Chapter 610 - 605: Xuanyuan Bi’an’s Background

That single sentence was like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, extinguishing Xuanyuan Bi'an's rage in an instant.

A chill bloomed deep in his heart, spreading rapidly until his entire body began to tremble.

Ning Jiang's arrow had been incomparably sharp and unstoppable. Since it could easily pierce his flesh, it could just as easily have pierced his brow and destroyed his Primordial Spirit.

He realized then that Ning Jiang had held back. Otherwise, he would already be a dead man, beyond saving.

Once he understood this, his will to fight vanished.

"I have failed."

He slowly uttered three words.

The battle was decided. He had lost to Ning Jiang.

But an infinite glint of light appeared in his eyes. "Ning Jiang! I, Xuanyuan Bi'an, do not need anyone's charity. Since I've lost, take my life!"

The Myriad Treasures Exquisite Tower had asked Ning Jiang to spare him, and to him, that was a disgrace. He would rather die a glorious death in battle than live a life born of charity.

"You want to die that badly?"

Ning Jiang's eyes narrowed, his thoughts impossible to discern.

"Sometimes, death is a release." A faint smile appeared on Xuanyuan Bi'an's face.

"Sigh. There's no need for this."

Just then, a tremendous voice boomed out, shaking the very void.

RUMBLE!

A spatial black hole appeared and sucked Xuanyuan Bi'an and Ning Jiang right in. When they reappeared, they were inside the Myriad Treasures Exquisite Tower.

The Artifact Spirit of the Myriad Treasures Exquisite Tower appeared in its complete form for the first time. It had taken the shape of an old man with white hair, his gaze complex yet filled with a certain loving-kindness as he looked at Xuanyuan Bi'an.

"You are the Saint Monarch's only descendant. If you die, the Saint Monarch's bloodline will be completely severed."

The Artifact Spirit's words were astonishing.

Ning Jiang, who stood nearby, already had some inkling of this, having learned a little about Xuanyuan Bi'an's origins.

The Saint Monarch the Artifact Spirit spoke of was none other than the master of the Myriad Treasures Exquisite Tower, the Linglong Saint Monarch. Xuanyuan Bi'an was his descendant—though from a later generation, of course.

The Linglong Saint Monarch had several children, and Xuanyuan Bi'an was the son of one of them.

However, Xuanyuan Bi'an's birth was, in a sense, dishonorable, for he was the product of a union between a human and a demon—a Child of Human and Demon.

In those days, the son of the Linglong Saint Monarch fell in love with a Witch from the Demon Race. Their union shook the entire Great Thousand Realms.

According to the Artifact Spirit, in that era, the Demon Race had invaded the Great Thousand Realms, bringing with them endless slaughter. One can only imagine the fierce opposition the Linglong Saint Monarch's son and the Witch faced for uniting in such an environment.

"I want nothing to do with his bloodline!"

Xuanyuan Bi'an's reaction to the Artifact Spirit's words was violent. "When they forced my parents to their deaths, where was he? Did he ever once step forward to object?"

The "he" Xuanyuan Bi'an spoke of was the Linglong Saint Monarch.

His father had fallen in love with a woman of the Demon Race. Their union was met with hostility from the entire Great Thousand Realms, and in the end, his parents were driven to their deaths.

And the Linglong Saint Monarch had been unable to save them.

"It's true the Linglong Saint Monarch didn't intervene when your parents died, but he had his reasons. If he had, the other Saint Monarchs would not have tolerated it. He would have become an enemy to the entire world!"

The Artifact Spirit smiled bitterly.

In that era, the Linglong Saint Monarch was certainly powerful, but there were many others who were his equals.

A union between a human and a demon was an absolute taboo, a line that could not be crossed. Anyone who dared cross it could only atone with their life!

That was why Xuanyuan Bi'an's parents were targeted by the entire Great Thousand Realms, becoming enemies of the world. In such a situation, how could the Linglong Saint Monarch possibly have saved them?

"Spare me your sophistry."

Xuanyuan Bi'an sneered, unable to accept such an explanation.

"Even if the Saint Monarch failed your parents back then, he has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to you."

"Sealing me away to awaken ten thousand years later—is that his idea of having a clear conscience?" Xuanyuan Bi'an's gaze was glacial.

He was born ten thousand years ago, but the Linglong Saint Monarch had kept him under a Seal until this modern age. In a way, he did not belong to this era.

The Artifact Spirit shook its head. "If the Saint Monarch hadn't sealed you away, how could you have survived when the entire world was your enemy? When your parents were driven to their deaths, did you really think you would have been spared?"

At these words, Xuanyuan Bi'an raised an eyebrow.

"I never told you before because I was trying to protect you. But now, your misunderstanding of the Saint Monarch runs so deep that I have to tell you the truth."

The Artifact Spirit said grimly, "Xuanyuan Bi'an, listen closely. The reason you are alive today is because the Saint Monarch traded his own life for yours. He charged into the Demon Realm—that was the condition he met to gain the other Saint Monarchs' consent. That is why you are still alive!"

"What!"

Xuanyuan Bi'an's expression changed drastically.

'Without a doubt, this was astonishing news. The Linglong Saint Monarch had charged into the Demon Realm just to ensure he could live?'

"You could never have known. The moment the Linglong Saint Monarch entered the Demon Realm, his other children who remained in the Great Thousand Realms were all slaughtered under the pretext of colluding with the Demon Race. If not for that, the Linglong Saint Monarch wouldn't have been left with only you as his descendant!"

"Are… are you telling the truth?"

Xuanyuan Bi'an's voice trembled. It was the first time he had ever heard this, and the shock was enough to turn his world upside down.

'Because of me, my parents were driven to their deaths? Because of me, the Linglong Saint Monarch was forced into the Demon Realm? And because of me, the Linglong Saint Monarch's other children were all massacred?'

'If all this was true, what a monstrous sin he bore!'

"Do you understand now? This is why I never told you."

The Artifact Spirit gave a bitter laugh. He hadn't told Xuanyuan Bi'an the truth precisely because he didn't want him to feel weighed down by such heavy sin. It had been a form of protection.

Xuanyuan Bi'an's face was ashen, and his body trembled.

"So, I've been carrying so many sins… In that case, wouldn't it be better to just kill me?" Xuanyuan Bi'an's voice trembled. In that moment, his spirit was lost in a fog of confusion.

"I am the Child of Human and Demon. The Great Thousand Realms has no place for me, and the Demon Race would never accept my Human Race bloodline. What am I? Human? Demon? Or… am I nothing at all."

"A pointless question. Whether you are human or demon is a matter of a single thought. Is bloodline so important? A single thought can make one human; a single thought can make one a demon. It has nothing to do with bloodline."

At that moment, Ning Jiang spoke, his gaze profound as he said slowly, "I have seen members of the Demon Race who value loyalty and righteousness, who have no love for slaughter. I have also seen humans more evil than any demon, who betray the Great Thousand Realms and slaughter countless of their own kind for selfish gain."

"Bloodline doesn't decide whether you are human or demon. The only thing that can make that decision is your own heart. Your parents were able to fall in love and ignore the division between human and demon precisely because their hearts resonated with one another!"