Chapter 571: Cursing the Seven Clans (Part 1)
"Yun Qinghong, where did this so-called son of yours ... come from!" Huai Wang shouted in a deep voice.
Yun Qinghong gave a light snort: "This is Yun's family matter, and there's no need to explain it to you, Huai Wang. Even if you don't believe he is Yun's son, that's your freedom. But my son Yun Che has clearly displayed his Arcane Firmament's Power, proving that he is a true member of the Yun Clan! Therefore, he naturally has absolute qualifications to represent my Yun Clan in battle!"
"Your reason, Huai Wang, for not accepting the outcome of the defeat no longer exists!"
"In this battle, all twelve of your side were defeated, and our side's Yun Che stood until the end. This duel, which decided the fate of my Yun Clan, has been won by our side! Won dangerously, but also won deservedly and fairly!"
Yun Qinghong's expression was calm, but his gaze was like an eagle's, each word striking the heart. With every word he spoke, the faces of the people from the various clans and princely mansions across from him darkened by one degree. Yun Qinghong swept his gaze over the opposing side and said blandly: "According to the agreement before the match, we have won. Our Yun Clan will continue to retain the name of Guardian Clan, and you seven great clans and sixty princely mansions must never again bring up the matter of expelling our Yun Clan! In addition, the Helian, Jiufang, Chiyang, Nangong, Xiao, Bai, and Lin clans must each hand over five jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal to our Yun Clan within one month."
"As for you, Huai Wang, you must hand over twenty jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal to our Yun Clan within one month!"
"This was agreed upon by both sides before the match, and you personally accepted!"
"Little Demon Empress can bear witness; the heroes of the world can bear witness!"
"To this outcome, do any of you have any objections ... of course, legitimate objections?"
Yun Qinghong's words made the faces of the seven great clans become extremely ugly. Even now, they still couldn't accept the huge reversal from a position of absolute strength to being suddenly trampled underfoot. Huai Commandery Prince's face was ashen, and he remained silent for a long time. Meanwhile, in secret, he was simultaneously transmitting sound messages to more than ten people using condensed profound sound.
Little Demon Empress swept her gaze over the hall and said slowly: "The Demon Emperor Ceremony is held once every hundred years, and every session sees fierce struggles between dragons and tigers, but never before has there been one this exceptionally brilliant."
Little Demon Empress's brow slightly furrowed, and her voice carried a hint of coldness: "The matter of stripping the Yun Clan of their Guardian status was something I should never have agreed to in the first place! This outcome is a joy for the Yun Clan and also aligns with my wishes. Yun Che is young, but his talent is unparalleled, his strength astonishing, and his courage and insight are extraordinary. His performance today was stunningly unmatched! Where he comes from is not important. Since he is the son of the Yun Clan Master, that is a joy for the Yun Clan and a blessing for our Illusion Demon Royal Clan! In the future, he will surely become a pillar of our Illusion Demon Realm!"
"Where is Baoqing Wang!"
From the side of the western seats, a man with a calm expression and simple attire slowly stepped forward and said respectfully: "Please give your orders, Little Demon Empress."
This Baoqing Wang, though also a commandery prince, showed no trace of nobility in his clothes or demeanor. As he walked, a rather strong fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted from him. The Baoqing Prince's Mansion was a special existence among the various princely mansions, because its ability and duty lay in alchemy and pill refinement. It had always only taken orders from the Demon Emperor alone. Eight or nine out of ten of the miraculous pills and medicines that shook the Illusion Demon Realm came from the Baoqing Prince's Mansion. The resources distributed annually to the major Guardian Clans and princely mansions mostly came from the Baoqing Prince's Mansion as well.
The people of the Baoqing Prince's Mansion were always devoted to alchemy, with profound cultivation being only a secondary pursuit. Thus, they were all pure-hearted and indifferent, harboring no greed or ambition. So even though Huai Wang dreamed of making the Baoqing Prince's Mansion submit to him, he had never rashly attempted to win them over.
"Has this session's Overlord Pill been refined?" Little Demon Empress asked coldly.
As soon as the words "Overlord Pill" were spoken, even the people from the major Guardian Clans and princely mansions changed color. Those from outside Demon Emperor City all widened their eyes instantly, their expressions as if they had heard the name of a divine pill from beyond the heavens.
Baoqing Wang lowered his head and said: "Reporting to Little Demon Empress, three months ago, this session's Overlord Pill was already refined, with a quality of ninety percent. I have not failed your command."
"Very good." Little Demon Empress nodded: "This time's Overlord Pill will be granted to Yun Che of the Yun Clan. I believe everyone will have no objections to this."
"Yes. Yun Che's talent is so high it is rarely seen in a thousand years. He is also the son of the Yun Clan Master and the future master of the Yun Clan. Although he has only just returned to the Yun Clan, his performance has been outstanding, moving even us elders to admiration. In the future, he will surely be a pillar of the Illusion Demon Realm. Granting this Overlord Pill to Yun Che is most appropriate." Baoqing Wang replied respectfully. Clearly, he shared exactly the same thoughts as Little Demon Empress.
Given Yun Che's performance today and his identity personally acknowledged by Yun Qinghong, the destination of this Overlord Pill was truly well-deserved. The people in the hall were immensely envious, but they also knew that Yun Che was absolutely the most qualified person to receive it.
Little Demon Empress's words made the faces of the seven great clans on the eastern seats and the people from the various princely mansions even uglier... The Overlord Pill's preciousness was known throughout the world. It was extremely difficult to refine; the Baoqing Prince's Mansion could only produce one on average every fifty years, and its effects were naturally incomparably powerful... If a profound practitioner reached the peak of the King Xuan realm, taking just one Overlord Pill would allow them to directly break through the bottleneck of the Overlord Xuan realm and easily achieve the Overlord realm!
That was why it was called the "Overlord Pill."
For those at the Overlord realm and above, the Overlord Pill's effect was not significant, only slightly increasing profound strength. But for those below the Overlord realm, it was truly no less than a "heavenly pill." Whether in the Tian Xuan Continent or the Illusion Demon Realm, there were many King Xuan realm powerhouses, but nine out of ten of these King Xuan realm powerhouses could only stay at the peak of the King Xuan realm their entire lives, unable to break through to the Overlord realm. With one Overlord Pill, they could instantly rise step by step and be reborn.
The profound strength level of Demon Emperor City was extremely high, with countless powerhouses. Especially among the seven great Guardian Clans and the various princely mansions, Overlord realm experts were not rare. But that absolutely did not mean that after reaching the peak of the King Xuan realm, they could all smoothly break through to the Overlord Xuan realm. With the assistance of several powerful Emperor Lords, the bottlenecks of the Heavenly Xuan and King Xuan realms could be easily broken, but for the bottleneck from King Xuan to Overlord, even Emperor Lords were powerless. Those with extremely high talent would be stuck for several years, some for over a decade, decades... some even for their entire lives without breaking through.
The Guardian Clans and princely mansions all had their internal struggles and rankings. If they obtained an Overlord Pill, their carefully cultivated next generation could directly break through to the Overlord realm upon reaching the peak of the King Xuan realm, surpassing their peers of similar talent by an entire realm... Huai Wang's mansion's Huiran Commandery Prince was so terrifyingly powerful; his extremely high talent was one reason, but another important reason was that when his profound strength reached the peak of the Heavenly Xuan realm, he took an Overlord Pill. He was also the only one among the current younger generation of all Guardian Clans and princely mansions to have taken an Overlord Pill... thus, until now, none of his peers could match him.
Therefore, even in the eyes of the Guardian Clans and princely mansions, the Overlord Pill was equally priceless.
At each Demon Emperor Ceremony, there would be one Overlord Pill... and only one Overlord Pill granted. Whichever force obtained it would inevitably produce a figure in the next generation who surpassed the vast majority, even all of their peers.
Yun Che's strength was already astonishing for someone merely at the peak of the Heavenly Xuan realm. If he obtained the Overlord Pill, he would in the future break through to the Overlord realm without any hindrance. It was unimaginable just how powerful he would become.
The entire Yun Clan was overjoyed beyond expectations. Mu Feiyan immediately burst into laughter, and Mu Yurou said happily: "Che'er, quickly thank Little Demon Empress for her grace."
"Yes." Yun Che smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to turn around, a thunderous roar suddenly sounded: "Wait! This Overlord Pill absolutely cannot be granted to Yun Che! He is not qualified to receive this reward."
Everyone's gaze immediately turned to the source of the voice. The speaker had already stood up, his face solemn. It was the master of the Jiufang Clan... Jiufang Kui!
"Jiufang Kui, what do you mean!" Yun Duanshui, who had been about to happily watch Yun Che receive the Overlord Pill reward, immediately became enraged. Regardless of his status as the Jiufang Clan Master, he directly glared and roared.
"Hmph!" Jiufang Kui sneered: "I said... this young one of your Yun Clan is not qualified to receive this reward."
"Nonsense!" Yun Duanshui shouted angrily: "If my Yun Clan's young master is not qualified... could it be that your Jiufang Clan's young master is qualified?"
Yun Duanshui's address of Yun Che had directly upgraded to "young master." As for the Jiufang Clan's young master he mentioned, it was naturally Jiufang Yu. And Jiufang Yu had been punched by Yun Che until blood flowed from his seven orifices, witnessed by everyone in the entire hall. Yun Duanshui's words were undoubtedly merciless sarcasm.
Sure enough, Jiufang Kui's face twitched slightly. He no longer paid attention to Yun Duanshui and faced Little Demon Empress, cupping his hands and saying: "The Overlord Pill is obtained only once every fifty years and can allow one to step into the Overlord realm. Such a supreme treasure cannot be granted to the Yun Clan... I implore Little Demon Empress to revoke the order!"
Little Demon Empress stared coldly: "Reason."
Before Jiufang Kui could answer, Xiao Clan Master Xiao Xifeng stepped forward and said loudly: "What Xiao thinks in his heart is exactly the same as what Jiufang Clan Master thinks! The reason is even simpler. This child Yun Che does indeed have astonishing talent, and Xiao has no great doubt about him being Yun Qinghong's son. However, Yun Che only appeared in our Demon Emperor City three months ago. Where he came from, where he spent the past twenty-some years, and why Yun Qinghong had to hide him for over twenty years—we know nothing at all! In the end, even if he has the bloodline of the Yun Clan, he is a person whose roots and background are utterly unknown. How can we, only because of the talent he displayed today, overlook the young geniuses and princes who have always been by Little Demon Empress's side?"
"And this is only the secondary reason..." Xiao Xifeng said with a face full of grief and indignation: "Little Demon Empress, have you completely forgotten the heinous crimes of the Yun Clan?"
"The crimes of the Yun Clan, again the crimes of the Yun Clan!" Little Demon Empress's brows were tightly furrowed: "In the past hundred years, I have heard these four words from your mouths a thousand times. Now, a hundred years have passed, and you still insist on clinging to them!"
"Little Demon Empress, it's not that we are clinging on, but the crimes of the Yun Clan are too severe... absolutely unforgivable!" Bai Clan Master Bai Yi also jumped out and shouted loudly: "Our defeat this time ultimately failed to expel the unforgivable Yun Clan from the Guardian Clans. It is our incompetence, and we have nothing to say. But allowing the Yun Clan to remain is already extremely unreasonable and a boundless heavenly grace from Little Demon Empress toward the Yun Clan. But granting the Overlord Pill to a clan with such heavy crimes... this truly cannot be done. Not only can we not accept it, but even the people of the world will definitely be unable to accept it."
"Clan Master Bai is truly imposing, able to represent the people of the world all by himself!" Yun Waitian said with a cold laugh, his smile filled with anger: "After enduring for so many years, today you finally can't help but fully reveal your fox tails! From the very start of today's ceremony, every word and every sentence from you has been targeting my Yun Clan, step by step eager to drive us to our deaths! Now that our young master has received Little Demon Empress's grace, you are clearly jealous, yet you shamelessly make it sound so high-sounding! Hmph... A hundred years ago, rumors spread throughout the Illusion Demon Realm that our Yun Clan had committed grave sins, and that if they were not severely punished, it would not appease the world. We already suspected that someone must have maliciously spread and promoted them... Now it seems it must have been the doing of you seven clans! Do you dare to admit it!"
"What is there not to dare to admit!" Chiyang Bailie stepped forward, his brows cold and his face stern: "That's right! A hundred years ago, it was indeed the seven of us clans who united to inform the world of the Yun Clan's crimes. Because at that time, Little Demon Empress had just ascended the throne. Her face was cold, but her heart was merciful, and she could not bear to severely punish the Yun Clan. But with such a great crime, if the Yun Clan was not given heavy punishment, all the people of the Illusion Demon Realm who were loyal to the Demon Emperor would inevitably feel indignant and resentful. If this continued for long, chaos would surely arise! Even Little Demon Empress would be caught in the whirlpool of public opinion. As Guardian Clans, for the sake of Little Demon Empress's prestige and the stability of her imperial throne, after repeatedly trying to persuade Little Demon Empress to no avail, we had no choice but to adopt this inferior strategy."
"The reason we did this was all for Little Demon Empress and for the stability of the entire Demon Emperor Realm! Even if some people call us despicable, we have a clear conscience and no regrets! Why wouldn't we dare to admit it!" Nangong Clan Master Nangong Zhi said with a solemn face.
"What a clear conscience, what no regrets, what a 'all for Little Demon Empress and the Illusion Demon Realm'!" Yun Duanshui was so angry his voice trembled: "Do you not feel shame when you say these things!"
"Shame? Why should we feel shame?" Helian Kuang stepped forward and said coldly: "Do you really not know why we seven clans and the many princely mansions have been targeting your Yun Clan? For ten thousand years, our twelve clans have been united in spirit. Though there have been minor grievances, there have been no great enmities. If it were not for the crimes of your Yun Clan being truly monstrous, how would we be willing to waste so many words and efforts!"
Lin Clan Master Lin Guiyan followed, shouting: "Your Yun Clan lost the most important Demon Emperor Seal of the Demon Emperor Clan, preventing the Little Demon Emperor from truly inheriting the throne of the Demon Emperor. If not for this, how could he, in his grief and indignation, lose his reason and go alone to the Tian Xuan Continent, thus perishing and causing the bloodline of the Demon Emperor to be cut off from then on! Although Little Demon Empress has now succeeded to the throne, without the Demon Emperor Seal, her bloodline power cannot truly awaken, and she must constantly endure the pain of the Golden Crow Flame Force's violent outbursts... And after Little Demon Empress, there will be no more Demon Emperor! All of this was brought about by your Yun Clan!!"
"The lineage of the Demon Emperor has lasted ten thousand years, but it was completely cut off by your Yun Clan! You can still retain the name of Guardian today only because of Little Demon Empress's heavenly grace! How can you still have the face to accuse others of shamelessness, and how can you have the face to accept a reward like the 'Overlord Pill'!"