The Eight Empresses Betrayed Me, Only to Deeply Regret It After Being Reborn

Chapter 007: Madness:

“Old friend, what do you think? Chu Ling must have arrived back at Chu Sword Manor by now. If my calculations are correct, she should be in the Sword Forging Pool,” Lu Ye mused aloud.

[Ding! I’m curious too. Let’s take a look!]

“How?”

A glowing screen suddenly materialized in front of Lu Ye, showing the scene at Chu Sword Manor.

“You can still tap into the power of the Heavenly Dao?” Lu Ye asked, surprised.

[Ding! Just a tiny bit. A minuscule bit.]

On the screen, the scene displayed Chu Ling being carried toward the back mountain. The screen not only showed visuals but also transmitted the conversation.

Hearing the words of the Chu family members, Lu Ye couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

He knew Chu Ling wouldn’t be unconscious. A reborn Great Emperor being rendered unconscious by a mere sedative? 

Such a person wouldn’t deserve the title of Great Emperor.

[Ding, ding, ding…]

The system chimed happily.

“You know,” Lu Ye chuckled, “I think it’s a good thing you didn’t fully steal the Heavenly Dao. After all, the Heavenly Dao is cold and emotionless. The system as it is now is much more fun.”

The system ignored him.

Back when he helped the system partially integrate with the Heavenly Dao, Lu Ye had expended immense effort. But after the system gained that power, it became dull and humorless—not entertaining at all.

Meanwhile, the group at Chu Sword Manor had reached the back mountain.

The patriarch of Chu Sword Manor, Chu Cangsheng, was dressed in ceremonial red robes, his white hair and beard meticulously groomed.

“Greetings, Patriarch!” the gathered crowd chorused, bowing respectfully.

Chu Cangsheng nodded lightly, his sharp gaze scanning Chu Ling before a satisfied smile spread across his face.

“Leave her to me!”

“Yes!”

“Patriarch, may we witness the ritual of the demonic sword’s completion?” Chu Xiongtian, the manor lord, asked.

The forging method of the demonic sword was the manor’s highest secret, unknown even to Chu Xiongtian. This was his opportunity to seize control of the manor’s most guarded techniques.

Chu Cangsheng pondered briefly. Once the demonic sword was complete, he would break into the Nascent Soul stage and wield unparalleled strength. By then, Chu Sword Manor would be of little value to him.

“Fine!”

Chu Xiongtian’s face lit up with joy.

“Thank you, Patriarch!”

“Shifei, you may join as well. As the manor’s future leader, you should witness this ceremony.”

“Thank you, Patriarch!”

Chu Shifei, though, looked displeased. He was still brooding over his unfulfilled desire to have his way with Chu Ling. Young and reckless, his mind was consumed with such thoughts—typical of a spoiled scion.

The three members of the Chu family—a former lord, the current lord, and the future lord—led Chu Ling into the Sword Forging Grounds.

…

The Sword Forging Grounds housed a black sword suspended above a fiery square pit, shrouded in dark mist and radiating an aura of unparalleled malice.

This was the demonic sword Chu Cangsheng had spent thirty-one years forging. With its completion, he planned to merge with it, using its power to forcibly ascend to the Nascent Soul stage.

Chu Xiongtian marveled at the sword, his admiration bordering on obsession.

“A sword like this—it’s the ultimate dream of any sword cultivator!”

Of course, such reverence stemmed from their limited perspective and lower cultivation levels.

“To form a Foundation with this demonic sword isn’t bad at all,” Lu Ye commented.

He wasn’t referring to Chu Cangsheng but to Chu Ling.

Knowing Chu Ling well, Lu Ye understood that her predicament wasn’t fatal. The moment she was thrown into the fiery pit, she would activate the Great Slaughter Sword Sutra and use the demonic sword to forge her Foundation.

As if on cue—

“Begin!” Chu Cangsheng roared.

He performed intricate hand seals, and a thousand blood-stained swords soared into the air, forming a torrential stream that plunged into the fiery pit.

The blood essence from the swords and the malevolent energy fused, flowing into the demonic sword.

The sword vibrated violently, its blood-red glow intensifying, its murderous intent spreading like a wildfire.

“Sacrifice the sword!” Chu Cangsheng bellowed.

Without hesitation, Chu Xiongtian tossed Chu Ling into the fiery pit.

At that exact moment, Chu Ling’s eyes snapped open. Her hands formed seals, her sword heart crystal clear.

She spat a mouthful of blood essence directly onto the demonic sword.

The sword’s humming abruptly ceased.

Though her body was charred black and her burns made her barely recognizable as human, Chu Ling moved through the flames, grasping the demonic sword with determination.

Foundation established.

Now to kill.

An overwhelming sword aura erupted. Chu Ling let out a hoarse, enraged scream.

“One Sword to Slay All!”

The sword gleamed, unleashing a terrifying strike filled with fire and hatred, aimed directly at Chu Cangsheng.

Startled, Chu Cangsheng yelled in disbelief.

“Impossible!”

Drawing a golden jade sword, he met the incoming attack head-on.

“Clang!”

The golden jade sword shattered instantly.

Chu Cangsheng’s body was pierced by the sword light.

A second strike followed, severing his head, which fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Covered in charred skin, Chu Ling’s appearance was ghastly, her blackened flesh peeling off in layers.

She turned to face the remaining members of the Chu family, her eyes brimming with hatred.

“Why? Why?”

“I treated you as my closest family—my father and my brother. Why did you do this to me?” she screamed, her voice sharp and accusatory.

The two men stood frozen in shock.

How? How could this be possible?

A girl they deemed a mere tool had just slain their patriarch—someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment!

“Chu Ling, how are you this powerful?” Chu Xiongtian stammered, his disbelief palpable.

Chu Ling laughed bitterly, her tears mingling with her laughter.

How was she this powerful?

Because the very person she had once hated had painstakingly guided her, step by step.

She had become strong, but now she realized the depth of her foolishness.

Her master had forbidden her return to spare her from witnessing the Chu family’s betrayal, to preserve her cherished memories.

It was all for her own good.

“I’ll kill you all!”

With a feral scream, Chu Ling charged at Chu Xiongtian.

Unable to match her, Chu Xiongtian lost his right arm after just two strikes.

One by one, her sword severed his left arm, then his legs.

“No!”

Finally, his head rolled to the ground.

Chu Shifei collapsed in terror, his pants soaked with urine.

The monstrous figure of Chu Ling approached him.

“Don’t kill me! Please, Chu Ling, I’m your brother!” Chu Shifei pleaded desperately.

Chu Ling felt nothing but disgust.

She struck him with her sword, eliciting a bloodcurdling scream.

She wanted him to suffer.

Strike after strike, she left him covered in wounds.

“I loved you all so much. Why did you treat me this way?”

“Why did you betray me?”

“You meant so much to me!”

Finally, Chu Shifei, realizing death was inevitable, lost his sanity.

“Love us?”

“Hahaha! Chu Ling, do you even believe yourself?”

“You didn’t even love your biological parents, yet you claim to love your adoptive ones? You only love wealth and the benefits they gave you!”

“Did you know? After you escaped, your biological parents—the ones who sold you to us—were tortured to death!”

“Chu Ling, you’re a hypocrite! You love no one, and you deserve no love!”

“I’ll haunt you as a ghost, watching you suffer in endless pain for the rest of your miserable life! Hahaha…”