Free Web NovelChapter 166: Chapter 165: Suppressing the Phoenix
The moon was bright and the stars were few. The sky was clear, and all was still and silent.
Wen Qingye had already rushed back to Phoenix City and was now standing at the entrance of the Zhang Mansion.
Wen Qingye pushed the door open and slowly walked into the courtyard. It was very quiet inside.
"Xiaoyun?" Wen Qingye found it rather strange; he couldn’t sense Zhang Xiaoyun’s presence.
’What’s going on?’ Wen Qingye’s brow furrowed, his heart thumping incessantly. ’Zhang Xiaoyun isn’t home this late? Where could she have gone?’
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a cry of surprise sounded from behind him. Wen Qingye turned to see Zhang Xiaoyun herself, wearing a veil and walking in from outside.
When Zhang Xiaoyun saw Wen Qingye in the moonlight, her heart first filled with joy, but then fear began to creep in.
Wen Qingye strode to Zhang Xiaoyun’s side. Seeing a trace of longing in her eyes, he gently lifted the white veil.
But under the moonlight, Wen Qingye’s sharp eyes noticed her pale complexion. He couldn’t help but ask, "Xiaoyun, where did you go so late? What’s wrong?"
Hearing Wen Qingye’s words, Zhang Xiaoyun grew flustered, her gaze evasive.
"Yunshan... Yunshan is missing." Zhang Xiaoyun lowered her head and said in a small voice, "It’s all my fault. I sent her out to buy some fabric, and then she disappeared. I’ve been searching for five or six days, but I still haven’t found her. It’s all my fault."
Wen Qingye’s heart lurched. ’Yunshan is missing? What on earth happened?’
Zhang Xiaoyun fought back tears and murmured, "It’s all my fault. Yunshan is so young. I shouldn’t have let her go out. It’s all my fault."
Wen Qingye stepped forward, his heart aching for her. He gently caressed her face and said softly, "It’s okay. Yunshan was probably picked up by her distant relatives."
"Really?" Zhang Xiaoyun lifted her head, her beautiful eyes fixed on Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye slowly explained, "I remember Yunshan telling me she had a few distant relatives."
"Oh." Zhang Xiaoyun nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but in the end, she remained silent.
Wen Qingye smiled and said nothing more, maintaining a calm expression.
’But that’s not what I really think,’ Wen Qingye thought to himself. He had a feeling this matter wasn’t so simple. His explanation was just to comfort Zhang Xiaoyun. ’Little Yunshan never told me she had any relatives.’
"Husband, I..." Zhang Xiaoyun suddenly hugged Wen Qingye and stammered.
"What is it?"
Zhang Xiaoyun took a deep breath, her face flushing red as she said, "That... Ling Jiao..."
Wen Qingye chuckled. "I don’t even know who the Eighth Prince is, let alone anything about this matter. Don’t worry, it’s all a baseless rumor."
"No, no! I do trust you," Zhang Xiaoyun said, burying her head in Wen Qingye’s chest. Her voice was shy and sweet as she gently rubbed her head against his torso.
Although Zhang Xiaoyun had complete faith in Wen Qingye, hearing him confirm it with his own words still made her heart swell with joy.
...
"Sit down. I’m going to remove the scar from your face now," Wen Qingye said to Zhang Xiaoyun.
"Okay."
Zhang Xiaoyun nodded, a flicker of joy in her eyes, and obediently sat cross-legged on the bed.
Over countless eons, Wen Qingye had created three great Secret Skills related to the Primordial Spirit: the Spirit Fusion Secret Technique, the Swallowing Spirit Secret Technique, and the Split Spirit Secret Technique.
Among them, the Split Spirit Secret Technique was the most difficult and had the lowest success rate; it was the very technique Wen Qingye had relied on to be reborn. The Swallowing Spirit Secret Technique was the most evil and vicious—once it devoured another’s Primordial Spirit, that person would no longer enter Reincarnation, ceasing to exist between heaven and earth. Because it defied the natural order, Wen Qingye rarely used it.
What Wen Qingye was about to perform now was the Spirit Fusion Secret Technique, one of the three great secret skills. He intended to directly fuse the Phoenix’s remnant soul into Zhang Xiaoyun’s own.
Zhang Xiaoyun slowly closed her eyes. Wen Qingye extended his hand, his finger pointing directly at the spot between her eyebrows.
WHOOSH!
In an instant, a brilliant golden light filled the room, illuminating it completely.
At that moment, inside Zhang Xiaoyun’s spiritual Sea of Consciousness:
All around was an endless sea of red. Raging flames churned, devouring everything in their path. At the center of the fire was an enormous silhouette, so immense that the flames surrounding it were actually purple-gold.
This was the Desolate Ancient Divine Phoenix!
"Who art thou?" the Desolate Ancient Divine Phoenix demanded as her eyes snapped open, releasing a ray of red light filled with endless pressure.
The Desolate Ancient Divine Phoenix suddenly sensed a threat from the newcomer. She immediately knew this person was extraordinary and began to grow tense.
To be honest, Wen Qingye had only seen a Phoenix a couple of times, and most of those were mere afterimages.
Phoenixes and Phoenix Birds had been disappearing since ancient times. Countless Immortals had only heard of the Phoenix but had never seen one.
"You are but a remnant soul now," Wen Qingye said with a smile.
The Desolate Ancient Divine Phoenix sneered, "A remnant soul? And what are you, if not the same?"
"Enough to suppress you," Wen Qingye’s tone turned cold as he took a step forward.
"Is that so? Suppress me?" The Desolate Ancient Divine Phoenix raised her head, looking at Wen Qingye with arrogance.
"Then let’s see you try!"
As Wen Qingye finished speaking, an immense aura erupted from his body, crushing down upon the Phoenix.
The Phoenix was horrified as she felt that roiling aura. ’How can a mere remnant soul possess such power? How could such a person exist in this world?’
KREE!
With a clear cry, the Phoenix shot into the sky, her entire body transforming into a plume of extreme flame, radiating her own boundless aura.
The two auras collided, silent and unseen.
This was a clash of soul power!
Wen Qingye gritted his teeth and took another step forward.
Seeing Wen Qingye advance on her, the Phoenix’s body trembled slightly, and the flames around her flared even brighter.
THUD!
Wen Qingye took another step, and his boundless aura, mighty enough to traverse the universe, pressed down on the Phoenix.
’Who... who in the world is he?’ The Phoenix was utterly terrified, shock completely filling her mind.
’He wants to suppress me? Impossible!’
The Phoenix steeled her resolve, then with a flap of her two exquisitely beautiful arms, she charged toward Wen Qingye.
"I’ll show you whether it’s possible or not!"
Wen Qingye shouted, raising both hands as he pushed his own aura to its absolute peak. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The Phoenix charged forward relentlessly, crashing toward Wen Qingye with unstoppable momentum. In Wen Qingye’s eyes, there was only a single flame, and nothing else.
Wen Qingye stood his ground, his expression impassive. The red light shone on his face, casting a strange glow. His body remained standing proud, an oppressive aura spreading out in all directions.
BOOM!
The Phoenix felt as if her soul had suffered a massive blow, followed by a sensation of complete powerlessness. Her Primordial Spirit Power had waned over countless years. Although Wen Qingye’s Primordial Spirit was also incomplete, it was immeasurably stronger than the Phoenix’s.
"Spirit Fusion Secret Technique!"
KREE!
Instinct drove the Phoenix to flee, but Wen Qingye would not let her escape. In that moment, the Phoenix suddenly felt that the entire world was under Wen Qingye’s control. Utter despair filled her eyes.
The Phoenix’s body began to slowly dissipate, piece by piece, fragment by fragment, transforming into specks of starlight that sprinkled down into Zhang Xiaoyun’s Sea of Consciousness, gradually merging with it.
