Chapter 166: Counterattack

The world is vast. The more people one meets and the more places one travels, the more one feels insignificant. From Floating Cloud City to New Moon City, then to Cangfeng Imperial City, and finally to Heavenly Sword Villa, Yun Che's understanding of "genius" had been repeatedly redefined. Today, completely unprepared, he encountered the true number one genius of Cangfeng Empire's younger generation—a man who was gentle, unassuming, and seemingly without flaws.

If such a person were to become an enemy, they would undoubtedly be far more formidable than those who are arrogant and unruly.

Yun Che spent the afternoon recuperating from his injuries in the Imperial Palace. By the time he left, dusk had already fallen. Lan Xueruo was preoccupied with the terrifying poison within Cang Wanhe, so Yun Che declined her offer to escort him. He left the palace alone and headed towards Cangfeng Profound Palace.

Under the cover of night, few pedestrians remained on the Imperial City's streets. Yun Che's internal injuries from Ling Jie's sword strike were quite severe; even with the Great Way of the Buddha, they couldn't fully heal in just one afternoon. Therefore, he didn't use profound energy and walked at a leisurely pace. Midway, he suddenly changed direction, slowly heading east.

Yun Che stopped only when he reached an open grassland where no one else was in sight for a wide area. He looked ahead and calmly said, "Come out."

After he spoke, silence enveloped the surroundings. After a long moment, a cold snort sounded from behind him, followed by unconcealed footsteps.

Yun Che turned around and saw a young man dressed entirely in black. He was of average height, appeared to be in his twenties, and had a gloomy look in his eyes. His gaze, directed at Yun Che, was as heavy as if he were looking at a dead man.

The profound energy radiating from him was incredibly dense, far surpassing Yun Che's… and even Murong Yi, who was at the ninth level of the True Profound Realm!

Yun Che crossed his arms, showing no fear on his face, and sneered, "And the other one? Come out as well. What, you've been eating dust behind me all this way, and now that we're here, you've lost the courage to show yourself?"

"Hahahaha!" As soon as Yun Che's voice faded, a burst of wild laughter erupted. Following it, a young man in white slowly stepped out from behind a thick tree. It was Feng Baiyi.

"Yun Che, I was wondering where I could act without leaving a trace, but I never expected you to find such a perfect grave for yourself. Should I call you an idiot, or just foolish?"

"A grave?" Yun Che looked at Feng Baiyi and the man in black with a half-smile. "That's right, it's an excellent grave indeed, but I didn't find it for myself. It's for you two."

Feng Baiyi's expression darkened, and he sneered, "Still boasting when death is at your doorstep. No matter. There's no need to waste words on a dead man. Xue Lang, kill him!"

Xue Lang? The name instantly flashed through Yun Che's mind. This was a name from the Inner Palace's Heavenly Profound Ranking, and he was ranked seventh! He possessed profound energy at the peak of the tenth level of the True Profound Realm.

As Feng Baiyi's words fell, a slender, entirely crimson sword appeared in Xue Lang's hand. He lunged forward, a blurry black shadow under the night sky, his red sword blade slicing through the darkness like a viper's tongue, thrusting towards Yun Che's throat.

Xue Lang's attack was clean and precise, and his movement and sword speed were incredibly fast, like a streak of light!

A murderous intent flashed in Yun Che's eyes. He activated Star God's Broken Shadow, his body suddenly rising, causing Xue Lang's lightning-fast strike to miss. However, as Yun Che moved into the air, his body stiffened, and intense pain shot through his chest.

He had to finish this quickly... Yun Che clutched his chest, then with a sweep of his hands, the Overlord's Colossal Sword appeared in his grasp amidst a fleeting black shimmer. Around his body, crimson Phoenix flames suddenly erupted.

After his sword strike missed, Xue Lang swiftly changed direction. His red sword swept up, thrusting fiercely towards Yun Che, who was descending from the air.

"Die... Phoenix Wing Heaven Dance!"

A cold fiery gleam flashed in Yun Che's eyes. Phoenix flames surged around him, and a pair of fiery Phoenix wings materialized on his back, raising a colossal wave of heat as he dove towards Xue Lang.

Xue Lang's specialty was speed; his movements and sword speed were both as fast as a streak of light. Yet, right before his eyes, Yun Che, who had been a dozen body-lengths away, instantly charged forward, moving like a falling meteor. His speed was so immense that Xue Lang couldn't react at all, and the incoming force was terrifying enough to drain the color from his face.

The next moment, with a resounding boom, a burst of flames exploded between Yun Che and Xue Lang. The red sword light was instantly shattered, and even the crimson sword itself snapped into three pieces like scrap metal. Yun Che's heavy sword continued its trajectory undiminished, fiercely slamming into Xue Lang's waist.

Boom!!!

Xue Lang's defensive profound energy shattered like flimsy paper under the heavy sword's strike, infused with Phoenix flames. He screamed in agony as his ribs and vertebrae were instantly pulverized. His entire body flew through the air like a broken sack, spilling a large amount of blood and internal organs before splitting into two halves, which landed one after another in front of Feng Baiyi.

"Wh—What!?"

Feng Baiyi stumbled back two steps, staring at the mangled corpse on the ground. The smug sneer was gone from his face, replaced by utter horror.

Feng Baiyi had firmly believed that Murong Yi's loss to Yun Che was merely due to Murong Yi underestimating his opponent and being careless. He had even meticulously analyzed the reasons for Murong Yi's failure to him. He was confident that if he fought Yun Che, he could kill him within ten moves... Bringing Xue Lang along was primarily because he didn't want to leave any traces himself, and it also served as an extra guarantee that Yun Che would certainly die.

For today's assassination, he had considered all possible scenarios, even how Yun Che might use some special trick to escape. But he had never imagined that Xue Lang, who was a full level stronger than Murong Yi, would be dismembered by a single sword strike from Yun Che!

"Feng Baiyi, it's your turn!" Yun Che pointed his sword at Feng Baiyi and slowly walked towards him, speaking coldly. Having just used the Phoenix Wing Heaven Dance, his internal injuries had slightly worsened, causing excruciating pain, yet his face remained calm... Even with aggravated internal injuries, killing Feng Baiyi would be more than enough!

"Yun Che, do you... do you actually think you can kill me!?" Although Feng Baiyi still tried to appear arrogant, his bravado was clearly a façade, and his voice began to tremble. Xue Lang was ranked almost thirty spots higher than him on the Heavenly Profound Ranking, yet he had been dismembered by one of Yun Che's sword strikes. How could Feng Baiyi not feel unnerved now?

Watching Yun Che approach step by step, Feng Baiyi suddenly let out a roar, grabbing a long azure spear. The spear's shaft whipped up a raging storm as he swept it horizontally towards Yun Che's neck.

"Azure Dragon Stirring the Sea!"

Like Murong Yi, Feng Baiyi cultivated the "Azure Dragon Spear Arts." During his previous encounter with Murong Yi, Yun Che had sustained minor injuries from this very move.

Facing this spear technique, which was even stronger than Murong Yi's, Yun Che smiled coldly. The primary reason he had been injured by Murong Yi's move before was Murong Yi's sudden sneak attack, and Yun Che had no weapon to parry with. But now, with his heavy sword in hand, how could such a spear technique possibly harm him?

"Scram!"

Yun Che completely ignored the trajectory of Feng Baiyi's spear technique, and without using any profound skills, he simply swept his sword horizontally. The storm of power unleashed by this incredibly simple sweep far surpassed Feng Baiyi's "Azure Dragon Stirring the Sea." With a resounding "boom," Feng Baiyi's spear technique was violently dispersed.

Feng Baiyi was utterly terrified... Only at the moment Yun Che's heavy sword swung did he truly grasp Yun Che's terror. He instantly understood why Murong Yi and Xue Lang had been so miserably defeated by his heavy sword—because the wave of energy unleashed by that single strike was as overwhelming as a surging ocean, engulfing him completely... It wasn't that Murong Yi and Xue Lang hadn't wanted to dodge; it was that under the terrifying pressure of that overwhelming force, their bodies were simply unable to move, let alone dodge or counterattack through any perceived openings.

Heavy swords were, in everyone's impression, wild and domineering, but each swing was typically heavy and slow, leaving large openings. Yet, the heavy sword in Yun Che's hand, when swung, felt as nimble as a light sword!

Feng Baiyi's spear technique completely collapsed. A tremendous force surged from the front, violently smashing into his long spear, causing it to instantly bend, then fly from his grasp. His entire body was struck as if by a heavy hammer, and waves of savage power poured into him, tearing dozens of his meridians inch by inch.

"Argh—"

Feng Baiyi screamed, his body flying backward dozens of feet, crashing heavily into the thick tree where he had been hiding. The sturdy tree trembled violently, and leaves showered down.

Feng Baiyi lay sprawled on the ground, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, unable to stand for a long time.

Yun Che's internal injuries further worsened, making his face turn pale and causing a trickle of blood to appear at the corner of his mouth. He no longer delayed, flying forward and swinging the Overlord's Colossal Sword without reservation towards Feng Baiyi's neck. If this strike connected, it would be enough to smash Feng Baiyi into a bloody mess.

As death approached, Feng Baiyi's body hastily recoiled, and at the same time, he let out a terrified roar: "Uncle Fang, save me!"

No sooner had Feng Baiyi's cry faded than a deafening roar came from above: "Youngster, dare not harm my young master!"

Amidst the roar, a mountain-like force pressed down from above Yun Che. This power was so immense that Yun Che could never hope to resist it. If he had taken even one more step forward, he would undoubtedly have been pulverized by this force.

Though startled, Yun Che did not panic. He instantly retreated using Star God's Broken Shadow, then fully suppressed his forward momentum, escaping the range of the force's impact. However, he was still grazed by its residual power, letting out a muffled groan. He continued to leap backward for over twenty zhang before finally managing to dissipate the terrifying force.

Standing before Feng Baiyi was an old man dressed in black with a half-white beard. His appearance allowed Feng Baiyi, who had narrowly escaped death, to breathe a huge sigh of relief. He then began to shriek madly, "Uncle Fang, kill him, kill him!"

The families of Feng Baiyi and Murong Yi were generations-long acquaintances, so Feng Baiyi's background was naturally no weaker than Murong Yi's. Given such backgrounds, as direct descendants of their families, their safety was naturally paramount. Each had a powerful protector secretly assigned to them. This elder, surnamed Fang, was Feng Baiyi's guardian. However, his duty was merely to protect in secret, not to obey Feng Baiyi's commands or interfere with any of his actions or decisions. He would only appear when Feng Baiyi was in grave danger.

Yun Che clutched his chest, panting heavily. In his mind, Jasmine's voice echoed: "Third level of the Earth Profound Realm. This is not someone you can handle."

The elder surnamed Fang glared at Yun Che, his brows furrowed in anger. "Youngster, if you had simply let my young master go after severely injuring him, I wouldn't have intervened. But your intentions are so malicious that you still intended to deliver a killing blow. In that case, don't blame this old man for taking your life!"

"Heh!" Yun Che sneered, "Take my life? You're not worthy!"