Junior sister, keep forbear for a while, I almost become invincible as soon!

Guang Xiaoyu also smiled.

She had wanted to teach this brash fellow a lesson just now, but had been stopped by Chen Pingping. Now that he had come to her, her elder martial brother had no reason to stop her, right?

How nice!

"Why is that?" Guang Xiaoyu asked with a smile.

"Why should there be a reason? This is my territory," Lin Chong said with displeasure, then threw out a few Spirit Stones. "Here's your reward."

He jumped down from the Demon Beast and wanted to lead away Lao Huang.

WHOOSH!

A streak of sword light slashed out, blocking his path.

Lin Chong's eyelids twitched. A strong one?

No way, right? No way, right?

These two looked so young, dressed so simply, and didn't seem like Cultivators from a Sect or a family with a background.

An illusion.

He shook his head vigorously. When he looked at Guang Xiaoyu again, her wooden sword was already at his neck.

In just that instant, he felt as if death was descending upon him.

A strong one!

Damn it!

This girl was actually a strong one of the Supreme Mystery Realm!

That's too much.

A strong one of the Supreme Mystery Realm dressed like this—what was she trying to pull?

Lin Chong panicked. "Don't, don't, don't, sister, I was wrong." Cautiously pushing the sword away from his neck, he then realized... it was a wooden sword...

His heart pounded as he wiped away a cold sweat.

A wooden sword, yet it possessed such power...

"Where did I go wrong?" Guang Xiaoyu asked, her smile brimming.

"Everything was wrong."

"Alright then! I, your sister, shall forgive you this time." Guang Xiaoyu waved her hand, put away the wooden sword, and then said, "This is a marketplace, with streets big and small, and people coming and going. How can you ride your mount around at will?"

"Yes, yes, sister, you're absolutely right."

"Get lost!" Guang Xiaoyu snorted coldly.

Lin Chong, leading his mount, fled this place without looking back.

After a while, Chen Pingping finally spoke, "We can't stay here any longer."

Guang Xiaoyu fell silent. She understood what her elder martial brother meant; he didn't want to cause trouble.

The man had apparently submitted on the surface, but who knew what he was really thinking? Maybe he had already gone to call for reinforcements.

It wouldn't be long before a pack of strong ones arrived here.

Staying low-key in cultivation is true wisdom.

Guang Xiaoyu could understand, but she didn't like it. A true man, born between heaven and earth, should not cultivate in obscurity. He should sweep across all, tread on trash, and advance unstoppably on the invincible path.

Oh, she was a young lady.

「...」

Guang Xiaoyu wasn't wrong. Lin Chong had already gone to call for reinforcements. If nothing unexpected happened, a group of strong ones would arrive in about ten minutes.

But there was an unexpected event.

Lin Xiao, the seventh-ranked young genius of the Lin Family, had also arrived in the Ancient City. His status was much higher than Lin Chong's.

Back at the City Lord's mansion, a flustered Lin Chong tentatively said upon seeing this scene, "Cousin, it's just a ferocious beast; there's no need for your personal intervention."

A mere beast? Just one ferocious beast?

Lin Xiao replied expressionlessly, "Properly rectify the atmosphere within the city. Princess Zi Ji will arrive soon, and she intends to slay the ferocious beast herself."

What?

Lin Chong was astonished.

Zi Ji? Is that the Princess Zi Ji who refused the Martial God lineage and also turned down becoming a Saintess? What is she doing here? Hold on! She has never cultivated; with what will she slay the ferocious beast? Could this be a conspiracy?

Lin Chong suddenly thought of many possibilities.

In the past, he would have loved for all those young prodigies to come here for trials so that he could witness their talents.

But now, considering the internal situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty... Princess Zi Ji was an exceptional genius who had won the Emperor's favor and was courted by many factions. However, hardly anyone else liked her.

Especially the faction from the harem, along with the nobles and the like, who wished she were dead.

Over the years, they had tried every possible means to assassinate her. Fortunately, Zi Ji had always hidden in the inner palace, protected by strong ones, and thus had escaped peril.

If she were to travel, wouldn't that be courting disaster?

It's over!

Lin Chong turned pale, thinking of another outcome.

This was Lin Family territory. If Princess Zi Ji were to perish here, the Great Zhou Dynasty would be enraged, and even the Lin Family would be implicated.

「...」

「In the Imperial City, within the Deep Palace.」

Not long after the Tianxuan Saintess had left, Zi Ji spoke up, expressing her desire to go to the border to slay ferocious beasts.

As the news spread, the Imperial City was in an uproar.

Everyone was shocked.

Because Zi Ji had never left the inner palace from the time she arrived in the Imperial City until now. Yet this time, she actually wanted to go and slay ferocious beasts.

Where did the news come from? Who provided it? Why slay ferocious beasts?

The Emperor fell into deep thought and had already dispatched strong ones to investigate the matter.

An hour later, a strong one of the King Tao realm came to report, "Princess Zi Ji has not been in contact with anyone."

Not been in contact? In other words, no one had informed Zi Ji about the situation at the border, nor about the presence of that ferocious beast. How did she find out? Why does she want to go to the border?

The Harem.

The current Empress was extremely young. Although in her thirties, she looked to be only in her early twenties. She had a graceful figure, was dignified and beautiful, with skin as fair as snow, and long, smooth black hair that cascaded to her waist.

She had a melon-seed shaped face with delicate features, and her eyes, like rippling autumn waters, brimmed with spirituality.

Before she married the Emperor, she was the crush of countless young men, the secret love of numerous youths.

Later, after marrying into the deep palace and becoming the master of the harem, she gave birth to a prince, the Eighth Prince.

The Eighth Prince was also quite talented. At twelve, he was sent to a sacred land for cultivation. Now, at fifteen, he had already reached the Destiny Realm.

Perhaps, given more time, it wouldn't be impossible for him to enter the King Tao realm by the age of twenty.

Such astonishing achievements overshadowed the other princes and shocked the imperial court.

Everyone was discussing that when the Eighth Prince returned from his cultivation, it was very likely he would become the Crown Prince and eventually succeed the throne.

Of course, it was just speculation.

Because in the deep palace, there was another prodigy, Princess Zi Ji.

Years ago, after a commoner girl was murdered, the Emperor brought Zi Ji back. He was filled with guilt, and his treatment of Zi Ji over the years was completely different from his treatment of the other princes.

If Zi Ji were willing to study and cultivate, it was possible the Emperor might abdicate in her favor.

In the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were precedents of females becoming emperors.

The Empress was anxious. If things continued in this direction, it really was possible.

Over the years, she had dispatched countless strong ones to assassinate Zi Ji, but she had repeatedly failed.

But now... the opportunity has come...

When she learned that Zi Ji was going out to slay ferocious beasts, a smile she hadn't shown in a long time appeared on her face. Within the deep palace, I can't touch you. But if you leave the Imperial City, hehe... I will surely send you down to meet your mother.

A shadowy figure appeared behind her and asked in a low voice, "Shall we notify the Lin Family?"

The Lin Family was a Cultivator family. Although they resided within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they were not governed by the Dynasty and had always done as they pleased.

Of course, all this was based on the condition that they abided by the rules. Otherwise, the Dynasty would have taken action long ago.

However, the Dynasty didn't know that the Empress, to ensure her offspring could smoothly inherit the throne, had secretly courted countless powerful factions.

The Lin Family, in particular, was also on the Empress's list.

The place Zi Ji was going to was Lin Family territory. With just one command from the Empress, Princess Zi Ji would not survive.