Are you really trying to cultivate immortality? Something feels off.

She raised her hand to look at her palm, but she looked like a child, with some flesh on her knuckles.

The girl was dressed in a plain-colored outfit, her hair was slightly messy, fresh blisters were on her fingers, and her fingertips were covered with calluses from sword practice, still showing the youthful tenacity of daily sword practice.

Nie Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly.

It was that time.

She was only twelve years old at the time, and in her eagerness to succeed, her sword technique was slightly off, shattering half of the stone railing and disturbing the guests in the mansion, which caused the Nie family to lose face.

A woman in red stood in front of the hall, her eyebrows and eyes solemn, her face cold and stern, her eyes showing no trace of maternal warmth, only the harshness and coldness of a person in power.

It was the head of the Nie family in Nanchuan, her mother.

"Kneel down."

The two simple words silenced the entire room, and even the candlelight seemed to freeze.

She forgot that this was an illusion and subconsciously straightened her back.

"Your temper is too impetuous, your moves are extreme and wrong, you disturb the guests and damage the property. Do you know your mistakes?" The mother stepped forward slowly, looking down at her with a cold and indifferent tone. "Nanchuan has raised you for years and devoted all its resources to nurturing you, not to raise a good-for-nothing."

"You practice your sword like a madman every day, your anger is deep-seated, and your temperament is restless. With such talent, let alone inheriting the phoenix bloodline, you are simply a disgrace to the future of the Nie family!"

Each word was like a stone, weighing heavily on my heart.

Nie Zhao pursed her lips tightly, her fingertips gripping the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She wanted to become stronger, to protect the Nie family, to earn her mother's respect, and to receive a sincere and gentle compliment.

The nightmare that had plagued her for years swept over her, and she subconsciously whispered, "Mother... I know I was wrong."

But she forgot that this obedience never earned her a shred of pity from her mother.

Looking at her stiff expression, the woman's tone fell, cold and decisive: "Your heart is too hard. The Nie family's discipline cannot restrain you. I have already found another place for you."

Nie Zhao's body suddenly stiffened.

She slowly raised her eyes, a hint of panic surfacing for the first time in her dark gaze: "Mother?"

"Next month, I will send you to the Feng Hua Sect."

The woman's words were clear and unambiguous, leaving no room for negotiation, coldly declaring her fate.

"The Feng Hua Sect has a Tai Xu Realm expert in charge, who can restrain your temperament and suppress your violent temper, thus controlling your restless and fiery nature. From now on, once you leave the Nie Mansion in Nanchuan, you should sever all worldly ties, devote yourself to cultivation, and cut off all distracting thoughts. I will also officially go into seclusion. If there is no need, do not come back."

Nie Zhao's clear eyes reflected the flickering candlelight, carrying the bewilderment of a young boy: "What about my sister? What about A-Yun? She's only nine years old, and..."

"Enough," her mother sternly interrupted her unfinished words. "She has her father and elders to teach her, so you don't need to worry about her. Zhao'er, remember this: your stubbornness, your resentment, and your attachment to your family are all major taboos in cultivation. Only by being ruthless can one achieve lasting success on the Great Dao."

The word "heartless" landed lightly, completely crushing the last remaining warmth and hope in her heart.

Nie Zhao's lips parted slightly, her heart aching so much she could hardly breathe, and tears streamed down her face.

So her mother had always been heartless towards her?

She was raised simply because she was the Phoenix Maiden of this lineage, destined by Heaven to protect the land of Nanchuan and safeguard the glory of the Nie family.

Isn't it because I love her?

At that moment, the candlelight in the ancestral hall flickered, casting an extremely long, thin shadow of the red-haired girl as she knelt alone before the ancestral tablets.

No one asked her if she was willing, no one cared about her young separation, no one knew that she just wanted to desperately gain a foothold and wanted her mother to look at her more.

Her family disliked her fierceness, and the world feared her fire-based ways, so they personally pushed her out of their home and sent her to a sect thousands of miles away, forcing her to abandon her feelings and desires, and forcing her step by step onto the path they had paved for her long ago.

Even in the illusion, Nie Zhao still couldn't reconcile with her mother's heartlessness. Tears streamed down her face, and her usually straight back curled up like a child seeking its mother's protection.

No one pitied her.

She had no mother who would gently hug her and wipe away her tears at this moment, nor a mother who truly cared for her and thought of her in every way.

From the moment she was born and awakened to the bloodline of the Phoenix Maiden, the meaning of her life was no longer in her own hands.

The illusion gradually eroded her body, its threads slipping into her spiritual veins and heart, plunging her into an endless path of darkness.

*

White mist clung to the bones of the Sword Tomb, and a chill seeped into the veins.

Yu Xintang stepped into the Heart-Questioning Formation, her expression calm and composed.

He grew up in Penglai Realm and was a high-ranking young master from a young age, the future emperor. His parents were a harmonious and loving couple.

However, he was not a spoiled brat who would squander his wealth. He established his foundation at thirteen, formed his core at nineteen, and has now entered the Nascent Soul realm at twenty-two.

Moreover, he showed exceptional talent in drawing talismans and creating arrays from a young age, and was also adept at swordsmanship.

He has money, a good family background, and talent.

Now, he has successfully entered the Feng Hua Sect and obtained the Four Directions Sword, ranked fourth on the World's Divine Swords Ranking, just by casually visiting the Sword Tomb.

Yu Xintang chuckled softly.

What kind of inner demons does he have?

But the next instant, a sudden stab to the heart.

He appeared in a place he had never seen before, with elaborate brocade curtains and candlelight sweeping in through the red gauze curtains, giving off a hazy red glow.

"Why don't you like me? I've done so much for you, what did I do wrong? Ah Yu, tell me, what did I do wrong!"

He forcefully pinned the slender man beneath him, ignoring his resistance and cries, and violated him.

Yu Xintang was extremely shocked, but she couldn't control her limbs and body, like a spectator.

He was inside his own body, yet he couldn't control himself.

Extremely weird.

The other person's soft resistance, tinged with a hint of feigned acceptance, whispered in his ear, but instead of easing his tension, it only intensified the absurd obsession that had been building up in his heart for so long.

He heard his own voice, filled with struggle and pain.

Don't hide from me... don't hide at all.

"I have no other choice but to keep you here."

Yu Xintang's mind was in chaos. Although he was a pampered young master since childhood, he had only ever thought about how to escape and have fun without cultivating. He had absolutely no experience in love. Suddenly seeing such a shocking scene, with himself as one of the protagonists, he simply couldn't accept it.

Yu Xintang tried her best to stay awake and carefully discern the scene before her. She didn't know how much time had passed before she could see the face of the person beneath her.

Su Boyu.

He was trembling all over.

……

Hold.

Holy crap! ...

In a flash, the illusion changed abruptly, and Su Boyu's slender figure appeared all around, blocking all escape routes behind her.

He instinctively stepped back, his stomach churning, feeling nauseous and helpless, wanting to vomit but unable to.

---

The reason I wrote more about the Nie family in Nanchuan is because there's a later dungeon in Chidi, and I get really carried away when writing about East Asian family ties. Thank you everyone for your love and support! I've unfortunately caught a virus and am currently suffering from tonsillitis, so please take precautions. If there are many gifts, I should be able to update three times tomorrow.