Chapter 221: Cloudzhe VS Fen Juebi

Today, the Sword Discourse Arena was filled with an unusual atmosphere. The expressions of the Burning Heaven Clan members, in particular, were grim.

The first match of the Eight-Participant Battle pitted Yun Che against Fen Juebi. Despite Yun Che's repeated surprising victories in previous rounds, most spectators still considered this match to be without suspense. It wasn't an underestimation of Yun Che after witnessing his shocks; instead, it was due to the deeply ingrained dominant status and reputation of the Four Major Sects.

"This match, no matter what, you must win!" Fen Moli stated gravely. "Yuan Ge lost to Xia Qingyue of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and Jin'er unfortunately encountered Ling Yun yesterday. You are the only one left among us to reach the Eight-Participant Battle! It seems our clan's ranking among the Four Major Sects will remain fourth, which is basically a foregone conclusion this time. However, if you lose to this Yun Che kid, we won't even make it into the top four, ranking only fifth! This is an absolutely unacceptable disgrace for our Burning Heaven Clan… Do you understand?"

Fen Moli's expression was grim as he spoke. In yesterday's Sixteen-Participant Battle, his youngest grandson, Fen Jin, a core disciple of the Burning Heaven Clan, had unfortunately encountered Ling Yun and was eliminated early. This sudden setback placed immense pressure on Fen Moli. He could tolerate their clan ranking last among the Four Major Sects, as it had largely been the case for years. However, a ranking outside the top four… that hadn't happened in centuries! It would bring absolute shame upon the entire Burning Heaven Clan, and he simply could not accept it.

The first match of the Eight-Participant Battle was therefore a decisive one. If Fen Juebi defeated Yun Che, the Burning Heaven Clan would secure a spot in the top four, with a chance of even reaching the top three. But if, by any chance, he lost…

"Grand Elder, don't worry," Fen Juebi scoffed disdainfully. "Among the six other participants besides myself and Yun Che, I'd have to carefully consider facing any of them. But as for this Yun Che… he's just a piece of trash who got here purely by luck, not even worthy of my serious attention. If I can't even defeat him, then I truly have no face left to live."

Fen Moli nodded slowly. Although Yun Che's displayed strength was increasingly astonishing, Fen Moli still didn't believe Fen Juebi could possibly lose. However, his expression remained grim as he cautioned, "It's good that you have such confidence, but while confidence is fine, never be arrogant! Arrogance will blind your eyes. Furthermore, when facing Yun Che, you must not be complacent. His movement technique, which he suddenly displayed yesterday, was elusive and unpredictable; even I couldn't discern its true nature. Moreover, he can control fire, which might give him a certain ability to restrain our Burning Heaven Flames. Most importantly, he seems to have never displayed his full strength… You must be extremely careful!"

"Grand Elder, you're overthinking it," Fen Juebi responded dismissively. "His movement technique is merely a simple flash step; how could it compare to our Burning Heaven Clan's 'Burning Shadow Phantasm'? Furthermore, even if his profound movement skill were a hundred times more exquisite, it would be useless under the Burning Heaven Flames, which can envelop the entire Sword Discourse Arena with no blind spots. As for his ability to control fire, hahahaha… The flames he released yesterday were clearly only the lowest-grade profound flames; how could they possibly compare to our Burning Heaven Flames? Instead of him being able to suppress my abilities, it's more accurate to say I can completely suppress his."

Fen Juebi's disdainful expression and words made Fen Moli frown, his voice growing a few shades more serious. "Juebi, there's something I must remind you: If you lose this battle, the entire Burning Heaven Clan will be disgraced, and you will become a sinner of our clan. At that point, even the Clan Master might not forgive you."

Fen Moli's final words finally made Fen Juebi abandon his casual demeanor, and he nodded with relative solemnity. "Grand Elder, your teaching is correct. In this battle, even if the opponent is weak, I will not hold back… I will only win, not lose."

Fen Juebi leaned close to Fen Juecheng's ear, eyes narrowed, and whispered, "Big Brother, the match is about to begin. Do you want me to cripple his legs, burn his face, or turn him into a eunuch?"

"Burn his face!" Fen Juecheng declared without hesitation, his brows furrowed. In a match, such an outcome could easily be interpreted as an "accident."

"I won't disappoint Big Brother," Fen Juebi said, licking his lips and chuckling sinisterly. "For me, this isn't so much a match as it is… an incredibly delightful game."

Time quickly arrived. Yun Che and Fen Juebi almost simultaneously leaped into the center of the Sword Discourse Arena, facing each other from a distance of over ten zhang.

Yun Che's expression was calm, but in Fen Juebi's eyes across from him, he clearly saw disdain and mockery, along with a hint of almost savage cruelty intertwined. Yun Che's lips twitched, and a cold smile flashed across his face.

In Fen Juebi's eyes, Yun Che was nothing more than a dish, to be molded and shaped as he pleased.

But in Yun Che's eyes, Fen Juebi wasn't even worthy of being a dish. The threat he posed was completely inferior to that of Mu Xuanyan yesterday. At least Mu Xuanyan's unknown fire weapons had made Yun Che wary enough to choose a surprise attack and a swift resolution. But this Fen Juebi posed no threat to him whatsoever… because this guy was just playing with fire.

"Do you think Yun Che has any chance of defeating Fen Juebi?"

"That's completely impossible, isn't it? Fen Juebi's profound strength is equal to Mu Xuanyan's yesterday, but their actual power is definitely not on the same level. He's Fen Duanyun's second son!"

"If Fen Juebi really loses, the Burning Heaven Clan will be kicked out of the top four. That would be quite a spectacle."

"How could something like that happen…"

"Quick, look at Fen Juebi's hand… that's the legendary quasi-Sky Profound artifact—the Ghost Flame Blade! It seems Fen Juebi isn't planning on giving Yun Che any chance at all."

"Of course. For the Burning Heaven Clan, this match can only be won, not lost. Even if the opponent were just a grasshopper, they absolutely couldn't hold back."

Although the two on the Sword Discourse Arena had no verbal exchange, the atmosphere was filled with an unspeakable strangeness. Seeing that both were ready, Ling Wugou no longer waited for the appointed time and, with a wave of his hand, announced: "The first match of the Eight-Participant Battle… Yun Che of the Azure Wind Imperial Family versus Fen Juebi of the Burning Heaven Clan, let the battle begin!"

"Heh!" Fen Juebi sneered at Yun Che. "If you had chosen not to come up and just surrendered, I wouldn't have been able to do anything to you. But thankfully, you didn't disappoint me and obediently came up. Now, even if you want to surrender, it's too late. Today will be a day you'll never forget."

"Tch," Yun Che scoffed, curling his lip. "I didn't realize you're not just ugly, but also full of so much damn nonsense. No wonder the Burning Heaven Clan always ranks last among the Four Major Sects; turns out it's full of such garbage."

When it came to sharp tongues, Yun Che was undoubtedly an expert. His words instantly enraged Fen Juebi: "You're asking for death!!"

Fiery red flames erupted from Fen Juebi's body and poured entirely onto the Ghost Flame Blade. The dazzling blaze illuminated the shape of the surrounding profound energy barrier and generated an astonishingly high temperature. As Fen Juebi thrust the blade forward, the flames on it instantly whipped into a massive firestorm, like a ferocious beast of fire baring its deadly fangs at Yun Che.

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, both the heavy sword force and the firestorm dissipated simultaneously, and both individuals were pushed far back by the immense blast. Fen Juebi steadied himself, his gaze becoming more dangerous. "Heh, I'm genuinely surprised. To be able to withstand sixty percent of my power, it seems you didn't get here purely by luck. What a pity, in front of me, you're still just trash."

He pointed his Ghost Flame Blade forward, his eyes narrowed, and an arrogant demeanor as if judging Yun Che's fate. "Just now was merely a casual greeting. Next, I'll properly show you our Burning Heaven Clan's Burning Heaven Flames. Believe me, it will be a marvelous sight that you'll remember for the rest of your life, one you'll never forget until you die, hahahaha!!"

Amidst his wild laughter, Fen Juebi suddenly charged forward, flames igniting anew on his body and the Ghost Flame Blade. His body trailed a series of fiery afterimages as he attacked Yun Che directly. When he was less than five zhang away from Yun Che, the color of the flames on his body suddenly changed from crimson to blue.

Orange flames are known as "mortal flames," the lowest in terms of power. Above orange are crimson flames, which are mostly low-to-mid-grade profound flames and typically red. Above crimson, power increases from low to high, with blue flames, purple flames, white flames, and golden flames. Beyond these are the legendary Star-Burning Flames and Primordial Chaos Flames, which exist only in myths.

When profound energy transforms into fire, its power can be roughly judged by the flame's color. However, special flames like Phoenix Flames, Vermilion Bird Flames, or Golden Crow Flames are not ordinary profound flames; they are "divine flames" unique to mythical beasts. They possess their own distinct properties and colors and do not follow these standard rules.

Blue flames are profound flames that surpass crimson flames by one level!

In common understanding, blue flames are high-power profound flames that can generally only be released upon reaching the Earth Profound Realm!

The appearance of these blue flames undoubtedly caused a collective gasp throughout the arena.

"Blue… Blue flames!!"

"Legend says that only profound practitioners at the Earth Profound Realm can ignite blue profound flames… Fen Juebi's flame talent is actually this high! He's only at Spirit Profound Realm Level Eight, yet he can ignite blue profound flames."

"As expected of the Burning Heaven Clan Master's son. It seems Fen Juebi's strength must be re-evaluated. If he can ignite blue profound flames, it looks like Yun Che has absolutely no hope of winning."

From the Burning Heaven Clan's seats, Fen Juecheng smiled faintly and muttered to himself, "It seems the Grand Elder's words scared him, revealing his trump card so early. It's like using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken, making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Come, let me hear your wails, your pleas, your struggles!"

Fen Juebi, closing in on Yun Che, let out a wild laugh. The blue flames on his body suddenly exploded, spreading into over a dozen firestorms of varying sizes. The firestorms rapidly burned and spread through the air, pressing directly towards Yun Che and every corner within the profound energy barrier, seemingly intending to completely cover the entire space within the profound energy barrier, transforming it into a boundless sea of blue flames…