Against the Gods - Volume 07 - Heaven Smiting Shakes the World

by Mars Gravity

  In addition, this had happened while the elders were pursuing him at full speed.

  The thirteen Divine Phoenix Elders were all dumbstruck as they each took in deep breaths… Just what kind of speed did Yun Che possess?!

  Such shocking speed, how could this be from a junior who only emitted the aura of the Emperor Profound Realm?

  Fast to the point… that it made these powerful Phoenix Elders frankly give up in despair after merely chasing for three breaths of time. They could only look on helplessly as the person who destroyed their Phoenix God Sculpture and killed their prince left completely unscathed.

  Not only were the thirteen elders that were in midair stunned, all those who had witnessed Yun Che’s speed were all dumbstruck. When Feng Xiluo had landed into Yun Che’s hands, they had all attributed it to their own carelessness, but now, they realized what put Divine Phoenix Sect through such a disaster was obviously a godlike speed.

  Feng Feilie’s twitching eyelids suddenly tightened, as he remembered something and said in shock, “That is… Extreme Mirage Lightning?!“

  “What?” Feng Feiran exclaimed as he turned around in surprise, “Extreme Mirage Lightning… isn’t that Thief God Clan’s ultimate skill? In addition, it’s only passed down to the sons and no one else. Currently, the only one who can use Extreme Mirage Lighting is the Ghost Mirage Sacred Hand, Hua Minghai. How is it possible that Yun Che…”

  “What are you guys dawdling about for… Hurry up and give chase! Chase! Cut his corpse into a thousand pieces!!”

  It was obvious that Feng Hengkong had lost control. Although he was the Divine Phoenix Sect Master, his son had just be killed in his presence right in front of his entire sect. The impact of this was so big, that even he, as a sect master and an emperor of a nation could not calm himself in a short moment of time.

  “Royal Father, you need to calm down… Yun Che cannot escape our Divine Phoenix Sect’s network of people.” Feng Ximing came forward and said consolingly.

  “Sect Master… You must restrain your sorrow. Regarding the Fourteenth Prince’s death… We will definitely deliver justice for him, ” All the elders gradually went forward with faces of rage and anguish.

  “…” Feng Hengkong took a deep breath. After relaxing for a while, he finally calmed down a little. He turned and looked at the place where Feng Xiluo was obliterated by Yun Che. Even with the eyesight of someone in the pinnacle of the Tyrant Profound Realm, forget about the remnants of a corpse, he could not even find any shred of clothing left behind.

  Feng Hengkong clenched his fists tightly, shaking to the point where it seemed as though all the bones in his hand were about to break. However, his voice was surprisingly calm, “Send out all the idling disciples within the sect… kill Yun Che at all costs… when he’s found… kill him on sight!!”

  “Understood! This son will go instruct them immediately.” Feng Ximing nodded in acknowledgement before leaving hastily.

  “Second brother,” Feng Hengkong shouted towards Great Elder Feng Feilie: “Please personally send a sound transmission to Xue’er and tell her that there will be a distinguished guest visiting the sect in the coming days. Therefore, I won’t be able to leave and it’s also not suitable for her to come over… Tell her to rest assured and stay at Phoenix Perching Valley for this period.

  “In addition, for this period, you will personally monitor Phoenix Mountain Range’s Great Phoenix Formation!”

  Feng Feilie understood the meaning behind Feng Hengkong’s words and slowly nodded, “Don’t worry, Sect Master.”

  Feng Hengkong closed his eyes. His body trembled in rage and his face filled with agony. He viewed Feng Xue’er to be more valuable than his life and always could not bear to hide anything from her. When she had awoken after being unconscious for three years, he was initially overjoyed. However, in the past few days, he had been forced to deceive her time and time again.

  However, his worry was completely unnecessary as Yun Che definitely would not go look for Feng Xue’er. After confirming that Feng Xue’er was not at the sect but probably at the Phoenix Perching Valley, Yun Che heaved a sigh of relief. He hoped that Feng Xue’er would not appear… if she did appear, he would really not know how he should face her.

  ————————————

  The Phoenix God Sculpture was destroyed, the Fourteenth Prince was killed, the Divine Phoenix Sect was now in chaos, and an uproar started to spread within the entire Divine Phoenix City. Many Phoenix Sect disciples searched every corner of the city and even went as far as searching the outskirts. They seemed like a group of panicking headless flies as they searched for the whereabouts of Yun Che.

  Within the region of Divine Phoenix City, the Divine Phoenix Sect naturally had a vast and intensive network of people and intelligence. Furthermore, by sending out a large number of disciples, they thought that Yun Che would have nowhere to hide. However, from high noon until night had fallen, let alone capturing him, not a trace of Yun Che was to be found.

  At the center of the Divine Phoenix City, standing at one end on the seventh level of the Black Moon Merchant Guild, Zi Ji stood in front of a transparent window that was filled up with various unique profound formations. As he looked down at the restless Divine Phoenix City, ripples constantly appeared in his eyes.

  “Sigh, he really is someone who cannot be fathomed.” Zi Ji sighed as he said to himself, “Although I had guessed that he would probably kill to show that he was serious, I never imagined… that he would go ahead and kill a prince. This was obviously something that only a madman who has completely lost his sanity would do.

  “However, just from the conversation I had with him previously, he probably doesn’t want to become complete mortal enemies with Divine Phoenix Empire… After all, based on his character, he would definitely consider for the circumstances and future of Blue Wind Empire.

  “However, his behavior and intent are so contradictory. What exactly is he trying to accomplish…”

  Sss…

  A soft noise that ordinary people would not be able to detect rang softly in Zi Ji’s ear. He stretched out his fingers and touched the air lightly. A profound formation that was only half an inch wide took form. From it, came a voice that had been deliberately suppressed: “Yun Che has been found.”

  “Oh? Where is he now?” asked Zi Ji.

  “A hundred kilometers southwest of the city, on a hill. His clothing did not change nor did he disguise himself.”

  “…Without changing his clothes and looks, he actually managed to get out of Divine Phoenix City without being detected by Divine Phoenix Sect,” Zi Ji’s face revealed signs of puzzlement and shock. He had to admit, if he were to be placed in the same situation, he would not have been able to accomplish the same feat. He would even go so far to say that there was no one else that could probably do it as well, except for…

  Escaping and escaping without leaving a trace were two entirely different concepts.

  “If you all were about to discover his whereabouts, he would have most likely found out about you as well,” Zi Ji said.

  “That is indeed the case. But as you said, once he saw that we had the Black Moon emblem, he did not attack us. He only seemed to barely open his eyes, before continuing to… to…”

  “Oh? What was he doing outside of Divine Phoenix City?”

  “…It seemed like he was sleeping.”

  “…”

  “In addition, according to a source within Divine Phoenix Sect, the movement skill that he used to escape made him fast as lightning… seems as though it was the Thief God Clan’s Extreme Mirage Lightning!”

  “Extreme Mirage Lightning?” Zi Ji’s eyebrows jumped fiercely. Even at the level he was in, the words “Extreme Mirage Lightning” still reverberated like thunder in his ears. This was because the Extreme Mirage Lightning was a profound movement skill that even the Four Great Sacred Grounds regarded as being the best in the world. It could cover up one’s aura and the ability it grant
ed to travel long distances could be said to be unparalleled in this world. If a Throne that possessed Extreme Mirage Lightning and used all his abilities to hide himself, even an Overlord who was within ten steps would not be able to detect him. If he used it to escape at full speed, the Overlord would only be able to eat the dust behind the Throne.

  There was only one successor left for the Thief God Clan! And that successor’s profound cultivation has only reached the early stages of the Emperor Profound Realm. Yet, his name was something that even everyone from the Four Great Sacred Grounds knew… all of this was because of Extreme Mirage Lightning! While only being in the early stage of the Emperor Profound Realm, he could freely enter and leave the Divine Phoenix Sect unscathed. This displayed the might of the Extreme Mirage Lightning.

  “Can you verify this news?” Zi Ji asked with a frown. In his knowledge, Extreme Mirage Lightning was something that has always been passed on to sons and never to anyone else… it was not even allowed to be taught to a daughter. Also, at the level of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, there had always been rumors: Sun Moon Divine Hall yearned for the Extreme Mirage Lightning, and had once secretly investigated the whereabouts of descendants of the Thief God Clan. They tried using coercing, enticements and even murder, but were still unable to obtain what they wanted.

  Even when facing Sun Moon Divine Hall, the Thief God Clan still refused to hand over Extreme Mirage Lightning, so how could it appear on Yun Che?

  “The successor of the Thief God Clan in this generation is someone named Hua Minghai. He has snuck into the Divine Phoenix Sect several times in the past few years. He was detected twice when he had triggered a profound formation, which then caused several Phoenix Sect Elders to chase him, only for him to escape using Extreme Mirage Lightning. Therefore several of the Phoenix Sect Elders were very familiar with the profound fluctuations emitted when Extreme Mirage Lightning was used. The aura of the profound movement skill Yun Che used when he escaped was very similar… However these are all merely speculations and there’s no concrete proof.”

  “…” Zi Ji was silent for a long time. Then, he replied faintly, “Pay close attention to Yun Che’s movements, but don’t disturb him; furthermore, don’t reveal anything that concerns him to anyone else except for me. Also, have those stationed in Blue Wind Nation focus on observing the events happening in Blue Wind Imperial City.”

  “This subordinate understands.”

  “Wait… the one called Fen Juechen, don’t lose track of him either.”

  “Yes!”

  Chapter 702: Soaring into the Sky

  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, whi
ch 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!!