Yao Guang's pleas and cries echoed in Chu Yang's ears.
Yet, his expression remained as cold as ever, without the slightest hint of emotion. He simply watched the scene unfold with indifference.
Unmoved.
But only he knew how deeply it pained him, like a knife cutting through his heart.
Knowing that such a pure woman had to endure such pain and suffering, how could he not feel heartache? However, Chu Yang understood that if he didn't harden his heart now and let her know the truth about the massacre, it would only cause her more pain.
She would live the rest of her life in endless pain and guilt.
With a slight sigh in his heart, Chu Yang finally averted his gaze.
He no longer watched the woman he cared for, fearing that if he did, he would soften and relent.
So, Chu Yang turned and left the Sun God Star, ignoring Yao Guang's desperate pleas and cries.
It was as if he truly had a heart of stone.
Seeing Chu Yang's departing figure, Yao Guang could no longer hold back. Tears flowed uncontrollably as she sank into deep despair.
She knew that man had completely changed.
His heart had turned so cold.
After leaving the Sun God Star, Chu Yang's cold demeanor vanished, and his eyes showed traces of emotion.
He couldn't help but glance back at the Sun God Star, where he could still faintly hear the pitiful woman's cries and pleas.
His star-like eyes glistened with tears.
Chu Yang's heart was filled with immense pain.
Outside the Heavenly Emperor's domain.
The cultivators present had expressions full of oppression. Seeing the look on the Emperor's face, they felt deep despair and pain.
Everyone knew the torment the Emperor must have felt when he did all this.
Each person fell into a long silence.
What the Emperor bore, all he endured, moved them deeply and left them unsure how to judge it.
So, there was nothing but endless silence.
After a long time.
A cultivator sneered, "Ha, so this is the truth behind the so-called massacre by the Emperor!"
"This is the truth that the human race cursed the Emperor for over a thousand years, how ridiculous!"
Many cultivators started to speak with sarcasm.
They ridiculed the ignorance of the human race, how a ruler who devoted himself to the human race, thinking of them all the time, ended up in such a pitiful state.
Betrayed and cursed by those he protected at all costs, he became a target of scorn, bearing eternal infamy.
Those human cultivators who once swore that the Emperor was a ruthless slaughterer, devoid of humanity, now had complex expressions on their faces.
Even they couldn't believe how things had turned out.
Who would have thought that such a seemingly irrefutable story, passed down in the mortal world, hid so many secrets?
And the truth was even more incredible and hard to believe.
Their hearts were filled with endless guilt.
Guilt towards the Emperor, and even more towards the Human Emperor.
Ye Fan also noticed the change in everyone's expressions and the potential for Empress Yao Guang to revolt.
He felt anxious and quickly said, "Although the massacre by the Emperor was a huge misunderstanding, don't forget that later, the Emperor indeed abandoned the human race."
"When the human race faced life and death crises, he, as the Human Emperor, ignored the endless calls of his people, never showing up to save them!"
"Such a person, how could he deserve the title of Emperor, or the Human Emperor?"
However, the words that usually worked so well now seemed somewhat hollow.
The surrounding cultivators, hearing Ye Fan's words, secretly curled their lips.
They knew the Emperor had done enough for the human race in his lifetime.
Whether it was preaching the Dao to the human race, bestowing the divine sound of the Great Dao, or placing the supreme immortal weapon to safeguard the Dragon Veins of the Nine Provinces, ensuring the eternal prosperity of the human race, the Emperor had already done everything with utmost benevolence and righteousness.
Moreover, after achieving the status of Great Emperor, the Emperor continued to guard the mortal world.
During that time, he endured immense loneliness, with no one to confide in.
What was the purpose of the Emperor's actions? What was he striving for? If not for the sake of protecting the human race, why would he suffer through all this?
Yet now, the very human race he guarded, because of a misunderstanding, had cursed and betrayed him for a thousand years.
Even those cultivators who bore grudges against the Emperor found this difficult to watch.
If they had experienced what the Emperor had, they would likely have carried out a true massacre, bathing the mortal world in blood.
But the Emperor did not. Even burdened with infamy, he silently bore it alone, not bothering with the mortals.
Refraining from striking against the human race was the greatest mercy the Emperor showed them.
How could they shamelessly criticize the Emperor for not acting, for not protecting the human race in times of crisis?
Indeed, the Emperor's path of cultivation was through humanity, but he owed nothing to the human race.
On the contrary, the human race owed him far too much over the years.
To be blamed and cursed just for not saving the human race?
Moreover, to protect Empress Yao Guang's soul from being destroyed by the Sun God Fire, the Emperor sacrificed ninety percent of his Great Emperor's Dao Fruit.
The Emperor's current strength was less than a tenth of his former power. Even if he wanted to help the human race during a crisis, he no longer had the strength.
However, the Heaven Punishing Alliance still held a dominant position, with Ye Fan as its leader.
No matter how displeased the cultivators felt, they wouldn't dare offend him.
Some of Ye Fan's loyal supporters even began to fan the flames.
They accused the Emperor, as the Human Emperor, of being too narrow-minded to hold a grudge against the human race over a misunderstanding.
After all, the human race once adored the Human Emperor, yet he could heartlessly ignore them.
The misunderstanding arose mainly because the Empress, during her massacre, had taken on the Emperor's appearance, leading to the confusion.
In truth, it wasn't entirely the human race's fault.
They were just mortals, after all!
Ye Fan's words shifted the narrative again, causing many cultivators to despise the Emperor, seeing him as too narrow-minded.
In the hearts of the cultivators, the Emperor was still seen as the apocalyptic demon. Despite his recent actions being right, Ye Fan's influence led them to view everything with a biased perspective.
Ye Fan felt slightly relieved as the situation stabilized.
Now he just hoped that Empress Yao Guang wouldn't, like Emperor Chu before her, disregard the bigger picture and cause a massive uproar.