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

In the midst of the chaos, Chu Xianlan sensed an attack coming towards him. Just as he was about to dodge, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him several steps to the side.

"Thank you... um?"

When he turned around and saw that face clearly, a name blurted out: "A-Li?"

Chu Xianlan was stunned. She was the herb-gathering girl who had guided her and her master in Youxin Valley. She never expected to meet her again here.

Sensing no hostility from the other party, Chu Xianlan quickly asked, "Are you alright? What happened to the other half-demons? Why did they suddenly attack...?"

As they were talking, Ali suddenly looked up and gave him a deep look.

Not all half-demons were swayed by Qiao Yu.

Ali was one of them. She only wanted to take advantage of the chaos to leave the capital. But just now, in the chaotic crowd, Ali saw the familiar figure of the boy. She gritted her teeth and finally stopped to come over and remind him.

Back in Youxin Valley, A-Li didn't understand why she felt an instinctive fear of Yi Chen.

Even now, Ali still finds it unbelievable; it turns out...

She said, "You should leave here with your master immediately."

"Me and Master?" Chu Xianlan felt a sudden tremor in her heart and subconsciously turned around to look in her master's direction. "Why?"

At this moment, Yi Chen was also searching for his disciple.

In an instant, their eyes met.

Time seemed to stand still, and our gazes met across the hustle and bustle, as if we would surely meet again no matter when or where, as long as we turned around.

So easy.

In her ear, A-Li's voice sounded surprised, "Didn't you know all this time? Your master is...?"

Just then, a chilling voice rang out amidst the chaos: "You've all been deceived! Immortal Lord Jixue is actually a spy hiding his identity among the human race! He's also a half-demon!!"

His words were like a thunderclap, causing the people fighting in the square to pause. They were puzzled and subconsciously looked at Yi Chen.

At the same time, Chu Xianlan also heard the last two words that Ali hadn't finished saying—

Half-demon.

Several wounded half-demons lying on the ground also roared, their voices hoarse and frantic, as if curses were coming from the underworld:

"That's right! He's one of us!"

"We are all bastards abandoned by Heaven, yet he pretends to be a pure and virtuous immortal, making you all worship him, deceiving you all!"

"Hahaha, what 'mortal descending to immortality'? He's completely fooled you all! Yi Chen is a half-demon!"

Like a dying man finally taking someone down with him, the wounded half-demons gave up their attack, and the sounds of battle in the square gradually subsided. Only the frenzied words surged in like a tidal wave, forming a distorted carnival that completely boiled over.

In an instant, as if controlled by invisible sound waves, all the cultivators stopped moving, each with a different expression.

Looking at that figure in white.

They gazed upon the celestial being descended from the mortal realm whom they revered.

Standing tall and straight like a pine tree, retaining its noble character, it is like a banished immortal.

So, what were those half-demons saying?

Immortal Lord Jixue? Half-demon?

Countless eyes were focused on Yi Chen, and everything seemed unreal for a moment.

There was a moment of silence in Yi Chen's ears, until he saw the platinum-gold figure rushing towards him without hesitation, and then he regained feeling in his hands and feet.

Chu Xianlan shoved Ali away and rushed toward Yi Chen's side—the tip of her sword gleamed coldly, pointing directly at the half-demon who had spoken first while lying on the ground.

The young man exuded an unparalleled, sharp aura, his clear, cold voice like a sword piercing the air: "Empty words, fabricated lies! How dare you petty villains slander the upright name of Immortal Lord Jixue!"

The half-demon stared at Chu Xianlan and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His cloudy eyes revealed a kind of pity, as if he had seen something extremely tragic.

"How pitiful, how pitiful. Whether you acknowledge it or not, he's a half-demon. And you're protecting a... half-demon like this? Haha, don't regret it."

After saying that, he gave a mocking laugh and then breathed his last.

Chu Xianlan clenched her teeth, her eyelashes trembled, and her heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by something, burning with rage.

...That's our Master! How dare he! How dare our Master be slandered like this!

"Master!" Chu Xianlan couldn't help but want to look up at Yi Chen, subconsciously seeking a place of peace in her heart.

Yi Chen, standing behind him, remained expressionless. His fingers, hanging at his side, tightened, and his dark eyes stared at his disciple, revealing no emotion.

In Chu Xianlan's memory, she had never seen Yi Chen with such an expression.

They remained silent, yet seemed to have a thousand words to say.

"—Smack!"

The menacing fire whip lashed the ground, sending scorching waves of air flying.

The bursts of fire startled the crowd who had been frozen in place, bringing them back to their senses.

Wei Jin tossed his hair, his face full of impatience. "What's the point of listening to baseless accusations? Instead of getting to the enemy, what are you all standing around for?"

The crowd awoke with a start, and the strange atmosphere vanished.

Yes.

That's utter nonsense.

How could Immortal Lord Jixue possibly be a half-demon!

They couldn't possibly be stupid enough to believe a bunch of half-demons.

It was all a farce.

He Jingxuan was already fed up. He wiped the blood from his face and shouted, "You can't even find a better person to lie to! Stop asking about my godfather's affairs!"

"That despicable half-demon dared to deliberately incite us to kill each other!"

The remaining half-demons were unwilling to accept this.

Most of them lay tragically in pools of blood, some with broken limbs and multiple sword wounds, some unable to even stand. With their last strength, they exchanged a glance and saw the determination in each other's eyes.

Suddenly, all the half-demons simultaneously unleashed a red and black aura of malevolence.

A wave of nauseating energy surged up and enveloped them completely.

"not good!"

Someone shouted in a shrill voice.

"Those bastards are about to launch a collective attack on our consciousness! Kill them quickly!!"

But it was too late.

Excruciating pain exploded in his mind, making him wish he could faint immediately.

But the pain subsided the next second.

Blue rain began to fall over Cloud Sky City.

Drizzling, dripping.

One by one, the cultivators opened their eyes, looked up blankly, and saw the rain curtain that had enveloped the entire imperial city pouring down from the sky, nourishing all things.

The moisture fell on humans and demons, and also on those half-demons who were still struggling.

Then, heart-wrenching screams rang out from all directions.

Chu Xianlan felt a chill run down her spine; she had never heard such a sound before.

Many half-demons never uttered such a sound, even when they were on the verge of death, as if their souls were being forcibly extracted and dragged into a cauldron of boiling oil.

Ji Ran appeared before the people, holding an umbrella, her robes gleaming.

He said gently, "Don't worry, everyone. The device that suppresses the half-demon has been activated. We are safe."

Wisps of white smoke rose from the flesh where the blue rain fell, exuding a strange aura. The half-demons roared, struggled and rolled, curling up on the ground. Their originally enormous bodies shrank, turning into a bizarre, neither-human-nor-demon form.

The rain, imbued with the essence of Thousand-Frozen Cold Iron, fell from the sky, enough to reveal the true forms of all things in the world.

Suddenly, Hua Ling's voice began to tremble, "Hey... Hey, Xianlan, your... your master seems to be..."

Chu Xianlan turned around.

That would be a scene he would never forget in his life.

The white figure resembled a celestial being fallen to earth, rain streaming down her silver hair, gliding over her brow bone, across her eyelashes, and dripping onto... her silver scales.

An enormous, eerily large snake tail snaked out from under the hem of her clothes, resembling layers of silvery-white mountains coiled around the wet ground.

Human body, snake tail, vertical pupils.

Screams erupted, but Chu Xianlan could hear nothing; the rain blurred his vision.

"Master..."