Chapter 471: The Sky Changes (Part 1)
"Phoenix God..."
"Lord Phoenix God!!"
Even high-level figures such as princes and elders of the Fenghuang God Sect rarely had the opportunity to hear the voice of the Phoenix God or witness its true form in their daily lives. Some might not even see it once in their entire lifetime. Moreover, at a time when everyone believed the Phoenix God had perished and their hearts were filled with fear, the sudden appearance of the Phoenix God undoubtedly shattered the "rumors" in the most direct way possible. The elders of the Phoenix Sect fell to their knees in boundless surprise and excitement, prostrating and worshiping the heavens above.
The divine pressure of the Phoenix God enveloped the entire Shenhuang City. In every corner of the city, those golden giant eyes in the sky were visible. In an instant, all disciples of the Phoenix Sect knelt down on the spot, gazing up at the sky, trembling with excitement. A large portion of the profound practitioners in Shenhuang City also found themselves kneeling almost involuntarily. Under the pressure of the divine being, they felt as if their very blood had nearly frozen solid.
For Feng Hengkong, however, shock far outweighed excitement. He was one of the few who knew that the Phoenix God had departed from the world, having witnessed its passing with his own eyes. Staring at the golden giant eyes in the sky, he was stunned for a long time, unable to snap back to reality, finding it impossible to believe his own eyes. Only after a long while did he seem to awaken from a dream, slowly kneeling down.
"Gu Cang of the Huangji Sacred Domain pays respects to the Phoenix God Venerable." Gu Cang bowed his body and performed a respectful junior's salute. Gu Cang's age had already exceeded a thousand years, but indeed, before the Phoenix God, he was still just a junior.
Ling Kun and Ji Qianrou also respectfully offered their greetings. Before the Phoenix God, let alone them, even figures like the Holy Emperor, the Sea Emperor, the Heavenly Lord, and the Sword Master would not dare to act presumptuously. Because the Phoenix God was the only being in the entire Tian Xuan Continent to have stepped into the legendary Xuan God realm, a truly supreme being, a myth-like existence.
"Impossible... this is impossible!" Ye Xinghan's eyes widened as he stared incredulously at the golden eyes in the sky. "This Phoenix God... should have already died!"
The golden eyes might be an illusion, and the voice might be fake, but the divine pressure emanating from the Phoenix God could absolutely not be false. It was a kind of aura pressure even more terrifying than that of his father, the Heavenly Lord Ye Meixie, a divine might that no one could ever imitate.
From the sky above, the voice of the Phoenix God came down, every word shaking the soul: "This God merely went to sleep for a few years, and yet some dare to act so outrageously in my Fenghuang God Sect! They even sought to harm this God's personal disciple with poisonous hands. What audacity!"
The personal disciple the Phoenix God referred to was naturally Feng Xue'er.
The wrath of the Phoenix God pressed down from above, silencing everyone in terror. The giant golden eyes suddenly flashed at that moment. Instantly, a crimson ring of phoenix fire descended from the sky, landing around Ye Xinghan. A circle of phoenix flames violently erupted, tightly sealing him within.
This was the phoenix flame from the Phoenix God itself. Its terrifyingly high temperature caused even the people from the Sacred Grounds to pale in fright. Gu Cang, Ling Kun, and Ji Qianrou all quickly retreated backwards, at least thirty zhang away. Although Ye Xinghan, trapped within the phoenix flames, was not touched by the fire, it felt as if he had been thrown into a lava hell. His clothes began to burn in an instant. A deep fear appeared on Ye Xinghan's face. He had no doubt that if those phoenix flames surged up, he would be reduced to ashes within a few breaths.
There were very few people in this world who dared to kill him... but the Phoenix God was definitely one of them! It was someone capable of annihilating even his father. Given his earlier actions and arrogant words, it would be perfectly normal for the Phoenix God to kill him.
Facing the threat of death, Ye Xinghan finally began to fear. He frantically suppressed the phoenix flames that had ignited on his body and forcibly calmed himself, saying, "Lord Phoenix God, please calm your anger. This junior certainly had no intention of offending you. My father, Ye Meixie, has often admonished me never to be disrespectful toward you... I only believed the words of Feng Feiyan, thinking that the Phoenix God had already passed away, and thus acted impulsively, making unwise decisions. I beg the Phoenix God to show mercy and spare this junior once. I will surely be grateful and never commit such an offense again..."
To save his own life, Ye Xinghan had no choice but to emphasize the name "Ye Meixie."
Ling Kun's expression shifted several times before he finally stepped forward and said earnestly, "Please calm your anger, Lord Phoenix God. The Young Palace Master of the Sun Moon Divine Palace is still young. What he did today is indeed disgraceful, but youthful impulsiveness is not unforgivable. Moreover, Princess Xue is unharmed, and no serious consequences have occurred. The Sun Moon Divine Palace and the Fenghuang God Sect have always been at peace with each other. If the Young Palace Master of the Sun Moon Divine Palace were to die here today, I fear... I ask the Phoenix God to reconsider."
Whoosh!!
As Ling Kun's words fell, the phoenix flames around Ye Xinghan suddenly flared up and surged onto his body. Before the crowd could even show their shock, all the phoenix flames abruptly extinguished. But the impact force had not diminished, sending Ye Xinghan flying with a heavy thud.
Ye Xinghan tumbled to the ground, spitting out four large mouthfuls of blood. His face was as pale as paper, and he lay paralyzed on the ground, unable to stand for a long time. The stern voice of the Phoenix God came from above: "Hmph! Ye Meixie visited this God twice over a thousand years, and we had a slight friendship. Out of consideration for Ye Meixie and the Sun Moon Divine Palace, this God will spare your life today! Get out of Shenhuang City immediately, and never set foot here again for the rest of your life. If you dare to enter even half a step into Shenhuang City again... this God will personally incinerate you!"
"Now, get lost!"
Every word from the Phoenix God carried immense authority and deterrence. Ye Xinghan clutched his chest and got up, turning around to leave in utter disgrace, not even daring to show any resentment.
He had come to the Shenhuang Empire this time personally for Feng Xue'er, full of confidence, believing everything was under his control. Unexpectedly, in the end, he had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. He did not obtain Feng Xue'er, and Moon Ji and Charm Ji, along with the important tool Feng Feiyan, all died on the Primordial Mystic Ark. He was first toyed with by Ji Qianrou, then injured by the Phoenix God, heavily offended Gu Cang, and ended up utterly miserable and losing all dignity before the Fenghuang God Sect... Finally, he discovered that even the news of the Phoenix God's death was false!
The Young Palace Master of the majestic Sun Moon Divine Palace, under the pressure of the Phoenix God, left severely injured like a dog in disgrace. The people of the Fenghuang God Sect were all excited, their hearts surging with emotion. The states of mind of Gu Cang, Ji Qianrou, and Ling Kun were even more complicated to the extreme... They had been ninety percent convinced of the news of the Phoenix God's death, with only one percent doubt. Today, they discovered it was just a rumor... Or perhaps, it was a falsehood deliberately created by the Phoenix God.
At this moment, their bodies simultaneously tensed up, as if being crushed by the weight of mountains. Their bodies and aura were completely immobile. Because the Phoenix God's attention was now focused on the three of them.
"You three from the Sacred Grounds, did you also think this God was dead?"
Gu Cang sighed and spoke relatively calmly, "I am ashamed. Our Huangji Sacred Domain did indeed hear similar rumors and had believed most of them. Today, learning that the Phoenix God Venerable is well, Gu is greatly relieved. I believe the Holy Emperor will also be very comforted when he learns of this."
"This God is the divine spirit of the phoenix, existing together with heaven and earth. As long as heaven and earth do not perish, this God will never vanish! Even if the entire Tian Xuan Continent were destroyed, this God would not die! The three of you are guests from afar. Whether you stay or leave is up to you, but do not attempt to challenge the dignity of my Fenghuang God Sect."
"Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare." Ling Kun quickly bowed. The pressure the Phoenix God brought him far exceeded that of the Sword Master, Xuanyuan Wentian.
"Hengkong, bring Xue'er to my side for a moment."
After the last words of the Phoenix God, the pair of golden eyes slowly closed and then disappeared into the sky.
"We greet Lord Phoenix God!" The disciples of the Phoenix Sect shouted in unison, but they still remained prostrate, not rising for a long time.
"Ming'er, take care of the aftermath." Feng Hengkong simply left a sentence, lifted the unconscious Feng Xue'er, and swiftly flew toward the Phoenix God Hall.
The Phoenix God departed, and the overwhelming oppressive feeling also vanished. Gu Cang sighed softly and said to Feng Xichen, "Fourteenth Prince, please take Gu to see my unworthy disciple."
Gu Cang took the initiative to speak to him. Feng Xichen felt a momentary panic and quickly replied, "Alright, Senior Gu, this way please."
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The appearance of the Phoenix God's divine spirit stirred the entire Shenhuang City. Soon, this sensational effect spread rapidly throughout the entire Shenhuang Empire. The whole city talked about nothing but the appearance of the Phoenix God's spirit throughout the day, its intensity even surpassing the Seven Nations Ranking Battle and the Primordial Mystic Ark.
Now, the Four Sacred Grounds too should have learned that the Phoenix God's spirit had never perished.
While the people of the Shenhuang Empire were immensely inspired, a piece of news struck the hearts of all the Cang Feng people in Shenhuang City like a bucket of ice-cold water.
Yesterday, Yun Che, who had single-handedly defeated the ten top genius disciples of the Fenghuang God Sect and achieved the historic first place for the Cang Feng Kingdom in the Seven Nations Ranking Battle, had perished forever within the vanished Primordial Mystic Ark while rescuing the Snow Princess.
Outside Phoenix City, Ling Jie, who had been running over excitedly to return to Cang Feng with Yun Che as promised, received the news. It was as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He stood there in a daze, motionless for a long time, as if he had turned into a soulless statue.
Time quickly passed from early morning to afternoon. The bustling Shenhuang City finally quieted down. In the imperial bedchamber of the Shenhuang Empire, Feng Ximing rushed in hurriedly and asked anxiously, "Father, has Xue'er woken up yet? Lord Phoenix God had not actually passed away? Did Lord Phoenix God deliberately create the illusion of passing away to observe the reactions of the Four Sacred Grounds and lure out those with ulterior motives in the sect?"
"No..." Feng Hengkong's voice was exceptionally calm. He turned around, his expression cold and still. "Lord Phoenix God's passing three years ago was not an illusion. Everything today... is an illusion."
"Wh... what?" Feng Ximing held his breath.
"The Lord Phoenix God that appeared today was merely a divine spirit illusion left behind by Lord Phoenix God before its passing, to prevent the leak of its death from bringing disaster to the Fenghuang God Sect. Now, the last remnants of the Phoenix God's power in this world have completely disappeared. It called me to the Phoenix God Hall and told me all this through its final soul voice." Feng Hengkong said in a heavy tone.
Feng Ximing was stunned, silent for a long time. After a while, he sighed and said, "Lord Phoenix God was wise, foreseeing today. Now, the entire world, including the Four Sacred Grounds, must surely believe that the Phoenix God still exists. With the deterrence of the Phoenix God, the Four Sacred Grounds will not dare to act rashly against our Fenghuang God Sect."
"Paper can never wrap fire. Although we have stability for now, the truth of the Phoenix God's death will eventually leak out." Feng Hengkong's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression growing more resolute. "Ming'er, you saw it today. Without the Phoenix God, how the Four Sacred Grounds belittle our Fenghuang God Sect! Now that the Phoenix God is gone, and Xue'er is only sixteen... before Xue'er fully matures, we can only rely on ourselves! We must strengthen ourselves in the shortest possible time, as fast as possible."
"Father means..."
Feng Hengkong narrowed his eyes and said lightly, "We must get our hands on that massive hidden purple crystal mine in the Cang Feng Kingdom! Many of the intelligence findings from the Lingkun Hall indicate that there seems to be a large amount of Purple Vein Divine Crystals hidden within! If true, it will become a tremendous boost for our sect!"
"Starting tomorrow, prepare the entire army! Three months later, march into the Cang Feng Kingdom! Within three years, we must do our utmost to conquer all of Cang Feng's territories!"