# Chapter 749: Unwilling Defeat
"Alas..." Yun Che shook his head and extended his hand toward Fen Juechen, not to deliver a fatal blow, but to release a surge of accumulated world energy, transmitting it onto Fen Juechen's body.
Fen Juechen's wounds were instantly all sealed shut, and faint vitality flowed through his nearly exhausted profound veins and meridians... though faint, it was enough for Fen Juechen to regain his mobility, even enough for him to fly away from the Eastern Sea region.
Fen Juechen's eyes widened, his gaze regaining clarity. He propped himself up with his arms, struggling to sit upright, his pupils—filled with shock, unwillingness, resentment, and humiliation—staring fixedly at Yun Che: "If you want to kill me, then kill me... don't even think... about humiliating me!"
"Humiliate you?" Yun Che curled his lips in disdain. "I don't have such low-grade interests. And I won't kill you either."
"You..." Yun Che's words brought Fen Juechen not the slightest joy, only deeper humiliation.
"I didn't kill you four years ago because you saved my little aunt, Xiao Lingxi, once. And in the three years I was away from the Tian Xuan Continent, if not for you, I might not have been able to see my little aunt when I returned." Yun Che stared deeply at Fen Juechen's hate-filled, ferocious face. "To be honest, although your heart is full of hatred and resentment toward me, I can't bring myself to hate you. On the contrary, I'm somewhat grateful."
"I don't need your hypocritical mercy! My saving her has nothing to do with you!! If you have the guts, kill me now! Otherwise, one day... I will make you wish you were dead!!" Fen Juechen roared hoarsely. Being forgiven... even thanked... by the one he hated most? To him, this was an unbearable humiliation.
"I'm letting you go today. Consider it repayment for you saving my little aunt the second time. From now on, I owe you nothing!" Yun Che said coldly. "If you want to kill me for revenge, then cherish the life I've spared you for the second time! Your injuries are severe, and your vitality is greatly damaged, but given your current realm, you should be fully recovered in about two months. During these two months, you'd better hide well. Otherwise, if you die, it'll be a wasted death!"
"The next time you come to kill me... don't even dream of leaving alive like you did today!"
The air was still scorching, but the waves finally calmed a little. Fen Juechen slowly stood up. Though his entire body was weak and feeble, his eyes were still as sinister as a fierce wolf: "You will... regret this... The reason I lost to you today... is only because I lost in terms of weapons..."
"Once I retrieve the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword... I will repay all blood debts and humiliations... a thousandfold upon you!!"
Heavenly Sin Divine Sword?
Fen Juechen's words made Yun Che's brows twitch.
Fen Juechen also quickly realized he had misspoken under emotional loss of control. He clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, endured the excruciating pain all over his body, and rose into the air, swaying as he flew southward.
"..." Yun Che watched his blood-stained back, hesitated for a moment, then did not pursue, watching him depart coldly.
"Try to live a few more years. If you die, she will be sad." Yun Che suddenly murmured softly.
Fen Juechen, already two hundred zhang away, trembled slightly.
"Heavenly Sin Divine Sword... Why does he want to obtain that sword?" Yun Che withdrew his gaze, his brows gradually tightening. The Heavenly Sin Divine Sword—that was the "Demonic Sword" of the "Demonic Sword Assembly"!
And Fen Juechen didn't say "obtain" or "seize," but "retrieve"!
If it wasn't a mistake in Fen Juechen's expression, the meaning behind the word "retrieve" was far too intriguing.
Moreover, Fen Juechen's final words faintly revealed... that he seemed to know how to wield the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword.
"He's going to participate in the Demonic Sword Assembly after all. It's not without reason... He's actually aiming to obtain the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword, and judging by his words, not only does he know of its existence, but he seems to have some... special connection or purpose. What's going on?"
"Then why didn't you keep him here and ask clearly?" Mo Li said with displeasure.
"His bones are probably harder than mine. If there's something he doesn't want to say, even torturing him to death couldn't extract a single word. Forcing him to stay would just be a waste of effort." Yun Che said helplessly. "As you saw, I tried to use Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing on him earlier, and it failed outright."
"Hmph." Mo Li snorted coldly but didn't deny it. Instead, she said, "I warned you before. That demon source inside him has only been absorbed by less than half so far. He was absolutely certain he could kill you today, yet he still suffered a crushing defeat at your hands and was spared by you. In his humiliation, he will definitely absorb the demon source even more frantically."
"You've already seen his growth rate over these three months. If you don't kill him today, you're not just taking a simple risk; you're planting a calamity that could very well take your life in a short time. When that happens, you won't even have a chance to regret it!"
"I knew you'd say that... I understand all of this." Yun Che said slowly. "But after all, he saved my little aunt many times. And I know my little aunt too well. She appears strong and optimistic, but in reality, she's overly kind and soft-hearted. She's grateful to Fen Juechen, and at the same time, she's always blamed herself for the annihilation of the Fen Tian Sect and the root of Fen Juechen's hatred toward me. If I really killed Fen Juechen, she would take the guilt of his death upon herself and leave a knot in her heart that might never be untied... Rather than that, I'd rather leave myself a future threat."
"Besides, just because he saved my little aunt twice, he deserves this consideration from me."
As he spoke, Yun Che turned around, looking eastward, while quickly changing into a slightly looser set of clothes to cover the injuries on his body, especially on his shoulders.
"Brother Yun!"
"Xiao Che!!"
As a wave of scorching wind parted the water's surface, Feng Xue'er brought Xiao Lingxi flying over quickly.
"Xiao Che, are you okay? Are you injured?" Stopping beside Yun Che, Xiao Lingxi immediately grabbed his hand firmly, anxiously examining his entire body. Seeing he was unharmed, the worry that had hung over her throughout the journey finally subsided.
"Of course I'm fine. Not even a single hair is missing." Yun Che said with a relaxed and carefree expression.
"Brother Yun, I'm sorry..." Feng Xue'er lowered her head, speaking timidly: "I... I didn't listen to you..."
"I know, you were too worried about me, so you took the risk and came." Yun Che smiled warmly. He took Feng Xue'er's hand and said, "I told you nothing would happen to me. I didn't lie to you, did I?"
"Then... what about Fen Juechen? Is he already..." Xiao Lingxi asked softly. On the way here, she and Feng Xue'er had witnessed the terrifying scene of darkness and flame clashing. In the end, the flame consumed the darkness... which meant Yun Che had defeated Fen Juechen.
The two were mortal enemies, and the final scene was so brutal... Yun Che's victory meant Fen Juechen was...
"Fen Juechen, huh..." Yun Che smiled slightly and pointed southward: "He's over there. Though he's badly injured, he should still be able to fly out of the sea area. But it might take a month or two to fully recover."
Seriously injured and weakened, Fen Juechen was flying very slowly. Even a slightly stronger sea breeze could make him sway violently. So even though some time had passed, a faint black silhouette struggling to move away could still be seen in the distance.
That blurry black shadow seemed to sense Xiao Lingxi's arrival. It began to speed up desperately, swaying even more violently, as if trying to escape... almost falling into the sea several times.
Xiao Lingxi's expression relaxed. She wrapped her arms around Yun Che's arm and gently leaned her head against him: "Xiao Che, thank you."
"Thank me? For what?" Yun Che asked with a smile.
"I know, it's for my sake that Xiao Che... didn't kill him. It's just... just..." Xiao Lingxi closed her eyes, her heart both warm and bitter, worried. She didn't want Fen Juechen to die, because she knew he wasn't evil, and he was already pitiful enough, as well as deeply grateful to him as her benefactor. But because Yun Che let him go for her sake, he would desperately try to kill Yun Che...
She didn't know what to think or do... and even less how to resolve Fen Juechen's hatred for Yun Che—after all, that was the hatred of clan annihilation.
"Hahaha," Yun Che laughed heartily, speaking quite solemnly: "Fen Juechen has always wanted to kill me, but he saved Little Aunt's life. And Little Aunt's life, in my opinion, is a thousand times more precious than his. So letting him go is only natural. Besides, if I spare him, he might feel grateful. And realizing that no matter how hard he tries, he can never be my match, he probably won't come looking for trouble anymore."
"Xiao Che..." Xiao Lingxi murmured softly, tightening her arms around Yun Che.
Feeling all of Xiao Lingxi's tension and worry dissipate, Yun Che fully relaxed. He wrapped one arm around Xiao Lingxi's slender waist and took Feng Xue'er's little hand with the other: "Let's go back. Grandpa and the others must be worried about us."
Yun Che's profound energy surged as he turned back toward Liu Yun City, but his speed was several times slower than when they came. The thoughts in his mind were far more complex.
Eternal Night Illusion Demon Scripture... Dark Profound Force... Heavenly Sin Divine Sword...
What secrets... are hidden on Fen Juechen's body!?
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The sea surface continued to churn with waves. Fen Juechen, clutching his chest, flew slower and slower. His face was pained, his palm completely soaked with black-red blood.
A small island came into view. Fen Juechen gritted his teeth, swaying as he flew toward it. The moment his mind relaxed slightly, his body crashed heavily onto the edge of the island.
He propped himself up with his hands, turned over with difficulty, gasping harshly. His ten fingers dug deeply into the cold sand.
"Why... is it like this... cough... cough..." He coughed painfully, each cough bringing out large amounts of black blood, occasionally even fragments of his internal organs.
"Heh, what a pitiful person."
An ice-cold, piercing voice suddenly sounded from ahead, and the tone... seemed to be that of a young girl! Fen Juechen jerked his head up... less than five steps in front of him, he saw a small red figure.
A girl who had appeared there silently, like a ghost!
She looked only twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in luxurious red clothes, with flowing red hair and an exquisitely beautiful face that defied description. And yet, such a little girl made every nerve in his body tighten as if in spasm. Every cell trembled uncontrollably.
In his entire life, even in the most desperate moments, he had never trembled like this.
"You... who are you!" The girl's eyes were beautiful to the point of being bewitching. Under the gaze of those pupils, he trembled so much he could hardly feel his own body.
The girl didn't answer him. A cold, mocking smile appeared on her flawless face: "You paid a great price and gained powerful strength, thinking you could easily slaughter your enemy. But you never expected his demon-slaying sword to be the greatest natural enemy of your power. Your defeat is truly pitiful."
"...Who... are you... exactly!"
The girl's eyes were utterly cold. She slowly raised her arm, and on her palm, whiter than first snow, flickered a streak of red light deeper than blood: "He won't kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't! The demonic power that appeared on your body—a power that went extinct in ancient times—seals your fate!"
As her voice fell, the red light in her palm transformed into an extremely thin beam of red, tearing through space with a sharp shriek as it shot toward Fen Juechen...