Chapter 691: Divine Phoenix Killing Intent

Divine Phoenix Empire, Phoenix Sect.

Feng Ximing's right cheek was dark red, like congealed blood, and severely swollen. The slap from Feng Hengkong, delivered in a fit of rage, had been extremely heavy; even with Feng Ximing's profound strength, he still hadn't fully recovered. He stood respectfully bowed before Feng Hengkong: "Father Emperor, what are your commands for your son?"

Feng Hengkong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, not turning around, and stated calmly, "Feng Huwei is dead."

Feng Ximing's brows furrowed sharply: "Dead!? It seems the people from the Four Great Sacred Grounds finally couldn't hold back and resorted to such a ruthless act. Was the secret revealed?"

"Feng Huwei had a memory cage jointly set by all the Grand Elders; there's absolutely no possibility of anything being leaked." Feng Hengkong's brows drew together: "Moreover, the one who killed Feng Huwei wasn't from the Four Great Sacred Grounds. They wouldn't risk offending the Phoenix God just for a mere suspicion to kill Feng Huwei."

"Not from the Four Great Sacred Grounds?" Astonishment deepened on Feng Ximing's face: "Although Feng Huwei was the leader of the Divine Phoenix Army, his profound cultivation was far from weak. Besides the Four Great Sacred Grounds, who else would have the ability and the audacity to kill Feng Huwei? Besides, Feng Huwei was accompanied by two hundred thousand Divine Phoenix soldiers!"

"It's someone you would never expect," Feng Hengkong turned around, his expression incredibly grave and unsightly. "It's Yun Che!!"

"What?" Feng Ximing snapped his head up, immediately pulling on his facial injury, causing a trembling twitch at the corner of his eye. "Which Yun Che?"

"Hmph, who else could it be? It's Yun Che, the one who should have died in the Primordial Profound Ark three years ago!" Feng Hengkong emphasized, "Don't ask me why he's still alive; I want to know why more than anyone!"

"How could he still be alive? Three years ago, he vanished along with the Primordial Profound Ark. There's simply no possibility of survival. Could it be just a look-alike, or someone impersonating him to create confusion?"

"Hmph, I'm certainly not so incompetent that I can't even discern a person's authenticity!" Feng Hengkong said in a deep voice. From Feng Huwei's dying soul message, Yun Che's voice, expression, and the arrogance in his eyes, emanating from his very bones—no one in this world could imitate them. "Not only is he still alive, but his profound strength far surpasses what it was three years ago. Feng Huwei was utterly powerless against him."

"Could it be that his current strength has reached the mid-level Tyrannical Profound Realm?" Feng Ximing exclaimed in shock. Feng Huwei's profound strength was at the early-level Tyrannical Profound Realm; for him to be utterly powerless, Yun Che would need at least mid-level Tyrant Emperor strength. "No, that's impossible. No matter how strong his talent, it's impossible to improve this much in just three short years."

"No, his current strength might be even beyond the mid-level Tyrannical Profound Realm." Feng Hengkong's gaze was chillingly cold as he said in a low voice, "The 700,000 strong army that mysteriously disappeared before the Blue Wind Imperial City, including the two supervising elders, Fei Heng and Fei Ying, vanished because of him—he said so himself! If that's true, then his strength would definitely be more than mid-level Tyrant Emperor; it's highly possible he's reached the late-level Tyrannical Profound Realm!"

"That's even more impossible!" Feng Ximing retorted without hesitation. "Yun Che barely managed to defeat Xi Luo with all his might back then; his strength was roughly at the ninth level of the King Profound Realm. In just three short years, even if he had consumed a Grand Gold Pill, it's absolutely impossible for him to have advanced to the late-level Tyrannical Profound Realm in such a short time. If you say he used some special means or profound artifacts, your son might accept that. But to say he destroyed 700,000 Divine Phoenix soldiers and two supervising elders by himself, your son simply cannot believe it, no matter what."

"Furthermore, even if we assume Yun Che, resurrected from death, truly possesses late-level Tyrant Emperor strength, he would at most be a minor inconvenience, not a major concern. And knowing that the army's disappearance wasn't due to the secret intervention of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, Father Emperor should be greatly relieved. Why then is your expression so solemn?"

"Hmph, forget one Yun Che, even ten Yun Ches coming back to life wouldn't stir any significant waves!" Feng Hengkong's brows furrowed to their extreme. "But have you forgotten why Xue'er was unconscious for three years!?"

Feng Ximing's expression changed instantly: "Is Father Emperor worried about Xue'er...?"

"Not worried!" Feng Hengkong's chest rose and fell violently, his face becoming nearly distorted with grimness. "It's a fact far more terrifying than you imagine! Do you know what Xue'er said to me after I drove you out earlier? She told me to treat the Blue Wind Nation kindly!"

"Is that why Father Emperor ordered everyone not to discuss military action against the Blue Wind Nation?" Feng Ximing began to realize the gravity of the situation.

"How could I not grant Xue'er's request!" Feng Hengkong clenched his fists tightly. "Three years ago, Yun Che indeed saved Xue'er's life, and Xue'er, for his sake, was unconscious for three full years and even wept heartbreakingly for him. Have you ever seen Xue'er cry before?"

"I had already sensed that her feelings for Yun Che were far more than simple gratitude!" Feng Hengkong's body trembled slightly, and deep within his pupils, anger and a profound sense of apprehension flickered. "Xue'er mysteriously acquired an ice-type flying profound beast, and I incidentally learned that this ice-type profound beast is called a Snow Phoenix Beast, which only exists in a place called the Ice Cloud Snowfield in the Blue Wind Nation. And Yun Che's former flying mount was a Snow Phoenix Beast."

"Could this mean..."

"Before Xue'er went to Tranquil Phoenix Valley, she suddenly asked me if she could go to the Ice Cloud Snowfield in the Blue Wind Nation. And there's only one power in the Ice Cloud Snowfield: the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. Yun Che is from the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace!"

Feng Hengkong's words made Feng Ximing's face change repeatedly: "Are you saying that Xue'er and Yun Che knew each other even before the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament?"

"I should have realized long ago, given Yun Che's temperament, if it were merely because Xue'er helped him out of a predicament in the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament, how could he have risked his life to save her? Likewise, if it were simply a life-saving grace, how could Xue'er have been so heartbroken over him?" Feng Hengkong's anger was beginning to transform into increasingly volatile killing intent, and the temperature throughout the Phoenix Great Hall was rising sharply.

Feng Xue'er, the treasure bestowed upon the Phoenix Sect by the heavens, the future Phoenix God of the Phoenix Sect. His greatest pride in this life, his most cherished, a daughter more important than his own life, more important than the entire Phoenix Sect in his world, yet she was shedding tears of sorrow because of an outsider, someone the Phoenix Sect considered an enemy.

He could never blame Feng Xue'er, but his hatred for Yun Che had surged thousands of times over. Compared to this, Yun Che possessing the Phoenix bloodline or disrespecting the entire Sect's dignity was utterly insignificant.

Because Feng Xue'er's request to treat the Blue Wind Nation kindly had already thrown him into disarray, leading him to impose a city-wide ban. Now, Yun Che was actually still alive! If Feng Xue'er were to discover that Yun Che was still alive, he dared not imagine what would happen.

Feng Ximing, still relatively calm, said: "But Xue'er usually stays either in the Phoenix Realm or in Tranquil Phoenix Valley. The Phoenix Realm is absolutely impossible. As for Tranquil Phoenix Valley, it has three barriers, and the fourth side is protected by the Grand Phoenix Array. Only members of our Sect can enter; it's impossible for Yun Che to have had any other contact with Xue'er!"

"The problem, it's highly possible, lies with the Grand Phoenix Array!" Feng Hengkong's face grew increasingly gloomy. "It's not true that only members of our Sect can enter the Grand Phoenix Array. Don't forget, Yun Che also possesses the Phoenix bloodline; he can also enter without hindrance! Three years ago, a dozen days before the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament began, you personally told me that Chen'er's chief protector, Feng Chihuo, died tragically within the Grand Phoenix Array..."

Feng Ximing was suddenly startled, and his expression drastically changed: "Father Emperor, are you saying that the one who killed Feng Chihuo back then was Yun Che!? And then he passed through the Grand Phoenix Array and entered Tranquil Phoenix Valley where Xue'er resides?"

"Highly possible!" Feng Hengkong said heavily, his clenched fists creaking. Back then, when he heard about Feng Chihuo's death, he didn't take it seriously at all. At that time, he was fully focused on preparing for the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament and the Primordial Profound Ark; how would he pay attention to the death of a minor protector? Moreover, dying within the Grand Phoenix Array could only be due to a conflict between members of the same clan, and the weaker one dying was simply a matter of being inferior in skill. All of Feng Xue'er's words and actions after waking up caused him, amidst his mental turmoil, to inadvertently recall this "news" from three years ago.

"Xue'er is kind and pure, with a heart free of worldly dust. And Yun Che possesses the Phoenix aura. Even if he intruded into Tranquil Phoenix Valley, Xue'er wouldn't be on guard. Furthermore, Yun Che is sharp-tongued; he virtually rendered everyone speechless during the ranking tournament. How could Xue'er withstand his allure!" Feng Hengkong gritted his teeth. Although these were all speculations, the more he thought about it and delved deeper during this period, the more plausible it seemed.

"So, what should we do now?" Unconsciously, a layer of killing intent, similar to Feng Hengkong's, also appeared around Feng Ximing.

"Of course, we kill him in the shortest possible time!" Feng Hengkong's words dripped with murderous intent. "By no means can we let Xue'er see Yun Che again. No, by no means can Xue'er know he's still alive!"

"Ming'er, inform the various elders to gather in the Phoenix Great Hall tomorrow at noon to discuss important matters! Also, regarding Yun Che's elimination, it seems necessary to ask a Grand Elder to take action. Although the possibility of Yun Che already possessing late-level Tyrannical Profound Realm strength is extremely small, he must die!" As Feng Hengkong's last word fell, it was accompanied by the sound of his teeth grinding.

In his life, he had never felt such deep-seated murderous intent towards a single person.

For a Grand Elder, who served as the cornerstone of the entire Sect, to personally go out and kill a young man in his twenties—anyone in the Phoenix Sect would be dumbfounded to hear this. But Feng Ximing showed no surprise, because as Feng Hengkong said, Yun Che had to die. His life wasn't valuable, but it concerned Feng Xue'er!

"Your son accepts the command," Feng Ximing bowed solemnly.

After several violent heaves of his chest, Feng Hengkong finally calmed down slowly. He seemed to mumble to himself, "It seems, before ensuring Yun Che is truly dead and all future troubles are cleared, I must find a way to delay Xue'er's trip to the Ice Cloud Snowfield in the Blue Wind Nation..."

He turned his face and looked at Feng Ximing's right cheek, his gaze softening slightly. "Ming'er, does your face still hurt? It was Father Emperor's oversight in a moment of haste. I apologize."

Feng Ximing hastily and deferentially replied, "What are you saying, Father Emperor? Your son spoke out of turn and caused Xue'er distress. It is only right for Father Emperor to discipline your son. Your son only feels self-reproach and trepidation, without any complaints. Your words truly humble your son."

"Haha," Feng Hengkong chuckled faintly, seemingly pleased, and then waved a hand. "You may go. What was discussed today should remain only between us, father and son."

"Yes, your son will naturally not utter a single word to anyone. Your son will not disturb Father Emperor any further. I take my leave!"

After leaving the Phoenix Great Hall, Feng Ximing's previously calm face suddenly turned grim. He raised his head, touching his severely swollen right cheek. His entire face began to contort, his eyes slowly widening to their maximum. Deep within his pupils, an intertwining chaos of icy cold killing intent and malevolence slowly formed. A trickle of scarlet blood seared from between his tightly clenched teeth, gathering at the corner of his trembling mouth.

"Yun Che! How dare you..."

"How dare you!!!"