All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

Faced with his father's weighing of pros and cons and his inability to control his own destiny, his expectations, his grievances, and his obsessions were never worth mentioning.

Looking into his son's cold and unfamiliar eyes, Jiang Chen felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe. He opened his mouth to explain, but found that all his words were pale and powerless.

He cannot tell the truth, cannot reveal the secrets, cannot speak of all the forbearance and sacrifice.

All the hardships must be borne by oneself, and all the infamy must be endured by oneself.

It was precisely this unspeakable forbearance that completely shattered the son's last expectations.

Xu Qiu'an took a deep breath, all traces of warmth fading away, replaced by the chilling majesty of a holy son. His tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation:

"it is good."

"Since Father has made up his mind, I have nothing more to say."

"From now on, my son and I will never see each other again."

"You will be married in three days, taking Princess Taotie as your husband. You will be a distinguished son-in-law of the Taotie clan."

"And I am the holy son of the Taotie clan, in charge of the future of the ferocious beast lineage."

"From this day forward, you and I, father and son, will have no further connection!"

The last four words, like shattered ice and broken jade, crashed heavily into the deathly silent hall!

Cut in two! Sever completely!

Years of father-son affection, a century of nurturing grace, fifty years of longing and anticipation—all of it is wiped clean at this moment!

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Qiu'an showed no lingering attachment or hesitation.

He turned around, his dark robe billowing in the wind, a purple-gold aura sweeping through him. His tall, straight back was cold and resolute, so aloof that it was heartbreaking.

Despite Jiang Chen standing behind him and the surging pain in his heart, he did not stop for a moment and walked straight out of the main hall.

From beginning to end, he never looked back at Jiang Chen again.

That small figure that once only followed and depended on him is now tall and proud, having completely severed all ties.

The main hall was utterly silent.

Jiang Chen was left alone, standing there all by himself.

He watched Xu Qiu'an's resolute departure, looking at that figure that was completely severed from him, his lips trembled slightly, and he opened his mouth.

He wanted to persuade his son to stay, to explain, and to tell him about his utter helplessness.

But in the end, all the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.

A thousand words are left unsaid, only silence remains.

Endless sorrow and loneliness overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

After a long while, watching the figure disappear completely outside the palace gate, Jiang Chen slowly lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with weariness and vicissitude. He parted his thin lips slightly and murmured to himself, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible:

"Father……"

"You left without saying goodbye back then..."

"So, did my mother back then... feel the same way I do now?"

"So, back then... I was also like this, completely abandoned by the people I loved most, filled with despair and utterly powerless?"

One sentence sums up half a lifetime of bitterness.

This is a secret pain that Jiang Chen keeps hidden deep in his heart and has never told anyone.

Spanning countless years and two worlds, the cycle repeats itself, and destiny is reenacted.

As a child, he was silently abandoned by his closest relatives, enduring disappointment and loneliness that no one understood.

Now, as time goes by and identities are reversed, he has become the very thing he once despised.

She personally made her most beloved son replicate the despair and estrangement she had felt years ago.

How ironic, how tragic.

The name that had been buried deep in his heart and sealed away for a lifetime quietly surfaced at this moment, piercing his soul with a sharp pain.

That was his lifelong regret, his lifelong weakness, and an irreparable pain.

No one knows what kind of obsessions and debts this man, who carried countless secrets and endured half his life, harbored in his heart.

No one knew that behind his seemingly indifferent compromise lay endless sorrow of being unable to control his own destiny and the cycle of fate.

……

Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the endless void.

This place is far removed from all the heavens and races, far from the conflicts between planes; it is an eternally silent, untouched void.

The void was dark and the starry river was silent. Only two figures stood quietly, as if they had been there since time immemorial, overlooking all the joys and sorrows of the world.

One of them was dressed in white, his clothes fluttering gracefully. At his waist hung an ancient longsword, its blade clear and spotless, untouched by any trace of killing intent.

He was slender and upright, with a detached and otherworldly temperament. He did not exude any overwhelming pressure, but he possessed an unparalleled swordsmanship that could suppress all heavens and break all laws with a single sword.

For thousands of years, he has sat quietly in the void, watching the stars revolve and the world rise and fall. His mind is as calm as a still well, untouched by anything, and undisturbed by joy or sorrow.

All for the sake of returning home.

But just now, that tragic moment of father and son being separated and fate being intertwined in a distant plane inexplicably stirred his Dao heart, which had been dormant for countless ages.

His calm and composed mind was suddenly and gently stirred.

A barely perceptible ripple quietly spread through the depths of one's soul, shattering the ultimate tranquility that had prevailed for thousands of years.

Beside him, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon, clad in a long robe of purple-gold dragon scales and exuding boundless aura, keenly sensed Wuchen's subtle changes.

This purple-gold divine dragon possesses unfathomable cultivation, has lingered in the void for countless ages, and has long understood all aspects of the world, with a calm and indifferent temperament.

It tilted its head slightly, its golden dragon eyes falling on the white-robed swordsman, and spoke softly with a hint of doubt:

"Dust-free?"

Two simple words, a soft inquiry, yet they conveyed a hidden concern.

Slowly raising his eyes, his clear gaze looked towards the distant heavens and planes. The slight ripple in his eyes quickly subsided, and in an instant, he returned to an eternal calm, without sorrow or joy, without waves or ripples.

He shook his head slightly, his voice as clear and gentle as the wind, untouched by worldly dust:

"It's nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes again to look at the silent starry river in front of him, and his swordsmanship and mental state returned to a calm and undisturbed state.

But the inexplicable ripple in his mind did not completely dissipate. Like a pebble thrown into a cold pool, it left a faint trace in the depths of his soul, unseen by anyone.

In the darkness, it seems that a destiny-bound bond spanning the ages is quietly working together, involving the causes and effects of all things and entangled in the joys and sorrows of all beings.

In the Beast Palace of the Taotie Secret Realm, only desolation and endless loneliness remain.

Jiang Chen was left alone, standing in the empty hall, his heart filled with bitterness. There was no one to confide in, no one to sympathize with him, only the mockery of fate's cycle, which enveloped his already exhausted body and mind.

The night wind swept through the palace, carrying a surge of malevolent energy; the empty Beast Palace echoed with desolation.

Jiang Chen remained standing, his posture upright, yet he exuded a profound sense of age and weariness.

He slowly raised his hand, looking at his slightly trembling palm, his eyes surging with endless bitterness and helplessness.

The world believed that he was scheming and manipulative, clinging to the power of the ferocious beast, willing to marry another woman, heartless and ungrateful, and betraying his family.

But no one knew that every choice he made was a desperate decision he had no choice in.

To protect Xu Qiu'an's life and ensure his son's future is bright, he sacrificed the fortune of his hometown, bore countless curses, endured the misunderstanding of his closest relatives, and shouldered all the darkness and sins.

He thought he was patient and strong enough to withstand all the storms and snows of the heavens, but in the end he could not withstand the severance and separation from his own son.

The most painful thing is never the enemy's swords and shadows, but the moment when your loved ones are completely disappointed and turn away resolutely.

Jiang Chen closed his eyes slightly, a sharp, aching pain spreading throughout his body. The century-long bond between father and son, and the fifty years of longing across the distance, were ultimately shattered beyond repair by the cruel twist of fate, with no possibility of being pieced back together.