Chapter 511: Yun Clan Grand Competition
Yun Che arrived at Yun Qinghong's courtyard. At a glance, he saw him in front of the verdant grape trellis, seated in that somewhat worn-out wheelchair, which was being pushed from behind by Yun Xiao. Seeing Yun Che, Yun Xiao quickly approached and said enthusiastically, "Big Brother, you're up so early today. Were you woken up? By the way, today is our Yun Family's full clan grand competition. It starts at the ninth hour. Big Brother, do you want to go and watch a bit later?"
"Of course I'm going to watch. I'm very interested. By the way, where is Mother?" Yun Che asked.
"Mother is still in her room," Yun Xiao replied.
Yun Che nodded, then said calmly, "Go and call Mother. The sounds of fighting are already coming from the Holy Cloud Platform. We should head over too. I also have some words I want to say to Father alone."
After two months of getting along, Yun Xiao almost regarded this sworn big brother as a deity. Although he was curious about what Yun Che wanted to say to Yun Qinghong, he didn't ask much and let go of the wheelchair. "Alright, I'll go right away."
Yun Xiao left. Yun Che stepped forward, took out a small jade token, and placed it in front of Yun Qinghong. Lowering his voice, he said, "Father, this is for you."
"Oh?" Yun Qinghong turned his head. When Yun Che opened his lightly clenched palm and revealed the jade token in his hand, Yun Qinghong, who was always as calm as water, was suddenly struck as if by lightning. His pupils instantly contracted several times. He almost frantically picked up that jade token, and though it was small, he held it with both hands, sensing the aura on it. His hands trembled violently. "This... this... this is..."
He abruptly raised his head to look at Yun Che. "Che'er, how... how do you have this thing on you? Where did you get it?!"
Yun Che was not at all surprised by Yun Qinghong's reaction. If it were someone else, their emotions would have completely lost control. He said calmly, "Father, there is less than an hour before the clan grand competition begins. Now is not the time to discuss its origin. If Father can preserve his position as clan master today and re-establish his authority, I will explain its origin in detail."
Yun Qinghong stared straight at Yun Che, his eyes wavering for a long time. After a while, he finally calmed down and slowly nodded. "Good... but when the time comes, you must tell me everything I want to know, without any deception."
"Good." Yun Che nodded without hesitation. He looked at Yun Qinghong's wrist and confirmed, "Father, can the 'Seal Xuan Locks' on you and Mother fool everyone?"
"Although it's not foolproof, in their eyes, I've been a cripple for over twenty years. They won't deliberately probe me," Yun Qinghong said. "Back then, your mother and I were able to escape pursuit many times, and these two Seal Xuan Locks played an indispensable role."
As he spoke, Yun Qinghong pulled at his sleeve to cover the item on his wrist.
Today was the day of the Yun Family's full clan grand competition. Such an important family event, yet until now, the courtyard of Yun Qinghong, the clan master, was still desolate, without even a junior coming to report. It was easy to imagine how insignificant Yun Qinghong's status as clan master had become in the Yun Family. From Yun Che's expression, Yun Qinghong read his thoughts and smiled faintly. "In any world, profound force is paramount. A cripple with not long to live—aside from one's own family and close friends, who would truly take him seriously? As a cripple, I have been able to remain in this clan master position for over twenty years. Even if it's thanks to the support of the Mu Family, it should already be reaching the limit of what they can bear."
"Do they forget who founded the Yun Family and who led it to the pinnacle of the Huan Yao Realm? If it weren't for your lineage of clan masters, how could these clan members enjoy their current status and glory?" Yun Che said with a frown. During his stay in the Yun Family, he had naturally learned more about them. The Yun Family had been passed down for so many years, always revering the clan master's lineage. And to avoid disputes over the clan master position, a rule was established six thousand years ago that each generation would have only one son. Yun Canghai was an only son, Yun Qinghong was Yun Canghai's only son, and Yun Qinghong, at least so far, also had only one son.
Every generation of Yun Family clan masters was extraordinarily outstanding, and it was this lineage that made the Yun Family one of the awe-inspiring Twelve Guardian Clans of the Huan Yao Realm. For thousands of years, they were second only to the Illusion Demon Royal Clan in status.
But when it came to Yun Qinghong's generation, they were despised to this extent.
Yun Qinghong shook his head and smiled bitterly. "They won't think about these things. What they care about are only matters related to their own future interests... This is probably human nature."
"The Yun Family's ten-thousand-year inheritance dictates that the clan master's position has never been about profound force, but about bloodline! Everyone in the Yun Family should clearly understand that even if you have become a cripple, you are still the only one qualified to hold the position of clan master. But it seems everyone is subconsciously forgetting this point," Yun Che said with a slight sneer. "Moreover, it's one thing to disregard your clan master status because of your disability, but it seems they don't even have the basic respect or the slightest regard for you. Yun Xiao, as the son of the clan master, can be casually bullied by an ordinary Yun Family disciple. For a major event like the clan grand competition, no one has come to discuss it with you in two months... I refuse to believe that the Yun Family, which has flourished for so many years, is full of such selfish and unrighteous people."
Yun Qinghong closed his eyes slightly and said softly, "This clan competition indeed had no need to consult me. Because the so-called clan competition is just a facade. Its true purpose is to force me, this cripple, to abdicate. In less than a month, it will be the Little Demon Queen's Centennial Ceremony. This ceremony is by no means ordinary; it may very well determine the future structure of the entire Huan Yao Realm, and even more so the fate of the Twelve Guardian Clans, especially the Yun Family. At such a critical moment, it is reasonable for them to want to depose me as the crippled clan master. Originally, I had silently accepted this impending outcome. Unexpectedly, I encountered you."
Yun Qinghong smiled silently, his face full of melancholy.
Yun Xiao and Mu Yurou came out. They didn't linger long. Soon, Yun Xiao pushed the wheelchair carrying Yun Qinghong, and the four of them walked slowly toward the center of the Yun Family, where this clan competition was to be held.
At the very center of the Yun Family was the Ancestral Monument, which emitted a purple profound light. The monument was over thirty zhang tall, inscribed with the names of each generation's clan master. Among them, the most conspicuous was "Yun Canghai", because to the right of this name were two characters as red as flame: "Demon King."
Among the dozens of clan masters in Yun Family history, only Yun Canghai had obtained the honor of "Demon King." This was not only Yun Canghai's personal glory but also a glory for the Yun Family's countless generations. However, this radiance, which made other Guardian Clans extremely jealous and envious, rapidly dimmed like a falling meteor...
In front of the Ancestral Monument was a huge square, surrounded by seats. At its center was a platform thirty zhang square, which was the Holy Cloud Platform used for the Yun Family's internal competitions. When Yun Che and the others arrived, two young Yun Family disciples were already sparring on the Holy Cloud Platform.
The clan competition was still over half an hour away from officially starting, but some Yun Family disciples couldn't resist sparring.
Yun Che and the others had arrived relatively early. Although the place was already bustling, most were young disciples. When these young disciples saw Yun Qinghong and his wife, a few would step forward to pay respects, but several would simply walk away, or stare straight at the Holy Cloud Platform as if they hadn't seen them. Yun Che swept his eyes over the attire of these Yun Family disciples... basically, they were the sons of the elders who held real power in the Yun Family. They had not experienced the glory of the Yun Family under Yun Canghai's leadership, nor had they witnessed how Yun Qinghong once awed the heroes of the Huan Yao Realm. In their eyes, he was merely a cripple with an empty title of clan master, a person far inferior to their own elders... and he was about to be driven out of the clan master position. Naturally, they disdained to greet him.
Yun Qinghong had long been accustomed to this. At that moment, on the Holy Cloud Platform, two young Yun Family disciples were fighting. They seemed evenly matched, with the roar of swords and rolling purple thunder. Two streams of orange Arcane Firmament clashed densely, while cheers and jeers rose from below. Finally, one seized an opportunity, struck the other down with a bolt of thunder, and then sent his Arcane Firmament surging forward, directly knocking his opponent off the Holy Cloud Platform.
The two disciples on the platform were not old, but they were definitely outstanding among their peers in the Yun Family. However, after watching their exchange, Yun Qinghong quietly shook his head, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face. He turned slightly and said, "Xiao'er, you go up."
"Ah?" Yun Xiao was startled, then nodded. "Alright!"
With that, Yun Xiao leaped up without hesitation. A flash of purple light in midair, and when he landed on the platform, a long sword wreathed in purple light was already in his hand. This was the King Xuan sword given to him by Yun Qinghong when he was eleven years old—Thunderbolt. He had used it ever since and never parted with it. Paired with the Yun Family's core profound art, the Purple Cloud Art, it could unleash tremendous power.
"Brother Yun Qiu, please enlighten me!" Yun Xiao gripped Thunderbolt firmly, his gaze fixed on his opponent. His expression was serious and solemn, completely shutting out the surrounding chaotic murmurs. Over the years, as he grew up, the burden of public opinion and the strange looks he endured had become heavier and more numerous. He had quietly swallowed all of this. To bring honor to his parents and to gain the power to protect them in the future, he trained desperately... Without Arcane Firmament, he made up for it with hard work; without resources, he compensated with even greater effort.
At twenty-two, he was a Half-step Overlord Emperor! Among his peers, even facing Yun Family disciples who all possessed innate Arcane Firmament, he still ranked among the top! No one but himself knew how much effort and hardship he had put in.
All along, he had kept his parents' safety in his heart and was unwilling to fight with anyone. Even when bullied or humiliated, he swallowed his pride. But today... it was time for him to show his parents and everyone what he was capable of.
Seeing that the challenger who suddenly jumped onto the platform was none other than Yun Xiao, Yun Qiu was slightly startled. Yun Xiao was usually so low-key that he was practically invisible, never appearing in competitions. Immediately, his expression turned somewhat serious. Although Yun Xiao was younger than him and lacked Arcane Firmament, Yun Qiu had heard that Yun Xiao had already reached the Half-step Overlord Emperor realm. Moreover, like many Yun Family disciples, he had secretly mocked Yun Xiao's bloodline many times. If he were to be publicly defeated by someone without Arcane Firmament whom he often ridiculed, it would be quite embarrassing.
He immediately let out a low shout and attacked first. With a flick of his arm, a chain of lightning lashed out from his sword. At the same time, his Arcane Firmament transformed into a yellow sword, descending from above to stab straight at Yun Xiao's crown.
Yun Xiao's expression was calm. He thrust his sword forward, and a lightning chain also shot up into the sky. But the lightning chain he released was especially solid, like a physical chain, radiating a rich and crystalline purple light. The entire chain seemed forged from purple crystal.
From the lightning chains alone, it was clear whose Purple Cloud Art was more profound!
The two lightning chains tangled together, but in just a few breaths, Yun Qiu's lightning chain was severed with a "crack". Yun Xiao's lightning chain did not take the opportunity to attack Yun Qiu; instead, it rose upward and, with a violent screech, struck the Arcane Firmament, blasting it far away, then disappeared into the air.
Yun Qinghong slowly nodded, a relieved faint smile appearing on his face.
Yun Qiu stumbled back a few steps, then sat down on the ground, dumbfounded. His profound force was inferior to Yun Xiao's, but not by much. He had thought that with the advantage of Arcane Firmament, even if he couldn't win for sure, he wouldn't lose easily. Unexpectedly, Yun Xiao, who was usually cautious, never daring to offend anyone, and even somewhat timid and weak, had cultivated his profound force and Purple Cloud Art to such a profound level. In just a few breaths, he was completely suppressed and utterly defeated.