No sooner had these words been spoken than a deafening thunderclap resounded, shaking the entire Ghost Ancient City.

In mid-air, Master Wushang was dressed in blue, with an ordinary sandalwood hairpin in his hair.

The smile on her face was faint, no different from that of an elegant old woman.

It's thousands of years old, but looks like someone in their forties or fifties.

She stretched out her hand, made some kind of hand seal, and a gust of wind burst forth from her fingertips.

Wherever the gale swept, all the magic arrays set up by Qintian Mansion shattered, and even the beast-trapping array of Dongfeng Ferry exploded with the wind.

"puff--"

As the formations he had set up were broken one by one, he also suffered a backlash, feeling a metallic taste in his mouth and spitting out a mouthful of blood out of nowhere.

The blood of the Nascent Soul stage cultivator dispersed and instantly merged into the world.

"My jade slip can send messages now! I need to tell you about this..."

"Wait a minute, I have to say this too. This is so interesting! Jurchens! There are actually Jurchens in the cultivation world... I remember when Qin Tian Mansion was recruiting disciples, it seemed like..."

An Zhengzheng remembered it instantly.

Apart from the Siyue Sect and the Xiansuan Sect, other sects have many restrictions when recruiting female cultivators, deliberately limiting their scores.

At first, some people were unconvinced, and the major sects knew they were in the wrong, so they mostly remained silent.

It wasn't until Qin Tianfu got fed up with the commotion that they provided data on all the True Immortals in the cultivation world, stating that there were no Female True Immortals in the cultivation world, and that this was done to avoid wasting sect resources.

From this statement onward, the grades of the female student became public knowledge.

Later, some female cultivators also tried their best to cultivate, but when they were close to the Golden Core stage, people appeared from all directions.

"You're too old to get married." "You're almost at the Golden Core stage, stop cultivating, or you'll have trouble conceiving later."

"If you don't get married, where will your mother and I put our faces? Everyone else is already talking about having grandchildren..."

Her mother and father even threatened suicide, and went so far as to buy expensive ritual objects to keep her confined at home, and directly contacted the matchmaker.

"Find a male cultivator who has reached the Golden Core stage to be her husband and teach her a lesson."

...An Zhengzheng dared not think any further.

Looking at the two figures facing off in the sky, the contest between the two real people had already come to an end.

"She did it on purpose..." Master is so mischievous!

He pretended to be at a disadvantage, making Qin Tianfu Zhenren work hard, which made him both angry and annoyed.

In reality, her true strength completely overwhelmed her opponent; no matter how magnificent the magical artifacts were, they were nothing in the face of absolute power.

She chuckled and asked, "Do you believe me now? I am the Immortal Wushang."

This is a power that only the Ruthless Path can possess.

Other people and other sects are essentially products eliminated by the Ruthless Path.

"You are definitely not at the Nascent Soul stage!"

The True Person of Qintian Mansion retreated many steps. It was terrifying. Since becoming a True Person, he had never been so crushed.

"In the cultivation world, apart from True Person Qingxu, I'm afraid there's no one else who can rival you..."

This is because Master Qingxu once entered the Heavenly Dao Formation!

Master Wushang found it strange and asked, "Isn't this common sense? We, the people of the Ruthless Path, have extremely strict standards. At the same cultivation level, we are definitely far superior to you."

What are you shocked about?

The True Man of Qintianfu looked very unpleasant, as if his thoughts had been exposed. His lips trembled, and he dared not speak again.

He was afraid of being beaten.

Master Wushang suddenly understood: "What shocked you was not that the Master of the Ruthless Path crushed you."

"What shocks you is... that you were completely dominated by a woman, isn't it?"

The True Man of Qintianfu wanted to say, "You're a woman, why don't you go home to be a wife and mother? What kind of immortality or path can you possibly achieve?"

But he dared not.

He could only wipe his face sheepishly, his previously arrogant expression somewhat subdued.

He bowed and said, "So you are a fellow Daoist. Perhaps we have some misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstand?"

Perhaps because she had revealed her true gender, Wu Shang Zhenren no longer used a male voice.

Her tone was heavy yet extremely elegant: "I heard that my disciple was being bullied, so I came down the mountain to find him. As soon as we met... before I even knew you, you attacked me first. I was also very surprised that there was some misunderstanding."

These words struck the onlookers as very strange.

They came to watch the spectacle, and all they saw were Zheng Xiaosha and the others whispering among themselves with the people from Bai Nu Ge.

An Zhengzheng didn't say anything, and the other girls didn't seem too happy either.

The process was handled very poorly.

"I..." The True Person of Qintian Mansion was wary of her, but at the same time felt very guilty.

Master Wushang smiled and said, "In that case, let's ask my disciple."

“Zhengzheng, is there anything you want to say? Why don’t you come up and say it…”

An Zhengzheng's eyes darkened slightly; at this moment, she knew her opportunity had arrived.

She stretched out her hands, used her magical artifact to soar into the air, and landed behind Master Wushang.

After bowing, he used magic to amplify his voice and said, "This matter..."

An Zhengzheng briefly summarized the situation, from the distorted truth to today's door-to-door blockade.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Master Qintianfu and Zheng Xiaosha and the others froze.

If Master Wushang were not present, Master Qintianfu could have easily used magic to silence An Zhengzheng, allowing them to say whatever they wanted.

But then Master Wushang appeared!

Zheng Xiaosha and Hai Guniang exchanged a glance, both seeing panic in each other's eyes.

They dared to do this entirely because An Zhengzheng had no powerful backers.

But no one expected that Wu Shang Zhenren would appear, and even went so far as to reveal her female identity in order to protect An Zhengzheng.

This has been hidden for thousands of years...

"Young Master Zheng, I...should I leave now?" Miss Hai was a rogue cultivator, and she was somewhat frightened by the scene.

Zheng Xiaosha gritted his teeth and said, "My master is up there, I can't run away, and you can't leave either."

This cannot be borne by him alone.

"Trying to leave? Not a chance!"

An Yirou, along with Pei Niangzi and the others, blocked his path.

She held out her hand and said, "The memory stone must be left to us!"

An Qinghuan also blocked their retreat with her men. She was even more temperamental than An Yirou, completely taking advantage of her favored status: "If you refuse..."

She looked up and pointed to the two real people still facing off in the sky.

Seeing this, Zheng Xiaosha could only grit his teeth and tell the cultivator holding the recording stone, "Give it to her!"

"Young Master Zheng!" Miss Hai was a little anxious. This recording stone had not been screened and even contained their original words threatening An Zhengzheng.

And her own contradictory actions! What if someone saw her forcefully grab An Zhengzheng and hurt her...?

She couldn't even imagine the consequences!

After all, she was someone who made money based on her reputation, and she didn't want that to be revealed.

She used magic to steal it.

However, the other female cultivators in the Hundred Women's Pavilion were quick-witted and nimble-fingered.

"You despicable person!" An Yirou cast a spell, but because her cultivation level was not as high as Hai Guniang's, she had some difficulty.

An Qinghuan, along with other female cultivators, also joined the fray.

The scene became chaotic for a moment.

"Oh? What are they all fighting over?"

The argument between Master Wushang, Master Tianfu, and An Zhengzheng had long since become somewhat uninteresting.

She doesn't like interacting with people at all.

Unfortunately, it's not convenient to put the blue cloth over it right now!

She could only lower her head slightly and see a dense crowd gathered at the entrance of the Hundred Women's Pavilion.

There were so many people! It was terrifying.

Just as she was about to look away, the commotion of the snatching made her raise an eyebrow.

With a wave of her hand, the memory stone landed directly in her hand.

While An Zhengzheng was still pondering the trap set by the other side's sophistry, her eyes lit up the moment she saw the recording stone.

"Master, may this photo be made public?"

"...Of course."

Play it on speaker!

When the sea maiden heard these words, her face turned deathly pale.

"Oh dear, I've shot myself in the foot..."

An Qinghuan mocked her smugly.

"Wait!"

Upon hearing this, the master of Qintian Mansion's face immediately turned ashen. He knew his disciple well, and was aware of some of his methods.

Doing business is normal.

The contents of the photo stone have not been screened, and making them public would naturally damage his apprentice's storybook shop.

It could even affect the profits and reputation of Qintianfu.

Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared on his face as he spoke gently, "This isn't a big deal, why make a fuss about it publicly..."

“But you have distorted the facts and smeared my disciple. We can’t just let this go.”

Wu Shang Zhenren showed no mercy whatsoever, after all, she herself cultivated the path of ruthlessness.

The True Person of Qintian Mansion gritted his teeth and said, "I... I can make them apologize! Please, True Person Wushang, give me some face."

Master Wushang turned to look at An Zhengzheng, the meaning of which was quite clear.

An Zhengzheng thought for a moment and had a better idea. She smiled slightly and said, "An apology alone is probably not enough. These storybooks must not be published anymore."

An Zhengzheng wasn't the only one who was smeared; there were also many self-reliant female cultivators.

For now, someone can speak out, but as time goes by, no one will defend the truth anymore.

It has become increasingly easy to smear others.

"That's impossible!" The smile on the face of the master of Qintian Mansion faded, and then he said in a low voice, "These stories are closely related to the profits of Qintian Mansion... You two should not make things too ugly."

He has no choice now; he can't defeat Master Wushang in front of everyone, so he has time to waste here.

However, if the other side puts too much pressure on them, such as requiring Qin Tianfu to intervene, the situation will escalate significantly.

An Zhengzheng's management of the Hundred Women's Pavilion is ultimately a matter for the disciples of the Siyue Sect; the Siyue Sect itself is not involved.

However, the storybooks that Zheng Xiaosha leaked were actually orchestrated by the Qintian Mansion. If the investigation were to delve deeper, the Qintian Mansion might even face condemnation from the other six factions.

What was originally a matter between An Zhengzheng and Zheng Xiaosha has now extended to their master, which has gone beyond the plan.

If this gets out of hand, the sect leader of Qintian Mansion will definitely come after him to settle accounts.

"Then tell me how to solve this..." An Zhengzheng spread his hands, kicking the ball back to its origin.

The master of Qintian Mansion said, "...We can change the content."

An Zhengzheng turned to look at Master Wushang.

Master Wushang whispered, "If this really escalates into a confrontation between sects, it will be a losing proposition. I can only do this much for you."

At least this will ensure that An Zhengzheng and the Hundred Women Pavilion will not be forced to take a stand in this controversy in the cultivation world.

An Zhengzheng was extremely grateful to her: "Thank you, Master!"

An Zhengzheng also knew that Siyue Sect had limited capabilities and would find it difficult to contend with a major cultivation sect like Qintian Mansion.

She couldn't very well drag Si Yuemen into this mess.

"In that case, let's sign the contract..."

An Zhengzheng's lips curled slightly.

Master Qintianfu had no choice but to agree. If it weren't for the need to avoid involving the sect, he wouldn't be so frustrated.

He gritted his teeth, wrote the agreement on the contract talisman, signed it, and then used magic to send the contract talisman to An Zhengzheng.

An Zhengzheng examined it carefully, as if she were looking at a contract in her past life, and finally shook her head and said, "We need to add another clause."

"What?"

"The final version of the storybook was released after being unanimously approved by the Hundred Women's Pavilion."

The face of the Qin Tianfu Master turned black.

Master Wushang asked very considerately, "Should you add it in or should I add it in?"

He wasn't given a single chance to say no.

Master Qin Tianfu gritted his teeth: "...I'll do it." Who told him he couldn't beat them! And if he kept causing trouble, it would escalate to the sect level.

The contract was made in duplicate, with An Zhengzheng, Zheng Xiaosha, and Hai Guniang's names signed on it respectively.

When Zheng Xiaosha and Miss Hai signed the papers, their hands were a little unsteady on their hands. Zheng Xiaosha was alright, though, because his master was there, he had some confidence.

The sea maiden's hands were shaking badly, but she was also relieved that the photo stone hadn't been played out publicly.

An Qinghuan stood with her hands on her hips, like a triumphant little fox, and kept urging them: "Hurry up and sign, what are you all doing? You've already made all the real people you called in sign!"

Let's rid them of their arrogance!

The smug voice was so annoying to Zheng Xiaosha that she didn't dare to say anything.

"...It's written." He carefully handed the contract to An Qinghuan. "Two copies."

An Qinghuan took it and had An Yirou and Madam Pei check it. Only after confirming that everything was correct did she put it away.

"In that case, can we leave now?" Zheng Xiaosha's face looked terrible.

They came in a grand procession, but Wu Shang Zhenren suddenly appeared and now they're slinking away in disgrace.

An Zhengzheng has excellent hearing. She lowered her head and smiled, "...You forgot, your master mentioned earlier that he wanted to apologize."

"You're so attached to your master, you even brought him to the Hundred Women's Pavilion! Surely you, my good disciple, won't disobey what he says now?"

After saying that, he looked at the True Person of Qintian Mansion.

Qin Tianfu Zhenren: ...

The next second, a voice came from the sky: "Xiao Sha, apologize."

...

On the way, they all looked very unwell.

"Apologize? They actually want us to apologize to them in front of everyone!"

Zheng Xiaosha looked terrible.

In order to create hype and also to morally blackmail An Zhengzheng, they brought a lot of people, and with the constant stream of people coming to watch the spectacle, the entire Ghost City was packed with people.

The sea maiden sighed and said, "Now I'm afraid everyone knows about it."

If Master Wushang hadn't appeared, everything would have gone smoothly.

Even if An Zhengzheng doesn't want to publicly express his support, as long as they go to Bai Nu Ge, have photographic evidence, and publish more articles, they can completely create the impression that they are recognized.

In this way, the point of contention will be shifted, and people will only condemn An Zhengzheng for approving their alteration of the storybook and question An Zhengzheng's existence... instead of them.

Now it has turned into a farce!

"...How could Master Wushang have come out of Siyue Gate?"

Zheng Xiaosha didn't understand at all.