Immortal Brew Tower.
Seventh Layer.
A voluptuous, stunning woman stood before the window. She looked rather calm and elegant, yet there was a faintly grotesque smile on her face.
"Here he comes."
She parted her lips slightly, but what came out was the voice of a refined, gentle man—this voice was actually that of Chen Qingmo, Sect Leader of Zhenyang Sect!
All of a sudden, a black soul-shade that ordinary Cultivators could hardly perceive flew in from afar. Chen Qingmo slowly lifted his hand, and that black soul-shade flew into his palm.
The soul-shade howled at Chen Qingmo, revealing a face—it was none other than Cheng Qingyu, who had died several two-hours earlier on Cyan Lotus Mountain.
Cheng Qingyu had only a single wisp of Residual Soul left, cold to the extreme, steeped in yin. Her mind was already incomplete. Seeming to sense the familiar aura on Chen Qingmo's body, the Residual Soul screamed madly. One could vaguely hear that shrill voice:
"Father! Avenge me!!"
Chen Qingmo smiled faintly. "Good thing I planted the Soul-Binding Technique in your body. Otherwise, the moment you died, my plan would have fallen apart. Only four daughters—far too few."
"Father! W-what are you saying?!"
Cheng Qingyu's Residual Soul kept shrieking. Chen Qingmo swept his left hand across her soul, sealing her voice, then stowed her away into a black bottle.
"Qing Yun, just wait a little. Once tomorrow has passed, you'll be able to join your three sisters and become a part of your father forever. That is your honor as well."
Chen Qingmo's face was lit with a joyous smile. "Five hundred years of waiting—finally, the day has come!"
Just then, a black shadow flew in from the horizon, stopped before the window, and spoke to Chen Qingmo in panic:
"Husband, hurry and save our daughter!"
Black Phoenix's eyes were bloodshot, her face streaked with tears. On Zhenyang Mountain she had engaged in Magical Combat against Tantai Mingyue and the other two, only to witness her daughter swallowed by Liu Su's black hole.
She immediately abandoned Tantai Mingyue and the other two, flying toward Cyan Lotus Mountain, but halfway there she sensed Cheng Qingyu's death.
Then she saw Cheng Qingyu's Residual Soul being swept away at high speed. Black Phoenix recognized the Soul-Binding Technique; she knew this Evil Technique would condemn its target's soul to never reincarnate through all eternity after death.
Unless the caster lifted the binding.
Thus Black Phoenix chased her daughter's Residual Soul all the way to Immortal Brew Tower, only to discover that the one who had bound her daughter's soul was actually Chen Qingmo!
Black Phoenix knew about Chen Qingmo's plan to disguise himself as Wei Ying. Now, hovering outside Immortal Brew Tower, face awash with tears, she begged bitterly:
"Husband, why did you use an Evil Technique on Qing Yun? She is our daughter! Aren't you trying to seize the Soul Supplement Seal? I beg you, save her!"
"Huang'Er, don't panic. Come inside first."
Chen Qingmo raised his hand and opened the Array outside Immortal Brew Tower. Black Phoenix flew into the room, seized his arm, and said urgently:
"Husband, where did you put Qing Yun's Residual Soul? Our daughter has never suffered torment like this since she was little. Please let her out, quickly!"
Smack!
Chen Qingmo slapped Black Phoenix across the face, sending her flying two zhang away.
Black Phoenix crashed heavily to the floor, her face swelling up. She stared at Chen Qingmo in disbelief:
"Husband? Why did you hit me?"
Chen Qingmo snorted coldly. A God-piercing Whip shot out from his hand, lashing Black Phoenix over and over, beating her until she rolled and screamed in agony:
"Ah! Husband, spare me! Ah!!"
Chen Qingmo wielded the God-piercing Whip, flogging her for the length of a full stick of incense before finally stopping. Black Phoenix's body was scored with bloody welts. She lay on the floor, barely clinging to life. With great effort, she crawled to Chen Qingmo's feet and clutched his calf:
"Husband, if you are displeased, you may beat me to death, it's no matter—but please, for the sake of all these years together, save Qing Yun!"
Chen Qingmo kicked her over and planted his shoe on her head. His refined voice turned icy:
"You're nothing but Zhu Yinrong's substitute. If Zhu Yinrong hadn't sworn to the death that she would never submit to me back then, you would never even have had the chance to be born!"
"But a substitute is, in the end, only a substitute. Even the daughters you give birth to are this weak, killed so easily!"
"Mother and daughter, both useless trash!"
"Tantai Mingyue and Lin Yuan are both stronger than you!"
"You bitch. Tomorrow is the most crucial moment. If you dare make a fuss again, I'll make you shut up forever, right now!"
Chen Qingmo pressed down with his foot. Black Phoenix screamed miserably, "Husband, Husband! This concubine was wrong, please spare this concubine!"
"Get out!"
Chen Qingmo kicked her in the chest. Black Phoenix's body slammed into the Array at the edge of the room and bounced back. She rolled across the floor several times, clothes torn to shreds, blood splattered everywhere, utterly wretched.
"Before tomorrow, don't let me see you again."
Chen Qingmo flung the words out coldly and turned away.
"Husband..."
Black Phoenix struggled to lift her head from the floor, calling after Chen Qingmo's retreating back:
"Have you ever held me in your heart—even for a single moment?"
Chen Qingmo didn't so much as glance at her, walking straight away.
Black Phoenix stared blankly as his figure vanished. Suddenly, it was as if all strength drained from her body. She collapsed to the ground, eyes empty, and began to laugh in broken gasps:
"Heh heh, heh heh... So I was only a substitute. I'm nothing but a tool for bearing daughters, a cheap whore, that's all..."
She dragged herself up from the ground, enduring the pain across her whole body, jumped out of the window, and flew out of Jianxian City, finally losing strength and crashing with a bang into a small stream.
The icy water of the brook washed over her cheeks. Black Phoenix thought of everything that had come before.
She had been born from Zhu Yinrong's divine soul.
With Chen Qingmo's help, she had gradually separated herself from Zhu Yinrong's body and obtained a new body of her own.
Then she personally killed Zhu Yinrong, who refused to submit to her husband.
Back then she was delighted, because with Zhu Yinrong dead, she alone could monopolize her husband's favor.
Yet very soon she discovered that her husband had many women.
And she was merely his concubine—no, not even that, just a maidservant.
When her husband was in a good mood, he would take her to bed and caress her gently.
When her husband was in a bad mood, she was nothing more than a tool for venting his anger.
But she accepted it gladly, because she had been born for the very purpose of serving her husband.
Whenever her husband called her "Huang'Er," she felt she could give everything to him.
Later she became pregnant, and her husband cherished her with utmost care. Soon she gave birth to a daughter.
Her husband was delighted and showered mother and daughter both with affection.
He even took them specifically to Qinghe City to kill City Lord Li Qinghe and install her in that place.
And her daughter also became the City Lord's daughter.
From childhood she could bask under the sun and enjoy the very best of everything.
At that time, she believed her husband loved her, and loved their daughter even more.
But now...
Hua hua.
The babbling of flowing water sounded by her ears. The icy stream trickled over her body, washing away the blood on her, and along with it, cleansing all that had passed.
"Chen Qingmo, you may humiliate me as you please, you may kill me—but you must not harm my daughter! I will save my daughter no matter what!"
"Do you truly wish to save your daughter?"
All at once, a dainty embroidered shoe appeared before Black Phoenix's eyes, and a cool, detached voice sounded by her ear.