CHAPTER 1506 THE PAST

Darren's mind was a blank when he heard this and his body was as stiff as a board.

His breath turned sour and he felt as if he was suffocating, like a large hand was wrapped tightly

around his throat.

The woman before him was an actual member of the Chu Clan; she was his family.

Darren choked through his sobbing. It had been so many years and now he finally met one of his

closest relatives. He could not contain himself and burst into tears.

"Kid, you've really grown up."

The woman hugged Darren so warmly, as if she was holding her own child in her arms, with tears

streaming down her face.

"Aunt..." Darren said through his weeping.

They had been apart for longer than it was possible to remember and were now finally reunited. They

were both at a loss for words with tears constantly flowing down their cheeks.

It was not until several hours later that they both managed to calm themselves down and finally started

getting to know each other.

Darren's aunt was named Josie Chu. She was the cousin of his father. She had grown up together with

her cousins and they were as close as siblings.

Josie Chu also came to get an understanding of Darren's past. She learned of all the hardships he had

been through.

"Darren, you've suffered a lot these past years," Josie said gently.

"Aunt Josie, my suffering matters little. You and our other family members have suffered so much

more." Darren's eyes turned red from his sadness and he looked at his aunt. She was so gaunt and out

of shape that it made his heart ache to see her like this.

"My silly boy, I'm still alive. All I have been through has been worth it so that I may look upon you again.

I could die right now and it would be okay."

A lump formed in Darren's throat. This was all turning out to be a lot more than he expected.

"Let's talk about all that later. Did I injure you earlier? Let me treat you." Josie tried changing the topic

as soon as she could on seeing the sadness that overtook Darren's face.

"No, I'm okay. All my wounds have healed. Aunt Josie, if I may ask, what happened to you? Why did

you lose your mind like that? Is that man your husband and what's the matter with him?" Darren asked,

seriously concerned.

"Yes, he is my husband, and your uncle. We have lived here for millions of years. About tens of

thousands of years ago, we were hunted down, relentlessly, by a chief god's projection. In the end, my

husband was defeated and suppressed and turned into a living dead. I then lost all faith in martial arts

and gradually lost my mind too." Josie described the disaster they had been through as briefly and as

best she could. It pained her to recall those times.

"Ah, I see... Were you attacked by the man with the dark gold eyes?"

"Yes. Have you met him before?" Josie asked, her voice shaking with worry.

"Yes I have. In fact, he almost killed me!"

"Darren, do not let him find you again. He is the natural enemy of the entire Chu Clan. And you are a

Defiant Master, so he'll probably put even more effort into chasing you down," Josie warned, her eyes

wide and voice solemn.

"I understand, Aunt Josie. I will stay well hidden." Darren nodded in agreement, hoping her heart would

be eased with this knowledge.

"Wah-wah, wah-wah..."

The baby in Josie's arms began crying again. She quickly rocked him gently and said in a soft,

soothing voice, "Good boy, it's okay. Don't cry...

Oh, by the way, Darren, this is my son, your cousin. His name is Saul Chu." Josie smiled and raised

her head to look at Darren again.

Darren was confused. Josie's husband had been a lifeless vegetable of a body for tens of thousands of

years, how could she have a baby that was only a few months old?

Josie seemed to sense his confusion and embarrassing imagination. "I fell pregnant with him one

hundred thousand years ago, but he refused to come out my womb. I can only vaguely remember

when he was born; it was around the time when I was about to lose my mind. I can't remember what

happened after that. This little one should be at least thirty thousand years old. But he still has not

grown up. Humph!"

Time worked differently in the abyss from the outside world. One hundred thousand years was roughly

equivalent to ten thousand years on the outside.

Despite this, Darren was still confused. Even with different flows of time, how could she have been

pregnant for thousands of years? His cousin was already a few thousand years old and yet he still

looked like a baby only a few months old. Darren had never heard of such things.

"I see," Darren replied simply, although he still could not fully understand how it worked. He then swiftly

changed the topic. "Aunt Josie, what about my other uncles and my parents? Where are they? What

happened to them?"

Darren had to ask, since it was what he was dying to know the most, but he held off from asking

because he had a bad feeling about what the answer might be.

Josie froze for a moment, her haggard face laden with sadness.

"Aunt Josie, just tell me the truth. My parents are not alive, are they?" A sharp pain stung in his heart

as he said the words.

"I'm not entirely sure," she replied slowly and bitterly, shaking her head as she spoke. She continued,

"Many years ago, the remaining members of the Chu Clan entered into this abyss under the guidance

of Alfredo's soul. Content provided by .

But surviving here proved too difficult. Many races in the abyss were deadly enemies to us. They

chased us and tried to kill us every chance they got. They never let up or gave us time to rest.

We fought them in one after one battles and won again and again but in the end, we still could not

escape the relentless pursuit of the chief god's projection. It was too much for us. My five elder cousins

and cousins-in-law fought with fearsome, unwavering courage, but it was still not enough. We still

couldn't defeat the chief god's projection. They were all captured and my husband managed to save

me only. And I haven't seen them since.

With the timing in the abyss, that should have been several million years ago now. So I cannot say if

your parents are still alive."

This revelation angered Darren greatly, but there was a sliver of joy within his heart. They had been

kidnapped; they might not necessarily be dead. There was still a glimmer of hope for him.

"I see. Thank you, Aunt Josie. Whether my parents are alive or not, I will find out the truth of it and

avenge the Chu Clan!" Darren said, biting down hard.

"Don't be so impulsive, Darren. The chief god's projection is more powerful than you think. Don't be so

quick to take such big risks."

"Don't worry, Aunt Josie. I'm not a child, I know my limits and how to act within them. I can handle this."

"I suppose you're right. Forgive an old lady for her concern. You have been through so many difficulties

and come out the other side of them. I believe you're more calculated than I gave you credit for," Josie

said, sighing and nodding. Her worry seemed to fade away.

"Oh, Aunt Josie, I do have some good news to tell you," Darren said happily.

"What is it?"

"Aunt Yolanda is still alive."

"What?" Josie sprung to her feet in excitement and asked, "Yolanda Leng? Alfredo's wife? She's alive?"

"Yes," Darren nodded, happy that he could bring her some joy.

"She is still alive. God bless her. Alfredo, your wife is still alive!" Josie had gotten so excitable that she

even seemed to forget the baby in her arms, which now began to cry again.

"Oh, my baby Saul, forgive me. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just so excited to hear news of your

aunt Yolanda. Shhh, don't cry..." Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she comforted her son.

The atmosphere around this reunion was now much better. Josie and Darren talked about the Chu

Clan's past, about when she and Darren's parents and uncles were spending all their time together.

Darren listened attentively and imagined the youth of a group of passionate young men and women.

He was so pulled into the stories that he laughed and cried along with Josie.

He stayed for ten days, by which time all the stories of old had been told.

Darren called Elsa and Jenifer over and introduced them to Josie. It was now a small scale family

gathering.

"Does Darren treat you well, Elsa?

And Jenifer, I do hope Xavier does not mistreat you? He does seem so cold,"

Josie said, smiling and jesting while looking at Elsa and Jenifer tenderly.

"Aunt Josie, he bullies me all day. Please help me punish him for all he has done," Elsa said,

pretending to wipe her tears.

"Xavier is the same, Aunt Josie. He doesn't care about me at all," Jenifer jokingly complained as well.

"Humph, it seems that the two of you need to be beaten. How dare you bully my sweet, obedient

nieces-in-law?"

"I apologize, Aunt Josie. I was out of line," Darren chuckled, hiding himself behind his arms.

The Rule Soul Avatar however, was statuesque and replied seriously with a deadpan face, "Aunt Josie,

I was out of line too."

"Puff!" His blank expression was too much for everyone and they all burst into laughter. He was really

poor at expressing any sort of emotion.

This reunion had turned into a truly joyous occasion.