Chapter 589: Intuition!
Yun Qinghong hesitated briefly but did not stop Yun Che. Nodding slightly, he said, "In that case... Yurou, Xiao'er, you two go home first. Che'er and I will go to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley together."
"No need!" Yun Che quickly waved his hand. "Father, I just can't resist the urge to confirm my own guess and intuition. It's not like I'm doing something dangerous or urgent, so I can go alone. After today's grand ceremony, our Yun Clan must be in turmoil. Grandfather's remains have only just formally returned home. Everything is waiting for you, Father, to return and take charge. This is hardly the time to leave the city."
"But right now, the Huai Wang Manor must hate you to the bone. The other princely mansions and those seven clans also hold grudges against you. If you go alone like this... it's too dangerous. Why not let me go with you?" Mu Yurou said, her face full of worry.
Yun Che knew they would be concerned for his safety, so he smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry. It won't be that easy for anyone to detect my movements."
As his words fell, he restrained his aura. "Flowing Light Thunder Concealment" activated silently. In an instant, the profound energy aura around him began to fade like smoke scattered by a gentle breeze. Within the span of two breaths... it dissipated without a trace.
"Ah?" Xiao Yun's mouth fell wide open and stayed that way for a long time. Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou also had their eyes flicker, expressions of astonishment appearing on their faces.
"Ah-ah... This... this... Big Brother's profound energy aura is... completely gone!" Xiao Yun stared with wide eyes, uttering an incredulous whisper. Yun Che was clearly right in front of him, yet he could not detect even the slightest hint of profound energy... When he closed his eyes, he could no longer sense Yun Che's presence at all. It was as if the Yun Che standing before him was nothing but an illusory shadow.
Even with the cultivations of Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou, they could only perceive an extremely faint trace of aura, one that could only be described as "a wisp." This was only because they deliberately focused their perception, and Yun Che was merely three steps away... Given such a degree of concealment, they had no doubt that under normal circumstances, even if Yun Che were hiding within ten zhang of them, they might be completely unaware... even though they were both at the Lord Xuan Realm with formidable power.
Yun Che smiled and said, "This profound art is called 'Flowing Light Thunder Concealment.' It can nearly perfectly hide one's aura with very little energy consumption. Moreover, its concealment of profound energy is by no means a forceful suppression; rather, it seals the aura within the body, interfering not at all with the profound energy. While concealed, one can strike with full force at any moment."
"There is actually such an inconceivably divine technique in this world!" Yun Qinghong couldn't help but exclaim. Given his experience and status, this was the first time in his life he had seen such a powerful concealment technique. At the same time, his worry for Yun Che's safety was reduced by more than half.
"Since you insist, then go ahead. Be careful and come back early." Yun Qinghong did not dissuade him further. In just three short months of getting to know him, he had come to understand that Yun Che was not someone easily swayed by others. Moreover, he had long developed a confidence in Yun Che that was even stronger than in himself.
"Father, Mother, rest assured. Don't forget, I'm carrying Grandfather's gift, the Tianjue Hanjing. Even if I really encounter danger, with that, I will definitely be fine." Yun Che said with an easygoing expression.
Mu Yurou still had worry in her eyes, but she no longer voiced any objections. She said softly, "With such concealment ability, being alone might actually be safer... Sigh, even though Mother believes you won't be in danger, I still can't help but worry. Perhaps..."
"Alright, Che'er is far more formidable than we imagine." Yun Qinghong patted Mu Yurou's shoulder to comfort her. Then he stepped forward, extended his finger, and tapped it on Yun Che's forehead. A faint purple light flickered as he slowly withdrew his hand, and a clear image appeared in Yun Che's mind.
"This is the location of Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley and what the entrance looks like." Yun Qinghong said. "Once you arrive, if the sealing array is still intact, come back immediately. If the sealing array has disappeared... do not act rashly. Send me a voice transmission at once."
"Mm, I understand." Yun Che nodded.
"Also..." Yun Qinghong hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Although I am fully confident in your ability to protect yourself, if only to keep your mother from worrying, send me a voice transmission every half hour. If I don't receive one within that time, I will set out for Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley immediately."
"Alright. I won't forget Father's words." Yun Che nodded again. He knew that no matter how much faith they had in him, even after he had demonstrated his powerful Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, they would still worry... because they were his parents.
"Go on." Yun Qinghong nodded with a smile. The two words, plain and light, reached his heart, stirring a warm ripple that was hard to put into words.
"Father, Mother, Yun Xiao. I'll be back soon." Yun Che rose into the air and turned around. Without the slightest fluctuation of profound energy, he was already ten zhang away.
"Che'er, be careful!"
Watching Yun Che's figure quickly disappear into the night, Mu Yurou unconsciously tightened her grip on Yun Qinghong's hand. "Husband, Che'er will definitely be... alright, right?"
"Don't worry. He's only going to Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley to confirm his own speculation, not to engage in combat. His abilities are far greater than what we have seen or imagined. I'm sure nothing dangerous will happen." Yun Qinghong reassured her.
"I know, but..." Mu Yurou pressed a hand to her chest and said somewhat absently, "My heart is still racing. I always feel..."
"Alright, stop overthinking." Yun Qinghong said with a smile. "Our son has been back for three months, and he's only been gone for a little while. You're already so flustered. Relax. Che'er will be back soon. Let's go home and wait for him. Maybe he'll return before midnight."
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To conceal his trail as much as possible, Yun Che moved at only half his full speed, but it was still by no means slow. Under the dual cover of Flowing Light Thunder Concealment and the night, he headed straight north following the directions Yun Qinghong had given him.
"Why have you suddenly become so concerned about that little demon queen?" Mo Li asked out of the blue. "Is it because she's a beauty? Is your perverted nature starting to stir again?"
Mo Li's words made Yun Che's flying body lurch violently. He growled back, "Of course not! It's because the little demon queen absolutely cannot come to harm. If she does, the situation in Yao Huang City will be turned upside down. Those princely mansions and guardian clans that defected to Huai Wang Manor will be smug, and our Yun Clan will suffer severe suppression. Before long, the Yun Clan might cease to exist... That cannot happen!"
"Although it's just a guess, it could very well determine the life or death of the little demon queen. I must confirm it, no matter what. I cannot take even the slightest risk!"
Although Yun Che's explanation was earnest, logical, and reasonable, Mo Li's response was a disdainful sneer. "Hmph. Is the fact that you've seen her naked body also one of the important reasons?"
Yun Che: "..."
Yun Che knew full well that he would never be able to erase the label of "pervert" in Mo Li's mind. He chose not to argue and instead looked ahead, silently thinking to himself: Could there actually be... a little bit of that reason... after all, I took such a big advantage of her that night... cough...
"I have some good news to tell you," Mo Li said flatly.
"What is it?"
"In my soul, the demon poison has been cleansed by exactly half."
"Half? Really!?" Yun Che's spirit lifted, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
From his voice, Mo Li caught the joy he unconsciously carried. She snorted lightly and said, "It's been nearly six years since I first met you. The demon poison in my body is unquestionably the number one poison in the vast world, yet in just under six years, half of it has been purified... Worthy of the Heavenly Poison Pearl. Hmph, if it weren't for the several times I had to forcefully act during this period, the time might have been shortened even further!"
"Excellent!" Yun Che said gladly. "The less poison remains, the easier it is for the Heavenly Poison Pearl to suppress and cleanse it. It took less than six years to go from full contamination to half cleansing, so the remaining half should only take two or three years."
"No." Mo Li narrowed her eyes with a faint smile. "At the current purification rate of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, the remaining half of the demon poison will take about a year... Of course, that's assuming I don't recklessly use profound energy during this time!"
"One year?" That was indeed very good news. "So in a year, you can fully recover?"
"Far from it!" Mo Li sneered. "In a year, only the demon poison will be completely cleansed! Don't forget, I am currently nothing more than a soul body attached to your life force and physical body! To fully recover, I still need an Overlord Xuan grade Mysterious Pill, seventy jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal, and the Netherworld Brahma Flower... You haven't forgotten all that, have you!"
"Of course I haven't," Yun Che said quickly. "What I meant was, after the demon poison is fully cleansed, can you then use your profound power freely?"
"...Correct," Mo Li answered, her voice devoid of emotion. "Are you planning to borrow my power wantonly from then on?"
"Not at all," Yun Che said. "I was thinking that at that time, you would go search for the Purple Vein Divine Crystal and Netherworld Brahma Flower yourself. After all, you're so powerful, you'd certainly find them much faster than I could."
"I cannot," Mo Li replied indifferently. "My soul body is not simply attached to you; it is intertwined with your life force. Until I reforge my body, I cannot go too far from you or be away for too long. Otherwise, my soul power will irreversibly weaken."
"That's good." Yun Che breathed a small sigh of relief.
Mo Li: "??"
"I was afraid that one day, a year from now, I would wake up to find you had already left without a word. If that happened... I would definitely be very lonely... and sad." Yun Che said slowly as he looked ahead.
Mo Li sneered. "Do you honestly think such sweet-talking words can work on me?"
"Hmph, once I fully recover, I will indeed leave immediately. But rest assured, I won't leave in silence. Before I go, I will pass on my Star God profound arts to you, as I promised before... After all, I am your master, and you saved my life."
"By then, whether in the Demon Illusion Realm or on the Tian Xuan Continent, no one will be your match. You can roam the world freely, be as domineering as you like, make anyone bow before you, get as many women as you want... After that, we'll be even, and we'll never see each other again."
"..."
The night wind blew against his face, carrying a slight chill. Mo Li's words clearly told him: the day she fully recovered, she could make him invincible under heaven. Those were dreamlike words, but coming from Mo Li's mouth, they were an undeniable truth. Yet they did not bring a smile or joy to Yun Che's face. He said nothing more, facing the night wind, heading straight north. Before he knew it, he had already left the boundaries of Yao Huang City.