Chapter 578: 妖王遗体

Almost no one could immediately recognize the old man in the Profound Ark as Yun Canghai, because his appearance had drastically changed compared to a century ago. Yun Waitian and Yun Duanshui, who were closest to him and had been part of the same clan as Yun Canghai for over two hundred years, faintly sensed a familiar outline and Yun Canghai’s unique aura as the Yun family patriarch. Yet, they only uttered vague sounds, not daring to believe it was him.

“Do any of you recognize who this person is?” Standing beside Yun Canghai’s remains, Yun Che glared with a cold frown at the seven patriarchs, whose expressions were uncertain, and everyone else on the east side. This was why he had brought back Yun Canghai’s remains but had not allowed Yun Qinghong to bury him earlier, nor had he even informed the rest of the Yun Clan. He absolutely would not allow his grandfather to be buried while still bearing the malicious accusations laid upon him by others. He wanted to clear his grandfather's name and force those individuals to apologize and repent to his grandfather in front of everyone in the world!

“Yes, you couldn’t possibly recognize him! Even if an Emperor’s strong spiritual sense faintly detected something, you would never dare to believe it!” Yun Che surveyed the entire hall and said coldly, “He is the only Demon King in the history of the Illusory Demon Realm, my grandfather, and the so-called ‘sinner’ whom you have slandered and condemned for an entire century... Yun Canghai!!”

The name Yun Che uttered sent a shockwave through the entire hall. Everyone stood up, staring wide-eyed at the person in the Profound Ark. Their faces showed deep shock and disbelief; they could barely trust their own ears.

“Yun... Yun Canghai!?”

“Impossible! This withered old man... how could he be Demon King Yun Canghai!”

“Didn’t Yun Canghai perish in the Profound Sky Continent a century ago... How could this be him!!”

The name “Demon King” Yun Canghai was known to everyone in the Illusory Demon Realm. However, the withered old man in the crystal coffin beside Yun Che made it impossible for them to connect him with the world-renowned Demon King. A century ago, Yun Canghai had an extraordinary bearing, his gentle demeanor conveying a terrifying majesty that commanded respect. He had appeared to be under thirty, and countless women of the Illusory Demon Realm had secretly adored him.

With Yun Canghai’s cultivation level, his appearance should not have changed in the slightest, even after another thousand years.

But the old man in the crystal coffin had dirty, graying hair and a body withered like decaying wood, resembling a miserable beggar who had suffered countless hardships and then starved to death. Even the lowest-class humans in the Illusory Demon Realm would probably not want to look at him twice. How could he possibly be the Demon King, second only to one and above millions, admired and revered by countless people in the Illusory Demon Realm!

“Patriarch... it really is the Patriarch!!”

Yun Waitian and Yun Duanshui cried out in sorrow, rushing forward and kneeling heavily before the Profound Ark, their faces streaming with tears as they cried out. Although they dared not and wished not to believe it, they had absolute trust in Yun Che. How could he possibly be putting on a charade with his own grandfather’s remains in front of the Little Demon Empress, the Twelve Families, and the entire world! Furthermore, while outsiders might not be able to discern it, they were kinsmen who had once pledged loyalty to Yun Canghai. Even in death, even with his appearance utterly changed, that ineffable, subtle sense of familiarity, unique to Yun Canghai, was real and distinctly present.

The name “Yun Canghai” and the sorrowful cries of the two elders made the hearts of all Yun Clan members tremble violently. Yun Qinghong took a long breath, raised a hand to stop the emotionally overwhelmed clan members who wanted to rush forward, and said, “That... indeed is Father’s remains. Che’er brought him back from the Profound Sky Continent. It is enough to have the Grand Elder and Second Elder guard him. Do not go any closer, lest you disturb his peaceful rest.”

Yun Qinghong’s words solidly confirmed the identity of the remains. All members of the Yun family felt as if something had exploded in their chests. The three Grand Elders, Yun He, Yun Jiang, and Yun Xi, were already shedding tears. They had never dreamed they would see Yun Canghai again.

“He... is he really the Demon King?” The Little Demon Empress asked, her gaze stunned and filled with disbelief. In her life, she truly respected only two people: her imperial father, and Yun Canghai. A century had passed in a blink of an eye, and she no longer harbored hope of seeing her imperial father’s or her brother’s remains, nor dared she hope to see Yun Canghai again. Yet now, Yun Canghai’s remains had miraculously, dreamily, returned to the Illusory Demon Realm and appeared before her eyes. But his appearance made her soul tremble violently... uncontrollably.

Yun Che said with a rigid expression, “Even if I were a heinous villain, I would never use the remains of my deceased loved one for deceitful schemes!!”

“Impossible!!” Helian Kuang said, his voice somewhat hoarse. “Yun Canghai died in the Profound Sky Continent a hundred years ago; how could his body possibly be here! Furthermore, Yun Canghai’s profound strength reached the peak of the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, granting him thousands of years of lifespan... How could he have become like this!”

“How could he have become like this?” Yun Che smiled faintly. His eyes filled with bone-deep hatred, and his voice became incredibly cold. “You petty individuals... of course, you wouldn’t understand why my grandfather became like this!!”

“You... do you want to know why my grandfather is in this state now?! Do you want to know why his remains returned here from the Profound Sky Continent?! Do you want to know why the Demon Emperor Seal is in my hands?!”

Everyone present was eager to know the answers to the three questions Yun Che roared. The seven patriarchs were especially desperate to know, but facing Yun Che’s terrifyingly cold expression, gaze, and tone, even with their esteemed Emperor profound cultivation, they distinctly felt a profound dread. And Yun Canghai’s remains beside him... Although it was just a corpse, none of them dared to look directly at it, as if Yun Canghai’s heroic spirit was staring at them from there.

Yun Che smiled, and to the seven patriarchs, his smile appeared particularly sinister and terrifying. “Now, I will give you the answers, one by one!!”

“A century ago, my grandfather led the ten Grand Elders of the Yun family to the Profound Sky Continent to rescue the late Demon Emperor, but they were ambushed. They fell into the ‘Heavenly Might Soul Suppressing Formation’ that the enemy had prepared in advance. Ten Grand Elders perished, and my grandfather was severely wounded. But my grandfather did not die; instead, he was imprisoned by the Heavenly Might Sword Region of the Profound Sky Continent in a sunless place a hundred zhang underground! His entire body was bound by the Starfall Chains, and his profound energy was sealed by the Heavenly Might Soul Suppressing Formation... He was imprisoned there for a full century!”

The entire hall became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, save for Yun Che’s voice.

*Clang!*

Yun Che took out an incredibly heavy chain and dropped it onto the ground. “These are the Starfall Chains that bound my grandfather! Helian Kuang, weren’t you asking why my grandfather changed so drastically in just a century? Because for an entire century, my grandfather saw no sun or moon, ate or drank nothing, lived in utter darkness, endured solitary confinement, had his entire body sealed, his profound veins suppressed, and suffered the corrosion of the Soul Suppressing Formation... For a full century, he experienced a fate worse than death!”

Yun Che’s words made everyone in the hall turn pale and feel chills throughout their bodies. To have one’s body bound, profound energy sealed, and to face endless darkness and solitude... Even without the suffering of the formation’s corrosion, it would be like being in purgatory. For the most terrifying thing in this world is not physical torture, but endless darkness and solitude. Even an incomparably powerful profound practitioner, if confined to such a dark purgatory, would have their spirit and will utterly collapse within a few years, leading to madness.

It was a fate no one could help but fear, one that no one could truly endure... a life worse than death. A century... they simply could not imagine that someone could endure a full century in such a dark purgatory.

“In that place, every moment, my grandfather endured mental torture beyond your wildest imagination; every moment was worse than death. He could have ended his own life and found quick release, but my grandfather did not. No matter how much pain he suffered, he absolutely refused to die. My grandfather was not afraid of death, and in that place, even the most terrified person would find every means to die within a month...”

“The reason he fought so desperately to live was for this... Demon Emperor Seal!” Yun Che took out the Demon Emperor Seal again and said through gritted teeth.

“This... impossible!” Jiufang Kui roared. “Since Yun Canghai fell into the hands of the Heavenly Might Sword Region, how could the Demon Emperor Seal still be on him! Even if it was a small spatial dimension he created, it surely would have been taken over; there’s no way he could still have the Demon Emperor Seal with him!”

“Hmph!” Yun Che gave a cold laugh, then closed his eyes. He slowly moved the Demon Emperor Seal to his chest, near his heart, and said softly, “To prevent the Heavenly Might Sword Region from seizing the Demon Emperor Seal, my grandfather created a small spatial dimension in the center of his heart and hid the Seal there... for an entire century...”

“What... what?!”

“Ah!”

The faces of all seven patriarchs froze; they couldn’t utter a single sound. The Little Demon Empress’s bright eyes suddenly widened, and her gaze trembled intensely. Countless gasps echoed through the hall. Almost everyone involuntarily reached for their chest, their hands trembling, their hearts stirred beyond measure.

“Patriarch... Patriarch... you... why... why such suffering...?” The Yun family members were either stunned or had their eyes closed, while over a dozen elders had collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yun Qinghong tilted his head back, his eyes tightly shut, his clenched fists continuously making muffled sounds of dislocating knuckles.

Creating a small spatial dimension in the center of one’s heart was indeed extremely difficult for anyone to detect. But the pain it caused would make even a powerful Emperor shudder at the mere thought. As Yun Canghai was within the Heavenly Might Soul Suppressing Formation, his profound energy was greatly suppressed. If he were to remove it, the small spatial dimension would disappear, he would lose the ability to create another, and the Demon Emperor Seal would be constantly at risk of exposure. Therefore, throughout that century, no matter how much pain he endured, he never took out the Demon Emperor Seal; the small spatial dimension containing it remained in Yun Canghai’s heart... for a full hundred years.

They had previously been unable to imagine what kind of experience or torture could transform a high-level Emperor Profound practitioner into such a state in just a century. Now they knew, completely and utterly.

“Now, do you understand?” Yun Che asked, looking at Jiufang Kui, his voice utterly indifferent.

Jiufang Kui opened his mouth, but his throat was dry, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

Yun Che smiled coldly. He stared at the seven patriarchs, and his frigid words pierced everyone’s ears, one by one: “Take a good look at my grandfather: his body withered, his hair gray, his long robes so tattered they were unseemly. For this past century, every single moment, he lived through purgatory, until he safely passed away after entrusting the Demon Emperor Seal, which he had desperately protected, to me...”

“Hmph, and then look at yourselves... You, too, are the patriarchs of the Guardian Families, yet each of you is so radiant and full of vigor, dressed in such luxurious and splendid attire. For this past century, you have led your clans, looked down upon the world, and lived in such grandeur, feasting on the finest delicacies, using the highest-grade spiritual elixirs, living lives of utmost comfort and carefree joy!”

Yun Che’s voice changed, each word sharp as a blade. “Yet, under the pretense of loyalty, you brazenly united to suppress my Yun family! You even slandered my grandfather, who bitterly protected the Demon Emperor Seal even in hell, as an eternal sinner!! You also made my Yun family suffer a century of blame, and even sought to permanently expel us!!”

“Do you have any shame left?! Any conscience?! Any dignity!”

“Do you have even a shred of decency!!!!”