With the keen intuition of a woman who had shared a pillow with him for so long, it would have been truly strange had this long-time companion failed to notice Gu Han’s strangeness. But what was most remarkable was that this woman, from beginning to end, had asked for nothing, hiding everything deep within her heart, terrified that voicing her concerns might shatter their beautiful marriage.

Having been able to stay by the side of the man she deeply loved for several years, she was content, wanting nothing more...

The only thing she couldn't set aside was her own daughter...

Or perhaps, it was precisely this deep affection and tolerant understanding that caused Gu Han such lifelong agony, right up to this very moment?

Excessive in emotion, excessive in love, excessive in heart... yet this very restraint caused him a lifetime of pain, a suffering he couldn't forget even after thousands of years! Especially when Qiao Ying was constantly there to remind him...

"I originally intended to entrust Ying'er to trustworthy relatives, hoping she would live an ordinary yet comfortable life as a girl, but I unexpectedly discovered that Ying'er possessed innate discerning eyes!" Gu Han sighed, his voice trembling, remaining despondent for a long time before saying, "At that time, during the Heaven-Seizing War, the alien races' stealth techniques inflicted unimaginable casualties upon us! So I... so I..." "So you brought your own daughter to Mount Tiansheng, used the grand banner of 'the common people of the world' to effectively imprison your biological daughter for over a thousand years, thereby ruining her lifelong happiness! Truly magnificent, what a great father!" Jun Mo Xie stated coolly, his tone sharp and incisive.

In truth, Jun Mo Xie couldn't help but sigh deeply in his heart. How many sacrifices had these people from the Three Great Holy Lands made for the sake of the Heaven-Seizing War? The sacrifices were not merely lives, but kinship, friendship, love, and everything else!

Foolish? Stupid? Noble? Worthy of reverence? Or worthy of scorn?

In this moment, Jun Mo Xie felt a profound turmoil within his heart. He could condemn Gu Han from the perspective of a father, criticize him as a heartless lover, but beyond that, Jun Mo Xie could find no suitable grounds for censure!

He truly didn't know how to evaluate this spirit! Should it be championed and praised, or should it be fiercely attacked...?

Looking at Gu Han before him, Jun Mo Xie could not articulate clearly what his true opinion of him should be—admiration? Contempt? Harsh condemnation? Eulogy?

A pitiable person must possess something hateful; this saying was entirely true!

But for a person to evoke such complex feelings in Jun Mo Xie’s heart, whether in his past life or this one, this contemporary powerhouse was truly the singular person across two lifetimes!

He hated him to the extreme, despised him to the limit. Yet, deep down, there was a subtle sense of admiration, a touch of reverence! If their roles were reversed, Jun Mo Xie knew he could never make such a great sacrifice!

Even if he truly took responsibility for the world, he couldn't achieve this! He was neither as heartless as Gu Han nor as loving as Gu Han. But Gu Han’s heartlessness was directed toward his family, while his love was for the world.

Jun Mo Xie was the complete antithesis of him!

To call Gu Han ruthless and heartless, yet he truly held the world in his heart—benefiting all sentient beings! To call him a benevolent patriot with chivalrous spirit, yet he watched his beloved wife die and personally groomed his own daughter into a weapon for the Heaven-Seizing War!

He was utterly devoted to the world, to ideals, to legacy, to glory; yet toward his own kin, he was so brutally cruel!

If this kind of person stood before you, how would you judge him?

"I imagine... since Qiao Ying took her mother's surname for her name, she probably doesn't know her own origins even now? And certainly wouldn't know she had such a great father!" Jun Mo Xie asked coldly.

As for Qiao Ying’s current background, with Gu Han's capabilities, arranging a facade for her would be incredibly easy, presenting no difficulty whatsoever!

"Naturally not. Why would I let her know..." Gu Han replied mournfully, "I already owe so much to them, mother and daughter..."

"I feel genuine pride and honor on Qiao Ying's behalf for having such a great father!" Jun Mo Xie mocked, "You truly dedicated everything to the Holy Lands! Even your deepest love could be used as a cultivation tool, your daughter turned into a tool for war, and even you yourself were invested entirely for a lifetime—no, two lifetimes! Impressive, truly impressive!"

Gu Han's teeth ground together audibly, his face deeply contorted, as if experiencing intense internal agony. He suddenly roared, "In my two lifetimes... she is the only bloodline I have left! How could I not wish to secure a good future for my daughter? To let her live a comfortable and peaceful life! How could I not wish to hold my daughter and weep! How could I not give her the happiness of family and the comfort of sharing our hearts!? I wished it! How could I not wish it! I wished for it desperately! But... if I had done that, what would become of the common people of the world? Without Qiao Ying's insightful divine abilities assisting, should we just watch my brothers die one by one at the hands of the alien races? Watching them force mutual destruction in heroic sacrifice?," "Yes! I basely sacrificed my daughter’s lifelong happiness, but do you know how much loss my daughter saved the Holy Lands?"

Gu Han clenched both fists tightly: "Those were my brothers too! My comrades! Should my daughter enjoy happiness while they deserved to die?"

"Yes! Everything you say, this grand logic, is completely correct! But the most intolerable thing, the thing I detest most, is that you heaped this tremendous responsibility entirely onto the shoulders of a single woman!" Jun Mo Xie stated coldly, "If that is the case, what use are men in this world?!"

"Your brothers have already enjoyed everything they deserved! Wives and concubines, sons and daughters, one wave after another! Over thousands of years, I believe the wives and children they accumulated alone could form mountains of bones! You don't mention any of that," Jun Mo Xie said fiercely, "They already enjoyed what ordinary people could never enjoy; even death would be fitting!," "But you forced your own daughter to live through over a thousand years, yet the vibrancy of life had not even begun to unfold! How cruel was this great father of yours!?"

"Ultimately, this world is still a society where male authority reigns supreme! Men, while enjoying the power, bear corresponding obligations! If the responsibilities that should be borne by men are all forced onto women to secure the survival of men, then if your brothers possessed any shred of conscience, they would have committed suicide out of shame long ago! Instead of shamelessly and repeatedly exploiting that woman’s talent to carve out a shortcut to victory for themselves, calmly seizing glory and praise, and all that vague, worthless, ridiculous honor! A victory like that is filthy! Absolutely filthy and despicable!" Jun Mo Xie shouted sternly, "Even if you did many things for the continent... it is shameful!!"

"If you possess even a sliver of manliness, you should feel shame for this kind of security! If you have any shred of dignity as men, you should feel ashamed! A world maintained this way is worth less than nothing!"

"War has always belonged to men! Men dying one thousand, ten thousand, hundreds of thousands, millions on the battlefield... that is expected! But you forced women, who are inherently in a weaker position, to take up arms against the enemy, to bear such a heavy responsibility, even demanding the price of that woman's lifelong happiness and eternal solitude—can you truly face your conscience?"

Jun Mo Xie was not only a typical young radical, but he was also a typical chauvinist!

In his previous life, every time he saw imperial families sending princesses off for marriage alliances, he would curse vehemently!

Why should women be pushed forward to sacrifice in wars that belonged to men?

Can peace bought with a woman's virtue allow all the men in the world to live so contentedly, to continue in this period of singing and dancing? What kind of damned theory is this!

Nonsensical logic! Cowardly logic!

Therefore, upon hearing about Gu Han sacrificing his own daughter, Jun Mo Xie's words burst forth like firecrackers—extremely sharp, intensely pointed! Unsparing! By the end, his tone was harsh and severe!

From Gu Han’s perspective, perhaps he was not wrong. Perhaps his actions deserved praise. But Jun Mo Xie would never agree with such methods!

Or perhaps he had overstated his case, been too extreme.

But Jun Mo Xie was inherently an extreme person! This belief was deeply ingrained!

If someone told him that sacrificing Mei Xueyan or any woman of the Jun family could exchange for peace across the world and tranquility on the continent, Jun Mo Xie's first reaction would certainly be to exterminate that person’s entire nine generations!

Gu Han listened mutely to Jun Mo Xie's continuous barrage of accusations, remaining silent the entire time.

After a long, long pause, he sighed softly, "Whether my choice back then was right or wrong, it has already been made! Now that Ying'er is with you, her safety... I entrust to you! Whether this battle ends in life or death is up to fate! But if I manage to survive, I hope you will look after her for me!"

Jun Mo Xie sneered, "Now, you finally remember she is your biological daughter? After more than a thousand years, you finally recall the depth of your father-daughter bond? On the very eve of your imminent demise, you finally remember your own bloodline? Gu Han, you are so hypocritical!"

"Hypocritical or despicable, even base and vile, say what you will!" Gu Han's voice rose passionately, "It ultimately cannot conceal the fact that blood is thicker than water!"

"The facts certainly cannot be concealed! But I, Jun Mo Xie, have no obligation to look after your daughter! Why should I shoulder this responsibility?" Jun Mo Xie said coolly, "Handle your own affairs yourself!"

"I demand you marry her!" Gu Han suddenly spun around, grabbing the lapel of Jun Mo Xie's robes, grinding his teeth, "Marry her, take care of her! I can see that over these thousand years, she has treated only you differently!"

"A joke. Just because she treats me differently means I must marry her?" Jun Mo Xie let out a cold laugh, "Then there are countless women in this world I should marry! In my view, every woman with a bit of charm across the land has treated me differently! Should I marry them all?"

"I don't care about others! But you must take good care of my daughter!" Gu Han gasped for breath a few times, then suddenly a cunning smile appeared, "Jun Mo Xie, I have said all I need to say! Do you think I, an old man, cannot see the lecherous thoughts in your boyish heart? Ha! We are both men; I saw it the first time you went to Mount Tiansheng! In this current age, only you are suitable for Ying'er!"

"Lecherous thoughts, of course, I have! Any man has lustful thoughts! Any man will steal a second glance at a beautiful girl!" Jun Mo Xie proved his thick skin, unfazed by being called out by the girl's father, instead declaring fiercely, "I just want to play around; I have no intention of marrying her! Let's say nothing else—just because she is your daughter, I swear I won't marry her!"

Fifth update complete, requesting monthly passes! Exhausted, going to sleep. Haven't slept for a full day and night...