# Chapter 523: Silencing
"Elder Yun, there's no need to be anxious. I've only just formally asked the first question. Whether he is innocent or not, you will soon hear it with your own ears," Yun Che said leisurely.
"Yun Xinyue, let me ask you again: did you tell others about this matter, then conspire with them to ambush Yun Xiao and Tianxia Diqi when they met?" Yun Che asked with a stern expression.
Yun Che's question struck directly at the core. Yun Xinyue only needed a simple answer—"Yes" or "No."
"Yes…" Yun Xinyue replied blankly and listlessly.
Whoosh—
The moment the word "yes" left his mouth, the entire Yun Clan erupted in uproar. Everyone was utterly stunned, unable to believe what their ears had just heard.
This was Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing… and it had been personally administered by the Supreme Elder. Under the influence of Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing, any words spoken could absolutely not be false. The Yun Clan members, who possessed the power of Arcane Firmament, were all utterly certain of this fact.
This man—the hope of the entire clan, the highest talent of the younger generation, the most revered, and even exceptionally humble and kind in temperament, Yun Xinyue—he was actually involved in the ambush of Yun Xiao and Tianxia Diqi! The impact of his answer on the Yun Clan members was no less than a thunderbolt from the heavens. If it weren't for Yun Xinyue's own confession under the effect of Arcane Firmament Soul-Seizing, they would rather believe in ghosts than believe this.
"How… how could this be…" Yun Xiao's mouth hung wide open, his gaze vacant, unable to snap out of it for a long time. The most outstanding member of the Yun Clan's younger generation, the one he respected the most, was actually, just as Yun Che had said, the person who had tried to harm him and Tianxia Diqi two months ago. And even when Yun Che had stepped forward to confront Yun Xinyue, he had spoken in his defense, shouting "impossible"…
"Bastard!" Tianxia Diyi shot to his feet, his eyes dark and gloomy, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked audibly. He had investigated bitterly for two months without finding any trace, and the pent-up rage and hatred had long since become extremely intense. Now that the true culprit had appeared, he could barely control himself from exploding… No wonder he hadn't been able to find anything. Because even he would never have imagined that the person behind it all was actually within the Yun Clan!
"Calm down." Tianxia Wudi raised his hand and pressed down on his shoulder, his eyes fixed on Yun Xinyue. He said calmly, "Yun Xinyue himself would have no reason to want to harm Diqi, and even less reason to make a move on Yun Xiao. This matter shouldn't be that simple… Keep watching!"
Tianxia Diyi gritted his teeth and held back, not lashing out.
When Yun Xinyue said "yes," Yun Waitian's entire body trembled, nearly collapsing to the ground. Immediately, he roared hoarsely, "No… impossible! There must be some reason behind this… My son wouldn't do something like this without cause… There must be a legitimate reason!"
All these years, Yun Waitian had always been proud of Yun Xinyue. Even now, he absolutely refused to believe that Yun Xinyue could harbor malicious intentions. He was his biological father… clearly the person in this world who knew him best!
"I think everyone present wants to know the reason for his actions," Yun Che said, glancing at Yun Waitian. Earlier, he had thought that both father and son, Yun Waitian and Yun Xinyue, were involved. But now, seeing Yun Waitian's reaction, he began to believe that Yun Waitian knew nothing about this. This also demonstrated how deep Yun Xinyue's scheming was, and how long his plans had been brewing… and how good his acting was!
"Elder Yun, then prick up your ears and listen carefully to the reason behind this." Yun Che continued his questioning: "Yun Xinyue, answer in detail: why did you conspire with people outside the clan to harm Yun Xiao, a member of your own clan, and Tianxia Diqi, who had no enmity with you?"
Yun Xinyue opened his mouth and answered mechanically: "The Yun Clan… and the Tianxia Clan… are both loyal to Xiao Yaohou… Killing Tianxia Diqi… and letting Yun Xiao escape… would make the Tianxia Clan vent their anger on the Yun Clan… The two clans would come into conflict… Even if they don't both suffer losses… they will no longer cooperate and stand on the same side…"
The Yun Clan square was dead silent. Everyone pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a single word. When Yun Xinyue finished speaking, every face showed shock, even terror. The three Supreme Elders stood up simultaneously, their aged faces revealing deep alarm.
Yun Waitian's whole body trembled, then he collapsed to the ground like mud, his eyes wide open, his gaze blank, muttering incoherently: "Impossible… this is impossible… impossible… this isn't real…"
The truth revealed by Yun Xinyue was far too horrifying. His goal—or more precisely, the goal of the person behind him—was clearly to dismantle the forces loyal to Xiao Yaohou! Xiao Yaohou was the supreme ruler of the Demon Emperor Realm. This act… was a naked plot to rebel!
Faced with such a terrifying revelation, not a single person in the Yun Clan dared to make a sound. They had never imagined that Yun Xinyue would actually be the one to harm a fellow disciple… and even more so, they had never dreamed that it would involve such earth-shattering matters.
If it hadn't been for Yun Che happening to be there when Yun Xiao and Tianxia Diqi were in danger, and saving them, their plan would have certainly succeeded. The Tianxia Clan would have vented their anger on the Yun Clan, causing a massive conflict, and they might have become irreconcilable from then on… After all, Tianxia Diqi was not an ordinary member of the Tianxia Clan—she was the only daughter of Tianxia Xiongtu. And the fact that Yun Xiao had lured her out was undeniable.
Even more terrifying, just today, the entire clan had recommended Yun Xinyue as the new clan head, and he had almost taken office on the spot… Thinking of this, everyone broke out in a cold sweat.
Yun Che said solemnly, "Yun Xinyue, harming a fellow clan member and seeking opportunities to dismantle the forces loyal to Xiao Yaohou—these are heinous crimes that heaven and earth cannot tolerate! You are the son of the Yun Clan's Grand Elder, with an extraordinary background and considerable talent. You have received countless praises and been entrusted with great hopes by the entire clan. Even for the recommendation of a new clan leader, you were the unanimous choice! Why did you still do this? What were you scheming for… or were you being coerced by someone?"
When Yun Che finished asking, everyone held their breath. Especially the Yun Clan elders—they all stood up, their eyes fixed tightly on Yun Xinyue… A "false accusation" that had initially enraged them had suddenly uncovered such shocking inside information.
Yun Xinyue's face twisted. Faced with Yun Che's questions, his spirit actually showed signs of pain. His voice became hoarse, but he still narrated without any concealment or hesitation: "…Six years ago… I was planted with a 'Remnant Heart Gu' by my master… If I obeyed… my master would take the position of Xiao Yaohou… I would become the new lord of the Yun Clan and be enfeoffed as a prince… If I disobeyed… I would die without a burial place…"
"Remnant… Heart Gu!?"
Dozens of overlapping cries of terror rang out. Yun Waitian, who had already looked ashen, suddenly raised his head upon hearing Yun Xinyue's answer, his entire body trembling wildly.
Yun Che had never heard the name "Remnant Heart Gu." However, the same type of poison Gu often had different names in different regions. Not having heard of it didn't mean he didn't know about this kind of Gu. He was about to release his profound energy to probe what kind of Gu poison was inside Yun Xinyue's body, when suddenly, a chilling killing intent came from behind him, slightly to the right.
Although this killing intent was extremely well concealed, how could it escape Yun Che's perception? He immediately abandoned the probe, took a step forward, and asked rapidly, "You said… the person who ambushed Yun Xiao that day, and the 'master' you spoke of… who are they?"
"The ones who attacked Yun Xiao and Tianxia Diqi… were members of the Helian Clan… My master… is His Highness, the Prince of Huai…"
BOOM!!!
The platform beneath their feet suddenly exploded. A stone spike, crackling with violent yellow earth profound light, burst up from the ground. Yun Che reacted instantly, retreating with lightning speed while pushing Yun Xinyue back two positions with his palm… But the power contained in that stone spike was far too terrifying. Under his dazed state, Yun Xinyue's defenseless body was pierced straight through, then lifted into the air. A great gush of blood splattered down from the sky.
"Xinyue!!"
Yun Waitian let out a shrill cry and lunged onto the Sacred Cloud Platform like a madman. All the Yun Clan elders were greatly shocked and rushed onto the platform. The scene immediately fell into chaos.
"Prince Huiye… what is the meaning of this!?" Yun Qinghong said angrily. The one who had brutally killed Yun Xinyue was none other than the Rock Dragon Venerable at Prince Huiye's side. At this moment, the scales on his arm were still rippling with dark profound light.
"This Yun Xinyue dares to slander my royal father—he deserves to die ten thousand times over!" Prince Huiye sneered darkly. "And you, Yun Che… you brat who messed up my plans… must die too! Kill him!"
BOOM!!
The entire Sacred Cloud Platform exploded directly. Amidst the thick dust, a thick yellow light blasted straight toward Yun Che's chest… Only Yun Qinghong was beside Yun Che; everyone else was outside the platform, unable to intervene in time.
Just as the yellow profound light was less than three feet away from Yun Che, Yun Qinghong, who was sitting in his wheelchair, extended his arm. The movement of his arm was very slow—so slow that even an ordinary person who had never practiced profound arts could clearly see the trajectory of his arm. But at such a clearly slow speed, in an instant, it was blocking in front of Yun Che.
CHI!!
A massive lightning barrier appeared centered on Yun Qinghong's palm, blocking all of the Rock Dragon Venerable's attacks. Then, with a flicker of his figure and a flash of lightning, Yun Qinghong had already appeared before the Rock Dragon Venerable. His right palm, bursting with purple light, heavily slammed into the Venerable's chest, sending the caught-off-guard Rock Dragon Venerable flying far away.
"Wh… what!!"
"Wh… at!!"
"Ah… aahh!!"
The Yun Clan's Supreme Elders, elders, disciples… Tianxia Diyi and Tianxia Wudi… and Helian Peng, who was about to strike… all stood there dumbfounded. They looked at Yun Qinghong, who had suddenly acted, with an expression of astonishment bordering on terror. The vast and overwhelming profound energy fluctuations emanating from him were so intense that even the three Supreme Elders were alarmed.
What… is happening!?
Yun Qinghong… wasn't he supposed to have been crippled for twenty-two years!?
Boom! Boom! Boom…
Yun Qinghong and the Rock Dragon Venerable exchanged blows in the sky. Every collision shook the air like rolling thunder. The people below looked up, stunned, and no one stepped in to help.
A battle at the Emperor Lord level was rarely seen even in the Demon Emperor City. The extremely intense fluctuations of profound energy caused the entire Yun Clan to tremble violently. High in the sky, the powerful Rock Dragon Venerable, under the pressure of Yun Qinghong's Purple Cloud Art, was being forced back step by step, almost completely unable to fight back. Patches of dark dragon blood kept spilling down, nearly forming a continuous rain of blood.
"Ughaaaaaah… ROAR!!"
High above, yellow light exploded violently. Suddenly, dark clouds surged, and a sound shook the nine heavens. A hundred-zhang-long giant dragon covered in rock scales roared and charged at Yun Qinghong. In an instant, countless rocks flew through the air, blotting out the sky and covering the sun.
"That's the Rock Dragon Venerable's true form!" a Yun Clan elder exclaimed in shock.
"Hmph!"
Facing the Rock Dragon Venerable's terrifyingly enormous dragon body, Yun Qinghong merely let out a cold snort. A flash of lightning, and when he reappeared, he was already above the Rock Dragon Venerable's back. He punched down… His fist easily smashed through the dragon scales and plunged directly into its body.
The Rock Dragon Venerable's dragon body began to twist and struggle in agony. A mass of extremely concentrated purple lightning spread from his spine, and within the span of two breaths, it had completely enveloped his entire dragon body, turning him from a rock dragon directly into a purple "lightning dragon."
"Get down!"
With Yun Qinghong's indifferent utterance, countless lightning bolts exploded on the Rock Dragon Venerable's body…
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM…
Countless lightning profound energies exploded wildly, so densely packed it seemed as if the Thunder God himself was raging. The sky above the Yun Clan was illuminated into a deep purple by the lightning's profound energy. The roar of each lightning explosion was almost enough to tear the sky apart. Amidst thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of thunderous explosions, the Rock Dragon Venerable let out agonized dragon roars, one after another, his blood spilling from the sky like a torrential downpour…
BANG!!!
With the disappearance of the last trace of lightning, the freed Rock Dragon Venerable crashed heavily to the ground. The moment he landed, his dragon form vanished, and he reverted to human form. He gasped a few times, swaying as he tried to stand, but just as he straightened his upper body, he vomited a dozen mouthfuls of yellow blood, then collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again.
Yun Qinghong slowly descended from the air, looking down at him coldly: "Rock Dragon Venerable, all these years, I have respected you as a senior and never been discourteous to you. But you dare to run wild on the lands of my Yun Clan—you are not qualified!"