Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy

"It’s not that the Eastern Taizhong Palace is cruel, it’s that you have fallen too deep into depravity!"

Immortal Seekers from other forces watched in silence. The Heavenly King stepped forward, his words dripping with self-righteousness. He emitted an overwhelming pressure that made the people of Peach Blossom Spring feel as though they were suffocating. The elderly gritted their teeth and endured, while many of the children began to cry.

An old woman immediately shouted, "Even if we have fallen to evil... our children are innocent! Can’t you..."

"No!" the Heavenly King cut her off. "A wildfire never truly burns out; new weeds sprout in the spring breeze. How could I not understand that principle?"

His face was a mask of agony as he continued, "How could I not know the children are the most innocent? But they have surely been in contact with Wu Tian and have been unconsciously influenced. A latent ferocity is hidden in their very bones. If they grow up, they are certain to become demons!"

As he spoke, tears actually streamed from his eyes. "For the sake of countless other innocents, I must kill these children! Don’t blame me. Please, don’t blame me. I, too, am heartbroken... My heart is full of pain and sorrow..."

The people of Peach Blossom Spring were enraged. The old woman from before trembled with anger. "Demons? And how are you so certain Mr. Wu Tian is a demon?"

The Heavenly King’s brow twitched, but he maintained his righteous air. "Young Master Zhao Tianxia was a man of chivalry, a rare gem among Immortal Seekers and a future pillar of the Righteous Path. He performed good deeds without seeking recognition, a man of immense virtue. He wielded his sword across the land, killing as many demons as there were roads he traveled! Though he is dead, his name lives on, forever in our hearts. So young, yet he commanded our deepest respect!"

Beiming Fenghua: "..."

Even the disciples of the Eastern Taizhong Palace: "..."

The Heavenly King himself felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to vomit at his own words! But he had no choice. He knew this speech would surely spread. It didn’t matter if others laughed behind his back. Who would dare mock him to his face? The crucial part was that the Righteous Alliance would hear of this. They would undoubtedly be pleased.

The members of the Eastern Taizhong Palace, the Heavenly Demon Palace, and the spectating Immortal Seekers all looked utterly constipated, but none dared to say the Heavenly King was wrong. If the Righteous Alliance came for them, they could be branded as demons and disposed of. As powerful as Immortal Seekers were compared to mortals, they didn’t have that kind of courage.

The people of Peach Blossom Spring had never practiced Cultivation. They were ordinary people, but they had courage!

"That scum Zhao Tianxia, a ’Young Master’? He’s nothing but trash who harmed countless women!"

"A man of chivalry? A future pillar of the Righteous Path? Don’t make me laugh! Today, I’ve finally seen the true face of a so-called ’Righteous Path Immortal Seeker’!"

"You said one thing right: he did his deeds without leaving a name. Of course he wouldn’t, after committing so much evil!"

"How many good people did he kill? People who died simply because they wouldn’t submit to him, only to be branded as demons! Is a man like Zhao Tianxia even human?"

Death? What was there to fear? They were all going to die anyway. They might as well say whatever was on their minds! Why fear him!

"He died at Mr. Wu Tian’s hands! It was exactly what he deserved!"

Instantly, everyone in Peach Blossom Spring roared in a single, unified voice, "He deserved it!!!"

"He deserved it!!!"

"He deserved it!!!"

Their words weren’t just a slap in the face to the late Zhao Tianxia; they were a slap in the face to the Heavenly King, who had just been extolling his virtues. The Heavenly King’s expression turned impossibly grim.

"You’ve fallen deep into depravity! I was wrong. Killing one of you a day was a mistake!" he roared. "For demons as corrupted as you, I should be killing ten a day!"

With that, the Heavenly King waved his hand. Nine disciples from the Eastern Taizhong Palace stepped forward, standing before nine people from Peach Blossom Spring. Among the nine were a robust man, three old women, four small children, and a disabled man. Seeing this, the other villagers cried out.

"Don’t kill them! Kill me!"

"No, kill me!"

"Kill me instead!"

For the sake of their fellow villagers, the people of Peach Blossom Spring were willing to sacrifice themselves. They possessed no Cultivation, yet their courage pierced the heavens. Some of the watching Immortal Seekers had to look away. They knew that if they kept watching, their own stunned consciences and sense of justice might compel them to intervene. Offending the Eastern Taizhong Palace would be one thing, but it would be far worse to attract the attention of the Righteous Alliance.

Seeing the people of Peach Blossom Spring so willing to live and die for one another was a bitter irony to the Heavenly King. He, too, had once cherished chivalry. When had he become so cruel? He didn’t know. The longer he watched, the more his heart twisted. He had to cut this Gordian knot and end it now.

"Disciples, on my command! Swords up, swords down!" The Heavenly King waved his hand and bellowed, "Kill!!!"

The nine disciples regarded the villagers as demons to be slain. In their minds, they were not killing innocents, only demons. They raised their swords and brought them down viciously.

"Mr. Wu Tian did a good thing! We are implicated because of it, but our hearts hold no regret and no hatred!" Tao Qianyang declared, taking the lead.

"That’s right! We have no regrets and no hatred in our hearts!"

"We have no regrets and no hatred!" The people of Peach Blossom Spring—men and women, young and old—all shouted as one. Their voices were full of vigor, utterly fearless in the face of death! Their cries echoed between heaven and earth!

These people, living in the Underground World, still possessed the unyielding spirit in the blood of the Dragon Country from the Surface World! They were willing to die for Wu Tian because he had killed Zhao Tianxia. Their deaths were not in vain.

They didn’t want Wu Tian to come because the two great powers, the Eastern Taizhong Palace and the Heavenly Demon Palace, were simply too strong.

"You are utterly and completely demonic!" Listening to the villagers’ cries of ’no regret, no hatred,’ the Heavenly King’s face twisted into an ugly mask. Things had reached a point where it seemed he, the Heavenly King, was the real demon. "Right is not right, and evil is not evil! Don’t think you can pretend to be noble and righteous! Your evil nature can’t fool anyone!" He roared even louder, "Kill them! What are you all standing around for? Kill the demons!"

"Yes!" The nine disciples, who had been momentarily moved, snapped back to their senses.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Nine swords were raised again. Then, the blades fell, aimed straight for their necks.

At that moment, the nine people from Peach Blossom Spring closed their eyes peacefully. Even the children did the same. The nearby Immortal Seekers sighed at the sight, their faces filled with regret. They had rarely seen people with such spirit. However, this matter involved the Righteous Alliance. They dared not intervene.