Chapter 335: Little Che, You Must Think of Me...

The nine people charging at Yun Che froze. Their fierce expressions contorted into surprise, then instantly into overwhelming terror. Their pupils rapidly constricted, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Before them appeared a dragon—an impossibly colossal beast that stretched across the sky. Its body was ten thousand zhang long, and its head alone was the size of a mountain. An immeasurable, terrifying aura descended, enveloping them. Under this immense pressure, they felt as insignificant as specks of dust in the vast world.

The sky darkened as furious lightning bolts tore through the firmament, making the trembling earth quake. The entire scene was like a sudden, terrifying apocalypse.

"Wh-what... what is that!?" Their limbs went limp, their bodies convulsed, and their eyes bulged as they stared at the terrifying dragon blotting out the sky and the abruptly transformed world. They let out the most horrifying screams of their lives.

The colossal dragon seemed to hear their frightened cries. Its immense head suddenly plunged from the sky, its massive maw opening wide as if to swallow them whole.

"Ah!!!!"

Their screams of abject terror nearly ripped through the sky. Under such immense pressure and dread, these incredibly powerful Profound Sky experts were reduced to the helplessness of mice under a tiger's paw. They could not even conceive of resistance; their bodies, paralyzed by fear, lost almost all ability to flee. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, instinctively covering their heads while emitting piercing, horrified shrieks.

A trembling Burning Heaven elder was impaled through the chest by Yun Che's sword, collapsing straight down with eyes wide in terror.

*Bang!* A Burning Heaven Pavilion Master, screaming in terror, was cleaved in two by a single strike from Dragon Fault.

*Boom!* With a heavy impact, four Burning Heaven elders were blasted away by a single sword strike, dying instantly. The Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation completely disintegrated. Stripped of the potent profound energy granted by the formation, their defenses were utterly useless against Yun Che.

Within the Dragon Soul Domain, overwhelmed by the immense deterrence, they completely lost their will to fight. Only fear remained. They could not even conceive of continuing their attack on Yun Che, let alone resisting or fleeing. These incredibly powerful individuals were now like fragile lambs awaiting slaughter, easily struck down by Yun Che's sword, one after another.

Outside the Dragon Soul Domain, everyone from the Burning Heaven Sect was in complete disarray. They had only heard a dragon's roar and seen a dragon's silhouette flash behind Yun Che. Immediately afterward, they watched as those who were attacking Yun Che froze in place, trembling uncontrollably, their pupils wide, and their faces etched with expressions of having witnessed the most terrifying sight imaginable.

At nearly the same instant, the light of the profound formation flickered, and the Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation—which linked the profound veins and minds of all the Profound Sky experts—suddenly vanished!

Yun Che surged forward like a cheetah, Dragon Fault wildly striking down elder after elder and pavilion master after pavilion master. These elders and pavilion masters appeared to be possessed; when confronted by Yun Che, they collapsed to the ground in terror, their fearful screams cut short by a fatal sword strike. There was no counterattack, no resistance. Even in death, their eyes remained wide open, filled with a fear as if hell itself had descended.

"Wh-what... what's happening!?" Just as it seemed Yun Che was moments from death beneath the Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation, it was as if a nightmare had abruptly descended. Their powerful Profound Sky experts of the Burning Heaven Sect were suddenly being annihilated one by one by Yun Che, trembling uncontrollably. The Dragon God Domain is a mental domain, formless and invisible. Outside its confines, unless one possesses immense spiritual power, it is impossible to perceive what is occurring.

The Dragon Soul Domain Yun Che activated was not vast, as its size directly correlated with mental exhaustion; it merely encompassed the entire Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation. The Dragon Soul Domain was neither a potent offensive domain nor a control domain like the Frozen Cloud Domain, but a mental domain entirely new to Yun Che. He had never imagined it could possess such immense power, reducing these formidable Profound Sky experts to utterly defenseless lambs, allowing him to take their lives as they cowered.

Its terrifying might deeply astonished even Yun Che himself!

Although it could not directly kill or physically harm any target, it was far more terrifying than any offensive or control domain Yun Che had ever encountered.

After all, this was a divine domain originating from the Dragon God, capable of being activated only through the Dragon God's soul!

However, such a powerful domain incurred immense consumption of both profound energy and mental fortitude. The mental strain, in particular, was staggering. After merely five breaths, Yun Che's mind grew heavy, and a growing sense of dizziness set in. He vaguely sensed that if he forcibly maintained the domain much longer, he would suffer a severe mental backlash upon its release, potentially even collapsing into unconsciousness.

In those five breaths, a full twelve Profound Sky experts perished beneath Dragon Fault.

"Overlord's Wrath!!"

Yun Che surged forward, instantly closing in on the most densely packed group of Burning Heaven elders. Dragon Fault struck down ferociously, and at that moment, the Dragon Soul Domain, which had lasted only a few breaths, was dispelled.

*BOOM!!!* The ground for dozens of feet around them completely shattered. Six Burning Heaven elders were simultaneously blasted away. Under the effects of the Dragon Soul Domain, they not only lacked the profound energy transferred by the Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation, but their inherent profound energy defenses also crumbled from fear. With a single strike from Yun Che's sword, all six Burning Heaven elders perished, with no survivors.

The situation, which moments before had promised Yun Che's swift demise, was overturned in mere seconds as he slaughtered eighteen Profound Sky elders with shocking ease. The sudden reversal left everyone stunned, unable to react. Fen Duanhun's vision blurred, and he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.

As the Dragon Soul Domain dissipated, the remaining elders and pavilion masters awoke as if from a nightmare. They realized they must have been ensnared by some trick of Yun Che's. Glancing at the corpses of their fallen comrades, they roared in fury and charged forward. However, with the Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation shattered beyond reconstruction, their collective threat to Yun Che was significantly diminished, even if they swarmed him.

Yun Che was currently at only half his peak strength, yet facing these Profound Sky experts unsupported by the Nine Profound Heavenly Guard Formation, his pressure plummeted. Dragon Fault danced, and a tempest roared, drawing one opponent after another into a vortex of death. These renowned Profound Sky experts of the Azure Wind Empire could barely approach within three zhang of Yun Che under the might of his heavy sword; any touch from Dragon Fault meant severe injury at best, or instant death at worst. Before long, these experts were in disarray, struggling to defend themselves, their faces etched with despair.

The sneer vanished from Fen Juecheng's face, replaced by violent muscle twitches. With wide, fixed eyes, he watched Yun Che systematically eliminate the core pillars of the Burning Heaven Sect—severing the sect's very lifeblood with each strike. His hands and feet grew cold, his teeth clenched, and a profound fear bloomed in his chest. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he bolted like a madman towards the Juechen Heavenly Pavilion.

The door of Juechen Heavenly Pavilion was kicked open, and Fen Juecheng's gaze immediately locked onto Xiao Lingxi. He rushed towards her with quick strides.

A figure blurred in front of him; Fen Juechen stepped into his path, his eyes chillingly cold. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? I'm obviously going to use her life against Yun Che!" Fen Juecheng growled. "Yun Che came here for her, so she's clearly vital to him! I'll drag her before Yun Che... and make him exchange his life for hers!"

Xiao Lingxi recoiled, pressing her back tightly against the wooden window, her eyes wide with terror.

Fen Juechen did not yield, his expression still devoid of emotion and chillingly cold. "I told you, she is merely bait! Nothing more. That was the absolute limit of my agreement when I allowed you to bring her here! Beyond that... no one is to touch her!"

"Yun Che has already killed over twenty elders and pavilion masters! The entire Burning Heaven Sect is about to be destroyed at his hands, and you're still babbling about your ridiculous 'bottom line'... Get out of my way!"

Fen Juecheng's face contorted into a grimace. He thrust his right arm forward, violently shoving Fen Juechen aside, and lunged for Xiao Lingxi.

"You're asking for death!" Fen Juechen roared, enraged. A long chain of flames shot from his hand, tightly coiling around Fen Juecheng as he lunged towards Xiao Lingxi. Simultaneously, Fen Juechen surged forward, pouncing like a rabid wolf.

"You're the one asking for death! You useless, arrogant waste of space, in my eyes, you've always been nothing more than a pathetic, laughable clown! Do you actually think... you're worthy of stopping me!?"

The flame chain snapped, and Fen Juecheng and Fen Juechen clashed. Fen Juecheng was desperate to seize Xiao Lingxi to coerce Yun Che, while Fen Juechen, partly to protect Xiao Lingxi and partly consumed by murderous rage, attacked with full force. The two brothers, who had previously maintained a relatively "harmonious" relationship, now fought with ruthless intent, giving no quarter.

Fen Juecheng's left arm and right hand were severely wounded, and he also suffered from internal injuries. However, the profound realm difference between him and Fen Juechen was significant. He quickly gained the upper hand, pushing Fen Juechen onto the defensive. After a dozen exchanges, a tongue of fire struck Fen Juechen directly in the chest, blasting him across the room. Fen Juechen's back slammed violently into the wall, cracking it, and the surrounding wooden furniture quickly ignited.

"Useless!" Fen Juecheng sneered contemptuously, reaching for Xiao Lingxi once more.

"You... called... who... useless!!!"

A massive hand of surging flames slammed into Fen Juecheng's face, forcing him back three or four steps. Fen Juechen sprang from the ground, lunging at Fen Juecheng like a thoroughly enraged wolf.

"You're seeking death!"

A dreadful snarl contorted Fen Juecheng's face. He roared, and flames erupted from his body, fueled by his rage. Fen Juechen's gaze was ferocious; though his profound flames were vastly inferior to Fen Juecheng's, his imposing aura was just as formidable, and his eyes were colder than blades. He emitted guttural growls, stubbornly halting Fen Juecheng's advance. His hands, their flesh slowly charring from Fen Juecheng's flames, remained silent, and his feet refused to yield even an inch.

"What I, Fen Juechen, intend to protect... unless... I die... you will never succeed!"

"Don't imagine I won't kill you! You useless waste!"

Fen Juecheng's face grew even more grotesque. His flames began to rapidly consume Fen Juechen's. Fen Juechen's hands were already nearly half charred, almost revealing bone, yet he still refused to yield an inch. The flames began to spread over his wrists and arms.

Xiao Lingxi stood by the wooden window, her delicate face utterly devoid of color. She should have harbored resentment toward Fen Juechen, as he was the one who had brought her and her father here. Yet, he had protected her time and again, even risking his life to do so. She could not fathom what truly lay in the heart of this cold, silent man, and her resentment toward him had almost completely vanished, replaced instead by a complex gratitude.

Although her profound energy was nowhere near comparable to theirs, she understood that no matter how fiercely Fen Juechen fought, he ultimately could not stop Fen Juecheng. Her gaze drifted, and through the wooden window, she watched the figure battling so desperately for her.

Suddenly, all her fear dissipated, and a melancholic yet beautiful smile graced her lips.

"Little Che... please remember me..."

*Bang!* With a single palm strike, she shattered the wooden window. She lightly leaped, her body gracefully passing through the opening, then closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall.

She feared death.

But if she were to be used as a hostage to threaten Yun Che and endanger his life, she would rather choose death.