Chapter 1587: Heaven Pities the Yun Clan

The Thunder Domain, stretching for a hundred miles, served as the Cloud Clan of Sin’s defensive barrier, but it was also a cage that imprisoned them. After all, this region was what outsiders called the "Sin Domain."

Just as they passed through the Thunder Domain, a booming shout descended from above: "Who dares trespass into my Skycloud Clan!" As members of the Cloud Clan of Sin, they were extremely sensitive to unfamiliar auras. The shout was like a thunderclap, deafening their ears. Yet, Yun Shang’s eyes lit up with surprise, and she cried out, "Brother Xiang!"

At her cry, the approaching aura clearly paused, then resumed its approach with greater urgency. Soon, two figures, a man and a woman, appeared in their sight. The man was tall and handsome, with eyes like a fierce tiger. The woman was three parts beautiful and seven parts heroic. What particularly caught Yun Che’s attention was the formidable aura emanating from both of them.

"An eighth-level Divine Sovereign and a fifth-level Divine Sovereign. Their lifespans should both be under six thousand years," Qianye Ying’er transmitted to Yun Che. "They are probably two of the strongest individuals here." The approaching man was undoubtedly the strongest person they had encountered since entering the Northern Divine Region, apart from the mysterious Nanhuang Chanyi. However, she merely cast a brief glance at him before lowering her gaze, her entire being radiating an indifference that kept all living things at bay.

"Shang…er!"Seeing Yun Shang from afar, both individuals cried out in extreme excitement. They practically lunged forward, rushing towards her. As they looked at the girl so close to them, their faces were alight with uncontrollable excitement and joy.

"Brother Xiang, Sister Lu, I feel like it’s been ages since I last saw you," Yun Shang said with a cheerful smile."Shang’er, you..." The tall man, an esteemed eighth-level Divine Sovereign, was so overcome with emotion that he was momentarily speechless."You... are you alright? You weren’t captured by the people from the Nine Heavens Palace?" The woman stepped forward and gripped the girl’s shoulders. Yun Shang had no injuries, her aura wasn't weak, and there were no signs of her having been frightened.

Yun Shang replied, "Half a year ago, I was indeed captured by those villains from the Nine Heavens Palace, but I was rescued immediately by Senior Yun. For the past six months, I’ve been with Senior Yun and Sister Qianying.""Half a year ago?" The two exchanged glances, and the man whispered, "So the Nine Heavens Palace was deceiving us!?"

They turned their gaze to Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er behind them. "Are they the ones?""Yun Che," Yun Che stated concisely, "From the Eastern Ruins Realm.""His maidservant, Yun Qianying." Although she introduced herself as a maidservant, her tone was clearly far colder and more arrogant than Yun Che’s.

The tall man stepped forward and cupped his hands. "I am Yun Xiang, and this is my wife, Yun Lu. You two saved Shang’er and cared for her for half a year. Our Skycloud Clan will remember this great kindness. We were unaware of our benefactors’ arrival just now, and for our disrespect, we hope you will forgive us.""Brother Xiang, you are too polite," Yun Che nodded slightly. "Shang’er and I have quite a strong connection. It was fortunate for me to be able to save her by chance."Qianye Ying’er shot him a sideways glance.

"Haha, Brother Yun, since your surname is also Yun, you must be destined to be connected with our clan," Yun Xiang laughed. "Perhaps you don’t realize what a profound kindness it was for us that you saved Shang’er.""The Clan Chief and all the elders are currently praying in the ancestral temple. They will be overjoyed to see Shang’er return safely," Yun Lu added."Right! We must inform the Clan Chief immediately." Yun Xiang was incredibly relieved that he was the one patrolling the Thunder Domain today. "Please, esteemed guests, come this way. For this kindness, I’m sure the Clan Chief will want to thank you in person."The Skycloud Clan was currently extremely cautious in all matters, especially concerning outsiders. Yun Xiang and Yun Lu were completely unaware of Yun Che’s and Qianye Ying’er’s origins, yet they displayed immense warmth. Firstly, they had saved Yun Shang. Secondly, two tenth-level Divine Kings posed no threat, even if they harbored ill intentions.

Although Yun Shang was only sixteen years old, her status within the Skycloud Clan was astonishingly high due to her purple profound aura. Her safe and unharmed return immediately alerted the entire Skycloud Clan, causing the usually desolate "Sin Domain" to erupt with an excitement and vitality it hadn’t known for a very long time.

Today was the Skycloud Clan’s centennial blessing ceremony, but this sacred ritual was abruptly interrupted by Yun Shang’s return. Upon hearing the news, Clan Chief Yun Ting was the first to disregard the ceremony, rushing directly out of the ancestral temple, with the elders following closely behind.

"Grandpa Clan Chief!"Yun Ting, the current Clan Chief of the Skycloud Clan, had witnessed the clan’s peak, its decline, and its current desperate situation. He had presided over their transformation from a prominent Realm King family to a clan of sin pitied by all. His hair and beard were as white as snow, and his face and hands were as withered as dead wood. Especially his cloudy eyes; even an ordinary mortal, without cultivating profound energy, could see the signs of his twilight years.

From ultimate prosperity to ultimate decline, Yun Ting, who had weathered countless storms and changes, already had a heart as stable as a divine mountain. However, as he watched Yun Shang’s joyful approach, tears, unseen for countless years, welled up in his aged eyes. This girl was simply too important to their clan, which was now in such a desperate plight. She was a pearl bestowed by heaven, and more importantly, hope itself.

"Shang’er, it’s good that you’re safe... so good that you’re safe." Yun Ting knelt down, too emotional to maintain any semblance of a clan chief’s decorum. All the elders behind him were equally moved. As Yun Xiang had mentioned earlier, Yun Ting, in his capacity as Clan Chief, personally thanked Yun Che for saving Yun Shang, even though the latter was just a young Divine King of unknown origin.

"This little girl’s status here is surprisingly high," Qianye Ying’er mused, finding everything before her quite astonishing, given her lack of understanding about the concept of purple profound aura."Hmph, the Nine Heavens Palace actually tried to trick us into believing Shang’er was in their hands. How outrageous!" Yun Xiang scowled, his voice filled with anger."If Shang’er had returned even a few days later, I fear we might have fallen into their trap," an elder of the Yun clan said gravely.

"So, the Nine Heavens Palace claimed they captured Yun Shang alive and forced you to exchange her for something?" Yun Che suddenly interjected. Given how precious Yun Shang was to the Skycloud Clan, they would likely have complied obediently, even if they hadn’t seen her or knew it was probably a lie.

"That’s right," Yun Xiang said. "The Grand Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Palace, in order to help his youngest son break through to Divine Sovereign, wanted our Yun Clan’s...""This matter is over. Shang’er is safe, so there’s no need to pay attention to the Nine Heavens Palace’s schemes. When they arrive the day after tomorrow, we can simply send them away," Clan Chief Yun Ting interrupted Yun Xiang, speaking with a cheerful smile.

No sooner had he finished speaking than his aged face suddenly contorted. His withered right hand abruptly gripped Yun Shang’s slender shoulder, his face filled with disbelief: "Shang’er, you... you’ve actually reached... Divine Tribulation!""What!?"

Yun Ting’s words stunned everyone present. As they focused their spiritual senses on Yun Shang, all of them showed expressions of astonishment. With Yun Shang’s safe return, they had all been preoccupied with excitement. Only now did they suddenly realize that Yun Shang’s profound energy aura was clearly at the Divine Tribulation Realm!

A sixteen-year-old at the Divine Tribulation Realm was not unprecedented in the Skycloud Clan’s history. After all, they had once been a Realm King family, and with abundant resources, each generation could produce several prodigies through sheer accumulation. However, half a year ago, Yun Shang’s cultivation was clearly only at the mid-stage of the Divine Soul Realm! In just half a year... she had reached the Divine Tribulation Realm!?

"Shang’er, could it be... you consumed some profound dao divine pill?" Yun Ting’s voice became a little frantic. Such progress, in his understanding, could only be forced by external means... But then again, could Yun Shang truly withstand such astonishing medicinal power?

Unexpectedly, Yun Shang shook her head. She secretly glanced at Yun Che and said, "During this time, Shang’er met a very powerful senior outside. He used a miraculous ability to transform my physique, and cultivating profound energy suddenly became much easier after that."

Yun Ting froze, and so did everyone else. Yun Shang’s eyes were as pure as diamonds, making it impossible for anyone to believe she was lying. But... not through the forced growth of medicinal power, but a natural cultivation after a complete transformation!? How could such a thing be possible!

Yun Ting’s hand gesture changed, and a wisp of profound energy directly permeated Yun Shang’s profound veins... Instantly, he looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His old, cloudy eyes, which had seemed unable to fully open for a long time, widened to their utmost, and he stared blankly at the girl before him, silent and motionless for a long time.

The Clan Chief’s reaction was too bizarre. The Yun clan elders, as well as Yun Xiang and Yun Lu on the side, exchanged glances. Then, without prior agreement, they also released their profound energy to investigate Yun Shang’s profound veins... In a short moment, their faces displayed reactions even more exaggerated than Yun Ting’s.

Yun Che stood quietly to the side, unsurprised by this scene. With the Eternal Night Calamity and Dragon Creek Jade Liquid, Yun Shang’s profound energy had been purified to the extreme. Her body’s affinity and mastery over profound energy had reached a level that even someone like Yun Ting, who had once set foot in the Divine Master realm, would undoubtedly find unbelievable, even incomprehensible. Her cultivation speed had not merely doubled; it had increased many times over compared to before.

"That esteemed senior..." The twenty-thousand-year-old Yun Ting uttered the words "senior" with deep reverence. "I wonder who this divine being is?" Yun Shang’s transformation could only be described as a miracle. He could barely imagine what kind of supreme existence could have wrought such a divine feat.

Yun Shang chuckled softly, "That senior doesn't allow Shang’er to say."Yun Ting nodded, his face still showing irrepressible excitement. "Right, mustn’t say, mustn’t say. Since it’s the esteemed senior’s instruction, then not a single word must be spoken."

"Oh, right," Yun Shang said, turning her body. She extended her hand, and deep purple lightning coiled around her fingers. "The senior also taught me a modified ‘Skycloud Thunder Art,’ Grandpa Clan Chief, look."

As her voice fell, she rotated her wrist, continuously unleashing the Skycloud Thunder Art. The surrounding space immediately filled with lightning, like dragons... When she performed the first stance, everyone’s eyes widened. By the second, third, and fourth stances... all the Yun clan members present were completely stunned, as if they had seen ghosts or gods. They simply could not believe their own eyes and senses.

The lightning Yun Shang wielded was indeed the Skycloud Thunder Art, but each stance had subtle changes. These seemingly minor alterations caused every bolt of lightning to weave a more advanced and profound law of lightning, making its power far greater than before!

A core profound art of a family or sect undergoes continuous evolution, but this is an extremely difficult and lengthy process. The "Skycloud Thunder Art" that Yun Shang demonstrated before their eyes, even if the Skycloud Clan were given another hundred thousand years, likely wouldn't evolve to such a degree.

"This too... was taught to you by that esteemed senior?" Every word Yun Ting spoke seemed to float in the air."Mhm," Yun Shang nodded vigorously. "The senior also said that Shang’er is allowed to teach it to the clan members."

"..." Yun Ting stood up, his legs trembling slightly. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so shocked, so excited. He glanced at the ancestral temple behind him, then looked up at the sky, before letting out a trembling roar: "A heavenly gift... it’s truly a heavenly gift! Heaven must pity my Yun clan—"

"Hmph!" Qianye Ying’er’s jade lips curled slightly.

Although Yun Shang had been rescued by Yun Che and it was clearly stated that they had cared for her for the past six months, neither Yun Ting nor any of the Yun clan members considered for a moment that these blessings came from Yun Che or Qianye Ying’er... After all, how could such peerless experts, whose abilities completely defied their understanding, possibly be two young Divine Kings!