Chapter 469: Lingering Spirit

"Who exactly are you? Where are you?" Yun Che looked up and shouted. Since the other party knew he existed and could transmit their voice to him, they must also be able to hear him.

But just like the previous two times, after the voice sounded, it fell silent again, remaining still for a long time. All three times, the voice was equally faint, barely audible. However, Yun Che had a vague feeling... the source of the voice didn't seem far away.

"Brother Yun, did you hear that strange voice again?" Feng Xue'er asked.

"Yes," Yun Che nodded, then reassured her, "Xue'er, don't be afraid. It might just be my imagination because I'm too nervous. This place is so ancient and quiet, there shouldn't be anyone here."

"I'm not afraid as long as Brother Yun is by my side," Feng Xue'er said with a smile. Recalling what she had said earlier, her expression dimmed, and she softly asked, "Brother Yun, how is the other Phoenix God doing?"

"It should be fine," Yun Che replied after a moment's thought. "The Phoenix Spirit I encountered told me that its power is weaker than that of your Phoenix Divine Sect's Phoenix Spirit. Your Phoenix God was severely injured back then and has now passed away. Although the one I met didn't die that year, it should have been greatly weakened. However, at least three years ago, it was still well and alive." He paused, then added, "If Xue'er wishes, I can take you to visit that Phoenix Spirit someday."

"Oh, yes, please!" Feng Xue'er happily agreed. "That's one of the Phoenix God's last wishes. By the way, Brother Yun, how did you encounter that Phoenix God? Can you tell me?"

Yun Che looked up, a nostalgic expression on his face. This was a secret he had never shared with anyone, but facing Feng Xue'er's clear eyes, he felt no resistance. With a faint smile, he softly began, "That was three years ago... At that time, my profound strength had only just reached the Profound Entrance Realm. I was being pursued by someone from a branch sect of a sect called Xiao Sect. Then, my current princess wife saved me... though she wasn't my wife yet, and we had only just met... She fled with me, and later, the flying profound beast we were riding ran out of power and was attacked by our pursuer. We fell together from high in the sky..."

As Yun Che recalled the past, he slowly recounted the story to Feng Xue'er. His voice was calm at first, but gradually, every word he spoke became imbued with deep emotion. After all, it was an unforgettable experience for him and Cang Yue, and their feelings for each other had been forged and deepened during that adversity. Moreover, it was a major turning point in his destiny; without that experience, there would not have been the subsequent chain of events, the series of grudges brought by the Phoenix Flame, or his present self.

Yun Che spoke for a long time, describing everything from how he entered the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range to his departure from the Phoenix Trial Grounds. When he finally finished, he lowered his head and saw Feng Xue'er, her lips gently pressed together, her breathing soft as orchids, already fast asleep.

The heavy blow, the long period of escape and fright, combined with her physical weakness, had left Feng Xue'er utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically, despite being held securely in Yun Che's arms. It was only as Yun Che spoke that her mind truly began to relax, and then she couldn't fight off the weariness, drifting off to sleep without realizing it.

Yun Che softened his breathing and quietly watched Feng Xue'er's peaceful sleep, finding himself momentarily lost in thought. Gradually, fatigue washed over him, and leaning his head against the cold wall, he too drifted off to sleep.

"Please... find... her...""Only... you... can... save... her...""Please... find... her..."

"Ah..." Yun Che jolted awake, the voice still echoing in his ears. This time, he couldn't even tell if it was a real voice or one from his dream.

"Brother Yun..." It was unclear whether Yun Che's sudden movement woke her, or if she had already woken up on her own. Feng Xue'er's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, staring at him without blinking.

"It's nothing," Yun Che shook his head. "I just seem to have heard a strange voice again."

As soon as he spoke, something suddenly occurred to Yun Che. He frowned sharply and asked Jasmine in his mind, "Jasmine, how long did I sleep? How many hours have passed since we entered the Primordial Profound Ark?"

"You didn't sleep too long. As for the time since we entered the Primordial Profound Ark... it's already eleven hours... perhaps a little more."

"Eleven hours?" Yun Che's eyebrow twitched slightly. This meant the Primordial Profound Ark would close in less than an hour. He suddenly recalled what True Master Ancient Azure had told Xia Yuanba just after they entered the Primordial Profound Ark... that when the Ark was about to close, they must not be in any enclosed environment, not even valleys or caves! Otherwise, the force field at the twelfth hour would be blocked, preventing them from being expelled from the Primordial Profound Ark!

They would then disappear with the Primordial Profound Ark, forever trapped within it!

And the place he and Feng Xue'er were currently in was precisely such an isolated environment.

After sleeping for a while, Yun Che's stamina and profound energy had recovered by about fifty to sixty percent. He picked up Feng Xue'er and said, "Xue'er, we should leave here. The Primordial Profound Ark will close in less than an hour, and then we can get out. Once we're outside, we'll be completely safe."

"Mmm," Feng Xue'er softly replied, instinctively pressing herself closer to Yun Che.

"Let's go."

Yun Che raised his hand and sent a stream of profound energy towards the profound array next to the stone door. The array flashed with profound light, and the tightly shut stone door quickly opened with a rapid rumble. Yun Che carried Feng Xue'er out and immediately saw a downward stone staircase. He had previously chosen to enter the stone door next to the staircase, suppressing his curiosity not to venture deeper, precisely because he was afraid of getting lost. After all, this place was incredibly vast, with an exceptionally monotonous layout and color scheme; a slight misstep could lead to being completely lost.

As he descended the stone staircase, Yun Che's heart eased slightly. The Primordial Profound Ark would soon close. Once outside, with the Phoenix Divine Sect and True Master Ancient Azure present, Ye Xinghan and Feng Feiyan would no longer be able to succeed. This crisis had finally been overcome, albeit with some frights. His only current worry was Xia Yuanba. Although Xia Yuanba had a teleportation jade on him, which theoretically could save his life, Yun Che couldn't help but worry that he might fight to the death to buy Yun Che more time to escape.

Soon, the stone staircase had descended halfway, and the vast hall on the first floor came into view. At that moment, Jasmine suddenly spoke with a muffled voice, "What a persistent ghost."

"'Persistent ghost'? What do you mean?" Yun Che paused, slowing his steps. As soon as he spoke, he suddenly felt a chill run through him... realizing he was clearly locked onto by an aura!

Yun Che sharply turned his head, looking towards the direction he had come from below... Through the dim light, he saw a blurred figure rushing towards them at an incredibly fast speed.

Ye Xinghan!!

By the time Yun Che spotted him, Ye Xinghan had already seen Yun Che and Feng Xue'er in his arms. His normally gloomy eyes suddenly gleamed with a strange light, and a smile of near-mad delight spread across his face. "Haha... Hahahahaha! I had already given up, but who knew, fate still favors me! Hahahahaha..."

Yun Che had not expected to encounter Ye Xinghan again in this mysterious and desolate ancient fortress, especially with less than an hour until the Primordial Profound Ark closed. His gaze darkened sharply. Without thinking, he quickly turned and charged upwards at full speed.

"Let's see where you can run this time!!"

Ye Xinghan's speed was lightning-fast. In his eyes, now that Yun Che was within his sight, there was no possibility of escape. Seeing Yun Che heading straight for the second floor, he gave a sinister smile, flicked his arm, and a dazzling white profound light suddenly shot out from the Sun Moon Divine Calamity, aiming directly at Yun Che's legs... Clearly, he was afraid of accidentally harming Feng Xue'er.

Yun Che's figure flickered, instantly dodging with Star God Broken Shadow. The profound light struck the stone staircase railing, emitting an extremely piercing "clink." The surrounding airflow was severely agitated, but the spot hit by the profound light remained perfectly intact, without the slightest trace of damage.

The bricks and tiles here were indeed terrifyingly strong. Not just Yun Che, but even with Ye Xinghan's formidable power, he couldn't damage them in the slightest.

"Quickly, get into a stone room! With your speed, there's no way you can escape him!" Jasmine said gravely.

Even if Jasmine hadn't reminded him, Yun Che would have done the same, as it was his only option in this situation. He rushed to the second floor at top speed, then headed straight for the courtyard where he had previously stayed. As he approached the stone door, Ye Xinghan also reached the second floor, less than twenty zhang behind him. He sneered contemptuously, "Still trying to run?"

Ye Xinghan thrust his palm forward, and an extremely violent surge of profound energy shot directly towards Yun Che's back.

A heavy sense of danger surged from behind him. Yun Che had no time to turn around; he swiftly shielded Feng Xue'er in his arms, his profound energy surging wildly throughout his body..."Cloud Sealing Sun Locking!"

Bang!!!A chaotic explosion of energy erupted. The barrier around Yun Che lasted only a brief instant before completely shattering, yet it resisted most of the impact. The remaining force was still unbearable for Yun Che; he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body was propelled by the impact, flying towards the center of the courtyard, like a streak of light, into a stone room. He slammed heavily into the inner wall... but as he fell, he used his powerful willpower to steady his mind, quickly extended his arm, and pushed a surge of profound energy towards the profound array on the side of the stone door.

Rumble...The stone door immediately closed firmly, sealing Ye Xinghan outside.

Yun Che lay on his back, gasping for breath, his extended arm retracting with difficulty. His back had been struck by Ye Xinghan's power and then slammed heavily against the stone wall. At this moment, his blood circulation was in chaos, and his internal organs were severely displaced, with blood constantly oozing from the corners of his mouth. However, to withstand a thirty-percent power attack from a mid-stage Overlord with late-stage Sky Profound Realm strength and not die—only Yun Che in the entire world could accomplish such a feat.

Throughout the entire process, Feng Xue'er had been meticulously protected by him and had not sustained any injuries. However, she was so worried and frightened that she was on the verge of tears: "Brother Yun, are you okay... Are you hurt... Brother Yun..."

"I... I'm fine..." Yun Che gasped for air, then struggled to sit up. He helped Feng Xue'er up beside him, letting her lean against his shoulder as they both rested against the cold stone wall. "I'm fine, just a small injury."

Bang! Boom! Clink! Clang! Boom...Various sounds of impact came from the direction of the stone door, less than ten steps away from them. However, neither the stone door nor the stone wall moved at all under these incredibly fierce attacks. Yun Che took Feng Xue'er's hand and comforted her, "Xue'er, don't worry, he can't get in."

"Mmm..." Feng Xue'er leaned against Yun Che's shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around his, holding him close.