The Yun Clan's elders kept this secret buried deep. Had the Soul-Tracing Secret Rite not made Yun Qing's soul unique, and had his double pupils not been able to glimpse the origins of all things, he could never have uncovered this earth-shattering truth.
Yun Huang was a "Child of Heaven's Mandate" brought into being in the forbidden grounds of the ancestral shrine only after the Yun Clan poured the strength of its entire clan into an ancient secret art, drawing in an Immortal Emperor's original immortal essence scattered throughout heaven and earth, gathering vast providence, and merging it with a strand of "essence of innate origin" the clan had accumulated over ten thousand years!
His very existence was a monumental gamble the Yun Clan had made to perpetuate its glory and face the great calamity to come! His supposed identity as a "legitimate son of the Yun Clan" was merely a flawless background fabricated to let him fit naturally into the lineage and inherit its authority.
The reincarnation of an Immortal Emperor's primordial spirit involved a sea of karmic entanglements. To make an enemy of such a being was to risk losing the entire board with a single careless move...
Most importantly, according to the "plot" Yun Qing knew, this venerable Immortal Emperor actually had an inexplicable obsession with loathing concubine-born children! He truly wanted to grab him and shake him hard until he explained himself. Little brother, times have changed! This is a cultivation world-where on earth did you catch this disease?!
He could only guess that this Immortal Emperor rejected all "impure" blood ties, or perhaps carried some unknown entanglement from his past life. Whatever the reason, under the iron laws Yun Huang laid down, the lineage's concubine-born children of ordinary talent lived as though treading on thin ice.
And Yun Qing's identity in this life happened to be the Yun Clan's eldest concubine-born son! He was practically dancing in the Immortal Emperor's minefield.
Contend against such a Child of Heaven's Mandate? Yun Qing had never entertained so foolish a notion. With the Heavenly Mandate in Yun Huang's hands, anyone who opposed him would be a mantis trying to stop a chariot, doomed to crumble into dust and ashes.
So he decided to lie low... ahem... to cultivate a harmonious, loving brotherly relationship founded on cultivation ideals with his Immortal Emperor little brother.
Yun Qing understood with absolute clarity that, before this younger brother destined to command the ages with his might, the wisest path-the one offering the greatest chance of survival-was to earn his trust while the dragon still lay hidden in the depths, and secure a place at his side.
Thus, what he had displayed today was deference without sacrificing his backbone, the potential of his Dao embryo and double pupils, and, above all, the unmistakable stance of "harboring no divided loyalties, willing to lead the way." He had even deliberately shown a trace of an elder brother's "gentle acceptance" that went beyond the bounds of a subordinate, hoping to reach the lonely heart Yun Huang concealed beneath his blazing divine majesty.
So far, this exalted Immortal Emperor seemed unexpectedly receptive to that approach?
Suddenly, Yun Qing's brows drew together slightly, and he activated his chaos Dao embryo. Several strands of unusually tenacious radiant yang qi were entwined within hidden acupoints along his meridians. The aura was faint; it did not seem to have been deliberately left by that man, but rather to have seeped into his body unnoticed and lingered there.
These strands of divine power clung like maggots to bone, constantly giving off a burning, corrosive sensation.
Yun Qing tried enveloping them in chaos qi to refine them away, but progress was exceedingly slow. Even the aura he naturally lets escape has such power...
Truly unfathomable. Thank goodness I didn't choose to clash with him head-on today. Shock surged through him, and his wariness of this "little brother" rose another notch.
The origin radiance divine body was incomparably domineering, and the reincarnated Immortal Emperor was unmatched in his ferocity. Yun Qing could only console himself that clinging to the leg of a powerhouse whose might overshadowed an entire age was nothing to be ashamed of.
Yet deep within his heart, the unyielding soul of a modern man stirred despite itself, only to be suppressed again.
The "strategy guide" in his mind flipped open automatically, and a miniature Yun Qing pondered while his brush flew across the page. Yun Huang's thoughts ran deep, and his desire for control was strong. Today's exception might have stemmed from an acknowledgment of the value of his talent, or perhaps been a reward for his "knowing which way the wind blew." A chasm still separated it from true acceptance.
"The road is long and fraught with obstacles..." Yun Qing let out a faint sigh. From now on, he had to demonstrate irreplaceable value, gradually approach the heart of power, and become the sole exception to that dreadful disease of "loathing concubine-born children."
He would be both a keen blade that could cut through every thorn and a shadow that could share the burden of solitude. Perhaps... he could also bring a faint warmth of familial affection called "an elder brother," something utterly unlike cold authority.
Yun Qing gathered his thoughts and turned, his gaze settling on Yun Shuo, who was cautiously touching this and that. At last, a trace of warmth thawed his icebound eyes.
In this Yun Clan, where the strong made the rules and power determined dignity, he needed supreme strength-not merely to climb to the very pinnacle of cultivation, but to protect the precious few loved ones around him.
This cruel road of cultivation, this path of being both brother and subject, was destined to be strewn with blades.
But now that he, Yun Qing, had set foot upon it, he swore to carve out a grand, open road!
Outside the window, cool radiance spilled from the boundless night sky, outlining his standing figure with ever greater uprightness and resolve.
Beneath that same moonlight, incense curled through the Perching Phoenix Hall.
In a rare moment of leisure, Yun Huang reclined on the Azure Nether Jade Couch beside the window.
He wore a moon-white robe whose fabric resembled cloud and mist. Only its skirts, collar, and sleeve edges bore intricate, subtly woven patterns of flowing clouds and fierce flames, embroidered in exceedingly fine threads of reddish gold. They lent his exquisite features an even greater air of majesty and nobility; an imposing aristocratic aura surrounded him, and no stranger dared approach.
Yun Huang rubbed his fingertips over a spirit-jade teacup, his Golden Pupils gazing out the window as thoughts churned within him.
Yun Qing...
Ever since the spirit-testing ceremony, that name had left a distinct mark upon his heart.
A chaos Dao embryo and ancient double pupils. Two peerless gifts, vanishingly rare throughout the ages, had actually converged within a single person.
And then there was his identity as Yun Huang's concubine-born elder brother...
Not to mention the composure he showed in Yun Huang's presence, and his declaration, "I am willing to lead the way for the young lord." He had spoken so sincerely, so naturally, that Yun Huang had almost "believed" him.
But the more flawless something was, the more it deserved suspicion. Memories of his past life clung like a festering wound upon the bone. Seemingly loyal faces would ultimately twist and betray him. Being concubine-born-that identity alone was enough to stir his deepest revulsion.
"Is Yun Qing truly content to remain beneath me, to be an obedient subject, a... 'good elder brother'?" A trace of mockery flashed through Yun Huang's eyes. He never believed in loyalty without cause, especially from these brothers with "impure" blood.
Tink.
His knuckles tapped lightly against the couch's smooth armrest, producing faint, rhythmic sounds.
"I hear he also has a younger brother born of the same mother, named Yun Shuo?" A cold gleam flashed in Yun Huang's eyes.
"Such deep brotherly affection. That would make a fine touchstone." His fingertip tapped soundlessly against the cold armrest. "You have quite a reputation. Then let me see just where this keen blade of yours, honed within a secret realm, intends to point!"
Yun Huang raised his hand and lightly touched the air with radiant yang spiritual power gathered at his fingertip. An invisible ripple silently spread toward... the Heaven-Supporting Hall!
The Yun Clan's two exalted figures had met for the first time. No one knew that the course of fate had already quietly shifted.
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