Fu Ling refused to listen to Jin Yao’s pleas. Growing up in the demon clan, she had harbored a deep-seated bias against the immortals. After her mother died at the hands of the immortals, her resentment solidified into hatred. If Jin Yao weren’t her only remaining family, she would never have stayed among the immortals for so long. She had waited patiently for Jin Yao to avenge Lady Zhao Hui, but even after eight centuries at the helm of the Heavenly Palace, Jin Yao had remained silent on the matter and even extended kindness to the likes of Yu Feng and the others.
Now that she was older and understood that her inner demonic power had been suppressed, Fu Ling’s desire for revenge became irrepressible. She no longer wished to be a mere Lady of Immortals with little power. Tian Yu had promised to break the seal on her immortal powers, remove her immortal core, and allow her to rebuild her demonic form. The day she achieved godhood herself, she would avenge her mother with her own hands.
Fu Ling returned to the Heavenly Palace to retrieve Lady Zhao Hui’s keepsake, the Cloudfire Arrow, but Jin Yao sensed her departure. He had chased her to this spot, and if not for Tian Yu’s intervention, her father would already have dragged her back to the Heavenly Palace.
“You ungrateful child, you dare speak such insolence!” Jin Yao’s voice was filled with grief and fury as he shouted, “If you choose to follow Cold Spring Palace today, then I no longer have a daughter!”
For years, peace had existed between the immortals and demons, each respecting the other’s domains. However, Cold Spring Palace was notorious for ruthless, unscrupulous methods, hated throughout the three realms. If it weren’t for Tian Yu’s own power, the demon fox clan would have long since eradicated his palace.
“If you had abandoned your position in the Heavenly Palace and taken Mother into hiding, would I have ever lost her?” Fu Ling’s voice was cold, her years of accumulated hatred outweighing everything else. “I’ve already lost my mother. If I lose you as my father, what difference does it make?”
Without another word, she drew the Cloudfire Arrow from her back and pointed it toward the heavens.
“I, Fu Ling, swear today that I will one day make all the immortals in the Heavenly Palace pay for my mother’s life! From this moment, I belong to the demon clan, and I have no further connection to you, Jin Yao!”
Fierce demonic flames ignited around the Cloudfire Arrow, illuminating the summit of Purple Moon Mountain.
Jin Yao’s lips trembled in rage, and the veins in his hand bulged as he gripped his great celestial sword. Infused with his mounting fury, the sword crackled with divine power. The barrier of Purple Moon Mountain rippled with purple lightning, sending out warnings to repel intruders.
Seeing the barrier agitated, Tian Yu felt a shiver down his spine. While Jin Yao might be unaware, Tian Yu knew full well that Tian Qi was currently in seclusion on Purple Moon Mountain. Should Jin Yao’s actions disrupt Tian Qi’s retreat, the Cold Spring Palace would suffer the consequences.
With a shiver of apprehension, Tian Yu stepped forward to shield Fu Ling and spoke sternly, “Lord Jin Yao, Lady Fu Ling has severed her ties to you as her father, and from now on, she is under my protection. If you have any grievances, bring them to my Cold Spring Palace! As for Purple Moon Mountain, I will not fight you here!” With that, he seized Fu Ling’s hand and began to fly toward the Third Heaven.
The divine power in Jin Yao’s giant blade surged forward to intercept them, forcing Tian Yu back three steps. Fu Ling, unable to withstand the intense force, turned pale.
Face taut with fury, Jin Yao blocked their path, his grip firm on the giant sword. “Tian Yu, I forbid you from taking my daughter today!”
He knew Tian Yu’s character all too well, and with Fu Ling’s extreme and isolated temperament, releasing her demonic energy within Cold Spring Palace would trap her in a cycle of darkness for the rest of her life. Jin Yao had only one daughter, and he would never let her go with Tian Yu.
“Tian Yu!” Jin Yao growled. “Don’t think that I fear you just because I’ve shown restraint!” Filled with rage, he raised his hand, summoning his Green Jade Divine Halberd. He pushed Fu Ling back and faced Jin Yao.
“You trespass on the sacred grounds of the demon clan and disrupt a True God’s seclusion. If I kill you here on Purple Moon Mountain, the immortals will have no grounds to protest!”
Jin Yao didn’t care for Tian Yu’s words at this point. Even if he could hear them, not even Tian Qi’s appearance would make him reconsider his resolve. He would not let Fu Ling remove her immortal core and turn fully demon.
With a cold gleam in his eyes, Jin Yao swung the mighty sword, which clashed fiercely against the Green Jade Divine Halberd. The clash between two semi-divine weapons in the sky over Purple Moon Mountain created a deafening boom, the power shaking the mountain’s protective barrier and triggering alarm sounds throughout.
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