When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

The freezing spell is not fatal; it is merely a technique that temporarily seals the opponent. For a half-demon about to self-destruct, this is indeed the safest method at present.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

"Fortunately, Immortal Lord Jixue intervened in time."

"Damn it, that beast almost dragged us down with him! We almost let him succeed."

Just as they were about to continue their siege of the remaining half-demons, a flying umbrella painted with a phoenix flew past, knocking away a cultivator's blade that was about to fall.

"Clang!"

The cultivator felt a numbness in his palm and turned around in surprise.

"stop."

A clear, crisp female voice rang out.

The paper umbrella flew back and landed in the hand of the female cultivator dressed in a light blue dress. Ji Fuyao took a step forward under the surprised gazes of the crowd.

"Senior Sister..." Bao Yue looked at her with some concern, hesitating to speak.

Bathed in the various gazes of the crowd, Ji Fuyao showed no fear on her face, and her steady and powerful voice reached everyone's ears.

"The number of half-demons here is unusual, and there must be something hidden behind it. Please stop and help us bring the half-demons back to the sect for a thorough investigation."

She glanced at the disciples behind her and said, "Disciples of Xuan Yang Sect, listen to my command—capture the half-demon alive, but do not harm him."

"Yes, sir!"

At the senior sister's command, the disciples of the Xuan Yang Sect responded in unison and joined forces to set up the formation.

"Ji Fuyao, you're going to let these half-demons go?!"

As if unable to believe her decision, the speaker's face was filled with indignation, and she even disregarded etiquette, "It is an ironclad rule in the cultivation world that half-demons should be killed on sight! Does your Xuan Yang Sect intend to defy the heavens?!"

"That's right..."

"Capture them alive? Keeping them alive will cause endless trouble. Why go through all that trouble? I really don't understand."

Questions and objections rose and fell among the crowd.

Ji Fuyao's gaze turned cold. "Do you all still remember the chaos caused by the half-demon?"

"Shuangyun City is under the jurisdiction of the Xuan Yang Sect. The Peach Blossom Spring mentioned by these herb gatherers is very likely a base secretly organized by half-demons, and the connections behind it may be even deeper. If we repeat the tragedy of the half-demon chaos because of a lack of thorough investigation, who can bear the responsibility?"

The natural air of authority she exuded in her words silenced everyone.

Only then did everyone suddenly remember that Ji Fuyao was not only the head disciple of the Xuan Yang Sect, but also a princess of the Southern Cang Continent. Her gentle and kind manner made people almost forget her noble status.

Some people immediately backed down, saying, "Okay, that makes some sense."

"Yeah... what if they have some kind of conspiracy..."

Indeed, Biteng's death was suspicious. If all the herb gatherers were killed rashly now, the clues would be completely cut off.

There must be a reason why half-demons come from and arise.

And what exactly is that thing they're wearing around their necks?

The remaining opponents were speechless, yet unwilling to give up, and turned their gazes to He Jingxuan.

Everyone knows that Shuangyun City is a place jointly protected by Tianjian Sect and Xuanyang Sect, and Ji Fuyao's words alone are not enough to convince the public.

"How can we let you steal the spotlight? Our Heavenly Sword Sect is also taking care of this matter!" He Jingxuan clicked his tongue and lazily scratched his head.

He waved to his fellow disciples behind him:

"Go help, capture them alive, don't let the Xuan Yang Sect look down on us."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Seeing that both major sects had expressed their stance and the matter was settled, the others had no choice but to give up.

Ji Fuyao then turned to Yi Chen and bowed respectfully: "Immortal Lord Jixue, this matter can be handled entirely by the Xuan Yang Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect. Please forgive my previous lack of courtesy."

"Do you think this approach is appropriate?"

She felt a little uneasy. The strength of the immortal lord before her was unfathomable. If he insisted on killing them, these half-demons would have no chance of survival.

Ji Fuyao had only heard of the renowned Immortal Lord Jixue before, but had never seen his true face. Although she had long harbored doubts about the identity of her "godfather," it was only after witnessing firsthand the vast, frozen domain that she truly confirmed her suspicions.

After all, there is only one person in this world who possesses such extreme ice-type spiritual power.

...I just didn't expect it.

Even such a high-ranking figure would personally accompany his disciples down the mountain for training.

Yi Chen said, "It's alright."

Having received an affirmative answer, Ji Fuyao breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze immediately falling on Yi Chen's arms.

It is simply impossible to ignore.

She blinked, then hesitated, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Chu...has your body not recovered yet?"

"Hmm." Chu Xianlan nodded with dead fish eyes, her face full of despair.

When will this shameless behavior ever end?

Seeing his frustrated expression, Ji Fuyao couldn't help but chuckle.

For some reason, seeing Chu Xianlan's childhood appearance evoked a sense of familiarity in her, and she inexplicably thought of her fourth brother, Ji Cheng'an. She sighed inwardly, thinking that if her fourth brother hadn't caused all that trouble, perhaps he would have come to Youxin Valley for training too.

He Jingxuan, who had just come over, overheard their conversation and was immediately dumbfounded.

His mouth gaped open, as if he had been struck by lightning. His reaction time finally caught up with him, and his mind went blank.

He Jingxuan only noticed now that something was wrong.

...Immortal Lord Jixue?

Who? Who is the Immortal Lord Jixue?

Godfather?!

Holy crap, they say "recognizing a thief as one's father," but... this... Immortal Lord Jixue is "recognizing a thief as his son"?!

The more affectionate they were when they called him "godfather," the more they want to die now.

He Jingxuan suffered the biggest setback of his life.

The toes inside the shoe were digging frantically, desperately trying to dig a hole in the ground, but they couldn't. Staggering, the toes found a secluded corner to calm down.

The half-demons were gradually bound and trapped by the formation.

There was no trace of relief in their eyes; all they awaited was to be moved from one cage to another.

But just then, the sound of a wild horse neighing suddenly came from afar.

Everyone looked up at the sound and saw a magnificent flying magical artifact hovering in the sky. It was a carriage made of black gold and profound iron, with four demonic horses with crimson flame wings standing in the air, flames flowing beneath their hooves.

Before and behind the carriage, there were cultivators dressed in court attire flying on swords; they were clearly all experts.

Such a grand display, such a spectacle—

"That is...?"

As the carriage appeared, Ji Fuyao's expression gradually darkened.

The luxurious golden curtain of the carriage was gently lifted from the inside by a hand with distinct knuckles but unusually pale.

"Royal elder sister."

The voice coming from the carriage was low and languid, with a slightly hoarse quality, and the tone was gentle and smiling.

From the crowd's perspective, they couldn't see the face of the person behind the curtain, but a name simultaneously surfaced in everyone's minds:

Crown Prince, Ji Ran.

The Crown Prince of the Southern Cang Continent is frail and sickly, and spends most of his time recuperating in the palace—this is a well-known fact in the cultivation world.

Ji Fuyao replied in a flat, emotionless tone, "I wonder why Your Highness the Crown Prince has graced us with your presence."

"Cough, cough..."

The person inside the carriage coughed a few times, his tone seemingly helpless, "It really makes me sad, Second Brother, feel bad that you said that, Imperial Sister." He paused, then said gently, "Ahem, Cheng'an, why don't you greet Imperial Sister?"

Chu Xianlan was stunned. What? Ji Cheng'an was in the car too?!