Chapter 1579: Sin Cloud Clan
Deep within the Zhongxu Realm.
Fierce winds swept through, their roar shaking the heavens, severely limiting visibility. This was the center of the Zhongxu Realm, a true land of calamity, where every gust of wind that passed carried a terrifying power of destruction.
The space where Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er stood, however, was completely silent; the storm was entirely blocked out by their power, unable to infiltrate even the slightest bit.
Yun Shang stood obediently by Yun Che's side, her held hand covered in sweat. She didn't know who the two people beside her were, nor why they had saved her, and she was even more uncertain of what fate awaited her.
Her delicate body was tense, still not having recovered from the image of the world's destruction she had witnessed earlier... Life and death, in the face of such power and calamity, were so insignificant that one couldn't even feel cruelty.
Yun Che turned. His hand flipped, grasping the girl's wrist. As his aura surged into her, she let out a startled cry. Immediately, a deep purple light emerged on her arm... Even through her white clothes, it was bright enough to be dazzling.
"It seems to be a kind of bloodline power," Qianye Ying'er said. "Earlier, when Lu Bubai sealed off her profound energy, she could still release it. Only such an extremely rare bloodline power could do that."
Bloodline power was something ordinary people would find hard to understand. But Qianye Ying'er was not an ordinary existence... In fact, their Fantian Clan possessed not only extremely strong Fantian Soul Power, but also a unique divine power within their bloodline.
The girl trembled slightly, too nervous to speak. Her bright eyes held not only fear but also deep surprise... Why could he make this power of mine manifest on its own?
Looking at the purple light mark on the girl's arm, Yun Che's gaze narrowed slightly.
Because this was clearly...
Xuan Gang!
The unique Xuan Gang of his Yun Clan!
Furthermore, the lightning that the girl had released towards Lu Bubai while escaping from the cage... the lightning laws it contained were also extremely similar to his clan's family technique, "Purple Cloud Art"!
Xuan Gang... Purple Cloud Art... And this girl's surname was Yun...
"Where is your clan? Why are you being hunted by the Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace?" Yun Che asked. "The 'Sin Clan' they mentioned, what's that about?"
Yun Shang's lips parted, but she didn't speak, obviously still afraid... Even though Yun Che had saved her from Lu Bubai's hands.
"Rest assured, since I saved you, I won't harm you," Yun Che said, his tone softening slightly. "Besides, my surname is also Yun."
His words didn't have much effect... Having gone through a dramatic change in destiny, Yun Che had undergone a tremendous transformation from the inside out. It was as if his entire being was shrouded in gloom, and his gaze was as cold and deep as an abyss. Even a single glance from him could send a chill down one's spine.
Moreover, Yun Shang was just a girl not yet twenty years old. She had just witnessed his terror, and he was standing so close to her.
But at that moment, her fear-filled eyes fixed on a spot on Yun Che's neck... Then she took the initiative to speak, murmuring very softly: "A Liuyin Stone..."
Yun Che: "?"
"Did your daughter give it to you?" Her lips moved, her voice soft, but the question was somewhat abrupt.
"..." Yun Che's expression shifted slightly. He answered, "Yes... How did you know?"
He asked the last question almost unconsciously.
"Because, before Father left, I carved my voice into a Liuyin Stone... They said only childish girls would like such childish things. But Father loved it very much and wore it around his neck... Just like you."
Yun Che: "..."
"A person as powerful as you, yet you wear such an ordinary stone... So, it must be a gift from your daughter too." Yun Shang lifted her face to look at him, and before she knew it, her eyes were misty with tears. "It's just... just... I beg you, please don't deceive your daughter, okay?"
"...What do you mean?" Yun Che's brow furrowed slightly.
"Father said he would protect me all my life, that he would never let anyone hurt me. But... but... he lied... he never came back." Yun Shang's voice trembled, and tears streamed down her face. The Liuyin Stone around Yun Che's neck had touched the deepest wound in her heart.
"You..." It felt as if his soul had been cruelly pierced by a venomous blade. Yun Che's entire body shook violently, and all color drained from his face in an instant.
Qianye Ying'er stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder.
Yun Shang didn't notice Yun Che's distress. Her gaze remained fixed on the Liuyin Stone around his neck. "What a beautiful Liuyin Stone. You must have a daughter who loves you very much. I beg you... please don't deceive her... okay?"
Because she knew how cruel that kind of "deception" was.
"Shut up!" Qianye Ying'er said coldly. "Don't say another word!"
To the Yun Che of now, there were few things in the world that could move him... not even death.
But the girl's soul-stricken, lost whisper, stirred by the Liuyin Stone, was the cruelest torture in the world for him.
"..." Yun Che's chest heaved violently. It took him several breaths to calm down. He gritted his teeth, about to speak, but when he saw the tears slowly rolling down the girl's cheeks, and her tear-filled eyes that wouldn't leave the Liuyin Stone, the words about to leave his mouth were stuck in his throat.
Yun Che swung his arm, shaking off Qianye Ying'er's hand. He lowered his posture slightly and said, "Yun Shang, listen. Answer my questions... If you answer honestly, I promise... I will send you back to your clan!"
"Ah..." The girl's beautiful eyes trembled. She wiped her face vigorously and said, "You... you're not lying?"
"I promise I won't lie to you!" Yun Che said, his gaze firm. "In the name of a father!"
"But, isn't the matter of our 'Sin Clan' supposed to be known to everyone?" Yun Shang said in confusion. In her understanding, not only her own realm, but the middle and lower realms as well, should all know about it.
"Then just tell me what you know," Yun Che said. "First answer me: what is your clan called, and in which star realm is it located?"
"..." Qianye Ying'er's golden brows furrowed at Yun Che's attitude towards Yun Shang. She glanced sideways at Yun Shang, and deep within her eyes, a veiled killing intent flashed.
"The Sin Cloud Clan," Yun Shang answered. "That's what everyone calls our clan. The star realm we are in is called the Qianhuang Realm."
"Why are you called the Sin Cloud Clan?" Yun Che continued. The word "sin" clearly branded an eternal mark of guilt on this family.
The girl's face dimmed slightly. She said softly, "Because our clan once committed an unforgivable sin... I heard from Father that long ago, our clan was called the 'Tiangang Cloud Clan,' and even the star realm was not called the Qianhuang Realm, but the 'Tiangang Cloud Realm.' At that time, our clan was the strongest ruling family. Our ancestors and the clan leader of that era were the great realm kings of the star realm."
"What great sin did your ancestors commit?" Yun Che asked.
Yun Shang said, "Over ten thousand years ago, the clan leader... and the Second Clan Leader of that time had a major disagreement in their will. Later, one day, the Second Clan Leader, along with many clansmen who shared his will, fled the Tiangang Cloud Realm... and also escaped the Northern God Region."
"Escaped the Northern God Region?" Qianye Ying'er snorted. "Isn't that suicide?"
If a demon from the Northern God Region was discovered by someone from another god region, they would be hunted down and killed. The stronger the demon, the easier it was to find. And Yun Shang referred to that person as the "Second Clan Leader," meaning his dark profound force must have been extremely powerful... and it wasn't just him, but a group fleeing together.
Given the sensitivity of the three divine regions to dark profound force, in Qianye Ying'er's view, this was indeed no different from suicide.
"I heard from Father that the Second Clan Leader back then found a way to completely dispel his own dark profound force," Yun Shang said, a statement that would shock anyone who heard it.
Yun Che: "..."
"Oh?" Qianye Ying'er frowned slightly. "Once dark profound force merges with you, it's impossible to get rid of, and it must be inherited. Once you become a demon, all descendants are demons. I've never heard of the darkness in one's profound force being completely washed away. If it were truly possible, then the demons of the Northern God Region would have long since fled in droves."
Yun Shang's lips parted, but she didn't know how to refute.
"Is the price to get rid of the dark profound force that you must first abolish all your own profound power?" Yun Che suddenly asked.
"Yes." Yun Shang thought for a moment and nodded lightly. Among the things she knew, this was indeed mentioned.
"If only a portion of the clansmen left, that would merely be an internal clan matter. Why did it lead to your clan becoming a 'Sin Clan'?" Yun Che continued.
"Because when they fled the Northern God Region, they took a 'Sacred Artifact' that our family had guarded for generations."
"What Sacred Artifact?"
"I don't know." The girl shook her head. "I heard from Father that among the entire clan, only the clan leader should know what it is. Even Father doesn't know. That 'Sacred Artifact' had always been guarded by our family. Ten thousand years ago, the clan leader was preparing to offer that Sacred Artifact to a King Realm... It seems that because of this, the Second Clan Leader fled the Northern God Region with the Sacred Artifact."
Yun Che: "..."
"That incident enraged the King Realm greatly. They said our clan had offered the Sacred Artifact to the three divine regions, an unforgivable betrayal and great sin, and they imposed a terrible sanction on our clan."
"All the seniors who guarded the Sacred Artifact back then were killed. The clan leader was severely wounded and was cursed with a terrible, permanent curse. The former 'Tiangang Cloud City' became the 'Sin Domain' that imprisoned our clan, and the Tiangang Cloud Clan became the 'Sin Cloud Clan,' bearing the brand of sin."
Yun Shang said these words calmly, without sadness or resentment towards the injustice of fate. She was born in the "Sin Domain" and grew up bearing the name of the "Sin Clan," so she was long used to it.
"Is the Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace also in the 'Qianhuang Realm' where your clan is located?" Yun Che asked.
"Yes." The girl nodded. "Unless our clan members get permission from the 'Thousand Wilds Divine Cult,' they are not allowed to leave the 'Sin Domain' casually. If anyone leaves without permission, anyone can attack and kill them. Father was..."
Her voice faded, and she lowered her head. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer: "This is my first time leaving the 'Sin Domain.' Because our clan's 'Great Calamity' is approaching. The clan leader said that no matter what, I had to be sent away to escape... but... but..."
"Great Calamity? What is that?" Yun Che asked again.
"..." This time, Yun Shang was silent for a long time before speaking softly: "The King Realm... appointed the Thousand Wilds Divine Cult as the overseer and punisher of the Sin Cloud Clan. If the Sacred Artifact is not found, a hundred of our clan members are killed each year... If it's not found in a thousand years, half of our clan is slaughtered... If it's not found in ten thousand years, they can impose any sanction, including completely annihilating our entire clan."
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