Chapter 709: Belief Collapse

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish." Yun Che was almost laughing in anger. If he hadn't known about the Phoenix Sealing Formation beforehand, he might have inadvertently entered its area. But with Feng Xilin's dramatic shout, even if his intelligence was halved, he would immediately become suspicious and certainly wouldn't go near it—unless he had a screw loose.

As for now, he naturally had to lower his intelligence to play along with this act.

Yun Che's figure blurred, already streaking directly towards Feng Xilin's location. Even while still holding Feng Ximin, his speed was incredibly fast, his silhouette leaving a meteor-like afterimage as he darted through Phoenix City.

"Protect the Ninth Prince!!"

The Phoenix elders quickly rushed forward, intending to block Yun Che... Of course, it was just a pretense. After understanding Feng Xilin's intention, they eagerly wished Yun Che would charge right in. Seeing Yun Che fall into the trap, they were all secretly delighted, and their rush to intercept him was deliberately a step slower.

Yun Che's already extreme speed only increased, as he flashed through the crowds, leaving all the feigning Phoenix elders behind.

*Screech!*

From extreme speed to a sudden, abrupt stop, the air produced an ear-splitting tearing sound. Feng Xilin abruptly recoiled, shuddering repeatedly... Yun Che, who had been several miles away just moments ago, had appeared within ten paces of him in an instant, still holding a person. Feng Xilin had never witnessed such terrifying speed, not even in his dreams.

The shock and terror in his heart were akin to suddenly seeing a phantom descend from the sky in broad daylight.

But amidst the terror was boundless ecstasy. For beneath their feet lay the hidden Phoenix Sealing Formation. Yun Che's exact position was, in fact, the very core of this formation.

Feng Hengkong and the others watched with wide eyes as Yun Che entered the Phoenix Sealing Formation's area, all overjoyed. Feng Hengkong roared, "Activate the formation!!"

Waking the Phoenix Sealing Formation required only the power of one Phoenix elder. But with Feng Hengkong's roar, over thirty Phoenix elders present attacked simultaneously. Instantly, the dormant Phoenix Sealing Formation fully activated in a single moment, a crimson profound formation covering a hundred-zhang area suddenly appearing beneath Yun Che's feet. It emitted a deep, blood-like firelight, and within this light, an extremely powerful sealing force, like awakened hungry wolves, surged to engulf Yun Che and Feng Xilin within the formation.

Yun Che felt a sudden sense of suppression emanating from his profound veins... but this feeling lasted only an instant before vanishing without a trace. Across from him, Feng Xilin's face contorted in pain, quickly losing color, and the aura of his profound energy rapidly dissipated like a receding tide. Yet, instead of panicking, he completely changed his demeanor and burst into laughter: "Hahahahaha... Yun Che! No matter your boundless power, you've still fallen into my hands! This is the strongest sealing profound formation of my Phoenix Divine Sect! Don't tell me you're only at the King Profound Realm; even if you possessed the power of a Monarch, you'd still be waiting for death!"

Amidst his wild laughter, Feng Xilin's body swayed, and he dropped to his knees with a thud from severe exhaustion, but the manic grin on his face didn't falter in the slightest.

"Lin'er, well done!!" Feng Hengkong's furious roar made the ground tremble slightly, as if venting. For two whole days, extreme rage, hatred, humiliation, and frustration had almost shattered his internal organs. Now, seeing the culprit of all this swallowed by the sealing power of the Phoenix Sealing Formation, he felt an indescribably intense gratification.

"Yun Che, let's see where you'll run this time!" Feng Ximing also approached quickly, roaring.

"Sect Master, let me capture him and bring him before you... This beast shall be personally executed by the Sect Master, to appease the souls of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes!"

The Eighteenth Elder, Feng Yunzhi, was the closest. He had already unleashed his profound energy, pouncing towards Yun Che like a large bird. He was also one of the creators of this massive Phoenix Sealing Formation and could largely control its effects, so its sealing power would not affect him.

At this moment, Yun Che still stood quietly, seemingly unchanged, but in the eyes of everyone from the Phoenix Divine Sect, he was a lamb awaiting slaughter. Because that was the Phoenix Sealing Formation! It was the Phoenix Divine Sect's most domineering sealing profound formation, passed down for thousands of years! Once a Phoenix disciple was caught in it, their profound energy would be sealed, with no chance of escape... not even Princess Snow, who wielded the power of the Phoenix God.

Although its effect on profound practitioners outside the Phoenix Divine Sect would be greatly diminished, it would still produce an extremely powerful sealing effect... far stronger, at least, than ordinary sealing profound formations.

Furthermore, the one Yun Che stood upon was no ordinary Phoenix Sealing Formation. It had been completed by over thirty Phoenix elders working together, and its sealing power was so overbearing that it might even seal a mid-level Monarch... In terms of might, it was not much inferior to the Heavenly Might Soul Suppressing Formation of the Heavenly Might Sword Region.

"Yun Che... die!" Feng Yunzhi roared in a deep voice.

*Plop...* As Yun Che's fingers loosened, Feng Ximin, who had been clutched in his hand, dropped to the ground. Already suppressed by Yun Che's profound energy and now affected by the Phoenix Sealing Formation, he lay motionless on the ground, only letting out faint groans.

"Hahahaha, now you can't even use profound energy, let alone any physical strength." Looking at the seemingly "powerless" Yun Che, Feng Yunzhi laughed wildly: "You beast, you destroyed my sect's Phoenix God statue and killed two of my Divine Phoenix Princes! Even if you died ten million times, it wouldn't atone for this crime! Now that you've fallen into our hands... even if you die, you will forever remember in hell the consequences of offending my Phoenix Divine Sect and killing my Divine Phoenix Princes!!"

"Eighteenth Elder, don't kill him, that would be too easy on him!" Feng Xilin shouted excitedly.

"Of course! We'll make him wish he were dead!" Amidst his roar, Feng Yunzhi's right hand formed a claw, reaching directly for Yun Che's throat.

Just as his palm was less than three zhang from Yun Che, Yun Che slowly turned in his line of sight, offering him a faint smile.

In that instant, a chill ran through Feng Yunzhi's entire body, and a chilling sensation instantly spread from his spine to his limbs... The next moment, he seemed to see Yun Che's figure subtly shift...

*BOOM!!!!*

Without any warning, Feng Yunzhi felt as if his chest had been slammed by a ten-thousand-ton hammer swung down from the heavens. In his ears and from within his body, there was a tremendous roar like collapsing mountains and colliding thunder... In his instinctively dilated pupils, he saw Yun Che's face, still faintly smiling, but for some reason, now right in front of him.

Yun Che slowly withdrew his right fist from Feng Yunzhi's chest, then casually flicked his wrist. The roar from his fist striking Feng Yunzhi's chest was deafening enough to be heard throughout half of Divine Phoenix City. One could imagine the terrifying power behind such a blow; not to mention a person, even a massive boulder should have been sent flying ten miles away.

Yet, Feng Yunzhi was not sent flying, nor did he even retreat a single step. Even after Yun Che withdrew his arm, he remained standing motionless... only, the profound energy aura around him had completely dispersed, so much so that not even a trace could be detected.

A light breeze blew, and Feng Yunzhi's body tilted backward, falling straight down like a wooden stake... There was no movement, no breath, and no trace of blood. Only his face was a terrifying ashen white, his eyes bulging, pupils dilated to the extreme, almost consuming his entire eyeballs.

The previously scorching air became chillingly cold and dead silent. The relaxed, excited expressions on everyone from the Phoenix Divine Sect completely froze on their faces. Feng Hengkong, the elders, and the princes, who had been rushing forward at full speed to punish Yun Che, all stopped as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at a scene that should not have happened, utterly petrified.

Only when Feng Yunzhi fell stiffly did they awaken as if from a dream. Feng Feilie let out a sorrowful cry: "Yunzhi!!"

"Eighteenth Elder!!"

"Hah!" Yun Che delivered a kick, sending Feng Yunzhi flying far towards Feng Hengkong. Feng Feilie quickly moved forward, catching Feng Yunzhi. The moment he took him into his arms, his own arms trembled, and as he probed with his profound energy, his whole body began to shake.

"How is Yunzhi?" Feng Hengkong quickly approached, placing his palm on Feng Yunzhi's chest as he spoke... After a brief touch, he swiftly withdrew his hand, his face showing far greater shock than Feng Feilie's.

Feng Yunzhi's internal organs were pulverized, his profound veins shattered, his meridians completely severed, and all the bones in his body had turned to powder...

His body's exterior was completely unharmed, while its interior had been reduced to a pulp.

And Yun Che had merely delivered one punch to his chest.

Feng Yunzhi was currently ranked eighteenth among the Phoenix elders, with profound energy reaching level eight of the Tyrant Profound Realm!! Yet, he had died so completely from a single punch by Yun Che!

"Yun Che... you... you... you!!!" It had only been a few breaths since Feng Hengkong had unleashed his venting roar, and he had already begun to contemplate how to deal with Yun Che to appease his burning hatred. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Yun Che had not been captured by Feng Yunzhi; instead, Feng Yunzhi had died a miserable death at Yun Che's hands.

Meanwhile, beneath Yun Che's feet, the profound light of the Phoenix Sealing Formation still pulsed, a nearly blood-red sealing radiance enveloping his body. Feng Hengkong had no doubt that if he were inside the formation, his Phoenix profound energy would be completely sealed by this profound sealing light from the Phoenix Sealing Formation, rendering him unable to use even a trace of it.

But Yun Che...

"Keep laughing, keep shouting, I love to hear it." Yun Che's gaze shifted, smiling as he savored the expressions of shock and terror, as if they had seen a ghost, on everyone in his sight.

"Impossible... impossible..." A Phoenix elder who had participated in forging the Phoenix Sealing Formation shrank his pupils, unable to believe his eyes no matter what. He murmured in a trembling, lost voice: "That's the Phoenix Sealing Formation... it's the Phoenix Sealing Formation..."

Yun Che had stood within the Phoenix Sealing Formation, created by the combined efforts of over thirty Phoenix elders, and killed a Phoenix elder with one punch... This brought them not anger and humiliation, but a near collapse of their beliefs.

Behind Yun Che, Feng Xilin's previous wild grin was now completely contorted on his face, his body trembling as he sagged. At this moment, Yun Che stretched out both arms, and a surge of profound energy swirled, drawing Feng Ximin and Feng Xilin simultaneously into his grasp amidst their terrified screams. He didn't even bother to glance at Feng Xilin. Meeting Feng Hengkong's gaze, he slowly lifted both of his sons by their throats: "Feng Hengkong, today I originally only intended to kill one of your sons if you disobeyed. After all, you only have fourteen sons, and killing them all too soon would exhaust my entertainment. But your ninth son was so courteous as to be impatient to throw himself to his death, so I had no choice but to oblige him."

"Imperial Father..." Feng Xilin's voice was weak, hoarse, and desperate. He knew that Feng Xiluo and Feng Xichen had died by the very hand that now held him.

"My two esteemed Divine Phoenix Princes, there's no need to be nervous. I never said I would definitely kill you." Yun Che said with a beaming smile, "You should know very well that it's not me who decides your life or death, but your Imperial Father. Feng Hengkong, today, are you prepared to watch them die, just as before, or will you obediently comply? Whichever you choose, I will immediately grant your wish."

Feng Ximin, Feng Xilin... this time, two princes' lives were in Yun Che's hands.

The Phoenix Sealing Formation, which they had invested immense effort into setting up, had not only failed to affect Yun Che in the slightest but had also delivered Feng Xilin directly into his hands... and Feng Yunzhi had consequently died a miserable death.

Before him were two sons whose lives could end at any moment in Yun Che's hands. In his mind, Feng Xiluo and Feng Xichen, already dead by Yun Che's hand, haunted him... Since Yun Che's arrival, in less than three short days, it had become a nightmare darker than any abyss.

Feng Hengkong reached out his hand... In front of Yun Che, his imperial might, dignity, glory, pride... all had been utterly shattered. All that remained was anger, humiliation, resentment, and a profound sense of sorrow and powerlessness.

"Release them... I agree... to all the conditions you proposed yesterday."

After speaking these words, Feng Hengkong closed his eyes, his eyelids twitching in pain. His previous decision had already led to the tragic deaths of two sons; he could not, under any circumstances, bear to watch another son perish at Yun Che's hands.

Feng Hengkong's words brought expressions of extreme pain to all the Phoenix elders, yet none of them spoke to object... For three days, the Yun Che they had witnessed had grown more terrifying with each passing day. Perhaps a humiliating compromise was for the best... It would save the lives of the two princes and finally bring this nightmare to an end.

"All the conditions from yesterday?" Yun Che did not burst into triumphant laughter at Feng Hengkong's reply. Instead, he wore a playful, puzzled expression: "I seem to recall I haven't yet stated the condition for not killing these two sons of yours. What do yesterday's conditions... have to do with today?"