If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

The elderly man with gray hair and beard, seeing Su Yongning return, snorted heavily through his nose, his gray beard trembling slightly with anger.

"What are you planning? Su Yongning, you should ask your good daughter what kind of trouble she's gotten herself into! Humph..."

Just then, the tightly closed vermilion gate of the Marquis's mansion slowly opened from the inside.

Su Mingyue, clad in jet-black iron armor and holding a silver spear at an angle, strode out from the shadows of the doorway.

She was followed by more than a hundred guards, all clad in armor and armed with weapons, their steps perfectly synchronized, the clanging of their armor plates carrying far through the morning mist.

She stopped outside the threshold, first facing Su Yongning, clasped her hands in a fist salute, bowed slightly, and said in a clear and respectful voice:

Welcome home, Father.

Su Yongning looked at her and nodded.

He led his guards through the crowd and walked to Su Mingyue's side.

A guard stepped forward quickly and whispered a few words in his ear.

Su Yongning's brows furrowed sharply as he turned to look at Su Mingyue, his eyes full of inquiry.

Su Mingyue knew what he wanted to ask.

Did you make that huge rock and those eight characters?

However, she didn't speak, but simply shook her head slowly.

Seeing his daughter shake her head, Su Yongning remained silent for a moment, then turned around, faced the dense crowd below the steps, and raised his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Gentlemen, this matter was not done by my daughter."

"However, I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you all an explanation."

"Everyone, please disperse for now."

As soon as Su Yongning finished speaking, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

The commotion arose simultaneously from all directions, like a pot of boiling oil being poured with cold water.

"You think it's not true just because you say so?"

"Who else could it be but Su Mingyue? Her name is carved on that stone!"

"Do you and your daughter think we're fools? It's obvious who did it!"

"Has Yongning City truly become your Su family's domain? You, Su Yongning, weren't you satisfied with ruling Youzhou with absolute power, now you want your daughter to be emperor?"

"How dare you blatantly violate the agreement! When we agreed to jointly defend Youzhou, we never said we would stake our lives on the Su family!"

Some hot-tempered martial artists were about to explode on the spot, their aura suddenly bursting forth.

The force of the wind whipped the robes of those around him, causing them to billow wildly. The bluestone slab beneath his feet cracked with the force of the wind, and he glared angrily at Su Yongning.

Su Yongning raised his hand, his voice still steady:

"Gentlemen, gentlemen..."

"Please hear me out."

"I have just returned from the northern border and do not yet know much about the situation in Yongning City."

"Please give me some time. After I have investigated the matter thoroughly, I will definitely give you an explanation."

The old man at the front of the crowd squinted and saw that Su Yongning no longer had the tough attitude he once had.

His eyes darted around, and he began to speak, his tone polite but with a barbed undertone:

"General Su, we respect your character, which is why we reached an agreement with you to jointly defend Youzhou."

"But now that the news of the immortal taking on a disciple has just come out, your Su family can't wait to fabricate auspicious omens and spread prophecies."

"If you have ideas, it would be good to discuss them with us, but you started without saying a word. Where do you think you're putting us?"

"If you don't give me an explanation today, this Yongning City might..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was crystal clear: if he didn't give an explanation today, he would have to make a scene today.

Su Yongning frowned, about to say something more.

Behind him, Su Mingyue stepped forward and stood in front of her father.

"Explanation? You want an explanation, right? Then I'll give you one."

As she spoke, she pointed her silver spear forward, the cold glint of its tip drawing a chilling arc in the morning mist.

At the very moment she made that move, more than a hundred guards behind her raised their weapons in unison, the clanging of their armor creating a synchronized sound.

Immediately afterwards, rows upon rows of archers silently appeared on the walls of the Marquis's mansion.

The bows they held were incredibly large, with bow arms as tall as half a person.

The arrow was a full circle thicker than a regular feathered arrow, and the arrowhead gleamed with a faint, dark light in the morning glow.

At the same time, a series of neat and dense footsteps came from all directions in the alleys surrounding the Marquis's residence.

Accompanied by the clanging sound of armor scraping against each other and the dull thud of combat boots on the bluestone slabs.

The black-armored soldiers surged out from every alleyway like a tide, completely surrounding the long street.

The old man at the head of the group was stunned for a moment when he saw this, then he laughed in anger.

His laughter was old and hoarse, sounding particularly jarring on the long street surrounded by armored soldiers: "Haha... Su Yongning, is this what you wanted too?"

"Su Mingyue, do you think these chickens and dogs can harm us?"

"You underestimate us! You truly know nothing about the power of the Blood Refining stage!"

Su Mingyue's expression was unusually calm.

She met the gazes of more than thirty people who seemed to want to tear her apart, her gun tip remaining unmoved, her voice as cold as frost:

"I don't know how strong the power of the Blood Refining stage is. But the families of you in Yongning City certainly can't stop my Black Armor Army."

The moment he finished speaking, it was like pouring a bucket of ice water into a pot of boiling oil.

The thirty-odd Blood Refining Realm warriors instantly erupted in chaos, with some cursing "despicable!"

Some people gritted their teeth and squeezed out, "You're playing with fire," while others felt their energy surge and were about to rush upwards.

"Win over Su Mingyue!"

The auras of more than thirty Blood Refining Realm martial artists exploded simultaneously, causing the air along the entire long street to become somewhat stagnant.

More than thirty figures moved almost simultaneously, like tigers released from their cages, rushing towards the gate of the Marquis's mansion.

Su Mingyue did not move.

She stood still, the silver spear still pointing diagonally at the ground, not even raised.

More than a hundred guards behind her quickly stepped forward and formed a shield wall in front of her.

Between the iron shields, arrows gleaming with an eerie light were steadily aimed at the charging warriors.

The archers on the walls of the Marquis's mansion were the first to attack.

The sound of bowstrings vibrating filled the air as thick, armor-piercing arrows, as thick as a thumb, tore through the air and hurtled towards the crowd with a sharp whistle.

However, these Blood Refining Realm warriors possessed abundant blood and qi, were agile, and had immense strength. They either dodged to the side, parried with their swords, or pulled over any obstructing guards to block them.

The arrows struck them, only tearing their robes and leaving a faint white mark on their skin before bouncing off.

The black-armored soldiers in the alley also moved.

The sound of orderly footsteps surged from all directions, and the clanging of armor plates drowned out the warriors' roars.

The Black-Armored Army soldiers did not charge forward with spears like ordinary soldiers.

They stopped twenty paces away from the martial artists.

The soldiers in the front row made hand seals in unison, while the soldiers in the back row handed forward the magic orbs that had already been condensed.

In an instant, the entire street was illuminated as if it were daytime by colorful magical light.