"Stubborn to the end!" Xuan Kang sneered. "Since that's the case, it's our duty to cleanse the spiritual cultivation world of these scum."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and a brilliant white light shone forth. Everyone present felt an overwhelming pressure, and some even felt an urge to kneel down and submit to him.

This is the power of the Spirit Emperor.

"Teacher." Xuan Yuanzhao suddenly appeared and stood in front of her.

Lin Zhenzhen couldn't see his expression clearly, but she could hear that his voice was still cold and clear, though he was breathing slightly heavily, lacking his usual composure.

"There are still many doubts about Lingzhen's cultivation of the Moon Spirit Root. I implore you to escort her back to Yunlong Kingdom and investigate the matter thoroughly before drawing any conclusions."

"Xuanyuan!" Xuan Kang roared, and the air was filled with sonic waves, which forced Xuanyuan Zhao back several steps.

"I never expected you to be bewitched by a witch and say such foolish things. Have you forgotten how your mother died?"

When his mother was mentioned, Xuan Yuanzhao's figure trembled almost imperceptibly.

He clenched his fists and remained silent for a moment.

"I will never forget the hatred of killing my mother. But I know Lingzhen, and I know she is not someone who cultivates evil paths."

"I'm so disappointed in you." Xuan Kang glared at him coldly. "I thought you had pure spiritual roots and a firm will, and that you were the hope of the new generation of our Xuan Tian Continent. I never expected you to be so muddleheaded."

[Favorability +20, Favorability -20]

【】Favorability +5, Favorability -5】

【】Affection +10, whatever, that's it, I'm tired】

But no matter how the numbers fluctuated, and no matter how conflicted Xuan Yuanzhao was, he never moved.

With his already shaky body, Xuan Yuanzhao stood in front of Lin Zhenzhen, accepting Xuan Kang's questioning.

“If you don’t step aside, I can only assume that you are colluding with Ling Zhen and working together with him. You are making an enemy of the entire spiritual cultivation world, and the entire Xuan Tian Continent will not tolerate you.”

Xuan Yuanzhao's eyelids twitched suddenly. He looked up and stared directly at Xuan Kang, silently expressing his attitude.

"Traitor!" Xuan Kang's face darkened, and a ball of light condensed in his palm.

He completely disregarded the fact that Xuanyuan Zhao was seriously injured in his battle with Huang Rongjue and wanted to use the Judgment Technique on him.

As the ball of light grew larger and larger, at this critical moment, a strange and sharp howl suddenly came from the distant valley.

Upon hearing this voice, Xuan Kang paused slightly, and the light in his hand went out.

He stepped forward, staring into the distance, as if trying to confirm something.

A lone eagle soared in the vast sky, and then the entire mountain began to shake violently.

"Could it be a monster tide?"

Someone immediately stepped forward and said, "What are you afraid of? With Alliance Leader Xuan here, what kind of demonic beast can harm us?"

"Yes, it would be even better if it were a monster tide. We could take this opportunity to wipe out all these beasts in one fell swoop."

They thought they had everything under control, but they didn't notice that Xuan Kang's expression changed drastically when he saw the eagle on the stage.

Because that wasn't an eagle at all, but a top-tier demonic beast—the Crimson Gold Falcon.

The Crimson Falcon is considered a top-tier demonic beast because it has evolved extremely high intelligence. What makes this creature terrifying is its ability to think, make judgments, and even communicate tactics with its companions.

What an amazing team configuration it would be to send out a red-gold falcon as the vanguard sentinel.

Xuan Kang recalled that many years ago, he had also faced a similar terrifying situation.

At the very back of the line stood... the Horned Weasel Emperor Beast!

"It was you, wasn't it?" Xuan Kang grabbed Lin Zhenzhen by the neck, his eyes bloodshot and his expression almost manic.

"You're the one who did this! How did you do it? Just because you have the Moon Spiritual Root? Why? Why?!"

Xuanyuan Zhao rushed forward, trying to stop Xuan Kang's actions, but was stunned by a layer of qi that spread out behind him.

Immediately afterwards, he was sent flying by a palm strike from Xuan Kang, falling to the ground like a weightless doll.

Lin Zhenzhen's heart also suddenly ached.

"Feeling sorry for them?" Xuan Kang gritted his teeth and increased the pressure on his men. "Just tell me how to find the Emperor Beast, and I'll let you go."

Because of the lack of oxygen, Lin Zhenzhen's face turned red. She flailed her arms and legs and squeezed out a few words through her teeth.

"Find, find your grandma's head."

Xuan Kang's face was terrifyingly dark: "Then you can only go and die."

Lin Zhenzhen had experienced death threats more than once, but this was definitely the most terrifying one.

She even felt as if half of her body had stepped into the gates of hell, but a voice called her back from her dazed state.

"Why are you crying? Didn't the Emperor Beast and I come to save you?"

Lin Zhenzhen smelled a familiar floral fragrance. She opened her eyes and saw Wu Nianmu's bewitchingly beautiful face.

She had no recollection of how she escaped Xuan Kang's control and fell into his arms.

Finally feeling a little relieved, Lin Zhenzhen forced a smile, "Brother Wu, you guys are too late. I'm almost dead."

"There was a minor problem on the way, but don't worry, I'm here. You'll be back to normal in no time."

Lin Zhenzhen smiled but did not answer. She could feel herself actively absorbing the spiritual energy from the Wunian Wood.

The Wunian Tree is a divine tree that grows by being nourished by moonlight. Its spiritual power is pure, holy, and extremely powerful, making it very compatible with her Moon Spirit Root.

As if a gentle force had soothed the depths of her soul, Lin Zhenzhen involuntarily curled up like a baby and rubbed against Wu Nianmu's chest.

"Lingzhen, come here."

Xuanyuan Zhao got up from the ground at some point. Most of his hair was loose and hung down in front of his forehead, covering his entire profile.

The demonic beast beside him was locked in combat with the cultivator, and the occasional bursts of fire reflected off Xuan Yuanzhao's face, making his features appear both bright and dark, and even more sinister and enigmatic.

Seeing that Lin Zhenzhen did not react, he repeated, "Lingzhen, come back to me."

"Tsk." Wu Nianmu frowned, then lowered his head and whispered in Lin Zhenzhen's ear, "Is this the kind of male you like?"

"......"

Lin Zhenzhen looked up at Xuan Yuanzhao, a slight smile curving her lips, then gently shook her head, "I can't go back."

She saw the last glimmer of light in Xuanyuan Zhao's eyes vanish, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, shining briefly before leaving behind only an even more desolate darkness.

[Oh wow, the male lead's favorability has dropped to 0, while the rate of face-slapping scenes has increased to 80%. What's this called, an extreme one-for-one trade?]

A scream came from the crowd not far away.

"Ninth Prince! That demonic beast swallowed the Ninth Prince!"

Lin Zhenzhen turned her head and saw that Huang Rongjue was being held in the mouth of the giant beast, with only half of her body showing.

Judging from the limp, unsteady legs, it was clear that the person had already stopped breathing.