Chapter 297: Arcane Firmament Awakening
Yun Che, caught completely off guard, had finally found the first blood relative of his life. This was undoubtedly a joke played on him by fate... but Yun Che couldn't determine whether it was a kind joke or a malicious one.
Although he had found his family, he had already suffered a hundred years of misery. If such a thing happened to an outsider, he would only feel sympathy and pity. But when it happened to his own blood relative, it was a pain that pierced straight into his soul. Originally, killing the demon was the only way for him to escape from here. But now, the demon had become his grandfather. How could he, for the sake of his own freedom, lay a hand on the family he had so painstakingly found?
Yun Che stood up, grabbed the Dragon Gate, activated Heart Incineration, and threw a full-powered Phoenix Break upward.
The Phoenix Flame roared through the air, soaring upward and slamming fiercely against the ceiling... Then, with a soft "ding," the Phoenix Break scattered in midair, and not a single grain of sand fell from above, let alone any damage.
"It's useless," Yun Canghai shook his head. "The suppression of the Xingtian Sword is far more powerful than you imagine. Even if you were ten times stronger, you couldn't budge it in the slightest." He showed a kind smile and waved at Yun Che. "Come, come here to me. Let us, grandfather and grandson, have a good talk. I have so much I want to tell you."
With the recognition of their blood relationship, the atmosphere between them naturally changed drastically. As time passed and his heart calmed, Yun Che's grandfatherly identity became clearer and clearer in his mind. He stood before Yun Canghai, listening to every word he said.
The territory, structure, and customs of the Huan Yao Realm... the origins of the Yun Clan and their current state, as well as their connection with the Demon Emperor Clan... his past friendship with the Demon Emperor... the Xiao Yaohou who might now be ruling the Huan Yao Realm... the grudges of the Twelve Guardian Clans... the enmity between the Huan Yao Realm and the Four Sacred Grounds... the basic situation of the Four Sacred Grounds and their formidable strength...
Yun Canghai spoke to Yun Che without pause, and likewise, he wanted to know what Yun Che had experienced over the years and whether he had lived well. Yun Che told him about his childhood, about those years spent amidst mockery, contempt, and inferiority, about how he had gotten married... about how at the age of sixteen, he had met a powerful master, and his fate had taken a turn. Yun Canghai listened with extraordinary attention, afraid of missing a single word. His expression alternated between absent-mindedness, sighs, anger, and smiles... In Yun Che's voice, he poured out almost all of his emotions.
Yun Canghai held onto him and talked for three whole days and nights, wishing he could tell him everything he knew.
"Grandfather, don't worry. Heaven never seals off all exits. We'll definitely find a way to escape from here," Yun Che said, staring at the dark ceiling above with furrowed brows.
"Hehe, of course," Yun Canghai smiled calmly. Over these past few days, under the immense joy, his complexion had become much rosier, and his spirit was many times better than before. Especially his eyes—they were no longer cold and lifeless like still water, but had become exceptionally gentle. He placed his hand on his chest and said slowly, "Che'er, I have something to give you."
As he spoke, he abruptly exerted force with his hand, his Profound Force surging. With a suppressed groan and a flash of pain, a ball of white light the size of a fist was expelled from his mouth and landed in Yun Canghai's hand.
This white light was a layer of protective Profound Force, securely wrapping whatever was inside. Yun Che moved closer. The protective light was extremely dense, emitting an aura so high in level that Yun Che couldn't comprehend it. Clearly, this had been set by Yun Canghai before he was suppressed. He asked, "Is this what you mentioned before... the thing you wanted me to deliver to the Huan Yao Realm?"
He had earlier wondered where the item he was entrusted with could be hidden... It turned out he had swallowed it into his abdomen after protecting it with his Profound Force!
"Exactly!" Yun Canghai took a deep breath. "Take it. Don't try to probe what's inside. If one day you have the ability to go to the Huan Yao Realm, give it to the current ruler of the Huan Yao Realm... Xiao Yaohou. You must personally hand it to her and not let anyone else touch it."
Yun Che took the item wrapped in white light and directly stored it in the Heavenly Poison Pearl. Then he nodded solemnly: "Grandfather, rest assured. Before I meet Xiao Yaohou, even if I die, it won't fall into anyone else's hands."
"Good. Of course I believe your words." Yun Canghai smiled contentedly, then extended his right arm again. "Come, give me your left hand."
Yun Che extended his left hand. "Grandfather, you want to..."
"Your current strength is still too weak. Unfortunately, Profound Force cannot be passed on; otherwise, I would wish to transfer all my power to you... My current power is greatly suppressed. The only thing I can do for you is to let your Arcane Firmament... awaken ahead of time."
As Yun Canghai's voice fell, a surging sea of Profound Force violently surged into his left arm, bringing with it an intense pain that felt as if his entire arm was about to burst. At the same time, the white sword-shaped mark on the back of his hand reappeared.
"Grandfather..." Yun Che was about to ask something when he saw Yun Canghai's eyes tightly closed, his expression solemn and resolute. He immediately shut his mouth, not saying another word, and at the same time, he suppressed his own power as much as possible, letting his entire body be in a state of complete defenselessness.
Yun Canghai had said that the Arcane Firmament of their Yun Clan naturally awakened when Profound Force reached the Heavenly Xuan Realm.
Now, Yun Che was only at Earth Xuan Realm, Level 6... What Yun Canghai meant was to directly awaken his Arcane Firmament while he was still in the Earth Xuan Realm!
Yun Canghai released his Arcane Firmament, transforming it into a long streak of cyan light that circled around Yun Che's arm in a fluttering dance. The pain in his arm grew heavier and heavier, as if it might tear apart at any moment. Yun Che gritted his teeth slightly and remained silent. In contrast, Yun Canghai gritted his teeth even harder, his forehead covered in hot sweat, and his entire body trembling slightly, as if he was pouring out his Profound Force without reservation and enduring even greater pain than Yun Che.
Yun Che didn't know how difficult it was to forcibly awaken an Arcane Firmament. With Yun Canghai's current power, he could barely manage it... and the consequence would be draining almost all of his strength.
The cyan Arcane Firmament spun faster and faster, and the swelling sensation in Yun Che's arm grew more intense, as if it would explode the next second. Then, with a low roar from Yun Canghai, the sleeve of Yun Che's left arm suddenly burst, revealing his entire arm... On his arm, a half-foot-long crimson light vividly emerged.
The moment that crimson light appeared, Yun Che's heart sea and Profound Vein experienced a violent turmoil. He felt as if something had appeared inside his arm—something that, though unfamiliar, was deeply connected to his bloodline and Profound Vein.
He bore the bloodline of the Yun Clan. His own Arcane Firmament, at this moment, was forcibly awakened!
"Urgh!!"
Yun Canghai let out a relieved groan, released his arm, and trembled all over from extreme exhaustion. At the same time, the strange sensation in Yun Che's arm completely disappeared. He quickly stepped forward to support Yun Canghai: "Grandfather, are you alright?"
"I'm fine... fine." Yun Canghai waved his hand, panting heavily. He looked up at Yun Che's arm, and when he saw the crimson Arcane Firmament mark, he froze. "How could it be... crimson..."
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet... Among the seven colors of Arcane Firmament, crimson was the weakest! In the Yun Clan, ninety percent of Arcane Firmaments were in the red, orange, and yellow ranges. Among these, ninety percent were orange and yellow. Crimson accounted for only a small proportion, almost as rare as green Arcane Firmament. Because a crimson Arcane Firmament was a disgrace to the Yun Clan disciples. Those who awakened a crimson Arcane Firmament would directly degenerate into complete trash in the Yun Clan. Their fate was usually to become servants or menial laborers of the Yun family. Not just within the clan, but even outside, they would be looked down upon.
Yun Canghai, as the head of the Yun Clan, had awakened a powerful cyan Arcane Firmament along with his son Yun Qinghong... And seeing Yun Che's talent, and since he inherited their Profound Vein, he firmly believed that his Arcane Firmament would at least be cyan, possibly even blue. At the very least, it should have been green. He never expected that what he awakened was the most garbage Arcane Firmament, the one regarded as a disgrace by the Yun Clan—crimson!
The surprise and disappointment that flashed across Yun Canghai's face were clearly caught by Yun Che. He glanced at the red mark on his left arm and said softly, "Crimson Arcane Firmament must be the weakest kind... I'm sorry, Grandfather, for disappointing you."
Having not grown up in the Yun Clan, he didn't have a direct understanding of what the Arcane Firmament meant to the Yun Clan disciples. So even though it was the weakest crimson Arcane Firmament, he wasn't too disappointed. After all, having an extra crimson Arcane Firmament would only strengthen him, not harm him. But he could roughly understand Yun Canghai's mood... He had said before that the Arcane Firmament was the greatest glory of the Yun Clan. To exhaust himself to make Yun Che awaken it early, he must have had great expectations. The crimson color undoubtedly turned all those expectations into disappointment.
"No... it's fine," Yun Canghai shook his head, then let out a carefree laugh. "It's good that we managed to successfully awaken your Arcane Firmament. So what if it's crimson? My grandson has such great talent and carries the bloodline of the Phoenix Divine Beast within him. Even if it were just a crimson Arcane Firmament, or even if he never had an Arcane Firmament at all, he would never be inferior to anyone else!"
Yun Canghai's disappointment lasted only a moment before completely vanishing. His words were resolute and came from the heart, with no trace of reluctance. Instead, he was comforting Yun Che. Yun Che felt warmth in his heart and nodded firmly: "Grandfather, rest assured. I will never be inferior to anyone in the future. When I return to the family, I will definitely surpass everyone of my generation and never bring shame to your name!"
"Good... good! I believe in my good grandson!" Yun Canghai patted Yun Che on the shoulder, a gratified smile on his face. "However, the reason you have a crimson Arcane Firmament is definitely not because of poor talent. The power of the Arcane Firmament comes half from bloodline and half from the Profound Vein. You said earlier that shortly after you were born, your Profound Vein was injured and crippled. It wasn't until you were sixteen that your mysterious master reforged your Profound Vein... A newborn Profound Vein is not your innate Profound Vein after all, so it simply cannot generate a powerful Arcane Firmament, and might not even be able to generate one at all. Otherwise, with your talent, Che'er, how could it only be crimson!"
"But it doesn't matter. In my lifetime, to have been reunited with you as grandfather and grandson and to have spent this time together, I am already grateful to the heavens. What more could I want? Hahahaha!"
Yun Canghai laughed heartily, his laughter filled with exhaustion yet immense satisfaction.
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