Xin Haotian's heart raced as he processed what had just happened with Aldrian.
"What happened? Why are you acting like that?" Aldrian asked.
"You don't realize what you did?" Xin Haotian replied, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"What?" Aldrian inquired, his brow furrowing.
"You suddenly closed your eyes, and your aura transformed into something entirely different. It was suffocating, unlike anything I've sensed before. Even the energy around us and in my dantian was affected. I can't describe it, but it felt like I was standing before a divine being." Xin Haotian explained.
Aldrian sensed the chaotic energy swirling around them and sighed.
"My name is Aldrian Aster. You can just call me Aldrian," he said.
"Yes, I know, but that's not the answer I'm looking for." Xin Haotian persisted.
"Who am I? Well, I'm just an ordinary human. Anyway, let's get back to your story. You can forget about what just happened." Aldrian said dismissively.
"I don't think what happened can be dismissed so casually." Xin Haotian thought, feeling there was more to this young man than met the eye. Despite his suspicion, he returned to his calm demeanor and continued the story.
"Where were we? Ah, yes, the dragon and the phoenix. They came to this continent, but we don't know what happened to them. They seemed to be injured."
"Injured?"
"Yes, they had wounds on their bodies. We thought they came to this continent to recuperate, but their injuries were so severe that they remained here, and their fate is unknown."
As Aldrian listened, the chaotic feeling inside him fluctuated once more. More than anything, he felt anger rising within him. He disliked how easily his emotions were swayed by these stories, but he sensed that this was a clue to the origin of his power. So, he continued to listen to Xin Haotian.
"During their stay, they did something, we don't know what exactly, but whatever it was, it caused the energy of the entire continent to be drawn into one specific territory. We couldn't approach them because of a barrier we couldn't break. Besides, we didn't want to offend them. And where do you think they did this mysterious thing?" Xin Haotian asked, his eyes intently locking onto Aldrian's blue eyes.
Aldrian pondered for a moment before his eyes widened in realization.
"The Everlasting Silent Forest!"
"That's right, the Everlasting Silent Forest that everyone fears and avoids! They did something, and it's somewhere in the central part of this continent! At that point, the Everlasting Silent Forest didn't even exist yet. A few months later, the dragon and the phoenix emerged from the barrier and made a trade with our ancestors before returning to the core area," Xin Haotian explained, taking a sip of his tea.
"The trade was for power, they offered us strength in exchange for our family's duty to guard the area surrounding the core region. The dragon and the phoenix provided us with cultivation techniques and artifacts. Additionally, the dragon, using its power, created many secret realms. We were tasked with guarding the western side of the Everlasting Silent Forest, so we relocated our entire family to one of these secret realms on the western side. This relocation was also to protect us from outside disturbances. Moreover, the Everlasting Forest and its secret realms are rich in the energy of heaven and earth," Xin Haotian continued.
Hearing this, Aldrian recalled something.
"Wait, are there any other families aside from yours?" Aldrian asked.
"Yes, there are others besides ours, and they also accepted the offer."
Aldrian suddenly thought about the indigenous people of the secret realm he came from.
"How many families accepted the offer?"
"Four. They guard the four directions surrounding the Everlasting Silent Forest, and each of them has its own power given by the dragon and the phoenix."
"So what happened to the other families? Why have we never heard of them?" Aldrian asked. Xin Haotian fell silent, but then he sighed.
"They... they're gone."
"What?"
"The Great War 3 million years ago, you've heard of it, right? The war that engulfed the entire continent, when the devils launched a surprise attack across the land. We still don't know why, but the devils suddenly became incredibly strong, strong enough to bypass the spatial traps the dragon created around the Everlasting Silent Forest. They tried to infiltrate the forest with all their powerhouses and higher-ups. I don't know what they were after, but they attempted to breach the barrier in the core region," Xin Haotian explained.
"The great battle erupted within the Everlasting Silent Forest. The four families defended the core region with everything we had, but the devils were overwhelmingly powerful, even against our strong cultivation and the artifacts granted by the dragon and the phoenix. At the most critical moment, a mighty power surged from the core region, a power belonging to the dragon and the phoenix. It wiped out nearly all the devils in the forest, forcing them to retreat," Xin Haotian continued, his gaze drifting to the street below.
Aldrian astonished at this revelation.
"Is this the real reason the devils retreated 3 million years ago?" Aldrian thought.
"Unfortunately, the Great War devastated us. Three of the four families fell, and my family, the Xin family, was on the brink of collapse. But, luckily, not all our high-level cultivators perished. Over time, our family regained some of its vitality. Though we're not as strong as we once were, we've managed to survive until today," Xin Haotian said.
"But the situation changed drastically after the Great War. As the sole surviving guardian family of the core region, we had to establish relationships with the outside world. I'm one of those who ventured out from the secret realm."
"So that's the story. You must hold a high position in your family to carry a middle divine-grade artifact like the Illumination Sword. And your cultivation technique must be divine-grade as well for you to be this 'young' and have reached the Low Emperor stage," Aldrian said, to which Xin Haotian nodded in response.
"You don't seem surprised," Xin Haotian observed.
"Well, there are too many strange things about me, and believe me, something like divine grade isn't enough to shock me. In fact, your story has cleared up a few mysteries from my past. To be honest, I'm from one of the secret realms in the north," Aldrian revealed, causing Xin Haotian's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Then, are you a survivor of—"
"No, I'm not a survivor of those families you mentioned. My parents came from outside and were trapped in the secret realm for a while, but there were indigenous people living there when they arrived," Aldrian explained.
"Oh, I thought you might be one of them. But yes, if you're from the north, then the Yan family survivors are likely in that secret realm. When the Great War happened, most of the survivors from their side were mortals without cultivation. They couldn't leave the secret realm because they never understood the mechanisms all this time," Xin Haotian said.
"Are there any survivors from those families in other realms?" Aldrian asked.
"Yes, but they are so few, and it's been so long since we had contact with them. They might already be dead, leaving only the memory of their families' past glory," Xin Haotian responded.
"If the four families were so strong, why are there no remnants of their past? I mean, all the time I spent in the secret realm, I didn't see any signs of the mighty Yan family or anything like that," Aldrian questioned.
"That's because we erased their remnants, all traces of their past glory. We didn't want the legacy that the dragon and the phoenix gave us to be discovered by the outside world or, worse, the devils. We actually wanted to bring those survivors into our family so they could live more comfortably, but they refused. They chose to remain in their secret realm, trapping themselves on what used to be their family's land for millions of years," Xin Haotian explained.
"And that's what the records in my family tell me," he added.
Aldrian finally had answers to some of the questions that had been plaguing his mind. Everything seemed connected, and there was something he had to investigate further.
"The thing in the central part of the Everlasting Silent Forest... Whatever the dragon or the phoenix did there, it must hold the key to the truth about myself." Aldrian thought.
Aldrian looked at Xin Haotian and asked,
"After all this interesting history, what do you need me for? Why me?"
"When I sensed your sword will during the battle with the Hydra, I was curious. I wanted to see the person who could create a phenomenon that spread across the entire continent. At first, I had no intention of asking for your help, but when I witnessed your sword will and sensed it with my own hand, I started to think 'This is the person who can help the Xin family' and let me explain why. My family's cultivation technique, given by the dragon, is The Illumination of The God of Light. It's a divine technique meant for those compatible with light energy. Fortunately, light energy is our family's forte." Xin Haotian began.
"But here's the thing, the Illumination of The God of Light can make our light energy and light laws the strongest force of destruction and fastest speed. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but behind the scene, none of those so called great swordmasters can defeat me because of this, they can't even catch or hurt me.
When I tried to touch your sword will, I covered my hand with light laws with the intent of destruction just to test the power of your unique sword will. And the result? My hand was hurt by it, hurt by only a remnant of your sword will, it's truly astonishing! Even more surprising, The Illumination of The God of Light reacted to the remnant energy in your sword will! For a divine cultivation technique to react like that is unheard of." Xin Haotian said, his gaze locking intensely with Aldrian's.
"Now, back to you. Until a few decades ago, we couldn't get close to the central region because of the barrier. Even the cultivators from my clan can't comprehend it, and it still covers a large part of the core region. But then, 13 years ago, after the phenomenon of the dragon and phoenix's appearance, the barrier began to weaken, and there are even some holes in it now.
No one knows this yet, but once the entire continent learns about it, even the devils, who I'm sure have been waiting for this, it will be chaos. I've also heard about the prophecy from the Heavenly Direction Church. I'm afraid this could escalate into another Great War." Xin Haotian continued.
He then stood up, walked closer to Aldrian, and extended his hand for a handshake.
"Aldrian Aster, as a representative of the Xin family, I invite you to our secret realm to uncover the true mystery of the Everlasting Silent Forest, something even our families have not been able to discover!"