Chapter 414: Chasing Down

"Illusory Light Thunderclap… Can this movement technique be taught to others?" Yun Che asked seriously.

"Ah..." Hua Minghai's expression froze. Then, with fear and bitterness, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Benefactor. I would never hesitate to do anything else you ask, but this... The Illusory Light Thunderclap is a heaven-blessed treasure of my family, and also our greatest taboo. It can absolutely not be passed on to others. I..."

"I understand," Yun Che nodded. "It's natural for family profound skills not to be passed down outside. I was presumptuous. Please take good care of your wife."

After speaking, Yun Che turned and slowly walked away.

"Benefactor... I..." Hua Minghai watched Yun Che's retreating back, gritting his teeth, his face full of shame. What Yun Che had given him was undoubtedly a colossal kindness. The only thing Yun Che had asked for was something he could easily provide, yet he couldn't. He was a person who absolutely hated owing favors, especially such a great one. This feeling made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Don't dwell on it," Yun Che waved a hand behind him. "Your focus should be on your wife right now. Don't let trivial matters distract you. Saving a life can also be a way for you to atone for some of your sins. If you truly want to repay me, then work hard to help your wife recover quickly. That way, my efforts won't have been in vain."

As his voice faded, Yun Che's figure disappeared into the night. Hua Minghai stared ahead, silent for a long time, his gaze complex and inexplicable, seemingly struggling with something.

"I never thought you, a man who slaughters without blinking and massacres entire families, would expend effort to save someone completely unrelated to you," Jasmine said with a very indifferent voice.

"It just shows that deep down, I'm probably still a good person."

"..." Jasmine scoffed.

It was already the middle of the night when Yun Che returned to the inn. He walked back to his room, and as he stood at the doorway, about to push the door open, his hand suddenly froze. His brows furrowed, and all his nerves instantly tightened.

He clearly sensed that there was someone in his room!

The person hidden in his room was extremely well-concealed; if he had relied solely on his profound energy instead of his spiritual perception, he wouldn't have detected their presence at all. Upon realizing this person was there, a chilling sensation crept over him. This feeling told him that the individual inside was not only terrifyingly strong but also intended to kill him.

"Quick! Go! It's someone at the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm! He's already spotted you!"

Under Jasmine's swift warning, Yun Che had no time to think. He spun around abruptly, and with a Star God Broken Shadow, he darted out of the inn and sped away.

Behind him, the sounds of the room door and walls being utterly pulverized echoed, and a scorching blast of wind roared from his back. This heat was clearly... Phoenix Flame!

It was someone from the Divine Phoenix Sect!

Yun Che's heart sank. Why would it be someone from the Divine Phoenix Sect? And that killing intent clearly meant to take his life. Could it be... Feng Ximing?!

Yun Che's mind raced. It seemed that his display of the Phoenix Flame at the Blazing Flame Merchant Guild during the day had caused him to be mistaken for a Divine Phoenix Sect disciple. The sect must have received the news immediately and followed the clues to find his lodging.

It seemed he had been too careless during the day. He had been so focused on Hua Minghai that he had subconsciously forgotten a crucial fact: Divine Phoenix City was filled with the Divine Phoenix Sect's informants!

Yun Che's speed was absolutely incomparable to that of a super-expert in the late stages of the Sovereign Profound Realm. In less than ten breaths, he was already within twenty zhang of his pursuer. Behind him, a violent surge of Phoenix Flame tore through the air.

Sssshhh!!

The air burned fiercely, and the crimson Phoenix Flame was particularly dazzling against the night sky. Yun Che swiftly dodged the flame with a flash. Then, steeling himself, he stopped and turned around. The person chasing him also halted, not immediately catching up. In his pursuer's eyes, Yun Che was merely a pitiful prey that could never escape.

"Who are you?" Yun Che asked, his brows furrowed.

The other party's gaze swept over him, then he sneered, "Indeed, you possess the aura of Phoenix profound energy. You are indeed that rumored bastard... Yun Che. I didn't expect you to arrive so early."

"Heh," Yun Che sneered. "It seems your Divine Phoenix Sect is quite afraid of me."

"Afraid of you?"

"Exactly!" Yun Che mocked. "I came to Divine Phoenix City precisely to openly resolve the bloodline matter with your Divine Phoenix Sect during the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament. Yet, your Divine Phoenix Sect insists on using underhanded assassination tactics. So much for the so-called Divine Phoenix Sect."

"Heh heh," the middle-aged man scoffed. "In the eyes of my Divine Phoenix Sect, you are merely a small worm who stole our sect's bloodline. Would our sect fear a pitiful little worm? That's a huge joke. Today, it's simply the Thirteenth Prince who wants your life."

"As expected..." Yun Che's gaze grew even colder.

"A mere Azure Cloud worm actually dares to offend the Thirteenth Prince. Even if the Azure Cloud Emperor knelt and begged for you, you wouldn't survive tonight... However, dying by my hand, Feng Chihuo, will be enough for you to boast about it in the underworld until your next reincarnation! Now, go on your way in peace!"

Feng Chihuo's figure flickered, and he suddenly charged towards Yun Che, his five fingers blazing with Phoenix Flame, aimed directly at Yun Che's chest. It was clear he intended to kill him in one blow. An eighth-level Sovereign Profound Realm expert, a true high-level Monarch, facing someone only at the Earth Profound Realm—if he couldn't instantly kill them, he'd consider himself a joke.

Yun Che's eyes flashed. Using Star God Broken Shadow, he instantly split into three afterimages, causing Feng Chihuo's assured grasp to miss entirely. He took a deep breath, gathered all his profound energy, and swiftly fled south.

His attack missed, and Feng Chihuo was momentarily stunned. With his eyesight, he hadn't clearly seen how Yun Che had evaded him. What followed was Yun Che's astonishing speed in escaping, which greatly surprised him. Despite having only Earth Profound Realm profound energy, his speed was almost on par with a low-level Monarch!

"Hmph! So he does have some tricks." Feng Chihuo snorted coldly, a flicker of anger rising in his heart. Although Yun Che's speed greatly exceeded his expectations, such speed still wouldn't allow him to escape his grasp. Moreover, Yun Che only possessed Earth Profound Realm profound energy, incapable of flight, so he could only flee on the ground. There was no way he could escape his sight and spiritual perception.

"Kid, let's see where you can run!"

Feng Chihuo roared, his body shooting like an arrow from a bowstring as he pursued Yun Che. The whistling sound created by his astonishing speed was particularly piercing. Due to the significant speed difference between them, in a few dozen breaths, Yun Che was once again within twenty zhang. At that moment, Yun Che, still running, suddenly turned around and forcefully threw a dark object towards Feng Chihuo, who was in the air.

The crescent moon in the sky was completely obscured by the Primordial Profound Ark, making the night as black as ink. Feng Chihuo heard a whistling sound approaching him. In the darkness, he had no time to discern what it was. Fearing it might be some highly toxic object, he didn't dare block it with his body and quickly flashed aside. As it brushed past him, he finally saw that it was clearly just an ordinary stone... probably something Yun Che had casually picked up while fleeing.

"Whoosh!"

Another whoosh came flying at him. Feng Chihuo looked disdainful, casually slapped the stone to smithereens, and sneered, "What a laughable struggle! Do you really dream of escaping my grasp?"

In just a few breaths, Yun Che was within fifteen zhang of his pursuer. His expression grim, he turned back again, and another dark object shot through the air from his hand.

At fifteen zhang, Feng Chihuo was well within striking distance. He began to condense profound energy in his hand, and without even looking at the approaching object, he casually swung a palm at it...

BOOM!!!!

In the quiet midnight of Divine Phoenix City, it was as if a nine-heaven profound thunderclap had sounded. A massive energy storm violently exploded in mid-air, appearing from a distance like an incredibly spectacular firework blossoming in the sky.

The first two stones were merely feints thrown by Yun Che.

The third one, however, was the Heaven Smiting Pearl Yun Che had obtained from Xiao Wuyi!

The Heaven Smiting Pearl possessed immense power, enough to severely wound a low-level Monarch. Given Feng Chihuo's abilities, if he had fully defended, the Heaven Smiting Pearl might indeed have struggled to inflict substantial harm on him. However, he had been chasing Yun Che with the playful attitude of a cat toying with a mouse, completely unprepared. Amidst the explosion of the Heaven Smiting Pearl, his entire left arm was ripped open, bleeding profusely. His Phoenix robe was shredded, and his chest, both arms, and even his face were covered in numerous small wounds. More than half of his hair was blown off, leaving it a mess.

He looked utterly disheveled.

Meanwhile, Yun Che had long since vanished without a trace.

Although he had many wounds, most were minor; only the injury to his left arm was slightly more severe. However, compared to his physical injuries, Feng Chihuo was almost bursting with rage, his lungs about to explode. He stared at his arm, his face contorted in a grimace, his body trembling... He, a dignified high-level Monarch of the Divine Phoenix Sect, had been ambushed and made to look this pathetic by a junior at the Earth Profound Realm... This was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation of his life!

"Yun Che... I'll tear you to shreds!!" Feng Chihuo's hair stood on end, his body blazing with violent flames. He roared, unleashed his full speed, and charged forward with monstrous rage, his spiritual perception extended to its maximum.

After fleeing for a distance at top speed, Yun Che deliberately slowed down, controlling his profound energy fluctuations to the greatest extent possible. For escape, the darkness was an excellent cover, but at the same time, in the dead of night, even slight movements would be amplified silently.

Feng Xichen had indeed sent people to hunt him down before the Ranking Tournament, and they had acted so quickly. Now that he had been found, and Divine Phoenix City was filled with the Divine Phoenix Sect's informants, Divine Phoenix City was no longer a suitable place for him to stay before the tournament. He had to escape Divine Phoenix City before dawn while evading Feng Chihuo's pursuit.

When being hunted, Yun Che's mind would always be in an extremely clear and vigilant state. In the darkness, within this unfamiliar Divine Phoenix City, he pushed his stealth and counter-pursuit abilities to their limit, swiftly approaching the southern part of Divine Phoenix City along an elusive and unpredictable route.

Time slowly passed in the darkness. Gradually, a sliver of dawn began to appear in the east, and Yun Che could already see the tall, majestic South Gate of Divine Phoenix City. Throughout this long night, the frenzied Feng Chihuo, who had been darting back and forth in the sky like a madman, hadn't even caught a glimpse of Yun Che's shadow.

Yun Che took a deep breath and walked naturally towards the city gate. As soon as he approached, he was stopped by two heavily armored city guards.

"An order from the Imperial Palace! No one is permitted to leave the city before the hour of Chen today! Violators will be apprehended on the spot."