Chapter 689: Divine Phoenix Murderous Intent
Shenhuang Kingdom, Fenghuang God Sect.
Feng Ximing's right cheek was dark red like blood and swollen high. The slap Feng Hengkong had struck in his fury was extremely heavy. Even though Feng Ximing's profound strength was formidable, he still hadn't fully recovered even now. He stood before Feng Hengkong, bowing respectfully: "Father, what orders do you have for calling your son here?"
Feng Hengkong had his hands behind his back and didn't turn around. He said calmly: "Feng Huwei is dead."
Feng Ximing's brow furrowed sharply. "Dead!? It must be that the Four Sacred Grounds finally couldn't hold back and struck this ruthless blow! Then... that secret, has it been leaked?"
"Feng Huwei's body had a memory cage jointly set up by the Supreme Elders. There's absolutely no possibility of it being leaked." Feng Hengkong's brow tightened. "Moreover, the one who killed Feng Huwei wasn't from the Four Sacred Grounds. They wouldn't go so far as to risk offending the Phoenix God just to kill Feng Huwei over a doubt."
"It's someone you would never expect." Feng Hengkong turned around, his expression incomparably grave and ugly. "It's Yun... Che!!"
"What?" Feng Ximing's head shot up, immediately pulling at the injury on his face, causing the corner of his eye to twitch in pain. "Which Yun Che?"
"Hmph, which one else? It's the Yun Che who should have been buried in the Primordial Mystic Ark three years ago!" Feng Hengkong said heavily. "Don't ask me why he's still alive. I want to know why more than anyone!"
"How can he still be alive? Three years ago, he disappeared together with the Primordial Mystic Ark. There's absolutely no possibility of survival! Could it be... just someone who looks like him, or perhaps an imposter sent to confuse us?"
"Hmph, I'm not so incapable as to not even be able to distinguish a person's authenticity!" Feng Hengkong said in a deep voice. From the death soul imprint left by Feng Huwei, Yun Che's voice, expression, eyes... that arrogance emanating from the very bones—no one in this world could imitate it. "Not only is he still alive, his profound strength is far greater than three years ago. Feng Huwei had absolutely no power to resist under his hands."
"Could it be that his current strength is at the mid-stage Overlord Xuan realm?" Feng Ximing exclaimed in shock. Feng Huwei's profound strength was at the initial stage of the Overlord Xuan realm. For him to have no power to resist, the opponent would at least need to be at the mid-stage Overlord Emperor level. "No! That's absolutely impossible! Even if his talent were the strongest, he couldn't have improved this much in just three years."
"No! His current strength might even be beyond the mid-stage Overlord Xuan realm." Feng Hengkong's gaze was cold and deep, his voice low. "The 700,000 troops that mysteriously vanished before the Cangfeng Imperial City, including the two supervising elders Fei Heng and Fei Ying, were because of him... He said so himself! If that's true, then his strength is definitely not just mid-stage Overlord Emperor. It's very possible... that he's already at the late-stage Overlord Xuan realm!"
"That's even more impossible!" Feng Ximing shook his head without hesitation. "Three years ago, Yun Che exhausted every ounce of his strength just to barely defeat Xiluo. His strength was roughly at the King Xuan realm, Level 9. In just three years, even if he ate a Great Luo Golden Pill, there's absolutely no way he could have crossed over to the late-stage Overlord Xuan realm in such a short time. If you said he used some special method or profound artifact, I could accept that. But if you say he destroyed 700,000 Shenhuang troops and two supervising elders with his own power, I simply cannot believe it no matter what."
"Moreover, even if we concede ten thousand steps and say that the resurrected Yun Che truly has the strength of a late-stage Overlord Emperor now, he'd at most be an additional trouble, not too big a concern. And knowing that the disappearance of the army wasn't the Four Sacred Grounds' behind-the-scenes interference, Father should be greatly relieved. Why are you so heavy-hearted?"
"Hmph, even if ten Yun Che's came back to life, they wouldn't stir up any waves!" Feng Hengkong's brows were furrowed to the extreme. "But have you forgotten why Xue'er fell into a coma for three years?"
Feng Ximing's expression changed. "Could Father be worried that Xue'er..."
"Not just worried!" Feng Hengkong's chest heaved violently, his face so ugly it was almost twisted. "It's a more terrifying truth than you imagine! Do you know that after I threw you out earlier, Xue'er said to me? She asked me... to treat the Cang Feng Kingdom well!"
"...Is that why Father ordered everyone not to discuss sending troops to Cang Feng?" Feng Ximing began to realize the gravity of the problem.
"How could I not agree to Xue'er's request!" Feng Hengkong clenched his hands. "Three years ago, Yun Che indeed saved Xue'er with his life... And Xue'er, for him, was in a coma for three full years, and even shed tears of heartbreak! Have you ever seen Xue'er cry before?"
"..."
"I've already sensed it long ago. Her feelings for Yun Che are definitely not simple gratitude!" Feng Hengkong's body trembled slightly. In the depths of his eyes stirred anger and a deep fear. "Xue'er inexplicably had an ice-type flying profound beast. I happened to learn that that ice-type profound beast is called a Snow Phoenix Beast, which only exists in a place called the Ice Extreme Snow Domain in the Cang Feng Kingdom. And Yun Che's former flying mount was a Snow Phoenix Beast."
"This... could it be..."
"Before going to the Perch Phoenix Valley, Xue'er suddenly asked me if she could go to the Ice Extreme Snow Domain of the Cang Feng Kingdom... And the Ice Extreme Snow Domain has only one force, and that is the Bing Yun Fairy Palace! And Yun Che is a member of the Bing Yun Fairy Palace!"
Feng Hengkong's words made Feng Ximing's expression change repeatedly. "Could it be that before the Seven Nations Ranking Battle, Xue'er and Yun Che had already met?"
"I should have thought of it long ago. Given Yun Che's temperament, if it were only because Xue'er helped him out in the Seven Nations Ranking Battle, how could he have used his life to save her? Similarly, if it were merely a life-saving grace, how could Xue'er have been sad to this extent over him..." Feng Hengkong's anger had begun to transform into an increasingly violent malevolent aura. The temperature of the entire Phoenix Grand Hall was rising sharply.
Feng Xue'er... the treasure bestowed by heaven upon the Fenghuang God Sect, the future Phoenix God of the Fenghuang God Sect! His greatest pride in this life, his most cherished treasure, his daughter who was more important to him than his own life, more important than the entire Fenghuang God Sect—yet she shed tears of sorrow over an outsider, someone the Fenghuang God Sect was hostile towards...
He could never blame Feng Xue'er, but his hatred for Yun Che had magnified ten thousand times! In comparison, matters like him possessing the Phoenix bloodline or sweeping away the sect's dignity were insignificant.
Because Feng Xue'er's request to treat the Cang Feng Kingdom well had already thrown him into disarray, to the point that he imposed a city-wide ban. Now, Yun Che was actually still alive! If Feng Xue'er were to find out that Yun Che was still alive... he didn't dare to think about what would happen.
Feng Ximing remained relatively calm as he said: "But, Xue'er is either in the Phoenix Realm or the Perch Phoenix Valley on normal days. The Phoenix Realm is absolutely impossible. As for the Perch Phoenix Valley, it has a three-sided barrier, and the other side is layered with a Phoenix Grand Formation. Only people from our sect can enter. Yun Che couldn't possibly have had any other contact with Xue'er!"
"The problem is most likely the Phoenix Grand Formation!" Feng Hengkong's face grew darker. "The Phoenix Grand Formation isn't only accessible to people from our sect. Don't forget, Yun Che also possesses the Phoenix bloodline. He can enter without any hindrance! Three years ago, about a dozen days before the Seven Nations Ranking Battle began, you personally told me that Chen'er's chief protector, Feng Chihuo, died tragically within the Phoenix Grand Formation..."
Feng Ximing was suddenly alarmed, and his expression changed dramatically: "Father, could it be that the person who killed Feng Chihuo back then was Yun Che? And then he passed through the Phoenix Grand Formation and entered the Perch Phoenix Valley where Xue'er was?"
"Very likely!" Feng Hengkong said heavily. His clenched hands creaked. Back then, when he heard about Feng Chihuo's death, he hadn't taken it seriously at all. At that time, he was fully occupied preparing for the Seven Nations Ranking Battle and the Primordial Mystic Ark. Why would he bother with the death of a mere protector? And dying within the Phoenix Grand Formation could only be a conflict among the same clan—the weak died because they were inferior in skill! But after Feng Xue'er woke up, her every word and action made him, amidst his mental turmoil, inadvertently recall this "trivial matter" from three years ago.
"Xue'er is kind and pure, with a spotless heart. Since Yun Che also carries the Phoenix aura, even if he barged into the Perch Phoenix Valley, Xue'er wouldn't have been suspicious. Coupled with Yun Che's glib tongue—back in the ranking battle, he argued almost everyone into silence—how could Xue'er withstand his seduction!" Feng Hengkong gritted his teeth fiercely. These were all speculations, but the more he thought about it during this time, the deeper he delved, the more likely it seemed.
"Then what should we do now?" Unconsciously, a layer of the same malevolent aura as Feng Hengkong's had also appeared on Feng Ximing's body.
"Kill him in the shortest possible time!" Feng Hengkong's every word carried killing intent. "No matter what, we must never let Xue'er see Yun Che again... No! We must absolutely never let Xue'er know he's still alive!"
"Ming'er, inform the elders to gather in the Phoenix Grand Hall at noon tomorrow to discuss important matters! Also... for killing Yun Che, it seems we need to invite a Supreme Elder to come out of seclusion! Although the possibility of Yun Che having late-stage Overlord Xuan realm strength is very small, he... must die!" When Feng Hengkong's last word fell, it was accompanied by the sound of his teeth grinding.
In his entire life, he had never felt such a bone-deep killing intent toward anyone.
Inviting a Supreme Elder, the foundation of the entire sect, to go out and kill a young man in his twenties—anyone in the Fenghuang God Sect would be dumbfounded upon hearing it. But Feng Ximing showed no surprise... because as Feng Hengkong said, Yun Che must die! His life wasn't worth much... but it involved Feng Xue'er!!
"Your son accepts the order." Feng Ximing bowed solemnly.
After a series of violent heaves, Feng Hengkong's chest finally calmed down slowly. He said, as if to himself: "It seems that before we can ensure Yun Che is dead and all troubles are cleared, we must find a way to delay taking Xue'er to the Ice Extreme Snow Domain of the Cang Feng Kingdom..."
He turned his face to look at Feng Ximing's right cheek, his gaze softening slightly: "Ming'er, does your face still hurt? I lost control in my haste. I'm sorry."
Feng Ximing quickly said with trepidation: "Father, what are you saying! Your son spoke recklessly and made Xue'er sad. Father disciplining your son is only natural. Your son feels nothing but self-blame and fear, without any resentment. Father's words are truly overwhelming for your son."
"Heh," Feng Hengkong smiled faintly, seemingly gratified, and then waved his hand. "Go now. Let the words spoken today remain between us father and son."
"Yes! Your son will naturally not speak a single extra word to anyone... I won't disturb Father any longer. I take my leave!"
After leaving the Phoenix Grand Hall, Feng Ximing's originally calm face suddenly turned gloomy. He raised his head, touched his highly swollen right cheek, and his entire face began to twist. His eyes slowly widened to the maximum. In the depths of his pupils, an ice-cold killing intent and malevolent aura chaotically intertwined... Slowly, strands of blood oozed from between his tightly clenched teeth, collected at the corner of his constantly trembling mouth.
"Yun... Che!! You... dare..."
"You... dare...!!!"
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[My heart is so bitter...]