Chapter 854 - Tortuous Wait

Just as Xiao Yun was about to introduce Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace to Yun Qinghong and his wife, he suddenly heard Mu Yurou’s words and he was so shocked that he felt his legs go weak, his knees almost hitting the ground.

The jade faces of the gathered Frozen Cloud girls had turned a faint shade of pink as they stood there completely flabbergasted.

Murong Qianxue stepped forward and spoke in a respectful manner, “Patriarch Yun, Madam Yun, we are the disciples of the Profound Sky Continent’s Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace. Yun Che is our Palace Master. Half a year ago, Palace Master Yun saved our sect from calamity and he was the one who granted us salvation. He brought us here in order to preserve the lives of everyone here. Forgive us for imposing on your hospitality but we were overwhelmed by fear for our lives.”

“Oh?” Yun Qinghong said with a puzzled expression on his face as he nodded his head. “So that is how it is. I have heard Che’er mention the name Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace before. But when Che’er spoke about your noble sect, he mentioned that you have traditionally only taken in female disciples, so how did Che’er become your Palace Master?”

“How this all came to pass... is a long story,” Murong Qianxue said solemnly. “If not for Palace Master Yun, Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace would have long ago disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“Father,” Xiao Yun said. “I will give you a detailed account of the reasons for why this happened later. Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace has around two thousand disciples altogether, this is the first time they have come to the Illusory Demon Realm and they have basically nowhere else to go. Before Big Brother returns, I request that Father arrange a place for them to stay in the meantime.”

“Mn, of course we will.” Yun Qinghong nodded his head without hesitating in the slightest. Since Yun Che specially brought all of them to the Illusory Demon Realm, it spoke of his regard for Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace. He thought about it for a moment before speaking to Murong Qianxue, “If you don’t mind, how does it sound if all of you fairies stayed in the residences of our Yun Family until Che’er returns? I also want to reassure all the fairies gathered here, I heard from Che’er that Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace is cold and distant from the rest of the world and that your sect has never been willing to taint yourselves with the affairs of the outside world. So I will also give an order that no one is to be allowed near the residences where all of you will be staying so as to not disturb your peace and quiet. And there will definitely be no one outside the Yun Family who would dare to intrude upon any of you.”

Murong Qianxue bowed deeply in gratitude before speaking, “Since this is so, Murong Qianxue thanks Patriarch Yun and Madam Yun on behalf of all of the disciples of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace.”

Bang!!

A huge boom resounded through the air as the main gates of the Yun Family were roughly thrown wide. A loud and boorish yell immediately followed after, “Seventh Treasure, Seventh Treasure!!”

“Father!?” Number Seven Under Heaven crowed in delight as she turned around to see Greatest Ambition Under Heaven bustle towards her.

“Father,” Number One Under Heaven said as he hurriedly strode forwards to greet Greatest Ambition Under Heaven.

But Greatest Ambition Under Heaven practically ignored Number One Under Heaven as he swept past him and rushed towards Number Seven Under Heaven and roared with delight, “My Seventh Treasure, you’ve finally returned. From the time you were little until now, you’ve never left your father’s side for more than three days but this time you were gone for half a year. You made me miss you so much!!”

Number Seven Under Heaven’s mouth gaped open and her body retreated with a ‘whoosh’ as she hid behind Xiao Yun’s back, causing Greatest Ambition Under Heaven to hug the empty air in front of him. Both his arms embraced the air in front of him as he stared in disbelief at the Number Seven Under Heaven who was hiding behind Xiao Yun. He spoke in an incredibly wounded voice, “It’s only been half a year but… but you’re not close to your father anymore…”

“Cough, Father-in-law.” Xiao Yun hurriedly and carefully explained, “Actually… Actually Seventh Sister is currently already six months pregnant, so…”

“WHAT!?” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven roared as he jumped. His roar was so loud that it caused Xiao Yun’s ears to buzz and ring.

“This… Is this true?” Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou asked with looks of delighted surprise on their faces.

“Of course it’s true,” Number One Under Heaven said helplessly. “Father, if Old Seven hadn’t dodged your embrace just now, you might just have inadvertently hurt your yet-to-be-born grandson.”

Greatest Ambition Under Heaven shoved Xiao Yun aside with one hand while he grabbed Number Seven Under Heaven’s arm, “Let’s go! Seventh Treasure, hurry up and return home with Father. Right now you are pregnant, so you definitely must not be gallivanting about.”

“Go home? I don’t want to.” Number Seven Under Heaven said as she retreated backwards, “I want to stay with Brother Yun.”

“This…How can this punk know how to take care of you? Right now, you are pregnant with my grandson, if by any chance… if by any chance some mishap occurs…” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven said as he was overcome by a fit of anxiety.

“That’s enough, Brother Under Heaven,” Yun Qinghong said as he hurriedly stepped forward. “You’ve truly let your emotions get the better of you. There is no reason to force your married daughter to return to her previous home. Besides, Number Seven is currently a royal princess whose title was personally bestowed by the Little Demon Empress.”

Bang!!

Another loud boom rang through the air as the main gates of the Yun Family, which had just been closed, were blasted open once again. The sound of loud and carefree laugh that was filled with excitement practically resonated throughout the entire Yun Family household, “Hahahaha, Che’er, Grandfather has come to see you.”

Mu Feiyan had brought along his three sons Mu Yubai, Mu Yuqing and Mu Yukong as he grandly strode through the gates. After that, he was immediately startled by the formation in front of him. Mu Feiyan’s eyes swept the area several times but he did not see Yun Che’s figure. So he immediately spat out a few words while glowering at everyone, “How about Che’er? Where is Che’er right now? Could it be that he didn’t return with you all?”

“Father, you need to calm down first,” Mu Yurou said in a soft voice. “Che’er did return but he was injured, so he is receiving treatment from the Golden Crow Divine God right now. He should return fairly quickly…”

“WHAT!?!” Mu Feiyan’s hair and beard immediately stood on end as he soared into the air in explosive rage, “Who was it!? Who was the bastard that harmed Che’er!? Speak, who was it!? Let’s see if this old man doesn’t tear him to pieces and pound him into mincemeat.”

“That’s about enough Father,” Mu Yubai said wryly, the corners of his mouth hooking upwards. “With the Little Demon Empress around, the bastard who harmed Che’er has definitely been burned to the point where there wasn’t even ashes left. What makes you think that you’ll even get a chance?”

“...” Xiao Yun opened his mouth before speaking in a very soft voice, “Actually… Actually, the Little Demon Empress wasn’t able to beat that person either and she ended up wounded as well. She was even forced to ignite her origin blood… In fact, all of us nearly died there.”

Those few words of Xiao Yun caused Mu Feiyan and the rest of them to be completely stunned, their faces rapidly losing color. Yun Qinghong grabbed Xiao Yun anxiously as he stared straight at him, “You said… that the Little Demon Empress was wounded as well? And that she was also forced to ignite her origin blood?”

“How… How can that be possible?” Mu Yukong said with a shocked and frightened expression on his face. “How can there still be anyone who can rival the Little Demon Empress in this world… How can that be possible!?”

“Xiao Yun’s words were not the least bit exaggerated,” Number One Under Heaven said with a heavy sigh.

Mu Feiyan, Greatest Ambition Under Heaven and Yun Qinghong glanced at each other with dismay. They were scarcely able to believe their own ears. Yun Qinghong relaxed his grip on Xiao Yun as his brows furrowed tightly together and he spoke in solemn tone, “Yun’er, give us a detailed account of everything that happened after all of you left for the Profound Sky Continent.”

“I think it’d be better if I told this story,” Number One Under Heaven said as he took a step forward.

Immediately after he said that, Number One Under Heaven gave them a long and detailed account of what had happened in the Profound Sky Continent. He especially focused on the details regarding Xuanyuan Wentian, from the time he had kidnapped Xiao Yun to the time when he had forced everyone into a desperate situation. He gave a thorough and detailed explanation of every single detail to the best of his ability.

Once Number One Under Heaven had finally gotten to the part of the story where they had returned to the Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Qinghong and the rest of them had lapsed into a deep state of profound shock and they did not regain their senses for a long period of time.

“Duke Ming was actually… only a pawn… He was actually only a pawn…” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven kept muttering to himself as he shook his head.

“Just where did Xuanyuan Wentian’s power come from? How did it come to pass that even the Little Demon Empress was not able to fight him?” The shock that was present on Mu Feiyan’s face refused to recede as he asked that question.

“I have already told you all that I know,” Number One Under Heaven said in a heavy voice. “However, I spent the majority of the time in Floating Cloud City, so Brother Yun and Princess Snow definitely have more information and know more secrets than I do. They may even know the reason behind Xuanyuan Wentian’s bizarre change.”

“If all of this is really true, then Xuanyuan Wentian is at least ten times more dreadful than Duke Ming,” Yun Qinghong said as he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

Greatest Ambition Under Heaven suddenly thought of something and his expression faintly changed. He spoke in a heavy voice, “Since Xuanyuan Wentian’s current power is so dreadful and his obsession for the Mirror of Samsara is so fierce, then once he fully recovers from his injuries, he will definitely attack our Illusory Demon Realm… During those years, they could already forcefully construct a dimensional profound formation that could link both of our continents, so there is no reason that they would not be able to do it now. This won’t do! I need to inform all the cities and the various regions who hem our borders. From today onwards, we need to be on our guard constantly.”

“Hold on for a moment, Brother Under Heaven,” Yun Qinghong said to restrain him. “It is not advisable to make this matter public at this present time. The absolute authority that the Little Demon Empress currently possesses is entirely built upon the reality of her absolute power. If the news that the Little Demon Empress was defeated gets spread around, it will definitely incite fear and panic. We should keep this matter to ourselves for now and wait for the Little Demon Empress to return from Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley first before deferring this decision to her.”

“Mn, Qinghong’s reasoning is sound,” Mu Feiyan said with a faint nod of his head. “We should refrain from disclosing this news for now. Since Xuanyuan Wentian’s injuries are so serious, he definitely won’t make any rash moves for now. Let’s wait for the Little Demon Empress to return first before we make a decision on anything.”

“Ah, we had just quelled the chaos incited by Duke Huai too. The Little Demon Empress presided over the land with power and prestige and I thought that the chaos and disorder that afflicted the Illusory Demon Realms was finally over, but who would have thought…” Greatest Ambition Under Heaven said as he let out a long sigh. “These are truly troubled times that we live in.”

So Xiao Lie, Xiao Lingxi, Cang Yue and all the disciples of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace were moved into the Yun Family household.

Yun Qinghong regarded Xiao Lie as his own father and he would go and pay his respects every morning and night. He also personally attended to every matter that concerned Xiao Lie. He also took extremely good care of Xiao Lingxi, his only fear being that she suffered even the smallest indignity.

As the wife of the Young Patriarch, Cang Yue was accorded remarkable status the moment she entered the Yun Family. Mu Yurou grew more and more delighted with this daughter-in-law of hers as the days passed and she would spend entire days dragging Cang Yue along with her and asking her various things about her relationship with Yun Che.

Xiao Yun and Number Seven Under Heaven did not return to their King Palace. Instead, they stayed with the Yun Family to accompany Xiao Lie and spent every day joyfully awaiting the arrival of that little life.

Yun Qinghong had also personally arranged for the disciples of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace to be housed in the Yun Family residences.

Even if one was to randomly choose one girl from amongst the girls of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, she would be breathtaking enough to stun everyone around her, let alone when so many of them appeared at one time. During the thousand year history of Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace, there was never a time when they completely mobilized and showed themselves to the world. So one could well imagine the sort of commotion they incited after they had all entered the Yun Family. Whether they were old or young, every single one of the Yun Family disciples were left completely dumbstruck by their beauty. It was as if all of them had entered some dreamland. But the stern prohibition of Yun Qinghong that swiftly followed firmly put a damper on all of their fantasies. So the only thing the male disciples of the Yun Family could do was stare at those distant courtyard walls with a burning desire. Because even drawing close to those walls was wishful thinking.

The Mu Family had dispatched many people to guard the entrance of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley but even after a day and night had passed, the profound formation at the entrance of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley remained shut and no one had emerged from within.

Seven days...

Ten days...

Fifteen days...

One month...

An entire month had passed by but the Little Demon Empress and Yun Che had still not emerged from Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley. At this point, even Yun Qinghong could no longer maintain his previous cool. For the next few days, he would travel by himself to the entrance of Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley before the sun even kissed the sky and observe the sealing profound formation to see if it had undergone any changes.

The only thing he could console himself with was the certainty that Yun Che was definitely alright. If not, the Little Demon Empress and the girl who was known as Princess Snow would have long ago departed from Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley.

They must have a very important reason for staying in there for such a long time.

It was amidst this self-consolation and increasingly anxious and frantic waiting that an entire three months slowly passed. The wait was akin to a long and drawn-out painful torture.

However, while they were still unaware, a dark cloud was slowly creeping towards the Illusory Demon Realm.

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Author’s Note:

The title of this volume is: "Cloud's End Mirage". These three words are the key. The rest are just to make up for the word count.

A friendly reminder: Su Ling'er is now sixteen years old.