Chapter 728: True Reason

Black Moon Merchant Guild, Seventh Floor.

“Master, the Phoenix Divine Ark that just departed from Phoenix City was indeed confirmed after multiple checks to have only three people on board: Yun Che, Feng Hengkong, and Princess Snow, Feng Xue’er. It is flying in the direction of the Azure Cloud Nation. If it is indeed heading to Azure Cloud, it should reach the Azure Cloud Imperial City before dusk tomorrow.”

“...Have you found out what exactly happened?” Zi Ji asked, his brows furrowed.

“Feng Tianwei was nearby, so we dared not approach. But we will know by tomorrow.”

Zi Ji pondered for a long time before slowly saying, “It truly has been full of twists and turns.”

The development of this matter has deviated completely from his predictions at every step. For someone who has always understood the entire situation, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

“Master, I have one more report. The last three soul imprints of the eleven individuals we infiltrated into the Illusory Demon Realm a century ago have all disappeared, following the previous eight... This happened just fifteen minutes ago. It’s highly probable their identities were exposed, they were subjected to soul-searching, and then completely eradicated.”

Zi Ji remained silent.

“Master, there’s no need to be too concerned about this. A century ago, the people we sent into the Demon Emperor Realm only carried seven Sound Transmitting Stones. The message received a year ago was the seventh, meaning all seven stones had been used up. Even if they had all survived, they would no longer be able to send messages back. Although they perished, they fully accomplished their mission.”

The ‘Sound Transmitting Stones’ he referred to were naturally not ordinary ones, but special stones capable of transmitting messages millions of miles, from the Illusory Demon Realm back to the Profound Sky Continent. Throughout the entire Profound Sky Continent, only the Four Sacred Grounds, with their incredibly deep foundations, possessed such special Sound Transmitting Stones, and they were extremely rare.

“...They had been safe all this time, but were eliminated consecutively recently. It seems something significant has happened in the Illusory Demon Realm,” Zi Ji slowly remarked. “However, what I’m more concerned about isn’t their exposure or their deaths, but the last message they sent back a year ago.”

“A year ago?”

“That message briefly described the current state of the twelve Guardian Families of Demon Imperial City. When mentioning the Yun Family, it noted that the crippled Yun Qinghong had adopted a godson named ‘Yun Che’...”

Zi Ji paused there, and the blue-robed man beside him immediately frowned, asking doubtfully, “Does Master believe he has some connection with Yun Che? It should just be a mere coincidence of names, after all...”

“At the time, I didn’t pay any mind to this matter, but...”

Zi Ji did not continue speaking. In his mind, he saw the pair of wings spread open in the dim light of dawn from the Profound Imagery Stone... and the swirling azure storm beneath those wings. And... Yun Che, who had returned alive.

“Master, could it be that...”

Zi Ji shook his head slightly, neither confirming nor denying, then changed his tone, speaking with profound meaning: “A century ago, when we attacked Demon Imperial City, we weren’t the only ones who sent people to infiltrate during the chaos... Heavenly Sword Villa also did. I wonder if they have also used up their Sound Transmitting Stones...”

The Phoenix Divine Ark, the Phoenix Divine Sect’s highest-grade profound ark, was also a symbolic presence for the entire Divine Phoenix Nation. Wherever it flew, it signified the Emperor’s personal presence.

As night fell, the Phoenix Divine Ark was nearing the Divine Phoenix border. In every place it flew over, the citizens of Divine Phoenix bowed from afar.

On the vast Phoenix Divine Ark, there were only three people: Yun Che, Feng Xue’er, and Feng Hengkong, whose expression kept changing.

“Imperial Father says that at the Phoenix Divine Ark’s speed, we should reach Azure Cloud Imperial City around this time tomorrow,” Feng Xue’er said, sitting very close to Yun Che. Her face was flushed as she spoke, clearly excited. After all, this was her first time leaving the Divine Phoenix Nation since birth. She had been looking forward to this day since she was very young.

Watching Feng Xue’er lean against Yun Che without any reservation, or rather, quite naturally, with her eyes full of affection, Feng Hengkong’s face twitched, but he could only sigh deeply in silence... In these few hours on the Phoenix Divine Ark, he had already sighed countless times.

He had always believed he protected Feng Xue’er to the extreme. Even her own brothers found it hard to get within three paces of her, let alone outsiders. Even for the sect disciples, catching a glimpse of Feng Xue’er was an immense stroke of luck. How could this...

Feng Hengkong reached up and clutched his head, his five fingers tightened as if he wanted to tear out all his hair... He would rather Yun Che ruin the Phoenix Divine Sect into fragments than harm Feng Xue’er.

“Did you kill Feng Chihuo?” Feng Hengkong, still clutching his scalp, suddenly blurted out.

“Yes,” Yun Che answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Hmph!” Feng Hengkong said no more, for at this point, nothing he said would matter. He only hoped that Feng Xue’er’s feelings for Yun Che hadn’t reached the extent he dared not imagine.

“I also want to ask you a question.” Yun Che’s gaze fixed on Feng Hengkong. “What was your true motive for ordering the invasion of my Azure Cloud Nation?”

Feng Hengkong’s entire body stiffened. He remained silent.

“Imperial Father, Xue’er also wants to know why,” Feng Xue’er said softly. “Because I know Imperial Father is absolutely not a cruel or heartless person. Imperial Father must have had a very special reason or motive for making that decision three years ago. Can you... tell Yun Brother and me? Perhaps after knowing the reason, Yun Brother’s blame towards Imperial Father... might lessen just a little.”

Feng Hengkong slowly lowered his hand. He found himself unable to refuse Feng Xue’er’s soft inquiry, and recalling that Yun Che clearly knew the truth of the Phoenix God’s demise... Feng Hengkong slowly sighed and said, “Four years ago, when our sect’s Lingkun Hall began preparing for the appearance of the Primordial Profound Ark, they incidentally detected a faint reaction from a purple crystal mine in the far east of the Azure Cloud Nation’s territory. A purple crystal reaction at such a remote distance was unprecedented in history, so a protector from Lingkun Hall was secretly dispatched to investigate. They discovered a huge purple crystal mine, with astonishing energy levels, hidden deep underground to the east of a small city called Floating Cloud City... If all these purple crystals were mined and refined, they could yield a full hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals...”

“Divine crystals!”

“Ah!” Feng Xue’er exclaimed. A hundred catties of purple profound heavenly crystals was already an astonishing concept... let alone purple profound divine crystals!

A hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals would be an incredibly vast resource, even for the Four Sacred Grounds!

To put it in perspective, it would take a Sacred Ground at least five hundred years to accumulate one hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals! If the Phoenix Divine Sect were to obtain all these purple profound divine crystals, it would be equivalent to instantly possessing resources that even a Sacred Ground would take over five centuries to accumulate!

Such a temptation was enough to make the Phoenix Divine Sect... indeed, any force on the Profound Sky Continent, stop at nothing, no matter the cost!

“So... that’s it!!” Yun Che looked up. Feng Hengkong’s words instantly resolved almost all the doubts he had previously held.

“Yun Brother, do you already know?” Yun Che’s words made Feng Xue’er look at him with confusion.

“More or less.” Yun Che stood up, his brows furrowed, and stared at Feng Hengkong, saying, “Let your Imperial Father explain.”

Feng Hengkong closed his eyes slightly and began to recount: “Back then, after our ancestor, the Phoenix God, vanished, those of us who knew gained a strong sense of crisis. If this matter were to be revealed, the Phoenix Divine Sect would certainly be suppressed by the Four Sacred Grounds... and it might even lead to our utter destruction. Therefore, while fiercely guarding the secret of the Phoenix God’s demise, we constantly sought a way to preserve the entire sect—or at least Xue’er—in case the secret was exposed.”

“The discovery of this massive purple crystal mine overjoyed both my father and me. If we could truly obtain a hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals, we could rapidly cultivate a large number of supreme experts, thereby adding another layer of profound security.”

“So... that was the reason? Just to obtain that purple crystal mine in the Azure Cloud Nation?” Feng Xue’er shook her head, bewildered and perplexed. “But what does that have to do with Imperial Father ordering the invasion of the Azure Cloud Nation... and in such a cruel manner!?”

“Of course, it was to operate in secret and avoid detection by the Four Sacred Grounds,” Yun Che stated, a faint mockery in the depths of his eyes. “The Four Sacred Grounds constantly have people secretly monitoring the movements of the Phoenix Divine Sect. The existence of this purple crystal mine could only be known by a few core figures in the sect. If these core figures, who are naturally the focus of the Four Sacred Grounds’ surveillance, acted, even if their actions were extremely discreet, there would still be a huge risk of discovery. At that point, the purple crystal mine would also be exposed, and once exposed, it would no longer belong to the Phoenix Divine Sect.”

“Therefore, your purpose in ordering the war against Azure Cloud was to conceal and divert others’ attention! And to maximize the effect of this concealment, you didn’t hesitate to slaughter citizens and burn cities, acting as if you were desperate to conquer Azure Cloud in the shortest possible time, presenting a facade of vengeance because I caused you such a loss of face in the Seven Nations Ranking Battle!”

“Yes,” Feng Hengkong nodded expressionlessly.

“Just for a hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals? Heh...” Yun Che sneered, looking at Feng Hengkong. “Judging by your demeanor, do you truly believe you’ve done nothing wrong?”

“For the Azure Cloud Nation, I indeed deserve divine punishment. But I am the Emperor of Divine Phoenix, the Phoenix Sect Master!” Feng Hengkong raised his head and met Yun Che’s gaze. “To others, these hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals are merely a vast resource. But for us, who no longer have our ancestral Phoenix God, they are a lifeline! Today’s outcome truly makes me regret... but my decision was not wrong!”

“Naive! Do you truly believe that a hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals will save your Phoenix Divine Sect after the truth of the Phoenix God’s death is revealed?” Yun Che said coldly.

“...At the very least, they give us a bit more power to protect Xue’er! As long as she can be protected for a hundred years, even if my entire sect completely withers, there will be endless hope!” Feng Hengkong roared.

“Imperial Father, stop talking!” Seeing Yun Che and Feng Hengkong once again at odds, Feng Xue’er hastily stood between them. “Imperial Father, no matter the reason, causing so many innocent people to die and so many more to suffer is a grave mistake. Xue’er’s Phoenix Soul has awakened with Yun Brother’s help, and I can already protect our Phoenix Divine Sect. Imperial Father no longer needs to worry for Xue’er. Xue’er now only asks to atone for our sins with Imperial Father, so we can gain the forgiveness of Azure Cloud and the spirit of Lord Phoenix God in heaven.”

“Xue’er...” Feng Hengkong looked at his daughter, his eyes gradually misting over.

“Speaking of which, when you sent Feng Xichen personally to the Azure Cloud Imperial City to deliver the Seven Nations Ranking Battle invitation, that was just a ruse, wasn’t it? Your real purpose was to use his status as a Divine Phoenix Prince and leverage the matter of my bloodline to provoke conflict, thereby creating an excuse to start a war?” Yun Che glanced sideways.

“Yes,” Feng Hengkong did not deny it.

Yun Che continued, “After the war had lasted for over two years and the Four Sacred Grounds’ attention waned, you began preparing to extract the purple crystal mine. But when extracting the ore, even deep underground, it would inevitably cause a tremendous noise. Therefore, the two hundred thousand troops dispatched to Floating Cloud City, who bombarded the ground daily, presenting it as a training ground, were merely a front to cover all of this.”

“...You are right.” Feng Hengkong gave him a deep look. He had only mentioned the existence of the purple crystal mine, yet Yun Che had already seen through all the reasons, processes, and methods so thoroughly... What a terrifying mind.

“So, how much of your objective has now been achieved?” Yun Che asked coldly. He had never imagined that the Floating Cloud City area, where he had lived for over a decade, hid a purple crystal mine that the Phoenix Divine Sect was willing to pay a huge price for and desperately wanted to acquire. The area around Floating Cloud City was vast and barren, inhabited only by the most low-level profound beasts. Before this, even if someone had told him that a massive mine capable of yielding a hundred catties of purple profound divine crystals was hidden there, he would not have believed it.

“One hundred percent.”

“One hundred percent!?” Feng Hengkong’s words made Yun Che’s brows furrow sharply.