The silence in Xueya's room was suffocating. The shadow had vanished, but its words still echoed in her mind.
"You are not what they told you. You never were."
Her heart pounded against her ribs. She had always known something was wrong—her so-called parents treated her differently, and the elders looked at her with either disdain or fear. But she had never questioned her origins.
Until now.
Xueya exhaled shakily and clenched her fists. No. She needed answers.
The Ling Clan archives held ancient records, including clan lineages and forbidden histories. If there was any clue about her past, it would be there.
But the archives were forbidden to disciples.
"Then I'll just have to break in."
The Ling Clan Archives – Midnight
The grand pavilion loomed in the moonlight, surrounded by spirit formation barriers. No ordinary disciple could breach these defenses.
But Xueya was not ordinary.
Cloaked in darkness, she merged with the shadows, her presence nearly invisible. She had no formal stealth training, but somehow, her body moved like it had done this before—as if her very being was meant to exist in the dark.
She reached the entrance and pressed her palm against the wooden doors. A thin layer of spiritual energy resisted her, but something inside her stirred.
A pulse of black energy spread from her fingertips.
The barrier shattered silently.
Xueya's breath hitched. What was that?
This wasn't a technique she had ever learned. But there was no time to hesitate.
Slipping inside, she moved between the towering shelves of scrolls and jade slips. Dust hung heavy in the air, undisturbed for years.
She scanned the records.
"Ling Clan Bloodlines… No. Ancient Techniques… No."
Then—
Her gaze locked onto a small, dust-covered chest tucked away in the farthest corner. Unlike the other records, this one was sealed with an ancient sigil.
Xueya reached out. The moment her fingers touched the box, pain shot through her skull.
A rush of memories that were not hers.
—A golden palace high above the heavens—
—A man with ethereal white hair, eyes filled with infinite power—
—A battle, flames and shadows clashing—
—A woman's sorrowful voice—"Forgive me, my child..."
Xueya staggered back, gasping.
Her fingers trembled as she lifted the lid.
Inside, there was only one thing.
A single jade pendant.
Cold to the touch. Marked with a symbol she had never seen before—yet felt intimately familiar with.
Then—
A voice.
Soft, yet filled with unshakable authority.
"You have finally found it, my daughter."
Xueya froze.
Her blood turned to ice.
The voice was inside her mind.
And she knew, with bone-deep certainty, it belonged to the Supreme God.
Her real father.