Chapter 582: Order

Compared to being conferred a kingship, the other rewards, though incredibly generous, paled in comparison. Yun Che quickly tugged at Xiao Yun. "Hurry and thank the Little Demon Empress..." he then whispered, "And whatever you do, don't refuse."

"Ah..." Xiao Yun awoke as if from a dream. He stammered nervously, "Xiao Yun... thanks the Little Demon Empress... for... for her grace."

"Excellent, it's all the better that you are willing to accept," the Little Demon Empress nodded with satisfaction.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that while the Little Demon Empress appeared to be greatly rewarding Xiao Yun, her true intention was to significantly bolster the Yun family. After his face twitched, Helian Kuang finally could not hold back. He loudly declared, "Little Demon Empress, conferring a kingship is no small matter, how can you—"

"You don't need to say another word!" Before Helian Kuang could finish, the Little Demon Empress's icy voice cut him off. Without even glancing at him, she said coldly, "Didn't you repeatedly proclaim that the matter of the Demon Emperor Seal was greater than heaven, and that the Yun family deserved to be fully exterminated for its loss? If so, then returning the Demon Emperor Seal is an immense contribution! What's wrong with bestowing a kingship as a reward?"

"But..."

"What 'but'?!" The Little Demon Empress's voice grew even colder and sterner. She snorted, "Patriarch Helian, if you had risked your life traveling to the Profound Sky Continent to save my Imperial Father, if you had lost your family and home to retrieve the Demon Emperor Seal, leaving only a lone son to suffer in this world—then I, too, would certainly be willing to make your son a king and grant him a lifetime of glory! Since you did not, then shut your mouth."

Helian Kuang's face immediately flushed crimson, and he could no longer utter a word. Those who had been preparing to speak also flinched, and for a while, no one dared to voice any opposition.

Yun Che's lips curved slightly into a faint smile. "Yun Che thanks the Little Demon Empress for making this possible... Also, I request that the Little Demon Empress bestow the Overlord Pellet upon Xiao Yun. My profound energy is currently low, and I am still very far from the Tyrant Profound Realm, so I won't be able to use this Overlord Pellet in the short term. Xiao Yun, however, has been at the half-step Tyrant Profound Realm for a long time, so bestowing the Overlord Pellet upon him would be most suitable."

"Big Brother..." Xiao Yun turned his face, his expression filled with profound gratitude.

Everyone in the hall stared in astonishment... The Overlord Pellet, something even the Guardian families considered a divine artifact, was being given away so readily by Yun Che! What magnanimousness!

The Little Demon Empress said, "This Overlord Pellet was already designated for you, so you naturally have the right to decide its ownership. Since you are willing to give it to Xiao Yun, then it shall be as you wish."

"King Baoqing, present this Overlord Pellet to Xiao Yun now."

"Yes!"

King Baoqing rose in response, holding a black jade box as he walked towards Xiao Yun. As he moved, countless eyes were fixed on the black jade box, filled with an uncontrollable, intense envy. Many young people even continuously swallowed their saliva. No one had expected that the final recipient of this Overlord Pellet would be Yun Xiao, a person usually unremarkable and often only a topic of idle gossip.

Compared to the astonishment of others, one person was utterly overjoyed... Number Seven Under Heaven. She excitedly yelled to her family members nearby, "Did you hear that?! Brother Yun has been made a king... a king! Waaah! I just knew... Brother Yun would become the most amazing person!"

"Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother! I told you all not to look down on Brother Yun... Now Brother Yun has been personally conferred a kingship by the Little Demon Empress! He's a hundred times more amazing than all of you combined! Let's see what right you have to look down on him now!" Number Seven Under Heaven clenched her fists, puffed out her cheeks, and launched her most forceful counterattack against her brothers. Subsequently, her excitement gradually cooled, and she became downcast, muttering softly to herself, "But Brother Yun is so pitiful. His birth parents actually already... already..."

"This kid, to have such a background," Number Three Under Heaven stroked his chin, saying with a wry twist of his lips, "Seventh Sister, don't get too excited yet. His status is completely different now, and with the Yun family's momentum reversed, I'm afraid many royal princesses will soon be throwing themselves at him. How could he still pay attention to you then?"

"Nonsense!" Number Seven Under Heaven slapped Number Three Under Heaven hard, saying angrily, "Brother Yun isn't like that! He'll only ever love me in this life, hmph!"

"I never expected such a profound debt of gratitude to be hidden behind Yun Xiao," remarked Heaven's Might, sighing with emotion. "No wonder Yun Qinghong and his wife have always treated him as their own child all these years, cherishing and protecting him despite the varied discussions from the outside world."

Invincible Under Heaven glanced at Number Seven Under Heaven and chuckled. "With a descendant like Yun Che and the Little Demon Empress'ss weighty public promise, the Yun family's powerful rise is now a certainty. Yun Xiao has now been conferred a kingship, becoming the second 'Outer King' after the Demon King. As of now, it's no longer a question of whether he's worthy of Qibao, but whether Qibao is worthy of *him*, heheheh."

Heaven's Might let out a faint snort and remained silent.

When Xiao Yun received the black jade box containing the Overlord Pellet, his mind was still in a daze. He remained too stunned to speak even after King Baoqing had retreated.

The Little Demon Empress said, "Xiao Yun, your current profound energy cultivation is precisely at the half-step Tyrant Profound level. Taking this Overlord Pellet can help you break through your bottleneck in one go and enter the Tyrant Profound Realm. The king conferment ceremony will be held on a chosen date after the grand ceremony concludes. You may withdraw for now."

"Yes..." Xiao Yun responded. He then looked up suddenly and asked, "May I ask... if I can give this Overlord Pellet in my hand to someone else?"

The Little Demon Empress said expressionlessly, "Since it has been bestowed upon you, how you choose to dispose of it—whether to use it yourself, give it away, burn it, or discard it—is entirely up to you."

"Xiao Yun thanks the Little Demon Empress." Xiao Yun's expression became much more relaxed and joyful. He carefully held the black jade box and walked down amidst the varied gazes of the crowd.

"Yun Che, are you satisfied with this?" the Little Demon Empress asked Yun Che.

"Of course, I am satisfied. I thank the Little Demon Empress for making it possible," Yun Che nodded sincerely.

"Since that's the case, what is your second request?" the Little Demon Empress asked.

Yun Che's expression turned solemn. He stood beside Yun Canghai's remains and turned to face the seven patriarchs of the Eastern seating area, whose expressions were gloomy and uncertain. As his gaze fell upon them, all seven patriarchs' hearts simultaneously constricted. Having been repeatedly tormented by Yun Che earlier, they were now like startled birds facing his suddenly grim expression.

He did not disappoint them. Yun Che raised his arm, pointing directly at the seven men, and said slowly and firmly, "Helian, Jiufang, Chiyang, Nangong, Xiao, Bai, Lin... I demand that the patriarchs of these seven clans, today, in this grand hall, before my grandfather's remains, and under the gaze of all here... kneel and repent to my grandfather... and swear lifelong allegiance unto death to the Little Demon Empress! Otherwise, their descendants for ten thousand generations shall be slaves and prostitutes!!"

Yun Che's words had been earth-shattering countless times today, and his latest declaration once again greatly startled everyone... especially those from Demon Imperial City. He pointed at the seven patriarchs, and every word was an incredibly forceful command. Yet, he was commanding... the patriarchs of the seven great Guardian families!

However, referencing Yun Che's previous words and actions, people weren't overly surprised that he would say such a thing. What the seven families had done to the Yun family and Yun Canghai over the years was known to all, and they themselves had already admitted it. From a moral standpoint, it was only right that they should apologize to Yun Canghai.

As for swearing allegiance to the Little Demon Empress, that was simply a matter of course.

All seven patriarchs gritted their teeth, furious to the extreme. With every word and action, Yun Che listed their "grievous crimes," crushed their arguments, tore apart their pretenses, and scolded them as if they were stripped naked and exposed to every gaze, leaving them unable to refute, and almost utterly mortified. They knew perfectly well what they had been doing for the past century... but to make them kneel and apologize to Yun Canghai in public now? As patriarchs of Guardian families, how could they possibly agree to such a humiliation?

Because wouldn't that be equivalent to their seven families bowing their heads to the Yun family, in front of the entire world, today?!

Helian Kuang's face darkened, and he forced a sneer. "Yun Che, you're just a Yun family brat. You're not qualified to demand anything from us..."

"Patriarch Helian, you are mistaken!" Before Helian Kuang could finish, Yun Che interrupted him unceremoniously, his voice even stiffer and deeper than Helian Kuang's. "I am not requesting anything from you; I am commanding you! Requesting? Heh, you know perfectly well how many dirty deeds you've committed over the past century to maliciously suppress my Yun family. You also know better than anyone who defiled my grandfather's lifetime of distinguished reputation! After treating my Yun family like this, do you expect us to *request* anything from you? Heh, my Yun family members are not that debased... This is a command! Because this is precisely what you owe our Yun family, what you owe my grandfather!"

"And another thing!" Without waiting for the other party to speak, Yun Che raised the Demon Emperor Seal and growled, "Don't you dare say I'm not qualified to command you! The Demon Emperor Seal is in my hands right now. If you don't comply today, I will never hand it over to the Little Demon Empress!"

"Didn't you previously claim that the matter of the Demon Emperor Seal was greater than heaven, that our Yun family's sin for its loss was so great that we deserved to be fully exterminated, that you would gladly be shattered into pieces for the Demon Emperor Seal, and would disregard your dignity and honor for loyalty...?! And now, you don't need to risk your lives traveling to the Profound Sky Continent to retrieve the Demon Emperor Seal, nor do you need to take the slightest risk or expend a single resource. All you need to do is something you should have done anyway, something a person with even a shred of basic decency would do, and this Demon Emperor Seal can return to the Little Demon Empress's hands, allowing the entire Illusory Demon Realm to be reborn... I don't think the patriarchs of you seven great Guardian families have any reason to refuse, do you? Unless all your previous words, and the 'loyalty' and 'dignity' you speak of, were nothing but empty words!"

The faces of the seven patriarchs immediately became stiff and grotesque. Yun Che not only demanded that they kneel publicly and apologize to Yun Canghai but also completely blocked their retreat... and what had blocked their retreat was precisely the 'righteous' words they themselves had proclaimed earlier when narrating the Yun family's "great crimes."