Luan Ling had never eaten such a terrifying meal in her life.

At this moment, she was actually a little envious of Luan Yu. Being punished and sent down to the mortal realm meant he didn’t have to face an atmosphere this unbearably awkward.

She had no idea where the Heavenly Emperor had found this square table, but it sat abruptly in the back garden of the Heavenly Palace. On it were dishes prepared in great haste at his command. His reason was simple: after so many years of seclusion, he had gone too long without eating a proper, human-like meal.

She wanted to escape. Badly.

Luan Ling sat stiffly, eyes lowered, nose to mouth, mouth to heart—anywhere but wandering. She didn’t dare look around casually, afraid that her gaze might be caught by anyone at the table. Speaking to any one of them would probably end her life on the spot.

What exactly was the Heavenly Emperor trying to do?

“This time, I emerged from seclusion after seventeen years,” the Heavenly Emperor said with a sigh. “Our little daughter has grown from a single fragment of primordial spirit into what she is today. My Empress—time truly flies.”

Luan Ling barely dared to breathe. Every word he spoke felt like it landed squarely on the Empress’s pressure points.

Sure enough, the Heavenly Empress replied coldly,
“Daughter? Your daughter—or mine?”

“Of course, our daughter,” the Heavenly Emperor said, emphasizing his point. “These past years, while I remained in seclusion, it was thanks to you that Luan Ling and Luan Yu were raised so well. Luan Yu’s banishment to the mortal realm must also have been a carefully considered decision on your part.”

Something about this felt… off. Luan Ling couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she didn’t even dare lift her chopsticks. She chewed on empty air, hoping the moment would pass quickly.

Someone—anyone—please say something.

She tried to glance at Luan Qingchen, only to despair and withdraw her gaze immediately.

The Heavenly Empress continued coolly,
“You needn’t say meaningless pleasantries. Your cultivation has not made any substantial breakthrough compared to last time. You have reached your limit. There is no need to waste more time in seclusion. The Heavenly Realm faces increasing external threats and requires someone to remain in command.”

As expected of the Heavenly Empress—one sentence was enough to completely cut off the Heavenly Emperor’s urge to ramble. And yet, he accepted it with surprising ease.

“Indeed. Qingchen’s current strength should be enough to contend with the former Demon Lord. That is good news for the Heavenly Realm. What concerns me is whether the Demon Realm has also produced a new generation of power, as it did seventeen years ago.”

The Empress replied calmly,
“The demon Yu Yuan was already capable of fighting Qingchen seventeen years ago. How far she has grown since then, we do not know. That is precisely why you must stay.”

The Heavenly Emperor rarely looked solemn.
“If the Demon Lord returns, together with the Demon Princess, would it not recreate the catastrophe of seventy years ago?”

“It will not,” the Empress said evenly. “After that battle, you could no longer advance. And the Demon Lord never emerged again. If he had intended to start another war, he would not have waited seventy years—nor would he have sent only Yu Yuan to a decisive battle. That would not be his style.”

“Choosing negotiation in a battle of life and death doesn’t suit him either.”

The Heavenly Emperor frowned in thought.
“Then something must have happened in the Demon Realm. Otherwise, I don’t believe it could remain peaceful for seventy years under someone like him.”

“Perhaps,” the Empress said quietly. “He may already be gone.”

The Heavenly Emperor fell silent.

Luan Ling had never lived through the era of the great war between the Heavenly Emperor and the Demon Lord, but she had heard of its devastation. The Heavenly Realm suffered tremendous losses, and the mortal world was not spared either. Countless innocent cultivators died, and the resulting chain reactions devastated ordinary people as well. In the end, an entire dynasty collapsed after barely surviving for a decade. The mortal world now belonged to a new era.

“Fortunately,” the Heavenly Emperor said at last, “even if I were to fall, there is still Qingchen.”

He looked at Luan Qingchen, his gaze now filled only with admiration.

“I always knew Qingchen would become the Heavenly Realm’s greatest weapon. I never understood why those old fogeys insisted on forcing him into the Trial of Kings. They never once considered whether it suited him, and even made him shoulder the blame for that chaotic age. Thankfully, everything is back on track now. But Qingchen, you’ve been silent all this time—are you troubled by something?”

Watching the Heavenly Emperor—how should she put it—almost carefree in demeanor, Luan Ling suddenly understood a little of the Empress’s anger. A carefree husband, a taciturn eldest son, a reckless second son, and a child of unclear origin. Anyone would struggle to shoulder the responsibilities of both wife and mother under such circumstances—especially when she also ruled the entire Heavenly Realm.

No wonder Wen Yuan emphasized the word leader so strongly. Luan Ling was starting to suspect that if not for the Heavenly Emperor’s bloodline, the Empress would never have chosen to ally herself with him in the first place. How these two ever managed to communicate was beyond her.

But Luan Ling also caught another key detail in the Heavenly Emperor’s words—

Taking the blame for a chaotic age?

She had studied mortal history. The last era of chaos was the fall of the Shen Dynasty, when the traitor Ye Qingshen seized power.
Ye Qingshen.
Luan Qingchen.

Her heart skipped.

Had Qingchen also undergone a tribulation in the mortal realm? What was the Trial of Kings? Were there other trials she had never even heard of?

Luan Qingchen lifted his teacup, expressionless.
“I have no such concerns.”

In a strange way, the Heavenly Emperor was impressive—few could provoke even a single human-sounding response from Luan Qingchen.

“That’s good,” the Heavenly Emperor said with relief. “I was worried, since the Empress said that while you were in the mortal realm—”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to taste the flavors of the mortal world?” the Empress interrupted suddenly. “The dishes are ready. You’ve been talking so much that one would hardly think you invited us here to eat.”

Luan Ling’s curiosity had already been piqued, but this interruption pushed it to its peak.

What was it that couldn’t be said in front of her?

Or rather… not in front of him?

She stole another glance at Luan Qingchen. Could there be something even he didn’t know?

The Heavenly Emperor chuckled awkwardly.
“I’ve been holding it in for too long. My fault. Come now, children—eat. Don’t let me talking distract you from the meal.”

Luan Ling said nothing. She had already been “eating” for a long time—chewing air, that was.

Before today, she never would have imagined the Heavenly Emperor to be such a cheerful old god. Sometimes, his words were genuinely frightening.

“You’re secretly badmouthing me, aren’t you?” the Heavenly Emperor said suddenly to Luan Ling. “I can tell.”

Used to facing the Empress’s sharp tongue, Luan Ling didn’t panic.
“Your Majesty jokes. I wouldn’t dare.”

“Why so formal after all this time?” he said with a grin. “Come on—call me Father Emperor.”

Her scalp tingled.

There was no excuse to refuse, and they were all sitting at the table. She could only grit her teeth.

“Father… Emperor.”

“Mmm.”

The Heavenly Emperor smiled in satisfaction, then dropped a verbal cosmic bomb:

“And what about your elder brother? And your mother?”

Luan Ling opened her mouth.

In that moment, she finally understood why some immortals chose to jump off the heavens. When you can’t destroy the world, sometimes the only option left is to destroy yourself.

She rarely received Luan Qingchen’s attention—but now, even he was looking at her.

The Empress calmly raised her teacup, not looking at her, not stopping her either, as though waiting to see how she would respond.

Her mind spun.

Under Luan Qingchen’s gaze, she finally forced out:

“B-Big brother.”

Luan Qingchen actually answered softly.

Now there was only one problem left.

How was she supposed to get past this?

She didn’t even dare glance at the Empress. She wanted to close her eyes, meditate, and wake up in the next scene—but escape was impossible.

After struggling internally for a long time, she finally looked up—

And met the Empress’s frost-cold expression.

It was the most terrifying she had ever seen.

She tried to speak, but no sound came out. The word caught in her throat, turning into an unspoken burden.

“Go on,” the Heavenly Emperor urged cheerfully. “She raised you for so many years—far longer than I did. You could call me Father Emperor, but not her? Are you two fighting?”

Please stop adding fuel to the fire.

Luan Ling didn’t even have the energy to complain anymore.

Before she could say anything, the Empress slammed her teacup down.

“Enough.”

Oddly, that familiar word made Luan Ling relax slightly—until the Heavenly Emperor, utterly oblivious, asked:

“Why enough? She’s your daughter. Calling you Mother Empress is only proper. Did you two quarrel?”

The Empress’s expression darkened completely.

“Whether she is my daughter,” she said coldly, “shouldn’t you be the one who knows best?”

The Heavenly Emperor froze—then nodded in agreement.

“True. I would know best.”

What are you even talking about—
Luan Ling wanted to beg him to stop. One more word and she was ready to vanish via spell.

Then the Heavenly Emperor said:

“She was born from the purest essence of you and me. Qingchen and Luan Yu were carried by you, but Luan Ling was, technically, born by me. So it’s normal that I know more. But she is still your child. You can’t deny her existence just because she wasn’t carried in your womb.”

The moment his words fell, the entire scene plunged into deathly silence.

“What did you say?”

The first to speak was the Heavenly Empress.

“I said—she is our biological daughter. So calling you Mother Empress, or even Mother, is only right.”

The Heavenly Emperor spoke lightly.

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