Against the Gods

Chapter 521 – Patriarch’s Crest

Yun Qinghong’s angry rebuke carried an incomparably shocking aura. Every word that came from his mouth was accompanied by an ostensible pressure which took the air out of the entire building. Every single person present could feel the weight of this oppressive aura and all the Yun Family members present, from the elders to the young disciples, every single one of them had been stunned into silence. Even Yun Xiao’s mouth was gaping open, and he looked at Yun Qinghong with a gaze which scarcely could contain his disbelief… The father he was familiar with was a courtly and peaceable man, and on most days he did not speak much, nor was he willing to interact with other people, to the point where he rarely even left his own courtyard. He had seemed to have reached a state where he was detached from all worldly affairs.

He could scarcely believe that his own father, facing the respected Duke Hui Ye, would utter such strong, unyielding words. And these words even carried such a tyrannical power.

Duke Hui Ye would never even dream that Yun Qinghong would deliver such a furious denunciation. Yun Qinghong was clearly a cripple, but facing his current gaze, even he as duke, felt his heart skip a beat. And he, as an esteemed duke, when had ever been lectured so harshly in the public eye? He pointed a finger at Yun Qinghong and in a voice which faintly trembled, “Yun Qinghong, you…”

“How impudent!” Yun Qinghong’s voice sank an octave further as he directly cut off Duke Hui Ye’s words, “The three words ‘Yun Qinghong’, are they for you to say?! I, Yun Qinghong, made a name for myself in the Demon Imperial City at the age of fourteen. At that time, your royal father was not even born yet! And even the Little Demon Emperor would address me as brother. Who do you think you are, to dare to address this Patriarch’s name so casually?! To have no regard for one’s seniors, to show such lack of courtesy, to be so utterly lacking in breeding and to be filled with such foolish conceit. To top it all off, you have such an exaggerated opinion of yourself that even when you have thrown your royal father’s face all over the ground, you do not even know it! The entire Illusory Demon Royal Family has truly been shamed to the ground because of you! Such an inferior child, even this patriarch can hardly even be bothered to correct you. Hmph.”

“You…” Duke Hui Ye entire body trembled. His eyes grew dark, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He, Duke Hui Ye, after arriving at the Yun Family holdings, had been welcomed with respect by the Great Elder himself, and the gazes directed towards him were filled with reverence. When he spoke, everyone echoed his words and not one had dared to put a foot wrong. What an impressive spectacle that had been. As for this patriarch, Yun Qinghong… a cripple, he had not even deigned to give him a single glance; he was currently being scolded miserably by this cripple for the entire world to see. And every single rebuke was impossible for him to refute.

The present scene had become blanketed in dead silence and everyone’s ears were still buzzing with the sound of Yun Qinghong berating Duke Hui Ye. His words had caused a some of the seniors to recall the memories they had of Yun Qinghong… He was the son of the Demon King, and his innate talent had been even higher than the Demon King at the same age. Amongst all those of his generation, including the Illusory Demon Royal Family, none were his equal. At the age of fourteen, he had caused shockwaves throughout the entire Demon Imperial City and all the seniors knew this fact intimately. And the fact that he and the Little Demon Emperor called each other brother was also an unimpeachable fact. At that time, no one would doubt that Yun Qinhong would succeed Yun Canghai as the second Demon King.

After a silence which lasted more than twenty years, people had nearly forgotten just what kind of figure Yun Qinghong used to be. But his sudden crippling could not wipe away his past glories. And his title as the youngest ever Monarch in the history of the Illusory Demon Realm was something that no one could take away. His splendor was so dazzling that it practically burned the eyes and up till this day, no one had surpassed it.

When Yun Qinghong was at the same age as Duke Hui Ye, his accomplishments were something that Duke Hui Ye did not even have the right to discuss.

Once these memories were jolted back to life, these seniors immediately felt that the wanton rudeness that Duke Hui Ye showed Yun Qinghong was just too ridiculous.

“Patriarch… This is truly our Patriarch!” An elder stood up excitedly, “Is the Patriarch… is he coming back?”

His excitement was not allowed to continue as the one who sat beside him restrained him and dragged him back into his seat. The other person, who bore a solemn expression, gave his head a heavy shake… The excited elder’s expression suddenly tightened and he swiftly curbed his exuberance as he settled down.

Among the core elders and normal elders, a large majority of them displayed looks of astonished joy and emotion on their faces, but they swiftly smothered their expressions. And amidst the raucous and rowdy environment, no one had noticed this particular point. But Yun Che just happened to be facing the direction where the elders were seated and he took note of the temporary change in expression amongst those seated there. His gaze grew concentrated and a deep astonishment emerged in the depths of his eyes.

Could it be…

After Yun Qinghong had finished his stern rebuke, he gave a cold snort, and no longer paid any attention to Duke Hui Ye. With sunken brows, he looked towards Yun Xinyue, who had an overcast and uncertain expression on his face. He said, “Yun Xinyue, what are you still standing there for? Come forward immediately and prepare yourself to receive the Profound Handle Soul Search.”

Yun Qinghong’s sudden explosion completely caught Yun Waitian by surprise. Once he heard Yun Qinghong’s words, his eyes narrowed and he swiftly said, “Yun Qinghong, you… do not go overboard!”

“Overboard? How am I going overboard?” Yun Qinghong replied in a sedate voice.

Yun Waitian in a tone that was unyielding and stubborn, “We already clarified before that Xinyue will definitely not be allowed to submit himself to the Profound Handle Soul Search, or else our Yun Family will become the laughingstock of the entire Illusory Demon Realm! Are you, for the sake of protecting your godson, willing to even disregard the sanctity of our Clan’s honor?”

Yun Qinghong’s gaze was calm and tranquil. Being held directly under that gaze, Yun Waitian suddenly felt like it was difficult to breathe… He faintly began to feel that the previous Yun Qinghong, the previous Yun Family Patriarch, after a long hibernation of twenty-two years, was finally back.

“If we go solely by the words of an outsider, there is indeed no real reason for us to subject Xinyue to a Profound Handle Soul Search.” Yun Qinghong’s voice suddenly grew more serious as he continued, “But now, it is this patriarch’s command! Has it come to this? That I, as a the head of this clan, cannot even order a junior in the family to do such a simple thing?”

“Urgh…” Yun Waitian’s throat violently contracted as he was left speechless.

“Yun Xinyue, come on stage to receive the Profound Handle Soul Search right now… This is an order!” Yun Qinghong commanded.

Yun Xinyue’s hands started to shake; his forehead was covered with a sheen of cold sweat. He threw a pleading gaze towards Duke Hui Ye, but he discovered instead that Duke Hui Ye’s expression was also extremely ugly. Even though he saw Xinyue’s silent cry for help, he could not force any words out of his mouth… Yun Qinghong’s fierce and cruel criticism had choked him up to the point where he felt like he was going to explode.

“Hahahaha! This is pathetic, it is simply too pathetic! Yun Qinghong, do you really still think that you are the Yun Qinghong of old? Right now, all that you truly are is a mere cripple!” Helian Peng once again let out his shrill, mocking laugh.

“Even if I am a cripple, I am still the Yun Family Patriarch!”

“Yun Family Patriarch? Hehe…” Helian Peng’s mocking laugh arose once again, “What evidence can you bring out to prove that you are the Yun Family Patriarch? What right do you have to call yourself the Yun Family Patriarch? Even an outsider like myself knows that the one symbol which proves the status of a Yun Family Patriarch is the Patriarch’s Crest that has been handed down since the time of your ancestor. Only if you have the Patriarch’s Crest, can you be the Yun Family Patriarch! It is just like how, within the Illusory Demon Royal Family, only the one who holds the Demon Emperor’s Seal is the true Demon Emperor! Yun Qinghong, since you call yourself a patriarch, then you must have the Patriarch’s Crest.”

“All those years ago, because he did not have the Demon Emperor’s Seal, the Little Demon Emperor did not dare to assume the title of Demon Emperor and the Little Demon Empress could only be called that very title. Even the Little Demon Emperor and Empress did it in such a way. So Yun Qinghong, if you do not have the Patriarch’s Crest, what right do you have to call yourself the Yun Family Patriarch? And what right do you have to order your clansmen around?!”

One hundred years ago, as the Demon King Yun Canghai left and never came back, the Yun Family’s Patriarch’s Crest disappeared along with him. And it was only after these events that Yun Qinghong succeeded him as Patriarch. The Yun Family’s ‘Patriarch’s Crest’ had been lost for one hundred years; this was something every single person in the Demon Imperial City knew. Because this Patriarch’s Crest could be said to be the most important artifact to the Yun Family, and within it contained the most original form of the Purple Cloud Art; it even held the power imprint and soul imprint of every single person who had ever held the title of Patriarch. Once it was lost, it was impossible to duplicate or replace it.

After Yun Qinghong had finally emerged from his silence of twenty-two years to once more forcefully proclaim his status as Patriarch, Helian Peng had deliberately chosen to mention the Patriarch’s Crest that had been lost for one hundred years. It was truly an insidious assault against Yun Qinghong’s weak point. But Yun Qinghong was not the least bit flustered, the corners of eyes slanted and he coldly laughed, “Helian Peng, you are rather attentive to the affairs of the Yun Family today, especially our Yun Family’s Yun Xinyue. You have been quite protective over him… Ah, but since you want to see my Yun Family’s Patriarch’s Crest, let me fulfill your desire.”

As Yun Qinghong’s voice fell, the arm that had always been pressed down on the armrest of wheelchair steadily rose up and within his palm, a purple jade tablet, that fit nicely into the hollow of his palm, released a clear purple radiance.

Once this purple-colored jade tablet had made an appearance, every single Yun Family disciple present clearly felt the Purple Cloud Art within their bodies start to throb involuntarily. Even the blood within their bodies began stirring restlessly. All the present Yun Family members who were older than one hundred years of age began to stand up one after the other. Even the three grand elders Yun Jiang, Yun He and Yun Xi stood up as one, their faces displaying an expression that was deeply moved and astonished at the same time.

“It… It is the Patriarch’s Crest! It is our Yun Family’s Patriarch’s Crest!” Grand Elder Yun Xi directly blurted these words out. A stately grand elder had actually lost control of his emotions, so one could imagine just how agitated he was.

“The Patriarch’s Crest… It is not possible! Wasn’t the Patriarch’s Crest lost those hundred years ago?! But, this aura…”

“We can’t be mistaken! This is without a doubt the Patriarch’s Crest! It is definitely not possible for another one to exist in this world!”

“The Heavens have had mercy on us, our Yun Family’s Patriarch’s Crest….. has finally returned to us!”

…………

The young generation did not truly understand the significance of the concept behind the ‘Patriarch’s Crest’. But for all of the seniors who were older than one hundred years of age, it was the one thing in the Yun Family that nothing could be compared to; a sacred artifact which was valued above all. And for the Patriarch’s Crest to see the light of day once more, and in Yun Qinghong’s hand no less, these Yun Family seniors were moved to the point where they were besides themselves as tears began to flow from some of their eyes.

The most shocked of all was undoubtedly the person beside Yun Qinghong, Mu Yurou. But even though she extremely anxious to know the answer, she did not inquire. Because now was not the time for questions.

“Qinghong, just where did the Patriarch’s Crest pop out from? Or could it be that… In these hundred years that have gone by, the Patriarch’s Crest was actually never missing all along?” Yun Jiang asked as he stood up, his white beard shaking with every word he said.

Yun Qinghong calmly replied, “The Patriarch’s Crest is our Yun Famiy’s sacred artifact, I would definitely not dare to conceal or bluff regarding the matter of whether it had been lost or not. It has indeed been lost one hundred years ago, but due a trick of fate, it has been found once more. And as for how it came back, this is an internal matter for our Yun Family alone. Because there are so many outsiders present today, it is better if we postpone this discussion to a later date.”

The three grand elders nodded their heads in unison and did not pursue the matter any further. The return of the Patriarch’s Crest; this was the most blessed thing to ever happen to the Yun Family in these hundred years. Compared to that, the matter of how it was recovered was truly secondary.

“Helian Peng.” Yun Qinghong deliberately flashed the Patriarch’s Crest in Helian Peng’s direction, “Am I now allowed to call myself the Yun Family Patriarch?”

Helian Peng ground his teeth and his face had turned even greener. He had never ever thought that the Patriarch’s Crest, which had clearly been lost those hundred years ago, would once again see the light of day, and in the hands of Yun Qinghong no less! And even if he was not a member of the Yun Family, he could tell that it was the genuine article in a single glance, with absolutely no chicanery involved… this was simply much too strange of an occurrence!

The events which had happened today, the first half of the festivities all went according to expectations, but after that… the situation had morphed into something completely different from what had been arranged!

“Yun Xinyue, enter the Sacred Cloud Arena immediately and prepare yourself to receive the Profound Handle Soul Search! This is an order! If you are truly as innocent as you claim to be, then why should you be afraid of the Profound Handle Soul Search? If you continue to show signs of hesitance, then that can only be the product of your guilty mind!” Yun Qinghong harshly declared.