Chapter 292: News of the Cang Yun Continent
"Arcane Firmament?" Yun Che immediately recalled that when Ling Kun spoke of the demon people, he had mentioned that they possessed a special ability called "Arcane Firmament."
He never expected that Arcane Firmament would be such a powerful and bizarre thing. It seemed to be a type of profound art, yet it did not belong to any category of profound art that Yun Che knew of. From his battle with Arcane Firmament just now, as well as the demon's simple description, the power of this Arcane Firmament was astonishing and almost unbelievable. Its generation came not only from the profound veins but also from the life veins—this single point alone was nearly incomprehensible. Moreover, despite clearly being an energy form, it incredibly possessed a certain spirituality. It could exist independently, attack freely, and change in countless ways. Even if the demon were bound and unable to move, Arcane Firmament could act in his stead. When facing the demon in battle... the moment he released Arcane Firmament, it was undoubtedly equivalent to facing two enemies at once!
The vast world truly was full of wonders! Ling Yun's sword spirit clone was already impressive, but the power of this Arcane Firmament was several times greater than a sword spirit clone!
If he himself could use this Arcane Firmament, wouldn't his combat strength be directly and massively boosted!?
He probed carefully, "Senior, you said that Arcane Firmament is a Heaven-granted ability of a clan... Do you mean it is a unique profound art never taught to outsiders, or is it... an innate ability, something that outsiders cannot obtain through cultivation?"
"Definitely the latter!" The demon... or rather Yun Canghai's voice carried deep pride. "Among the Twelve Guardian Clans of the Huan Yao Realm, my Yun Clan rules as king! This is because of the Heaven-granted Arcane Firmament! It requires no cultivation, existing naturally within the bloodline of our clan. When one's profound power breaks through to the Heavenly Xuan Realm, it awakens directly."
As the demon spoke, his shackled left arm began to flicker with a cyan light. "According to records left by our ancestors, it is said that our royal Yun Clan carries a trace of bloodline from an ancient True God! And Arcane Firmament is that True God's unique ability!"
When speaking of Arcane Firmament, Yun Canghai's face was filled with pride. This was the ability granted to them by a legendary True God, and it was their greatest asset in dominating the Huan Yao Realm. He continued slowly, "The Arcane Firmament you saw is cyan. However, among my clansmen, the color of Arcane Firmament varies according to the strength of their talent. The colors, from weakest to strongest, are: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and gold. The strength of Arcane Firmament is determined at the moment of awakening; it is a lifelong, unchangeable talent. In my clan, over ninety percent of members have red to yellow Arcane Firmament. Those who awaken green Arcane Firmament are rare geniuses—green Arcane Firmament can unleash forty percent of one's own combat power. As for those who awaken cyan Arcane Firmament..."
Yun Canghai's arm flickered with proud cyan light. "Among my clan, they are one in ten thousand! It can unleash fifty percent of one's own combat power! Take me for example: I possess cyan Arcane Firmament. When I train alongside others, putting in equal effort, consuming equal resources, and reaching the same realm, because I have cyan Arcane Firmament, I gain a full fifty percent more combat power than they do! Such is the power of my clan's Arcane Firmament! Among those of the same level, members of my clan are virtually unbeatable! Even those with the lowest level, red Arcane Firmament, can easily defeat opponents of equal rank!"
Yun Che was deeply shaken... Yun Canghai was right. The existence of Arcane Firmament gave them overwhelming combat power against others at the same level. This Arcane Firmament was so powerful it was like a cheat code bestowed by the heavens. When facing an opponent with Arcane Firmament, you might be fighting one person, but you had to deal with two simultaneously!
Yun Che felt an uncontrollable wave of envy... With his various divine arts and the blood of two divine beasts, he could already unleash far greater combat power than others at his level. If he also possessed this Arcane Firmament, then not to mention those at the same level, he could probably crush opponents a whole major realm above him without any trouble.
Unfortunately, this was not an ability achievable through cultivation; it existed within the bloodline.
"What about blue Arcane Firmament? Is it even more powerful?" Yun Che asked.
"Naturally!" Yun Canghai nodded. "But those who awaken blue Arcane Firmament are destined to be geniuses among geniuses, appearing perhaps once in a million. Blue Arcane Firmament can unleash sixty percent of one's own combat power! As for purple Arcane Firmament, which can unleash as much as seventy percent, it is a mythological existence. In my clan's history, one appears on average once every eight thousand years. And once someone with blue Arcane Firmament appears, they are certain to become the strongest of the Huan Yao Realm!"
"What about... golden Arcane Firmament?" Yun Che asked.
The demon's eyes revealed a deep longing. His voice lowered as he slowly said, "That is a myth beyond myths, a divine Arcane Firmament that can never appear in my clan. Golden Arcane Firmament can unleash one hundred percent of one's combat power, and it is said to possess special abilities that other Arcane Firmaments do not. But such Arcane Firmament can only be wielded by the legendary ancient True Gods, and it belongs solely to the True Gods. It can never awaken in humans. Therefore, it is merely an extremely distant, ethereal legend that can never become reality."
"Oh..." Yun Che nodded casually. Now that he had eaten his fill and was in a better mood, coupled with Yun Che's proactive friendliness, the demon just kept talking endlessly. He narrated not only about the "Arcane Firmament" that dominated the Huan Yao Realm but also about the pride of their Guardian Royal Clan. Yun Che thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Since you claim to be human, why do the people of Tian Wei Sword Domain call you 'demon'? And what is that place you come from called the 'Huan Yao Realm'?"
"I am naturally human, but my Huan Yao Realm is different from your Tian Xuan Continent!" The demon said flatly. "As far as I know, in your Tian Xuan Continent, forty percent of living beings are human, sixty percent are beasts, and the remaining races combined are less than ten percent. In my Huan Yao Realm, thirty percent are human, thirty percent are demon, thirty percent are beast, and ten percent are spirits. Among these, some 'demon' metamorphose from flowers and herbs, others from birds, fish, and spirit beasts. Humans and demons coexist peacefully, with no distinction between them from the start. Even the differences between races are extremely mild, and intermarriage between the two races has always been unrestricted. In fact, aside from the Demon Emperor Clan and newly transformed demon spirits, it is nearly impossible to find pure humans or pure demons in the Huan Yao Realm."
"The Huan Yao Realm is ruled by the Demon Emperor. The Twelve Guardian Clans exist to protect the Demon Emperor Clan. Among these twelve clans, humans and demons each account for six. My Yun Clan is the king of the twelve Guardian Clans, a status that has never been shaken. Although I am human, I was born in the Huan Yao Realm and consider it my lifelong honor to protect the Demon Emperor Clan. So being called a 'demon' is not inappropriate."
In the Tian Xuan Continent, the term "demon" was naturally a derogatory label, and those branded with such a title would certainly be deeply uncomfortable. However, Yun Canghai showed not a trace of resentment toward this appellation; instead, he gave Yun Che the impression that "this is just how it is."
Before hearing about the "demon," Yun Che had never heard of the name "Huan Yao Realm," nor had he ever seen any records or legends about it. Clearly, it was a realm that only became known at a certain level. Now, from the demon's words, he vaguely understood what kind of world it was. It seemed to be adjacent to the Tian Xuan Continent, yet separated by an incredibly vast distance. Its composition of living beings was also very different from the Tian Xuan Continent.
So then... what about the Cang Yun Continent?
"Senior, I have something I wish to ask." Yun Che's heart began to stir, and an anticipation and nervousness he could not suppress crept into his voice. "Have you ever heard of... the Cang Yun Continent?"
Yun Canghai glanced at him. His expression made Yun Che's heart skip a beat... Then he heard him say slowly, "The planet we are on is called 'Lan Ji Star.' It is ninety-seven percent water and three percent land. That mere three percent land is divided among three continents... The first is the Tian Xuan Continent where we now stand. The second is the Huan Yao Realm. The third is what you just mentioned—the Cang Yun Continent."
Yun Che's heart shook violently. This was the first time in this life that he had heard the name "Cang Yun Continent" from someone else. The demon's words proved that not only did the Cang Yun Continent truly exist, but as Mo Li had said, it was in the same small world as the Tian Xuan Continent. He immediately asked excitedly, "Then do you know how to get to the Cang Yun Continent?"
"Between these three continents lies an ocean so vast you cannot imagine it. Relatively speaking, the Tian Xuan Continent and the Huan Yao Realm are quite close. The highest-level experts of both continents are also aware of each other's locations. Thus, as long as one has sufficient strength, one can cross the ocean between the two continents. However, as for the Cang Yun Continent, I have only heard its name. It exists in the ancient records of the Huan Yao Realm. If those records are correct, it indeed exists. But I have never heard of anyone reaching that continent, nor does anyone know where it is... Because this world is simply too vast. The endless blue ocean would cause anyone trying to explore it to lose their way, drain their strength, and ultimately find a watery grave. But what is certain is that it must be extremely far from both the Huan Yao Realm and the Tian Xuan Continent. Perhaps it lies at the most distant relative position within this small world."
Yun Che's excitement immediately dampened significantly. This powerful demon king of the Huan Yao Realm knew of the Cang Yun Continent's existence... but only knew of it. Even he had no idea where it was.
"Why are you suddenly so eager to ask about a place that exists only in legend?" Yun Canghai asked with a strange look.
Yun Che could not answer directly, so he simply said, "I have a reason that makes it necessary for me to go there."
Yun Canghai did not press further. Expressionless, he said, "If you have enough power, not to mention crossing a small world, you can roam even the vast and boundless mysterious space. Be it small worlds, great worlds, or mysterious star realms, you can traverse them at will... If you truly have such a reason, then make yourself stronger. Living beings belong to the world, but the world belongs to the strong!"
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