His politeness startled Xie Zheng, who suddenly turned to the side, bowed his head, and coughed incessantly.

Qinghan was startled: "Are you...are you alright?"

Xie Zheng waved his hand. He was momentarily distracted. Someone opposite him narrowed his eyes and took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. A flash of golden light, but he was thwarted again.

Qiu Qingxue looked over with a serious expression: "What does the Deputy Commander mean by this?"

Chen Jin stood in front of the two and said, "Before I joined the Golden Armor Guard, I followed Prince Zhan for decades. I could not possibly be mistaken. No matter who this person is, no one is allowed to touch him before we confirm whether he is a prince of our royal family. If you insist on making things difficult, then you will have to offend us."

"..."

Those who wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of the boy immediately fell silent.

Chen Jin was loyal and devoted, but Qing Han was most bothered by others treating him as the Prince of Zhan, and consequently he also disliked this loyal "subordinate".

The atmosphere was tense, and the onlookers couldn't stand it any longer. The girl next to Ji Rong said impatiently, "Are we leaving or not?"

Qiu Qingxue had noticed the two onlookers earlier, and upon hearing this, she turned her head and said, "Is Senior Ji Rong at ease traveling with people from the Demon Realm?"

“What’s there to be worried about? They’ve been gone for so long, and we haven’t seen them do anything!” the girl said first.

Qiu Qingxue's breath hitched, and she secretly tightened her grip on her hands.

Ji Rong said, "My Yi Ling Sect has no grudges with the Demon Realm, and we never meddle in other people's grudges. I'm just responsible for leading the way. Whether you want to follow or not is up to you."

After saying that, he turned around first and really didn't care anymore.

Xie Zheng smiled and said, "The secret realm is fraught with danger. If you insist on making a move now, I'm afraid it will only result in mutual destruction. If another unexpected event occurs, you may not be able to cope and may perish together. Is that what you all want?"

He gently waved his crystal folding fan, his ordinary face adorned with a faint smile, yet he possessed an extraordinary air about him.

Qiu Qingxue was unwilling, but Han Zhao stepped forward and said, "Then please, Brother Xie, keep a close eye on this person."

Xie Zheng smiled and nodded, put his hand on the boy's shoulder, and turned to follow Ji Rong.

Qinghan looked at the slightly pale hand on her shoulder, hesitated for a moment before raising it, but then heard someone say in her ear, "Hold me up."

"..."

Thinking of his cough earlier, Qinghan softened again and could only let him lean on her.

Just as he thought the matter was temporarily settled, he turned around and suddenly felt a surge of spiritual energy behind him. Qing Han frowned slightly, lifted the person he was supporting on his shoulder by the waist and swerved to the side. The attack from behind then went straight to the person leading the way.

Ji Rong turned around, his green vines rising up to easily deflect the attack, creating a gust of wind that tossed the girl's hair behind him into a mess. He immediately complained, "Who is it! Who's so shameless! Didn't I say we wouldn't fight anymore!"

Even the usually composed Ji Rong couldn't help but frown: "What does Fairy Qingxue mean by this?"

Qiu Qingxue never expected that her fatal blow would be so easily dodged by the young man and even neutralized. When questioned, her face turned somewhat ugly as she said, "I am a member of Jiyun Palace, and I do not associate with people from the Demon Realm!"

"So you ambushed them?" the girl scolded. "How can you be so shameless? What kind of fairy are you, Qingxue? Are all the people in the mortal world blind? If you didn't want to go with them, you could have gone on your own. Who forced you? You're utterly absurd!"

“You…” Qiu Qingxue’s face flushed red.

Having been famous for many years, no one had ever dared to speak to her so rudely. Yet, a disciple from a small, secluded sect dared to call her shameless!

She stammered, unable to utter any vulgar words, but a flash of ferocity crossed her eyes as she pointed at Qing Han and said, "Make your move!"

"Young Master, this..."

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? His cultivation level has plummeted right now, are you still afraid of him?"

The person behind her was originally an elder of Jiyun Palace, but because of their different statuses, he dared not disobey and could only look at the other person. Han Zhao frowned and said, "Qingxue, let it go."

"Even you're going against me!"

Han Zhao was slightly taken aback by her glare. He considered himself exceptionally talented and had always been arrogant. When he argued with others, he was spoiled and willful. In the past, when he acted with Jiyun Palace, he was usually impulsive and Qiu Qingxue would wisely dissuade him. Now that they had entered this secret realm, how come this person seemed to have become a different person? Even though they were clearly at a disadvantage, she still wanted to act out of spite!

Qiu Qingxue's chest heaved violently as she angrily formed a lotus seal.

"Qingxue!"

Stopping her was useless, and he couldn't hurt her either. Han Zhao was anxious, but he could only watch as the powerful Lotus Seal rushed towards the boy.

"What a magnificent spirit the Fairy Qingxue possesses!"

A sharp shout rang out in the air, and golden light streaked across the darkness, creating a starlight effect. It met the lotus flower head-on. The golden whip pierced the lotus, its power contained. In an instant, the lotus shattered and dissipated into azure light. Fairy Qingxue's all-out attack failed to stir up the slightest ripple!

A red shadow streaked across the sky, a golden whip tucked into the sleeve, and the newcomer landed gracefully, blocking the path between the white-clad youth and the blind Xie Zheng.

If seeing Qing Han caused the people of the three major sects to show shock, seeing this person, with eyes like shimmering peach blossoms, heterochromatic pupils, and a blood-red mark on his forehead, only made people feel a chill down their spines, and all their thoughts were suppressed.

Geng Qi looked at the person who had made the move. Qiu Qingxue's face turned pale. Seeing her involuntarily take half a step back, he said calmly, "Using numbers to bully the few and launching a sneak attack, the young master of Jiyun Palace's behavior truly makes me look at him with new eyes!"

"..."

He glanced at the others, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Since this young lady doesn't want to associate with the people of my Demon Realm, and given the chaotic spatial currents here, how about I choose one for you?"

He spoke casually, but Qiu Qingxue felt her knees go weak and her eyes widen like copper bells.

Others dared not plead for him, fearing that this man's unpredictable temper might lead him to take his anger out on them.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!