Against the Gods

Even though night had fallen, Divine Phoenix City had still yet to calm down; the Phoenix disciples still continued to persevere in their search for Yun Che as they swarmed the place like a bunch of headless houseflies. An entire day of fruitless labor had left them all sullen and angry, and not one of them had the face to go back to report their findings. As such, they grew even more frustrated and impatient, to the point where they began to forcefully barge into the various big merchant guilds, sects, medical halls and even residential areas, practically turning all the places which could hide a person upside down.

The exception of course being the Black Moon Merchant Guild.

Despite all their efforts, they could not even catch a glimpse of Yun Che’s shadow. What they did accomplish however was raising the ire of the residents of Divine Phoenix City, even though no one dared to voice it.

Only when midnight came did the search finally ended; however, the lights within the Divine Phoenix Sect were still brightly lit. The fact that they could not find any trace of Yun Che despite mobilizing nearly the entire Divine Phoenix Sect left them in a state of shock, causing the atmosphere to become especially tense and oppressive. Feng Hengkong and the various elders were no exception; not a single of them was able to sleep, so they all gathered in the Phoenix Main Hall to discuss on how to deal with the entire Yun Che affair… Given the incredulous boast that Yun Che had made before he ran away, he would definitely come again tomorrow!

This time, they had to eliminate Yun Che no matter what. Yun Che’s success in fleeing the first time could still be explained with them being left unprepared by his bizarre speed. If he truly delivered himself to their doorstep once again and they still failed to kill him the second time around, then the entire Profound Sky Continent would look down on their Divine Phoenix Sect as some kind of huge joke, and their five thousand years of prestige would go down the drain in one stroke

After that day of absolute chaos, Divine Phoenix City descended into a peculiar silence . It was especially so within the Divine Phoenix Sect; the atmosphere had become so oppressive, as if everyone there were being boiled in a pressure cooker, making it hard for anyone to breathe.

Within Divine Phoenix City, people kept on looking in the direction of Phoenix City, but whenever they did, they no longer saw the Phoenix God Sculpture which radiated might and awe.

Within the Divine Phoenix Sect, Feng Hengkong had not slept a wink nor had he taken a step outside the sect’s doors. He stood at the entrance of the Phoenix Main Hall with his head raised, staring at the sky as his whole body released a vicious aura which struck fear into the hearts of anyone who was in the vicinity… The Phoenix God Sculpture had been destroyed, and his son had also been killed. However, not only had the culprit, Yun Che, managed to escape, they also failed to find a single trace of him despite searching day and night. At this moment, they had no choice but to wait for the other party to appear once more. All of this made the wrath and resentment in Feng Henkong’s heart reach the boiling point.

“Sect Master.” Thirty-eighth Elder Feng Yunzhi, spoke as he strode towards him.

“Have you found out where Yun Che is hiding yet?” Feng Hengkong asked in an emotionless voice, indicative of the fact that he did not held much hope in that regard.

Feng Yunzhi shook his head and said in a low voice, “It has already been a day and a night… so it is about time for us to hold… to hold the Fourteenth Prince’s funeral ceremony….”

The center of Feng Hengkong’s brow violently jerked, as if it had been stabbed by some kind of needle. Not only had Feng Xiluo died, not even a semblance of his corpse was left behind. Every time Feng Hengkong thought of this, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He said in an extremely low and grim voice, “We have not caught Yun Che yet…. We need to use his life and his blood to comfort Luo’er’s departed spirit!”

Feng Yunzhi bent his head and let out a soft sigh, “I understand. Yesterday, we were completely caught-off guard, that’s why he has successfully escaped. But if he pays us a visit again, then we will definitely not let him slip through our net. We have been searching for day and night, but we still couldn’t find and trace of Yun Che; he has clearly fled from Divine Phoenix City. As of this moment, every corner of the city is being monitored, so the moment he steps into our territory, we will discover him right away Once that happens, the sect will immediately be notified, and we will simply wait for him to fall into our hands.”

“Any movements so far?” Feng Hengkong asked.

“None at the moment.” Feng Yunzhi shook his head once more, “Today will be different from yesterday, because this time, he will definitely be exceedingly cautious in his approach. It is extremely likely that he will only move under the cover of the darkness. Hmph… this time, if he does indeed make an appearance, the moment he steps into our imperial city, we will definitely be aware of it. So the moment he approaches Phoenix City, we will only need a moment to have him….”

“Ahhhhhhhh… Save me… Royal Father, save me!!”

Suddenly, a miserable wail that was filled with stark terror pierced the air; it was akin to a thunderclap that landed in the midst of the artificially peaceful Phoenix City. Feng Hengkong and Feng Yunzhi’s expressions underwent a drastic change as all the remaining elders and disciples swarmed out into the open to find the source of that scream.

Boom!!

A palace, which was half a kilometer away from the Phoenix Main Hall, was blown apart with a loud explosion… Furthermore, that was the palace of one of the princes! The silhouette of a person holding another hundreds of meters above the ground could be seen within a pillar of smoke and flames that shot to the sky. The hoarse wails of terror was coming from the person who was being held.

Looking at the two figures hovering in the air, everyone of Phoenix City had expressions of unrelenting terror.

“Yun… Yun Che!!”

“Thirteenth Prince… it's the Thirteenth Prince!!”

The one who was yelling in terror was actually the thirteenth prince of the Divine Phoenix Empire, Feng Xichen. As for the one who was holding him aloft, it was astonishingly Yun Che!! Yun Che’s eyes were narrowed into slits, and his face still held the same cold and mocking smile from yesterday as he arrogantly gazed down upon all the living creatures below him.

“This… isn’t possible! When did he… impossible!!” Feng Yunzhi’s pupils widened so much that his eyes nearly popped out; he had just reassured Feng Hengkong that if Yun Che took even a single step into Divine Phoenix City, they would immediately be aware of it, much less Yun Che being able to infiltrate Phoenix City.

However, just as he had finished speaking, Yun Che had actually appeared in the middle of Phoenix City, and he even held the Thirteenth Prince Feng Xichen in his hands!!

From Divine Phoenix City to Phoenix City, to the Thirteenth Prince’s private palace… and even to the point where the Thirteenth Prince had fallen into Yun Che’s hand, all of this had happened without a single person noticing!!

The hegemons who lorded over the Profound Sky Seven Nations, the ones who were at the heart of the Divine Phoenix Empire, a sect that had lasted for five thousand years and had approached the status of a Sacred Ground, was actually like a playground for Yun Che!!

With a trembling voice, Feng Yunzhi kept on muttering the words “impossible”… and all of the gathered Phoenix elders and disciples were also staring at the sky with sheer disbelief.

“Feng Hengkong, another day has passed and we meet yet again. I said that I would come again today, and I have upheld my end of the bargain.” Yun Che looked down at Feng Hengkong as he continued to let Feng Xichen scream and writhe in the air. There was a good reason for choosing Feng Xichen as his target today. Yun Che was a person who would pay back every insult and injury; he would never forget the day when the Thirteenth Prince tried to wreck his wedding with Cang Yue, and how the Thirteenth Prince had arrogantly proclaimed that he was merely “tidying up family affairs” when asked to explain his actions.. However, because Yun Che was still too weak and also had to consider the bigger picture, he was not able to kill Feng Xichen that day. Today was a different story though. He continued, “Too bad the people from your Divine Phoenix Sect lacks common courtesy. I had a grand old time walking all the way from the Divine Phoenix City to Phoenix City, but not a single person bothered to greet me. Ah, the manner in which your Divine Phoenix Sect treats its guests has truly disappointed me.”

In fact, it was not actually difficult for Yun Che to infiltrate Phoenix City without being discovered. Before entering Divine Phoenix City, he had used Hidden Flowing Lightning to hide his aura. Then, he had killed one of the Divine Phoenix disciples who was loitering around alone, and used his Profound Handle to retrieve his memories before disguising himself as the person he had ambushed and swaggered into Phoenix City… his body was already naturally releasing the aura of the Phoenix, moreover, his appearance, memories and profound energy aura… were all completely and perfectly flawless. Even Feng Hengkong himself would not notice anything wrong if he walked past Yun Che, so it was only natural that no one else did either.

“Put down the Thirteenth Prince!!” The nearest Divine Phoenix Sect elder yelled at him through trembling lips.

Feng Hengkong’s face had turned completely green; the scene of Feng Xiluo being incinerated by Yun Che just one day prior to this flashed before his eyes. And today, yet another one of his sons had fallen into Yun Che’s hands. He pointed a finger at Yun Che and roared at him with such extreme fury that practically all the cells in his body trembled fiercely, “Yun Che… if you dare to harm a single hair on his head, we… we will definitely make you a pay a price that is one millions times worse than this!!”

“Haha, you seem to have repeatedly said those words yesterday, but it doesn’t really have any bloody effect at all. When it was time for your son to die, he still died in the end.” Even if Feng Hengkong’s words were one hundred times more venomous, it would still fail to intimidate Yun Che in the slightest. He continued with a cheerful voice, “But you don’t need to be so agitated. After all, you are the emperor of the Divine Phoenix Nation, so no matter what happens, you shouldn’t leave behind the dignity that comes with your exalted status, right? Furthermore, this son of yours isn’t dead yet. But of course, if you still insist on being stubborn, then I won’t be able to assure his safety.”

“Royal father… save me… save me….”

All of the strength in Feng Xichen’s body had been sealed, and right now, he couldn’t even struggle from Yun Che’s grasp. As such, the only thing he was able to do was let out miserable cries for help. During the time when he traveled to Blue Wind Nation, he had already been intimately acquainted with Yun Che’s viciousness, and yesterday, Feng Xiluo had miserably lost his life in Yun Che’s hands. Feng Xichen was very clear that the person before him was a true devil; Yun Che was certainly not bluffing when he said that he would take his life. The threats of the Divine Phoenix Sect, which was enough to cow all the other sects within the seven nations, had no effect on him at all.

“Silence! You are a Divine Phoenix Prince… when have we taught you to beg for your life in such a petty and low manner?! You have simply thrown away all the remaining dignity of our Divine Phoenix Sect!!” Feng Hengkong yelled in a furious voice, yet that voice had already begun to tremble. He had restrained his own anger for a day and a night, intending to wait for Yun Che to “deliver himself to their doorsteps”, before avenging his son by personally torturing Yun Che to death. But right now, Yun Che had once again appeared before him, and despite the energy swirling around him which contorted the space from where he stood, he was unable to make a move.

Because yet another one of his sons had fallen into Yun Che’s grasp!

Great Elder Feng Feilie swiftly sent a sound transmission to Feng Hengkong, “Sect Master, this Yun Che is clearly a madman, and he is capable of doing anything. Now that the Thirteenth Prince has fallen into his hands, you must definitely not do anything to agitate him… the only reason why he hasn’t harmed the Thirteenth Prince yet is so that he can coerce us into giving in to the demands he had imposed yesterday. We need to feign civility for now and agree to all his demands… until we are able to secure the Thirteenth Prince again! We have already lost the Fourteenth Prince, so we definitely cannot lose another prince again.”

Even though he was more than five kilometers away, he could clearly feel Feng Hengkong’s wrath and killing intent. Tens of elders took to the sky from where they had been prior to this incident, and all of them rose to Yun Che’s location, forming an enormous circle around him. Feng Feilie took in a deep breath before speaking, “Yun Che, to think that you were not only able to infiltrate our Divine Phoenix Sect undetected, but you were also able to capture the Thirteenth Prince. Your actions have proven how extraordinary you are, and today, we have no choice but to admit defeat.. However, that is as long as you are willing to set the Thirteenth Prince free. In addition, the Divine Phoenix Sect is willing to comply with all the three conditions you have proposed yesterday.”

The gathered Phoenix disciples were all stunned for a brief moment, before they were able to come back to their senses. Given the prestige and position of the Divine Phoenix Sect, they would definitely not agree to any of the three conditions Yun Che proposed yesterday; it was clear that the Great Elder was just stalling for time. Given Yun Che’s viciousness, this was indeed the only option left to them.

Once they managed to rescue the Thirteenth Prince, anything that would happen after that would be completely out of Yun Che’s control.

“Oh? Those three conditions yesterday?” Yun Che questioningly spoke as his eyes flashed with a dangerous and cruel mirth, “What do the three conditions yesterday have to do today? The Great Elder’s memory seems to be slightly defective, because yesterday, I clearly stated that those three conditions that I proposed yesterday was the most magnanimous chance that I, Yun Che, had ever given in my entire life. It was the best chance I was willing to give you, yet all of you refused to behave sensibly. Could it be that you are foolish enough to believe that the conditions that I will be proposing today will have anything to do with the conditions that I had proposed yesterday?”

“You!!” The profound energy within Feng Hengkong’s body exploded outwards, and two of the Phoenix Main Hall’s thick pillars behind him instantly crumbled due to the impact.

Feng Feilie swiftly shot Feng Hengkong a glance as he did his best to suppress the fury in his heart. He replied, “Alright… then you can proceed to tell us the conditions that you are going to propose today!”

“You were indeed the right choice to replace Feng Feiyan as the Great Elder, it is truly refreshing.” Yun Che said with an expression of admiration, before flipping his palm, lifting Feng Xichen even higher into the air, causing him gave a wail that was even more miserable than the previous ones. “Then all of you better pluck your ears up and listen.

“The first condition is that within twenty five days, the entire Divine Phoenix Army must get out of my Blue Wind Nation’s territory. Not one person or a strand of hair can be left behind!! Furthermore, you are not allowed to step foot into my Blue Wind Nation for the next two hundred years!

“The second condition is that Feng Hengkong should personally pen a letter of apology for the crimes that he has committed against our Blue Wind Nation, and this letter should be shown to the world! Additionally, I would require all of the Phoenix Sect elders to personally write a letter of apology as well to be mailed to the Blue Wind Imperial Family, before personally coming down to apologize for your crimes!

“The third condition is to send twenty billion purple profound coins to our Blue Wind Nation as compensation!!”

The three conditions that Yun Che had proposed still had to do with the withdrawal of troops, official apologies and compensation. But every single condition was far more severe than the ones proposed the day before, and the demand regarding compensation was exceptionally severe as the amount requested today was two times as much as the amount requested yesterday.

This time even the lowliest Phoenix disciples were so filled with anger that their bodies were trembling so one did not need to mention Feng Hengkong’s reaction. But, Yun Che had not even finished speaking yet…

“The fourth condition is to cede the Red Jade City that is located to the northeastern part of the Divine Phoenix Nation to my Blue Wind Nation!”

This Chapter's Teaser