Our eldest brother never hides good things from us.

"Xue Wuqing, Peak Master of the Haoran Immortal Sect, please feel free to speak your mind."

Xue Wuqing slowly walked to the front of the spirit boat, her body exuding Daoist charm, her expression calm and composed.

Seeing Xue Wuqing's ruthless demeanor and unfathomable aura, the golden-armored general dared not show the slightest negligence.

He immediately suppressed the fierce aura emanating from his armor, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and relayed the decree of Emperor Cangxuan verbatim:

"Seniors, His Majesty has decreed that the little princess, having been away from the court for some time, may only return to the palace alone to rest. Please all turn back the way you came."

The meaning is very clear.

Xue Wuqing's expression remained unchanged, and she replied calmly, "We have come here not only to escort Xiaoman home, but also to discuss important matters with Emperor Cangxuan. This matter is of great importance and is by no means a trivial matter. We hope you will make an exception and allow us to enter the palace."

"Please forgive me, senior, but I dare not obey your command."

The general looked bitter. "If I were to let them pass without authorization, it would be a capital offense of disobeying an imperial decree, and my entire family would be implicated. I would never dare to do that."

What followed was a conversation.

No matter what Xue Wuqing said, the other side remained steadfast in obeying military orders and refused to yield an inch.

Su Xiaoman, who was standing nearby, saw everything clearly, and her face instantly darkened. "You all get out of the way, or I'll have Mother punish you by making you stand at attention!"

The golden-armored general froze on the spot, at a loss, his face showing panic and distress.

Ah this...

How could there be such a difficult master in the world, and a master's daughter too...?

Both sides are of paramount importance; how could a mere border soldier dare to make a decision on his own?

Left with no other choice.

He had no choice but to crush the communication jade talisman again and urgently send a message to his superiors.

Before any instructions could be received from her superiors, Su Xiaoman had already made up her mind to stop the standoff.

She raised her small hand, her tone confident, "Senior Brother, Aunt Xue, Second Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Sister, let's go!"

The words are over.

She took the lead, stepping on the clouds in the sky, and flew straight towards the heart of the Cangxuan Immortal Dynasty.

Chang Wen and the others put away the spirit boat and followed closely behind.

It is imperative that Immortal Cangxuan make a gesture; no matter what, let's go in first and then discuss it.

The golden-armored soldiers looked at each other, none of them daring to make a move to stop them.

That's the little princess of the Celestial Dynasty, the apple of the Emperor and Empress's eye! Who would dare to lay a hand on her?

If even the slightest injury is caused, everyone present, along with their entire families, will not be enough to atone for the crime!

Left with no other choice, the soldiers had no choice but to obediently follow Chang Wen and the others toward the imperial city.

The news that the little princess had forcibly broken through the barriers and insisted on bringing Hao Ran and the others into the palace spread like wildfire across most of the Cangxuan Immortal Dynasty.

The Cangxuan Immortal Dynasty is vast and boundless, with its territory divided into sixty-four super cities.

Each city lord has several peak Mahayana-level subordinates under their command. They guard their territory, wield the power of life and death, and hold a prestigious position.

They usually reside deep within the city lord's mansion, rarely making any unusual moves even once in thousands of years.

But today, in just a few breaths...

The highest-level warning bells rang simultaneously in the city lords' mansions of sixty-four mega-cities.

Golden beams of spiritual light, stretching across the sky, broke through the barriers of each city and landed precisely in the main hall of each city lord.

All sixty-four supreme experts who guarded their respective regions were alarmed and rushed towards the imperial city.

Countless cultivators looked up at the sky, their expressions filled with awe.

"What happened?"

"The little princess who disappeared for two and a half years is back! Oh my god! This is huge! Absolutely incredible!"

"Back then, the Emperor was furious and mobilized billions of heavenly soldiers to search the entire east, but there was not a trace of her. Everyone in the court and the public thought that the little princess had met with misfortune or had been kidnapped and imprisoned in a foreign land by an unparalleled power! Unexpectedly, she actually returned alive."

"I heard that the little princess did not return alone, but was escorted back by a group from the Northern Wilderness Vast Immortal Sect! She even defied the Emperor's decree and forcibly broke through the gates to enter the palace."

"Holy crap, she forced her way through? No wonder she's a princess! If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have enough lives to survive."

"Speaking of which, this commotion was quite significant; it couldn't have been kept secret from the Emperor and Empress. Since they knew the little princess had returned, why didn't they come to greet her personally?"

"I don't know about that. But with the little princess returning at this time, I reckon our Cangxuan Immortal Dynasty is about to undergo a major upheaval."

"..."

Lingxiao Main Hall.

Su Xiong stood with his hands behind his back, his expression displeased. "You saw it? You saw everything? This girl has only just returned and she's already completely siding with the Haoran Immortal Sect, not even listening to her father!"

"Look at what you're saying, as if she always listened to you when she was around."

Zhou Xuan showed no mercy in undermining him.

Su Xiong...

"Is that the point?! Now her elbow is siding with outsiders."

After a long silence, Su Xiong said irritably.

Don't put the cart before the horse.

Zhou Xuan spoke softly, "Xiaoman has always been pure of heart and grateful for kindness. The fact that she sides with the Haoran Immortal Sect shows that they truly care about her."

"Treat her sincerely?"

Su Xiong chuckled, his tone carrying the calm and calculating nature unique to an emperor, "They merely want to use Xiaoman as a link to drag my Eastern Immortal Dynasty into their game!"

"I have ruled the Immortal Dynasty for hundreds of thousands of years and have seen through the cunning of people's hearts. I can see through this kind of scheming at a glance."

"In such a chaotic situation, all who enter will become mere pawns. The slightest misstep could lead to the downfall of a nation and the devastation of its people! I, the Emperor, will absolutely not allow the Cangxuan Immortal Dynasty to be dragged into this monstrous vortex for no reason!"

"How dare you say that!"

Zhou Xuan couldn't help but raise his voice, "You, the Cangxuan Emperor, can't even keep an eye on a five-year-old child! How dare you criticize me! If you hadn't lost Xiaoman, would this have happened?"

"And another thing! You've held the throne for hundreds of thousands of years, don't you even understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

"The Holy Alliance's target is not just the Northern Wilderness, but the unity of the four domains! If you stand idly by and watch the Northern Wilderness perish, the first thing the Holy Alliance will do when it has the time will be to annex our Eastern Immortal Dynasty!"

Su Xiong...

He remained silent for a long time, the seriousness between his brows fading slightly, but he still did not give a word.

"The cause and effect involved are far too great to be as simple as what you see before you. Have you forgotten Ancestor Cangxuan's last words?"

Zhou Xuan was slightly taken aback upon hearing the last words of Patriarch Cangxuan.

He quickly turned to Su Xiong and said, "You old fool, the patriarch did say to try not to get involved with the karma of the Haoran Immortal Sect, but didn't he also say that if you absolutely have to get involved, you should just do good to it?"

Su Xiong was unconvinced. "It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering. Why don't you take on the role of Emperor Cangxuan?"

"I'll take the role!"

Without hesitation, Zhou Xuan directly instructed the people outside the palace, "Reveal the Empress's decree and summon Princess Su Ran to the palace."

Su Xiong was slightly taken aback. "You want Ran'er to handle this?"

"If she won't show up, are you going to go?"

"Even if we take a step back and say the worst, Ran'er is far better than you, you senile old man!"

Zhou Xuan looked at him.

Su Xiong...

Seeing that Su Xiong remained silent, Zhou Xuan then looked at the light screen and slowly said:

"You really are senile; you can't even see through such a simple delaying tactic."

"As Empress and Empress, our every word and action is tied to the fate of the nation. If we were to appear in public, it would be a declaration of the Celestial Dynasty's stance. Ran'er holds half of the Celestial Dynasty's military power and is Cangxuan's most outstanding general. It would be most prudent for her to negotiate on our behalf."

"It can probe Hao Ran's intentions, refuse his invitation to join the game, and form ordinary good relationships without touching the bottom line of the nation's fate. It allows for both advancement and retreat."

After saying that, she looked at Su Xiong and said, "What do you think, Lord Su? Am I fit to be the Cangxuan Emperor? If it really doesn't work out, let's abdicate and pass the throne to a more worthy person."

Su Xiong...