After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

"Uncle-Master, please forgive me!"

He muttered something under his breath, and a burst of sword light erupted beneath his feet, instantly boosting his speed to its maximum!

"How is this possible?! How can his clone be so lifelike?!"

The sword cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect were filled with disbelief.

He had seen many cultivators' clone techniques, but most of them had obvious differences in spiritual energy fluctuations, making them easy to distinguish at a glance. However, those two clones just now were exactly the same as the original body in terms of aura, expression, and spiritual energy fluctuations!

All five of them, who were at the Core Formation stage, were completely fooled!

"Quick, after him! He's getting away!"

The man in black robes roared and took the lead in chasing after Lin Fengmian in the direction he had fled!

However—he had only taken two steps when he suddenly felt something was wrong. The places on his body, legs, and arms that had just been grazed by the sword energy were now faintly tingling with a needle-like pain.

He looked down and saw that the tiny wounds were glowing with a faint golden light.

"This is--"

Before he could finish speaking—

"The Magnificent Sword Qi Gu".

A cold whisper came from ahead.

next moment--

"Boom boom boom boom!"

The remaining fragments of sword energy on them exploded simultaneously under Lin Fengmian's urging!

Golden light burst forth, like countless tiny fireworks blooming on their bodies!

Although each sword strike was not particularly deadly, their sheer number and cunning angles instantly threw the five pursuers into chaos!

The man in black robes awkwardly waved his sleeves to deflect several bursts of sword energy. When he looked up again, Lin Fengmian and Honglian had already disappeared at the end of the alley.

"Damn it!"

He slammed his fist into the crumbling wall beside him, sending shards of stone scattering down.

……

the other side.

Lin Fengmian carried Honglian as they moved swiftly through the alleyways, their speed like the wind. He did not use his sword-flying technique.

In situations like these, large aerial targets are actually easier to lock onto.

Honglian was held tightly in his arms, her cheek pressed against his firm chest, able to clearly feel his strong, powerful heartbeat. His warm breath enveloped her, bringing an unnatural blush to her pale face.

"Put me down... I can walk by myself..." she whispered, her voice so weak it lacked any persuasiveness.

"Uncle-Master, don't be stubborn right now." Lin Fengmian glanced down at her, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Just now, your meridians were injured again. If you force yourself to circulate spiritual energy again, I'm afraid your foundation will be damaged."

Honglian's lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing more, only burying her face even deeper.

Just then—

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the alleyway ahead, followed by several powerful auras rapidly approaching!

Lin Fengmian's heart tightened, his feet paused slightly, and he was about to turn around—

"Brother Lin! Over here!"

A familiar voice came from ahead.

Lin Fengmian looked up and saw Yan Qingxuan leading four Golden Core cultivators with profound auras quickly approaching.

Yan Qingxuan also seemed to have just received the news and rushed over, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

He glanced at Honglian in Lin Fengmian's arms, then at the numerous small wounds on Lin Fengmian's body, and his expression immediately changed:

"Brother Lin, True Person Honglian! Are you alright?"

"We can still hold on."

Lin Fengmian replied briefly, "However, we were just surrounded and attacked by five Core Formation cultivators, and there are probably pursuers behind us. It's not advisable to stay here any longer—"

"Follow me!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Yan Qingxuan turned around and led the way, with four Golden Core cultivators following closely behind, protecting Lin Fengmian and Honglian in the middle.

The group walked through several winding alleys and two hidden doors before finally entering a secluded courtyard.

Only after the courtyard gate closed behind him and the array's spiritual light rekindled did Yan Qingxuan breathe a sigh of relief. He turned around, looking at Lin Fengmian and Honglian, his tone heavy, his eyes filled with lingering fear:

"Brother Lin, Peak Master Luo... the Great Yan Dynasty has changed!"

Lin Fengmian helped Honglian sit down on a stone bench in the courtyard, poured her a cup of spiritual tea, and then looked up at Yan Qingxuan:

Explain yourself.

Yan Qingxuan took a deep breath and slowly said:

"Just last night, after you left the palace, two Nascent Soul elders from the Divine Origin Alliance, carrying the alliance leader's decree, forcibly broke into the palace."

"His Majesty... was forced to make a great oath against his inner demons, secluded himself in the deep palace, and was forced to abdicate."

Lin Fengmian frowned upon hearing this.

"So, the Crown Prince's master, the current Grand Tutor Tian Xingkui, is a member of the Heavenly Star Alliance. The current Emperor of Great Yan is already the Crown Prince."

Yan Qingxuan gave a wry smile and continued:

"However... the Crown Prince is just a puppet. The one who truly holds power is Li Xuehe of the Heavenly Star Alliance. Those two Nascent Soul elders are stationed in the palace, and the entire royal city is under their divine sense. Not even a fly can get out."

"Among the six top-tier sects, the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Vajra Temple have already defected... The Netherworld Palace's attitude is ambiguous, and they are still observing... Only the Illusionary Sound Valley and the Beast Taming Mountain are still putting up a stubborn resistance."

Upon hearing this, Honglian's already pale face paled even more. She suddenly grabbed Lin Fengmian's arm and said urgently:

"Then our Joyful Union Sect... isn't it in imminent danger?!"

She was about to get up when she said, "I must return to my clan immediately to report this—"

"Red Lotus Immortal!"

Yan Qingxuan quickly stopped her, shaking his head with a wry smile:

"The entire royal city is now sealed off by the Divine Origin Alliance. Without their pass, no one can leave. Even if you set off now, you won't be able to get more than three miles from the royal city before you are locked onto by the divine sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Honglian stood frozen in place, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her sleeve.

Lin Fengmian was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Is the Prince of Zhennan's residence... alright?"

Yan Qingxuan's expression darkened slightly, and he said in a low voice:

"My father is still maneuvering. Our Zhennan Prince's Mansion has a strong foundation in the army, so they don't dare to go too far for the time being. But... that's all they can do. We have no choice but to feign submission for now, or we will face annihilation."

He paused, looked at Lin Fengmian, his gaze filled with earnestness:

"Brother Lin, the Crown Prince is narrow-minded and will never let this go."

His master, Tianxing Kui, is known for his ruthless and cruel methods. He will definitely hold a grudge against you for humiliating him like that last night.

"You should stay here and take refuge for now. I have already sent people to meet up with the other disciples of your sect. Once things have calmed down, we will find a way to send you out of the city."

Just then—

Yan Qingxuan's expression suddenly changed slightly, clearly indicating that he had received some kind of telepathic message. He frowned for a moment, then raised his head, his tone becoming urgent:

"Brother Lin, I must return as soon as possible. My father has sent word that there has been a change of events in the court."

He stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in greeting to Lin Fengmian and Honglian:

"It's safe here for now. I'll figure something out. Take care."

"Thank you, Brother Li." Lin Fengmian also stood up and returned the greeting. "Please give my regards to the Prince and Yiyi."

Yan Qingxuan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave quickly.