Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Outside Tianyan City.

The morning mist carried a faint fragrance of sacred wood, and the golden city walls, towering into the clouds, gleamed brilliantly in the morning sun.

Long queues formed at the city gate, with all sorts of cultivators and exotic beasts coming and going in an endless stream.

Jiang Yining changed into a moon-white flowing fairy dress, her long black hair tied up with a simple white jade hairpin, her eyebrows and eyes clear and distant, exuding a refined and otherworldly temperament.

However, when he walked, his pace was slightly slower than usual.

Before this slight, unnatural pause could last until the third step, a long, strong arm appeared around his waist.

"Why are you being so lazy while walking?"

Xie Wuwang naturally draped most of her weight over himself, his well-defined hands resting against her waist, his palms constantly emitting a gentle stream of immortal energy.

He put his black robe back on neatly, but the collar was left open a little, revealing a few fresh, light red scratches on his collarbone.

That handsome face, which was always weary and world-weary, now showed a hint of relaxation, as if he had just eaten and drunk his fill.

Her narrow, dark purple eyes lazily swept across the surroundings. If any passing cultivator's gaze lingered on Jiang Yining for even a moment longer, her gaze would sweep across them like a sharp blade.

"Behave yourself in public."

Jiang Yining turned her head to remind her.

"You dare talk to me about propriety?"

He snorted through his nose, his arm tightening around his neck even more. "Why didn't you tell me about what happened in the cave last night..."

"Say one more word, and I'll sew your mouth shut."

Xie Wuwang's lips curved slightly, and he wisely shut his mouth, but he didn't move a single finger from her waist.

Jiang Yining lowered her head, raised her hand to press the tightly tied waistband, and made sure everything was in place before turning her gaze to the majestic city gate in front of her.

Four golden-armored guards, exuding the aura of an early-stage Immortal Realm cultivator, stood watch on either side of the city gate.

Jiang Yining handed over the pass token.

The scarred guard at the head of the guards took the token and glanced at it, his gaze pausing slightly as it swept over her face.

He smacked his lips, his gaze slowly sliding down her face, a crooked grin spreading across his lips.

"A stranger from another realm? The token's aura is dim, its origin is unknown. We must detain it and search it for verification."

He stretched out a rough, calloused hand and reached for Jiang Yining's wrist.

Click.

A crisp cracking sound rang out at the city gate.

No one saw how the young man in black robes made his move.

The scarred guard's entire right arm had been twisted into a bizarre angle, with white bone fragments piercing through the flesh and sticking out.

Xie Wuwang grabbed his throat with one hand and lifted him off the ground like a chick.

The pressure of a peak True Immortal Realm expert poured out from his body, causing large patches of cold black cracks to appear on the ground within a radius of ten feet.

The remaining guards were pinned to the spot by this terrifying pressure, their knees buckling.

"Which hand wants to touch her?"

Xie Wuwang's voice was completely flat, as cold as ice that had been frozen for a thousand years deep in the netherworld, "I'll just take off whichever claw of yours."

The monks queuing around were terrified and scattered in all directions, while the alarm bells on the city tower rang incessantly.

The two guards who were still standing looked at each other, their legs trembling so badly they could barely stand.

"A true fairyland? How could someone like that come to Tianyan City?"

"Stop asking questions! Do you want to die? Go get help!"

A streak of azure light flew from within the city and landed, revealing a middle-aged cultivator in brocade robes.

This man was dressed in fine clothes, and after his shrewd little eyes clearly saw the destructive laws surging around Xie Wuwang, cold sweat immediately poured down his forehead.

"Who dares to cause such a scene! Qian Yong, an outer sect deacon of the Tianyan Chamber of Commerce, is here. Please calm your anger, senior!"

Qian Yong kicked the scarred guard who was lying on the ground screaming in pain, then bowed three times to Xie Wuwang and Jiang Yining, presenting them with a purple-gold VIP token.

"My men were blind and offended you two. This is the Heavenly Evolution Chamber of Commerce's Purple Gold Token. With this, you can enter the city freely without any checks!"

Xie Wuwang casually threw the guard to the ground, coldly withdrew his hand, and retreated to Jiang Yining's side.

Jiang Yining took the Purple Gold Token and her gaze fell on the array plate with the words "Myriad Phenomena" engraved on Qian Yong's waist. With a slight movement of her fingertips, the essence of the Myriad Spirit Divine Wood keenly captured the law fluctuations transmitted from the array plate.

"What's the reason for the martial law being in effect in the city lately?"

Her voice was flat.

Qian Yong wiped his sweat and replied, "It is my young master who is recruiting masters of formations from all over the world to repair an ancient, damaged formation."

"What formation?"

"Nine Heavens Star Formation"

Qian Yong's face showed a hint of pride when he mentioned this name, "As long as you can repair the three core array eyes, the reward is five million top-grade immortal crystals, plus a Heaven-rank magic treasure of your choice from the Heavenly Evolution Treasure Vault!"

"Five million?"

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Yining's eyes.

"Absolutely true! My young master, Yun Zhongce, said he's not afraid of high bids, he's only afraid of people who don't have the real skills to respond..."

Before Jiang Yining could even speak, Xie Wuwang's face had already darkened to the bottom of a pot.

He grabbed Jiang Yining's shoulder with one hand, pulling her half a step behind him, his gaze like a poisoned knife piercing Qian Yong.

"Young Master?"

"Yes."

"Male or female?"

Qian Yong was taken aback by the question: "My young master is naturally a man..."

"What does it look like?"

"This... with his elegant demeanor and handsome face, is a renowned young talent in the Xuan Tian Realm..."

"roll."

Xie Wuwang impatiently interrupted him, put his arm around Jiang Yining's shoulder, and half-dragged, half-supported her as they walked into the city.

Qian Yong stood there, mouth agape, while the two guards behind him helped each other up, wiping away cold sweat and muttering to themselves.

"Who is this guy? He's a peak True Immortal Realm expert, and he doesn't even announce his name when he beats people up."

"Don't ask. Even if you had a hundred lives, would you dare to stop me? That murderous aura was so strong that I could barely stand even ten feet away."

Xie Wuwang's expression remained grim as he walked through the bustling main street of the neighborhood.

He walked silently beside Jiang Yining, and the coldness emanating from him made pedestrians along the way automatically give way.

Jiang Yining noticed that the veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the wine pot, were bulging, and his knuckles were white from clenching his fist.

"What are you angry about?"

"I have no anger at all."

"You almost broke the lid of the kettle."

Xie Wuwang looked down at his hand and silently loosened his grip.

"Five million immortal crystals."

His tone was cold and sarcastic. "Your eyes are shining like you've found a gold mine."

"It was originally a gold mine."

"What about that handsome young master? Is he also involved in a gold mine?"

"He is the employer."

"Employer."

Xie Wuwang stopped and turned around, his chin slightly raised, his dark purple eyes swirling with an intense, unyielding jealousy. "Then what am I? A former employer?"

"You're a guard."

"Oh."

"Hurry up, we need to find out the details of that Nine Heavens Star Array before sunset."

"You really want to see that guy surnamed Yun?"

"You're offering five million immortal crystals and not taking them, instead of robbing people?"

"So what if it's a robbery?"

Xie Wuwang's pace quickened noticeably. He walked backwards in front of her, looking down at her with a glare. "Tonight, I'll ransack the Tianyan Chamber of Commerce's main warehouse and bring back as much as you want."

"If you get arrested for robbery, who's going to clean up your mess?"

"What business is it of yours whether or not I'm wanted?"

"I'm the one who hired you. Now that you're wanted by the police, I'll have to pay someone else to hire you, which is a loss for me."

Xie Wuwang was speechless for a moment, his lips pressed together, and finally he let out a sour snort from his nose and turned his head away from her.

The quiet corridors of the Tianzihao Inn were deserted.

The footsteps echoed softly on the wooden floor.

Xie Wuwang took a long stride in front of Jiang Yining and pressed her against the vermilion carved door panel.

He braced his hands on either side of her, his broad shoulders completely blocking her way, and lowered his head.

In those long, narrow, dark purple eyes, what was churning was more of a panic that even he himself refused to admit, than anger.

"Jiang Yining, are you short of money?"

"lack."

She answered very decisively.

"How much is lacking?"

"It's in short supply."

"Five million top-grade immortal crystals, right?"

He gritted his teeth and spat out each word, "You stay here in the inn and behave yourself. Tonight I'm going to clean up the Tianyan Chamber of Commerce's main warehouse and twist that guy surnamed Yun's head off so you can use it as a football."

He lowered his body slightly, his gaze fixed on her face.

"You are not allowed to see him."

Jiang Yining leaned against the door and looked up at his fierce, handsome face.

His lips were taut into a straight line, his jaw was as hard as if it had been carved with a knife, and the dark purple poisonous marks on his forehead were faintly visible.

But what surged in those narrow eyes was clearly not murderous intent.

She couldn't help but laugh.

The sound was very soft, yet it was like a pebble dropped into a still lake.

Xie Wuwang froze.

She raised her cool, delicate hand and slowly straightened his wrinkled clothes, her fingertips sliding from his chest to his collar, smoothing out the crooked collar little by little.

Then, she slightly tiptoed.

Her soft lips gently pressed against his rapidly bobbing Adam's apple.

Xie Wuwang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He remained frozen in place, his hands braced against the wall, his dark purple eyes widening instantly, and his breath caught in his throat.

The roots of the ears turned from pale white to a bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"good."

Jiang Yining withdrew her lips and looked up at him.

His stunned expression was clearly reflected in a pair of bright, smiling eyes.

"Robbery is too dangerous. What's a faster way to get immortal crystals than swindling rich people?"

Taking advantage of his moment of stunned silence, she nimbly slipped under his arm, pushed open the door behind her, stepped inside, and turned back to give him a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Snapped.

The door closed in front of him.

The corridor was quiet.

Xie Wuwang stood alone in front of the tightly closed door, slowly withdrawing his hands from the door panel.

He raised his hand and pressed it against his chest.

My heart was pounding wildly beneath my ribs, as if it were about to leap out of my throat.

The warm, soft touch on his Adam's apple was incredibly clear, hotter than any lightning bolt that struck him from the cave.

He gritted his teeth, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a hoarse curse from his throat.

"Damn, that vixen is deadly."