After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

The Mountain King collapsed onto the blue stone of the arena, the poison needle on his shoulder gleaming with a dark, poisonous light. All the meridians in his body were corroded by the deadly poison, and his cultivation as a half-step Grandmaster was completely destroyed.

He convulsed violently, his face turned bluish-purple, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood. All the domineering aura that once looked down on the martial arts world of Jiangcheng had vanished, leaving only endless despair and regret. His cloudy eyes stared intently at Lin Ping, whose aura was overwhelming, and he had even exhausted the strength to beg for mercy.

Lin Ping's eyes were icy cold, and his imperial aura remained intimidating. He slowly stepped towards the paralyzed King of Zhenshan.

With each step, the bluestone of the arena trembled slightly. Everyone in the arena held their breath, not daring to breathe, heads bowed, trembling all over, with no trace of the previous mockery and disdain.

The martial arts elders and vassal forces who had just wantonly belittled Lin Ping were all ashen-faced, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

No one expected that this seemingly ordinary young man would possess unparalleled strength that could crush everything. The Mountain King, a half-step Grandmaster, was no match for him and ended up suffering the consequences of his own actions, being poisoned.

Lin Ping stopped in front of the Mountain-Suppressing King, his eyes indifferent and devoid of any pity.

"You resorted to treacherous schemes and ruthless tactics in this life-or-death duel. You are useless to me. Today, I will settle this score."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ping raised his hand, and a wisp of restrained yet incredibly powerful Emperor-level spiritual energy gathered in his palm. It didn't make a world-shaking sound, but it carried the power to instantly annihilate the Mountain-Suppressing King, and slowly descended towards the Mountain-Suppressing King's head.

The Mountain Guardian King closed his eyes, his face deathly pale, awaiting his demise.

But at this critical moment!

A petite white figure rushed onto the arena without hesitation, quickly reaching the Mountain King in front of her. She spread her arms and desperately protected the dying Mountain King behind her, forcefully blocking Lin Ping's attack.

She was a girl who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. She was slender and delicate, with fair skin, pure and gentle eyes, red eyes, and tears welling up in her eyes. Her whole body was trembling, but she still straightened her thin back without giving in the slightest.

It was Zhou Xiaofan, the orphan girl adopted by the King of Zhenshan since childhood.

"Stop! Don't kill me!"

Zhou Xiaofan's voice trembled, yet it was resolute. With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Lin Ping, her young face full of stubbornness, without a trace of fear.

Everyone in the audience was shocked and looked at the girl on the stage, their faces full of astonishment.

"Is this Zhou Xiaofan, the adopted daughter of the Mountain-Suppressing King? She's always been indifferent to martial arts and worldly affairs, yet she dared to rush onto the stage and stop Lin Ping!"

"She's gone mad! Lin Ping is burning with murderous intent right now; she's courting death!"

"The King of Zhenshan has committed numerous evils and can barely protect himself; why should this adopted daughter be sent to her death in vain!"

The crowd below the stage murmured in disbelief, all feeling that Zhou Xiaofan was overestimating himself and couldn't possibly stop Lin Ping.

Lin Ping's spiritual power paused, his eyes turning slightly cold. He looked down at the girl in front of him, who was fiercely protective of him, and said in a cold and indifferent tone, "He fought me to the death and then tried to kill me in secret. He deserved to die. Get out of my way."

"I won't allow it!" Zhou Xiaofan bit her lower lip, her lips turning white, tears finally streaming down her face. She stared intently at Lin Ping, her voice choked with sobs as she spoke, "My father may have made mistakes, but he raised me from childhood, provided for me, protected me as I grew up, and has a debt of gratitude to me. If you want to kill him, kill me first! I'm willing to die in his place, please spare his life!"

Her body was slender, and standing in front of the imposing Lin Ping, she was like a candle in the wind, about to be crushed at any moment, but she never gave an inch, using her own body to protect the critically injured and dying Zhenshan King behind her.

The King of Zhenshan, who was lying on the ground, suddenly opened his lifeless eyes upon hearing his adopted daughter's words. Looking at Zhou Xiaofan, who was protecting him, his eyes were filled with guilt and panic. With all his strength, he reached out and grabbed Zhou Xiaofan's sleeve, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with an unprecedented tenderness and pleading.

"Foolish child... run! Don't worry about me! This is my own fault, it has nothing to do with you. Leave quickly, don't die for me!"

Throughout his life, he was domineering and arrogant, committing countless evils and regarding martial arts power as everything. However, he showed all his tenderness to this daughter he had adopted since childhood, never letting her get involved in any martial arts disputes, and only wanting her to live a peaceful life.

He himself was deeply sinful and had no regrets even in death, but he could never let his adopted daughter pay for his life.

"I won't leave! I want to stay with Father!" Zhou Xiaofan shook his head fiercely, tightly gripping the hand of the Mountain-Suppressing King, and cried as he spoke.

"It's my fault for failing to raise my daughter properly, it's my despicable behavior, I bear all the blame!" The Mountain King desperately looked up at Lin Ping, his eyes filled with humble pleading, completely devoid of his former arrogance. "Mr. Lin, I beg you, spare Xiao Fan. She knows nothing, she has never offended you. If you want to kill or torture her, come at me. Please, spare her life!"

The former martial arts master of Jiangcheng abandoned all dignity, knelt down and begged for mercy, just to save the life of his adopted daughter.

The scene of the father and daughter relying on each other for survival and sharing life and death left everyone in the audience speechless.

Looking at the affectionate father and daughter before him, Lin Ping's fierce killing intent slowly dissipated.

As an ancient emperor who has lived through countless lifetimes, he has seen through life, death, and battles, yet he still cherishes family ties and affection.

Although the King of Zhenshan was treacherous and vicious, he was completely sincere towards his adopted daughter and never showed any hypocrisy; Zhou Xiaofan was grateful for the kindness shown to him, fearless of death, and risked his life to protect his father, showing a pure and kind heart.

The spiritual energy in Lin Ping's palm slowly dissipated.

He coldly looked at the Mountain Guardian King on the ground, his voice clear and cold, echoing throughout the entire area: "I originally intended to eliminate you completely, but today, out of consideration for your adopted daughter's sacrifice to protect you and for our father-daughter relationship, I will spare your life."

"I will not neutralize the poison for you. Instead, I will cripple your remaining cultivation and forever banish you from the martial arts path and from interfering in the martial arts disputes of Jiangcheng. This is your punishment."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ping flicked his fingertips, sending a gentle stream of spiritual energy into the body of the Mountain-Suppressing King. This completely dispersed the last bit of true energy he had left, but also stabilized the poison spreading within his body, temporarily saving his life.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in uproar. Everyone was shocked, never expecting that the ruthless Lin Ping would show mercy.

The crowd that had previously mocked Lin Ping for being ruthless and for the Zhenshan King for deserving to be ridiculed fell silent. Their gazes toward Lin Ping were filled with awe, devoid of any contempt.

Zhou Xiaofan was stunned. She stopped crying and stared at Lin Ping, filled with gratitude.

The King of Zhenshan was stunned. After a long while, he closed his eyes with difficulty, his heart filled with complex emotions. There was no longer any hatred, only guilt and relief.

"Thank you..."

With great difficulty, the King of Zhenshan uttered two words, having no face left to stand on the arena.

Zhou Xiaofan quickly bent down and, with all his might, helped the weak Zhenshan King to his feet. He then turned to walk off the stage.

Just as she turned to the side, her collar tilted slightly, revealing a simple yet exquisite silver love lock engraved with half a lotus pattern around her neck, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

Lin Ping's gaze suddenly sharpened, his eyes fixed on the love lock. His aura faltered, and a slight ripple finally appeared on his previously indifferent face.

This love lock is a keepsake from one of his fiancées.

He returned to the city and searched the mortal world, just to find a few women with whom he was destined to be married. This half of the lotus-patterned love lock is the token of his destined fiancée!

He wanted to call out to Zhou Xiaofan, but there were too many people and too much chatter, so he had to put it off for the time being.

Fortunately, Jiangcheng is not a big city, so it was easy for him to find her.