Page 19

Some disciples who didn't know what had happened came over, ready to plead for Ran Zirou.

But they heard Fu Chaoqing say, "Staying in the Sect is holding you back. With your talent, you have no future as a menial disciple in the Inner Sect. You'd be better off acknowledging Immortal Ziyang as your mother. You two really do look alike."

His words opened quite a few disciples' eyes.

Many disciples had seen the Hehuan Sect members break into the Sect.

"Now that you mention it, Junior Sister Ran really does look like Immortal Ziyang. Their faces might as well have been carved from the same mold."

"Immortal Ziyang is a beauty renowned throughout the Cultivation of the True Path World. If Junior Sister Ran really is her daughter, I'd be so jealous."

"Why are you crying, Junior Sister Ran? Martial Uncle Fu is only looking out for you."

The onlookers' comments fanned the flames, leaving Ran Zirou more and more agitated.

She wiped away her tears and stood, undisguised contempt in her eyes.

"If you think that woman is so wonderful, then acknowledge her as your mother. My parents are the emperor and empress. I'm a princess of a mortal royal family, not the daughter of a woman who's slept with thousands of men."

Her words stunned everyone present.

The disciples gathered around stared at her in shock.

So did Immortal Ziyang, who had just arrived.

What sort of person was Immortal Ziyang?

Her name was synonymous with strength and beauty.

Once someone stepped onto the path of the Cultivation of the True Path, the past became smoke drifting away. Only the present mattered.

At fifteen, Immortal Ziyang had climbed the Heavenward Ladder step by step, starting as a mere mortal.

In five thousand years, she was the only mortal who had managed it.

She had been born without an Immortal Bone or Spiritual Root. To cultivate, she'd had to climb the Heavenward Ladder, have her mortal bones shaved away, and forge herself an Immortal Bone.

Unlike disciples born with an Immortal Bone or Spiritual Root, she'd truly started in hell.

True, Immortal Ziyang's private life was rather messy.

But that did nothing to diminish their admiration and reverence for her.

And this was how Ran Zirou saw Immortal Ziyang?

High above them,

Immortal Ziyang hovered silently.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, her red robes brighter than blood.

Time had left its marks on her face after her cultivation had stagnated for so long, but that had not diminished her allure. Like a lush rose in full bloom, she had only grown more captivating.

She recognized her daughter at a glance.

After giving birth to Ran Zirou, she had discovered that her daughter had a Mixed Spiritual Root. She'd made the difficult decision to have her raised in the mortal world.

With luck, she would live out her life as a princess, cherished and happy.

She had never expected Ran Zirou to take part in the Sect's Disciple Selection and come to the Spirit Sword Sect.

Beside her, the Second Elder frowned deeply. "That's your daughter? How did she turn out like this?"

A clear tear rolled down Immortal Ziyang's cheek. "Perhaps she believed someone's slander and came to resent me as her mother."

The Second Elder snorted. "Resent you? Does that give her the right to say something so vile?"

The Second Elder had always been a kind man. After hearing Li Zi's thoughts, he'd gained a deeper understanding of Immortal Ziyang. Much of the bitterness he'd felt at being deceived had faded, leaving him calm.

Ji Zheng had sent him a message asking him to bring Immortal Ziyang back to acknowledge her daughter.

He hadn't expected them to hear such an explosive declaration the moment they arrived.

Immortal Ziyang finally covered her face and sobbed. "Is this how everyone sees me? Do you all truly think I'm a..."

A woman who would sleep with any man?

The words were so filthy she couldn't bring herself to say them aloud.

"Of course not," the Second Elder said at once.

Li Zi's furious inner voice suddenly struck their ears.

[Is Ran Zirou blind? Immortal Ziyang is a legend in the Cultivation of the True Path World! Every Sect holds her up as an example when rallying new disciples. She's the very picture of a small-town student who studied her heart out and succeeded through sheer effort. How inspiring is that? When someone's heart is filthy, everything she looks at seems filthy too.]

For some reason, that angry tirade made Immortal Ziyang feel much better.

She didn't know what a "small-town student who studied her heart out" was, but her story was indeed inspiring.

When she had first entered the Cultivation of the True Path World, she had been ruthless with herself.

She was the first woman to climb the Heavenward Ladder and go on to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.

Who was speaking?

Her gaze swept over the crowd and finally settled on Li Zi, who stood on tiptoe watching the spectacle, her fists clenched in anger.

Immortal Ziyang's pupils contracted.

It's her.

In the Main Hall and here, she had heard that little girl's voice.

Was this the person who understood her so well?

Suddenly, Li Zi turned around.

Her clear, almond-shaped eyes met Immortal Ziyang's gaze.

Immortal Ziyang felt as though she had caught sight of the purest, most beautiful view.

Li Zi gave her a shy smile.

Immortal Ziyang's heart melted.

She nodded.

[Wow! Immortal Ziyang is such a beautiful lady. Did she just smile at me?]

[I have a Mixed Spiritual Root too, and my cultivation is slow. Immortal Ziyang is my role model!]

[What did Ran Zirou ever do to deserve a mother like her?]

It really is her!

After Ran Zirou's earth-shattering declaration, the scene had fallen silent for a moment. Then the surrounding disciples had all taken a step back, putting some distance between themselves and her.

Fu Chaoqing looked at her as though he were seeing her for the first time, his eyes utterly unfamiliar.

"Martial Niece Ran, how could you think that? Immortal Ziyang is a senior I admire deeply. That notion of yours..."

The change in their gazes and attitudes made Ran Zirou suddenly realize she might have said the wrong thing.

But so what? She'd spoken from the heart. Besides, almost all of them thought the same way. That was how it had been in her previous life.

Ranking List

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Transmigration into a Book

Female Supporting Character Fiction

Immortal Cultivation Fiction

Cannon Fodder