Chapter 857: Tormented Waiting

Xiao Yun was about to introduce the Ice Cloud Asgard to Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou when he suddenly heard Mu Yurou's words, causing his legs to go weak with shock, almost making him collapse to the ground.

The young women of the Ice Palace also blushed faintly, their faces like jade, and they stared in stunned silence.

Murong Qianxue stepped forward and respectfully said, "Patriarch Yun, Madam Yun, we are disciples of the Ice Cloud Asgard from the Profound Sky Continent. Yun Che is our Palace Master. Half a year ago, Palace Master Yun rescued our Asgard from great danger and bestowed upon us the grace of rebirth. This time, he brought us here to preserve all our lives. We apologize for the intrusion and are deeply apprehensive."

"Oh?" Yun Qinghong nodded, a puzzled expression on his face. "So that's it. I've heard Che'er mention the Ice Cloud Asgard before. However, when he described your palace, he mentioned that you only accept female disciples. Why then did Che'er become your Palace Master?"

"That is a long story," Murong Qianxue replied gravely. "Without Palace Master Yun, the Ice Cloud Asgard would no longer exist in this world."

"Father," Xiao Yun said, "I will explain the full details to you later. The Ice Cloud Asgard has two thousand disciples, and this is their first time in the Illusory Demon Realm; they have nowhere to go. Before Big Brother returns, please help us arrange temporary accommodation for them."

"Yes, of course," Yun Qinghong nodded without hesitation. Yun Che bringing them all to the Illusory Demon Realm showed how much he valued the Ice Cloud Asgard. After a brief thought, he said to Murong Qianxue, "If you don't mind, would the various fairies consider staying in my Yun Family's separate courtyard until Che'er returns? Please also be assured that I know from Che'er that the Ice Cloud Asgard is unique and aloof from the mundane world. I will issue an order that no one is to approach the courtyard and disturb your peace. Outside the Yun Family, no one would dare to offend you either."

Murong Qianxue bowed deeply in gratitude. "In that case, Murong Qianxue, on behalf of all the disciples of the Ice Cloud Asgard, thanks Patriarch Yun and Madam Yun."

*Bang!* With a loud crash, the Yun Family's main gate was violently thrown open, accompanied by a booming shout: "Qibao, Qibao!!"

"Father!?" Under Heaven's Seventh turned in surprise, seeing Under Heaven's Great Hero storming in like a whirlwind.

"Father," Under Heaven's First quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Under Heaven's Great Hero, however, completely ignored Under Heaven's First, sweeping past him to rush towards Under Heaven's Seventh. He shouted excitedly, "My Qibao, you've finally returned! You've never been away from me for more than three days since you were little, but this time you were gone for half a year. Your father missed you terribly!"

Under Heaven's Seventh's mouth opened slightly, and her body swiftly retreated, hiding behind Xiao Yun. This left Under Heaven's Great Hero embracing empty air. He stood with his arms outstretched, looking wistfully at Under Heaven's Seventh, who was hiding behind Xiao Yun, and said with great hurt, "It's only been half a year, and you're already... already not close to your father..."

"Ahem, father-in-law," Xiao Yun quickly and cautiously explained, "Actually... Seventh Sister is currently six months pregnant, so..."

"What!?" Under Heaven's Great Hero leaped up, his roar making Xiao Yun's eardrums buzz.

"Is... is this true?" Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou also looked surprised and delighted.

"Of course, it's true," Under Heaven's First said helplessly. "Father, if Seventh Sister hadn't dodged just now, you might have hurt your unborn grandchild."

Under Heaven's Great Hero pushed Xiao Yun aside and grabbed Under Heaven's Seventh's arm. "Come on! Qibao, hurry and come home with your father. You're pregnant now; you absolutely cannot run around outside anymore."

"Go home? No way!" Under Heaven's Seventh recoiled. "I want to be with Brother Yun."

"This... how can this greenhorn take good care of you? You're carrying your father's grandchild now. What if... what if something goes wrong..." Under Heaven's Great Hero became anxious.

"Enough, Brother Tianxia," Yun Qinghong quickly intervened. "You're truly anxious because you care too much. There's no reason to forcibly pull a married daughter back to her maiden home. Besides, Seventh Sister is now a princess personally granted by the Little Demon Empress."

*Bang!* With another loud crash, the Yun Family's main gate, which had just been closed, was violently flung open again. A joyous, hearty laugh echoed almost throughout the entire Yun Family: "Hahahaha, Che'er, your maternal grandfather is here to see you!"

Mu Feiyan swaggered in with his three sons, Mu Yubai, Mu Yuqing, and Mu Yukong, then was immediately startled by the scene before him. Mu Feiyan's gaze swept around several times, but he couldn't find Yun Che. He instantly glared and demanded, "Where's Che'er? Where is he? Didn't he come back with you?"

"Father, please don't get agitated," Mu Yurou said softly. "Che'er is back, but he's injured and is currently healing with the Golden Crow Divine Spirit. He should be out soon..."

"What!!" Mu Feiyan's hair and beard bristled, and explosive rage surged. "Who! Which bastard injured Che'er? Tell me, who was it! I'll tear him to shreds and mince him into paste!"

"Give it a rest, Father," Mu Yubai grimaced. "With the Little Demon Empress there, that bastard who hurt Che'er must have been incinerated into nothingness long ago. You wouldn't even get a turn."

"..." Xiao Yun opened his mouth, then still spoke softly, "Actually... actually, the Little Demon Empress didn't fight that person either. She was also injured and forced to burn her Source Blood... All of us almost died there."

Xiao Yun's few words struck Mu Feiyan and the others like a clap of thunder, their faces turning pale with shock. Yun Qinghong grabbed Xiao Yun, his gaze piercing as he asked, "You said... the Little Demon Empress was also injured? And forced to burn her Source Blood?"

"This... how is this possible?" Mu Yukong said, his face filled with horror. "How could anyone in this world be a match for the Little Demon Empress... How?!"

"Not a single word Xiao Yun said was an exaggeration," Under Heaven's First sighed heavily.

Mu Feiyan, Under Heaven's Great Hero, Yun Qinghong, and the others exchanged glances, utterly unable to believe their ears. Yun Qinghong released Xiao Yun's hand, his brows furrowed tightly, and said solemnly, "Yun'er, tell us everything that happened after you went to the Profound Sky Continent, in full detail."

"Allow me to explain," Under Heaven's First stepped forward.

Immediately, Under Heaven's First recounted everything that had happened since they arrived in the Profound Sky Continent. He spoke with as much detail and precision as possible, especially concerning Xuanyuan Wentian, from how he abducted Xiao Yun to how he pushed everyone to the brink of despair.

Even after he finished narrating up to their return to the Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Qinghong and the others remained deeply immersed in extreme shock, unable to recover for a long time.

"The Ming King was actually... just a pawn... just a pawn..." Under Heaven's Great Hero muttered, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Where exactly did Xuanyuan Wentian's power come from? And why wasn't even the Little Demon Empress his match?" The shock on Mu Feiyan's face refused to dissipate.

"I have told you everything I know," Under Heaven's First said solemnly. "However, I spent most of my time in Floating Cloud City. Brother Yun and Princess Snow must know more about the reasons and secrets behind it. They might know the cause of Xuanyuan Wentian's transformation."

"If all of this is true, then Xuanyuan Wentian is more than ten times more terrifying than the Ming King," Yun Qinghong said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Under Heaven's Great Hero suddenly thought of something, his expression subtly changing. He said gravely, "Since Xuanyuan Wentian's current strength is so terrifying, and he's quite obsessed with the Mirror of Samsara, he will certainly attack our Illusory Demon Realm once his injuries heal... Back then, they could forcibly build a spatial profound formation connecting two continents; there's no reason they couldn't do it now. No! I must immediately inform the entire city and all border regions. From today onwards, we must maintain vigilance day and night."

"Hold on, Brother Tianxia," Yun Qinghong called out, stopping him. "This matter should not be publicized for now. The Little Demon Empress's absolute authority is primarily based on her absolute strength. If news of her defeat spreads, it will undoubtedly cause panic. This matter should be kept secret for now, and she can decide what to do once she returns from the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley."

"Hm, Qinghong makes a good point," Mu Feiyan nodded slightly. "Let's not publicize this for now. Since Xuanyuan Wentian is so gravely injured, he certainly won't make any reckless moves anytime soon. Let's wait for the Little Demon Empress to return before making any decisions."

"Alas, we just quelled the Duke Huai rebellion, and the Little Demon Empress reigns supreme. We thought the Illusory Demon Realm's troubles were over, but who would have thought..." Under Heaven's Great Hero sighed deeply. "This truly is a time of great turmoil."

Xiao Lie, Xiao Lingxi, Cang Yue, and all the disciples of the Ice Cloud Asgard now resided in the Yun Family estate.

Yun Qinghong regarded Xiao Lie as his own father, greeting him morning and evening and personally attending to all his needs. He also took great care of Xiao Lingxi, fearing she might suffer even the slightest hardship.

As the young master's wife, Cang Yue immediately held a distinguished position within the Yun Family. Mu Yurou grew fonder of her daughter-in-law each day, constantly pulling her aside to ask about various things concerning her and Yun Che.

Xiao Yun and Under Heaven's Seventh did not return to the King's Mansion. Instead, they stayed with the Yun Family to accompany Xiao Lie, happily awaiting the arrival of their little one each day.

The Ice Cloud Asgard was also settled in the Yun Family's separate courtyard, personally arranged by Yun Qinghong.

Any single woman from the Ice Palace was enough to stun onlookers, let alone so many appearing at once. In its thousand-year history, the Ice Cloud Asgard had never appeared en masse in the mortal world. The commotion they caused upon entering the Yun Family could well be imagined. The Yun Family disciples, regardless of age, were all dumbfounded, as if in a dream. However, Yun Qinghong's subsequent prohibition severely dashed their hopes, leaving them to gaze longingly at the courtyard walls from afar, even approaching being a luxury.

The Mu Family sent several people to guard the entrance of the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley, but after a day and a night, the profound formation at the entrance reclosed, and still no one emerged.

Seven days... Ten days... Fifteen days... A month... An entire month passed, and the Little Demon Empress and Yun Che still had not emerged from the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. This time, even Yun Qinghong could no longer maintain his composure. For several consecutive days, he would arrive alone at the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley before dawn, anxiously watching for changes in the sealing profound formation.

He could only comfort himself repeatedly that nothing must have happened to Yun Che. Otherwise, the Little Demon Empress and the girl known as Princess Snow would have long since left the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley...

There must be some important reason why they remained inside.

Amidst such self-reassurance and increasingly anxious waiting, three full months slowly passed in considerable agony.

Meanwhile, a dark cloud, unbeknownst to them, quietly began to shroud the Illusory Demon Realm.