Against the Gods (Web Novel)

Chapter 724 – The Awakened Phoenix Soul Within Feng Xue’er

The flames directly struck against Feng Tianwei’s chest, causing him to suffocate in an instant. At the same time, all the profound energy that welled-up within his body receded back like a tide…. This brought him great shock as he swiftly congealed all of his energy, but no matter how he tried to circulate his profound energy, he was still unable to release any of it. In the span of a single breath, even the Phoenix flames burning on his body had been completely extinguished.

This bizarre occurrence, which had never occurred before, caused him to become pale in shock and horrified as his body was swiftly and forcefully shoved away by the crushing scarlet light… Within his ears rang the sounds of Feng Hengkong and the others shouting in alarm. It was not only him who had been shoved aside by this ring of flames, but instead all the Divine Phoenix Sect members in the vicinity as well. When the ring of flames burst out, everyone else were pushed as far as where the flames went.

Not to mention the surrounding people, even Feng Tianwei himself didn’t have the strength to muster a resistance against it.

A bewitchingly beautiful giant flame lotus had bloomed in the air above Phoenix City as layer upon layer of fire petals unfurled themselves. The moment a hundred layers of these flame petals had unfurled themselves, all of the Divine Phoenix Sect members who had previously been surrounding Yun Che had been pushed several kilometers away. At the center of this gigantic flame lotus stood Feng Xue’er and Yun Che.

Once the overly-rich and effusive fire light finally stopped filling his vision, Feng Tianwei quickly raised his head to look towards Feng Xue’er… And once his gaze came into contact with the all-too-real image of the Phoenix behind Feng Xue’er, his entire body froze in place as his soul began to violently tremble uncontrollably; he almost couldn’t prevent himself from collapsing to his knees in order to pay obeisance to that sacred figure.

“The Phoenix… Phoenix soul… has awakened?”

The bewitchingly beautiful fire lotus did not continue to blossom, and it did not hurt anyone either, it had merely forcefully pushed everyone else aside.

Outside of the fire lotus, the gazes of everyone present seemed to have caught fire as shock was written all over their faces… but aside from the shock, there was also a deep excitement, elation and incredulity that was contained within….

Black Moon Merchant Guild.

Bang!

The cyan jade teacup in Zi Ji’s fingers had broken into tiny fragments.

“Master?” The three young girls behind him quickly moved forward, their faces filled with both doubt and anxiety at the same time.

“The Phoenix God’s aura… has finally appeared?” Zi Ji muttered to himself. Immediately, his eyes flickered as he said, “That’s not right! This is… the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm?”

“Could it be….”

The profound energy surrounding Zi Ji faintly vibrated. His body flickered, and in an instant, his body had suddenly appeared in front of his window in a ghostly manner. He focused his gaze in the direction of the Divine Phoenix Sect before continuing, “Quickly go and verify the source of that aura!”

“Understood!” A deep and low voice that was not more than a hundred meters to his right rang out in response.

The fire lotus, which had pushed everyone aside, had already begun to recede, but at this moment, everyone else’s attention was no longer focused on Yun Che, instead it was directed at Feng Xue’er and the image of the Phoenix behind her. All of them could feel that the aura radiating from her body… which was clearly similar to that of their Ancestral Phoenix God!!

“Xue’er, has your Phoenix soul… been awakened!?” Feng Hengkong said excitedly as he stretched out both of his hands. Every single one of the gathered Divine Phoenix elders became so emotional that they couldn’t even utter a single word while some had even begun to weep.

The significance of the Phoenix Soul awakening was something that outsiders would never understand. But for the Divine Phoenix Sect, it was akin to a heavenly order!

Both Feng Hengkong and Feng Tianwei clearly remembered the words the Phoenix God had personally left them before it passed away. Given the innate talent of Feng Xue’er, the Phoenix Soul which it had passed onto Feng Xue’er would awaken after a century had gone by. The moment the Phoenix Soul within Feng Xue’er awakened and completely fused with her body of the Divine Phoenix, it would cause her Phoenix profound energy to grow by leaps and bounds. Furthermore, in the ten years that followed,her strength would swiftly grow at a rate that could not be comprehended by any normal means… In the end, it was possible that she could even reach the height where the Phoenix God once stood!

From then on, she would become the Divine Phoenix Sect’s second Phoenix God!

And if she continued her cultivation, it was even possible for her to surpass the previous Phoenix God!

Because of that, after the passing of the Phoenix Divine Spirit, Feng Xue’er became the future of the Divine Phoenix Sect.

And they could definitely never allow the news of the Phoenix God’s death to be exposed to the world before Feng Xue’er had finished growing. As such, no matter what method Feng Hengkong had to use, he had to protect the Divine Phoenix Sect. Once a century had passed, when Feng Xue’er’s Phoenix Soul and Phoenix Body both underwent their respective awakenings, she would become the second Phoenix God, and the Divine Phoenix Sect would not have to fear any other power anymore… not even the Four Sacred Grounds.

But Feng Hengkong and Feng Tianwei had never thought nor had dared to even dream that… Feng Xue’er’s Phoenix Soul had actually already awakened!!

That oppressive might that should only belong to their Ancestral Phoenix God and the image of the Phoenix that seemed to be completely real were the best pieces of evidence to prove this!!

And it was also clear that her Phoenix profound strength had undergone an incredible growth! Feng Tianwei was a level six Monarch, but even he could barely muster any resistance in the face of the flames that she had released!! And it was definitely not purely because of the suppressive effect of the Phoenix God’s might, instead it was a suppression born of absolute strength!!

To the Divine Phoenix Sect, this was a wonderful surprise that bordered on pure fantasy.

In this case, they did not need to hold on for a century anymore… within the short span of a decade, Feng Xue’er’s Phoenix profound strength would rapidly increase due to the fusion between her soul and her bloodline. Once this process was completed, she would possess power that would rival the Ancestral Phoenix God’s divine strength, and their Divine Phoenix Sect would no longer have to worry about any future threats!

A century versus a decade, for the Divine Phoenix Sect, this was definitely not as simple as just having to wait ten times the amount of time; more than that, it made a huge difference in the fate of the entire clan!!

“Xue’er… the three years that you had been in comatose… was it because your Phoenix Soul was undergoing its awakening?” Feng Tianwei asked in a trembling voice, and even though he was normally an unwavering and ferocious person, he had already forgotten about his murderous intent towards Yun Che. Feng Xue’er had lain unconscious for three years, and all this while, her body had been shrouded in a peculiar Phoenix flame that even he could not approach. During this period, they had discussed innumerable conjectures and suspicions, but they had never once came to the conclusion that the Phoenix Soul was awakening.

“Yes….” Feng Xue’er, who bathed in the light of the Phoenix image while standing in the heart of the Burning Star Fire Lotus, seemed to be a fairy of divine flames who stepped right out of heavenly sacred text; her exquisite beauty was unmatched in the world, and her hair, which was releasing the power of the Phoenix Soul, had become as crimson as flames; her eyes, manner and aura had all undergone massive changes. She paused before continuing, “Do all of you know… why my Phoenix Soul would awaken in such a short period of time?”

Why did it awaken so quickly? It was undoubtedly an answer which everyone within the Divine Phoenix Sect wanted to know. And even if this was a miracle granted to them by heaven… then there should still be a reason for the miracle to happen in the first place.

“It was because of Big Brother Yun.” Feng Xue’er’s gaze fell on Yun Che as she spoke softly, “Three years ago, not only did Big Brother Yun save my life, but he also bestowed the fifth and the sixth levels of the World Ode of the Phoenix to me. This not only pushed the Phoenix profound strength within my body to a whole new level, it also allowed me to completely master it while completing the laws of Phoenix flames which supported the Phoenix Soul. All of this allowed the Phoenix Soul that the great Phoenix God bestowed upon me to awaken before a century had passed….”

“Xue’er’s life was saved by Big Brother Yun, Xue’er’s awakened Phoenix Soul was also due to the efforts of Big Brother Yun. And the grand favor that Big Brother Yun has done for Xue’er, no, for our entire clan is so huge that we will never be able to repay him… but all of you keep on trying to harm and even kill Big Brother Yun!”

Feng Xue’er was furious, and this was the first time in their lives that everyone present had seen Feng Xue’er filled with so much anger. She slowly extended a hand and the Phoenix image behind her also spread its beautiful wings. The oppressive might of the Phoenix, which was enough to flip the world on its head, descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Phoenix City as well as all of the people within it. Facing the awakened soul of the Phoenix, even if one’s profound strength was far greater than Feng Xue’er, they would also tremble and bow before the might of the Phoenix God. So there was no need to think about whether one even had the strength to resist, because no one could even form the notion of resistance in the first place. Once she had completed her transformation into the Phoenix God, then at that time, if she wanted to completely seal someone’s Phoenix profound energy, or if she wanted to purge anyone’s bloodline or life, she only needed to think about it, and it would happen.

“I swear in the name of the Phoenix God….” This girl, whose heart was as pure as driven snow, spoke in a grave and solemn tone that could have never possibly came from her mouth, “Within the sect, if anyone dares to try to harm Big Brother Yun again… no matter who it is, I will never forgive that person. And if Big Brother Yun dies… then I will immediately purge my own Phoenix Soul and Phoenix blood!”

“Xue’er!!” Feng Xue’er’s words caused Feng Hengkong to become pale in shock and fear. He was clear, very clear indeed, that if Feng Xue’er died, then the Divine Phoenix Sect was done for as well. Furthermore, they would not even have a future to hope towards. At the same time, she was his only and most adored daughter, the greatest pride and joy of his life, and he would rather die a hundred thousand times than to see her get hurt in the slightest.

Feng Xue’er’s voice was extremely crisp and clear. And with these words that she had said, Feng Tianwei would definitely, under no circumstances whatsoever, dare to move against Yun Che any longer. Especially now that her Phoenix Soul had already awakened, to everyone within the Divine Phoenix Sect, her every word was like a sacred law that could not be violated.

“Okay… Grandfather will promise Xue’er, as long as Yun Che no longer bothers us from today onwards, not a single person within our clan will act against him… or against the people dear to him!” Feng Tianwei calmed his heart and spoke in an extremely sincere manner, “He destroyed the Phoenix God Statue, killed Xichen and Xiluo… and everything else he did can be written off and we will not pursue it any further. And over at Blue Wind Nation, we will immediately order our troops to withdraw… and we are even willing to compensate and appease the Blue Wind Nation up to a certain point. Is this… fine with you?”

The Golden Crow Domain had already been completely withdrawn by Yun Che. He stood in the middle of the fire lotus with Feng Xue’er as he silently attempted to perceive the aura that was being released by Feng Xue’er. Even though both of them had inherited the purest Phoenix blood and Phoenix Soul, he could still feel that the purity of the Feng Xue’er’s Phoenix bloodline was at least several hundred times more than his own. Moreover, even if everyone within the Divine Phoenix Sect were to combine their bloodline together, it would never be comparable to Feng Xue’er’s. As for the difference between Yun Che’s and Feng Xue’er’s Phoenix Soul, it was not as exaggerated; it was only two times more than the one he inherited. However, in the face of the oppressive might of the Phoenix which was produced by a Phoenix bloodline that was hundreds of times purer than his, he could feel that it was on a completely different level compared to his own.

If he did not have the Dragon God’s Soul within him, even he would not be able to control the urge to kneel in the face of the Phoenix’s oppressive might.

So it was exceedingly clear how much regard and love the Divine Phoenix Sect’s Ancestral Phoenix God had for Feng Xue’er. It had, without any reservation, completely poured its entire being into her.

After Yun Che, who had been fixated on Feng Xue’er, heard the words spoken by Feng Tianwei, his gaze turned cold. After that, a deep and cold laugh erupted from his chest as his eyes which were as sharp and cold as icy knives fixed themselves on Feng Tianwei, “Feng Tianwei! I think you’re getting something awfully wrong here! The fact that you want to kill me is indeed something that the heavens should smite all of you for! But the fact that I want to kill you is completely righteous and just! You ransacked my Blue Wind Nation, so you should face destruction as well! Even if the entire Divine Phoenix Empire was hollowed out to compensate the Blue Wind Nation, it would still be justified! To think that you actually have the face to make it sound like not attacking me and withdrawing your troops are gracious acts!”

“Yun Che, don’t you spit in the face of our courtesy!” Feng Tianwei’s face had instantly darkened as well.

“Just who is the one that is spitting in the face courtesy?” Yun Che aggressively said, his voice filled with icy contempt, “Do you truly believe that you could kill me if Xue’er didn’t get in the way just now? Do you truly believe that I would be so naive and foolish as to back myself into a corner by forgiving you without an ace up my sleeve?”

“Feng Tianwei, If I truly wanted to leave, even if there were ten of you, you still wouldn’t even be able to touch a hair on my head!” Yun Che fixed his eyes on both Feng Tianwei and Feng Hengkong as his gaze grew dark and ferocious, “If I truly wanted to destroy your entire clan, I actually didn’t even need to lift a single finger… all I needed to do was to leak a particular secret that all of you were so desperate to keep hidden to a few particular people. Perhaps, I might have also been able to reap a lot of benefits from it.”

“…. You!” Yun Che’s words caused Feng Hengkong and Feng Tianwei’s expression to dramatically change—his previous confidence had stemmed from the fact that he knew about the secret! Both he and Feng Xue’er had the Phoenix Soul… so perhaps this was the reason he knew about that secret.

“So now, all of you should know… just how great a courtesy I have already shown to all of you!” Yun Che extended a finger and pointed it at Feng Hengkong’s face,”The past two times you tried to kill me with an ambush, for the sake of Xue’er, I can leave that aside for now. But all the conditions that I have mentioned before, not one of them must be left unfulfilled, and they must be fulfilled to a tee! So you must definitely remember not to… spit in the face of my courtesy again!”

The same words that Feng Tianwei had just uttered were fiercely thrown back to his face.