"Let's find a quiet place. Miss Zi Qiong's origins are of great significance and cannot be known by outsiders," the old woman said.
"Alright."
Ye Yunfei waved his sleeve, bringing the old woman and Miao Ziqiong into the first level of the Heavenly Dao Tower.
Naturally, Ye Yunfei took a matter concerning his mother's origins very seriously.
"There are absolutely no outsiders here. You can speak now," Ye Yunfei said, looking at the old woman.
"Alright. Miss Zi Qiong, I know you've been blaming me all these years for neglecting you. Now, I will tell you your origins."
The old woman looked at Miao Ziqiong and began her story.
"Miss Zi Qiong, you come from the Miao Clan in the Vermilion Bird Realm. The Miao Clan are descendants of the divine beast Vermilion Bird. Their clan leader is known as the Vermilion Bird King. The Vermilion Bird King had three sons and ten grandchildren. Miss Zi Qiong, you are the daughter of his third son. The Vermilion Bird King decreed that the next clan leader would be chosen from among his sons and grandchildren—one who could awaken the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian and possessed the purest bloodline."
"Of the Vermilion Bird King's three sons, the eldest and second princes awakened the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian. The third prince did not. Because of this, the Vermilion Bird King doted on the eldest and second princes. The third prince was often looked down upon and held a low status. Later, the third prince married and had a son and a daughter. Miss Zi Qiong, you are that daughter. And I... I was merely a maid in the third prince's residence."
"Originally, even though the third prince hadn't awakened the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian, as the Vermilion Bird King's son, he lived a life of comfort and wealth without worry. However, when Miss Zi Qiong was two years old, it was discovered that she actually possessed the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian within her—with an extremely high bloodline purity—and that it was on the verge of awakening. One could say that with your aptitude, Miss Zi Qiong, once you awakened the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian, you would instantly become the most formidable contender for the position of the next Vermilion Bird King. When the eldest and second princes learned of this, they did everything they could to eliminate Miss Zi Qiong."
"To protect Miss Zi Qiong, the third prince used an ancient secret technique to firmly seal the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian within her body. Then, he ordered me to take you and flee to this remote, low-level world, where we went into seclusion. Who would have thought that later, the young mistress would privately venture to the Tianxuan Continent, marry, and have children. If the third prince ever pursues this matter in the future, I truly don't know how to answer him." After finishing her tale, the old woman sighed.
"I am the Vermilion Bird King's granddaughter?" Miao Ziqiong was stunned, unable to believe what she had just heard. From the moment she gained consciousness, she had lived within the Miao Clan of the Tianluo Star Sea. This was the first time she had ever heard names like Vermilion Bird Realm and Vermilion Bird King.
"So my mother comes from the Vermilion Bird Realm," Ye Yunfei was also deeply surprised. He naturally knew of the Vermilion Bird Realm—it was a world that was relatively powerful and very mysterious. The Miao Clan within it possessed the bloodline of the divine beast Vermilion Bird and claimed to be its descendants. The Vermilion Bird King was a top-tier expert renowned across the three thousand major and minor worlds. He never imagined that this very Vermilion Bird King was his mother's own grandfather.
Throughout the old woman's recounting, Ye Yunfei's Soul Power had been locked onto her soul fluctuations, and he knew she was not lying!
"Since the third prince ordered you to take care of my mother, why have you neglected her all these years?" Ye Yunfei asked.
"That was also by the third prince's command. Because I was a maid in his residence, both the eldest and second princes had seen me before. The third prince ordered me to protect Miss Zi Qiong from the shadows, not openly. Moreover, the third prince specifically instructed that, if possible, Miss Zi Qiong should not cultivate. Given her talent, if she began cultivating, she would inevitably progress at an astonishing speed. One day, she would inevitably break the seal within her body and activate the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian. At that time, the old shaman atop the Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain would immediately sense the young mistress's location and inform the eldest and second princes, who would come hunting her."
"Therefore, after bringing Miss Zi Qiong to the Miao Clan within the Tianluo Star Sea, I left her to be raised by the clan while I hid in the shadows. I also instructed the Miao Clan's leader to only teach the young mistress the most basic, lowest-level cultivation techniques—just enough to strengthen her body. However, I never expected that even while cultivating such low-level foundational techniques, Miss Zi Qiong still progressed with astonishing speed and quickly became the most outstanding princess of the Tianluo Star Sea's Miao Clan."
"I knew that if things continued like this, she would eventually activate the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian within her. At that time, I had intended to cripple her cultivation, quietly take her away, and find another place to hide. Who could have guessed that by a twist of fate, she would go to the Tianxuan Continent, marry, and have children? In the end, she was captured by the Miao Clan, had her cultivation sealed, and was thrown into prison. I saw that this was precisely the result I wanted, so I simply allowed her to remain in prison. I never imagined that she would give birth to Xiao Fei in that prison cell. Xiao Fei also possessed the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian within her body. The events that followed… you already know them."
"So that's what happened." Ye Yunfei finally understood his mother's origins.
"Miss Zi Qiong, I hope you don't blame me. I was merely acting on the third prince's wishes. And rest assured, young mistress. One day, the third prince will send someone to take us back to the Vermilion Bird Realm," the old woman said.
"I won't blame you. You were just following my father's orders," Miao Ziqiong sighed softly. After learning her origins, her emotions were complex. At the same time, she no longer held any trace of resentment towards this old woman before her.
"This isn't your true appearance," Ye Yunfei suddenly remarked, scrutinizing the old woman. Back when he first encountered her at Miao City, Ye Yunfei had sensed an aura of mystery about her.
"Correct, this is indeed not my true appearance," the old woman nodded.
"Miss Zi Qiong, you can call me A Feng. That's what the third prince and his wife usually call me." In the next moment, she reached up, wiped her face, and peeled off a human skin mask, transforming into a beautiful woman who looked about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Of course, her actual age was certainly much older, but this was her true appearance.
"You severed your own cultivation realm after entering the Canghuang Realm, so this isn't your true strength either," Ye Yunfei stated.
"That's right," A Feng replied.
"I have a question. Why did you choose to tell us my mother's origins now?" Ye Yunfei suddenly asked.
"It's primarily because of you. You are too monstrous, too mysterious. The various cultivation techniques and martial skills you practice—none of them originate from the Canghuang Realm. They must certainly come from a much higher-level world. I was worried that if things continued this way, you would sooner or later discover the seal within Miss Zi Qiong's body and help her break it. After all, you were the one who activated the Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian within Xiao Fei's body. The reason I've told you the young mistress's origins is that I hope you won't help her break the seal within her. Otherwise, it would immediately bring a death sentence upon her."
A Feng looked at Ye Yunfei and said, "Promise me, do not break the seal within Miss Zi Qiong's body."
Her tone was heavy.
"For the time being, I will not act to break the seal within my mother. But sooner or later, I will break it. Moreover, one day, I will personally go to the Vermilion Bird Realm to settle accounts with the eldest and second princes. Anyone who dares harbor murderous intent towards my mother—forget being mere eldest and second princes of the Vermilion Bird Realm—even if they were Heavenly Emperors, I would seek them out!" Ye Yunfei replied calmly, his words brimming with limitless dominance.
"Are you truly Miss Zi Qiong's son? I really can't see through you. You are far too mysterious," A Feng stared at Ye Yunfei for a long moment before sighing.
"In the days to come, stay obediently within the Canghuang Realm and protect my mother. And I warn you—do not take any action detrimental to my mother. Otherwise, I will absolutely not let you go," Ye Yunfei stared at A Feng, his voice stern.
"Rest assured, I will not harm the young mistress. I will only protect her," A Feng said.
"Good." Ye Yunfei nodded. Under his Soul Power perception, A Feng was not lying.
"Ah, right. Xiao Fei must certainly be in the Vermilion Bird Realm now. You activated her Vermilion Bird Divine Meridian, which was sensed by the old shaman on the Vermilion Bird Divine Mountain, so he sent people to capture her. My biggest worry now is that if the eldest and second princes were to discover that Xiao Fei is Miss Zi Qiong's child, they would certainly seek to harm her. They might even follow the clues and come to the Canghuang Realm to hunt down Miss Zi Qiong!" A Feng said with worry.
"Don't worry. I will personally go to the Vermilion Bird Realm to find Xiao Fei. Whoever dares to touch my mother or Xiao Fei—I will tear their souls to shreds!" Ye Yunfei's expression darkened, and a chilling, ice-cold killing intent radiated from him, instantly encompassing dozens of miles around!
"Regardless, I have a bad feeling about this," A Feng said anxiously.
Afterwards, Ye Yunfei gave a few more instructions to the others, then quietly left the Qingyun Palace headquarters and headed towards the Tianyou Tomb's main base. He intended to use that Teleportation Altar to travel to the Primordial Continent.