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

by Mars Gravity

  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!

  “T
he 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!”

  Chapter 703: Hatred that Exceeds the Heavens

  Maintaining an enormous amount of tolerance, Feng Feilie negotiated with Yun Che. With nearly every passing breath, he had to remind himself that he had to be calm, and must not be irritable. Despite that, once Yun Che’s fourth condition was yelled out, both his eyes burned with rage, and he almost spat out blood from his throat.

  To a nation, ceding a territory was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation. How could his Divine Phoenix Empire suffer such humiliation?

  “Yun Che, don’t you go too far!”

  “Go too far?” Yun Che grimly answered, “Compared to your Divine Phoenix’s gargantuan offense of attacking Blue Wind, I’m simply more benevolent than the saints in legends!”

  He shifted his gaze toward Feng Hengkong, then sneered at the hideously warped face which had turned a greenish black, “Phoenix Sect Master, you should have heard these four conditions loud and clear. I’ll give you five breaths of time to consider. If you listen obediently, this son of yours can live and I won’t feel the need to come again tomorrow. However, if you’re still as ungrateful as yesterday… then I can only kill him right away!”

  Since the very start, Yun Che only showed a dull expression, and he even wore a slightly gentle smile. It was as if he was talking about something that couldn’t be even more casual.

  Even though he was angry to the point where all the veins in his body were about to burst, Feng Feilie still used the most determination he had in his entire life to stay calm, because at present, Feng Xichen’s life was top priority. No matter what sorts of conditions Yun Che raised, he had to agree to them first. In fear that Feng Hengkong would explode, he quickly answered, “The life of my Divine Phoenix Prince is more important than anything else in this world… Okay! My Divine Phoenix Sect can agree to the four conditions you have raised, however…”

  “Then that’s just great!” Yun Che immediately turned around, beamed at Feng Feilie and cut off his later words with an arrogant voice, “A Phoenix Great Elder such as yourself is much more appreciative than that nauseating Phoenix Sect Master. Since you have already agreed, then there is no reason for me to kill your precious Thirteenth Prince. What happens next, is even more simple.”

  He slightly loosened the left hand holding Feng Xichen as he slowly extended a finger from his raised right. “I’ll give you all ten breaths. Send a sound transmission to your troops stationed in my Blue Wind to all scramble back here. Your Divine Phoenix Sect possesses the highest quality Sound Transmission Jades so it probably won’t even need ten breaths.”

  “You…”

  “Then…” Yun Che extended a second finger. “Make your Phoenix Sect Master pen a letter of apology immediately… Oh, it’s fine if you just write it here. After you finish it, remember to stamp it with the Phoenix Seal, then let your Phoenix Sect Master read it out loud in public. With the Phoenix Sect Master’s unrivaled profound strength, transmitting it beyond one hundred kilometers should be quite easy.”

  “I’ll give you another thirty breaths of time to craft out the document about ceding Red Jade City. Stamp it with the Phoenix Seal and hand it over to me directly. It’s awfully easy.

  “Lastly, I’ll grant you another fifteen minutes to prepare the twenty billion purple profound coins. Similarly, you’ll hand it over to me directly. Not one coin can be missing.

  “After that, your Thirteenth Prince will be able to live on peacefully.

  “Also, you don’t have any right to bargain with me. Definitely don’t exceed the amount of time I have just given you as well… not even by a breath of time!”

  How could Yun Che be ignorant of what exactly this bunch was planning? If it was so easy to trick him, then he would not have been able to survive until today.

  Feng Feilie’s already ugly expression immediately turned even uglier, “Yun Che, you… you… don’t push things too far!!”

  “Oh? And just what does the Great Elder mean? Yun Che said with a cold smile, “Just now, you personally agreed to the four conditions that I have proposed. What I just said completely tallies with the four conditions that I raised, and I did not attempt to exceed it in the slightest. So what is the expression that the Great Elder has on his face supposed to mean? Could it be that… the Great Elder’s unreserved promises to me just a moment ago was actually just a load of hot air?”

  “Yun Che!! You….” Feng Feilie roared angrily; his entire body quivered, but he was filled with so much anger that he could not speak any further.

  “Feilie, don’t waste any more words on him!!”

  Feng Hengkong finally spoke, and no matter whether it was his expression or his voice, they had become rather cold and calm. His gaze focused and intensified, but his eyes were not fixed on Yun Che. Instead, they fell on Feng Xichen, whose face was filled with fear and pleading, “Chen’er, listen to me. You are a prince of our Divine Phoenix Empire, and in your body flows the most noble Phoenix bloodline. We can die but we must never submit! Nor should we throw shame onto the five thousand years of fame and prestige that belongs to our Divine Phoenix Empire!”

  “Do not worry, we will definitely not let you die in vain! We will definitely… personally avenge you!!”

  “Everyone, get ready to… kill Yun Che!!”

  As Feng Hengkong’s voice fell, the sound transmission that came from him exploded in the ears of the Phoenix elders like a thunderclap. However, not one of them moved immediately as their eyes were filled with deep conflict and hesitation… the person in Yun Che’s grasp was not just an ordinary Divine Phoenix disciple, but a prince.

  But immediately, a pillar of Phoenix flames shot into the sky as Feng Hengkong directly rushed towards Yun Che; the startling energy wave was clearly produced by all the profound energy in his body surging outwards. All the gathered elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect could no longer hesitate as well. All of them let out a faint cry as Phoenix flames ignited on their bodies while they lashed out simultaneously. In an instant, numerous pillars of fire swiftly converged on Yun Che’s location as a terrifying pressure heavily engulfed the entire Phoenix City.

  “AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!”

  The one who let out the wail was not Yun Che, but instead Feng Xichen who was in his grasp, “Royal Father… I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die!!”

  “Hahahaha!” Yun Che, who had been surrounded on all sides and seemed to have reached the end of his tether, actually let out a wild laugh. “Feng Hengkong, you think that your lowly self is worthy of all the fame that you have accrued in this life? Do you think that your lowly self has the qualifications to have a discussion about the ‘Phoenix bloodline’?”

  “There is something that you better remind yourself about right now. I am not the one who killed both of your sons. The one who killed them is you, Feng Heng
kong!! This is the karma you reap for all the evil acts that you have committed against my Blue Wind!”

  “Furthermore… this is just the beginning!!”

  “Attack!!” Feng Hengkong roared.

  Boom!!!!!

  Whether it was Feng Hengkong or the various elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect, none of them dared to approach Yun Che, instead, the Phoenix flames on their body fiercely exploded outwards at the same time. In an instant, the air above all of Phoenix City was wreathed in a sea of fire. The Phoenix flames, which originated from tens of Overlords, were extremely hot, thick and fierce, and they completely blocked out the light of the sun. Moreover, even the space in the area had been distorted out of shape.

  None of them had forgotten the speed that Yun Che had displayed yesterday, so they did not wait for him to appear. Instead they intensified their Phoenix flames to their very limit and completely smothered the huge area with fire. Even if Yun Che’s speed was ten times faster than what he had shown, he would definitely not be able to escape this conflagration.

  The Phoenix Sect Master and all the Phoenix Sect elders who were present had attacked at the same time. This kind of battle formation had never been seen before in the history of the Divine Phoenix Sect. Even though Yun Che’s profound strength was only at the Emperor Profound Realm, he was still the single most despised and hated nemesis the Divine Phoenix Sect had ever faced.

  When this sea of Phoenix flames engulfed Yun Che, they also naturally engulfed Feng Xichen at the same time. They were convinced that Yun Che would definitely not be able to escape from the sea of flames alive… therefore the death of Feng Xichen was even more so a forgone conclusion.

  They had no choice but to sacrifice the life of yet another prince in their bid to kill Yun Che… and even if Yun Che had truly died, he would leave behind a stain of humiliation that could never be erased from the history of the Divine Phoenix Sect.