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

This is a really unfair question.

Since Chu Xianlan isn't a half-demon, this is merely a hypothetical scenario, a somewhat rhetorical question built upon the youth's illusory confusion after repeatedly witnessing the nature of humanity. Even though the lights are on in the room, he still insists on asking, "What if there are ghosts?"

For Yi Chen, however, it was a shock to his heart.

The doubts that he had hesitated over a thousand times, those doubts that he had repeatedly grappled with, could actually be asked so easily.

"Won't."

Yi Chen said softly.

Chu Xianlan looked up in surprise and asked, "You don't know?"

"Um."

Soon, Chu Xianlan realized that her master was coaxing her. She smiled sheepishly, stood up, clapped her hands, and said with her head down, "Alas, I was out of line and asked some irrelevant questions. Please don't mind."

After all, any teacher in the world would probably not be merciful and would not hesitate to expel them from the school.

"Regardless of your status, you are my disciple," Yi Chen said.

Chu Xianlan felt a warmth in her heart, and her eyes shone brightly as she looked at Yi Chen. Her curved eyebrows shone brightly in the moonlight, like a small handful of shattered moonlight, because she knew that her master was telling the truth.

"Then, me too," he said with a smile. "No matter what the future holds, Master will always be Master."

Because of his words, Yi Chen's pupils dilated slightly.

The boy will never know what those words mean to Yi Chen.

Just like the year he served tea at the gambling den, the little beggar would never know that a gamble of fate was quietly being waged, and that one day he would stand beside a celestial being descended from the mortal realm.

Chu Xianlan was somewhat smug, for his master still had the magical artifact he had made hanging from his waist.

The aloof immortal was willing to settle everything for him, simply because he was himself.

However, Chu Xianlan never felt ashamed in front of Yi Chen. Precisely because his master was good enough, he would also exist in the world in the best possible way.

"Master, do you think the malevolent aura surrounding Zong Lan can be eliminated?"

"Perhaps it is." Yi Chen lowered his eyes and thought for a moment.

He always maintained a calm attitude towards everything. Opinions reside in people's hearts; hostility may be eliminated, but prejudice cannot.

"Hmm... I also think that the world is so big, there's always a way. Senior Caiyuan has lived for so long and still doesn't know what malevolent energy is, which means that this thing didn't exist from the beginning. If it has a source, it can find a way to go." Chu Xianlan paused, "Perhaps after this, the cultivation world will be able to find a way to completely eliminate malevolent energy."

The two had now walked deep into the courtyard, where the lights under the eaves cast a thin halo through the flowers and trees.

"Holding an orchid in one's hand".

When his master spoke, Chu Xianlan naturally remained motionless and listened attentively.

The moonlight descended, casting a thin layer of silver gauze over Yi Chen's hair, shimmering with a soft glow, as if overlapping with the moonlight itself. Chu Xianlan was mesmerized.

He often does this, after all, he has been looking up to the other person since he was very young, so his filter is already thick. Even if it is just an ordinary moment, he will be stunned.

The disciple's eyes, dark blue with a hint of black, were clear and bright. They reflected his face, and only he could see it.

Yi Chen suddenly asked, "After this matter is settled, would you still like to go out and gain experience?"

Chu Xianlan thought about it seriously, "After returning to Taiyi Sect from Yuntian City? The sect has monthly training missions, and the disciples have all exceeded their targets. After all, Senior Sister Zhu Ling always has a lot to do..."

As Yi Chen listened to his rambling report, the corners of his lips curved slightly. "I'm not going back to the Taiyi Sect."

"I'll show you around, just the two of us."

"Huh?" Chu Xianlan's expression froze for a moment. "Not the kind of training you do for sects?"

"Um."

"Is it just me and Master going out?"

"Um."

Chu Xianlan was stunned, and a little excited. What? Going out to train and travel with her master, wandering the world? She never dared to dream of it before.

I thought coming to the Tianyuan Gathering was already a pleasant surprise! But little did I know, the best was yet to come!

very good!

"...Then," Chu Xianlan suppressed her excitement, her words jumbled as she spoke, "where are we going, Master?"

"Where do you want to go?" Yi Chen listened carefully to his disciple's opinion. "Anywhere is fine."

Chu Xianlan pondered for a while longer.

Master, I want to go mining. Can I say that?

There are several ancient mines near Beiming. He had been craving them for a long time while flipping through the books. However, wouldn't it be a bit strange to ask his master to accompany him to such a dark and filthy place? He also wanted to find the legendary reclusive weapon-refining sect. It was said that the sect still preserved some kind of ancient quenching method that was not passed on to outsiders. Wait, would it be inappropriate to take his master to squat outside the sect and steal the master's skills?

After thinking about it for a while, I realized what kind of nonsense it all was.

The boy's conflicted expression seemed especially endearing to Yi Chen, whose heart was always tender when he was alone with his disciple.

At this moment, several cultivators flew down from the horizon on their swords and landed in front of the courtyard.

The head palace guard bowed respectfully to Yi Chen, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Immortal Lord Jixue, the meeting has reached a conclusion regarding the Myriad Swords Immortal Realm. Currently, the Imperial Palace is organizing various factions to provide assistance. We kindly request your assistance in opening the seal on the rift."

This was good news. Upon hearing this, Chu Xianlan perked up. "Master, let's go quickly."

Night had fallen in Wanjianbei Square, but the various factions of the human and demon races remained on high alert.

In addition, the imperial palace also dispatched a large number of elite cultivators to assist and reinforce the various sects.

To prevent the red mist from leaking out, layers of protective arrays have been set up around the plaza to isolate it from the outside world. Several sects specializing in arrays have been busy with this for nearly two hours.

"Look! Immortal Lord Jixue and his personal disciple have arrived."

"Alas, we are so grateful to Immortal Lord Jixue this time, otherwise the entire cultivation world would have suffered heavy losses."

Now that everyone has calmed down, they can't help but admire Yi Chen's judgment.

As for why the Immortal Lord appeared in the Myriad Swords Immortal Realm.

Someone secretly inquired about Pei Fang'an, the most talkative person in the Taiyi Sect, but he just smiled and remained silent, only waving his fan.

Undeterred, the inquirer went to ask He Jingxuan again.

He Jingxuan was unfathomable, and had already become the epitome of an adopted son. He only said, "Mind your own business and don't concern yourself with your adoptive father's affairs."

...What else could it be? It's just amazing.

Just as everyone was thinking about it, they saw Ji Ran arrive wearing a thick cloak.

Although the crown prince disappeared at a crucial juncture in the incident, the subsequent arrangements were relatively orderly, and the dissatisfaction from all sides has lessened somewhat.

The crown prince was followed by two groups of palace servants, who brought many heavy wooden boxes.

Ji Ran coughed a few times and nodded slightly.

The moment the box lid was opened, several cultivators nearby were shocked. "Thousand-Condensed Cold Iron!?"

The wooden box was filled with specially made weapons and magical artifacts inlaid with Thousand-Frozen Cold Iron.

It is silvery-white with a hint of light blue, shimmering with a cold, eerie light, and is priceless.

Ji Ran distributed the weapons and explained their purpose: "I hope they can lend you all a helping hand."

A voice rang out from the crowd: "What is the meaning of this? Does His Highness the Crown Prince want us to use this against our fellow disciples?!"

After all, most of the supporters still held onto the hope of rescue; they went in to bring people out, and were unwilling to actually fight their fellow disciples.

Ji Ran smiled faintly, "It's just better to be prepared."

Chu Xianlan felt uneasy.

The weapons Ji Ran brought reminded him of the herb gatherers in Youxin Valley who were controlled by the Thousand-Glazed Cold Iron and imprisoned in the palace dungeon.

I wonder... how is Ali, the girl who led the way for them, doing now?

……

The palace, the dungeon.

The stone crevices, devoid of sunlight, were covered in moss, and the damp, musty smell mingled with the stench of rust and blood that lingered in the corridor for years.

With the incident in the secret realm, many of the manpower in the dungeon have been transferred away, and the guards on duty are drowsy.

He glanced casually at the cell, where groups of disgusting, filthy half-demons huddled in the corners, their fates unknown, which was extremely unlucky.

Footsteps sounded.

"Go back and rest, it's your shift change."

The newcomers were dressed in the same guard uniforms, with their hoods pulled low.

"Okay, be careful."

The guard on duty got up to leave, but suddenly caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent emanating from the man. He grabbed the man's wrist and asked in a low voice, "Hey, which branch are you from?"

A calm female voice came from under the hood, "Same as you."

"Enough with the nonsense, let me see your face." The guard squinted.

The woman's voice carried a hint of impatience.

"This is such a hassle."

A braid peeked out from the shadows from the edge of the hood, revealing a beautiful, gentle, and harmless girl's face.

The guard on duty was slightly stunned, then suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and immediately collapsed, unconscious.

"Good girl." The girl reached out her hand, her tone gentle. Then, a black scorpion the size of a thumb slowly crawled from the guard back into her hair.