He had always speculated that Yuanen Yehui had hailed from extraordinary origins, but he didn't think that her past would be so tragic. At the very least, his parents were still alive, but her mother...
Yuanen Yehui's breathing was slightly labored, and she wanted to issue a retort, but couldn't find the words to do so.
The Atlas Douluo had been involved in this matter, so Shrek Academy had to have kept records of this event. As such, she could verify this with the Holy Spirit Douluo and Light Dark Douluo to determine whether Yuanen Zhentian was lying.
However, she really didn't want to believe in all of this. In her memories, her mother was so kind and gentle, and the time she had spent as a child with her parents had been the happiest days of her life.
The tragedy of her childhood was exactly why she found it so hard to open herself up to others.
During holidays at Shrek Academy, everyone had families to return to, but she didn't. Without her mother, their family was no longer a family, and her father was a disabled man who had been imprisoned outside of her knowledge.
She had harbored all of this pain deep in her heart for so many years and never told anyone about it, and she had only gradually begun to open herself up to these friends with whom she had shared so many intimate experiences.
On top of that, Yuanen Zhentian's story made her understand that he was most likely trying to take her away due to the fact that she also possessed the Fallen Angel martial soul.
After a long silence, Yuanen Zhentian continued, "Ye Hui knew what had happened, so she gave us a recount of events after she awakened. The entire family was in uproar at the time, and according to the Atlas Douluo, she had already become a Titled Douluo, so there was no longer a way to restrict the demon's gate from opening again. In other words, she had already become the demon's gate; even if I had stripped her of her cultivation base, her body would've transformed into the demon's gate.
"Ye Hui was a very kind girl; I could see that she was full of reluctance to leave her family behind, but she paid no heed to her own safety, choosing instead to inquire the Atlas Douluo about what would happen if you also inherited the Fallen Angel martial soul. The Atlas Douluo had told us that before you became a Titled Douluo, there would be a way to seal the Fallen Angel martial soul, and shortly after receiving this answer, your mother suddenly committed suicide without telling anyone."
Tears were already streaming down Yuanen Yehui's face at this point. "Why? Why did it have to be like this? She didn't even tell me anything before she left!"
Yuanen Zhentian sighed, "There's no way a mother would be able to work up the resolve to kill herself after seeing her own child. Even more importantly, Tiandang was extremely stubborn and was still deeply in love with her; if she had hesitated even in the slightest, he would've tried to protect her at all costs. She made this decision for the sake of you and your father, and the look she gave me right before she died was not one of resentment, but a beseeching one; she was pleading with me to protect your father.
"Your father didn't cry or kick up a fuss as he watched your mother pass away, but I could see a sense of crushing despair and a peculiar hint of relief in his eyes. After that, he ignited his own soul core, attempting to detonate it to follow your mother to the afterlife. Even though I had anticipated that he was considering suicide based on his reaction, he acted far too quickly, and I was unable to stop him. At the time, the only thing that I could do was separate him from his soul core. With the help of the Atlas Douluo, we sealed away his power, and only then did he completely erupt.
"He became a madman, and all he wanted was to follow after your mother. If it weren't for the fact that you were still on his mind, we most likely wouldn't have been able to stop him. I told him that you also possess the Fallen Angel martial soul and that it could be sealed away, but you'll need someone to protect you, and only then was I able to talk him out of suicide. However, from that day forth, he became a shell of his former self; he was no longer the brightest prodigy of our family."
Yuanen Zhentian's eyes were filled with pain as he spoke, and one could only imagine how unbearable it would've been for a father to witness his own son falling into such a dark abyss.
"In order to settle the unrest within our family, I could only tell everyone that your mother had chosen to commit suicide so that she wouldn't transform into the demon's gate again, and that your father had been disabled by me as punishment for bringing her to our family. Otherwise, how was I supposed to answer to those closest to the 37 fallen members of our family? During your time in Shrek Academy, I had constantly been keeping tabs on you. Perhaps it's due to the fact that you also possess the Titan Giant Ape martial soul, but you weren't affected emotionally by your Fallen Angel martial soul.
"After the destruction of Shrek Academy, we had thought that you had died as well, and even now, your father still doesn't know about this. That was until we saw the footage of your matches. Even though you were in disguise, there's no way we would've failed to identify the characteristics of the Titan Giant Ape martial soul. We were stunned by the fact that you were already a Soul Douluo, and this is the most perilous period of time for you. As such, you have to come back to me so I can seal your Fallen Angel martial soul. Otherwise, you'll follow in the footsteps of your mother.
"I've already lost my daughter-in-law and even my son; I don't want to lose my granddaughter. You may have never seen me as your grandfather, but in my heart, you've always been my granddaughter, and you're just as exceptional as your father. Come back with me."
After learning the truth behind everything, Tang Wulin couldn't help but interject, "Is there no other way, Senior? Yuanen has twin martial souls, not just the Fallen Angel martial soul alone; perhaps she won't suffer the same fate. After all, her Fallen Angel martial soul isn't as pure anymore."
Yuanen Zhentian replied, "Perhaps, but we can't take the risk; what if we're wrong? We'd be bringing a massive calamity to this plane. Only by sealing her martial soul before she becomes a Titled Douluo can we ensure that the same tragedy doesn't repeat itself."
Yuanen Yehui was lost for words, and Tang Wulin also fell silent.
He was undoubtedly full of sympathy toward Yuanen Yehui, but this was indeed a risk that they couldn't afford to take. At this point, he finally understood why Yuanen Zhentian was so determined to take Yuanen Yehui with him.
The Amorous Douluo's brows were tightly furrowed as he said, "This is indeed quite a troublesome matter, but I think it would be best to take things slowly. Yuanen's situation is quite special in that she possesses twin martial souls. Even though she's already a Soul Douluo, she won't become a Titled Douluo in the short term. I'll get some other Limit Douluos to assess her situation, and even if we're going to seal her martial soul, we have to devise a plan to do so while impacting her powers as little as possible; what do you think?"
Yuanen Zhentian said, "I don't believe we've been acquainted with one another yet."
Zang Xin replied, "I am the Amorous Douluo of the Tang Sect."
"I see. I'm not opposed to this, but the necessary steps must be taken within half a year. Otherwise, I'm worried that even she won't be able to control the progression of her own cultivation rank." Yuanen Zhentian didn't force the issue any further as he had lost to Tang Wulin, after all.