A few hours later...
The Main Hall of the Divine Phoenix was enveloped in an oppressive silence, broken only by the distant crackling of flames in the black jade lanterns. The golden light of the evening filtered through the high windows, but it could not dispel the shadow that hung over the three men present.
Feng Hengkong was seated on the imperial throne, but his posture was no longer that of an absolute sovereign. His shoulders were slumped, his hands gripping the arms of the throne until his knuckles turned white. His face, once majestic and unshakeable, bore a somber expression, a mixture of exhaustion, shame, and a cold determination that allowed no regret.
In front of him, Feng Tianwei paced back and forth like a caged beast. His flaming red robe rippled with each step, and his veins bulged in his neck as he finally exploded:
"Hengkong! Are you satisfied now?!" His voice echoed through the hall like thunder. "You handed over the entire Divine Phoenix Empire on a silver platter to that demon! And Xue'er... my granddaughter... the heir to the Phoenix God... you offered her in marriage as if she were a bargaining chip! How could you do that?! How could you sell our bloodline to a stranger who nearly wiped us off the map?!"
Feng Zukui, who was standing beside the throne, extended his hand and gripped his son's shoulder firmly, but without violence. His voice came out low, grave, laden with years of wisdom and control:
"Calm down, Tianwei. Control yourself. Hengkong did what he thought was right for the good of the nation. If it weren't for him... perhaps we wouldn't be here breathing now."
Feng Tianwei stopped, his clenched fists trembling, but he did not pull away from his father's grip.
Noticing that he had calmed down, Feng Zukui released his son's shoulder and crossed his arms, looking directly at his grandson.
"But I also want to know, Hengkong. You didn't do this just out of desperation from the situation. There's another reason. Speak."
Feng Hengkong slowly raised his face.
"Yes... there is another reason." He took a deep breath, as if the words were too heavy to come out. "I offered Xue'er in marriage because... with her charm, with the purity of her heart, with the beauty the heavens gave her... she can conquer his heart. From what I perceived, Yun Ren Zu is not an ordinary man. He destroyed Sacred Grounds with one hand, but also healed millions with the other. He is not driven solely by anger or greed. There is something in him... something that can be touched by genuine kindness. If Xue'er succeeds... if she manages to win his affection... we won't just be slaves. We'll have a much better position. A true alliance. And that drastically reduces the risks of him deciding to destroy us on a whim one day."
He paused, looking at the two older men with an intensity that brooked no argument.
"If Xue'er becomes his empress... or even someone important in his heart... we'll have influence. We won't be mere disposable subordinates. We'll be... family. And that's the best we can achieve in the face of someone who can erase us with a thought."
Feng Tianwei opened his mouth to protest again, but Feng Zukui raised his hand, silencing him.
After a moment, Feng Zukui said in a low voice: "About that 'Slave Mark' he placed on all of us...
I tried to analyze it deeply since it was placed, but it's very mysterious; I've never even seen one like it. I think it's better for us to be careful about what we say from now on; there's no way to know if he'll be listening or not...."
Feng Hengkong nodded slowly.
"Yes...."
The silence returned, heavier than before.
Feng Tianwei finally let his shoulders drop, the fury giving way to a bitter resignation.
"So... that's it. Our bloodline... our honor... everything handed over in exchange for survival."
Feng Hengkong closed his eyes for a moment.
"Yes. But as long as Xue'er lives... as long as she's by his side... we still have a chance. Everything is in her hands now...."
He opened his eyes again and fixed them on the phoenix emblem on the opposite wall, the same one he had observed hours earlier, when everything seemed lost. His mind, however, was elsewhere: on his daughter's sad face. It wasn't necessarily because of the marriage itself… but because of Yun Che, to whom she had become deeply attached.
Hopefully, she would be able to forget him and live a life by "His Excellency's" side.
"Xue'er… forgive your Royal Father. Your Royal Father did what he did for the entire Divine Phoenix Empire!"
The words came out low, almost a whisper. And as he said them, his face finally contorted in pain and suffering.
Feng Zukui and Feng Tianwei exchanged a silent glance, laden with an understanding that words didn't need to express. They knew. They knew exactly how much Feng Hengkong loved Xue'er, more than the throne, more than the sect, more than his own life.
Feng Zukui sighed deeply, the sound echoing in the hall like wind passing over dying embers.
"Hengkong... do you really think it's okay to let her go with 'His Excellency' like that? Without even saying a proper goodbye?" His voice was low, but laden with a sadness he rarely allowed to show: "It's been almost three years since you truly talked to her. She woke up today... and on the same day was taken away from us. Taken by him. Who knows when we'll see her again?"
Feng Hengkong slowly raised his face.
"I had no choice, Royal Father... Grandfather." His voice came out low, almost a whisper. "There was no time. He... His Excellency... decided that she would go with him immediately, since he leaves tomorrow for the Illusory Demon Realm. And I... I couldn't risk it. If I had insisted on a long farewell, if I had shown hesitation... who knows what he would do? He might change his mind. He might decide it's no longer worth keeping us alive."
"But I believe in him. In the hours we spent discussing the terms of our alliance... I saw it. He values his own word. And you must have noticed too… his gaze toward her wasn't blind desire. It was genuine interest; moreover, 'His Excellency' is the strongest person in this world. She'll be safe… safer than any of us has ever been." He lowered his head for a moment. "By his side, at least, no one would dare touch her. That… that calms my heart."
Feng Tianwei gritted his teeth, but did not retort immediately. Feng Zukui merely nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the phoenix emblem on the wall.
"So... everything depends on her now," murmured Feng Zukui with regret....
.
.
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.
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In contrast to the bad feeling in his chest that insisted on returning from time to time, Yun Che at this moment was exceptionally relaxed; he was surrounded by a large number of young women from the clan who gathered around him incessantly…. That's right, these were all young maidens in their prime.
One of them stared at him deeply, with a gaze full of curiosity and admiration. It was true that the young man in front of her couldn't compare to the Demon Lord, the legendary existence who, with little more than twenty years, had already reached the Divine Profound Realm, known as the best doctor in the realm and also as the most handsome man in the entire Illusory Demon Realm. Still, he was an undeniable genius. After all, he had managed to learn the Purple Cloud Art of the Yun Family in just two months and elevate it to the seventh level, something extremely impressive in itself.
"Young Patriarch, I heard that your Purple Cloud Art is already at the seventh level. Is that true? You clearly started cultivating only two months ago merely."
"Of course not." Yun Che said while smiling, looking pleased with himself, "Last night, I made another breakthrough, so I'm already at the eighth level now."
As he spoke, he extended his palm and raised it gently. Immediately, a rumble of thunder resounded in the air above, and in an instant, a large expanse of storm clouds had already gathered in the sky overhead. Even separated by thousands of meters, they could feel a terrifying lightning energy....
Deep in his heart, he felt a slight trace of vanity. He had achieved that just with comprehension and practice. His understanding ability was truly extraordinary. Even without having ingested the [Lightning Seed] of the Evil God, he had learned the Purple Cloud Art with relative ease, something that had even surprised Jasmine.
And his effort had paid off....
"Uwaaahhhh!" All the young girls let out cries of surprise, and the girls who had spoken before screamed sincerely with wide eyes, "Wah! That's really the 'Thundercloud of Extermination' from the eighth level of the Purple Cloud Art! Young Patriarch Yun is simply too amazing!"
"Young Patriarch, Xiaowan said that when you instructed her in the Purple Cloud Art the other day, you released red lightning before. Is that really true?" A girl dressed in purple asked, while her eyes sparkled.
Yun Che smiled slightly and shook his hand, and in an instant, the piercing screech of thunder pierced the air. A ball of purple lightning gathered in his palm; then, that purple lightning ball turned into extremely fast red lightning. Not only did the aura of the red lightning strengthen considerably, but the thunder crack became more explosive. Just looking at it, one would feel their heart start to race.
"Waaahh!!" Just as expected, the red-colored lightning made all the girls let out adorable screams. A small and delicate girl said in a timid voice, "Young Patriarch, for profound lightning energy to change to a red color, doesn't it require blood essence to activate… If the Young Patriarch does this, will you be okay?"
"No, I didn't use even a bit of blood essence." Yun Che shook his head. "Red-colored lightning is a higher-level profound lightning energy than purple lightning; it's manifested at the pinnacle of the Purple Cloud Art and has nothing to do with the intimacy your profound veins have with lightning energy. Instead, it requires that you have a greater understanding of the laws of lightning. Once you have mastered the concepts behind those laws, then you can use your profound energy to produce the strongest red lightning. The only difference is that it will consume more energy, but there won't be any negative side effects. But if you don't have the understanding of those concepts and try to forcefully use red lightning, then you'll need to sacrifice blood essence in order to do such a thing… Thus, releasing red lightning doesn't necessarily require that blood essence be sacrificed."
"Oh, so it can actually be that way… But, it seems there has never been anyone in our Yun Family who can release red lightning without losing any blood essence. Except, of course, for the Demon Lord, who even created his own Profound Lightning Art that is considered a 'Divine Art' even more terrifying than the Purple Cloud Art..."
"You can't compare someone 'common' with the Demon Lord! He is the number one genius in history publicly recognized throughout the Illusory Demon Realm; he is a 'True Immortal' in every sense; people like us aren't even worthy of looking at his figure from a distance. But the Young Patriarch is impressive nonetheless, since the Young Patriarch can use red lightning whenever he wants, so the Young Patriarch can use our Yun Family's forbidden domain, 'Hellish Lightning Emperor Formation' without losing any blood essence?"
"That… I'm not sure about that either. Because I've never tried it before." Yun Che gave a forced smile, with the expression of someone who had just swallowed something bitter upon hearing, once again, that he was 'common' compared to his 'brother'.
"The Young Patriarch must be able to do it!" A girl said, her face full of adoration. Then, as if remembering something, she looked at the girl who had spoken earlier and added, even more excitedly: "About your conversation earlier. I heard from my grandfather that the Demon Lord learned all the profound arts of the family and even those of the other families that are absolutely loyal to him, just by seeing them once. He didn't even need two months… They say he can do anything!"
Another girl nodded vigorously, her eyes dreamy.
"It's true! I heard that the Demon Lord, in his early twenties, was already in the Divine Profound Realm. And he could use the Golden Crow Flames even better than the Little Demon Empress herself. His talent is incomparable! The Young Patriarch is amazing, but… the Demon Lord is like a god descending to the mortal world. No one compares to him. Not even the Young Patriarch…"
Yun Che felt a spasm in his chest. The smile on his face became even more rigid, the corners of his mouth trembling. He tried to laugh, but the sound came out forced.
"Haha… yes, the Demon Lord is… exceptional. But I—"
"Exceptional?" A third girl interrupted him, her eyes shining as if she were speaking of something sacred. "He is the apex! The absolute apex! They say that when he smiles, even the stars fade in shame. And his appearance… ah, I only saw him from a glance, but all men are pigs compared to how handsome he is! I wish I could see him up close. They say he is so perfect that any woman who sees him falls in love instantly! The Young Patriarch is handsome too, but… compared to the Demon Lord… well… he's quite common, isn't he?"
Another girl covered her mouth and giggled softly.
"Yes! The Demon Lord is like an impossible dream. No one comes close to him. The Young Patriarch is one of the best of the current generation, but… the Demon Lord is the best of all time. Like… there's no comparison!"
Yun Che felt something hot rising in his throat. His hands trembled slightly. The frozen smile on his face seemed about to crack. Veins bulged on his temples, and a metallic taste of blood began to spread in his mouth. He felt like spitting blood from rage; did those girls have to keep throwing in his face how pathetic he was compared to his 'brother'? He had heard this comparison so much that even he couldn't take it anymore....
In the distance, a group of young men from the Yun Family seemed as if they were focusing on training, but they kept looking in Yun Che's direction, and all of them had reddened eyes, but they could only watch from afar… unfortunately, with the ascension of their former Young Patriarch to the new Demon Lord of the Illusory Demon Realm, that boy who appeared two months ago and revealed himself as the biological son of the patriarch and matriarch had become the new Young Patriarch; there was no way they could teach him a 'lesson' for being arrogant.
What was most resented was that this Young Patriarch was really too friendly and didn't have the slightest domineering attitude even toward the lowest-ranking members of the clan. This made the disciples of the Yun Family… especially the girls who had confidence in their appearances circle him like a kaleidoscope of butterflies. But seeing his suffering face, all the young men laughed in their minds. The girls usually get quite excited when talking about the Demon Lord, who was the most famous person in the entire Illusory Demon Realm and the passion of all women and many men; that must be what made that young patriarch look so ugly; it was a frequent thing and, therefore, quite recognizable.
While the young men enjoyed Yun Che's suffering, unfortunately, they couldn't savor that satisfaction for long. Yun Che, as humiliated as he was, managed to force a smile and quickly change the subject before the situation became even worse.
What irritated him even more was hearing even Jasmine comment, with evident curiosity, that whenever they spoke of the Demon Lord, she felt increasingly interested in discovering if all those rumors were really true.
"Young Patriarch, yesterday you promised that you would instruct me one-on-one in how to cultivate the Purple Cloud Art… Could it be that you've already forgotten?" A lovely girl wearing a purple dress mentioned with a hopeful expression.
"Of course not; I even remember that the promised time is precisely three hours from now. Remember to come to my courtyard at that time."
"Y… Yes, of course I'll remember." The girl dressed in purple blushed with excitement.
All the young girls around revealed expressions of envy. A tall girl suddenly whispered with a sly expression, "Man'er, you have to be careful, okay. Little Wan told me in secret the other day that when the Young Patriarch was instructing her to cultivate, he ac-ci-den-tal-ly touched her butt and breasts, you know! Your breasts are even bigger than Little Wan's, so be careful…"
"AH!!! DON'T SAY THAT!!" The girl referred to as 'Little Wan' hurried over with a reddened face, as she covered the tall girl's mouth with great effort.
"Cough cough." Yun Che's face was calm and his heart steady, as he said in a just and strict manner, "When it comes to one-on-one instruction, there will always be moments where our bodies touch. I swear on my master's name… that it was definitely unintentional!"
Jasmine: "Go to hell!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Young Patriarch definitely didn't mean to… when you instruct Man'er, you definitely should be 'careless' more often… Hehehehe!"
"You meanies! Don't… don't talk about the Young Patriarch that way!" The purple-clad girl known as 'Man'er' stomped her foot, her face flushed up to her neck. But her expression and eyes didn't seem panicked. Instead, they seemed more… anticipatory at this moment?
Yun Che smiled slightly, as if nothing had happened, maintaining that gentle and impeccable Young Patriarch posture, but inside, his mind had already drifted away from that noisy circle of butterflies surrounding him… it was fun to play with the girls around him, receive adoration, compliments, and dreamy looks.
But…
They really didn't come close.
None of the girls there, no matter how beautiful, even came close to the beauty of his 'sister-in-law': the Little Demon Empress. In the last few days, he had had the 'pleasure' and, at the same time, the torture of meeting her, when she came to visit his parents in a filial manner. And her beauty truly lived up to the title. In his opinion, only Xia Qingyue or Feng Xue'er could compare. And that was precisely what made everything even worse. Because, at the same time that he admired her, a bitter feeling grew in his chest, hard to admit, even to himself. It was like a feeling of loss… and soon after… Envy?
He remembered well how he met her; he had tried to act friendly with his sister-in-law, trying to get close, trying to exchange a few words… trying, at least, not to seem like an irrelevant stranger in front of her. But she barely cast a glance in his direction. The little she did was enough to make him feel like dust. And worse: in the only moment he allowed himself to 'evaluate' her, merely… look, death almost came, because in the instant his eyes had descended for a brief second… a real killing intent crushed his heart like an invisible blade, then she slapped him; it was so fast, so cruel, and so absolute that he didn't even manage to understand what had happened before his body started to collapse. If it weren't for the [Great Way of the Buddha], he would have died right there.
Even so, it took days to heal the damage completely.
Yun Che clicked his tongue discreetly, the smile still plastered on his face like a perfect mask.
"Tch…"
That woman… was really violent.
And, as if that weren't enough, afterward he was still reprimanded by his own parents. A reprimand harsh enough to make him swallow his anger along with his pride.
And yet…
Even now, while the young girls laughed, pushed each other, and vied for attention around him, he couldn't stop his mind from returning to that image. To that beauty. And then, inevitably, he thought of the man who was her husband. He clenched his palm lightly, feeling the bitter taste of envy mix with that uncomfortable feeling of loss that he refused to admit.
He wanted, more than anything, to be the one who carried that glory his 'brother' enjoyed. He wanted to be the center of attention, the name revered by all, the man who made the world bow. And he also wanted… he wanted that beauty by his side. He wanted to have someone like her to fill his nights, to warm his bed, something he believed he deserved....
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