Chapter 1596: Heaven and Earth (Tiandi)

"How is that possible?"

"You vile mother lay with another man, and you were born," Patriarch Dugu sneered. "I couldn’t divorce her since that would have brought shame to our clan, but do you expect me to care about you?"

Dugu Bai stood in a daze. Did his mother really do such an immoral act? He could not believe it. The patriarch noticed his situation and lunged at the boy, heading directly for the knife. Unfortunately for him, he understated the extent of the injury to his leg. As soon as he moved, the pain hit him harder than being kicked by a horse.

"Liar!" A second dagger plunged into the patriarch’s leg, and coincidentally, it hit the same spot as the previous wound. "My mother would never do such a thing. Now, tell me the truth, or the next one will be your throat."

"I’m telling the –" Those scary red eyes made him stop. "Really, she —" Dugu Bai placed the knife on his neck, and his hand did not tremble the slightest. His calmness sent a chill down the patriarch’s spine, especially since it was from a ten-year-old child.

"I had no choice," he hurriedly said.

"What do you mean?" The young boy’s voice was cold and determined, almost as if he wanted an excuse to apply the slightest pressure and send this man to reincarnation.

"Someone from the main branch passed by," Patriarch Dugu explained. "He was a cultivator and fancied your mother, so I..."

"So, you served her like a warm dish on a plate?" Dugu Bai asked with gritted teeth. His hand applied a little bit too much pressure, leaving a shallow cut and a single blood trail.

"C-C-Calm down."

"Don’t tell me what to do. You decided to treat her like an object, but why did you discard us afterward? Didn’t you think of the consequences of your actions?"

"You don’t understand."

"Then, explained."

The patriarch sighed. "Our clan was created by a low-talent member from the branch. However, after a couple of thousand years, we not only lost our cultivation inheritance, but we also lost our talent. The greatest wish of all patriarchs is to one day return to the main branch. I thought this was my opportunity."

"What exactly went wrong?"

"The bastard did not care," Dugu Patriarch replied with gritted teeth and hands. For a moment, he even forgot his pain when thinking about that bastard who ruined his life.

"I was excited about your birth and was prepared to give you everything. I even spent half of the clan’s fortune to send a messenger to contact the main branch. However, one day, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared in my room.

"I still remember that day. My legs trembled after the man glanced at me, and I instinctively knelt. He then warned me not to contact the young master ever again before disappearing. That’s when I understood — the bastard did not care about siring any children. He has probably done this everywhere."

Red veins manifested in the patriarch’s neck due to how intensely he clenched his teeth; his nail even dug into his palm, but with all the blood present, this was the least of his concerns. He looked directly into Dugu Bai’s eyes with his hatred almost tangible.

"I wasted so much money and threw away my dignity, but it was all for nothing. That’s why I despise you — the bastard — and that loose woman. I wish every day I could kill you with my own hands." There was no hesitation in his words despite the blade on his neck.

"You’re not afraid of death, are you?"

"Why should I? I know you won’t let me live. However, before I die, I want you to know that no one has ever wanted you in your life. Even your mother tried to kill herself to eliminate your vile existence."

Swish!

Dugu Bai stood quietly in this barely lit room, with the sound of slow dripping overshadowing everything, including the chaos in the distance. He glanced at his knife hand; he had always hated blood because the smell and stickiness felt unpleasant, but today, he felt nothing.

The chaos outside woke him from his daze, and Dugu Bai threw the dagger on the ground. He looked around and noticed a few gourds. A quick smell determined they contained alcohol, so he poured it into the two bodies before lighting it up with a matchstick.

Everything was now meaningless. Without his mother, Dugu Bai had no purpose, so the only thing he wanted to do right now was return to her side for the final moment of his life. Dying by flame was not such a terrible way; in fact, it was fitting since it would cleanse a sinful existence such as his.

As he headed to his small courtyard, the boy tried desperately to avoid the chaos, but there were too many people trying to deal with the flame or running away. Unfortunately, a sturdy guard accidentally ran into Dugu Bai, and his head struck a rock as he landed on the ground. The darkness swiftly consumed him despite his best efforts to remain conscious. Sadly, the world even denied him the right to choose how he died.

...

’Where...Where am I?" Dugu Bai muttered as he observed his surroundings. The room seemed a little luxurious. "Am I not dead?" His body was bandaged from head to toe, but Dugu Bai could feel he was alive by the subtle pain.

"You’re lucky, boy," a muscular elderly man with tight martial clothes said as he slowly entered the room. "You awakened our clan’s Golden Blood Qi Divine Repository at the last minute, allowing you to survive the flame. By the time I arrived, you were nothing but a charred corpse, but your vitality was unparalleled, keeping you alive despite your dire situation."

"Clan? You’re from the Dugu Main Branch?"

"That’s right."

"Do you know my father?"

The elder squinted briefly before smirking. "I sense hatred in your eyes. Do you want to kill your father?" Dugu Bai looked at him, his eyes behind the bandage cold and indifferent.

"Do you know who he is?" the elder smiled. "His name is Dugu Dilun, and he’s the most talented individual in our clan’s history. He broke all the cultivation records of the clan, and just after entering the Blood World Realm (Tier 9), he broke the limit of Mortal and Immortal by fighting to a standstill with a 1-leaf Immortal Venerable.

"The two Paragons in the clan have already stated that he not only has a high chance of reaching their realm, but he might be the first in our lineage to become a Peak Paragon."

"So?" Dugu Bai asked calmly.

"Do you even understand what I just said?"

"I don’t, but it doesn’t matter, does it? What matters is I know he’s alive, and I intend to change that fact."

An unknown flash in the elder’s eyes. He suddenly released a terrifying aura. "You dare say such a blasphemous thing. Don’t you understand that you’re an ant that can be crushed with a thought?’ Cracking sounds emanate from Dugu Bai’s body as if his bones were rearranging themselves.

However, the young boy did not waver; he calmly and indifferently glanced at the elder. Then, the aura suddenly evaporated, followed by a rambunctious laughter. "With such willpower, hatred as motivation, and the Golden Blood Qi Divine Repository, you may have a chance. Alright, let’s start."

He placed his hand behind Dugu Bai’s back and guided his golden blood qi to mend his broken bones.

"What do I call you?"

"Just call me Elder Strong Arm."

"That’s a strange name."

"Not really. You’re all set. Now, for your training. I will teach you a method to control your blood qi. Once you’re successful, you must use it to regenerate and temper your burned skin." Elder Strong Arm touched his forehead to transfer the information about this technique.

"We can’t stay here for long, so prepare to leave in two days."

"Where are we going? Back to the main branch?"𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"You would die instantly if we did that," Elder Strong Arm said. He was only a First Class Emperor, so while he had some power, he could not protect someone with such hatred for the clan’s future. "I will take you around the world while training you. We can only return to the clan once you have enough achievements worth protecting."

"Can we fetch my mother’s body? I want to bury her properly."

"No problem."

...

Dugu Baitian woke up from his memory. That night was the start of his cultivation path. After a few thousand years of wandering, he eventually returned to the main branch to conquer the man who had wronged him and his mother.

As fate would have it, his father — while extremely talented — was a vile man who had wronged numerous people. Dugu Baitian rallied them under his banner and even convinced the Ancestors that his father was too arrogant and needed a real competitor. Eventually, they clashed during a Heaven Will Battle. The battle was challenging. If he had only to consider the emotional aspect, this was the hardest fight he had ever fought.

Then, Dugu Baitian claimed his prize as the winner. He summoned his mother’s grave that he carried with him inside his personal dimension and forced the bastard to kowtow 33 times, drawing blood with each bow. Finally, he siphoned his father’s blood energy and soul to perfect his foundation before proving the Dao.

And upon sitting on that throne, he officially changed his name. Since his father had the character for Earth (Di) in his first name, he added Heaven (Tian) to his.

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