Against the Gods

Chapter 719 – The Threat of Annihilation

As the Golden Crow Domain continued to expand, not only did its scarlet gold glow cover Phoenix City, it even covered the entire Divine Phoenix City.

The towering Black Moon Headquarters which soared into the clouds was also dyed a crimson-red. Zi Ji stood in front of his window and gazed towards Phoenix City. While doing so, his expression kept on changing, and every single change was incomparably dramatic.

“Hurry up and go underground! Fully activate the protective barrier!”

Zi Ji’s sudden command caught the blue-clothed person beside him completely off-guard, as the person responded in a rather dazed and soft voice, “Activa… activate the barrier?”

Not even once had the Black Moon Headquarters activated their profound barrier in the past four thousand years!

“The flame domain that appeared in the sky above Phoenix City…” Zi Ji heavily sucked in a deep breath, “It is definitely more than capable of destroying the entire Phoenix City! Its aftermath may even reach this place!”

“But the Divine Phoenix Sect has more than ten Monarchs, how could they not defend against the flame domain of merely one Yun Che?” The blue-clothed person asked in a completely puzzled manner.

Zi Ji’s gaze turned extremely cold before he slowly continued, “The strength of the flame domain that Yun Che opened actually isn’t too ridiculous at all, but the law of fire behind it is profound to the point of absurdity. Even with my high attainments in the profound way, I am still unable to grasp even a little bit of it! My spirit perception has not even come into contact with those flames, yet just coming into contact with the energy waves being released by those flames is enough to cause my soul to shake uncontrollably.”

Blue-clothed person, “…”

“The Monarchs of the Divine Phoenix Sect all have sufficient power to protect themselves in the face of this terrifying flame domain. However, in my opinion, even if all of them join hands and give it their all, the chance for them to completely cancel out this domain before it falls on Phoenix City is at most just twenty percent!

“And it is eighty percent likely that this attack will end in the destruction of Phoenix City!! If the people inside the city do not evacuate immediately, everyone who is not a Monarch will be completely incinerated!

“Even if all the people within the city can escape with their lives before the domain falls on them…. With the destruction of Phoenix City, the Divine Phoenix Sect’s medicine gardens, crystals, wealth and profound formations… the accumulation and foundation of thousands of years, will be destroyed in one fell swoop. Even though the entire Divine Phoenix Sect will survive and won’t be thrown into chaos, they will need at least a thousand years to recover their former glory.”

Zi Ji’s words caused the blue-clothed man to be seized by shock. Yun Che killing two Monarchs at the Emperor Profound Realm had completely exceeded his comprehension. But right now, Yun Che was actually about to destroy the entirety of Phoenix City… and not even all of the Monarch of the Divine Phoenix Sect together were able to prevent it!! If not for Zi Ji personally stating it, he would have completely been unable to believe it.

“Just what kind of… fire is that? Could it be that it is actually stronger than the Phoenix flames?” The Phoenix flames were the flames of a Divine Spirit, and it was publicly acknowledged as the strongest profound fire in this world. But given Zi Ji’s words, it was clear that the flames that Yun Che released were even more frightening than the Phoenix flames.

“It is indeed a flame that is stronger than the Phoenix flames, and it is also far more terrifying than the Phoenix flames….” Zi Ji let out a deep sigh, but after which, the look in his eyes underwent the most imperceptible of changes before he mumbled softly, “Or perhaps it is just as the Sun Moon Divine Hall described, maybe this mysterious profound fire that Yun Che is using is the one his master, Old Man Duotian, used to incinerate a Monarch in the matter of seconds?”

A profound energy vibration came from the blue-clothed person’s Sound Transmission Jade. The blue-clothed person immediately snatched it up before speaking to Zi Ji, “Master, Feng Tianwei has already entered the boundary of the Divine Phoenix City at full speed, and he will arrive at Phoenix City in another hundred seconds.”

“Even if he returns, there is nothing that he can do. Once he sees Yun Che’s flame domain, he will immediately recognize that he doesn’t have the ability to cancel out this flame domain which contains such bizarre and profound laws of fire. It seems like this time, even though Feng Tianwei personally went to battle, he will have no choice but to admit defeat.”

“The Divine Phoenix Sect can still afford to gamble when it comes to the lives of their princes, but the destruction of Phoenix City is definitely not something that they can afford to risk,” Zi Ji said while closing his eyes.

“What are you waiting for?! Go, hurry up and activate the protective barrier! If the shockwave reaches our Merchant Guild, even if I personally intervene, I will not be able to guarantee that nothing will be lost!”

The blue-clothed person ran off as if his tail had been lit on fire. Zi Ji opened both of his eyes and once more fixed his gaze on Phoenix City. His spirit perception could already detect the aura of Feng Tianwei who was moving at the fastest speed possible.

“Strange, it has already reached this point, yet why hasn’t their Phoenix God made an appearance yet?” Zi Ji faintly narrowed his eyes as he softly muttered to himself with a pensive expression.

“Destroy Phoenix City? Just by yourself?” Feng Ximing roared, “My grandfather will arrive at any moment, and he will be able to extinguish that tiny bit of power with just a wave of his hand!”

“His Highness is right!” stated the third elder of the Divine Phoenix Sect with his entire face a bright red and a body drenched in sweat. However, he still forced himself to remain calm. “Yun Che, I can tell from your current state that you are clearly an arrow which has reached the end of it’s flight and completely spent. Once Grand Sect Master returns, it will be your end! Grand Sect Master is a supreme Monarch and will not allow you to behave so arrogantly anymore!”

“Heh,” Yun Che gave a mocking sneer. “To think that a ridiculously stupid piece of trash who was misdirected several hundred kilometers away because of a simple trick that I played is actually the Grand Sect Master of your Divine Phoenix Sect. That you all are not ashamed of him, that I can understand. But to think that you would actually use him to bluster in front of me, this is simply far too funny, hahahahaha!”

“You… you dare to insult our Grand Sect Master!!”

Yun Che’s words caused the faces of all the Divine Phoenix elders to go completely red as they boiled with fury.

At this time, a frenzied aura could be felt barrelling its way over from the east, causing all of the Divine Phoenix Sect members to crow with joy, “It is the Grand Sect Master… Grand Sect Master has returned!!”

Once the Divine Phoenix Sect members felt Feng Tianwei’s aura, their shock completely turned into joy. Previously, they had all been extremely worried that Yun Che would send the scarlet gold sea of fire that floated in the sky hurtling down towards them before Feng Tianwei returned. But now that Feng Tianwei had returned, the heavy boulder which was weighing down on their hearts had disappeared.

Just as the cheers began to ring out, a beam of fire shot through the air, and following that, a fire-red silhouette appeared in front of Feng Hengkong and Feng Ximing.

“Grand Sect Master!!”

All the Divine Phoenix elders who were present excitedly surged forward as they all hurried to fall to their knees in greeting.

“Grandfather, you came back at just the right time!” Feng Ximing strode forward as he respectfully greeted his grandfather, “This Yun Che punk used a ruse to escape Grandfather and come back here, then even arrogantly boasted that he would destroy our Phoenix City and spoke disrespectfully about Grandfather…. This devilspawn’s sins, even dying ten thousands times would not expiate them! Grandfather, you definitely must not show him any mercy.”

“…” Feng Tianwei raised his head to look at the sky, not giving even the slightest response. When all the Divine Phoenix Sect members quietly raised their heads to look at him, they were shocked to find that Feng Tianwei’s face had become frighteningly grim. Not only were both his fists tightly clenched, they were even faintly trembling… rivulets of sweat could be seen running down his fingers, but before the drops of sweat could leave his body, the sweat directly evaporated into steam.

“…”

An extremely stifling and heavy aura radiated from Feng Tianwei’s body, one which was so oppressive that Feng Hengkong, the person standing nearest to him, found it hard to even breathe. And Feng Hengkong, who had finally just been able to loosen a bit of his tension, found his nerves stretched taut once more. He spoke to Feng Tianwei in a low voice, “Royal father….”

Feng Tianwei did not pay attention to anyone else as he directly stared at Yun Che. His chest rose imperceptibly before he finally spoke, speaking slowly, “I, Feng Tianwei, have boasted of my wisdom and martial prowess for my entire life, yet I actually fell for your ruse so easily, it looks like for these last few centuries or so, I’ve really lived a dog’s life.”

Whether it was his words or his disposition, Feng Tianwei was nothing if not calm. Because as the Grand Sect Master of the Divine Phoenix Sect, anyone else could descend into panic, but he alone had to remain strong.

As to whether his heart was as calm as his expression, it was something that was known only by him.

“It seems as if the Divine Phoenix Grand Sect Master is someone with a lot of self-awareness.” In the face of Feng Tianwei’s self-deprecation, Yun Che did not hesitate to twist the knife even further as he said, “In the end, you are still a Phoenix Monarch whose might and fame shakes the heavens, but the speed that you possess is simply too disappointing. I had originally thought that I would only be able to complete half of my destruction domain by the time you returned, but alas, who would have thought that you would be so slow that I have already completed eighty percent of it.”

“You used some kind of dimensional displacement!” Feng Tianwei said coldly, “You purposely drew me two hundred kilometers from this place before using that dimensional displacement ability to return here and completing that destruction domain before I could return… it was a good trick indeed.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t even call it a trick, it was merely something that I thought of on the fly.” Yun Che gave a sedate and cold chuckle, “This should have been the greatest and final gift that I was going to give your Divine Phoenix Sect. It is a pity that you actually dared to injure me as it leaves me with no choice but to deliver this present in advance!”

“If I wanted to kill you now, it would be as easy as swatting a fly!!” Feng Tianwei raised his arm and flames suddenly burst into life in the center of his palm.

“Hahahaha, then go ahead and do it!” Yun Che let out a wild laugh, “However, I have utmost confidence that I will be able to send this destruction domain hurtling downwards before you are even able to touch me. At that time, my one life will be exchanged with the lives of all the disciples within your Divine Phoenix Sect and the destruction of Phoenix City. No matter how you look at it, it’s simply too worth it.”

“You…” Feng Tianwei’s arm trembled and even though his expression remained calm, he gritted his teeth so hard that he came close to breaking them.

Although the rest of the Divine Phoenix Sect were unable to completely understand just how terrifying the flame domain Yun Che had created was, Feng Tianwei, even when he had been fifty kilometers away from it, could already feel his heart fill with fear and alarm. Now that he was just below the domain, he was even more shocked as he was now extremely clear on just how terrifying it was.

If Yun Che truly sent this flame domain smashing downwards, he could preserve his own life, but even if he used all his strength, he would not be able to cause the domain to dissipate… and so, he would be unable to protect Phoenix City.

And it was not only him, even if all the Monarchs within the sect came out of seclusion and joined together to try and stop this domain, they would not be able to do it either.

Even though he could scarcely believe it and did not want to admit it, the aura, might, and principles of fire encompassed within the fire domain… was something that had clearly far surpassed the fourth stage of their Divine Phoenix Sect’s profound art, which was also the highest level their Phoenix flames could attain!!

“You… just who are you!? And right now, just what kind of profound fire… are you using!?” Feng Tianwei strove with all his might to keep his cool. He knew extremely clearly that he would not receive a genuine reply to his questions, but in the hundreds of years that he had lived, this was the first time he truly wanted to know the answer to his question.

Yun Che was only just over the age of twenty, with his profound strength being only at the third level of the Emperor Profound Realm, yet he was able to kill two Monarchs of his Divine Phoenix Sect and his speed was not any less than his own… just what kind of monster was he!? And who exactly was capable of breeding such a monster!?

Just what kind of flame was he using!? To think that it would cause the body and soul of a level six Monarch who possessed the Phoenix fire to tremble with such fear.

“Do you still need to ask? Naturally they are the flames that will punish your Divine Phoenix Sect and all of the people within it!” Yun Che said coldly.

“You… if you truly sent that destruction domain hurtling downwards, the moment it engulfs my Phoenix City, it will also send shockwaves through most of the Divine Phoenix City as well. Hundred of thousands, perhaps even a million, of innocent lives will be lost! Do you not fear the wrath of heaven!?” Feng Tianwei said as he silently gritted his teeth, his mind was filled with racing thoughts as he sought to find a chink in Yun Che’s armor.

“The wrath of heaven? Right now, I am the wrath of heaven that has been sent to administer your punishment!” Yun Che yelled in a dispassionate tone, “From the moment I have arrived at this Divine Phoenix City, everything that I have done to your Divine Phoenix Sect is due to your own folly, and something that all of you richly deserve! Today, even if the entire Divine Phoenix City is incinerated by this domain, the main culprit behind this event will still be your Divine Phoenix Sect!”

As Feng Tianwei and Yun Che spoke, the aura within Phoenix City had grown extremely hot and oppressive. Moreover, their exchange had caused all those who were present to take notice of something—that even Feng Tianwei was unable to deal with the flame domain which was hanging in the sky!

Feng Ximing took a huge gulp of air before moving forward to speak softly to Feng Tianwei, “Grandfather, don’t waste your words on him, I… I will immediately go to Phoenix Fire Divine Realm and get the other…”

Feng Tianwei violently thrust out a hand as he made a move to obstruct him. This movement caused Feng Ximing and Feng Hengkong’s pupils to violently contract as the shock on their faces instantly grew by an immeasurable amount.

“Royal father, is that domain… truly so terrifying?” Feng Hengkong’s voice was very soft but it was still accompanied by heavy trembling.

Feng Tianwei slowly nodded his head and said in an extremely grave voice, “If it truly does descend, then not only will all of you die, Phoenix City will also be destroyed as well. And even if all the Monarchs within our sect join hands, we will only be able to watch it happen!”

Feng Hengkong. “!!!”

“How… how is this possible? How could Yun Che….” The already scorching air seemed like it would catch fire at any moment, but Feng Hengkong could only feel his entire body go completely cold. He suddenly quivered before anxiously speaking, “This Yun Che’s personality is most extreme, it is as if he is a literal madman. There is nothing that he won’t do… We need to immediately send out sound transmissions to get all of the people to evacuate Phoenix City, at least…”

“No!” Feng Tianwei shouted sternly, “If Phoenix City is destroyed, it will not merely be our foundation that will be razed with it. What’s even more calamitous is the fact that the Phoenix God’s passing will also be completely exposed. At that time, the fate of a Divine Phoenix Sect with no guardian divine spirit or foundation will be… can’t you predict it!?”

Feng Hengkong’s entire body shook fiercely and his face instantly became as pale as a sheet.

As the Ancestral Phoenix God of Divine Phoenix Sect, the Phoenix Divine Spirit very rarely made an appearance. But during events which concerned the life and threatened the existence of the Divine Phoenix Sect, it was definitely bound to show up! Even though it was suspicious that the Phoenix Divine Spirit still had not made an appearance yet, in the end it would just remain a suspicion, and no matter how much the onlookers doubted, their doubt would be easily negated by the fact that the figure of the Phoenix God had just made an appearance three years prior.

But if Phoenix City was truly destroyed and the Phoenix God still did not make an appearance… then, the truth of the Phoenix God’s passing would be completely exposed to the world.

At that time, Divine Phoenix Sect would truly meet with the risk of being exterminated!

Feng Tianwei raised a finger behind his back to tell Feng Hengkong to remain silent before he raised his head to stare directly at Yun Che and solemnly continued, “Yun Che, the invasion of the Blue Wind Nation was indeed the fault of our Divine Phoenix Empire. Originally, we had felt that conquering the Blue Wind Nation would be no harder than lifting our hands, but we never expected someone like you to ever appear from Blue Wind Nation!

“Our sect has the protection of our Ancestral Phoenix God and even if your flame domain was ten times stronger, it still wouldn’t be able to touch even an inch of our Phoenix City. But my sect has sworn for generations that unless it is matter of life and death, we will definitely not borrow the power of our Ancestral Phoenix God. So now that this matter has come to a head, my sect is willing to admit defeat.”

“Heh…” Yun Che’s brows sunk and a mocking grin hung on his face. However he did not expose Feng Tianwei’s blatant lie.

And the only reason for that was naturally Feng Xue’er.

If not for Feng Xue’er, he would have been more than eager to see Divine Phoenix Sect being completely clobbered into the ground by the Four Great Sacred Grounds who had long viewed them as a threat!

“Yun Che, if you truly wished to destroy our Phoenix City, you would have long ago sent that destructive domain hurtling downwards. You tricked me into leaving this place in order to be able to complete this destruction domain, yet you intentionally waited for me to return, so it is clear that you do not want to go too far. Even though you have killed many princes and elders from our Divine Phoenix Sect, but in the end, you did save the life of Xue’er three years ago. In the eyes of my sect, Xue’er’s life is far more important than the lives of all the people that you have killed, so my sect also does not feel the need to take things too far with you as well.”

In any other power or family, Feng Tianwei’s words would have caused discomfort and unrest but in Divine Phoenix Sect, no one thought that it was inappropriate.

Because in the eyes of the entire sect, the life of Feng Xue’er was indeed more valuable and important than all the disciples, princes, elders and even the two grand elders who had died!

She was much more important by far!

And it was not the least bit exaggerated to say so!!

“State your terms.” Feng Tianwei’s eyes were like those of a starving eagle but his tone was cold and crisp and there was no sign of panic in it, it was as if nothing had deviated from his plans, “As long as they are not too unreasonable, in order to protect Phoenix City, our sect is willing to accept all the terms and let you leave with your life.”

“My sect has been established for thousands of years and in all this time, we have never made a single concession before! But, if you fail to see the kindness that is being shown to you, make unreasonable demands of us and cross the bottomline of my divine sect, hmph, then even though we will have to endure our Ancestral Phoenix God’s wrath, we will have no choice but to borrow its power. At that time, our Phoenix City will remain safe and sound, but not only will you die a miserable death, we will ensure that Blue Wind Nation forever disappears from the face of Profound Sky Continent and not a single root remains!”

“The words of I, Feng Tianwei, are worth their weight in gold!”

Feng Tianwei’s voice resounded throughout the entire Divine Phoenix City and each of his words were ear-splitting and shocking.

If it was someone else, they would truly be stunned into insensibility by Feng Tianwei’s words.

However, for Yun Che who had known long ago that the Phoenix God had already passed on, the latter half of Feng Tianwei’s words were not the least bit intimidating, and it almost caused him to burst out in laughter.