Chapter 293: Information from Cangyun Continent

"Profound Handle?" Yun Che immediately recalled that when Ling Kun had spoken of the demon-person, he had mentioned a special ability called "Profound Handle."

To his surprise, the Profound Handle was something so powerful and bizarre. It seemed to be a type of profound art, yet it didn't belong to any category of profound arts Yun Che knew. From his recent battle with the Profound Handle and the demon-person's brief description, the power of this Profound Handle was nothing short of miraculous and inconceivable. Its origin wasn't just from the profound veins but also from the life veins, a fact that was almost impossible to comprehend. Moreover, despite being a pure energy construct, it incredibly possessed a certain sentience. It could exist independently, attack freely, and change its form endlessly. Even if the demon-person was restrained, the Profound Handle could act in his stead. And fighting against the demon-person... when he unleashed the Profound Handle, it was undoubtedly equivalent to facing two enemies simultaneously!

Indeed, there was no end to wonders in this vast world! Ling Yun's Sword Spirit Clone was already astonishing, but the power of this Profound Handle surpassed the Sword Spirit Clone many times over!

If he could also wield this Profound Handle, wouldn't his combat strength directly increase dramatically?!

He tentatively asked, "Senior, you mentioned this Profound Handle is a heaven-bestowed ability of your clan... Does that mean it's a unique profound art that you never transmit to outsiders, or is it... an innate special ability that those outside your clan cannot acquire through cultivation?"

"It's the latter, of course!" The demon-person—or rather, Yun Canghai—replied with deep pride in his voice. "Among the Twelve Guardian Families of the Illusory Demon Realm, my Yun family reigns as king! This is precisely because of this heaven-bestowed Profound Handle! It requires no cultivation; it is naturally present in our clan's bloodline, awakening directly once profound energy breaks through to the Sky Profound Realm."

As the demon-person spoke, his locked left arm began to glow with a cyan light. "According to the records left by our ancestors, it is said that my Yun royal clan inherited a trace of bloodline from an ancient True God! And the Profound Handle is that True God's unique ability!"

Speaking of the Profound Handle, Yun Canghai's face was filled with pride. This was an ability bestowed upon them by a legendary True God, and it was their greatest asset for standing proudly in the Illusory Demon Realm. He slowly continued, "The Profound Handle you saw was cyan, but among our clan members, the color of the Profound Handle varies depending on the strength of their innate talent. The colors of the Profound Handle, from weakest to strongest, are red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and gold. The strength of the Profound Handle is determined at the moment of awakening; it is a talent that cannot be changed throughout one's life. In our clan, over ninety percent of members possess red to yellow Profound Handles. Those who awaken a green Profound Handle are rare geniuses; a green Profound Handle can unleash forty percent of one's combat strength! And those who awaken a cyan Profound Handle..."

Yun Canghai's arm began to flash with a proud cyan light. "Among our clan, such individuals are truly one in ten thousand! They can unleash fifty percent of their own combat strength! Take me, for example: I possess a cyan Profound Handle. If I cultivate alongside others, put in the same effort, consume the same resources, and reach the same realm, I will still have an additional fifty percent more combat strength than them due to my cyan Profound Handle... This is the power of our clan's Profound Handle! Among those of the same cultivation level, our clan members are virtually unrivaled! Even someone with the lowest-grade red Profound Handle can easily defeat opponents of the same level!"

Yun Che's heart was filled with shock. Yun Canghai was right; the existence of the Profound Handle allowed their overall combat strength to far surpass others of the same level. The power of this Profound Handle was like a cheat code bestowed by heaven. Facing an opponent with Profound Handle power, you might clearly be fighting one person, but you're actually dealing with two simultaneously!

An irrepressible envy immediately surged in Yun Che's heart. Due to his possession of various divine arts and the blood of two divine beasts, he could unleash combat strength far exceeding profound practitioners of the same level. If he were to also possess this Profound Handle, then let alone opponents of the same level, he could probably effortlessly crush opponents even one major realm above him.

Unfortunately, this was not an ability that could be acquired through cultivation; it existed within the bloodline.

"What about blue Profound Handles then? Are they even stronger?" Yun Che asked.

"Naturally!" Yun Canghai nodded. "But those who can awaken a blue Profound Handle are truly geniuses among geniuses, rarely seen even among a million people. A blue Profound Handle can unleash sixty percent of one's combat strength! As for purple Profound Handles, which can unleash up to seventy percent of one's strength, they are mythical existences. In our clan's history, one appears on average every eight thousand years. And once someone awakens a blue Profound Handle, they are destined to become the strongest in the Illusory Demon Realm in the future!"

"Then... what about gold Profound Handles?" Yun Che inquired.

A deep longing flickered in the demon-person's eyes. His voice lowered as he slowly said, "That is a myth beyond myths, a divine Profound Handle that can never appear in our clan. A gold Profound Handle can unleash one hundred percent of one's combat strength, and it is said to possess some special abilities that other Profound Handles lack. However, such a Profound Handle can only be wielded by the legendary ancient True Gods; it belongs only to True Gods and cannot awaken in humans. Therefore, it is merely an incredibly distant, ethereal, and unattainable legend."

"Oh..." Yun Che nodded casually. Being well-fed certainly made a difference. Coupled with Yun Che's proactive friendliness, the demon-person simply spoke at length, not only describing the "Profound Handle" that dominated the Illusory Demon Realm but also the pride of their guardian royal clan. After thinking for a moment, Yun Che suddenly asked, "Since you claim to be human, why do people from the Heavenly Sword Villa call you a 'demon-person'? And why is the place you're from called the 'Illusory Demon Realm'?"

"I am naturally human, but my Illusory Demon Realm is different from your Profound Sky Continent!" The demon-person said blandly. "As far as I know, four-tenths of the beings on your Profound Sky Continent are human, six-tenths are beasts, and other races collectively make up less than one-tenth. In my Illusory Demon Realm, three-tenths are human, three-tenths are demons, three-tenths are beasts, and one-tenth are spirits. Among the demons, some transform from various flowers and herbs, while others transform from birds, fish, or spiritual beasts. Humans and demons coexist peacefully, never distinguishing between themselves, and even racial differences are considered extremely trivial. Intermarriage between the two races has always been unrestricted. In fact, apart from the Demon Emperor clan and newly transformed demon spirits, it's almost impossible to find pure humans or pure demons in the Illusory Demon Realm. The Illusory Demon Realm is ruled by the Demon Emperor, and the Twelve Guardian Families exist to protect the Demon Emperor clan. Among these Twelve Guardian Families, humans and demons each account for six clans, and my Yun clan is the king among these twelve, a status that has never been shaken. Although I am human, I was born in the Illusory Demon Realm and consider protecting the Demon Emperor clan my lifelong honor. So, there is nothing wrong with calling me a 'demon-person'."

In the Profound Sky Continent, "demon-person" was naturally a derogatory term, and anyone labeled with it would undoubtedly feel extreme discomfort. Yet, Yun Canghai showed no hint of aversion to the term; instead, he gave Yun Che the impression that it was "just how things were."

Before hearing the rumors of "demon-people," Yun Che had never heard the name "Illusory Demon Realm," nor had he seen any records or heard any legends about it. Clearly, it was a place known only to those who reached a certain level. Now, from the demon-person's words, he vaguely understood what kind of world it was. It seemed to be adjacent to the Profound Sky Continent but separated by an immense distance, and its biological composition was also vastly different from the Profound Sky Continent.

Then... what about the Azure Cloud Continent?

"Senior, there's something I wish to ask." A ripple went through Yun Che's heart, and his voice carried a hint of suppressed expectation and nervousness. "Have you heard of... the Azure Cloud Continent?"

Yun Canghai glanced at him, and his expression made Yun Che's heart skip a beat. Then he heard him slowly say, "The planet we are on is called 'Blue Pole Star.' Ninety-seven percent of it is water, and three percent is land. These mere three parts of land belong to three continents... The first is the Profound Sky Continent where we currently are, the second is the Illusory Demon Realm, and the third is the Azure Cloud Continent you just mentioned."

Yun Che's heart pounded violently. In this life, it was the first time he had heard the name "Azure Cloud Continent" from another person. The demon-person's words proved that the Azure Cloud Continent not only truly existed but, just as Jasmine had said, was located within the same small world as the Profound Sky Continent. He quickly asked, agitated, "Then do you know how one can reach the Azure Cloud Continent?"

"Between these three continents lies an ocean so vast you cannot imagine it. However, relatively speaking, the Profound Sky Continent and the Illusory Demon Realm are quite close. The strongest experts from both continents are aware of each other's locations, and thus, if one's strength is sufficient, they can traverse the ocean between the two continents. But as for the Azure Cloud Continent, I have only heard its name. It exists in the ancient records of the Illusory Demon Realm; if the records are correct, it does indeed exist. However, no one has ever heard of anyone reaching that continent, nor does anyone know where it is... because this world is truly too vast. The endless blue ocean will cause all who attempt to explore it to lose their way, exhaust their strength, and ultimately perish. But what is certain is that it must be extremely far from both the Illusory Demon Realm and the Profound Sky Continent, perhaps at the most distant relative position within this small world."

Yun Che's excitement immediately diminished considerably. This powerful demon king from the Illusory Demon Realm knew of the Azure Cloud Continent's existence... but only knew of it. Even he had no idea where it was.

"Why are you suddenly so urgently asking about a place that only exists in legends?" Yun Canghai asked with a peculiar gaze.

Yun Che couldn't answer directly and could only say, "I have a reason to go there."

Yun Canghai did not press further, stating expressionlessly, "If you can acquire sufficient power, not to mention crossing a small world, you can freely roam even the vast and endless mysterious cosmos, traversing any small world, great world, or mysterious star realm... If you truly have such a reason, then make yourself strong. Living beings belong to the world, and the world belongs to the strong!"