Chapter 2375 - A Hard-to-Swallow Truth

That’s Yi Chen’s voice!

Lu Qingmei’s heart shook, and a complicated look appeared on her beautiful but pallid face.

What mother would refuse to acknowledge her own flesh and blood unless circumstance forced her hand?

“Senior Apprentice Sister, this is his first time hearing that you’re his biological mother?” exclaimed Yu Xun. “Does that mean my nephew doesn’t know who his father is, either?”

Lu Qingmei’s heart clenched. She sighed to herself; she knew she couldn’t keep this hidden any longer.

Just as she thought, Yu Xun laughed. “Nephew, allow me to tell you the answer. Your birth mother is my senior apprentice sister. She deceived you earlier because she was worried that the truth would hurt you.

“I’m her junior apprentice brother, but before this, I, too, had no idea that you were her own flesh and blood.” Yu Xun sighed. “Had I known... heh... You’d have died a long time ago, you little beast!”

Lu Qingmei’s expression shifted erratically.

The doors of the straw hut remained tightly shut. She couldn’t see Yi Chen’s situation, but she could guess that this deception had wounded Yi Chen badly.

After all... she’d kept the truth from him all this time.

“Mother, he... he’s telling the truth, isn’t he...?” Yi Chen said hoarsely.

“That’s right.” Lu Qingmei took a deep breath, her voice gentle. “Chen’er, you don’t need to think about all of that right now. I’ll naturally give you answers once I’ve gotten you out of there.”

“Hmph. Senior Apprentice Sister, I urge you not to entertain any fanciful notions of saving this little beast,” said Yu Xun. “As you ought to know, it was Master who ordered me to capture him. Interfering with this is no different from opposing her!”

Lu Qingmei’s pallid, beautiful face filled with resentment. “Even if the king of heaven himself showed up, he couldn’t stop me, let alone Master!”

Yu Xun laughed coldly. “You’re betraying your master and your ancestors! You unfilial wretch! If Master finds out about this, you’ll really be finished!”

“That isn’t necessarily the case,” Lu Qingmei said icily, her voice tinged with hatred. “I understand Master far better than you. Even if she finds out about this, she won’t kill me. On the contrary, she’ll still value me highly, and still have me work for her!”

Yu Xun fell briefly silent. “Haha! But then, you’ll just be one of Master’s pawns, and your life and death will no longer be your own. Isn’t a fate like that... more than wretched enough?”

His voice was full of mockery, but Lu Qingmei disregarded him.

Although no one knew it, she feared her master above all others.

But at the same time, her master was the person she most wanted to kill!

As for Yu Xun? He was no more than one of her master’s dogs. Someone like that wasn’t worthy of her fear.

Meanwhile, within the straw hut, Yu Xun examined a perfectly square, blood-red Daoist seal under the mottled lamplight, then formed a hand seal.

Undying Laws condensed into blood-red flower petals and danced around him.

Lu Qingmei was using the hidden realm’s power to trap him here and suppress him. Yu Xun had no choice but to defend himself.

However, the straw hut had a wondrous aura capable of blocking much of the suppression of the hidden realm. This quietly halved the threat to Yu Xun. Thus, over the past three months of their conflict, Yu Xun had fared better than Lu Qingmei.

“Why not speak, you little beast?” Yu Xun glanced down at the ground.

He was stepping on a bloodied, broken figure covered in startling, bleeding wounds. HIs blood flowed non-stop, seeping into the ground.

This was none other than Yi Chen.

His long hair hung loose, and it was smeared with blood. His handsome face was pinned beneath Yu Xun’s foot, and he couldn’t even struggle. His cheek was even distorting under the pressure.

Tyrannical, knifelike power ravaged his soul, as if countless ants were gnawing away at it.

This inhumane torture would have been enough to break just about anyone.

But Yi Chen never once begged for help, cried out, or showed any sign of weakness.

He was calm to the extreme, determined to endure, as unyielding as a rock!

The sight of him made Yu Xun deeply uncomfortable.

“You really are a pathetic little worm. Do you know why your mother never once told you your origins?” Yu Xun said playfully. “Allow me to tell you in her stead. It’s because your mother is responsible for your father’s death! How could she dare to tell you the truth?”

“Shut your mouth!” Lu Qingmei roared frantically from outside the hut. “Chen’er, don’t listen to his nonsense!”

“'Nonsense?'" Yu Xun laughed coldly. “Who in the God Domain doesn’t know that

you

are responsible for Yi Daoxuan’s death!?”

Boom!

Yi Chen felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. All he could think was:

My father... was Yi Daoxuan!? How is that possible?

Over the past three months, Yi Chen had been tortured and humiliated countless times over. His body, soul, and Dao Heart had endured torment beyond any ordinary person’s imagination.

Even so, he’d never once broken.

But now, when he learned that Yi Daoxuan was his biological father, Yi Chen’s heart descended into turmoil.

“Hahaha! This is your first time hearing that?” Yi Xun laughed. “Idiot! Surely you knew that your mother was once Yi Daoxuan’s Dao Partner? How could you not realize why she changed your name to Yi Chen?”

Yi Chen’s mind buzzed, and disbelief was written all over his face. Practically on instinct, he said hoarsely, “Mother, is this... true?”

Outside the hut, Lu Qingmei’s beautiful face paled. A long time passed before she sighed, “Child, your father and I are life-and-death foes. I didn’t tell you about this because I didn’t want you to get mixed up in our enmity.”

Undisguisable pain and frustration appeared on her face. “I’d originally hoped that your father might one day tell you all this himself, but...”

She trailed off, then sighed once more.

She’d never felt as tormented or agonized as she did today. Were it at all possible, she’d have loved nothing more than to cast all reservations aside and attack Yu Xun.

But she couldn’t. For the sake of her child, she had no choice but to endure!

“So... it’s all true...” Yi Chen murmured in a daze.

It had been hard enough to believe that Lu Qingmei was actually his biological mother.

Now, it turned out that Yi Daoxuan was his biological father. How could he possibly accept all of this at once?”

“Why is this happening... Why do you know all this and not me...? Why am I the only person... who knew nothing at all? Why...” Yi Chen’s heart was in turmoil.

Yu Xun watched it all with delight. If Yi Chen’s Dao Heart crumbled, he’d be ruined. Then, Yu Xun could manipulate him as he pleased!

“Now you ought to understand what a pitiful little worm you are,” laughed Yu Xun. “Right, I forgot to tell you, but Su Yi is your father’s reincarnation, as well as your mother’s old flame!”

Outside the straw hut, Lu Qingmei’s face filled with murderous intent, and her eyes flowed with irrepressible tears.

She could picture Yi Chen’s heart crumbling after learning the truth.

Within the hut, Yi Chen quivered from head to toe, a dazed look on his face. He’d lost control of his emotions, and his Dao Heart was on the brink of crumbling.

For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly recalled something.

When he accompanied his mother to Qingwu Divine Court for a sparring match, the disciples of both sects had competed and “discussed the Dao.”

There, his senior apprentice siblings had fought Su Yi, then disguised as Xiao Jian. He vividly recalled the crushing defeat they’d suffered; the whole sect nursed a grudge over it.

He’d even sworn to himself that one day, he'd grow strong enough to avenge this humiliation.

Looking back on it now, he suddenly realized how ridiculous he was. Su Yi, the person he'd sworn revenge against... was his father!

What could have been more absurd than that?

“Little beast, surely by now you understand why your mother was unwilling to tell you the truth?” jeered Yu Xun. “There’s an irreconcilable grudge between them. Your life was doomed to be tragic from the moment you were born.

“Think about it. If, one day, your father kills your mother with his own two hands, how would you respond? And how would you feel if your mother instead killed your father?”

Every word was like a knife piercing Yi Chen’s chest.

“Of course, you’re doomed to suffer, too,” laughed Yu Xun. “After all, you’re Yi Daoxuan’s son. Your lineage was sure to invite trouble! Take what’s happening to you now. All of this is because of your father!

“I’m sure there’s no need for me to say more. As I’m sure you know, when the world learns that you’re Yi Daoxuan’s son... hehe, who knows how many disasters will befall you!

“That’s your destiny, set it stone from the moment of your birth. How tragic is that?”

Yi Chen’s expression was wooden and bleak.

Yu Xun couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

I finally managed to get to him, the little beast!

Now, he could use secret arts to plant heart devils inside Yi Chen’s Dao Heart, turning him into a helpless, obedient... dog!

But he’d only just thought this when his eyelids twitched. He could sense that something was amiss.

So much time has passed. Why... isn’t Lu Qingmei reacting?

“Senior Apprentice Sister...” said Yu Xun.

But before he could probe any further, something unexpected happened.

Boom!

The straw hut’s tightly shut door exploded into pieces, and a figure shot toward him amidst the fragments of flying wood.

Yu Xun’s pupils constricted, and he flung the blood-red seal with all his might.

Bang!!

That figure shattered into a rain of light and dissipated.

When Yu Xun saw this, he visibly lost his composure, then called out in a voice that boomed like spring thunder, “Cleave!”

Four Dao Swords, each dripping blood, whooshed into the air from the four corners of the hut.

This was a sword formation! Its murderous power was shocking, too. It was the reason Yu Xun dared confront his senior apprentice sister, the source of his confidence.

But he was ultimately one step too late.

As the sword formation revealed its power, Lu Qingmei charged directly at Yu Xun.

Lu Qingmei moved with monstrous fury and hatred. Dense, terrifying murderous intent was written all over her face.

When she attacked, she gave it everything she had, even drawing on her hidden cards!

Boom!!

Yu Xun was sent flying backward, coughing up blood. His chest caved in, almost blasting open.

But at the same time, the four Dao Swords whooshed forward and cleaved into Lu Qingmei.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

Swords flashed, their edges criss-crossing.

One bloody sword gash after another appeared on Lu Qingmei’s body, leaving her instantly covered in blood.

She was badly injured, but she didn’t retreat. Instead, she defended Yi Chen with all her might, her eyes shining with a determination that bordered on madness.

When a mother set aside all concern for her own life to defend her child, she cast things like “fear” and “pain” to the back of her mind.

That went for Lu Qingmei, too. No matter how high her cultivation, how ample her experience, or how ruthless her character, in front of Yi Chen, she had only one role:

A mother.