Memories were beautiful, but reality was cruel.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen snapped out of his reverie, slowly releasing the Swallow Pendant.
“Chi Yao, oh Chi Yao, eight hundred years have passed, you cold-blooded, ruthless woman, why do you still keep it by your side?” Zhang Ruochen’s hands clenched tightly.
Within the Swallow Pendant, he sensed a vast Greater Saint power, and on its surface, a faint trace of divine power.
That was Chi Yao’s power.
It was evident that, over the past eight hundred years, Chi Yao had kept this pendant with her at all times.
Nourished by her Greater Saint and divine power, the Swallow Pendant had undergone such a transformation.
Chi Kongle observed Zhang Ruochen’s shifting expressions—gentle one moment, cold the next, then blazing with anger. The Zhang Ruochen before her now lacked the calm composure he’d shown while battling the Paradise Realm kings, his emotions fluctuating wildly.
She stretched out a delicate, snow-white hand, waving it before his eyes, whispering, “What’s wrong with you?”
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze sharpened, “It was Chi Yao who gave you this jade pendant, wasn’t it?”
“The Empress is a god, how dare you address her by name?”
Chi Kongle held deep reverence for Empress Chi Yao, showing some displeasure towards Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen let out a soft huff, turning away and sitting back on the meditation cushion, “If you want to kill me, you’d best do it now. If my saint qi recovers even a fraction, you’ll lose your chance.”
He rummaged through his spatial ring, retrieving a small bottle carved from saint jade. Opening the lid, he sniffed it, then downed the liquid inside in one gulp.
It was marrow essence refined from the bones of an eighth-tier savage beast, capable of rapidly replenishing a cultivator’s depleted spiritual power.
This was one of the spoils he’d claimed from the storage vessel of an Elf Clan Spiritual Power Saint King.
Chi Kongle didn’t draw her sword. Her pearl-like, beautiful eyes studied Zhang Ruochen’s handsome face closely. Pursing her lips, she said, “This is your true appearance, you haven’t used the Thirty-Six Formless Transformations?”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “That’s right.”
“Why…”
Chi Kongle blurted out, but quickly stopped herself.
Zhang Ruochen could hear her heartbeat quicken, “You want to know why we look so alike?”
“Yes,” Chi Kongle nodded.
Zhang Ruochen said, “That’s a question you should ask your Empress, not me.”
Chi Kongle stepped closer, approaching Zhang Ruochen, “Then why have you saved me and my brother time and again? If I’m not mistaken, when you first unleashed the lotus’s power to slaughter the Paradise Realm kings, your spiritual power was already severely drained. Why, in such a state, would you still save two enemies?”
Zhang Ruochen hadn’t expected Chi Kongle, despite her young age, to be so perceptive.
“Do you really want to know the answer?” he asked.
Chi Kongle hesitated, as if wrestling with fear and uncertainty. After a long pause, her gaze grew resolute, “Please tell me.”
“Come here.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes softened considerably.
For some reason, Chi Kongle edged closer, though she still gripped her saint sword, stopping three steps away from him.
“Sit.”
Zhang Ruochen handed her a meditation cushion.
Chi Kongle sat across from him, her delicate face and petite frame illuminated by her flickering eyes. Yet the saint sword in her hand still bore bloodstains.
A girl of eleven or twelve, already wielding a weapon meant for killing.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh, “The Swallow Pendant was given to you by Chi Yao, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Chi Kongle replied softly, adding, “My brother has one too.”
“Do you know how to harness its power?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Chi Kongle nodded, then shook her head, “I only know that wearing it draws the saint qi of heaven and earth to me, helps me focus during cultivation, nurtures my spiritual power, and strengthens my saint soul. It’s incredibly versatile.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, “It seems Chi Yao never taught you how to tap into the Swallow Pendant’s true power.”
“Whoosh!”
With a flick of his finger, a complex inscription landed on the pendant.
The inscription acted like a key, unlocking an invisible door.
Instantly, the Swallow Pendant erupted with dazzling light, releasing an ancient, immense aura of power that enveloped Chi Kongle.
“This power is so strong… is it divine?” Chi Kongle was astonished.
The Swallow Pendant was an heirloom of the Zhang family. In the past, Zhang Ruochen had only known it contained formidable power, but he hadn’t understood its nature.
Now, having reached the Saint King realm, he activated that power again and finally grasped its truth.
The mysterious force within the pendant was indeed divine.
Could it be… a relic left by the Zhang family’s ancestor, the “Immovable Wisdom King”?
Zhang Ruochen said, “Your spiritual power has left an imprint on the Swallow Pendant, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, how did you know?” Chi Kongle asked.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t answer, continuing, “Unleashing the pendant’s power creates a potent defensive shield, like the light surrounding you now. The more power you draw, the stronger the defence. And if you control it with your spiritual power, you can even use it to burst forth with speed.”
“Really?”
Chi Kongle closed her eyes, releasing her spiritual power.
“Swish.”
In a flash of white light, she vanished from the temple.
Her speed was beyond what even an average Saint King could match.
Chi Kongle tested it for a full quarter-hour before returning, still marveling at the unbelievable sensation.
She was only at the Mysterious Yellow Saint realm, yet her speed could outpace a One-Step Saint King.
Zhang Ruochen tossed her a small saint jade bottle, “Catch.”
Chi Kongle caught it, curiosity piquing, “What… what is this…?”
Suddenly, her vision spun, her head grew heavy, and a sharp pain stabbed at her chest. She swayed, on the verge of collapse.
“Using the Swallow Pendant’s power heavily drains your spiritual power. The bottle contains marrow essence from an eighth-tier savage beast, it can quickly restore you,” Zhang Ruochen explained.
Chi Kongle drank a drop, then sat cross-legged to meditate.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. Though young, Chi Kongle remained composed in the face of challenges. With her current spiritual power, she could indeed only handle the energy of a single drop.
Her judgement was spot on.
When Chi Kongle opened her eyes again, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power had recovered slightly, his spirit noticeably revitalised.
“Want to learn the inscription that unlocks the Swallow Pendant’s power?” he asked.
Chi Kongle’s gaze towards him shifted, her delicate chin dipping slightly, “Will you teach me?”
“As long as you want to learn…”
“I do.”
Zhang Ruochen gave her a deep look, then took out two inscription pens, handing one to her.
Chi Kongle sheathed her saint sword, holding the pen like a docile kitten crouching beside him.
Under the lamplight, Zhang Ruochen drew a stroke, and she followed suit.
The scene was heartwarming, like a little girl learning to write from her father, utterly focused, occasionally sneaking glances at Zhang Ruochen’s stern eyes.
The inscription was intricate, one that even a typical Spiritual Power cultivator might not master in three months.
Yet Chi Kongle’s comprehension was extraordinary, grasping it fully in just half an hour.
Seeing the inscription she etched onto the Swallow Pendant, Zhang Ruochen’s face lit up with a satisfied smile. He couldn’t help but pat her head, “Well done.”
Chi Kongle didn’t shy away. After a long hesitation, she finally spoke, “The Empress said the Swallow Pendant was my father’s keepsake.”
Zhang Ruochen’s hand froze, “She’s not wrong.”
“Are you… my father?”
Chi Kongle’s lips trembled as she awaited his answer, a mix of anticipation and fear in her eyes.
Truthfully, Zhang Ruochen would rather she saw him as an enemy than learn the truth.
The truth was far crueller, it would only bring her more pain.
That pain was his alone to bear.
But since Chi Kongle was sharp enough to guess it, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t hide it. With a bitter smile, he said, “Kongle is the name of a mountain outside Saint Bright City. From its peak, you can see countless lights, boundless scenery, rivers, and mountains all within view.”
Without denying it, Zhang Ruochen had given her the answer.
She was just a little girl, unable to control her emotions like him. Her bright eyes welled with tears, large drops rolling down her cheeks as her slender frame shook with sobs.
Throwing her arms around his waist, she cried, “I… I want to… sob… go to Kongle Mountain… take… take me there, please… I want to see… see the countless lights, the rivers and mountains…”
Zhang Ruochen held himself together, though his eyes reddened. He gently stroked her head.
“I’ll take you, back to the Kunlun Realm, I’ll take you there,” he repeated.
“No… don’t lie to me.”
Chi Kongle looked up, tears streaming down her face, “Why did the Empress deceive me? Why did she say you’re my enemy, that you killed my parents? Why, why is that?”
“Because she didn’t dare tell you the truth,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kongle asked, “What truth? Who’s my mother?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, “It’s not the time for you to know these things yet. Of course, you could ask Chi Yao. If she’s heartless enough to lie to you, she’s capable of even crueler things.”
“I don’t want to ask anyone else, I want to ask you. You wouldn’t bear to lie to me… or hide things from me… would you, Father?” Chi Kongle’s eyes were pitiful, as if she’d suffered a great injustice.
Seeing such a heart-wrenching look and hearing the word “Father,” Zhang Ruochen’s carefully controlled emotions crumbled. With a tearful laugh, he said, “Alright, I’ll tell you. But not now, we need to wait a little longer… just a little longer…”
