Upon the grand vessel, Feng Yan sat quietly upon the mahogany chair in the main hall, the three men from moments ago standing respectfully behind him, their gazes entirely fixed upon the woman before them, clad in a gown of emerald gauze. Her eyes stared fixedly at Feng Yan, her body trembling almost imperceptibly, her face a mask of utter disbelief. “Father, you… how can you be here?” After a full quarter-hour of silence, the woman in green finally gasped out the words.

“Heh, Qin Yuting, is that your name? You are indeed my daughter in a sense, but I am not called Qin Yan!” Seeing the astonishment on her face and hearing the sharp intake of her breath, Feng Yan smiled faintly. This woman was, naturally, the Qin Yuting taken away long ago.

For years, she had led a tranquil life, only emerging from that serenity upon the death of her father. She learned that her father had been killed by Ye Jingyu, a truth that left her deeply conflicted. As a daughter, she should seek vengeance for her father, yet the thought of Ye Jingyu brought forth no urge for retribution whatsoever.

While caught in this turmoil, she encountered a group of mysterious, formidable individuals. Without a word, they subdued her; when she awoke, she found herself in a place resembling a celestial paradise, face-to-face with the father she believed to be dead—how could she not be shaken? And now, this father claiming he was not Qin Yan only deepened her confusion.

“My name is Feng Yan, the current Patriarch of the Feng Family. And this place you inhabit is not the Dou Hun Continent, but the Gu Hua Continent. As for why you are my daughter, you will soon know!” Seeing Qin Yuting’s bewildered expression, Feng Yan spoke casually.

The moment his words finished, he suddenly pointed a finger, and a streak of cyan light pierced directly into Qin Yuting’s mind, instantly flooding her consciousness with a surge of knowledge. Information she had never encountered—the history of the Feng Family, the history of the Gu Hua Continent, genetic engineering, and more—poured wholesale into her awareness. Her father, Qin Yan, was merely a clone of Feng Yan.

She had no conception of what a 'clone' was, yet she grasped the meaning with uncanny clarity. Qin Yan was a conscious entity cloned from a strand of Feng Yan’s own essence, yet he possessed no memories of Feng Yan or even the Feng Family. However, a thread of Feng Yan’s consciousness had subtly influenced Qin Yan, guiding him in the past to the Fang Family to investigate their secrets.

Unexpectedly, he was discovered by the Fang Family, forcing him to flee to the Dou Hun Continent, where he established his own domain. Of course, Feng Yan could have recalled Qin Yan at that time, but understanding what his clone intended to achieve, he chose instead to let him remain there, quietly cultivating his own influence. After all, he was still his clone; despite possessing an independent will, he remained ultimately under Feng Yan’s control.

If Qin Yan could truly build a power base vast enough to challenge the Fang Family and cause them considerable trouble, wouldn't that significantly improve the Feng Family’s chances in the next election for the Asian Alliance Leader? Furthermore, through Qin Yan, he could maintain constant oversight of the Nine Provinces’ developments. For these reasons, Feng Yan allowed Qin Yan to remain on the Dou Hun Continent, until Qin Yan was killed and that sliver of his consciousness dissolved.

Having understood everything, Qin Yuting merely stared blankly ahead at Feng Yan. Her father was just his clone, or perhaps, a constituent part of him—in the strictest sense, he was truly her father. But why did she feel such an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity?

She felt estranged not only from him but also from this Gu Hua Continent and the Feng Family; she simply did not belong here. “Heh, are you finding it hard to adapt to everything here?” Seeing the dazed look in Qin Yuting’s eyes, Feng Yan spoke with measured softness. Qin Yuting nodded involuntarily.

“It’s alright. This is certainly a difficult transition for you. But no matter what, you are the daughter of ‘that other me,’ and therefore, you are my daughter.

You will reside here temporarily, and I will take good care of you. Feng Rui, escort the young lady to rest,” Feng Yan’s face actually curved into a look of paternal kindness. This was the very smile that Qin Yan displayed most often back on White Cloud Mountain.

Seeing it, even Qin Yuting, who now vaguely understood the relationship between the two men, froze in place, feeling as if she were truly looking at her own father. A young maiden stepped forward from the side and approached the still-dazed Qin Yuting, speaking softly, “Miss, please follow me.” Qin Yuting blinked, then cast one last glance at Feng Yan seated before her. She turned and followed the maiden out, knowing she needed a substantial amount of time to process everything she had learned today.

“Patriarch, after all the trouble you took to bring her here, was it only to tell her all that?” Only after Qin Yuting’s figure had completely vanished did the man beside Feng Yan finally speak. “Certainly not. My clone perished at the hands of a man named Ye Jingyu.

That fellow is capable of summoning the transformation of myriad stars; he is very likely the legendary Starlight Physique. A person of such caliber cannot be kept caged. Moreover, he shares a certain strange connection with Yuting.

Perhaps…” Feng Yan said no more, but those present understood his implication: perhaps this connection could be leveraged to recruit Ye Jingyu into the Feng Family. A Starlight Physique—that was a force capable of altering the entire political landscape of the Gu Hua Continent. The Fang Family must surely have noticed his existence.

However, perhaps due to their arrogance, they would not pay him undue attention. Thus, even if they failed to secure the position of Alliance Leader and control the Yuan Ling Cult, the Feng Family still had ample opportunity to win over Ye Jingyu. As for his hatred for Qin Yan—Qin Yan is dead now.

Could that enmity still persist? Indeed, precisely as Feng Yan revealed the truth to Qin Yuting, on the Dou Hun Continent, Chi Yixiu, Hu Yanqi, and others were escorting Luo Linger towards the Southern Wilderness Forest. When they were still more than a hundred li from the destination, the group halted abruptly.

The reason was simple: the only main road leading into the forest was completely blocked by an enormous boulder. Standing atop this rock was a man wielding a long spear, his hair a cascade of blue locks. He wore an ornate brocade robe, and the spear in his hand shimmered with brilliant blue light.

His face was devoid of expression, yet a peculiar aura radiated from within him. Sensing the unique energy emanating from the man, Chi Yixiu, Hu Yanqi, Hu Yanmeng, and the others instantly grew tense. Who exactly was this person?

Why did he block their path? And furthermore, the man looked strangely familiar?