When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, let's run! That red mist is about to engulf us."

Reverse Butterfly threw out several protective talismans, barely managing to block the oncoming cyan wind blades, her face extremely pale.

The cultivators from the smaller sects nearby were already panicked and nodded repeatedly.

In mid-air, Fei Ling spread its wings angrily, its attack speed leaving afterimages, its eyes bloodshot, no longer displaying its former elegance.

Ji Fuyao's lips were pressed tightly together until they turned white.

The Azure Phoenix Clan is known for its speed; if they were to turn around and expose their backs, they would be wiped out in one fell swoop.

It would be better to stay and delay for a while.

"You go first, I'll cover the rear," she said calmly, turning her head to the side.

Reverse Butterfly was the first to frown. "How can this be? There's no way I'm leaving you behind..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by a cultivator from a minor sect:

"Stop talking nonsense! Let's go!"

Another person immediately chimed in, "Exactly! She's a legitimate princess of the Southern Cang Continent, born with a noble status. In critical moments, it's only natural that she should shoulder the responsibility of protecting us, her people!"

The third person was also encouraged and quickly said:

"...The senior sister of the Xuan Yang Sect is in the late Golden Core stage, her cultivation is so much higher than ours... If she doesn't stay, who will? We're just holding her back here..."

As the various sounds reached Ni Die's ears, his panicked expression gradually froze. When he turned his head, Ji Fuyao remained expressionless, as if she had long been accustomed to this situation.

Wen Xiu's movement techniques were relatively weak, so he didn't have many opportunities to go out and train. This time, he came to the Tianyuan Society and entered the Myriad Swords Immortal Realm with the hope of recording the wonders and wonders of the world. His baggage was filled with blank pages and a pen soaked in ink.

Having witnessed the magnificent glow of the imperial city, the heroic spirit of sword cultivators soaring into the sky, and the wild nature of the demon race, Ni Die believes that despite the grudges and entanglements in this world, the underlying character should always be upright and honest.

The scroll, passed down through generations of the Xing Le Sect, chronicles the joys and sorrows of the cultivation world. At first glance, it seems merely to be written words, distant and separated by pages. Only after witnessing firsthand a fellow cultivator unhesitatingly push another to the brink of death does one realize—

It is easy to see the world, but difficult to see the human heart.

After all that rambling, it boils down to one sentence:

Screw your moral blackmail!

Ni Die wouldn't abandon Ji Fuyao and run away, but unfortunately he wasn't good at cursing, and right now he was so angry that he was trembling and couldn't speak.

Fortunately, there are always people who are experts in this field.

"Oh my, a bunch of grown men pushing a young girl out to shield her from disaster, and they think it's perfectly justified? They're shameless!"

A flirtatious voice, neither clearly male nor female, slowly drifted from behind the crowd.

The group stood frozen in place, as if they had been slapped hard across the face by an invisible hand, leaving a burning sensation.

"Who the hell do you think you are, spouting such sarcastic remarks!"

From the shadows, a figure emerged. Ji De was still wearing that black veil, and even though no one could see her face clearly, they could tell that beneath the veil was a mocking smile.

"Tch, those filthy, evil cultivators from the 'Handful of Empty Hands' sect dare to mock us here?"

Those who follow the righteous path felt utterly disdainful.

Ji De tossed her hair and said in a woman's voice, "Oh dear, you lot are somewhat sensible, wanting to have your cake and eat it too, and even complaining about others being dirty?"

"I wouldn't want your stinky stuff even if you gave it to me for free."

He looked at Ji Fuyao, and in a man's voice, as if complaining and pleading, said:

"Ji Fuyao, you didn't even bother to choose the food when you saved her? Why would a princess like you have to go incognito to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant? Doesn't that feel disgusting?"

Ji Fuyao smiled.

Having said that, Ji flicked her finger.

The round little magic artifact was left at everyone's feet.

The righteous cultivators retreated in unison, thinking it was some kind of insidious thing like a thunderfire bomb or a poisonous miasma bead, and were so frightened they almost jumped up.

Unexpectedly, thick white smoke exploded, covering an area of ​​several feet and obscuring the view.

Amid exclamations of surprise, the smoke quickly dissipated.

Several figures suddenly appeared out of thin air on the other side of the open ground—their clothes and expressions were exactly the same as "Ji Fuyao", "Ni Die", and the other cultivators present. Some of them were even attacking the flying feathers in mid-air to attract the attention of the ferocious demon race.

The righteous cultivators were dumbfounded by the unbelievable scene: "This is...!"

"What the heck? How did I get over there?!"

"A little trick of evil cultivators, a substitute puppet." Ji De clapped for himself nonchalantly, and had already turned and rushed into the forest. "Your Highness, you bookworm, retreat quickly."

"Why are you helping us?" The Heavenly Phoenix Umbrella closed, and Ji Fuyao, carrying the Reverse Butterfly, followed Ji De into the forest.

Ji De's lazy, light laughter came from ahead:

"If you're doing me a favor, remember to pay it back."

Ji Fuyao calmly hummed in agreement, indicating that she had taken note, and then asked, "How much do you know about the current situation in the secret realm?"

Ji De glanced at her, a playful look in her eyes, "Probably a bit more than you guys."

After all, it's not surprising that the Master of Empty Hands is elusive, skilled in movement techniques, and well-informed.

Ni Die, being carried by Ji Fuyao like a pendant, finally caught her breath and quickly pressed for an answer: "Tell me!"

"I saw Xiao Huandu of the Zhuyun Sect pull out a knife, and the ground beneath his feet cracked open, revealing a fissure."

"The red mist is flowing out of the crack."

-

Zong Lan was filled with murderous intent and unable to return to normal. After all, the roar of the approaching beast tide was still behind them. Chu Xianlan and the others discussed it and decided to leave the lynx where it was for the time being.

Bai Xiaotu didn't dare to look into Zong Lan's bloodshot eyes, and instead lowered her head to clutch Chu Xianlan's clothes tightly.

Just as everyone was preparing to evacuate.

The lynx was enveloped in layers of red light, emitting a strange, long cry, like a dying beast. Then, intense pain pierced through their consciousness and stabbed into the sea of ​​consciousness of everyone present.

All senses around me melted away.

"ah--!"

Bai Xiaotu, whose cultivation level was the lowest, bled from all seven orifices and collapsed to the ground.

Chu Xianlan felt a moment of darkness before her eyes, cold sweat pouring down her face. When she came to her senses, her face was deathly pale.

—Attack on the sea of ​​consciousness!

"Damn it!" He Jingxuan cursed angrily, clutching his head. He tried to forcefully open the formation to protect the two of them, but his hands were trembling and he couldn't circulate his spiritual power at all.

"Isn't he a fake, fake half-demon? How can he... how can he launch a mental attack?!"

Everything happened too fast.

The reason why half-demons are terrifying is not only because they are out of control, but also because of their terrifying methods that can cause a cultivator's consciousness to collapse!

Within moments, Chu Xianlan felt the world spinning, and He Jingxuan beside him collapsed. No cultivator could endure such excruciating pain. Just as he was about to lose consciousness—

A streak of snow-white light flashed from the boy's wrist.

A silver-blue light instantly enveloped everyone.

As her mind cleared a little, Chu Xianlan covered her bleeding mouth and nose and looked up. Even though her vision was blurry, she could still see a tall white figure blocking her way.

"Master!"

Chu Xianlan was completely panicked. A spiritual attack was the most dangerous form of attack in the world. Even if her master was highly skilled, she couldn't take it head-on!

But he held on until he reached his limit, and before he could even utter a sound, everything went black.

At the same time, Zong Lan was frozen into an ice sculpture, the lynx lost consciousness, and the attack on the sea of ​​consciousness stopped.

Yi Chen quickly turned around, pulled his disciple into his arms, and infused him with spiritual energy. After confirming that the other party was safe and sound, he gently wiped away the blood seeping from Chu Xianlan's mouth and nose, a look of heartache appearing between his brows and eyes.

Then, Yi Chen raised his eyes and calmly knocked away Bai Xiaotu's hand that was grabbing his disciple's clothes.