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

He would never act unless absolutely necessary. This was Lin Fengmian's consistent philosophy of life.

Who can blame him for being such a low-key and unassuming person?

Besides... the feeling of being protected by a woman is actually quite nice.

This bad habit was mostly spoiled by those two little vixens, Nangong Li and Gongsun Mili.

Just as the withered claws and red ribbons were about to touch Lin Fengmian's clothes, no more than three feet away—

"presumptuous."

A woman's voice, clear and cold like an icy spring, yet containing supreme majesty, seemed to descend from the heavens.

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a captivating power, exploding precisely deep within everyone's soul like an ice pick!

The person who arrived was none other than Empress Su Miaoyun.

Accompanying her voice was a snow-white sword aura that stretched across the sky.

The sword energy shone like moonlight, pure, cold, and swift to the extreme. Wherever it passed, fine ice crystals condensed in the void, only to be crushed inch by inch by the extreme cold.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no dazzling brilliance, only an absolute, all-consuming sense of ruthlessness.

Wherever the sword energy passed, even the sound of the wind froze, as if all things in heaven and earth were holding their breath in the face of this sword.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two soft sounds, like puncturing two pieces of rotten, old leather.

The sinister smile on Lady Yan Gu's face, the greed in her eyes, the lewdness at the corner of her mouth, and even her outstretched withered claws—all of it was frozen on her face the moment that snow-white sword energy touched her.

The same was true of Yin Jiupo; her withered lips still held a mocking curve, but her turbid eyes had lost all their luster.

"Bang! Bang!"

The two corpses lay stiffly on the ground, yet eerily, not a single drop of blood was spilled. Their bodies were completely clean, without a single visible wound.

But all the vitality, spiritual power, and soul within his body had been completely wiped out by that sword, as if they had never existed.

The entire room fell silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

The hundreds of cultivators around, including those who were watching from the shadows, were all terrified by this sword strike, their souls nearly leaving their bodies and their spines turning cold.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the figure in the white dress, as if they were looking up to the might of the heavens, and even their breathing became cautious.

Only Lin Fengmian's eyes flashed with a hint of understanding.

That sword strike was terrifying.

With utter abandon and severing all life force, he extinguished more than just two arrogant and ignorant evil cultivators.

This is clearly a warning to all those wicked cultivators who are secretly watching and thinking that they can act recklessly and lawlessly after the spiritual energy has recovered!

With this sword, she was declaring to everyone—

In the Phoenix City, as long as Su Miaoyun is alive, no one will have the right to act recklessly.

This is the most direct way to tell the entire Fengming Kingdom, to those lurking forces with ill intentions, and to the whole world—

She, Su Miaoyun, is untouchable.

It wasn't until the figure slowly descended from mid-air that everyone could see the person's full appearance.

She wore a white robe with moon patterns, and the hem of her skirt was embroidered with silver phoenix patterns, which shimmered with a cool and sacred luster in the sunlight.

Her jet-black hair cascaded down her back, gently held back with an antique jade hairpin, a few strands falling over her shoulders, making her stunningly beautiful face appear even more ethereal and otherworldly.

Her features were exquisitely perfect; her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her eyes were like cold stars, and her lips were pale. She stood there quietly.

It is like a beautiful ink painting, or like a goddess descending from the heavens to the mortal world.

She didn't exert any pressure, and didn't even glance at anyone.

But it was precisely that indifferent and composed demeanor that made all the cultivators within a hundred feet radius...

Whether it's Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, or Golden Core...

They all felt a chill run down their spines, and their backs involuntarily bent over.

"This...this is Her Majesty the Empress! She actually came in person!"

"Just who is this Lin Fengmian? Even the Empress herself has personally intervened!"

"Heavens! Empress Su Miaoyun! She's someone who hasn't stepped out of the imperial city for a hundred years, yet today she actually..."

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Amidst the gasps of surprise, the cultivators who had been watching the spectacle with glee suddenly turned pale and knelt down in a flurry.

Even those Nascent Soul stage monsters who were hiding in the void and spying on this place with their divine senses, quietly withdrew their divine senses at this moment, no longer daring to have the slightest thought of overstepping their bounds.

Su Miaoyun ignored the kneeling crowd.

She simply walked quickly toward Lin Fengmian.

Halfway there, she seemed to suddenly remember something, her steps slowed slightly, and she regained her icy expression. Then, she glanced at Lin Fengmian.

That glance was extremely quick and indifferent, as if it were just a casual glance.

But Lin Fengmian noticed that after confirming that he was safe and sound, Su Miaoyun's icy expression seemed to soften by even a fraction.

Then she spoke, her voice still cool, but without the chilling aura that kept people at a distance:

"Come, follow me back to the palace."

After saying that, she turned around and walked towards the imperial city.

But in that instant of turning around, her gaze, seemingly unintentionally, lightly swept over the white figure beside Lin Fengmian.

Qin Lan.

Just that one glance.

Qin Lan's pretty face turned deathly pale, as if all the color had been drained from her. She lowered her head deeply, almost burying her face in her chest.

The once powerful and imposing Commander Qin, who commanded the Imperial Guards, now looked like a child who had done something wrong in front of Su Miaoyun.

Her hands gripped the hem of her skirt, her knuckles white, and she was at a loss, unsure of what to do with them. A deep sense of guilt welled up inside her, almost overwhelming her.

She bit her lower lip hard to stop her trembling. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

His Majesty is so astute; that one glance just now must have seen through everything…

Seven nights of revelry, now all evidence of their crimes.

His Majesty must know about the outrageous things that Young Master Lin and I did in the Fallen Dragon Mountains. His Majesty must be angry that my unclean body could have defiled her husband.

Although the Empress herself once said she didn't mind, now that spiritual energy has recovered and the world's power has changed drastically, who knows if His Majesty will seek revenge later? If His Majesty holds a grudge because of this, what will happen to Young Master Lin...?

Thinking of this, Qin Lan wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Lin Fengmian took in Qin Lan's unusual behavior and chuckled to himself.

His expression remained unchanged, and he respectfully cupped his hands towards Su Miaoyun's retreating figure, his tone sincere:

"Many thanks to Your Majesty for your timely assistance. Feng Mian is deeply grateful."

His tone was perfectly balanced, conveying both the relief of surviving a disaster and gratitude for the Empress's rescue.

Su Miaoyun didn't turn around, but simply replied:

"Um."

This can be considered a response to him.

But that one sound was enough.