Chapter 345: War of Burning Righteousness

After last night's devastating phoenix flames, the Burning Heaven Clan lay in ruins, permeated by the strong scent of scorching. Who could have imagined that the awe-inspiring Burning Heaven Clan, which once proudly dominated the world, would one day fall to such a tragic state? All of this was because of a single person.

They had originally believed that the appearance of the Grand Clan Master and Grand Elder would put an end to this calamity brought by Yun Che. Unexpectedly, in just one day, the Burning Heaven Clan was utterly devastated for the second time.

Fen Yijue had not slept all night. Exceptionally gifted since childhood, he had almost never failed throughout his life, eventually becoming one of the most powerful figures in the Azure Wind Empire. He could never have imagined that, after years of secluded cultivation, he would be so humiliated and toyed with by a junior less than twenty years old. His calm and indifferent state of mind, which had been undisturbed for twenty years, had almost completely shattered.

In the early morning, in the Burning Heaven Clan's assembly hall, only twenty-two of the former thirty-three Pavilion Masters and twenty-seven Elders were now seated, most of them injured. They looked at each other, their hearts filled with despair. As soon as Fen Yijue arrived, a panicked voice came from outside: "Clan Master, this is bad... this is really bad!"

Fen Duanhun suddenly stood up and said gravely, "Why are you so flustered?!"

"It's... it's the Young Clan Master! He's currently hanging from the city gates of Azure Fire City!!"

"Wh-what?!"

All the elders stood up in shock. Fen Duanhun's mind buzzed, almost bursting on the spot.

"This is outrageous!!" Fen Yijue's bones cracked audibly, and he surged forward in a furious rage. Just as he stepped out of the sect, he forcefully stopped, gritting his teeth and desperately suppressing his anger. "Yun Che is incredibly cunning; this is very likely another one of his 'lure the tiger out of its den' schemes. Ziya, you stay here!"

"Understood!" Fen Ziya stopped and nodded slightly. The next moment, Fen Yijue soared into the air, heading straight for Azure Fire City. Fen Duanhun and over a dozen elders followed closely behind.

At this moment, crowds surged before the gates of Azure Fire City, creating a bustling scene.

High above the city gate, a person was suspended by a thick, long rope. The person hanging there was completely naked, their hair disheveled like a bird's nest, their body limp and showing no struggle. Though their eyes were open, they were unfocused and lifeless, like a dead person. Yet, occasional muscle spasms proved this was clearly a living being.

The Azure Fire region was constantly hot; even the morning breeze carried a dry heat. But the person hanging from the city gate constantly shivered and convulsed in the hot wind, and a small, pinky-finger-sized 'worm' occasionally dangled from their groin.

More and more people gathered before the city gate, and everyone who clearly saw the person hanging there was dumbfounded. This person was known by everyone in the Azure Fire region: he was the foremost figure of the younger generation, destined to be the future overlord of the entire Azure Fire region. No one had ever dared to offend or provoke him.

It was Fen Juecheng, the Young Master of the Burning Heaven Clan!

This figure, who stood at the highest echelon in the entire Azure Wind Nation, was actually stripped naked and hung above the city gate! The citizens of Azure Fire City, in their boundless shock, could hardly believe their eyes. The City Lord of Azure Fire City, upon receiving the news, had long since scrambled to the scene, but he cowered in a corner, hesitant to give the order to take Fen Juecheng down. As a City Lord, he was naturally no fool. Anyone with the audacity and ability to humiliate the Young Master of the Burning Heaven Clan to this extent was undoubtedly someone he absolutely could not afford to offend. If he ordered Fen Juecheng to be taken down, he would most likely provoke an extremely terrifying enemy.

The crowd of onlookers grew larger. This monumental news, enough to shock the entire Azure Wind Empire, spread with astonishing speed. Carried by sound transmission talismans, it had already reached the distant Imperial City of Azure Wind.

In the minds of these onlookers, the Burning Heaven Clan was an absolutely unapproachable existence; they would endlessly envy even an ordinary disciple and would never dare to provoke them in the slightest. They had never imagined they would one day witness such a scene. They vaguely sensed that the Burning Heaven Clan, and even the entire Azure Fire region, was about to undergo a drastic change.

An unnatural gust of wind came from the south, and a terrifying pressure suddenly descended, causing everyone's breath to catch simultaneously. Their chests felt heavy and uncomfortable, as if crushed by a massive boulder. They instinctively looked south, where a tiny black dot appeared in the sky. But in just an instant, this black dot rapidly expanded in their vision; its speed was terrifying, far beyond their comprehension.

Fen Yijue flew at full speed. Upon reaching the Azure Fire City gates, he immediately saw Fen Juecheng, hanging completely from the city gate. Below was a dense crowd of pointing onlookers. His eyes widened, and his chest felt as if it would burst from extreme rage and humiliation.

"Aargh!!!!" Fen Yijue, who had cultivated his mind for decades and was nearly a hundred years old, let out a roar like a frenzied beast. As he roared, his entire body ignited with fire, and he lunged straight for Fen Juecheng, who was suspended in mid-air.

Just as he was less than five zhang (approximately 16.5 meters) away from Fen Juecheng, a phoenix-shaped flame suddenly shot up from below, blasting directly towards Fen Yijue's face. Fen Yijue's eyes widened in fury; he recoiled and swatted the phoenix flame away with a single palm. His almost bulging eyes fixed on the figure below.

Yun Che slowly walked out, dragging the Dragon Fault. With each step, the hard marble ground below cracked directly, leaving a deep footprint. He looked at Fen Yijue in the sky and said with a cold sneer, "You finally came; you actually made me wait so long. It seems your grandson is not so important to you after all."

"You beast!" Fen Yijue's chest heaved violently. The raging killing intent almost materialized, threatening to tear Yun Che to shreds. "I will personally... grind your bones to dust!!"

"Hahahahaha!" Hearing Fen Yijue's words, Yun Che laughed with extreme disdain.

"What are you laughing at!" Fen Yijue's face turned grim.

"I'm laughing at your Burning Heaven Clan, a bunch of arrogant fools." Yun Che raised the Dragon Fault, its tip pointing directly at Fen Yijue in mid-air. An aura imbued with the Dragon God's presence silently emanated. Under this aura, the surrounding crowd found it hard to breathe, their minds dizzy, and they all quickly retreated in terror until they reached what they considered a safe distance. "I originally had many matters to attend to and couldn't be bothered with your Burning Heaven Clan, but you insisted on forcing my hand. Your current plight is entirely self-inflicted, not a shred of injustice there! And you... heh, do you think I avoided you because I was afraid of you?"

"Hmph, perhaps in ten more years, I might be wary of you. But as you are now, you don't have the right to be arrogant in front of me! What a pity, you won't live to see another ten years. Today, I will personally destroy you!"

Yun Che sneered, "Whether I'll live to see ten years from now, I don't know. But what I can be certain of is that you... will absolutely not live past ten days!"

As Yun Che's voice fell, he suddenly charged forward. A sword glow blossomed from the Dragon Fault, and a storm surged, enveloping Fen Yijue.

"Overestimating yourself! Today, I'll show you the consequences of offending my Burning Heaven Clan!"

Fen Yijue waved his palm, and three tongues of flame, a foot thick, shot out, exploding simultaneously in mid-air and instantly slowing Yun Che's attack.

"Burning Heaven Flames, Fiery Hell Refinement!"

Fen Yijue's entire body erupted with purple flames, his black hair stood on end, and surging waves of fire rose up to the sky, like hellfire pouring forth from the abyss, overwhelmingly engulfing Yun Che.

Gasps of alarm rose from before the city gates. The surging purple flames were a full li (approximately half a kilometer) away from the nearest crowd, but they still felt as if they were suddenly immersed in scorching magma, their entire bodies almost igniting. In their lives, they had never witnessed such terrifying power. They frantically retreated, howling in terror, while keeping their eyes wide open, fixed on the overwhelming purple flames, because they might never again have the chance to witness a battle of this caliber in their lifetime.

"You'll soon learn what true Burning Heaven Flames are! I'll burn you until not even your ashes remain... Die!!"

Fen Yijue's voice was savage and sinister; his hatred for Yun Che had thoroughly permeated his very bones. Yet, facing his Burning Heaven Flames, Yun Che stood motionless, gripping the Dragon Fault, allowing the overwhelming purple flames to surge towards him until he was completely engulfed by them.

"Break!!"

A mighty roar, accompanied by a soul-shaking dragon's cry, erupted from within the purple flames. The purple flames that had engulfed Yun Che suddenly exploded, scattering into countless dispersed sparks that flew in all directions. Yun Che stood in his original spot, completely unharmed, not even a single hair singed. He sneered mockingly, "Oh... so this is your so-called Burning Heaven Flames. I've finally witnessed it... it's absolutely laughable, hahahahaha!"

"You..." Fen Yijue's eyes bulged slightly, his face filled with horror. He clenched his hand, and a bizarre, nine-foot-long, crimson saber appeared in his grasp. Its blade was enveloped in raging flames. This saber, named 'Extinction Flame,' was one of only two Heavenly Profound Artifacts in the Burning Heaven Clan, left behind by its progenitor. When used to unleash fire-attribute profound arts, it would display even greater power.

"I almost forgot, you can unleash phoenix flames, so you're not particularly afraid of fire. Then you shall die by the Burning Heaven Saber!"

Fen Yijue rapidly descended, thrusting his saber forward. A saber aura, five zhang (approximately 16.5 meters) long, enveloped in intensely hot purple flames, charged forth.

Clang! Clang! Clang...

The Dragon Fault met it; the heavy sword and saber aura collided more than a dozen times in an instant, sending purple flames soaring everywhere. The incredibly piercing clashing sounds almost tore the eardrums of the crowd several li (approximately kilometers) away.

"Overlord's Wrath!!"

The Dragon Fault swept horizontally into the air, its momentum suddenly surging. The massive sword blade, imbued with violent power, smashed down onto the saber aura.

BOOM!!!

The five-zhang saber aura shattered instantly, and the residual power of the Dragon Fault surged skyward, smashing towards Fen Yijue. Fen Yijue let out a cold snort and dispersed the Dragon Fault's power with a downward palm strike. At that moment, a purple flame phantom suddenly appeared behind him, and a massive purple fire ring abruptly manifested around Yun Che's body.

"Burning... Heaven... Domain!!"