Chapter 352: Xiao Wuyi

The four major sects had always held an unshakeable dominance in the Azure Cloud Continent. The deterrent power of each sect's name far surpassed that of the Azure Cloud Imperial Family.

Now, however, one of these dominant powers, which had reigned supreme for a thousand years, had finally been shaken. And it was a severe shaking—nearly pushing them to the brink of destruction. The Burning Heaven Clan's Sky Profound experts, who could walk anywhere with arrogance and were revered by countless cultivators, were obliterated in droves. Even King Profound experts, who were legendary figures and cornerstones among the four major sects, suffered a devastating blow: one killed, one gravely wounded.

The tragic state of the Burning Heaven Clan and the battle outside Azure Flame City swept across the entire Azure Cloud Empire like a storm. The name "Yun Che," which had already caused countless shocks, once again rocked the entire Azure Cloud Continent overnight.

Early in the morning, before dawn fully broke, the remaining core figures of the Burning Heaven Clan gathered once more in the main pavilion to discuss urgent matters. Outside the pavilion, the Burning Heaven Clan's compound, nearly half of which lay in ruins, was eerily silent. The usually arrogant Burning Heaven disciples were now dispirited, their faces filled with sorrow. After the news spread of the Grand Elder's death and the Supreme Clan Master's severe injuries, their last psychological defenses almost completely crumbled.

"Allow me to introduce someone,"

Fen Yijue sat upright in the center, though his pale complexion revealed the severity of his internal injuries. He gestured to the black-clad man beside him. "This is Xiao Wuyi of the Xiao Sect."

Xiao Wuyi wore a wide black cloak that concealed most of his face, as if he preferred not to be seen by too many people. Before Fen Yijue spoke, everyone had been speculating about his identity. Upon hearing the name "Xiao Wuyi," they instantly rose in shock. Fen Duanhun exclaimed, "So it is Senior Xiao Wuyi! This junior apologizes for my previous disrespect."

Xiao Wuyi was the younger brother of Xiao Wuqing, the Xiao Sect's Supreme Sect Master, and one of the two King Profound experts of the Xiao Sect. He was among the handful of most powerful experts currently existing in the Azure Cloud Continent. While the younger generation might not be familiar with his name, it resonated like thunder to those of Fen Duanhun's generation.

"No need for pleasantries," Xiao Wuyi said indifferently. "My sole purpose in coming here is to help you eliminate Yun Che."

Fen Duanhun glanced at Xiao Wuyi and said, "Senior's strength is naturally unparalleled, but please forgive this junior for speaking frankly. You haven't witnessed Yun Che's power firsthand and seem to underestimate him. My father is currently severely injured, and if it's just Senior alone, I fear..."

"Heh heh..." Xiao Wuyi chuckled softly. He extended his arm and slowly opened his palm. "Just me alone might indeed not be enough. So, what about this?"

Upon reaching the King Profound Realm, the body's aging process slows significantly, sometimes even reversing to a younger state. However, Xiao Wuyi's palm was excessively withered, as if it had been corroded by something for a long time. In his palm rested a spherical, pale purple orb, faintly shimmering with purple light. A closer look revealed numerous small profound formations etched across its surface.

Fen Duanhun paused, then his expression suddenly changed as something occurred to him. Beside him, an elder gasped, "Could it be... could it be... a Sky Extinguishing Pearl!?"

The moment the words "Sky Extinguishing Pearl" were uttered, all the elders' faces rapidly changed. A few even involuntarily took a step back, their faces showing profound horror.

"Heh heh, that's right," Xiao Wuyi chuckled faintly. "This is a Sky Extinguishing Pearl from my Xiao Sect's Artifact Branch, second only to the Sky Extinguishing Thunder. In terms of single-point power, it actually surpasses the Sky Extinguishing Thunder. I'm sure you've all heard how powerful it is. Back then, it instantly pulverized over a dozen Sky Profound cultivators and two Half-step King Profound cultivators. Even the surviving Sky Profound cultivators nearby perished from the poisonous gas it released upon detonation."

All the Burning Heaven elders swallowed hard, the fear on their faces refusing to subside. They even dared not look directly at the Sky Extinguishing Pearl. The terror of the Sky Extinguishing Pearl was well-known among all four major sects. Within the Xiao Sect, there was a special branch called the Artifact Branch, dedicated to cultivating and manufacturing various formidable fire-weapons. While the profound strength of Artifact Branch disciples was generally low, each of them concealed an array of terrifying fire-weapons on their person. Even disciples from the same sect with a cultivation level a major realm higher would never dare provoke them.

Among these fire-weapons, the most dreadful were the Sky Extinguishing Thunder and the Sky Extinguishing Pearl.

"My Xiao Sect has accumulated these over a thousand years, and we only possess twenty-three Sky Extinguishing Pearls in total. This time, to eliminate Yun Che, I brought no less than five... Heh, do you still think I am not enough on my own?"

Five... five pearls?

Fen Duanhun hastily said, "Enough... more than enough. With the divine power of your esteemed sect's Sky Extinguishing Pearls, two at most... oh no, one would be enough to instantly kill Yun Che. With Senior's assistance this time, if Yun Che dares to return, he will certainly meet his end... Please forgive this junior for my earlier disrespectful words."

It was rumored that even a King Profound expert would be severely wounded on the spot if they directly took a single Sky Extinguishing Pearl. Five Sky Extinguishing Pearls, if all were used, would be more than enough to blast Yun Che into irreparable fragments. The fact that the Xiao Sect had not only sent Xiao Wuyi but also brought as many as five Sky Extinguishing Pearls clearly demonstrated their resolute intent to kill Yun Che.

Just then, the quiet outside suddenly turned boisterous. An incredibly arrogant voice resounded from above: "Old dogs of the Burning Heaven Clan, your Grandpa Yun is back! Hurry up and come out to die!"

Fen Yijue rose abruptly, nearly collapsing to his knees as his internal injuries flared. Hearing Yun Che's shouts, his heart was filled with resentment, fear, and shock... but mostly shock! Less than two days had passed since the battle in Azure Flame City. At that time, Yun Che's injuries were certainly no lighter than his own, and Fen Yijue's injuries had only just stabilized. Yet, Yun Che's roar was full of vigor—there wasn't the slightest sign of unhealed severe injury.

Could his injuries and power have completely recovered again?

Even if he possessed some special secret technique, this speed was simply too astonishing.

Upon arriving at the Burning Heaven Clan, Yun Che immediately sensed an unusual aura. Looking ahead, he sneered and murmured, "It seems the Burning Heaven Clan didn't flee, but they certainly didn't sit idle."

"There's an extra Throne here, but he's not from the Burning Heaven Clan. In terms of strength, he surpasses Fen Ziya but is inferior to Fen Yijue, whom you severely wounded that day," Jasmine said.

"They wouldn't be foolish enough to think an extra Throne could deal with me. It seems they're hiding some dirty trick." The sneer on Yun Che's lips deepened slightly. "Throughout the Azure Cloud Continent, only the four major sects possess Throned experts. Ice Cloud Asgard wouldn't meddle in this, so this suddenly appearing Throned expert can only be from Heavenly Sword Villa or the Xiao Sect. I actually hope it's the latter. Heh... let me see who is foolish enough to wade into these troubled waters!"

Amidst Yun Che's loud shouts, Fen Duanhun and all the elders ascended into the air, protecting the severely injured Fen Yijue behind them.

Seeing Yun Che today, fear appeared on everyone's faces. That day, they had witnessed him gravely injured and exhausted, forced to flee. But today, Yun Che showed no signs of weakness in his aura or complexion. In fact, his profound energy aura had clearly grown stronger—last time, he was at the sixth level of the Earth Profound Realm; this time, he was already at the seventh!

For experts of their caliber, a single level increase in the Earth Profound Realm was usually negligible. However, Yun Che's one-level increase in profound strength dramatically amplified the pressure they felt, giving them an incredibly intense sensation that left them all inwardly awestruck... Not only had his injuries healed and his power fully recovered, but his strength had also significantly improved.

What kind of monster was this?!

"Yun Che, your arrogance... ends today!" Fen Duanhun gnashed his teeth and declared, "You killed my son, destroyed my sect. This debt, today, I will... collect every last bit of it!!"

Yun Che grinned, then threw his head back and laughed aloud. "Hahahaha! Old dog Fen, look at you all now—you're more pathetic and miserable than beggars on the street! I truly wonder who gave you the confidence to say such ridiculous things... Could it be that fellow hiding down there?"

"You..." Fen Duanhun's eyes widened, and he trembled with rage.

"Heh heh heh..." A low chuckle emanated from below. Xiao Wuyi, cloaked, slowly walked out of the main pavilion. He slightly raised his head, his eyes under the hood glancing at Yun Che as he chuckled, "You are Yun Che? To possess such presence at this age, and to have single-handedly pushed the Burning Heaven Clan to such dire straits... it seems it's not an overstatement to call you the greatest genius in Azure Cloud history."

Yun Che also laughed. "And who are you? Did you specifically come all the way to the Burning Heaven Clan just to flatter me?"

"Flatter you? Hahahaha!" Xiao Wuyi laughed. "No, no. I simply want to tell you that geniuses... often live short lives."

"Is that so?" Yun Che's eyes slowly narrowed. "Although you've been disrespectful, I shall mercifully bestow upon you a single word."

"Oh? What word?"

"Scram!!"

"If you scram, you might live a few more days. But if you don't... heh!" Yun Che sneered. "You'll end up just like these old dogs of the Burning Heaven Clan... completely short-lived! Even the Xiao Sect behind you... will be short-lived!!"

The moment the words "Xiao Sect" left Yun Che's lips, Xiao Wuyi's aura instantly became slightly agitated.

He wore the cloak to conceal his face, partly for the convenience of hiding fire-weapons—after all, producing them from his person was far quicker and more surprising than retrieving them from a spatial ring. The other reason was to avoid exposing his identity as much as possible. Although he had five Sky Extinguishing Pearls and was confident he could turn Yun Che into a mangled corpse, the Xiao Sect could not entirely disregard someone capable of pushing the Burning Heaven Clan to the brink. Thus, when Xiao Wuyi arrived at the Burning Heaven Clan, he had initially decided not to reveal his identity until Yun Che was undoubtedly dead.

However, this was somewhat like burying his head in the sand. After all, once a Sky Extinguishing Pearl was deployed, no matter how well he concealed himself, Yun Che would quickly deduce he was from the Xiao Sect. This also directly revealed his apprehension towards Yun Che—at the very least, he was far from as casual as he appeared.

He hadn't expected Yun Che to blurt out "Xiao Sect" so directly. His heart sank slightly, but then he sneered again. With a wave of his hands, a faint green eagle shadow slowly materialized behind him. "Yun Che, your arrogance truly far surpasses the rumors. I just wonder how much of your rumored strength you actually possess!"

The wind howled, and Xiao Wuyi's cloak dramatically billowed. He soared forward like a hungry eagle, a sword shadow flickering in his hand before instantly transforming into a field of verdant sword energy, enveloping Yun Che's vital points.