Ye Tian Yun fell into a deep thought upon hearing Emperor Ye's words.
'The only way to not kill her is to not fall in love with her.'
This was it.
But was it possible?
In his previous life, the Emblem of Luck was not a boon for Ye Tian Yun. Rather, it was a huge bane.
An unforgiving and relentless burden.
Before Ling Feng'er death, Ye Tian Yun only saw her as an amusing disposable tool.
But just when his heart began to change, the Immortal Pavilion's Emblem Trial began.
It was only after she left that he knew that the Emblem of Luck was not worth her.
Emperor Ye stared at his son but didn't say anything.
He felt Ye Tian Yun was thinking about something important and thus didn't wish to distract him.
After a long time, Ye Tian Yun took a deep breath and raised his head.
"Father, I will follow the other path."
Emperor Ye frowned, "And that is…?"
Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips, "I will not let Ling Feng'er be my weakness."
Emperor Ye let out a sigh, "Yun'er, this is where you are wrong."
"What do you mean, Father?" Ye Tian Yun frowned, "I don't see any other way out of this situation."
Emperor Ye smiled, "Instead of weakness, make her your strength. Instead of a liability, make her your immunity."
"Yun'er, love is the most powerful emotion in this world. When I had lost the sense of my own being because of the Emblem Of Chaos, it was your mother's love that pulled me out of that darkness."
Ye Tian Yun lowered his gaze, "Father, your case was different. In my case, anyone who I love will have to die."
Emperor Ye closed his eyes, "don't succumb to fate. Do what you feel is right, even if the whole world is against you."
Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "It just sounds easy. I am pretty sure it's almost impossible. We're mere humans, after all. We're no god."
Emperor Ye suddenly laughed, "Hahahaha! Yun'er, ah, Yun'er… did you forget what I said a few minutes ago?"
"The whole Upper Heavens is against me. Is that not the whole world? I am already fighting the whole world because I don't want to succumb to my destiny. How could my son have such a weak will?"
Ye Tian Yun didn't say anything.
Emperor Ye's laughter slowly died down.
He stared at Ye Tian Yun, and with a serious tone, he said, "Yun'er. There are a thousand things I could tell and a million examples I can give. But there are few things that you will only learn when you experience them yourself."
"You're not like me; you were never like me. I am a hot-blooded person who believes in fists, but you, Yun'er, you have a scheming nature. But schemes and cleverness alone are not enough."
"Imagine, you are in a life-death battle against your mortal enemy. And there's no one to have your back. No amount of cleverness or scheming will work. You will have to talk with your fists."
"I am not telling you to change yourself. But I want you to adapt. I want you to make your personality and thought process flexible."
Ye Tian Yun frowned, "How do I do that?"
Emperor Ye smiled, "You will slowly learn. Yun'er, why do you think I don't interfere in your quest to get the Tokens and Emblems? Do you think I don't have the power to bring them for you?"
"Then why, Father?" Ye Tian Yun subconsciously asked.
Emperor Ye narrowed his eyes, "I want you to experience. I want you to go out into the cultivation world and experience it yourself. You might think that you can get experience once you have all the Tokens and Emblems. Maybe yes. But that's not the kind of experience I want you to have."
Seeing the confused expression of Ye Tian Yun, Emperor Ye smiled and continued, "I want you to treasure what you have. You have one of the most powerful backgrounds in the whole world. Still, you don't understand its potential. It's because you don't treasure its value."
"But if we take the Emblem of Time's example. I am sure you understand that this artifact is very important in your journey."
"And if you compare your background with the Emblem of Time, you will prefer the Emblem of Time."
"That is what I want you to feel for everything that you have. And the only experience can take you to that stage."
"Yun'er, I won't be forever beside you. My life is constantly at risk. Do you know that there doesn't go a day when I don't face assassination?"
"What!?"
"Yes. I face assassination every. Single. Day. Now, what if the enemy succeeds in today's assassination? Won't I die? What if I die? What will you do?"
Ye Tian Yun's lips trembled. This possibility had never crossed his mind. Because -
"It's impossible! You're the most powerful cultivator. You're invincible, Father!" Ye Tian Yun replied.
His breathing had quickened.
Emperor Ye shook his head, "Invincible? Ha… if I am invincible, Yun'er, tell me how come I failed to become the Heavenly Emperor in my generation?"
"Yun'er, there's a lot for you to learn. I may be among the most powerful cultivators, but this doesn't change the fact that there are still some cultivators in the Upper Heavens who can kill me."
Ye Tian Yun frowned, "Who are they, Father?"
EMperor Ye shook his head, "Their identity is not the topic here. What I want you to understand is - even if the whole world is against you, as long as you don't betray yourself, no one, I say, no one can stop you."
"But yeah, cultivation is also important. If you think with Core Formation Realm, you can go against the world; I will be the first to pop this fantasy."
"Yun'er, I will also be going to the Upper Heavens this time. The enemy already knows this. They are prepared for my arrival. There's a very high chance I might not return, and this might be our last conversation."
"Son, if there comes a day when I am no more beside you, you will need to be strong. Peak cultivation won't be enough. Never forget I also have the cultivation."
"What you will need is strength. Ling Feng'er will be your strength."
...
A/n: Read [Creator's Thoughts]