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

The shadow guard no longer concealed the truth.

He knelt on the ground and confessed everything in detail.

The Crown Prince's scheme was set up even earlier than they had anticipated.

From the very beginning, when Wei Yi proactively provided Ji Cheng'an with clues about the Crown Prince digging out the spiritual roots of young children, it was all part of Ji Ran's plan.

The Crown Prince waited for the right moment, using Ji Fuyao as bait to lure the late emperor into revealing clues about the Emperor's Sword before his death. He then used the charge of regicide to force her to escape from the palace and embark on a journey to find the Emperor's Sword.

Given Ji Cheng'an's impulsive nature and his growing suspicion of the Crown Prince, he will undoubtedly choose to help Ji Fuyao escape.

At that time, Wei Yi, who had been placed by the Crown Prince next to Ji Cheng'an, came in handy.

Ji Ran instructed Wei Yi to stay by Ji Cheng'an and Ji Fuyao's side and report their whereabouts to him regularly. Once they found the Emperor's Sword, he was to seize it and bring it back to the palace.

That's why Wei Yi sneaked back to the temple last night when everyone was off guard, with the aim of getting the Emperor's Sword first and sending it back to the palace.

After hearing these words, Ji Fuyao's heart pounded violently.

"Impossible! You were Cheng'an's shadow guard, left by his mother. You've been by his side since he was born, swearing to be loyal to him and protect him for life. How could you possibly obey Ji Ran's orders...?"

It would be one thing if an ordinary person were tempted to betray others for personal gain.

But Wei Yi's attitude towards his master could only be described as blind loyalty.

In the cultivation world, strength reigns supreme, and the existence of the royal family is inherently controversial. Many cultivators secretly discuss the Ji family's lack of virtue and status, making it common for royal heirs to encounter danger. Ji Fuyao still remembers when Ji Cheng'an was seven years old, he sneaked out of the palace to play and was attacked by rogue cultivators. Wei Yi single-handedly faced six or seven cultivators who were attacking him, fighting to the death to protect Ji Cheng'an.

Even as reinforcements arrived, the Shadow Guard had broken four or five ribs, his left arm was pierced through by a sword, and he had several deep sword wounds that exposed the bone. He was clearly in dire need of protection, yet he still used his body to shield Ji Cheng'an completely in his arms.

Countless times I've been just one step away from death.

Such a person, who would give up his life and not be afraid of being crushed to pieces, could easily betray his master and turn against him?

As Ji Fuyao's mind raced with various thoughts, Chu Xianlan's urgent voice came from the side: "This place is not safe to stay for long."

If Wei Yi continues to relay messages to the Crown Prince, their current location, number of people, and whereabouts will all be exposed to the Crown Prince.

Pursuers will likely arrive soon.

Realizing this, Ji Fuyao was jolted awake as if by a resounding bell. Of course, she did not want to burden others, so she quickly raised her eyes and said, "Fellow Daoist Chu, I'm fine here. You should go back and inform Immortal Lord Jixue and the others."

Wei Yi suddenly said in a loud voice, "The Crown Prince... doesn't know yet. Every time I send a message, I deliberately omit key information, mixing truth with falsehood. I can swear a blood oath to prove it."

Chu Xianlan looked at him, her brows furrowing slightly: "Didn't you say?"

"Your Highness, rest assured, absolutely not."

The next second, he bit his finger without hesitation and swore an oath. Seeing that he seemed to have a reason for this, Chu Xianlan paused and asked, "Then what was that red pill you just fed Ji Cheng'an? Does he have some hidden illness?"

Unexpectedly, Wei Yi became so excited that he slammed his forehead heavily against the ground!

"It's all my fault, Your Highness. I failed to protect you properly."

Ji Ran is suspicious by nature and uses meticulous and ruthless methods. She can control her father with medicine... so how could she not keep her fourth brother, who is healthier than her, in check?

—Even though Ji Cheng'an never had the idea of ​​vying for the throne.

In the past, Ji Cheng'an trusted his elder brother, the Crown Prince, completely. After all, he was a relative who had lived in the palace since childhood. Ji Ran had always been tolerant and gentle towards him, unlike his elder sister who was not in the palace for many years and was strict and demanding. Ji Ran was the person he could rely on the most.

Ji Cheng'an was completely unsuspecting of any food or snacks that Ji Ran put in his mouth. He even skipped the procedure of having Wei Yi test for poison. Unbeknownst to him, the poison seeped into his bones and blood little by little over time.

This poison usually remains dormant. When it takes effect, it can cause mental confusion, hallucinations, or irritability and anger.

If the antidote is not taken for a long time, the poisoned person will lose all five senses, lose their true nature, and slowly become a walking corpse.

One day, Ji Ran summoned Wei Yi for an audience alone.

The Crown Prince sat behind the desk and frankly confessed that Ji Cheng'an had been poisoned. He threatened the Shadow Guard with the antidote, demanding that the Shadow Guard submit. The Shadow Guard not only had to report Ji Cheng'an's every move regularly, but also had to periodically remove a small amount of Ji Cheng'an's essence blood for him.

He wanted Wei Yi to be at his beck and call, ready to obey his orders at any time.

Wei Yi had never hated his own incompetence so much.

Kneeling on the cold floor tiles, he listened as the Crown Prince calmly recounted the effects of the poison, his eyes swirling with anger and humiliation, yet utterly helpless.

"Essence blood? What does he want Ji Cheng'an's blood for?" Chu Xianlan frowned.

Wei Yi said with difficulty, "To refine elixirs and cure diseases."

To compensate for his weak constitution and frequent illnesses, Ji Ran sought countless methods to strengthen his body and nourish his vital energy. Among them, the most effective method was to use the essence and blood of his closest relatives as a guide to refine elixirs and make up for his congenital deficiencies.

The closer the blood vessels are, the stronger the medicinal effect.

For the past few years, things have been relatively peaceful. While Ji Cheng'an was asleep, Wei Yi took a few drops of blood and secretly mixed the antidote he had obtained into Ji Cheng'an's food. Every month, Ji Cheng'an would take a red pill to suppress the poison's effects.

Until recently, the amount of essence and blood that Ji Ran requested had increased exponentially.

The frequency of blood collection changed from once a month to every two weeks, and then from every two weeks to once every seven or eight days. In just a few months, the total amount of essence blood he took from Ji Cheng'an was more than all of the previous years combined.

Wei Yi had considered revealing the truth and running away with Ji Cheng'an, but he had no way to counter it. Without an antidote to suppress the poison, how long could Ji Cheng'an remain safe? He wished he could use his own blood to impersonate Ji Cheng'an, but unfortunately, it wouldn't work if it wasn't from a legitimate bloodline. The Crown Prince could simply refine a pill to find out the truth.

They know what happened next.

Wei Yi must obtain the Emperor's Sword and return to exchange it for the antidote.

After figuring out the whole story, Chu Xianlan was a little confused.

He subconsciously looked at Ji Cheng'an's face.

Their experiences were remarkably similar: one was stripped of his spiritual root at birth, deprived of the right to live; the other was completely unaware of what had happened to him, yet was used as a blood bag by his own brother for years, suffering from severe poison and needing an antidote to survive.

Chu Xianlan couldn't immediately tell whether he or Ji Cheng'an was more miserable.

At least he still has the freedom to choose.

With Ji Cheng'an's proud and arrogant nature, reaching the Golden Core stage at seventeen was a talent that would make him an exceptionally gifted genius in the entire cultivation world. When he awoke, he learned that his most trusted and relied-upon shadow guard had betrayed him, and that his fate was sealed...

Can he accept it?

...After all that, is it all worth it for the Heavenly Spiritual Root?

Ji Fuyao suddenly drew her sword from under the umbrella, the blade pointing directly at the shadow guard, and coldly uttered two words.

"Wei, Yi."

This was the first time Chu Xianlan had seen an expression on her face that could be described as furious.

The shadow guard lowered his eyes, his aura turning ashen and gloomy, as if he were in a bottomless darkness.

For a moment, he gave up the struggle and awaited his fate.

But soon, Wei Yi raised his head, grasped Ji Cheng'an's hand, and his amber eyes filled with tears. "Your Highness, I cannot die yet. His Highness needs the antidote."

"Your Highness..."

"Please, please... Believe me, I would rather die than atone for this. Once this is over, I will commit suicide to atone for my sins."

A dog that fails to protect its master is an unfit dog.

Wei Yi had long since given up on living. Everyone dies eventually, and he didn't ask for anything. The only reason he had allowed himself to live on was for Ji Cheng'an's safety.

Ji Fuyao pursed her lips and remained silent.

Filled with rage, she could hardly contain herself. Her hand gripping the sword trembled, a testament to the turmoil in her mind.

One should harbor resentment towards traitors.

But should this anger really be vented on Wei Yi? To this day, each of them has paid too high a price, and even she herself is just an insignificant piece in the game.

Ji Ran, the Crown Prince. Ji Ran…

Enduring humiliation and hardship will only lead to further numbness. Ji Fuyao must maintain her anger; the angrier she is, the calmer she will become. Only by transforming her tears into anger can she break free from the shackles of worldly constraints, cease feeling powerless, and eventually, even if she repeatedly falls to the lowest point, she will eventually bounce back.

The sword flashed—in the end, it only severed Wei Yi's rough hair ribbon.

A strand of hair danced in the wind, and in an instant, his long, jet-black hair curled and spread out like seaweed. Wei Yi lowered his head, and his high brow bone and deep features were completely obscured.

Chu Xianlan suddenly remembered.

In the cultivation world, people with these characteristics belong to the barbarian lineage. They are born tall and strong, but their status is as lowly and insignificant as grass and trees. Many people believe that they are most suitable to be servants, sword slaves, or assassins.

After a long silence, Ji Fuyao, as if suppressing something, asked in a deep voice:

"Wei Yi, how many antidotes do you have left?"

The shadow guard was momentarily bewildered, seemingly unable to understand why he was still alive. After a brief moment of astonishment, he solemnly raised both hands and presented a glass jade bottle.

Six.

Including today's dose, Ji Cheng'an can only hold on for a maximum of seven more months.

Seven months is but a blink of an eye for cultivators.

Each of the three was lost in their own thoughts and remained silent until Chu Xianlan finally broke the silence: "So... you found the Emperor's Sword last night? And it's in your possession now?"

Wei shook his head.

"Your subordinate has only found the secret chamber where the Emperor's Sword is kept."

Chu Xianlan's pupils contracted, and she pressed, "And then?"

"There's an empty box there, but no Emperor's Sword."

He covered his wound and led Chu Xianlan and Ji Fuyao to the edge of the cliff. Standing in front of a withered branch, he looked down and said, "The cave below leads straight to the bottom of the temple. That is where the secret chamber is located."

Chu Xianlan then descended on her sword and indeed found a secret passage. No wonder they had searched the temple without finding anything; it turned out that the late emperor had left the Emperor's sword here.

Not long after, Ji Fuyao saw Chu Xianlan return.

The boy shook his head and said, "The box is empty. I used a magical artifact to search the entire secret chamber, and there was no spiritual energy reaction at all."

Wei Yi had no reason to lie about this matter.

After all, his goal was to exchange the Emperor's Sword for the antidote. If he had found it, he would have left with the item last night.

Before they could even ponder the whereabouts of the vanished royal token, they suddenly felt an overwhelming demonic aura pierce through the rocks, pressing directly towards them. Almost simultaneously, a silvery-blue chill swept across the air, releasing the oppressive force of an ice-elemental root, instantly engulfing the entire valley like a raging hurricane!

The two spiritual waves collided violently, causing the entire surface of the cliff to tremble!

As the strong wind swept through, Ji Fuyao sat up in confusion and asked, "What is this...?"

Chu Xianlan turned to look at him, her face darkening.

That direction...

Without a second thought, he quickly flew towards the Wanderer's Camp.

That move just now was clearly serious. How could there be anything in such a desolate place as the border that could make Master go all out...? The more Chu Xianlan thought about it, the more frightened she became, vaguely guessing that something unexpected must have happened.

Yan Ling transformed into her original form and ran around him, shouting, "Come here!"

Chu Xianlan flipped and mounted the horse. The horse's speed was unmatched. The camp soon came into view. Chu Xianlan was about to look for a familiar figure, but she froze the moment she looked up, her pupils trembling.

A colossal object hovered in mid-air, blotting out the sky and the sun.

—Dragonbone Demon Ship.

As far as the eye could see, all the demons were kneeling on the ground, unable to rise.

They adopted a submissive posture, and even Qionglan, the leader of the Wanderer Tribe, did not raise her head. In the vast crowd, only a few standing figures stood out.

"Master!"

The boat, unattached, hovered silently beside the white-robed swordsman. Hearing the shout, Yi Chen turned his head and saw the young man burst into his eyes like a raging fire.

"What happened? Are you hurt? I—"

Halfway through her sentence, Chu Xianlan stopped, feeling a probing gaze, both smiling and not smiling, fall upon her.

Hua Ling exclaimed "Oh!" and muttered, "So it's an old acquaintance, ah no, an old familiar demon."

Ming Si smiled at Chu Xianlan and said, "Hello."

—Lord of the Northern Underworld, Demon King Ming Si.

Chu Xianlan inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

...Fortunately, he only greeted me and didn't call me "little male".

A cold glint flashed in Yi Chen's eyes, and he suddenly unleashed a sword aura. In an instant, countless frost crystals shattered, and a bone-chilling cold swept over the area where Ming Si was.

Ming Si raised his hand to block, and the purple demonic energy and spiritual power burst forth instantly, barely offsetting the attack.

"Tsk, how fierce! Why does a half-demon draw his sword so easily?"

Ming Si feigned surprise and frowned, patting his dark purple robes as he continued with an air of nonchalance, "Isn't my sincerity obvious enough? I already said, I'm not here to cause trouble."

He actually performed a standard human cultivator's salute.

The demon cultivator's action was rather exaggerated and comical.

Wei Jin, who was always audacious and reckless, had long disliked his flamboyant manner. He rolled his eyes and asked, "If you want to fight, then fight. Stop playing tricks."

Ming Si asked in surprise, "Who said I was going to fight? Wasn't it Immortal Lord Jixue who attacked first? I only glanced at his disciple, and the Immortal Lord turned his weapon against me. Where can I go to seek justice?"

His tone was strangely aggrieved, giving people goosebumps.

Wei Jin's face darkened. "So what exactly do you want?"

"Distinguished guests, you have been in Beiming for many days, yet you have lingered at the border and have yet to venture deep into the demon realm." Ming Si's mood changed faster than turning the pages of a book, but his demeanor remained elegant. "I have been waiting impatiently, so I have come to personally receive you."

The hatch of the dragonbone demon ship was open.

The Demon King smiled and gestured for them to enter, then said, "Welcome, everyone. Since you have become the common enemy of the Southern Cang Continent, aren't you also friends of the Northern Underworld?"

"They've arrived; they're the people of Beiming."