Chapter 751: Unwilling to be Defeated

“Sigh...” Yun Che shook his head and extended his hand towards Fen Juechen. However, it wasn't to deliver a fatal blow, but to release a surge of accumulated Heaven and Earth energy, channeling it into Fen Juechen's body.

Fen Juechen's wounds were instantly sealed. Faint primordial energy began to flow through his nearly depleted profound veins and meridians. Though weak, it was enough to restore Fen Juechen's mobility, and even allow him to fly away from the East Sea region.

Fen Juechen's eyes widened, and clarity returned to his gaze. He used his arms to support himself, struggling to sit upright. His pupils, filled with shock, resentment, hatred, and humiliation, stared fixedly at Yun Che. “If you want to kill me, then kill me... Don't you dare... humiliate me!”

“Humiliate you?” Yun Che curled his lip in disdain. “I don't have such base interests. And I won't kill you.”

“You...” Yun Che's words brought no joy to Fen Juechen; only deeper humiliation.

“I didn't kill you four years ago because you saved my Little Aunt, Xiao Lingxi, once. And if it weren't for you during the three years I was away from the Azure Cloud Continent, I might not have seen my Little Aunt when I returned.” Yun Che deeply gazed at Fen Juechen's twisted face, filled with hatred. “Frankly, even though your heart is full of loathing and resentment towards me, I can't bring myself to hate you. In fact, I feel a little grateful.”

“I don't need your false pity! My saving her has nothing to do with you! If you have the guts, kill me now! Otherwise, one day... I will make your life worse than death!!” Fen Juechen roared hoarsely. To be spared... even thanked... by the person he utterly despised? For him, this was an unbearable humiliation.

“I'm letting you go today. Consider this repayment for the second time you saved my Little Aunt. From now on, I owe you nothing more!” Yun Che said coldly. “If you want to kill me for revenge, then cherish the life I've spared you a second time! Although your injuries are severe and your primordial energy is greatly depleted, at your current cultivation level, you should be able to fully recover within two months. During these two months, you better hide well, or your death will be meaningless!”

“The next time you come to kill me... don't dream of leaving alive like today!”

The air remained scorching, but the waves had finally calmed somewhat. Fen Juechen slowly stood up. Though his entire body was weak, his gaze was still as malevolent as a wolf's. “You will... regret this... The reason I lost to you today... was only due to weapons...”

“Once I retrieve the Heaven Smiting Devil Sword... I will repay all the blood debts and humiliation... a thousandfold!!”

Heaven Smiting Devil Sword?

Fen Juechen's words made Yun Che's brow twitch.

Fen Juechen quickly realized he had misspoken in his emotional turmoil. He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, and enduring the excruciating pain throughout his body, he soared into the air, staggering as he flew south.

...Yun Che watched his blood-stained back. After a moment of hesitation, he made no attempt to pursue, indifferently watching him disappear into the distance.

“Try to live a few more years. If you die, she will be sad,” Yun Che suddenly murmured softly.

Fen Juechen, already over two hundred yards away, trembled slightly.

“Heaven Smiting Devil Sword... Why would he want to obtain that sword?” Yun Che retracted his gaze, his brows furrowing gradually. The Heaven Smiting Devil Sword—that was the ‘devil sword’ of the ‘Devil Sword Convention’!

Moreover, Fen Juechen didn't use ‘obtain’ or ‘seize,’ but ‘retrieve’!

Unless Fen Juechen misspoke, the implication behind the word ‘retrieve’ was far too intriguing.

Furthermore, Fen Juechen's last words subtly revealed... that he seemed to know how to wield the Heaven Smiting Devil Sword.

“There truly was a reason for him to attend the Devil Sword Convention... He actually went to obtain the Heaven Smiting Devil Sword, and it sounds like he not only knows of its existence but also seems to have some... special connection or purpose. What exactly is going on?”

“Then why didn't you keep him here and ask?” Jasmine snapped impatiently.

“His bones are practically harder than mine,” Yun Che said helplessly. “What he doesn't want to say, he won't reveal a single word of, even if tortured to death. Forcing him to stay would just be a waste of effort. As you saw, my attempt to use Soul Stealing Profound Arts on him earlier also failed directly.”

“Hmph.” Jasmine gave a faint cold snort but did not deny it. She then said, “I've warned you before, he's only absorbed less than half of the devil origin within him so far. Today, he was absolutely certain he could kill you, yet he still suffered a crushing defeat at your hands and was even spared. Under this humiliation, he will surely absorb the devil origin even more frantically.”

“You've already witnessed his growth rate in just these past three months. By not killing him today, you're not just creating a simple risk; you're planting a disaster that could very likely claim your life in a short time. By then, you won't even have a chance to regret it!”

“I knew you'd say that... I understand all of this,” Yun Che said slowly. “But after all, he has saved my Little Aunt multiple times. And I know my Little Aunt too well; she appears strong and optimistic, but in reality, she is overly kind and soft-hearted, and she feels grateful towards Fen Juechen. At the same time, she has always blamed herself for the destruction of the Burning Heaven Clan and the root of Fen Juechen's hatred towards me. If I were to truly kill Fen Juechen, she would again take on the guilt of his death and form a knot in her heart that might never unravel for the rest of her life... Rather than that, I'd prefer to leave myself with a potential problem.”

“Moreover, just for saving Little Aunt twice, he deserves this much from me.”

As he spoke, Yun Che turned and looked to the east. He quickly changed into a slightly looser set of clothes, concealing the injuries on his body, especially those on his shoulders.

“Big Brother Yun!”

“Little Che!!”

As a scorching gust of wind parted the water, Feng Xue'er quickly flew over, bringing Xiao Lingxi with her.

“Little Che, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Stopping beside Yun Che, Xiao Lingxi anxiously gripped his hand and looked him over frantically. Seeing he was unharmed, the worry that had plagued her during the journey finally subsided.

“Of course I'm fine, not a single hair is out of place,” Yun Che said with a relaxed smile.

“Big Brother Yun, I'm sorry...” Feng Xue'er lowered her head, murmuring timidly, “I... I didn't listen to you...”

“I know, you ventured here because you were overly worried about me,” Yun Che smiled gently, taking Feng Xue'er's hand. “I told you I'd be fine, didn't I? I didn't lie to you.”

“Then... what about Fen Juechen? Is he already...” Xiao Lingxi asked softly. On their way here, she and Feng Xue'er had both witnessed the terrifying scene of darkness clashing with flames. In the end, the flames annihilated the darkness... which meant Yun Che had defeated Fen Juechen.

They were mortal enemies, and the final scene was so tragic... Yun Che's victory implied that Fen Juechen...

“Fen Juechen, well...” Yun Che smiled slightly, pointing south. “He's over there. Although he's pretty badly injured, flying away from the sea shouldn't be an issue. It might take him a month or two to fully recover, though.”

Severely injured and weak, Fen Juechen's flight was very slow. Even a slightly strong sea breeze could make him sway violently. So, even though some time had passed, a faint, dark silhouette could still be seen in the distance, struggling to fly away.

The blurred dark silhouette seemed to notice Xiao Lingxi's arrival. Its speed began to frantically increase, and its body swayed even more violently, as if desperately trying to escape... It even nearly plunged into the sea several times.

Xiao Lingxi's expression relaxed. She clasped Yun Che's arm with both hands and leaned her head gently against him. “Little Che, thank you.”

“Thank me? Why?” Yun Che asked with a smile.

“I know, Little Che, you... you didn't kill him for my sake. It's just... it's just like this...” Xiao Lingxi closed her eyes, her heart filled with warmth, yet also bitterness and worry. She didn't want Fen Juechen to die, because she knew he wasn't evil, and he was already pitiful, while also being a benefactor she was deeply grateful to. However, Yun Che had spared him because of her, and now he would desperately try to kill Yun Che...

She didn't know what to think, or what to do... She also didn't know how to resolve Fen Juechen's hatred for Yun Che, as it was hatred for the destruction of his clan.

“Hahaha,” Yun Che burst into laughter, then said quite seriously: “Although Fen Juechen has always wanted to kill me, he saved Little Aunt's life, and in my eyes, Little Aunt's life is thousands, no, tens of thousands of times more valuable than his. So, it's only right for me to let him go. Moreover, if I let him go, he might feel grateful, and knowing that he can never be my match no matter how hard he tries, he should stop bothering me in the future.”

“Little Che...” Xiao Lingxi murmured softly, and tightened her grip on Yun Che's arm with both hands.

Feeling all of Xiao Lingxi's tension and worry vanish, Yun Che also relaxed completely. He wrapped one arm around Xiao Lingxi's slender waist and took Feng Xue'er's small hand with the other. “Let's go back. Grandfather and the others must be worried about us.”

Yun Che's profound energy surged, and he headed back towards Flowing Cloud City. However, his speed was several times slower than when he arrived, and the thoughts in his mind were far more complex.

Eternal Night Illusory Devil Tome... Dark profound energy... Heaven Smiting Devil Sword...

What secrets... are hidden within Fen Juechen!?

Waves continuously surged across the sea surface. Fen Juechen, clutching his chest, flew slower and slower. His face was filled with pain, and his palm was completely soaked with reddish-black blood.

A small island appeared in his sight. Fen Juechen gritted his teeth, wobbling as he flew towards it. The moment his mind relaxed, his body crashed hard onto the edge of the island.

He braced his hands on the ground, struggling to turn himself over. He gasped raggedly for breath, his fingers desperately digging into the cold sand.

“Why... why is this happening... Cough... cough cough...” He coughed painfully, each cough bringing up large amounts of dark blood, and occasionally even fragments of internal organs.

“Heh, what a pathetic person.”

A chilling, piercing voice suddenly sounded ahead. And the voice... seemed to belong to a young girl! Fen Juechen sharply lifted his head... Less than five steps directly in front of him, he saw a small red figure.

A girl, who had appeared there silently like a ghost!

She looked only twelve or thirteen, dressed in luxurious red robes, with long red hair flowing freely and an unbelievably delicate face. Yet, this small girl made every nerve in his body tighten convulsively, and every cell uncontrollably tremble wildly.

Never in his life, even in his most desperate moments, had he trembled like this.

“You... who are you?!” The girl's eyes were eerily beautiful. Under the gaze of those eyes, he could barely feel his own body amidst his trembling.

The girl didn't answer him, a cold, mocking smile appearing on her beautiful face. “You paid a huge price and gained powerful strength, thinking you could easily slaughter your enemy. But you didn't expect that the opponent's Devil Suppressing Sword would precisely be the greatest bane to your power. Your defeat truly inspires pity.”

“...You... who... are you?!”

The girl's eyes were filled with indifference. She slowly raised her arm, and a red light, deeper than blood, flickered on her palm, which was even fairer than fresh snow. “He won't kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't! The demonic power that appeared in your body, long extinct since ancient times, has sealed your fate!”

As the girl's voice fell, the red light in her palm transformed into an extremely fine red ray. With a momentary spatial screech, it shot towards Fen Juechen...