Twisted fate

"Just as they were wondering who he was, that figure announced himself—revealing his identity as the son of the rogue cultivator from whom our clan had snatched the celestial light hawthorn. Along with that revelation, he spoke of the loss he suffered because of our clan's actions," Xia Fang said before taking a brief pause.

"It turns out his father did manage to drag his heavily injured body out of the mysterious realm and return to his wife and child—but he was never the same," she continued slowly.

"The loss of that hawthorn damaged him, and his wife's deteriorating state only made things worse. For three years, he was stuck in a delirium—constantly cursing his weakness, his inability to protect what mattered, and the frustration of how close he had come only to fail in the end. All the while, his son silently committed everything to heart—especially the part about the celestial light hawthorn and how much it meant."