Even ordinary cultivators had deduced the relationship between the Northern Empress and Leng Feng. Naturally, the Lunar Empress and the Jade Pool Empress were also aware of this connection.
The Jade Pool Empress looked disdainfully at the Northern Empress as she meditated and healed.
As the daughter of the former Heavenly Emperor, she held an exalted status.
A beast's daughter, sharing the title of the Seven Empresses with her? Ridiculous.
The Lunar Empress's expression was cold as she looked at the Northern Empress.
Xiao Fan deserved to die, but Leng Feng even more so!
If Leng Feng hadn't appeared and altered Xiao Fan's fate, perhaps none of the subsequent tragedies would have occurred.
Her parents and the 175 villagers wouldn't have died at Xiao Fan's hands!
In the sky above the Primordial Imperial City, the aura of five imperial-level beings pulsated, radiating hostility towards the Northern Empress.
The other five Empresses, though unseen, were clearly paying attention to the scenes shown in the Haotian Mirror.
In their view, both Leng Feng and Xiao Fan deserved to die!
Especially Leng Feng, the instigator of all the evil!
He had led Xiao Fan down the path of darkness, transforming him into the Netherworld Demon Emperor.
Though Leng Feng was long dead and beyond retribution, their anger found an outlet in the Northern Empress.
The atmosphere grew tense, making the surrounding cultivators anxious, fearing the Empresses might start fighting.
An imperial-level battle would be catastrophic for everyone present.
Fortunately, such a scenario didn't unfold.
Although the Northern Empress was Leng Feng's daughter, she clearly had no knowledge of her father's deeds. To blame her for Leng Feng's sins would make them no different from the Netherworld Demon Emperor.
So, despite their anger, they didn't act against her.
At that moment, new scenes began to appear in the Haotian Mirror.
Young Xiao Fan awoke from his deep sleep, finally roused from his exhaustion.
The cultivators quickly focused on the mirror. Their primary goal was to discover how the Netherworld Demon Emperor rose from an ordinary mortal to a feared figure in the cultivation world.
Now, having suffered such a great tragedy, Xiao Fan would surely encounter opportunities that would lead him down the path of cultivation.
They couldn't miss any crucial scenes.
In the Haotian Mirror, young Xiao Fan opened his bleary eyes, finding himself in an iron cage.
He jolted awake, fearing Leng Feng had captured him.
However, as he looked around, he realized he wasn't alone. The cage contained several other children, some crying, some silent.
Boys and girls, the oldest perhaps eleven or twelve, the youngest only four or five.
Though Xiao Fan was just eight, he had grown up in a wealthy family and read many books. His mother often spoke of the world's hardships.
He quickly assessed his situation.
He had been captured by traffickers.
He cursed himself for not heeding his mother's warnings.
She had always cautioned him about the dangers of the world, urging him never to venture out alone.
Yet, he had fallen asleep in a thatched hut, unguarded, and now he was caught.
Thinking of his mother, Xiao Fan's heart ached. She was likely dead at Leng Feng's hands.
Resolving to survive and avenge his parents, he observed his surroundings.
The cage was on a cart, guarded by several men. Escape seemed impossible.
He whispered to the older children in the cage, seeking information.
As expected, they were all victims of traffickers, either sold or kidnapped like him.
No one knew where they were being taken.
Unable to escape, Xiao Fan decided to bide his time.
After two months of grueling travel in the iron cage, they finally arrived at their destination.
The number of children in the cage had grown to over twenty.
The cart stopped at the foot of a mountain, where Xiao Fan noticed many other traffickers with children.
In total, there were several hundred children.
At that moment, a few youths in Daoist robes approached the traffickers, exchanged words and items, and the traffickers left, grateful and kowtowing.
Xiao Fan watched curiously, wondering who these Daoist-robed youths were.
Outside the Haotian Mirror, an elderly man among the crowd suddenly shouted excitedly, "Qingyun Sect! Those youths are wearing Qingyun Sect robes!"
The old man, with white hair and a frail body, seemed near death. His eyes filled with tears as he gazed at the scenes in the mirror.
The onlookers exchanged puzzled glances, unsure why the old man was so agitated.
Then someone sighed, "I know him. He's the son of the former leader of Qingyun Sect. The sect was slaughtered by the Netherworld Demon Emperor a thousand years ago, leaving only him because he was away."
"Now I understand."
The crowd felt sympathy for the old man, knowing he was a victim of the Netherworld Demon Emperor's atrocities.
Seeing his former sect again would naturally be emotional.
Another victim of the Netherworld Demon Emperor's cruelty.
The demon had caused unimaginable suffering and deserved universal condemnation.
Seeing the Qingyun Sect disciples in the Haotian Mirror, some were angry. "So the Netherworld Demon Emperor began his cultivation journey in Qingyun Sect, only to repay them with slaughter!"
"Such ingratitude! He's worse than a beast!"
"Right! We were foolish to sympathize with his childhood. It's clear he was always dark-hearted, just hiding it."
"Exactly! Feeling sorry for him was the dumbest thing we've ever done!"
The crowd's anger grew, cursing the Netherworld Demon Emperor for his countless sins.
Seeing the Qingyun Sect disciples in the Haotian Mirror, they assumed the sect had rescued the children and led Xiao Fan into cultivation.
They couldn't foresee the tragic end, with Xiao Fan repaying their kindness with a massacre.