# Chapter 723: The Reason
Faced with Feng Xue'er's tearful "forgiveness," Feng Tianwei's actions could be described as utterly shameless and despicable to the extreme, especially since he was the Phoenix Sect Master, a mighty sixth-level Emperor Lord. Every shred of dignity and face had been discarded. But everyone who witnessed this scene, except for Feng Xue'er, was neither surprised nor found it inappropriate.
Of course, that included Yun Che himself.
The blood feud that had thrown the Fenghuang God Sect into chaos, his terrifying strength, his vicious and ruthless temperament, and Feng Xue'er's obviously extraordinary feelings for him... every single point was enough to make the Fenghuang God Sect willing to pay any price to see him dead!
And right now, this was the best chance to kill Yun Che!
Even if they would be mocked by the world for their shamelessness and despicable behavior, after Yun Che withdrew his domain, they would never allow him to leave alive. In fact, Feng Tianwei himself was the first to strike.
The profound light from Feng Tianwei was incredibly swift; even the sound of tearing through the air could reach the farthest corners of Shenhuang City. But before anyone could even hear the sound of the air tearing, this lethal profound light was already beneath Yun Che, stabbing directly at his vital point.
And Yun Che was still fully focused on retracting the Golden Crow Domain, showing no reaction... Or perhaps, in his current state, Yun Che simply couldn't react to this lightning-fast, sudden attack.
"Yun Che... die!!" Feng Ximing stared at the sky, his eyes bursting with a gleeful, twisted expression.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion ripped through the air, but it wasn't the sound of the profound light striking Yun Che.
Just as Feng Tianwei's flame profound light was less than five feet away from Yun Che, a dazzling blaze suddenly flashed, colliding with the flame profound light... Instantly, the trajectory of the flame profound light shifted dramatically. The light, originally aimed at Yun Che's throat, veered off course, piercing the space behind Yun Che and shooting straight into the heavens.
Yun Che remained completely unharmed, only the clothes on his back were torn by the excessively violent shockwave.
Feng Tianwei's expression changed drastically, and Feng Ximing's face, twisted with joy, froze solid.
At Yun Che's side, Feng Xue'er had moved from beside him to in front of him, her back pressed tightly against Yun Che's chest. Her jade hand extended, and a ball of crimson flame blazed in her palm... In the past, the phoenix flame she burned was always warm and gentle. But now, that small flame flickered with unusual intensity.
The tear stains on Feng Xue'er's face had not yet dried. Her expression was pained, heartbroken, filled with disbelief... and seemed to hold a trace of despair.
Viciousness, shamelessness, treachery, despicableness... These were things she had only ever encountered once in her life, on the Primordial Mystic Ark, from Ye Xinghan and Feng Feiyan. Those two had become the first people she had ever felt "hatred" towards.
But this time... it was her own flesh and blood who brought this upon her.
"Why..." she murmured, unsure if she was questioning her family or herself and this world: "Grandfather... why did you do this!!"
"..." Feng Tianwei said nothing, astonishment stirring in his heart.
Although his flame profound light was a sudden strike, it was by no means hasty. He had spent several silent moments before striking, quietly gathering his strength all the while. That profound force had been infused with Feng Tianwei's unreserved full power. He was confident that even if Yun Che were at his peak, let alone exhausted as he was now, he would have no chance of defending against it. If it hit, it would be certain death.
And with Feng Xue'er's pure heart, she wouldn't have expected him to suddenly attack Yun Che. So, she had intervened in the fleeting moment between his attack and the moment it would have struck Yun Che...
To counter such a swift strike, even using thirty percent of her power would have been a stretch. Yet she had actually deflected his full-force flame profound light!!
"Xue'er, you are still young. You cannot possibly understand right now..." Feng Hengkong said bitterly. "But doing this is truly for the sake of our entire clan! When you grow up and see for yourself the laws of survival in this world, you will understand."
"I really don't understand... and I never will!" Feng Xue'er's face was filled with sorrow. The phoenix flame in her hand did not extinguish; her other hand tightly gripped Yun Che's arm, using her body and her flames to protect him: "All I know is that you killed so many innocent people from the Cang Feng Kingdom... All I see is that Brother Yun chose forgiveness, and yet you want to kill him instead, using such... such despicable methods!"
"Father... Grandfather... you are not supposed to be people like this!"
With her last words, the tears Feng Xue'er had been holding back fell once more, and it made the hearts of Feng Hengkong, and everyone in the Fenghuang God Sect, clench tightly.
"Say no more," Feng Tianwei said in a low voice. "Xue'er cannot grow up overnight. Yun Che must die today, no matter what. Especially after we attacked him... Given his ruthless nature, if we actually let him leave, his future retaliation..."
Everyone understood what Feng Tianwei meant. When the opponent had the absolute advantage, Yun Che had chosen to retract his domain, sparing the Fenghuang God Sect from the brink of destruction. Yet they had struck with deadly poison after he had shown mercy. Even the most benevolent person would harbor a deep hatred because of this... let alone Yun Che!!
If he did not die, the retaliation in the future... just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.
Feng Hengkong gritted his teeth, crushing the faint shred of hesitation in his heart. He no longer looked into Feng Xue'er's eyes, and said in a deep voice: "All Elders, listen to my command! Seal off all paths of escape for Yun Che, and use any means necessary to kill him!"
"Yes!!"
Feng Xue'er: "..."
Under Feng Hengkong's command, all the Phoenix Elders soared into the air, forming a vast encirclement with Yun Che trapped firmly at the center... But Feng Xue'er was right in front of Yun Che, pressed closely against him. The Elders exchanged glances, and for a moment, not one dared to strike rashly.
"Xue'er, come to your father." Feng Hengkong slowly rose halfway into the air, reaching his hand out to Feng Xue'er: "Even if you resent me, hate me... we must kill Yun Che today. When you grow up, you will naturally understand your father's good intentions."
Feng Xue'er did not shake her head, nor did she leave Yun Che's side. She didn't even let any more tears fall. All around her, the faces that once only made her feel closeness and warmth now seemed terrifying. The gazes that were usually full of affection and gentleness had become strange and ugly...
She finally began to understand the meaning of the words Yun Che had spoken to her three years ago at Qifeng Valley...
"Brother Yun, I want to grow up quickly. After I turn twenty, I can leave the Shenhuang Kingdom and go wherever I want."
"...Xue'er, on the contrary, I hope you never have to grow up."
"Ah? Why?"
"Because the more you grow up, the more you understand, the more you lose. And these lost things can never come back... You can go to a wider world, but what you will see more of is not the beauty of the world, but its darkness and ugliness... Especially since you are still the princess of Shenhuang, bearing the future of the Fenghuang God Sect."
"Hmm...?"
..................
"Father, can you give Xue'er a reason?" Feng Xue'er's voice was somewhat ethereal.
"Xue'er, he killed four of your elder brothers... killed so many of our clansmen! Isn't that reason enough!" Feng Hengkong shouted excitedly.
Feng Xue'er slowly shook her head, speaking softly: "There are many things I truly don't understand. But this matter, I see it very clearly. The ones who caused their deaths are not Brother Yun, but you, Father!"
"It was because Father ordered the invasion of the Cang Feng Kingdom, turning the peaceful and harmonious Cang Feng Kingdom into a land of bloodshed and devastation, even causing the death of Brother Yun's father... That is why Brother Yun came for revenge, to stop the war! That is why they died... Father, don't you truly understand that you are the one at fault for all of this? It was the retribution brought about by the mistakes you made... They did not die because of Brother Yun, but because of you, Father."
"..." Feng Hengkong's body swayed, his face turning deathly pale. Similar voices had haunted his mind countless times in recent days, becoming a nightmare he could not dispel. And hearing these words shouted by Feng Xue'er was far more piercing than any nightmare. He said hoarsely: "Xue'er, you don't understand... you really don't! Everything Father did, he did for a reason. It was for the future of our Fenghuang God Sect... it concerns the life and death of our entire clan!"
"For the sake of our own survival, is it permissible to trample and destroy the lands and lives of others at will!" Feng Xue'er cried out loudly.
"Xue'er, please be reasonable, okay?" Feng Ximing said with a pleading expression. "The strong prey on the weak – it's the most basic law of survival in this world. The course of history on the Tian Xuan Continent, the establishment and growth of dynasties, have all been driven by war..."
"But is this a war!" Feng Xue'er's angry shout cut off Feng Ximing's words. Her gaze and her voice trembled: "War, at its most fundamental, requires the principle of not harming civilians. Even a newborn child knows this. The most basic and important foundation for the establishment and growth of a dynasty is stability and winning the hearts of the people. But what did the Shenhuang Army do in the Cang Feng Kingdom... Hunt down civilians, burn cities, destroy lands and forests... This is nothing short of massacre... the actions of inhumane devils!"
Feng Hengkong's lips trembled; he couldn't speak.
Feng Xue'er placed her hand on her chest; the pain there was far more than heart-wrenching: "I, Feng Xue'er, was born in Shenhuang City. From the moment I was born, I was blessed by Lord Phoenix God, cherished by Grandfather, Father, and all my family and clansmen. I witnessed the formidable power of the Shenhuang Kingdom, where no one dared to bully us... For all these years, I have deeply considered myself fortunate and proud to be a citizen of the Shenhuang Kingdom, to be the daughter of my Father. I relied on Father, respected every clansman, and even firmly believed that Father was the greatest person in the world, and that the Fenghuang God Sect into which I was born was the greatest sect and family. Every day, I looked forward to the day when I could use my own strength to inherit the will of Lord Phoenix God and shoulder the future of the Fenghuang God Sect..."
"......Xue'er..." Feng Hengkong slowly closed his eyes.
"But all of this... was it just an illusion? For the sake of your own survival and growth, you slaughtered so many innocent people like demons... Tens of millions of lives, turning a country into a terrifying hell... Even if the Shenhuang, stained with countless blood and sins, could become the most powerful existence in the world... it would only make me, and everyone else, feel fear and disgust. Even Lord Phoenix God would not accept or forgive this."
"..." Feng Hengkong's chest felt as if it were crushed by a ten-thousand-ton steel plate. The turmoil in his heart caused his consciousness to blur.
At that moment, a terrifyingly violent surge of profound energy erupted in the stifling, oppressive space. Feng Tianwei, who had been silent, suddenly struck. His palm, burning with a bloody flame, shot forward like a demon's bloody claw, aiming directly for Yun Che's heart.
No one, not even the nearest Feng Hengkong and Feng Ximing, could have anticipated this.
When Feng Tianwei struck, he was less than three hundred feet from Yun Che. At that distance, a sudden attack like this would be devastating even to a peerless expert caught off guard, let alone Yun Che.
In Feng Tianwei's view, Yun Che had to die today, no matter what. If he died, it would eliminate the threat and also end Feng Xue'er's hopes. Other matters could be smoothed over later. After all, Feng Xue'er had the blood of the Phoenix flowing through her veins; she was a daughter of the Shenhuang Imperial Clan.
At such close range, with a sixth-level Emperor Lord striking with all his power while everyone was caught off guard, Feng Tianwei was absolutely certain that in the next instant, he would tear Yun Che to shreds and incinerate him until not even bones remained.
But, just as his palm reached within ten feet of Yun Che, an oppressive pressure so heavy it nearly instantly froze the blood in his veins descended from the heavens. His movements ground to a halt. In the next moment, his vision was completely obscured by a sudden blaze of crimson fire...