by Mars Gravity
As the two people in the Sacred Cloud Arena continued to duel, they had reached a momentary deadlock, but Yun Xiao was beginning to steadily gain the advantage. After seeing Yun Xiao actually enter the Sacred Cloud Arena and exchange blows with the Yun Family disciples, the various elders displayed astonished and complicated expressions. Yun Waitian first flicked a glance at Yun Xiao, who was on stage, and then slanted his eyes towards Yun Qinghong. He gave a cold snort, expressing his contempt. He then turned his gaze to his own son and his face immediately swelled up with pride.
Over twenty years ago, Yun Qinghong was the most celebrated son of Demon Imperial City, and was the youngest ever Monarch in the history of the Illusory Demon Realm. His light was simply too dazzling, and even though Yun Waitian was more than fifty years his senior, he could only look up at Yun Qinghong… But who could have expected for there to be such a dramatic reversal of fortunes. The person who he could only look up at and envy in the past had become a cripple, and it was common knowledge that his ‘son’ was not even his own. He then thought of his current position and status within the Yun Family, and thought of his own son, and he felt a kind of superiority that was simply way too refreshing.
“Hahahaha!”
A burst of candid laughter suddenly rang out and in the sky. A huge figure appeared out of nowhere, and an earsplitting voice which carried a hint of brashness rang out, “Mu Family’s Mu Yubai has specially come to join this Yun Family gathering!”
None of the Yun Family thought that it was strange for Mu Yubai to pay them a visit at this time. They were well aware of the purpose for his visit, and they had also prepared well beforehand to deal with his intrusion. And after seeing that only Mu Yubai had come, the various elders all sighed silently in relief. All of them stood up one after another, because in a few decades, Mu Yubai would naturally succeed the position of Mu Family’s Patriarch, and his status would be greater than all those present, so they naturally got up to greet him. Yun Waitian stood up, clasped his hands, and said, “Young Patriarch Mu’s arrival is most delightful and welcome, please have a seat.”
“No need.” Mu Yubai waved his hand, “I’ll just choose a seat on my own.”
Having said that, his body flashed and he instantly appeared at Yun Qinghong’s side. After that he sat down in a grand and ostentatious manner and did not pay attention to any other people.
“Senior Mu.” Yun Che greeted.
Mu Yubai nodded his head, and he looked at Yun Xiao who had steadily gained the advantage. He rubbed his jaw and said, “Tsk! This kiddo ain’t too bad.”
“Big Brother, you came by yourself? I had thought Father would come as well.” Mu Yurou said in a soft voice.
Mu Yubai’s face grew grave and he said in a low, suppressed voice, “Dad originally wanted to come as well, but I talked him out of it.” Before he continued, his eyes suddenly shot in the direction of Yun Waitian and his voice dropped a further octave, “While Dad and I were investigating the attack on Xiao’er and the girl from the Under Heaven Clan, we managed to uncover an incredible clue… Today, some people from the Illusory Demon Royal Family may pay this competition a visit as well.”
Yun Qinghong’s brows jumped violently.
“Illusory Demon Royal Family?” Mu Yurou’s brows also sank, “Big Brother, what exactly did the both of you manage to find out? Who exactly were those people who wanted to harm Xiao’er that day?”
Mu Yubai gently shook his head, “We only manage to uncover a tiny clue, but we cannot confirm anything, nor do we have any concrete evidence… We will have to adopt a wait and see approach. If the situation spirals out of control, hmph, this position of the Yun Family Patriarch, it’s fine if you don’t have it. Bring your entire family to our Mu Family, it will be far more comfortable than staying in this wretched place!”
Mu Yurou took a look at Yun Qinghong, and let out a silent sigh. Mu Yubai could say it easily, but she knew that Yun Qinghong would definitely not be willing to leave the Yun Family. After all the Yun Family and its name carried the lives, efforts, pride and glory of his bloodline of Patriarchs. How could he be willing to leave the Yun Family and give his position away to another family branch within the Yun Family.
At this time, an even voice descended from far away,
“Unparalleled Under Heaven has come to pay a visit.”
These few words; the first word sounded like it came from five kilometers away, whereas the last word sounded as if the speaker was right next to you. The robust profound power contained within the voice stirred emotions within all the thirty six elders present. And this voice, as well as the name that accompanied it, caused all of them to stand up as one.
Two figures had suddenly appeared in the air. Yun Che recognized the person on the left, it was Number One Under Heaven! And to his right, stood a middle-aged man with a gentle countenance and a sincere smile. His position was even further forward than Number One Under Heaven, and the words that he had announced, ‘Unparallel Under Heaven’, was his very own name.
“Unparalleled Under Heaven? What is he doing here?” Yun Qinghong had a flabbergasted expression on his face. Following that, he gave Yun Che a thoughtful look, but he did not ask him anything. Instead he candidly explained, “Among these two people, you are already acquainted with Number One Under Heaven. The person beside him is called Unparalleled Under Heaven and he is around my age. He is the younger brother of the Elf Clan’s Patriarch, Greatest Ambition Under Heaven, and he is also the person in the Elf Clan whose power and position is second only to Greatest Ambition Under Heaven.”
“Oh!” Yun Che slowly nodded his head. Two months ago he had sent a sound transmission to Number One Under Heaven and invited him to the Yun Family Competition, but he did not expect that not only would he come, he would even bring such a heavyweight with him as well!
It was pretty obvious that Number One Under Heaven had guessed his true motive. The debt he owed Yun Che for saving his sister burned in his heart. His position, status and nature dictated that he would definitely be unwilling to owe anyone a favor. So not only did he come, he brought Yun Che a nice surprise as well.
However, this bunch from the Under Heaven Clan and the names that they were given, each one truly surpassed the last!
If it was only Number One Under Heaven who had come, any one of the elders could have welcomed him, because even though Number One Under Heaven was the Young Patriarch of the Under Heaven Family, he was still a junior. But with the arrival of Unparalleled Under Heaven, the entire situation changed. Yun Waitian hurriedly soared into the air and he solicitously greeted the new arrivals, “Ah so it is Elder Unparalleled and the Young Patriarch of the Under Heaven Family.”
“Heh heh,” Unparalleled Under Heaven gently smiled. His gentle demeanor and his complete lack of an imposing manner clashed with the grand name ‘Unparalleled Under Heaven’. “We have come uninvited and we hope that no one takes offence.”
“What are you saying Elder Unparalleled. Since the both of you have come, our Yun Family will definitely welcome you with open arms. Please, have a seat.”
As the two people took their seats, Number One Under Heaven crossed eyes with Yun Che, and they mutually nodded their heads inconspicuously. One used his gaze as greetings, the other used his gaze to express his thanks.
The Yun Family Competition that was taking place today was destined to be extraordinary. Because just as Number One Under Heaven and Unparalleled Under Heaven had taken their seats, yet another voice came from above, “Tut, tut. Looks like the Yun Family has received quite a number of esteemed guests. This was a lot more lively than I expected.”
That haughty voice carried a shrill edge and if people heard it, they would feel unwell. That voice was followed by an aura, and the atmosphere immediately become sluggish. Yun Che clearly saw Yun Qinghong and Mu Yubai’s expression change at the same time.
A middle-aged man gently floated down from the air. This person was dressed all in green and his facial features s
eemed to have an unspeakable strangeness about them. His face seemed to be tinged in green but what caught Yun Che’s attention was this person’s eyes, as they were shaped like long and narrow triangles. And when their gazes met, Yun Che felt a cold sensation break out over his entire body… But this was definitely not the aura of a ice-based profound art, rather it was a kind of… Bone-piercing sinister aura which caused one’s hairs to stand on end.
For the Mu Family to send someone was extremely normal and while the Under Heaven Clan being in attendance shocked the Yun Family elders, it still was not anything out of the ordinary. But this person appearing, caused all the gathered Elders of the Yun Family to nearly be stunned into insensibility. He slowly floated downwards and spoke in a hoarse and unpleasant voice, “This time, I have come uninvited as well. I hope that all the present friends of the Yun Family will not take offence to my arrival.”
Yun Waitian stood up to welcome him, “Brother Helian, please do not say such a thing. Since you have come, you are naturally our honored guest… Please be seated.”
“Helian Peng, what is your motive for coming?” At this time, an unfriendly voice rang out, and the one who spoke was astonishingly Mu Yubai.
“Heh.” Helian Peng’s long and narrow triangular eyes narrowed even further, and he gave a cold and dull laugh, “Mu Yubai, you can come uninvited, but I cannot? The Yun Family was after all a great power all those years ago. I am naturally extremely interested in observing this family competition.”
“All those years ago”, those words had been emphasized heavily on purpose. Mu Yubai gave a cold snort and did not speak any further, but his brows began to furrow together… Because the appearance of this person was definitely far out of the ordinary.
“Helian Peng, the Helian Family Patriach generation’s rank three.” Yun Qinghong explained to Yun Che, “Their original form is that of a Nine-headed Demon Snake and their physiques possess an extremely high innate potential and an extremely strong power. But for the past ten thousand years, they have always been suppressed by our Yun Family, and they have always been the eternal number two. But after our Yun Family’s situation changed, they have become the head of the Twelve Guardian Families.”
Helian Family… Nine-headed Demon Snake Clan…
Yun Che silently marked this person called Helian Peng and noted down his appearance.
Chapter 513: Rising Turbulence
The battle between the two on the stage also came to an end. With an ear-piercing ripping sound, the orange colored profound handle shattered. Along with a wretched scream, a silhouette was thrown from the Sacred Cloud Arena, smashing heavily onto the ground.
On the stage, Yun Xiao held the Galloping Lightning Sword and slowly walked to the edge of the Sacred Cloud Arena. Though he was panting a little, his expression still seemed calm, and his brows still contained some imposingness: “Brother Yun Han, you let me win.”
The Yun family disciple who had lost, clenched his teeth in an unreconciled manner, stood up, and left silently.
Now, beneath the stage was not just the younger disciples; the Elder Council and people from three families were beneath the stage too. These younger disciples, before taking part in the Family Competition, naturally had the intentions of exhibiting their skills in front of the elder generation, they did not think that the first to be in the limelight was actually Yun Xiao.
They even more did not expect that the Yun Xiao who never retaliated after getting bullied would actually be hiding such strength.
“Hmph! This fellow…” Beneath the stage, Yun Hao had an unsatisfied expression as he looked at the Yun Xiao, who always got mocked by himself, be in the limelight. His gaze swept across the area that the Elders were seated, then, he laughed coldly and pushed off the ground with both feet. His body rose into flight and landed on the Sacred Cloud Arena, where he crossed his arms and said calmly amidst the chaos: “Yun Xiao, your performance today isn’t bad. Come, let the two of us spar for a bit.”
Yun Xiao scrunched his eyebrows, his expression becoming heavy.
Yun Hao and Yun Xiao were both half-step Overlords, moreover, Yun Hao had stopped at the stage of a half-step Tyrant for four years whilst Yun Xiao had in only one. On top of that, Yun Hao possessed a profound handle, Yun Xiao had fought in two consecutive battles, and expended a large portion of his profound strength. If the two of them sparred, it would be a situation where one side had an obvious advantage… Yun Xiao simply had no chance of winning.
“Hehe, your third son, isn’t he simply bullying others.” At the elders’ seats, an elder sitting at the back row said to the person to his side.
Yun Hao’s father was one of the thirty-six core elders of the Yun family, his ranking was slightly towards the end. Yun Hao was a genuine heir of an Elder. After hearing those words, Yun Hao’s father sighed weakly and said: “They are all young. While mutually sparring, there is only the matter of being strong or weak, what is there to bully about. If their strength is not sufficient, no one can be blamed for being bullied. What’s more… “ He said in a soft voice: “Today is the day Yun Qinghong steps down, it’s better if this bastard of his goes down early too.”
Yun Xiao had never sparred with Yun Hao before. His heart too, was especially nervous, as a gentle voice arrived in his ears: “Yun Hao is frivolously using his strength to seek some glory. He is definitely seeking to defeat you in the shortest amount of time, that’s why he will probably use one of the strongest killing moves of the Purple Cloud Arts immediately. Use the Wrapping Lightning Arts which I have made you practice diligently… whether you will be able to come out victorious from behind, will depend on how well you can operate the Wrapping Lightning Arts!”
Yun Xiao’s gaze shifted and he look towards Yun Qinghong. His expression was calm, with a slight smile. From the start, no one had realized that this family head who was supposedly crippled for tens of years, had just employed an incomparably advanced profound energy sound transmission.
Yun Xiao’s nervousness disappeared as his gaze became cold and determined. His arms moved slowly, and the Galloping Lightning Sword tilted horizontally in front of his body.
Yun Hao took out his own weapon and said beamingly: “Yun Xiao, you have just fought two matches, I will also not be willing to take advantage of you. If I do not manage to defeat you within five moves, then just take it as my loss… if you are not even able to receive five moves of mine, hehe, then you can’t really blame me.”
Even a fool could clearly hear the disdain in Yun Hao’s words… and this was in a situation where Yun Qinghong was present. The surroundings of the Sacred Cloud Arena went into a fit of sniggers, as various gazes of amusement and pity landed on Yun Xiao.
Yet in contrast, Yun Xiao had a face full of calm. He stared straight at the sword in Yun Hao’s hand, as if he had not heard the words he just said.
Not achieving the results he had expected, Yun Hao was not satisfied. He clenched his teeth and sneered secretly: This good-for-nothing, he can sure act well. Let’s see how you can withstand my one move!
Yun Hao moved his arm. His body abruptly sprinted forward, instantly rushed up to Yun Xiao, as he released a lump of lightning profound energy he had secretly amassed on his body. It violently exploded, causing five terrifying and malevolent lightning and thunder pythons to appear.
“Wah! He used the Purple Fiend Lightning Handle immediately!!”
“Seems like Yun Hao wants to smack that fellow down with just one move.”
“If Yun Xiao deflects the blow, he will definitely be smacked off the stage. If he receives it head on… Heh, it’s possible that he’ll lose half his life.”
Facing Yun Hao’s sudden release of the Purple Fiend Lightning Handle, Yun Xiao did not dodge or run. Only his eyes opened wide for a moment, exploding with lightning profound energy that clearly shone within his pupils. He raised the Galloping Lightning Sword, bringing along with it a magnificent purple sword silhouette… After the five lightning profound powers whic
h contained terrifying might touched his sword silhouette, they did not explode, and instead, drew away gently like the flow of water, following Yun Xiao’s body, scattering, as he flew backwards. Even Yun Hao’s sword was tugged on strongly by an indescribable force. The profound strength on the sword which was about to be released, was also scattered.
Yun Hao, who originally wanted to smash Yun Xiao away with a single move, momentarily turned pale with fright, but without even giving him enough time to fully react, the tip of Yun Xiao’s blade abruptly pierced forward, right at his chest.
“Sudden Lightning Sword!”
Yun Hao had immediately employed one of the Purple Cloud Arts’ strongest killing moves, and it was precisely then, when his profound defense was at its weakest, that his protective profound defense was immediately torn apart under the Sudden Lightning Sword move. Yun Hao let out a muffled groan and flew away, his head landing on the ground, smashing disastrously beneath the stage with a “crack” sound, smashing a wooden seat into pieces.
Yun Hao sprawled on the floor like a dead dog, stared blankly and did not stand up for a long time… This was in the presence of everyone; all the Elders were present, along with three other Guardian Families. It could even be said that he had disgraced himself to the extreme.
The surroundings immediately became silent. All of the Yun family disciples were thoroughly dumbfounded. Yun Hao’s profound strength was thicker than Yun Xiao’s, and he also had a profound handle. The opposing Yun Xiao had also wasted a big portion of his profound strength, and they had all thought that it was very possible that Yun Xiao would be defeated in one move by Yun Hao. They never thought that the one to be defeated in a single move would actually be Yun Hao!!