Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Jiang Rou's expression shifted between light and shadow under the moonlight.

"Even Granny Sun can't see through him? Just what kind of monster is this Prince Jin?!"

It is widely believed that Jiang Rou was taken in as a personal disciple by an elder of Xuan Yin Valley, but this is just a smokescreen jointly released by Xuan Yin Sect and Feng Lin Royal Family.

Only a very few core members of the sect knew that the one who truly took her under his wing was not some elder, but Leng Yuexi, the current leader of the Xuan Yin Sect.

That's why Granny Sun, whose strength has reached the eighth level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm, was sent to accompany and protect them this time.

Although Granny Sun does not hold the position of elder in the sect, her strength is extremely extraordinary. Even she frankly said that she "cannot see through" Xia Jin. What does that mean?

This means that this King Jin of Great Xia is at least a being in the Divine Travel Realm!

"Miss," Granny Sun said when she saw Jiang Rou's silence, "This place is not safe to stay any longer. You must return to the Xuan Yin Sect with me! Once you're back by the Sect Leader's side, even that person from before won't be able to do anything to you!"

"Return to the Xuan Yin Sect?" Jiang Rou's gaze swept over her somewhat distraught father and the surrounding guards and palace servants who were still in shock. A hint of hesitation appeared on her face. "If I leave, what will happen to Father and the others? What will happen to the people of Fenglin?"

"Miss!" Granny Sun frowned. "We must set off immediately and return to the sect to inform the sect leader. With the sect leader's extraordinary cultivation at the third level of the Divine Ascension Realm, how could he possibly be unable to deal with this Prince Jin?"

"It's too late." Jiang Rou's voice was soft, but she had already calmed down. "Grandma Sun, let's not even talk about how powerful this Prince Jin is! I'm afraid you don't know, but he is domineering and decisive in his actions, and he has no scruples. If I escape, he will definitely use 'disobeying orders and breaking contracts' as an excuse to massacre the Fenglin royal family, and even... implicate the innocent. He is capable of doing it."

"He wouldn't dare!" A cold glint flashed in Granny Sun's eyes. "Slaughtering the royal family and commoners of a surrendered nation is a grave taboo, deserving condemnation from all five realms and eternal curse! No matter how strong he is, he wouldn't dare to defy the world like this!"

"Grandma Sun, do you think I dare to gamble?" Jiang Rou shook her head again: "Others might worry about their reputation, but he... won't. Because he is Prince Jin."

She slowly stood up, a wise glint in her eyes: "There is only one way now. Please, Granny, set off immediately and return to the Xuan Yin Sect as quickly as possible to see Master and tell him everything that has happened here. Given Granny's speed, a round trip within three days is not impossible."

Upon hearing this, Granny Sun's expression suddenly changed: "Then, Miss, you..."

"I'll stay." A resolute glint flashed in Jiang Rou's eyes. "Fulfill the agreement and keep Prince Jin calm. We'll accept the surrender in three days, and I'll accompany their envoy to the capital of Great Xia. As long as Master can intervene before we arrive in the capital, there's still room for maneuver."

Granny Sun gave the woman before her a deep look, the disciple whom the sect leader Leng Yuexi had hailed as the most talented in the Xuan Yin Sect in nearly a hundred years, and finally nodded: "Alright! Miss, please be careful. I will set off now!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Granny Sun's figure disappeared into the night, leaving the Phoenix Palace.

Jiang Rou gazed in the direction where Granny Sun had disappeared, her fingers slowly loosening and then quietly clenching again within her sleeve.

The night breeze grew cooler.

"Rou'er!" Emperor Fenglin, Jiang Qianjue, looked at Jiang Rou with a hint of apology on his face.

……

Meanwhile, inside a mansion in the capital of Fenglin Kingdom.

Eunuch Wei helped Xia Jin take off her outer robe, his face still full of confusion.

He finally couldn't hold back and, while pouring tea, cautiously asked, "Master, I'm rather foolish. Although Princess Jiang Rou is intelligent, she is still a potential threat. Even if the Xuan Yin Sect is behind her, why don't we simply... eliminate the problem completely? Keeping her around only increases the chances of things going wrong?"

Xia Jin took the teacup, and upon hearing this, chuckled softly.

"I say, Little Wei, you've been following me for quite some time now, how come you still don't understand?"

"This woman's temperament, intelligence, and courage are all rare. After our Great Xia annexed Dayuan and Fenglin, someone needs to manage things for me. You can't always rely on those useless people in the Great Xia court, can you? So, wouldn't it be a pity to kill her?"

"That's true! Your Excellency has great foresight, while we have been short-sighted. However..." Eunuch Wei then frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Just say what you have to say!" Xia Jin glanced at him indifferently.

"My lord, what if this Princess Fenglin is only feigning submission..." Eunuch Wei didn't finish his sentence.

But Xia Jin already understood what he meant.

"Little Wei, it seems you still don't understand!" Xia Jin's lips curled slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "The most important thing in this world isn't scheming or manipulation, but strength!!"

"If my power has already driven them to despair, does it matter whether their submission is feigned or genuine?"

"Strength?" Eunuch Wei was taken aback at first, then showed an expression of sudden realization.

Xia Jin smiled but did not reply.

Actually, there was another reason why he didn't kill Jiang Rou, or even anyone else from the Fenglin royal family.

One of the most important reasons.

That means I still need to complete the system's task and obtain the 'Divine Firmament Thunder Technique,' which is almost like that of an immortal!

Kill Jiang Rou?

If this leads to a permanent feud with the Xuan Yin Sect, it would be virtually impossible to subdue the sect leader, Leng Yuexi.

Holding the teapot, Eunuch Wei suddenly took half a step forward and said, "My lord, I... have another question. Since Fenglin has already yielded and agreed to surrender in three days, we should have achieved our goal. Why... why do we still need to stay in the capital of Fenglin?"

Xia Jin had just brought the teacup to her lips when she heard this, she paused, and glanced at Eunuch Wei with a hint of speechlessness.

"Little Wei, do you really think that in three days, the Phoenix City will smoothly open its gates and welcome our Great Xia envoys in?" Xia Jin's tone was somewhat mocking.

"Believe it or not, this three-day period will never end. The Xuan Yin Sect's 'return gift' will be delivered by now."

Eunuch Wei was taken aback, forgetting to put down the teapot he was holding: "Sir, you mean the Xuan... Xuan Yin Sect has sent people?"

Xia Jin sighed helplessly, looking at Eunuch Wei as if he were a fool: "My little Wei, do you really think that a top sect like the Xuan Yin Sect in the Central Region would just swallow their anger and pretend nothing happened if their precious disciple was bullied?"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wei's face suddenly turned somewhat red.

He then realized that he had thought everything would go too smoothly. He awkwardly put down the teapot. "It's...it's our family that we've oversimplified things."

Xia Jin ignored the other person and looked up at the bright moon in the sky, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"The third level of the Divine Realm... perfect for testing. Let's see just how far I can go with my full power after breaking through to the first level of the Divine Realm."

His tone was filled with absolute confidence.

As for worry? Fear?

does not exist at all!

With numerous unique skills such as Demon Heart Crossing and the Seven Styles of Silence, what does fighting against opponents of higher levels mean to him?