Chapter 455: Active Approach of Illusory Lightning Extreme

"That person seems to be... Senior Ji... Ji... Senior Ji from Supreme Ocean Palace."

Xia Yuanba swallowed hard, tugged at Yun Che, and prepared to take a detour. However, Yun Che paused for a moment, then surprisingly walked straight towards the person. "Ah... Brother-in-law..." Xia Yuanba couldn't hold him back and watched, dumbfounded, as Yun Che approached Ji Qianrou, who, in his eyes, was even more terrifying than an ancient vicious beast.

"The scent of Phoenix City is truly repulsive. This dry, parching heat is the greatest enemy of my perfect skin. The only thing that could be called beautiful here are these vibrant phoenix flowers. What a pity, even the most beautiful flowers must eventually wither, just like my own beauty, which surpasses even the phoenix flower, will one day fade. The rules of this world are always so cruel... wouldn't you agree, little Che Che?" Two petals drifted softly from between his fingers. The figure beneath the phoenix tree turned, revealing a face so handsome it was almost demonic. His eyes, as he looked at Yun Che, held a flirtatious gaze, like a delicate flower swaying. Such a face paired with such eyes undoubtedly possessed immense allure, yet Yun Che remained completely unfazed. He walked forward, his expression unchanging. "Junior Yun Che greets Senior Ji and thanks you for speaking up for me earlier."

"Senior Ji?" Ji Qianrou's snow-white sleeve fluttered as he flirtatiously brushed back his long hair. "I absolutely hate being called 'senior.' Look at me, I'm so young and beautiful, and only six hundred years older than you. How could I possibly be your senior? If you call me 'senior' again, I might just get upset.""...Then, how should this junior address you?"Ji Qianrou's charming eyes narrowed into a smile. "You can call me Qianrou, or Little Qianqian, or Little Rourou... Little Jijiji is also fine, you know.""..." Although Yun Che tried his best to remain calm, his throat clearly twitched. He remained silent for a long time, utterly at a loss for a reply.

"You don't need to thank me. I only spoke up for you because I think you're... not bad, you know." Ji Qianrou's gaze slowly swept Yun Che's entire body from head to toe, his eyes as alluring as flowing water. This instantly made goosebumps rise on Yun Che's skin. He had originally intended to chat more with Ji Qianrou, but now he had completely changed his mind and wished he could turn and run.

Yun Che quickly said, "Regardless, I am immensely grateful for Senior Ji's righteous words. Please forgive my presumptuous question, but has Senior Ji been afflicted by a special toad venom these past years? This junior has some knowledge of medicine, so I noticed a few clues and wondered if my observation was accurate.""Oh?" Ji Qianrou narrowed his eyes, stared at Yun Che, then spoke in a soft voice, "Two hundred years ago, I accidentally encountered an ugly giant toad. I utterly detest such unsightly creatures, so I casually annihilated it. Unexpectedly, I inadvertently got some of its disgusting venom on me." Ji Qianrou extended a finger, looking at a faint black line near the fingertip. "That's why I say, not only should you avoid looking at ugly things, but you shouldn't even carelessly touch them."

Yun Che explained, "The toad venom Senior Ji is afflicted with is a type of Soul-Entangling Toad Venom. It clings to the soul and manifests upon contact with blood, making it impossible to expel through conventional methods. With Senior Ji's formidable profound energy, this venom naturally hasn't had the chance to erupt violently, but it's still a considerable nuisance..." "This junior has some minor achievements in detoxification. This detoxification pill might be of some help to Senior Ji." As Yun Che spoke, he took out a medicinal pill he had prepared earlier, imbued with the purifying ability of the Sky Poison Pearl. He had initially intended to hand it to Ji Qianrou, but after glancing at Ji Qianrou's palm, he reconsidered and chose to simply toss it over. Ji Qianrou bent a finger and caught it between his digits.

"This junior will take his leave." Yun Che cupped his hands and then departed as if fleeing. The medicinal pill in his hand was emerald green, like jade. Holding it, one could feel a refreshing aura permeate the entire body. Ji Qianrou cast a sideways glance at Yun Che's retreating back, gently sniffed the pill's aroma, then parted his lips and placed the pill in his mouth.

After casually exploring Phoenix City with Xia Yuanba and hearing him speak about the Supreme Ocean Palace, Yun Che returned to his courtyard as night had fully fallen. The lights in True Master Gu Cang's room were dim, suggesting he was resting. Yun Che returned to his own room. As he closed the door, his brow furrowed, and he felt a vague sense of unease.

Someone had been in the room! Back on the Azure Cloud Continent, he had been hunted almost day and night, developing an exceptionally acute ability to detect signs of pursuit. He could tell at a glance if a temporary resting place had been disturbed after he left. Eventually, even before his eyes could discern anything amiss, his spiritual perception could directly detect subtle inconsistencies invisible to the naked eye. Yun Che instantly grew vigilant. This was the VIP section of Phoenix City; outsiders could not enter, not even Phoenix disciples. Only he, Xia Yuanba, and True Master Gu Cang were permitted here. Xia Yuanba had left with him, and there was no reason for True Master Gu Cang to visit his room. Who could have come in? Yun Che's brow furrowed further as he meticulously scanned every corner of the room, yet found no discernible traces. After a moment of thought, he walked to the bed. Just as he was about to lie down, his gaze suddenly fell upon the pillow.

He reached out and quickly lifted the pillow... Beneath it lay a bundle of emerald green jade slips. This was... Yun Che was absolutely certain that these jade slips had not been there before. When he and Xia Yuanba had chosen the room, he had prudently inspected the bed. Yun Che frowned, directly picked up the jade slips, and carefully opened them.

As the first jade piece within the slips unfolded, four distinct characters appeared in Yun Che's eyes: Illusory Light Thunderclap! "Illusory Light Thunderclap!?" Yun Che exclaimed in a low voice. This was actually the Illusory Light Thunderclap, the unique inheritance of the Hua Minghai family, renowned as the strongest movement profound art in the Heaven Profound Continent! Had Hua Minghai been here? How did he know which room I was staying in? And why would he leave these jade slips, inscribed with the Illusory Light Thunderclap, here?

Hua Minghai, despite having only late-stage Sky Profound strength, had become the infamous "Ghost Shadow Thief Saint" of the Heaven Profound Continent thanks to "Illusory Light Thunderclap." He could even enter and exit the Phoenix Divine Sect safely, and even when several Tyrant Emperors joined forces, they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes. This made Yun Che extremely covetous of "Illusory Light Thunderclap." However, after he rescued Ru Xiaoya and expressed his interest to Hua Minghai, Hua Minghai had refused. He explained that it was their Hua family's soul profound art, absolutely forbidden from being passed outside the family. Hua Minghai had even stated that he would agree to any other request except for this one. But now, these jade slips, inscribed with the "Illusory Light Thunderclap" profound formula, had appeared here on their own!

"It seems that person, Hua Minghai, wants you to owe him a huge favor," Jasmine said indifferently. Yun Che had personally witnessed the power of "Illusory Light Thunderclap," and now it was right before his eyes. Yet, after unfolding the first jade piece, he didn't continue. Hua Minghai had previously felt guilty but firmly refused Yun Che's request to learn Illusory Light Thunderclap, even after Yun Che saved Ru Xiaoya. Now, only a few days later, he had proactively delivered it, silently, not even in person, and without leaving a single note.

Jasmine was absolutely right. If he simply cultivated the Illusory Light Thunderclap now, he would directly owe Hua Minghai a massive debt of gratitude. Conversely, Hua Minghai had proactively delivered the Illusory Light Thunderclap precisely to make him indebted. "It seems that after witnessing my performance in the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament, he wants to leverage my power to achieve some goal of his," Yun Che mused.

"Then why didn't he hand it to you in person?" Jasmine asked. Yun Che slowly replied, "Firstly, my current strength isn't enough; he's looking at my potential, believing I'll have that capability in the future. Secondly, he probably thought I would definitely refuse if he offered it directly, so he chose this method—presenting an immense temptation without making any demands. If I succumb to the temptation and cultivate the Illusory Light Thunderclap, this huge favor would be owed, and it might be difficult to refuse him then. On another note, I might also be mistakenly identified as a member of the Hua clan because of this Illusory Light Thunderclap."

"So, it seems you already know his purpose." "More or less," Yun Che said. "Hua Minghai's family was annihilated by the Sun Moon Divine Hall. With Hua Minghai's abilities, survival isn't an issue, but revenge is forever impossible. So, he must intend to use my strength once I become powerful enough in the future. However, the Sun Moon Divine Hall is a supreme holy land feared by everyone, and I have no grievance with them. Hua Minghai wouldn't be so naive as to think that merely with 'Illusory Light Thunderclap,' he could make me act against the Sun Moon Divine Hall in the future... What exactly does he mean? Or rather, where does his confidence come from?"

"So, are you going to cultivate it? This Illusory Light Thunderclap isn't very useful for you in direct combat, but it's exceptionally powerful for traveling or escaping. Calling it the strongest movement profound art on this continent isn't an exaggeration." Yun Che considered it for a moment, then closed the jade slips and placed them inside the Sky Poison Pearl. "Although it's a great temptation, it's better if I don't cultivate it until I meet Hua Minghai again. Let's put this aside for now. Tomorrow morning, I'm to board that mysterious Primordial Profound Ark... but I have a feeling this journey will be accompanied by significant risks. The Primordial Profound Ark is the perfect place for the Phoenix Divine Sect to scheme against me."

"If you retreat at the first sign of risk, you'll never achieve any substantial breakthroughs, nor would you be where you are today," Jasmine said coldly. "The Primordial Profound Ark is the only thing on this continent that truly interests me. You must take me there! With my soul power, I might be able to instantly perceive its secrets.""Got it," Yun Che mumbled, his lips twisted. "To increase my chances of survival, I need to get some rest first... Sleep!"

Phoenix Divine Sect.

"Sect Master." Feng Feiyan passed through the night and appeared behind Feng Hengkong. Feng Hengkong turned around, his calm face subtly clouded with gloom. He faced Feng Feiyan and said in a very low voice, "Tomorrow, on the Primordial Profound Ark, will be the best time to kill Yun Che. Do you understand my meaning?"

Feng Feiyan's brow twitched, then he slowly nodded. "I thought the Sect Master was truly letting Yun Che go. That Yun Che must absolutely not be allowed to live; his future, in particular, is a dangerous variable no one can predict. Sect Master, rest assured, I will arrange for someone to act on the Primordial Profound Ark tomorrow. With the Ark's special spatial laws, no traces will be left after Yun Che is killed... or I can do it myself!"

"Good," Feng Hengkong nodded. "Sect Master, will Xue'er also be boarding the Primordial Profound Ark tomorrow?" Feng Feiyan asked. "Yes, the Primordial Profound Ark appears only once every three hundred years. If we miss this chance, we'll have to wait another three centuries. Of course, I must let Xue'er experience it. Xue'er herself is also interested in the Ark. While the Primordial Profound Ark is mysterious and strange, it's not overly dangerous, especially with me and the elders accompanying her," Feng Hengkong replied.

Feng Feiyan nodded. "I hope tomorrow's journey on the Ark yields some gains. If there's nothing else, Sect Master, I shall take my leave." As Feng Feiyan's voice faded, his figure slowly disappeared into the night.