Chapter 410: What Kind of Deity

After leaving the Burning Heaven Merchant Guild, Yun Che's figure was quickly swallowed by the crowds on the streets of Divine Phoenix City. With the Phoenix Sunflower in hand, his next task was simple: find a quiet, undisturbed place.

At this moment, Yun Che, who had been walking, suddenly stopped. He turned around like lightning, his sharp gaze sweeping the area behind him. However, his eyes found nothing unusual, and even the subtle sensation he had felt moments before vanished without a trace.

Was it an illusion? Impossible... How could I be mistaken about something like this?

Just now, for a fleeting moment, he had felt an unusual gaze fixed on him. He had experienced the same sensation earlier, when leaving the Burning Heaven Merchant Guild. This feeling was not perceived by his spiritual sense, but by "instinct."

An acquired instinct forged through countless pursuits and brushes with death!

If this feeling had come from his spiritual sense, it might have been an illusion. But coming from this "instinct," it was definitely not an illusion, for it had saved Yun Che's life countless times.

Yet, despite Yun Che's lightning-fast reaction in searching for the source of this sensation, he found nothing.

If it wasn't a mistaken perception, then it could only mean... the opponent's concealment ability was terrifyingly superb. On the Profound Sky Continent, this was the first person Yun Che had encountered who, once detected, could completely disappear from his senses.

Who could it be...? Why would they be targeting me? In Divine Phoenix City, hardly anyone should know me.

"Jasmine, do you sense anyone following me?" Yun Che whispered.

"Jasmine?"

"Sleeping... don't bother me!"

Yun Che rubbed his nose, withdrew his gaze, and continued walking straight ahead.

Less than twenty zhang behind Yun Che, an inconspicuous figure in the crowd slowly raised their head. A fleeting look of surprise flickered in their eyes.

Less than half an hour later, Yun Che returned to the inn where he had stayed the previous night. In this already overcrowded Divine Phoenix City, finding accommodation was indeed incredibly difficult, but with enough money, even if the population doubled, it wouldn't be an issue. Yun Che's room had been purchased from a scalper for a full thirty times the original price.

"Sir, you're back. Would you like to rest in your room or dine?"

As soon as Yun Che entered the inn, the clean-cut waiter scurried over to greet him. At a time like this, anyone who could afford to stay in such a luxurious inn was a person of immense wealth, so he naturally aimed to provide the most attentive service possible.

"Prepare a late supper for me later, and deliver it directly to my room before dark," Yun Che said.

"Certainly, sir. Please rest well, and call if you need anything," the waiter replied eagerly.

After returning to his room, Yun Che did not immediately begin refining the Heavenly Profound Cosmos Pellet as he had planned. Instead, he closed the door, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep. He seemed very tired; soon after lying down, he began to snore, drifting into a deep sleep.

Yun Che slept straight from afternoon until dusk. At that moment, from the edge of the back window, a faint, silent, and odorless wisp of smoke, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, slowly drifted in, mixing silently with the air in the room. Yun Che remained in a deep slumber, snoring steadily, his breathing even, completely oblivious to everything.

The faint smoke continued for over ten breaths before stopping, and everything returned to silence, leaving no trace of what had occurred.

Half a quarter-hour later, a knock sounded at Yun Che's door.

"Sir, your late supper has arrived."

Yun Che continued to snore loudly, showing no response.

"Sir... sir? Are you in there?"

The waiter gently pushed the door, which was only ajar, not closed, and it swung open. He hesitated for a moment, then carefully pushed the door further open and entered with the supper.

The waiter's footsteps were slightly heavy, and the plates in his hands occasionally clinked. However, Yun Che, lying on the bed, remained unresponsive, clearly in a deep sleep. The waiter placed the plates on the table, then, after glancing at Yun Che for a moment, slowly walked towards him. This time, however, his footsteps made no sound at all. His gaze, too, had transformed from respectful and cautious to calm as water.

Yun Che's breathing was steady; he was in an exceptionally deep sleep, with no sign of activity from his senses. After confirming this, the caution in the waiter's eyes relaxed slightly. He approached Yun Che's bed and reached for the spatial ring on Yun Che's left hand.

Just as his fingers were about to touch Yun Che, Yun Che's palm suddenly shot out like lightning, seizing the waiter's wrist. At the same instant, his eyes, which had been closed all afternoon, snapped open.

The strength in Yun Che's hand was immense; even a Divine Throne realm expert would find it impossible to break free easily once seized like that. Yet, just as Yun Che secured his grip, he suddenly felt his palm slip, as if he had grasped not a person's arm, but a nimble fish! Immediately, the arm that had been firmly grasped slipped directly from his palm. In the very next instant, the waiter agilely leaped up, burst through the bamboo window, and shot away.

Yun Che initially intended to pursue, but after taking only a single step, he stopped, momentarily stunned as he looked ahead... This person's speed was simply too fast, reaching an almost unbelievable degree. In just a fleeting moment, he had broken free from Yun Che's grasp and darted out. And in another instant, the person's figure had already become a tiny black speck in his vision...

His profound energy fluctuations were not very strong, roughly at the mid-stage of the King Profound Realm, but the speed he displayed completely surpassed the Sky Profound level, being several times faster than even a Snow Phoenix Beast... He was the fastest person Yun Che had encountered on the Profound Sky Continent to date.

A flurry of footsteps approached, and the waiter, alerted by the commotion, pushed open the door, asking in alarm, "Sir, what happened?"

The waiter standing before him looked identical to the one who had just escaped, with almost no difference in demeanor or voice. Yun Che shook his head. "Nothing. Just have someone repair the window for me. I'll pay for the damage."

After dismissing the waiter, Yun Che stood by the window, glanced at the spatial ring on his hand, and fell into thought. His spatial ring was merely a cover for the Sky Poison Pearl; there was nothing valuable inside. It seemed his earlier feeling of being followed was indeed not an illusion. This person's abilities in tracking, concealment, disguise, voice mimicry, and even deploying sleeping gas had reached an unparalleled level. Their ability to escape was so formidable that Yun Che himself had been caught off guard, and their speed was utterly extreme...

Who exactly was this person? Why were they targeting him?

The first time he had felt targeted was just as he was about to leave the Burning Heaven Merchant Guild. This meant the person was also inside the Burning Heaven Merchant Guild at that time, one of those present...

Yun Che's brows furrowed... Disguise, voice mimicry, sleeping gas, escape, speed... with all these abilities combined, it was clear he was dealing with a top-tier thief! Being targeted by such a formidable thief was naturally no easy matter. The thief had followed him all this way and gone to such great lengths, clearly indicating something on Yun Che's person was of great interest to them. Therefore... one failure wouldn't make him give up; he would likely return.

Not long after, someone came to repair the window. Yun Che left the inn and, after some thought, headed straight towards the Burning Heaven Merchant Guild. Since that person had been following him, they must have left right after he did. So, by asking people there who left after him, he might discover something.

It was late dusk, and the streets were still bustling with noise. Only upon reaching the area of the Burning Heaven Merchant Guild did it become quieter. Yun Che deliberately chose less crowded streets. Just then, a woman's scream suddenly echoed from ahead: "Help... help me!"

"Hehehehe, you think you can escape now that you're in my hands! Hahahaha..."

Around the corner ahead, a young woman ran out in a panic. Clad in blue, she had a complexion like peach blossoms, a beauty capable of instantly captivating any man. Her eyes, like clear springs, evoked pity. Behind her, a burly middle-aged man was unhurriedly giving chase, emitting lewd laughter as if playing a game of cat and mouse.

The young woman, upon seeing Yun Che, desperately rushed towards him as if clutching a lifeline in her despair, and hid behind him. She pleaded, "Young master, please, have mercy and save me! This brute... he intends to defile me... please, young master, save me..."

Yun Che extended his hand, shielding the woman behind him. Then, with cold eyes, he faced the pursuing man and said righteously, "Young lady, don't be afraid. With me here, this fellow won't dare touch a single hair on your head... *Ahem!* In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you dare to openly accost a virtuous woman on the street? You are truly audacious and unforgivable."

"Hahahaha!" The middle-aged man burst into laughter. "Kid, you're not even fully grown, yet you dare try to be a hero saving a beauty? Get lost, or I'll deal with you first."

"You're asking for death!" Yun Che's face darkened in anger. He took a step forward and unleashed a punch, his fist creating a deafening whistle as it slammed fiercely into the middle-aged man's chest. The man's eyes bulged, he grunted, and was sent flying far away, falling unconscious on the spot.

"Ah..." The young woman immediately let out a gasp of surprise.

"Hmph!" Yun Che withdrew his hand, saying disdainfully, "With such meager abilities, you dare to commit evil? You're simply seeking death." He turned around and asked with concern, "Young lady, are you alright?"

The young woman curtsied gracefully, her voice laced with sobs of both fear and gratitude. "Thank you for saving me, Young Master... Please tell me your esteemed name. I will surely repay your life-saving kindness in the future."

"Haha, it was nothing, young lady, don't give it another thought," Yun Che said casually. His eyes lowered, revealing an appreciative gaze as he asked, "May I know your graceful name, young lady?"

The young woman softly replied, "My name is Yan Xiaohua."

"Yan Xiaohua..." Yun Che said with a smile. "You are so beautiful, young lady, and without cultivating profound energy, it's truly too dangerous to be out alone. You must be more careful in the future."

The young woman sighed softly, a look of grievance appearing on her face. "I usually stay deep within my chambers and rarely go out alone, but today, my father..."

As the young woman recounted her story, Yun Che, who had been quietly listening, suddenly made his move, launching a palm strike directly at her chest... The distance between them was less than three feet, Yun Che's move came without any warning, and it happened while the other person was speaking. With this strike, the young woman had no chance of dodging.

Bang!!

However, despite such a sudden palm strike, Yun Che's hand hit nothing but air.

A deafening air blast rang out, causing the surrounding space to tremble. The young woman in front of him had vanished, leaving behind only a fading afterimage. Her true body had, in that brief instant, appeared a zhang away as if teleporting, then swiftly fled like lightning.

Yun Che had let him escape from his grasp once before. How could he allow him to slip away again this time? The moment he felt his palm strike empty air, he reacted instantly...

"Dragon Soul Domain!"

A heaven-shaking dragon roar echoed, and the surrounding fifty zhang of space were instantly enveloped by an irresistible dragon soul suppression. The "young woman," who was rapidly fleeing, trembled all over, a look of horror appearing on her face, and she plummeted helplessly from the air... Just as she was about to hit the ground, Yun Che swiftly arrived and landed a solid Phoenix Break squarely on her chest.

Pffft!!

The "young woman's" protective profound attire instantly shattered, and she spat out a long stream of blood, falling heavily to the ground. Yun Che's figure flickered, and he appeared by her side, pressing his foot on her profound veins' center, preventing her from circulating profound energy.

"Who exactly are you, and why are you targeting me?!" Yun Che asked coldly, but the turmoil in his heart wouldn't settle. With the previous sudden strike, Yun Che believed that even he would have found it almost impossible to dodge in that situation, yet he hadn't even touched a corner of her clothes.

He had to admit that if not for his heaven-defying Dragon Soul Domain, he would have been utterly incapable of capturing this person who was as elusive as a ghost.

"Heh heh..."

The "young woman" spoke, but her voice was clearly that of a man. He showed no resentment or fury; instead, he was smiling, his eyes perfectly calm. "In my life... I have never fallen... Once, eight Tyrant Sovereigns chased me for seven days and seven nights, and none of them could touch a single hair on my head... Yet today... I've fallen to a mere boy like you... only at the Earth Profound Realm... I must say... I'm impressed..."

Yun Che was secretly astonished... To be chased by eight Tyrant Sovereigns for seven days and seven nights and emerge unscathed—how many on the entire Profound Sky Continent could achieve that? And for eight Tyrant Sovereigns to willingly join forces to pursue him... Just who exactly was this person beneath his foot?!