Chapter 433: Strong Divine Phoenix

“You are Yun Che?” Feng Feiyan sized up Yun Che. Without waiting for a reply, he immediately sensed the aura of the Phoenix bloodline from Yun Che. He then stated calmly, “So it is… Does this mean Cangfeng only sent you this time?”

“That’s right,” Yun Che replied simply and calmly.

Feng Feiyan’s voice dropped, and he said coldly, “Since you’re here, just finish this ranking battle safely. Someone will properly address the matter of your Phoenix bloodline after the battle. However, if you let yourself die on this Phoenix Platform, that would also be a good option… Hmph, go test your profound strength.”

Yun Che stood very close to Feng Feiyan, and the formidable aura emanating from Feng Feiyan constantly suppressed Yun Che's body and soul. However, Yun Che's expression remained calm and showed no unusual signs. He said nothing more to Feng Feiyan, walked to the Profound Testing Stone, and placed his palm on it.

Nineteen years old, Tenth Level of the Earth Profound Realm.

The profound strength level displayed on the Profound Testing Stone undoubtedly drew laughter from the entire arena. Yun Che removed his hand from the stone and leisurely walked towards the waiting area amidst the widespread mockery and stares. The participants from the five nations who were already in position looked at him approaching, all showing extreme disdain… mixed with disgust and pity, as if competing against such a person would be an insult to their own strength and reputation.

Yun Che stopped in a random corner. Not far to his right were the ten profound practitioners participating from Canglan Nation. One of them glanced at Yun Che and said with a smirk, in a voice loud enough for Yun Che to hear, “No wonder the name ‘Yun Che’ always sounded familiar. I just remembered, it seems this ‘Yun Che’ was the one who took first place in Cangfeng Nation’s ranking battle two years ago.”

Another person grinned and chuckled, “Tsk tsk, a nineteen-year-old at the Tenth Level of the Earth Profound Realm certainly counts as the number one among the younger generation in a small nation like Cangfeng.”

“Hmph!” Han Ruyu scoffed with a slight tilt of his gaze and a faint smile, “He’s nothing but a pathetic clown.”

“Heh heh, Junior Brother Han is right. But this clown is a mighty ‘number one’ in Cangfeng Nation, hahahaha…”

Yun Che lifted his eyes, briefly scanned them, then turned his head away, not bothering to look a second time.

“It’s him,” Ling Kun murmured, looking at Yun Che thoughtfully.

“Oh? Elder Ling actually knows a Cangfeng commoner who isn’t even worth calling trash?” Ye Xinghan narrowed his eyes.

“This boy isn’t as simple as he seems,” Ling Kun replied. Back at Heavenly Sword Villa, he had taken the initiative to offer Yun Che a place in the Heavenly Might Sword Region due to Yun Che’s astonishing heavy sword mastery. Later, he discovered Yun Che possessed the Phoenix bloodline, which naturally left a deep impression on him. A few months ago, the Heavenly Might Sword Region received news of Yun Canghai’s suicide and the automatic lifting of the seal on Heavenly Sword Villa’s Sword-Wielding Platform, allowing the person mistakenly trapped inside two years prior to escape alive.

He hadn’t expected to see Yun Che here again.

“Of course, this little brother isn’t simple,” Ji Qianrou’s cloying voice drifted over from the side. “With such pitiful cultivation, he still doesn’t change his expression under Grand Elder Feng’s oppressive aura. Look, not only is his cultivation pathetically weak, but he’s also all alone, without even an escort, being laughed at by so many people… it’s truly miserable, yet his profound eyes remain captivatingly calm…”

Ji Qianrou twirled her fingers, then slowly ran her tongue around her lips. “This little brother is either incredibly bold or deeply hidden… And most importantly… he’s so handsome, just my type!”

Ji Qianrou’s demeanor and overly flirtatious expression sent a sudden chill down Ye Xinghan’s spine, almost making him vomit his previous night’s meal.

After the six nations, it was time for the host of the ranking battle, the supreme overlord of the Seven Profound Nations… the Divine Phoenix Empire!

“Phoenix disciples, take the stage!” Feng Feiyan roared, facing the Divine Phoenix Empire’s seating area.

As Feng Feiyan’s voice faded, ten figures soared from the Divine Phoenix Empire’s seats, transforming into ten fiery Phoenix silhouettes. Flames completely obscured their forms, making them appear like ten phoenixes winding and dancing in the sky, releasing scorching and heavy pressure. The burning heat, like surging waves, spread across the entire arena in an instant, making some with weaker profound strength feel as if their bodies were about to ignite.

The Phoenix Divine Sect disciples appeared, but their arrival didn't elicit the same cheers as the previous five nations. As the hosts, the Divine Phoenix Empire naturally had the most people in the arena, but they all watched the dancing Phoenix silhouettes with burning gazes, none breaking into uncontrolled cheers… This was because the Phoenix Divine Sect was an eternal king, an absolute overlord that would never fail! They didn’t need cheers or encouragement. Although they were participants in this ranking battle, in the eyes of the Divine Phoenix Empire’s people, their true role was that of judges.

With phoenix flames blazing in the sky, the ten fiery Phoenix silhouettes approached the Phoenix Platform in winding flight. Then, with a collective cry, they descended as one. The moment they touched the platform, all the phoenix flames instantly extinguished, revealing ten imposing young figures clad in fiery red phoenix robes.

The Phoenix disciples’ entrance and the intangible majesty they naturally exuded completely overshadowed the disciples from the previous six nations. Unlike the profound practitioners from the five nations, the Phoenix disciples performed no displays of power. They moved forward without hesitation, not even announcing their names, and directly placed their palms on the Profound Testing Stone.

The Profound Testing Stone lit up… Unlike before, this time, the stone displayed not only bone age and profound strength but also their names.

Feng Feibai — Twenty-four years old — Fifth Level of the King Profound Realm.

The entire arena instantly erupted in gasps. The very first person from the Divine Phoenix Empire to be tested completely overwhelmed all the profound practitioners from the six nations in terms of profound strength level… Yet there were only gasps, no cheers, because the sounds came from the people of the six nations. The Divine Phoenix Empire’s people remained completely calm, as such strength and such overwhelming dominance were simply too normal for them.

Soon, the people of the six nations discovered, to their extreme shock, that Feng Feibai, whose strength they considered terrifying and heaven-defying, was actually the weakest among the ten individuals from the Divine Phoenix Empire!

Feng Lingyun — Twenty-three years old — Sixth Level of the King Profound Realm!

The second person to step up was a short-haired, valiant-looking woman. When her age and profound strength were displayed, the entire audience undoubtedly gasped again. Even Yun Che’s eyebrow twitched significantly.

Sixth Level of the King Profound Realm, equivalent to Ling Tianni’s level! Ling Tianni, not to mention being a hundred years old, was recognized as the number one profound practitioner in Cangfeng! Yet this Feng Lingyun was only twenty-three! And she was merely among the top of the younger generation in the Divine Phoenix Empire… and a woman at that!

A twenty-three-year-old top female disciple of the Phoenix Divine Sect, if she were in Cangfeng Nation, would possess strength comparable to its number one practitioner. Such a vast difference made Yun Che unable to suppress another sigh of wonder.

Feng Boyi — Twenty-five years old — Sixth Level of the King Profound Realm.

Feng Lanshan — Twenty-four years old — Sixth Level of the King Profound Realm.

Feng Mingzhu — Twenty-three years old — Sixth Level of the King Profound Realm.

The Phoenix disciples stepped forward one after another. The words displayed on the testing stone left all the profound practitioners from the six nations wide-eyed and speechless, their mouths agape for a long time. They naturally knew there was a significant gap between the six nations and the Phoenix Divine Sect, but seeing it firsthand today, they realized just how enormous that gap truly was!

Among the six nations, there were only two Sovereigns… one at the First Level of the King Profound Realm, and one at the Second Level. These two Sovereigns under the age of twenty-five were considered the greatest pride of the Profound Realm in Black Fiend Nation and Canglan Nation for centuries, even hailed as miracles.

Yet, the weakest of the Phoenix Divine Sect disciples participating was half a realm stronger than them!

And it was half a realm at the King Profound level!

The difference was like a firefly compared to a bright moon; they simply couldn’t be mentioned in the same breath.

“Is this… Is this real? The people from the Phoenix Divine Sect are… this powerful?!” Ling Jie was utterly stunned, watching the profound strength levels displayed on the Profound Testing Stone one after another, unable to believe his eyes. These were merely young disciples of the Phoenix Divine Sect… yet their profound strength was no weaker than his grandfather, Ling Tianni!

His grandfather, widely regarded as the number one in Cangfeng, was only comparable to young disciples under twenty-five in the Phoenix Divine Sect!

Such a massive disparity made it impossible for Ling Jie to accept.

“Of course. I knew you, little brother from Cangfeng, would be scared,” Hua Minghai said slowly, with a look of having seen it all before. “Tsk tsk, the gap between strong nations like Canglan and Black Fiend and the Divine Phoenix is already like heaven and earth. As for you Cangfeng, hmph hmph hmph hmph… I heard that in Cangfeng, the King Profound Realm is the peak? But in the Phoenix Divine Sect, King Profound practitioners are as common as dogs. If you don’t reach the Sky Profound Realm by eighteen, or the King Profound Realm by thirty-five, you don’t even have the face to call yourself a Phoenix disciple.”

Ling Jie swallowed hard, speechless for a long time. He, who had originally held immense confidence in Yun Che, now felt his confidence largely crumble as he observed the astonishing profound strength levels. Six months ago, Yun Che had barely survived, and only by teaming up with Xia Qingyue had he managed to defeat the Sixth Level King Profound practitioner Ling Tianni… But now, all the individuals sent by the Phoenix Divine Sect were powerhouses at his grandfather’s level.

And on Cangfeng Nation’s side, it was just Yun Che!

How could they possibly compete?!

Hua Minghai cast a sidelong glance at Ling Jie’s troubled face and immediately guessed what he was thinking: “Damn it! You’re not seriously thinking that Boss Yun can defeat the Phoenix Divine Sect, are you? Did you eat too many brain-damaged pills?!”

“Uh…” Ling Jie scratched his scalp and said weakly, “Because Boss is unbelievably powerful, even defeating my grandfather, I always believed that among the younger generation across the entire continent, Boss should be unrivaled… I never imagined the Phoenix Divine Sect would be this formidable. This is just too… too exaggerated.”

“Exaggerated my ass,” Hua Minghai retorted with a look that suggested he was speaking to an idiot. “Do you think the Phoenix Divine Sect’s five-thousand-year foundation and divine bloodline are just for show? And I don’t mind telling you, for a mere Seven Nations Ranking Battle, the Phoenix Divine Sect doesn’t need to be too serious. So these ten people might not even be their strongest individuals under twenty-five. I, for one, don’t believe the Phoenix Divine Sect would reveal all their young aces without necessity. Never mind, I guess if I keep talking, your little heart won’t be able to handle it. Later, I’ll teach you an idiom: ‘a frog in a well’ – it means having a limited outlook.”

Ling Jie’s eyes were wide and blank, speechless for a long time, his confidence taking an unprecedented blow. In Cangfeng Nation, he was also a renowned genius in the Profound Realm, widely acknowledged to surpass Ling Yun. But placed before the Phoenix Divine Sect… he was simply incomparable.