# Chapter 1534: The Divine Maiden's Heart Shatters
"My mother... was it you who killed her?"
This sudden, strikingly abrupt question caused Qianye Fantian's eyes to half-squint, and then he let out a light sigh: "It seems I still left a flaw back then. After all, being completely flawless is itself a major flaw."
Qianye Ying'er's beautiful eyes abruptly fixed, the last of her illusions shattering into nothingness in her trembling soul: "It really was you... It really was you?!"
"Heh," Qianye Fantian let out a faint laugh: "Since you had already suspected and sensed it long ago, why did you never ask, never believe? Was it because you didn't dare, or didn't want to?"
He admitted it openly, without the slightest panic at being exposed. His indifferent words even carried a hint of disappointment and mockery. Qianye Ying'er's gaze trembled more intensely, and her voice became hoarse: "Why... why did you kill her!"
That Qianye Fantian had become Qianye Ying'er's only spiritual weakness, the reason she was willing to sacrifice all her dignity to save him, was largely—or rather, primarily—because of his kindness toward her mother.
Back then, after her mother died, not only did he personally investigate the matter, but in his fury, he personally executed the then Divine Empress and Crown Prince, shaking the entire Fan Di God Realm and deeply shocking Qianye Ying'er, who had always harbored resentment toward her father.
Afterward, he posthumously made her mother the new Divine Empress and vowed that she would be the last Divine Empress, the only Divine Empress.
Combined with his trust, regard, and indulgence toward her, it was only natural that her feelings for her mother gradually shifted onto her father, making him the person she trusted and was closest to in the world, as well as the only warmth and familial bond in her life.
Even if she had ever had a moment of doubt... she would forcefully suppress it, believing it was merely her own unwarranted suspicion.
But then, everything suddenly changed.
Qianye Fantian's tacit admission, those few brief words, struck Qianye Ying'er's soul with devastating force—brutal in a way that others could never imagine or empathize with.
"Why?" Qianye Fantian put on an expression of pity and righteousness: "Isn't the answer obvious? For you, of course."
"Your talent not only surpassed all my other children, but within the entire Eastern Divine Region, no one of your generation could match you. Coupled with the ruthlessness, stubbornness, and ambition revealed in your eyes, I felt at that time as if I had already witnessed the birth of the first female Fan Di Divine Emperor. Compared to the successor I had originally chosen, your brilliance was incomparably more blinding."
"But unfortunately, at that time, you had a fatal flaw—you cared too much about your mother! Later, I even learned that one of the most important reasons for your frenzy and ambition on the Profound Path was actually to win a higher status for your mother. Hah... how pathetic, how ridiculous."
Qianye Fantian shook his head, seemingly still regretting and disappointed: "Thus, for your sake and for the future of the Fan Di God Realm, I had to take action. I made no secret of my good treatment toward you and your mother, and deliberately let slip that you would be my successor, thus sparking the jealousy and panic of the Divine Empress and Crown Prince. That way, for them to want to kill you and your mother was only natural."
Qianye Ying'er clenched her teeth, her entire body trembling.
"Your mother was killed by my own hands. This was a matter concerning the future of the Fan Di God Realm, so I had to do it personally. Afterward, I personally executed the Divine Empress and Crown Prince, and then posthumously honored your mother."
Qianye Fantian consistently referred to them as "the Divine Empress" and "the Crown Prince," unable to even recall their names... because he had already forgotten them. Though they had been his appointed empress and personally chosen heir, they were like two specks of dust swept away, not even worthy of being remembered by him: "The reason for all this elaborate effort was that I feared that after your mother died, your emotions toward her would have nowhere to go, and I was even more afraid that you might lose your goals and ambition. So I had to do this, letting your feelings for her gradually shift onto me. I put great thought into this for your sake."
"What I didn't expect was that after so many years, you still haven't forgotten your mother," Qianye Fantian shook his head, sighing with emotion: "How pathetic. Even more pathetic is that you seem to think I was the one who caused your mother's death?"
"No," Qianye Fantian sighed again: "I can't even remember her name or what she looked like. For such a woman, unless there were special circumstances, why would I deign to kill her personally?"
"So, the one who caused your mother's death is not me, but you. If you hadn't been so dazzling and valued her so much, how could she have died so early?"
Inside the golden cage, Qianye Ying'er lowered her head. The trembling of her body did not stop for a moment. Beneath the golden mask, tear streaks rapidly fell one after another.
Tears...
No one had ever seen the tears of the Fan Di Divine Maiden, nor could anyone have imagined her crying.
But at this moment, from the moment her first tear fell, her tears, like her soul, completely collapsed... She desperately tried not to make a sound, but could not stop the flow of tears.
In her life, she had seen countless deaths and despairs. But at this moment, for the first time, she clearly understood what despair was... It was countless times more painful and cruel than when Yun Che had planted the slave mark on her.
Her—Qianye Ying'er—the world-revered Fan Di Divine Maiden, the future Fan Tian Divine Emperor. Her birth, cultivation, status, power, and beauty were all at the pinnacle of the present age. Only the Dragon Empress of the Western Region was worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.
She undoubtedly stood at the highest pinnacle of the present age, and her gaze toward the world had always been one of looking down. Especially toward men—none had ever truly entered her eyes... not even the First Divine Emperor of the Southern Divine Region.
Whenever cultivators in the Divine Realm mentioned the words "Fan Di Divine Maiden," the only accompanying feeling was one of unattainable heights.
But today, only today, did she realize that these years of hers, even her entire life, had been so tragic.
She had thought that she was not only Qianye Fantian's chosen successor but also his most beloved and trusted daughter, with the latter being even more important to her... Until today, she finally saw clearly that she had merely been a puppet in his hands, always!
He had personally taken away the most important thing in her life, yet made her forever feel gratitude and respect toward him... And after she had used all her dignity to save him, she had instead become a discarded pawn he no longer deemed worthy of wasting effort on.
"Raising you anew could indeed once again make you a cornerstone of the Fan Di God Realm in the future, but given the current situation, giving you to Nanming brings far greater value. You should also be glad that, stained as you are and with your Fan Di divine power crippled, you still possess such great value."
"It's just a pity..." Qianye Fantian shook his head: "This means I must choose a new successor. In this regard, I truly envy Yue Wuyai."
Watching Qianye Ying'er, whose spirit had completely collapsed, there was not even a hint of pity in his eyes: "Xia Qingyue's life experience is not even a tenth of yours, yet to wash away her stains, she repeatedly personally sought to take Yun Che's life without any hesitation. To leave no possible loose ends, she completely destroyed the place of her origin. In comparison, you are truly too stupid. No wonder you fell into her hands."
At this point, how could Qianye Ying'er not realize that Qianye Fantian, after being poisoned, had given her the Fanhun Bell precisely to push her into sacrificing herself to save his life... And now, it had instead become the reason for him to abandon and even cripple her.
How ironic.
At this moment, she inexplicably thought of Yun Che.
The one who had just saved the world, only to be immediately hunted by the entire world.
Just moments ago, she had mocked his fate and pitied his situation... And now, how was she any different from Yun Che?!
Even more tragic than him.
At least he still had people willing to die to save him, at least he still had a chance to escape.
As for her, aside from her father, she had given only ruthlessness and coldness to this world. And the one who had suddenly plunged her into the abyss of despair and pain was precisely her father—the one she trusted and respected most, the only chink in her spiritual armor.
For a long time, she did not speak. Profound energy continued to drain away, but the sense of powerlessness throughout her body was even clearer and stronger than the loss of profound energy. The colors of the world quickly turned into a uniform gray-white, and then even the gray-white world continued to grow dark and dim.
Qianye Fantian did not leave. Nanming Shendi would arrive soon. He intended to personally hand Qianye Ying'er over to her, and the bargaining chips would naturally be settled on the spot. As he had said before, with Nanming Shendi's obsession with Qianye Ying'er, he would not refuse any terms.
Though Qianye Ying'er's profound power had been crippled, she still possessed a face of peerless beauty, which would naturally fetch the greatest value.
Feeling Qianye Ying'er's aura growing weaker and weaker, and her soul on the verge of complete collapse, a strange light flickered in Qianye Fantian's eyes. Finally, he made a move, slowly extending his hand toward Qianye Ying'er.
There was one more thing he had to do—take advantage of her crumbling will to erase part of her memory, for she knew too many secrets of the Fan Di God Realm, especially...
A slight disturbance suddenly came from a distant underground divine hall. Along with it came an extremely special, yet extremely faint aura.
Though faint, it could truly be sensed. And this exceptionally weak, special aura caused Qianye Fantian's expression to abruptly change. He spun around violently.
After a moment of shock, his face revealed excitement and ecstasy, for that was unmistakably the aura of the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal!
Could it be that he had finally found a way to trigger the [Eternal Life] power of the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal!?
The third-ranked Mystic Heaven Supreme Treasure, the Primordial Chaos Life-Death Seal, had indeed been secretly hidden within the Fan Di God Realm all along. Eternal life... for a Divine Emperor, nothing else in the world could drive one more mad.
Without the slightest hesitation, his figure shot forth, flying at the fastest speed toward the source of that aura.
The moment Qianye Fantian left, the space in front of Qianye Ying'er suddenly split open, and a hunched, withered gray figure shot out rapidly, holding a dark golden disc in his hand.
It was Gu Zhu!
Gu Zhu reached out and grabbed, and instantly, the golden light binding Qianye Ying'er completely dissipated. She collapsed to the ground, her dim, lusterless eyes looking at the old man before her, and she let out a spiritless murmur: "Uncle... Gu..."
Clang!!
The dark gold disc in Gu Zhu's hand released a dense white light, and a rapidly coalescing spatial force enveloped Qianye Ying'er: "Miss, flee. Flee as far as you can, and never return... May the rest of your life be eternally peaceful."
The white light spread a spatial profound formation beneath Qianye Ying'er. As Gu Zhu's voice fell, a white beam of light shot up into the sky, carrying Qianye Ying'er away from that place.
Almost at the same time, Qianye Fantian, who had just left, abruptly turned back... Gu Zhu also turned around. The dark gold disc in his withered old hand directly shattered—cutting off any possibility of locking onto the teleportation location through the spatial disc.
"Gu Zhu, very well!" Qianye Fantian's face darkened. He had never expected that this person, who was least likely to betray him, would have tricked him... for the sake of a crippled, discarded Qianye Ying'er!
He ignored Gu Zhu and reached out sharply toward where Qianye Ying'er had been moments before. There, the spatial traces had not yet fully dissipated.
Gu Zhu had long prepared for this. Just as Qianye Fantian was about to approach, his palm thrust out flatly, meeting Qianye Fantian directly.
Boom!!!
Space exploded, and Qianye Fantian's figure was sent far away. His face turned completely dark: "Gu Zhu... how dare you!!"
As he spoke, a glint of gold flashed through his eyes.
"Ugh... ah!"
In that instant, Gu Zhu's hunched figure violently convulsed, letting out an extremely hoarse and pained groan. On his body, countless fine golden lines emerged, covering every corner of his entire body.
The Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal!
Qianye Fantian no longer bothered with Gu Zhu. His figure pounced again... But under the Buddhist Soul Death-Pleading Seal, Gu Zhu suddenly lunged forward, firmly grabbing hold of Qianye Fantian's legs, blocking him for a single moment.
And in that single moment, the last spatial traces rapidly faded away, making them completely impossible to track.
"Miss... her whole life... has been lived for you... I beg you... let her go... This old servant is willing to be your beast of burden for life to repay you... I beg... let Miss go..."
Bang!!
Gu Zhu was kicked far away. Qianye Fantian's expression was now extremely ugly. He suddenly realized that even he could miscalculate.
Having Gu Zhu stay by Qianye Ying'er's side had been both a means to guide her growth, protect her safety, and on the other hand, to keep a watch on her.
He never imagined it would lead to such an outcome.
But he could not kill Gu Zhu yet.
It took a full few breaths before Qianye Fantian's anger subsided slightly. His brows furrowed deeply as he sent out a low-pitched sound transmission: "Pass down the order: Scour the entire Eastern Divine Region to search for Ying'er's whereabouts. Once found, bring her back by any means necessary... Remember, take her alive."
With the spatial power of that disc and such a brief condensation of force, it would not teleport her very far. Qianye Ying'er must still be within the Eastern Divine Region!