Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

"Although the oppressive aura has dissipated considerably over the long years, its origin is still extremely high, enough to make most magical beasts instinctively feel fear and dare not approach the core area."

“Ziyan, that’s not a place where you were just abandoned. It’s more like a last refuge that was set up at the greatest cost.”

"The person who left behind this drop of essence blood has essentially left behind a portion of their own primordial power to protect you. Isn't that a profound expression of concern?"

He paused, took out the drop of essence blood, gave Zi Yan time to digest it, then turned his gaze to the anxiously waiting Zhu Kun and said, "I think the person who left this drop of essence blood back then must have encountered an urgent matter and had to leave temporarily."

"Placing you in that cave protected by his life essence was perhaps the safest option he could think of at the time. His original intention was definitely to resolve the trouble as soon as possible and then go back to get you, right, Uncle?"

At this moment, Zi Yan peeked out from behind Su Baichen and looked at the drop of blood essence on Su Baichen's hand.

Then, her large, swollen, purple eyes, still glistening with tears, lingering resentment, and a hint of cautious expectation that she herself was unaware of, looked at Zhu Kun.

Zhu Kun's heart clenched the moment his daughter's gaze fell upon him.

He nodded vigorously without hesitation, his voice trembling even more with excitement and guilt: "Child, he's right! Absolutely! It's all my fault for being useless and falling into that old bastard Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's trap! He set a trap, imprisoning me in this ancient emperor's cave, completely isolating me from the outside world!"

"For thousands of years, Father has been constantly battling this cage, constantly thinking of you! I wonder if my daughter is hungry, scared, or resentful of me... Father's heart feels like it's being fried in oil every day!"

His eyes were filled with tears, and it was not a pretense, but a complete outburst of longing and self-reproach that had been suppressed for thousands of years.

"It's all my fault for making you suffer so much... I wish I could turn back time and go back to watch you grow up..."

This tearful explanation, especially the deep pain and undisguised paternal love in Zhu Kun's eyes, finally broke down Zi Yan's last line of defense.

The drop of guardian blood mentioned overlaps with the fear of the monsters outside the cave in her distant memory; the "imprisonment" and "longing" mentioned by her father provide a reason for her century of loneliness that is not "abandonment".

The longing for a father's love, like a seed buried deep in the blood, sprouted at this moment, drowning out all grievances and resentment.

"father--!"

A choked but emotionally charged cry escaped her lips.

Zi Yan could no longer hold back. Like a purple streak of light, she suddenly rushed out from behind Su Baichen, her face covered in tears, and threw herself into Zhu Kun's already open and trembling arms.

"Hey! Father's here! Father's here!" Zhu Kunlong's eyes were filled with tears, and his arms suddenly tightened, holding his daughter, whom he had lost and found, with utmost care and unwavering devotion, as if embracing the weight of his entire world.

His daughter's warm tears soaked his clothes, and the real touch instantly filled his long-empty heart, a mixture of bitterness and ecstasy.

His rough, large hands carefully and gently stroked his daughter's hair and back again and again.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Daddy's here... No one can separate us anymore, Daddy will always be here, always protecting my daughter..."

Father and daughter embraced tightly, tears mingling, silently expressing their longing and sorrow that had spanned countless years. Su Baichen stood quietly to the side, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

Chapter 233 Zi Yan's Mother!

The tears of the father and daughter seemed to wash away the last ice wall that stood between their bloodlines.

Ziyan leaned against her father's broad and strong chest, the warmth that was both unfamiliar and incredibly familiar making her feel attached.

Zhu Kun was extremely careful, as if holding the most fragile treasure in the world, even breathing very softly, for fear of disturbing this hard-won moment of tenderness.

After a long while, Zi Yan's emotions gradually calmed down. She sniffed, stepped back slightly from her father's arms, and raised her tear-stained face. Her eyes, which inherited her father's purple-gold color, blinked and suddenly flashed with a curious light.

"Father, how strong are you now?" Her voice was still a little hoarse, but it had lost its previous sharpness and carried a childlike probing.

This question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up proud ripples in Zhu Kun's heart, the heart of the Dragon Emperor.

He straightened his back almost subconsciously, and the dignified demeanor of a peak expert, which he had long suppressed, naturally flowed out, his long purple-gold hair fluttering slightly without wind.

Being asked about one's abilities by one's daughter would likely be a subtle "moment of showing off" for any father, let alone Zhu Kun.

"Hahaha!" Zhu Kun let out a hearty laugh, his eyes gleaming, and even the sorrow he had just felt seemed to have lessened considerably.

“My dear daughter, that’s a good question! I’m not bragging, but when it comes to cultivation level, there might be someone on the Dou Qi Continent who can rival me.”

"But in terms of strength, I'm afraid there's no one else who can stand shoulder to shoulder with your father!"

He spoke with great confidence, not as a mere boast.

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen nodded slightly in agreement.

He knew Zhu Kun's background well. This Dragon Emperor followed the same path as him, which was the Great Dao of the Four Elements: Battle Qi, Physical Strength, Spiritual Power, and Understanding of Laws. His foundation was far stronger than that of other experts of the same level.

In terms of physical strength alone, Zhu Kun, who possesses the bloodline of the Ancient Dragon Emperor of the Void, was born at a peak that most living beings could not reach; his soul power was as vast as the sea, and after ten thousand years of lonely tempering, it was even more refined, reaching the soul level of the Emperor Realm.

As for mastering the laws of space, the Ancient Dragon of the Void was the king of this path.

It can be said that among those at the late stage of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng level, Zhu Kun's overall combat strength is virtually impeccable.

Soul Emperor may be no less skilled in the unpredictable and profound aspects of battle qi and soul power, and may also be quite good in terms of laws, but his physique is definitely not as strong as Zhu Kun's.

Gu Yuan may be as solid as a rock in terms of foundation, and his battle qi and soul power are equal to the two of them. His mastery of the laws may not be as good as that of the Soul Emperor, not to mention his physique.

Therefore, if we're talking about terror in every aspect without any weaknesses, Zhukun is undoubtedly number one.

Below the Dou Di level, he was indeed invincible; this was a confidence bestowed upon him by his strength, an undeniable source of power.

However, after hearing her father's boastful words, Zi Yan, whose tears of emotion hadn't even dried yet, pouted and her eyes darted around, and immediately poured a bucket of "cold water" on him.

"Hmph, you make it sound so impressive, so how come you've been trapped here for tens of thousands of years?"

"Are you really going to dutifully 'guard the gate' for them?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "watch the gate," her tone carrying an undisguised sarcasm and a hint of sabotage.

“Uh… this…” Zhu Kun’s bold smile froze instantly, revealing an obvious embarrassment. He scratched his head, and his majestic dragon emperor image instantly became a bit silly.

"Well... it's a long story. Back then, it was my moment of carelessness... um... that I fell into the trap of that Tuoshegu Emperor..."

Under his daughter's clear yet scrutinizing gaze, Zhu Kun had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin to recount how he discovered the clues to the ancient emperor's cave back then.

He was drawn to the legendary inheritance of the Dou Di, and he was confident in his spatial concealment talent, only to fall headlong into the trap left by the ancient emperor. He was firmly locked in by the cave's restrictions and became the de facto "gatekeeper".

After listening, Zi Yan couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully again, and concluded, "Oh—so, Dad, you were greedy for someone else's precious inheritance, but you weren't capable enough, you messed up, and you got caught by their backup plan and made into a laborer, right?"

She speaks bluntly and doesn't give her father any face at all.

Zhu Kun blushed at his daughter's words, but seeing how naturally she could banter and tease him, he felt no displeasure at all; instead, he felt a surge of warmth and joy.

This kind of ordinary father-daughter interaction is exactly what he has been longing for.

"Oh, you child..." Zhu Kun smiled helplessly and affectionately. Then, his expression became complicated, filled with deep reminiscence and tenderness.

"Actually... back then, the reason I was so persistent in finding a breakthrough opportunity, and even risked exploring the ancient emperor's cave, was largely because of your mother."

"Mother?!" These two words seemed to possess a magical power, causing Zi Yan's eyes to widen instantly. All her teasing expression vanished, replaced by an intense sense of anticipation and longing.

She clutched Zhukun's sleeve tightly. "Father, my mother... what is she like? Where is she?"

Even Su Baichen, who was standing to the side, turned his attention to it. In the original work, there was almost no information about Zi Yan's mother.

Zhu Kun's gaze became distant and gentle, as if piercing through ten thousand years of time to see the figure that he had loved for a lifetime.

“Yes, your mother.” He nodded slowly, his voice low and full of love.

"She...is a very, very special dragon."

As Zhu Kun recounts his story, a long-forgotten past slowly unfolds.

It turns out that Zi Yan's mother was not a pure dragon-type magical beast. Her existence was extremely special. She was a being born from a certain power of heaven and earth and the origin of the dragon race under a strange opportunity. She was favored by heaven and earth, and her cultivation speed was terrifying. At the peak of her strength, she could even suppress Zhu Kun, who was of the same generation.

She was a brilliant and talented jewel among the dragons, and also the only true love in Zhukun's life.

“Back then, when you were about to be born…” Zhu Kun’s voice became sorrowful.

“Some of my sworn enemies somehow got wind of this and joined forces to take advantage of the situation. At that time, your mother had just laid a dragon egg—that is, you—and was extremely weak, with less than a hundred of her former strength. I fought back desperately, but I was outnumbered and severely injured…”

His fist clenched slightly.

"Your mother... to save us, father and daughter, did not hesitate at all, using a forbidden secret technique originating from her own origin, sacrificing almost all of her life force and soul power as a price." Zhu Kun's eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears.

"That power not only instantly healed my severe injuries, but also caused my strength to surge, allowing me to break through to the late stage of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm... I killed all the enemies who came, but... I only had time to grab a wisp of her dissipating soul, and you, still inside the dragon egg..."

"I brought you back to our clan and tried every possible means to revive her."

"However, her existence is too special, existing between reality and illusion, so ordinary methods of resurrection are completely ineffective against her..."

"Later I learned that the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe was an Emperor formed from a different kind of fire, and was essentially a spiritual being of heaven and earth. Perhaps his inheritance contains the secrets of spiritual rebirth and the reversal of origin... That's why I spared no effort to obtain the Ancient Emperor's inheritance, hoping to find a way to save your mother."

Zhu Kun sighed deeply, filled with endless regret and self-blame: "The result... you know too."

"My spatial talent, which I was so proud of, is like child's play in front of a Dou Di. Not only did I fail to obtain the inheritance, but I was also imprisoned here."

He didn't say anything more, but his deep sorrow and guilt were clearly conveyed to Zi Yan and Su Baichen.

A brief silence fell over the cave. Zi Yan was already in tears. She finally understood the profound love and sacrifice hidden behind her father's "greed" and "trappedness" back then.

She no longer felt that her father's "inferiority" was something to joke about; all that remained in her heart was endless sorrow and a deep longing for her mother whom she had never met.

She reached out and gently grasped her father's slightly cold hand, silently conveying comfort. At that moment, the understanding between father and daughter deepened once more.

Chapter 234 Zi Yan's Mother's Identity

"Uncle, where is Aunt now?"

Looking at the father and daughter who had just reunited, Su Baichen asked softly, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern.

Zhu Kun suddenly slapped his forehead, a look of urgency flashing in his dragon eyes: "Oh, right! Do you... have any top-grade rare and precious herbs on you that can nourish your soul?"

During his thousands of years of imprisonment, the treasures he carried with him to nourish his soul had long been exhausted.

If it weren't for his peak Dou Sheng cultivation level forcibly maintaining it, his wife's remnant soul probably wouldn't have lasted even a hundred years.

Now, without new nourishment, Ziyan's mother can only endure for another two years at most before she completely disappears into the world.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan immediately turned to look at Su Baichen, her golden eyes, which inherited the bloodline of the Dragon Emperor, filled with silent supplication.

Su Baichen naturally understood, and without saying much, he simply moved his mind, and dozens of radiant and spiritually powerful natural treasures appeared out of thin air.

Some of them are shaped like warm, white jade, while others resemble leaping flames; all are rare and precious objects for nourishing the soul.

With a flick of his wrist, Su Baichen unleashed the Glazed Heaven-Burning Flame, which instantly enveloped and refined these treasures, extracting the purest life essence and condensing it into a few drops of crystal-clear, fragrant, emerald-green liquid.

Seeing this, Zhu Kun carefully took out a faint ball of light from his bosom.

Within the ball of light, the silhouette of a woman could be vaguely seen. Her features bore a six or seven-point resemblance to Zi Yan, but her aura was fleeting, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Zhu Kun slowly poured the medicinal liquid into the ball of light, and the light of the remnant soul immediately solidified a little, and its aura became noticeably stronger.

Zhu Kun and Zi Yan exchanged a glance, their faces showing a relieved joy.

However, none of them noticed that a barely perceptible strange look flashed across Su Baichen's brows.