# Chapter 1762: Father
Memories were beautiful, but reality was cruel.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen woke from his memories and slowly put down the Swallow Pendant.
"Chi Yao, Chi Yao. Eight hundred years have passed. You, a cold-blooded and ruthless woman, why have you kept it by your side all this time?" Zhang Ruochen's hands clenched tightly.
Within the Swallow Pendant, Zhang Ruochen detected a vast Great Saint power, while its surface contained a faint trace of divine power.
That was Chi Yao's power.
From this, it was evident that for eight hundred years, Chi Yao had always worn this Swallow Pendant on her person.
It was precisely because of the nourishment from her Great Saint power and divine power that the Swallow Pendant had undergone such changes.
Chi Kongle saw Zhang Ruochen's expression shifting unpredictably—sometimes gentle, sometimes cold, sometimes blazing with fury... At this moment, Zhang Ruochen had completely lost the calm composure he had shown earlier when battling the kings of Paradise Realm. His emotional fluctuations were too great.
Chi Kongle extended a crystalline, snow-white little hand and waved it before Zhang Ruochen's eyes, whispering, "What's wrong with you?"
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened. "It was Chi Yao who gave you this jade pendant, wasn't it?"
"The Empress is a god. How dare you speak her name directly?"
Chi Kongle deeply respected Empress Chi Yao and was somewhat displeased with Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly, turned around, and sat back down on the cushion. "If you want to kill me, it's best to do it now. If my sacred qi recovers by even half, you'll never have another chance to strike."
Zhang Ruochen fumbled through his Space Ring, took out a small bottle carved from sacred jade, opened the lid and sniffed it, then drank the liquid inside in one gulp.
It was marrow liquid refined from the bone marrow of an eighth-rank barbarian beast, capable of quickly replenishing a cultivator's depleted spiritual power.
It was also one of the spoils of war Zhang Ruochen had found in the storage vessel of an Elf Clan spiritual power Saint King.
Chi Kongle did not draw her sword. Her star-like beautiful eyes, as lovely as pearls, carefully examined Zhang Ruochen's handsome face. She pursed her lips and said, "So this is your true appearance? You didn't use the Formless Formless Thirty-Six Transformations?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "That's right."
"Why..."
Chi Kongle blurted out, but immediately stopped herself.
Zhang Ruochen could hear her heartbeat quicken, so he said, "You want to ask why we look so alike?"
"Mm." Chi Kongle nodded.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You should ask that Empress about this question, not me."
Chi Kongle took several steps forward until she was close to Zhang Ruochen. "Then why did you save me and my brother time and again? If I'm not mistaken, when you first triggered the power of the lotus to attack the kings of Paradise Realm, your spiritual power was already severely depleted. Under such circumstances, why would you still go to save two enemies?"
Zhang Ruochen hadn't expected that Chi Kongle, despite her young age, would have such meticulous thoughts.
"Do you really want to know the answer?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kongle hesitated, as if worried and afraid of something. After a long moment, her gaze became resolute. "Please tell me."
"Come here."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze gradually softened.
For some reason, Chi Kongle slowly approached him, though she still held her sacred sword in hand. She stopped when she was three steps away from Zhang Ruochen.
"Sit down."
Zhang Ruochen took out a cushion and handed it to her.
Chi Kongle sat down across from Zhang Ruochen, her innocent face, small figure, and blinking eyes all visible—except for the sacred sword in her hand, still stained with blood.
She was just an eleven or twelve-year-old little girl, yet she had already taken up a killing sword.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. "Chi Yao gave you the Swallow Pendant, didn't she?"
"Mm."
Chi Kongle responded softly, then added, "My brother has one too."
"Do you know how to use the power of the Swallow Pendant?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kongle nodded, then shook her head. "I only know that when I wear it, the sacred qi of heaven and earth automatically gathers toward me. It also helps me focus and calm my mind during cultivation, nourishes my spiritual power, and strengthens my sacred soul. In short, it has endless wonderful uses."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "It seems Chi Yao never told you how to truly use the power of the Swallow Pendant."
"Whoosh—"
With a flick of his finger, a complex inscription pattern landed on the Swallow Pendant.
That inscription pattern was like a key, opening an invisible door.
Instantly, the Swallow Pendant burst forth with dazzling light, releasing an ancient and vast power that enveloped Chi Kongle.
"This power is so strong... Is it the power of a god?" Chi Kongle was extremely surprised.
The Swallow Pendant was a heirloom of the Zhang Clan. Previously, Zhang Ruochen only knew that the jade pendant contained powerful energy, but he didn't understand what that power specifically was.
Now, with his cultivation reaching the Saint King realm, Zhang Ruochen triggered that power again and finally understood.
The mysterious power within the jade pendant was indeed the power of a god.
Could it be... that the Swallow Pendant was something left behind by the Zhang Clan's ancestor, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable?
Zhang Ruochen said, "Your spiritual power has already been imprinted on the Swallow Pendant, hasn't it?"
"That's right. How do you know?" Chi Kongle asked.
Zhang Ruochen didn't answer her. "Triggering the power of the Swallow Pendant can form a powerful defense—this light enveloping you. The more power you trigger, the stronger the defense. Of course, if you use your spiritual power to control it, you can also borrow the Swallow Pendant's power to unleash incredible speed."
"Is that so?"
Chi Kongle closed her eyes and released her spiritual power.
"Shua."
With a flash of white light, Chi Kongle's figure disappeared from the ancient temple.
That speed was something even ordinary Saint Kings couldn't hope to match.
Chi Kongle tested it for half a quarter of an hour before returning to the ancient temple, still somewhat astonished and finding it hard to believe.
After all, she was only a Xuanhuang Realm Saint, yet the speed she had just unleashed was something even a One-Step Saint King might not be able to catch up to.
Zhang Ruochen tossed out a small sacred jade bottle. "Catch."
Chi Kongle caught the bottle and asked curiously, "What is thi—this..."
Suddenly, her vision spun, her mind grew drowsy, her heart ached terribly, and she looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
"Using the power of the Swallow Pendant consumes a great deal of spiritual power. This bottle contains the marrow liquid of an eighth-rank barbarian beast, which can quickly restore your spiritual power." Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kongle drank a single drop, then immediately sat cross-legged on the ground to regulate her breathing.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. Although Chi Kongle was young, she didn't panic at all when faced with a situation. Given her current spiritual power intensity, she could indeed only withstand the power contained in a single drop of marrow liquid.
Her judgment was very precise.
By the time Chi Kongle opened her eyes again, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power had recovered somewhat, and his spirit was quite refreshed.
"Do you want to learn the inscription pattern for unlocking the power of the Swallow Pendant?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kongle's gaze toward Zhang Ruochen had changed somewhat. Her sharp little chin nodded gently. "Will you teach me?"
"As long as you want to learn..."
"I want to learn."
Zhang Ruochen gave her a deep look, then took out two inscription brushes and handed one of them to her.
Chi Kongle put away her sacred sword, held the inscription brush, and crouched beside Zhang Ruochen like a docile little cat.
Under the lamplight.
Zhang Ruochen drew a stroke, and she followed with a stroke.
The scene was incredibly warm, like a little girl learning to write from her father, studying with great focus. From time to time, she would lift her head and secretly glance at Zhang Ruochen's serious eyes.
It was an extremely complex inscription pattern. An ordinary spiritual power cultivator might not be able to learn it even after three months of study.
But Chi Kongle's comprehension was astonishing. She mastered it completely in just half an hour.
Watching Chi Kongle carve the inscription pattern onto the Swallow Pendant, a satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face. He couldn't help reaching out a hand and patting her head. "Very good."
Chi Kongle didn't dodge. After a long hesitation, she finally spoke. "The Empress said that the Swallow Pendant was a relic of my father."
Zhang Ruochen's hand suddenly stopped. "Saying that isn't wrong."
"Are you... my father?"
Chi Kongle's lips trembled as she waited for Zhang Ruochen's answer.
She was both expectant and afraid.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen would rather Chi Kongle regarded him as an enemy than let her know the truth.
Because the truth was even crueler and would only cause her more pain.
It was better for him to bear that pain alone.
However, since Chi Kongle was so clever and had guessed the truth, Zhang Ruochen didn't intend to hide it from her. He smiled bitterly. "Kongle is the name of a mountain, located outside Shengming City. Standing at its peak, you can see the myriad lights of ten thousand homes, the boundless scenery, the great rivers and mountains all spread out before your eyes."
Zhang Ruochen didn't deny it, and Chi Kongle already knew the answer.
After all, she was just a little girl. How could she control her emotions like Zhang Ruochen? Her bright, large eyes became covered with a layer of mist, and then bean-sized teardrops kept falling to the ground. Her slender little body trembled slightly.
Opening her arms, she tightly hugged Zhang Ruochen's waist and sobbed, "I... I want to go... waaah... want to go to Kongle Mountain... take... take me there, okay... I want to see... see the myriad lights of ten thousand homes, see the great rivers and mountains..."
Zhang Ruochen tried hard to hold himself together, but his eyes were also turning red. He reached out his hand and gently stroked Chi Kongle's head.
"I'll take you there. When we return to Kunlun Realm, I'll take you there." Zhang Ruochen said repeatedly.
"Don't... don't lie to me."
Chi Kongle looked up, her face streaked with tears like pear blossoms in rain. She asked again, "Why did the Empress lie to me? Why did she say you were my enemy? Why did she say my parents were both killed by you? Why? Why, after all?"
"Because she didn't dare tell you the truth." Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kongle asked, "What truth? And who is my mother?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Now is not the time for you to know these things. Of course, you can go ask Chi Yao. Since she had the heart to deceive you, she should be able to do even crueler things."
"I don't want to ask anyone else. I want to ask you. You shouldn't have the heart to deceive me... hide things from me... right, Father?" Chi Kongle's eyes were incredibly pitiful, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Looking at such a pitiful gaze, and hearing the word "Father," the emotions Zhang Ruochen had been controlling completely collapsed. He smiled through his tears. "Alright, I can tell you. But not now. We need to wait a little longer... wait a little longer..."