Chapter 336: Heavenly Fire Burning Star Formation?

The sound of the wooden window shattering was completely drowned out by the deafening roar filling the entire Burning Heaven Clan, failing to attract anyone's attention. Yet, as if by telepathy, Yun Che's gaze was drawn by an invisible force, instinctively looking upward. In that moment, he saw Xiao Lingxi's figure bursting through the window.

Yun Che's eyesight at this moment was comparable to that of a King Profound practitioner; he could clearly see plants a hundred *zhang* away, but it wasn't enough to discern faces three hundred *zhang* away, or even the general shape of a figure. Yet, the instant his gaze met Xiao Lingxi's falling figure, his pupils dilated abruptly, and his heart pounded wildly. Within his mind, three words heavily struck his soul.

Little Aunt!

Although he couldn't discern her face, her clothing, or her figure—only a blurry image—the name "Little Aunt" appeared with overwhelming intensity in his mind. He knew her far too well. For fifteen years, they had grown up together, spent every day in each other's company, inseparable. He had spent far more time with Xiao Lingxi than with Su Ling'er. Her appearance, temperament, preferences, gaze, thoughts, and even her scent, were familiar to his very bones. Their souls, it seemed, had long since intertwined.

Yun Che was absolutely certain that even if his Little Aunt were transformed into a small animal or a plant by mythical magic, he would still recognize her instantly.

"Little... Aunt!!"

A fall from seventy *zhang* wouldn't harm a Profound practitioner above the Spirit Profound Realm, but Xiao Lingxi's profound energy had only just barely broken into the Nascent Profound Realm. A fall from such a height was entirely enough to be fatal! After a moment of stunned paralysis, Yun Che's eyes instantly widened in horror, his blood rushed to his head, and with a furious roar, he put away the Dragon Fault. Disregarding everything else, he charged forward like a madman.

Yun Che, who had been fiercely attacking, preventing anyone from getting close, suddenly lost all killing intent. His defenses opened wide, and he even put away his terrifying King Profound heavy sword. Three Heavenly Profound elders broke through and simultaneously slammed their violent Burning Heaven Blood Claws onto Yun Che's back.

Yun Che grunted, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but he used the elders' attacks to propel himself forward even faster, breaking free from the encirclement of all Burning Heaven elders. His eyes were wide, almost bursting, fixed intently on the falling Xiao Lingxi. Having put away Dragon Fault, his speed became incredibly fast, but even at this speed, catching Xiao Lingxi before she hit the ground was utterly impossible.

A hundred *zhang* quickly passed beneath Yun Che's feet, but Xiao Lingxi had already fallen halfway down. Below was incredibly hard marble; if she landed, she would have almost no chance of survival. Yun Che stretched his hand forward, letting out cries of agony. He had never so desperately wished for the world to stop as he did now.

"Little Aunt... Little Aunt!!"

The hoarse shouts seemed to come from a dream as the falling Xiao Lingxi slowly opened her eyes. The wind in her ears was swift and cold, like the summons of a reaper from hell, yet it was mixed with a voice she knew and missed profoundly. Following the direction of the shouts, she shifted her gaze. Dimly, she saw the figure rushing towards her like a madman, encountering his anxious, panicked, fearful eyes.

Her heartstrings vibrated intensely, and a sudden will to survive rapidly blossomed within her. She closed her eyes, releasing all her profound energy to protect her body.

Xiao Lingxi was falling faster and faster; in less than three breaths, she would hit the cold, hard ground. Yun Che, however, was still a desperately long distance away from her.

"Ugh-ahh-ahh-ahh!!"

"Purying Hell!!"

A beast-like roar erupted from Yun Che's throat as he forcibly activated the third stage of his profound veins. In an instant, a red light burst forth from his body, and all his profound energy blazed like fierce flames, transforming entirely into the propulsion for his frantic charge. Yun Che's speed suddenly accelerated, but Xiao Lingxi was approaching the ground even faster... closer and closer...

"Phoenix Wing Sky-Splitting!!"

Yun Che's figure transformed into a fiery arrow, suddenly surging forward an incredibly long distance. Then, he extended his left arm, and a streak of azure light shot out like a meteor.

"Profound Aura... Go!!"

This profound aura carried almost all of his belief and hope. His gaze was fixed intently on the trajectory of the profound aura as it flew towards the falling Xiao Lingxi. At this very moment, he couldn't even notice that his profound aura was actually azure!

In its normal state, the profound aura was crimson; in the Evil Soul state, it was orange; in the Burning Heart state, it was yellow. Therefore, in the Purying Hell state, the profound aura should have been green. Yet, the profound aura Yun Che released at this moment was conspicuously azure! The same azure as Yun Canghai's!

The profound aura's speed far surpassed Yun Che's own, surging forth like a fleeting streak of light. But in Yun Che's vision, its trajectory seemed incredibly slow, as if the flow of time had drastically slowed down in his eyes. He widened his eyes, watching Xiao Lingxi descend bit by bit, watching the profound aura approach little by little. Finally, when Xiao Lingxi's body was less than two feet from the ground below, the profound aura, carrying all his hope, reached a spot beneath her in that very instant.

Bang!!

The profound aura struck the mountain wall, and a not-too-strong force instantly burst forth. The resulting blast shifted Xiao Lingxi's falling trajectory, sending her flying sideways like a leaf in the wind. At that moment, Yun Che also lunged forward, his arms firmly embracing Xiao Lingxi. In that instant, it was as if he had saved the entire world.

Thud!!

With another heavy thud, Yun Che, unable to stop his momentum, slammed his head hard against the stone wall, then tumbled to the ground, still holding Xiao Lingxi. However, Xiao Lingxi in his arms was firmly protected by his profound energy and sustained no injuries. He quickly sat up, holding Xiao Lingxi tightly with both hands. In the next moment, his gaze met hers directly; both of them froze. The scene seemed to be frozen in time.

They had grown up together, spending every day with each other, never even apart for a single day. But this time, they had been separated for three years. And those three years of separation had felt like three agonizing centuries to them.

Xiao Lingxi's face was very pale, and her breathing was weak. Although her body hadn't hit the ground, the impact of the fall and the profound aura's deliberately gentle collision had thrown her profound energy and internal breathing into chaos, causing significant internal injuries. Had it not been for her desperate desire to see Yun Che, she would have already fainted.

She stared blankly at Yun Che, her eyes hazy and lost, as if she were in a dream. Slowly, the eyes that had been filled with a will to die began to glow with more and more vibrancy: joy, tenderness, emotion, contentment, no regrets. She felt herself held tightly in his embrace. Once, this had been such a familiar and common feeling, but this time, it had been far, far too long since the last. Lying quietly in his arms like this, she heard no other sounds, felt no physical pain or weakness, and forgot all the misfortunes she had just faced. In her heart, there was only the reassurance, warmth, and happiness that only he could provide.

Her lips curved slightly, and her snow-jade-like hand slowly lifted, gently resting on Yun Che's face. From her lips, a breeze-like voice drifted out: "Little Che... you're finally... back..."

A soft sentence, just a few words, yet Yun Che clearly felt a vast, ocean-like depth of concern and yearning. In that instant, Yun Che almost burst into tears on the spot. At that moment, Xiao Lingxi's hand fell, and she completely fainted.

Unseen for three years, Xiao Lingxi had grown taller, but her waist had become even more slender and soft. Holding her, she felt light as a wisp of silk, almost weightless. She had grown up, transforming from an innocent fifteen-year-old girl into a graceful eighteen-year-old maiden, yet she had become so thin. In these most precious three years of her life, she had endured loneliness and sorrow that ordinary people could hardly bear, along with constant worry and longing.

Yun Che stood up, silently raising his head. High on the Sky-Ending Heavenly Pavilion, he saw two figures looking down. One was Fen Juecheng, and the other was Fen Juechen!

A violent killing intent erupted from him, and the hatred in his heart surged like colossal waves in an ocean. However, he fiercely suppressed all killing intent and resentment. Holding Xiao Lingxi, he summoned the exhausted Snow Phoenix Beast and rushed directly eastward.

He no longer wished to prolong the fight. He only wanted to safely leave with his Little Aunt, the faster the better! Anger, resentment—even if they were a million times stronger, they were not as important as a single strand of Xiao Lingxi's hair.

Just as Yun Che rescued Xiao Lingxi, a major movement occurred within the Burning Heaven Clan.

"Immediately activate the Heaven Flame Burning Star Array!!" Fen Duanhun roared. Staring at the tragic, dying scene before him, at the corpses of elders and pavilion masters, he could no longer remain calm; his voice became distorted and volatile.

Fen Mojie, still reeling from shock, was startled by Fen Duanhun's command and hurriedly said, "But... but Clan Master, the Heaven Flame Burning Star Array can only be used when the sect faces an annihilating enemy. Once activated, it takes a full three hundred years to reconstruct..."

"Are we not facing an annihilating enemy right now?!" Fen Duanhun roared, gritting his teeth. "Yun Che must die! Otherwise, if he leaves today, my Burning Heaven Clan will surely face annihilation soon after!! Go quickly!"

"Yes... yes!"

"Everyone get out of the way!!"

Yun Che, riding the Snow Phoenix Beast, swiftly approached. As the Snow Phoenix Beast was already exhausted after ceaselessly traveling six thousand *li*, when summoned again, its flying speed wasn't fast, and its altitude was less than ten *zhang*. Yet, where he charged, not a single Burning Heaven elder came forward to intercept him; instead, they all hastily fled far away, seemingly allowing him to leave. And now, with his energy greatly depleted and carrying someone, it should have been the Burning Heaven Clan's best chance to attack him.

At this moment, Jasmine's warning suddenly rang out: "A prepared offensive profound array has suddenly appeared ahead. Its power is enough to kill a late-stage King Profound practitioner!"

Jasmine's words made Yun Che's heart clench. To kill a late-stage King Profound practitioner? The Burning Heaven Clan actually hid such a terrifying profound array? The foundations of the Four Great Sacred Grounds truly could not be underestimated.

"However..." Jasmine's voice then softened, and she let out a disdainful sneer, "This profound array is a purely... Profound Fire Array!"

Shortly after Jasmine's voice faded, a giant, deep purple profound array suddenly appeared on the ground beneath Yun Che. It then rapidly rotated, and from its edges, more than thirty pillars of brilliant purple flame suddenly shot skyward. Each pillar was five feet thick and dozens of *zhang* high, firmly encircling Yun Che and the unconscious Xiao Lingxi.