Junior Sister must ascend this time!

Jiang Mian recalled the various suspicious points in Shi Nian's room and frowned, saying, "She is indeed very wary of the Illusionary Spirit King, and the pills that the Illusionary Spirit King gives her are never given to anyone else."

After exchanging glances with Elder Meng, the three of them realized they were all on the same side.

They are all people who have given their lives for us; what else could they be but allies?

You should have said so earlier, then we wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble.

Elder Meng: ...You didn't give me a chance to say so earlier.

After being untied, Elder Meng naturally mingled among the three. "Will you save the eldest princess? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Yun Qing patted his shoulder, "Xiao Meng, I'm very pleased that you have this awareness."

"We plan to infiltrate Princess Shi Nian's palace. Can you handle that?!"

Elder Meng scoffed, "What's so difficult about that?"

"Let's go now." Yun Qing got up to leave.

Elder Meng nearly lost his footing. "Now...now? Isn't it too late today...?"

Si Mingche, fanning himself, said, "Otherwise what? How could you possibly sleep?"

"Alright then," Elder Meng conceded. "I happen to have an excellent spot to enter the eldest princess's palace."

After a moment, the three pointed to an entrance that resembled a dog hole and said in unison, "This is the perfect spot you were talking about? Isn't there a more respectable way to get in?"

Elder Meng dismissed it, saying, "What's wrong with this place? I dug it myself, nobody knows."

"The eldest princess doesn't allow anyone to guard the vicinity of the palace at night, so as long as you pass through this wall, you'll basically not run into anyone."

He looked at Yun Qing, "The Illusionary Spirit King has set up many formations near the Grand Princess's palace. You should be able to break them, right?"

Yun Qing nodded noncommittally.

"Alright then, forget about decorum and let's go." With that, Elder Meng had already crawled over.

Yun Qing clicked her tongue, took out a wall-penetrating magic artifact from her storage ring, and the three of them walked in nonchalantly.

Elder Dream: ...The clown is actually myself?

"Since you already possess this magical artifact, why did you call me here?"

Yun Qing said seriously, "Oh, I thought there would be many guards near the palace, so I could use you as a bodyguard. Now I realize we don't need them."

Elder Meng: …………

As the group approached Shi Nian's room, they sensed a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Elder Meng asked in confusion, "Is someone cultivating? But only the eldest princess is here..."

Then his eyes widened. "The eldest princess is better? She can continue her cultivation? That's wonderful!"

Yun Qing shook her head without speaking, then asked Elder Meng and Si Mingche to stay outside and keep watch.

She and Jiang Mian then deactivated the array outside the room and went inside.

Upon hearing the noise and confirming that it wasn't the Illusionary Spirit King's aura, Shi Nian slapped the doorway.

Jiang Mian pulled Yun Qing aside to dodge, and the palm strike missed its mark. The wind from the palm swept across the door frame, leaving a shallow dent in the wall.

Upon recognizing the person, Shi Nian froze for a moment, then frantically tried to cover something up. "How... is it you?"

"And who is she?"

Jiang Mian stood in front of Yun Qing, "She's my junior sister, don't touch her."

Shi Nian sneered, "You seem quite protective of her."

Jiang Mian retorted, "You're quite the actress too."

"When did you realize something was wrong?" Shi Nian asked, somewhat surprised. "I thought I was acting quite well, at least not even my father noticed."

Yun Qing shook her head, "You were too hasty, so you made a lot of mistakes."

"How could a dying man skillfully set up such a complex formation?"

"You hate that man, so you could never love my senior brother. Therefore, your kindness towards him when you first met could only be for an ulterior motive."

She looked at Shi Nian, "Do you think I guessed right?"

Shi Nian chuckled, "You guys are smarter than I thought. But don't worry, I won't do anything to Jiang Mian. Those were just ways to gain his trust so he can use me."

Yun Qing's words were concise and to the point: "You want revenge, don't you?"

Shi Nian remained silent, and Yun Qing continued, "Since our goal is the same—to kill the Illusionary Spirit King—why can't we cooperate?"

Shi Nian remained silent for a long time, then smiled bitterly and said, "Jiang Mian, no wonder you insisted on staying at Cheng Tian Sect. Your junior sister is always thinking of you."

"And what about me? My closest relatives want me dead."

She sat weakly on the edge of the bed. "My father never loved me; he only loved power. He knew perfectly well that Shi Jin was incompetent, but in order to keep me in check, he even secretly allowed Shi Jin to harm me on several occasions."

"That training trip was not an accident at all. No one but Shi Jin could obtain that kind of poison that specifically counters the Illusionary Spirit Clan."

Shi Nian smiled sadly, "Yes, that man was also arranged by Shi Jin. That man ruined me, I hate him."

"I hate Shi Jin, and I hate even more that Phantom King who turned a blind eye to everything!"

"Because of hatred, I crawled back from the mortal realm. The first thing he did when he saw me was not to be glad that I was still alive, but to be afraid. My prestige in the Phantom Spirit Clan was no less than his, so he was afraid that I would find out about the regicide and usurpation."

"To survive, I pretended not to know, watching him poison me every day, watching him act like he cared so much about me. But none of that matters anymore, my plan is about to be put into action, I'll kill him soon!"

Yun listened in silence. Although it was almost exactly what she had guessed, she was still shocked to hear it with her own ears.

A mother and son who don't know each other well, and a father and daughter putting on a show of acting—the Phantom Spirit Clan is truly fascinating!

"Is your fourth senior brother a crucial part of your plan?"

Yun Qing rested her hands on the table, staring intently at Shi Nian. "So that's why you orchestrated for the Illusionary Spirit King to know of his existence, and you were certain he would do everything in his power to find him, right?"

Shi Nian was stunned for a moment, carefully examining the little girl in front of her. She dared not look directly into her eyes, as if an old monster lived inside her.

"You really can hide anything from me."

"Because I need someone to help me go deep into the Illusionary Realm to obtain the treasure of the Illusionary Spirit Clan. Only those with the bloodline of the Illusionary Spirit Royal Clan can enter."

"And the Phantom King doesn't want Shi Jin's useless sons to get it; that's the only consensus we can reach."

Jiang Mian sneered, "So that's why you said he wouldn't touch me before the secret realm opens?"

"Then what makes you think I'd go in and get it for you?"

Shi Nian looked at Yun Qing, the answer obvious, "Why do you think the Illusionary Spirit King agreed to let the two of them come back with you?"

Jiang Mian's heart ached. He had ultimately harmed his third senior brother and junior sister. Regardless of whether he obtained the treasure after the secret realm, he would die, and they...

Yun Qing glanced at Jiang Mian and knew what he was thinking. She slapped him on the forehead. "Don't let your imagination run wild!"

"Listen to me! I won't let anything happen to you or Third Senior Brother, and of course, I won't either."