Chapter 521: The Clan Head Token
Yun Qinghong's furious rebuke carried an incredibly astonishing momentum. As each word left his mouth, everyone present felt a suffocating pressure. From the elders down to the younger disciples, the entire Yun Clan was stunned. Even Yun Xiao’s mouth hung wide open as he stared at Yun Qinghong in disbelief... The father he knew was an elegant and tranquil man. On ordinary days, he spoke little, disliked interacting with others, and rarely even left his courtyard, having reached a state of near detachment from worldly affairs.
He couldn't believe that his father would utter such harsh words in the face of the honored Huiye Commandery Prince, and with such overwhelming force.
Yun Qinghong's outburst was something Huiye Commandery Prince never could have dreamed of. Though Yun Qinghong was clearly a cripple, the commandery prince felt a deep sense of dread when meeting his gaze. And as a dignified commandery prince, when had he ever been so publicly berated? He pointed a finger at Yun Qinghong, his voice trembling faintly: "Yun Qinghong, you..."
"How dare you!" Yun Qinghong's voice grew even deeper, cutting off Huiye Commandery Prince mid-sentence: "Is 'Yun Qinghong' a name you are entitled to call me? I, Yun Qinghong, made my name known in Yaohuang City at the age of fourteen. Back then, even your father had not yet been born, and the Little Demon Emperor addressed me as a brother. What do you think you are, to dare speak my name directly? You have no respect for your elders, no knowledge of propriety, no upbringing, and you are arrogantly ignorant of your place. You disgrace your father and grandfather without even realizing it, and bring shame upon the entire Illusion Demon Royal Clan! A worthless son like you—I can't even be bothered to teach you a lesson. Hmph."
"You..." Huiye Commandery Prince staggered, his vision going dark, and nearly spat a mouthful of blood. When he arrived at the Yun Clan, the Grand Elder had bowed in welcome, everyone looked at him with reverence, and every word he spoke was echoed without anyone daring to oppose him—how majestic he had been! As for Yun Qinghong, the clan head... a cripple, he hadn't even bothered to glance at him. And now, this cripple clan head had publicly cursed him out in front of everyone, and every single word left him with no room for rebuttal.
The scene fell into dead silence. The echoes of Yun Qinghong's scolding of Huiye Commandery Prince still buzzed in everyone's ears. His words also awakened the memories of the elders about who Yun Qinghong once was... He was the son of the Demon Emperor, his talent even surpassing the Demon Emperor's in his youth. Among his peers, including the Illusion Demon Royal Clan, no one could match him. He became famous throughout Yaohuang City at fourteen—a fact well known to all the elders—and his brotherly relationship with the Little Demon Emperor was nothing but the truth. At that time, no one doubted that Yun Qinghong would become the second Demon Emperor after Yun Canghai.
After more than twenty years of silence, people seemed to have forgotten what kind of figure Yun Qinghong once was. But even though he was crippled, it could not erase his former glory. His title as the youngest Emperor Lord in the Illusion Demon Realm remained unclaimed by anyone to this day, and the dazzling brilliance he once radiated had yet to be surpassed.
When Yun Qinghong was the same age as Huiye Commandery Prince, the commandery prince's achievements weren't even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.
As these memories resurfaced, the elders suddenly realized how laughable Huiye Commandery Prince's reckless rudeness was in front of Yun Qinghong.
"The Clan Head... this is our Clan Head!" an elder stood up excitedly. "Is the Clan Head... finally returning?"
His excitement could not continue, as the person beside him yanked him back into his seat and shook his head solemnly. The elder immediately tensed up, suppressed his emotions, and calmed down.
Among the core elders and ordinary elders, a significant number showed expressions of surprise and excitement, but they quickly concealed them. Amidst the somewhat noisy and chaotic atmosphere, no one noticed this. However, Yun Che happened to be facing the elder's section, and he caught the brief changes in some people's expressions. His gaze sharpened, and a deep surprise flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Could it be...
After his rebuke, Yun Qinghong gave a cold snort and ignored Huiye Commandery Prince entirely. He furrowed his brows at Yun Xinyue, whose face was dark and uncertain, and said, "Yun Xinyue, what are you still standing there for? Get up there immediately and prepare to undergo the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing."
Yun Qinghong's sudden explosion caught Yun Waitian off guard. At Yun Qinghong's words, he widened his eyes and quickly said, "Yun Qinghong, don't... go too far!"
"Too far? Where is it too far?" Yun Qinghong said flatly.
Yun Waitian refused to yield: "It was already made very clear earlier. Xinyue absolutely cannot undergo the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing, or else our Yun Clan will become the laughingstock of the entire Illusion Demon Realm! Are you willing to disregard our clan's reputation just to protect your adopted son?"
Yun Qinghong's gaze was calm, but under its direct scrutiny, Yun Waitian felt a stifling sensation in his breathing... Vaguely, he sensed that the former Yun Qinghong, the former Clan Head of the Yun Clan, had returned after twenty-two years of silence.
"If it were merely the words of outsiders, there would indeed be no reason to undergo the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing," Yun Qinghong's voice suddenly grew heavier. "But now, it is an order from this Clan Head! Am I, as the head of this clan, not even permitted to give such a simple command to a junior member of the clan?"
"Ugh..." Yun Waitian's throat constricted violently, but he was left speechless.
"Yun Xinyue, get on the stage immediately and accept the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing... That is an order!" Yun Qinghong declared sternly.
Yun Xinyue's hands trembled, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He cast a pleading look at Huiye Commandery Prince, only to find his face was also incredibly grim. Even though he saw Yun Xinyue's desperate gaze, he couldn't force out a word... Yun Qinghong's savage reprimand had already choked him so badly that his internal organs felt like they were about to explode.
"Hahahaha! Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Yun Qinghong, do you still think you are the Yun Qinghong of yesteryears? Right now, you are nothing but a cripple!" Helian Peng let out a piercing, mocking laugh.
"Even if I am a cripple, I am still the Clan Head of the Yun Clan!"
"Clan Head? Heh heh..." Helian Peng sneered. "What proof do you have that you are the Clan Head? What right do you have to call yourself the Clan Head? Even an outsider like me knows that the symbol of the Yun Clan Head's identity is the 'Clan Head Token' passed down through generations. Only the one who holds the Clan Head Token is the true Clan Head! Just as the Illusion Demon Royal Clan—only the one holding the Demon Emperor Seal is the true Demon Emperor! Yun Qinghong, since you claim to be the Clan Head, do you have the 'Clan Head Token'?"
"Back then, because the Demon Emperor Seal was lost, the Little Demon Emperor dared not call himself 'Demon Emperor,' and the Little Demon Empress could only be called 'Little Demon Empress.' If even the Little Demon Emperor and Little Demon Empress were like that, Yun Qinghong, if you have no Clan Head Token, what right do you have to call yourself the Clan Head of the Yun Clan? What right do you have to issue orders to the members of your clan?"
A hundred years ago, when the Demon Emperor Yun Canghai left and never returned, the Yun Clan's Clan Head Token vanished without a trace. After that, Yun Qinghong succeeded as the Clan Head of the Yun Clan. The fact that the Yun Clan's "Clan Head Token" had been lost for a hundred years was well known throughout Yaohuang City. After all, the Clan Head Token could be said to be the most important item of the Yun Clan. It contained the most original Purple Cloud Art and preserved the power imprint and soul imprint of each previous Clan Head. Once lost, it could never be replicated or replaced.
Just as Yun Qinghong, after twenty-two years of silence, was forcefully reasserting his identity as Clan Head, Helian Peng deliberately brought up the Clan Head Token that had been lost for a hundred years. It was a vicious strike aimed directly at Yun Qinghong's weak point. But Yun Qinghong showed no sign of panic. He glanced sideways and sneered, "Helian Peng, you seem quite concerned about the affairs of my Yun Clan today, especially concerning Yun Xinyue. You really care about him, don't you... Heh! Since you want to see my Yun Clan's Clan Head Token, I shall grant your wish."
As his voice fell, Yun Qinghong slowly raised the hand that had been resting on the armrest of his wheelchair. In his palm, a purple jade token the size of his palm emitted a faint, clear purple light.
The moment the purple jade token appeared, every Yun Clan disciple present clearly felt the Purple Cloud Art within them stir uncontrollably, and even the blood in their bodies surged with a distinct restlessness. All the Yun Clan elders over a hundred years old stood up in unison. Even the three Supreme Elders, Yun Jiang, Yun He, and Yun Xi, rose simultaneously, their faces showing deep shock and excitement.
"The Clan... Clan Head Token! It's our Yun Clan's Clan Head Token!" Supreme Elder Yun Xi blurted out involuntarily. For a dignified Supreme Elder to lose emotional control showed just how excited he was.
"Clan Head Token... impossible! Wasn't the Clan Head Token lost a hundred years ago? But this aura..."
"There's no mistake! This is absolutely the Clan Head Token! There can't be a second one in the world!"
"Heavens have mercy! Our Yun Clan's Clan Head Token... has finally returned!"
......
The younger generation might not fully understand the significance of the "Clan Head Token," but for the elders over a hundred years old, it was an incomparable sacred relic of the Yun Clan. A hundred years after its loss, the Clan Head Token reappeared in Yun Qinghong's hands. The Yun Clan elders were so excited they could hardly contain themselves, some even with tears in their eyes.
The most astonished was Mu Yurou, who stood beside Yun Qinghong. She desperately wanted to know the answer, but she did not ask, because now was not the time.
"Qinghong, where did you find the Clan Head Token? Or... has the Clan Head Token actually never been lost these past hundred years?" Yun Jiang stood up and asked, his white beard trembling with excitement as he spoke.
Yun Qinghong said calmly, "The Clan Head Token is a sacred relic of our Yun Clan. I would never dare to conceal or falsify anything regarding its loss. It was indeed lost a hundred years ago, but was later recovered through a stroke of fortune. As for the details, that is an internal matter of our Yun Clan. Since there are outsiders present now, we can discuss it later."
The three Supreme Elders nodded simultaneously and did not press further. The return of the Clan Head Token was the greatest joyous event for the Yun Clan in the past century. Compared to that, how it was recovered was of secondary importance.
"Helian Peng," Yun Qinghong deliberately faced the "Clan Head Token" toward Helian Peng, "May I now call myself the Clan Head of the Yun Clan?"
Helian Peng gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen. He had never imagined that the Clan Head Token, lost for a hundred years, would reappear in Yun Qinghong's hands. Even though he was not a member of the Yun Clan, he could see at a glance that it was a genuine Clan Head Token, absolutely authentic... This was simply bizarre beyond belief!
Everything today had gone as expected in the first half, but after that... it had completely deviated from the planned script!
"Yun Xinyue, get on the Holy Cloud Platform immediately and prepare to undergo the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing! This is an order! If you are as innocent as you claim, why fear the Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing! If you hesitate and delay any longer, it will only show that you have a guilty conscience!" Yun Qinghong said sternly.
...