The cat demon defies the heavens and is the emperor’s only beloved disciple!

Just as Xu Wan was about to grab Lan Youyou and run away, Chen Xuan's voice rang out again.

"Wait a minute."

She paused, a sense of foreboding washing over her, but she had no choice but to turn around and force a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Does Godfather have any further instructions?"

Chen Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the red, swollen bump on her forehead, his tone stern:

"Xiao Wan! You just said you ate the Heart-Burning Fruit?"

"Yes...yes."

"Xiao Wan found it by chance deep in the spirit field today. Thinking it could help with her cultivation, she... ate it."

Chen Xuan's gaze swept across Ling Shuo's face, finally landing on Xu Wan, his tone softening slightly:

"The Heart-Burning Fruit is extremely domineering, yet you were able to withstand its fire poison and even break through to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop. You are truly blessed."

Xu Wan was overjoyed and quickly said:

"Thank you for the compliment, Godfather!"

Chen Xuan then changed the subject:

"However, do you know that the 'Heart-Burning Fruit' is the most precious treasure of the Spirit Plant Garden? You picked it without permission, what is your punishment?"

Xu Wan's smile froze on her face, while she inwardly groaned:

Oh no, I'm really going to get punished!

She quickly put Lan Youyou down from her arms.

He began to beg for mercy with his hands clasped together.

"Father, spare me! I know I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"

Chen Xuan looked at her like this and finally couldn't help but laugh:

"Fine, considering this is your first offense and you've actually benefited from it by breaking through to a higher realm, I won't punish you this time."

Xu Wan smiled radiantly, as if granted a pardon.

"Thank you, godfather! Thank you, godfather!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now!"

The words have not yet been spoken!

Xu Wan's figure transformed into a streak of silver light and vanished.

Ling Shuo gazed in the direction she had left, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Just now, Xu Wan's cunning and composure when dealing with Xing Ze, and her decisiveness when escaping.

He thought to himself:

This young lady may seem carefree, but she is actually very meticulous.

The purple-robed man's words were full of hostility!

There must be some untold grudge between the two!

"Humph, you run fast!"

Xingze's mocking voice interrupted Ling Shuo's thoughts!

He glanced at Ling Shuo, his tone filled with undisguised contempt!

"It's just a cunning and treacherous cat demon, yet you, a mere flower cultivator, are so concerned about it. How laughable."

Ling Shuo froze, turned to look at Xing Ze, his expression still calm, but there was a hint of estrangement in his eyes.

Although his cultivation was inferior to Xingze's, he still had his own pride and did not want others to slander Xu Wan like that.

"Cough cough!"

Chen Xuan coughed twice, and Xing Ze's words came to an abrupt halt.

He looked up at Xingze, a hint of warning in his eyes:

"Xingze, be careful what you say."

Xingze pouted, feeling unwilling but not daring to disobey Chenxuan's wishes.

He just let out a heavy snort and turned his head to the side.

Seeing this, Ling Shuo bowed to Chen Xuan, then turned to Xing Ze and bowed again, saying:

"My name is Ling Shuo, and I greet Senior Xing Ze."

His tone was calm, neither impolite nor obsequious.

"No need to be polite."

Xingze responded coldly, his gaze sweeping over Ling Shuo with a scrutinizing tone.

The cultivator before them was dressed in a pink robe, surrounded by pure floral spirit energy, his aura calm and restrained.

But the thought of him getting so close to Xu Wan made Xingze feel a little displeased.

Ling Shuo ignored Xing Ze's coldness, instead looking directly at him and slowly asking:

"I just overheard your words, senior, and it seems you have some dissatisfaction with Miss Xu."

"I wonder what Miss Xu has done to offend you so much, that you are so angry?"

These words immediately ignited Xingze's anger, and the rage that Chen Xuan had just suppressed reignited:

"Where did I offend you?"

"She's a cat demon, and it's already wrong of her to bewitch the Emperor. Now she's cultivating a wicked path, causing strange phenomena in the heavens and earth, and disturbing the entire Spirit Plant Garden. Isn't that enough?"

He stepped forward, his body shimmering with purple light, and his spiritual energy fluctuations grew increasingly intense.

“A year ago, when she joined the sect, I said that this demon cultivator's nature was unpredictable and that she would surely become a hidden danger to the sect in the future, but my master just wouldn't listen!”

"Now it seems my worries were indeed correct!"

"If she hadn't stolen a sect's secret treasure or colluded with evil spirits, how could she have moved so fast?"

Ling Shuo frowned slightly and retorted:

"Senior's words are wrong."

"Miss Xu's cultivation has improved entirely through her own efforts and the nourishment of the spiritual energy in the Spirit Plant Garden. How can there be any talk of stealing secret treasures or colluding with evil spirits?"

He paused and continued:

"I have known Miss Xu for a long time and know her to be of pure heart and steadfast in her Dao. She is by no means as bad as you say."

"Such slander from a senior is far too arbitrary."

"Arbitrary?"

"Ah!"

Xingze sneered, pointing at the still lingering icy and fiery glow in the sky.

"Then tell me, how could a cat demon like her cause such a strange phenomenon in the heavens and earth?"

"The Daoist aura within that ice and fire dharma form clearly carries an evil aura. If it's not related to evil, what else could it be?"

Chen Xuan then spoke:

"Xingze, this matter has not yet been investigated, so we cannot draw any conclusions rashly."

"Although that Daoist aura was peculiar, it had no evil or malevolent energy; on the contrary, it contained the pure power of heaven and earth."

"Ah! Stop arguing! You've driven away my sister and my master! How annoying!"

Lan Youyou's childish yet angry voice boomed like a thunderclap in the tense atmosphere.

As she spoke, she raised her leg and kicked Xingze hard at the hem of his gorgeous purple robe.

Although the force was insignificant to an elder of Xingze's cultivation level, the action stunned all three people present.

Xingze looked down at those smooth little feet, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Instead of being softened by the child's innocence, he felt that this innocent act concealed some terrible omen.

He abruptly turned his head to face Chen Xuan, his expression stern, and cupped his hands in greeting:

“Master! This little girl, though young, has already shown a lack of respect for elders and an untamed nature.”

"She dared to kick me today, she's bound to cause trouble tomorrow! Keeping her around will definitely be a menace!"

"It would be better to... eliminate them as soon as possible to prevent future troubles!"

"Absolutely not!"

Ling Shuo's expression changed drastically, and almost instinctively took a step forward, tightly protecting Lan Youyou in his arms.

The floral spirit energy around him surged instantly.

A crimson aura condensed in his palm, forming a thin barrier between Xingze and Lan Youyou.

"Senior Xingze!"

Ling Shuo's voice trembled slightly with tension and anger, but he stubbornly refused to back down.

“Youyou is just an innocent child who doesn’t know the ways of the world. She has already formed a spiritual bond with Miss Xu. Now that Miss Xu has been wronged and left, she naturally has the heart to protect her master!”

"You have cultivated for many years and your Dao heart is steadfast. How could you harbor such a vicious intent to kill an unarmed child?"

"If word gets out, how will others view our Lingshan? And how will they view you?"

Xingze's face turned ashen after being silenced by Ling Shuo's righteous and stern words.

He never expected that a mere rogue cultivator would dare to contradict him in public, and even use the reputation of his sect to pressure him.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he was about to lash out!

A gentle yet overwhelming aura suddenly pierced through, instantly dissolving the spiritual energy confrontation between the two.