**Chapter 2: Countless Crimes**
The Lunar Empress looked coldly at the Northern Empress, her voice icy. "You cannot kill him!"
A single statement caused an uproar.
"What does the Lunar Empress mean by this? Does she truly intend to defy the heavens and save the Netherworld Demon Emperor?"
"The Demon Emperor has brought calamity to the world, deserving death by everyone's hand. If the Lunar Empress really wants to save him, she will be opposing the entire cultivation world!"
"No matter how strong she is, can the Lunar Empress really stand against the entire cultivation world?"
Some cultivators began to denounce the Lunar Empress.
It took an elder cultivator to intervene, shouting, "Everyone, calm down! Do not be hasty in your judgment."
"Remember, the Execution Immortal Array was set up by the combined efforts of the Seven Empresses. If the Lunar Empress wanted to save the Demon Emperor, why would she join forces with the other six?"
"Do not speak carelessly and dishonor the Lunar Empress."
Hearing this, everyone felt a sense of shame.
The Lunar Empress had contributed greatly to this siege against the Netherworld Demon Emperor.
They were too quick to condemn her.
However, the Lunar Empress paid no heed to these accusations.
Her gaze remained fixed on Xiao Fan.
Her eyes were icy, her face expressionless, but her killing intent was palpable and rising.
The Lunar Empress's killing intent was even greater than that of the Northern Empress.
The Northern Empress noticed this too.
It seemed she had overthought the Lunar Empress's intentions.
For the Lunar Empress harbored a hatred for Xiao Fan that was no less than her own.
Looking down at the pale, trembling Xiao Fan, the Lunar Empress spoke with venom. "Xiao Fan, years ago, you were gravely injured. I kindly took you in and cared for you, but you coveted the power of my lunar energy. Pretending to be my master, you imprisoned me, killed my parents, and slaughtered my entire village of 175 people!"
"Today, you will die!"
"But rest assured, I will not let you die easily. I will cut you to pieces to avenge my pain!"
As the Lunar Empress finished speaking, the crowd erupted in renewed denunciations of the Netherworld Demon Emperor.
"To think the Lunar Empress also suffered at the hands of the Demon Emperor!"
"The Demon Emperor, a fiend with no equal, has committed unspeakable atrocities!"
"The Demon Emperor's sins are too numerous to count. He deserves death by everyone's hand!"
"This is likely just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows how many others have suffered because of the Demon Emperor?"
"I never imagined the Lunar Empress had such a history with the Demon Emperor. Does this mean she and the Northern Empress are fellow disciples?"
The Northern Empress looked slightly surprised at the Lunar Empress.
By this logic, the Lunar Empress should be her junior sister.
But she had long since disowned Xiao Fan as her master.
Still, the desire to kill Xiao Fan was mutual.
Recalling the Lunar Empress's grievances, she didn't mind letting her cut Xiao Fan to pieces first before finally ending him herself.
Inside the Primordial Imperial City, Xiao Fan sat slumped on the holy altar.
Facing his former disciples' accusations, Xiao Fan showed no fear or plea, his expression calm.
Even knowing he would be cut to pieces, he remained composed.
Struggling to maintain his weak body, Xiao Fan looked up at his former disciples.
They were now exalted, formidable Empresses.
They no longer needed his protection.
Xiao Fan's eyes were filled with paternal affection, a genuine smile on his lips.
He could finally leave in peace.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
His life force rapidly declined...
Seeing Xiao Fan choosing to end his own life, the Lunar Empress, who wanted to cut him to pieces, and the Northern Empress, who wanted to personally end him, both fell silent.
Very well, for the sake of their former master-disciple bond, they would allow him this dignified death.
Later, they would bring his body to the graves of their parents and those innocents he had slain.
Let his corpse forever kneel before their graves in penance!
However, not everyone wished to see Xiao Fan die with dignity.
Boom—
The void suddenly trembled.
"Hahaha... What a touching scene of a master and his filial disciples!"
With this mocking laugh, a stunning woman appeared before everyone.
"That's... the Jade Pool Empress! The ruler of the Celestial Court!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, recognizing the woman.
Every Empress had countless followers, and where there were people, there was competition.
Among the Seven Empresses, the ranking varied, but the top position was undisputed.
In beauty, talent, and cultivation, the Jade Pool Empress was the unrivaled first.
Seeing this legendary Empress, some young cultivators felt they might faint from excitement.
Though the Northern Empress and Lunar Empress were peerless beauties, they were slightly inferior before the Jade Pool Empress.
Moreover, the Jade Pool Empress was the ruler of the Celestial Court, commanding all realms, her status unparalleled.
The faces of the Northern Empress and the Lunar Empress darkened.
It wasn't that they felt inferior, but the Jade Pool Empress's mockery of their filial master-disciple bond was a grave insult.
However, the Jade Pool Empress ignored their displeasure.
Her eyes were icy as she looked down at Xiao Fan. "You wish to die? It won't be that easy!"
With that, the Jade Pool Empress sent a burst of true energy into Xiao Fan, halting his rapid decline.
But she was not saving him, merely keeping him on the brink of death.
Once this energy dissipated, Xiao Fan would be utterly destroyed.
After this, the Jade Pool Empress spoke, her voice thunderous. "Xiao Fan, when you killed my husband to gain favor with my father in the Celestial Court, did you ever think this day would come?"
"Xiao Fan, when you manipulated my father to force me to become your disciple for your own gain, did you ever think this day would come?"
"Xiao Fan, when you betrayed and killed my father to ascend to the Heavenly Emperor's throne, did you ever think this day would come?"
The Jade Pool Empress recounted Xiao Fan's crimes, each word dripping with venom.
Her fury, repressed for too long, erupted like a volcano, uncaring of her exalted status.
Everyone could feel her overwhelming rage.
The crowd remained silent, afraid to provoke her wrath.
As the Jade Pool Empress denounced Xiao Fan's crimes, the truth of the Celestial Court's past upheaval became clearer.
There had long been rumors that the former Heavenly Emperor was killed by the Netherworld Demon Emperor. Now, it was confirmed.
What shocked everyone more was that the Jade Pool Empress had also been Xiao Fan's disciple!
And that she had once had a husband!
This revelation left her devotees feeling as if their world was collapsing.