Chapter 44.2 The Truth

Sang You’s clam shell was cut in half while he was still alive.

Su Su knew this kind of pain. When she’d jumped into the weak water, she’d tasted the pain of her clam shell being injured, the pain of a broken bone was incomparable to this. And now that Sang You’s clam shell had appeared here, she didn’t dare to think what had happened.

The clam shell flashed and the name of a location appeared. Su Su sat at the bottom of the river as the water gently surged and the swimming fishes softly kissed her cheek.

The next day, she helped the little river clams settle down and asked the area’s Earth Immortal to look after them. She gave him one of her own pink pearls and went to the Fan ¹ 梵 (fàn) – abbreviation for Buddhist/Sanskrit qian ² 乾 (gān or qián) – one of the Eight Trigrams (八卦 bāguà) which represents heaven Secret Realm herself.

The inside of the Fanqian Secret Realm had long been deserted. There was only endless pitch black darkness when you reached out your hand. It was a place of despair and loneliness that was abandoned by the world.

This secret realm had no immortal heritage and would only slowly corrupt one’s mind.

No one knew what it would cost to try to save the person inside.

Now, Sang You was inside.

Su Su didn’t know why her brother would be in the Fanqian Secret Realm, but she must save him.

Now, she no longer had the Water Immobilising Seal and only had a few pearls on her. Su Su knew that these were far from enough, but the population of the Clam Clan was decreasing, so she could only save Sang You herself.

The moment she stepped into the Fanqian Secret Realm, two human figures slowly appeared.

Tian Hao laughed and said, “Daughter, you were right. As long as you tell that clam sprite that her brother is inside, she’ll definitely go in.”

Tian Huan closed her eyes, “Father, be careful of what you say.”

Tian Hao nodded, “As your father, I’m not always as thorough as you. Once that clam sprite is dead, Ming Ye might be able to ascend to godhood in a few days’ time. When that time comes, as long as he’s willing to help you, not to mention spiritual marrow, even your water spiritual root that isn’t pure enough will also become pure.”

This matter was a hidden pain in Tian Huan’s heart. She lowered her voice and unhappily said, “Father, don’t mention this matter again!”

Tian Hao disagreed. Tian Huan was born with both water and fire spiritual roots. Such aptitude wasn’t bad, but both spiritual roots clashed with each other, and she was destined to not be able to achieve the Great Dao.

There were only two things that could help Tian Huan refine her spiritual roots, one was the Flaming Sun Cauldron, and the other was the Water Immobilising Seal.

The Flaming Sun Cauldron belonged to the God Clan, but the Water Immobilising Seal was coincidentally obtained by the Clam Clan by chance, becoming the treasure that suppressed the Mo River.

Tian Huan was skillful and clever and she ruthlessly seriously injured herself, then struggled to find the Water Immobilising Seal in the Clam Clan, but she didn’t expect that it would be unable to differentiate ³ 不识好歹 (bùshí-hǎodǎi) – an idiom; undiscriminating and its divine core entered Ming Ye’s body instead.

Meanwhile, Tian Hao was trapped in the Fanqian Secret Realm, unable to escape.

He had searched for a thousand years before he finally learned the way to get out of the Fanqian Secret Realm— have someone else with a quite strong cultivation replace him and be trapped there instead.

“The Clam Clan is truly stupid. That clam demon, Sang You, really believed that we would spare his sister and voluntarily entered the Fanqian Secret Realm to replace me,” Tian Hao shook his head and said. “It’s just a pity that a demon is a demon, his cultivation level wasn’t enough. Luckily, you were smart enough to get help from Ming Ye, and father was able to escape.”

Tian Huan’s expression turned cold, “I said, this matter should never be brought up and you can’t let Ming Ye know about it!”

She was secretly angry with Tian Hao in her heart. It was all his fault, otherwise, she wouldn’t have done these things. The Clam Clan were targeted for their treasure ⁴ 怀璧其罪 (huáibìqízuì) – lit. treasuring a jade ring becomes a crime (idiom); fig. A person’s talent will arouse the envy of others. , and that day, she almost knelt down and begged Ming Ye, saying that her father had just this one chance to get out of the secret realm, only then he was willing to leave the bamboo forest.

Tian Huan asked the female immortals to turn back and secretly erase the message he’d left for the clam demon.

A sense of powerlessness rose in Tian Huan’s heart. She didn’t want to do these things either. But she was born with spiritual roots that weren’t pure enough, and was destined to not be able to ascend or be able to accompany Ming Ye for a long time.

She had never thought of harming anyone, it was that little clam sprite who’d stolen her position and insisted on marrying Ming Ye.

And Ming Ye, who clearly didn’t understand the love between men and women…… actually fell for that clam sprite too.

He was clearly hers, but she was only sleeping for a hundred years and he was about to be snatched away. How would Tian Huan be willing?

Once you take a step in the wrong direction, every step that follows will only lead you further astray ⁵ 一步错，步步错 (yībù cuò bù bù cuò) – a saying . Now that she heard Tian Hao mention these things, she felt restless ⁶ 心惊肉跳 (xīnjīng-ròutiào) – lit. heart alarmed, body leaping (idiom); fear and trepidation in the face of disaster and wished her father could just shut up.

But Tian Huan also understood that the Clam Clan had reached its downfall, and once Sang Jiu died, no one would ever know.

Tian Huan didn’t know how to explain it, but she kept feeling a deep  seated anxiousness. Seeing that her father still wanted to wait around, waiting for an opportunity to take away the little clam sprite’s spiritual marrow, she whispered, “Enough! It’s up to her own luck if she can get out or not. Let’s go.”

She felt uneasy, as if there was a heavy stone weighing on her heart.

Su Su stuck close to the wall of the secret realm and coldly watched as they left. She hadn’t completely entered the secret realm yet, so now what no one was ever supposed to know, she had just heard.

It turned out that everything was a dirty conspiracy from the beginning. Thinking of Sang You who’d entered the Fanqian Secret Realm for her sake, she almost bit through her lip and hatred filled her eyes.

Tian Huan, Tian Hao! Is Ming Ye an accomplice too?

She suddenly opened her eyes, they’d turned into demonic pupils.

Before her, countless evil spirits and monsters came to surround her.

However, what Su Su saw was a scene from a hundred years ago.

She was lying at the bottom of the river back then, watching with admiration as the immortal lord in white fought for their sakes. The scene abruptly changed to a hundred years later, and the old Clam King was beaten till his soul was scattered, leaving only an empty clam shell.

Countless clam demons screamed in agony, the river rolled, and their lives were destroyed ⁷ 生灵涂炭 (shēnglíng-tútàn) – people are in a terrible situation (idiom) .

Her brother was seriously injured and taken away, step by step, into the secret realm.

She couldn’t save any of them. Tears flowed from the Clam Princess’ eyes. She tremblingly looked at the sight in front of her and stumbled forward.

She hugged her Father King’s clam shell, her demonic pupils shone, and for a moment, she was unable to distinguish between the present and the past as she cried out loud, “Royal Father, I was wrong, it was my fault, I shouldn’t have liked him.”

“I will never love Ming Ye again!”

“It’s my fault, I’m the one who deserves to die. I’m the one who’s blind. I’ve harmed the entire Clam Clan!”

This was what Ming Ye heard as soon as he entered the secret realm. The Clam Princess with a pair of demonic pupils saying she regretted loving him. His body stiffened as he looked at her, and a dagger ruthlessly came stabbing towards him.

Her face was full of tears, as if she was going to bitterly cry out for a hundred years.

Ming Ye’s raised hand slowly lowered.

The dagger stabbed into his shoulder. He silently held the dagger. After a long time, he realized he could feel a dense steady pain coming from that spot.

But he didn’t know where it hurt the most.

Edited by: Gaze