Chapter 278: Demonic Person (Part 2)

"But I'm worried about you… that's the Burning Heaven Clan… How about… how about you hide in the Imperial Palace? Even if they know you're there, they definitely wouldn't dare act rashly," Cang Yue said, clutching Yun Che's hand in distress.

Yun Che smiled and shook his head. "Although Fen Juecheng was the one who provoked me, thinking about it carefully, I haven't avoided these conflicts. Instead, I've constantly escalated them, even killing Fen Juebi… Perhaps I'm subconsciously creating the scenario of being hunted by the Burning Heaven Clan… After all, a life on the run…" Yun Che exhaled slightly. He was all too familiar and accustomed to a life of being pursued.

"Senior Sister," Yun Che suddenly changed his tone, speaking softly, "Once this whole mess is over, how about I take you home?"

"Home...?"

"Yes!" Yun Che nodded, looking up slightly with longing. "Even though I was kicked out, that's where I grew up. Most importantly, my grandpa and little aunt are there. Wherever they are, that's my home. I've been away from them for so long, and I'm constantly thinking about going back… I want to take Senior Sister back. They'll be absolutely surprised if they find out I brought a princess wife home."

Thinking of that possible scene, Yun Che smiled faintly. The images of his grandpa and little aunt clearly flickered before his eyes… Grandpa, little aunt, are you doing well now…? Without realizing it, I've been away for so long… Have you been bullied there…? Trapped on that desolate back mountain, have you both grown thin…? Do you know that I think of you every single day…?

Now, I finally have the power to return. I can defeat anyone in the Xiao Sect. I will repay them a millionfold for all the misery you have endured!

Cang Yue was stunned for a long moment, her eyes softening almost to the point of melting, and her heartbeat quickened several times over. She calmed the sudden surge of nervousness and joy in her heart, quietly lowered her head, and softly murmured, "Mm."

At that moment, the Sword-Wielding Terrace appeared before them.

The Sword-Wielding Terrace of the Heavenly Sword Villa was several times larger than the Sword-Discussion Terrace where the ranking battles took place. Looking across it, thousands of swords flew in unison above, stirring up sword energy vortexes of various sizes. As they walked onto the terrace, sharp sword energies occasionally swept past them, stinging like knives cutting at their faces, causing a faint ache.

The ground of the Sword-Discussion Terrace was also covered with various swords, including a few heavy ones. There were an immense number of swords, and none were ordinary; even the lowest-grade ones were at least Spirit Profound Tools.

In the center of the Sword-Wielding Terrace, a gigantic, pitch-black Heavenly Great Sword was half-embedded in the ground and half-piercing the sky. Its immense blade radiated a heavy and ancient aura, making those who gazed upon it feel an involuntary sense of solemnity.

Ling Kun walked at the forefront and stopped before this colossal sword. He turned around and said, "This sword is named 'Xing Tian,' and it is the sword that suppresses the demon. The demon captured a hundred years ago is sealed directly beneath this sword."

"The demon is incredibly powerful, but within the sealing formation, his strength is vastly suppressed, and he will never be able to escape. However, as it is a sealing formation, its power naturally wanes over time. Every twenty years, someone from the Heavenly Sword Imperial Domain comes here to reinforce the sealing formation."

"The demon's existence was originally a secret, as what he's involved with could potentially affect the life and death of the entire Profound Sky Continent. The reason we are allowing everyone to witness his true form today is because, not long after the last seal reinforcement, his relatives used a special method to bypass the blockade of the Four Sacred Grounds, entered the Profound Sky Continent, inquired about the demon's whereabouts, intending to rescue him, and eventually even located the Azure Wind Empire. Had our Heavenly Sword Imperial Domain not discovered them, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Oh! From what he says, that 'demon' seems to be someone from outside the Profound Sky Continent… Could it be the legendary outsiders?" Xia Yuanba asked with wide eyes."Very likely," Yun Che slowly nodded, listening intently. At the same time, he thought to himself, it sounds like the Four Sacred Grounds often deal with people from outside the Profound Sky Continent. Could it be possible… that they have come into contact with people from the Cyan Cloud Continent and know its location?

Ling Kun's gaze swept over the crowd, and he continued, "Today, everyone should open your eyes wide and clearly see the demon's appearance. If anyone asks you about a similar person in the future, you must immediately inform the Heavenly Sword Villa; do not be negligent! Because that would very likely be another demon! The incident from over a decade ago has sufficiently proven that they found a method to enter the Profound Sky Continent without being detected by the Four Sacred Grounds! If this demon were to be rescued and regain his power, it would bring immense disaster to the Profound Sky Continent!"

"Bring immense disaster to the Profound Sky Continent"—this phrase undoubtedly struck deep into their hearts, making them wonder what kind of terrifying being this demon truly was.

*Rumble*…Following a peculiar gesture from Ling Kun, a massive profound formation suddenly appeared on the ground beneath the giant sword. As the formation rotated, the Heavenly Great Sword slowly rose, bringing with it a large circular platform from below. Beneath the platform, the lower half of the sword, which had not seen sunlight or moonlight for twenty years, was revealed.

The sword rose higher and higher, gradually reaching hundreds of feet. Just then, a voice like a malevolent spirit bellowed from below:"Ugh… Ah!!!! You old dogs of the Heavenly Sword Imperial Domain! Have you come to see your grandpa again… Hahahahahahaha… You despicable, shameless, sinister, vile old dogs, if you have the guts, kill me right now! I'll turn into a vengeful ghost, tear your flesh to shreds, drink your blood with pleasure, gnaw your bones to bits, crush your internal organs… I'll drag you down to the eighteen layers of hell, where you'll suffer eternally from ten thousand blades piercing your hearts and the burning agony of hellfire!!"

It was the most hateful voice and the most vicious curse they had ever heard in their lives. It was even more sinister and terrifying than the wails of hellish demons… Everyone who heard that voice felt their hair stand on end, and a chill constantly crept up their spines. They couldn't imagine how much hatred it would take to unleash such earth-shattering resentment…

The Xing Tian Great Sword continued to rise for a short while longer before finally stopping. The sword's tip, along with a platform of the same size, then fitted into the previously empty space.

What appeared before everyone was a huge, pale yellow hemispherical barrier. Inside the barrier, at the tip of the Xing Tian Great Sword, dozens of thick chains tightly bound a person with a full head of white hair. His white hair had grown to the ground, obscuring half of his body and half of his face. His body was skeletal, and his face was wrinkled like a demon, but his eyes were as terrifying as the sharpest blades in the world, radiating hatred like a deep abyss from hell.

"Is this… the demon?""Sealed in a profound formation for over a hundred years, not eating or drinking, and yet not dead—he's practically an old monster! Hiss… What a terrifying demon. Just one glance from him sent chills down my spine.""So… so scary." Cang Yue nervously pressed closer to Yun Che, half her body shrinking behind him.

The terrifying gaze and profound resentment of this "demon" were unlike anything Yun Che had ever witnessed in his life. Even he felt a slight tremor of fear, let alone Cang Yue.

"Jasmine, what kind of person is this? Can you tell?" Yun Che asked tentatively.Jasmine replied with extreme disdain, "Just a slightly more powerful ordinary human, a demon? Humph, how laughable. The true 'demon race'—their terrifying nature is beyond your imagination!"

Yun Che: "..."

Despite the "demon's" incredibly malicious curses and gaze, Ling Kun remained expressionless and spoke with calm composure: "Curse all you want. Heh, do you think we're afraid to kill you? If you weren't still useful, serving as a bargaining chip at certain necessary moments, you would have died hundreds of times over! Why would we go to all this trouble to let you live an extra hundred years?"

"Pah!" the "demon" sneered. "You vile old dogs, don't even dream of getting anything by trading me! The only reason I've refused to die is so I can personally witness your entire clan being massacred by His Majesty the Demon Emperor. That day won't be long now… Hahahahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!" Ling Kun burst into wild laughter. "It seems you truly don't understand who's dreaming. I might as well tell you again: your Demon Emperor has long been dead, killed by the Sword Master of my Heavenly Sword Imperial Domain and the Heavenly Monarch of the Sun-Moon Divine Palace. Your pathetic little Demon Emperor, who had just ascended the throne, overestimating his own abilities, sought to avenge his father. Tsk, tsk… he died a truly tragic death. Now, the entire Illusory Demon Realm is relying on a young Demon Empress to maintain the situation. Unfortunately, while the young Demon Empress also possesses royal blood, your Illusory Demon Realm seems unwilling to accept a woman as its ruler. She's currently too preoccupied to even look after herself… Slaughter our entire clan? Hahahahaha, that's simply a huge joke!"

"You're full of crap!" the "demon" roared in furious anger. Ling Kun's words had clearly provoked him severely, causing his emotions to completely spiral out of control. He struggled wildly, making the chains clatter, "How can His Majesty the Demon Emperor of our Illusory Demon Realm be compared to you despicable old dogs! His Majesty cannot be dead… Impossible!! One day, he will personally slaughter every single one of you!!"

"Illusory Demon Realm… Demon Emperor…"These unfamiliar terms frequently appeared in their conversation, leaving Yun Che utterly bewildered. He looked around and saw that everyone else's faces were filled with confusion, occasionally asking each other questions. Only Ling Yuefeng's expression remained relatively calm.It seemed that "Illusory Demon Realm" and "Demon Emperor" were concepts that only forces at the Sacred Grounds' level were privy to. There was clearly immense enmity between them and this "Illusory Demon Realm."

"Hahahahaha, then you can continue with your pipe dream!"

Amid mocking laughter, Ling Kun swept his hand across his spatial ring, and dozens of pale yellow, crystalline objects floated before him. Each crystal radiated an incredibly dense and terrifying power. As Ling Kun waved his arm, these dozens of crystals flew towards different corners of the pale yellow barrier that imprisoned the "demon," then slowly merged into the barrier, becoming part of its power.Immediately, the entire barrier's color deepened, becoming more crystalline and shimmering with a brilliant yellow light. Each of those dozens of yellow crystal-like objects contained immensely powerful sealing energy, and with their integration, the twenty-year barrier reinforcement was thus completed.