Chapter 447: Little Mingming, Have Some Shame
The Phoenix Demon Lotus still bloomed, refusing to wither. It was as dreamy and enchanting as a heavenly holy flower, yet it radiated a destructive aura like the molten lava of hell.
At the center of the demon lotus, a core of flames carried a human figure slowly rising. Yun Che, his entire body ablaze and holding a heavy sword, appeared before everyone's eyes. He looked somewhat weak, trembling slightly and panting heavily, as if even standing was a struggle. But his gaze remained as sharp as ever, daring anyone to meet it directly. People stared at him in a daze… at that moment, he was like a Flame Sovereign descending upon the world!
"This is… the fifth and sixth realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*! Realms that your Phoenix God Sect has never reached! For five thousand years, the highest realm your Divine Phoenix Empire's *Phoenix Ode Scripture* reached was only the fourth!" Yun Che gasped for breath, but his voice boomed like thunder: "Now, do you still dare to say that my Phoenix bloodline comes from your Phoenix God Sect?!"
Yun Che had come to these Seven Nations Ranking Battles precisely to resolve the conflict with the Phoenix God Sect… However, this "resolution" did not mean clearing the grievances; it was destined to be impossible to clear. The result he wanted was to turn the Phoenix God Sect from the aggressor into the passive party under the gaze of the entire world!
He possessed the Phoenix bloodline, and the Phoenix God Sect wanted to "cleanse their sect" by eliminating him. In the eyes of the world, this seemed utterly justified. But if he could prove that his bloodline did not come from the Phoenix God Sect, then their pursuit of him would have no legitimate grounds.
And the best opportunity was this Seven Nations Ranking Battle, with all the world's heroes watching and the Four Sacred Grounds present!
Otherwise, if he directly confronted the Phoenix God Sect, even if he could prove his bloodline truly did not come from them, it would only be seeking death.
Moreover, after becoming famous in the ranking battle, even if the Phoenix God Sect wanted to kill him openly, let alone assassinate him secretly, they would have to tread carefully.
Before coming to Shenhuang City, Yun Che had thought the best way to prove himself was to defeat the strongest young member of the Phoenix God Sect, leaving them speechless and forcing them to acknowledge it even if they didn't want to! If the Phoenix God Sect still persisted in their accusations, then the Four Sacred Grounds, always bearing the banner of righteousness, would likely step forward. The entire audience of six nations' profound practitioners, under the historical glory he had brought to their nations, would side with him and pressure the Divine Phoenix Empire… However, the probability of success was only about fifty-fifty. But after Mo Li told him that the Phoenix Soul had been destroyed, his chance of success rose to seventy or eighty percent.
Thus, he could use the fifth and sixth realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture* without any restraint! This was the most solid, irrefutable proof of his bloodline!
As for Xia Yuanba's arrival, which indirectly gave him an extra layer of protection from the Huangji Sacred Domain, that was entirely unexpected.
The Phoenix Demon Lotus began to slowly wither. After ten breaths, it completely disappeared from everyone's sight, but the shock and visual impact it caused were deeply imprinted in all their hearts and souls.
Admittedly, doing this would undoubtedly make the Phoenix God Sect want him dead even more… because they would never allow another branch of the Phoenix bloodline to appear and proliferate on the Tian Xuan Continent, especially one whose Phoenix mystic art was two entire realms higher than theirs! They would also strongly covet his *Phoenix Ode Scripture*.
But Yun Che would rather the Phoenix God Sect harbor a killing intent a hundred or a thousand times greater than before than allow them to pursue him as if it were their natural right! He would never allow himself to be hunted under the eyes of the world as if it were only natural!
This was his dignity and arrogance!
After the Burning Star Demon Lotus vanished, the bodies of the nine Phoenix disciples appeared where the lotus had covered them. They were all covered in blood, each severely injured, but none dead. Clearly, although they had been submerged under the demon lotus, they had not been harmed… This was Yun Che's way of leaving face and leeway for the Phoenix God Sect, even a form of grace—because if these nine young disciples with the highest talent perished, it would be an incalculable loss for the sect.
Whether they appreciated this grace or had any shame depended entirely on the Phoenix God Sect itself. Yun Che, who was usually vengeful to the extreme, had done more than enough by going this far.
In the silence, a sharp voice came from the stands, shattering the quiet completely.
"Wow! Did you hear that? The fifth and sixth realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*! Doesn't the Phoenix God Sect's *Phoenix Ode Scripture* only have four realms? What's going on?!"
The speaker was none other than Ling Jie. He poured all his profound energy into his voice, making it as loud as possible, afraid someone might miss it.
"It's obvious!" Hua Minghai immediately followed up, his voice even louder than Ling Jie's: "It means Yun Che's Phoenix bloodline and *Phoenix Ode Scripture* definitely did not come from the Phoenix God Sect."
"Oh? But isn't the Phoenix God Sect the only one on the Tian Xuan Continent with the Phoenix bloodline and *Phoenix Ode Scripture*?"
"Are you stupid? The Phoenix God Sect's Phoenix bloodline came from a remnant Phoenix spirit's inheritance. But who told you there's only one Phoenix inheritance on the Tian Xuan Continent? For the past five thousand years, only the Phoenix God Sect had the Phoenix bloodline, which only means other Phoenix inheritances hadn't been discovered yet. Now, Yun Che has found one. Didn't he clearly say before that his Phoenix bloodline didn't come from the Phoenix God Sect but from another Phoenix inheritance?"
"Before, I definitely wouldn't have believed it either. But Feng Xiluo, the one with the highest talent and strongest Phoenix bloodline power in this generation of the Phoenix God Sect, was completely defeated by Yun Che. And now Yun Che has displayed the power of the fifth and sixth realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*… These two points are ironclad proof! If you still don't believe it, then your head must be stuffed with dog shit!"
"He's right! Yun Che's Phoenix bloodline absolutely cannot be from the Phoenix God Sect, and even less so the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*… Wow! So there's another Phoenix inheritance on our Tian Xuan Continent! My heart is pounding! After the ranking battle ends, I will definitely search desperately for it… Don't anyone try to stop me!"
Ling Jie and Hua Minghai played off each other, every word steering everyone's thoughts. The arena gradually filled with discussion. If it had been at the beginning of the Seven Nations Ranking Battle, when Yun Che claimed his Phoenix bloodline was not from the Phoenix God Sect, not a single person in the audience would have believed him. But now that he had utterly defeated Feng Xiluo and displayed a higher realm—two whole realms higher—of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*, no one could disbelieve it!
The discussions in the arena grew louder until almost everyone was saying "Yun Che's bloodline cannot be from the Phoenix God Sect." The Phoenix God Sect's sect master, elders, and princes all had faces as dark as water. They had never imagined things would develop this way.
To the Phoenix God Sect, Yun Che was originally just an ordinary case of bloodline flowing outside. Figures like Feng Hengkong and Feng Feiyan only occasionally inquired about it, barely paying it any mind… because no matter who the other party was, they couldn't escape the fate of being cleansed from the sect. They didn't even bother to let Yun Che interfere with the Seven Nations Ranking Battle schedule, so they hadn't even mentioned his Phoenix bloodline during the matches.
But unexpectedly, under Yun Che's gradual guidance and performance, the situation had developed into something they could never have dreamed of.
Now, even they themselves believed that Yun Che's bloodline truly did not come from the Phoenix God Sect, and even less so the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*… But this fact, they absolutely could not admit. If they admitted it publicly, they would lose all right to "protect the bloodline" and "cleanse the sect" against Yun Che. And after today, Yun Che would surely shake the world. They wouldn't be able to act against him openly, and even covert actions would be extremely difficult… If anyone else targeted Yun Che, the Phoenix God Sect would be the first to be suspected.
If they admitted Yun Che's bloodline and let him leave safely today, then on the Tian Xuan Continent, their Phoenix God Sect would no longer be the only divine inheritance sect! How could they allow that to happen!
Feng Ximing glanced at Feng Hengkong's ugly expression, took a deep breath, stood up, and shouted loudly: "Nonsense! Complete nonsense! Don't be fooled by his lies! Since ancient times, the Tian Xuan Continent has had only one Phoenix God, only one Phoenix inheritance sect! Our great Phoenix God of the Phoenix God Sect has said more than once that it is the only remnant Phoenix soul on the entire Tian Xuan Continent! If there were another remnant Phoenix soul, how could our Lord Phoenix God not detect it? If there were another Phoenix inheritance, how could it have gone undiscovered for five thousand whole years!"
"This Yun Che… no matter how he argues or covers it up, his Phoenix profound vein absolutely cannot come from another Phoenix inheritance. Coming from our Phoenix God Sect is the only possibility!"
Feng Ximing's words were forceful and righteous, but anyone listening could tell he was clearly being obstinate. Xia Yuanba immediately turned his head and roared: "Bullshit! Your Phoenix God Sect's top ten disciples were beaten by my brother-in-law until they couldn't even compare to dogs! And you still have the face to say my brother-in-law's bloodline comes from your Phoenix God Sect? Bah! This is an insult to my brother-in-law!"
Xia Yuanba's words were overbearing and extremely harsh, their offensiveness no less than dumping a pot of shit on this crown prince of the Divine Phoenix in public. Feng Ximing's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. Yun Che also stared wide-eyed… What the hell! Did those words really come from Yuanba's mouth?!
"Yuanba, show some respect!" Gu Cang Zhenren gave a token rebuke with a wry smile, then said: "However, in my humble opinion, Yun Che's bloodline indeed should not come from your sect. His *Phoenix Ode Scripture* is sufficient proof of that."
Although Gu Cang Zhenren's words were mild, given his strength, origin, prestige, and status, he undoubtedly had the highest voice in the entire arena. His words were clearly backing Yun Che… Hell, his direct disciple was practically risking his life for Yun Che! He couldn't stay silent even if he wanted to. Moreover, he was impressed by Yun Che's talent and felt a desire to nurture him. Even without Xia Yuanba's connection, he would still speak for Yun Che.
Gu Cang Zhenren's opening words made Feng Hengkong and the others' faces darken further. Feng Ximing took a deep breath, bowed to Gu Cang Zhenren, and forced himself to say: "Senior Gu's words naturally carry weight. But… this matter involves the bloodline taboo of my Phoenix God Sect and cannot be compromised in any way. His defeat of my fourteenth imperial brother only proves his high talent, which has nothing to do with bloodline purity or origin. Those two moves of his just now… he only claimed they were the fifth and sixth realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*! In this world, who has ever truly seen higher realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*? Even the Phoenix God of our sect does not know higher realms of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*, so how could he possibly know them! That is clearly just him using other flame profound techniques as a disguise!"
When Feng Ximing said this, Gu Cang Zhenren frowned slightly. Xia Yuanba's hair practically stood on end. He was about to curse when suddenly a sweet, coquettish voice rang out:
"Aiyo aiyo aiyo… Look at what Little Mingming is saying, so shameless! It made me, your little lady, completely unable to bear it anymore… Little Mingming, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you are the little crown prince of Divine Phoenix, and your daddy is Little Kongkong. How can you be so shameless? You know, when you're a person, you must have some shame. Even if you don't want shame, the Phoenix God Sect still needs it. Even if the Phoenix God Sect doesn't want shame, the Divine Phoenix Empire still needs it… Little Mingming, be good, quickly pick up the shame you dropped. Your little lady hates shameless people the most, you know."