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

"Pass down the order: keep a close watch on him! If he dares to step out of the palace—kill him without mercy, no need to ask for permission!"

"yes!"

The shadowy figure bowed its head to receive the order, and with a flicker, it vanished without a trace, as if melting into the shadows.

Zhao Tiande stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor, his sinister gaze fixed on the direction of the palace, his eyes surging with overwhelming killing intent.

Yan'er... Grandpa will definitely avenge you.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the palace, in a tranquil side courtyard, the spiritual energy is far richer than that of the outside world.

Lin Fengmian has been living here for some time now, spending his days accompanying the little fairies who were sent by the Empress to "receive instruction" in their cultivation.

These girls were all quite young, the youngest no more than seven or eight years old, and the oldest barely twenty.

Their young faces were filled with a tenacity and determination that others could hardly match.

At first, he treated it as a routine task, simply fulfilling his duty of teaching. But after spending a few days with them, he discovered that these girls cultivated as if they were risking their lives.

Apart from eating and taking necessary rest, all the rest of the time is spent meditating, practicing physical exercises, and studying techniques.

Their eyes were burning with intensity, as if something was chasing them from behind, making one's heart inexplicably tighten.

Lin Fengmian became suspicious and, after several rounds of subtle questioning, finally managed to get the truth out of one of the more soft-hearted girls.

"We... must improve our cultivation as much as possible within ten years."

The girl lowered her head, her voice soft, yet carrying a heartbreaking calmness:

"Ten years later, the Demon Suppression Abyss Formation will need a new batch of sacrifices."

Our spiritual root attributes are perfectly suited to the array's core, so... when the time comes, we will be the ones to repair the great array.

As long as our spiritual energy is pure enough, the formation can remain stable for longer.

The great formation is now in great turmoil. In the past, sacrifices could bring a hundred years of stability, but now... it can probably only last for a few decades.

"But this is for the best, at least fewer people will be sacrificed."

The girl raised her head, revealing a pair of clear, deep eyes, and forced a smile:

"Therefore, we must work hard in our cultivation so as not to hold everyone back."

Lin Fengmian froze on the spot.

In his original understanding, most cultivators in the cultivation world were selfish and self-serving.

Even among cultivators who have become Daoist partners, it is not uncommon for them to abandon each other when disaster strikes.

But the cultivators of this desolate land

From Gu Qingge to Cang Yuwei, from these girls in front of him to Empress Su Miaoyun who had schemed against him—how come none of them are afraid of death?

He thought those "great principles" repeatedly mentioned in books were just the affectations and embellishments of the ancients, but now they stood vividly before his eyes, so real that they made his throat tighten.

After that day, Lin Fengmian's frivolous thoughts gradually faded.

Even the King of the Sea has his principles.

Faced with this group of young girls who were already determined to die, he felt nothing but respect.

He no longer kept it to himself; every day he would personally brew tea, secretly adding the precious Spirit Gathering Pill to it, and then send it to them.

The elixir dissolved in hot water, its medicinal power gentle and lingering, perfectly suited for nourishing the foundations of cultivators at this stage. With the continuous replenishment of spiritual energy, these girls cultivated with increasing speed, their cultivation levels rising steadily.

At the same time, he gradually pieced together a complete picture from the words of these girls—

The reason why the Demon Suppression Abyss was able to be suppressed time and time again was entirely due to Empress Su Miaoyun's strategic planning and command of the Demon Suppression Guards of the nine immortal sects.

It was precisely because she maintained this line of defense with an iron fist that the Demon Abyss was never completely out of control.

Those cultivators among the nine great immortal sects who were able to uphold their original intentions were able to avoid having their edges worn away by time precisely because she was there to support them.

There was a time when Lin Fengmian thought that this sacred place was only for those who were narrow-minded and ignorant.

But now, from Gu Qingge and Cang Yuhan, to these girls before him, and then to Empress Su Miaoyun, with whom he secretly vies for power and each gets what they want.

Their determination and sacrifice in protecting this land repeatedly challenged his original understanding.

His perception of Su Miaoyun also subtly changed without him realizing it.

A hazy, moonlit night.

Lin Fengmian had just finished a night of cultivation and was about to close his eyes to rest when a very light footstep sound came from outside his palace.

The steps were steady and composed, each step seemingly following an invisible rhythm, making it clear to anyone who heard it that the person was highly skilled.

The palace doors were pushed open silently, and a cool, aloof figure stepped into the palace bathed in moonlight.

Empress Su Miaoyun.

Tonight, she was still dressed in a simple white gown, without any extra jewelry or ornaments. Her dark hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, and the aloofness and coldness in her eyes that had remained unchanged for years became even more pronounced under the moonlight.

She glanced at Lin Fengmian, who was sitting on the couch, and without exchanging pleasantries or making any preamble, simply walked over to him and sat down cross-legged.

Eyes facing each other.

Lin Fengmian already had a plan in mind.

For the past two weeks, she has come every few days, with only one purpose: to visit a fellow practitioner.

He didn't say much, just smiled slightly and gestured with his hand.

spirit

The force flowed naturally between the two, like two guided streams slowly converging.

The whole process was devoid of any romantic or ambiguous elements; it was more like a precise and tacit clash of martial arts techniques.

Lin Fengmian was already used to this rhythm. He focused his mind on his dantian, guiding his pure yang spiritual power to intertwine and flow with the opponent's yin and cold spiritual power.

Su Miaoyun remained calm and composed.

Even at the most intense moment of his cultivation, his clear and cold eyes remained largely undisturbed.

Her breathing was steady, and every subtle movement was as precise as if she had rehearsed it a thousand times. Even in the most emotional moments, a thin layer of frost still covered her eyes.

She seemed to have absolutely no feelings for men.

However, beneath this cold exterior, Lin Fengmian sensed an extremely pure and profound spiritual energy surging within him.

As soon as the fellow practitioners finished, Su Miaoyun's aura suddenly surged!

An invisible vortex of spiritual energy swirled around her, then she quickly gathered it up and pressed it into her dantian.

Lin Fengmian clearly sensed that she had broken through. The late stage of Foundation Establishment was a natural progression.

He also benefited greatly from it.

A stream of extremely pure and cold primordial energy flowed back from the point where the two people's spiritual energies converged, like the finest stream, slowly seeping into his meridians, bone marrow, and dantian.

What shocked him even more was that this woman's spiritual root was a Yin spiritual root, one in ten thousand!

This physique is an exceptionally rare and perfect vessel in the world.

At this moment, having received the first Yin-nourishing feedback from this Yin-nourishing empress, the Yin-nourishing spiritual roots in his body seemed to be infused with a wisp of the most Yin and gentle origin, causing a strange change!

The spiritual energy, which was originally slightly unbalanced due to its excessive masculinity, slowly merged with this newly generated yin energy, no longer clashing with each other, but instead forming a delicate balance.