Chapter 292: Xuangang

Having swallowed the large piece of dragon meat and taken a sip of dragon blood, Yun Che stood up. With a swipe of his finger, he divided the remaining large portion of dragon meat into two evenly sized pieces. He then unhurriedly walked into the barrier, approaching the demon until he stood just a single step away, a distance from which the demon could launch a fatal attack at any moment.

"Only after eating dragon meat did I realize its exquisite taste is utterly incomparable to any other beast meat," Yun Che said. "However, enjoying it alone can be a bit boring. Senior, would you like some?" He offered the demon the large piece of cooked dragon meat he had just cut.

The demon turned his head away and said coldly, "Are you pitying me? Only one of us can survive. Aren't you afraid I'll suddenly attack and kill you, standing so close?"

Yun Che displayed no defensive profound energy aura, nor any sign of caution in his expression. He smiled and said, "While I constantly wish to kill you, my desire to do so is solely for survival and freedom. I bear no resentment or dislike towards you. On the contrary, I am certain you are not an evil person, nor are you a scoundrel! If you think I'm pitying you... well, you're not entirely wrong. However, this kind of pity is born from shared suffering. What's the difference between your situation and mine? It's just that you are bound by even more constraints than I am."

The demon's gaze shifted back to Yun Che. He stared at him intently for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Heh heh... Good! 'Shared suffering,' indeed! I accept your 'pity'!"

As his voice fell, he snatched the dragon meat from Yun Che's hand, brought it to his mouth, and began to devour it wildly. Though it had no oil or salt, to a demon who hadn't eaten a proper meal in a hundred years, it was nothing short of heavenly deliciousness. The moment the dragon meat entered his mouth, he couldn't stop, eating fiercely and wolfing it down. His eating style far surpassed Yun Che's own desperate feasting when he was near starvation. Yun Che smiled faintly, picked up his own portion of dragon meat, and began to eat, though much more refinedly than the demon.

In an instant, the large piece of dragon meat was completely consumed by the demon, disappearing into his stomach. The substantial nourishment after a century of emptiness brought a faint red glow to the demon's ashen face. He licked his fingers, then burst out laughing. "What a joy! Truly exhilarating! I've never had such a satisfying meal in my life! Hahahaha... Little brother, I, Yun Canghai, have never owed anyone anything in my life! What you gave me was merely a meal, but to me, it's a great kindness! I will remember this favor! It's a pity there's only meat here and no wine; otherwise, based on how you saved my pride and believed I wasn't a scoundrel, I should drink a huge cup with you!"

"Oh? Senior, your surname is also Yun?"

The demon's eyes widened. "You mean, your surname is also Yun? We've been trapped together for half a year, and you wild kid wouldn't even tell me your surname! So, we're actually from the same clan, hahahaha!"

When not viewing the demon as a deadly enemy he had to kill, Yun Che found the demon's aura not only not repulsive or frightening, but rather strangely comforting. Yun Che smiled faintly and said, "Indeed, junior's surname is Yun, and my given name is Che."

"Yun Che... 'As tranquil as clouds, as clear as water.' What a good name! It seems your father hoped you would live a carefree life, untouched by worldly affairs, when he named you. But alas, you, a peculiar young man through and through, are clearly not one to remain stagnant. I fear your parents must be sorely disappointed."

Yun Che paused, a hint of melancholy in his heart. On the Azure Cloud Continent, his master had named him "Yun Che" hoping he would live a carefree life, his destiny as clear as water, untouched by worldly strife. Yet, his life had ultimately veered to a completely opposite extreme... his heart filled with hatred, countless lives taken.On the Profound Sky Continent, his birth parents must have held similar hopes for him as his master did.

Yun Che picked up the large bowl of dragon blood, poured half of it into another bowl, and placed it before the demon. He said, "Senior, we are both trapped here, and we share the same surname Yun. This is truly a miraculous twist of fate. For this shared suffering, this common plight, we should indeed drink a bowl together... Though there's no fine wine, dragon blood is pungently salty and its potency is no less than strong liquor. So, I shall use dragon blood as wine and offer you a toast! I hope that after drinking this 'blood wine,' when I eventually kill you, senior, you won't resent me on your journey to the Yellow Springs."

The demon took the bowl of dragon blood, raised his eyes to Yun Che, and a certain something appeared in his gaze. "We are not of the same lineage, so lineage and seniority are irrelevant. If we are to drink this blood wine, it should be I who toasts you... If you wish to toast me, then you must apprentice yourself to me right now!"

"Huh??" Yun Che's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, caught off guard. Although there was no animosity between them, at its core, their relationship was a fight to the death. Yun Che's decision to share dragon meat with him stemmed from his nature, with no ulterior motive. He hadn't expected that a meal of dragon meat would lead to such a development... Even if the demon was grateful, wasn't this too big a leap?Apprentice himself to him? What would he teach him? How to kill him? This was quite... Wait! Could he be trying to...

"What? You're unwilling?" The demon's gaze was sharp, devoid of any jest. "In my entire life, apart from guiding my son in his early years, I have never formally accepted a disciple. Though your progress is astonishing and your potential immeasurable, my abilities are more than sufficient to be your master. Within the Illusory Demon Realm, countless individuals dream of becoming my disciple, yet are unable to!"

Given the Heaven's Might Sword Domain's evident regard for this demon, it was clear what a formidable figure he was in the Illusory Demon Realm. Yun Che had no doubt about his words; to apprentice oneself to such a terrifying expert, capable of wielding Monarch Profound power even under a sealing formation, was an irresistible temptation and surprise for any young profound practitioner, including Yun Che. However, he already carried a master with him — a super master who had groomed him into a monstrous talent. If he were to take another master in her presence...The consequences would undoubtedly be very severe!

"No, no, absolutely not!" Yun Che waved his hand, then said earnestly, "Senior, you are so powerful even under the Heaven's Might Soul Suppressing Formation, so your true strength must be beyond my comprehension. It would be an honor for me to take a powerful figure like you as my master, and I would never be unwilling. It's just... I already have a master, and it would be very inappropriate to take another one."

"What does that matter!" The demon waved his hand. "Could your master possibly be stronger than me?"

The demon's words were steeped in profound arrogance, but his pride was certainly not mere bluster. Yun Che truly couldn't grasp the concept of the Demon Emperor, a being second to none and above ten thousand in the Illusory Demon Realm.However, this demon was even less capable of imagining the nature of Yun Che's current master.

Yun Che thought for a moment, then, using a gentle tone calculated not to wound the demon's pride, said, "My master might indeed be just a tiny bit stronger than you, Senior..."

"Hahahaha! A joke!" The demon roared with laughter. "On your Profound Sky Continent, there are no more than five people worthy of being my opponent! Could your master possibly be stronger than the Sword Master of the Heaven's Might Sword Domain?"

Yun Che didn't know what a Sword Master was. But given Jasmine's terrifying strength and her occasional disdain when mentioning the words "Profound Sky Continent," it was safe to assume that even this so-called Sword Master wouldn't be enough for one of Jasmine's little fingers.Of course, if he were to say that out loud, the demon wouldn't believe him even if it killed him.

Yun Che offered no further explanation. He simply said, "I understand your good intentions, Senior, but I cannot accept. I cannot be unfaithful to my current master."Having said that, Yun Che picked up the bowl of dragon blood, gulped it down, and then presented the empty bowl to the demon, indicating, "Let this cup of blood wine be my apology for having to kill you, Senior... Please, Senior."

The demon's eyebrows twitched. He said no more, picked up the bowl, and likewise gulped down the blood. Then he tossed the empty bowl back to Yun Che, saying, "You don't have to apprentice yourself to me; I have no right to force you. But I cannot eat this dragon meat and drink this dragon blood for nothing! Aren't you intent on killing me? Then I'll instruct you on how to kill me sooner! In the past six months, you've made rapid progress in profound energy thanks to the dragon meat and blood, but you haven't had the chance to solidify and consolidate it through combat. Our brief encounters were all lightning-fast full-power attacks, which served no real purpose... From today onwards, I will formally become your training opponent!"

Clearly, the demon still wanted to guide his cultivation... It sounded extremely peculiar to guide someone who wished, and indeed had to, kill him. But Yun Che vaguely understood his thoughts. He took a step back and said, "Senior, your body is locked. Even if you want to be my training opponent, it seems..."

"Heh heh..." The demon smiled faintly. "Do you think I can't properly train you just because I'm bound?"

As his voice fell, a blue light suddenly flashed from the demon's left arm. A colossal blue palm appeared before him, then instantly flew towards Yun Che.

This was the strange palm that had previously knocked him away. But now, the demon had clearly suppressed its power; though still greatly oppressive, it wasn't enough to completely overwhelm Yun Che. He quickly retreated, grabbed the Dragon Fault, and met it head-on, swinging his sword down... To his utter surprise, the blue palm, which should have been a mere manifestation of energy, suddenly shifted and changed direction as if it had a will of its own. After dodging his sword, its form also transformed, becoming a heavy sword identical to the Dragon Fault in his hand, only blue in color, and it slammed fiercely towards his shoulder.

Over the past six months, Yun Che had made numerous attempts to fight the demon, and several times he had encountered this strange blue light that always appeared out of nowhere. His clashes with the demon usually lasted only a moment or two, and this blue light typically appeared for just an instant, so he had always assumed it was a profound energy light used for attack.Profound energy light, once separated from the body, would rapidly weaken as it extended along its trajectory. But at this moment, he discovered with shock that this blue light could not only shapeshift at will but was also incredibly swift, and its aura showed no weakening whatsoever... it was like a living, anomalous entity!It could be a palm, a sword, a shield, or a spear... large or small, slow or fast. Even with its power deliberately suppressed by the demon, it still overwhelmed Yun Che, leaving him flustered and struggling to keep up, making him look far more disheveled than if he were facing an opponent of similar strength. He let out a roar, using "Falling Moon Sinking Star" to force the blue light away, rapidly retreated, and urgently asked, "What in the world is that strange thing!"

The demon smiled faintly. A flash of light from his left arm, and the transformed heavy sword reverted into a blue light, returning into his arm. "This... is my Profound Aura! It's a special energy body derived from my profound veins and bloodline, controlled by my soul, and capable of existing independently from my soul. It can transform in a thousand ways, and perfectly execute all my techniques... It is a heaven-bestowed ability unique to my Illusory Demon Imperial Family!"