Chapter 351: Xiao Zong's Choice

This matter is absolutely true. What Fen Duanhun said is almost identical to what Xiao Moshan described to me back then. Three years ago, Yun Che was not called Yun Che, but Xiao Che. He changed his surname after being expelled from his family. He is indeed the young master from back then...

"Enough!" Xiao Juetian trembled with rage, fire practically shooting from his eyes. Just moments ago, he had been profoundly alarmed by Yun Che's actions and felt a hint of schadenfreude regarding Burning Heaven Clan's tragic fate. But in the blink of an eye, he had heard this thunderbolt. If this matter was true, if Yun Che was indeed that person from back then, then that incident would undoubtedly be a source of deep-seated hatred for him. This resentment would far surpass the abduction of his family members.

Burning Heaven Clan had been annihilated in revenge for abducting two of his family members. So, if all of this were true…

The news of Yun Che single-handedly gravely injuring Fen Yijue and killing Fen Ziya resonated in Xiao Juetian's mind, making the Sect Master involuntarily shiver. Although Fen Ziya was slightly weaker among King Profound Realm cultivators, Fen Yijue's strength was in no way inferior to Xiao Sect's Grand Elder, Xiao Wuqing! Now, Yun Che fully possessed the ability to exact revenge for that past hatred, and given his temperament, it was almost inevitable that he would come for them.

"Immediately… go call Xiao Moshan here!" Xiao Juetian said through gritted teeth, his face grim.

"Yes, Sect Master," the old man in black replied, not daring to utter another word, and hastily departed.

Soon, Xiao Moshan hurried in. The Sect Master had summoned him, a mere Eastern Pavilion Deacon, alone, which made him both uneasy and perplexed. As he entered the main hall, he saw Xiao Juetian's face, grim as a dark cloud, and his heart immediately sank. He carefully lowered his head and said, "Xiao Moshan greets the Sect Master. I wonder why the Sect Master has summoned me…"

"Xiao… Mo… Shan!!"

The three words uttered by Xiao Juetian clearly carried the trembling tone of extreme fury, causing Xiao Moshan to break out in a cold sweat. He had always been honest and dutiful within the sect, never doing anything rebellious, and couldn't imagine what could have possibly angered the Sect Master so much. Then he heard Xiao Juetian's deep voice say, "Do you still remember that three years ago, at Elder Xiao Zheng's dying request, you accompanied Kuangyun to a place called Floating Cloud City in the east!"

Xiao Moshan looked up and nodded in surprise. "Yes, I certainly remember," he said. "I've only left the sect three times in all these years, and one of those times was accompanying the young master to Floating Cloud City."

Xiao Moshan was even more surprised, as it was truly a trivial matter. If there was anything worth mentioning, it was the unexpected encounter with someone from Ice Cloud Immortal Palace—specifically, Ice Fairy Chu Yueli, one of the Seven Ice Fairies. He completely failed to understand why, after three years, the Sect Master would bring up such a minor incident.

Xiao Juetian stared intently at him and said in a deep voice, "Tell me, exactly what happened after you and Kuangyun went to Floating Cloud City. Tell me every single detail! With your memory and profound energy, you wouldn't forget something after a mere three years! Tell me everything, without omitting a single detail! If you dare to leave anything out or conceal anything, I will kill you on the spot!"

Xiao Juetian's last words made Xiao Moshan instantly break out in a cold sweat. He truly realized the seriousness of the situation and hastily knelt on the ground. "Yes… yes… Back then, after the young master and I arrived in Floating Cloud City…"

At that moment, Xiao Moshan recounted everything that had happened at the Xiao Clan three years ago, including every word and action of Xiao Kuangyun that he could remember. Under Xiao Juetian's piercing gaze, he dared not conceal anything, desperately trying to recall. This account naturally included how Xiao Kuangyun coveted Xiao Che's new wife and younger aunt, leading him and Xiao Yulong to devise a wicked scheme. Xiao Che exposed their plot in public, but Xiao Kuangyun, wielding the absolute authority of the Xiao Sect, still forcefully succeeded and drove Xiao Che out of the Xiao Clan…

Before Xiao Moshan could finish speaking, Xiao Juetian was trembling all over, his lungs almost bursting. His last shred of hope vanished, and he roared, "This beast, how could he… how could he commit such a despicable act!!"

"The young… young master was young and reckless, at an age where he might be tempted by beauty, so it… it is understandable that he would do such a thing. It… it was my lax supervision; I relaxed my control over the young master, and I am willing to accept any punishment from the Sect Master." Xiao Moshan lowered his head, speaking guiltily, but his confusion deepened. Among Xiao Juetian's four children—Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Cloud—Xiao Kuangyun was the only legitimate heir. He had grown up spoiled, indulging in pleasures all day long, and Xiao Juetian had always indulged him. Xiao Kuangyun had often disgraced others' wives, and when Xiao Juetian found out, at most he would give him a symbolic scolding. In the Floating Cloud City incident, he hadn't even succeeded in the end. Xiao Moshan couldn't understand why Xiao Juetian would be so furious over this trivial matter.

"Bastard!!" In a fit of rage, Xiao Juetian kicked out, sending Xiao Moshan tumbling several times. "Do you know that the person whose newlywed wife and aunt you tried to seize, and who was then driven out of the Xiao Clan because of you, is Yun Che—the same Yun Che who won first place in the ranking battle back then and has now single-handedly destroyed more than half of Burning Heaven Clan!"

Xiao Moshan had just awkwardly straightened up when he heard this, and his eyes immediately widened in horror. He cried out in terror, "No… impossible! That person back then wasn't called Yun Che, but Xiao Che. He was a natural profound vein cripple, a waste! Impossible, absolutely impossible… there must be a mistake somewhere!"

"Many things in this world don't cease to happen just because you think they're impossible!" Xiao Juetian's chest heaved violently, almost bursting. He pointed at Xiao Moshan and said in a low, deliberate voice, "You, go immediately and call Xiao Kuangyun here… Go now!"

It was the first time Xiao Moshan heard the Sect Master call Xiao Kuangyun by his full name. He trembled all over. "The young… young master, he… he is currently…"

"I don't care what he's doing right now! If he dares not to come, beat him half to death and drag him here!" Xiao Juetian roared.

"Yes… yes…" Xiao Moshan, covered in sweat, fled as if escaping.

The old man who had been accompanying Xiao Juetian walked over, his expression grave. "Sect Master, how do you plan to deal with this matter?" he asked.

Xiao Juetian's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression extremely solemn. "If the rumors are true, then Yun Che's strength has reached a level that we must genuinely fear," he said. "Come with me to see Father. This is a matter that cannot be taken lightly. How to deal with it requires his personal decision."

In a hidden spot within a withered forest, Yun Che sat cross-legged. The Snow Phoenix Beast guarded him, driving away all approaching profound beasts.

After a day of rest and Yun Che's medicinal pill supply, the Snow Phoenix Beast had finally recovered about a third of its vitality. Yun Che's injuries had also healed by eighty percent, and his profound energy had recovered by ninety percent. At this moment, a sudden surge of profound energy erupted within his profound veins; the previously dormant profound energy churned and expanded like boiling water.

This was a precursor to a profound energy breakthrough!

After escaping from the Sword Discourse Arena at Heavenly Sword Villa, Yun Che had endured repeated escapes and fierce battles. Although he hadn't intentionally cultivated, his profound energy, accumulated through combat, had quietly approached the brink of a breakthrough.

Yun Che immediately concentrated his mind, guiding the flow and changes of his profound energy. A short while later, there was a soft sound within his profound veins, and all the profound energy fluctuations subsided, becoming even deeper and denser than before.

Yun Che opened his eyes; at this moment, his profound energy had completely broken through to the seventh level of the Earth Profound Realm. For him, each advancement in profound energy was a different concept compared to ordinary profound practitioners. Under the berserk amplification of the Evil God's Profound Veins, every profound energy breakthrough increased his strength by several times that of an ordinary profound practitioner.

Yun Che ignited Phoenix Flame, roasted a pile of dragon meat, and after a hearty meal, changed into new clothes, then stood up feeling refreshed. If the people of Burning Heaven Clan knew that he had recovered almost all his injuries and power in just one day, they would probably all collapse in despair.

"Good! Tonight, I'll utterly shatter Burning Heaven Clan!" Yun Che looked towards the direction of Burning Heaven Clan and said with a cold smile, "I just wonder if they've already been scared out of their wits and abandoned their so-called thousand-year foundation, fleeing completely."

"Being pushed to this extent, they will surely take action. You'd best wait until you've fully recovered before going," Jasmine reminded him indifferently.

"If they had any trump cards left, they should have revealed them already," Yun Che said dismissively. "What they're most likely to do now is either abandon the sect and flee, or seek aid from other sects. Ice Cloud Immortal Palace won't heed their pleas, and as for the Xiao Sect and Burning Heaven Clan…"

Yun Che's brows twitched. He suddenly remembered Ling Jie's warning from yesterday. He was silent for a while, then sat down again where he was. "Alright, you're right," he conceded. "I should indeed wait until my body has fully recovered before going. The price they must pay, they will never escape!"

At the same time, a dark figure clad in black silently arrived at Burning Heaven Clan. Looking at the ruins and the smoke-filled, chaotic state of the clan, he smiled coldly, his eyes holding five parts pity and five parts schadenfreude. He stepped forward, his footsteps silent, and in a flash, he slipped into the main hall where Fen Yijue was located.

"Who's there?" Fen Yijue, who had been resting with closed eyes, suddenly opened them. Before him, a dark figure had appeared unnoticed.

"Heh heh, old friend, long time no see. Do you still recognize me?" The man in black lifted his head and said with a chuckle.

"It's you!" Looking at the person before him, Fen Yijue quickly straightened his upper body. After a complex change of expression, he suddenly asked, "Are you alone?"

"Am I not enough, by myself?" the man in black said arrogantly.

Fen Yijue frowned. "Not enough!" he said. "You've clearly completely underestimated Yun Che's strength. He's much more terrifying than you imagine…"

As Fen Yijue was speaking, he suddenly noticed three purple spatial rings on the black-clad man's fingers. His eyes immediately fixed on them, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face. "Could it be that you… brought those items as well?" he asked.

"Hahahahaha!" The man in black threw his head back and laughed. "By the Grand Elder's command, this time, Yun Che is our common enemy. He must be eliminated from this world. If he dares to come, I will ensure he never returns!"