Supreme of the Heavenly Realm

24: Chapter 21: The Secret of One’s Birth 24: Chapter 21: The Secret of One’s Birth In the quiet room, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly closed; above his head, wisps of mist were rising.

The incident at the Nangong family allowed Ye Xuan to unexpectedly advance to the level of a Second Grade martial master, and although it was by chance, within that chance was inevitability.

After the clan meeting ended, the True Qi within his body became much more condensed, already not far from the Second Grade realm.

After absorbing the Xuanyin Power within Nangong Yao’s body, advancing had become as natural as water flowing along a channel.

Upon returning to the Ye family, Ye Xuan immediately sat down to solidify his Cultivation.

When one just advanced, their Cultivation would be very unstable, and if not stabilized, falling back was not an uncommon occurrence.

Fortunately, Ye Xuan’s family still had a considerable foundation.

After expending many resources, his Cultivation had completely stabilized.

If others knew of his advancement, they would probably be dumbfounded.

In just a few short days, Ye Xuan had advanced an entire minor realm, and if he continued to improve at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the youngest Martial Sect in the Great Xia Kingdom would be born.

Yet, Ye Xuan also knew that this advancement was entirely due to a fortunate coincidence; under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been so rapid.

“Three days have passed since the martial meeting ended, if I don’t go to see Grandfather, he’s probably going to become restless.”

He had originally planned to go directly to Ye Tianxiong after returning from the Nangong family, but after treating Nangong Yao, Ye Xuan’s realm was unstable, and he spent too much True Qi.

If he didn’t rest properly, it was easy to develop a lasting problem.

Now that he had almost recovered, he naturally needed to go and see.

…

In the Ye family’s backyard, under normal circumstances, this area was considered especially important to the Ye family, thus ordinary people were forbidden from entering.

At this moment, within the largest hall in the backyard, a figure sat upright, exuding a rather imposing aura—it was none other than the Ye family’s head, Ye Tianxiong.

“Family Head, I have been somewhat weary these past two days and thus haven’t come to pay my respects.

I hope the Family Head will forgive me.”

Walking into the hall, Ye Xuan gently bowed his hands to Ye Tianxiong, and then briefly explained.

“It’s not a problem.”

Ye Tianxiong raised his eyelids but didn’t say much.

After a pause, he spoke again, “The reason I called you here is not only to give you the rewards from the clan meeting but also to tell you something important that you must know.

Please, take a seat.”

“Yes.”

With a slightly surprised look, Ye Xuan took a seat on the right side; even he was somewhat puzzled about what matters he must be informed of.

“What I’m about to tell you concerns your father, Ye Xiao, the cause of his death, and the ins and outs of that affair from back then,” Ye Tianxiong added after a moment.

“My father?

Wasn’t he killed by a Demon Beast during the demon wave?” Ye Xuan’s complexion changed.

Clearly, the matter was not so simple; otherwise, Ye Tianxiong wouldn’t have summoned him so solemnly.

“You only know the surface, not the actual situation.”

Ye Tianxiong’s words left Ye Xuan rather baffled, yet before he could ask any questions, a look of reminiscence appeared on Ye Tianxiong’s face, “Nowadays in the Great Xia Kingdom, almost everyone knows that Xiao’er died during the massive demon wave sixteen years ago.

However, the details of that demon wave are known by only a few throughout the entire Great Xia Kingdom.”

With a touch of nostalgia on his face, Ye Tianxiong sighed, “Back then, your father was the foremost expert in the Great Xia Kingdom, his Cultivation having long reached the realm of Martial Sect.

How could an ordinary demon wave get the better of him?

It was because that demon wave was unusually massive, and moreover, people from the Demon Clan beyond our borders intervened, seeking your father’s death.”

“How did my father get entangled with people from the Demon Clan beyond our borders?”

Ye Xuan was puzzled.

The so-called Demon Clan beyond our borders referred to the Demon Beast clans outside of the Tiannan Region.

After all, Tiannan was not considered the center of the Spirit Martial World.

Beyond Tiannan lay an even more vast world, where the Martial Arts civilization was far more advanced, making the Demon Clan nothing to be trifled with.

“It was because of your mother; she was from the Demon Clan beyond our borders.”

Ye Tianxiong’s following utterance took Ye Xuan aback.

“My mother, from the Demon Clan?”

A succession of unbelievable pieces of information came one after another, putting Ye Xuan’s ability to withstand shocks to the test.

Little did he expect that in this life, neither of his parents were ordinary mortals.

No wonder, it turned out that within his body flowed the bloodline of his mother’s Demon Clan heritage, which likely meant that the power that had previously helped suppress his Xuanyin Power might very well be the bloodline power of a high-ranking Demon Clan.

“Yes, not only is your mother from the Demon Clan beyond our lands, but her status amongst them is probably not low.

Her meeting with Ye Xiao was likely purely by chance, and yet, who knew the two would fall in love and conceive you.

This sowed the seeds of disaster.”

“Not long after you were born, the Great Xia Kingdom experienced that Demon Beast Tide, and my Ye family was nearly devastated in that calamity, with almost all our experts dead or injured.

Therefore, we had no choice but to relocate from the Capital to this remote corner of Tianyang County.”

At this point, Ye Tianxiong also sighed incessantly.

“Does the Family Head mean that the one who struck back then could very well have been someone from my mother’s side?” Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

The Ye family was one of the top clans in the Great Xia Kingdom, and it was only after that catastrophe that they fell to their current state.

Could it be that the prime contributor to this outcome was the Demon Clan force from his mother’s side?

“This, I cannot be sure of.

These matters will all depend on you to investigate in the future.”

Ye Tianxiong looked somewhat weary, as reminiscing about those days inevitably cast a shadow over his spirits as the Family Head.

“However, those who attacked the Ye family back then were not just high-ranking members of the Demon Clan.

Some forces within the Great Xia Kingdom also took the opportunity to strike at us.

The death of your father, in fact, was caused by being besieged and forced to his death by many experts, among them, several were most certainly from a certain major force!”

A cold light flickered in Ye Tianxiong’s eyes.

“Do you know which force it was?” Ye Xuan was somewhat silent.

Though sixteen years had passed since those events, hearing them now made them feel as if they happened only yesterday.

For some reason, upon learning that Ye Xiao had been besieged and killed, an inexplicable anger arose within Ye Xuan, stemming from an instinctive response from deep within his heart.

“The Jun family.” Ye Tianxiong slowly uttered the two words.

“The Jun family?

That family that rivals even the Royal Family?”

Ye Xuan’s pupils contracted.

In the current Great Xia Kingdom, besides the Royal Xia family, the biggest family was undoubtedly the Jun family.

Back when Ye Xiao was alive, he had been as close as brothers with Monarch Xia Tianyou, and the Ye family was undoubtedly the most glorious clan.

But now, that position was clearly occupied by the Jun family.

“Back then, the Jun family wanted to completely exterminate our Ye family.

Fortunately, the Royal Family intervened to save us, allowing our legacy to survive.

Although the Ye family has recovered quite a bit compared to before, it’s bound to be suppressed again if our growth momentum seems to increase even slightly,” Ye Tianxiong sighed, looking visibly aged.

Upon hearing this, Ye Xuan also bowed his head in thought.

He had thought that the Ye family was only temporarily in decline.

He hadn’t realized how difficult their situation truly was, nor how Ye Tianxiong had struggled these years to sustain this teetering clan, appearing glorious yet profoundly troubled.

“I didn’t realize there was so much I didn’t know.”

Ye Xuan exhaled slowly and then looked at Ye Tianxiong, saying, “But Family Head, by telling me all this, do you hope I will seek revenge against the Jun family for my father’s death?”

“No, it’s too early to talk of revenge.

These are things you needed to know, but before, you had no ambition for cultivation, and it was of no benefit to know them.

However, things are different now.

Given your potential, you might very well grow to your father’s stature someday.

But during this process, you must be cautious,” Ye Tianxiong shook his head, his expression growing serious.

“I understand.”

Ye Xuan grasped Ye Tianxiong’s intentions.

The Ye family was now closely monitored by the Jun family, and should he show too much talent, they would find ways to eliminate him, to snuff out his growth.

To a family like the Jun family, erasing an unripe talent was all-too-easy.

He had to be wary.

“The tallest tree in the forest is the surest to be blown over by the wind.

Remember this principle and don’t worry too much about it.”

Ye Tianxiong’s expression returned to normal.

“The reason I called you here is to tell you of an important matter.

In September, following tradition, the Royal Family will lead the autumn hunt in the nine southern counties, and all the princely heirs from those counties will participate.

This year, the Ye family will be represented by you leading our team.”

“The autumn hunt?”

Ye Xuan was not unfamiliar with this event.

It was a regular occurrence in previous years, mainly between the southern and northern regions.

However, with his former lack of strength, the hunts had little to do with him.

The autumn hunt was not just a simple hunt but a test of strength for the scions of the major clans.

Those who performed excellently during the autumn hunt could receive rewards from the Royal Family, including noble titles, treasures, and other fine things.

Moreover, the hunt was nearly a grand event throughout the entire Great Xia Kingdom—a great opportunity for making a name for oneself, and many people naturally would not let it pass by.

Furthermore, during the hunt, it was possible to capture rare and exotic Demon Beasts, and if tamed as mounts, that would be a majestic feat.

“This year’s autumn hunt is said to be presided over by Princess Xia Xun.

Take this chance to communicate with her and try to change some of the preconceptions your fiancée has of you,” Ye Tianxiong said seriously.

“Heh, as if that’s possible.”

Hearing the word “fiancée,” Ye Xuan couldn’t help but scoff sarcastically.

To call her his fiancée was actually worse than saying they were strangers.

In the past, when the Ye family was powerful and Ye Xiao was the greatest martial master in the Great Xia Kingdom, his betrothal to the Royal Princess was a perfectly normal affair.

But, unfortunately, after the disaster, the Ye family became a second-rate local clan, and Ye Xuan inherited a reputation as a good-for-nothing.

This Princess Xia Xun, however, was an extremely haughty woman.

In his memory, she regarded their engagement as the greatest shame of her life.

Such deep-seated prejudice was not something that could be easily changed.