Chapter 576: Demon King's Remains
Almost no one could immediately recognize that the old man in the eternal coffin was Yun Canghai, because compared to a hundred years ago, he was so disfigured that he was unrecognizable. Yun Waitian and Yun Duanshui were the closest. Having lived in the same clan as Yun Canghai for over two hundred years, they faintly sensed a trace of a familiar outline and the unique aura of the Yun Clan Head that belonged solely to Yun Canghai. But even they only uttered vague sounds, utterly unable to confirm their suspicions.
"You… do you recognize who this person is?" Yun Che stood at the side of Yun Canghai's remains, his brows knitted as he coldly stared at the seven clan heads, whose expressions wavered with uncertainty, and at everyone seated in the eastern section. This was precisely why he had brought back Yun Canghai's remains but had not allowed Yun Qinghong to bury him early, nor had he even let the Yun Clan know. Because he would never allow his grandfather to be buried still bearing the false accusations maliciously inflicted upon him by others… He wanted to clear his grandfather's name. More than that, he wanted those people to apologize and repent before his grandfather in front of the entire world!
"Yes, it's impossible for you to recognize him! Even if an Emperor Lord's extremely keen spiritual sense faintly detects something, they would absolutely not dare to believe it!" Yun Che swept his gaze across the hall and said coldly: "He is the sole Demon King in the history of the Illusion Demon Realm, my grandfather, and the so-called 'sinner' you have verbally attacked for an entire century… Yun Canghai!!"
The name Yun Che shouted out caused the entire hall to burst into an uproar. Everyone stood up, wide-eyed, staring at the person in the eternal coffin. On their faces were expressions of deep shock and utter disbelief, as if they could hardly believe their own ears.
"Yun… Yun Canghai!?"
"Impossible! How could this dried-up old man… possibly be Demon King Yun Canghai!"
"Didn't Yun Canghai fall in the Tian Xuan Continent a hundred years ago… How could it be him!!"
…………
The name of "Demon King" Yun Canghai was known to everyone in the Illusion Demon Realm. But the withered old man in the crystal coffin beside Yun Che made it impossible for them to connect him with the world-renowned Demon King. A hundred years ago, Yun Canghai had an extraordinary appearance. His gentle face carried an awe-inspiring majesty that commanded respect. He looked to be not yet thirty years old, and countless women in the Illusion Demon Realm adored him in their dreams.
Given Yun Canghai's cultivation level, even after another thousand years, his appearance would not have changed in the slightest.
But the old man in the crystal coffin had dirty, graying hair and a body withered like rotten wood, resembling a pitiful beggar who had suffered countless hardships and then starved to death. Even the lowest-class people of the Illusion Demon Realm would probably not want to look at him twice… How could he possibly be the Demon King who once stood above hundreds of millions, second only to one, revered and admired by countless people!
"Clan Head… it really is the Clan Head!!"
Yun Waitian and Yun Duanshui cried out in grief, rushed forward, and heavily knelt before the eternal coffin. As they wailed, hot tears streamed down their faces. Although they too dared not believe it and were unwilling to believe it, they had absolute trust in Yun Che… How could he possibly use his own biological grandfather's remains to make a false show in front of Xiao Yaohou, the twelve clans, and the entire world! Moreover, outsiders might not be able to identify him, but they were once clan members loyal to Yun Canghai. Even though he was dead and utterly disfigured, that indescribable, subtle familiarity unique to Yun Canghai existed, real and clear.
The name "Yun Canghai" and the grief-stricken cries of the two elders caused the hearts of all Yun Clan members to tremble violently. Yun Qinghong took a long, deep breath, raised his hand to stop those clan members whose emotions were spiraling out of control and wanted to rush forward, and said: "That… is indeed father's remains. Che'er brought them back from the Tian Xuan Continent… It is enough for the Grand Elder and Second Elder to guard by his side. The rest of you, do not approach, so as not to disturb his rest."
Yun Canghai's words solidly proved the identity of the remains. Every member of the Yun Clan felt as if something had exploded in their chests. The three Supreme Elders, Yun He, Yun Jiang, and Yun Xi, were already crying uncontrollably… They had never dreamed that they would have the day to see Yun Canghai again…
"He… is really the Demon King?" Xiao Yaohou stared blankly, her voice filled with astonishment. In her entire life, she had truly respected only two people: one was her father, the Emperor, and the other was Yun Canghai. A hundred years had passed in a blink. She no longer harbored hope of seeing the remains of her father and younger brother again, and she equally dared not hope to see Yun Canghai again… And now, Yun Canghai's remains had returned to the Illusion Demon Realm like a miracle, like a dream, appearing before her eyes…
But his appearance caused her heart and soul to tremble violently… without end…
Yun Che's expression was stiff as he said: "Even if I were a heinous criminal, I would never use the remains of my deceased close relative to play tricks!"
"Impossible!" Helian Kuang's voice was somewhat hoarse as he said: "Yun Canghai died in the Tian Xuan Continent a hundred years ago. How could his corpse appear here? Furthermore, Yun Canghai's Profound Force was at the peak of Lord Xuan Realm Level 8, granting him a lifespan of several thousand years… How could he have become like this!"
"How could he have become like this?" Yun Che gave a faint smile, but his gaze carried bone-deep hatred, and his voice turned extremely icy: "A petty person like you… of course would not understand why my grandfather became like this!!"
"You… want to know why my grandfather looks like this now? Want to know why his remains have returned here from the Tian Xuan Continent? Want to know why the Demon Emperor Seal is in my hands!!"
The three questions Yun Che roared out were ones everyone in the hall desperately wanted answers to. The seven clan heads wanted to know even more. But facing Yun Che's terrifyingly cold expression, eyes, and tone, they, as powerful Emperor Lords, clearly felt a deep palpitation… and the remains of Yun Canghai beside him… although they were just remains, no one dared to look at them directly, as if Yun Canghai's heroic soul were there, staring at them.
Yun Che laughed. To the seven clan heads, his smile seemed particularly sinister and terrifying: "Now, I will give you the answers one by one!!"
"A hundred years ago, my grandfather led the ten Supreme Elders of the Yun Clan to the Tian Xuan Continent to rescue the former Demon Emperor. But they were ambushed and fell into a 'Heavenly Might Soul-Suppressing Array' that their enemies had prepared long ago. The ten Supreme Elders fell, and my grandfather was gravely wounded… But my grandfather did not die. He was captured by the Tian Wei Sword Domain of the Tian Xuan Continent and imprisoned in a place a hundred zhang underground, where sunlight never reached! He was bound all over with Starfall Chains, and his Profound Force was sealed by the Heavenly Might Soul-Suppressing Array… For an entire century!"
In the entire hall, aside from Yun Che's voice, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Clatter!
A heavily clanking chain was taken out by Yun Che and thrown to the ground: "These are the Starfall Chains that bound my grandfather! Helian Kuang, you asked me why my grandfather became like this in just a hundred years? It is because my grandfather spent a hundred years without seeing the sun or moon, a hundred years without eating or drinking, a hundred years in darkness, a hundred years in dark solitude, a hundred years with his entire body bound, a hundred years with his Profound Veins suppressed, and a hundred years enduring the Soul-Suppressing Array's devouring… A full century of living a life worse than death!"
Yun Che's words caused the people in the hall to turn pale and feel a bone-chilling cold. To be bound in body, to have one's Profound Force suppressed, and to face endless darkness and solitude… Even without the torment of the array's devouring, it was like being in a hellish purgatory. Because the most terrifying thing in this world is not physical torture, but endless darkness and loneliness… Even a powerful Xuan Adept, bound in that dark purgatory, would have their spirit and will completely broken within a few years, until they went mad.
That was a kind of living death that no one could not fear and no one could truly endure…
A century… They could not even imagine that someone could endure such a dark purgatory for an entire century…
"Grandfather, in that place, endured spiritual torment every single moment that you wouldn't dare to imagine. Every moment was a living death worse than death… He could have ended his own life and achieved a painless release. But my grandfather did not. No matter how great the pain he endured, he absolutely would not allow himself to die. My grandfather was not one to fear death. Moreover, in that place, even the most cowardly person would find a way to kill themselves within a month…"
"The reason he desperately clung to life was for this… Demon Emperor Seal!" Yun Che took out the Demon Emperor Seal again, grinding his teeth as he spoke.
"This… is impossible!" Jiufang Kui roared: "Since Yun Canghai fell into the hands of the Tian Wei Sword Domain, how could the Demon Emperor Seal still be on him! Even if he created a small pocket space himself, it would certainly have been taken by now. There is absolutely no way he could still carry the Demon Emperor Seal on him!"
"Oh?" Yun Che let out a cold laugh, then closed his eyes. He slowly moved the Demon Emperor Seal to his heart and said softly: "To prevent the Demon Emperor Seal from being taken by the Tian Wei Sword Domain, Grandfather created a small space inside his own heart and hid the Demon Emperor Seal there… For an entire century…"
"Wh… What!!"
"Ah!"
"…!!"
The faces of the seven clan heads all froze, and they could no longer utter a single sound. Xiao Yaohou's bright eyes suddenly widened, her gaze trembling violently. Countless exclamations rang out in the hall, and almost everyone involuntarily reached for their hearts, their hands trembling, their hearts stirring beyond measure.
"Clan Head… Clan Head… you… why… why did you suffer so…" The Yun Clan members were either stunned or had their eyes closed, while over a dozen elders fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Yun Qinghong looked up, his eyes tightly shut, his clenched fists continuously emitting dull sounds of bones grinding.
Creating a small space inside one's heart is indeed extremely difficult for anyone to detect. But the pain it brings, even for a powerful Emperor Lord, is chilling to think about. Since Yun Canghai was trapped in the Heavenly Might Soul-Suppressing Array, his Profound Force was suppressed to a great degree. If he removed it, the small space would disappear, and he would no longer be able to create another one, leaving the Demon Emperor Seal constantly at risk of exposure. Therefore, throughout those hundred years, no matter how painful it was, he never took out the Demon Emperor Seal. That small space hiding the Demon Emperor Seal remained inside Yun Canghai's heart… For an entire century.
Before, they could not imagine what kind of experience or torment could turn a high-level Emperor Lord into this in just a hundred years… Now they knew. They knew completely…
"Now, do you understand?" Yun Che looked at Jiufang Kui, his voice utterly indifferent.
Jiufang Kui opened his mouth, but his throat was dry, and he could not utter a single word.
Yun Che smiled coldly. He stared at the seven clan heads, his indifferent words falling one by one into everyone's ears: "Take a good look at my grandfather. His entire body is withered, his hair is white. The long robe he wore has disintegrated beyond recognition. For a hundred years, every single moment he spent in purgatory, until he peacefully passed away after handing me the Demon Emperor Seal, which he had guarded with his life…"
"Oh, and look at you. Also clan heads of Guardian Clans, yet each of you is so hale and hearty, full of spirit. How magnificently and luxuriously you dress! For a hundred years, you led your entire clans, looked down upon the world, and how imposing you were! You ate the finest delicacies, used the highest-grade miraculous medicines, lived so comfortably, so carefree and content!"
Yun Che's tone shifted, each word as sharp as a blade: "Yet you bear the name of loyalty and blatantly collude to oppress my Yun Clan! You openly smear my grandfather, who struggled desperately even in hell to protect the Demon Emperor Seal, as an eternal sinner! You make my Yun Clan suffer for a century of crime, and even want to expel us permanently!"
"Do you still have any shame! Any conscience! Any dignity!"
"Do you have even a shred of decency!!!!"
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[Suddenly a Dad~~~~(_]