Chapter 832: Prison Luo's Poisonous Heart

"Go!" Sea Emperor Qu Fengyi uttered coldly, flicked his sleeve, and departed without a backward glance. Unlike Xuanyuan Wentian, who at least offered a greeting, she didn't even spare Feng Hengkong a second look.

The bodies of the three Venerables who died by Yu Luo's hand had been utterly annihilated by poison, and Mo Chenfeng had turned into dust. Even if they had wanted to take them, they couldn't.

The Venerables and Elders of the Sea God Hall also departed immediately. Zi Ji, however, remained until the end, bowing to Feng Hengkong. "Sect Master Phoenix, I bid you farewell."

"Please excuse me for not seeing you off," Feng Hengkong replied, returning the bow promptly.

"Hmph!" Ye Meixie snorted coldly, then departed with the people of the Sun Moon Divine Hall.

Huangji Wuyu cast a brief glance at Feng Hengkong, then exchanged a subtle look with Elder Gu Cang. Elder Gu Cang then spoke, "Yuanba, it's time for us to take our leave."

"Huh?" Xia Yuanba turned around. "Master, Holy Lord, my brother-in-law and Sister Xue'er just got engaged. I wanted to stay here for a few more days."

"This is their personal matter, and the internal affair of the Phoenix Divine Sect. What sort of propriety is it for you to linger here?" Elder Gu Cang shook his head sternly.

"Yuanba, it's time to go," Yun Che said with a smile, then subtly sent a voice transmission: "After this, I'll likely return to the Illusory Demon Realm immediately. It might be difficult for us to meet again for the next few years. However, you don't need to worry about my safety at all. Even if Xuanyuan Wentian were to arrive in the Illusory Demon Realm tomorrow, it wouldn't matter. My master personally told me that even if the four Holy Masters joined forces, they might not be able to defeat the Little Demon Empress."

Xia Yuanba clenched his fists and finally nodded slightly. "Brother-in-law, I will definitely cultivate diligently these next few years. The next time we meet, I promise to give you a huge surprise."

"Hahahaha, I absolutely believe that," Yun Che chuckled. Over the years, Xia Yuanba had truly brought him countless miracles and surprises.

Huangji Wuyu then left, taking Xia Yuanba and all the people from the Supreme Ocean Sanctuary with him, also without acknowledging Feng Hengkong.

With the four Sacred Grounds having all departed in the blink of an eye, the atmosphere became exceedingly awkward. Witnessing this, the other major powers had no choice but to step forward and request their leave.

Soon after, the various Sky Profound powers, who had traveled thousands of miles for the grand banquet, completely dispersed, leaving behind only a devastated Phoenix City. The central Phoenix Great Hall itself had been leveled.

Feng Hengkong closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and an incredibly heavy sigh escaped his throat.

He had served as Phoenix Sect Master and Divine Phoenix Emperor for a full century. Today, for the first time, he genuinely understood the harshness of reality.

The situation before and after Jasmine's departure… the difference was stark, like heaven and earth.

"Alas," Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui sighed deeply as well. The elders and deacons of the sect all looked bewildered and at a complete loss.

Feng Hengkong's gaze fell upon Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui, and the three exchanged looks of utter helplessness. Feng Hengkong sighed in silence and walked towards Yun Che and Feng Xue'er.

"Yun Che, you should leave," Feng Tianwei said calmly. "Your identity as the Demon Emperor of the Illusory Demon Realm and the Samsara Mirror you possess both ensure that the four Sacred Grounds will never let you go. Now that your master is gone, no one can protect you. Leave at once, and go somewhere you believe is safe. Otherwise..."

Feng Tianwei looked up at the sky. "After they disperse, they might very well return immediately."

Clearly, Feng Tianwei had seen through their intentions. After all, he had personally witnessed the attitude of the four Sacred Grounds towards the "Demon Emperor" and their greed regarding the "Samsara Mirror" during the Devil Sword Assembly.

"I will leave immediately," Yun Che stated, having already made up his mind. He took Feng Xue'er's hand. "But I won't go alone; I'll take Xue'er with me."

Feng Hengkong's eyes narrowed, and he exclaimed angrily, "Absolutely not! Do you intend to drag Xue'er into this mire as well?"

"No," Yun Che shook his head decisively. "On the contrary, it is precisely for Xue'er's safety that I must take her with me. Xue'er is now my fiancée. If those who seek to harm me cannot find me, they might target her... especially Xuanyuan Wentian. That despicable, shameless old fox is absolutely capable of such an act!"

"My Phoenix Divine Sect is guarded by the Phoenix God, and Xue'er is the Phoenix God's successor! Who would dare lay a hand on her?!" Feng Hengkong roared, but as he finished, his demeanor suddenly faltered. He had just remembered that Yun Che already knew the Phoenix God was dead.

"Rest assured, the place I intend to take Xue'er will be the safest possible, posing no threat whatsoever to her safety. Otherwise, I wouldn't choose to take her with me. Furthermore..." Yun Che's voice was calm, clearly indicating a well-thought-out plan. "I have a method to accelerate Xue'er's power growth. After I take her away, we might not be able to return for several years. But on the day we do, I promise Xue'er's Phoenix power will have grown to a level that will astonish you."

Yun Che's calm voice carried an undeniable authority. Feng Hengkong stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Feng Xue'er. "Xue'er, do you wish to stay home, or follow him?"

"Father Emperor..." Feng Xue'er murmured softly, "Wherever Brother Yun goes, I will go."

Feng Hengkong's lips trembled, and he remained silent for a long time. Then, he turned his back, let out a long sigh, and said mournfully, "Yun Che, you killed my son... that was my own folly, and I can force myself to forget it. But... if anything, anything at all, happens to Xue'er, I swear I will never forgive you, even in death!!"

"Father Emperor..." Tears welled up in Feng Xue'er's eyes almost instantly. She choked out, "Xue'er is unfilial, always making you worry these past years... Brother Yun and I will definitely return soon... we will, I promise... Father Emperor, please take good care of yourself..."

Feng Hengkong waved a hand dismissively behind him, not speaking, as if urging them to leave at once. Feng Xue'er's devotion to Yun Che was more than just deep-seated affection; it was as if she were under a powerful enchantment. Though he was filled with profound reluctance and worry, and his hatred for Yun Che was deeply ingrained, perhaps it was also a form of happiness for a woman to encounter someone in her life who would so unreservedly give their heart.

Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui had listened silently throughout, neither interrupting nor preventing Feng Xue'er and Feng Hengkong's final decision. Feng Zukui then spoke to an elder standing nearby, "Qingshan, fetch all the Three-Pattern Phoenix Spirit Pills for Xue'er to take with her."

"Yes," the elder named Qingshan replied, turning to depart.

"Brother Yun, are we leaving now?" Feng Xue'er asked, her eyes tear-filled.

"Yes," Yun Che nodded gently. "Once she's gone, my identity and the Samsara Mirror I possess mean I'll have no choice but to temporarily leave the Sky Profound Continent. But this works out well, as I already promised to take you to the Illusory Demon Realm to meet my parents. After we leave here, we'll go to Blue Wind Imperial City for your Sister Cang Yue, then to Floating Cloud City for Grandpa, Little Aunt, and Xiao Yun. After that, we'll head to the Frozen Cloud Asgard in the Frozen End Snow Region to bring everyone from there. For the next few years, and possibly even over a decade, you'll be staying with me in the Illusory Demon Realm."

Before returning to the Illusory Demon Realm, he had to bring along everyone connected to him... including the Frozen Cloud Asgard. Otherwise, they would surely face disaster due to his departure. Having accepted Palace Mistress Gong Yuxian's dying wish and developed deep affection for the Frozen Cloud Asgard, he absolutely could not abandon them.

Furthermore, with the Primordial Profound Ark's vast internal world, taking tens of thousands of Frozen Cloud Asgards would be an effortless task.

"Anywhere is fine, as long as Brother Yun is there," Feng Xue'er said softly, gazing at him. She felt no worry or confusion about the unknown Illusory Demon Realm.

No sooner had she finished speaking than she felt Yun Che's entire body suddenly stiffen. She instinctively asked, "Brother Yun, what's wrong?"

The composure on Yun Che's face vanished, replaced by a grave expression, and even his eyes revealed a chilling malevolence.

This feeling...

Why was there suddenly a sense of deadly peril...?

This terrifying sensation surpassed even what he felt upon first encountering the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch in the Moon Slaughter Devil Den. What could it be?

Where was it coming from?

He possessed an almost terrifying sensitivity to danger. In that very instant, an aura of peril, seemingly from nowhere, made the hairs on his body stand on end and every nerve tense to its utmost limit. The dreadful sensation was akin to the gaping maw of a sky-devouring python hovering mere inches above his head.

Yet, the surrounding land lay flat and devastated by Jasmine's power. Aside from the members of the Phoenix Divine Sect, there were no outsiders present, none approaching, and no one emitted any killing intent. Still, this incomparably terrifying sense of danger persisted, unsettlingly present as if emanating from an unseen void.

Yun Che tightly grasped the bewildered Feng Xue'er's hand, shielding her behind him, his teeth clenched as his gaze frantically swept the surroundings. Just then, on the desolate ground, a fleeting, incredibly faint glint of light appeared—so subtle that an ordinary person wouldn't notice it with the naked eye.

After forcibly plucking the Netherworld Brahma Flower in the Moon Slaughter Devil Den, his soul power had inexplicably surged upon waking from his coma. This extremely faint reflection registered within his spiritual perception, immediately seizing his attention.

It was a long strand of hair—the one that had slipped from Yu Luo's fingers before she departed.

The long, dark hair subtly shimmered with a faint, dark green hue.

Yun Che stared intently, his expression suddenly changing dramatically, his pupils dilating almost to the point of bursting. He frantically mustered all his strength and shoved Feng Xue'er violently away.

"Xue'er, run!"

Feng Xue'er, startled by the sudden push, hadn't yet fully regained her composure when a sound of brutal penetration echoed from behind her.

The strand of hair Yu Luo had left behind transformed into a thick, eerie green beam of light. It shot forward at a speed Yun Che couldn't possibly react to, or even comprehend, piercing directly through his heart and exiting his back, spraying green blood everywhere.

Yun Che was sent flying a hundred *zhang* away. The green light vanished, but a massive bloody hole now marred his body from his heart to his left chest—his heart utterly pulverized.

The virulent green poison spread rapidly around the edges of the bloodied wound, but it was swiftly purified by the Sky Poison Pearl until it completely vanished.

Yun Che collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, pupils unfocused, his lips trembling with difficulty.

"Hong..."

Yun Che's pupils completely lost focus, and he fell silent.

Yun Che had sustained countless injuries throughout his life, many of them severe. Yet, his physique and willpower were extraordinary; no matter how grievous the wound, he never lost consciousness. Even after his brutal battle with the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch, when his body was shattered and profound energy depleted, he had still managed to cling to awareness without instantly collapsing.

This time, however, he lost consciousness before he could even utter "Hong'er's" name, his fate unknown. The gaping wound in his chest and the pool of blood beneath him were gruesome to behold.

Yu Luo had promised Jasmine that upon her return, she would never mention Yun Che to anyone. She had given her word, and she would indeed uphold it—because she had promised not to *speak* of Yun Che, but she had never promised not to *kill* him.

The moment she made that promise to Jasmine—or, more accurately, the moment she sensed Jasmine's aura on Yun Che—he was already a dead man in her eyes.

Though she had left behind only a slender strand of hair, it contained incredibly potent poison and divine power. Both the poison and the divine power within it were capable of effortlessly poisoning and annihilating anyone on the Sky Profound Continent!

There was absolutely no chance of survival.

Yun Che possessed the Sky Poison Pearl, so Yu Luo's poison was purified.

He possessed the Dragon God's physique and the protection of the Desolate God's power, preventing his body from being directly pulverized. However, it was still divine power; not only was his chest pierced by a massive hole, but the force that surged into him almost ripped his body apart from the inside, severing all his meridians.