# Chapter 1580: The Trembling Sword Venerable
"The Northern Divine Region has three king realms: Yan Mo, Fen Yue, and Jie Hun," Qianye Ying'er suddenly spoke. "Which one of these king realms are you referring to?"
"...Fen Yue." Faced with Qianye Ying'er, Yun Shang was visibly more nervous, and her voice had dropped significantly.
"Hmph. For the Fen Yue Demon God Realm to be so enraged, it seems the 'sacred object' your clan guards is no simple thing."
As a fellow king realm, what Qianye Ying'er knew about the king realms of the Northern Divine Region was neither too much nor too little.
Especially...
A woman's figure flashed through her mind... along with the name that made the king realm rulers of all three divine regions shiver with dread.
Yun Che asked no more questions. He straightened his body, gazing into the distance, his line of sight fixed for a long, long time. Then, he suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Yun Shang's head. A flash of profound light glowed in his palm, and Yun Shang's body trembled slightly before she went completely limp and collapsed to the ground.
Yun Che shifted his stance, scooping her body up. He pointed at her brow, and the Arcane Firmament Force instantly invaded her soul sea. He quickly released her again.
He did not read her memories; he only confirmed the truth of what she had just said... The fact was, she had not lied a single word.
Yun Clan... Arcane Firmament Force... Purple Lightning... Ten thousand years...
Too consistent. Everything was too consistent.
So consistent it made one's hair stand on end.
Glancing at the young woman unconscious in Yun Che's arms, Qianye Ying'er said, "Now you should explain everything to me clearly!"
"She should be my clansman," Yun Che said.
"Your... clansman?" Qianye Ying'er's delicate brow furrowed slightly. This was the Northern Divine Region.
Yun Che extended his left arm, and a cyan light flashed into existence in an instant.
The might released by this cyan light surpassed Yun Shang's by who knows how many times. But its shape, and that unique bloodline divine aura, were almost identical.
Qianye Ying'er was silent for a moment, then said, "The Celestial Cloud Clan that escaped the Northern Divine Region back then... Are you their descendant?"
"Very likely," Yun Che said. "Because the time, surname, profound art, Arcane Firmament Force... they all match perfectly."
"And your dark profound power—did you inherit it from them?" Qianye Ying'er asked. But immediately, her expression changed. "No! The Yun Clan of the Illusion Demon Realm that you belong to, your parents, your daughter, your clansmen—none of them possess dark profound power. Otherwise, I would not have been completely unaware."
During the time she was Yun Che's slave, she had come into contact with almost everyone around him.
Yun Che did not put down the sleeping young woman in his arms. Whether he had forgotten or subconsciously didn't want to, he gazed into the distance and said, somewhat absentmindedly, "The origin of our Yun Clan in the Illusion Demon Realm dates back ten thousand years... Before that, neither Illusion Demon history nor our ancestral records have any records."
Qianye Ying'er: "..."
"Ten thousand years ago, after many years of conquest, the Illusion Demon Royal Clan finally unified the Illusion Demon Realm. Our Yun Clan contributed greatly and thus ranked first among the Twelve Guardian Clans. Our unique Arcane Firmament Force was known to all. But for such a powerful clan, with such a special Arcane Firmament Force, to have no records in Illusion Demon history before that—that in itself is highly abnormal."
"I once heard from my father that the Illusion Demon Royal Clan had done our Yun Clan a great favor back then, so our ancestors decided to abandon the past entirely and henceforth be loyal to the Illusion Demon Royal Clan. But even my father probably didn't fully believe that explanation."
"It was just that as time passed, no one cared anymore about where the Yun Clan had really originated."
Qianye Ying'er stared at Yun Che's current expression. Clearly, he had been deeply shaken.
Yun Che closed his eyes, slowly describing the picture that had unconsciously taken shape in his mind: "Ten thousand years ago, the Celestial Cloud Clan, which ruled the Celestial Cloud Realm, faced internal disagreements and coveted their guarded 'sacred object.' The second clan leader and some clansmen fled the Celestial Cloud Clan with the sacred object, escaping from the Northern Divine Region. They journeyed east in a desperate flight and eventually landed in the Illusion Demon Realm of the Lan Ji Star."
"By some special method, at the cost of dispersing all their cultivation and the true demon bloodline they carried, they shed their dark profound power... but the demon firmament force deeply implanted in their bloodline was miraculously preserved and renamed 'Arcane Firmament Force.'"
"In the plane of the Lan Ji Star, their speed of re-cultivation and the upper limit they could reach were incomparable to their time in the Northern Divine Region. Very likely, they suffered a great disaster before they could fully grow, were saved by the Illusion Demon Royal Clan, and thus decided that the entire clan would follow them."
"It was both to repay a debt of gratitude and to use this to establish a new identity and future for the entire clan."
"Although limited by the plane, their profound Dao knowledge still allowed them to quickly become the strongest clan in the Illusion Demon Realm. They helped the Illusion Demon Royal Clan unify the Illusion Demon Realm and became the first among the Twelve Guardian Clans. In status within the Illusion Demon Realm, they were second only to the Illusion Demon Royal Clan."
"From then on, their identity was that of the Illusion Demon Royal Clan's guardian clan. No one would know their origins or past. The Northern Divine Region, and the Celestial Cloud Clan, could never find them, now devoid of dark aura."
"But the surname they refused to change, the special divine power flowing in their bloodline, and the lightning profound art they practiced—these were all indelible marks."
Yun Che's account undoubtedly told Qianye Ying'er that this was not merely his conjecture and imagination. She frowned and said, "Is it really that consistent? Wait... what about that 'sacred object'? Does that also have a 'consistency'?"
"That 'sacred object' is on me," Yun Che said, opening his eyes, a peculiar light flickering within them.
"What is it?"
"You shouldn't ask."
"Hmph." Qianye Ying'er snorted.
When he had returned to the Illusion Demon Realm back then, one thing had always puzzled Yun Che.
That was, everyone knew the "Samsara Mirror" was the supreme treasure of the Illusion Demon Royal Clan. But when he brought the Samsara Mirror back to the Illusion Demon Realm, the Little Demon Empress took the Demon Emperor Seal from his hand... yet never asked him for the Samsara Mirror.
Not only the Little Demon Empress, but even Yun Qinghong, who was utterly loyal to the Illusion Demon Royal Clan, had never mentioned that he should return the Samsara Mirror to the Illusion Demon Royal Clan.
Later, when he married the Little Demon Empress, he casually asked about this matter. The Little Demon Empress directly said she had given the Samsara Mirror to him as a dowry... oh no, as a betrothal gift.
A supreme treasure guarded for generations by a royal clan, never forcefully reclaimed after its return, but instead... one could say it was casually given to him. Moreover, the Little Demon Empress was an extremely strong-willed and principled person.
At the time, although Yun Che found it somewhat illogical, since it was a good thing that greatly benefited him, he naturally had no need to delve deeper.
Now, thinking back... the Samsara Mirror might have originally been something belonging to his Yun family.
Perhaps a certain clan head had offered it to the Illusion Demon Royal Clan... but the second clan leader back then had preferred to flee with it rather than let it fall into the hands of the king realm, so this possibility was very small.
Or perhaps, because it had been exposed for some reason, to avoid covetousness, it was publicly declared to be the property of the Illusion Demon Royal Clan, while actually remaining in the Yun family all along... The fact that Yun Qinghong and his wife had brought the Samsara Mirror to the Tian Xuan Continent back then was excellent proof.
If it were just one or two coincidences, that might still be possible. But when everything, even the unique objects, matched perfectly... no matter how unbelievable, one had to believe it.
"So, the origin of our Yun Clan might actually be in this demon region..." Yun Che let out a light breath. This was something he could never have imagined before. It was impossible to envision how his father would have reacted if he were still alive and learned this truth.
"Are you going to confirm this matter?" Qianye Ying'er asked.
"I will go," Yun Che said. "But not now. For the next half year, we will stay here. This place is indeed the most suitable for us at present."
"And her?" Qianye Ying'er glanced at Yun Shang.
"Let her follow us." Yun Che's eyes flickered with a momentary evasion. The young woman in his arms... she was not Yun Wuxin, but the sensation of her safely curling up in his arms brought a touch of emotion he knew was illusory but didn't want to shatter. "Since I promised to send her back, I will naturally do so."
Qianye Ying'er tilted her lips slightly, folded her arms, and said in a dark and eerie tone, "Follow us? So she can watch us cultivate every day? Meaning, you want to play some new games during your cultivation breaks?"
Yun Che put Yun Shang down and placed a small barrier around her to prevent her from being harmed by the storm. When he stood up, his eyes were already cold and deep. "For the next six months, I will completely refine the Ice Phoenix divine power within my body, along with fusing the demon blood and absorbing the aura here. After half a year, even if I cannot become a Divine Sovereign, it will be enough to reach the Divine King realm."
"As for you... besides serving as my furnace, you should also begin formally cultivating your Heaven's Calamity Demon Art."
"With the Demon Emperor's blood as the source, the Eternal Night Illusion Demon Scripture as the foundation, plus your status as the Brahma Emperor's Divine Daughter... after half a year, do not let me down."
"And what about our profound power?" Qianye Ying'er asked flatly.
"If I reach the Divine King realm, then you will reach the Divine Sovereign realm. If I reach the Divine Sovereign, then... you can return to the Divine Lord realm." Yun Che spoke in a cold, calm tone, saying words any profound practitioner would find utterly outrageous.
Qianye Ying'er's eyes moved, and her golden brows sank slightly. "You are controlling my recovery?"
"In this world, only I can restore your profound veins," Yun Che said coldly. "Before I truly master the 'Eternal Dark Calamity' and can completely control you, I will not let your strength surpass mine!"
Qianye Ying'er's golden eyes narrowed, and she let out a faint laugh. "Although letting me recover sooner would only benefit you, I quite appreciate your choice."
Roooar!!
A terrifying storm swept in, engulfing the figures of Yun Che and Qianye Ying'er, and swallowing everything in sight.
The core of the Central Wasteland Realm — a calamitous place that made all profound practitioners of the Five Netherworld Wasteland Realms tremble with fear — had become Yun Che's chosen training ground for this stage.
...
At the border of the Central Wasteland Realm.
The great realm kings of the Eastern Wasteland Realm, Western Wasteland Realm, and Northern Wasteland Realm had all perished in the Central Wasteland Realm. The chaos in these three realms could well be imagined.
The Central Wasteland Realm was controlled by the Nanhuang Divine Kingdom, which had issued a strict ban: no profound practitioner was to set foot within.
Just as the Five Netherworld Wasteland Realms were in great turmoil, a terrifying aura was rushing toward the Central Wasteland Realm at incredible speed, carrying skyward fury. But just as it approached the Central Wasteland border, a sudden woman's voice made him slow down.
"Zang Jian Venerable, what brings you here?"
This person was none other than the Zang Jian Palace Lord of the Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace, and Bei Hanchu's master — Zang Jian Venerable!
He had chased after the fleeing, criminal Cloud Clan members and brought the captured ones back to the Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace. On the way, he received a sound transmission from Bei Hanchu, learning that he had accidentally captured a young woman from the criminal clan who was being fiercely protected and was certainly of no ordinary status.
He had been waiting at the Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace for the return of Bei Hanchu and Lu Bubai, but what he got was the news that both of their soul crystals had shattered.
He rushed over like a madman.
"Who are you?" he asked in a low voice. The woman before him was dressed in a dazzling golden palace robe and wore a crown of colored pearls and jade. Her face was not visible, but she exuded an extraordinary nobility.
A Divine Spirit realm profound aura, yet she dared to block his path.
"I am Nan Huang Chan Yi," the woman said, her voice as soft as water. "Since Zang Jian Venerable is Bei Hanchu's master, you should know my name."
"So you are that Nanhuang wench who had no eyes to recognize my Chu'er's worth?" Zang Jian Venerable's entire body surged with murderous aura, and a wave of pressure slammed toward Nan Huang Chan Yi. "You came just in time! Tell me, what exactly happened! Who killed Chu'er? Speak!"
"I killed him. What are you going to do about it?" Nan Huang Chan Yi said leisurely.
"You? Ha... a mere you?" In his fury, Zang Jian Venerable suddenly sensed something was wrong. Under his pressure, an ordinary Divine Spirit realm woman should have long been terrified and about to collapse, yet she was so calm!
"Yes, a mere me." Nan Huang Chan Yi's voice remained gentle. She slowly raised her finger, and a black ring came into Zang Jian Venerable's sight.
Zang Jian Venerable grew even angrier. He was about to sneer... but suddenly, his eyes seemed pierced by countless steel needles, bulging to their widest.
He stared fixedly at the black ring on Nan Huang Chan Yi's hand. His eyes, once full of fury, began to tremble violently. Then, his hands, his legs, and even his entire body went into a wild convulsion. Every expression on his face, every part of his being, was filled with extreme terror.
"You... you are..." He opened his mouth, but the voice that came out was completely distorted.
"I killed Bei Hanchu and Lu Bubai. Are you here to call me to account?" Nan Huang Chan Yi asked, her voice as soft as before.
But to Zang Jian Venerable's ears, it was like the most sinister, life-snatching demonic sound.
He frantically shook his head, shaking it like a madman, his pupils dilated to the point of almost bursting. His mouth kept opening wide, but before any sound could come out, his body went limp and he knelt down. "No... no... I wouldn't dare... please... spare... spare my life..."
"Go back and tell your head palace lord: for the next hundred years, no one from the Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace is to come within half a step of the Five Netherworld Wasteland Realms." Nan Huang Chan Yi spoke slowly. "Also, we 'shadows' cannot be known. If even a sliver is leaked, your Nine Radiance Heavenly Palace will be utterly destroyed."
She did not explain why she killed Bei Hanchu... because there was no need.
"Uh..." Zang Jian Venerable could hardly believe he might live. He nodded, kowtowed... Under the extreme shock and terror, it seemed he could do nothing else.