A long silence slowly spread through the palace hall. The gilded lamps burned with a faint scent of dragon saliva incense, the smoke curling upward, staining the air between the two with a touch of gravity.
Zhang Lexuan's fingertips, hanging by her sides, curled slightly. Between her brows and eyes, once cold and aloof, were now intertwined with struggle, unwillingness, and a hint of imperceptible hope.
She looked up at Xu Tianhao before her. In her pitch-black eyes, there was no evasion, only extreme earnestness as she spoke clearly, word by word:
"If I am willing to stay, do you dare to trust me?"
As her voice fell, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly tightened; even the fragrant mist floating in the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianhao's heart stirred violently, as if a clear spring had swept across his heart, and a trace of a smile flashed in his eyes.
Xu Tianhao slowly curled his lips, revealing a frank and composed smile: "Why wouldn't I dare?"
These four words fell lightly into Zhang Lexuan's ears, but they were as heavy as a thousand jun, causing her taut heartstrings to tremble slightly.
Xu Tianhao did not give her too much time to think. He looked at her with deep eyes and continued to speak slowly:
"Your bloodline is real, and your hatred is also real. Even if you don't say it, we can understand."
His voice was gentle yet powerful, carrying a clarity that saw through everything: "Love turns to hate. The more you worshipped Shrek before, the more you will hate Shrek now that you know the truth."
This sentence was like the sharpest blade, instantly slicing open all of Zhang Lexuan's disguises and stubbornness.
She had grown up in Shrek, regarding Shrek as the most sacred and just holy land in the world.
She regarded Mu En as her supreme faith, carved Shrek's rules into her bones and blood, and gave everything to protect and follow it.
She took pride in being a Shrek disciple and made inheriting Shrek's will her lifelong pursuit.
That worship and love had long since seeped into her bone marrow, becoming all the light of her first half of life.
But when Xu Tianran placed that bloody truth before her, when she learned that the destruction of her family and the tragic death of her relatives were all inextricably linked to the Shrek she had given everything to believe in, that beam of light was completely extinguished. In its place was a heart-burning, bone-corroding hatred and despair.
The deeper the love, the more piercing the hate.
Xu Tianhao saw this more clearly than anyone else.
As he spoke, Xu Tianhao slowly stood up, his moon-white brocade robe sweeping a smooth arc across the floor.
He walked to the carved window and raised his hand to push open half of the window lattice.
Outside the window, the warm sunlight poured in, dispelling some of the cold aura inside the hall.
Golden sunlight spilled onto his shoulders and also fell upon the swaying flowers and trees beneath the window, a scene of warmth and peace.
Xu Tianhao looked at the warm sun hanging high outside the window, his gaze distant, and said slowly:
"I guess that if you had enough strength now, you would surely be unable to wait to kill your way to Shrek and question those sanctimonious fellows about the truth of everything, right?"
Once these words were spoken, Zhang Lexuan was imperceptibly stunned, her whole person freezing in place.
Her pupils contracted slightly, because this was indeed her most real and urgent thought at this moment.
Since this period of time, she had experienced too many things that overturned her cognition.
From learning that she was not an orphan, but had Kong Deming, this Elder of the Sun Moon Empire, as a blood relative, to knowing that her family had been wiped out in the past, and the mastermind behind it actually pointed vaguely to the Shrek she had believed in all her life.
From the initial disbelief to the later verification bit by bit...
All the clues, all the evidence, were ruthlessly verifying that every word Xu Tianran said was the truth.
Those high-and-mighty Elders of Shrek, those Spirit Master leaders who claimed to uphold justice and protect the continent, had actually committed such despicable, ruthless, and inhumane acts behind the scenes.
But even with all the facts placed before her, the last shred of obsession remained in the bottom of Zhang Lexuan's heart.
She did not want to rely solely on the accounts of others to conclude everything.
She wanted to hear the truth from Mu En's own mouth, wanted that Sea Gods Pavilion Master whom she had respected for over a decade to give her an answer personally.
She wanted to hear Mu En tell her himself whether her family had indeed died because of Shrek.
Whether her decade-long faith was a complete and utter scam.
But she also clearly knew that this was too difficult, as difficult as ascending to heaven.
If the truth was real, would Mu En really admit it frankly?
Given Shrek's status and reputation, and Mu En's depth of character and methods, would he admit it frankly?
He would only bury the truth forever, or even get rid of her, the person who knew the secret, as quickly as possible. How could he possibly admit Shrek's sins himself?
But if all of this was false, in what capacity should she go back to question him?
Even if she went back, Xu Tianran would not let her go alone.
Moreover, Kong Deming was her blood relative; this was an indisputable fact.
Going back now would only result in being treated as an enemy, without even the chance to get close to Mu En, let alone question the truth.
Endless confusion and unwillingness, like vines, tightly Binding her, leaving her unable to breathe.
She had a heart full of hatred and obsession, but lacked the matching strength.
She could only be trapped in place, letting pain and struggle torture her repeatedly.
Just as Zhang Lexuan was lost in a daze, her emotions surging, Xu Tianhao's steady and powerful voice rang out again in the hall, breaking this suffocating silence:
"Actually, it's very simple. As long as you are strong enough, as long as you possess enough strength, none of this will be a problem."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan snapped back to reality, looking at Xu Tianhao's back in disbelief.
Zhang Lexuan's eyes were full of shock and confusion. She spoke subconsciously, her voice carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling: "What do you mean?"
She really could not understand why Xu Tianhao would say such things.
In her view, she was originally the number one person of the younger generation in Shrek, with outstanding talent.
Although she bore monstrous hatred for Shrek, for the Sun Moon Empire, she was still an existence with great variables.
As the rulers of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran and Xu Tianhao guarding against her, restricting her, or even abolishing her cultivation, would be the most reasonable approach.
How could they possibly help her become stronger?
Xu Tianhao slowly turned around, meeting her shocked gaze, the corners of his mouth again lifting in a composed smile, his tone clear and solemn:
"We can help you become stronger, until you have enough strength to determine it yourself."
A short sentence, like thunder on flat ground, exploded in the bottom of Zhang Lexuan's heart, causing her to freeze in place, her mind blank.
A moment later, ecstasy swept through her limbs and bones like a tide, making her almost unable to control her emotions.
She had already made the worst preparations. Even if Xu Tianran and the others considered their blood relations and did not abolish her, they would definitely firmly restrict her cultivation and would never give her any chance to become stronger.
After all, she knew her own talent best. Once given enough resources and time, her growth speed would be something no one could control.
Zhang Lexuan had absolute confidence in her talent.
Since she stepped onto the path of a Spirit Master, she had overcome thorns and thistles all the way. Among her generation, besides Xu Tianran being able to suppress her, there was no one else.
Her talent was one in ten thousand, a top-tier level. As long as she was given a stable cultivation environment and sufficient resources, becoming a Titled Douluo was only a matter of time.
Even a Super Douluo was not a problem for her at all.
She even had great hope of catching a glimpse of the Limit Douluo realm, the pinnacle of Spirit Masters.
Even if she took a step back, if she ultimately could not touch the threshold of a Limit Douluo.
With her top-tier potential, as long as she could successfully obtain a hundred thousand year soul ring when breaking through to become a Titled Douluo, she could at least steadily enter the ranks of a Level 98 Super Douluo.
And a Level 98 Super Douluo was already the top combat power on the continent.
Possessing such cultivation, she would have the confidence to face Shrek directly.
And even more, the capital to step into Shrek alone and question Mu En.
She would have the ability to uncover all the truth and avenge her family.
This was what she dreamed of now, the opportunity she desired and needed most at this moment.
Now Xu Tianhao told her personally that the Sun Moon Empire was willing to help her improve her strength.
Willing to give her resources, give her opportunities, and give her space to grow—how could this not make her ecstatic?
How could she not be unable to suppress the excitement in her heart?