However, Yuehua showed no fear, her eyes filled with madness as she declared, "Teach me a lesson? On what grounds! You claim to be my great-grandmother, but why have I never met you!"
Feng Lixi was speechless.
When Yuehua was lost, she had been refining the Heaven-Mending Five-Colored Stone, a process that took fifty years, leaving her no time to search for Yuehua.
By the time the Heaven-Mending Five-Colored Stone was completed, Yuehua had already been a demon for ten years.
Upon hearing this, Feng Lixi rushed over without delay, leading to the scene before them.
"Yuehua, it is my fault. Your mother entrusted you to me, and I failed to protect you. But you, as a guardian of our clan, succumbed to emotion and became a demon, slaughtering the innocent. You have committed an unforgivable sin."
"Now, I shall disperse your demonic nature and cast you into the Underworld to reflect!"
After speaking, Feng Lixi bound Yuehua to the ground and quickly formed hand seals.
The seals were completed in an instant and were directed towards Yuehua.
"No!"
Chi Mingyan roared, instantly breaking free from his restraints and shielding Yuehua.
At almost the same moment, the seal struck Chi Mingyan.
How could a cultivator of Chi Mingyan's low level withstand Feng Lixi's attack?
*Pfft...*
Blood spurted, and Chi Mingyan's body collided with Yuehua's before he slid powerlessly to the ground.
"No..."
Seizing Feng Lixi's momentary shock, Yuehua broke free from her restraints and caught the dying Chi Mingyan.
"Chi Mingyan, are you stupid! Why did you rush forward? Why did you rush forward!"
Her hands trembled as she cupped Chi Mingyan's face, a single, crystalline tear rolling down her cheek.
"Yuehua, it is all my fault! Because of me, you became a demon and committed such a great sin. Therefore, it is only right that I bear the consequences."
As Chi Mingyan spoke, he reached out to wipe the tear from Yuehua's eye.
"Yuehua, I am sorry. I have failed your deep affection. It is all my fault. I beg you to spare those innocent people!"
Yuehua nodded through her tears.
Over the years, though she had tormented Chi Mingyan, her feelings for him had never diminished.
The pain of loving and hating, only she could understand its flavor.
"Yuehua, take good care of our daughter. In the next life, in the next life, I... will never... fail you again..."
With that, Chi Mingyan slowly closed his eyes.
"Chi Lang..."
Yuehua's heartbroken cry erupted over Chanxin City.
Love clearly remained, yet why was this the outcome?
"Mother!"
Yue Wu Mei threw herself onto Yuehua, trying to soothe her sorrow with her embrace.
However, emotional wounds were not so easily healed.
"Wu Mei, I hated your father for half my life, but in the end, I discovered that hatred is insignificant compared to love. I am sorry, Wu Mei, and I do not want you to walk the same path of no return as I have."
Yuehua spoke as she affectionately stroked Yue Wu Mei's head. Su Dan Novel Network
"Wu Mei, although you are grown, you do not understand the wickedness of the human heart. Therefore, Mother will give you a treasure."
As she spoke, a drop of bright red tear appeared in her hand.
"Wu Mei, this item is called the Other Shore Tear. I refined it with tears of emotion as the guide, gathering the dew from the flowers on the banks of the Yellow Springs, and using Meng Po's soup as the medicine. It is a supreme treasure for healing."
"Now, I shall use it..."
Here, Yuehua dipped a finger in her own tear and dripped it onto the Other Shore Tear.
Immediately, the Other Shore Tear emitted a brilliant light, enveloping Yue Wu Mei.
"Mother!"
Yue Wu Mei cried out in alarm.
"Wu Mei, do not be afraid! I am now sealing you with the Other Shore Tear. When the day comes that you meet someone who truly loves you, their tear of true love will naturally break the seal for you."
As Yuehua's voice faded, Yue Wu Mei's body was encased in a colossal cocoon.
The cocoon was transparent, revealing Yue Wu Mei's peerless beauty without obstruction.
"Wu Mei! Sleep!"
Yuehua finished speaking, casually grabbed the cocoon, and tossed it into the depths of Chanxin City.
Then, she approached Feng Lixi and said, "Chi Lang is dead, Wu Mei is sealed. Feng Lixi, are you satisfied now?"
"You wanted an explanation for the deceased? I have satisfied you!"
With that, Yuehua drew upon the demonic energy within her and self-destructed.
The deafening explosion shook the entire Chanxin City violently.
"City Lord!"
Throughout Chanxin City, pained cries echoed.
They were the citizens of Chanxin City, women who had been taken in by Yuehua.
In their eyes, the demonized Yuehua was not a fiend, but a god who had redeemed them.
A flicker of pain crossed Feng Lixi's eyes.
Even though she could uphold justice by punishing her kin, she could not sever the familial bond between them.
Zi Lin Ling, in her soul state, watched as the scene before her suddenly shifted.
The murky waters of the Yellow Springs, the alluring flowers of the Other Shore, just as when she and Ye Ling Yuan had arrived.
However, her resentment towards Yuehua for injuring Ye Ling Yuan had vanished without a trace.
"Grandmother!"
A trembling voice escaped from Zi Lin Ling's lips.
At this moment, she had learned Yuehua's identity and sympathized with her plight.
Perhaps it was Yuehua, suppressed beneath the Other Shore flowers, who heard her call.
Consequently, those Other Shore flowers became even more alluring.
...
In the Witch's Tingxue Tower, Ye Ling Yuan suddenly noticed a single tear of awakening appear at the corner of the unconscious Zi Lin Ling's eye.
"Lin'er! Are you waking up?" Ye Ling Yuan exclaimed excitedly.
Of course, Zi Lin Ling did not respond.
Ye Ling Yuan meticulously examined Zi Lin Ling, a look of disappointment appearing in his eyes.
With a flash, he appeared outside the Witch's Tingxue Tower.
Carrying "Chong'er" on his back, Ye Ling Yuan continued his journey along the desolate street.
Soon, the words "City Lord's Mansion" appeared in his sight.
Before the City Lord's Mansion stood a lifelike statue.
Ye Ling Yuan was astonished as he looked at the statue.
For the person depicted in the statue was Yuehua, whom he had encountered in the eighth level of the Ghost Altar.
"Enter!"
A voice emanated from the City Lord's Mansion.
Ye Ling Yuan was greatly alarmed. He had not expected anyone to still be in this ancient Chanxin City.
More terrifyingly, he had not sensed the person's presence from the very beginning.
"Who are you?"
Ye Ling Yuan asked with a frown.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt his feet involuntarily step into the City Lord's Mansion.
"Divine Lord Realm!"
Ye Ling Yuan exclaimed in shock.
The only entity capable of rendering him, a late-stage Divine King, utterly defenseless could only be a true Divine Lord.
"Enter!"
The voice from within called out again.
This time, Ye Ling Yuan detected a familiar resonance in the voice.