Chapter 367: Divine Phoenix Prince

From the direction of the hall entrance, Xia Qingyue’s ethereal figure slowly approached. Her appearance was like the bright moon emerging from behind clouds, instantly stealing all the light and causing the noisy hall to fall silent. All eyes were fixed on her, especially those of the young men, who stared blankly, held their breath, and felt their hearts nearly stop. But then, they suddenly remembered that she was Yun Che’s wife, and in a flurry, they lowered their heads, not daring to look at her again.

Yun Che quickly went to meet her. “Qingyue, you’re here… Why did you leave without a word two months ago?”

Xia Qingyue spoke softly, her voice gentle as a whisper, “Young Master Yun had already woken that day, and his injuries were not severe. Furthermore, Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had urgent matters to attend to, which is why I left without bidding farewell. I hope you do not mind. Today, I, Qingyue, on behalf of Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, congratulate Young Master Yun on his wedding.”

Yun Che, of course, did not believe Xia Qingyue’s words. He moved half a step closer and lowered his voice, “Could it be that day… you heard outside that I was marrying my senior sister and got jealous?”

“Ahem…” Chu Yuechan stepped forward, standing beside Xia Qingyue. Her voice was cold as she said, “Young Master Yun is only nineteen, yet his strength already rivals that of the mid-stage King Profound Realm. His future achievements are bound to be limitless. We, master and disciple, represent Ice Cloud Immortal Palace to extend our felicitations on your wedding… Qingyue, let us take our seats.”

With that, Chu Yuechan ignored Yun Che and led Xia Qingyue away. The look in her eyes towards Yun Che was somewhat unfriendly.

The reason was simple: her sister’s whereabouts were unknown, yet he was holding a grand wedding. Her disciple, Xia Qingyue, was his official wife. Although she hadn't been keen to acknowledge this relationship before, things were different now. Yun Che was about to marry Cang Yue, and as Xia Qingyue’s master, she felt a certain degree of displeasure. Moreover, she could sense the subtle, unusual emotions Xia Qingyue occasionally revealed.

As Yun Che moved to the front of the hall, many people immediately rushed forward to greet him.

“Brother Yun, I am genuinely happy that my imperial sister can marry you. From now on, we are family, Brother Yun… Oh no, brother-in-law, your affairs are my affairs. If there is anything I, your elder brother, can help with, please don't hesitate to ask.”

Crown Prince Cang Lin hurried forward, speaking with apparent generosity, nonchalance, and excitement. However, Yun Che immediately noticed the apprehension, apprehension, and carefully concealed fear in the depths of his eyes.

“My imperial sister and brother-in-law are a match made in heaven. I am truly overjoyed that my imperial sister has found such a destination. This great joyous occasion calls for three days of drunkenness, haha… hahahaha!” Third Prince Cang Shuo said with a dry laugh. He seemed less "seasoned" than Crown Prince Cang Lin; as he spoke to Yun Che, the muscles in his face visibly twitched, revealing his inner panic.

Both princes were undoubtedly terrified of Yun Che. They couldn't forget what they had done previously. Now, Emperor Cang Wanhe had miraculously recovered and regained control of the government. With Yun Che marrying Cang Yue, Emperor Cang Wanhe had gained arguably the most formidable backer within the Azure Cloud Nation, completely shattering their ambitions overnight. They no longer dared to make any moves and lived in constant dread. While they might not have entered the Emperor’s bedchamber once in a year or two before, they now made sure to pay their respects three times a day, morning, noon, and night, without fail for two months.

Facing Yun Che, they trembled in fear at the thought of his horrifying methods, which had annihilated the Burning Heaven Clan.

Yun Che offered a faint smile but did not respond. Ling Jie squeezed through the crowd at that moment, grinning, “Boss, congratulations, congratulations… Hehe, you and Princess Sister have finally found your true calling. Princess Sister was someone I wanted to marry back then, so you can’t bully her in the future.”

“Haha,” Yun Che laughed lightheartedly, “If I bully her, you can chop me with a hundred swords, alright?… How are your grandfather’s injuries?”

When Ling Tianni was mentioned, Ling Jie showed no discomfort, speaking with a relaxed expression, “Though grandfather’s injuries were severe, they didn’t damage his vital meridians and are all curable. His condition has improved by about sixty percent already, all thanks to Boss showing mercy that day… During this time, grandfather had people gather all information about you. He basically knows everything about you now. Although he still resents you for annihilating the Burning Heaven Clan, he no longer harbors any murderous intent towards you. I once overheard him sigh, saying that he almost ruined a truly good-natured peerless genius by acting rashly.”

“Hahahahaha!” Yun Che burst out laughing, and most of his lingering resentment towards Ling Tianni immediately dissipated. After all, Ling Tianni was certainly not an evil person; his intention to kill Yun Che that day stemmed from his desire to eliminate a perceived great menace to the Azure Cloud Nation.

“Young Brother Yun, I, Xiao, am here to extend my congratulations. At the Ranking Tournament back then, Young Brother Yun already amazed me greatly. I never imagined that in less than two years, your strength would be unmatched in the Azure Cloud Nation. Such an achievement is truly astounding, unprecedented, and awe-inspiring.” Xiao Juechen personally stepped forward, speaking in as calm a tone as possible.

Yun Che glanced at him and smiled faintly. “Sect Master Xiao, you flatter me. I am but a common man, and it is a tremendous honor for Sect Master Xiao to personally grace my wedding day with your presence. In due time, Yun Che will personally… call upon you to express his gratitude.”

The moment Yun Che’s last sentence was uttered, Xiao Juechen’s heart gave a sudden lurch, and the expressions of Xiao Boyun and Xiao Wuji behind him also changed. They couldn't determine whether Yun Che’s so-called "personal visit" was meant to resolve past grievances or to settle scores.

Given Yun Che’s ruthless and venomous methods, compounded by the old grudges from three years ago and the new animosity from aiding the Burning Heaven Clan against him… it was clearly more likely to be the latter.

As the Sect Master of the Xiao Sect, Xiao Juechen instantly broke out in a cold sweat at that moment, but he absolutely dared not show any abnormality. He forced a smile and said, “If Young Brother Yun is truly willing to honor us with a visit, I, Xiao, will surely lead all the disciples of the sect to welcome you. The Xiao Sect knows that some vile individuals within our sect have had grievances with Young Brother Yun. The Xiao Sect will certainly provide Young Brother Yun with a satisfactory answer when the time comes.”

If Xiao Juechen had been somewhat hesitant after the destruction of the Burning Heaven Clan, then after Yun Che severely injured Ling Tianni, Xiao Juechen completely abandoned any thought of fighting Yun Che to the death. All he could think about now was how to appease Yun Che’s wrath… even if it meant paying a massive price, he was willing—because any price, no matter how great, was infinitely better than following in the footsteps of the Burning Heaven Clan and having his entire sect annihilated.

“New Moon City Lord Murong Bo arrives!”

“True Master Jade Sword, Head of Golden Bell Mountain, arrives!”

“The Thirteenth Prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire…”

The announcer’s throat suddenly seemed to catch, his voice abruptly stalling. The four words “Divine Phoenix Empire” he had just uttered resonated like four thunderclaps in everyone’s ears, instantly rendering the noisy hall incredibly quiet. All eyes turned to the same direction.

“The Div—… Thirteenth Prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire… Feng Xichen arrives!”

What? The Divine Phoenix Empire… Thirteenth Prince?!

Whether outside or inside the hall, everyone’s gaze was fixed on the three figures walking through the entrance, especially the one in the middle. He appeared to be in his twenties, dressed in a dark red Qilin robe, holding a white jade folding fan. Under everyone's gaze, he showed no sign of discomfort, a faint smile on his face, and walked into the hall with a leisurely, unhurried gait, as if entering an empty space. Behind him, a black-robed elder and a red-robed elder followed closely, step by step.

Cang Wanhe, who had been seated on the high throne, abruptly stood up, looking at the young man entering under everyone’s scrutiny with utmost shock. Yun Che’s brows also furrowed slightly.

Someone from the Divine Phoenix Empire…

And a Prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire?!

Is this real or fake?

If it’s real, why would a dignified Prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire come here?

With Feng Xichen’s arrival, the atmosphere in the entire wedding hall underwent a dramatic change. The four words “Divine Phoenix Empire” alone possessed immense shock value, and adding “Prince” amplified that shock by thousands of times, causing everyone, including the normally arrogant sect leaders, to feel a surge of trepidation.

The Divine Phoenix Empire was the most powerful empire among the Seven Nations of the Profound Sky in terms of overall national strength and territory, with a landmass dozens of times larger than the Azure Cloud Nation. Its national power and profound strength far surpassed the Azure Cloud Nation. Compared to the Divine Phoenix Empire, the Azure Cloud Nation was like a village next to an imperial city.

It was rumored that the four most powerful sects in the Azure Cloud Nation would only barely qualify as mid-tier sects in the Divine Phoenix Empire.

And the most crucial point was…

In the Azure Cloud Nation, although the status of a prince was esteemed, it was only within civilian society. In the Profound World, the status of a prince meant nothing at all. Not only the four great sects, but even other sufficiently powerful sects paid no heed to the imperial family. In fact, the imperial family often had to curry favor with them.

But in the Divine Phoenix Empire, it was entirely different!

Because the Divine Phoenix Sect, the most powerful sect in the Divine Phoenix Empire and widely recognized as the number one sect on the Profound Sky Continent outside of the Sacred Grounds, belonged to the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family! It was nominally the protector sect of the Divine Phoenix Empire, but in reality, the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family belonged to the Divine Phoenix Sect, and the Divine Phoenix Sect was the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family. And every Emperor of the Divine Phoenix Empire was the contemporary Sect Master of the Divine Phoenix Sect!

The Azure Cloud Imperial Family only controlled the highest political power of the Azure Cloud Nation.

However, the Divine Phoenix Imperial Family controlled not only the supreme political power of the Divine Phoenix Empire but also the most potent force within the Divine Phoenix Empire and even the entire Profound Sky Continent.

Therefore, a Divine Phoenix Imperial Prince and an Azure Cloud Nation Prince were two entirely different concepts, two different social strata!

If this person was truly a Divine Phoenix Imperial Prince, then even within his own empire, he was a super-figure who could truly wield immense power. His status would be second only to the Divine Phoenix Emperor and the Crown Prince.

The sudden arrival of such a transcendent figure, someone who should not have appeared at this level, undoubtedly stirred up immense turmoil in everyone’s hearts.

Feng Xichen walked straight into the center of the hall, bowed simply to Cang Wanhe, and said with a smile, “I, Feng Xichen, a junior from the Divine Phoenix Sect, greet the esteemed Emperor of the Azure Cloud Nation. I hope the Emperor can forgive my unannounced visit today and not hold it against me.”