Blue Wind Nation, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range, Phoenix Clan .
The profound beast disturbance at the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain was getting worse and worse each day, but the Phoenix Clan was thankfully unaffected due to the Phoenix Barrier .
A figure flashed past the barrier and appeared inside the village . Countless emotions surged in Yun Cheâs heart as he stared at the familiar scene before him .
This was where he had obtained the Phoenix inheritance and where he was reborn . This was where he had fallen into a slump and found Chu Yuechan and Yun Wuxin .
A long time ago, he had accidentally fallen into this place while he was being hunted . The old him couldnât have known this tiny utopia would change his life several times .
There was a Phoenix youth cultivating in concentration some distance away from Yun Che, the burning mark of the phoenix on his forehead grew brighter and brighter . Suddenly, the boy noticed something and opened his eyes . He was immediately greeted by a smiling Yun Che standing in front of him .
âIt looks like youâve improved even further, Zuâer . â Yun Che smiled .
âAh!â Feng Zuâer exclaimed before getting up to his feet, âBig Brother Benefactor, you⊠youâve come . â
âMn . Iâm here to see Xianâer,â Yun Cheâs gaze went past Feng Zuâer when he said this . He could sense where Feng Xianâer was right now .
The excitement on Feng Zuâerâs face froze when he heard the name âXianâerâ . Then, he bit his lips in secret before bowing his head, begging, âBig Brother Benefactor, I⊠I know that Xianâer has committed a grave error, but⊠but she really didnât meant to do it . She⊠has cried many times over the past two days, and she has shut herself inside her room, refusing to come out for even a moment⊠She⊠Sheâs really sorry for what she did, so can you please forgive her?â
â . . . â Yun Che tensed a little before he let out a sigh, âZuâer, Xianâer was never in the wrong in the first place . Iâm the one who should be begging for Xianâerâs forgiveness, not her for mine . â
âAh?â Feng Zuâer was stunned by his remark . He was going to say something more, but Yun Che had already disappeared somewhere .
Feng Xianâerâs bedchamber was a small but very well kept wooden room . Right now, she was sitting next to the window and staring towards outside with blank eyes .
Yun Che soundlessly appeared in her room⊠the air was filled with the scent of sorrow .
âXianâer,â he called out to her softly .
Feng Xianâer shuddered once before getting up to her feet . When she turned around, Yun Che noticed that there were tear streaks on her face . The girl stared blankly at him in disbelief for several long seconds before she finally bowed her head and grabbed the hem of her dress tightly, âYoung⊠Big Brother Benefactor, I⊠IâŠâ
Her voice sounded timid and panicky . She kept her head bowed firmly, and she dared not look him in the eye at all . She looked like a little girl who had just committed a grave mistake .
âXianâer,â Yun Che said gently, âI was feeling very uncomfortable since youâve been gone for the past two days . Will you come back with me?â
âAh?â Feng Xianâer looked up at stared at him with wide eyes . She looked like she couldnât believe what she was hearing before she devolved even further into panic, âI⊠But I committed such a terrible error⊠Iâm the one who hurt Wuxin, I donât deserve to serve you ever agâŠâ
âYouâre not the one whoâs in the wrong . I was,â Yun Che cut her off before she could complete her sentence, âYou hadnât done any wrong from the start . On the contrary, you were the one who saved Wuxin . I⊠I was furious at the time, and my logic had completely fled . Worse, after I left the room my head got caught in the door right as I was leaving Xinâerâs room . That was the reason why I said something so terrible to you . â
âPfâŠâ Yun Cheâs joke had come out of nowhere, and it caught the defenseless Feng Xianâer completely off guard . Then, her face turned bright red before she bowed her head even lower than before .
âPlease forgive me?â Yun Che said in the gentlest voice he could muster, âI promise Iâll never say something like that to you ever again . I promise Iâll never ask you to leave another time .
â . . . â Feng Xianâer squeezed her hands together tightly before saying timidly, âBut⊠But IâŠâ
âOh right,â Yun Che interrupted her again before continuing, âIâve found a way to return Xinâer to full health . Letâs heal Xinâer together after we head back, okay?â
âAh!?â Feng Xianâer looked up suddenly, âIs⊠is that really true?â
âOf course itâs true,â Yun Che nodded seriously while staring her in the eye, âNot only will she regain her profound strength, sheâll become even stronger than she was before . â
Although Feng Xianâer really wasnât at fault at all, she had still claimed responsibility for everything bad that had happened⊠It was because she was the one who had brought her before the Phoenix Spirit and as a result Yun Wuxin had lost all of her powers .
That was why Yun Wuxinâs condition had become a knot in her mind .
However, if Yun Wuxin were to be restored to full health, her knot would naturally become unraveled on its own .
âCome back with me, Xianâer,â Yun Che smiled as his tone turned just a tad forceful, âLetâs watch Xinâer get better together . Iâm not the only one who wants you to come back either . There are also Yuechan, Xueâer, Caiyi⊠even my parents . Everyone is hoping for you to return, and ahem⊠they even scolded me a bunch, you know?â
â . . . â Feng Xianâer stared at him blankly . A while later, tears suddenly started pouring out of her eyes non-stop . Although Feng Xianâer covered her mouth and tried to control it with all her might, her tears just wouldnât stop .
âXianâerâŠâ Yun Che hurriedly took a step forward, âAre⊠you still not willing to forgive me?â
Feng Xianâer shook her head strongly before trembling for a very, very long time . Finally, she asked in a sobbing voice, âCan I⊠really⊠stay by your side⊠forever and ever?â
âMn!â Yun Che nodded without any hesitation, âYou can stay until the day you find that Iâm an eyesore . â
â . . . â Feng Xianâer shoulders shook even harder than before . Finally, she was completely beyond words .
âOh, there is one thing Iâve got to complain about . â Yun Cheâs head bent sideways before he continued softly, âYou took all of my laundry with you when you returned home, so I had no choice but to wear my old clothes for the past two days . â
âAh!â Yun Cheâs complaint elicited a cry from Feng Xianâer . When she subconsciously rubbed her spatial ring and discovered that it was the truth, a bit of panic reached her tear-stained face, âI⊠I forgot⊠It wasnât on purposeâŠâ
âHahaha,â Yun Che laughed loudly before he grabbed Feng Xianâerâs hand and pulled her to his side, âIn that case, what else are you waiting for? Come on!â
âMnâŠâ Feng Xianâer tensed up all over when Yun Che had gripped her hand out of nowhere, but she had barely mounted a token struggle before she allowed him to pull her outside . Just a few steps later, a reddish color had stretched from her cheeks all the way down to her neck .
Yun Che didnât leave the valley immediately . Instead, he went to the husband and wife Feng Baichuan and Feng Caiyun and left behind some very important instructions . It was only then that he finally walked towards the Phoenixâs trial rooms with Feng Xianâer .
It was where the Phoenix Spirit resided .
âYoung Master, do you still⊠blame Lord Phoenix God for what happened?â Feng Xianâer asked softly .
Yun Che shook his head and replied, âThat day, when I woke up from my coma and saw Xinâer breathing weakly without any profound energy in her⊠there was no one I didnât hate at that moment . It was only after my head had cleared that I realized that the real person who was deserving of hate, was myself . â
âThe reason it chose you to stay by my side was because it knew that you would never do anything to harm me . Conversely, that also meant that my guard was always lowered around you . â Yun Che sighed quietly, âI shouldâve noticed the signs a while ago . â
The duo soon arrived before the Phoenixâs trial rooms, but the Phoenix Barrier in front of them was very different from the one in their memories .
It was because the profound light shining from the barrier was shockingly weak .
Yun Che stretched his hand and tried to touch the barrier, but the scarlet light in front of him suddenly flashed once before disappearing completely .
â . . . â Yun Cheâs hands became frozen in midair .
âAhâŠâ Feng Xianâer cried out softly before she fell into a daze . Then, a deep sadness rose from her heart as she collapsed slowly to her knees, âLord⊠Phoenix⊠GodâŠâ
The Phoenix aura that had been entrenched in this valley and protecting this village for so, so many years had vanished . . .
Forever .
The Phoenix Clan turned utterly silent in an instant . Every Phoenix clansman had sensed the Phoenix Godâs passing, and they all knelt on the ground, looked up to the sky and let their tears fall freely .
Its passing didnât just mean the passing of a small clanâs Phoenix God . . . It also meant that the last Phoenix Spirit in the entirety of the Primal Chaos, the last being who bore the will of the Phoenix, had vanished from the world .
From here on, the only traces left of the Phoenix were those who had inherited its bloodline and power .
Yun Che closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh . Then, he knelt on one knee and saluted the Phoenix Spirit solemnly .
Back then, its time was already limited after it had gifted him its own soul origin and the Nirvana Flame . Three days ago, it had even used all of its remaining power to draw out Yun Wuxinâs Evil God divine aura in an attempt to save him .
But the Phoenix Spirit had still stubbornly held on because it was waiting for Yun Che to return and unleash all of his wrath on it . It was only when it heard that Yun Che had relinquished his hatred for it that it was finally able to pass away⊠in peace .
After that, Yun Che got back up to his feet and whispered to himself, âYou once said that I am the âhopeâ . I wonât run away or deny it any longer . I will do my best to become the hope you wish for me to become before âthat dayâ arrives⊠This is the only way I can repay you for everything you have done for me . â
His attention was suddenly drawn sideways just as he was finished speaking .
After the Phoenix Spirit had passed away, the Phoenix Barrier that had been protecting the Phoenix Clan had disappeared as well .
Moreover, a large group of profound beasts was heading their way, albeit in a disorderly fashion . Every single one of their auras felt exceptionally violent .
âCheif! Itâs terrible!â It was at this moment an urgent voice cut through the air, âThe Phoenix Barrier has vanished, and a huge amount of violent profound beasts are heading our way! We must prepare for war immediately!â
In the past, the Phoenix Clan was protected the Phoenix Barrier and the Phoenix Godâs naturally intimidating aura . That was why the profound beasts of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range had never dared to get close to them . However, both of those things were now gone, and the profound beastsâ temperament had turned largely violent as of late . This also meant that this tiny utopia situated at the center of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range was soon to become a disaster zone .
The shout instantly caused the atmosphere in Phoenix Clan to turn heavy . Phoenix flames started erupting everywhere as everyone got themselves ready for the incoming battle . Feng Xianâer had jumped into the air in a hurry and looked into the distance, and everywhere she looked countless violent auras were stampeding towards this once forbidden ground .
Yun Che turned around and appeared right next to Feng Xianâer . Then, a loud voice reached everyoneâs ears, âEveryone, there is no need to worry . Please withdraw your profound energies and back off for the moment . â
While saying this, Yun Che extended his arms and started circulating the light profound energy . The layer of light was incredibly thin, but it quickly spilled down the ground beneath and spread out to envelop the entire Phoenix Clan . Not only that, it had covered the entire Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range in just a couple breathsâ time .
Immediately, the violent roars of the profound beasts subsided until they faded away completely . The rampaging profound beasts froze where they stood as the confusion in their eyes faded away quickly like extinguished flames . A moment later, the profound beasts returned to being confused, but peaceful .
The terrifying, violent and dangerous auras started receding back where they came from like tidewater .
The profound beasts werenât the only ones who were affected by the white light . Every Phoenix descendant within the vicinity felt like their bodies were submerged inside comfortable clouds, and their hearts being cleansed by streams of spring water . Even the worry, panic and fear they were just feeling moments ago had all faded away into nothing⊠But that wasnât all . They felt like the negative emotions that had been lurking deep inside their souls were all washed away silently, leaving behind only purity and cleanliness . All that was left inside their hearts was an unprecedented sense of peace .
âWhat⊠is this power?â Feng Baichuan muttered as he looked at the sky .