Chapter 798: 危境

Under the cover of night, within the Supreme Ocean Palace.

"What did you say? Yun Che is back?" This news greatly astonished Qu Fengyi, the Ocean Emperor. She had previously detected unusual rumblings in the Moon Slaying Devil Cave's barrier and had sent someone to investigate immediately. She hadn't expected to receive such surprising news.

"Yun Che returned with Xia Yuanba from the Sacred Grounds and Princess Snow from the Phoenix God Sect. They are currently in the Grand Cloud Hall. Many people have noticed his return, and although no one has come forward, the news will undoubtedly spread quickly." An elder of the Supreme Ocean Palace, dressed in a green robe, respectfully reported this to the Ocean Emperor.

The Ocean Emperor, Qu Fengyi, fell silent for a moment, then murmured, "I personally summoned Yun Che a few days ago. With his abilities, it's absolutely impossible for him to have survived three days in the Moon Slaying Devil Cave, let alone escape it. It seems more likely now that his master is the Heaven Stealing Elder."

"Your Majesty, this matter concerns our forbidden Ocean Emperor's territory. Should we bring him to you immediately?"

"No!" Ocean Emperor Qu Fengyi immediately dismissed the idea, stating calmly, "While I am extremely curious about how he escaped the Moon Slaying Devil Cave, the Devil Sword Convention is approaching, and we cannot afford any more incidents. We will discuss this matter after the convention."

***

At the same time, in another part of the Supreme Ocean Palace.

"Father, I have an urgent matter to report... Yun Che is back! He's currently in the Grand Cloud Hall; I saw him with my own eyes!"

"Oh?" Xuanyuan Wentian, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and turned his head slightly. There was no surprise on his face, only a faint smile. "That's even better. I was regretting that tomorrow's Devil Sword Convention would lack a major spectacle, but now that gap is filled."

"Father, aren't you curious how he got out of the Moon Slaying Devil Cave?" Xuanyuan Wentian asked, his face full of bewilderment. "More than forty hours have passed since he entered the Moon Slaying Devil Cave, and he's actually alive!? And that barrier, even Father couldn't do anything about it, yet he managed..."

"No need." Xuanyuan Wentian said gravely, "In five more hours, the Devil Sword Convention will begin. I have waited and prepared for this day for a millennium. This final moment allows for no mistakes! Even the most critical matters must stand aside!"

"Yes, I was too eager and reckless," Xuanyuan Wentian quickly bowed, then cautiously asked, "Should we send someone to keep an eye on Yun Che?"

"No need!" Xuanyuan Wentian's brows furrowed slightly, his gaze as calm as water, yet deep within them flickered a chilling glint. "On the contrary, do not let him detect anything unusual. Let him calmly attend tomorrow's Devil Sword Convention. If the Devil Sword Convention were to be without him... Hmph, it would be far less interesting!"

"Yes!" Xuanyuan Wentian quickly responded, then sneered, "Yun Che must never dream that his background has already been ninety percent uncovered by Father! After the Devil Sword is unsealed, the Wheel of Reincarnation Mirror will also, sooner or later, be Father's."

***

"When did this happen? Did anything happen to anyone else? Do you know who did it?" Yun Che urgently transmitted his voice, and soon, a reply came from the Ice Cloud Immortal Soul.

Three days ago... It's already been three days!?

Yun Che, who had intended to quietly heal his injuries, could no longer sit still. His heart was instantly riddled with anxiety. Xiao Yun had disappeared three days ago, right after he had entered the Moon Slaying Devil Cave!

"Jasmine, we..." As the words left his mouth, Yun Che suddenly realized... Jasmine had already begun reconstituting her body and absolutely could not be disturbed! He couldn't even consult her. Furthermore, he couldn't leave Jasmine by more than twenty miles, which meant he couldn't immediately return to Floating Cloud City!

Yun Che took a deep breath, quickly calming himself down.

What exactly happened?! Why did Xiao Yun disappear? There was no body, living or dead. No unusual sounds were heard at the time of the incident, nor were there any traces of a struggle. Given Xiao Yun and Number One Under Heaven's strength, for someone to incapacitate Xiao Yun without resistance and escape Number One Under Heaven's notice, the perpetrator's power must be at the Sovereign level!

Throughout the Profound Sky Continent, besides the Four Great Sacred Grounds, the only others with Sovereign-level practitioners were the Phoenix God Sect and Fen Juechen. Given Fen Juechen's temperament, he certainly wouldn't do such a thing, and the Phoenix God Sect had no reason. That left only the Four Great Sacred Grounds!

But why would the Four Great Sacred Grounds attack Xiao Yun? Could it be that the Sun and Moon Divine Hall, having somehow seen through my fabricated "Heaven Stealing Elder," retaliated by seizing Xiao Yun to threaten me?

No, that's not right! If that were the case, with the Sun and Moon Divine Hall's power, once they exposed my "disguise," dealing with me would be effortless; there would be no need for such an extra step. Even if they truly wanted to seize someone to spite me, my grandfather or little aunt would be more suitable. It certainly shouldn't be Xiao Yun.

Right... why would it be Xiao Yun?! Yun Che's brows furrowed deeper. As he calmed down, he increasingly sensed the gravity of the situation. Could Xiao Yun's identity... have been exposed?

No... there's no reason! Among Xiao Yun, Number One Under Heaven, and Number Seven Under Heaven, the latter two, possessing the characteristics of the Elf clan, presented a slight risk of their perfect disguise being exposed. But compared to them, there's no way Xiao Yun should have been recognized as being from the Illusionary Demon Realm! With his completely unfamiliar face, how could anyone identify him as being from the Illusionary Demon Realm? Besides, Xiao Yun was inherently cautious and rarely even used his profound energy when in Floating Cloud City.

Over the past few months, despite many trips to Floating Cloud City, he had never noticed any signs of them being spied upon or observed, only occasionally detecting Fen Juechen's aura a few times.

"Could it be..." The most terrifying and dire possibility appeared in Yun Che's mind: "Someone from the Four Great Sacred Grounds is in the Illusionary Demon Realm..."

Yun Che's chest heaved as he took a long, deep breath. Then he raised his right arm and summoned the Ice Cloud Immortal Soul.

"Senior Martial Aunt Murong, please find a way to tell my little aunt and the others that Xiao Yun is safe and sound. I have a general idea of his whereabouts and will bring him back tomorrow. Please assure them. Also..." Yun Che paused briefly, his voice becoming heavy, "Tell my grandfather, little aunt, and Seventh Sister to gather in my grandfather's courtyard after noon tomorrow and not to leave a single step until I appear."

A flash of blue light, and his words had reached the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, hundreds of thousands of miles away. Yun Che looked at the isolation barrier Jasmine had erected, muttering miserably, "Why now of all times, ugh..."

"It seems I have no choice but to attend tomorrow's Devil Sword Convention!"

"I was still too careless. I overlooked that since the Four Great Sacred Grounds found a way to infiltrate Demon Imperial City back then, they naturally also found a way to secretly embed people there... especially with the Ming King as an inside informant!"

"Now I can only hope that the matter of the Primordial Profound Ark hasn't been exposed. Otherwise..."

***

Night faded, and dawn broke. The Supreme Ocean Palace, silent throughout the night, remained exceptionally quiet. However, an abnormally powerful profound energy surged above the palace, seemingly foreshadowing a significant event.

This surging profound energy also roused Yun Che from his meditation. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh. Last night, he only wanted to recover as much as possible from his injuries and regain his state. But things went awry. With Jasmine gone and the severe implications behind Xiao Yun's disappearance, he felt restless all night, and his recovery was slower than usual.

In the corner of the hall, behind a screen, Jasmine's barrier remained silent. For seven years, whenever he encountered a major event, he would consult with Jasmine. This was the first time Jasmine wasn't by his side, and his heart was filled with an emptiness far greater than he expected, even a slight feeling of being at a loss.

He rose, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the hall, immediately seeing Feng Xue'er and Xia Yuanba, who had been waiting outside.

"Brother Yun, are your injuries feeling better?" Feng Xue'er, like a fluttering flower, came forward, asking with concern.

"Yes, much better." Yun Che glanced around, noticing the entire hall was empty, devoid of any other human presence. He then asked, "Have your master and the others already gone to the Devil Sword Convention?"

"Yes!" Xia Yuanba nodded. "Master and the others left half an hour ago. Master originally wanted to visit Brother-in-Law, and other True Masters and elders also wished to see him, but I told them you were injured and needed quiet recovery, so they didn't insist."

"Half an hour ago? How much longer until the Devil Sword Convention begins?" Yun Che raised an eyebrow, asking.

"Less than half an hour... Brother-in-Law, your expression seems strange. Has something happened?" Xia Yuanba, observing his demeanor, blurted out.

"...Let's go to the Devil Sword Convention." Yun Che didn't explain, taking Feng Xue'er's hand and walking out.

As they exited the Grand Cloud Hall, Yun Che was about to ask Xia Yuanba for directions to the Devil Sword Convention when he saw True Master Gu Cang standing in the courtyard, dressed in white robes, holding a white whisk, and wearing a gentle, faint smile.

"Master, why are you still here? Didn't you already go to the Sea God Platform?" Xia Yuanba asked in surprise.

True Master Gu Cang smiled faintly, his gaze turning to Yun Che. "I thought it would be better to go with you. Young friend Yun, it seems your injuries are quite severe, and your profound energy is greatly depleted. However, fortunately, your injuries are stable. You only need some time to recuperate; there are no major concerns. For this Devil Sword Convention, you may simply observe; do not force yourself to act."

Yun Che stepped forward and said, "Thank you, Senior Gu, for your concern. Due to my injuries, although I'm temporarily residing in the Grand Cloud Pavilion, I haven't visited the seniors of the Sacred Grounds. I hope you'll forgive me."

"It's alright," True Master Gu Cang chuckled and shook his head, not asking why Yun Che was injured or how he survived the Moon Slaying Devil Cave. He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the sky. "In another half an hour, a phenomenon of thirteen stars aligning will appear in the heavens, which is the critical moment to unlock the secret of the Devil Sword. Although it's still a bit early, all the heroes of the Profound Sky have gathered at the Sea God Platform. We should also depart."

Above the firmament, the round sun shone brightly, with no anomalies whatsoever. The floating Supreme Ocean Palace remained quiet, with no one in sight. From the central direction, an incredibly astonishing aura emanated from afar. That place must be the Sea God Platform, where almost all the top powerhouses of the Profound Sky Continent had gathered, and where the Devil Sword Convention was being held. It was about twelve to thirteen li away. This distance also somewhat eased Yun Che's mind.