Chapter 466 – Mysterious Voice
There was definitely something special hidden under this stage, or, it might contain another space. However, just as Jasmine had said, with his strength, breaking this stage apart was basically an impossible task.
Yun Che searched the vicinity, and did not find anything similar to a mechanism switch either. Hence, he could only give up, and once again, walk up the stone stairs.
The stone stairs were long, and even after Yun Che had walked for a very long time, he had only walked half of it.
“Who… are… you…”
Yun Che’s steps suddenly stopped, and he hurriedly turned his head to look at his surroundings. “Who is it? Who’s speaking!?”
“Ah… Big Brother Yun, what’s wrong?” Feng Xue’er, who had been quietly nestling in his embrace was given a huge fright, and she asked a little anxiously.
Yun Che’s gaze swept his surroundings as he poured his concentration into his ears. He softly asked. “Xue’er, did you hear a voice just now?”
“Just now?” Feng Xue’er shook her head, confused.
Just now, Yun Che had clearly heard an incomparably soft and faint voice. That voice was very weak, and seemed to a woman’s voice. Yet, it was especially ethereal as well, causing him to be unable to clearly distinguish where the voice had come from. Or could it be… his imagination?
“Jasmine, that voice just now. Did you hear it?” Yun Che asked with a frown.
“I didn’t hear anything at all.” Jasmine replied. “What did you hear?”
“…” Even Jasmine did not hear it. Yun Che couldn’t help but suspect that what he heard earlier was just an illusory voice. He focused his mind, quietly stood at his current spot, and his eyes swept around the vicinity for a long time, yet, he could no longer hear any voice.
Yun Che continued to raise his feet, and walk up the stairs. After a long time, he finally arrived at the second floor of the fortress.
Bluish black walls, bluish black floors and bluish black ceilings. Everything was no different from the first floor. Yun Che did not continue to head up, and instead, walked straight towards an open stone door.
Behind the stone door, was unexpectedly a simple and neat place which looked similar to a courtyard. Inside, there were stone tables, stone stools, and similar-looking bluish black earthen jars, where most of them were already broken. Behind the courtyard, there were seven to eight rooms that were regularly distributed. Yun Che walked into the courtyard, stood at a stone door of one of the rooms, and tried to push it with his hands.
Suddenly, on the right side of the stone door, a small-scaled profound formation the size of a palm appeared with a flash. Right after, the profound formation turned, and the stone door slowly opened on its own.
“All the doors here should have been set with profound formations such as this one, which can be conveniently opened and locked. But, the profound energy within these small-scaled profound formations are already very weak, and even you will be able to easily destroy them. However, it’s already extremely rare for them to be able to exist since the Primordial Era. The strength of those who set these profound formations are definitely beyond ordinary.” Jasmine said sternly.
“From the looks of it, this place seems to be for residential use.” Yun Che walked into the stone room. Inside, there was a stone table, two stone stools, a cabinet-like stone frame, and a stone bed that was adequately spacious and large. The arrangements of the other rooms should be more or less the same as well. With how huge this fortress was, if it was arranged for residential use, most probably, it would be possible for the entire population of the Blue Wind Empire to live in.
Yun Che turned around, and realized that there was a small-scaled profound formation that occasionally flashed gently at the back of the stone door. Its position, was in exactly the same position as the profound formation that appeared when Yun Che pushed open the door. It should be the same profound formation. However, it could only be seen from the inside, and could only be seen on the outside when the stone door was touched.
“Try using your profound energy to touch this profound formation.” Jasmine suddenly said.
Following her instructions, Yun Che reached out his hand, and struck towards the profound formation with profound energy that was neither strong nor weak. In an instant, with a bang, the door which was initially opened, suddenly closed extremely quickly.
“As I thought.” Jasmine said. “By touching this profound formation from the inside, it’s able to completely lock the stone door, which can only be opened from the inside, and it’s impossible to open from the outside. It is really suitable for self-protection. During the Primordial Era, various devils and demonic beasts crossed these lands, and these basic self-protection measures should be really common. However, if the profound formation is destroyed from the outside by others, the people inside would be completely sealed instead.”
“Xue’er, let’s rest here for a while.”
Yun Che walked to the side of that stone bed, and then sat down while leaning against the wall. The moment he relaxed his mind, the sense of fatigue assaulted over like a flood of water. He didn’t release Feng Xue’er; instead, he changed his posture while still holding her in his embrace… He was completely able to pull out a blanket from the Sky Poison Pearl and set it on the stone bed, and then have Feng Xue’er lay on it. However, evidently, he couldn’t bear to do it. Because the sensation of embracing Princess Snow like this was enough to have any man to indulge himself to the point where he was unwilling to let go.
“Who… are… you…”
Yun Che, who had only just sat down, slightly shook as he instantly lifted his head. If there was a possibility that the first time was just his imagination or an illusory voice, then this time, Yun Che definitely would not believe that it was his imagination! He had heard that voice, with absolute clarity… It was the same and exact voice as earlier.
“Who are you? Who’s talking to me?” Yun Che heightened his concentration, and shouted out loud. In this towering fortress, which suddenly appeared within the Primordial Profound Ark, a relic left from the Primordial Era in which Jasmine was absolutely sure that there wasn’t a single existing living being left, how could there be a woman’s voice?
“You heard a voice again?” Jasmine asked in surprise.
Since Jasmine had asked in such a manner, it naturally meant that she still did not hear the voice this time. Which also meant… that only Yun Che was able to hear that voice. That voice, was also only being sent to Yun Che alone.
Yun Che once again kept quiet for a long while. however, he no longer heard that voice again. With sunken brows, he said. “There’s definitely someone in this ancient fortress! She should be really far away from me, but she knows of my existence.”
“If it’s not your imagination, then it can only be a residual soul.” Jasmine said slowly.
“Residual soul?”
Jasmine’s voice was very calm, as though she was long used to things like “residual souls”. “And it should be an extremely weak residual soul, otherwise, she wouldn’t be having such difficulties sending out her soul voice consecutively. There’s no need for you to look for her. Since she didn’t hesitate to consume her weakened soul energy to converse with you, it means that she seems to be interested in you, and she will once again take the initiative to converse with you. The reason why you’re unable to receive a reply, should be due to her soul energy, which has been weakened to the point where she’s only able to voice out her next words after a long while.”
“Big Brother Yun, is there… someone else around?” Feng Xue’er raised her head from Yun Che’s embrace, and gently asked.
Yun Che shook his head. “No, I seemed to have heard some voices, that’s all. Xue’er, you should be very tired. Have a good rest then. In the place where we are now, no one else is able to find us.”
Feng Xue’er gently shook her head. “I’m not tired… Big Brother Yun is the one who’s really tired.”
“I only have to take a short break and then I’ll recover.” Yun Che said with a smile. With the Dragon God’s physique, and the power of the Great Way of the Buddha, the recovery speed of his profound energy and stamina were much faster than a regular person’s.
The two people quietened down. After several hours of escaping, where they didn’t dare to stop for a single moment, their hearts finally found peace and calm. And Yun Che was finally able to truly feel the warmth and fragrance in his embrace. Lightly hugging Princess Snow like this was most probably a dream-like scene which every man would not even dare to dream of. And Princess Snow was like a compliant little kitten nestling in his embrace. She didn’t struggle nor reject it, and was simply resting peacefully.
‘Xue’er, the Phoenix God in your Divine Phoenix Sect, has it really died?” Yun Che asked with a light voice. However, Jasmine had told him the answer to this question before, and Ye Xinghan’s and Feng Feiyan’s words, had even more so proved it.
Feng Xue’er was silent for a short while, before she gently nodded. “Lord Phoenix God had already departed three years ago. Sixteen years ago, the reason why Lord Phoenix God had chosen me after my birth, was because it knew that its lifespan was about to end, and it required a successor with sufficient potential. I was under the guidance of Lord Phoenix God for thirteen years, and I received all of Lord Phoenix God’s inheritance… His energy source, soul energy, all of its Phoenix blood, and all of its memories.”
Feng Xue’er’s words shook Yun Che… It was no wonder that at the mere age of sixteen, she possessed the strength of a half-step Monarch. It was also no wonder she was able to easily distinguish his bloodline, and knew so clearly of the feud between the two Phoenix Spirits back then. Although the Phoenix God of Divine Phoenix Empire was dead, it had passed down its own energy source, soul energy, and even its memories, to Feng Xue’er! This allowed Feng Xue’er’s starting point to be frighteningly high. Her growth speed, and the heights she could achieve in the future, would undoubtedly shock the whole world as well.
It was thus no wonder Feng Xue’er had such a high position in the Divine Phoenix Sect. Since she had inherited everything from the Phoenix God, once Feng Xue’er was to completely mature, she would clearly become the second Phoenix of the Divine Phoenix Sect! In regards to their future Phoenix God, Divine Phoenix Sect would naturally have to protect her with their utmost best! The possibility of a single obstruction was definitely not allowed while she had yet to fully mature.
“In regards to Lord Phoenix God’s departure, only royal father, Great Elder, Big Brother Crown Prince, grandfather, great grandfather, and me… only six people know about it. Royal father said that this is the biggest secret of our sect. It definitely can’t be leaked out, and it can’t even be told to the people of our sect. But, on the second year, the Four Great Sacred Grounds had been constantly sending voice transmissions to probe about the situation regarding Lord Phoenix God, as though they knew that Lord Phoenix God was no longer here. Royal father was really furious and perplexed as well. Royal father had always guessed that the Sacred Grounds were probably unable to sense Lord Phoenix God’s presence, and thus came to probe about it… Never did we expect that it would actually be…”
Feng Xue’er’s voice was really saddened, as she was still unable to recover from the Great Elder’s betrayal. At the same time, she couldn’t help but worry for Divine Phoenix Empire’s future. Without the might of the Phoenix God, Divine Phoenix Sect would definitely struggle while being suppressed by the Four Great Sacred Grounds without end. For five thousand years, the sole reason why the Divine Phoenix Sect was able to develop so quickly under the watch of the Four Great Sacred Grounds and was faintly reaching the brink of the Sacred Grounds’ level, was due to the Phoenix God’s existence.
Yun Che sighed in his heart, yet he didn’t find it to be too shocking. With every influential power, the ones that are most prone to betrayal, were usually the people at the very top of the spectrum. These people were limited to but a few figures. Because these types of people knew the most, their position from the summit was the closest, and they were absolutely clear of every advantage and disadvantage the entire force possessed. Thus, at certain appropriate timings, they were the most susceptible to harboring intents of betrayal. If the Divine Phoenix Sect were to continue going strong like this, Feng Feiyan’s intent of betrayal might not have awoken even till his death. However, with their Phoenix God’s departure, at the same time he feared for the future of the Divine Phoenix Sect, he was even more fearful of his own future. So after weighing his options, he decided to defect to Sun Moon Divine Hall at the very earliest moment.
If Yun Che and Xia Yuanba were not present, he would have already helped Ye Xinghan achieve his objective, and let Feng Xue’er, who carried Divine Phoenix Empire’s biggest hope, land in Ye Xinghan’s hands. The consequences were unimaginable.
“It’s alright, it’s fine this way as well. Not only were they unable to achieve what they wanted, they have completely exposed themselves instead. Otherwise, the later they are exposed, it would become even more dangerous.” Yun Che consoled her.
“Mn…” Feng Xue’er lightly responded. “It’s all because of Big Brother Yun. If not for Big Brother Yun, I would have… would have… If royal father knew, he will definitely be really thankful to Big Brother Yun as well.”
“It’s good enough if your father stops trying to kill me.” Yun Che laughed. He definitely couldn’t believe that protecting Feng Xue’er was the only reason why Feng Hengkong allowed Feng Feiyan to act on his own. Killing him, was definitely one of their goals as well. However, he then once again thought in another way… Once Feng Hengkong found out about today, he would definitely be under increased pressure, and there might even be a possibility for him to breach decorum with Sun Moon Divine Hall. When that time comes, he probably wouldn’t even have the time to think of killing him.
“The Four Great Sacred Grounds are already aware of the Phoenix God’s death so they should be aware that you have inherited the Phoenix God’s physique as well. Ye Xinghan harbors motives towards you, so the other three Sacred Grounds will most probably keep their eyes on you from now as well.” Yun Che closed his eyes, and he was a little pained and worried. “But, in the end, my strength is still too weak. I basically do not have the power to protect you, otherwise… I would instantly take you away from your royal father’s hands, and hide you from both your sect and those from the Sacred Grounds.”
“Heh…” Feng Xue’er revealed a smile. “Big Brother Yun wants to protect me to such an extent, I’m so happy… If Big Brother Yun wants to take me away, I might not resist, you know.”
“Xue’er, you said those words yourself!” Yun Che smiled as well. “If there comes a day I really want to take Xue’er away, Xue’er must definitely not…”
“Sky… Poison… Pearl…”
Yun Che’s words came to a grinding halt, as the mysterious and ethereal woman’s voice resounded for the third time. And this time, what she said was no longer “who are you”, but clearly…
Sky Poison Pearl?!