326: Shocking secret! Is my Su family really that miserable?

Inside the great hall, there was complete silence.

Only the aged voice of the Eighteenth Ancestor, filled with boundless sorrow, slowly echoed.

"Chener, do you know that our Xuan Yuan Su Family is not a force native to this world?"

Hearing this, Su Chen cooperatively nodded, but inside, he was wildly complaining.

"[I know jack sh*t!]"

"[But this old man's acting skills are pretty good. Those sorrowful eyes, that trembling voice... it's a waste of talent not to win an Oscar.]"

The Eighteenth Ancestor was unaware of Su Chen's inner monologue. Seeing Su Chen nod, he thought he had some inkling, and the grief in his eyes deepened.

"Our lineage comes from a place you might have heard of, yet one that is incredibly distant..."

"—The Nine Heavens Immortal Court!"

Nine Heavens Immortal Court!

As these four words were spoken, Su Chen didn't react much, but the Seventh Elder, Su Qi, standing behind him, trembled violently. His breathing became rapid, his eyes filled with excitement and longing!

That was the legendary supreme Holy Land of Immortal Dao!

The supreme existence where myriad immortals paid homage, ruling over countless factions!

Ignoring Su Qi's loss of composure, the Eighteenth Ancestor's thoughts seemed to have returned to that distant past.

"The main lineage of our Su Family was the supreme ruler of the Nine Heavens Immortal Court, awe-inspiring in all directions, with boundless glory!"

"However, five million years ago, a sudden and unforeseen catastrophe caused our Xuan Yuan lineage to fall to our current state."

"It happened during a Banquet for Myriad Immortals hosted by the main lineage..."

The Ancestor's voice began to turn bitter.

"The ancestor of our Xuan Yuan lineage, young and impetuous at the time, accidentally broke the main lineage ancestor's favorite... Glazed Immortal Cup during a drinking contest."

Su Chen: "..."

"[Pfft! That's it?]"

"[I thought it was some earth-shattering event. Turns out it was just breaking a cup?]"

"[What's the big deal? Is it really worth it? Was that cup a limited edition? Or a gift from the main lineage ancestor's wife for their anniversary?]"

Su Chen's inner monologue was rich and colorful, but the white-haired Ancestor's story continued.

"That Glazed Immortal Cup was a token of love from a cherished companion during the ancestor's youth, holding extraordinary significance for him."

"[Damn! It really was an anniversary gift! Now I get it.]"

Su Chen wore an expression of sudden understanding.

"The Family Head was furious. However, considering the numerous contributions our Xuan Yuan lineage had made to the Family, he exiled our entire lineage, along with all our clansmen, to this Xuan Yuan Continent—a land of barren Spiritual Qi and incomplete Laws, referred to by the Upper Realm as the 'Land of Exile'!"

"Furthermore, he issued a decree: without a summons, our Xuan Yuan lineage is forbidden from returning to the Immortal Realm for eternity!"

At this point, boundless desolation and resentment appeared in the Eighteenth Ancestor's eyes.

Forbidden from returning to the Immortal Realm for eternity!

For any being of the Immortal Realm, this was the most vicious, the most cruel curse!

Their lineage had been trapped in this cage for a full five million years!

Every day, every moment, he yearned to return to his homeland!

"We thought our lineage would slowly decay in this cage, until it completely perished."

The Eighteenth Ancestor's tone suddenly shifted, his gaze burning as he looked at Su Chen!

"Until... eighteen years ago!"

"On a stormy, snowy night, a woman clad in black, covered in blood, her aura weakened to the extreme, tore through the Void Realm and forcibly broke into our Lesser Formless Realm, holding you as an infant!"

Hearing this, Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.

"[Here it comes, the mystery of my origins is about to be revealed.]"

"[A Woman in Black? Sounds cool. Covered in blood? Was she being hunted?]"

All eighteen Ancestors wore expressions of extreme gravity.

"That woman's strength was unfathomable. Even severely injured, she was not someone we could contend with. She entrusted you to us, leaving only a single sentence."

The white-haired Ancestor's voice dropped to a whisper, as if speaking of a taboo.

"She said she was a personal guard of the Mistress—your mother."

"She said the Nine Heavens Immortal Court had been jointly besieged by multiple hostile forces. The main lineage was caught in an unprecedented, earth-shattering catastrophe!"

"To prevent you, the sole Bloodline heir, from taking such a risk, the Mistress exhausted every ounce of her strength and used the Family's last trump card to send you to this most inconspicuous, safest Land of Exile!"

"She told us that no matter what, we must protect you! Because you are the main lineage of our Su Family... our final hope!"

At this point, the Eighteenth Ancestor could no longer control his emotions. He abruptly rose from his seat and bowed deeply to Su Chen!

"Divine Son!"

"The main lineage is in grave peril! The Immortal Court faces a great calamity!"

"We are trapped in this realm, powerless, forced to watch helplessly!"

"Divine Son! You bear the purest Bloodline of the main lineage, your talent is unparalleled throughout the ages! You are our Su Family's only hope!"

Tears streaming down his aged face, his voice hoarse, the Eighteenth Ancestor pleaded:

"We beseech Your Highness the Divine Son to grow strong swiftly! Lead us back to the Immortal Realm, restore the prestige of our Su Family, and rescue our clan from its dire straits!"

"We beseech Your Highness the Divine Son, save our Su Family!!"

The Eighteenth Ancestor cried out loudly, his voice shaking the great hall!

Su Chen looked at this old master actor pouring his heart out before him and felt utterly numb.

"[Damn... this plot is too cliché, isn't it?]"

"[The Family is besieged, and I'm the last hope? Isn't this the standard protagonist template?]"

"[But I don't want to be the protagonist! I just want to be a salted fish, find my wife as soon as possible, and then live a blissful, carefree life!]"

"[Rescue the Family from peril? Such a grand mission, how am I worthy? Are you sure you have the right person?]"

Su Chen resisted fiercely inside, but looking into those eyes filled with desperate hope, he knew if he dared utter a single 'no' today, this old man might just cry himself to death on the spot.

He sighed, putting on an expression of 'profound understanding and unshirkable duty'.

"Ancestor, please rise quickly. This matter... since I am the Divine Son of the Su Family, it is my unshirkable duty."

Just as the Eighteenth Ancestor's face lit up with ecstatic joy upon hearing this, thinking Su Chen was about to deliver a rousing speech...

Su Chen suddenly changed tack and asked a question that caught both him and Su Qi completely off guard.

"Um... before saving the Family, I have a bit of personal business to attend to."

"By the way, Ancestor, do you know... how to get to the Netherworld?"