Chapter 537: Cloud Family Will

The mysterious little girl’s profound energy was terrifying. It was indeed effortless for her to instantly kill an Overlord. However, even if her previous power hadn't been fire, it truly couldn't have instantly killed Yun Che. The ten months of hellish spatial storm tempering he endured in the Primordial Profound Ark were not in vain. Even Jasmine had stated that Yun Che’s current body, in terms of sheer toughness, was no less than that of a low-level Emperor, and his recovery ability even far surpassed an Emperor’s.

But not being able to instantly kill him didn't mean she couldn't kill him. Given the enormous power disparity, it would still be effortlessly easy for her to kill Yun Che.

However, since this power was profound fire energy, it naturally posed even less of a life threat to Yun Che. When the sea of fire descended, he directly used the flames to conceal himself beneath them. As the flames receded, he activated the Glazed Azure Thunder to mask his presence and burrowed underground, narrowly escaping disaster.

If not for the Glazed Azure Thunder, he would have surely died a hundred times over that day.

"People are coming from the south, more than ten of them. If you don't want trouble, leave here immediately," Jasmine warned.

Yun Che stood up, dusted himself off, and felt a surge of lingering fear. The Demon Queen's Grand Ceremony was just three days away. He had only intended to stretch his body and familiarize himself with the Illusory Light Thunder, yet he had nearly lost his life. He still had a crucial task to perform at the ceremony; dying like this would be far too unjust.

Yun Che concealed himself, avoided those who had come to investigate, and took a circuitous route back to Demon Imperial City. He was cautious throughout his return journey, so his speed was not fast. By the time he reached the Yun Family residence, dawn was already breaking. At this hour, many within the Yun Family were already bustling with activity. With the Demon Queen's Grand Ceremony imminent, the Yun Family attached great importance to it, as it could very well determine the family's future direction, or even its destiny. They had to make the most thorough preparations.

Yun Che returned to the Yun Family and immediately fell into a deep sleep. He didn't mention his "exciting encounter" to anyone. After all, going out in the middle of the night and accidentally seeing a little girl completely exposed was certainly not something easy to describe to others.

Three days passed in a flash.

Demon Imperial City today was as usual, just slightly livelier. But even ordinary people without profound energy could subtly sense an unusual atmosphere in the air.

As of today, the Little Demon Empress had been on the throne for a full hundred years. Traditionally, every Demon Emperor reigned for a thousand years, without exception. A hundred years was merely one-tenth of that time. But this time was different, for though she was the ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm, her title was not "Demon Emperor" but "Little Demon Empress." For more than ten, even several decades before the Little Demon Empress's centennial reign, an abnormal atmosphere had always permeated the Illusory Demon Royal Family.

Everyone speculated that today might be the time for the simmering undercurrents to erupt. The centennial grand ceremony was too perfect an opportunity.

Major events were highly likely to occur in Demon Imperial City today.

Yun Che woke up early and pushed open his door. He saw Yun Qinghong already standing in the courtyard, silently facing the somewhat withered grape trellis. Hearing the door open, he didn't turn around, calmly saying, "Che'er, you're awake."

Yun Qinghong was heavily covered in morning dew, evidently having stood there for a long time. From his back, Yun Che sensed a heavy burden. These past days, he had been preparing day and night for the Demon Queen's Grand Ceremony today. But the heaviness in his posture told Yun Che that he lacked confidence in controlling and developing today's situation; he even felt somewhat pessimistic.

Yun Che paused, and after a brief hesitation, spoke, "Father, there's a question I've always wanted to ask."

Yun Qinghong turned to look at him. "Are you wondering why your father is willing to be so loyal to the Demon Emperor Clan?"

"Yes, and no," Yun Che replied. "As one of the Twelve Guardian Families, it is our ancestral mission to be loyal to the Demon Emperor Clan. Grandfather and the former Demon Emperor were as close as brothers, and the Little Demon Emperor and Father also considered each other brothers back then. This clearly shows how highly the Demon Emperor Clan has always regarded our Yun Family. However... after the Little Demon Empress ascended the throne, she repeatedly punished our Yun Family, exacerbating our plight after we had already lost Grandfather and ten of our most crucial foundational pillars. The younger generation has also fallen far behind the other Guardian Families as a result. The Yun Family is now even ridiculed as unworthy of remaining among the Twelve Guardian Families."

"The Little Demon Empress has reigned for a hundred years, and our Yun Family has been burdened by guilt for a hundred years, unable to hold our heads high or rise up. This is the primary reason for our family's rapid decline. Yet, in the days since you, Father, regained control of the Yun Family, most of your preparations have been for the Little Demon Empress, while preparations for our own family have been secondary! Given how the Little Demon Empress has treated our Yun Family, not only do you show no resentment or disloyalty, but you've even gone all out. I... don't quite understand."

"Punishing the Yun Family was not the Little Demon Empress's wish," Yun Qinghong sighed. "Her punishment of the Yun Family was out of helplessness. In fact, a large part of it was due to our own Yun Family's actions."

"Because Grandfather caused the Illusory Demon Royal Family to lose the Demon Emperor Seal?" Yun Che asked.

"That was merely a trigger," Yun Qinghong said. "The Illusory Demon Royal Family unified all spirits in the Illusory Demon Realm, and the Twelve Families swore allegiance to protect them. This has continued for ten thousand years to this day. Throughout these ten millennia, due to the existence of the Profound Handle power, our Yun Family has always surpassed other Guardian Families in overall strength and has never been outmatched. Consequently, our Yun Family has always been the most highly regarded by the Illusory Demon Royal Family. By your grandfather's generation, he was even crowned as a Demon King, and the Demon Emperor even declared that your grandfather could sit as his equal, effectively surpassing even the various Kings of the Provinces! He was, in essence, second only to one person, above all others."

"Che'er, if you were a member of another Guardian Family, always suppressed by others, how would you feel? You would feel envy, jealousy... And yet, while essentially of equal standing, the Yun Family received the immense honor of 'Demon King,' a title other Guardian Families wouldn't even dare to dream of, elevating our entire family's status above the others... how would they react? They would easily develop dissatisfaction, even resentment, due to jealousy and imbalance, wouldn't they?"

"...Are you saying that a hundred years ago, other Guardian Families collectively pressured the Little Demon Empress?"

"Precisely," Yun Qinghong said, closing his eyes. "Your grandfather was the core of the Yun Family at that time, and those ten strongest Supreme Elders were the Yun Family's ten cornerstones. Losing any single one of them would have been an incredibly heavy blow to the Yun Family. But overnight, your grandfather and all ten Supreme Elders were gone, causing the Yun Family's highest and most crucial level of strength to plummet. Furthermore, the Demon Emperor Seal ended up in the Azure Cloud Continent because of this. The Guardian Families, who had envied the Yun Family for countless years, immediately seized this once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity. They had people vigorously spread the Yun Family's 'heinous crimes' throughout Demon Imperial City and even the entire Illusory Demon Realm, filling the realm with denunciations of the Yun Family, to the point where 'severe punishment was necessary to appease public sentiment.'"

"And in these schemes, led by the Helian Family, more than half of the Guardian Families participated. I can confirm that the only ones who didn't participate were your mother's Mu Family and the Under Heaven Family, who are never willing to cause trouble. The various royal families, led by Prince Huai, also heavily denounced our Yun Family, saying that our Yun Family was utterly unforgivable and that, were it not for our ten thousand years of arduous guardianship, exterminating our entire clan would not be excessive... It must have been then that Prince Huai's lineage developed disloyal intentions. After all, with the Demon Emperor lineage seemingly destined to end, he saw hope in replacing them."

"At that time, the Little Demon Empress had just ascended the throne, her position unstable. Moreover, she was a woman, there would be no pure Demon Emperor lineage after her, and without the Demon Emperor Seal, she couldn't cultivate the Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World to gain the overwhelming power of a Demon Emperor... Under such immense pressure, already treading on thin ice, she had no choice but to punish the Yun Family. However, she didn't kill anyone from the Yun Family; she merely cut off our family's resources for a hundred years and forbade entry into the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, causing our Yun Family's generation to be severely deprived of resources and greatly weakened in strength... But this weakening, for our Yun Family, was also a form of protection. When we became too weak to pose a threat, too insignificant to be considered enemies, we could instead find peace."

"So that's... how it is..." Yun Che slowly nodded.

"Che'er, remember this," Yun Qinghong said solemnly. "The Progenitor Demon Emperor was our Yun Family ancestors' savior. If not for his rescue, our clan would have been annihilated ten thousand years ago, and neither you nor I would exist! Our ancestors followed the Progenitor Demon Emperor to unify the Illusory Demon Realm and became one of the Guardian Families, vowing that as long as the Demon Emperor Clan did not perish, the Yun Family would guard them for generations. Throughout these ten thousand years, our Yun Family has never for a single moment broken this oath! In the future, we absolutely must not break it!"

"However, what we guard is the Demon Emperor Clan! The inheritors of the Progenitor Demon Emperor's bloodline! Not those illegitimate kings who merely possess a trace of Demon Emperor blood! Although the Little Demon Empress is a woman, she possesses a complete Demon Emperor bloodline. Since she has ascended, she is the true Demon Emperor! As long as she remains on the throne for a single day, our Yun Family will pledge all our loyalty and protection."

"But..." Yun Qinghong's voice deepened, and his gaze turned chilling. "If she is truly forced from her position, allowing some illegitimate king to become the ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm, then our Yun Family's mission of guardianship will end there. At that point, leaving the ranks of the Twelve Guardian Families would be something we'd eagerly seek! The status of a royal appendage would be worthless!"

Yun Qinghong's words were resolute, and from his eyes, Yun Che saw a steel-like determination. Yun Che nodded deeply, "Father, I understand. Although I didn't grow up in the family, I have the blood of the Yun Clan, of the Patriarch's lineage, and I will absolutely not go against the Yun Family's will!"

"Good," Yun Qinghong nodded, smiling faintly, even his perpetually furrowed brow relaxing.

Yun Che glanced at his father's expression, and after a brief hesitation, still asked, "Is that Prince Huai really that formidable? From your expression, Father, you seem very worried?"

Yun Qinghong sighed softly. "A month ago, you should have noticed their arrogance and cunning. Helian Peng himself declared that day that more than half of the Guardian Families had sided with Prince Huai. Among the royal families, over sixty percent have united under Prince Huai, gathering a large number of royal powerhouses and formidable individuals recruited from the remote regions of the Illusory Demon Realm. Controlling these forces, Prince Huai naturally has the capital to act recklessly. The Little Demon Empress is by no means indecisive, but she has never made a move to suppress Prince Huai, whose ambition is clear to all. It's not that she doesn't want to, or that she doesn't dare to; it's that she cannot. If she were to act, it would be difficult to succeed. Instead, Prince Huai would find the perfect excuse to counter her and seize power. Prince Huai has accumulated sufficient resources but has yet to make a move. Lacking a suitable pretext is also one of the important reasons."

Yun Che: "..."

"Patriarch, all of us are ready, awaiting your command."

From beyond the main gate came a respectful and grave voice, which unmistakably belonged to Great Elder Yun Waitian.

Yun Qinghong glanced sideways and said, "Good! Everyone gather in front of the main hall. We depart for the Demon Emperor's Grand Hall in fifteen minutes!"

"Yes, Patriarch!"

"Che'er, go wake Xiao'er. It's time for us to leave." Yun Qinghong looked up at the sky, seemingly trying to discern the will of heaven for the day.