Chapter 498: Phantom Demon Realm

Phantom Realm... Phantom Realm...

Yun Che’s mind instantly went into chaos. He had been in this world for three days, and during this time, he hadn’t deliberately inquired about its name. After all, it was a completely unfamiliar foreign world, and its name wasn't important to him. Moreover, asking people its name carried the risk of being mistaken for an idiot.

The name of this world was actually Phantom Realm! Impossible! It absolutely couldn't be the Phantom Realm he knew; it must just be a coincidence of names! The Primordial Profound Ark had undergone spatial travel for a full eighteen months... It was spatial travel, not mere flying! Even with basic flight, eighteen months at Yun Che’s speed would be enough to cross countless continents. And eighteen months of spatial travel could reach any corner of the entire Great Thousand Worlds... The distance from the Heaven Profound Continent would be an incredibly vast astronomical distance!

However, the Phantom Realm he knew was on the same planet as the Heaven Profound Continent and the Azure Cloud Continent. How could eighteen months of spatial travel still keep him on the Blue Pole Star! Furthermore, the Phantom Realm and the Heaven Profound Continent had always been entangled in grudges. People from the Phantom Realm even had ways to reach the Heaven Profound Continent, and perhaps people from the Heaven Profound Continent had also entered the Phantom Realm, so they would know some information about each other. If the Phantom Realm also saw the appearance of the Primordial Profound Ark every three hundred years, then over thousands, even tens of thousands of years of history, the Heaven Profound Continent should have known about it. But he had never heard any such news during his time at the Phoenix Divine Sect.

No... it must just be a coincidence! Yun Che tried hard to convince himself, but at the same time, beyond the name... the Phantom Realm was a world where humans and demons coexisted, and so was this place. The ruler of the Phantom Realm was called the Demon Emperor, and the central city ahead was called Demon Imperial City... Was it truly just a coincidence... or... or...

"Brother Yun, what's wrong?" asked Number One Under Heaven, seeing Yun Che suddenly frozen, his expression rapidly shifting.

Yun Che slowly looked up, his expression a mix of solemnity and confusion: "Big Brother Under Heaven, Yun Xiao, Seventh Sister, have you... have you ever heard of a place called... the Heaven Profound Continent?"

When he spoke the words "Heaven Profound Continent," Yun Che's voice still had a slight tremor. Because that place, which he had left two years ago, was his home, where too many people he cared deeply about resided. If, by any chance, this truly was the Phantom Realm he knew, then returning to the Heaven Profound Continent would no longer be so out of reach.

He clearly saw that when he mentioned "Heaven Profound Continent," the expressions of Number One Under Heaven and the other two were not confused, but... slightly changed!

"Not only have we heard of it, but it's infamous," Number One Under Heaven replied without hesitation. "Brother Yun, at such a young age, you possess such strength; it seems you've truly dedicated yourself to cultivation and rarely concern yourself with external affairs. A hundred years ago, the name Heaven Profound Continent was indeed very unfamiliar in our Phantom Realm; only a very small number of people knew about it. But in these hundred years, few in the entire Phantom Realm are unaware of the Heaven Profound Continent. That's because our Phantom Realm's Demon Emperor and Little Demon Emperor died consecutively at the hands of those despicable villains from the Heaven Profound Continent a century ago! Even Lord Demon King..." Number One Under Heaven glanced at Yun Xiao, seemingly inadvertently, "...also fell into the hands of those despicable villains from the Heaven Profound Continent, his fate unknown! The name Heaven Profound Continent... for us, the Twelve Guardian Families who exist to protect the Demon Emperor Clan, it's not just something we've heard of, but something we will remember until death!"

"Um... Brother Yun said he's from a remote place and it seems this is his first time out adventuring, so it's understandable that he wouldn't know these things," Yun Xiao quickly explained on Yun Che's behalf.

Yun Che stood there, stunned, silent for a long time. Heaven Profound Continent... Demon Emperor... Little Demon Emperor... Demon King... a century ago... grudges... Twelve Guardian Families... The name "Phantom Realm" could be a coincidence, but these... could all of them be coincidences? How could they possibly all be coincidences! The world he was in now, this continent called "Phantom Realm"... it really was the Phantom Realm he knew! A world on the same planet as the Heaven Profound Continent, with intertwined grudges and connections!

"Jasmine, what's going on?" Yun Che shook his head and asked Jasmine, "The Primordial Profound Ark traveled for so long; how could it have stopped in the Phantom Realm, which is in the same world as the Heaven Profound Continent? And the Heaven Profound Continent never had any news of the Primordial Profound Ark appearing in the Phantom Realm."

"How would I know?" Jasmine replied coolly, but inwardly, she was stirred. Two years ago, to intensify the spatial storm and allow Yun Che to undergo more rigorous training, she had forcibly accelerated the Primordial Profound Ark's travel speed and, to some extent, interfered with its trajectory. She had never imagined that her interference would cause the Primordial Profound Ark, after eighteen months of travel, to return to the Blue Pole Star and hover above the Phantom Realm! This was the only explanation. However, she naturally couldn't tell Yun Che this reason.

At this moment, Yun Che suddenly turned, staring intently at Yun Xiao... Twelve Guardian Families... Yun Family... Young Family Master... a foundling... and the name "Yun Xiao"... Words he had previously heard casually and paid no mind to now wildly intertwined in Yun Che's mind, painting a possibility that left him restless. Under his intense, piercing gaze, Yun Xiao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He swallowed hard and stammered nervously, "Brother... Brother Yun, why are you looking at me like that... Uh..."

Yun Che took a step forward, grabbing Yun Xiao's shoulder, and asked in an incredibly solemn tone: "Yun Xiao, tell me, is your family... the Yun Family, the head of the Twelve Guardian Families?"

"Ah..." Yun Che's sudden intense reaction left Yun Xiao flustered for a moment. He glanced at Seventh Under Heaven for help and cautiously said, "Big Brother Yun, is... is your family or sect on bad terms with the Yun Family? You, you, you... please calm down first; whatever misunderstanding it is, it can be resolved..."

Yun Che's unusual reaction surprised both Number One Under Heaven and Seventh Under Heaven. However, Number One Under Heaven's life experience naturally far surpassed Yun Xiao's; although Yun Che's emotions were somewhat unusual, he showed no hostility towards Yun Xiao. After a brief hesitation, he spoke: "I'll answer for this lad. He is indeed from the Yun Family, one of the Twelve Guardian Families, and the family head's only son. However... hmph, they no longer deserve the title of head of the Twelve Guardian Families. Since the Demon King's fate became unknown a century ago, the Yun Family has been in long-term internal turmoil. Twenty-five years ago, the Yun Family head impulsively went to the Heaven Profound Continent; although he returned alive three years later, both he and his wife suffered extremely severe injuries, becoming cripples, and even lost the Demon Emperor Clan's most important treasure! This caused the Yun Clan to bear a great sin."

"In just a century, key figures of the Yun Family have fallen one after another, coupled with internal strife, causing the Yun Family's strength to plummet. The Yun Family was indeed once the head of the Twelve Guardian Families, but now, its strength is undoubtedly the lowest! It has even gradually lost the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other eleven families, compounded by the great sin of losing several treasures... Perhaps in not many years, the Twelve Guardian Families will become the Eleven Guardian Families."

Number One Under Heaven cast a faint glance at Yun Xiao. With the Yun Family's son present, every word he spoke was merciless, simultaneously revealing the Yun Family's significantly diminished status. What he said was not some secret of the Twelve Families; it was basically common knowledge throughout the Phantom Realm, so he had no qualms about speaking it.

Yun Xiao bit his lip, a look of unwillingness on his face, but he said nothing.

Yun Che's chest heaved violently because Number One Under Heaven's words further corroborated the fact that this Phantom Realm was indeed that Phantom Realm. The current Yun Family head... both crippled twenty-two years ago... This timing made him unable to help but think of another truth... The words "being crippled" made his heart violently twitch.

"What is the name of the current Yun Family head?" Yun Che struggled to maintain his composure: "Is he your father? What are your father's and mother's names? Are they... Yun Qinghong... and Mu Yunrou!"

Yun Xiao widened his eyes, nodding somewhat blankly: "They... they are indeed my parents... Is it that my parents, or your sect, have some grievance with each other?"

"..." Yun Che's expression froze, then he slowly released his grip on Yun Xiao's shoulders, standing there in silence for a long time.

"...Your father's name is Yun Qinghong. Although I am already several centuries old, he is my only son. His talent is quite good; like me, he awakened the Azure Profound Qi. Your mother's name is Mu Yurou, the daughter of the Mu Family head, another one of the Demon Emperor's Guardian Families. Although the Twelve Guardian Families all exist to protect the Demon Emperor Clan, they are not without their differences. Our Yun Family and Mu Family have always had the best relationship; your father and mother were childhood sweethearts, growing up together. A century ago, when I left the Phantom Realm alone, they had just gotten married..."

Yun Canghai's words echoed in his mind, each resonating like a solemn bell. Back then, when his grandfather Yun Canghai spoke of the Yun Clan, his face was full of pride, and he uttered the words "head of the Twelve Guardian Families" with arrogance. But now, the information he received from Number One Under Heaven was that the Yun Family had rapidly declined over the past century... Yun Canghai had been imprisoned for a century, completely unaware that the Yun Family's status had long since plummeted. If he had known, he would likely not have rested in peace...

Yun Qinghong... that was the name his grandfather told him was his biological father's! Mu Yurou... his biological mother's name. And this Yun Xiao right before him... could he... be...

Jasmine: "..."

Number One Under Heaven frowned: "Do you truly have some grievance with the Yun Family?"

After a long silence, Yun Che had regained his composure. He slowly shook his head and gave a faint smile: "Of course not. It's just that, also being surnamed Yun, I've always held deep admiration for the Demon King Yun Canghai from back then, and for the current Yun Family head, Yun Qinghong. So, suddenly realizing that Yun Xiao is actually the son of the Yun Family head made me a bit emotional. Please excuse my reaction."

"Ah? Is... is that so?" Yun Xiao's expression relaxed. He patted his chest and let out a long breath: "You scared me to death! I really thought my benefactor would have some conflict with my family, hehe... Turns out I was just overthinking things. And it's true, how could my parents, such gentle people, have any enmity with others?"

"I see." Number One Under Heaven was naturally not as naive as Yun Xiao. He sensed that Yun Che wasn't entirely truthful, but he didn't question or press further, merely nodding slowly.

"If that's the case, then you two truly have a great destiny together!" Seventh Under Heaven became noticeably cheerful. "Brother Yun can just take Big Brother Yun to meet Uncle Yun. Not only is Big Brother Yun powerful, he also saved Brother Yun, and they even share the same surname Yun! Uncle Yun will definitely be very grateful to Big Brother Yun and like him. Hehe..."

Seventh Under Heaven smiled delightedly. Few, even among the Twelve Guardian Families, were acknowledged by her eldest brother, Number One Under Heaven. If Yun Xiao could become good friends with such a person, she was, of course, extremely happy to see it.