Section 58: The Secret of My Parents
October 10, 756 Stellar Calendar. The Shu family successfully established their nation, and the Archipelago was unified into the Archipel.
On the same day, news spread that two Great Emperors appeared simultaneously, fought, and both were heavily injured. This sent shockwaves throughout Xingzhou in the shortest possible time.
The gossip mills of the major academies were abuzz with related rumors, with all sorts of news flying everywhere. The past deeds of the Dragon Emperor were dug up and heavily amplified.
As for the Night Emperor, he remained as mysterious as ever, with very little real information about him available. However, it was precisely this lack of information that provided fertile ground for imagination, and all sorts of unsubstantiated rumors filled the air.
Just as the world was filled with excitement and heated debate, the two Great Emperors involved in the conflict mysteriously disappeared, and no further news of them was heard.
“Two months have passed, and with the Dragon Emperor’s arrogant nature, there’s still no word from him. It seems the battle with the Night Emperor truly injured him severely, and he’s still recuperating. If that’s the case, the Night Emperor can’t be in any better condition.”
After reading the intelligence in his hand, Chu Yun let out a soft sigh and walked out of the study.
Outside, the sun was warm, the sky was blue with white clouds, and birds chirped merrily. It was a scene full of vitality, peace, and harmony.
This was no longer his Young Lord’s Estate, but the City Lord’s Mansion.
Since Shu Tianhao was seriously injured, Chu Yun had taken over the reins, handling all matters of the Archipel. For convenience, he had moved directly into the City Lord’s Mansion to live.
It was December, already winter. However, there was no chill in Huode City. Huode City drew heat from underground lava, possessing a natural temperature-regulating function. Could a city personally overseen by Master Yu Ya be anything less than extraordinary?
Regardless of the season, Huode City enjoyed a pleasant climate, like a perpetual spring.
Strolling through the garden, Chu Yun saw flowers in full bloom, red bricks and green grass, babbling streams, magnificent pavilions, and classical towers. The beautiful scenery, peaceful and serene, gradually eased the tension Chu Yun had felt for two months.
“It seems these two emperors are silently accumulating strength, leaving me more time than I anticipated. In the past two months, the Archipel has stabilized, and all aspects have returned to normal. It’s time for me to consider how to improve my combat power…” he mused.
After the life-and-death battle two months ago, he had narrowly escaped death, the danger had been immense, and the losses had been considerable.
The Great Lightning Marsh Profound Gold Armor, inherited from Chu Bawang, was completely destroyed. After examination by the Blissful Immortal Consorts, the Samsara Mirror was found to be irreparable to its peak state, and his cultivation could only be capped at the level of a 110,000-year Tribulation Demon. To forcefully repair it would require immense financial investment, enough to forge a brand-new Demon Soldier. Most importantly, even if repaired, the Samsara Mirror would be unrecognizable, essentially becoming a different Demon Soldier.
The cultivation of Jianmu had plummeted from its original 1.2 million years to 570,000 years. The cultivation of the Ten Thousand Miles Alone Boots had also drastically dropped to 700,000 years.
Woebegone Wolf, obtained from killing the Greedy Wolf King, had directly died on the battlefield.
Another significant loss was the destruction of an Upper grade Immortal Pouch.
To enlist the help of the Immortal Pouch King, Chu Yun had first used the Paradise Immortal Pouch and the Star Sea Dragon Palace Immortal Pouch to acquire two Upper grade Immortal Pouches from him. However, during the fierce battle with the Land Whale King, one of them was directly destroyed by the Land Whale King.
Currently, Chu Yun was left with only the Upper grade Immortal Pouch of Blood Plain and the Upper grade Immortal Pouch Heaven Swallowing Bag, obtained from the Greedy Wolf King.
However, for every loss, there was also a gain.
The greatest gain was Chu Yun’s first Demon Soldier, the Innate Drunken Snow Saber. It lived up to its innate quality, holding strong from the beginning to the end of the battle, inflicting immense damage on the demonic creatures held by the Land Whale King.
After clearing the battlefield, Chu Yun collected dozens of massive Tribulation Demon Crystals. He allowed the Drunken Snow Saber to absorb a portion of the demon crystals it could assimilate. Its cultivation immediately soared from the original 7.2 million years to 13.8 million years…
A Tribulation Demon with ten million years of cultivation!
This was the first time Chu Yun had ever seen, and first time possessed, such immense combat power.
At the King level, one could only control demonic creatures with a million years of cultivation. However, Chu Yun possessed various Spirit Light Contracts, allowing him to control Tribulation Demons with ten million years of cultivation. Furthermore, he wielded two Divine Path Techniques: “Heaven’s Silence” and “Overlord Weapon.” The Drunken Snow Saber’s combat power had reached a level so terrifying that Chu Yun dared not test it casually within the Archipelago.
Apart from the Drunken Snow Saber, the cultivation of other main demonic creatures such as Sky Fox, Colorless Rainbow Demon, and Six Desires Heart Demon Scorpion had also significantly increased.
Sky Fox directly advanced to 9 million years. Six Desires Heart Demon Scorpion caught up, absorbing its own demon crystals to achieve a cultivation of 8.9 million years.
Following them were Spirit Snake, Moon Rabbit, and Colorless Rainbow Demon, all of whose cultivation surpassed 5 million years.
Lastly, Lishan Dragon Eye Flower Branch, promoted from the peak of Spirit Monster, though only possessing 180,000 years of cultivation, was the great hero of Chu Yun’s escape this time.
These were all Chu Yun’s main demonic creatures. They had grown alongside Chu Yun, were bound by master-servant contracts, and shared an extremely close connection.
Next were the demonic creatures bound by ally contracts.
Cloudwing Tiger, Rotting Poison Gecko, Mo Tian Zi Jiu (Sky-Scraping Purple Vulture), Azure Dragonfly, Nine Colored Deer, Dream Mirage Snail Shell, Riot Ape (Male), Furious Ming King, Taotie—all their cultivations had increased.
Riot Ape (Male) in particular, having killed numerous enemies, showed the greatest increase, becoming a Tribulation Demonic Beast nearing 50 million years of cultivation.
In addition to these, Chu Yun had two more significant gains.
One was the demonic beast Chaos, which had been struck by Chaos Lightning Tribulation and fallen into the sea, falling unconscious. Chu Yun rescued it and immediately signed a master-servant contract with it. The power of this demonic beast was remarkable; it was the main demonic beast of the Land Whale King and fought valiantly throughout the entire battle, persisting until the later stages. Chu Yun was deeply impressed by it.
The other was the Land Whale, the Innate Tribulation Demon that the Land Whale King relied on for his fame. The Land Whale had an extremely gentle nature, its body containing a world of its own, making it the largest demonic beast in Xingzhou. The entire battlefield took place on its back, yet it remained placid and unresponsive.
True to its name, it was like a continent, silently enduring and silently recovering.
After the Land Whale King’s death, it did not wander off but remained in its original spot, allowing Chu Yun to easily subdue it using an ally contract.
Overall, Chu Yun’s gains far outweighed his losses.
After this great battle, he not only broke through to the early King level but also expanded his demonic creature lineup, with their cultivations skyrocketing. Coupled with his King level mid-stage cultivation and several Divine Path Techniques, his combat power was now fully capable of contending with peak King level experts.
Even if another Land Whale King were to appear, he could suppress it head-on and achieve a glorious victory.
“Even though the demonic creatures’ cultivation has soared, increasing the burden of Spirit Light, my own Spirit Light still has some surplus capacity due to my breakthrough to the King level. I can sign master-servant contracts with two million-year Tribulation Demons. The two Great Emperors may stir up trouble again at any time, so I must increase my strength as quickly as possible. At the very least, defensive armor is essential.”
As Chu Yun strolled through the garden, lost in thought, the old butler hurried over: “Young Country Lord, the Country Lord has awakened and is calling for you. He said he wants to tell you the matter you most want to know.”
“Oh?” Chu Yun’s eyebrows shot up at the words. There was only one thing he most wanted to know: the secret of his parents.
He slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering: When he had asked his adoptive father about the secret before, his adoptive father had told him that he would only be worthy of knowing the truth once he ascended to the King level.
Now that he had become a King, his adoptive father, Shu Tianhao, would naturally fulfill his promise.
“The battle of the two Great Emperors has put too much pressure on me. These days, I’ve been busy with official duties, managing everything. At the same time, I’ve been focused on improving my strength. If my father hadn’t brought it up, I would have almost forgotten…”
Shu Tianhao was recuperating in the back courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion under Chu Yun’s care. Chu Yun passed through the garden, walked along a small corridor, and through a round archway to his destination.
Shu Tianhao’s complexion had visibly improved. His face now had a normal human flush, a vast improvement from the deathly pale face he had when he first moved in.
However, his injuries were still too severe, leaving his limbs weak and shaky, requiring him to rest in bed for extended periods.
Seeing Chu Yun arrive, Shu Tianhao revealed a look of relief and pointed to a chair by the bedside. “My son has arrived. Come, sit here.”
After Chu Yun sat down, Shu Tianhao chuckled again. “You’ve done an excellent job these past few days. Everyone in the court has sung your praises. You are actually more suited to be Country Lord than your old father. However, it’s time for you to leave.”
At this point, Shu Tianhao let out a deep sigh.
“Leave? Does it have something to do with my parents?” Chu Yun’s expression sharpened.
“Indeed. Your father is the Old Dan King, and your mother is the Moon Frost King. You must find their titles unfamiliar, and that’s natural. Because they are not from Xingzhou, but from Danzhou,” Shu Tianhao revealed the astonishing secret.
“Danzhou?” A look of surprise flashed in Chu Yun’s eyes. He knew about the Nine Provinces of the world. This concept had originally originated from the Star Saint. According to ancient records, the Star Saint’s words were law, and every utterance was truth. Even if he lied, it would become truth because he was the Star Saint.
What the Star Saint said was naturally correct.
However, travel between the Nine Provinces was impossible. Apart from Xingzhou, Chu Yun had never heard of anyone who had traveled to or from other continents. People only knew that such a concept existed.
“No wonder I couldn’t find my parents in Xingzhou. So my parents are not from Xingzhou but from Danzhou,” Chu Yun suddenly realized, and at the same time, he recalled how he had even suspected Chu Bawang, and let out a wry smile.
The long-standing puzzle that had troubled him was solved. However, new doubts immediately arose in Chu Yun’s mind.
Since his parents were both King level experts, why didn’t they take him with them back to Danzhou? Why did they abandon him?
Since they were Kings from Danzhou, how did they come to Xingzhou?
“This Jade Slip contains the records of a secret realm, where there is an ancient Tongtian Secret Gate, a passage connecting Xingzhou and Danzhou. You already possess King level strength and are qualified to pass through that secret gate. Go to Danzhou and find your parents. Convey my regards to them.” Saying this, Shu Tianhao took a Jade Slip from his embrace and handed it to Chu Yun.
