Chương 102: Who Am I?

BOOM! Zhao Old Eight's cry of "daughter" wasn't loud, but it shook the heavens and woke the world. That single shout was like a sword piercing the sky, drawing down thunder from the nine heavens above. BOOM! The sky went dark.

"Heavens above, my heavens above, she's angry now." BOOM! In an instant, the wind and clouds shifted. The clear sky was swallowed by darkness, thick clouds pressing down like a tidal wave. Dazzling lightning tore across the sky, followed by deafening thunder, like the roar of gods from the nine heavens, exploding over the hilltop. Wild winds howled, whipping through the grass and trees, sending dust and sand flying. Leaves rustled and blurred the vision.

Vaguely, a graceful figure seemed to descend from the stone pillar. With a low hum, the Demonic Spirit Gathering Array buried in the hill began to hum and vibrate. She walked through the air. With every step, her foot struck the array, sending ripples of resonance that sped up its rotation. The Divine Energy of heaven and earth rushed toward her at terrifying speed. First Level Awakening... Second Level Body Refining... Third Level Furnace... Fourth Level Inviting the Deity... Fifth Level Condensing Spirit...

Sixth Realm Dharma Manifestation! In just a few short steps, she had gone from an ordinary mortal to a Sixth Realm great cultivator. Behind her, a massive lotus bloomed, its petals unfolding layer by layer, wreathed in dense white mist. It was as solemn and sacred as the lotus seat of Guanyin, as if some celestial blessing had descended from the nine heavens, mysterious and untouchable.

Not just her Dharma Manifestation, but she herself was white as snow, radiating holy light so bright it blinded Fang Cheng's wide eyes and made tears stream down his face. Why? Why are you so pure, so holy? No, please, change back. Turn black. Become a dark, terrifying demon. Then let me eat you, please! Fang Cheng wailed in his heart. But she ignored him completely. She walked over to Zhao Old Eight and asked softly. Zhao Old Eight's legs gave out.

He crashed to his knees, forehead pressed to the ground, trembling.

"Immortal Lady... I was wrong. I've never seen you; I don't know you; I really don't know anything. Please spare my worthless life..." She stared at him silently and asked again, "What did you call me just now?" Zhao Old Eight didn't dare answer. He didn't dare look up. Cold sweat poured down his body, his heart pounding. He bitterly regretted waking up, cursing Fang Cheng a thousand times in his mind. Why the hell did you have to wake me up!

"What did you call me just now?" That was the third time she asked. Her voice was cold, utterly cold. Her gaze, fixed on Zhao Old Eight, was just as cold, like looking at a corpse, without a trace of feeling.

"Miss... Immortal Lady... Bodhisattva, Buddha, Emperor, please spare me. It was my loose tongue; I said something I shouldn't have. Smack!" Zhao Old Eight slapped himself hard. Thanks to Fang Cheng's earlier beating, his face was already numb. He slapped himself a few more times. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Smack! Smack! Smack! Between slaps, he kowtowed and begged, his forehead pounding against the ground.

"Hahahaha..." She laughed. Her smile was radiant, breathtakingly beautiful, like a white lotus blooming in mud, outshining the sun and moon, dimming the stars, putting all living things to shame. But Zhao Old Eight found her laughter bone-chilling. And his heart was bitter, because her voice and her laughter both told him the truth. She was his daughter.

"Father, my dear father, you don't even recognize your own daughter?" She said it herself. She admitted it.

"No, no, no." Zhao Old Eight's face crumpled, his head bowed low, his voice frantic.

"I don't know you. Really, I've never lied in my life. Bodhisattva... I don't want to die, please spare me..."

"My dear father, I'm Lian'er. Your own daughter, Zhao Lian'er. Come on, lift your head and take a good look at me." She smiled. But Zhao Old Eight still wouldn't lift his head. Instead, he clutched his skull and smashed it against the ground again and again, until blood ran down his face. He had a feeling that if he looked up, he would die.

"Why so scared now? When you sold me, you were so brave. When you came to me for money, you were even braver. If I wouldn't give it, you'd raise your hand and slap me across the face until my cheeks were red with your handprints. Why so scared now?" Her voice was still smiling. Still smiling, she reached out her slender fingers and gently gripped Zhao Old Eight's throat, lifting him off the ground.

"Father, take a good look at me. Do you recognize me now? I'm your good daughter."

"I don't know you, I don't know you, I don't know you..." Zhao Old Eight kept his eyes squeezed shut, shaking his head frantically.

"Come on, Father, open your eyes and look at me." She coaxed, still smiling.

"I can't open them, I can't. I've gone blind..." He wouldn't listen, just kept shaking his head.

"Open your dog eyes and look at me!" She was angry now. Her voice turned ice-cold, her gaze sharp as frost. Her slender fingers began to tighten. Zhao Old Eight's face went from pale to purple, his throat rattling. The white mist around her began to darken. The massive white lotus Dharma Manifestation behind her slowly grew tainted with demonic energy, twisting and warping into something hideous and sinister, like a demonic man-eating flower ready to devour.

Fang Cheng saw this and laughed, drool spilling down his chin. Hahaha, yes, that's it. Crush his throat. Commit your sin. Hahahaha, delicious. I'm watching the crime unfold with my own eyes. This is it, the crime I've been longing for, the crime I wanted to condemn, to hate, to punish, to savor. It's finally here! Maybe it was Fang Cheng's encouragement that made her grip even tighter, pushing Zhao Old Eight to the brink of death.

He struggled with all his might, eyes still shut, hands flailing at her arms, legs kicking uselessly. His face went from purple to a deep, bruised red, and his throat rattled with choked gasps. Finally. He couldn't hold back. He opened his eyes, just for a brief moment, then shut them again. But that close-up glance was enough for him to see her face clearly.

"Father, my dear father, you finally opened your eyes and looked at me. Hahaha..." Zhao Lian'er laughed with joy, tears streaming down her face, and her grip unconsciously tightened. CRACK! A sharp snap. She had twisted his neck cleanly. Zhao Old Eight's body went limp and crumpled to the ground, his eyes vacant, his pupils dilated. Life faded from him.

"Father, my dear father, what's wrong? How could you die? Wuwuwu, it's all my fault; my hands were too rough. You won't blame me, will you? Wuwuwu..." Zhao Lian'er threw herself over her father's corpse, hugging it close and weeping uncontrollably, as if her heart were shattered. Yes, so shattered. Her own father had died. But soon, she was laughing again. Holding her belly, laughing so hard she was bent over, tears flying everywhere, slapping the corpse beneath her as she laughed.

"Father, how could it be my fault? If anyone's to blame, it's you. Your neck was so weak, so fragile. It just couldn't hold up. That's right, it was too fragile. That damned neck; you should blame that damned neck. It's useless, just like I was back then. Your daughter was so useless back then. She couldn't take care of you. That's why you had to die! Hahahaha!" By now, Zhao Lian'er had spiraled into madness. She threw her head back and howled with laughter.

And her lotus Dharma Manifestation, infected by her laughter, began to twist and warp wildly, erupting with fierce black demonic energy. The demonic energy spread like a flood, forming a massive, terrifying black hole that swallowed heaven and earth. Through the blur, the lotus Dharma Manifestation changed. It slowly took shape, becoming a face. A face that was Zhao Lian'er's own, twisted and hideous from laughter.