433 - Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama

**Chapter 433: Past Events from Years Ago** Baili Ming sighed deeply, looking at Ye Linglong with warm eyes, and said, "Even if you hadn't asked, I would have told you sooner or later." To Ye Linglong, the story seemed terribly melodramatic—a predictable tale of the young master of the Baili family adventuring in the immortal realms, where he met, got to know, and fell in love with the Holy Maiden Xuezhen from Xuehan Palace. Xuehan Palace was situated in the deepest part of the glacier in the Upper Immortal Realm, where a dense glacier forest served as its most perfect defense. All the cultivators in Xuehan Palace were women, and each had an ice spiritual root, practicing ice-based techniques. Among them, Xuezhen stood out; she was a disciple of the current Palace Master. Because of her unique Ice Soul Physique, she thrived in the glacial environment, making her the ideal candidate for becoming the Holy Maiden and the next Palace Master. The relationship between the two prominent figures—Xuehan Palace's Holy Maiden and the Baili family's young master—was a formidable union indeed. Their families were equal in status, and both sides were very pleased with the match. Everything was perfect at this point. Baili Ming seemed lost in recalling those earlier scenes, a look of happiness filling his eyes. “If that’s the case, what happened afterward?” Ye Linglong asked. Baili Ming's expression turned to one of pain, a long-standing murderous intent lingering in his eyes. After calming his emotions, Baili Ming continued to recount what took place next. The couple held a grand Daoist partner ceremony, and not long after, Xuezhen became pregnant. Due to the perpetual ice and snow of Xuehan Palace, she stayed with the Baili family, and ten months into her pregnancy, just as she was near delivery, chaos ensued in the Baili family. Baili Ming’s uncle suddenly staged a revolt, aiming to seize leadership of the family. His first act in this power grab was to target his own nephew, intending to remove the heir apparent of the Baili family. For the safety of Xuezhen and her unborn child, Baili Feng dispatched his trusted aides and members from Xuehan Palace to escort Xuezhen back to the palace for her confinement. However, the information was leaked. Baili Chong, Baili Ming’s uncle, sent people to assassinate them. By the time Baili Ming arrived at the scene, he found that it had turned into a world of ice and snow. Everyone from Xuehan Palace and Baili Ming’s aides had died, and those sent by Baili Chong were either dead or frozen into ice statues, unable to survive. In the center of this icy battlefield, Baili Ming found Xuezhen, completely encased in ice. Her dress was stained with blood, and her belly, now flat, showed that the child was gone. Baili Ming went insane. With a determination to take everyone down with her, Xuezhen had fully unleashed her Ice Soul Physique, freezing everything around her, including herself. Left completely frozen in the ice, though still technically alive, once the ice melted, the last of her life force would vanish instantly. Baili Ming returned Xuezhen to Xuehan Palace, and then went back to the Baili house alone. Having heard the entire story, Ye Linglong felt conflicted. She initially thought she was just an abandoned child, but the truth turned out to be entirely different. However, she wasn’t the original host; the original had disappeared by the time she arrived, perhaps dead. Yet, it seemed the original’s fate wouldn’t have been much better had things been different. The plot of the novel had long since reached its conclusion, and all of Ye Linglong’s experiences deviated from the original path. Baili Ming, having composed himself, looked gently at Ye Linglong and said, “After sending your mother back to Xuehan Palace, I returned alone to the Baili family to clean up the internal strife, eventually capturing Baili Chong.” “I interrogated him about the situation. He claimed my child was dead. I didn’t believe him and used a Soul Search,” Baili Ming said calmly. “Soul Search damages the soul,” Ye Linglong couldn’t help but remark. Baili Ming nodded, “Afterward, Baili Chong’s soul collapsed, and he went mad.” “I originally planned to let him live out his days as a shell of a man, but my grandfather, your great-grandfather, wanted to interfere. So, I killed him.” Baili Ming spoke with such nonchalance, yet fragments of words revealed the pain he experienced. In one night, losing both partner and child felt like the sky was falling. “After the Soul Search, I discovered that after giving birth to you, in a moment of crisis, Xuezhen had a trusted aide take you away, using her body’s explosive power to stall the others.” “That maid, who grew up with your mother and was her confidante, was eventually chased down and killed after using the only undirected teleportation array to send you away.” Everything aligned from there. Teleportation arrays typically required fixed destinations, needing arrangements at both points. Yet, an undirected teleportation array was different; its destination was unknown, being an advanced formation of the highest order, capable of transmitting one person. Baili Ming had given the array to Xuezhen for self-defense, but didn't anticipate it would be used en route, ultimately only protecting Ye Linglong. “All these years, have you been living in the lower Immortal Realm? The undirected teleportation array sent you to an uncertain place. After the Soul Search, I searched across the three immortal realms and beyond, but never found a trace of you,” Baili Ming looked lovingly at Ye Linglong. Ye Linglong pressed her lips together, finally understanding why Ye Tianming had found a child at the foot of the mountain. It was likely that the teleportation array had sent her there. “Actually, I came from the Lower Realm,” Ye Linglong decided to tell the truth. If supported by Baili Ming, she’d have a better chance of breaking the seal over the Xianling Academy. “The Lower Realm? You ascended from there? Has the Ascension Tunnel’s seal been broken?” Baili Ming curiously asked. Ye Linglong shook her head, “No, I came up through a small secret realm that had a special ascension channel—a teleportation array of sorts.” She then explained how she ascended to the Upper Realm. Pondering for a moment, Baili Ming said slowly, “I seem to recall something—a millennium ago, there was an abandoned Baili clan territory in the Lower Realm. Because some Baili family bloodlines remained in the Lower Realm after the sealing, the small secret realm served as a trial ground, with an array set up to transmit Baili bloodlines.” “After sealing the two realms, the remaining Baili bloodlines were brought through that array, so the territory was abandoned.” “A bloodline-specific teleportation array…” Ye Linglong murmured, then her eyes brightened at an idea: “Since I could use that teleportation array to get here, could I not use it to return?”