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

This appearance, the swift slaying of the evil cultivator, and the bringing of Lin Fengmian back to the palace—regardless of who it was meant for, clearly made their stance obvious.

Those eyes that had been secretly watching and harboring ulterior motives all hastily withdrew at this moment, no longer daring to have any thoughts of overstepping their bounds.

The Empress's power is proclaimed to the world!

Immediately afterwards, Su Miaoyun said no more, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and transformed into a stream of light, flying towards the palace.

Lin Fengmian touched his nose, glanced at Qin Lan who was still frozen in place, at a loss, reached out and pulled her along, and chuckled softly:

"Alright, let's go, Commander Qin. We were all forced into this situation; His Majesty won't blame us."

Qin Lan stumbled as he pulled her, but kept her head down and dared not utter a sound.

Lin Fengmian leaned closer and chuckled in a low voice:

"Okay, just be a good girl. I'm here, don't be afraid."

It would have been better if they hadn't said that.

Upon hearing this, Qin Lan's face flushed crimson and paled, so ashamed she almost fainted. She could only keep her head down, mechanically following behind Lin Fengmian and Su Miaoyun.

His appearance clearly screamed "guilty conscience."

Three figures, one after the other, soared into the sky and disappeared in the direction of the imperial city.

Behind him, a cacophony of voices, like boiling water, filled the air.

……

Outside the imperial city.

The lingering power of Su Miaoyun's thunderous sword strike had not yet dissipated; the sword intent that suppressed the soul and extinguished life was still etched in the hearts of every witness like a brand.

The crowd exploded like boiling water.

"My God... Did you all see the Empress's sword strike just now?! What kind of sword intent was that?! Suppressing the soul and extinguishing life... Don't even mention the early Golden Core stage, I think even the late Golden Core stage would be seriously injured if they took that sword strike head-on!"

An elderly man with a goatee patted his chest, his voice trembling with lingering fear.

"It's more than just impressive!"

A middle-aged cultivator beside him lowered his voice, his eyes filled with apprehension:

"Su Miaoyun has ruled Fengming Kingdom for less than a century. She usually lives a secluded life, and everyone only knows that she is a genius. I never expected her to be so decisive and ruthless when it comes to killing... It seems that Fengming Kingdom is not to be touched for the time being."

There was much discussion among the crowd, mostly stemming from shock and fear of the Empress's power.

Of course, there are also some people with ulterior motives.

Just then—

"Pooh!"

A rough voice suddenly rang out.

A man dressed in coarse cloth martial arts attire, with a resolute face, suddenly stepped forward and pointed at the nose of the middle-aged cultivator who had just said "Fengming Kingdom is untouchable," and cursed:

"You ungrateful bastards! You still want to mess with Fengming Kingdom?!"

Without Empress Miaoxue presiding over the court and uniting the nine great immortal sects, and without the successive generations of demon-suppressing guards of Fengming Kingdom risking their lives to fill the rifts in the Demon Abyss,

This desolate land has long been devoured by demonic energy!

You are already food for demons! How dare you even breathe here, dreaming of stealing spiritual veins and seizing opportunities?! You are a bunch of ingrates!

The man's words were forceful and resounding.

Many onlookers' expressions changed slightly upon hearing this, and they showed thoughtful expressions.

Immediately afterwards, a young man who looked like a scholar also stepped forward, his face flushed:

"This fellow Daoist is right! Empress Miaoxue's merits are immeasurable!"

He took a deep breath and spoke with great passion:

"If she hadn't sacrificed herself to support the nine immortal sects, gathered the human race to form the Phoenix Cry Kingdom, and trained the Demon Suppression Guards to hold the overall situation together, how could the Demon Abyss be at peace today?! The revival of spiritual energy is a great thing, and all cultivators should think of repaying it! How can we be ungrateful and take advantage of others' misfortune?! Fighting the demon race together is the right path for humanity!"

His words were passionate and inspiring, and many cultivators nodded in agreement.

Well said!

"Never forget your roots!"

however--

"Oh."

A cold laugh came from a corner of the crowd.

A black-robed monk stood with his arms crossed, his face full of mockery:

"We cultivators defy the heavens, seeking immortality and ascension! Whether the Demon Abyss seal is broken or not, what do I care?"

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has been restored; everyone must rely on their own abilities to seize opportunities—this is the way of heaven!

He paused, his gaze turning cold:

"If the Empress of Fengming Kingdom wants to be the savior, then let her be, just don't get in my way!"

"that is!"

"The affairs of the demon race are for the great powers of the upper realms to handle; why should we lowly cultivators concern ourselves with them?"

"Spiritual energy has revived, and opportunities abound; seizing them is the only sensible course of action!"

Many independent cultivators echoed this sentiment, their eyes gleaming with greed.

"You—you are all worse than animals!"

"Ha, the cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, what's the point of talking about benevolence and morality? How laughable!"

"You bastard!"

"What? You want to fight?! Come on! You think you can mess with me?!"

For a time, a noisy commotion broke out outside the imperial city, with the two factions clearly divided into the righteous and the selfish, arguing heatedly and on the verge of drawing their swords.

In the shadows of the crowd, several evil cultivators clad in black robes exchanged glances, their lips curling into sinister smiles, before silently disappearing into the crowd.

……

And this moment.

The imperial city, the imperial bedchamber.

Lin Fengmian had leisurely returned to his luxurious and comfortable bedroom.

My foot had barely stepped through the palace gates, and I hadn't even had a sip of tea—

"Young Master!!!"

"Young master, you're back!"

"Young master, we miss you so much!"

A series of clear, cheerful calls, like the warbling of orioles in a valley, suddenly rang out, and a fragrant breeze wafted over!

He saw that the group of fairies he had previously instructed were all waiting in the outer hall of the palace.

They surged forward all at once, instantly surrounding Lin Fengmian.

The little girls, dressed in all sorts of beautiful colorful dresses, had rosy cheeks from excitement, and their eyes sparkled as they looked at him, chattering away like a flock of happy little sparrows.

"Young master! I've broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining! All thanks to the cultivation route you personally instructed me on last time!"

"Me too! The bottleneck I'd been stuck on for half a year has finally broken!"

"Young master, look! My 'Gentle Water Technique' can now condense three water rings!"

The little fairies eagerly reported their progress, their tone full of dependence and boasting, as if they were asking their closest elders for credit.

Surrounded by this group of vibrant young girls, and inhaling their delicate fragrance, Lin Fengmian felt much happier.

Lin Fengmian looked at the group of chattering fairies surrounding him and nodded with a smile:

"Not bad, you're all quite good. It seems I've been diligently cultivating while I was gone."

His gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on the figure slightly at the back.

The girl was unusually quiet today, unlike the others who came up to tug at her sleeves and act coquettishly. She just stood quietly to the side, watching them with a faint smile.

But it was precisely this quietness that made her stand out in the crowd.

Her demeanor was completely different from before; her aura was refined and calm, like a deep pool, undisturbed.

Among a group of young girls in the Qi Refining stage, she stood out like a crane among chickens.