Fengxiu was filled with guilt over the nineteen years he had been absent from Bai Yue’s life. She should have lived a carefree existence, showered with love and raised in the palm of his hand. Yet, as an irresponsible father, he had only recently discovered his daughter’s existence. He truly was unfit for the role.
Before Bai Yue and Fengxiu left, Fengxiu had already sensed a Mythril Foundation Knight lurking in the shadows, keeping watch over Bai Yue. Upon breaking into the room earlier, he had already cast a sound-dampening barrier.
Fengxiu informed his daughter that someone was monitoring the room. Bai Yue gave a cold smile. She had expected as much; given Long Xingyu’s nature, how could he not have left a contingency plan after she proposed the annulment?
"Father, pretend you have abducted me. Leave a letter for Long Xingyu telling him to come to Xindu to find me," Bai Yue said indifferently.
Fengxiu looked at his daughter in confusion. He did not understand the purpose behind this maneuver, but that did not stop him from doing as she asked. One naturally had to spoil one’s own daughter.
He had heard rumors on the road regarding Bai Yue and Long Xingyu’s marriage. He had originally intended to leave quietly and keep the secret of their lineage buried if his daughter were happy. But after hearing that Bai Yue wanted to call off the engagement and that Long Xingyu refused, Fengxiu had manifested to provide Bai Yue with the backing she needed to reclaim her right to choose.
Fengxiu placed an arm around Bai Yue’s waist and openly tore open a rift in space, making a grand departure without the slightest attempt at secrecy. The Mythril Foundation Knight could only watch helplessly as it happened. After all, who could truly stop the Demon God Emperor, Fengxiu, when he personally snatched someone away?
In the blink of an eye, Fengxiu brought Bai Yue to Xindu and entered the Demon God Emperor Palace. A Bao came running up, but upon seeing his father holding a young girl’s hand, his little mouth puckered and he burst into tears.
"Father is going to take a concubine! A Bao is going to be a child without a father’s love, wuwu... A Bao is going to have a stepmother and a stepfather!"
Fengxiu’s head throbbed with annoyance at A Bao. He pinched the boy’s cheek, looking quite displeased. He straightened his face and corrected him sternly: "A Bao, this is your sister, my daughter. Stop listening to those ridiculous storybooks! What kind of nonsensical ideas are these?"
A Bao looked at Bai Yue with puffy, tear-reddened eyes, his expression dazed, and let out a hiccup from his sobbing.
"Sister? Wow! This beautiful sister is my real sister!"
As the only cub in the Demon God Emperor Palace, A Bao was only six years old. In the long life of the Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon Clan, six years old didn't even reach the threshold of infancy, which was why Fengxiu was so indulgent toward his only son.
In fact, one could glean a bit of Fengxiu’s hopes for his children from A Bao’s name. He had once believed A Bao was his only child, but after reaching the Demigod Realm, the agitation of his bloodline caused by the release of his soul led him to discover his other two bloodlines. One was carried by a palace maid in the harem whom he had once favored while drunk, and the other was actually far away in Zhennanguan—a half-human, half-demon child.
Fengxiu had immediately set off for Zhennanguan, intending to bring his daughter home. For Bai Yue, Fengxiu felt guilt, affection, and the joy of a lost treasure regained.
Bai Yue’s mother, Bai Lingxuan, was the woman Fengxiu loved most—none other. Otherwise, as the majestic Demon God Emperor, he would never have spent years living in a thatched hut outside Zhennanguan, disguised as a Sixth Tier human warrior. Only deep love could have supported such a sacrifice.
Bai Yue looked at A Bao with curiosity. In her previous life, she had never met him. Now, she found that this inexpensive little brother of hers was actually quite fun, especially his sweet talk, which she found very endearing.
Bai Yue extended a hand, held A Bao’s small hand, and said with a smile, "Little brother A Bao, I am your sister, Bai Yue. From now on, sister will protect you."
"If Father dares to marry a stepmother, you and I will form a united front and chase her away together!"
Fengxiu’s face darkened with a row of black lines. He frowned slightly and hesitated, saying, "Yue’er, don’t listen to this brat’s nonsense. I have only ever had your mother in my heart."
"I have never appointed an empress because, in my heart, only your mother is worthy of that position."
This was the first time Bai Yue had heard Fengxiu say this. Thinking back to her past life, until the arrival of the Heavenly Condemnation, there had never been any word of the Emperor having an empress or a confidante. But it was too late for such words now. Bai Yue’s eyes dimmed. "Father, if you loved Mother so deeply, why did you abandon her back then?"
"She gave birth to me alone, only to discover that I possessed the darkness attribute and held half a demon bloodline. Can you even fathom the despair she felt in her heart at that time?"
Fengxiu opened his mouth, wanting to explain, only to find how pale and powerless language was. How could he not regret it? If he had been more cautious and not revealed his tracks, leading to an ambush by the Demon Slayer Demon Hunt Squad, perhaps he would not have lost his beloved, and he would not have been separated from his daughter for over a decade, failing to fulfill his responsibilities as a father.
A Bao looked at Bai Yue with admiration. This was the first time he had seen anyone render his father speechless. At this moment, he declared that Sister Bai Yue was the most amazing person on the entire Holy Demonic Continent!
"Yue’er, I was ambushed by the Demon Slayer Demon Hunt Squad at the time. My identity was exposed, and because I had sealed my cultivation, I was no match for the six of them and was severely wounded. After I barely managed to escape, I went into seclusion to heal. By the time I emerged, the only news I received was of your mother’s passing."
"I went to visit her grave. She lay quietly in her coffin, eyes closed. I used a secret technique to seal her last trace of vitality, but I had no way to truly save her," Fengxiu said, his face etched with pain.
Bai Yue looked at Fengxiu in shock. "Mother is still alive?"
[Host, if you wish to resurrect Bai Lingxuan, you need the help of the Scourge of Necromancy, Elric. He is the deity in this world who understands life most thoroughly.]
[The state of your mother, Bai Lingxuan, is very similar to the near-death state Long Haochen was in when Fengxiu first killed him—clinging to life with only a single breath, sustained by the Star Demon God’s Life Prophecy.]
Liuliu’s voice rang in her mind, and Bai Yue was slightly stunned. She remembered correctly: the Life Prophecy was a divination technique the Star Demon God could only use once, and the cost was the Star Demon God’s own life. If the Star Demon God Vassago had used this spell, he should have died. How could he have lived until the arrival of the Heavenly Condemnation?
"The Life Prophecy—isn't it cast at the cost of one's life? Then why is Vassago fine?"
[Host, Vassago is alive because Fengxiu signed a life-sharing contract with him, sharing their lifespans to sustain the consumption of keeping Bai Lingxuan alive.]
[It is only because Fengxiu currently possesses a Demigod Body that he can withstand such a drain on his lifespan,] Liuliu said, still feeling a lingering fear.
Bai Yue had never known that her father had done so much for her mother—going to such lengths for a mere, ethereal hope of resurrection.
"Child, I can only say that Lingxuan is not dead, but I cannot say for certain when she will wake up and appear before you, lively and healthy, for you to call her Mother," Fengxiu sighed, lowering his head, afraid to see the disappointment in his daughter’s eyes.