Chapter 690: Sword Points to the Divine Phoenix

“The Divine Phoenix Nation? Why would you go there!” Xiao Lingxi’s expression became even more anxious, as it was a nightmare-like name for all citizens of Cangfeng Nation at that moment. She gripped Yun Che’s hand tightly. “Three years ago, something happened to you in the Divine Phoenix Nation. How can you… how can you…”

“No… absolutely not! I forbid you from doing anything dangerous ever again!” Xiao Lingxi shook her head resolutely, her pleading gaze turning to Xiao Lie. “Dad, quickly stop Yun Che. He’s going out to do something dangerous again.”

Xiao Lie looked directly at Yun Che, his eyes much clearer than before, reflecting a change in his mindset. He calmly asked, “Che’er, are you so eager to go to the Divine Phoenix Empire to make them retreat?”

“Yes!” Yun Che nodded. “On a personal level, I am a citizen of the Cangfeng Nation. On a larger scale, I am the imperial son-in-law of the Cangfeng Royal Family. My homeland has been trampled, and the Emperor has suffered. No matter what, I cannot remain silent. For every day the Divine Phoenix Nation stays in Cangfeng, Cangfeng suffers another day of disaster. So I must go to Divine Phoenix as soon as possible. The 200,000 Divine Phoenix troops east of the city also seem suspicious. If I can’t investigate them soon, I won’t be at ease.”

Xiao Lie nodded slowly, then smiled faintly. “No matter what, ensure your own safety. Even if it’s for Lingxi and me… please don’t put yourself in danger again.”

“Mm!” Yun Che nodded firmly. “I will.”

Xiao Lingxi immediately grew anxious. “Dad, you…”

“Lingxi, we can’t stop him.” Xiao Lie chuckled, then said wistfully, “Che’er has completely grown up. The world he can now access is far vaster than what we can see with our own eyes. Moreover, this time he’s not acting for personal grievances, but for the entire Cangfeng Nation. If he can truly save countless Cangfeng compatriots from suffering, we can only be proud. What reason would we have to stop him?”

“Dad…” Xiao Lie’s words melted Xiao Lingxi’s resolve into apprehension. She lowered her head and bit her lip. “But I’m scared… I’m really scared…”

Five years ago at Heavenly Sword Villa… three years ago on the Primordial Profound Ark… two times he was lost and found, but behind it were two devastating blows that nearly broke her. The changes in her state of mind over the years made her increasingly aware of what was most important to her deep down. Now reunited with him, she only wishes for his continued safety, free from any more risks or hardships. Everything else… could be unimportant.

“Aunt, please don’t worry,” Yun Che gently reassured her. “Three years ago, I broke my promise to you once, making you grieve for me for three full years. This time, I absolutely will not break my promise to you again… I’ll be back in a month at most, and although I’m going to the Divine Phoenix Nation, there won’t be any substantial risk. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Xiao Yun.”

“Exactly, exactly, exactly!” Xiao Yun nodded enthusiastically. “Big Brother is super powerful now. No matter where he goes, it’s hard for him to even *find* danger. Plus, Big Brother has an amazing profound ark that can instantly travel through space. Even if there’s any real danger, Big Brother can escape immediately, and no one can catch him. So, I completely trust Big Brother, and Aunt, you really can rest assured.”

Xiao Yun wasn't deliberately helping Yun Che reassure Xiao Lingxi; it was a heartfelt admiration and trust in Yun Che. After all, he had utterly defeated the Underworld King's forces that had enveloped the entire Illusory Demon Realm, saving the Demon Emperor Clan. The Underworld King’s cunning, power, and ambition were terrifying; he was on the verge of replacing the Demon Emperor’s rule, but thanks to Yun Che, his efforts came to naught, leading to his clan’s demise. There was also the renowned Sun-Moon Divine Palace in the Illusory Demon Realm, which had arrived with such bravado, only to be utterly outmaneuvered by Yun Che and forced to flee in disarray.

And with the Primordial Profound Ark that could travel through space… Although Yun Che’s strength wasn’t top-tier, Xiao Yun firmly believed that in this world, taking his life would be infinitely harder than killing a peak Emperor. The ones who truly needed to worry were those he targeted or who became his enemies.

“…” Xiao Lingxi bit her lip even harder, still unwilling to release Yun Che’s hand. After a long moment, she raised her head, her bright eyes looking at Yun Che. “Then… can you leave tomorrow instead? You just came back, and I haven’t had a chance to properly see you… Oh, and Xiao Yun and Little Seven are going to the back mountain tomorrow to pay respects to Father. You could go with them. So, please don’t leave today, okay?”

How could Yun Che refuse such a gentle plea? He nodded softly. “Alright, I’ll leave tomorrow then… Hmm, it’s been many years since I’ve had Aunt’s cooking.”

“Mm…” Xiao Lingxi smiled faintly. She gazed at his face quietly, her eyes and smile becoming distant and infatuated.

Xiao Lie’s gaze remained on Xiao Lingxi. Seeing her current appearance and the way she looked at Yun Che, his brows furrowed slightly, then quickly relaxed, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

As night fell, a sumptuous dinner was enjoyed in joyful harmony. Xiao Lie, who usually struggled to eat, consumed three large bowls of rice, his face growing redder, and his hearty laughter was louder than all his laughter from the past three years combined. Perhaps, he had never dared to dream that he would be able to share a reunion meal at the same table with his biological grandson again.

After dinner, Yun Che called out to Xiao Yun. “Xiao Yun, come with me for a moment. I need to talk to you about something in private.”

Yun Che led Xiao Yun out of the courtyard. Seeing Yun Che’s serious expression, Xiao Yun asked nervously, “Big Brother, is it something very important?”

Yun Che raised a hand to tap his chin, then stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Actually, what I said this afternoon about Little Seven being pregnant… it’s fake.”

Xiao Yun froze, then immediately jumped up. “What! F-fake!?”

“Shh!! Keep your voice down!!” Yun Che pressed down on Xiao Yun’s shoulder. “Of course, I said that not to trick you, but for Grandpa!”

“You’ve seen Grandpa’s physical condition!” Yun Che’s expression turned serious. “A profound practitioner who has lived half his life, deteriorating to this state in three years, is solely because he has harbored a persistent death wish! I heard from some people in the Xiao clan that Grandpa and Grandma had a very deep affection. Grandma passed away not long after giving birth to Aunt, due to a lingering sorrow over Uncle Xiao’s—your father’s—death. If Grandpa hadn’t been raising Aunt and me, he would have followed her long ago. Later, as Aunt and I grew up, Grandpa’s mental state became noticeably more depressed. At that time, I used the hope of revenge and your continued existence to support him… But three years ago, when the news of my death arrived, it completely solidified Grandpa’s death wish. If it weren’t for Aunt, he might have ended his own life long ago.”

“Now I’m back, and you’re back too. Grandpa is happy and content, but even so, the death wish that has lingered for three years is hard to eradicate; it’s almost become ingrained. Once his long-cherished wish is fulfilled, the desire to end his life and join Grandma and his son might become even stronger. Therefore, I had to fabricate the story of Little Seven’s pregnancy to give Grandpa a huge surprise and something to look forward to.”

Listening to Yun Che, Xiao Yun quickly calmed down. He thought for a moment, then nodded, his face full of worry. “What Big Brother said makes a lot of sense, but this kind of thing can easily be exposed. And deceiving Little Seven and Grandpa… it’s just not right. They’re so happy; if they knew it was fake, they would be… very sad.”

“You don’t need to worry about that at all,” Yun Che said with a mysterious smile. He extended his hand, revealing two fingernail-sized pills in his palm: one white, one red. “Take these two pills. You eat the red one, and give the white one to Little Seven. Then… Little Seven will be pregnant after tonight.”

“Huh? R-really?” Xiao Yun gaped, then reached out and took the pills from Yun Che’s hand. He looked at them curiously, utterly astonished. “There’s actually such a miraculous medicine? Will it… will it really work?”

“I can casually refine a handful of Overlord Pills, let alone simple medicine for couples,” Yun Che said nonchalantly. “As long as your Little Seven isn’t on her period today, there will definitely be no problem.”

“Hehe, of course, I wouldn’t doubt Big Brother’s medical skills for a second, this is great!” Xiao Yun carefully clutched the red and white pills. Then he looked up and asked curiously, “Big Brother, what did you mean by ‘period’ just now?”

“…” Yun Che quickly recalled Tianxia Qiyi’s complexion today and the pulse he casually checked. “That’s a medical term. You don’t need to know it. Just make sure you and Little Seven take both pills, and there will be no problem.”

“Oh! I’ll go right now!” Xiao Yun nodded, but then stopped after taking a step, looking a bit hesitant and awkward. “But… but how should I tell Little Seven? If I tell her the pregnancy is fake, she might be sad or angry. But if I don’t tell her… then I don’t know how to explain these pills… I’ve never lied to Little Seven, so this is…”

Yun Che rolled his eyes, reached out, snatched the white pill from Xiao Yun’s hand, jumped on the spot, and called out, “Little Seven!”

Tianxia Qiyi in the courtyard turned around. “Big Brother Yun, what is it?”

Yun Che flicked his finger, and the white pill flew swiftly towards Tianxia Qiyi. “You just arrived on the Profound Sky Continent. I’m worried that the change in environment might affect your unborn child, so I prepared a prenatal pill for you. Take it quickly.”

Tianxia Qiyi reached out, caught the pill, glanced at it, and swallowed it without a second thought. She said cheerfully, “Thank you, Big Brother Yun.”

In the Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Che was known to everyone as a divine doctor who could cure any illness. His pills were priceless. She would sooner believe in ghosts than doubt the medicine Yun Che prepared.

Yun Che landed lightly and said to Xiao Yun, “There, problem solved.”

Xiao Yun gave an embarrassed, silly grin, then quickly swallowed his red pill.

Yun Che looked at Xiao Yun and suddenly said, “I killed the commander of those 200,000 Divine Phoenix troops east of the city. Without a leader, they shouldn’t act rashly for now. After I go to the Divine Phoenix Nation tomorrow, the outcome is unpredictable, and the movements of those 200,000 Divine Phoenix troops are also unpredictable. However, there’s absolutely a possibility that they might receive orders to attack Floating Cloud City… So, during this time, Floating Cloud City will depend on you and Little Seven for protection. And if you don’t want to get your hands stained with blood like me, then immediately take Grandpa and Aunt to safety… or send a direct sound transmission to me. With the Primordial Profound Ark, I can return at any time.”

“Don’t worry, Big Brother. No matter what, even if it costs me my life, I won’t let anything happen to Grandpa, Aunt, or Little Seven,” Xiao Yun declared resolutely.

Yun Che turned around, looking south, his gaze gradually deepening. “Divine Phoenix Empire… Divine Phoenix Sect! Prepare to face my wrath!”