Against the Gods

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 Che’s 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 couldn’t 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.

“It looks like you’ve improved even further, Zu’er.” Yun Che smiled.

“Ah!” Feng Zu’er exclaimed before getting up to his feet, “Big Brother Benefactor, you… you’ve come.”

“Mn. I’m here to see Xian’er,” Yun Che’s gaze went past Feng Zu’er when he said this. He could sense where Feng Xian’er was right now.

The excitement on Feng Zu’er’s face froze when he heard the name “Xian’er”. Then, he bit his lips in secret before bowing his head, begging, “Big Brother Benefactor, I… I know that Xian’er has committed a grave error, but… but she really didn’t 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… She’s really sorry for what she did, so can you please forgive her?”

“...” Yun Che tensed a little before he let out a sigh, “Zu’er, Xian’er was never in the wrong in the first place. I’m the one who should be begging for Xian’er’s forgiveness, not her for mine.”

“Ah?” Feng Zu’er was stunned by his remark. He was going to say something more, but Yun Che had already disappeared somewhere.

Feng Xian’er’s 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.

“Xian’er,” he called out to her softly.

Feng Xian’er 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, “Young… Big Brother Benefactor, I… I…”

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.

“Xian’er,” Yun Che said gently, “I was feeling very uncomfortable since you’ve been gone for the past two days. Will you come back with me?”

“Ah?” Feng Xian’er looked up at stared at him with wide eyes. She looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing before she devolved even further into panic, “I… But I committed such a terrible error… I’m the one who hurt Wuxin, I don’t deserve to serve you ever ag…”

“You’re not the one who’s in the wrong. I was,” Yun Che cut her off before she could complete her sentence, “You hadn’t 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 Xin’er’s room. That was the reason why I said something so terrible to you.”

“Pf…” Yun Che’s joke had come out of nowhere, and it caught the defenseless Feng Xian’er completely off guard. Then, her face turned bright red before she bowed her head even lower than before.

“Please forgive me?” Yun Che said in the gentlest voice he could muster, “I promise I’ll never say something like that to you ever again. I promise I’ll never ask you to leave another time.

“...” Feng Xian’er squeezed her hands together tightly before saying timidly, “But… But I…”

“Oh right,” Yun Che interrupted her again before continuing, “I’ve found a way to return Xin’er to full health. Let’s heal Xin’er together after we head back, okay?”

“Ah!?” Feng Xian’er looked up suddenly, “Is… is that really true?”

“Of course it’s true,” Yun Che nodded seriously while staring her in the eye, “Not only will she regain her profound strength, she’ll become even stronger than she was before.”

Although Feng Xian’er really wasn’t 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 Wuxin’s 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.

“Come back with me, Xian’er,” Yun Che smiled as his tone turned just a tad forceful, “Let’s watch Xin’er get better together. I’m not the only one who wants you to come back either. There are also Yuechan, Xue’er, Caiyi… even my parents. Everyone is hoping for you to return, and ahem… they even scolded me a bunch, you know?”

“...” Feng Xian’er stared at him blankly. A while later, tears suddenly started pouring out of her eyes non-stop. Although Feng Xian’er covered her mouth and tried to control it with all her might, her tears just wouldn’t stop.

“Xian’er…” Yun Che hurriedly took a step forward, “Are… you still not willing to forgive me?”

Feng Xian’er shook her head strongly before trembling for a very, very long time. Finally, she asked in a sobbing voice, “Can I… really… stay by your side… forever and ever?”

“Mn!” Yun Che nodded without any hesitation, “You can stay until the day you find that I’m an eyesore.”

“...” Feng Xian’er shoulders shook even harder than before. Finally, she was completely beyond words.

“Oh, there is one thing I’ve got to complain about.” Yun Che’s head bent sideways before he continued softly, “You 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.”

“Ah!” Yun Che’s complaint elicited a cry from Feng Xian’er. When she subconsciously rubbed her spatial ring and discovered that it was the truth, a bit of panic reached her tear-stained face, “I… I forgot… It wasn’t on purpose…”

“Hahaha,” Yun Che laughed loudly before he grabbed Feng Xian’er’s hand and pulled her to his side, “In that case, what else are you waiting for? Come on!”

“Mn…” Feng Xian’er 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 didn’t 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 Phoenix’s trial rooms with Feng Xian’er.

It was where the Phoenix Spirit resided.

“Young Master, do you still… blame Lord Phoenix God for what happened?” Feng Xian’er asked softly.

Yun Che shook his head and replied, “That day, when I woke up from my coma and saw Xin’er breathing weakly without any profound energy in her… there was no one I didn’t 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.”

“The 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.” Yun Che sighed quietly, “I should’ve noticed the signs a while ago.”

The duo soon arrived before the Phoenix’s 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.

“...” Yun Che’s hands became frozen in midair.

“Ah…” Feng Xian’er cried out softly before she fell into a daze. Then, a deep sadness rose from her heart as she collapsed slowly to her knees, “Lord… Phoenix… God…”

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 God’s passing, and they all knelt on the ground, looked up to the sky and let their tears fall freely.

Its passing didn’t just mean the passing of a small clan’s 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 Wuxin’s 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, “You once said that I am the ‘hope’. I won’t run away or deny it any longer. I will do my best to become the hope you wish for me to become before ‘that day’ arrives… This is the only way I can repay you for everything you have done for me.”

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.

“Cheif! It’s terrible!” It was at this moment an urgent voice cut through the air, “The Phoenix Barrier has vanished, and a huge amount of violent profound beasts are heading our way! We must prepare for war immediately!”

In the past, the Phoenix Clan was protected the Phoenix Barrier and the Phoenix God’s 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 beasts’ 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 Xian’er 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 Xian’er. Then, a loud voice reached everyone’s ears, “Everyone, there is no need to worry. Please withdraw your profound energies and back off for the moment.”

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 breaths’ 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 weren’t 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 wasn’t 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.

“What… is this power?” Feng Baichuan muttered as he looked at the sky.