Chapter 2786 - 2777: Emerging from Seclusion

"Not everyone in the Clan of Darkness is bad; these two people are good. At least they saved your life back then, so I want you to remember, if you truly wish to return to the Clan of Darkness someday, no matter what you do, you should give these two some respect and not act too impulsively!"

"And if the Clan Leader of An Ye and Great Elder An Jue are in trouble, I hope you can help them if possible. If the Clan of Darkness faces difficulties, and you have the extra capacity, assist them,"

"I’m telling you these things not to morally coerce or restrict your actions but just to remind you not to forget your roots,"

"Whatever your final thoughts and actions are, I will fully support you. Those things I just mentioned are my secondary hope; my primary hope is that you can live well. Remember, your life and yourself are the most important! Don’t risk yourself for outsiders and external forces, it’s not worth it..."

An Tian’s voice suddenly weakened, and his gaze began to dim. An Jiao’s heart tightened, feeling the grip of his father’s hand loosening. An Jiao knew full well that his father could speak so many words just now because of the phenomenon of "return to light" before dying, and now that it’s over, his father is about to...

After a moment of silence, An Tian widened his eyes, looking at An Jiao, then pushed out a final faint smile and said, "I have no major achievements in my life, and it’s quite ordinary, nothing to be proud of..."

"But the thing I’m most proud and honored about is having you as my son! Jiao’er, I will always anticipate your future achievements, you’re always my pride..."

After saying his final words, An Tian finally exhausted all his longevity and life force, his gaze dimmed, losing all light, and his hand weakly dropped away from An Jiao’s hand.

An Jiao watched as his father, exhausted from a lifetime of toil, finally closed his eyes in peace. This man, an Arcane Master, finally had tears rolling down his eyes, muttering afterward, "Father... Farewell... I remember all that you said to me, I will not disappoint your expectations!"

An Jiao’s eyes firmed as he clenched his fist tightly.

On that day, An Jiao opened a Tomb Mansion at the highest point of the valley, placing his father inside it. His father had dedicated his life to the Clan of Darkness as a samurai but never enjoyed the high status of the clan, enduring indignity as if within humble soil.

Now that his father was gone, An Jiao wanted him to stay forever at the highest point, overlooking everything below!

An Jiao looked at his father’s Tomb Mansion, knelt on the ground, and knocked three times on his head. After pondering for a long time, he decided to surround the Tomb Mansion with a defensive array. Although the place was somewhat remote, An Jiao still felt it safer to establish an array; he didn’t want his father, who had worked hard all his life, to be disturbed even after death.

Later, An Jiao returned to the little cabin in the valley where he and his father lived, isolating himself indoors, devotedly researching the Arcane Arts. After three hundred cycles of frost and heat, he leveraged prior accumulation and the transformative Hundred Healing Formation, along with unmatched talent.

Finally, An Jiao felt his arcane mastery had developed somewhat; after three hundred years without leaving the cabin, he finally opened the door on a bright morning, only to find it collapsing loudly onto the ground, shattering into splinters.

Looking bewildered, An Jiao noted the door had become fragile after enduring three centuries of winds and rains, but fortunately, the cabin made by his father with stones was less prone to collapse.

With his first step, the beard vanished from An Jiao’s face; the second step trimmed his hair to the perfect length, and with the third step, a black robe adorned with red patterns appeared on his body.

Accompanied by An Jiao’s commanding gaze and demeanor, a subtle aura emanated from him.

After completing the transformation of body and attire, An Jiao gently tapped his foot, flying to a large rock outside the cabin, stretching casually, causing the entire valley to tremble faintly in awe.

After An Jiao finished stretching, the trembling of the valley stopped instantly.

Raising his head slowly, An Jiao found a thick layer of moss on his cabin, with many small animals running over it, while butterflies flew around.

An Jiao smiled gently, whispering to himself, "This is nature’s way!"

Turning his body, a magical array suddenly appeared around him, and with a silver flash, An Jiao’s form appeared at the highest place in the valley.

An Jiao walked slowly to his father’s Tomb Mansion, waved his hand, and a swirling water orb appeared but never overflowed; then An Jiao approached the Tomb Mansion and began cleaning it meticulously.

Using the water orb to carefully wash away dust and moss from the tombstone, An Jiao said, "Father, I’m sorry I haven’t visited you in over three hundred years. I wonder if you felt lonely, though I imagine you might have long reincarnated, and now should be a youth,"

"So what I’m saying now, you probably can’t hear, but I must say it regardless, your unfilial son hasn’t visited you in over three hundred years,"

"My research over these years has led to breakthroughs in the Arcane Arts. I pondered for a long time, originally planning to explore various worlds, but recalled your words from many years ago, deciding to first return to the Clan of Darkness,"

"Rest assured, I’m merely going back for a glance; although I don’t know how I evaded death back then, since you mentioned it relates to the Clan Leader of An Ye and Great Elder An Jue, I will first return and see,"

"Even though you said it’s connected to them, I know deep down, it has the most to do with you, counting this time and the hope that you gave me by seeking out the Holy Spirit Fruit..."

"You’ve granted me three lives in total,"