Yun Lintian nodded, withdrawing his hand. The erald light faded from his fingertips. "You won't regain your full power, but you can cultivate anew."
"Good enough." Hei Xuan rolled his shoulders. "Though I suppose this ans I'll have to actually train my daughter properly now."
Hei Yue's tearful expression imdiately twisted into outrage. "Father!"
Mu Ren coughed into his fist, hiding a smile.
Hei Xuan looked at Yun Lintian and said, "I guess you need more information."
Yun Lintian nodded slightly. "Indeed. The information I have is too vague. I need to know more about the other Primordial Gods."
He paused for a mont and turned to look at Hei Yue. "But before that, I gather her mother isn't ordinary, right?"
Hei Yue's breath caught. Her blue eyes locked onto her father's face, searching for answers she'd waited a lifeti to hear.
The rejuvenated Hei Xuan sighed, running a hand through his now-black hair. "I suppose it's ti you knew."
He gestured to the ruined remnants of the hut. "Sit. This isn't a short story."
As they settled on the newly brought wooden chairs, Yun Lintian noticed Hei Yue's fingers trembling slightly but he said nothing.
Hei Xuan began without preamble. "Your mother is Li Qinglan—the God of Light."
Hei Yue's nails dug into her palms. She had always suspected—the radiant energy within her had never felt like ordinary light—but hearing confirmation still struck like a thunderbolt.
"We were... close," Hei Xuan continued, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "Closer than any Primordial Gods had ever been. Light and darkness, opposing yet inseparable." His lips quirked. "We even defied the Creator's laws to conceive you."
"But?" Hei Yue prompted sharply.
"But we disagreed," Hei Xuan said simply. "On what to do with you."
A chill ran down Yun Lintian's spine. He'd heard similar stories before—children of gods becoming pawns in divine sches.
Hei Xuan seed to read his thoughts. "Not like that. Qinglan wanted to hide you—to keep you safe from the coming storm between Primordial Gods. I wanted to prepare you to face it." His dark eyes t Hei Yue's. "When you were born with both our powers... she panicked."
Hei Yue flinched.
"Not because she didn't love you," Hei Xuan added quickly. "Because she did. Too much. The thought of you being targeted..." He shook his head. "She left shortly after your birth. Returned to her Celestial Radiance Realm."
Silence stretched between them. Outside, the eternal night of the Darkness Realm seed to press closer.
Finally, Hei Yue spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Does she... know about over the years?"
"Of course." Hei Xuan's expression softened. "She watches over you from afar. The light energy in your body? It's not just inherited power—it's her direct blessing, renewed every year on your birthday."
Yun Lintian's eyes narrowed. "The God of Ti doesn't know?"
"Not yet." Hei Xuan's smile turned grim. "But that's why we need to move quickly. With my power restored gone and your arrival, the balance is shifting. Nian Shi will notice soon."
Yun Lintian thought for a mont and asked. "Is there a possibility of her surrendering her power?… If she does so, I can bring you two to my tiline. You can live there peacefully."
Hei Xuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If she understands the truth... perhaps." His expression darkened. "But I cannot guarantee it. Li Qinglan may appear composed on the surface, but she is deeply ambitious. To surrender her power as a Primordial God..." He shook his head. "That would be the hardest thing for her to accept."
Yun Lintian's gaze turned sharp. "What if I use force?"
Before Hei Xuan could respond, Hei Yue cut in. "I'll persuade her!" Her blue eyes burned with determination. "If I explain everything—about the God of Ti, about the future—she'll understand!"
Hei Xuan sighed. "Yue'er... if she were willing to listen to reason, she wouldn't have abandoned us in the first place."
The words struck Hei Yue like a physical blow. Her fists clenched at her sides, but she didn't argue.
After a long silence, Hei Xuan turned to Yun Lintian. His voice was uncharacteristically solemn. "If it cos to battle... I ask that you spare her life."
Yun Lintian t his gaze evenly. "I'm not a murderer."
"That's not what I ant." Hei Xuan's eyes flickered with sothing akin to regret. "I know what you're capable of now. When you fight... you don't hold back. And Li Qinglan..." He trailed off, glancing at Hei Yue.
The unspoken aning hung heavy in the air—she won't either.
"I will try my best," Yun Lintian said in a deep voice. "Can you tell more about the other Primordial Gods?"
Hei Xuan poured himself a fresh cup of tea, the steam curling like living shadows around his rejuvenated face. "Very well. Since you're gathering our powers, you should know who you're dealing with."
He held up three fingers. "First, the obvious ones—myself, Li Qinglan, and Nian Shi, the God of Ti. You already know our temperants."
Yun Lintian nodded. The God of Darkness—ruthless yet pragmatic. The God of Light—ambitious and protective. The God of Ti—scheming and manipulative.
"Now for the others." Hei Xuan's expression turned serious. "The God of Life, Qing Yun. The gentlest of us all, but don't mistake kindness for weakness. She wields creation itself."
"Opposing her is the God of Death, Mo Ling." Hei Xuan's fingers traced the rim of his cup. "Cold, thodical. He sees all living things as temporary. Surprisingly honorable for a death god."
Hei Yue frowned. "Honorable?"
"In his own way," Hei Xuan anded. "He won't cheat death, but he won't hesitate to deliver it."
"Next, the God of Space, Kong Xuan." A smirk played on Hei Xuan's lips. "Eccentric. Prefers observing from afar rather than interfering. But when he moves..." He snapped his fingers. "Entire realms shift."
Yun Lintian stored this information carefully. Spatial powers could be troubleso.
"The God of Order, Tian Gui." Hei Xuan's nose wrinkled. "Rigid. Fanatical about rules. Hates chaos almost as much as he hates the God of Balance."
"Which brings us to the God of Balance, Ping Heng." A chuckle left Hei Xuan's mouth. "My favorite drinking partner. Believes in equilibrium above all else. The only one who can diate between Order and Chaos."
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