How did the young Emperor manage to escape with his sister from such a fierce beast? This was the question on every cultivator's mind, as they watched with great curiosity and confusion.
...
At that moment, Chu Yang himself was filled with fear. He had no confidence in finding a way to survive this encounter with the fierce leopard.
But when he saw Chu Nan-Nan's clear, bright eyes, the fear in his heart miraculously lessened.
He was her brother; he had to protect his sister.
Chu Yang's gaze became resolute, a determination that mirrored the unyielding Emperor he would become in countless years.
Swish! The leopard moved with incredible speed, its sharp fangs aimed directly at Chu Yang.
Chu Yang barely had time to react, quickly dodging to the side and thrusting his wooden sword at the leopard's belly.
It struck! Chu Yang was overjoyed, but his happiness quickly faded.
The wooden sword's damage was too low. Even though he hit his mark, it didn't cause any significant harm to the leopard.
Roar! The leopard became enraged, launching a more ferocious attack on Chu Yang.
Chu Yang was forced into a desperate struggle, realizing he stood no chance of injuring the beast. Continuing like this meant certain death.
After narrowly avoiding another lethal strike from the leopard, Chu Yang turned and ran for his life.
The cultivators outside the Heavenly Emperor's Mirror felt a dark satisfaction watching this scene.
Who was the Emperor? The strongest being in the Three Realms, someone whose mere presence could suffocate them, now struggling so desperately against a leopard.
"It's a pity the Emperor didn't die at the hands of this leopard; it would have spared us from the rise of a future tyrant," Ye Fan sighed, his face full of regret.
Chu Nan-Nan felt a pang of discomfort, but then she remembered that Chu Yang had later tried to kill her for the supreme bone in her body. Her gaze turned cold again.
...
How could an ordinary person outrun a leopard? Especially a seven-year-old child? It was impossible.
Chu Yang was frantic as the leopard closed in. He couldn't fight it, and he couldn't outrun it. What was he to do?
The leopard seemed to realize that the swaddled Chu Nan-Nan was the key and began focusing its attacks on the baby.
Chu Yang was furious. No one could harm his sister.
No one!
An overwhelming rage surged within Chu Yang, and he thrust his wooden sword at the leopard with all his might. This strike seemed faster than before.
An invisible sword intent burst from the wooden sword, instantly obliterating the leopard!
Sword intent!
It was sword intent! The cultivators outside the Heavenly Emperor's Mirror were all in shock.
What was sword intent?
It was a skill only attainable by geniuses in swordsmanship, usually requiring mastery of the sword to comprehend sword intent!
How could the Emperor, without guidance and at the age of seven, with no exposure to cultivation, possess sword intent?
"Wait, if the Emperor had such terrifying sword intent, his talent in swordsmanship must have been extraordinary. But why did the Emperor never use a sword later on?" Ye Fan was perplexed.
With such talent in swordsmanship, the Emperor should have been able to achieve greatness through the sword, yet he never wielded one! Nie Fengyun sighed heavily and said slowly, "The Emperor's talent in swordsmanship was indeed immense. However, later on, his invincible sword heart... collapsed!"
A collapsed sword heart!
...
Chu Yang panted heavily for a while, feeling a mix of excitement and fear. After several days, Chu Yang finally saw a village.
Where there is a village, there must be people. Chu Yang was overjoyed; no matter what, he couldn't let his sister continue to suffer with him.
Chu Yang approached a household, and after learning about his situation, the villagers' expressions remained indifferent.
Chu Yang pleaded, "Uncle, can you adopt my sister?"
The middle-aged man frowned and pointed at Chu Nan-Nan, saying, "In your situation, it is indeed hard to survive with your sister. Abandoning her might be your best chance. But why should I adopt her?"
The woman beside him nodded, "We are not wealthy and have children of our own to care for. We don't have the resources to adopt your sister."
Chu Yang quickly said, "I am not abandoning my sister. I just don't want her to suffer with me..."
"I can work. Uncle, I can do any dirty or hard work. As long as you agree to adopt my sister."
The woman wanted to refuse again, but the middle-aged man spoke, "I have many fields that need to be farmed. If you can take care of them, I will agree."
Chu Yang's eyes lit up, and he agreed without hesitation.
For more than a month, Chu Yang worked tirelessly in the fields, from dawn to dusk.
Whenever he thought of his sister not having to suffer, Chu Yang didn't feel tired.
Finally, Chu Yang completed all the tasks assigned by the man.
The man did keep his promise and agreed to adopt Nan-Nan.
Chu Yang smiled, seeing his sister's better life. With no more worries, he decided to leave.
...
Outside the Heavenly Emperor's Mirror.
"Heh, who would have thought the Emperor, even at such a young age, would be so cunning. Clearly abandoning Chu Nan-Nan, yet making it sound so righteous!" Ye Fan sneered.
The surrounding cultivators echoed the sentiment, wondering how the Emperor could have abandoned Chu Nan-Nan when she was less than a year old.
Criticism of Chu Yang erupted.
...
Chu Yang always felt uneasy about Nan-Nan. Every so often, he would sneak back to the household to check on her from a distance.
But this time, he overheard something he couldn't accept.
The woman said, "This year's locust plague has severely reduced our grain harvest. We don't have enough to eat."
The man glanced at his chubby son, who kept complaining about hunger, and took a deep breath, "If it comes to that, we should kill the baby and preserve her body. If things get really desperate, we can..."
Chu Yang, hiding behind the wall, felt his eyes turn red with rage.
Kill Nan-Nan and eat her?! The ugliness of human nature almost drove Chu Yang mad. To him, Nan-Nan's life was more important than his own.
He would never allow anyone to harm his sister! Chu Yang burst into the house.
Screams filled the air, but after a brief moment, the sounds ceased. A blood-soaked boy slowly emerged, holding a swaddled infant in his arms.
The cruelty of human nature left Chu Yang in deep despair. He couldn't easily trust others anymore, fearing what might happen if he wasn't there to protect Nan-Nan.
Chu Yang dared not think about it.
The evils of humanity, at times, were more terrifying than fierce beasts.