Chapter 404: Purple Senior

The old man in purple stood still and silent, unable to determine if Yun Che was merely probing, bluffing, or had truly discovered him. If it was the latter, it would be astonishing.

Just then, Yun Che spoke again: "If Senior does not speak, then I will take it as an affirmation. For the Black Moon Merchant Guild to have achieved what it has today, integrity must be its foremost principle. I believe Senior would not permit someone untrustworthy to exist on your own territory."

Feng Chaonan burst into laughter. "A Senior on the seventh floor? Hahahaha! At such a distance, and inside the Black Moon Merchant Guild, forget a useless person like you, even I couldn't detect the slightest movement. Your pretentious act truly makes you look like an utterly ridiculous clown."

Yun Che smirked and said nothing more. Under various curious gazes, he walked to a mystic array. He had roughly understood the crystal platform's criteria for assessing talent: bone age and power intensity, rather than just mystic energy level. Based on this standard, he should, by all means, be stronger than Feng Chaonan.

Yun Che extended his hands, taking a slight breath. "Purgatory" instantly activated, and he unleashed "Falling Moon Sinking Star" with both hands. The Divine Phoenix Empire had a history of over five thousand years, yet the Black Moon Merchant Guild's crystal platform had existed even longer, making it truly extraordinary. Yun Che's attack in his Purgatory state was absolutely terrifying, but when it struck the mystic array, it made no sound at all. All its power was absorbed by the array in an instant, with no overflow.

Clang, clang, clang... The dormant crystal column suddenly lit up. From red, it instantly surged to cyan. The combined sound of five colors lighting up simultaneously caused everyone's ears to buzz. The surrounding profound practitioners had initially watched with pity, expecting a spectacle, but the sight before them left them all stunned, unable to believe their eyes. Feng Chaonan's sneer froze on his face, his eyes wide as he gasped, "This... this is impossible!"

The ascent of the crystal column's light slowed but did not stop. It continued upwards from the cyan light, then effortlessly broke through the cyan boundary, and the blue crystal column lit up. "Whoa!" Almost all the profound practitioners present let out uncontrolled cries of surprise. Yet, the crystal column's brilliance did not stop; it continued to rise, higher and higher. The blue light quickly transformed into a deep blue, and then, with a "clang"... the topmost light column erupted in purple.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple... all seven colors lit up, turning the entire crystal column into a shimmering rainbow. Slowly, the purple spread downwards, gradually consuming the other colors until the entire column was completely purple. This purple glow lasted for a full ten breaths before slowly fading. In the mystic array before Yun Che, a purple teleportation gate quickly materialized, and a faint purple glow emanated from Yun Che himself.

On the seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, the old man in purple, who had been standing by the window, showed intense emotion on his face. His gaze was fixed on Yun Che. After a long silence, he slowly uttered a few words: "Earth Profound Realm... incredible..." This result also exceeded Yun Che's own expectations. In fact, the crystal platform's talent assessment standard was not merely based on age and power; it also took into account the power intensity that could be exerted at the current profound energy level. Yun Che's profound energy, at the late Earth Profound Realm, could unleash combat power comparable to the mid-Stage Monarch Profound Realm. This was his greatest strength, and in this regard, it could be said that no one on the entire Profound Sky Continent could match him.

The surrounding profound practitioners were all utterly astonished. A genius profound practitioner ranked among the top fifty in the Black Fiend Nation could only achieve yellow. Feng Chaonan, the chief disciple under a Divine Phoenix Sect elder, achieved cyan, a level they could not hope to reach even in a lifetime. Yet, this person, who clearly only possessed Earth Profound Realm cultivation, had somehow achieved... the dream-like and unreal purple! This indicated that, by the Black Moon Merchant Guild's assessment, his talent was truly top-tier across the entire Profound Sky Continent! While purple and cyan were separated by only blue, this was not a mere two-level difference but a gap of two entire tiers, two different worlds! Cyan, in front of yellow, was an insurmountable, transcendent existence, but in front of purple... it was utterly worthless trash.

"Impossible... impossible... It must be... the mystic array is malfunctioning... impossible!" Feng Chaonan trembled, staring at the still-fading purple light. Born in Divine Phoenix City, he understood what purple meant better than anyone present. Only one profound practitioner in this generation of the Divine Phoenix Sect had ever achieved purple, and even blue was rare. He simply could not accept that someone from the Six Nations, with only Earth Profound Realm cultivation—someone not even worthy of his attention—had actually achieved the mythical purple! Although he growled that the mystic array must be problematic, he knew better than anyone that it absolutely could not be the array's fault. These thirty-two mystic arrays were rumored to have been created by an Emperor and had existed longer than the Divine Phoenix Empire itself. How could they possibly malfunction?

Yun Che turned, facing Feng Chaonan, and said with a faint smile, "Feng Chaonan, the results are in. You haven't forgotten our bet, have you? What are you still standing for? Get down on your knees and kowtow, calling me grandpa!"

"You!" Feng Chaonan's face darkened. Never before would he have believed that someone with mere Earth Profound Realm cultivation could achieve beyond cyan—let alone the mythical purple. As a high-ranking disciple of the Divine Phoenix Sect, let alone an ordinary person, he could never accept the humiliation of kneeling, kowtowing, and calling someone "grandpa." Otherwise, he would bear the mark of shame for the rest of his life.

"How could a useless person like you, with only Earth Profound Realm cultivation, achieve purple!" Feng Chaonan gnashed his teeth. "Clearly, the mystic array is faulty... or you tampered with it! For me, Feng Chaonan of the Divine Phoenix Sect, to kneel before you... that's an outrageous joke!"

"Heh." Yun Che sneered. "The Divine Phoenix Sect is hailed as the greatest sect under heaven, revered and admired. Yet, I never expected one of its disciples to be not only arrogant and unrestrained but also a dishonest scoundrel. Truly disappointing. But you can't deny it; everyone here witnessed it with their own eyes! If you're willing to abandon your pitiful reputation, you can just tuck your tail between your legs and run far away. I just wonder what will happen if this spreads throughout the city and reaches your sect's ears, letting them know you utterly shamed your entire sect in front of profound practitioners from the Six Nations, on the Black Moon Merchant Guild's territory. Will they expel you from the Divine Phoenix Sect? Oh, no, the Divine Phoenix Sect considers bloodline purity its greatest taboo, so they wouldn't expel any disciple. Instead, it would be... a direct purging of the family?"

When Feng Chaonan first arrived, the respectful gazes around him had made him feel incredibly pleased. But now, those same gazes felt like sharp daggers piercing his entire body. If it were just him and Yun Che alone, he would not hesitate to kill Yun Che to ensure no third person knew of this incident. However, this was not only the Black Moon Merchant Guild's territory, but also over a hundred thousand people were witnessing it firsthand. For the first time in his life, he felt pushed to a dead end.

"In my venerable Divine Phoenix Sect, only one person in this generation has achieved purple! How could you, a useless person with Earth Profound Realm cultivation, possibly achieve purple! Clearly, the mystic array is malfunctioning... What right do you have to make me kneel! No one will acknowledge this result! And you dare try to scare me with my sect? Haha... haha, truly laughable!"

Feng Chaonan roared with a forced laugh, but the last sentence clearly lacked conviction.

At that moment, an aged voice suddenly boomed from the air: "Youngster from the Divine Phoenix Sect, you were arrogant and initiated this dispute, yet you refuse to admit defeat. And now you dare to question my Black Moon mystic array?! Even your master, Feng Yunzhi, wouldn't have such audacity if he were here!"

The voice was not loud, but every word struck the heart and soul like a mountain. The cultivator who spoke possessed unimaginable power. Feng Chaonan looked up at the seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, his face revealing deep shock and apprehension. He hurriedly said, "It's... it's Senior Zi! Senior Zi, please calm your anger. This junior... this junior absolutely did not mean to question the Black Moon Merchant Guild."

"No?" the aged voice demanded, "Then has my hearing gone faulty?" Feng Chaonan's face instantly turned ashen, and he dared not speak for a long time.

Yun Che was slightly surprised that a high-ranking disciple of the Divine Phoenix Sect held such deep apprehension for the owner of this voice. He looked up and said, "This junior thanks Senior for his fair words."

"My Black Moon Merchant Guild upholds integrity as its foremost principle and detests untrustworthy, despicable individuals. However, this junior is, after all, a disciple of the Divine Phoenix Sect. If he were to kneel and kowtow, it would dishonor the entire Divine Phoenix Sect, which is highly inappropriate. It would also bring you no benefit, so you should stop while you're ahead."

"Senior's lesson is well taken," Yun Che said cheerfully. "This junior merely found his arrogance insufferable and his insults towards the profound practitioners of our Six Nations unacceptable, so I simply wanted to teach him a lesson."

He turned to Feng Chaonan, whose face was extremely grim, and said with a smile, "This Senior from the Black Moon Merchant Guild has already pleaded on your behalf, so of course, I must show him respect. You don't need to kowtow, and you don't need to call me grandpa. However, if I just let you walk away like this, wouldn't our bet have been for nothing? And wouldn't we profound practitioners from the Six Nations have been insulted in vain? So, you still need to leave something behind! Hmm..." Yun Che rested his chin in his hand, his eyes narrowed as he carefully scrutinized Feng Chaonan. "Your clothes are quite nice. Take them off and give them to me... Senior, isn't this request not too excessive?"

The aged voice responded, "The Phoenix Robe is a symbol of a Divine Phoenix Sect disciple's identity; no one outside the sect dares to imitate it, let alone wear it. Though I don't know what you want with this Phoenix Robe, it is already merciful enough compared to what you gambled. Youngster from the Divine Phoenix Sect, your opponent has made a tremendous concession. Do you still have any objections?"

The Phoenix Robe was a symbol of a Divine Phoenix Sect disciple's status; being forced to remove it was undoubtedly akin to being stripped of all dignity. However, this outcome was undoubtedly a thousand times better than kowtowing. Coupled with the pressure from the Black Moon Merchant Guild, Feng Chaonan could say nothing more. Gritting his teeth, he ripped off the Phoenix Robe, flung it to Yun Che, quickly put on other outer clothing, gave Yun Che a venomous glare, and then left without looking back.

"When you call someone weaker than you trash," Yun Che said coldly towards Feng Chaonan's retreating figure, "it means you admit that in front of someone stronger than you, you are utterly worthless trash! It took the Divine Phoenix Sect five millennia to reach its current state; it wasn't easy. Even if you lack the ability to bring honor to your sect, don't constantly embarrass yourself and disgrace others by parading around as a Divine Phoenix Sect disciple!" Yun Che then turned away, regardless of Feng Chaonan's reaction, and walked towards the mystic array he had activated earlier. The profound practitioners around him now looked at Yun Che with deep reverence. No one underestimated him for his Earth Profound Realm cultivation anymore. They also felt profound gratitude, as he had, after all, thoroughly vented the frustration of all Six Nations' profound practitioners in front of a Divine Phoenix Sect disciple. However, Yun Che's imposing demeanor towards Feng Chaonan and the fantastical purple light on the crystal platform instilled such awe and gratitude that they dared not approach him. As Yun Che walked towards the mystic array, the surrounding profound practitioners quickly made way, watching him enter the purple mystic array until his figure completely vanished within it.

The purple mystic array transported Yun Che to the seventh floor of the Black Moon Merchant Guild—a place few people across the entire Profound Sky Continent could ever enter.