"Jie Tianran, you..."
"You are the Master of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace. You are the one the elders placed their trust in."
"What you should be doing is protecting every person within the Seven Realms Sacred Palace."
"How could you commit such a heartless act for the sake of a prophecy with no logic whatsoever?"
"Those are millions of families. Those are millions of lives that had only just been born into this world."
Chu Feng's grandmother trembled even more violently, and every word she spoke was filled with fury and incomprehension.
But Jie Tianran's expression remained calm.
"As the Master of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace, it is my duty to consider the future of the Sacred Palace."
"Even ordinary rulers know to expand their borders for the future of their nations."
"Ordinary soldiers are willing to die on the battlefield for the future of their countries."
"Our Seven Realms Sacred Palace stands as the mightiest force in the current martial cultivation world. Those who reside within it enjoy the most exalted status in the cultivation world — and they must possess the spirit to sacrifice and devote themselves for the Sacred Palace."
"They are far too weak. They cannot provide any assistance to the Sacred Palace in terms of combat power."
"Left to live out their natural lives of aging and death, they would amount to nothing of value. You might as well call them maggots."
"But now, I am offering their lives to the art of prophecy. It may seem cruel."
"In truth, it is their honor."
"They will no longer be mediocre because of my decision."
"They are rewriting their destiny, and at last they can contribute to our Seven Realms Sacred Palace."
"Because of this, their lives finally have value and meaning."
Jie Tianran said.
"What right do you have to take away the lives of others?"
"Did you ever ask them whether they were willing?"
Chu Feng's grandmother asked.
"I did not ask them whether they were willing. Once I made my decision, they had no choice but to obey."
"Because I am the Master of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace, and I must consider the future of the Sacred Palace."
"I have every right to make this decision."
Jie Tianran said.
"Preposterous."
"If you truly believed what you were doing was right, why didn't you make this prophecy public when you carried it out?"
"Because you didn't dare. You knew this matter was filthy, sordid, and not fit to see the light of day. This is not something any human being could bring themselves to do."
"Even beasts would be incapable of it."
"You are beneath even beasts."
Chu Feng's grandmother said.
"Anyone who wishes to achieve great things must possess a ruthless heart in order to make the correct decisions."
"There are certain things everyone knows about, things everyone does — they simply cannot be spoken of openly."
"Nianqing, you are no longer a child. How could you fail to understand even this much?"
Jie Tianran countered.
"Jie Tianran, I truly feel that I have been blind."
"You are selfish to the extreme. In your heart, there is no place for me, no place for our daughter, and no place for the Seven Realms Sacred Palace — only yourself."
"I believe you wish to bring the Sacred Palace to the pinnacle under your hand."
"But the point is not the Sacred Palace reaching the pinnacle — it is reaching the pinnacle under your hand."
"That way, you can achieve fame and glory, and be remembered by generation after generation of Sacred Palace descendants."
"Everything you do is for yourself. All of it is for you alone."
Chu Feng's grandmother pointed at Jie Tianran and berated him with rage.
"Nianqing, after all these years of marriage, is this truly how you see me?"
"You may question what I have done for the Sacred Palace, but you cannot question my love for you."
"Do you still remember Jie Ning?"
Jie Tianran countered.
Hearing that name, a flash of surprise crossed Chu Feng's grandmother's furious eyes, and she immediately asked, "What are you trying to say?"
"Jie Ning's talent exceeded yours. Her background exceeded yours. Back then, the elders of the Palace — including my own Master — all hoped that I would marry Jie Ning."
"This is the tradition of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace: a union of the strong to produce outstanding descendants and lay a solid foundation for the Palace's future."
"You should know this."
Jie Tianran said.
"I know. If Jie Ning hadn't died, a self-serving person like you would never have chosen me."
Chu Feng's grandmother said.
"Then do you know how Jie Ning died?"
Jie Tianran asked.
"She died while carrying out a mission in some ancient ruins. Everyone who went with her perished."
Chu Feng's grandmother said.
"It was me."