Chapter 725: Atoning for the Father's Sins
Yun Che's words made the atmosphere instantly heavy again, pouring a basin of icy water over the immense joy brought by Feng Xue'er's Phoenix Soul awakening in the Fenghuang God Sect.
Now, no matter how unwilling Feng Hengkong was to accept it, he had to understand that Yun Che's palm had firmly grasped the lifeline of his Fenghuang God Sect—at least for the ten years before Feng Xue'er fully matured. And because of Feng Xue'er's resolve, they could no longer make a move against Yun Che... The fate of this sect, which had stood proudly on the continent for five thousand years, was thus controlled by Yun Che.
However, Feng Hengkong no longer had the same resentment and reluctance as before. After a brief moment of gloom and rigidity, his expression actually relaxed, because with things having come to this, he had no choice but to accept his fate. He let out a heavy breath and said slowly, "Xue'er is right... completely right. All of this was caused by me. Xiluo, Elder Tianqing, and the others also died because of me... Although I acted solely for the sake of Shenhuang, the methods and consequences were indeed so vile that I deserve this retribution..."
"If not for my decision three years ago, how could our sect have encountered this calamity? How could Xiluo and the others have died tragically... Everything was a great mistake I made."
"And naturally, I must bear it myself!" Feng Hengkong placed his hand over his heart: "Xue'er's Phoenix Soul has awakened. My greatest wish in life has been fulfilled. I have no more desires left! Now, as long as the sect can be temporarily stable, even if it means I have to cripple my own profound art and kneel for a hundred years, or even if I have to die on the spot immediately, I won't even frown! Withdrawing troops, ceasing war, compensation, ceding territory... and tribute, I will not short the Cang Feng Kingdom a single bit!"
"I only hope you will keep your word!!"
Feng Hengkong let out a low roar, his palm blazing with Phoenix Flame, and then he struck it with all his power toward his own profound veins.
"Sect Master!!" Everyone in the Fenghuang God Sect was greatly alarmed. They charged toward Feng Hengkong like madmen, but there was no way they could stop him in time.
"Father, no!" Feng Xue'er cried out in shock, a flash of crimson flame passing through her Phoenix eyes in an instant.
In that instant, Feng Hengkong's Phoenix profound force was completely sealed, and even the profound force he had gathered in his arm completely dissipated. When his palm struck his chest, even the flames had extinguished... Not to mention destroying his profound veins, it hadn't even caused a flesh wound.
"Sect Master!" The Phoenix elders quickly swarmed forward, grabbing hold of Feng Hengkong's arms: "Sect Master, don't! Please don't!"
"Xue'er..." Feng Hengkong stared blankly at Feng Xue'er, his nose slightly sour and his vision blurry. At least he knew that although Feng Xue'er resented him, she still genuinely cared about his safety.
Feng Xue'er did not release the seal on Feng Hengkong's power. She turned to Yun Che, her eyes pleading: "Brother Yun, although Father has committed irreparable mistakes, I know better than anyone that Father is by no means an evil person. Otherwise, Lord Phoenix God would not have allowed Grandfather to pass the position of Sect Master to him. As the Sect Master and the Emperor of the Shenhuang Kingdom, Father bears heavy responsibilities and pressures that ordinary people cannot imagine. Therefore, his decisions can sometimes be helpless, extreme, or even ruthless. But he is truly not a man full of sin. I would rather believe that when Father made the decision three years ago, he was more pained and helpless than anyone else... because all the sin, blood debt, souls, and infamy had to be borne by him alone."
"Xue... Xue'er..." Feng Hengkong's body trembled. The moment those words left her mouth, his tears completely broke free... Earlier, when Feng Xue'er shielded Yun Che and spoke angrily to him for Yun Che's sake, he felt as if ten thousand arrows were piercing his heart. But now, with these words from Feng Xue'er, even if he died ten thousand deaths, he would have no more complaints.
"Brother Yun, I am not trying to exonerate Father. It's just that neither the Fenghuang God Sect nor the Shenhuang Kingdom, nor even I myself, can do without Father. I beg Brother Yun to spare Father and give him a chance to atone and compensate the Cang Feng Kingdom over a long period. Let me take Father's place and accompany Brother Yun to the Cang Feng Kingdom to apologize to Empress Cang Yue... to the entire Cang Feng Kingdom."
"Xue'er, what... what are you saying!" Feng Hengkong's face turned terrified: "All of this is my fault. It has nothing to do with you..."
"No..." Feng Xue'er slowly shook her head. She raised her Phoenix eyes and said softly, "I am Father's daughter. As his daughter, I naturally must atone and repay the debt together with Father. I hope to clear the sins, hope that Father remains unharmed, and even more hope that Father remembers today's mistake, treats Cang Feng kindly in the future, treats all innocent and kind people kindly, and never repeats the same great mistake for any reason."
"Brother Yun, I am willing to go with you to the Cang Feng Kingdom today to meet Empress Cang Yue. No matter how Empress Cang Yue punishes me, I will have no regrets or complaints... Is that alright?" Feng Xue'er looked at Yun Che, her Phoenix eyes shimmering with a watery mist, full of pleading.
"Xue'er, don't talk nonsense!" Feng Hengkong panicked, utterly panicked. Even when Yun Che had pushed him to the brink before, he had not been this terrified: "Yun Che! Three years ago, I ordered the invasion of Cang Feng. I ordered that the entire territory of Cang Feng be taken in the shortest time possible, by any means necessary. I also ordered the assassination of Cang Wanhe! All of it was my direct command! All of it is my sin alone! Don't tell me to cripple my profound art and atone for a hundred years. Even if you want my life, I can give it to you right now! But all of this has nothing to do with Xue'er!"
Feng Hengkong struggled to break free from the elders' arms, his eyes wide as he roared: "I will go with you to the Cang Feng Kingdom right now! Once there, I will submit to your judgment! My sins can only be atoned for by me alone! Yun Che, you should know better than anyone that this matter has nothing to do with Xue'er... absolutely nothing!"
Now, Feng Hengkong was filled with regret and remorse. Feng Xue'er had desperately protected Yun Che earlier... and was also saving the Fenghuang God Sect. He couldn't imagine how much worse the situation would have become if Feng Xue'er hadn't appeared in time.
It was Feng Xue'er who pulled the entire sect back from the edge of the abyss. Now, for his safety, she was willing to go to the Cang Feng Kingdom in his place to atone for the great sin he had committed...
Even if there really were a medicine for regret in this world, it probably couldn't erase the pain and regret that filled every corner of his soul.
Yun Che glanced at Feng Hengkong indifferently, then took Feng Xue'er's small hand and said with a smile, "Alright. Then let it be as Xue'er wishes. You will take your father's place and return with me."
"Yun Che!!" Feng Hengkong let out a roar like a lion, his entire body trembling violently: "How dare you... You! If you dare take Xue'er away today, if you dare harm even a single strand of her hair, I..."
"Tch!" Yun Che curled his lips coldly: "Xue'er saved my life. I cherish her too much to do otherwise. If it weren't for Xue'er, do you think you would still be standing there shouting? Do you think your Fenghuang God Sect would only have lost a few lives?"
"When it comes to harming Xue'er, Feng Hengkong, compared to you, I am truly in awe!" Yun Che said mockingly.
"You..." That single sentence made Feng Hengkong's face turn deathly pale.
"Both of us are emperors of our nations, but my Cang Yue is a thousand times more benevolent and virtuous than you. She will not harm Xue'er, and I will not allow anyone to harm her. Moreover, in representing Shenhuang, Xue'er is far more suitable than you in many aspects!"
"Cherish the status, freedom, and life that Xue'er has preserved for you!! My Cang Yue will decide how you are to atone. When Xue'er returns, she will tell you!"
"Brother Yun, thank you. I know this is very selfish... but he is still my father, after all..." Feng Xue'er gently clasped the small hand held in Yun Che's palm, her voice and gaze both hazy as mist. She knew very well how huge a concession this was for Yun Che.
Yun Che shook his head and smiled: "For my sake, you even made the heavy oath to 'seal your Phoenix Blood and Phoenix Soul.' Compared to that, what I have done is utterly insignificant."
"...Mm!" Feng Xue'er nodded vigorously, her face blooming with a celestial smile.
"No! We absolutely cannot let Xue'er go to Cang Feng with Yun Che... Father, stop him!" Feng Ximing said urgently: "This is Xue'er!"
Feng Hengkong did not respond to Feng Ximing. His eyes wavered for a moment, then he suddenly shouted, "Yun Che! You can take Xue'er to Cang Feng today... but I must come along!! Otherwise, even if I die here today, I will never let you take Xue'er away!"
"Father..." Feng Xue'er's heart tightened. She was about to speak when she heard Yun Che say with extreme calmness, "That's fine. In fact, that would be even better. After all, my Cang Yue most wants to see you apologize in person."
"Brother Yun..." Feng Xue'er tightened her grip.
"Don't worry," Yun Che said softly.
Those four short, light words instantly dispelled the unease and anxiety that had just risen in Feng Xue'er's heart. She softly "mm'd" in acknowledgment.
Yun Che did not refuse because he knew exactly what Feng Hengkong was worried about. He was not worried about Feng Xue'er's safety... After all, with Feng Xue'er's strength, which had clearly already surpassed Feng Tianwei, there was no one even remotely capable of threatening her within the Cang Feng Kingdom. But Feng Xue'er had never left the vicinity of Shenhuang City since she was a child, and Yun Che was an extremely "dangerous" person. Not just Feng Hengkong; any normal father would not feel at ease letting his daughter, who had never left home, be taken alone to a foreign land by a man.
Thus, Feng Hengkong insisted on accompanying as "protection," even at the cost of placing himself in the Cang Feng Kingdom.
——————————————————
The above is the bonus: ↑
Below is the main text: ↓
——————————————————
Supporting a friend and bringing you all some benefits.
Chen Dong is a colleague I deeply respect. The protagonists in his novels often stand out from the world, with a rebellious yet righteous image deeply rooted in people's hearts. When promoting via WeChat in the past, I always felt a bit uneasy because besides the promotion, there were no real benefits for everyone. But this time, Brother Chen Dong's "Zhe Tian 3D" mobile game is different. He told me that if you log into the game today, everyone can get a 10-yuan JD.com gift card. I believe no one would refuse such a benefit. So this time, I'm both supporting a friend and colleague and, with a bit of selfishness, wanting to bring benefits to my readers. Most importantly, this isn't a lottery; it's something you can get as long as you meet the conditions. If you're interested, you can click to download and try it: t/rvbl1al
Let's talk about the game itself. I believe those who like playing games know that most mobile games now feel like you're playing alone. Even though they're online games, you don't really experience social interaction. Brother Chen Dong's game, besides recreating the original story, is a mobile game that emphasizes thousands of players battling online. When we write novels, we also have a hero's path of domination, which is quite similar to games. So, if you like playing this type of game, you can check it out. There's also an event in the game: if you recharge 300 yuan and meet the conditions, you get a 300-yuan JD.com gift card. This is limited to today only~