The Lost Bloodline

Ji Ning understood that the green-robed woman before him was likely the Xiyue Commandery Princess. The very first time he laid eyes on her… he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

“I greet the Princess,” Ji Ning said.

“Sit,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said.

Only then did Ji Ning sit down.

The Xiyue Commandery Princess rose to her feet, waving her hand. Nine formation flags flew out, emanating gray ripples as they stabbed into the wooden floor. Waves of energy began to spread along the flags, surging throughout the entire pavilion. Countless talismanic runes began to flow across its surface, instantly sealing it off from the outside world.

“Now, no one outside can hear what we say,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said. “This is a treasure bestowed upon me by my grandfather. Once we hide within, our auras are concealed, and even a Celestial Immortal would find it difficult to detect us.”

“Princess, what is the meaning of this?” Ji Ning was puzzled. Heavenly Treasures Mountain had publicly declared that they would absolutely never spy on their guests’ conversations. Their reputation was built on trust, and without sufficient incentive, they would never dare to eavesdrop.

The eons of accumulated trust were not something Heavenly Treasures Mountain would casually gamble away.

“I must be careful,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said, looking at Ji Ning. Ji Ning’s heart tightened. It seemed that whatever the Xiyue Commandery Princess wanted to discuss with him was no simple matter.

“Ji Ning, let me ask you something,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said, staring at him. “Is your mother Yuchi Snow? Are you a descendant of the Yuchi clan?”

Ji Ning frowned. He did not like others speaking of his mother.

“Princess, the Shaoyin clan is hunting me down because they believe I am a remnant of the Yuchi bloodline. Although this information is relatively secret, for a princess like you, obtaining such intelligence shouldn’t be difficult,” Ji Ning said, somewhat displeased.

The Xiyue Commandery Princess revealed a look of delight instead. She had already made a judgment based on Ji Ning’s reaction. “Actually, I’ve already investigated. I even sent people to your Western Prefecture in the Yan Mountains to look into things. I just wanted to be absolutely certain, so I asked you again.”

“Oh?” Ji Ning was startled and puzzled. “You sent people to the Yan Mountains to investigate? Dare I ask, Princess, what exactly do you want from me?”

Such caution. Such cryptic words.

What was this Commandery Princess really up to?

“Ji Ning,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said, sounding nervous as she looked at him. “Actually, I… I…”

Ji Ning looked at her.

“Actually, you are my younger brother,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess finally said.

“Younger brother? My mother only had one child… me,” Ji Ning quickly shook his head in denial, but a different thought rose in his heart. Younger brother? Could it be… that the Xiyue Commandery Princess was the one true Yuchi bloodline that his parents had always been worried about? His cousin?

“You are my younger cousin. I am your older cousin,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said. “My father’s name is Yuchi Shan!”

Ji Ning was stunned.

Although the thought had crossed his mind, hearing the words spoken aloud still left him dazed.

“But you’re a Commandery Princess. You’re a princess of the Grand Xia royal clan,” Ji Ning said.

“King Yan is merely my maternal grandfather. My mother can be considered a member of the Xiamang clan, but I am a true member of the Yuchi clan. My real name is ‘Yuchi Xiyue’,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said, looking at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning’s heart was in turmoil.

Back then, his uncle, Yuchi Shan, had desperately fought to protect his pregnant younger sister. He had held off the strongest forces of Snowdragon Mountain and had been killed. His father, Ji Yichuan, and his mother, Yuchi Snow, had managed to escape, but the lingering injuries from that time had ultimately prevented his parents from living much longer. However, his parents had always felt deeply indebted to his uncle, and even more so to his uncle’s daughter, whom they had never met.

Strictly speaking, although he carried the bloodline of the Yuchi clan, he was considered a member of the Ji clan.

Only his older cousin was a true member of the Yuchi clan.

“Your name is Yuchi Xiyue? Your father was Yuchi Shan?” Ji Ning couldn’t believe it.

“Yes,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said, nodding heavily.

“Princess, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but this matter is of grave importance. We should verify it through blood,” Ji Ning said, his heart also filled with excitement. In truth, from the moment the Xiyue Commandery Princess claimed to be his uncle’s daughter, Ji Ning was already half-convinced. Because… very few people knew he even had an uncle.

His uncle had a daughter. Within the Ji clan, only his parents and himself knew this. His parents had already passed away. No one else knew.

He had never revealed this secret. The Xiyue Commandery Princess before him was very likely truly his long-lost older cousin!

“Alright. Let us verify our blood,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said. Her finger was as sharp as a blade as she drew it across her wrist.

Whoosh.

Bright red blood sprayed out.

Ji Ning also extended his wrist, slicing it open with a finger. Blood flew out before the surface of his wound quickly sealed itself shut.

In mid-air, the two streams of blood coalesced into ‘blood spheres’. The two blood spheres revolved around each other as Ji Ning cast a spell to extract the resonant bloodline. Immediately, golden talismanic runes began to appear on both blood spheres. Ripple after ripple… gradually, strands of golden blood began to appear within each sphere.

The two strands of golden blood quickly intertwined, merging into one, becoming indistinguishable.

“It’s true!” Ji Ning was stunned.

“It’s true! It’s really true!” The Xiyue Commandery Princess also revealed a look of ecstatic excitement. Although she had conducted many investigations beforehand, nothing compared to the verification of their bloodlines.

“Older cousin…” Ji Ning looked at the Xiyue Commandery Princess, still feeling shaken. The news was too sudden. He was caught off guard.

“Little brother! Little brother!” The Xiyue Commandery Princess was so excited she grabbed Ji Ning’s hands. She had been mentally preparing for this for over a year. She had long yearned to meet Ji Ning, but had never been able to find him.

“My older cousin is the Xiyue Commandery Princess? A princess of the Grand Xia royal clan?” Ji Ning still found it hard to believe.

The Xiyue Commandery Princess let out a long sigh. “What use is being a Commandery Princess? It was all too late. Grandfather came too late. If he had come a little earlier, none of this would have happened to my father, my mother, or even my aunt.”

“What happened? Was King Yan willing to simply let his own son-in-law be killed without any reaction?” Ji Ning couldn’t help but ask.

“You don’t understand the situation back then,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said slowly. “Grandfather was a member of a very distant, collateral branch of the Grand Xia royal clan. Even after working hard to reach the Earth Immortal stage, he only received some standard treasures bestowed by the Grand Xia royal clan. Every Earth Immortal receives those same gifts. But that was all. After the gifts, my grandfather was left to fend for himself. He still didn’t hold a high position within the Grand Xia royal clan.”

Ji Ning nodded. He understood.

Just look at the Ji clan. They had only been rooted in the Yan Mountains for how long? And their population was already astounding.

The Grand Xia royal clan had existed since the very birth of this Major World. They had been passed down for countless eons of time. The eons of history had given the royal clan an astonishingly large population. Even just those bearing the surname ‘Xiamang’ numbered beyond all calculation.

As for Earth Immortals or Loose Immortals? Within the Black-White College, they were considered major figures.

Within the Shaoyin clan, they could be considered somewhat formidable.

But when placed within the Grand Xia royal clan? They would only be given a few basic treasures and left to struggle for survival on their own. If they failed the tribulation, the royal clan wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge them. Only if they succeeded in the tribulation… would they immediately rise in status. The royal clan would immediately bestow various treasures, mansions, guards, and treat them with great importance.

“My grandfather’s talent was mediocre. His cultivation was very slow,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said slowly. “The Grand Xia royal clan itself had several members they valued highly. Grandfather was not among them, so he chose to wander outside, tempering himself through life-and-death trials, seeking great opportunities amidst mortal danger. He even went so far as to cultivate some heretical secret arts.”

“Heretical secret arts?” Ji Ning was astonished.

“Right. When my grandfather endured the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, he even used the heretical techniques to actively lure the Heartfiend, making it even more powerful,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said. “The greater the Heartfiend, the more it could temper his Dao-heart.”

“He’s a madman,” Ji Ning said, utterly dumbfounded.

The Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations. Every cultivator feared them and did everything they could to weaken them. But this King Yan had actually tried to make his ‘Heartfiend Tribulation’ stronger in order to temper himself? Yes, it did have a remarkable tempering effect on the Dao-heart, but if he failed, he would die.

“Once, my grandfather was seduced by the Heartfiend and fell into extreme danger,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said. “He had already completely succumbed to demonic possession. After he fell, he began to abduct and rape countless women.”

Ji Ning secretly clicked his tongue.

Falling to a Heartfiend during the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations? That was practically a death sentence. Many great demons were born from such possessions, rampaging until they died in their madness. Only a miracle could wake someone from that state.

“Afterward, my grandfather had a strange encounter and managed to awaken. The experience of falling into demonic possession and then breaking free was incredibly beneficial for him. He then endured multiple other tribulations and successfully transcended them, becoming a Celestial Immortal,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said with emotion. “When he became a Celestial Immortal, he could sense his own bloodline. He felt that he still had living relatives, so he searched for them. And so, he found me.”

“My grandmother was one of the many women he had raped back then. After she was violated, she gave birth to my mother. Because she was an unwed mother, on our island, she was looked down upon and ostracized by the other tribesmen. She eventually died of depression.”

“My father came to our island. He was tired of running, and he wanted to settle down there, to marry and have children, to propagate the Yuchi clan. My father and mother met, and so… I was born.”

“Those were the happiest years of my life.”

“Father was a cultivator. He would often fly away from the island to other places, but he would always return quickly. One day, he said that his younger sister and her husband wanted to leave the North Sea and return to the mainland. He said his sister was pregnant, and he was worried, so he insisted on escorting them personally.”

“But my father never returned. The soul tablet he kept at home shattered. My mother couldn’t bear the blow and, consumed by grief, also died of depression.”

“I lived on the island alone. Then, my grandfather came.”

“Grandfather had already become a Celestial Immortal, but he had no family left. Everyone closest to him was dead. I was his only living relative; his only granddaughter,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said slowly.

Ji Ning remained silent.

Cultivators were lonely. Although King Yan was a member of the Grand Xia royal clan, after five or six generations, one could hardly be considered a close relative. King Yan’s parents and siblings had long since died. The only family he had left… was his sole granddaughter.

“When I came to the Grand Xia imperial capital with my grandfather, I finally discovered that my Yuchi clan had been wiped out by the Shaoyin clan,” the Xiyue Commandery Princess said, hatred burning in her eyes. “From that day on, I swore an oath. I, Yuchi Xiyue, will have my revenge. I will wipe out the Shaoyin clan! I will also rebuild the Yuchi clan, fulfilling my father’s wish! It was his lifelong desire, and I will achieve it!”