Chapter 744: The Day of the Challenge Match

"Good!" Jasmine crossed her arms and slowly nodded. She had known all along that once Yun Che learned about the purification of his devil poison, the first thing he would think of was relying on her power to find Chu Yuechan. Her appearance before Yun Che this time was precisely for that purpose.

Because she knew better than anyone that Chu Yuechan had always been a soft thorn deep in his heart, causing him agonizing pain whenever it was touched. Now that the devil poison was gone, it was time to remove that thorn for him.

"Although in my current soul-body state I can only unleash one-thousandth of my full power, it's more than enough to let my divine sense cover a small continent like the Profound Sky Continent."

As soon as Jasmine finished speaking, her small hand touched Yun Che's sleeve. Before Yun Che could say a word, light and shadow flickered before his eyes, and his vision was filled with a vast, white snowy expanse. He found himself at least a thousand zhang up in the sky.

It took Yun Che a moment to realize what had happened: he had been instantly transported by Jasmine from the Ice Palace to a thousand zhang in the air, a transition so swift it seemed to cut through space. Or rather, it *was* spatial teleportation.

"I need two hundred breaths of time; do not disturb me. Also... the Black Moon Merchant Guild's reply should give you enough psychological preparation. Whatever the outcome later, you must accept it!"

Jasmine spread her arms and slowly closed her eyes. A power so profound that Yun Che could neither perceive nor comprehend it was silently released, its scope encompassing the entire Profound Sky Continent. In an instant, the aura of every living being on the Profound Sky Continent was drawn into her divine sense, with nowhere to hide.

Yun Che suppressed his profound energy and held his breath, daring not to make a sound, yet his heart pounded with shock and excitement. What stunned him was Jasmine's earlier statement: "...in my soul-body state, I can only unleash one-thousandth of my full power"!

This meant that all the power Jasmine had displayed until now, limited by her soul-body state without a complete physical form, was astonishingly only one-thousandth of her peak strength!

How terrifyingly powerful was her true strength?! And what kind of terrifying existence was the world where she was born and raised? It was simply unimaginable!

Yun Che couldn't fathom what it meant to have one's divine sense cover an entire continent. He could feel Jasmine concentrating intently, striving to suppress her deep anticipation and anxiety, not daring to make a sound.

Little Fairy... you must be safe! No... you *are* safe; you're just living somewhere even the Black Moon Merchant Guild couldn't find. I'll find you soon... and our child. This time, no matter who opposes it, even if the whole world stands against me, I will never let you leave my side again.

Time ticked by, breath by agonizing breath. In the midst of this excruciating wait, Yun Che suddenly saw Jasmine slowly open her eyes, her outstretched arms lowering.

Yun Che's heart jolted. He held his breath and asked, his voice filled with urgency, "How is it? Did you find her? Where is Little Fairy now? And did you find Qingyue?"

Jasmine glanced at him, her eyes devoid of emotion. She said faintly, "Still no. I underestimated the number of living beings on the Profound Sky Continent, and the power I can unleash in my current soul-body state is far less than I anticipated. It seems that to help you find Little Fairy, I must wait until I have reformed my body."

A clear flicker of disappointment crossed Yun Che's face, but then he quickly became resolute. "Alright... in two months, we'll go to the Supreme Ocean Palace. We must obtain the Underworld Brahma Flower, no matter what!"

"I hope so. However, the Underworld Brahma Flower blooms only once every twenty-four years, and the place Zi Ji described has many strange aspects to it. I don't hold much hope." Jasmine looked away, avoiding Yun Che's eyes, and spoke indifferently.

"Hmm?" Yun Che stared at Jasmine for a moment, then suddenly said with a mischievous smile, "Strange, you used to be so eager to reform your body, and now you're just one Underworld Brahma Flower away. How come you don't seem to be in a hurry anymore? Could it be... you don't want to leave me?"

Jasmine's star-like eyes slanted, and she let out a cold laugh. "Quite the opposite! This princess dreams of leaving a vile, shameless, filthy super pervert like you, so I won't have my eyes and ears constantly defiled by you, hmph!!"

With a cold snort, Jasmine bothered him no further. She transformed into a red light and returned to the Sky Poison Pearl, not forgetting to add, "You should go and face Fen Juechen in a decisive battle over the Eastern Sea! You didn't listen to me and take Feng Xue'er's Phoenix Primordial Yin these past three months, so I'd like to see how you'll defeat Fen Juechen, whose strength must surely far surpass what it was three months ago!"

Back in the Sky Poison Pearl's world, Jasmine's brows furrowed deeply, remaining unrelaxed for a long time. A thin veil of gloom settled over her small, pale face. After shouting that last remark at Yun Che, she silently exhaled, her eyes flickering with incredibly complex emotions.

"Crunch"... Hong'er, who was happily gnawing on a sword she'd found somewhere, stopped chewing when she saw Jasmine's expression. She moved closer to Jasmine and asked in a clear voice, "Sister Jasmine, what's wrong? You were so happy before, but now you seem very unhappy. Did Master bully you... Oh, no, Master is always bullied by you, so he wouldn't dare bully you."

Jasmine leaned against Hong'er's small bed and sat down, slowly closing her eyes. She murmured softly, "Can't find..."

"Can't find? Huh? What can't you find? Is it something tasty?" Hong'er asked with intense concern.

"Someone very important to your master." Thinking of Yun Che's strong reactions whenever Chu Yuechan was mentioned, Jasmine's brows furrowed even deeper. She knew clearly that for Chu Yuechan, Yun Che felt not only love but also profound concern and guilt...

Watching Yun Che get thwarted by women had always been one of Jasmine's greatest pleasures. If one day Yun Che were to be stabbed a dozen times by a woman he tried to flirt with, her reaction would likely be one of schadenfreude. Only with Chu Yuechan... for the first time, she dared not tell him the truth about a certain woman.

Hearing it wasn't something tasty, Hong'er immediately lost all interest. She straightforwardly stopped asking questions, picked up the sparkling purple broadsword in her hand, and bit into it. Instantly, a row of neat, tooth-shaped indentations appeared on the sword's blade.

"It seems I can only keep it hidden for now," Jasmine murmured to herself. "But why couldn't I find Xia Qingyue's aura either? Could it be that teleportation array in the Icefall Divine Hall..."

It was already morning, and the time for the decisive battle with Fen Juechen was drawing near.

Fen Juechen's profound energy had not only become terrifying, but his hatred for Yun Che was bone-deep; it was likely his greatest desire for the rest of his life was to see Yun Che dead. Yet, Yun Che showed no signs of tension. He only leisurely drove the Primordial Profound Ark with Feng Xue'er to Floating Cloud City when there was less than half an hour left until the appointed time for the battle.

The Primordial Profound Ark landed not directly above Floating Cloud City, but in its eastern suburbs.

After leaving the Primordial Profound Ark, Feng Xue'er tightly clutched the corner of Yun Che's clothes, her eyes misty as she said, "Big Brother Yun, can I really not come with you? I'm... still so worried."

"I told you it's fine," Yun Che said with a relaxed smile. "I said back then that it would be a one-on-one fight with Fen Juechen, and no outsiders would be involved. Besides, even if I can't beat him, I still have the Primordial Profound Ark, and I can escape far away at any time, so you don't need to worry at all... What's more, I'm absolutely confident I can defeat him."

"Mmm... of course I believe Big Brother Yun." Feng Xue'er nodded gently, but deep worry still flickered in her trembling eyes.

"Alright, go to Grandpa and Little Aunt. I might not be back until after dark, so tell them not to worry at all. I'll try to move the battle with Fen Juechen as far away as possible, but there might still be aftershocks affecting Floating Cloud City, so I'll need Xue'er to protect their safety." Yun Che patted Feng Xue'er's small hand. From the start, he hadn't planned to see Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi, as it would only increase their worry.

"Also, if Little Aunt insists on looking for me, you absolutely mustn't agree," Yun Che instructed.

"Mmm, I know all that. Don't worry, Big Brother Yun. With me here, nothing will happen to any of them," Feng Xue'er said softly.

With Feng Xue'er's strength as an eighth-level Emperor Profound, even if Yun Che and Fen Juechen teamed up, plus Xia Yuanba, they would be no match for her. So, with her by Xiao Lingxi's side, Yun Che naturally had nothing to worry about.

"Then I'm off... I'll definitely be back after it's completely dark. Wait for me obediently." Yun Che cupped Feng Xue'er's face, kissed her sweet lips forcefully, then activated the Vanishing Moon Thunderstreak, instantly transforming into a lightning bolt and shooting eastward.

"Big Brother Yun..." Watching Yun Che's departing figure, Feng Xue'er clasped her hands nervously in front of her. After a long moment, she turned and flew slowly towards Floating Cloud City.

With Yun Che's current cultivation and the Vanishing Moon Thunderstreak, a distance of several hundred li was nothing to him. He flew past the Floating Cloud City area, traversed a large stretch of humid mountainous terrain, and soon, the coastline of the Profound Sky Eastern Sea appeared in his sight. Yun Che immediately accelerated again, leaving Floating Cloud City farther and farther behind him.

The sky was clear, without clouds or wind; the Eastern Sea was very calm today, with only shimmering ripples of illusory light on its surface. As he approached the coast, a strong ocean scent wafted towards him. Yun Che gently closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them, his vision was filled with a vast, deep blue ocean! He had reached the Eastern Sea.

Yun Che slowed down at this point, eventually coming to a stop. Before him, a solitary black figure floated. He didn't know how long the figure had been there, but its entire being emanated a lifeless aura and a bone-chilling cold. There was no trace of the life force that a living person would possess; it was as if a corpse, not a living man, floated there.

Even the vast expanse of sea beneath him was eerily still and waveless, like dead water stripped of its vitality.

"Looks like you arrived quite early," Yun Che said with a faint smile, stopping a hundred zhang behind him. Fen Juechen's aura was exceedingly dark and malevolent, enough to make anyone feel fear just by approaching, but it wasn't enough to affect Yun Che.

The black-clad man turned around, his pitch-black pupils fixed immovably on Yun Che. His face was stiff and pale, and his eyes were lifeless, devoid of any light. In an instant, an intensely violent, sinister, and murderous aura locked onto Yun Che, its potency so great that the light from those dark eyes seemed to transform into two sharp swords, ready to tear Yun Che's body apart.

"You actually dared to come alone!" Fen Juechen said in a low voice. With no external restraints here, he could unleash his hatred and killing intent towards Yun Che without reservation.

"Why not?" Yun Che crossed his arms, a clear look of disdain on his face. "Back then, I annihilated your Burning Heaven Clan all by myself. Now I'm just dealing with a wretch whom I mercifully let go years ago. Do you think I'd need any help?"

"You're... seeking death!!!"

Yun Che's words undoubtedly ignited Fen Juechen's already peak-level rage and killing intent. With a beast-like growl, he violently thrust out his right arm. A colossal, pitch-black hand extended from the void, seizing towards Yun Che's entire body. In the area enveloped by the dark hand, the seawater instantly sank dozens of zhang.

Yun Che's eyes narrowed. His figure flickered, and with a Star God Broken Shadow, he evaded the colossal black hand. Then, he said with a cold laugh, "To be provoked so easily by a simple sentence from me, it seems that while your profound energy has greatly increased these past few years, your mental state has made no progress whatsoever. With a mindset like that, how do you expect to defeat me?"

Amidst an extremely heavy roar, a massive whirlpool formed beneath Yun Che's previous position, causing the sea winds to churn wildly.

Fen Juechen's eyes seemed to transform into a demon's blood-red pupils, and his aura intensified severalfold. "You—"

"This place is very close to Floating Cloud City. You wouldn't want our fight to affect Floating Cloud City, would you?" Yun Che's heavy words cut off Fen Juechen. "You also probably don't want outsiders to notice us and come disturb our settlement of this life-and-death grudge. Let's choose a more suitable location."

After Yun Che finished speaking, without waiting for Fen Juechen's reply, he flew towards the deep Eastern Sea.

Fen Juechen's dark eyes remained firmly locked on Yun Che, but he did not attack again. Instead, he followed closely behind Yun Che, flying eastward, and despite Yun Che's Vanishing Moon Thunderstreak, his speed did not fall behind in the slightest.

"Jasmine, what level is his profound energy now? I can definitely feel that his aura is much stronger than it was three months ago," Yun Che asked cautiously.

"Sixth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm!" Jasmine said coldly. "The same level as Feng Tianwei, who made you flee in a sorry state back at the Phoenix God Sect! Although his profound energy isn't as deep as Feng Tianwei's, his profound arts are unique. All things considered, he might even be slightly stronger than Feng Tianwei! Let's see how you'll handle this!"

"Hiss... that exaggerated!!" Although he was mentally prepared, Yun Che still took a sharp intake of breath.

Three months ago, Fen Juechen was at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm!

And advancing a single minor level in the Sovereign Profound Realm typically takes hundreds, or even thousands, of years, even for forces with abundant resources and profound foundations like the Sacred Grounds or Guardian Families. Even with extraordinary talent, it would still take decades. Yet Fen Juechen accomplished it in just three months!

"What's going on with his outrageous strength and growth speed?!" Yun Che groaned quietly.

"When you fight him, try to force him to use his full power. As long as he uses his source energy, I might be able to roughly ascertain all his secrets... including what kind of soul he has merged with!"