Chapter 97: A World-Shaking Secret!

Hearing Zhang Tai's words, Yang Yan's body trembled uncontrollably at that moment. With slightly shaking hands, he received the grayish-white cloth strip from Zhang Tai and slowly unfolded it.

Yang Yan had once asked Zhang Tai about his origins. The latter only replied that he had found Yang Yan in a desolate mountain and brought him back to raise as his own. Of course, as Yang Yan grew older, he began to realize that Zhang Tai seemed to be hiding something from him. For even though Zhang Tai was upright and kind, there was no reason for him to treat an adopted child better than his own flesh and blood.

Yang Yan had pressed Zhang Tai for answers several times, but each time had been met with evasions. Though he knew his father was deliberately concealing something, after repeated failures, Yang Yan ceased to cling to the matter. Now, at last, the answer to the question he had once so desperately wanted to know lay before him. Yet at this moment, an inexplicable thought suddenly arose in his heart—his entire life would likely be changed by this small strip of cloth.

But after a moment's hesitation, Yang Yan could no longer suppress the emotions welling from the depths of his heart. He gently lifted the cloth, which looked to be from a distant era.

"In the six hundred and eighty-fifth year of the Feiyun Calendar, I lived in joy with my wife and children. Suddenly, more than a dozen men in black broke into the residence, killing all they met with extreme brutality. I fled the siege with my infant son, while my wife escaped with our daughter in another direction. Their fates remain unknown. Realizing that disaster was inevitable, I wrote this letter in blood, hoping that Heaven might show mercy and that my young son would survive. He must be named 'Yan,' for our clan bears a bloodline of chilling cold, and I fear he would not survive to adulthood. The name 'Yan' is to suppress this, granting him safety. By the time this is read, I will surely be dead and can offer nothing in return except the 'Devouring Treasure Pearl,' which I obtained by chance and studied for years without understanding its purpose. Misfortune and death have followed in its wake, so whether to keep or discard it, let the bearer decide with utmost care! In addition, Sun Tianyang of the Kunyang Sect in Qingzhou is my dearest friend; seek his aid in times of trouble. May all the spirits of Heaven and Earth protect my son. If I die, I die without regret. — Final words of Yang Yan."

"So... I was not abandoned by my parents. They sacrificed their lives to protect me!"

At this moment, Yang Yan's whole body was trembling. He could imagine the peril his biological father had faced. In that desperate situation, his father had chosen his son's life over his own without hesitation. Such a heavy, immeasurable love! All these years, not only had Yang Yan failed to feel gratitude, he had at times even blamed his parents for abandoning him.

Thinking of this, Yang Yan felt his throat constrict as if something blocked it. His vision blurred, his lips parted, his body shook uncontrollably, yet no words came forth.

Zhang Tai, standing beside him, looked at Yang Yan with a trace of heartache in his eyes. He gently patted Yang Yan's shoulder and spoke softly.

"Back in those days, your birth father, Yang Yan—known as the Jade Child of Profound Ice—was a name that everyone in Jinzhou knew. At just thirty years old, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Channeling realm. Though I was of similar age, my cultivation was insignificant in comparison."

At this, a complex look flickered in Zhang Tai's eyes. He paused, then continued.

"Your father was proud and unyielding, scornful of every sect and power in Jinzhou. He made many enemies. Yet, despite being such a man, he still saved my life when I was on the brink of death. For him, it may have been a simple gesture, but I have always cherished that debt deep in my heart. Looking back, fate is truly mysterious..."

"Fifteen years ago, I was gathering herbs on the outskirts of the Duanyun Mountains. There, by a cliff, I found you, still swaddled as an infant. When I saw the blood-written letter your father had left with you, I finally understood. Without daring to linger, I carried you back to my estate at once, ordering all news sealed, and kept your origins secret from everyone. For years, I lived in constant fear, but at least now you have grown up safely..."

"I have long hesitated over whether to tell you all this. Especially when I learned you could not sense the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, and were unable to cultivate, I almost decided to take the secret to my grave. For even if I told you, there would be no hope for vengeance—only a pointless death. But Heaven played a great joke on me. In just one night, you not only awakened your ability to sense spiritual energy, but you also excelled in the inter-clan tournament, and later obtained a Heaven-grade technique in the Duanyun Mountains. Now, you have become a disciple of the Azure Profound Sect. Your future achievements are beyond anything I could imagine. Today, at last, I resolved to tell you this secret. Yan, you don’t resent me for keeping this from you all these years, do you?"

Zhang Tai looked at the trembling young man before him, softly patting Yang Yan’s back. Though he had expected a strong reaction, and prepared himself, he still found himself at a loss for words to offer comfort when the moment came.

After a long while, the kneeling youth finally shook his head slightly. But before Zhang Tai could breathe a sigh of relief, a terrifying, icy killing intent surged from Yang Yan’s body, making even Zhang Tai shudder. The chilling murderous aura was like being plunged into an ice cave.

"Father, who are the murderers who killed my birth parents?!"

Yang Yan rose slowly, his bloodshot eyes filled with a cold, deadly intent. His words were frigid, devoid of warmth.

"I do not know... Even your father, at the peak of the Spirit Channeling realm, fell to their hands. If they are in Jinzhou, they cannot be unknown figures. But with my strength back then, I could not discover their identities. Over the years, I have sent people to investigate in secret, but no substantial information was ever found. Fearing to draw their attention, we made little progress..."

"To avoid disaster, your origins were known only to me. Not even Zhang Quan or Zhang Sheng were told, for fear they might let something slip. This is why they have always treated you with hostility all these years, causing you much hardship..."

Genuine remorse welled in Zhang Tai’s eyes.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan shook his head slowly. The intense, cold killing intent surging within him was forcibly suppressed. For so many years, Zhang Tai had been caught between his sons—how could he voice his own pain?

Zhang Tai let out a long sigh, then stepped forward and took from the jade box a perfectly round, milky-white pearl, placing it in Yang Yan's palm.

"This is the 'Devouring Treasure Pearl' your father spoke of. I once thought to abandon it in some remote mountain, fearing it would bring disaster upon you. But now you are grown, and your future is beyond anything I can imagine. Jinzhou, or even the entire Feiyun Empire, may not be able to bind you... Whether to keep or discard it, the decision is yours."

Zhang Tai’s voice was firm and solemn. The hesitation once in his eyes had vanished. He knew, whatever Yang Yan decided from now on, his only duty was to offer unconditional support.

Yang Yan’s fingers closed tightly around the milky-white pearl. His bloodshot eyes fixed on the portrait before him. Suddenly, he fell to his knees, bowed deeply three times before the painting, then, without a pause, strode out of the stone chamber. As his figure was about to disappear, a voice—quiet but unwavering—drifted back to Zhang Tai’s ears, causing a mist to rise in his aging eyes.

"No matter what happens, you will always be my father."