Chapter 756: Calling to Account

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# Chapter 756: Calling to Account

"This chain of mountains was granted to Tian Jian Villa by the Cangfeng Imperial Clan a thousand years ago, and was renamed the Tian Jian Mountain Range. The highest peak among these mountains is called 'Sword Piercing Cloud Peak', and it is also the highest peak in the Cang Feng Kingdom."

Looking down from high above, Yun Che was introducing the scenery to Feng Xue'er in detail. Back then, when he first came to Tian Jian Villa, the Tian Jian Mountain Range, Sword Piercing Cloud Peak, and the surging sword aura everywhere had all caused him considerable shock. Coupled with the renowned reputation of Tian Jian Villa, his heart had naturally given birth to a hint of reverence.

But now, facing Tian Jian Villa once again, his expression held only contempt. And this contempt was by no means the condescension of a strong man looking down on the weak; it was a disdain that came from the very depths of his heart toward the entire Tian Jian Villa!

When he first came to Tian Jian Villa six years ago, he never imagined that this grand and imposing force that overshadowed the Cang Feng Kingdom would prove so utterly pathetic in the face of the nation's crisis and the danger to Bing Yun Fairy Palace.

"Brother Yun, I want to know, how do you plan to deal with Tian Jian Villa this time?" Feng Xue'er asked softly, her words laced with worry. "Will you give them a small lesson, or will you… will you…"

Back then, he had reduced Shenhuang City to a mess. And as for Tian Jian Villa… for Yun Che as he was now, even if he wanted to completely destroy it, it wouldn't take too much effort.

Feng Xue'er's question made Yun Che pause slightly. He raised his eyes to look at the villa surrounded by mountains, and said dejectedly, "Maybe I just want to vent. Although Tian Jian Villa betrayed their oath and acted in a morally despicable way, they were able to preserve their thousand-year foundation. Selfishness is human nature. During this time, I've been trying to justify Tian Jian Villa's actions from the perspective of human nature, but in the end… I still cannot forgive them. Since they chose to betray their oath, they must naturally bear the consequences of that betrayal. Back then, the Cangfeng Imperial Clan and Tian Jian Villa jointly pledged to stand or fall together. When the Cang Feng Kingdom suffered this calamity, how could Tian Jian Villa have the right to remain unscathed after betraying their oath!!"

"And… even if I were magnanimous enough to forgive Tian Jian Villa, what happened to Little Fairy is absolutely unforgivable!"

The thought of Chu Yuechan's matter caused a surge of malice to instantly rush into Yun Che's serene heart… As soon as this malice arose, it became violently uncontrollable. Ever since Zi Ji had "gratuitously" informed him of the mastermind behind Chu Yuechan's incident back then, the name "Xuanyuan Yufeng" — a name he had almost forgotten — had been firmly nailed into his heart and soul with gnashing hatred.

"Brother Yun…" Feng Xue'er, who was beside him, immediately sensed the change in Yun Che's emotions. She turned her face and looked at him with tender concern. Every time he mentioned "Little Fairy," his breathing and aura would become restless. And now that he was at Tian Jian Villa, his suddenly surging aura was frighteningly violent, and his eyes had become especially terrifying.

In the three months of constant companionship, she had gone from initial surprise and worry to gradual understanding… Yun Che had too deep a love, concern, worry, and guilt for Chu Yuechan… and also the fear of never seeing her again. So every time he mentioned her or thought of her, his emotions would fall into prolonged turmoil.

Yun Che grabbed Feng Xue'er's hand and swooped down toward Tian Jian Villa below. At the same time, his low voice carried a sinister malice that enveloped the entire Tian Jian Villa, and even the entire Tian Jian Mountain Range.

"Xuanyuan Yufeng! Get the hell out here!!"

Yun Che's profound strength was now immensely formidable. Just the sound of his roar alone caused the imposing sword aura surrounding Tian Jian Villa to surge violently. The thousands of flying swords on the Sword Control Platform fell into utter chaos. The once quiet and solemn Tian Jian Villa was thrown into turmoil as well. Almost all disciples, pavilion masters, sword attendants, and elders swarmed out, their faces full of anger as if facing a great enemy.

After all, in the thousand years since the villa's founding, no one had ever dared to challenge Tian Jian Villa.

"It seems there are two quite remarkable guests visiting Tian Jian Villa today," Mo Li suddenly spoke up.

"Remarkable… guests?" Yun Che's brows furrowed slightly.

"Two sixth-level Emperor Lords, one at mid-stage and one at late-stage. It looks like your plan to do whatever you want here today won't go so smoothly." Mo Li's tone was casual and indifferent.

"Sixth-level Emperor Lords?" Yun Che's expression changed slightly, but he didn't show any sign of worry. Instead, he let out a cold laugh: "Could it be people from Tian Wei Sword Domain? Hmph. It seems I've come at an inopportune time. Tian Jian Villa is really holding onto their backing more and more firmly."

Yun Che then recalled a conversation from three years ago in Shenhuang City, when he unexpectedly met Ling Jie after the Seven Nation Ranking Tournament…

"Back then, Mother chose Father over Grandfather, which made Grandfather furious. A few days ago, Father and Mother, along with Big Brother and I, went to Tian Wei Sword Domain to visit Grandfather, and the conflict between Mother and Grandfather was finally resolved. Uh… Grandfather seemed to quite like me, and even said he would personally teach me the complete Tian Wei Absolute Sword, hehe…"

"…" Yun Che's gaze grew slightly complicated.

Yun Che did not conceal his presence. He appeared boldly in the sky above Tian Jian Villa, his eyes coldly fixed on the scene below.

The villa was bustling with figures. Right below Yun Che, a figure accompanied by a chilling sword aura soared upward, arriving before Yun Che in an instant… It was Ling Yuefeng. At the same time, a large number of Tian Jian pavilion masters and elders whose profound strength was above the Earth Xuan Realm followed closely behind, quickly forming a formation to surround Yun Che and Feng Xue'er.

"Yun Che, it really is you." Seeing Yun Che, Ling Yuefeng's expression became extremely complicated. Then he gave a faint smile: "You've come later than I expected."

Indeed, he had long foreseen this day.

Back then, in order to preserve Tian Jian Villa's thousand-year foundation during the chaos of the Shenhuang invasion, they had chosen to break their ancestor's oath, and at the same time violate morality and honor. They sealed off the villa, ignored the Cangfeng Imperial Clan's pleas for help, and also disregarded Bing Yun Fairy Palace's cries for assistance. At that time, they never imagined that the Cangfeng Imperial Clan would survive, let alone that the outcome would be so earth-shattering.

And that variable was Yun Che's return.

Yun Che's vengeful nature was well-known. The annihilation of Fen Tian Gate back then was a tragedy no one dared forget. And the first thing Yun Che did after returning alive was even more earth-shattering than the destruction of Fen Tian Gate… He had turned the Fenghuang God Sect, which dominated the seven nations of Tian Xuan, upside down, throwing it into utter chaos. They were ultimately forced to withdraw their troops and even had to apologize to the Cang Feng Kingdom and offer massive reparations… And it was said that this outcome was only because of the forgiveness of Empress Cang Yue; otherwise, the price the Fenghuang God Sect paid would have been far more severe.

After the chaos subsided, given Yun Che's personality, how could he forget Tian Jian Villa's "sin of indifference"? After all, Tian Jian Villa was different from other profound cultivating forces… Moreover, he had heard that he had also rescued her when she was facing annihilation.

Yun Che raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when an old, weighty voice came from afar: "The decision to seal off the villa was mine. The decision not to assist Bing Yun Fairy Palace was also mine."

As the voice reached them, an old man in a gray-white sword robe had already arrived beside Ling Yuefeng. He glanced at Yun Che, then slowly closed his eyes: "Since you are here today… I will naturally give you an explanation."

"Father, these were all my decisions… They have nothing to do with you!" Ling Tianni's arrival and his words made Ling Yuefeng lose his composure slightly. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Yun Che! My father is only trying to protect me. As the current master of Tian Jian Villa, everything is naturally decided by me. My father has nothing to do with it! If you hold a grudge, just come at me!"

"Hmph, what a touching display of father and son protecting each other! It's almost enough to move heaven and earth!" Yun Che sneered, his gaze like a knife stabbing into Ling Tianni's face. "Ling Tianni, back then, we had never met face to face, yet you traveled thousands of miles to chase me to the Cangfeng Imperial City, all in the name of 'eradicating evil and upholding the Way,' all in the name of 'righteousness and virtue,' all in the name of 'ridding the Cang Feng Kingdom of a scourge'! At that time, although I was severely injured and nearly died at your hands, deep down I still held a measure of respect for you. I thought you wanted to kill me because you mistook me for a vicious killer, and that your true nature was one of hating evil, being upright, and valuing loyalty and honor!"

"Yet, when faced with a true national crisis and family peril, even without the ancestral oath with the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, your Tian Jian Villa should have been the most central force. But instead, under your leadership, Ling Tianni, you became the biggest cowards in the entire Cang Feng Kingdom!" Yun Che ridiculed without mercy. "The Cang Feng Kingdom was engulfed in the flames of war, blood flowing everywhere, yet your Tian Jian Villa didn't lose a single brick or tile in three years, didn't contribute a single bit of manpower or resources, and didn't even send a single person to show their face. Now, when I recall all those high-sounding words you shouted back then, it's truly nauseating!"

"… Yun Che!" Ling Yuefeng's face darkened somewhat. "For this matter, Tian Jian Villa admits to having failed in our duty! But such a decision was made due to our own difficulties! If you have any grievance, you can take it out on me, Ling Yuefeng… but do not insult my father!"

"Enough. Yuefeng, there is no need to exonerate me. He is right." Ling Tianni raised his hand feebly. In just a few short years, his face had aged considerably. Perhaps during these years, he too had been carrying a heavy burden of guilt in his heart. "Yun Che, I said it before. For this matter, I will give you, and the Cangfeng Imperial Clan, an explanation."

"Explanation?" Yun Che turned his face away coldly. "Hmph! When did I say I wanted any explanation from you?!"

"Originally, I did plan to raze Tian Jian Villa to the ground." Yun Che said in a cold voice, words that would make anyone's heart pound with fear. "Don't think that just because you have Tian Wei Sword Domain as your backing, I can't do it! Three months ago, I nearly destroyed the entire Shenhuang City of the Fenghuang God Sect. Destroying a mere Tian Jian Villa would be nothing more than the flip of a hand, and I wouldn't even blink!"

Both Ling Tianni and Ling Yuefeng's breathing became somewhat heavy. If anyone else had said these words, they could have dismissed them as a joke. But coming from Yun Che's mouth, they couldn't laugh at all. Only a piercing chill ran down their spines.

"But, before I set out from the Cangfeng Imperial City today, my empress wife specifically stopped me and told me: Tian Jian Villa may be able to forget their ancestors and abandon honor, but the Cangfeng Imperial Clan cannot! Because back then, the Cangfeng Founding Emperor and the Tian Jian Founding Ancestor were brothers who held the Cang Feng authority and the Cang Feng influence together, supporting each other through life and death. They admonished future generations to also remain interdependent with Tian Jian Villa for generations! Now, even though Tian Jian Villa was the first to be heartless and faithless, as descendants of the Cangfeng Founding Emperor, how could they violate his teachings and destroy the foundation left by the Tian Jian Founding Ancestor?"

"In those three years, she bore the pain of losing her father and husband, shouldered the national calamity of the entire Cang Feng Kingdom, and guarded the last dignity of the Cang Feng Kingdom and the Imperial Clan. Yet she threw away all her own dignity in her nine pleas for help to you! And what did she get in return…" Yun Che took a deep breath, his voice growing even colder and more heartbreaking: "Therefore, she should be the person in this world who hates you the most, and also the one most qualified to resent and despise you. Yet it is precisely she who told me to forgive you, at least not to destroy Tian Jian Villa… and to just pretend that Tian Jian Villa never existed!"

Yun Che's words caused Ling Tianni and Ling Yuefeng's eyes to shake violently. Thinking of the nine tear-stained silk letters from Empress Cang Yue, their hearts and souls were overcome with bitterness and shame, leaving them utterly disgraced.

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