It turns out, they were the main characters.

Is it possible that she dressed up for me...? Mu Zhian thought to himself with amusement.

After seeing Shang Yanfei make her move, Mu Zhian spoke up at the opportune moment: "Sect Master."

"Please sit wherever you like," Shang Yanfei said without looking up.

Mu Zhian sat down opposite her and then said respectfully, "Thank you very much for saving me this time, Sect Master. I will repay this kindness even if I have to work like a slave in the future."

Shang Yanfei paused slightly as she placed her piece, then looked up at him with a faint smile in her eyes, saying, "You died saving the Azure Emperor, so I should help you."

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhian hesitated for a moment and said, "Regarding this matter, there is still one thing I don't understand."

Seeing that Shang Yanfei did not speak, Mu Zhian continued to ask: "The first generation of demon emperor has been making frequent small moves in the dark recently. Once it finds out that it cannot obtain the Heavenly Phoenix Fruit and the Rebirth Water, it will inevitably burn its essence. At that time, the Eastern Continent may be in great chaos."

After much deliberation, Mu Zhian decided to ask the question to the sect leader.

The first Demon Emperor was, after all, a powerful figure at the Dao Integration Realm. He couldn't be defeated by schemes and tricks. Even if he was a severely injured Dao Integration Realm cultivator, he couldn't be taken down by schemes and tricks.

"What do you think should be done?" Shang Yanfei put down the chess piece, narrowed her eyes, and stared straight at him.

Mu Zhian hesitated for a moment, then said, "If the first Demon Emperor burns his essence, then we'll have to see if other powerful beings can suppress him. If not, it could cause a lot of casualties."

"In addition, the remnants of the previous generation of demon cultivators may also make some moves in the near future."

As he said this, Mu Zhian secretly observed the sect leader's expression. She remained calm, but her eyes flickered slightly, as if she was thinking about what he had just said. Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Today, several chiefs and elders went to the Enforcement Hall to discuss the capture plan for the previous generation of demon cultivators. If you have any ideas, you can go there to take a look later," Shang Yanfei said with a smile.

Mu Zhian shook his head and said, "I am a junior and my words carry little weight. Those petty tricks may not be useful for big-scale plans."

"You don't need to be so modest. It's impossible that you weren't capable enough to move freely between sects and the demon realm in the past," Shang Yanfei said with a faint smile.

She really knew everything, but she just didn't say anything... Mu Zhian felt a chill run down her spine.

"You don't need to worry about the matter of the first Demon Emperor. If possible, you just need to assist the sect in cleaning up the remnants of the previous generation of demon cultivators," Shang Yanfei said.

Then, she changed the subject, saying, "Both the Southern Wilderness and the Western Regions will send people to participate in the Ascension Ceremony this time. Are you confident?"

Mu Zhian shook his head: "As a junior cultivator at the third level of the Spirit Refinement Realm, it's unlikely that I would have confidence."

He paused, then continued, "However... I still have a lot of confidence in some of the geniuses within the sect."

The powerful figures from the Southern Wilderness and the Western Regions who proposed this wager that day were naturally confident enough.

The Western Regions and the Southern Wilderness are not as rich as the Eastern Continent, but that does not mean that the talents of geniuses are not as good as those of the Eastern Continent.

Ultimately, the 'evil gods' in the Southern Wilderness are physically stronger than human cultivators, and this gap only narrows after they reach the Void Returning Realm.

But Shang Yanfei accepted the challenge because she was confident of winning.

No one would have imagined that the real key to this competition would not be the geniuses within the sect, but rather an inconspicuous, marginal figure.

Mu Zhian's innate furnace will be the key to this Ascension Ceremony.

The two chatted for a long time. Shang Yanfei was quite concerned about this young cultivator, probably because Mu Zhian was a disciple of a sect.

Seeing that it seemed the time was almost right, Mu Zhian took his leave.

From the very beginning, Mu Zhian frequently heard terrifying thunder rumbling in the sky, which meant that the Azure Emperor's primordial spirit tribulation was entering its peak stage.

Once the Nascent Soul Tribulation is overcome, the Eastern Continent will have one more Dao Integration Realm cultivator!

Seeing that Mu Zhian had left Liangyi Peak, Shang Yanfei resumed playing chess on her own.

Not long after, Lan Mulian, dressed in a pure white dress and with a cool and aloof demeanor, arrived at the pavilion and met the sect leader.

"Master, was someone just here?" Lan Mulian hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Didn't you already know?" Shang Yanfei glanced at her disciple with a faint smile in her eyes and continued, "If you go after him now, it's not too late."

“I don’t have anything to discuss with him.” Lan Mulian paused, gazing at the stunningly beautiful woman in the black dress, and suddenly said, “Do the sect’s formations need to be prepared in advance?”

Within the Liangyi Sect, there is an unparalleled grand formation. Among the nine peaks, each main peak serves as a formation eye, and the chief peak of each of the nine peaks can activate the formation eye together, thus activating the sect's grand formation.

The fact that Lan Mulian brought this up at this moment clearly indicates that she knew about the first Demon Emperor.

“I’ve already made them ready.” Shang Yanfei twirled a chess piece between her fingers, a faint smile in her eyes.

"It can't cause too much trouble."

"Is this also the result of divination?" Lan Mulian asked.

“This doesn’t require deduction,” Shang Yanfei said calmly and indifferently.

Then, he said quietly, "If we don't know the future, the future won't change."

"But once we can deduce the secrets of heaven and know the future, this ending may be rewritten."

"If the outcome might change, I may be powerless to change it."

"Therefore, it is better not to deduce the secrets of heaven."

Lan Mulian hesitated slightly and said, "Is there something Master can't do?"

Within the Liangyi Sect, and even in the eyes of some ancient families in the Eastern Continent, this sect leader was incredibly mysterious and powerful; as long as she was there, the Eastern Continent could never fall.

Even Mu Zhian still holds her in awe.

Consort Shang rested her chin on her hand, her clear, deep eyes gazing at her disciple.

"of course."

"I'm not invincible either," she smiled.

Lan Mulian remained silent, only glancing deeply at the white-gold chain hanging from Shang Yanfei's wrist beneath her sleeve as she rested her chin on her hand.

This thing used to be on Shang Yanfei's body.

But these chains bound her herself.

……

Mu Zhian is still alive!

If not many people knew about this news not long ago, then as Mu Zhian left Liangyi Peak and headed towards the Law Enforcement Hall, people began to notice him.

At this very moment, in the Qingyang Palace located on the south bank, many cultivators were exchanging sparring techniques, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

When Mu Zhian stepped into the Qingyang Palace, many cultivators who were betting on sect points in the palace noticed him one after another, and the originally lively atmosphere seemed to have become a little strange.

"Mu Zhian?!"

"He's dead, how could this be..."

Some people whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty as they looked at Mu Zhian.

Some of them had personally asked the elders on the main peak and confirmed that Mu Zhian was indeed dead... So now, this person was appearing in front of them alive and kicking, which was quite surprising.

"Brother Mu, are you... are you a human or a ghost?" In the Qingyang Hall, a beautiful senior sister with above-average looks stared intently, her eyes filled with incomprehension and a hidden light.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Mu Zhian looked much more handsome than before.

This kind of handsomeness doesn't refer to a change in physical appearance, but rather a change in a person's overall mental state and even their temperament.

The Natural Furnace absorbed a wisp of Dao essence from each of the three Grade 8 pills. Mu Zhian was unable to sense this Dao essence, but it was preserved within the Natural Furnace.

This Daoist charm is an irresistible temptation for cultivators.

Even though they didn't know that Mu Zhian was a natural furnace, nor did they know that there was the Daoist charm left over from an eighth-grade pill in his body, they were still attracted to him.

Mu Zhian looked up and smiled, "Senior Sister, have you ever seen a ghost with a shadow on the ground like this?"

The senior sister mustered her courage, took small steps forward, and gently poked Mu Zhi'an's body with her finger. To her surprise, she found that her junior brother was actually still alive and well.

"You're not dead...you're still alive?!"

"Thank you for your concern, senior sister. I guess this is a blessing in disguise." Mu Zhian smiled reservedly, trying to present the image of a pure and innocent boy.

He then cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd and walked straight into the depths of the main hall. After informing the disciples on guard, he quickly arrived at the depths of the Enforcement Hall.

He was going to the Hall of Law Enforcement to explain that he had returned to his clan.

……

After completing these complicated procedures, Mu Zhian quickly returned to Tianhe Garden.

The maid was sitting in front of the courtyard, staring blankly at the pond, seemingly lost in thought.

This maid in the yellow dress was usually very low-key, and her makeup and attire were equally simple, but her hair was adorned with exquisite jewelry, which complemented her aloof and stunningly beautiful face.

Noticing someone approaching, she looked up slightly and saw Mu Zhian slowly walking to her side.

"Sister Mengrou is spacing out... Is she thinking about me?" Mu Zhian asked with a hint of joking.

Wei Mengrou glanced at Mu Zhian with disdain. She was already used to the young master's flirtatious talk and didn't bother to pay him any attention.

She paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "Your scent is becoming more and more alluring."

"Why does Mengrou sound like some kind of weirdo obsessed with smells..." Mu Zhian complained.

Wei Mengrou frowned slightly and said, "I'm not joking with you."

“I know.” Mu Zhian smiled.

The more 'good stuff' a natural furnace contains, the more tempting it becomes, a fact that Mu Zhian is well aware of.

If he doesn't give some away soon, he might become a walking, mobile treasure trove.

Being too popular is not a good thing.

At least for his current situation, it's not a good thing.

If things get unstable, the orca calves in the fishpond might come ashore and eat the fishpond owner.

"I'll handle it properly afterward," Mu Zhian continued.

I'll find some time tonight to send Ruoxi a Daoist essence and spiritual energy to strengthen her physique.

Then I'll find another time to go find other people...

It's a pity that Sister Mengrou is still so aloof, otherwise I could have given her a gift... Mu Zhian looked at Wei Mengrou's graceful figure outlined by the yellow dress and couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

“We’ll handle it later… Does that mean you’re planning to go out again later?” Wei Mengrou frowned slightly and reminded her, “Although we’re within the sect, it’s a special time now, so we still need to be careful.”

The First Demon Emperor likely already knew about the Azure Emperor's tribulation and wouldn't sit idly by. If he found himself unable to escape, he might burn his essence and fight desperately.

Add to that the previous generation of demon cultivators lurking in the shadows... Mu Zhi'an might be in danger.

"I only came back to take a bath and freshen up because of my past relationship with the demon cultivator, and then I'm going to see my master," Mu Zhian said.