One of my fairy-like friends

After wiping out some of the cultivators, the humanoid crystal in the arena stood still, its hand raised but motionless, frozen in place.

"Then aren't we doomed?" one cultivator exclaimed, his face pale. "I don't want to die!"

"You think you can stay alive just because you don't want to?" Bei Mingni glanced at him and sneered, "Unless your human empress personally takes action, who can..."

Before Bei Mingni could finish speaking, a streak of aurora suddenly flashed across the sky. The aurora seemed to break through the boundary, appearing out of thin air, tearing through the sky, extremely dazzling, and impossible to look at directly. In an instant, it pinned the crystal humanoid figure to the ground.

The crystal figure didn't struggle at all; it was shattered into pieces by the powerful impact, exploding into fragments of light and disappearing without a trace.

"Who... can do anything to it..." Bei Mingni murmured after finishing her words, then found that her body was no longer trapped and had returned to normal.

The aurora arrived too quickly, beyond people's comprehension, easily obliterating the foreign invaders who could have taken their lives at any moment, leaving the surrounding cultivators completely bewildered.

Then, a powerful aura descended, far stronger than that of the previous crystal humanoid. An unparalleled being had arrived in this world, and it seemed there was only one candidate...

"The Empress...has come in person?!" Ning Zetian exclaimed, glancing at Bei Mingni. This guy had just said that unless the human Empress personally took action, the Empress actually came?

Bei Mingni noticed him staring at her and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? Isn't this a good thing?"

Ning Zetian shifted his gaze to the pile of corpses on the ground, then looked at the cultivators who had been easily wiped out by the invaders from the outer realms. His eyes flickered. "It's a pity the Empress arrived too late... In the blink of an eye, so many people have already died..."

Many of these cultivators were holy sons and daughters of sacred lands, geniuses from the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Continents. Yet they died so easily here, annihilated by invaders from the outer realms before they even had a chance to grow. Had they been allowed to mature, they should have been the backbone of the resistance against the Dark Turmoil...

The imperial aura was pervasive, but it was peaceful, unlike the aura of the foreign invaders that had previously made people uncontrollably want to kneel down.

"This aura... it's as if the Empress herself has arrived..." Ning Feixuan also sensed this familiar aura and glanced at Ming Yan. "Could it be that the thing inside the jade has alarmed the Empress?"

Mingyan exclaimed in surprise, "The things inside must be extraordinary. Luckily, we left early..."

Chapter 113 She Really Pampers Herself

However, the Empress's presence meant that things were definitely under control. After discussing it, the six decided to return to that place.

Perhaps I'll even get to see the Empress again.

It's not always possible to meet a Great Emperor-level figure. Even for a Holy Land Lord, meeting an Extreme Dao Great Emperor is extremely difficult.

Mingyan and his group quickly returned to the place where they had previously discovered the "inheritance" and soon found the corpses on the ground.

Ming Yan raised an eyebrow. "So many people died?"

"That terrifying aura we sensed earlier... if the Empress hadn't arrived, the entire small world would probably have been wiped out." Ning Feixuan sighed. "I wonder what happened..."

The group spoke with the survivors to learn about the situation and got the gist of what had happened.

Upon hearing that invaders from outside the realm had appeared in the Extreme Dao Palace, everyone realized the seriousness of the problem.

"There are actually invaders from outside the realm within the Supreme Dao Hall... So, the other trials arranged by the Great Dao might be..." Huang Feiyan frowned. "These places are essential for the younger generation, offering numerous inheritances and opportunities. But if there are invaders from outside the realm, wouldn't they be easy targets? One wrong move, and the entire younger generation could be wiped out..."

"Besides, where did these invaders from other realms come from? The last Dark Turmoil was over 100,000 years ago. How could these invaders from other realms still be alive?" Yue Qingying was very puzzled. "Are they immortal?"

They didn't know much about the invaders from outside the realm. Although they had experienced several dark upheavals, the records about the invaders that had been passed down each time were not very detailed.

Moreover, invaders from other realms do not leave behind any remains after they die; they will explode into light and dissipate into the world, making them unusable for research.

All we know is that they come from outer realms, do not belong to this world, are very different from us, are ruthless and bloodthirsty, and cannot be communicated with. Apart from that, we don’t have much information.

They do not accept surrenders. They will exterminate any creature that lives in this place. This is why they are so united during every dark upheaval, because they have no other choice but to resist.

Mingyan raised his head and sensed that the imperial aura had vanished. "It seems the Empress has left."

"Hmm...she was probably just alerted by the invaders from outside the realm..." Ning Feixuan also sensed the disappearance of the imperial aura. "However...this is truly dangerous. The Extreme Dao Palace is a mechanism used by the Great Dao to cultivate the younger generation, and there are actually invaders from outside the realm inside..."

It's not clear what this event means yet, but it's definitely not a good thing.

As soon as Ning Feixuan finished speaking, she felt the whole world begin to shake. Then, the group felt themselves leave the small world inside the Extreme Dao Palace and appear under the Sword Peak.

Immediately, the Supreme Dao Palace atop the Sword Peak was lifted up by an invisible hand and suspended in the air.

"Trial terminated."

Although Mingyan had never met Empress Qingzi, he was almost certain that it was the Empress's voice. The Empress had ended the trial and taken the Extreme Dao Palace away.

The Empress said nothing more and did not appear; the Supreme Dao Palace simply vanished.

The survivors within the Extreme Dao Palace exchanged bewildered glances. This sudden turn of events had caught everyone off guard. The presence of invaders from the outer realms, the Empress's personal arrival, and the premature closure of the Extreme Dao Palace—these were all unprecedented occurrences...

The Supreme Dao Palace would never have appeared in the era of the Great Emperor... There are too many unusual things in this era.

"What's going on? Why is the Empress here?" Suddenly, Huang Junyi's voice rang out. She was hiding in the shadows and transmitted her voice to Huang Feiyan and Mingyan. She also sensed the Empress's aura and was very surprised.

Huang Feiyan told Huang Junyi what had happened inside, and Huang Junyi was extremely surprised to hear this, "There are invaders from outside the realm inside?"

"That's right... the Empress took the Supreme Dao Palace away, probably to investigate this matter..." Huang Feiyan nodded, but this also means they have nowhere to obtain the inheritance...

Fortunately, the four of them did not come away empty-handed; they all obtained a "Star Gap".

"...Let's go back. This matter is of great importance and we need to let my sister know." Huang Qingfei's voice rang out.

Mingyan also transmitted his voice, saying, "We also need to report to our master..."

It was clear that Consort Ning also needed to report to the Queen Mother of the West.

The group separated ahead of time. An Ran and Yu Zhu returned to Yaochi Holy Land with Ning Feixuan, while Ming Yan and Yue Qingying returned to Fengling Yueying Holy Land under the escort of Elder Yueying. Huang Feiyan returned to Huang Family with Huang Qingfei and Huang Junyi.

After returning to the Fenglingyueying Holy Land, Mingyan and Yue Qingying quickly arrived at the Immortal Island and reported the events that had occurred in the Jidao Palace to Yue Wuxia.

"Invaders from outside the realm?" Yue Wuxia frowned. "How could this be? Has the Empress said anything about this?"

"No, the Empress simply terminated the trial early and then took the Extreme Dao Palace with her." Yue Qingying shook her head.

"Hmm..." Yue Wuxia thought for a while, then said, "You two should not go out for the time being. Stay in the Holy Land and improve your cultivation. Especially you, Mingyan, improve your cultivation to prepare for any eventuality."

Mingyan nodded, then scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Um... Master, I need a lot of Yin energy to break through in my cultivation... If I stay in the Holy Land, it seems there's no source of Yin energy..."

Upon hearing this, Yue Wuxia glanced at him and said, "There is a cold pool below the Moon Cinema. You can go there to cultivate. Qingying, take your junior brother there afterward. Also, this is a good time to finish forging your weapon."

Mingyan nodded. "Disciple understands."

Yue Wuxia glanced at Yue Qingying and then said, "Qingying, you should leave first."

"Hmm? Oh... okay." Yue Qingying glanced at Ming Yan after hearing Yue Wuxia's words, feeling a little strange. She didn't know why her master wanted her to leave alone, but she didn't object and left Yue Wuxia's room.

Mingyan turned to look at his senior sister, also somewhat confused, wondering what their master was up to.

Yue Wuxia looked at Ming Yan with a cold and expressionless face, "Come on."

"...What...what, come on? This disciple doesn't understand." Mingyan blinked when he heard Yue Wuxia's words.

"...Didn't you say before that you wanted to hug me again? Or did I remember wrong?"

"Oh! No, I didn't misremember!" Mingyan suddenly remembered, quickly walked up to Yue Wuxia, and then reached out to embrace her slender waist, pulling his master's alluring figure into his arms...

Master still remembers... Mingyan felt a warmth in his heart; she really doted on him...

Chapter 114 The Place Where Master Bathes

Holding his master in his arms was a pleasure, and the faint fragrance emanating from his master captivated Mingyan.

From the moment Mingyan first saw his master's lineup, he was already poisoned. As mentioned before, it was a slow-acting poison, but once it took effect, it would cause unbearable pain.

Mingyan was thinking about a question.

Waiting until one reaches the later stages of cultivation, one will frequently need to go into seclusion, and there will be long periods without seeing one's master. Just thinking about that kind of life is terrifying...

Mingyan didn't hug his master for too long. Although he really wanted to keep hugging his master, his master would be angry if he did. Although his master was quite tolerant of his overstepping his bounds, he couldn't keep pushing his luck all the time.

Ming Yan released Yue Wuxia and deliberately distanced himself from her. "Thank you, Master..."

Yue Wuxia straightened her Taoist robe, which was slightly wrinkled from the hug. She glanced calmly at Ming Yan and then said, "Go and cultivate."

Mingyan nodded, bowed, and turned to leave.

Yue Wuxia watched Ming Yan's retreating figure, her eyes sparkling, before disappearing from her spot and reappearing in the Holy Lord's Hall. She then summoned the elders from the Wind Spirit and Moon Shadow Academies.

"From this day forward, Mingyan is hereby formally established as the Holy Son of the Wind Spirit." Yue Wuxia announced this matter calmly, and before the elders of the two academies had a chance to speak, she had already disappeared without a trace.

Of course, Yueyingyuan would not raise any objections. The matter of Yueyingyuan was originally decided by Yue Wuxia, and her thoughts and opinions were the same as Yueyingyuan's thoughts and opinions. However, there was a candidate for the Fengling Holy Son within Fengling Academy, namely Le Junxin, the personal disciple of Wang Daoming, the dean of Fengling Academy.

Le Junxin's cultivation has reached the Qi Sea stage, but he is too old. To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing for him to be only at the Qi Sea stage at this age. Most of the other holy sons from other holy lands have reached the Qi Sea stage at the same age as Yue Qingying. Moreover, Yue Ying is definitely a very outstanding genius among the holy sons and holy daughters. The holy son can't be too weak, right? Therefore, Wang Daoming's idea is to wait until he breaks through to the Divine Palace stage before proceeding with this matter.

But Fengling Academy did not expect that Yue Wuxia would directly appoint Mingyan as the Holy Son of Fengling.

While Mingyan's talent for cultivation is undeniable, he is only currently at the Yinling Realm. Even if he were to be made the Holy Son, there should be some kind of sparring or competition between the two. Ideally, the decision should be made when Mingyan reaches the Qi Sea Realm. Otherwise, simply announcing his appointment as the Holy Son would be too drastic...

The elders of Fengling Academy looked at each other in bewilderment and went back to report the matter to Wang Daoming.

Wang Daoming simply nodded after hearing this, without saying anything.

Seeing that Wang Daoming hadn't said anything, the elders of Fengling Academy naturally wouldn't say anything more either.

However, when this matter reached the ears of the disciples of Fengling Academy, it sparked some controversy.

“Mingyan is the Holy Son of the Wind Spirit Academy? He doesn’t even belong to the Wind Spirit Academy…” Some disciples of the Wind Spirit Academy harbored resentment towards Mingyan, believing him to be a traitor.

"Yes, although he is very talented, shouldn't he at least have competed with Senior Brother Yue for the position? The Holy Lord directly appointed Mingyan as the Holy Son. Isn't that giving preferential treatment?"

The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow is currently in a special period. Originally, Yue Wuxia, the Holy Master of Moon Shadow, should not be making decisions about the Wind Spirit Academy, including the selection of the Wind Spirit Holy Son. However, since the Wind Spirit Academy currently has no Holy Master, everything is being managed by Yue Wuxia. But it is unprecedented for the Holy Master of Moon Shadow to make decisions about the selection of the Wind Spirit Holy Son.

However, only a few disciples dared to question Yue Wuxia. Yue Wuxia's authority was too great, and in the end, these voices were suppressed by the Fengling Academy, but dissatisfaction accumulated.

At this moment, Ming Yan was unaware that he had become the Holy Son of the Wind Spirit. He was following Yue Qingying to the cold pool below the Moonlight Cinema.

“I used to cultivate here too. I don’t know where this cold pool leads, and the water temperature is extremely cold. I couldn’t bear it at the time and didn’t try to go into the water.” Yue Qingying held Mingyan’s hand and explained to him with a smile, “However, your physical body is much stronger than mine, so you should be able to endure it.”

"Won't anyone else come here?" Mingyan asked. After all, this was below the Moon Cinema, and what if some of the Moon Cinema's disciples came down to bathe...?

“No, ordinary people don’t come here.” Yue Qingying shook her head. “It’s extremely cold down here, and we don’t know where it leads. It’s not open to ordinary disciples, and the elders don’t come here unless necessary. Only our master comes here often, and sometimes he bathes here.”

“…” Mingyan blinked. “I see…”

“However, your method of cultivating in the Yin Tomb is different from ours... It requires absorbing Yin energy.” Yue Qingying was a little curious. She held Ming Yan’s hand and intertwined their fingers, not wanting to leave any gaps. “Our Yin Tomb refers to the process of constructing the Yin Tomb.”

“Yes.” Mingyan felt that perhaps the cultivation method of the Human King Body was the most ideal situation when this cultivation system was first created. However, not everyone can use the power of the Taiyin and Taiyang. They can only find alternatives. Otherwise, for ordinary people, this would be a dead end, and it would be impossible to continue cultivating.

Yue Qingying led Ming Yan down the stone steps beneath Yueying's shadow. There was a cave there, and as they approached it, they could feel an astonishing chill.

"Junior brother, do you think you can endure this?"

Mingyan felt a familiar chill, as if he were close to his master. He felt a sense of closeness, not discomfort. He shook his head and said, "On the contrary, it feels quite comfortable."

"Is that so? Then it seems this place is indeed very suitable for your cultivation." Yue Qingying smiled slightly. "I won't go in, junior brother. I will come to see you every now and then. If you need anything, just tell me."

"Hmm." Mingyan nodded, released Yue Qingying's hand, and walked into the cave alone.