Chapter 687: That’s Really Great

In the very center of the Divine Phoenix Army's encampment, a crimson tent, shaped like a flame, stood out conspicuously.

As the overall commander of the Divine Phoenix Empire's army stationed in Flowing Cloud City, Feng Huwei had been in excellent spirits lately. He clearly understood the immense importance of the "mission" he was undertaking. Being entrusted with such a critical task sufficiently demonstrated the Sect Master and the elders' trust and high regard for him. After the mission was completed, his status within the Phoenix Divine Sect was very likely to rise.

However, in the past two days, with the news that the central army attacking Cangfeng Imperial City had suddenly gone silent, he had become somewhat uneasy.

"Still no news from the main army?"

Inside the large tent, there were only two people. Feng Huwei, dressed in light clothes, was casually seated on a wooden chair, holding a pot of strong liquor, listening with a frown to his deputy's report.

"Not just the main army," Feng Huwei's first deputy, Tian Yi, said, a look of profound dread on his face. "Western Army Commander Han Xingchao and Elder Fifty-Two personally led fifty thousand troops to Cangfeng Imperial City last night to investigate, but they too have gone silent. They also brought tens of thousands of flame warhorses and flying profound beasts, which should have allowed them to advance and retreat freely, but..." Having campaigned on battlefields for over a hundred years, they had never encountered anything so terrifying. Hundreds of thousands of troops had seemingly vanished from the world in an instant.

Feng Huwei pondered deeply, his brows furrowed. After a moment, he slowly said, "To make hundreds of thousands of troops, including three Phoenix elders, vanish in a short time without even a chance to send a message... unless there's a Divine Profound Realm guardian in Cangfeng Imperial City!"

"Divine Profound... Divine Emperor!?" Deputy Tian Yi looked up, exclaiming in surprise, "How is that possible! The King Profound Realm is the limit in Cangfeng, and in a thousand years, not even a Tyrant Profound Realm expert has appeared, so how could a Divine Emperor appear! Furthermore, profound practitioners with Divine Profound Realm power are like peerless emperors throughout the continent; why would they act for a mere Cangfeng Nation?"

"There's no other possibility besides that, and I'm sure the Sect Master and the elders also think so," Feng Huwei said without hesitation. "If Cangfeng Nation doesn't have a Divine Emperor... then who was that terrifying black-clothed man in Flowing Cloud City!"

Tian Yi was speechless. Recalling the terrifying sight and the aura of hell from half a year ago, his heart still clenched violently.

"I'm sure the Sect Master and the elders think the same way." Feng Huwei tossed away the empty wine pot in his hand and calmly said, "But even if a Divine Emperor is guarding Cangfeng Imperial City, they can only protect it temporarily! My Phoenix Divine Sect has twelve Divine Emperors! Does that person truly believe that with Divine Emperor power, they can challenge my Divine Phoenix Empire!?"

"The General is right; daring to provoke our Divine Phoenix Empire, even a Divine Emperor, is seeking death!" Tian Yi nodded, saying, "The loss of seven hundred thousand troops and the blood debt of three Phoenix elders—I believe His Majesty will make him repay tenfold!" He paused, then cupped his hands and said, "I have another important matter that requires the General's decision."

"Speak!"

"Yes, sir!" Tian Yi took two steps closer and lowered his voice: "This morning, eleven more of our soldiers went missing. Their bodies were all found several miles away..."

"Hmph." Feng Huwei showed no anger, not even surprise. Similar incidents had occurred several times in the past six months. Every so often, soldiers would suddenly disappear, and when their bodies were found, they showed signs of cruel torture, clearly having been interrogated. He gave a disdainful sneer: "Ignore it. No matter what methods they use, they won't get anything out of them."

"No, this time it's different," Tian Yi immediately said. "The bodies found this time had no external injuries, but their expressions were uniformly stiff and blank. It's highly possible... they were subjected to soul-searching!"

"Soul-searching?" Feng Huwei's brows furrowed deeply, followed by a cold snort: "To be able to perform soul-searching... it seems that after struggling to figure things out for so long, they've finally sent some true experts."

"I believe the General must pay more attention to his own safety," Tian Yi said.

"No need to worry." Feng Huwei waved a hand dismissively, saying, "What are the Four Great Sacred Grounds? My Phoenix Divine Sect is protected by the great Phoenix God. They might have the guts to kill our soldiers, but they don't have the guts to lay a hand on this General. This General possesses the Phoenix bloodline and is protected by the Phoenix God!"

"I was overly concerned, General," Tian Yi said respectfully. Looking at Feng Huwei's confident expression, he hesitated for a moment before finally plucking up the courage to say, "General, why are we stationed here, 'training' every day? I dare not speculate, but after several months of this, the soldiers are quite..." As he spoke, he suddenly felt Feng Huwei's gaze turn cold and grim. He stiffened, dared not continue, and hastily added, "I spoke out of turn, General. Please forgive me."

"Good that you know you spoke out of turn!" Feng Huwei let out a heavy snort, shifted his gaze, and said indifferently, "Never ask that question again. Just know that this is a personal order from the Sect Master! If we succeed, both you and I can return to our nation with honors. If we mess up, even this General cannot bear the consequences! For questions you shouldn't ask, simply keep your mouth shut. You'll know when it's time for you to know!"

"Yes, sir!" Tian Yi quickly responded, daring not to speak another word.

"Is that so? What a pity, it seems you won't have the chance to return to your nation with honors."

A voice, distinctly mocking and arrogant, suddenly came, as if from thin air. Tian Yi abruptly sprang from the ground, his longsword instantly drawn from its scabbard: "Who's there!!"

This was the main army tent, with heavy layers of soldiers guarding it outside. Moreover, Feng Huwei was a powerful early-stage Tyrant Profound Realm expert, and Tian Yi was a third-level Monarch Profound Realm expert. Yet, this voice had simply appeared beside their ears, completely undetected beforehand. Although both reacted extremely quickly, the hairs on their bodies stood on end in shock.

Tian Yi, gripping his longsword, quickly spun around, looking in all directions, but saw no one. As he turned back, preparing to stand close to Feng Huwei, he was startled to see less than a step behind Feng Huwei, a young man in golden robes standing silently, a grim, cold smile on his face, his eyes as dark as a deep abyss. And Feng Huwei, mighty as a Tyrant Profound Realm expert, with his profound energy released and eyes wide with rage... had utterly failed to notice the young man behind him!!

Tian Yi's sword-holding hand trembled violently, and he yelled in alarm: "General, you... behind you!!"

Feng Huwei subconsciously turned his head and instantly faced a countenance right before him. In an instant, his pupils contracted, and he recoiled as if sprung, his entire body covered in a cold sweat by the time he stood firm. He pointed at the young man, about to speak, when he suddenly found the face somewhat familiar. After a brief stunned moment, his expression drastically changed, and he gasped, "You... you're Yun Che!!"

"Oh?" Yun Che crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed in a cold sneer. "For the famous General Huwei of the Divine Phoenix Empire to recognize me, what a great honor it is."

"Yun... Yun Che?" Tian Yi turned to Feng Huwei. "Which Yun Che? Didn't he... didn't he die three years ago?"

As a member of the Phoenix Divine Sect, Feng Huwei not only held the rank of General Huwei but also possessed profound strength reaching the Tyrant Profound Realm, naturally qualifying him to be present at the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament. How could he forget the face that had trampled the dignity of the Phoenix Divine Sect underfoot?

"You're actually still alive!" Feng Huwei said in a deep voice. If it were Yun Che from three years ago, Feng Huwei would naturally not be afraid. But just now, Yun Che was less than a foot behind him, and he hadn't detected him at all! Even a fool would know what level of power was required to achieve that. Furthermore, Yun Che showed no profound energy fluctuations, yet merely being under his gaze caused Feng Huwei a deep sense of dread. All of this proved that the Yun Che before him, who should have been long dead, possessed power far more terrifying than three years ago.

"And you... are about to die," Yun Che sneered lowly, a chilling aura of killing intent firmly locking onto Feng Huwei.

"Don't you dare harm my General!!" Tian Yi roared, positioning his sword defensively beside Feng Huwei. Then, gritting his teeth, he thrust his sword directly towards Yun Che's chest. His heart, however, grew increasingly alarmed. Such a loud commotion here, yet the guards outside the tent were completely unresponsive... Had he already dealt with all of them? But there had been no sound outside just moments ago!

Meanwhile, outside the main tent, layers of guards stood with stern expressions, gazing straight ahead... An invisible, colorless "Ice Phoenix Illusory Mirror" enveloped the entire tent. Within Yun Che's control, no sound or aura could escape.

Where Tian Yi's sword tip passed, it tore a startling vortex in the space. This seemingly plain and unadorned strike was infused with his full power. Yun Che, however, did not move, allowing the sword tip to plunge towards his chest.

Seeing that Yun Che had no intention of dodging, a hint of joy appeared in Tian Yi's eyes. His entire profound energy surged, gathering at the sword tip, and he fiercely thrust it into Yun Che's chest...

A full-power strike from a Monarch Profound Realm expert could easily pierce even refined steel. But this sword, firmly planted in Yun Che's chest, produced not a single sound. Tian Yi felt as if his sword had suddenly plunged into empty space. His fully released profound energy had erupted within this "void" and vanished without a trace...

Tian Yi stood frozen, as if petrified, his longsword pressed against Yun Che's chest. The next instant, the longsword in his hand felt light, its blade crumbling into countless tiny specks of dust that scattered downwards, leaving only the hilt remaining in his grip.

Tian Yi's eyes were dull, his gaze unfocused, his entire body motionless. As the dust from the sword blade fully settled, he, too, stiffly toppled backward like a block of wood, his eyes wide open and unmoving... There wasn't a single wound on his body, yet all signs of life were gone.

"Tian Yi!" Feng Huwei took a step forward but immediately retreated just as quickly. He stared straight at Yun Che, his face incredibly grim... He hadn't seen at all how Yun Che had killed Tian Yi.

"General Huwei," Yun Che sneered, looking at Feng Huwei. His killing intent made Feng Huwei's body convulse, barely able to move. "I heard that a few months ago, when you led your troops into Flowing Cloud City, you ordered my little aunt to be kidnapped?"

Yun Che's voice abruptly turned chilling: "You truly have audacious gall!!"

Yun Che's words made Feng Huwei's eyelids twitch violently. He knew perfectly well who Yun Che was referring to, because when they encountered Xiao Lingxi in Flowing Cloud City, the two city lords had eagerly introduced her as Yun Che's little aunt, which had made him even more excited at the time. He immediately understood why this "resurrected" Yun Che had suddenly come for him and harbored killing intent... He had heard more than once that one of Cangfeng Nation's strongest sects had been brutally annihilated by Yun Che, not a single blade of grass left, simply because they had kidnapped his little aunt!

Feng Huwei composed himself, suppressing the fear in his heart. A cold sneer, however, appeared on his face: "You want to kill me? That depends on whether you have the guts."

"Oh?" Yun Che's eyebrow twitched.

"You might have the ability to kill me now, but..." Feng Huwei stretched out a hand, pointing to his temple: "My soul, however, carries a soul imprint personally placed by the Sect Master! If you dare to kill me, the Sect Master will instantly know my memories from thirty breaths before my death! Hmph, if you dare to kill someone from my Phoenix Divine Sect, you will die a far more miserable death, and everyone connected to you will also perish terribly! If you have the guts, come and kill me!"

"Is that so!" Contrary to Feng Huwei's expectation of a change in expression, Yun Che's eyes became playful instead, and his cold sneer deepened with even more mockery: "That's... absolutely wonderful!!"