I Betrayed My Family and Devoted Myself to the Demonic Empress

Chapter 2: Don’t Just Strip the Holy Son Title, Expel Him from the Clan:

Putting the facts aside?

Then what the hell is there to talk about?!

After slapping Ye Linger—who was aggressive and utterly unreasonable—right across the face, Ye Chuchen watched as her once delicate, breathtakingly beautiful face swelled up at a speed visible to the naked eye. A bright red handprint instantly appeared on her fair skin.

Ye Chuchen laughed.

He laughed without restraint.

Including his past life, he had endured over ten years of suppression, grievances, and hatred. At this moment, he finally let some of it out.

Even though it was just a little.

But the rush of satisfaction and the exhilarating feeling of revenge left him completely hooked.

So this was what it felt like.

Not having to suppress himself.

It was such a joyful thing.

In his previous life, after his cultivation was crippled, he was gradually ignored and alienated by his father, his sisters, and even the entire Ye Clan.

To integrate himself back into the family, he gave everything he had to them without holding back. He even abandoned his dignity, trying in every way to please his sisters. He even flattered Ye Xuan, that white lotus, in a desperate attempt to mend his shattered family bonds.

And in the end?

He still died in disgrace, completely erased from existence.

Fine. A cripple was a cripple.

If he was destined to die, then what was there to fear?

If he had to perish, he would at least die on his own terms!

“Ye! Chu! Chen!!”

“You actually dared to hit me?! You dared to hit me?!”

Ye Linger’s eyes widened like copper bells, filled with disbelief as she stared at Ye Chuchen. Her entire worldview had just collapsed.

With her current cultivation level, she could have easily dodged that slap.

After all, Ye Chuchen’s cultivation was destroyed. His meridians were shattered, and he no longer had even the slightest trace of spiritual energy. He was nothing more than a worthless cripple.

But the problem was, Ye Linger had never even considered the possibility that she might be hit.

Or rather, it had never even crossed her mind that Ye Chuchen, her so-called brother, would dare to lay a hand on her.

When Ye Chuchen raised his hand, Ye Linger had even smirked in disdain.

She…

She thought that under the pressure of their father and sisters, this worthless waste had finally realized his mistake. She assumed he was raising his hand to slap himself a few times as an apology to Xiao Xuan.

But the result?!

Not only Ye Linger, but even Ye Han, Ye Qingqing, and Ye Xuan all gaped in shock at the scene before them, watching Ye Chuchen slap Ye Linger across the face.

Was this…

Was this cripple under too much pressure lately?

Had he gone insane??

How could he dare to hit Ye Linger? How could he?!

Did he still think he was the youngest Saint-level powerhouse in the Mythic Desolation Continent?

Did he think he was still the chosen son of heaven?

Did he still think he was the Ye Clan’s Holy Son?!

Ye Xuan was the first to recover from his shock. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, and a look of mockery that didn’t belong on a boy his age flickered across his face.

This was about to get interesting.

“Ye Chuchen, you’re asking for death!!”

As expected, the moment Ye Linger snapped back to reality, she acted without hesitation.

Her palm gathered an immense surge of spiritual energy, forming a terrifying icy aura that condensed into a raging storm. With killing intent written all over her face, she struck at Ye Chuchen’s chest without a second thought.

Faced with such a fierce attack, Ye Chuchen didn’t dodge.

He accepted it head-on.

It wasn’t because he was stupid.

Nor was it because he felt guilty.

It was simply because, against the full-force attack of a Spirit-Communion Realm expert, a cripple like him, whose meridians were shattered and cultivation was gone, couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.

Boom!!

With a thunderous impact, the frigid force struck Ye Chuchen’s chest head-on, sending him flying across the hall.

“Cough!!”

Struggling to rise from the ground, Ye Chuchen coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Under the terrifying cold surge, his clothes were instantly frozen, and a thick layer of frost formed over his body. The loss of warmth caused his limbs to tremble uncontrollably.

A truly miserable sight.

“Hah… I thought you were actually going to kill me?”

Ye Chuchen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His gaze toward Ye Linger was colder and more disdainful than ever before.

“So, in the end, you’re just a coward. A pathetic weakling.”

A Spirit-Communion Realm cultivator striking with full force—if she hadn’t held back, Ye Chuchen would have died on the spot.

But Ye Chuchen knew Ye Linger wouldn’t kill him.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to.

It was that she didn’t dare.

Even if he had slapped her ten times.

Even if he crippled her cultivation entirely.

Neither Ye Linger, Ye Ding, nor the entire Ye Clan would dare to kill him.

Because he was the greatest benefactor of the Ye Clan—bar none!

He had shattered his Chaos Divine Physique, destroyed his own meridians, and lost his cultivation to defeat the Demon Empress Lin Shuwang, ensuring the righteous path’s victory.

His achievements were unparalleled in history.

If the Ye Clan repaid such a deed with betrayal and murder, how would they justify themselves to the major sacred lands and aristocratic families?

His victory over the Demon Empress and the repelling of the demonic coalition forces had not only benefited the Ye Clan but also countless sacred lands and Immortal Families.

The Ye Clan could humiliate him.

They could degrade him.

They could torment him and let him slowly waste away in pain.

But they absolutely wouldn’t dare to commit an outright act of fratricide and repay his sacrifice with death.

Even if Ye Linger wanted to do it, Ye Ding, who was watching the spectacle unfold from his seat, would never allow it!

“Ye Chuchen… You’re just relying on my kindness and soft heart, aren’t you?”

Ye Linger, utterly enraged, lost all composure. Spiritual energy surged in her palm, forming a razor-sharp ice blade.

Her killing intent was unmistakable.

“Since you’re so desperate to die, then I, Ye Linger, will grant your wish!!”

With those words, the ice blade, infused with frigid energy, shot forth, aimed directly at Ye Chuchen’s heart.

Its speed was terrifyingly fast.

Ye Han and Ye Qingqing, standing by with their arms crossed, simply watched.

They didn’t care whether their so-called little brother lived or died.

“Hmph!!”

Seeing that Ye Linger was truly attempting to kill, Ye Ding let out a cold snort. A terrifying pressure of a Saint’s aura began to surge.

As the Patriarch of the Ye Clan, he couldn’t allow Ye Linger to actually kill Ye Chuchen. A minor punishment to teach his useless son a lesson was one thing, but killing him outright? That was another matter entirely.

“Linger, stop—”

Just as Ye Ding was about to intervene, Ye Xuan suddenly stepped forward with a panicked expression.

To everyone’s shock, he rushed in front of Ye Chuchen, spreading his arms wide and shutting his eyes tightly as though ready to shield him with his own body.

“Xiao Xuan, you—”

No one had expected Ye Xuan to risk his life for Ye Chuchen. Even Ye Linger’s face filled with alarm.

She immediately tried to pull back, desperately attempting to change the ice blade’s direction to avoid hurting Ye Xuan.

“Get out of the way! Move!!”

But the ice blade was too fast, and the distance too close. Even though Ye Linger wanted to stop, it was too late.

As the blade closed in on Ye Xuan’s chest—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A terrifying Saint’s pressure descended from above.

In an instant, the razor-sharp ice blade shattered into dust and disappeared completely.

The crisis was resolved.

Ye Linger, Ye Han, and Ye Qingqing instantly surrounded Ye Xuan, their faces full of concern as they checked him over, afraid that he might be injured.

Even a minor scrape would be treated as a serious matter.

Not just these sisters— even Ye Ding, a Saint-level powerhouse, suddenly stood up from his seat as Patriarch. His expression was filled with worry as he looked at Ye Xuan, his heart aching as if it were bleeding.

“Xiao Xuan, why are you so foolish?”

“Why would you shield Ye Chuchen from the ice blade? That cripple isn’t worth it!”

“Xiao Xuan, are you hurt? I have healing pills here. Hurry and take one!”

“I have Earth Core Fire Lotus Seeds that can dispel cold energy from your body. Don’t speak, just eat them now!”

…

The three sisters chirped anxiously around Ye Xuan, stuffing various healing pills into his mouth as if his survival depended on it.

“Sisters, I… I’m fine~”

As Ye Xuan enjoyed their concern, he turned his face toward Ye Chuchen, who was coughing up blood beside him. His expression was full of worry as he spoke.

“I… I didn’t think much about it. At that moment, all I could think was that Brother Chuchen had done so much for the Ye Clan. I couldn’t let him get hurt.”

“And… and if Brother Chuchen had really died at Sister Linger’s hands, the clan members who don’t understand the situation might blame her.”

Drip!

Drip!

The moment he said this, Ye Linger’s eyes instantly turned red, and teardrops the size of pearls streamed down her cheeks.

“Xiao Xuan, so… so everything you did was for me?”

“Wu wu wu, Xiao Xuan, you’re just too kind. You always put others before yourself!!”

Ye Linger clutched Ye Xuan’s hands tightly, nearly fainting from emotion.

“Xiao Xuan, now that you mention it, I finally realize—Ye Chuchen was deliberately provoking me! He wanted me to kill him so I would be burdened with infamy!”

“Ye Chuchen, how could you be so vicious? If you had even a fraction—no, even one ten-thousandth—of Xiao Xuan’s kindness, you wouldn’t have fallen to this point!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Han and Ye Qingqing immediately joined in, throwing accusations at Ye Chuchen. Words filled with malice and contempt slipped effortlessly from their lips.

“Ugh!”

Ye Chuchen clutched his chest and dry-heaved.

He felt sick.

Completely disillusioned with the Ye Clan, he no longer even had the desire to explain himself.

With Ye Ding, a Saint-level powerhouse, overseeing everything, could Ye Linger have actually killed him?

And before Ye Xuan had rushed over, Ye Ding had already begun releasing his Saint’s pressure.

Ye Xuan had seen this. He knew that Ye Ding had already taken action. That was why he had deliberately stepped forward, pretending to shield Ye Chuchen—crafting his false image as a self-sacrificing white lotus.

Unfortunately, Ye Linger, Ye Han, Ye Qingqing, and even Ye Ding himself had long lost all reason. They couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

Explain?

Ha!

Once prejudice takes root, it’s almost impossible to change.

No matter how much effort you put in!

“Chuchen, have you caused enough trouble?!”

From the Patriarch’s seat, Ye Ding’s face darkened, and he let out a cold snort. A terrifying Saint’s pressure descended, crushing down on Ye Chuchen, forcing him to kneel.

Even as veins bulged on his forehead and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, Ye Chuchen refused to submit. He gritted his teeth, straightened his spine, and refused to kneel.

Even after two lifetimes, Ye Chuchen still couldn’t understand why his father, Ye Ding, was so biased toward Ye Xuan—an adopted son.

He, Ye Chuchen, was Ye Ding’s biological son!

He was their blood-related younger brother!

He was the Holy Son of the Ye Clan!

“Father, you clearly—”

“Don’t call me Father! Call me Patriarch!!”

Before Ye Chuchen could finish his sentence, Ye Ding cut him off sharply.

“Why did you strike Linger? Don’t you know she is your own sister?!”

Ye Chuchen was stunned for a moment. Then, he let out a self-mocking laugh.

He slapped Ye Linger, and now he was being called cold-hearted and ruthless.

But Ye Linger had tried to kill him, and Ye Ding had simply turned a blind eye!

Fine.

Very well!!

“According to the Ye Clan’s rules, disrespecting the Holy Son warrants a slap!”

Having lost all remaining hope in the Ye Clan, Ye Chuchen straightened his back and met Ye Ding’s gaze without hesitation. His expression was eerily calm as he spoke.

“I may be crippled, but I am still the Holy Son of the Ye Clan!”

Boom!

His words sent shockwaves through the hall.

Ye Linger and the others exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

Because what he said was true.

The Ye Clan’s rules explicitly stated that anyone who disrespected the Holy Son should be punished with a slap.

Not only had Ye Linger disrespected Ye Chuchen—she had also injured him and even tried to kill him.

According to the clan’s rules, a single slap was already merciful.

Killing her wouldn’t even be considered excessive.

“Hmph! Ye Chuchen, you’re just using your title as the Holy Son to disrespect your elders!”

However, Ye Ding sneered, completely disregarding the clan’s rules. Instead, he twisted the narrative to make Ye Chuchen the villain.

“Ye Chuchen, apologize to Linger! Apologize to Xiao Xuan!”

“Otherwise, I will strip you of your title as the Ye Clan’s Holy Son and—”

Before Ye Ding could finish his sentence, Ye Chuchen coldly interrupted him.

“Patriarch, there’s no need for you to strip me of my title as Holy Son.”

“Please, Father—no, Patriarch—expel me from the Ye Clan!”

“From now on, you and I will sever our father-son relationship!”

“…”