Chapter 496: Cloud Xiao

The young man and the elf woman had both fallen into complete despair, certain they would die. To their surprise, a savior suddenly descended from the sky, instantly causing one of the three black-clad men to die and the other two to flee. The young man stared at Yun Che for a long while, so stunned that he almost forgot his own injuries. It wasn't until Yun Che approached that he struggled to stand, his voice hoarse and painful, filled with deep gratitude: "Thank... thank you, senior... for saving our lives..."

"Thank you, senior, for saving our lives," the elf woman quickly added, bowing gratefully.

"Hmm? Senior?" Yun Che's lips twitched, but he offered no explanation. He slowly helped the young man to sit upright and said earnestly, "Don't speak much for now. Concentrate and calm your mind to stabilize your injuries... I will help you."

Yun Che placed his palm just above the young man's back wound, and a deep, potent profound energy slowly flowed in. His profound energy possessed the attributes of both the Dragon God and the Phoenix God, and it was imbued with the extremely dense and pure essence of heaven and earth. When used to assist others in healing, it could greatly accelerate the recovery of injuries.

The young man didn't demur; he stopped speaking and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to circulate his remaining profound energy, he suddenly felt a gentle yet immense—no, almost primeval—surge of profound energy flow into his body from his back. The intensity of this profound energy was clearly that of the Sky Profound Realm, yet it was incredibly potent. He himself had progressed step by step from the Sky Profound Realm. If the density of his profound energy back then was like light smoke, then this Sky Profound energy flowing into him was unmistakably like molten lava! It was even denser and more concentrated than his current profound energy at the Half-Step Sovereign Profound Realm. "How could this be profound energy of the Sky Profound Realm... No! This senior's cultivation must be too high for my meager cultivation to perceive," the young man mused.

As Yun Che's profound energy continued to flow in, the young man's expression changed repeatedly. Not only was this profound energy incomparably potent, but it also seemed to possess a wondrous, almost magical power, causing all the meridians throughout his body to swell. Even those meridians that had been damaged rapidly regained their vitality. His most severe external injury was on his back, and he also had significant internal injuries, but with the influx of this profound energy, he clearly felt both his external and internal wounds healing at an astonishing speed.

He was utterly convinced that even the most senior Grand Elder in his family, exerting their full power, could not make him recover so quickly! This was simply astounding, a speed that defied comprehension. "This senior must be an incredibly formidable and peerless expert..." The young man became even more certain of his earlier thoughts, and his heart filled with profound reverence for Yun Che, akin to gazing up at a towering mountain. He ceased attempting to circulate his own profound energy and instead began to fully absorb and channel the profound energy flowing into his body, realizing that under the might of this vast energy, his own meager residual profound energy, even if fully mobilized, would be utterly insignificant.

When he cautiously tried to perceive the profound energy more thoroughly, he discovered that the laws of profound power it contained were incredibly subtle... or, more accurately, bizarre. As a cultivator who had painstakingly trained in profound energy for nearly twenty years and reached the Half-Step Sovereign Profound Realm, he found them utterly incomprehensible, and an inexplicable tremor ran through his heart.

"I'll help too," the elf woman offered. Although she was also injured, her wounds were far less severe than the young man's. Concerned for his well-being, she put her weapon into her spatial ring and placed her hands on the young man's chest. Emerald green light shone from her palms... Instantly, Yun Che felt a cool, watery aura flowing into the young man's body. Even Yun Che, merely touching this aura, felt a sense of renewed vitality.

"The profound energy of the elven race carries an innate natural aura," Jasmine casually explained. "They possess not only strong self-healing abilities but also a healing capacity for others that far surpasses that of humans. For this reason alone, the elven race is highly favored by other races. Moreover, due to the power of nature, elven men are handsome and elven women are beautiful. Coupled with their unique talents, most races yearn to find an elven companion." She then glanced at the young man and commented coolly, "This boy is a pure human, yet he has gained the favor of this elf girl. He's quite lucky."

With the combined efforts of Yun Che and the elf woman, the young man's severe injuries quickly stabilized. When Yun Che withdrew his hand, the wound on the man's back, though still visually shocking, was in fact no longer serious. The bleeding had completely stopped, and with his own profound energy, he would fully recover in less than half a month.

Supported by the elf woman, the young man stood up and bowed deeply to Yun Che. "Senior, not only did you save my life and that of my Seventh Sister, but you also personally treated my injuries. Such immense kindness, I will surely engrave it in my heart... I hope, I hope I may know your esteemed name."

"You call me... senior?" Yun Che grinned. "Do I look very old?"

"Well..." The young man felt quite embarrassed by Yun Che's words and momentarily didn't know how to respond. The elf woman beside him scrutinized Yun Che for a moment, then said very earnestly, "You're so incredibly powerful, you must be a senior master who has achieved the state of returning to simplicity!"

"I am twenty-two years old this year," Yun Che said with a faint smile, directly stating his age. "Are you still certain you want to call me 'senior'?"

"What? Twen—twenty-two years old?" Both looked at Yun Che and exclaimed in unison. Yun Che had just casually instantly killed a Level One Sovereign Profound Emperor. His astonishing power had led them to naturally assume he was a senior expert who had cultivated for many years, because at the Sovereign Profound Realm level, someone two hundred years old could easily appear to be twenty. For someone in their early twenties to instantly kill a Sovereign Profound Emperor was largely unrealistic; even at the highest echelons of the entire continent, fewer than five individuals could achieve such a feat, and each of them was world-renowned. Yet Yun Che was a new face they had never seen before; they had never imagined he would only be twenty-two.

The young man looked embarrassed and said sheepishly, "Uh... Your Excellency is so incredibly powerful, we all assumed you were a senior expert who deliberately maintained a youthful appearance." At this point, his eyes lit up, and he continued, "Your Excellency is so young, yet your strength is so formidable; you must be incredibly renowned. May I... may I know your esteemed name?"

"My name is Yun Che," Yun Che said without hesitation. In this completely unfamiliar world, his name was unknown, so there was no need to conceal it.

"Yun... Che?" Both murmured the name simultaneously, their gazes reflecting confusion. A person who was merely twenty-two years old yet could instantly kill a Sovereign Profound Emperor should undoubtedly be renowned throughout the entire continent. Yet, this was the first time either of them had heard this name. The young man quickly said, "So Your Excellency's surname is also Yun. What a remarkable coincidence!"

"Oh, so your surname is also Yun?" Yun Che already knew his surname from the elf woman's previous address to him. He smiled slightly. "You can just call me Yun Che; 'Your Excellency' feels a bit awkward. By the way, may I ask for your names?"

The young man quickly replied, "Okay, then I'll call you... Big Brother Yun! My surname is Yun, and my given name is..." Just as he was about to state his name, the elf woman beside him subtly tugged at his sleeve. "Brother Yun..."

The young man, however, shook his head and said earnestly, "Seventh Sister, he is our savior. If not for his timely intervention, we would both be dead here. Why should we conceal a mere name from our benefactor? My name is Yun Xiao, and I am currently twenty-one years and ten months old, a few months younger than Big Brother Yun. This is... this is Seventh Sister; she is two years younger than me."

"Big Brother Yun can also simply call me Seventh Sister," the elf woman said, nodding gently. A slight awkwardness then appeared in her expression. "My given name is a bit... a bit difficult to pronounce, and I'm afraid Big Brother Yun might find it amusing, so I won't say it... In short, just call me Seventh Sister."

"Mm," Yun Che nodded gently. He had only asked for their names out of casual curiosity. However, Yun Xiao's name and age did surprise him somewhat. Although Yun Che had claimed to be twenty-two, his actual age was also twenty-one years and ten months, exactly the same as Yun Xiao. And the name "Yun Xiao"—Yun being his current surname, and Xiao being the surname he had used before the age of sixteen—was indeed a strangely peculiar coincidence.

After Yun Xiao stated his name, Yun Che's reaction was remarkably placid, which secretly surprised both of them. The elf woman couldn't help but ask, "Big Brother Yun, could it be... you've never heard the name 'Yun Xiao' before?"

"Oh?" Yun Che gave the slightly uncharacteristic Yun Xiao another look, and a realization dawned on him. He calmly said, "Perhaps, Brother Yun Xiao, you are quite renowned in this area? That makes sense; to be so young yet already halfway into the Sovereign Profound Realm, you must be a world-famous prodigy, blessed by the heavens."

"Oh, not at all, I wouldn't dare accept such praise in front of Big Brother Yun," Yun Xiao quickly waved his hand. If anyone else had praised him so, he would have readily accepted it. But facing Yun Che, who was of similar age yet whose strength vastly surpassed his own—by "several mountains"—he genuinely couldn't bear it. He scratched his head and said, "I do indeed have a tiny bit of renown in Demon Imperial City... Oh, by the way, Big Brother Yun, are you perhaps not from Demon Imperial City?"

"Demon Imperial City? Could that be the grayish-white city?" Yun Che shook his head. "I come from a very distant place, and this is my first time visiting Demon Imperial City."

"I see," both said, relieved. The elf woman then wondered, "Could Big Brother Yun be from the Southern Border? Aside from Demon Imperial City, only the Southern Border could possibly produce someone as formidable as Big Brother Yun... No, if such a powerful person as Big Brother Yun had emerged in the Southern Border, my brother Yun and I would surely have known about it long ago..." The elf woman pondered seriously, clearly unable to reconcile Yun Che's ability to instantly kill a Sovereign Profound Emperor, his twenty-two years of age, and his unfamiliar face and name. Yun Che smiled and said, "I come from a place even more distant than you imagine. I have never set foot here before; my arrival this time is also for training. It's perfectly normal that you haven't heard my name."

Yun Che nodded at them and said, "You are both injured now, and the people who tried to harm you might return. You should go back as soon as possible." With that, Yun Che slowly ascended, preparing to depart.

"Big Brother Yun, wait!" Yun Xiao quickly stepped forward and eagerly asked, "Are you... heading towards Demon Imperial City?"

"That's right," Yun Che nodded. Given that it was named with the character for "Emperor," it was clearly meant to be the central city of this continent—the massive, grayish-white city ahead, which emanated an aura of extremely high-level power.

"Seventh Sister and I are both from Demon Imperial City," Yun Xiao explained. "Since this is Big Brother Yun's first visit to Demon Imperial City, you probably don't have a place to stay yet. How about lodging at my Yun family's residence? I can always introduce you to the various aspects of Demon Imperial City, and once my injuries have somewhat healed, I can also take you on a comprehensive tour. Big Brother Yun... would that be convenient for you?"

Yun Xiao's voice and gaze were exceptionally sincere; he even seemed worried that it might "inconvenience" Yun Che. Yun Che's body, suspended in mid-air, paused, then he nodded slightly and smiled. "That would be good. Then I shall accept your kind hospitality, Brother Yun Xiao."

Yun Che currently knew almost nothing about the Demon Imperial City before him, or even the entire continent he was on. Having someone to provide guidance would, of course, be ideal.

Seeing Yun Che agree, Yun Xiao's face lit up with joy. "Oh, not at all!" he exclaimed. "Compared to Big Brother Yun's life-saving grace, this is absolutely nothing."

"My elven clan also welcomes Big Brother Yun as a guest anytime," the elf woman said sincerely. "For your life-saving kindness towards my brother Yun and me, our clan will surely repay it with overflowing gratitude."

At that moment, Jasmine's voice, tinged with slight solemnity, suddenly echoed in Yun Che's mind: "A master is coming... an eighth-level Sovereign Profound Realm practitioner! If it's an enemy... be prepared to make a run for it!" Yun Che's brows twitched sharply, and the profound energy throughout his body surged instantly. But almost immediately, Jasmine's voice sounded again: "It seems you don't need to prepare to run; it's an elf!"