Chapter 470: Absolute Desperation

After a tremendous struggle and being suppressed for six hours, Ye Xinghan finally managed to escape the Burial Flowers' Chant in a sorry state. After venting his frustration on the spot, he remained undeterred and pursued with all his might. Then, driven by curiosity, just like Yun Che, he entered the mysteriously appearing ancient castle. By this point, he had essentially given up hope of finding Feng Xue'er, so a huge, pleasant surprise suddenly fell into his lap.

But now, a stone door firmly blocked his easy prey. Despite his full-force attacks, which caused his arms intense pain, the stone door in front of him showed not the slightest sign of damage, let alone destruction, and hadn't shifted even an inch.

He struck the stone door with all his might, but the sensation he received in return was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

Ye Xinghan grew furious. The feeling of a cooked duck suddenly flying away made him extremely miserable. He stared at the stone door, pacing back and forth, trying to find a mechanism to open it. His low voice carried a deep threat: "Yun Che, if you don't want to die without a burial place, open the door!"

Yun Che didn't respond. He closed his eyes, regulating his internal energy and slowly stabilizing his injuries. Although he had forcefully endured Ye Xinghan's attack, his injuries were definitely not light. Beside him, Feng Xue'er extended her fair, delicate hand, carefully wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with distress. Despite such severe injuries, he had managed to keep her, defenseless as she was, from even a scratch on her clothes. This was a gesture that would touch her deeply and remain with her for life.

Ye Xinghan circled the area a dozen times, but couldn't find anything resembling a mechanism. He had no choice but to give up. Standing before the stone door, his expression rapidly shifted before his voice suddenly became calm: "Yun Che, not only have you ruined my plans, but you've also killed two of my beloved women. Any single thing you've done is enough for me to make your life a living hell! Even if, by some miracle, you manage to escape today and leave the Primordial Profound Ark... Hmph! I will spare no effort to mobilize the Sun Moon Divine Hall's power to relentlessly pursue you. At that time, not only will no one dare protect you, but countless people will try to kill you to curry favor with my Sun Moon Divine Hall, leaving you like a stray dog, with no peace, until you are torn to pieces!"

Though Ye Xinghan's words were a threat, they were also true, and Yun Che was well aware of it. Inciting the hatred of the Phoenix Divine Sect was vastly different from incurring the wrath of the Sun Moon Divine Hall.

"If you don't come out, you'll be sealed inside this Primordial Profound Ark. Even if you could escape, it would still be a dead end!" Ye Xinghan said sinisterly. "But now, I can give you a chance! As long as you open this door and hand over my little sister Xue'er to me, then all past transgressions, including you killing my women, can be forgiven! Not only will I let you go, ensuring your safe departure from the Primordial Profound Ark, but I won't pursue you in the future. I might even give you some benefits."

In such a desperate situation, these words were undoubtedly highly tempting. Yun Che remained silent, his eyes still closed, his expression unchanged. Feng Xue'er looked at him worriedly and whispered, "Brother Yun..."

"We won't pay him any mind," Yun Che said softly, pulling Feng Xue'er closer by the shoulder.

"I am the Young Master of the Sun Moon Divine Hall, and my word is as good as gold. What I say, I do. This is your only chance to live, and a great favor bestowed upon you by me. Don't be foolish and ruin your life and future!" Ye Xinghan's voice was calm, but in reality, he was extremely anxious. According to his calculations, the Primordial Profound Ark would close in less than an hour. By then, not only would he lose any chance of laying hands on Feng Xue'er, but his ambitions and despicable actions might also be exposed for nothing, making future opportunities extremely difficult to come by.

He spoke a great deal, but received no response; there wasn't even a sound from within. Ye Xinghan's gaze turned colder and more sinister: "Yun Che! You're just not coming out? Do you intend to be buried in this Primordial Profound Ark? Hmph, your worthless life, it's nothing if you die, but you have no right to drag Feng Xue'er down with you! Her life is far more precious than yours. If you truly want to protect her, then honestly hand her over to me. This is your only chance!"

Feng Xue'er, with the sternest voice she could muster, declared, "Ye Xinghan! I, Feng Xue'er, would rather die here with Brother Yun than fall into your hands!"

"Oh, my little sister Xue'er." Hearing Feng Xue'er's voice, Ye Xinghan's tone immediately changed dramatically: "Why do you refuse your Brother Ye so vehemently? While my methods might have been a bit dishonorable, that's only because I like you too much, and I was too eager to have you."

"Get lost!" Feng Xue'er shouted in anger, "I intensely... intensely dislike you!"

"Little sister Xue'er, you won't dislike me," Ye Xinghan said leisurely. "I, Ye Xinghan, am the Young Master of the Sun Moon Divine Hall. Within three hundred years, I will become the official Hall Master, the most supreme figure in the entire Profound Sky Continent. Only I am worthy of little sister Xue'er, and only little sister Xue'er is worthy of me."

"I can promise you now, little sister Xue'er, that after we are married, I will use everything I have to protect you, making you the most noble and perfect woman in this world. For you, I can even abandon all other women."

"I will never... never like you! My Brother Yun is a thousand, ten thousand times better than you!" Feng Xue'er shouted indignantly.

"Your Brother Yun?" Ye Xinghan's eyes narrowed, and he sneered disdainfully: "You actually compare me to a lowly mortal? In my eyes, he's not even as good as a grasshopper by the roadside. Crushing him is even easier than crushing a grasshopper. My little sister Xue'er, you are so intelligent and pure, how could your heart be so easily clouded? Following me is your most perfect destiny. Even if you don't think about your own future, you should consider the future of the Phoenix Divine Sect. Do you truly wish for the future of the Phoenix Divine Sect to be ruined by your single selfish and mistaken decision?"

Ye Xinghan's last words undoubtedly had a huge impact on Feng Xue'er's heart. Yun Che opened his eyes, gently took Feng Xue'er's slightly cold hand, and shook his head: "Don't believe anything a despicable person like him says. No matter what he says, we won't pay him any mind."

"Mm," Feng Xue'er nodded softly.

Yun Che closed his eyes again, focusing all his energy on recovering from his injuries. Before the Primordial Profound Ark closed, Ye Xinghan would surely leave the ancient castle. At that point, it would be his and Feng Xue'er's only hope of escaping. To ensure his own safety, Ye Xinghan would certainly not linger too close to the castle after leaving. Although it would involve significant risk, if he timed his rush out correctly, the chance of success was by no means low.

The more his injuries improved, the greater their chance of success would be.

With Yun Che and Feng Xue'er inside the stone chamber and Ye Xinghan outside, the situation instantly turned into a stalemate where neither side could advance or retreat. Ye Xinghan, unable to break open the stone door despite his full strength, resorted to continuous verbal temptations, blandishments, and threats, eventually even resorting to furious curses. However, Yun Che and Feng Xue'er never responded to him again.

Rumble...

The ground beneath their feet, the walls behind them, and the entire space suddenly began to tremble slightly, as if an earthquake had struck.

This tremor made Yun Che's spirit tense, while Ye Xinghan's face outside the door drastically changed.

"Ah..." Feng Xue'er suddenly realized something and exclaimed: "Brother Yun, this isn't good! I heard my Imperial Father say that when the space of the Primordial Profound Ark begins to tremble, it means there are less than thirty minutes before it closes."

"Thirty minutes..." Yun Che looked up at the stone door, his expression turning serious.

Ye Xinghan's voice also became noticeably agitated: "Yun Che! In another thirty minutes, the Primordial Profound Ark will close. If you don't come out, you won't be expelled by the Ark's force field, and both of you will die inside, your bodies disappearing along with the Primordial Profound Ark!"

"Come out, and you both live! Otherwise, you'll all die!"

"You'd do well to worry about yourself first," Yun Che said coldly. "You're also inside this ancient castle. Even if we're forced to stay, you'll still be buried alongside us."

"Buried alongside? Heh, what unpleasant words. You simply need to open the door, just one simple action, and you could live well, and my little sister Xue'er could also live, yet you stubbornly refuse to see reason. It's one thing to be foolish yourself, but to drag my perfect little sister Xue'er into it? I've never seen such an idiot in my life!"

"If I were to believe your words, *that* would make me the real fool," Yun Che sneered.

Rumble...

The space vibrated again. According to past experience and records, the closer it got to the Primordial Profound Ark's closure, the higher the frequency of spatial tremors would become, eventually leading to continuous, intense vibrations akin to the space collapsing. Ye Xinghan's face grew increasingly dark. He turned to look outside the courtyard, quickly calculated the time he needed to escape the castle from his current position, and gritted his teeth, saying: "Yun Che, I'm giving you one last chance: either open the door, or... both of you die together!"

Time flowed by, breath by breath, each passing moment seemingly accompanied by the approaching footsteps of death. Yun Che's expression was calm, but his forehead was covered in cold sweat, as this final period of time would determine his and Feng Xue'er's lives or deaths. Going out now meant death, and if they couldn't get out before the Primordial Profound Ark closed, it would also mean death.

Another quarter of an hour passed. The frequency of spatial tremors noticeably increased, and Ye Xinghan's anxiety grew. He constantly turned his head, repeatedly confirming his escape route and timing from the ancient castle. Then he took a deep breath and roared again: "Yun Che, I'm giving you your final chance! If you don't want to die... open the door now!!"

Inside the stone chamber, Yun Che frowned deeply, gritted his teeth, and said nothing. Feng Xue'er clutched Yun Che's hand tightly, her eyes filled with confusion.

Rumble...

A violent tremor in the space made Ye Xinghan's body sway significantly. At this point, only a final quarter of an hour remained until the full twelve hours were up.

At this late stage, even if Yun Che were to open the door now and hand Feng Xue'er over to him, factoring in the time needed to escape, it would be too late for him to succeed. His face darkened, and his whole body trembled as he said with hatred and ferocity: "Very well, then I shall fulfill your wish! Since I cannot have her, it would be equally satisfying to destroy her myself!"

Ye Xinghan's words made Yun Che suddenly realize what he was about to do. He shot up, roaring, "Stop!"

Before his voice faded, Ye Xinghan's palm had already slammed heavily into the right side of the stone door, precisely on the small profound formation that controlled its opening.

A furious burst of power surged into the profound formation, which immediately flashed brightly, then shattered completely, its scattered profound light slowly dissipating in mid-air.

With the profound formation destroyed, the stone door was now completely locked, impossible to open from either side.

"Haha... hahahaha! Die... die in there forever!!"

The destruction of the profound formation extinguished Yun Che and Feng Xue'er's hope of escape, and utterly crushed Ye Xinghan's hopes of possessing Feng Xue'er. Ye Xinghan let out a cathartic laugh, then, his face contorted with hatred, he soared upwards and rushed out at top speed, quickly descending the stone stairs directly towards the castle's exit.