But he was on a mission. He dared not lose his temper.

  Bowing, he said: “I obey. I will bring a more valuable gift to thank Your Highness another day.”

  “Alright, alright.”

  Jieyou waved a hand, her tone softening a little.

  “It was just a lowly thief. No need for such fuss. Since you’re here, stay for a meal, rest, and see the scenery of Yiyun Valley. Consider it a little trip before you leave.”

  She turned to the National Teacher.

  “I’ll arrange someone capable to accompany him. National Teacher—have you been free lately?”

  “If Your Highness orders, how dare this old man refuse?”

  The National Teacher bowed slightly, but secretly complained:

  This girl’s ability to change the topic is better than her cultivation! One second she chases him away, the next she invites him warmly. Truly unpredictable.

  “If you’re free, accompany Master Qiuling around. Also, take some of Yiyun Valley’s specialties back, so the Immortal Assembly can witness Yiyun Palace’s glory.”

  Jieyou rambled on, acting like a great ruler, completely unaware of Qiuling’s increasingly dark expression.

  Qiuling was seething.

  If he waited any longer, he would be led astray by this little girl and forget his mission.

  As soon as she finished arranging his one-day tour, he cut in sharply, going straight to the point:

  “Your Highness, I must speak plainly.

  That thief stole a supreme treasure that the Immortal Assembly intended to present to the imperial court. I examined his body—other than money and ordinary equipment, there was no sign of the treasure. I believe it was taken by those who surrounded and killed him that day.”

  “If it’s just stolen goods, I’ll pay you in cash.”

  Jieyou waved a hand casually.

  “Why travel hundreds of thousands of miles just to demand it? How petty!”

  She interrupted whenever she pleased, but Qiuling did not dare interrupt the palace lord.

  He could only endure, waiting for her to finish.

  Finally, Qiuling could take no more.

  He spoke in a deep, cold voice:

  “Your Highness, hand over the treasure, and all will be well. Otherwise, disaster will befall you. Choose carefully.”

  As soon as he finished speaking, Qiuling suddenly drew his weapon—

  a cold dagger hidden in his sleeve, unsheathed, brimming with killing intent.

  Before Jieyou could react, the National Teacher stepped in front of her, expression solemn.

  Miss Jiu in her arms also jolted awake.

  Her originally lazy eyes turned sharp, locking onto Qiuling, ready to kill.

  The National Teacher’s hand rested on his waist—

  where a soft sword was coiled, appearing like an ordinary belt, no scabbard, no hilt.

  In truth, it was unbelievably sharp. One careless touch, and one would be cut by its sword energy.

  He had long been ready for battle, waiting for Qiuling to make the first move.

  On the Dawn Continent, lust was rare.

  Men and women alike were mostly indifferent to romantic desire.

  That was why the continent’s birth rate declined year after year.

  Despite all this, people still cherished life and held fast to their original hearts.

  But Qiuling before them showed no love for life at all—

  only greed and killing intent burned in his eyes.

  “Y-you… are you threatening me?”

  Jieyou shrank back slightly, asking weakly, looking truly scared.

  But inside, she was overjoyed.

  She had been waiting for Miss Jiu to act again.

  Last time, Miss Jiu had moved too fast for her to see clearly.

  This time, she not only wanted to witness Miss Jiu’s true power—she also wanted to test Xiaobai’s strength.

  That giant sword looked so imposing. When swung, it would whistle through the wind, roar like a dragon, and be unstoppable.

  If Qiuling dared to block it, he would surely be frozen on the spot!

  The more Jieyou thought, the more excited she became, eager to test her own strength.

  Truly, the young are fearless—she did not sense the danger before her at all.

  “I dare not.”

  Qiuling suppressed his killing intent, his voice cold.

  “I am only kindly reminding you. After all, the treasure is not mine alone. Even if I could decide, the imperial court would never let it go.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  Jieyou felt a little disappointed.

  So he was just a coward, not daring to truly fight.

  It seemed there would be no battle—what a letdown!

  She yawned. After the sudden relaxation from high tension, drowsiness and weakness washed over her.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “Just fulfilling my duty.”

  Qiuling curled his lips into a faint smile, his tone casual.

  “And taking a trip, a vacation. If Your Highness is willing, I might even claim some extra benefits. Perfect.”

  “Hmph, so the Immortal Assembly is just a bunch of greedy scoundrels!”

  Jieyou pouted and turned to leave.

  As she turned sideways, Miss Jiu in her arms remained alert, staring at Qiuling, not relaxing for an instant.

  Qiuling did not clench his fists. His chest sank slightly, eyes flickering, but all his muscles relaxed—on the surface, no abnormality at all.

  If he showed even a tiny flaw, he would not be worthy of the Immortal Assembly, let alone coming to Yiyun Palace for the treasure.

  “Your Highness, were you serious about the tour guide?”

  Qiuling suddenly asked, a trace of imperceptible excitement in his tone.

  Jieyou was stunned.

  This guy was still thinking about that? What a loser!

  She felt even more disdainful, snorting: “Of course I meant it.”

  She stopped and tilted her head, looking at him.

  How could someone like this travel hundreds of thousands of miles to Yiyun Valley?

  It seems the morality of the martial world is just a joke, not that dangerous. I was too cautious.

  As she thought this, Qiuling suddenly took two steps closer, seemingly to thank her.

  But in truth, his eyes turned sharp, and his figure exploded forward—

  eagle-like claws reaching straight for Jieyou’s throat!

  His speed was like lightning!

  The National Teacher shouted in alarm and reached to block, but it was already too late!

  He never imagined Qiuling would be so bold—openly assassinating the palace lord inside Yiyun Palace’s own side hall!

  At that critical moment, Jieyou calmed down instead.

  Everyone thought she was an innocent little girl—and indeed, she looked like a cute young girl. But that was only her ability to preserve her youth.

  If you truly believed she was weak and were deceived by her cuteness, you would make a fatal mistake.

  In the blink of an eye, a clear, piercing cry cut through the hall—

  Miss Jiu, who had been gathering strength, finally struck!

  A black figure and a white figure clashed violently:

  black was the ambushing Qiuling;

  white was the enraged Miss Jiu.

  Qiuling had already prepared backup plans when he attacked.

  Miss Jiu’s counter was unexpected, but did not fluster him overly.

  He struck first, energy surging, unleashing a low-level secret skill of the Immortal Assembly—

  Heaven and Earth Tremble!

  “BOOM——”

  The entire side hall shook violently, wooden beams creaking.

  The teacup on the table rattled, a few drops splashing onto Jieyou’s skirt, but she did not notice.

  Her eyes were fixed on the fight before her, face lit with excitement.

  Jieyou secretly sighed in relief—

  luckily, the fight was in the side hall. If it damaged the main hall, repairs would cost a fortune.

  Qiuling flipped backward and landed on one knee, palms pressing the ground.

  Five points of contact: four limbs and knee.

  Energy poured into the earth, sending out earthquake-like rumbles.

  The entire side hall shook violently, tiny cracks spreading across the walls!

  Fortunately, Qiuling’s cultivation was still shallow; he could not fully unleash Heaven and Earth Tremble.

  Otherwise, the entire Yiyun Palace would be in danger!

  The National Teacher guarded Jieyou tightly, expression grim.

  He had long known the Immortal Assembly was scheming and treacherous—but he never imagined Qiuling would dare attack the palace lord inside the palace.

  His recklessness meant he did not take Yiyun Palace seriously at all!

  Before them, Miss Jiu suddenly revealed her true form—

  a Multicolored Crown Phoenix, over ten meters long, seven-colored tail flowing in the wind, wings spreading wide enough to cover half the hall, magnificent and breathtaking.

  A bright red crown adorned her head, posture straight, completely unaffected by the earthquake.

  Disdain filled her eyes.

  She clearly intended to hold Qiuling here for Jieyou to practice on, and let her witness her true power.

  To prevent accidents, the Crown Phoenix spat seven-colored flames from the sky, scorching heat rushing straight at Qiuling.

  She had already seen through it: his robe was made of fire-resistant cloth, impervious to water and flame.

  But she wanted to test just how long it could withstand her divine fire!

  The seven-colored flames swept over him, instantly engulfing Qiuling.

  The fire-resistant cloth sizzled, faint smoke rising, a burnt smell filling the air.

  His whole body burned with pain, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to show weakness.

  Seeing this, Miss Jiu finally held back slightly—she did not want to escalate the situation.

  After all, this was Yiyun Palace. If she burned down the side hall, Jieyou would surely be upset.

  Qiuling was furious.

  He sharply raised his palms, chanting incantations silently, thunder and lightning surging around him—

  he was actually summoning the Five Heavenly Thunders from heaven and earth!

  This was a wide-area attack.

  Once activated, the entire side hall would be reduced to ruins!

  The National Teacher remained calm, quickly forming a spell with his fingers.

  A spherical barrier suddenly appeared before Jieyou, like a crystal-clear bubble, wrapping the two of them tightly.

  The next second, the Five Heavenly Thunders crashed into the barrier with a deafening roar.

  The National Teacher continuously poured in magic power, struggling to maintain the barrier, sweat dripping from his forehead.

  Inside the barrier, Jieyou felt a chill run down her spine—the sting of electric current, making her shiver.

  She thought: It is not yet time to reveal Xiaobai’s identity.

  But Xiaobai inside her was clearly restless, as if it too wanted to act and teach this arrogant Qiuling a lesson.

  Yiyun Palace had always been peaceful, rarely seeing fighting.

  But that did not mean it was weak.

  On the contrary, Yiyun Palace was protected by nine layers of formation seals, both passive and active defense—extremely powerful.

  As the side hall shook violently from Heaven and Earth Tremble, the formations activated silently.

  Though no external reinforcement was visible, hidden guards were already on high alert, ready to support at any moment.

  Just as Qiuling channeled the Five Heavenly Thunders, preparing to attack again—

  a higher-level formation suddenly covered the side hall!

  In an instant, all the Five Heavenly Thunders summoned by Qiuling were blocked by the formation, unable to advance an inch.

  They were even bounced back, slamming into Qiuling, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.