Chapter 597 - 597: Father and Son Finally Meet

A sharp pain, like a needle piercing his heart, shot through Jiang Xinghai as rage ignited within him.

He silently calculated just how much his parents must have suffered over the past five years.

But he couldn't show his anger, lest he arouse Tan Yuan's suspicion.

So, he gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and followed Tan Yuan to the front of Prison Cell One.

When he saw the scene inside, his eyes grew moist.

The woman in the cell seemed to be asleep. Her face was haggard, her hair a tangled mess, and she looked incredibly thin and frail.

But he recognized her at a single glance. It was his mother, Ji Qingya!

Five years!

'Is this how my parents spent the last five years?'

He fought back his grief. His heart shattered as he looked at his mother's state.

Ji Qingya's face and figure were no longer those of the beautiful, graceful woman she once was. Now, she resembled a terribly gaunt old woman.

Jiang Xinghai held back his tears and refrained from calling out to his mother. Instead, he nodded and looked at Tan Yuan. "So, she's the peerless talent you spoke of? She looks a bit old. Does she still have any value?"

"This woman once possessed a beauty that could topple nations. I, too, did not expect five years to reduce her to this state."

Tan Yuan sneered. "However, despite her age, she carries a secret that my Shadow Sect must torture out of her."

"What secret?" Jiang Xinghai asked.

"You are not yet qualified to know this secret."

Tan Yuan continued forward, stopping before Prison Cell Two.

Jiang Xinghai rushed over. When he saw the man inside the cell, with a full head of long hair but eyes clouded and dull, it felt as if his heart was bleeding drop by drop.

'Is this still Jiang Wendong, the renowned genius of the Imperial City?'

His father!

Back then, his Martial Arts attainments were incredibly high. He was easygoing and had made many friends.

And yet, despite all that, he had been sentenced to five years of torment in this prison!

Inside the cell, Jiang Wendong seemed to recognize Jiang Xinghai, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

But just as quickly, the dullness returned to his gaze.

He could guess that his son, Jiang Xinghai, had come here for him and his wife!

However, until his son acknowledged him first, he couldn't rashly reveal their connection, lest he ruin his son's plan.

"And him? Does he also have something of value that your Shadow Sect needs?" Jiang Xinghai took a hard drag from his cigarette, maintaining a calm expression.

"He is connected to an even more important secret. You are even less qualified to know about it."

Tan Yuan turned back abruptly and stared at Jiang Xinghai. "Now, give me your answer. Are you willing to join the Shadow Sect? If you are, you will earn the right to know the secrets these two carry."

"Then please tell me, Lord Tan, aside from the benefits, are there any restrictive conditions for joining the Shadow Sect?" Jiang Xinghai asked.

"Restrictive conditions? Not really."

Tan Yuan shook his head. "However, the most important rule is that betrayal is forbidden!"

Jiang Xinghai nodded slightly.

"Therefore, from the moment you decide to join the Shadow Sect, an imprint will be branded upon your sea of consciousness."

"The moment you even think of betrayal, it will begin to devour your soul. If you can correct your thoughts in time, you can be saved. But if you fall deeper into it, your soul will ultimately be shredded, and you will die."

Tan Yuan stared intently at Jiang Xinghai. "Do you understand all that?"

"Doesn't that mean that once you join the Shadow Sect, you're their man in life and their ghost in death, with no freedom at all?" Jiang Xinghai began to slowly shake his head.

"You're shaking your head?" The outcome Tan Yuan had hoped to avoid had come to pass.

Jiang Xinghai's face hardened. The time for a decision had finally arrived.

He hadn't expected that joining the Shadow Sect involved receiving a soul imprint.

'There's no way I'm joining under such a bullshit rule.'

"Old bastard, your Shadow Sect's rules are disgusting. I'm not joining." Before his voice had even faded, the full might of his power erupted from his body, and he slammed his palm against the bars of Prison Cell Two.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

Blinding sparks flew everywhere. The bars of the prison cell, forged from some unknown material, only produced sparks under Jiang Xinghai's full-powered strike, showing no signs of damage.

"Xiao Chunan, you greatly disappoint me!"

Disappointment filled Tan Yuan's eyes. "Even if you refused, you should have taken the opportunity to curry favor with me. I might have spared your life. But what are you doing now? A jailbreak? Or are you provoking the rules of my Shadow Sect?"

"Rules?"

His strike having failed, Jiang Xinghai was shocked, but his face twisted into a sneer. "Your Shadow Sect's rules are fucking bullshit!"

"Urk..."

Clearly, Tan Yuan hadn't expected Jiang Xinghai to not only refuse to bow his head but to also insult him at a time like this.

"Break for me!!!"

This time, a Black Dragon Illusion suddenly shot out from Jiang Xinghai's body. It was a forbidden power his master, Yao Gu, had placed within him, not to be unleashed unless his life was on the line.

But now, with his parents right before his eyes, he had no choice but to risk it all on a single strike.

At the same time, he hoped that Zhong Yunman and Cao Qing, who were still waiting outside, would hurry and come to his aid.

"ROAR!!!"

The moment the Black Dragon Illusion appeared, it roared and charged toward the prison cell.

The black dragon illusion collided with the cell, setting off a massive explosion. A powerful shockwave spread out, blurring everyone's vision.

Inside the cell, Jiang Wendong had already stood up, his expression focused. "Xinghai, be careful!"

"Dad, don't worry!"

At that moment, Jiang Xinghai and Jiang Wendong openly acknowledged each other.

Under the Black Dragon Illusion's assault, the cell bars trembled violently. Cracks, visible to the naked eye, began to form as they started to break apart!

"Damn it!"

In that instant, a flash of anger and helplessness crossed Tan Yuan's eyes.

He hadn't expected Jiang Xinghai to be so desperate as to unleash a protective phantom beast from his body, something only a cultivator at the Guiyuan Realm should be able to conjure!

And!

Most importantly, Jiang Xinghai and Jiang Wendong from Prison Cell Two were actually father and son!

"This is bad!"

The realization finally dawned on Tan Yuan.

'No wonder I could never see through Xiao Chunan... no, I should call him Jiang Xinghai!'

It was all because he had this deeply hidden identity—he was Jiang Wendong's son!

A chill went down Tan Yuan's spine at this discovery.

He knew how much trouble the Shadow Sect would face if Jiang Xinghai escaped.

"CRACK... CRACK... CRACK..."

However, just as Tan Yuan stepped forward to stop Jiang Xinghai, the cell bars suddenly shattered completely.

"This is bad!"

Tan Yuan was dumbfounded. The supposedly indestructible cell bars had been destroyed by a mere kid at the Middle Stage of the Human Emperor Realm!

"Dad!"

At that, Jiang Xinghai rushed into the cell and embraced Jiang Wendong.

However, with Tan Yuan still outside, eyeing them like a predator, the two only shared a brief hug.

"Xinghai, I haven't seen you in five years. Your growth brings me great comfort!"

Jiang Wendong was decisive. "But your mother is still in the next cell, and my Inner Strength has been sealed. Right now, my constitution is only slightly better than a normal person's. Don't worry about me, go save your mother first!"

Suddenly, Tan Yuan, standing five meters away, burst into a cackle. "You think you can leave? With me here, your entire family can just stay!"