Chapter 457: The Sudden Crisis
Inside the Primordial Mystic Ark was a barren world.
After walking forward for another hour or so, the world before them remained a desolate wasteland. If Yun Che had to use two words to describe his feelings about this world, they would be...
Boring!!
Aside from that, there was not a shred of excitement, tension, or mystery about exploring a different world. As far as the eye could see, it was nothing but barrenness, with barely even a large rock to be seen. Occasionally, one or two Xuan Beasts would dart out, only to be smashed to pieces by Xia Yuanba's fists, leaving no room for Yun Che to make a move... The last time he had visited the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm, there had been heavy snow, danger, and fortuitous encounters... Compared to that, this place was utterly dull. Scenery, adventure—there wasn't even any risk.
Fortunately, he still had the pleasing sight of Feng Xue'er by his side.
"Mo Li, have you noticed anything?" Yun Che asked casually.
"...This is a dying world." Mo Li said flatly. "The place where you first set foot was basically the only patch of green in this entire world. Everywhere else is barren, and the further you go, the more desolate it becomes."
"What does that mean?" Yun Che asked.
"It means this world is dying!" Mo Li said. "Although Xuan Beasts still exist here, you should have noticed that their numbers are not only very small, but the species are all those with hard outer shells and strong resistance to harsh environments! Perhaps in a few thousand years, even these highly adaptable Xuan Beasts will gradually go extinct. By then, this world will have completely turned into a dead world."
"...Why is this world dying?"
"This is an independent world, not a natural world born from the chaotic universe. Since it is a self-contained independent world, its existence relies on the support of certain powers. And when the power supporting this world disappears, the world naturally becomes barren and dies. But being able to form such a vast independent world—the origins of this Primordial Mystic Ark are absolutely extraordinary!"
Yun Che: "..."
"Brother Yun, yesterday I heard them say that you are the consort of the Cang Feng Kingdom, and your wife is also a princess... Then Brother Yun's wife must be very beautiful, right?" Feng Xue'er tilted her head to look at Yun Che and asked curiously.
Before Yun Che could answer, Xia Yuanba had already squeezed over and said seriously, "Senior Sister Xue Ruo is indeed beautiful, but definitely not as beautiful as my sister! Also, my sister is big sister-in-law, and although Senior Sister Xue Ruo is a princess, she's only a concubine."
As Xia Qingyue's younger brother, Xia Yuanba instinctively harbored a slight hostility toward Cang Yue, whom Yun Che married later. Additionally, since Cang Yue was a princess of noble birth and gentle and virtuous in nature, Xia Yuanba felt the need to safeguard his sister's position as the primary wife. So when Feng Xue'er mentioned Yun Che's wife and directly referred to Princess Cang Yue, he immediately stepped forward to defend his sister's status as the main wife.
"..." If he weren't no match for Xia Yuanba right now, Yun Che would have kicked him flying.
"Ah?" Sure enough, Feng Xue'er's cherry-red lips parted in surprise. "Brother Yun, so you... have two wives?"
"Ahem... well... you see, you have to understand that your Brother Yun's charm is immense, and some things simply cannot be resisted by one's own will." Yun Che explained incoherently.
To his surprise, Feng Xue'er nodded seriously and said, "Mm, that's right. Brother Yun is so wonderful, he definitely deserves to be liked by many, many girls. Brother Yun is nineteen this year, and two wives... doesn't seem like too many! My father has over four hundred and sixty concubines—that's many more than Brother Yun!"
Four... hundred... sixty?!
Yun Che sucked in a cold breath... Being an emperor sure is enviably comfortable!
Wait... Over four hundred and sixty concubines but only fourteen sons and one daughter?
Looks like it's not all that impressive either!!
Thinking of the latter, Yun Che felt much better immediately. He nodded and said seriously, "Mm! I will learn from Xue'er's father and work harder in this area... Xue'er, I have some questions I'd like to ask you. If you can answer, please do, but if it's inconvenient, you don't have to answer at all."
"Mm, Brother Yun, go ahead." Feng Xue'er agreed happily.
Yun Che organized his thoughts briefly and asked, "Xue'er, before you turned sixteen, did you spend most of your time with the 'Phoenix God' of your sect?"
The words "Phoenix God" caused Feng Xue'er's steps to pause momentarily. She was silent for a short while, then gently nodded. "Yes. On the first day I was born, Lord Phoenix God suddenly appeared and took me to its side. It wasn't until I was eight that I first met my imperial father. After that, most of my time was still spent by Lord Phoenix God's side, until I was thirteen..."
Feng Xue'er's voice cut off abruptly, and she didn't continue.
Yun Che could guess that when Feng Xue'er was thirteen, three years ago, the "Lord Phoenix God" she spoke of had died. Of course, he wouldn't ask Feng Xue'er to confirm this, because the death of the Phoenix God was a secret so few even within the Phoenix Sect knew that it was the greatest secret that must never be leaked. He thought for a moment and said, "Then did your Lord Phoenix God ever mention... another Phoenix God to you?"
Feng Xue'er lifted her head, her beautiful eyes quietly gazing at Yun Che for a moment, then... she nodded gently.
"Lord Phoenix God was two residual phoenix souls left behind in the Tian Xuan Continent by a divine beast Phoenix a long, long time ago, meant to guide the trials and inheritance of phoenix power. One was in the Shenhuang Empire—that was our Lord Phoenix God—and the other was in the Cang Feng Kingdom... Lord Phoenix God told me this a very long time ago." Feng Xue'er spoke slowly, looking at Yun Che. "Brother Yun, yesterday you asked me why, knowing full well that you are the successor of the other Phoenix God, I still taught you the Phoenix Ode Scripture... Actually, yesterday I only gave half the answer. The other half... was Lord Phoenix God's wish."
"Lord Phoenix God's wish?" Yun Che's brows twitched.
"Lord Phoenix God was originally a pure and flawless phoenix spirit, but after staying in the Tian Xuan Continent for too long, its pure soul was tainted by the filth of the mortal world, giving birth to desires it should never have had—to become the only god of the Tian Xuan Continent and then dominate the entire continent. So it broke free from its constraints, left the trial grounds, went to the Cang Feng Kingdom to find the other phoenix spirit, fought a bitter battle, and destroyed it. But it too was severely wounded. Not only did its power weaken greatly, but its life, which could have lasted for hundreds of thousands of years, was reduced to just a few thousand. Even the Phoenix Ode Scripture was damaged and left incomplete in the fierce battle..."
"..." What Feng Xue'er said was essentially the same as what Yun Che had heard from the phoenix spirit in the trial grounds back then. However, that phoenix spirit had not actually perished back then, but the Phoenix Ode Scripture was indeed left with only the fifth and sixth layers.
"Later, as Lord Phoenix God's life neared its end, it saw through many things, and the desires and filth in its heart gradually faded. It felt guilt and regret for destroying the other phoenix spirit back then. But three years ago, just as Lord Phoenix God was about to... Lord Phoenix God suddenly sensed the existence of another phoenix spirit and phoenix bloodline. It told me that if I ever encountered the successor of the other phoenix lineage, I should coexist peacefully with them and teach them the Phoenix Ode Scripture... Because in that fierce battle back then, Lord Phoenix God only lost the last two layers of the Phoenix Ode Scripture, while the other phoenix spirit's Phoenix Ode Scripture was completely destroyed. Even if it obtained the phoenix bloodline, it would be doomed to be unable to cultivate phoenix profound arts."
Yun Che listened intently, momentarily lost in thought.
Although Feng Xue'er tried her best to conceal it, much of what she said hinted at the Phoenix God's death. What he hadn't expected was that the "Phoenix God" he had been most wary of before coming to the Phoenix Sect—the one the phoenix spirit had warned him to be cautious of—had long since regretted and repented its betrayal and sin. Truly, the world was unpredictable.
"I never imagined that Brother Yun would actually be the successor of that other Lord Phoenix God, and that you even received the inheritance of its source power and soul... Ah, by the way, Brother Yun, what did that other Lord Phoenix God look like? Is it still... well?" Feng Xue'er asked excitedly and expectantly.
"As for its appearance..." Yun Che thought for a moment, then said somewhat helplessly, "Actually, I never got a clear look at what it looked like. Every time I saw it, it was just two golden, glowing eyes. It's still somewhere in the Cang Feng Kingdom. It also told me about some of its grievances with your Lord Phoenix God back then. Now that I'm returning to Cang Feng, I think I should go tell it about this as well. It should be quite relieved to hear it."
"Mm!" Feng Xue'er nodded, then said dreamily, "Actually, after Lord Phoenix God learned that the other phoenix spirit hadn't really perished, it was truly happy—as if it had finally resolved the biggest knot in its heart. So after I found out that Brother Yun was the successor of that other phoenix spirit, I was also very happy."
Yun Che was about to speak when suddenly, from behind them, a grating voice came:
"Oh? Isn't this my unparalleled beauty, little sister Xue'er? Meeting in such a vast and mysterious world—what a stroke of luck for me."
Yun Che, Feng Xue'er, and Xia Yuanba turned around simultaneously. Less than a hundred zhang behind them, Ye Xinghan, dressed in black, had his arms wrapped around his two seductive women. A cocky and lecherous smile spread across his face as he leisurely walked toward them.
"Ye Xinghan?" Yun Che murmured, his brow furrowing sharply. The dangerous smile and gaze in Ye Xinghan's eyes instantly filled him with a strong sense of unease. He said in a low voice, "Yuanba, be careful."
"Oh..." Xia Yuanba stiffened at Yun Che's words, nodded slightly, and the veins on his thick arms immediately bulged.
Xia Yuanba was at the mid-stage Overlord Emperor realm, Feng Xue'er at half-step Emperor Lord realm, and Ye Xinghan's profound strength was also at the mid-stage Overlord Emperor realm. If he tried anything, he was definitely no match for Xia Yuanba and Feng Xue'er. But precisely because of that, Yun Che grew even more uneasy, because in Ye Xinghan's eyes... there was clearly the look of a hunter who had his prey in his grasp and was completely confident!
"Young Palace Master Ye." Feng Xue'er greeted politely.
"Oh~~" Ye Xinghan narrowed his long, narrow eyes, staring directly at Feng Xue'er's ethereal, fairy-like figure, ignoring Yun Che and Xia Yuanba altogether. "Little sister Xue'er is being too formal. Calling me 'Young Palace Master Ye' is so dull and distant. I'd much rather hear you call me... 'Brother Ye.'"
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