Chapter 589: Terrible Guess

Although it appeared to be just a small icy crystal, the reactions of Mu Yubai and others clearly showed how precious and powerful this "icy crystal" was. Mu Feiyan paid no attention to his three sons' reactions. He smiled and said, "This item is called the Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal. It's the heirloom of my Mu clan. Although it looks unremarkable, if you crush it in a moment of crisis, the unleashed power will instantly solidify into an incredibly strong icy crystal barrier that can last for three hours. Inside this barrier, no one can harm you. Not even your formidable grandfather, were he still alive, could break it."

"There were originally three Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystals, but now only this one remains. The other two saved the lives of two of our ancestors," Mu Feiyan said with a hint of pride.

A protective barrier that even high-level Emperors couldn't break, lasting for three hours... Yun Che's heart stirred greatly! This was a genuine life-saving treasure! Having it would be like having an extra life. Furthermore, in a life-or-death situation, a three-hour protection period would allow him, given his physique, to recover significantly from injuries and restore profound energy, even if no one came to his aid. This was truly a treasure he couldn't possibly refuse!

Mu Yubai stammered, "Grandfather, didn't you say this Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal was... meant... for your eldest grandson?" Mu Yubai regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. Indeed, as soon as he finished speaking, Mu Feiyan's eyes widened instantly. "You dare bring up grandsons with me! Where are my grandsons?! Where?! The ice wolf I raised a hundred years ago has already had more than a dozen pups, yet you three useless fellows haven't produced a single offspring! You've made me lose face in front of those old fellows for over a hundred years. Now my maternal grandson has restored my honor, and you have the audacity to object to me giving him a welcoming gift?!"

Mu Yuqing and Mu Yukong hastily waved their hands. "Grandfather, big brother said that! We didn't say anything. Giving this Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal to our nephew is absolutely perfect, Grandfather, you are wise!"

Mu Yubai's eye twitched, and he didn't dare speak for a long time. He knew that his grandfather had been yearning for grandsons for years and was practically going crazy. Now that he had a maternal grandson, he was naturally going to dote on him greatly... but this was truly spoiling him to the heavens, pulling out all his most prized possessions on the very first day. In comparison, his own status as the eldest son seemed almost negligible. However, given Yun Che's excellence, his grandfather's treatment... didn't seem so hard to accept after all.

Mu Yurou's phoenix eyes had long since curved into thin crescent moons from smiling. She was, of course, well aware of the Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal's value. If Mu Feiyan had given it to her, she would have politely refused, perhaps even with a touch of apprehension, as it was an heirloom of the Mu family. But for her son, to give him an extra life-saving treasure, she naturally had no thought of refusal whatsoever. She said with a beaming smile, "Che'er, quickly thank your maternal grandfather."

"Thank you, Maternal Grandfather!" Yun Che, of course, had even less reason to refuse. He accepted the Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal, a wave of gratitude sweeping through him. He understood why Mu Feiyan had given him such a precious item without hesitation. Today, he had thoroughly offended Prince Huai and the seven clans, sowing seeds of enmity and, by extension, murderous intent. Given Prince Huai's formidable power, even the Yun and Mu clans could not guarantee Yun Che's perpetual safety. This Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal could save Yun Che's life in a crisis. Three hours of absolute protection, combined with discreetly relaying his location, would be ample time for them to reach him and resolve any danger.

"Hahaha!" Mu Feiyan laughed heartily, showing no sign of regret. "As long as you like it. We're family, there's no need for thanks."

"However," Mu Feiyan's smile slowly faded, and he said with some concern, "Che'er, there's something your maternal grandfather must say. Today, you showed immense courage, wisdom, impeccable strength, and boldness. You not only revitalized the Yun family's prestige but also utterly defeated Prince Huai, whom the Little Demon Empress herself had been unable to handle. But your fierce denunciation and humiliation of Prince Huai's faction, along with the Guardian Families like the Helian clan, while certainly exhilarating and satisfying, was truly uncalled for."

As he spoke of the day's events, everyone's expressions turned solemn. Mu Feiyan continued, "Prince Huai is a deeply cunning man with astonishing stratagems. The extent of his power far surpasses your imagination; otherwise, the Little Demon Empress, despite knowing his ambition, wouldn't have been unable to expose or act against him. You could have handled things subtly today, but instead, you completely enraged him. He must now harbor deep resentment and murderous intent towards you. While he might not openly confront you, he will certainly resort to numerous covert attacks, alas."

Mu Yubai slowly nodded. "Che'er, your maternal grandfather is right. While your achievements today were immense, you've also brought great danger upon yourself."

Yun Che, however, smiled faintly and said, "My medical master often told me from a young age that 'a knife hangs over the character for endurance; only by enduring what others cannot can one live a peaceful life and rise above others.' This was once one of my life's tenets. However, my master ultimately died at the hands of those whom he had endlessly tolerated..."

Mu Feiyan: "..."Yun Qinghong: "..."

"Only after that did I truly understand that the 'knife' inherent in endurance not only causes pain and frustration but can sometimes even take one's life. So, instead of letting it pierce me, I'd rather plunge it into my enemies!"

Although Yun Che's face held a smile, everyone could hear a detached hatred originating from his soul in his voice. These words made it almost impossible for them to believe they came from a mere twenty-two-year-old youth, and even harder to imagine... how many storms and hardships he must have endured to possess such a mindset and achievements today.

For a moment, everyone fell silent, unable to refute him. Yun Che continued, "I understand that Prince Huai is extremely difficult to deal with. He is ambitious, and given the decline of my Yun family, he must have been the driving force behind it. If it's merely about whether he harbors murderous intent towards me, then I have no reason to tolerate him! On the contrary, he is an extremely meticulous individual, and such people often err on the side of excessive caution and overthinking. Today, I not only thoroughly offended him and the seven clans but even publicly insulted them, stripping them of all dignity. Beyond his murderous intent, Prince Huai will simultaneously wonder if my behavior is reckless ignorance, self-destructive, or if I have some formidable backing... And since he was utterly defeated by me today, with every attack met by a counter-attack several times stronger, the former possibility is naturally ruled out. He will conclude that my blatant disregard for consequences must mean I have powerful support behind me... support strong enough to not fear his murderous intent."

"Furthermore, the power I displayed, my profound attacks that surpassed everyone's understanding, and the fact that I could arrive in the Illusory Demon Realm from the Profound Sky Continent without a sound, will infinitely magnify this possibility in Prince Huai's mind. He must now be extremely suspicious that behind me, there is an incredibly powerful, perhaps even transcendent, master or force. This will make him apprehensive, cautious, and he will refrain from acting rashly against me until he has thoroughly investigated my background."

Mu Feiyan looked at Yun Che with profound admiration. It was clear that this was only their first encounter with Prince Huai today, yet Yun Che had accurately assessed his character. Prince Huai was indeed meticulous and cautious; he would never act easily without absolute certainty. His ambition was vast, and the power he commanded already far surpassed that of the Little Demon Empress, yet he had endured without acting, waiting only for today... Today, he had believed he had absolute control, but instead, he encountered Yun Che and suffered a crushing defeat.

"Exactly!" Mu Yuqing said. "To be honest, even your uncle here strongly suspects you have an exceptionally powerful, even transcendent, master protecting you! Otherwise, you wouldn't be ridiculously strong, nor would you dare to be so brazen in front of Prince Huai."

Yun Qinghong did not speak, but merely nodded slightly.

"Che'er is indeed right," Mu Yurou said. "Prince Huai will certainly have this suspicion and thus be wary. And he won't be the only one thinking this way. However, Prince Huai was severely reprimanded by Che'er today, likely enduring humiliation unlike any he's experienced in his life. Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, so I'm just worried... Therefore, it's still best to be extremely careful."

"I'm not worried about that," Yun Che actually chuckled. "If it were anyone else, there would indeed be a high chance of them acting out of desperation, but he is Prince Huai! If he were so easily provoked, he wouldn't have amassed the power he has today. Let that 'knife' inherent in endurance remain poised over him. From now on, I will not hide at home; instead, I will appear openly and boldly. I am ninety-nine percent certain... he won't make a move against me, at least not in the short term."

Yun Qinghong nodded. "I agree with Che'er. Given Prince Huai's temperament, even if he harbors strong murderous intent towards Che'er, he should not act in the short term. And now Che'er has the Heaven-Shattering Icy Crystal for protection; even if he truly encounters a fatal assassination attempt, he can escape safely."

"Hmm... let's hope so," Mu Feiyan said, his brow slightly furrowed as he nodded.

"Regarding Prince Huai, I have a terrifying conjecture," Yun Che suddenly said, his expression serious.

"A terrifying conjecture?"

Yun Che's brows furrowed, and his voice dropped significantly. "I suspect that Prince Huai's ambition did not emerge after the former Demon Emperor and Little Demon Emperor met their demise, but rather that it had been meticulously plotted long before, while the former Demon Emperor was still alive! Moreover... it was a conspiracy with the Profound Sky Continent!!"

"Ah!!" Yun Che's words were undoubtedly like a thunderclap from the heavens, causing Xiao Yun to cry out in surprise.

"What?!" Mu Yubai and the other two also changed their expressions abruptly.

Yun Qinghong quickly rose, his arms flashing out like lightning, unleashing surging thunder power. In an instant, he set up an incredibly powerful sound-isolation barrier around them. Although they were within the Mu family estate, in Mu Feiyan's own courtyard, what Yun Che was about to say was too significant to risk being overheard by anyone.

"Go on!" After setting up the sound barrier, Yun Qinghong looked at Yun Che and said in a deep voice.

Yun Che saw that Yun Qinghong and Mu Feiyan both had grave expressions, but not much surprise. Clearly, they had already harbored similar suspicions. He took a slight breath and continued, "I have four reasons for my suspicion."

"First, back then, the Profound Sky Continent suddenly invaded the Illusory Demon Realm, aiming to seize the Demon Emperor Clan's supreme treasure, the Samsara Mirror! However, before that, the Profound Sky Continent and the Illusory Demon Realm had virtually no contact, only aware of each other's existence. Why would they suddenly know about the Samsara Mirror's existence? Even stranger, although the Samsara Mirror was the Demon Emperor Clan's supreme treasure, no one knew its true function or how to use it; it had been a useless artifact for ten thousand years. Yet, people from the Profound Sky Continent sought to seize it at any cost! It seems... someone must have informed the people of the Profound Sky Continent about the Samsara Mirror's existence and deliberately fabricated and exaggerated its power, thereby igniting their greed and ambition! And such a person could only be someone from the Illusory Demon Realm!"

"Second, this is clearly the Illusory Demon Realm's territory, yet the invaders from the Profound Sky Continent were able to directly attack Demon Imperial City, coming and going as they pleased. Even when Demon Imperial City was fully prepared, they managed to retreat unscathed every time. It's as if they had complete knowledge of everything within Demon Imperial City, including its defense plans! The most likely explanation is that they had an inside informant within Demon Imperial City! Furthermore, this informant was not only within Demon Imperial City but also held a very high status!"

"Third, a hundred years ago, my grandfather led ten Grand Elders of the Yun family to rescue the former Demon Emperor... Eleven high-level Emperors. This is a force capable of shaking the world. Eleven high-level Emperors working together, even if they couldn't save the former Demon Emperor, should have been able to retreat safely... At least, I absolutely refuse to believe there's any power in this world that could hold back the combined might of eleven high-level Emperors! But... my grandfather told me that when they first arrived in the Profound Sky Continent, they immediately fell into the 'Heaven's Might Soul Suppressing Array'! A Heaven's Might Soul Suppressing Array capable of sealing the profound energy of eleven high-level Emperors, even for a single breath, would require an enormous expenditure! It's absolutely impossible for such an array to have been continuously present there. Rather, it's clear that someone knew the exact time and location of my grandfather's arrival and laid a trap for them... This means that before my grandfather and his companions went to the Profound Sky Continent, someone used a method to inform that group of their travel time and their precise destination! And only a force with status no less than the Yun family could precisely know my grandfather's movements and transmit information over such a vast distance!!"

"Fourth, the death of the Little Demon Emperor contains too many suspicious points and irregularities! At today's ceremony, although I claimed he personally went to rescue the former Demon Emperor out of extreme disappointment with the Guardian Families... in truth, I absolutely do not believe the Little Demon Emperor would drunkenly lose control and single-handedly venture into the Profound Sky Continent! Even if he truly intended to go, he should have at least left an heir with the Little Demon Empress; otherwise, he would be cutting off the Demon Emperor bloodline! As the son of the Demon Emperor, how could he possibly commit such a foolish act! The Little Demon Emperor's death... was very likely an assassination!"

Yun Che raised his head and slowly stated, "And all of this points to... Prince Huai's manor!"