Chapter 295: What Are You Holding in Your Hand

Yun Che finally recovered after resting for a while. He sat up from the ground, patted his chest, and looked content. Defeating Xuan Gang, who had retained sixty percent of his strength, was undoubtedly another huge breakthrough.

"Hahahaha..." The Demon Man looked at him and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Yun Che asked.

"I'm laughing because I'm doing the most contradictory and ridiculous thing in the world," the Demon Man laughed loudly. "I'm a man who'd rather live than die, yet after a hundred years of clinging to life, I'm now guiding a junior to kill me sooner. If anyone else were doing this, I'd think they were a madman. Yet, I am that madman, and I don't regret it. Seeing you break through day by day, I even feel relieved... Hahahaha! Have I truly gone mad?"

"No, you haven't gone mad, of course not," Yun Che said with a smile. "I understand why you're doing this. It's because you're not an evil person, and neither am I. Neither of us is the despicable scoundrel we both despise. We share a common plight... And most importantly, I am someone you can trust."

Yun Che's last sentence abruptly stopped Yun Canghai's laughter.

Yun Che calmly stated, "Although my respect and gratitude for you grow daily, the day I have the power to kill you, I will act without hesitation. Doing so will grant me freedom and bring you release... And at the same time, I will use all my strength to fulfill the task you wish to entrust to me!"

Yun Canghai trembled, his gaze fixed on Yun Che, shaking slightly. He slowly nodded and said with a tremor in his voice, "Good! Good! This is the exact phrase I've been waiting for, the one I've always yearned for! I believe that if you're willing to say these words, you will undoubtedly do them! Good... good!!"

Yun Che firmly said, "Although we haven't formally acknowledged a master-disciple relationship, you have been like half a master to me during this time. Even out of filial piety as a disciple, I will definitely complete your entrustment."

"Haha... Hahahaha..." Yun Canghai laughed again, his voice filled with excitement and relief. "Heaven... finally showed me some mercy by sending you to me. I've been suppressed here for a hundred years, living a life worse than death. With the Heavenly Punisher Sword's suppression, the Heaven's Might Soul-Suppressing Array's seal, and this being the Profound Sky Continent, I had long resigned myself to my fate. There was no way I could ever escape. My continued existence would only be a worry and a burden to my clan. The Heavenly Sword Villa kept me alive only to use my life as leverage at the right time... But I carry something very important, something crucial to the Illusory Demon Realm, which is why I couldn't die... I absolutely couldn't die. Now, I've finally found someone I can entrust it to... and finally, I can go and join His Lord Demon Emperor."

As Yun Canghai spoke, his eyes shimmered with tears.

"Something extremely important to the Illusory Demon Realm? Are you expecting me to deliver it to the Illusory Demon Realm?" Yun Che asked, surprised. His gaze swept over the Demon Man's entire body, a wave of astonishment washing over him... The Demon Man wore only a tattered, thin garment, with no visible place to store anything. Even if he were powerful enough to create his own spatial pocket, its contents would surely have been forcibly seized by the Heavenly Sword Villa. There was no way they would have left something so important on him... Yet, from what he said, the item was still on him. So where exactly could he have hidden it?

"Not yet!" The Demon Man shook his head. "You are still too weak. I will only give it to you the day your strength is sufficient to kill me in my current state! So, if you want to gain your freedom after killing me, don't slack off! While your progress is incredibly fast, you are still too weak to even travel to the Illusory Demon Realm."

"I understand," Yun Che nodded. He then picked up a large piece of dragon meat, cut it into two sections, and began to roast it in his hands. "Speaking of which, Senior, how exactly did you fall into the hands of the Heavenly Sword Villa? From what I've heard, it seems you were... ambushed?"

The Demon Man's eyes narrowed, flickering with intense resentment. He sneered and said, "My understanding of your Profound Sky Continent's Four Great Sacred Grounds is far deeper than yours. Emperor Absolute Sacred Land, Supreme Ocean Palace, Sun Moon Divine Hall, Heavenly Sword Villa... As far as I know, these so-called Four Great Sacred Grounds have always publicly proclaimed their mission to protect the Profound Sky Continent. Under the halo of this seemingly noble mission, they are called 'Sacred Grounds' and gather the highest-level practitioners from across the Profound Sky Continent. And the enemies they 'protect' against... are us, the Illusory Demon Realm!"

"Hahahaha! What a huge joke! In terms of territory, the Illusory Demon Realm surpasses the Profound Sky Continent, and in terms of resources, it's far superior! For tens of thousands of years, though the Illusory Demon Realm discovered the Profound Sky Continent long ago, it never harbored any ambition, nor did it have reason to. Instead, it was those despicable scoundrels, under the guise of 'protecting the Sacred Grounds,' who portrayed our Illusory Demon Realm as evildoers seeking to annex the Profound Sky Continent, and then acted like bandits! For the sake of our Illusory Demon Realm's supreme treasure, they didn't hesitate to invade us. Later, the Demon Emperor disappeared. Although I'm reluctant to admit it, it's highly likely that the Demon Emperor fell victim to their schemes. I went alone to the Profound Sky Continent to search for the Demon Emperor but inadvertently stepped into the Heaven's Might Soul-Suppressing Array set up by the Heavenly Sword Villa, was severely wounded by Sword Master Xuanyuan Wentian, and ended up imprisoned here... The enmity between my Illusory Demon Realm and the Four Great Sacred Grounds is irreconcilable!"

Yun Che listened silently, then spoke, "I am, after all, from the Profound Sky Continent, so I cannot fully believe your words. Moreover, in the Profound Sky Continent, the Four Great Sacred Grounds have always been mythical, sacred existences. Their power is invincible, and their reputation is beyond reproach. Even if you told these things to the entire Profound Sky Continent, hardly anyone would believe you. After all, many deeply believe that the Profound Sky Continent is so stable precisely because of the Four Great Sacred Grounds' protection, and no ill repute about them bullying the weak has ever circulated..."

At this point, Yun Che suddenly recalled the so-called righteous sects on the Azure Cloud Continent, renowned and highly reputed, who had nonetheless coerced his master to death for the Sky Poison Pearl. He quietly took a breath and continued, "But I don't entirely doubt your words either. After all, I don't understand your Illusory Demon Realm, nor do I truly know the Four Great Sacred Grounds. As for the real situation, I will use my own eyes to see it the day I become powerful enough to interact with both the Four Great Sacred Grounds and the Illusory Demon Realm."

"Good! Well said!" Yun Canghai nodded in approval. "What you've said truly doesn't sound like it came from a young man under twenty. So, aren't you afraid of getting caught in the feud between the Four Great Sacred Grounds and the Illusory Demon Realm because of my affairs? That's a vortex bigger than you can imagine."

"Of course, I'm afraid!" Yun Che admitted openly. "At least for me now, both the Four Great Sacred Grounds and the Illusory Demon Realm are colossal entities that can only be gazed at from afar, at the very peak of this world's food chain. But apprehension doesn't mean I will betray my trust because of it. Since you've decided to use your life to secure my freedom, then no matter what, I will fulfill your entrustment. It might just take a little longer."

"Hahahaha!" Yun Canghai laughed. "This is the first time I've heard someone say 'afraid' with such resolute courage. If you had simply said you weren't afraid, I would have been even more grateful but also slightly disappointed, because if you don't know fear, you'll overestimate yourself and underestimate your enemies, perhaps leading to an early downfall. With your words, I feel even more at ease."

Yun Che smiled, picked up the roasted dragon meat, and handed it to Yun Canghai. One standing, one sitting, they both began to eat heartily. The delicious dragon meat became their only enjoyment in that dismal space.

After both had eaten their fill, Yun Che sat on the ground, closed his eyes to meditate and recover his profound energy. Next, he would attempt to challenge Xuan Gang at seventy percent of his strength.

Yun Canghai also closed his eyes, continuously muttering to himself...

"It's been a hundred years, and I haven't heard any news of His Lord Demon Emperor... Is he truly dead?"

"If Heavenly Monarch Ye Mo Xie of the Sun Moon Divine Hall and Sword Master Xuanyuan Wentian of the Heavenly Sword Villa teamed up, they certainly would have the power to kill His Lord Demon Emperor... No... impossible... I don't believe it..."

"The Crown Prince should have already married, right... The man from the Heavenly Sword Villa said the Crown Prince had ascended to become the Little Demon Emperor... and on the day of his ascension, he rashly charged towards the Four Great Sacred Grounds... and died too..."

"The Illusory Demon Realm... is now ruled by the Little Demon Empress..."

"The Little Demon Empress... Could it be... her? Perhaps it is... The Crown Prince feared nothing and no one but her. When the Crown Prince became Emperor, he took her as his Empress... Although she is a woman, she indeed possesses the ability to rule... Alas..."

Yun Che paid no mind to Yun Canghai's constant murmuring; he had heard these same words countless times every day, so much that his ears had grown calloused. Every moment Yun Canghai spent there, he was worried about the Illusory Demon Realm. His loyalty to the Illusory Demon Imperial Family was evident to heaven and earth. Yun Che could also tell that his relationship with the Demon Emperor was half that of a subject to his ruler, and half that of brothers.

His profound energy quickly recovered, and Yun Che's breathing and state of mind completely calmed. He opened his eyes, gazing at the dark void before him. One after another, the figures he deeply missed appeared in his mind... Among those he worried about, he wasn't concerned about Xia Qingyue and Chu Yuechan, as their strength ensured virtually no one in the Azure Wind Empire could harm them. However, he couldn't help but worry about Cang Yue and Xia Yuanba... They must have believed him dead. With the imperial court in turmoil, he couldn't imagine how Cang Yue would cope and protect herself, especially at this critical time when she was most helpless and needed him most, yet he, who had made promises to her, could not be by her side.

Xia Yuanba must be deeply steeped in self-blame. Yun Che could only hope that he had emerged from that self-reproach and truly grown stronger.

And his grandfather and his little aunt... Only one month remained until the three-year promise he had made.

Trapped here, it was impossible for him to gain the ability to kill Yun Canghai within a month. The promise he had made upon leaving was destined to remain unfulfilled.

Yun Canghai was pitiful, suppressed for a hundred years, despairing for a hundred years, suffering endless bitterness. Yet, at least he had experienced centuries of glory, once gazing down upon the Illusory Demon Realm alongside the Demon Emperor, and possessed his own vast family and loved ones. Even after a hundred years of separation, he could still cherish his closest relatives, and they in turn worried about him... Yun Che, however, to this day, didn't even know who his birth parents were.

"Sigh..." Yun Che sighed silently, instinctively reaching for his neck, intending to touch the only item his birth parents had left him. As his fingers brushed his skin, he suddenly remembered that after returning from the Azure Cloud Continent and realizing it was very likely the Samsara Mirror, he had stored it in the Sky Poison Pearl.

Yun Che took the small pendant out of the Sky Poison Pearl and placed it in his palm, gazing at it silently... He imagined what his birth parents might have been like and wondered if they were still alive in this world.

Yun Canghai, half lost in his muttering, unconsciously looked up. His gaze inadvertently fell upon the bronze-colored pendant in Yun Che's hand... Instantly, he jolted as if struck by divine lightning, his entire body trembling violently. His eyes widened to their extreme, and a fierce, bestial roar erupted from his mouth...

"What is that in your hand... What is that in your hand!!!!"