# Chapter 2731: None of Them Are Simple Daughters
"Splash!"
A dark red electric light twisted into the shape of a blade, suspended above Zhang Ruochen's head, then slashed downward.
Zhang Ruochen stood motionless, the space above him twisting.
The descending blade slid past his side, splitting the mountain ridge below into a sheer cliff.
Yan Ying'er's figure then materialized. Between two slender fingers, she held a talisman, pressing it toward Zhang Ruochen from a distance.
"Boom!"
The talisman exploded, unleashing a dense mass of sharp energy, like thousands of swords and blades flying out.
"A Ten-Thousand Sword Cloud-Slaying Talisman refined by a Rune Path Heavenly Master."
Blood Cry's face changed color. He stepped into a sacred art footwork technique, retreating rapidly.
Yet, he was still struck by a strand of energy. His right arm flew off, Great Saint blood spattering the ground.
This was truly an undeserved calamity. Blood Cry regretted in his heart—he should never have stood so close to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained where he was, not making a move. His gaze was distant as he studied Yan Ying'er, thinking to himself: "So similar! Truly similar! A karmic bond, truly a karmic bond!"
Those blade and sword energies automatically dispersed three zhang away from Zhang Ruochen.
They could not break through his defense.
"What a heartless, faithless great villain! His cultivation has actually reached such a terrifying level. No wonder Second Great-Uncle holds him in such high esteem." Yan Ying'er thought this to herself as she once again produced another talisman.
When Blood Cry saw the profound rune patterns emerging on the talisman in her hand, his face turned even paler, as white as paper. He cursed inwardly—another Heavenly Master talisman?
Flee!
He fled even farther away.
How infuriating! Here he was, a peak Ten-Thousand Death One Life Realm Great Saint, the future heir of the Blood Absolute Family's patriarch, yet he had reached the point of fleeing at the sight of a talisman.
"Your opponent is me. With your cultivation, you are not yet qualified to fight my father."
Chi Kongle tore through the air, swinging her sword in a horizontal slash, killing intent surging.
The sword she used was the supreme sacred artifact, "Life-Taking Sword."
This sword had once been Lan Ying's weapon, later given to Chi Kongle by Zhang Ruochen.
Yan Ying'er retreated rapidly while letting out a delicate snort: "I was going easy on you earlier! Although Zhang Ruochen is heartless and faithless, I still acknowledge you as my sister. But don't push it! I'm very strong."
Suddenly, Yan Ying'er's feet touched the ground.
Boom! A thick blood-red divine qi surged from within her body. Over a region hundreds of miles in diameter, a vast ocean of divine power appeared.
Her two braids swaying, she raised her right hand and pointed at Chi Kongle.
"Whoosh!"
The divine qi condensed into a blood dragon dozens of miles long, erupting with divine might. Accompanied by a deafening roar, it extended its claws, tearing toward Chi Kongle.
"Rumble!"
This entire region, including Tianlin Ancient City a thousand miles away, was covered by dark clouds above.
As the divine dragon took shape, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled within the clouds, raining down blood-red droplets.
The cultivators of Tianlin Ancient City and the guards stationed at the Blood Absolute Family were all terrified, thinking that a god was launching a devastating attack.
Yan Ying'er was the reincarnation of Blood Shadow Divine Mother, a naturally born divine fetus, containing extremely powerful divine power within her body. Even if she had been born a god, Zhang Ruochen would not have been surprised.
However, she clearly did not possess such overwhelming power.
Whether her divine power was sealed, or for some other reason, remained unclear.
On the other side, Chi Kongle was not to be outdone. A towering divine soul phantom, ten thousand zhang tall, manifested behind her, also radiating vast divine might, drawing the power of heaven and earth toward her.
She had refined a strand of Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine soul.
In terms of divine soul, she was even stronger than the Judgment Divine Envoys of the past. However, without the divine power of a Star Soul Divine Throne to mobilize, her combat strength naturally could not match that of a false god.
"What's going on? It feels like two gods are dueling!"
"These young cultivators nowadays are becoming more and more monstrous."
...
The watching cultivators, frightened by the aura erupting from the two women, retreated far into the distance.
"Fortunately, we invited Ruochen the Great Saint to come out. Otherwise, with combat power like theirs, even if the family head stepped in, he probably couldn't suppress them." Blood Cry had already retreated a thousand miles away, reattaching his severed arm. His mood was bitter and complicated.
Thinking back to those days, he too had been a Great Saint hero who dared to contend with Zhang Ruochen. Now, after cultivating for a thousand years and greatly increasing his cultivation, he couldn't even defeat Zhang Ruochen's daughter.
And he couldn't defeat either of them.
Zhang Ruochen knew that Chi Kongle's state was quite extreme, heavily influenced by Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine soul, filled with killing intent. Naturally, he would not let them continue fighting.
After all, Zhang Ruochen still regarded Yan Ying'er as his daughter and did not want to see either of them injured.
Just as the blood-red divine dragon flew toward Chi Kongle, and Chi Kongle's Life-Taking Sword was about to strike—
Suddenly, the space between them froze.
All power came to a halt.
The blood-red divine dragon's claw stopped right above Chi Kongle's head. Zhang Ruochen shattered it with a single finger, turning it into bloody divine mist. Chi Kongle's sword energy was deflected aside by a sweep of Zhang Ruochen's sleeve.
"Space hundreds of miles around has frozen, as if solidified in ice, completely immovable."
Watching Zhang Ruochen approach step by step, Yan Ying'er's shock was beyond words. She absolutely refused to believe he was still just a Great Saint. The power he wielded could only be achieved by a god.
Zhang Ruochen arrived before her. The frozen space loosened slightly.
"Is your mother well?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yan Ying'er lifted her chin, turning her eyes away, refusing to look at him.
Realizing she could move, she immediately tried to flee, only to find her legs seemed no longer her own, fixed in space. Her arms were the same.
"My mother is now a Rune Path Heavenly Master and will soon achieve godhood through spiritual power. You'd better release me immediately, or you'll be in big trouble." Yan Ying'er pouted, speaking in a threatening tone.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I will release you, but I think there are some misunderstandings between us that must first be cleared up."
"There are no misunderstandings!"
Yan Ying'er's round, sparkling apricot eyes glared at Zhang Ruochen. "My mother said that when she was pregnant with me, you wanted to kill me. It was only because she threatened with her life that my life was spared."
Zhang Ruochen frowned. "How could your mother tell you such things?"
"So, you admit it?" Yan Ying'er said, puffing with anger.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Actually, it was your mother who wanted to kill you. I used some methods to save your life."
"Tch! I don't believe you. Fifth Great-Uncle said that you, Zhang the Great Villain, are heartless and faithless. You seduced and abandoned my mother, leaving her lonely for a thousand years, enduring the world's cold stares and ridicule. You are truly not a man."
Yan Ying'er had a sharp tongue, cursing with great gusto.
The last sentence was an imitation of Yan Huangtu's tone.
"Fifth Great-Uncle... you mean Yan Huangtu?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Hmph!" Yan Ying'er snorted.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but clench his fists. Yan Huangtu's figure filled his mind.
Outrageous. Truly outrageous.
Perhaps Yan Zhexian had indeed suffered grievances over this thousand years, or perhaps she couldn't withstand Yan Ying'er's persistent questioning and had complained a few words. But what business was it of yours, Yan Huangtu?
Didn't you, Yan Huangtu, know the truth? How could you teach a child such things?
Could it be revenge for what happened back then?
Zhang Ruochen truly did not care how outsiders evaluated him—Eon Great Villain, Romantic Sword God, whatever. As long as his conscience was clear, that was enough. But for his own daughter to see him this way... his mood was quite bitter.
He very much wanted to go to the Yama Clan right now, drag out both Yan Huangtu and Yan Zhexian, confront them face to face, and clear things up.
He, Zhang Ruochen, could bear the burden and be Yan Ying'er's father.
But he absolutely refused to bear the stain of being heartless, faithless, and a seducer and abandoner.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to continue explaining—
"Sizzle!"
The purple divine robe on Yan Ying'er's body lit up with rune patterns like lightning.
With a bang, it shattered the frozen space.
Her body transformed into a bolt of lightning, tearing through the air at incredible speed. Even Zhang Ruochen, without using Divine Spirit Step, could not match such speed.
With this divine robe, there was truly nowhere in the world she could not go.
"I'll go after her."
Chi Kongle's eyes were cold and sharp, like two swords.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly had an idea and called out, "Kongle!"
"Hmm?"
Chi Kongle stopped.
Zhang Ruochen said, "She is your sister."
A flicker of confusion passed through Chi Kongle's cold, sharp eyes.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. "Her mother and I indeed had a destined connection. If I hadn't been trapped in Xumi Temple for a thousand years, we might very well have married."
"Back then?" Chi Kongle asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Back then, it was her mother who didn't want to marry me."
"Then this matter cannot be blamed on Father," Chi Kongle said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Regardless, the affairs of the previous generation should not drag the next generation into it. Ying'er doesn't know many of the truths, and it's very difficult for me to explain clearly. You are the older sister; you should be tolerant and understanding toward her."
Hearing the words "older sister," a trace of softness appeared in Chi Kongle's eyes, which had been filled with boundless killing intent.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruochen nodded. "I will tell you the truth of what happened back then. You go talk to her. You are sisters; she should be able to listen to you somewhat. Remember, do not fight."
"Alright."
Chi Kongle put away the Life-Taking Sword.
Zhang Ruochen told Chi Kongle what had happened on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield back then.
Of course, he naturally did not go into detail about how Yan Zhexian became pregnant with Yan Ying'er. He couldn't very well tell Chi Kongle that Yan Zhexian had absorbed his blood and thus conceived Yan Ying'er.
Such an absurd story, once told, would only make people disbelieve it.
"She doesn't know the truth, so she wrongly blames Father. I'll go explain it to her."
Perhaps sensing that Zhang Ruochen's mood was troubled, Chi Kongle said this before chasing after the direction Yan Ying'er had fled.
The reason Zhang Ruochen had Chi Kongle go talk to Yan Ying'er was to use sisterly affection to dissolve her fierce and aggressive temperament. At the same time, if Chi Kongle could truly explain this matter clearly, Zhang Ruochen would have far fewer troubles.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
"Yan Zhexian! Yan Huangtu!"
Zhang Ruochen uttered these two names, his mind beginning to contemplate how to get revenge.
To have his own daughter come knocking on his door, cursing him, and making such a big scene—it would surely spread throughout the Hell Realm soon. This was not just a loss of face; it was deeply frustrating.
"Since you want me to bear the burden, how can I not demand some compensation? It seems I must go to the Yama Clan. Yan Zhexian, whether you marry me or not, I will have to marry you. Otherwise, I'm taking too great a loss!" Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.