Chapter 525: Extinguishing the Mouth

There's no need for Elder Yun to rush, Yun Che calmly said. "I've only just officially asked the first question. You'll soon hear for yourself whether he is innocent."

Yun Che asked, his expression grave, "Yun Xinyue, I ask you again: Did you tell others about this, and then conspire with them to harm Yun Xiao and Heaven's Seventh when they met?"

Yun Che's question cut straight to the point. Yun Xinyue only needed to give a simple answer: "Yes" or "No."

"Yes..." Yun Xinyue replied, her eyes vacant and bewildered.

A wave of uproar swept through the Yun family. Everyone present was utterly stunned, unable to believe what their ears had just heard.

This was Profound Aura Soul Capture, and it had been personally cast by the Grand Elder. Under the influence of Profound Aura Soul Capture, anything said could not possibly be false. All members of the Yun family who possessed Profound Aura were absolutely certain of this.

Yun Xinyue, the hope of the entire clan, the most talented and respected among the younger generation, known for his exceptional humility and kindness—he was actually involved in harming Yun Xiao and Heaven's Seventh! His answer struck the Yun family like a bolt of thunder, shocking them to their core. If Yun Xinyue hadn't personally confessed while under Profound Aura Soul Capture, they would have sooner believed in ghosts than in this truth.

"How... how could this be...?" Yun Xiao's mouth hung open, his eyes glazed over, and he remained stunned for a long time. The most outstanding and respected person among his peers in the Yun family was indeed, as Yun Che had claimed, the one who tried to harm him and Heaven's Seventh two months ago. He had even defended Yun Xinyue, shouting "Impossible" when Yun Che first confronted him on stage.

"You... bastard!" Heaven's First stood up with a "whoosh," his eyes dark, his fists clenching so tightly they made cracking sounds. He had spent two months searching tirelessly without finding a single clue, and his accumulated fury and hatred had become overwhelming. Now that the true culprit had appeared, he could no longer control his urge to lash out. It was no wonder he found nothing; he never would have imagined the mastermind was within the Yun family itself!

"Calm down," Heaven's Invincible said, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking calmly at Yun Xinyue. "Yun Xinyue, on his own, has no reason to want to harm Seventh, and even less reason to target Yun Xiao. This matter is likely not so simple... Let's watch."

Heaven's First gritted his teeth, restraining his outburst.

When Yun Xinyue uttered the word "Yes," Yun Waitian swayed, almost collapsing to the ground. Immediately, he roared, "No... Impossible! There must be some reason behind this... My son would not do such a thing without cause... There must be a justifiable reason!"

For years, Yun Waitian had been incredibly proud of Yun Xinyue. Even at this moment, he absolutely refused to believe Yun Xinyue could harbor malicious intent. He was his son's own father... surely the person who knew him best in the world!

"I imagine everyone here wants to know his reason for doing this," Yun Che said, glancing at Yun Waitian. Previously, he had suspected that both Yun Waitian and Yun Xinyue were involved. However, seeing Yun Waitian's reaction now, he began to believe that Yun Waitian was unaware of it, which only underscored Yun Xinyue's profound cunning, deep schemes, and excellent acting skills!

"Elder Yun, then you should listen closely to the reason," Yun Che continued. "Yun Xinyue, answer in detail: Why did you conspire with outsiders to harm Yun Xiao, who is of your own clan, and Heaven's Seventh, with whom you have no grievance?"

Yun Xinyue opened his mouth and replied mechanically, "The Yun family... and the Heaven's family... both serve the Little Demon Empress... If Heaven's Seventh were killed... and Yun Xiao allowed to escape... the Heaven's family would blame the Yun family... The two families would clash... Even if they didn't both suffer greatly... they would no longer stand together on the same front..."

A deathly silence fell over the Yun family plaza. Every person present strained their ears, afraid to miss a single word. When Yun Xinyue finished speaking, expressions of shock, even terror, appeared on everyone's faces. The three Grand Elders stood up simultaneously, profound astonishment etched on their aged features.

Yun Waitian's entire body trembled, and then he collapsed onto the ground like a heap of mud, his eyes wide and vacant. He mumbled incoherently, "Impossible... This isn't possible... Impossible... This isn't real..."

The truth Yun Xinyue revealed was truly horrifying. His purpose—or, more accurately, the purpose of the person behind him—was clearly to dismantle the Little Demon Empress's forces! The Little Demon Empress was the supreme ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm, and this act was a blatant plan of rebellion!

Faced with such a terrifying revelation, no one in the Yun family dared to utter a sound. They had never imagined that Yun Xinyue would actually be the one harming a fellow clan member. Even in their wildest dreams, they couldn't have conceived that such a shocking and monumental plot would be uncovered.

If Yun Che hadn't happened to intervene and save Yun Xiao and Heaven's Seventh that day, their plan would surely have succeeded. The Heaven's family would have been enraged by the Yun family, leading to immense conflict and perhaps eternal enmity. After all, Heaven's Seventh was no ordinary member of the Heaven's clan; she was Tianxia Hongtu's only daughter, and it was an undeniable fact that Yun Xiao had invited her out.

Even more terrifying, just today, the entire clan had nominated Yun Xinyue as the new Yun family head, and he had almost assumed the position on the spot. Realizing this, everyone broke out in a cold sweat.

Yun Che stated gravely, "Yun Xinyue, you harmed a fellow clan member and sought an opportunity to dismantle the Little Demon Empress's forces! This is a heinous crime, unforgivable by heaven and earth! You are the son of the Yun family's Grand Elder, with a distinguished background and considerable talent. You have been praised by countless people and the entire family placed high hopes on you. Even for the nomination of the new family head, you were the popular choice! Why would you still do this? What exactly were you plotting... or were you forced by someone?"

When Yun Che finished his questions, everyone held their breath, especially the Yun family elders, who had all risen to their feet, their eyes fixed on Yun Xinyue. What they had initially considered an infuriating "slander" had, in the blink of an eye, uncovered such astonishing secrets.

Yun Xinyue's face contorted, and he seemed to be in mental anguish as he faced Yun Che's questions. His voice grew hoarse, yet he continued to speak without any concealment or pause: "...Six years ago... my master... placed the 'Heart-Shattering Gu' on me... If I obeyed... my master would replace the Little Demon Empress... and I would become the new head of the Yun family, and be granted a king's title... If I defied... I would die without a burial... place..."

"Heart-Shattering... Gu!!?" Dozens of overlapping cries of terror erupted. Yun Waitian, whose face had turned ashen, suddenly looked up upon hearing Yun Xinyue's answer, his entire body trembling violently.

Yun Che hadn't heard the name "Heart-Shattering Gu," but the same type of Gu poison often had different names in different regions. Not having heard the name didn't mean he was unaware of the Gu itself. He was about to release his profound energy to investigate which type of Gu poison was inside Yun Xinyue's body when, suddenly, a chilling killing intent surged from his right rear.

Although the killing intent was heavily concealed, it couldn't escape Yun Che's spiritual perception. He quickly abandoned his investigation, stepped forward, and asked urgently, "You said... the person who ambushed Yun Xiao that day, and the master you mentioned... who are they?!"

"The ones who attacked Yun Xiao and Heaven's Seventh... were from the Helian family... My master... is Prince Huai..."

BOOM!!! The platform beneath them suddenly exploded, and an earth spike, flickering with agitated earthy-yellow profound light, burst forth from the ground. Yun Che reacted instantly, retreating his body and simultaneously pushing Yun Xinyue back two paces with his palm. However, the earth spike contained terrifying power, and Yun Xinyue's soul-captured body, completely defenseless, was directly pierced and then impaled into the air, a large spray of blood raining down.

"Xinyue!!" Yun Waitian shrieked, then frantically lunged towards the Sacred Cloud Platform. All the Yun family elders were shocked and rushed onto the stage, instantly throwing the scene into chaos.

"Prince Huiye... what is the meaning of this?!" Yun Qinghong roared in fury. The one who had brutally killed Yun Xinyue was none other than Venerable Rock Dragon, standing beside Prince Huiye. Dark profound light still shimmered on the scales of his arm.

"This Yun Xinyue dared to slander my father, he deserves to die!" Prince Huiye sneered, his face dark. "And Yun Che... you little brat who ruined my grand plan... you must die too! Kill him!"

BOOM!! The entire Sacred Cloud Platform directly exploded. Amidst the swirling dust, a thick yellow light shot directly towards Yun Che's chest. Only Yun Qinghong was beside Yun Che; everyone else was off the platform and had no time to intervene.

Just as the yellow profound light was less than three feet from Yun Che, Yun Qinghong, still in his wheelchair, extended his arm. His arm moved very slowly, so slowly that even an ordinary person untrained in profound arts could clearly see its trajectory. Yet, despite this seemingly slow speed, it instantly appeared in front of Yun Che.

WHOOSH!! A massive lightning barrier, centered on Yun Qinghong's palm, appeared, blocking all of Venerable Rock Dragon's attacks. With a blur of motion and a flash of lightning, Yun Qinghong appeared before Venerable Rock Dragon. His right palm, bursting with purple light, slammed heavily into the Venerable's chest, sending the unprepared Venerable Rock Dragon flying far away.

"Wh-what?!" "Wh-what?!" "Ah... Aaaah!" The Yun family Grand Elders, elders, and disciples... Heaven's First and Heaven's Invincible... and even Helian Peng, who was preparing to attack, were all frozen in astonishment. They stared at Yun Qinghong, who had suddenly intervened, with eyes that held shock bordering on terror. The immense profound energy fluctuations emanating from him were so powerful that even the three Grand Elders felt a shiver of fear.

W-what is happening?! Yun Qinghong... wasn't he crippled twenty-two years ago?!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM... Yun Qinghong and Venerable Rock Dragon clashed in mid-air, each collision reverberating like thunder. Those below looked up, stunned, and not a single person moved to assist.

Battles at the Emperor-level were rarely seen, even in Demon Imperial City. The extremely intense profound energy fluctuations caused the entire Yun family grounds to tremble violently. High in the sky, the powerful Venerable Rock Dragon was relentlessly suppressed by Yun Qinghong's Purple Cloud Art, almost completely unable to retaliate. Dark dragon blood constantly rained down in flakes, nearly forming a blood shower.

"Arghhhhhh... ROAR!!" High in the sky, yellow light exploded. Suddenly, dark clouds swirled, and a roar shook the heavens. A hundred-zhang-long dragon, covered in rocky scales, furiously charged at Yun Qinghong. Instantly, stones filled the sky, obscuring the sun.

"That's Venerable Rock Dragon's true form!" a Yun family elder exclaimed in alarm.

"Hmph!" Facing Venerable Rock Dragon's terrifyingly colossal dragon body, Yun Qinghong merely let out a faint cold snort. With a flash of lightning on his body, he reappeared on Venerable Rock Dragon's spine and struck down with a fist. The fist effortlessly shattered the dragon scales, directly smashing into its body.

Venerable Rock Dragon's body began to twist and struggle in agony. A supremely concentrated mass of purple lightning spread from its spine, completely enveloping its entire dragon body in just two breaths, transforming it from a rock dragon into a purple "thunder dragon."

"Get down!" As Yun Qinghong's cold voice rang out, countless lightning bolts exploded across Venerable Rock Dragon's body...

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM... Countless profound lightning energies exploded furiously, so dense it seemed like the God of Thunder was enraged. The sky above the Yun family was illuminated a deep purple by the profound lightning, and each thunderous explosion threatened to tear the firmament apart. Amidst thousands, even tens of thousands, of profound lightning explosions, Venerable Rock Dragon let out agonizing dragon roars, and dragon blood rained down like a storm...

CRASH!!! As the last flicker of lightning vanished, the liberated Venerable Rock Dragon crashed heavily to the ground. The moment he landed, his dragon form disappeared, reverting to his human state. He gasped for several breaths, swaying as he tried to stand, but as soon as he straightened his upper body, he vomited more than a dozen mouthfuls of yellow blood and collapsed, unable to rise again.

Yun Qinghong slowly descended from the sky, looking at him coldly. "Venerable Rock Dragon, for all these years, I have respected you as a senior and never shown you any disrespect. But you dare to act wildly on my Yun family's land? You are not worthy!"