114: Star Bloodline 1

Morning light streamed through the window lattice, casting a golden hue over Yao Chen's small house. Xing Lan lay on the makeshift bed, her face ashen, with only a faint star-like glow at her brow flickering on and off. Xiao Yan sat by the bed, his gaze complex as he watched the woman who claimed to be his mother.

"When will she wake up?" Xiao Yan asked softly, his fingers unconsciously caressing his right eye—the black threads there had receded, but left behind tiny specks of starlight, like scattered stars in the night sky.

Yao Chen, who was mixing medicine, looked up at the question: "The overexertion of Star Power combined with the invasion of Xuan Shuang Celestial Venerable's extreme cold would have killed an ordinary person long ago." He approached with a bowl of starlight-glowing liquid, "But her Physique is special; she should awaken very soon."

Xiao Yan took the medicine bowl, carefully helped Xing Lan up, and slowly fed her the liquid. As soon as the liquid touched her lips, the star-like glow at Xing Lan's brow brightened slightly, and then she coughed violently, her long eyelashes trembling.

"She's awake!" Xun'er exclaimed softly, quickly offering a clean cloth.

Xing Lan slowly opened her eyes, within which a galaxy seemed to flow. Her gaze immediately locked onto Xiao Yan, and her lips trembled as she uttered two words: "...Yan'er..."

Xiao Yan's body stiffened, and the bowl in his hand nearly dropped. This address was too unfamiliar yet strangely familiar, as if from the deepest part of distant memories. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say—twenty years of absence could not be made up for in a day.

Xing Lan seemed to understand his helplessness, and smiled weakly: "It's alright... being able to see you again... is enough..." She tried to raise her hand to touch Xiao Yan's face, but her arm fell due to weakness.

Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment, then actively took her hand. The touch was cold, but he could feel a faint but resilient life force. He had many questions, but didn't know where to start.

Yao Chen spoke at the opportune moment: "Madam Xing Lan, your injuries require rest, but there are some things we must know—about Xiao Yan's Origins, and the 'Star Clan' you mentioned."

Xing Lan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the room—Xiao Yan, Xun'er, Yao Chen, Xiao Bing, Ling Xiao—and finally resting on Xiao Yan's face: "You now have three powers within you... Flame Lord's Fire, the seed of chaos... and the Star Bloodline."

"Star Bloodline?" Xiao Bing curiously leaned closer, "Is that the starlight power you used last night?"

"Not entirely." Xing Lan coughed lightly, "Star Power is Cultivated Acquired power, while the Star Bloodline... is an Innate gift." She looked at Xiao Yan, "Your father... was the last 'Star Lord' of the Star Clan, an existence on par with the Flame Lord and the Ice Lord."

Silence filled the room. Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and the sealed memory bubble he had seen in his spiritual world flashed through his mind—the scene of his younger self being forcibly taken from his mother's arms.

"Why... did you abandon me?" He finally asked the question that had weighed on his heart for many years.

Tears welled in Xing Lan's eyes: "It wasn't abandonment... it was protection." She struggled to sit up, "Twenty years ago, when the Chaos Devourer first Broke through the plane barrier, your father and the two Lords joined forces to fight it. They discovered that the seed of chaos could parasitize strong individuals... and the Star Clan Bloodline happened to slow down the rate of parasitism."

Yao Chen mused: "So Xiao Yan was sent to the Xiao Family... to hide?"

Xing Lan nodded, tears streaming down: "When we separated, we planted a Star Seal in your body to suppress your Bloodline aura. We had intended to bring you home once the crisis passed, but we never expected..." Her voice choked, "Your father disappeared while pursuing the Chaos Devourer's Origin... and the Star Clan was also purged by the Purification Sect..."

The star-like speck in Xiao Yan's right eye suddenly flickered, and a sharp pain made him groan. Faint starlight flowed beneath his skin, intertwining with the black threads.

"Oh no!" Xing Lan's face changed dramatically, "The Star Seal is loosening! The seed of chaos is absorbing your Bloodline power!"

Ignoring her injuries, she forced herself to sit up, forming complex star-like hand Seals and pressing them onto Xiao Yan's chest. A burst of brilliant starlight erupted, forcing everyone in the room to close their eyes. When the light faded, the sight before them was alarming—

Xing Lan's dark hair visibly turned gray, while the star-like speck in Xiao Yan's right eye stabilized, and the black threads were temporarily suppressed.

"Mother!" Xiao Yan blurted out, steadying the tottering Xing Lan. The address came out so naturally that even he was stunned.

Xing Lan, however, showed a relieved smile, caressing her suddenly appearing wrinkles: "It's worth it... This is the only gift Mother can give you..."

"What did you do?" Xun'er asked anxiously.

"Star Fate Reincarnation..." Yao Chen's expression was grave, "Transferring one's own Origin to another... the price is lifespan."

Xiao Yan felt as if struck by lightning, looking at Xing Lan's instantly aged face, his heart squeezed by an invisible hand. After twenty years apart, was he to lose her just after reuniting? He wouldn't allow it!

"How do we reverse it? Give my power back to you!" Xiao Yan urgently gripped Xing Lan's hand, trying to guide the energy within his body.