Chapter 586: Cloudzhe's Doubt

The Yun family left the Demon Emperor Hall. The Fourth Elder personally carried Yun Canghai's remains, his steps slow and cautious. The Yun family members gathered around, solemn expressions on their faces. When they had entered the hall, everyone had watched them; as they exited, almost everyone still watched them, but the nature of those gazes had completely changed.

"Brother Yun, tomorrow evening, Patriarch Yan and I will visit you," Su Xiangnan conveyed to Yun Qinghong telepathically.

Yun Qinghong nodded slightly towards Su Xiangnan and Yan Zijing, fully aware of what they wished to discuss.

"Che'er, what are you thinking about?" Yun Qinghong asked Yun Che, turning his head. Ever since they left the Demon Emperor Hall, Yun Che had been frowning slightly, clearly deep in thought.

Yun Che looked up slightly and said, "I was wondering why the Little Demon Empress suddenly halted the grand ceremony and left immediately. If it was merely to worship the previous Demon Emperor with the Demon Emperor Seal, it just doesn't seem to make complete sense."

Yun Qinghong smiled faintly. "Your father also found it a bit strange, but the Little Demon Empress is certainly not someone who acts without reason. There must be a cause for her actions, but since she doesn't wish others to know, there's no need to delve deeper."

Yun Che nodded slowly, then suddenly asked, "Father, I heard Xiao Yun say that the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley opens once every five years. Is its opening determined by the Valley itself, or by the Demon Emperor family?"

"The former, of course," Yun Qinghong replied. "In front of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley's entrance is a massive flame seal. This seal was not established by the Illusionary Demon Royal Family; rather, it was set up by the Golden Crow divine spirit after the Ancestral Demon Emperor received the Golden Crow's inheritance, and no one can forcibly break it. This seal automatically disappears for twelve hours every five years. This is when the Illusionary Demon Royal Family and the Guardian Families enter for their trials. After twelve hours, the seal reappears, and everyone inside the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley is expelled... unless they die within it."

"I see," Yun Che nodded. After a brief thought, he asked again, "So, besides the seal disappearing on its own at fixed times, there's no other way to enter the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley? Not even for those of the Demon Emperor lineage?"

Yun Qinghong nodded again. "That's correct. The Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley contains fire spirits, lightning spirits, and rare heavenly treasures. Everyone who enters gains significant rewards, but unrestrained acquisition of its resources can harm its lightning and fire origin energy. The five-year closure after each opening is for the regeneration of the fire spirits, lightning spirits, and treasures. No one, regardless of who they are, can enter during the closed period. In my more than a hundred years, I've never heard of anyone being able to enter the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley while it's closed."

"Oh..." Yun Che raised a hand to cup his chin, a deeper flicker of confusion appearing between his brows. Earlier, in the Demon Emperor Hall, everyone had only seen his resolute stance, his power sweeping across all strong cultivators, and his unrestrained scolding of Prince Huai's faction. However, only he truly knew that ever since entering Demon Imperial City, he had been exceedingly cautious with every step, especially after thoroughly offending many powerful figures and forces today. He had to be extremely careful, not daring to overlook any blind spots or doubts.

After a long silence, still having no clue, he temporarily stopped thinking about it. He clapped Xiao Yun on the shoulder and chuckled, "Xiao Yun, you're now the magnificent King Xiao! In the entire history of the Illusionary Demon Realm, you're the second person to be crowned king after our grandfather. How do you feel now?"

Xiao Yun's steps had been light and floaty ever since he walked out of the Demon Emperor Hall; he still felt as if he was in a dream. Hearing Yun Che's words, he paused, a little flustered, and said, "This, this... these are all Big Brother's achievements, really. I... I don't even know what to do."

"Haha," Yun Che chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that. Once your enthronement ceremony is over, you'll naturally know what to do." Then he lowered his voice, grinning, "Now that you've been crowned king, your status is even higher than your seventh sister's father. Your relationship with your seventh sister won't face any more obstacles."

"Hehe," Xiao Yun laughed bashfully. Immediately, he sobered up, saying with some concern, "Big Brother, Prince Huai is a very terrifying person. He must completely resent you now, and so do the seven families like Helian. I'm afraid they'll look for an opportunity to harm you..."

"Brother Yun!"

At this moment, a clear girlish cry came from behind. Xiao Yun swiftly turned around and immediately saw Tianxia Seventh jogging towards them. Behind her were the strong cultivators of the Tianxia clan, each with varying expressions, and her six older brothers.

"Seventh Sister!" Xiao Yun called out, standing there both excited and nervous. Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou also stopped, smiling as they watched them.

"Brother Yun, you're King Xiao now! That's amazing... congratulations!" Tianxia Seventh practically skipped up to Xiao Yun, her face beaming with joy. In the past, with her father beside her, she wouldn't even dare to greet Xiao Yun; before the ceremony, when the Tianxia clan passed the Yun family's seats, she hadn't been able to say a single word to him. But now, with the Yun family's status and destiny completely overturned, and Xiao Yun's true identity revealed and his enthronement as King Xiao, the situation was naturally entirely different.

"Cough, cough!" Tianxia Xiongtu straightened his face, glared fiercely at Xiao Yun, and then ignored him. He didn't pull Tianxia Seventh back either, but instead fixed his gaze on Yun Che for a long time, then deeply sighed to Yun Qinghong, "Brother Yun, your son is truly extraordinary... stronger than all six of my sons combined."

Tianxia Xiongtu's statement made the six Tianxia brothers grimace. Yun Qinghong smiled and replied, "Brother Tianxia, you're too kind."

It was a short reply, yet not overly modest. The greatest pride of his life came from his son; how could he possibly deny it with humble words?

Upon seeing Yun Che today, Tianxia Xiongtu was truly filled with emotions. He had previously vehemently opposed his daughter's relationship with Yun Xiao, the Yun family's young master. A minor reason was the Yun family's decline, but the biggest reason was Yun Xiao's likely origin from the Profound Sky Continent. Now that the true Yun family young master had returned, as he looked at Yun Che, the strongest thought that emerged in his mind was... if Seventh Treasure could marry this young man, he'd be willing to be a minor father-in-law! Oh, dear!

"Brother Yun, may I ask, what expert was responsible for your and your sister-in-law's sudden recovery? My Spirit Clan has always prided itself on being extremely skilled in healing, but we were helpless with your injuries and always believed no one in the world could cure them. Now that I see you both fully recovered, I am incredibly curious as to who possesses such heaven-defying abilities."

For curing Yun Qinghong and his wife, he used the phrase "heaven-defying abilities," and this came from the mouth of the Tianxia clan leader. Yet, to those who knew the extent of Yun Qinghong and his wife's injuries, it was no exaggeration at all.

If it had been before the Demon Empress's Grand Ceremony, Yun Qinghong would certainly have concealed it, no matter who asked. But now, he smiled faintly, turned his gaze to Yun Che, and said candidly and proudly, "To be frank, Che'er cured the injuries and poisons on both Yurou and me."

Previously, he had to conceal it because he absolutely did not want Yun Che to be targeted. But now, Yun Che was already as high-profile as he could be, having thoroughly offended Prince Huai and others; further concealment was meaningless. Stating it openly might even bring benefits to Yun Che.

Unsurprisingly, as Yun Qinghong finished speaking, Tianxia Xiongtu's face revealed unconcealed astonishment. The six Tianxia brothers behind him also gaped, unable to close their mouths for a long time.

They all knew perfectly well how terrifying Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou's injuries and poisons were. If someone else had said this, they would never have believed it. But this fact came directly from Yun Qinghong's own mouth, making it impossible for Tianxia Xiongtu to disbelieve. Recalling the information he had received, for some time before Yun Qinghong's recovery, he had not been in contact with anyone else. The only change was the addition of his adopted son, Yun Che, by his side...

Tianxia Xiongtu took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart. He glanced around and did not press further, saying, "Thank you, Brother Yun, for your candidness. There are too many ears here, so I won't say much more. Although Prince Huai suffered a complete defeat today, he will absolutely not stop here. Now that Brother Yun has recovered and the Demon Emperor Seal has returned, the Little Demon Empress has gained several points of strength to resist... Regarding future matters, I will visit you tomorrow to discuss them."

Yun Qinghong nodded slightly, saying no more.

"Seventh Treasure, let's go," Tianxia Xiongtu said, glaring at Xiao Yun, then pulling Tianxia Seventh away, preparing to leave.

"Ah! Seventh Sister!" Xiao Yun suddenly remembered something crucial and quickly called out to Tianxia Seventh. Then he hurried to her, holding a delicate white jade box in his hands. The moment he held up this white jade box, it instantly drew everyone's gaze, because it was the same white jade box that the Little Demon Empress had bestowed upon him, containing the Overlord Pellet!

"Seventh Sister, this is the Overlord Pellet bestowed by the Little Demon Empress. It's... for you."

"Ah!" Tianxia Seventh's eyes widened, and she gasped softly, instinctively covering her lips. Behind her, all six Tianxia brothers wore expressions of disbelief, and even Tianxia Xiongtu's eyes flickered with emotion.

This was no ordinary pill. To ordinary people, it was like a myth; even members of the Guardian Families and royal palaces coveted the Overlord Pellet with desperate desire!

Consuming this Overlord Pellet would allow Xiao Yun to directly achieve the Overlord realm, advancing a thousand li in a single day! He would become a true paragon among his peers... Yet, he was unhesitatingly taking out this Overlord Pellet to give to Tianxia Seventh!

Yun Che stood there, nodding silently with an approving expression. Based on his understanding of Xiao Yun's character during this time, this seemingly earth-shattering act was not surprising coming from him. Otherwise, how could the Tianxia family's little princess remain so devoted to him despite significant obstacles...?

"You're going to give the Overlord Pellet... to our Seventh Sister?" Tianxia Fifth craned his neck forward, saying with a look of disbelief.

Xiao Yun's true identity had been publicly revealed. After becoming a benefactor to the Illusionary Demon Royal Family and then being crowned king by the Little Demon Empress, his status was simply incomparable to what it once was. Not only was he no longer unworthy of Tianxia Seventh, but he would now far surpass her. Yet, such a person was still willingly giving this Overlord Pellet—a treasure so precious it could turn fathers against sons and brothers against each other—to Tianxia Seventh...

Whether his affection for Tianxia Seventh was genuine or false, shallow or deep, anyone who wasn't blind could see clearly at this moment.

"Mhm, mhm," Xiao Yun nodded immediately. "Seventh Sister's profound strength is currently at the peak of the King Profound Realm, making her the most suitable to use this Overlord Pellet. Seventh Sister, if you take this Overlord Pellet, you can become a true Overlord, and then no one will be able to bully you."

Tianxia Third's mouth opened slightly; for a moment, he couldn't speak. The other Tianxia brothers were also moved. They asked themselves: if they had obtained the Overlord Pellet before achieving the Overlord realm, they would absolutely not have been willing to give it to another, not even their own brothers. But Xiao Yun, who had already been crowned king, was...

Tianxia Seventh was both touched and joyful. She believed more than anyone that even if he became king, he would still be her Brother Yun. She shook her head and pushed the white jade box away. "Brother Yun, this was bestowed upon you by the Little Demon Empress. I don't want it."

"But the Little Demon Empress said that after it was given to me, it became my own item and I could give it to anyone I wished." Seeing Tianxia Seventh refuse to accept it, Xiao Yun grew a little anxious. "Seventh Sister, now is the most suitable time for you to use it. I... I'm about to have a breakthrough, so using it then would be a waste."

"Hmph, I don't believe you," Tianxia Seventh said with a giggle, pushing the white jade box back. "Brother Yun, although you're older than me and at the same cultivation realm, you're still clearly a tiny bit behind me. I'll be the one breaking through first, so you should honestly just eat it yourself and stop trying to push it on me."

"But... but..."

While others could only dream of obtaining the Overlord Pellet, these two were actually pushing it back and forth. Yun Che stepped forward, grabbed the box containing the Overlord Pellet, and said, "You two, stop pushing it around for now. Since Xiao Yun wants Seventh Sister to use the Overlord Pellet, and Seventh Sister wants Xiao Yun to use it himself... then how about this: Hand this Overlord Pellet to me first. When I go back, I'll separate it into two halves with identical medicinal effects, and you each take half. Wouldn't that be better?"