Chapter 120: Burning Curse

"Stop! Don't hurt him! As long as you let Zu'er go, I'll agree to anything you want." Feng Zu'er's life force was already extremely weak, and now he had fallen into the villain's clutches. Feng Baichuan lost his usual composure, his face turning pale as he raised his hand and cried out in alarm.

"Then hand over the treasure you're guarding immediately!" the Black Demon mercenary roared, his face ferocious, almost mad with rage.

"But... but we truly don't have any treasure..."

"Still talking tough, are you? It seems you don't care about your son's life!" The Black Demon mercenary sneered, and the hand gripping Feng Zu'er's neck tightened abruptly. Although Feng Zu'er was unconscious, a pained expression still contorted his pale, small face.

"Stop!" Lan Xueruo stepped forward, pointing her sword at the Black Demon mercenary. She trembled with anger, yet was utterly powerless. Her heart was filled with deep regret; if she had listened to Yun Che and killed them earlier, none of this would be happening now, and there would be no future worries. But it was too late to regret.

Behind her, Yun Che expressionlessly raised his hand, his palm facing the Black Demon mercenary, and calmly uttered a single word: "Explode!"

*Whoosh!* With a dull thud, a large ball of scorching crimson flame suddenly erupted from the Black Demon mercenary's back and the back of his head. In just two breaths, the fiery inferno severed the vital points in his neck, causing his eyes to bulge. He powerlessly let go of Feng Zu'er, and his body collapsed to the ground like a felled tree, breathing his last.

Given Yun Che's nature, it was naturally impossible for dangerous "stragglers" to truly slip away. These two Black Demon mercenaries, who had miraculously survived, were deliberately spared by Yun Che. Although the Burning Star Demonic Lotus hadn't physically harmed them, it had injected unignited profound energy into their bodies. Under immense shock, even if they had noticed foreign profound energy surging within them, they wouldn't have been calm enough to expel it. At the opportune moment, Yun Che would ignite this profound energy, setting off the Phoenix Flame within them.

He had left these two alive precisely to give Lan Xueruo a necessary "lesson," a painstaking effort on his part. He didn't want to see Lan Xueruo get hurt in the future due to her excessive soft-heartedness and benevolence.

Feng Baichuan was momentarily stunned, then quickly rushed forward and embraced Feng Zu'er. The other Black Demon mercenary, seeing this, changed his expression dramatically. With a strange cry, he turned and fled madly.

Yun Che lowered his arm, slowly crouching to the ground from extreme exhaustion, and anxiously murmured, "Sister Xueruo!"

Watching the fleeing Black Demon mercenary get farther and farther away, Lan Xueruo's right hand, clutching the Tiger Soul Sword, trembled slightly. Yun Che's words, sharp as needles, and the recent regrettable scene flashed heavily in her mind. She finally raised her right arm, profound energy gathering, and the Tiger Soul Sword shot toward the Black Demon mercenary's back... The moment the Tiger Soul Sword left her hand, she turned her head away and closed her eyes.

The Tiger Soul Sword ruthlessly pierced the Black Demon mercenary's back, tearing through his body, and then shot out from his chest, embedding itself with a *clang* into a nearby rock. The Black Demon mercenary collapsed to the ground, utterly silent.

The clear sound of the blade entering flesh made Lan Xueruo's body tremble violently. Her eyes were tightly clenched shut, and she dared not open them for a long time. Glancing at the corpse of the last Black Demon mercenary in the distance, Yun Che sighed inwardly and quietly said, "This must be your first time killing someone, Sister Xueruo, isn't it? The first time feels very unpleasant, very painful. Afterward, you might even have terrible nightmares for several nights in a row... I know all of this. If you were just an ordinary girl, I wouldn't make you do something so painful, but... although I don't know your true identity, your temperament, demeanor, profound energy, and that contracted profound beast that can soar high in the sky... many signs tell me that your origin is extraordinary. You must be from either a major sect or a noble family of extremely high status."

"Since you exist at such a level, it is bound to be filled with power struggles and intrigue. Your excessively soft-hearted and benevolent nature could bring you repeated harm, even fatal harm. I don't want to see you suffer such injuries. Therefore, you must at least learn how to differentiate between friends and enemies. There is something I must say, which might sound cruel to you, but I believe that people around you, including yourself, have definitely suffered irreversible harm because of your soft-heartedness towards enemies."

Yun Che's words initially left Lan Xueruo silent. But when he finished his last sentence, her entire body trembled violently, then continued to tremble for a long time, a pained expression appearing on her face.

After a long while, when she finally opened her eyes, Yun Che had already walked a considerable distance, supported by two young members of the Phoenix Remnant Clan. Her eyes flickered erratically, and a soft murmur escaped her lips: "Yun Che... thank you..."

The incident with the Black Demon mercenaries caused minor losses to the Phoenix Remnant Clan's vitality, but fortunately, although many people were weakened for a while, and some even fell seriously ill, with Yun Che present, no one's life was endangered. Yun Che had passed the Phoenix Trial, gained the Phoenix Mark, resolved this crisis for the Phoenix Remnant Clan, and displayed miraculous medical skills by treating dozens of critically ill clan members. In these past few days, everyone in the Phoenix Remnant Clan regarded Yun Che almost as a deity, showing him extreme respect and reverence.

And on this day, the Giant Snow Eagle finally awakened, signaling that it was time for Yun Che and Lan Xueruo to depart.

When bidding farewell to Feng Baichuan, his face was filled with reluctance. Looking at Yun Che, he said with some worry, "The reason our clan has lived in seclusion for so long, hiding in this isolated place, is because we bear the Phoenix Mark but possess extremely weak power. If our entire clan doesn't remain hidden, this mark, which cannot be concealed, will bring us endless trouble. Yet, we cannot resist even a few Profound Practitioners at the True Profound Realm; we would simply be at their mercy. Fortunately, you were here this time. Otherwise, our dwindling clan might have been completely wiped out. Although the crisis has passed, I am truly afraid. Our small family is so vulnerable that we cannot avoid similar incidents in the future. And next time, if benefactors like you don't appear... *sigh*."

Yun Che, however, smiled and said to Clan Head Feng Baichuan, "Clan Head Feng, actually, besides bidding you farewell, I came to you for another reason... which is to help you remove the curse from your bloodline."

Yun Che's brief statement struck Feng Baichuan like a bolt of lightning. His body trembled, and his facial features froze instantly. Then, his eyes trembled wildly, and he surged forward to Yun Che, gripping his arms tightly with a voice trembling with excitement: "What did you say? What did you say... You... say that again?"

Feng Baichuan's reaction was entirely within Yun Che's expectations. He looked directly into Feng Baichuan's eyes and said sincerely, "Actually, your bloodline curse is very easy to remove. It can be completely eradicated simply by burning it with the Phoenix Flame. My profound energy was severely depleted that day, so I dared not use it carelessly. I only fully recovered today, which is why I'm telling you now."

As he spoke, Yun Che suddenly raised his hand, placing his right index finger on the dark red Phoenix Mark on Feng Baichuan's forehead. A tiny Phoenix Flame quickly ignited on his fingertip, then instantly surged into Feng Baichuan's Phoenix Mark.

A trace of pain appeared on Feng Baichuan's face, but it only lasted for a fleeting moment. Following that, the color of the Phoenix Mark on his forehead suddenly began to change, transitioning from dark red to a progressively vivid hue, until it became a bright, pure crimson, devoid of any dullness.

Yun Che withdrew his finger, smiling as he watched him. Feng Baichuan reached out a trembling hand to touch the now burning hot Phoenix Mark on his forehead, so overwhelmed with emotion that he was at a loss for words, sobbing as he cried out, "The curse... it's gone... it's truly completely gone!"

Yun Che smiled. "After a few days of recuperation, everyone's bodies have largely recovered. Let's gather everyone now, and I will eradicate the curse marks from all of you."

"Good... good!" Feng Baichuan nodded, his eyes glistening with tears. Looking at Yun Che, the gratitude in his heart was so profound it defied description. Yun Che had annihilated the Black Demon mercenary group, saving the lives of their entire clan, and removing the curse from their bloodline; that was saving generations of their people! It meant their entire clan could henceforth regain their strength and dignity! They would possess the power to protect themselves, and by the next generation, they would no longer have to stealthily hide within this desolate mountain range.

This week, the updates lagged again... Last Sunday night, my sister was assaulted. The forensic examination confirmed minor injuries, specifically a comminuted fracture of her nasal bridge, which is irreparable. I never thought something like this would happen to someone in my family. The attackers were professionals; they chose a time when my sister closed her shop at 8:30 PM, when surrounding shops were already shut, no one was around, and the lighting was very dim. They had also altered nearby cameras several days in advance, masked their faces during the attack, and fled immediately afterward, leaving no traces or evidence. My sister is usually very kind and gets along well with everyone; she doesn't have any enemies. The only ones we can suspect are nearby competitors, because my sister's shop does relatively well, while that person's business is dismal. Furthermore, they had hired people to threaten her three times before... But even though we strongly suspect them, we have no proof. We reported it to the police, but they only took a simple statement, and then there was no further action.

It's heartbreaking that my own sister suffered such an ordeal, and feeling powerless to help makes it even worse. When I visited my sister the next day and saw her face swollen and bruised... perhaps those without siblings can't fully grasp this feeling. Perhaps you can try to imagine how you'd feel if your parents were treated this way... This was my first encounter with something like this, and the feeling of distress was unexpectedly unbearable – so much so that I felt suffocated and wanted to kill someone with a knife... This entire week, I've been in this state. I couldn't write, and what I did manage to write was very poor quality... I don't know if any of you work in law enforcement or the justice system, but if you could offer any effective help, I'd be very grateful. Thank you.

Starting tomorrow, I will begin triple updates, gradually making up for all the previously missed updates. For the repeated breaks in updates before... please forgive me. I will do my best to make amends. i1387