Chapter 298: Awakening of the Primordial Energy

Yun Che, to his complete surprise, finally found his first blood relative in his life. This was undoubtedly a joke fate played on him, but Yun Che couldn't determine if it was a benevolent or a malicious one. Although he had found a relative, this person had endured a century of suffering. While such a situation would only evoke sympathy for an outsider, for a loved one, it was a soul-piercing pain. Originally, killing the "demon" was his only way out of here. But now, the "demon" had become his grandfather. How could he possibly harm the relative he had so painstakingly found, just for his own freedom?

Yun Che stood up, grabbed the Dragon Fault, activated Burning Heart, and unleashed a full-powered Phoenix Break towards the ceiling. The Phoenix flames soared upwards with a roar, striking the ceiling forcefully. With a soft clang, the Phoenix Break dissipated in mid-air. Not only was there no damage, not even a speck of dust fell. "It's useless," Yun Canghai shook his head. "The suppression of the Heaven Punishing Sword is much stronger than you imagine. Even if you were ten times more powerful, you wouldn't be able to shake it in the slightest." He offered a kind smile and waved Yun Che over. "Come here, let's have a good talk, grandfather and grandson. I have so much I want to tell you."

With the recognition of their kinship, the atmosphere between them naturally underwent a complete transformation. As time passed and his heart settled, Yun Canghai's identity as his grandfather became increasingly clear in Yun Che's mind. He stood before Yun Canghai, listening to his every word.

Yun Canghai spoke of the geographical layout, structure, and customs of the Illusory Demon Realm; the origin and current status of the Yun family, and their ties to the Demon Emperor family; his past friendship with the Demon Emperor; the Little Demon Empress who might now rule the Illusory Demon Realm; the grievances and relationships among the Twelve Guardian Families; the animosity between the Illusory Demon Realm and the Four Sacred Grounds; and the current state and immense power of the Four Sacred Grounds...

Yun Canghai spoke continuously to Yun Che. Similarly, he wanted to know what Yun Che had experienced over the years and how he had fared. Yun Che recounted his childhood, the years spent enduring mockery, disdain, and inferiority, and how he had gotten married. He also spoke of meeting a powerful master at sixteen, which turned his fate around. Yun Canghai listened with extreme earnestness, afraid to miss a single word. His expressions shifted from reverie to sighs, from anger to smiles. Through Yun Che's voice, he poured out nearly all of his emotions.

Yun Canghai held Yun Che's hand and talked for three days and three nights, wishing he could tell him everything he knew.

"Grandfather, don't worry. Heaven never seals off all paths. We will surely find a way to escape from here," Yun Che said, looking up at the dark ceiling with a furrowed brow. "Haha, of course," Yun Canghai smiled placidly. In these past few days, under the immense joy, his complexion had become much more rosy, and his spirit was many times better than before. Especially his eyes, which were no longer cold like stagnant water, but had become exceptionally gentle. He placed his hand on his chest and slowly said, "Che'er, I have something I want to give you."

As he spoke, he exerted force with his hand, profound energy surging. With a suppressed groan and a fleeting look of pain, a fist-sized ball of white light emerged from his mouth and landed in his hand. This white light was a protective layer of profound energy, firmly encasing the item within. Yun Che moved closer. The protective light was incredibly dense, emitting an aura so profound that Yun Che couldn't comprehend its level. Clearly, it must have been set by Yun Canghai before his suppression. Yun Che asked, "Is this what you mentioned earlier... something you hoped I would deliver to the Illusory Demon Realm?" He had been wondering where the item he was to entrust to him was kept. It turned out he had protected it with profound energy and swallowed it!

"Precisely!" Yun Canghai took a deep breath. "Take it, and do not attempt to probe what's inside. If one day you are able to reach the Illusory Demon Realm, give it to the current ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm... the Little Demon Empress. You must personally place it in her hands. Do not let anyone else touch it."

Yun Che took the object wrapped in white light, placed it directly into the Sky Poison Pearl, and nodded gravely. "Grandfather, rest assured. Before I meet the Little Demon Empress, even if I die, it will not fall into anyone else's hands."

"Good, of course, I trust your words," Yun Canghai said with a relieved smile, then extended his right arm again. "Come, give me your left hand."

Yun Che still extended his left hand. "Grandfather, what do you want?" "Your current power is too weak. Unfortunately, profound energy cannot be passed down, otherwise, I would truly wish I could transfer all my power to you. My current power is greatly suppressed, so the only thing I can do for you is to awaken your Profound Handle... ahead of time."

As Yun Canghai's voice fell, a surging, sea-like profound energy suddenly flowed into Yun Che's left arm, causing an intense, almost explosive pain throughout his entire arm. At the same time, the sword-shaped white mark reappeared on the back of his hand. "Grandfather..." Yun Che was about to ask when he suddenly saw Yun Canghai's eyes tightly closed, his expression solemn and resolute. Yun Che immediately closed his mouth, not saying another word, and simultaneously suppressed his own power as much as possible, leaving his entire body undefended.

Yun Canghai had said that the Profound Handle of their Yun family naturally awakened once one's profound energy reached the Sky Profound Realm. Currently, Yun Che was only at the sixth level of the Earth Profound Realm. Yun Canghai's intention was to directly awaken Yun Che's Profound Handle while he was still in the Earth Profound Realm!

Yun Canghai's Profound Handle was released, transforming into a long stream of azure light that circled Yun Che's arm. The intense pain in Yun Che's arm grew heavier, as if it would burst at any moment. Yun Che gritted his teeth slightly, not uttering a sound. In contrast, Yun Canghai's teeth were clenched even tighter than Yun Che's, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his entire body trembled slightly. He seemed to be pouring out his profound energy without reservation and enduring even greater pain than Yun Che.

Yun Che didn't realize how difficult it was to awaken the Profound Handle prematurely. With Yun Canghai's current power, he could only barely manage it, and the consequence would be the depletion of almost all his energy.

The azure Profound Handle wrapped faster and faster, and the swelling sensation in Yun Che's arm grew more intense, as if it would explode the next second. At this moment, with a low roar from Yun Canghai, the sleeve of Yun Che's left arm suddenly burst, revealing his entire arm. On his arm, a crimson light, more than half a foot long, clearly appeared. The moment this crimson light appeared, Yun Che's heart and profound veins violently surged. He felt as if something had been added to his arm, something unfamiliar yet intimately connected to his bloodline and profound veins. Bearing the Yun family's bloodline, his own Profound Handle had awakened at this very moment!

"Ugh!!" Yun Canghai let out a relieved groan, released Yun Che's arm, and trembled uncontrollably from extreme exhaustion. The unusual sensation in Yun Che's arm completely disappeared at this point. He quickly stepped forward to support Yun Canghai. "Grandfather, are you alright?" "I'm fine... fine," Yun Canghai waved his hand, panting heavily. He lifted his head and looked at Yun Che's arm. Upon seeing the crimson Profound Handle mark, he froze. "How could it be... crimson..."

Red, orange, yellow, green, azure, indigo, violet... Among the seven-colored Profound Handles, red was the weakest! In the Yun family, ninety percent of Profound Handles were red, orange, or yellow. Among these, ninety percent were orange and yellow, with red accounting for a very small proportion, almost as rare as green Profound Handles. This was because a crimson Profound Handle was considered a disgrace for a Yun family disciple. Those who awakened a crimson Profound Handle were directly relegated to complete uselessness within the family. Their fate usually involved becoming servants or laborers, not only within the Yun family but also outside, where they would be looked down upon.

Yun Canghai, as the head of the Yun family, and his son Yun Qinghong, had both awakened powerful azure Profound Handles. Yun Canghai had witnessed Yun Che's talent and knew he inherited their profound veins. He had firmly believed that Yun Che's Profound Handle would be at least azure, possibly even indigo, or at worst, green. He had never imagined that what Yun Che awakened would be the weakest, the crimson Profound Handle, considered a disgrace by the Yun family!

Yun Che clearly caught the surprise and disappointment that flickered across Yun Canghai's face. He glanced at the red mark on his left arm and softly said, "A crimson Profound Handle... that must be the weakest, right? I'm sorry, Grandfather, I've disappointed you." Not having grown up in the Yun family, he didn't intuitively understand the full significance of the Profound Handle for Yun family disciples. Therefore, despite it being the weakest, crimson Profound Handle, he didn't feel much disappointment. After all, having an extra crimson Profound Handle would only enhance his strength, not harm him. However, he could roughly understand Yun Canghai's feelings. Yun Canghai had said that the Profound Handle was the Yun family's greatest honor, and having pushed himself to awaken Yun Che's Profound Handle prematurely, he must have held immense expectations. The crimson color undoubtedly turned all his hopes into utter disappointment.

"No... it doesn't matter..." Yun Canghai shook his head, then smiled broadly. "It's enough that I successfully awakened your Profound Handle. What if it's crimson? My grandson possesses such extraordinary talent and even inherits the bloodline of the Phoenix divine beast! Not to mention a crimson Profound Handle, even if you never had a Profound Handle, you would still be no worse than anyone else!" Yun Canghai's disappointment lasted only a moment before completely vanishing. His words were firm and heartfelt, utterly without reluctance, instead comforting Yun Che. Yun Che felt a warmth in his heart and nodded vigorously. "Grandfather, rest assured. In the future, I will definitely be second to none. If I return to the family, I will surpass everyone of my generation and never let Grandfather's reputation be shamed!"

"Good... good! I trust my good grandson!" Yun Canghai patted Yun Che's shoulder, a relieved smile on his face. "However, the reason your Profound Handle is crimson should by no means be attributed to your talent being inadequate. The power of the Profound Handle comes half from the bloodline and half from the profound veins. You said earlier that your profound veins were damaged and crippled soon after you were born, and only at sixteen were they reshaped by your mysterious master. A newly formed profound vein, after all, is not your innate profound vein, and thus fundamentally cannot give rise to a powerful Profound Handle; it might even be incapable of producing a Profound Handle at all. Otherwise, with your talent, Che'er, how could your Profound Handle be merely crimson?!"

"However, it doesn't matter. In my lifetime, to be reunited with you, my grandson, and to spend so much time together, I am already deeply grateful to the heavens. What more could I ask for... Hahahaha!" Yun Canghai burst into laughter, his laugh filled with weariness yet immense contentment.