Chapter 441: Phoenix Moon

Heavy swords prioritize brute force. While long spears are not as forceful as heavy swords, they are far more flexible. The sea of fire continued to spread as the two royal weapons clashed, gradually extending beyond fifty zhang. The flames engulfed the two figures, leaving only thunderous clashing sounds and wildly dancing fire waves audible from the stands.

Ling Jie and Hua Minghai both leaned forward, their eyes wider than an ox's. Ling Jie never doubted Yun Che's strength, but he never dared imagine that in just over half a year, Yun Che had become so much more powerful than when he defeated Ling Tianni, his grandfather! Back then, Yun Che was at Level Seven Earth Profound Realm; now he was at Level Ten Earth Profound Realm. The difference of three levels in the Earth Profound Realm made them seem like two entirely different people!

"Boss Yun... he's actually... that strong..." Hua Minghai mumbled, his face blank. Yun Che was currently facing the Phoenix Divine Sect's top young talent, and he was fighting him to a standstill! Recalling how he had once disguised himself as "Little Flower Yan" to approach Yun Che, only to be recognized and slapped out of the sky, cold sweat instantly poured down his head. If Yun Che hadn't held back then, he would have been dead long ago.

In the waiting area, all nine genius Phoenix disciples had changed expressions. They had previously been confident that Yun Che could never be their opponent, believing it would be effortless to defeat him. But now, they realized that it wasn't Yun Che who had been narrow-minded and arrogant... it was themselves!

The terrifying power Yun Che was currently displaying could easily suppress any one of them!

"That guy..." a Phoenix disciple muttered through gritted teeth, seething. Someone from the Azure Cloud Continent, younger than them, and whom they had previously scorned and mocked, was now displaying strength that made them all tremble with fear. Their faces burned, and their hearts felt utterly wretched.

"He truly is ridiculously strong," another Phoenix disciple said, taking a deep breath. "Such combat power is almost on par with an eighth-level Monarch Profound Realm practitioner. While he has certainly surprised us, defeating the Fourteenth Prince remains a pipe dream."

"Exactly. The Fourteenth Prince hasn't even used his full strength; his Phoenix Ode to the World only reached the second level. I just don't know why he's fighting that kid for so long in this state."

"Perhaps the Fourteenth Prince wants to see that kid's ultimate limit? Hmph, they've already exchanged over a hundred blows, so this must be the absolute peak of Yun Che's power. The Fourteenth Prince could completely suppress Yun Che whenever he wished."

"Phoenix Wing Demolisher!"

Amidst the waves of fire, Feng Xiluo tore through the flames, leaping into the air. He thrust his spear down, and with a thunderous crash like a collapsing mountain, the Phoenix flames on the Phoenix Stage erupted as if swept by a hurricane. The incredibly hard Phoenix Stage was gouged with a pit several zhang wide, and the massive energy impact flung Yun Che far back, landing him at the edge of the stage.

Feng Xiluo hovered in the air, his gaze fixed on Yun Che's position, a grim smile playing on his lips. "Not bad, you actually withstood that again. Then... what about this move?"

Feng Xiluo raised both arms, lifting the Phoenix God Spear high. Instantly, the fiercely burning sea of Phoenix flames on the Phoenix Stage seemed to be drawn by an irresistible force, all rising into the sky, soaring straight up, and then rapidly gathering above the tip of the Phoenix God Spear. In the blink of an eye, a crimson, blood-red Flaming Moon, nearly twenty zhang wide, formed above Feng Xiluo!

"Aaaah... wha-what... what is that?!" Ling Jie's eyes widened, and he shrieked in alarm. The entire arena was filled with shouts of shock.

Each time Feng Xiluo had clashed with Yun Che previously, he had scattered large amounts of Phoenix flames. These flames continued to burn on the Phoenix Stage, unextinguished, eventually forming a sea of fire. Now, he had gathered all of them in an instant. Clearly, the Phoenix flames he had dispersed during his earlier exchanges with Yun Che had all been prepared for this very moment.

The Flaming Moon above the spear tip was a brilliant, fiery red, its aura surging like a tsunami and as vast as a mountain range. Spectators three hundred zhang away felt as if a heavy slab of stone was pressing on their chests, making it hard to breathe. One could only imagine the terrifying pressure Yun Che was enduring, less than twenty zhang from Feng Xiluo.

"It's quite impressive you could play with me for this long. To be frank, your strength has somewhat surprised me, and I've more or less tested your limits. Unfortunately, you're not worthy of seeing my true limits." Feng Xiluo smiled faintly. While Yun Che's strength had been far more than "somewhat surprising"—it was utterly shocking—he was still the Divine Phoenix Sect's foremost genius. Yun Che's current combat power could not possibly defeat him. With a relaxed expression, he continued, "Among your peers, you are indeed the first to engage me for so long. It's a pity, though, that this was all intentional on my part. I merely prolonged it to lay down the Phoenix flames, all to give you... the most spectacular... death!"

"Phoenix God Spear's Finishing Move—Phoenix Moon!"

Feng Xiluo's black hair streamed in the wind, his Phoenix robe flapped wildly, and he swung the Phoenix God Spear down. Instantly, the enormous Flaming Moon in the air roared, then plummeted towards Yun Che like a meteor from the heavens.

Boom...

Wherever the Phoenix Moon passed, space was severely compressed and distorted. The Phoenix Stage below visibly caved in under its immense power. Feeling the colossal energy contained within the Phoenix Moon, Yun Che's expression grew incredibly grim. He retreated rapidly, and after a few steps, his back foot hit the edge of the Phoenix Stage.

The Phoenix Stage defined the battle's boundaries; stepping off it meant losing the match. In a normal fight, he could have used Star God Broken Shadow to evade with all his might, but unable to fly and forced into a corner, he had no way to avoid the attack unless he left the Phoenix Stage.

Rip... tear...

The Phoenix Moon grew larger in his pupils, gradually filling his entire vision. Amidst the surge of immense power, Yun Che's ears were completely overwhelmed by the roaring of the violent force, making him unable to hear anything else. The scorching heat of the flames did not affect him in the slightest, but the chaotic profound energy within them ripped Yun Che's clothes to shreds.

Yun Che's brow slowly furrowed. Just as the Phoenix Moon was less than ten zhang away, a fierce glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"Hah!!!"

With a fierce roar, Yun Che raised his heavy sword horizontally. His arms swelled, veins visibly bulging under his skin, so distended they looked ready to burst at any moment. He channeled his entire profound energy to its absolute limit, pouring it unreservedly into his arms. Behind him, a sky-blue image of a Heavenly Wolf roared in fury.

"Heavenly Wolf Slash!"

Yun Che leaped up, actively meeting the Phoenix Moon. His Dragon Fault heavy sword, imbued with the power of the Heavenly Wolf, struck the Phoenix Moon fiercely. The azure Heavenly Wolf image, like an indestructible sharp sword, forcefully pierced into the Flaming Moon.

BOOM!!!!

The Phoenix Moon exploded with a deafening roar, unleashing towering waves of fire that blotted out the sky, completely engulfing the entire Phoenix Stage and, naturally, swallowing Yun Che within them. However, this was not the true power of the "Phoenix Moon" technique. The exploding Phoenix flames did not scatter; instead, they suddenly transformed into countless menacing spears of fire in mid-air. In an instant, the entire sky above the Phoenix Stage was filled with thousands upon thousands of fiery spears, all controlled by Feng Xiluo's power, shooting towards Yun Che's location.

It was like a terrifying, utterly bloody rain of spears.

"Die!" Feng Xiluo roared with laughter. He believed that the Phoenix Moon's fiery explosion alone would be enough to halve Yun Che's life and shatter all his profound energy defenses. The subsequent spears of fire would then pierce countless transparent holes through his body, killing him instantly.

Originally, he had not intended to kill Yun Che. After all, this was the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament, and killing an opponent in front of the seven nations and the sacred grounds could easily draw criticism and even lead to unnecessary trouble. However, killing Yun Che was a direct instruction from Feng Hengkong himself, transmitted to him telepathically, so he naturally had no qualms about doing so.

"B-Boss!!"

Ling Jie's pupils contracted in terror, and his legs trembled. He watched helplessly as Yun Che was swallowed by the exploding Flaming Moon, then subjected to countless terrifying spear lights piercing him. Under such a horrifying assault, even ten lives would be utterly annihilated.

"...This is... too terrifying. Yun Che must be... utterly dead, right?"

"Nonsense! If he's not dead after that, I'll walk backward for the rest of my life."

"Sigh, what a shame for such an unparalleled genius from outside the Divine Phoenix Empire, yet he..."

"There's nothing that can be done. It's his fate, possessing the Phoenix bloodline. Unless he chooses to submit, he can never escape confronting the Phoenix Divine Sect. Given Yun Che's fierce temperament, it's clear he would never choose the former. Indeed, how could an unparalleled genius who has come this far on his own be willing to suddenly be completely controlled by a major sect?"

"The Phoenix Divine Sect actually possesses such terrifying techniques... it's truly horrifying."

Feng Xiluo slowly descended from the air, a triumphant smile on his face. He had used "Phoenix Moon" to create this spectacular and shocking effect, thereby covering up the embarrassment caused by his earlier misjudgment of Yun Che's strength.

However, just as his toes were about to touch the Phoenix Stage, his pupils suddenly constricted, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

The explosive fire from the Phoenix Moon and the countless fiery spears began to rapidly dissipate. From within the gradually thinning Phoenix flames, he saw a figure standing upright. The next instant, the Phoenix flames swayed open, revealing Yun Che's stern face.

"Wh-what?!" Feng Xiluo's expression changed drastically for the first time. Around him, gasps of astonishment erupted from all directions.

The flames continued to extinguish, gradually revealing Yun Che's complete figure. Holding Dragon Fault, he stood calmly, allowing the surrounding Phoenix flames to burn him. His clothes were torn in many places, and his hair was somewhat disheveled, but his eyes were clear. Beneath his damaged clothing, his exposed skin was completely intact—except for three shallow blood holes on his chest.

The Phoenix Moon's energy outburst was primarily pure Phoenix flames, which could at most cause an impact on him without inflicting any real injury. However, the subsequent Phoenix spear shadows forced him to activate "Cloud Sealing Sun Locking." After enduring thousands of strikes, "Cloud Sealing Sun Locking" was finally shattered, and three Phoenix spear shadows impacted his chest. But with his True Dragon Body, such dense, dispersed attacks could only pierce three insignificant blood holes into him.

When Yun Che had fought desperately with Feng Chihuo that day, a third of his blood vessels and bones were broken, yet he fully recovered in less than ten days. These minor injuries, which didn't even touch his bones, were no injury at all to him.