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

"Hmm," Sect Master He stroked his beard and chuckled first, "Half-demons running rampant? But there aren't many half-demons left on our Southern Cang Continent."

The cultivators present all felt the same way. After years of joint efforts by various sects to wipe out and exterminate half-demons, their numbers were already small, and recently they had disappeared without a trace, fleeing to the Northern Underworld.

For a long time, there had been no news of half-demon causing trouble in the Southern Cang Continent.

But the crowd soon discovered this.

Even without the interference of half-demons, the cultivation world is not entirely peaceful.

All sorts of problems that were previously covered up by the calamity of the half-demon have surfaced. First, friction between major and minor sects and aristocratic families has been increasing, and then evil cultivators have been causing chaos, killing and robbing without restraint.

These heretical cultivators are adept at deceiving others, repeatedly blaming their own evil deeds on half-demons, thus enabling them to act recklessly in the shadows.

Over time, they secretly nurtured a group of powerful and wicked individuals.

The number of evil cultivators is huge, they are organized and disciplined, they seize opportunities and seize magic treasures, and their cultivation level is rapidly improved in the process of plundering. Many evil cultivators have reached the point where they can compete with the elders of major sects, and ordinary cultivators are no match for them.

Some smaller sects, suffering greatly from this, couldn't help but say, "Instead of relentlessly pursuing the half-demon, why not use the power of the royal family to control the rampant evil cultivators!"

That makes sense.

"That's right..." A few scattered voices echoed in agreement.

Someone else muttered under their breath, "If... with Immortal Lord Jixue in charge, these evil cultivators wouldn't dare to be so rampant."

"Are you crazy? You're taking the side of a half-demon here?"

"..."

After a few words of discussion, the hall gradually fell silent.

There are other Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the cultivation world, but the difference in strength between those at the same level is vast, not to mention the disparity in their understanding of the Great Dao, the inheritance of cultivation techniques, and the grade of their natal weapons.

Otherwise, why would powerful families be so eager to send their children to the mortal realm to become immortals?

But after all these years, only one Chu Xianlan has emerged.

There's only one.

Chu Xianlan's position as a personal disciple was incredibly prestigious in the past, attracting much envy and resentment. But now...

The crowd was filled with complex emotions.

Recalling the day Lan Yu appeared under the imperial city, the Daoists were still shaken. They were the ones who cooperated with the imperial palace to besiege Yi Chen, they were the ones who were verbally abusive, and they were the ones who were scared out of their wits.

But looking back on the whole thing, they're the ones who still feel uneasy.

After all, Yi Chen had never done anything evil during his years of cultivation, and no one could produce any irrefutable evidence that he had wreaked havoc on the world. Even though his bloodline was exposed, the world's awe of Immortal Lord Jixue had not completely disappeared.

As I said before, if a half-demon in the Nascent Soul stage really wants to stir up trouble, who can withstand it?

Whether it's fear or panic, I don't want to provoke them.

Once everyone quieted down, the Crown Prince spoke: "Speaking of Immortal Lord Jixue, I wonder if any of you have heard of him? He and his disciples have now arrived in the Northern Underworld and formed an alliance with the demon race."

"Not only that, Ji Fuyao and Ji Cheng'an, who murdered the emperor and usurped the country, also fled to Beiming."

Speaking of her elder sister and fourth brother, with whom she shared blood ties, Ji Ran remained unchanged. Her gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on a particular spot as she inquired, "Regarding this matter, are Immortal Lord Anhe and Immortal Maiden Shuyu aware of it?"

Instantly, everyone turned their attention to the Taiyi Sect and the Xuanyang Sect.

Amidst countless expectant gazes, Pei Fang'an put down his fan, feigning complete bewilderment.

"Ah, how could that be? They're not dead after all!?"

Pei Fang'an was both surprised and amazed. "...Yi Chen and Xian Lan are actually safe and sound? Oh my, how amazing... Excuse me, everyone, I mean, weren't those two already dead by the sect leader's sword?"

The crowd responded with, "..."

To spout nonsense in front of everyone, Anhe Immortal Lord's skin is as thick as an iron wall.

Everyone sighed inwardly. The reputation of the Taiyi Sect had indeed been almost ruined. A dignified Immortal Lord had even lost all sense of shame.

Pei Fang'an smiled outwardly, but inwardly he scoffed. He didn't just disregard his own reputation; he didn't want any disciples, nephews, junior brothers, sect leaders, or even the entire Taiyi Sect.

Destroy it. Hurry up.

It's just a matter of a sudden thunderbolt.

Although he never went out while staying at the Taiyi Sect, he occasionally received messages from Wei Jin. At first, Pei Fang'an was so anxious that he checked the jade slip, fearing that something had happened to them outside.

As a result, Wei Jin's writings became more and more explosive, making him completely lose the courage to even open them.

[Senior Brother, there's something I've kept from you for a long time, I'm sorry. Actually, Xiao Huandu is also a half-demon. I'm still not reconciled, and I must bring him back. All is well, don't worry.]

Half-demon is fine, as long as they're safe.

[Senior Brother, we've found Xianlan and Yichen. We're with a large group of half-demons. Everything's fine, don't worry.]

...A large group of half-demons? Well, as long as they're safe.

"Senior Brother, I'm going to kill Xiao Huandu."

"Senior Brother, I'm going to kill Yi Chen."

"Senior Brother, I'm going to kill Ji Ran."

Each letter home turned into a death note.

Pei Fang'an took a deep breath.

...Are you on the run or working as an assassin? You're a wanted criminal yourself, how come you're busier than the pursuers?

Haha, Xiao Jin isn't a bad kid at heart, he's just all bark and no bite. He's always followed by people who want to kill this or that, maybe he's just in a bad mood.

However, Wei Jin's messages weren't all about killing. One of the encrypted jade slips was unusually serious, detailing Chu Xianlan's background, her Heavenly Spiritual Root, and the secrets buried by the Southern Cang royal family for many years, and instructing Pei Fang'an to pay close attention to the situation in the imperial city.

Thinking of this, Pei Fang'an twirled the fan in his hand and glanced to the side.

On his way to Yuntian City, he had intended to try to chat with Fairy Shuyu of the Xuanyang Sect, but the other party's expression was too solemn, and Pei Fang'an could not find an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

At this moment, Fairy Shuyu spoke coldly, "What is regicide? What is usurpation of a country?"

The sound is clear and resonant.

Finally, she asked four words: "Where is the evidence?"

These three questions instantly ignited the pent-up grievances and resentment of the female cultivators of the Xuan Yang Sect. Since their beloved senior sister's accident, the entire Xuan Yang Sect had been filled with worry for a single day. Bao Yue's eyes instantly reddened:

"Exactly! How can we convict our senior sister based solely on the palace's one-sided account!"

"Who knows if this is slander! Our senior sister has cultivated in the Xuan Yang Sect for over ten years; we know her character better than anyone!"

The once cold and icy hall suddenly became noisy. Seeing this, the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect had a bright idea. Taking advantage of the chaos, they shouted a few lines in a high-pitched voice to create momentum for them.

Ji Ran said softly, "Killing the emperor means assassinating the former king. Stealing the country means stealing the very foundation of the nation—the Emperor's Sword."

Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted with varying expressions and began whispering amongst themselves.

"The Emperor's Sword?"

"That is a heirloom of the Southern Cang royal family, and can be considered a national treasure."

"No wonder the throne has been vacant for so long, and the crown prince has not yet ascended the throne. It turns out the Emperor's Sword has been lost."

"Does that mean you can't be an emperor without this thing?"

"If the name is not correct, then the words will not be proper. All emperors throughout history have needed the approval of their ancestors and heaven and earth to ascend the throne. Perhaps the succession itself has divine power, or something extraordinary about it."

However, the various sects were too lazy to get involved in the internal affairs of the Southern Cang royal family. They hadn't even dealt with the evil cultivators near their own sects yet. If the Crown Prince summoned them just to find a lost magic treasure, they would be furious.

Ji Ran stood up and walked down step by step from the high place.

"The Emperor's Sword carries a wisp of ancient dragon power, originally created to suppress worldly calamities and protect all living beings. Last night, the Dragon God entered my dream and conveyed a warning to me."

Sect Leader He was stunned. "Dragon God? Warning?"

How many years has it been since the true dragon was destroyed? Is it true or false?

"Half-demons are inherently yin and evil beings. The Demon King Ming Si abused the power of calamity, causing a large number of half-demons to gather in the Northern Underworld, which has already torn apart the balance that the world has maintained for thousands of years."

"If this continues, a catastrophe will be inevitable, the world will once again be plunged into devastation, and the chaos caused by half-demons will reappear. At that time, we will surely suffer a backlash from heaven and earth, and all living beings will be destroyed."