Chapter 568: Victory
Crack... crack...
The vast Yaohuang Hall, filled with a full hundred thousand experts from all over the world, was utterly silent—aside from the sound of broken jade falling from the walls, there was not a single noise... even the sound of breathing was completely inaudible. Everyone in the Yaohuang Hall had risen to their feet, eyes wide, mouths agape, countless jaws nearly hitting the floor.
Even Xiao Yaohou had stood up from her throne, staring blankly at Hui Ran, who was embedded in the wall.
The one closest to the arena, standing right at its edge—Huai Wang, who had been concentrating and gathering his strength to stop Yun Qinghong from suddenly making a move to save Yun Che—had his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. His mouth, brows, and chin were twitching spasmodically... A man who could make Xiao Yaohou hesitate to act, who could make over sixty percent of the Guardian Clans and princely mansions abandon the Demon Emperor's bloodline to side with him—one could well imagine his scheming nature and disposition. Yet even he, under this scene, was utterly thrown into disarray, his face twisted beyond recognition.
This was a battle with an enormous disparity in strength... more so than any previous match. Hui Ran's strength far surpassed Yun Che's, and Yun Che had already fought five consecutive battles, his profound energy severely depleted. No one cared about the outcome of this match; all they cared about was whether Yun Che would survive...
When the two clashed, the entire process lasted but a single instant...
An instant so brief that no one had even had time to react...
A person was ruthlessly blasted away, thrown straight out of the arena and smashed into the eastern wall of the Yaohuang Hall.
According to the rules, falling outside the arena meant the end of the match.
But the one blasted away in an instant was not Yun Che—it was Hui Ran, a man of terrifying strength who could utterly crush Yun Che, a man no one could imagine losing under any circumstances!!
What they witnessed was no different from a withered blade of grass suddenly transforming into a divine sword that cut through the heavens. The one who would become the number one figure of the Illusion Demon Realm in the future—no one present today would have a single doubt about that.
Thus, this lofty young master of the Mu Clan, beneath Yun Che's dazzling brilliance, had even begun to feel insecure about the matter of voluntarily lowering his status to seek a sworn brotherhood...
"Our Illusion Demon Realm has actually produced a figure like this." Tianxia Xiong Tu exclaimed in astonishment. "Unfortunately, he is only Yun Qinghong's adopted son. If he were a biological son, the Yun family's future prosperity would be assured... First, I thought you were exaggerating, but he is far more astonishing than you described. This child's future achievements will surely shake heaven and earth. Moreover, he is our Tianxia Clan's benefactor... You all should make more efforts to befriend him from now on."
The Tianxia brothers nodded one after another, their eyes still filled with profound shock and disbelief.
Yun Qinghong stood straight as an arrow. Behind him, the elders of the Yun family had long since abandoned all dignity in their excitement, shouting along with the younger disciples until they were almost hoarse. He did not shout, nor did he rush into the arena. Gazing at Yun Che, his tiger-like eyes glistened with tears. He understood—and everyone understood—that this outcome was no mere incredible miracle; it had saved the Yun family's fate, as well as the momentum and dignity of all the Guardian Clans and princely mansions loyal to Xiao Yaohou, and even the Demon Emperor's bloodline itself!
It had also dealt a heavy blow to Huai Wang's faction, which had been so smugly triumphant.
"Che'er, your father is proud of you." Yun Qinghong smiled. He didn't even bother to look at Huai Wang... because there was no need to imagine how unsightly his expression must be.
Huai Wang's expression was not merely unsightly; it was twisted to the point where his features were almost indistinguishable. Zhong Wang, as well as the heads of various princely mansions and clan leaders on the eastern side, all had faces as black as the bottom of a pot. They looked at each other, but none could speak a single word.
"Aaaaah!!"
Boom!!
With a beast-like roar, the eastern wall of the hall exploded. Hui Ran, disheveled and covered in blood, charged out and rushed straight at Yun Che with bloodshot eyes: "Bastard... I'll kill you!!"
Though Hui Ran looked extremely disheveled, his aura remained incredibly imposing. Having been struck twice by Yun Che's sword while under the soul-stealing effect of the Dragon Soul Domain, not only had his profound energy not dispersed, but he also seemed outwardly to have suffered no serious injuries... Yun Che's heart tightened slightly. This Hui Ran's strength was indeed extraordinary.
A storm of profound energy surged with furious rage. The Yun family's grand elder, Yun Waitian, soared into the air, instantly shielding Yun Che, and bellowed, "Hui Ran, what do you think you're doing?!"
Now, the entire Yun family regarded Yun Che as their greatest treasure, and they would never allow him to suffer the slightest harm.
No matter how strong Hui Ran was, he was no match for Yun Waitian. Under the elder's imposing aura, he was forced far back. His anger flaring even more, Hui Ran roared, "This bastard tricked me! With my strength, how could I ever lose to trash like him... Yun Che, do you dare to fight me fair and square?!"
The Yun family's second elder, Yun Duanshui, also flew over to shield Yun Che, sneering at Hui Ran: "Hui Ran, you lost, and that's that. As long as everyone here isn't blind, they saw it clearly. You are, after all, a commandery prince. Are you telling me you can't even take a loss? Hmph, don't drag the entire Huai Wang Manor into disgrace before the whole world."
"Shut up!" Hui Ran pointed at Yun Che, his entire body trembling. This exceedingly arrogant man had never known defeat in his life, but today, before a crowd, he had been knocked out of the arena with a single sword strike by someone far weaker than himself, someone whose profound energy was severely depleted. He had never endured such humiliation in his life. "How could I possibly lose?! Just now, it was clearly this—"
"Enough!"
Huai Wang's face was as heavy as water, and he barked at Hui Ran, "Are you trying to disgrace our entire manor?! Withdraw at once!"
"Father..." Commandery Prince Hui Ran's face twitched. The eyes of the entire hall were like needles on his back. Clenching his fists in unwillingness, he shot a venomous glance at Yun Che, gritted his teeth, and turned to leave the arena. The moment he returned to his seat, a huge mouthful of blood erupted from him... Yun Che's heavy sword was not something to be taken lightly.
"Excellent!" Xiao Yaohou walked down slowly, her perpetually cold face showing an extremely rare look of relief. "What a truly brilliant and extraordinary match. Yun Che, at the Heavenly Xuan Realm, single-handedly fought six consecutive battles and defeated the six geniuses of our Illusion Demon Capital, opening my eyes wide with admiration!"
"According to the terms set before the match, if the Yun family lost, they would lose their status as a Guardian Clan. The Yun family was on the brink of complete collapse, yet Yun Che single-handedly turned the tide, snatching victory from defeat. It seems even the heavens are on the side of the Yun family!"
Xiao Yaohou's gaze shifted, sweeping across the eastern seats, and finally landed on Huai Wang: "Huai Wang, do you have anything to say about this outcome?"
Before Huai Wang could speak, Yun Che loudly declared, "Before Huai Wang speaks, allow me to remind him... Do not forget the stakes we both agreed upon before the match! If you win, my Yun family leaves the Guardian Clans. But if we win... heh! You can all shut up about the affairs of our Yun family. Furthermore, the Helian, Chiyang, Jiufang, Nangong, Bai, Xiao, and Lin families must each hand over five jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal to our Yun family within one month! And you, Huai Wang, must hand over twenty jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal to our Yun family within one month!"
A smirk curled at the corner of Yun Che's lips. "Xiao Yaohou is our witness, and all the heroes of the world are our witnesses. You, Huai Wang, and these seven families all agreed readily... Huai Wang, I trust that a dignified commandery prince like yourself will not go back on his word before so many eyes, will you?"
As soon as Yun Che said this, the faces of the seven opposing families all turned the color of pig liver. Five jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal—even for a Guardian Clan standing at the pinnacle of the Illusion Demon Realm—was a vein crystal that took a century to accumulate. They had agreed with Huai Wang and made the whole world witness because they were absolutely certain they could not lose. That "stake" was nothing more than a decorative ornament.
But now, they had lost...
If they really had to hand over five jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal, it would be equivalent to crippling their clan for a century, while the Yun family, amassing dozens of jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal, would find it hard not to rise. They absolutely could not accept it... But unfortunately, this was the grand ceremony of the Demon Empress, where a hundred thousand heroes of the Illusion Demon Realm had gathered—the most solid witnesses in the world. If they went back on their word, it would be equivalent to stripping off their own face before the world, burying their family's reputation and prestige, and inviting ridicule and contempt from everyone.
But at this moment, Huai Wang suddenly showed no sign of panic, instead smiling faintly: "This king certainly hasn't forgotten. This match was proposed by me in the first place. Whether we win or lose, I will naturally accept it openly. I am certainly not one to be unable to take a loss, nor will I go back on my word and bring shame to my Huai Wang Manor. I believe the Guardian Clans feel the same."
"However, you all seem to have completely missed one point." Huai Wang squinted his eyes and said unhurriedly, "This match concerns the fate of the Yun family. Those eligible to represent either side in battle must be under thirty-five years of age and must be of the bloodline of a Guardian Clan or the Illusion Demon Royal Clan."
When Huai Wang said this, the faces of those on Yun Che's side changed drastically, while the eyes of those on the eastern side all lit up. Huai Wang said with a sly smile, "Yun Qinghong, if I remember correctly, this Yun Che is just an adopted son you picked up from who knows where? Since he's only an adopted son, that means he has no Yun family bloodline... And since he has no Yun family bloodline, what right does he have to represent the Yun family in battle?!"