As for what happened afterward, Xun'er could no longer remember it clearly.
In her haze, she seemed to recall the scene from when she had left the Ancient Clan as a child.
Back then, her father had not yet become as despondent as he was now. His face was gentle and honest, and with a smile, he lifted her high into the air and carried her on his shoulders. Yet in his eyes was a complexity Xun'er could not understand.
They had both been her closest family, and it had likewise been a day worthy of celebration. Still too young to understand what parting meant, she had muddle-headedly followed her father out of the Ancient Realm, then muddle-headedly bid farewell to the other.
In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed.
By now, she was no longer a child, and her father had never again carried her on his shoulders as he had back then. Yet she had instead come to understand the look in his eyes.
Her father was strong—so strong that he was honored as a Nine-star Dou Saint, strong enough that even Hun Tiandi had to personally plot against him.
Yet her father was also weak—so weak that Xiao Xuan hated him for failing to live up to expectations, so weak that the Elder Council could restrain him at will, so weak that he had been unable to save even the woman to whom he had once sworn eternal vows.
And yet, he had saved her alone.
Unknowingly, words that seemed branded deep into Xun'er's memories flashed through her mind once more—
"Xun'er, as the Young Master of the Ancient Clan, you must place the clan's interests above all else in every matter. Remember this. Remember it well."
The old man's voice rang out again,