Chapter 27: True Origins (Part 2)

  The words echoed in his ears like ringing bells. Su Tianhao, who had never known motherly love, was completely unfamiliar with the very concept of "mother."

  "What is she like? How did you two meet?" Su Tianhao asked with growing curiosity.

  “I’m getting to that…” Chenyuan said with a smile, before continuing. “After arriving at the Holy Central Continent, the first thing on my mind was world domination. I spent years exploring the continent, offending many powers and several Martial Saints. Even though we were all at the same realm, they couldn’t stop me—after all, I wasn’t an ordinary Martial Saint, but a Supreme Dragon from the Immortal Realm!”

  "I never knew my father was such a tyrant," Su Tianhao mumbled, his lips twitching slightly.

  Seeing that Su Tianhao had finally acknowledged him as his father, Chenyuan smiled brightly. "It didn't take long before I carved an unshakeable legend throughout the Holy Central Continent. But my time was running short, so I decided to challenge the Saint Emperor of the Holy Central Continent and take control myself. Unlike the other continents that have multiple dynasties and leaders, the Holy Central Continent is united under a single ruler called the Saint Emperor."

  Su Tianhao's eyes widened in surprise. "How strong is this Saint Emperor?"

  Chenyuan's smile grew even brighter. "The Saint Emperor at that time was a 9th Level Martial Saint powerhouse who had reached the absolute pinnacle of cultivation in this world. His name is Tian Zhenwu, and he's actually your grandfather!"

  "My what?!" Su Tianhao's eyes went wide with shock. "My grandfather is the Saint Emperor of the Holy Central Continent?! Doesn't that mean my mother is a princess?!"

  "Exactly!" Chenyuan said with delight. "That fateful day, I went to the Imperial Palace to duel Tian Zhenwu and take over as Saint Emperor to complete my domination of the world."

  He paused, his expression filled with warmth. "Who would have thought I would meet that beautiful soul... I had encountered countless beautiful women and celestial maidens during my thousand years of existence, but I never developed feelings for any of them—I was too focused on pursuing the peak of cultivation. But my heart melted the moment I saw her."

  Su Tianhao furrowed his brows slightly. He could tell from Chenyuan's expression just how deep the love between his parents had been.

  'But then why did you abandon me?' he thought desperately.

  Chenyuan shook his head with a sigh. "We didn't abandon you... You'll understand once I finish the story."

  Su Tianhao nodded and listened patiently.

  Chenyuan continued with that same warm smile. "Her name was Tian Yuexin. She was the youngest child of Tian Zhenwu and his most beloved daughter. Your mother was incredibly kind and possessed remarkable talent—she had a powerful Heavenly Constitution that allowed her to reach the Martial Saint Realm at a young age."

  "Heavenly Constitution..." Hearing this, Su Tianhao couldn't help but think of Lu Ruyi, which made him smile slightly. She had been the first person he'd ever heard of having such a constitution, and she had been very kind too.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Chenyuan smiled knowingly before saying, "One thing led to another, and we fell deeply in love with each other. I abandoned everything—my plans for conquest, my pride, my ambitions—and chose to be with Tian Yuexin. It was the most beautiful time of my life... However..."

  "What happened?" Su Tianhao asked.

  "Well, Tian Zhenwu wasn't happy when he learned about our relationship," Chenyuan said with a bitter smile. "When he discovered my feelings for your mother, he placed her under house arrest and forbade her from seeing me."

  "So what did you do?" Su Tianhao asked curiously, though he could already guess why Tian Zhenwu would react that way. After all, what father would want to give his beloved daughter to a notorious tyrant?

  "What did I do..." Chenyuan smiled mysteriously.

  Su Tianhao narrowed his eyes, having a bad feeling about where this was going.

  "I invaded the Imperial Palace, defeated anyone who stood in my way, and took your mother away," Chenyuan said with a straight face.

  "..."

  Su Tianhao was speechless once again.

  Chenyuan chuckled before continuing. "After that incident, Tian Zhenwu was absolutely furious. He sent everything within his power against us—the entire Holy Central Continent became my enemy overnight. Although it wasn't life-threatening to me, it was incredibly annoying, so we secretly left the Holy Central Continent together and spent several years traveling across the Endless Seas."

  Su Tianhao nodded in understanding. No matter how powerful someone was, being constantly attacked by endless enemies would eventually become unbearable.

  Seeing Su Tianhao's expression, Chenyuan smile widened. "After crossing the Endless Seas, we settled down in the Azure Dragon Continent. With only three years left before the end of my hundred-year punishment, I did everything in my power to help your mother break through to the Immortal Ascension Realm so she could ascend to the Immortal Realm with me."

  Chenyuan's expression became nostalgic, as if he could see those precious memories reflected in his eyes. "During this time, we lived like a normal couple in a quiet corner of the Azure Dragon Continent. Her presence changed me completely, reshaping my entire philosophy about life. Under my care, her cultivation increased rapidly, and our bond grew stronger with each passing day."

  He suddenly turned to Su Tianhao. "You were the product of that bond."

  Su Tianhao's eyebrows twitched, but he wasn't surprised. "What I want to know is why you both abandoned me," he said with growing impatience.

  "I'm getting to that," Chenyuan replied with a wry smile. "Your mother had reached the peak of Martial Saint Realm when she became pregnant with you. On the day she gave birth to you, there were auspicious signs from heaven—golden light descended from the sky, spiritual energy swirled in massive vortexes, ancient dragon roars echoed across the continent, and phoenixes sang in the distance. Even the very earth trembled with joy at your arrival."

  Chenyuan raised his head and sighed deeply. "Who could have predicted that during the process of giving birth to you, your mother's potential would be stimulated to the point where she broke through to the Immortal Ascension Realm? As a result of the Laws of the Heavenly Dao, she didn't have much time with you and was forced to ascend to the Immortal Realm immediately."

  "What?!" Su Tianhao was shocked. "What are these Laws of the Heavenly Dao?"

  Chenyuan sighed heavily before explaining. "There are various Heavenly Dao Laws that govern existence itself. One of the most absolute is that Immortals cannot dwell in the Mortal Realm, and mortals cannot ascend to the Immortal Realm unless they achieve immortality. When a mortal becomes an Immortal, they are immediately forced by the Laws of the Heavenly Dao to ascend to the Immortal Realm against their will."

  "This—" Su Tianhao was stunned. He thought for a moment before asking, "Then how were you able to descend to the mortal realm in the first place?"

  Chenyuan shook his head. "There's a loophole to every law. As long as an Immortal is willing to suppress their cultivation to match mortals and expend enormous amounts of valuable resources, they can create a portal using ancient formations that allows them to descend to the mortal realm while hiding from the Heavenly Dao for a limited time. But no one would normally choose to do this—I was forced into it because of my punishment. In my case, that limited time was exactly one hundred years."

  "I see..." Su Tianhao said thoughtfully.

  "After your mother's forced ascension, there were less than two years left before the end of my punishment period," Chenyuan continued with a serious expression. "When that time came, I would also be forced to ascend back to the Immortal Realm."

  "Time passed quickly, and the day for my return finally arrived. To protect you from the countless enemies I had made during my hundred years in the mortal realm, I chose to leave you in the most remote place possible. With your talent and bloodline, I knew you would one day rise to join us in the broader world through your own strength."

  "So that's how I ended up in that orphanage," Su Tianhao murmured with a dazed expression.

  Chenyuan watched him quietly, allowing him time to process such overwhelming information. This wasn't the kind of truth that could be easily accepted all at once.

  After a long moment of silence, Su Tianhao's voice came out small and broken. "You... you both really didn't want to leave me?"

  "Never," Chenyuan said with absolute conviction, his eyes filled with pain. "Leaving you was the most difficult thing either of us has ever done. Your mother cried for days before her forced ascension, and I... I have regretted that decision every moment since. But we had no choice. The alternative would have been your death at the hands of my enemies."

  Su Tianhao felt tears forming in his eyes as sixteen years of anger and abandonment began to crack and crumble. "Then... then why couldn't you take me with you?"

  "Because," Chenyuan said gently, "mortals cannot ascend to the Immortal Realm without achieving immortality themselves. You would have died instantly. We had to leave you behind so you could grow strong enough to join us one day."

  The weight of the truth settled over Su Tianhao like a heavy blanket. His parents hadn't abandoned him out of cruelty or indifference—they had sacrificed their own happiness to keep him alive.