Chapter 836: Helpless Escape

Feng Zukui and Feng Tianwei led Xuanyuan Wentian through a significant portion of Phoenix City, finally arriving in front of a hall engulfed in flames.

“Ahead is the entrance to the Phoenix Fire Luanhuan Realm,” Feng Zukui said, stopping his steps. “These flames are a special barrier left by the Phoenix God, our sect's ancestor. Even with Sword Master Xuanyuan's cultivation, it wouldn't be easy to force your way through.”

As his voice fell, Feng Zukui raised a hand, and a fiery profound array appeared in the air before dissipating. The Phoenix Fire barrier instantly weakened, and the dancing flames all settled down, burning quietly.

“Sword Master Xuanyuan, please,” Feng Tianwei said, raising a hand. “And please don't forget your personal promise.”

Xuanyuan Wentian nodded slightly and walked directly towards the entrance of the Phoenix Fire Luanhuan Realm. Just as he was about to step in, he suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing. “So you were stalling for time!”

Feng Zukui and Feng Tianwei's expressions subtly changed simultaneously, then became grim. Feng Zukui quietly asked, “Stalling for time? We'd be interested to hear Sword Master Xuanyuan explain why you think we would do that.”

“Hmph!” Xuanyuan Wentian turned around. At this point, both sides understood the situation, and there was no need for pretense. He sneered, “Naive! No one I want to kill has ever escaped my grasp alive! And your paltry tricks are even less effective!”

Xuanyuan Wentian suddenly shot into the air, heading straight north.

“Stop!!”

Feng Zukui and Feng Tianwei, who had been poised to act, simultaneously shot forward the moment he rose. Two Phoenix Flames, unleashed with full power, streaked across Xuanyuan Wentian's path and exploded in mid-air, forcing him to slow down.

“Xuanyuan Wentian!!” Feng Zukui's hair and beard stood on end amidst the flames, his voice deeper than ever. “You threatened my Phoenix Divine Sect. As long as you don't cross our bottom line, we can endure this humiliation. But if you dare to harm Xue'er... then prepare for mutual destruction!”

“I, Feng Tianwei, swear here and now, if anything untoward happens to Xue'er because of you, my Phoenix Divine Sect will burn everything to ashes to see you pulverized!” Feng Tianwei declared viciously.

“Hmph, you two aren't worthy!” Xuanyuan Wentian raised a hand, and the space in front of him instantly warped, scattering all the flames that blocked his path.

“Phoenix Fire Burning Heaven!”

Feng Zukui and his son pressed forward simultaneously from left and right. Two towering, blazing fire curtains unfurled, instantly turning the sky above Phoenix City into a churning sea of fire.

Xuanyuan Wentian's brows furrowed. Without any apparent movement, light and shadow flickered around him, transforming into a massive sword image that enveloped his entire body. Then, with his movements, he slashed horizontally towards the sky-obscuring Phoenix Fire Curtain.

Boom, boom, boom...

Xuanyuan Wentian was utterly vulnerable against Jasmine, but on the Profound Sky Continent, he was the undisputed number one in the Way of the Sword! When his sword intent erupted, even without a physical sword in hand, Feng Zukui and Feng Tianwei clearly felt as if millions of gleaming divine swords had suddenly appeared in the surrounding space. Ten thousand swords pierced the air, sending shivers down their spines.

The complete fire curtain was sliced into countless irregular fragments of flame within mere breaths. Feng Zukui could still barely hold on, but Feng Tianwei's profound energy was completely disrupted by the invisible sword qi.

“Hah!!”

Feng Zukui calmed himself, let out a loud roar, and a cluster of Phoenix Flame, imbued with his ultimate power, condensed in the void. It transformed into an overwhelmingly dazzling fiery sun, consuming Xuanyuan Wentian within the sword image.

Xuanyuan Wentian's gaze shifted, and the sword image on his body suddenly flew off him, effortlessly piercing through the Phoenix Flame that Feng Zukui had gathered with all his might, then stabbing directly into Feng Zukui's chest.

Pfft!!

Blood splattered from Feng Zukui's chest as he was sent tumbling backward. Xuanyuan Wentian sneered but did not pursue. Instead, he accelerated to his maximum speed and shot straight north.

“Father... Xuanyuan Wentian!!”

Feng Tianwei glanced at Feng Zukui, then at the rapidly departing Xuanyuan Wentian. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth, about to give chase.

“Don't bother pursuing him.”

Feng Zukui managed to steady himself and called out to Feng Tianwei, pressing a hand to his chest as he healed. “With your speed, it's impossible to catch him. Even if you did, it would be useless. Dragging him out for this long was already our limit.”

Feng Tianwei's brows furrowed, then he let out a heavy sigh.

“The rest depends on Xue'er's fate,” Feng Zukui said, closing his eyes and sighing again.

The moment Xuanyuan Wentian appeared before them, Feng Zukui had been alert. He secretly used a Phoenix Stone to send a message to Feng Xue'er, telling her to leave immediately, as quickly and as far as possible.

Sure enough, his premonition had come true... No, the current situation was a hundred times worse than he had anticipated.

“Strange? How did Xuanyuan Wentian discover our intentions?” Feng Tianwei frowned. “Besides, Xue'er left so long ago, it's unlikely her aura would still be detectable. We don't even know where she went. Yet Xuanyuan Wentian just now decisively headed straight north, as if he was certain of her direction...”

Feng Tianwei's words startled Feng Zukui. He quickly scanned the surroundings, then descended from the air, standing before the entrance of the Phoenix Fire Luanhuan Realm. A moment later, his expression drastically changed, and he exclaimed, “Blood qi! This blood qi...”

“Could it be... that Xue'er took Yun Che's body with her when she left!?”

“Wh-what!?” Feng Tianwei was shocked. He quickly released his spiritual perception to its utmost, and indeed, he detected a lingering scent of blood.

This scent instantly reminded him of Yun Che, covered in blood!

“Damn it!” Feng Tianwei's face turned pale instantly, and his body trembled. He furiously punched the ground, his voice hoarse: “How could Xue'er be so... so foolish! It would already be incredibly difficult for her to escape Xuanyuan Wentian's clutches alone, so why did she take Yun Che with her?! Even if she is deeply in love with Yun Che... he is still a dead man!”

“With Xuanyuan Wentian's cultivation, tracking the blood qi emanating from Yun Che's corpse would be effortless... Xue'er couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet she still... Sigh!”

Feng Zukui hammered his forehead, utterly distraught.

“At this point, we can only rely on fate,” Feng Zukui sighed. “May the Phoenix God, our ancestor, bless Xue'er from the heavens and help her escape this calamity... If she does, then even if my old bones turn to dust immediately, I will have no great regrets.”

Profound energy fluctuations came from Feng Tianwei's Phoenix Stone. He picked it up, and Feng Hengkong's voice emerged: “Father, Grandfather, news from the South City reports that three individuals with extraordinary auras just swept across the sky. Based on their clothing description... it is highly likely to be Huangji Wuyu, Qu Fengyi, and Ye Meixie!”

Feng Tianwei and Feng Zukui were startled simultaneously. It wasn't overly surprising that these three would return, just like Xuanyuan Wentian. However, they clearly returned together, as if they had planned it in advance.

“Understood... Just find some way to send them away for now. They probably won't believe it if we say Yun Che is dead, so tell them he's already left and they can chase him wherever they want.”

Feng Tianwei finished, distracted, then looked up to the north... It seemed Feng Xue'er had headed north after receiving their message, carrying Yun Che's body.

Xuanyuan Wentian was pursuing to the north, and Feng Xue'er's direction of departure was also north.

Large portions of the scarlet phoenix robe were stained with blood. Crimson phoenix flames enveloped Yun Che's body, tightly sealing his last wisp of breath... This faint yet stubbornly lingering life force had become the final straw supporting Feng Xue'er's spirit. She held him tightly, her eyes welling with tears, but she clenched her teeth, refusing to let them fall.

“Big Brother Yun, don't die... You'll be alright... You'll definitely be alright...”

“You came back safely even after being taken by the Primordial Profound Ark... This time, you'll recover too...”

She continuously murmured and called out, yearning for Yun Che to hear her voice.

At this moment, anyone who merely glanced at Yun Che, without even needing to sense his aura, could definitively tell he was dead. Even if his vitality hadn't completely dissipated and he clung to a sliver of life, he would still surely die soon, with no possibility of recovery.

Leaving Phoenix City and flying away from Divine Phoenix City, Feng Xue'er traveled northward. In her dazed state, she didn't know where she should take Yun Che; she simply instinctively kept heading north... because that direction led closer to the Blue Wind Nation and the Frozen Cloud Asgard.

In a daze, she didn't know how long she had been flying. Below her, the land was desolate. Although she was born in the Divine Phoenix Nation and was its only princess, she was completely unaware of the surrounding areas of Divine Phoenix City, much less her current location with Yun Che.

Just then, a dangerous aura faintly emanated from behind, making her entire body stiffen. Following this, she felt herself firmly locked onto by an incredibly terrifying aura from a great distance.

“Ah...”

Feng Xue'er's mind instantly cleared. This aura was not unfamiliar to her. Such a powerful aura, imbued with boundless sharpness, was something she had once felt on the Sea God Stage of the Supreme Ocean Palace...

Sword Master of Heavenly Might—Xuanyuan Wentian!!