Chapter 644: Whose Daughter Is She?

Rising into the sky, he looked at the Peacock Great Demon King, the queen consort, and Su Qin, and said coldly, "Are you planning to use Su Qin to threaten me, to make me afraid to kill you?"

The Peacock Great Demon King shook his head, chuckling lightly. "You don’t need to insult me like that. When did I rely on other people to prolong my life? If I had chosen to do that, I would have done it the last time you came, not waited until now."

As he spoke, the Peacock Crown on his forehead lit up. The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor's eyes flashed with divine light, ready to strike, but his face instantly showed a look of astonishment.

The state of the Peacock Crown on the Peacock Great Demon King's forehead was far beyond his expectations, and not because of its power.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

It was shattered.

Only one-third or so remained, and it was covered in cracks. The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor knew very well what this meant. His understanding of the Peacock Demon clan was second to none but the Peacock Demons themselves.

In this state, the Peacock Great Demon King was in no condition to fight him. The crown could fully collapse at any moment, and the moment that happened, he would immediately die.

But the Peacock Great Demon King smiled faintly, as if things were completely fine.

"Lin Ximo, there's nothing to worry about now. I mean, it makes no sense for me to worry about you killing me when I'm about to die anyway. You know, I actually postponed the ceremony for five days just to wait for you. Otherwise, how could I use the last sparks of my life to crush you?"

Lin Ximo frowned. He had no idea where the Peacock Great Demon King was trying to get. But one thing was clear: his opponent was not lying, and his life was indeed at its end. He didn’t have years to live, or even days; his remaining lifespan could be counted in minutes. The cracks on the Peacock Crown were deepening at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The queen consort's expression showed confusion. She had always known that the Peacock Great Demon King had burned his life essence during his last battle with Lin Ximo and probably didn't have long to live. However, because of her resentment toward him, she hadn't paid much attention and even cursed him. But now, seeing the Peacock Crown disintegrating with her own eyes, a faint mist rose in her eyes.

When he recounted their past, it brought back memories for the queen consort. Their past had truly been wonderful: they loved each other, had children, worked hard for the Peacock Demon clan, and were a harmonious couple. Those were the best times.

But everything changed when Su Qin appeared.

And now, he was really about to die. The queen consort felt as if her heart was being gripped by the steel claws of a dragon, an indescribable pain that made it hard for her to breathe.

The Peacock Great Demon King, however, kept the same faint smile on his face, as if he had all the time in the world.

He looked at Su Qin and bowed slightly, "I'm sorry, Su Qin. I actually lied to you. I never truly loved you, even though you are beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. But I never loved you. Because from a young age, my heart was already full, unable to hold anyone else."

Su Qin glanced at him and said calmly. "I know. You kept saying you loved me, but you just wanted to use me. You're not a good person. Initially, I was grateful to you, but as I realized your intentions, even that gratitude disappeared. So you don't need to apologize. Yes, you used me to achieve your goal, but you did save us back then. Without you, we would have died a long time ago. You don't owe me anything, and at this moment, I no longer owe you either."

The Peacock Great Demon King nodded, "Good, I'm really happy that you think this way. I thought you would hate me."

Su Qin shook her head, "I don't hate you. After all, you saved our lives. Although you did what you did for your own purposes, in the end, everything happened because of that bastard, so I can't blame you. But I really don't like you as a person, you know? I don't like how cunning and scheming you are."

The Peacock Great Demon King laughed as if he’d heard a really good joke. "It's okay, you don't have to like me. As long as my wife likes me, that's enough. She said earlier that she chose me because I was smart. When you're young, it's called being smart, and when you're old, it's called being cunning and scheming. Either way, I don’t care. As long as she likes it, I’m proud of it."

The queen consort stared at them in a daze, listening to their conversation. She understood every word they said, but it made no sense to her.

"You never loved Su Qin? Then what about all these years... And what about Little Mei..."

"Makes no sense, right? It's okay, I promised you that I would explain everything, and now is the time for me to do that. Queen Consort, I said earlier that I've only ever loved you, and that's true. Nothing ever happened between Su Qin and me, and I mean

nothing whatsoever

. I never touched her. The affection I showed her was all an act to deceive outsiders, Lin Ximo in particular, and to make sure Little Mei's identity is never called into question."

As he said this, not only was the queen consort stunned, but even the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor’s scowl was replaced by an expression of deep shock.

"Then Little Mei..."

The smile on the Peacock Great Demon King's face grew wider. "That's right, Little Mei is not my daughter."

The queen consort stared at him, face filled with disbelief.

The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor's breathing became rapid. "Then whose daughter is she?"

The Peacock Great Demon King winked at him. "Heh, guess."

The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor's face changed drastically. His already fair complexion turned something the color of fresh paper. He turned to Su Qin, staring at her intently. With trembling lips, he started, "Could it be... could it be..."

Su Qin's face was cold as she said, "I am a human, a Saintess of the Redemption Society. I bear the mission of revitalizing humanity, and that is my goal above everything else. To ensure more living space for humans, I had to be ready to sacrifice myself at any time. But I was foolish; I fell in love with a bastard, a non-human bastard, and I loved him passionately. I even became pregnant with his child. And that selfish guy left me to become an Emperor without even saying a word!

"My belly grew bigger by the day, and I didn't dare tell the organization. I had no choice but to flee to a remote place alone. I couldn't bear to lose the child; I had to give birth to her.

"On the day she was born, I hemorrhaged, and the baby suffocated. We were both going to die. At that moment, I hated myself for loving such a selfish bastard. I didn't care about my own life; if I died, so be it, I loved the wrong person and whatever happened to me was nothing but comeuppance. But the child was innocent. We were both going to die... and then he came. My savior."

The Peacock Great Demon King nodded and continued her story. "I saw Su Qin at the Ancestral Court before, with the White Tiger Demon Emperor. At that time, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. You were already together then, and to be honest, I was a bit jealous—jealous of why such a beautiful flower would be stuck in a pile of manure. And I couldn't compete with you for the chance to become an Emperor; my talent was ultimately insufficient. Even with my wife's help, I still couldn't advance further, and I already knew that becoming an Emperor was beyond me. No matter how hard I tried; my basic potential was just too lacking.

"So, when I found her and her newborn daughter dying in that small village, I saved them without hesitation. I knew she needed help, and I saw an opportunity. Since I couldn't become an Emperor, I decided to instead help a child who had the potential to become one."

The queen consort was now deathly pale, and tears were streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. She finally understood what was going on.

The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor Lin Ximo's face was even paler, and his breathing was in complete disarray. "Are you saying... Little Mei is..."

The Peacock Great Demon King smiled and nodded. "That's right, she is your daughter, Lin Ximo. The daughter you abandoned, to be more specific. I've been protecting her and raising her with all I had, all for this moment today."