"Watch your words!" someone quickly reminded.
"It's a known fact that the Netherworld Demon Emperor severed the path to immortality and killed the previous Heavenly Emperor. Saying such things is akin to slapping the Empress of Jade Pool in the face!"
Upon hearing this, the person who had spoken shuddered, looking up at the sky just in time to see the Empress of Jade Pool's authoritative eyes fixed in their direction. They were so frightened they collapsed to the ground.
An elderly cultivator sighed and said, "You young ones have never experienced the reign of the Netherworld Demon Emperor. You have no idea how terrifying he was."
"After killing the previous Heavenly Emperor, the Netherworld Demon Emperor usurped the throne and ruled over all the worlds."
"He was ruthless and merciless. Any sect or cultivator that opposed his rule met with slaughter."
"Renowned sects like the Haoran Sect, Taishang Academy, and Yaoguang Holy Land, which had stood for tens of thousands of years, were annihilated because they resisted his tyrannical rule."
"To consolidate his power and prevent anyone stronger from emerging, he severed the path to immortality, making it impossible for anyone to become an immortal."
"These are all heinous crimes, each more monstrous than the last."
"If it weren't for the Empress of Jade Pool wounding the Netherworld Demon Emperor with the Haotian Mirror, reclaiming the throne, and joining forces with six other empresses to subdue him, we would still be living under his terrifying rule."
"Remember, even an ordinary mortal can lose their sanity before wealth and glory, let alone the Netherworld Demon Emperor with his boundless power."
"In the face of temptation, even the kindest person can have their inner evil awakened and their character transformed."
Many nodded in agreement after hearing the elder's words.
The kind-hearted Xiao Fan of childhood and the later infamous Netherworld Demon Emperor were two completely different people.
In the void above, the Empress of Jade Pool looked coldly at Xiao Fan, who was now as good as dead. Although Xiao Fan had indeed contributed to the recent purge of darkness, it was far from enough to atone for his past sins.
Once she found out where Xiao Fan had hidden the soul-nurturing bottle containing her husband's soul, she would not hesitate to destroy his soul completely.
The Empress of Jade Pool then activated the Haotian Mirror, continuing to extract Xiao Fan's memories.
The Haotian Mirror displayed the scene of Xiao Fan's escape from Qingyun Sect.
Empress Leng Ruoxue of the North Sea looked up at the Haotian Mirror. Although she had been meditating to heal her wounds, she had been paying attention to Xiao Fan's experiences in Qingyun Sect.
Seeing Xiao Fan endure unimaginable pain daily without forgetting his hatred resonated deeply with her.
She had once been like Xiao Fan, filled with hatred and driven by a desire for revenge. She could endure any pain for the sake of vengeance.
Fortunately, her fate was not as tragic as Xiao Fan's, and she didn't face as many hardships. She owed everything to that brother.
Thinking of him, her beautiful eyes filled with tenderness. That brother wasn't her biological brother; in fact, she didn't even know what he looked like or what his name was.
At the age of eight, after witnessing her parents being killed by Xiao Fan, she escaped, living a life of hardship and displacement.
During one such encounter with danger, almost being captured, her brother appeared.
He was a cultivator who swiftly dealt with the villains and saved her.
Knowing that Xiao Fan was a cultivator, she realized that to avenge her parents, she too needed to become a cultivator. So, she clung to him, begging to be his disciple.
Eventually, after much persistence, he began teaching her cultivation techniques, though he never formally accepted her as a disciple.
For ten years, he taught her and took care of her daily needs.
During those ten years, she fell deeply in love with him.
She had decided that after avenging her parents, she would confess her feelings and they would roam the world together as a pair of immortal lovers.
When she turned eighteen, her power had surpassed his, and it was time to seek revenge on Xiao Fan. They agreed that after she succeeded, he would remove his mask and reveal his true self to her.
However, upon her return, she found him gone. She searched everywhere but could not find him.
Later, she learned that Xiao Fan was still alive. Besides improving her skills for another attempt at revenge, her greatest wish was to find him.
This search had spanned thousands of years.
Given his cultivation level back then, he was likely no longer alive.
As she reminisced, her eyes lowered, and her expression turned sorrowful.
In the Haotian Mirror, Xiao Fan had finally returned to his hometown after many hardships.
The Empress of the North Sea was pulled back to reality, watching the mirror with a calm gaze.
Soon, Xiao Fan would encounter her younger self.
Back then, she had been mischievous and often got into trouble. During one such incident, where a group of bullies was about to teach her a lesson, Xiao Fan appeared.
Xiao Fan's effortless defeat of the bullies left a profound impact on her young mind. She insisted on becoming his disciple.
In the end, Xiao Fan reluctantly agreed.
Now, in retrospect, she wondered if that encounter had been orchestrated by Xiao Fan. Perhaps he had known her identity and planned to use her to get closer to his enemies.
Although avenging his father was justified, using a little girl was despicable.
In the Haotian Mirror, Xiao Fan looked around his long-lost hometown, feeling a bit dazed.
"Father, Mother, your son has returned."
At that moment, the distant sound of chaos caught his attention.
"You little brat, daring to mock me? Watch how I deal with you!"
"Brothers, grab him!"
A group of fierce men was chasing a child around seven or eight years old.
Seeing the child about to be caught, Xiao Fan remembered the children captured and killed by slave traders in Qingyun Sect.
His face darkened, and he strode towards them.