Chapter 436: Chapter 327: Father and Son Confrontation

Aetheria, The Dragon Clan, Dragon Abyss Hall.

Horace Valerius sat at the head seat, his face as solemn as still water, his fingers turning pale from gripping the armrests of his golden dragon-headed throne with such force that it seemed they might crumble.

He stared at his son, who stood in the center of the hall against the light, clad in a dark gold beast robe still dusted with the scent of the Lower Domain, unable to suppress the anger within him.

“You dare return?”

Horace Valerius shot up, his voice icy cold, “Last time you ran away in the middle of the banquet, making me lose all face before the other clans of Aetheria.”

The Black-armored Guard standing within the hall were silent as cicadas in winter, kneeling down in unison, and even softening their breaths.

Last time, this bastard lost his memory and personally severed the mate bond with that Lower Domain female, Luna Sutton. He thought his son had finally come to his senses and learned to let go.

In his delight, he held a grand banquet for all the clans of Aetheria, widely inviting noble females, all to choose a compatible, high-born main wife for the Dragon Clan Young Master.

And the result?

This rebellious son, under the scrutiny of everyone at the banquet, simply uttered, “I’m not choosing a bride,” and left in a huff! Leaving Horace Valerius, leaving the entire Dragon Clan humiliated before all the clans of Aetheria.

Reduced to a laughingstock.

To add insult to injury, he sent the Black-armored Guard to the Lower Domain merely to teach a lesson to those wolf and serpent brats who dared gang up on his son, to vent some anger.

But this ungrateful child, instead of appreciating it, intervened to protect those Lower Domain beasts.

It was simply a slap in the face to him as a father, and a slap to the entire Dragon Clan!

Mael Valerius stood straight, his dark golden eyes meeting his enraged father’s gaze without the slightest evasiveness.

His face lacked its usual coldness or madness, instead bearing a strange calmness, and… an indescribable complexity.

“Father, I remember now.”

His voice was calm, devoid of any emotion, yet possessed immense penetrative power.

Horace Valerius froze for a moment, then sneered coldly, “Remember what, remember how that impostor deceived you, toyed with your feelings?”

“She didn’t deceive me intentionally, she was simply terrified of my madness at the time, afraid I’d kill her, and afraid I’d destroy The Wolf Tribe, so she didn’t dare tell the truth.”

Having regained his memory and sanity, Mael Valerius clearly understood the circumstances and attempted to explain for Luna.

“Not intentional?”

Horace Valerius slammed the armrest heavily, reducing it to fragments in an instant, “Do you think I’ll believe your nonsense? If that female truly cared, she would’ve told you the truth before The Sorceress’s death. When your heart doubted and you returned to confront her, she should have confessed instead of disguising and deceiving you, letting you believe she was that person.”

At this point, his expression grew increasingly disdainful, and he genuinely looked down upon her, “A lost soul from nowhere, occupying some girl’s body, attempting to replace her identity, enjoying love from her family, her husband, her tribe, and worse yet, deceiving your feelings, enjoying everything that wasn’t rightfully hers—she’s nothing but an abomination. You were right to wake up, to want to extract and annihilate her. Had it not been for those Lower Domain riffraff blocking you…”

Murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

“Father!”

Mael Valerius’s voice abruptly rose, teetering on the edge of losing control.

The temperature in the hall plummeted.

“I didn’t come back this time to hear your judgment of her rights and wrongs!”

He struggled to suppress the turbulent emotions within, and spoke with crystal-clear enunciation: “I’m here to tell you, Luna gave birth, to two, they are Dragon Eggs, they are my bloodline!”

The last four words echoed like a thunderclap in the silent hall!

“What?!”

Horace Valerius sprang to his feet, his enraged expression instantly replaced by shock.

Even tinged with confusion and disbelief.

His sharp gaze was locked unwaveringly on his son’s face, trying to detect any hint of deceit.

But unfortunately, Mael Valerius’s eyes carried only composed certainty.

Dragon Eggs? Two?

The Dragon Clan’s bloodline is mighty, yet reproduction is exceedingly difficult.

Many Dragon Clan mates might spend a lifetime unable to produce even a single Dragon Egg.

Like the Great Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder who aren’t without mates, but even with mates, they can’t conceive.

This has almost become an unspoken affliction among the powerful tribes of Aetheria.

He could father Mael Valerius, though even he’s not sure by what stroke of luck.

Thinking of this, Horace Valerius’s expression grew extremely complex, as he slowly descended the jade steps.

That… that impostor he deemed a disgrace, deemed as tainting the Dragon Clan’s bloodline… had managed to deliver two Dragon Eggs? And they carry his son’s bloodline?

The immense impact rendered this dragon clan leader, accustomed to braving storms, momentarily speechless.

The hall was deathly still, even the air seemed to have solidified.

Mael Valerius, observing the shifting expressions on his father’s face, continued, “I witnessed the entire birthing process, a bloodline connection cannot be faked, those are my offspring.”

He took a step forward, and the beast robe he wore flared without wind, an invisible pressure emanating from him—not a challenge, but a declaration:

“Father, I know you detest her, believe she’s unworthy. You’ve called her an impostor, a wandering ghost, accused her of deceiving me. Yes, she did deceive me, by assuming someone else’s identity. But I forgot that when I was at my most crazed, most wretched, when I was a true ’Frenzied Beast,’ it was she who pulled me from the mire, detoxified me, brought me clarity! It was she, when I lost my memory and instinctively rejected all females, who became the sole one I couldn’t resist. And it was she… who, despite the harm and humiliation I inflicted on her, nearly killing her, still bore my bloodline.”

Mael Valerius found his eyes unknowingly reddened, his voice carrying unprecedented earnestness:

“I, Mael Valerius, act on impulse, wildly and erratically, infamous throughout Aetheria. But I know what I want. In the past, I was fixated on an illusory shadow, hurting the one I should have cherished. Now, I want only her! I want my child! I want Luna Sutton!”

He reiterated with unwavering firmness, “This is not a request, but information. I will return to the Lower Domain. I will exhaust every means to seek her forgiveness. Regardless of the price, no matter how long it takes, even if… she never accepts me, I accept it.”

Horace Valerius gazed into his son’s eyes filled with pain, regret, obsession, and determination, his chest heaving with anger.

He was angry, shocked, filled with desire for the bloodline, a deep-seated aversion to the impostor, emotions complex and inexpressible.

If the one who bore the dragon egg were not that impostor, even if it were the original Luna Sutton who had died, he could have set aside prejudice and misgivings to accept it.

Then he would arrange for Mira to marry splendidly in the Lower Domain as the Dragon Clan Young Master.

The Dragon Clan’s bloodline must not be insulted, nor allowed to drift outside.

But it had to be that impostor who bore it, a wandering ghost from who knows where.

Horace found it difficult to convince himself to accept it, even looking at the two unseen grandchildren felt like gazing at malevolent spirits.

Yet, they were still of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, his grandchildren.

Ultimately, he neither raged nor scolded further, merely sat heavily back on the dragon-throne, as if aged by years in a moment.

In the depths of his sharp eyes, turbulent waves raged.

He waved a hand, his voice weary and icy, tinged with impending storm, “Begone—”

“Get back to your Lower Domain at once, stop obstructing my sight.”

He did not express acceptance nor opposition, but the oppressive silence and final dismissal were more of a truce before a storm.

Mael Valerius gave his father a deep look, saying nothing more.

He simply turned and strode out of Dragon Abyss Hall, heading straight for the Dragon Clan treasury.

The news quickly reached Horace’s ears.

“The Young Master cleared out half the treasury?”

Horace crushed the jade cup in his hand with a crack, his face darkening, “The insolent fool.”

The attendant knelt trembling on the ground, “The… the Young Master said… the Dragon Egg’s matron had a hard labor, needs nourishment.”

“Nourishment?”

Horace, enraged, laughed instead, “The Dragon Clan’s millennia of treasure to nourish a Lower Domain female?”

He abruptly rose and strode down the jade stairs, intent on seeing the Dragon Clan treasury.

Suddenly, from outside the hall, Xylon Phoenix’s lazy voice called, “Oh, what’s got you so mad?”

Xylon swaggered in with a schadenfreude tone, “I tell you, Mira’s superior to you, at least he knows to cherish a partner.”

Horace sneered, “Don’t gloat here, I heard the impostor also bore two Phoenix Eggs.”

In truth, he wasn’t sure if Luna Sutton bore Phoenix Eggs, but he used it to gag the old fellow.

Don’t laugh at others without reflecting on your own son’s virtue, six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Don’t think he didn’t know, Soren Phoenix also went to the Lower Domain, ranking after Mira as the impostor’s seventh.

Xylon’s face changed at this, but quickly returned to his schadenfreude expression, “So what, at least our Phoenix Clan doesn’t struggle with offspring like your Dragon Clan.”

Even if she bore them, he wouldn’t acknowledge them, just a pair of wild phoenixes.

As for that wretched Soren, if he dares, let him stay in the Lower Domain forever.

At worst, start a new line.

Ruby is about to give birth, once the Phoenix Egg is laid, if a male and promising, they will foster him well.

In the Beast Realm, females are precious, but only for ordinary Beastmen.

For top-tier, powerful Beastmen like them, a lack of females is never a concern.

Many females seek powerful mates, especially from middle and small tribe leaders offering daughters for protection.

Ruby was indeed beautiful and charming, sweet-tongued, very much to his liking.

She was the Peacock Tribe leader’s daughter, sent by his father to Xylon’s side, aiming for the Phoenix Clan’s protection.

Far in the Lower Domain, Soren, unaware his father had abandoned him, started anew, was carefully incubating the egg in the house.

Pouring Spiritual Liquid over it from time to time.

Luna remained ignorant of what transpired in Aetheria, focusing on recuperation.

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