In a daze, Long Xuanye thought of his mother in this life, Bai Yue.
Had she ever done this for him?
It seemed... not.
He and Long Haochen were twins. Carrying and giving birth to two children at once had already been hard on their mother. From the moment they were born, she had to care for two crying, hungry babies at the same time, staying busy from morning till night.
As for him, he had the soul of an adult inside him. He never cried or fussed, and was unusually well-behaved and sensible. He even took the initiative to help his mother look after his younger brother, Long Haochen.
So, at night, when it was time to sleep, his mother's arms and lullabies seemed to belong only to the younger brother who needed more comfort.
He had never experienced them.
Long Xuanye admitted, with some embarrassment deep in his heart, that being soothed so gently by a little girl made him feel incredibly safe and at ease.
It was a sense of belonging he had never known before—the feeling of being cherished completely.
In the end, all his thoughts sank into endless darkness.
Outside the cave.
The vast waves of Light Element and Dark Element stirred up by Long Xuanye's awakening had still not fully subsided.
Brilliant and shadowy light intertwined like dazzling auroras, hanging in the night sky for a long time.
The celestial phenomenon did not fade away when Long Xuanye fell asleep.
It swept across mountains and forests, reaching the skies above nearby Odin Town.
The night was deep. The town should have been utterly quiet, but now it blazed with lights and teemed with people.
Countless townsfolk poured out of their homes and gazed up at the sky, their faces filled with shock and confusion.
The night sky had been torn open. One half was a Sea of Light so pure it seemed beyond compare, its holy radiance illuminating the earth and dispelling all gloom.
Yet deep within that brilliance, there was a faint patch of darkness, almost impossible to notice—profound and unfathomable.
"My heavens! What is that? A divine miracle?"
"Light and darkness intertwined... I've never heard of a phenomenon like this!"
In the crowd, several young men dressed in standard knight's armor exchanged excited glances.
"Could a heaven-blessed genius have awakened his Spiritual Power here in Odin Town?"
"Quick! Report this to the Temple Deacon! A phenomenon like this is no ordinary sight!"
The clamor and chatter rose one after another, shattering the town's tranquility.
At the same time.
In Holy Light Valley, under the jurisdiction of the Knight Temple.
Long Xingyu stood in the center of the valley, holding a Holy Light Crystal that radiated a warm glow.
He looked at Long Haochen, standing straight before him, and smiled with satisfaction.
Long Haochen nervously clutched the hem of his clothes in his small hands.
He hesitated for a moment, but in the end couldn't help looking up to ask:
"Dad, after I awaken... will I be able to find my brother?"
Over the past few days, he had asked many times about Long Xuanye's whereabouts, but every time, he had received only vague answers.
As soon as the words left his mouth, some of the warmth faded from Long Xingyu's smile.
A chilling look flashed deep in his eyes.
He reached out and ruffled Long Haochen's soft hair, but his voice turned cold.
"You shouldn't be asking where your brother is right now."
"Once you awaken your Inner Spiritual Power and become strong enough, you'll be qualified to learn more."
He sneered inwardly.
That brat had probably become monster fodder long ago, with not even a scrap of bone left.
A trace of disappointment flashed through Long Haochen's clear eyes, but he obediently closed them.
As Long Xingyu slowly pressed the Holy Light Crystal to his brow, the Light Element in the valley suddenly surged into a frenzy!
A dazzling golden pillar of light shot into the sky!
Pure Light Element, without a trace of impurity, frantically converged on Long Haochen's body.
Within the radiance, specks of light gathered and transformed into countless glowing feathers, fluttering down from above.
Beneath the falling feathers, Long Xingyu gazed at the golden pillar that pierced the heavens and earth. Feeling the pure Spiritual Power within it, he trembled with excitement.
"Good! Good! Excellent!"
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning pale from the force.
Such incredible talent!
His future was limitless!!
He even had the potential to become a Seal Knight. Demon God Emperor, you never would have guessed that the sharpest blade humanity would one day turn against you would come from your own flesh and blood!
Long Xingyu was beside himself with excitement.
But the smile on his lips had not yet fully bloomed—
BOOM!!!
A surge of energy several times more terrifying than anything in Holy Light Valley erupted in the distance!
A terrifying pillar of light, more than three times thicker than Long Haochen's, shot into the sky with overwhelming force! Its ultimate radiance nearly burned a hole through the pitch-black night!
The dazzling golden light in Holy Light Valley dimmed at once before this newly risen pillar.
Like the moon in the sky beside a firefly whose light had vanished.
The wild joy on Long Xingyu's face froze.
He snapped his head up and looked toward the source of the pillar—it was coming from Odin Town!
"What... what is that?!"
He let out a startled cry, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
This Spiritual Power fluctuation... it was clearly the aura of someone awakening their Innate Inner Spiritual Power! But... how could it be so terrifyingly powerful?!
He had assumed that another peerless human genius had emerged. But the moment he thought of those three words—Odin Town—a cloud of unease quietly surfaced in the depths of his heart.
An utterly absurd thought rose uncontrollably from the deepest part of his mind.
Could it be... Long Xuanye?
"Impossible!"
Long Xingyu immediately crushed the thought.
That Spawn of Evil should have been torn to pieces by the monsters in the mountains long ago!
Once his mind settled, he looked at Long Haochen, still being bathed in the pillar of light, and a trace of regret flashed in his eyes.
If he'd known Hao Chen had such incredible talent... he should have kept that Spawn of Evil, Xuan Ye, alive.
Even if he had the Demon God Emperor's bloodline and an exceptionally high Innate Inner Spiritual Power, he could never compare to Hao Chen's Child of Light physique!
Father and son killing each other...
How could that compare to the fun of watching two brothers who shared the same blood turn against each other?
What a pity. Such a pity!
Long Xingyu's lips slowly stretched into a sickening smile.
The smile on Long Xingyu's face grew broader.
Madness twisted his features.
Child of Light? The future hope of humanity?
No.
He was simply the perfect tool for Long Xingyu's revenge!
He had carefully raised him and poured his heart and soul into him—not for the greater good of humanity.
It was all so that one day, this sharpest of swords would pierce the Demon God Emperor himself!
Make him pay the most agonizing price for taking away the woman I loved!
Feng Xiu, you brought shame upon me. I'll make your son repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold—with his own hands!
As for that Spawn of Evil...
Long Xingyu glanced at Long Haochen, his expression complicated.
It would be best if he and his father died together.
The wasteland outside Odin Town was thick with demonic aura.
A group of low-ranking Dual-Blade Demons pointed at the pillar of light that had yet to fade completely, shrieking shrilly and howling in confusion.
"Quiet!"
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