Chapter 680: The Duel Challenge
"Demon Source? What is that?"
"You should first think about how to deal with the current situation! This person's killing intent toward you is extremely heavy! Hmph, if you don't uproot the grass, you'll leave trouble behind! I never expected it would become such a huge problem!" Mo Li said coldly.
"Big Brother, this person is..."
"Don't come over!" Yun Che reached back sharply, sending out a wave of energy that forcefully pushed back Xiao Yun and Tianxia Diqi who were walking quickly toward him. With his other hand, he wrapped around Xiao Lingxi and firmly shielded her behind him.
"Do you think I'm still the same waste from back then!" Fen Juechen's gaze and tone were extremely sinister and low. He raised his hands wrapped in black energy, and a soul-shaking, icy cold aura rippled through the space. Even the light was gradually dimming at a discernible speed. "Rest assured, I won't kill you right away—I'll make you pay for all the pain I've endured over these years!"
Fen Juechen's pupils suddenly emitted a black light deeper than the night. He thrust out his arm, and a mass of black energy shot straight toward Yun Che's throat.
The light before Yun Che's eyes dimmed sharply. Before the icy cold aura even approached, it had already seeped straight into his bones. Yun Che had never seen such Profound Force or such an aura in either of his two lifetimes. When he fought Hui Ye in the Huan Yao Realm, his Fallen Demon Flame had also carried a sinister aura, but in terms of purity and intensity, it couldn't be compared to the power before him!
This Fen Juechen—what exactly has he gone through all these years!
Yun Che raised his arm horizontally, Phoenix Flame igniting in an instant, ready to blast straight toward the icy black energy coming at him. But at that moment, with an urgent cry, Xiao Lingxi suddenly rushed out from behind him, spreading her arms to block in front of him.
"Don't!"
"!!" Xiao Lingxi's sudden action startled Yun Che. He pulled her into his embrace, extinguishing the Phoenix Flame, and hastily converted all his condensed Profound Force into defense.
"Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking!"
But Yun Che wasn't the only one whose expression changed. Fen Juechen's face also twisted sharply. He twisted his outstretched arm urgently, forcibly withdrawing most of the black Profound Force that was rushing toward Yun Che in an instant. The remaining small portion struck the Evil God Barrier in front of Yun Che.
Screech!!
The colorless Evil God Barrier was instantly stained black. After one breath, the dark aura was completely neutralized, but on the Evil God Barrier, several fist-sized holes had clearly appeared.
This scene made Yun Che secretly alarmed. The dark aura from before had clearly been casually released by Fen Juechen, yet it had so easily broken through his Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking! As a defensive barrier formed by the Evil God's power, Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking would directly shatter when it could no longer hold. But at this moment, it hadn't collapsed—instead, it had been corroded into numerous holes!
That dark Profound Force actually had such terrifying corrosive power! Could this be one of the terrifying characteristics of Demon Profound Force that Mo Li mentioned?
Fen Juechen's shock was no less than Yun Che's. He knew best how terrifying his own power was now. The aura emanating from Yun Che was at the King Xuan Realm. Although his progress over just a few years was astonishing, a mere King rank was nothing more than a lowly ant in his eyes. Destroying him would be as simple as waving a hand!
But the power he had released under emotional control just now was something even an Overlord Emperor would find extremely hard to block—yet Yun Che had completely blocked it! Moreover, Yun Che had clearly used power that was forcefully converted from offense to defense in haste!
This flicker of surprise only flashed through his mind. His gaze was not fixed on Yun Che but on Xiao Lingxi. When he confirmed she was unharmed, his aura calmed slightly, but then it became even colder and more harsh.
"Little Aunt, are you alright?" Yun Che quickly pulled Xiao Lingxi behind him. Xiao Lingxi shook her head, grabbed his arm, and said anxiously, "I'm fine... Xiao Che, run! Run! He's no longer the Fen Juechen of the past. He's become so powerful now—you can't possibly defeat him! Go! Or else he'll... he'll kill you! Go!"
"Yun Che! You've finally fallen into my hands—I'll make sure you die without a burial place!" Seeing Xiao Lingxi's desperate protection, Fen Juechen's pupils erupted with even more furious flames of hatred. The black energy on his body suddenly expanded, instantly darkening the sky and earth. The air completely stopped flowing, and it became as sinister as if they had suddenly fallen into the Nine Nether Purgatory.
"What... what is this?" Xiao Yun tightly shielded Tianxia Diqi, exclaiming in shock. The world before them was rapidly turning gray, as if the light was being quickly devoured by something. Such a spectacle—even though he had grown up in the highest-leveled Yao Huang City of the Huan Yao Realm—he had never seen before.
"Don't!!" Xiao Lingxi cried out urgently. She turned around, spreading her arms to block in front of Yun Che. Looking at Fen Juechen, whose whole body was seething with black energy, her trembling eyes carried a deep plea: "Brother Fen, please... please don't kill him!"
"I must kill him!" Fen Juechen roared lowly. "He repeatedly trampled my head and my dignity underfoot. He killed my father, killed my grandfather, killed my master... killed all of my clan—every single one! A hatred that fills the heavens, a vengeance that overturns the seas—how can I not seek retribution! I can avoid killing an innocent person, but he must die by my hands!"
"Brother Fen..." Xiao Lingxi slowly shook her head, her voice carrying even deeper pleading. "Although everyone is afraid of you, I have always known that you are not an evil person who enjoys killing innocents. On the contrary, you are a good person with a kind heart. You not only saved me, but also saved everyone in Liu Yun City. But why can't you just let go of all the hatred and forgive yourself? Always carrying this hatred—aren't you tired? Aren't you in pain?"
"Tired? Pain? What does any of that matter?" Fen Juechen's voice turned icy and hoarse. "It's because of him that I became what I am today! To obtain the power to kill him and avenge myself, I endured suffering you can never imagine!! Including right now, I am constantly enduring immense pain! This pain reminds me every single moment never to forget my hatred!"
Yun Che: "..."
Fen Juechen slowly extended his palm. In his palm was a black vortex as deep as a black hole. "I said that I would never refuse any of your words! As long as it is your request, even if it means death, I will not hesitate! But my hatred—no one can stop that!"
The black vortex was almost enough to suck a person's soul into it. Even a powerful profound practitioner who merely touched it with their gaze would tremble from the depths of their soul. But Xiao Lingxi still firmly stood in front of Yun Che. The pleading in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by heavy determination. "Xiao Che killed your entire clan—the root cause was still me! If you want to kill Xiao Che, then kill me first."
"..." Fen Juechen's chest heaved violently, and his outstretched arm trembled slightly. "No... none of this has anything to do with you. I won't kill you. Even if I killed myself, I would never hurt you. I only ask you not to stop me from killing Yun Che! You should know that your strength cannot possibly stop me."
"I truly cannot stop you," Xiao Lingxi's gaze remained steadfast and resolute. "But if you really kill Xiao Che, I will hate you for life! I will never forgive you!"
Fen Juechen froze, and the dark aura suddenly halted at that moment. Then, his pupils, arms, and whole body began to tremble slightly. The dark aura resumed its fluctuation, but it was extremely chaotic. The hatred in his eyes was replaced by a profound pain.
No one could understand how strong an impact Xiao Lingxi's few simple words had on his heart and soul.
Nor did anyone know why he, who had come to Liu Yun City for revenge, chose to stay here all along, never leaving for a single day...
Even fewer knew that he, who had originally been willing to endure several times the pain to absorb the Demon Source at the fastest speed for revenge, had instead continuously slowed down the absorption of the Demon Source after arriving at Liu Yun City.
Because she was the only warmth, the only light in his world filled with darkness. Unknowingly, she had already become more important than his bone-chilling hatred—at least far more important than his own life.
"Hmm?" Yun Che, who had been coldly watching Fen Juechen, shifted his gaze and showed surprise. Because Fen Juechen's extremely icy aura suddenly became chaotic, his eyes and expression twisted with extreme pain. Even the cold killing intent that had been locked onto Yun Che was rapidly dissipating in the chaos.
"Pfft..." Fen Juechen's face suddenly turned pale. A mouthful of dark red blood sprayed from his mouth, scattering a large mist of dark blood.
"Ah!" Xiao Lingxi cried out in alarm, at a loss.
"What's going on?" Yun Che frowned tightly and asked Mo Li. "You said earlier that his Demon Profound Force wasn't derived from his own will... Could it be that his power suddenly went out of control?"
"No!" Mo Li said in a low voice. "He has Profound Energy assaulting his heart. Hmph, it seems his heart and soul have been stimulated—and by an extremely great stimulus."
"Yun Che!!" Fen Juechen suddenly raised his head, his gaze fixed sharply on Yun Che. His face, stained with dark red blood, was pale and ferocious. He shouted out two words, carrying a torrent of hatred and killing intent far greater than before.
"..." Yun Che gently pushed Xiao Lingxi behind him and then slowly walked toward Fen Juechen.
"Xiao Che!!" Xiao Lingxi quickly grabbed Yun Che's arm. "Don't go over! He..."
"Don't worry." Yun Che smiled and held the hand she had grabbed his shoulder with, looking deeply into her eyes. "The enmity between him and me cannot be resolved, nor can it be dissuaded. As long as I live, it's destined that I cannot avoid it. I can only face it head-on."
"But..."
"Little Aunt, rest assured. He indeed is no longer the Fen Juechen of the past, but I am not the Yun Che of the past either. If he wants to kill me, it won't be as easy as he thinks."
As Yun Che's voice fell, he didn't continue walking forward. Instead, he looked up at Fen Juechen and said calmly and flatly, "Fen Juechen, you dream of killing me. And I also hope to immediately resolve this trouble you've suddenly become, to avoid future complications. However, this timing doesn't seem right. For me, I have many important matters to handle right now and temporarily have no time to waste on you. As for you..." Yun Che gave a meaningful, faint smile. "With my little aunt protecting me, it seems you'll find it somewhat difficult to kill me."
Fen Juechen's eyes widened instantly, and the black energy on his body churned violently. But before he could speak, Yun Che's expression and voice suddenly became low. He extended his right hand and pointed east. "But the enmity between us must be resolved! And it can only be resolved between the two of us! Three months from now, at noon, above the Eastern Sea, three hundred li to the east—you and I will fight to the death!"
"When the time comes, I will go alone and bring no one else! As for you..." Yun Che's eyes narrowed slightly. "If you're afraid of being buried forever in the Eastern Sea, bring as many helpers as you please!"
The gazes of the two clashed in the frozen air. On one side, hatred filled the universe; on the other, calm as still water. Suddenly, a mass of profound black light exploded from Fen Juechen's body, causing absolute darkness for an instant before everyone's eyes. When the darkness dissipated, Fen Juechen's figure had completely vanished from sight, and his aura had utterly disappeared without a trace.
Yun Che slowly lowered his arm and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows remained tightly furrowed.
In the two days since returning from the Huan Yao Realm, troubles had come one after another—and each was bigger than the last. He truly hadn't expected that Fen Juechen, whom he had let go back then and quickly forgotten, would reappear before him in such a stunning manner.
"Indeed, if you don't uproot the grass, you'll have trouble later!" Yun Che grabbed his forehead and groaned inwardly.