"shut up!"

Suddenly, Xuan Yin Chang roared, and a streak of green light flew out from his sleeve, striking down like a venomous snake. With a crisp "smack," it slammed into Xuan Chengzi's face! The force of the blow was so great that it sent Xuan Chengzi flying, rolling three zhang away before crashing heavily to the ground. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and half of his face swelled up instantly.

There was a deathly silence all around.

Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief at this scene—the dignified Xuan Yin Dao Master, a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator who commanded respect throughout the land, was now straightening his robes, bowing deeply to the woman in white, his voice even trembling slightly:

"Fairy Xia, please forgive me! This old Taoist priest failed to discipline this wicked child properly, allowing him to offend you."

These words were like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploding loudly above everyone's heads!

Xuan Chengzi lay on the ground, half his face burning with pain, but he was oblivious to it. He just stared blankly at his master, his lips trembling, "Master... Master? Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? This demoness..."

"You beast! How dare you spout such nonsense!" The Xuan Yin Ancestor roared in fury. A golden light flashed from his sleeve, and a binding rope, gleaming with a chilling light, shot out like a serpent, instantly binding Xuan Chengzi hand and foot. He took a step forward and kicked Xuan Chengzi hard in the inside of his knee—

"Snap!"

The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. Xuan Chengzi let out a shrill scream, his legs buckling and causing him to kneel on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Kneel down! Apologize to Fairy Xia!" Ancestor Xuan Yin shouted sternly, his voice carrying a hint of...fear?

Xuan Chengzi was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at the white-clad woman he had called a "demoness"—she still stood there quietly, her robes fluttering, her expression indifferent, as if everything before her was irrelevant. But his master's attitude was as if he were facing an inviolable deity!

How is this possible?!

The surrounding crowd was completely dumbfounded, their mouths agape and their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. Some even pinched themselves hard, wondering if they were dreaming.

"This, this..." an old man stammered, unable to speak.

"The Xuan Yin Sect is so powerful... it actually bowed to that demoness?" Someone swallowed hard.

"Just who is that demoness?!"

The scene was chaotic; everyone was stunned and bewildered by the sudden turn of events. Xuan Chengzi, kneeling on the ground, looked at his master's almost humble posture, and an unprecedented chill shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head...

Xia Mingde was still somewhat unwilling to believe what he was seeing.

"Has the Xuan Yin Master gone mad? How could she be so polite to Xia Qingdai?"

The people looked at each other, completely bewildered.

"What...what on earth is going on?" An old man selling vegetables pointed tremblingly at the scene. "Isn't Daoist Xuanyin the most protective of his own? How come Daoist Xuanchengzi is kneeling down today?"

"Could it be that the demoness has some extraordinary abilities?" The vendor next to him shrank his neck and whispered.

"But Master Xuanyin is already a Nascent Soul cultivator, who else in this world can rival him..."

Before the words were even finished, the world suddenly changed color!

"boom--"

An unprecedentedly terrifying pressure descended from the sky, like a towering mountain crashing down on us.

These mortals had never experienced such power before. In the past, when immortals arrived, they would considerately conceal their aura. But now, this oppressive force was being released without restraint, as if it would crush everyone's spines!

"Splash! Splash!"

People fell to their knees one after another, some even being pressed to the ground, blood gushing from their mouths and noses. The cries of children and the screams of people rose and fell, and the whole street was in chaos.

"Heavens, heavens..." someone trembled as they raised their arm.

Everyone looked up in horror, only to see that the once clear sky was now completely dark—it was actually a dense mass of cultivators standing in mid-air!

They were dressed in uniform black robes with golden cloud patterns embroidered on their chests, and each of them exuded a suffocating spiritual pressure.

The most terrifying figures were the three at the very front—on the left, an old man with white hair and a youthful face, holding a jade ruyi scepter that shimmered with azure light; on the right, a middle-aged man with a cold and stern face, with seven blood-red flying swords floating behind him; and the one in the center...

"The Xuan Tian Sword Seal! That's the Xuan Tian Sect Master, True Person Ting Lan!"

The pharmacy owner suddenly screamed, and was then so overwhelmed by the oppressive aura that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the people in the street turned ashen. With the sect leader of the Xuantian Sect, a sect everyone aspired to, personally present, it's no wonder even the Xuan Yin Daoist had to bow down!

Wei Ji stood beside the sect leader, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over the crowd below. He paused slightly when he saw the woman in white.

The next moment, this powerful figure, who could kill all the mortals present with a stomp of his foot, landed with hundreds of cultivators behind him.

"Young friend Xia!" His voice boomed like thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache. "Has anyone dared to bully you? This old man will lead his men and wipe out their entire family!"

These words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens, and the few people who had just been clamoring to kill the "demoness" instantly turned ashen-faced. One of them collapsed to his knees.

They simply couldn't believe what they were seeing.

So many cultivators have come just for Xia Qingdai?

These monks are usually very difficult for them to meet.

But now, the sky is densely packed with them.

Everyone from the entire Xuantian Sect has come.

Killing any one of these people would be as easy as crushing an ant.

At this moment, the sheer oppressive aura emanating from them made these people feel as if they were about to be crushed to death.

The sect leader of Xuantian Sect even glanced directly at Xuan Chengzi and Xuan Yin Daoist.

"So they're the ones who dared to provoke you?"

The sect leader's voice was soft, yet it caused the temperature within a ten-mile radius to plummet.

He slowly drew his sword, and the moment the blade left its sheath, a clear and melodious dragon's roar echoed through the heavens and earth.

Xuan Chengzi was terrified. He lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, completely devoid of his previous arrogance. Xuan Yin Dao was even more ashen-faced, with large beads of cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Xuan Yin's voice trembled.