Chapter 572: Fierce Condemnation of the Seven Clans (Part 2)
"You... you..." Yun Wai Tian and Yun Duan Shui were trembling all over with anger. Even though they knew full well that this was clearly a malicious targeting by the seven Guardian Clans, they had absolutely no way to refute it.
The crime of losing the Demon Emperor Seal had been a mountain pressing down on the Yun Clan for all these years. Even though a hundred years had passed, it was still so heavy that it made it hard for them to breathe.
Compared to Yun Che's identity earlier, this was the real fatal weakness of the Yun Clan. It was like a nightmare they couldn't shake off, nor escape, tormenting them for a hundred years. Unless they found the Demon Emperor Seal again someday, they would have to bear this heavy chain of guilt for generations to come.
No matter how impressive the Yun Clan was today, no matter what geniuses they had produced or what merits they had earned over the past hundred years... they could not escape this fatal weak point that other clans could manipulate at will.
"Enough!" Xiao Yaohou swept her sleeves and stood up, saying coldly, "The Yun Clan losing the Demon Emperor Seal was never intentional. They have already borne a hundred years of punishment for it. I, the Empress, have already stopped pursuing this matter. When did it become your turn to interrogate them time and time again?"
"Young Empress, a heinous crime like this from the Yun Clan, how can a mere hundred years of punishment be enough to atone for it!" Helian Kuang shouted with a pained expression. "What the Yun Clan lost was the Demon Emperor Seal... the Demon Emperor Seal! What they ruined was the future of the Demon Emperor bloodline! For a crime of this magnitude, even annihilating their entire clan would not be excessive. A mere hundred years of punishment doesn't amount to even the slightest atonement... Moreover, what punishment the Yun Clan has endured over these hundred years was merely resource restrictions. How can that be called 'heavy punishment'!"
Jiu Fang Kui added, "Clan Head Helian is right! And this must be the sentiment of all the citizens of Yaohuang City over the past hundred years. The Yun Clan's crime is too great, yet the Young Empress has been too merciful, always treating the Yun Clan leniently for a hundred years. If such a great crime is forgiven to this extent, who in the world would accept it? Since the Young Empress is unwilling to truly punish them heavily, unwilling to exile the Yun Clan, we can only obey your orders. But to grant this 'Overlord Pill' to the Yun Clan... forgive my Jiu Fang Clan, but we absolutely cannot accept it!"
As soon as Jiu Fang Kui's voice fell, Nan Gong Zhi immediately followed up: "It's absolutely not that we are coveting this Overlord Pill. It's just that in the hundred years since the Young Empress ascended the throne, countless people have rendered great service and achieved remarkable feats in assisting her. Yet the Young Empress wants to bestow this Overlord Pill upon a clan that has committed a heinous crime... We are Guardian Clans, and of course we must obey the Young Empress's orders. But even if we accept it, once this matter gets out, it will inevitably stir up a tide of public opinion in the Demon Illusion Realm, attracting countless grievances and accusations. It will also have a tremendous negative impact on the Young Empress's sacred reputation and prestige... We implore the Young Empress to think thrice."
"Our actions here are all for the sake of the Young Empress, for the sake of the reputation of the entire Demon Emperor bloodline that has endured to this day!"
The seven clan heads of the eastern seats took turns offering their counsel, every word targeting the Yun Clan, yet every word was spoken with resolute righteousness. In their rhetoric, the Yun Clan was already an utterly evil, unpardonable clan. If the Young Empress were to bestow this Overlord Pill on the Yun Clan, it would make her a "foolish ruler" who incites the world's resentment.
If only one clan opposed it, the Young Empress could easily suppress them. But the seven great clans had clearly conspired in secret, all standing up together, with harsh words and unyielding attitudes. Even those sitting in the corners of the Demon Emperor Hall, completely unaware of the political situation in Yaohuang City, could clearly feel a heavy oppressive pressure.
Xiao Family Head Xiao Xi Feng spoke loudly: "Our twelve Guardian Clans have protected the Demon Emperor bloodline with one heart for ten thousand years, only to have the Yun Clan ruin it. No matter who the Overlord Pill is bestowed upon, our Xiao Clan would not object in the slightest. But to give it to the Yun Clan alone... our Xiao Clan would be endlessly disheartened... and countless others in the world would also be disheartened. They would think that the Young Empress, as the ruler of the Demon Illusion Realm, cannot distinguish between reward and punishment, allowing the guilty to prosper and the meritorious to be chilled. This Overlord Pill absolutely cannot be given to the Yun Clan!"
"Furthermore, the person who lost the Demon Emperor Seal back then was Yun Cang Hai, the former clan head of the Yun Clan! The late Emperor enfeoffed him as a king, held him in high regard, and even entrusted the Demon Emperor Seal to his safekeeping. Yet Yun Cang Hai betrayed the late Emperor's trust, forcibly broke into the Tian Xuan Continent, and ultimately lost the Demon Emperor Seal. It was an act of extreme recklessness and stupidity, an unpardonable crime! He is no longer worthy of the honor of 'Demon Emperor's King'! Therefore..."
"Shut up! Don't you dare insult my father!!"
"Shut up! Don't you dare insult my grandfather!!"
Before Xiao Xi Feng could finish his words, two thunderous roars erupted simultaneously. Even Xiao Xi Feng, a third-stage Emperor Lord, was shaken by these two shouts, his whole body trembling and his heart violently contracting. He turned around to face Yun Qing Hong's terrifyingly darkened face, contorted with rage.
These two roars came from Yun Qing Hong and Yun Che respectively.
When the Young Empress proposed bestowing the Overlord Pill on Yun Che, both Yun Qing Hong and Yun Che had anticipated that the Huai Wang would have the seven clans or various princely mansions come out to obstruct it. The best excuse, naturally, would be the Yun Clan's crime from a hundred years ago. Therefore, they were not at all surprised by the joint targeting of the seven clans. They had been watching coldly without saying a word.
But Xiao Xi Feng's words clearly insulted Yun Cang Hai... severely crossing their bottom line!!
Yun Qing Hong had revered his father his entire life, regarding him as his heaven. Seeing his father's aged, withered corpse a month ago, memories of it brought him guilt, self-blame, resentment, and pain like ten thousand arrows piercing his heart every time he thought of it... Yun Cang Hai was Yun Che's grandfather, the one who saved Yun Che from under the Heaven's Punishment Sword with his own life, who used his own death to show Yun Che the true meaning of family.
They could remain composed about everything else, but they absolutely could not tolerate slander against Yun Cang Hai!
Faced with Yun Qing Hong's fury, Xiao Xi Feng's heart trembled slightly, but under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he couldn't afford to show weakness. He sneered, "Insult? Is stating a fact known to everyone in the world considered an insult? Did I say a single wrong word? If it wasn't for Yun Cang Hai back then..."
"Shut up!" Yun Qing Hong's face was ashen. "My father stood lofty and upright his entire life, with a clear conscience towards heaven and earth, towards the late Emperor, and towards the Yun Clan! A petty man like you is not even worthy of uttering my father's name! If you dare slander my father one more time, I, Yun Qing Hong... will one day personally take your life!"
These overly agitated words revealed the extreme fury in Yun Qing Hong's heart. Clearly, when it came to matters concerning Yun Cang Hai, he had lost some of his composure. Yun Che frowned slightly and stepped forward, saying, "Father, such petty scoundrels with ulterior motives are not worthy of you dealing with them personally. I have something to ask them properly!"
Yun Che took a step forward, facing the seven clan heads standing there with a cold gaze and a faint smile. "You seven great clans are truly united in your determination to prevent my Yun Clan from obtaining the Overlord Pill! Indeed... the heinous crime of losing the Demon Emperor Seal is such a perfect handle! So let me guess, you definitely won't honor the Purple Vein Divine Crystals you lost to our Yun Clan either, will you!"
Yun Che used an accusatory tone, not a questioning one!
The expressions of the seven clan heads changed slightly. They had been communicating with each other through sound transmission earlier, colluding together. They absolutely had no intention of actually handing over the Purple Vein Divine Crystals to the Yun Clan... let alone five catties, not even a single strand! After stopping the Young Empress from giving the Overlord Pill to the Yun Clan, the next step was to jointly apply pressure and default on the five catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals.
Now, exposed by Yun Che's blunt statement, not a single one of them showed any embarrassment. Instead, they seized the opportunity to say, "Yun Che, you guessed right! These five catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals, my Chi Yang Clan will absolutely not give to your Yun Clan!" "Our Jiu Fang Clan will absolutely not give them either!!"
"Hahahaha, it seems we all think alike! My Nan Gong Clan would rather destroy these five catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals than give a single bit to the Yun Clan!"
"The same goes for my Lin Clan! Not to mention five catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals, we won't even give a single strand of hair!"
"Your Yun Clan is burdened with heinous crimes, what face do you have to receive the Guardian Clans' Purple Vein Divine Crystals!!"
Despite shamelessly reneging and disregarding all decency right under everyone's noses, each one shouted with high morale and overwhelming righteousness... Clearly, the Yun Clan's well-known "great crime" was their reliance and confidence. Yun Che sneered, "Five catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystals was your promise! Your side lost the previous confrontation! Now you renege so brazenly and high-handedly. You, the venerable Guardian Clans standing tall for ten thousand years, actually have this kind of conduct! It's utterly ridiculous and pathetic! Aren't you afraid that your ten-thousand-year reputation will become a laughingstock throughout the Demon Illusion Realm?"
"So what!" Bai Family Head Bai Yi said. "We would rather become the world's laughingstock than give your Yun Clan even a trace of Purple Vein Divine Crystals!"
"The Yun Clan's crime is unforgivable. Exile would be the lightest punishment, and slaughtering the entire clan would not be excessive! Yet for these hundred years, they have still been on equal footing with us Guardian Clans, which has already raised questions throughout the world. If we hand over the Purple Vein Divine Crystals to the Yun Clan, they will inevitably rise strongly, while we will inevitably weaken because of it... The Yun Clan is the criminal clan that ruined the Demon Emperor bloodline!! Yet instead of receiving the punishment they deserve, they will become even more exalted above the other Guardian Clans. If this truly comes to pass, Yaohuang City will surely be in chaos, and the Demon Illusion Realm will surely be in chaos! The ancestral Demon Emperors in the underworld would find it hard to rest in peace!"
"Compared to the great chaos of the Demon Illusion Realm and the disgrace of the Demon Emperor's prestige, what does it matter if we are ridiculed as faithless and shameless people!" Helian Kuang said with a tragic and solemn expression. "For ten thousand years, our loyalty to the Demon Emperor has been unwavering. If it's for the Demon Emperor, we fear not even death! What does a tarnished reputation matter!"
What was clearly a despicable and shameless default, under the cover of the Yun Clan's crime, was transformed into a "heroic act" of loyalty to the Demon Emperor and responsibility to the Demon Illusion Realm. It nearly enraged the Yun Clan members to the point of exploding. But Yun Che burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha! What a fine 'unwavering loyalty'! What a fine 'fear not even death for the Demon Emperor'! Since you several great clans are so loyal, willing to throw away your faces for this 'loyalty,' then..."
His laughter ceased abruptly. Yun Che's expression turned fiercely cold. He stepped forward, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, pointing at the seven clan heads, his voice like thunder: "A hundred years ago, when the former Demon Emperor fell on the Tian Xuan Continent, my grandfather spared no expense to go and rescue him... But what about you!? Where were you? Why was it my grandfather, our Yun Clan, who defied death to save the former Demon Emperor, and not you so-called 'unwaveringly loyal, fear-not-even-death-for-the-Demon-Emperor' clans!?"
"At that time, where were you!? Where was your so-called loyalty!?"
Yun Che's furious cross-examination left these clan heads, who had been making impassioned speeches moments before, all completely speechless.
[Going to Harbin tomorrow... It's over minus twenty degrees there... Not sure if I'll make it back alive...]