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

As they were chatting, someone suddenly announced loudly from above: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"

Everyone looked up as a group of figures approached from afar. The Crimson Flame Demon Horse led the way, followed by a black and gold carriage surrounded by palace servants and guards, which landed at the top of the platform.

A figure dressed in a black and gold python robe descended slowly.

Chu Xianlan raised her head.

Last time in Youxin Valley, the other party remained seated in the carriage and never showed his face. This is the first time he has seen the Crown Prince's full appearance.

Only then did they realize that Ji Ran's appearance did not resemble Ji Fuyao or Ji Cheng'an.

He had a handsome face, bright red eyes, and blood-red lips, but unfortunately his skin was too pale and there was a noticeable dark circle under his eyes, which made it easy to see that he was in poor health.

Like jade and glass, they are beautiful, but also very fragile.

Chu Xianlan looked at him from afar, a strange feeling rising in his heart. He frowned and touched his chest, unsure of what that feeling was.

A low murmur arose from the room.

"So that was the Crown Prince..."

"It is said that on the day of His Highness's birth, the clouds in the sky moved, and the glow of the sunset above the imperial city lasted for three days. The Sky-Gazing Pavilion even calculated that His Highness was destined to be born with the Purple Star."

"That's not all," another cultivator added excitedly, "His Highness the Crown Prince was born with a spiritual root, not one of the common types found in the world, but a celestial spiritual root that encompasses all things! With such talent, it's no wonder that even the Three Phases Venerable regards him as his beloved disciple!"

Someone scoffed, "Can't you tell us something that nobody knows?"

There is only one known Heavenly Spiritual Root in the world, and we've heard countless rumors about it.

"Speaking of which, why haven't we seen the Emperor's carriage? Instead, the Crown Prince came out first," someone muttered curiously.

"Oh, it seems that the Emperor has been unwell lately, so the Crown Prince will be in charge of the Tianyuan Gathering this time."

Amidst whispers, Ji Ran calmly took her seat.

His gaze swept over the empty demon seats opposite him, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he were pondering something.

Just as Ji Ran was about to begin her speech—

A burst of grand and sweeping music rose from the sky, instantly shattering the solemn atmosphere of the banquet hall.

"What the hell is that noise?"

Everyone looked up at the same time.

A gentle breeze swept across the venue, and several bluebirds with beautiful tail feathers flew gracefully from the night sky, skimming across the heavens and transforming into human figures of men and women, landing lightly among the seats.

Those who arrived were all dressed in magnificent turquoise robes, bold and flowing in style, with hems reaching the ground. The men's waists and abdomens were exposed, while the women's waists were displayed. The corners of their eyes were outlined with lapis lazuli and painted upwards, adorned with tiny, colorful feathers.

Everyone was stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening.

It turned out that the demon race had arrived.

Ni Die's eyes lit up, and she immediately picked up her brush to paint, her tone excited: "The Azure Phoenix Clan... is indeed as beautiful as described in the records."

Before the gasps of surprise from the crowd could subside, a captivating fragrance suddenly wafted through the air.

Immediately afterwards, several magnificently furred giant foxes leaped down from the top of the cliff. As their toes touched the ground, they burst into clouds of pink, fragrant mist, blurring the view.

The fragrant mist stretched endlessly, and within it, one could vaguely see graceful figures.

They had a pair of fluffy fox ears on their heads and a large tail behind them. It was impossible to tell whether they were male or female. They were incredibly charming and wore thin gauze robes. Bells hung all over their hands and feet. As they walked, they seemed to emit smoke like jade, with the bells ringing incessantly.

Not only that, he also flirted and blew kisses to everyone in the audience.

Some prudent, old-school cultivators glanced sideways and whispered their rebukes:

"What kind of behavior is this...!"

"That vixen truly has no sense of propriety!"

However, many of the younger disciples were still unable to look away, their faces flushed.

Ni Die kept writing, taking notes in a low voice: "Hmm... The Minghu Clan has arrived. They are naturally alluring, and their clothes are barely covering their bodies. It seems there is a lot of controversy about them, but most people still like to watch them."

Chu Xianlan's face darkened. "Fellow Daoist Ni, why are you memorizing all this strange stuff?"

"After returning to the sect, these will be compiled into a book, recording the customs and traditions of various races, for the disciples of the sect to refer to," Ni Die said solemnly.

Wei Jin raised an eyebrow, resting his chin on his hand. "You always have to put on this show every time you come. Aren't you tired? The demon race really loves to show off."

Pei Fang'an chuckled, "Not entirely."

The Heart Rabbit and Green Deer clans didn't make a big show of it; they simply took their seats in a plain manner, their clothing and demeanor not much different from those of the human cultivators.

The young master of the mountain lynx clan, Zong Lan, had previously attracted too much hatred by using the demon ship on his own. He was surrounded by enemies from all sides. As soon as he appeared, he drew gasps of astonishment from the audience. Of course, this demon was still arrogant.

The Southern Cang Continent and the Northern Ming Realm are separated by the Buzhou Divine Mountain. The two races have separate territories and, apart from a few trades, they hardly interfere with each other.

Therefore, the younger generation of both clans couldn't help but secretly observe each other. Chu Xianlan casually glanced around and met the eyes of three or four members of the Minghu clan diagonally opposite.

One of the male fox demons winked at him, raised his hand, and slowly licked the back of his hand with the tip of his tongue, a highly suggestive gesture, his gaze fixed on Chu Xianlan's face.

Chu Xianlan felt a chill run down her spine, and her hair stood on end.

Ni Die shook her head repeatedly, then jotted down a few more notes. "Alas... Fellow Daoist Chu's breathing was slightly disordered, his heart rate rose slightly, and he almost lost control... The Minghu clan is quite skilled; they don't produce half-demons, they are merely the transporters of half-demons."

"Fellow Daoist, cross this out! What on earth is this?!" Chu Xianlan almost choked to death by his vicious words.

On the other side, Ji Ran saw that the demons had taken their seats and were enjoying themselves, but the Demon King's seat remained empty, and he gradually felt uneasy.

—Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The space above the imperial city distorted, and a strong spiritual energy vibration erupted.

Everyone looked up in astonishment, only to see a huge, blood-red teleportation array that had appeared out of thin air before them.

The next second, a colossal, crimson beast leaped out from the formation, its immense heat and raging demonic power crashing directly into the center of the banquet hall!

"boom--!!!"

The sounds of shattering and screams filled the air.

Almost at the same moment the giant beast landed, various protective spiritual energy barriers rose up from all parts of the venue, releasing countless spiritual energy pressures and causing the surrounding light to flash wildly. Chu Xianlan was about to throw out a defensive magic weapon when he suddenly felt a tightness around his waist. A clear and gentle force pulled him back, isolating him from other sounds.

He lowered his head, his slender hand resting lightly on his lower back; when he looked up, his master's straight back blocked his view.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Yi Chen arrived extremely quickly. He frowned slightly and looked down at the young man beside him: "Are you injured?"