Junior Sister must ascend this time!

Si Mingche was furious. He never expected that the Illusionary Spirit King would treat Jiang Mian this way, giving her such a big show of force right after arriving.

Not only did they not feel sorry for him suffering so much while he was wandering outside, they also looked down on his mortal bloodline.

Fortunately, he and his junior sister came with their fourth junior brother. Otherwise, in places unknown to them, their fourth junior brother would have been bullied terribly, especially by his own maternal grandfather.

No, he has to stand up for Jiang Mian!

Just as Si Mingche was about to step forward to argue, Yun Qing grabbed his sleeve and said, "Let me handle this."

She looked at the Phantom King and said respectfully, "You must be the king of the Phantom Clan?"

King... King, right?

The Phantom King's temples throbbed violently; it felt as if he'd been insulted... Who taught her to speak like that? Didn't she know that the King shouldn't speak like that?!

Then Yun Qing praised, "Only after meeting you did I understand what the pure bloodline of the Illusionary Spirit Clan is like. Unlike my fourth senior brother, who is half mortal and has too much human nature on him."

The Phantom King was now certain that he had indeed been insulted; her words implied that he was inhuman.

He opened his eyes again, scrutinizing Yun Qing closely. "You've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Jiang Mian quickly stepped in front of Yun Qing, "If you have a problem, come at me. Don't touch my senior brother and junior sister."

The Illusionary Spirit King sneered, "Now that you've come to the Illusionary Spirit Clan, don't associate yourself with these ordinary cultivators anymore. What senior brother and junior sister? You'll have nothing to do with each other again, understand?!"

"I do not understand!"

Jiang Mian stared intently at the Illusionary Spirit King. "I only know that my family consists of them, and I! Will never abandon my family!"

The Phantom King seemed to have heard a joke and said indifferently, "How foolish. You're willing to open your heart to nothing but empty words."

"Your name outside is Jiang Mian?" He shook his head and said graciously, "That name doesn't sound good. I'll allow you to use the surname of the Illusionary Spirit Royal Family from now on, Shi."

Yun Qing and Si Mingche barely managed to suppress their laughter after hearing this, their faces turning bright red.

Insomnia? Is it a sedative?

What an awful name!

Jiang Mian's face darkened. "I won't change it. My name will always be Jiang Mian."

This name was chosen by his master after searching through the entire library; no one else has the right to change it.

Yuehua, far away at Chengtian Sect, had no idea that the name she had casually made up was being cherished so much.

"Ungrateful!"

The Phantom King did not expect him to refuse so firmly. Being granted the royal surname was the highest honor the Phantom Clan could receive. Which member of the Phantom Clan would not want such an honor?

"Guards! Take them to the side hall. They are not allowed to leave until the day of the Illusionary Realm Trial!"

At this moment, a healer from the Illusionary Spirit Clan hurriedly entered the main hall, bowed to the Illusionary Spirit King, and said, "It's terrible! After the eldest princess learned that the young prince had returned, she... she became extremely agitated and insisted on seeing the young prince one last time."

"But her body simply cannot allow her to be too excited, so... so I humbly request Your Majesty's instructions."

Upon hearing this, the Phantom King immediately stood up. "I'll go check on Nian'er!"

As he walked past Jiang Mian, he paused for a moment and said, "You, come with me."

The three followed behind the Phantom King and soon arrived at a secluded palace, whose luxury was comparable to that of the main hall.

The strong medicinal aroma alone proved that the eldest princess spent her days with elixirs.

Then Yun Qing saw the eldest princess, whose eyebrows and eyes were eight parts similar to Jiang Mian's. Her face was so pale that no blood could be seen.

She frantically threw away everything she could reach, yelling, "Get out! All of you get out! I don't want to see you!"

"I want him! Let me see him now!"

"Nian'er!"

The Illusionary Spirit King strode over to Shi Nian, led her to the bedside, and gently comforted her, "Why did you get up? The physician said you needed to rest. Couldn't you wait for Father to return?"

Clearly, the arrival of the Phantom King was quite effective. Shi Nian gradually calmed down. "Father, I want to see that child. I owe him so much. Please, let me see him..."

The Phantom King sighed deeply. If it weren't for Nian'er's illness, he would never have brought Jiang Mian back. He lovingly tucked Shi Nian's stray hairs behind her ear. "He's right there. I'll have him come over."

Well, it's good to meet her. After fulfilling her wishes, we need to act quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications.

The Phantom King walked up to Jiang Mian, glanced into his eyes, and said, "Go keep her company, but don't cause any trouble, or I won't let them get away with it."

Yun Qing winked at Jiang Mian, "Fourth Senior Brother, don't worry, we'll be fine."

Si Mingche patted him on the shoulder, "I will protect my junior sister."

Jiang Mian: ...It's you protecting me that makes me uneasy.

"Come here, child, let me see you."

After setting up a soundproof barrier in the room, Shi Nian, despite her illness, spoke softly.

Jiang Mian didn't move, but coldly said, "Since you abandoned me, why did you come looking for me again?"

He had no feelings for this so-called mother in front of him; he just wanted to know why she was disturbing his peaceful life.

"That's not how it is, cough... cough..."

Shi Nian patted her chest to make herself feel better. "Your birth was an accident. I went to the cultivation world for training, but I was framed and lost all my spiritual power. After that, I accidentally entered the mortal world."

"That man saved me, but I never thought of giving myself to him. I only wanted to repay him with endless wealth after returning to the Phantom Spirit Clan."

"But he somehow found a poison that specifically countered the Phantom Spirit Clan, making me obedient to him, and even giving birth to you."

She looked at Jiang Mian with affection, paused, and said, "Later, when I was sober, I killed that man and gave you to the family with the best conditions at the time. I knew my father wouldn't tolerate you, and this way I could protect you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what happened afterward that made you suffer so much."

Jiang Mian keenly sensed something was amiss. "If you wanted to protect me, why did you let the Illusionary Spirit King bring me back?"

Shi Nian lowered her head. "My health has been poor ever since I was poisoned, and I was completely unprepared for my father's presence. He used illusion magic on me and learned of your existence."

"I thought he wouldn't find you so quickly, but who knew..."

She forced herself to stand up. "Child, I saw you today to help you leave this place. Your father is going to harm you."

"Luckily, I was prepared. I'll set up a teleportation array with all my might in a moment. When he's not paying attention, run away quickly, as far away as possible..."