Chapter 329: Burning Sky's Fury (Part Two)

"Ah!!"

Yun Che roared loudly, flinging Xiao Yunhai far away. Xiao Yunhai landed headfirst, blood splattering, and immediately fell unconscious. Meanwhile, Yun Che, as if maddened, rushed towards the back mountain.

He returned carrying a myriad of emotions: eagerness, longing, excitement, and joy. The moment his feet touched Floating Cloud City, these emotions, like surging tides, mingled together, and of these, joy was the predominant feeling.

Because he was about to see his grandfather and his little aunt, from whom he had been separated for three years.

He was about to take them away from the three years of suffering they had endured...

He wanted to let them see how he had grown, tell them about his progress, so they would no longer worry about him, but rather feel relieved and proud.

He was about to fulfill the promise he had made to his grandfather and little aunt when he left.

He was about to reclaim everything the Xiao Sect owed them, allowing his grandfather and little aunt to release all the grievances and anger they harbored.

But he never expected the devastating blow he received instead.

Yun Che rushed into the back mountain like a whirlwind, storming into Reflection Gorge, arriving at the place where Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi had been confined for three years.

Mountains, withered grass, a stone chamber, a clear spring... It was so simple, so quiet, and so desolate. Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi had been confined here, not allowed to leave by so much as half a step. Standing before the stone chamber, Yun Che stopped, for a moment daring not to move forward. He refused to believe that what he had heard was true. He would rather believe that everything the Xiao Sect members said was a fabricated lie, even if it meant believing they had experienced hallucinations, he would choose to believe it!

He had returned carrying three years of pent-up longing, worry, and concern; he could not possibly accept such an outcome.

"Grandfather... Grandfather!"

"Little Aunt... are you in there?"

"It's Xiao Che... I'm back! Grandfather, Little Aunt, can you hear me?! If you can, please come out and see me!"

He called out repeatedly, his voice trembling slightly. His voice carried far on the mountain wind, but he received no response.

That last glimmer of hope burst like a soap bubble. Yun Che held his breath and began to step forward. The moment he took a step, his entire body suddenly froze. His gaze fell upon the entrance of the stone chamber, where he saw a pool of dark red blood.

Yun Che's heart convulsed violently; he rushed over like a whirlwind and knelt before the pool of blood. The bloodstain had dried, but there was only a thin layer of dust on it. With the constant mountain wind here, this thin layer of dust proved that the bloodstain hadn't been there for too long, only about three or four days.

Not far from the bloodstain, Yun Che saw two broken sword pieces, rusted and mottled.

Besides that, there were no signs of a struggle. Given the might of the Burning Heaven Sect, how could Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi possibly have had the ability to resist or fight back!

Yun Che braced his hands on the ground, his fingers digging deep into the rock. His head was bowed, his body trembled, and his tightly clenched teeth grated audibly. An anger and hatred so intense it felt almost tangible filled the entire stone chamber, causing the air to completely cease its flow under the immense pressure.

"Burning Heaven Sect... Burning Heaven Sect... Burning Heaven Sect..."

Low whispers escaped Yun Che's lips, as deep and ominous as the death knell of a demon from purgatory.

He recalled the person Sikong Du had mentioned to him earlier in New Moon City...

Fen Juechen, the third son of Fen Duanyun!!

Sikong Du hadn't been mistaken; it truly was Fen Juechen! His appearance in New Moon City had merely been a transit... His true target was actually here!

His grievances with the Burning Heaven Sect had been sown two years ago. Fen Juecheng had tried to assassinate him but had instead caused Fen Juebi's death. Fen Juecheng had attempted to marry Cang Yue, only to have his wedding disrupted and himself severely wounded by Yun Che, completely stripping the Burning Heaven Sect of its dignity. Afterward, they had even dispatched eight Sky Profound experts, led by Fen Moli, to assassinate him!

He had killed seven of them and left one. That last one was his warning to the Burning Heaven Sect, a gesture of lingering courtesy and leeway, even a hint of compromise. After all, the Burning Heaven Sect was a thousand-year-old sect with immense power; unless absolutely necessary, he wasn't keen on making them an irreconcilable, mortal enemy.

But he never expected the Burning Heaven Sect to respond in this manner!

Even if his enmity with the Burning Heaven Sect were ten times greater, what did that have to do with Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi!?

"AHHHH!!!!"

Yun Che roared with all his might, slamming his fist into the ground, creating a crater several yards wide. Then, he shot into the air, mounted the Snow Phoenix Beast, and, radiating boundless malevolence, flew away.

"You old dogs of the Xiao Sect... it's all because of you... all because of you! If anything truly happens to my grandfather and little aunt... I will make your entire sect... pay with your lives!!!"

Above the Xiao Sect, a voice of resentment, seemingly from hell, echoed. They looked up in horror at the snow-white behemoth ascending into the sky, all of them collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Even after the snow-white behemoth vanished from sight, they remained unable to stand for a long time.

Flying against the wind, the cold air finally calmed his mind slightly. However, his chest and head still felt as if they would burst from the rage. He clenched his teeth, picked up a sound transmission jade and a long-distance sound transmission talisman, and transmitted a message to Sikong Du in a hoarse voice: "Senior Brother Sikong... tell me the location of the Burning Heaven Sect..."

"...What happened?"

"Tell me the location of the Burning Heaven Sect, now!" Yun Che roared via sound transmission.

"...New Moon City is six thousand li southwest. Once you reach an area called 'Azure Fire Region,' inquire about a place called 'Burning Heaven Valley.' The Burning Heaven Sect is located within Burning Heaven Valley... You must be careful!"

Yun Che put away the sound transmission jade. His eyes, brimming with boundless hatred, fixed on the southwest direction. The Snow Phoenix Beast beneath him seemed to sense its master's emotions, accelerating its flight to the absolute maximum. It soared, leaving a long white trail, and soon vanished into the distant horizon.

Floating Cloud City was a long distance from the Azure Fire Region where the Burning Heaven Sect was located. Even with the Burning Heaven Sect's impressive profound beast mounts, a round trip would take nearly ten days. And their mounts were simply no match for Yun Che's Snow Phoenix Beast. Furthermore, while the former traveled at a normal pace, the latter advanced at full speed. By the time Fen Juechen returned to the Burning Heaven Sect, Yun Che was already less than a hundred li away from the Azure Fire Region.

In the middle of the procession was a girl who appeared seventeen or eighteen, her face filled with terror. Beside her was an old man in his fifties or sixties, his expression resolute yet angry. From his slightly pale complexion, it seemed he had sustained a considerable internal injury.

These two were, astonishingly, Xiao Lingxi and Xiao Lie!

Upon reaching the main gates of the Burning Heaven Sect, the group dismounted their beasts. The girl clenched her fists and bit her lip, saying, "We have no grievances with you. What exactly do you want from us?!"

An old man stepped forward, pushing her with one hand. "Enough talk, move!"

Xiao Lie darted forward, shielding Xiao Lingxi, only to be sent sprawling by the old man's palm.

"Father!" Xiao Lingxi cried out mournfully and rushed to help Xiao Lie up. Xiao Lie clutched his chest, coughing violently, his face even paler.

"Stop!" Fen Juechen suddenly turned around and spoke coldly. "Who told you to touch them! Whether they live or die is not for you to decide. If you dare lay a hand on them again, I'll chop off yours!"

The old man, with a sneer on his face, was about to scold Xiao Lie, but upon hearing Fen Juechen's words, he instantly froze. He quickly nodded in acknowledgment and hastily retreated.

"Confine this Xiao Lie to the lowest level of the Dragon Confinement Prison. As for this girl..." Fen Juechen didn't look at Xiao Lingxi, but his gaze shifted erratically. "Bring her to my residence, the Dustless Heavenly Pavilion, and have my two maids, Zilan, keep a close watch on her."

"Yes!"

Burning Heaven Sect, Juecheng Pavilion.

Fen Juecheng's entire left hand was tightly bandaged, and his right arm hung limply. Although the Burning Heaven Sect possessed countless miraculous elixirs and Fen Juecheng's profound strength wasn't weak, Yun Che's attack that day had been too ruthless; even after more than ten days, Fen Juecheng's injuries were far from healed. During these days, his physical pain and the boundless humiliation in his heart had all transformed into an increasingly potent resentment towards Yun Che.

The door of Juecheng Pavilion was abruptly kicked open, and Fen Duanyun stormed in, his face contorted with rage. Facing the clearly enraged Fen Duanyun, Fen Juecheng showed no surprise or panic. He straightened up and, feigning ignorance, asked, "Father, who has made you so angry?"

"Are those two the people you sent Chen'er all the way to Floating Cloud City to bring back?" Fen Duanyun snarled.

"Yes!" Fen Juecheng admitted directly.

"Nonsense! Why didn't you discuss this with me at all?!"

"Because if I had discussed it with you, you definitely wouldn't have agreed!" Fen Juecheng replied fearlessly.

"You scoundrel!" Fen Duanyun slammed his palm down, shattering the jade table beside him. "Do you know what you've done! Yun Che is someone we absolutely cannot touch right now! The Grand Elder, Fen Duancang, Fen Moran... a half-step King Profound expert and seven Sky Profound experts, all suffered miserable defeats at his hands. The only one who escaped, Fen Moping, was deliberately allowed to return by him—it was a warning to our Burning Heaven Sect, a slight concession! According to Fen Moping, Yun Che's current strength is almost on par with your grandfather's! Someone like that, if he can be befriended, we must do our best to befriend him. If not, we absolutely cannot provoke him, yet you..."

"So, Father, you intend to tolerate this?!" Fen Juecheng abruptly stood up, glaring back at Fen Duanyun. His eyes were filled with extreme hatred. "He killed my second brother... your own son! He disrupted my wedding, leaving me and the entire Burning Heaven Sect utterly humiliated, a laughingstock to the world! And he killed seven elders and pavilion masters, including the Grand Elder, our fellow sect members! Such a profound enmity is irreconcilable! It's not just me; countless elders and pavilion masters wish they could slice Yun Che into a thousand pieces! Yet, Father, you chose to tolerate it temporarily at the sect meeting. How can we tolerate this?! In the Burning Heaven Sect's thousand years of history, when have we ever been so humiliated? Who dares to kill our Young Sect Master and so many elders and pavilion masters? And when did our Burning Heaven Sect become so weak and cowardly as to fear a mere brat with no background?!"