hengkong and the others instantly stood up from their seats, their faces filled with shock... and fury!
The Phoenix bloodline was the core of the Phoenix God Sect, and the Phoenix Ode Scripture was another core.
Yun Che was not a member of the Phoenix God Sect, yet he possessed their Phoenix bloodline—that alone was a violation of their greatest taboo. And now... he even possessed the Phoenix Ode Scripture!!
In the five-thousand-year history of the Phoenix God Sect, there had been occasional cases of the bloodline flowing out, but this was the first time the Phoenix Ode Scripture itself had appeared on someone outside the sect.
No wonder even Feng Hengkong was so shocked.
Feng Xiluo's expression changed rapidly, then twisted into a grimace: "Little mongrel! Not only do you possess my sect's Phoenix bloodline, but you also stole my sect's Phoenix Ode Scripture... Today, you must die!"
Maintaining the fourth realm of the Phoenix Ode Scripture came with massive consumption. Seeing Yun Che also operating the Phoenix Ode Scripture, a strong sense of unease rose in Feng Xiluo's heart. He let out a low roar, his Phoenix Wings suddenly spread wide, and the Phoenix Flame behind him shot up into the sky, stirring up a sea of fire that blotted out the sky. The entire arena's sky was stained a deep red.
"Die... Phoenix Flame Scorches the Sky!!"
It was as if a volcano, towering and endless, was collapsing upon him. Yun Che's expression was calm. He extended his hand, and his Phoenix Flame erupted with equal intensity...
"Phoenix Flame Scorches the Sky!!"
The same fourth realm of the Phoenix Ode Scripture, the same Phoenix flame technique. Two overwhelming seas of Phoenix Flame collided fiercely on the suddenly dwarfed Phoenix Platform!
Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The entire Phoenix Realm trembled violently. In an instant, towering waves of flame burst open wildly, soaring hundreds of zhang into the air. The Phoenix Platform was completely engulfed. Every one of the three million profound cultivators in the arena had their faces turned a pure crimson. Even the sky itself changed color entirely, as if even the heavens were set ablaze.
It was like a sun descending upon the mortal world.
Yun Che and Feng Xiluo's figures were completely swallowed. Within the waves of flame, they were less than a zhang apart. Their gazes pierced through the fire, clashing fiercely.
"You mongrel, how dare you compete with this prince in Phoenix Flame!? In less than ten breaths... you'll be burned to ashes!" Feng Xiluo snarled viciously.
Yun Che's face was grim, his voice dark and taunting: "Even if I stood here without moving, your Phoenix Flame couldn't harm a single hair on my head. But I disdain to do that... because I will defeat you fair and square in Phoenix Flame! I will make you understand..."
"Who is the real mongrel!"
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