600: Chapter 596 Imperial Aura

The moment the news reached the Xuanyuan Family, the entire clan was shaken.

The Family Head, Xuanyuan Dachan—a Peak of Tribulation Transcendence expert who was usually majestic, steady, and never showed his emotions—saw his hair turn completely white overnight. Overcome with grief, he locked himself in the main hall for three full days and nights. From within the hall, suppressed roars and bitter weeping could be heard from time to time; the pain of losing his only son had nearly broken him completely.

From then on, Xuanyuan Dachan's temperament changed drastically, becoming violent, suspicious, and irritable. He exuded a suffocating pressure, casting a terrifying haze over the entire Xuanyuan Family.

The servants moved with extreme caution, fearing the slightest mistake; the clan Elders were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to offer advice; even the Clan Chiefs of the various branch lineages avoided him at all costs, terrified of accidentally provoking the Family Head in his grief.

With the heir of the main lineage dead, the most sensitive, taboo, and fearful thing in Xuanyuan Dachan's heart was the birth of a male child in the branch lineages.

In his eyes, since the main lineage had no successor, any exceptionally talented boy appearing in a branch lineage would be seen as a provocation to the main lineage's authority, a potential enemy in the future struggle for the position of Family Head, and a hidden danger to the Xuanyuan Family.

He would never allow the Xuanyuan Family, which he had supported single-handedly, to fall into the hands of someone from a branch lineage, nor would he allow anyone to threaten his status—even if that person was just a newborn infant.

Xuanyuan Hong stepped forward slowly and carefully took the baby boy from Li Zhen's arms. The child felt light in his hands, his tiny body still squirming slightly, and his cries remained loud and clear.

The more clearly Xuanyuan Hong saw the child, the colder his heart became.

Even as a newborn, this child possessed extraordinary skeletal structure and abundant blood Qi. The haughty air between his brows, as if looking down upon the world, was certainly not something an ordinary infant could possess. It was an innate nobility, the countenance of an emperor, and an Aptitude that would surely be brilliant and extraordinary in the future.

In normal times, such a child would be the hope of the entire branch lineage and Xuanyuan Hong's greatest pride. But at a time like this, such talent and such a temperament would only bring total annihilation to this child, to the couple, and to Xuanyuan Hong's entire branch lineage.

"My lady..." Xuanyuan Hong's voice was as raspy as sandpaper rubbing together. Tears swirled frantically in his eyes, but he forced them back. He looked down at the infant in his arms, his eyes filled with pain and helplessness. "Why... why did you have to be a boy..."

Li Zhen looked at his pained expression and then at the child in his arms. She covered her mouth as tears fell silently. She understood the danger all too well, but as a mother, she could not accept that her child had to face such a crisis the moment he was born.

"If it were a girl," Xuanyuan Hong's voice carried a hint of a sob, his tone full of longing, "we could let her grow up peacefully and happily, never concerning herself with Family disputes or power struggles. She could find an ordinary man, have children, and live out her life in peace. Even if she had no talent for cultivation, even if she lived a mediocre life, it would be better... better than this, where her life and death are uncertain."

"But he is a boy..." Xuanyuan Hong's voice paused, his throat feeling as if it were blocked by something; he didn't dare to speak the words that followed.

Death.

It wasn't just this newborn child who would die.

The two of them, and even everyone in Xuanyuan Hong's branch lineage—whether elderly or children, whether Cultivators or Mortals—could be uprooted and quietly vanish from the history of the Xuanyuan Family without leaving a single trace.

He had already witnessed Xuanyuan Dachan's violence and suspicion. Once Xuanyuan Dachan learned of this child's existence and his talent, they would all be left without a place to be buried.

"Then... then what should we do..." Li Zhen's voice trembled as she tightly gripped Xuanyuan Hong's sleeve. "Husband, we cannot just watch our child die. He is our own flesh and blood..."

Xuanyuan Hong held the infant tightly, feeling the weak yet tenacious life force within his arms. The pain and despair in his heart were gradually replaced by a firm conviction.

He took a deep breath and looked up. The confusion in his eyes vanished, replaced by a resolve—a resolve to protect his child's safety even if he had to give his all.

"Regardless, he is our child." Although Xuanyuan Hong's voice was still raspy, it carried an unquestionable weight. "I am his father. I will not let him die. Absolutely not."

He looked down and gazed tenderly at the baby boy, his fingertips gently stroking the child's delicate face, his eyes full of affection and expectation. "From today on, you shall be called... Xuanyuan Yao."

"Yao, the light of the sun and moon," Xuanyuan Hong's voice was solemn. "Even in the midst of darkness, you must illuminate the heavens and earth. I, Xuanyuan Hong, will protect him as he grows even if it costs me my life, so that he may live peacefully and radiate his own light."

Within the swaddling clothes, Xuanyuan Yao's remnant soul slowly awakened.

His chaotic consciousness was like a still pond disturbed by a pebble, instantly shattered. A strong desire to survive surged in his heart, making him want to roar, but what came from his throat was a burst of tender yet loud crying.

"What's going on?! I'm not dead!!"

Xuanyuan Yao's consciousness cleared instantly. He instinctively tried to mobilize the Astral Core Dao Rhyme within his body and sense the cosmic energy of the Universe, but his body was empty, without a shred of power. He tried to move his body, only to find that even lifting a hand or opening his eyes was exceptionally difficult—he had actually turned into an infant!

He was the Crown Prince Xuanyuan of the Lingxu Universe, the only son of the Cross-Universe Level powerhouse Xuanyuan Canglun. He had controlled the myriad stars of the Lingxu Universe and received the worship of ten thousand races; how infinitely glorious he had been.

He never expected to be blindsided by that fellow Kairos. That man actually possessed an [End-Point Singularity Core]. Even in the entire Xingxuan Universe, there were probably no more than ten of those. How could a mere Kairos have one?!

Unless it was given to him by Oro, the Star Lord of the Star Vortex!

That old fogey! Could he have calculated this step long ago?!

Xuanyuan Yao felt the weakness of this body and the suppression of his Divine Soul by this world. The energy of this world was a thin and mottled low-grade Spiritual Qi; compared to the Astral Core Spiritual Qi of the Lingxu Universe, it was like the difference between clouds and mud. His powerful Divine Soul was tightly suppressed by the laws of this world, allowing him to barely maintain consciousness while being unable to mobilize any power at all.

Just then, Xuanyuan Hong handed the infant Xuanyuan Yao to Li Zhen, his gaze firm. "My lady, hold the child well. No matter what happens outside, do not come out and do not make any sound. I am going to handle some matters and will be back soon."

Looking at his resolute eyes, Li Zhen vaguely guessed something, and her tears flowed even harder. She held Xuanyuan Yao tightly and nodded vigorously, her voice choked as she said, "Husband, you must be careful. The child and I will wait for your return."