When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

The Demon Lord, the leader of all demons in the Northern Darkness Realm.

Rumors circulate that the Demon Lord is cruel and bloodthirsty, a complete tyrant.

In the Northern Sea Realm, the throne is not inherited, but is fought openly and fiercely at the "Lunar Eclipse Festival" held once every hundred years.

The rules of the Lunar Eclipse Festival are simple and brutal: all the demons participating in the festival kill each other until only one person remains, and only then can the last person sit on the throne of the Demon King.

A demon lord who can crawl out of that kind of purgatory is naturally not a kind person.

Master Zhiyue took a sip of wine and continued.

"In addition, the palace suddenly sent out invitations in the name of the Three Phases Venerable. Not only were the leaders of various sects invited, but also the heads of many aristocratic families were called to go to the capital. I guess it's mostly to discuss the handling of the half-demon."

The reason why the royal family of the Southern Cang Continent has been able to maintain its unshakeable position in the cultivation world is probably more than half due to the protection of the Three Phases Venerable in the palace.

He is the only known ancestor in the world who has reached the Tribulation Transcending stage for a thousand years, and is also recognized as the strongest among human cultivators. Almost every crown prince has received personal instruction from the Three Phases Venerable, and his influence has permeated the royal family for countless years.

"I remember that Venerable Samantabhadra was an old friend of yours."

"Our relationship is alright, but the Three Phases are much older than me." Master Zhiyue waved his hand and said with a wicked smile, "He's lived for so long, his hair has all fallen out, and he's still stuck at the Tribulation Transcending stage. Tell me, if I were to outlive him... wouldn't our Taiyi Sect be able to become emperors and have some fun?"

"I've already thought of the era name. First, I'll use my name, then Fang An's and yours. Wei Jin is the youngest, so he'll be last..."

Faced with this unreliable sect leader, Yi Chen could only sigh helplessly, "Master."

The Threefold Venerable One practices meditation, which requires shaving one's head; it does not mean losing all one's hair.

"...Ahem, I've digressed. In short, I just wanted to tell you about this matter so you can keep an eye on things when you go to the capital," Master Zhiyue casually drew a magic seal, which merged into the spiritual pattern between Yi Chen's brows. "What did you say in your telepathic message last time? That the seal is unstable? Let me take a look."

After a moment, she touched her chin curiously. "It's not unstable at all, it's very secure. Besides, didn't you go into seclusion for five years to solidify the seal? You've only just come out of seclusion, how could something have happened?"

Hearing what she said, Yi Chen was slightly taken aback.

Clearly... I had clearly sensed signs of the seal loosening several times before.

Master Zhiyue asked, "Hmm, under what specific circumstances did the problem occur?"

Yi Chen lowered his eyelashes.

It seems that every time the seal loosens, it is related to Chu Xianlan, and it always happens under circumstances that are inconvenient to talk about.

Master Zhiyue was incredibly insightful. Seeing his hesitant expression, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you still hiding things? Is there something you can't tell me? By the way, what exactly is the Gu poison on you two?"

Yi Chen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked away.

"It was indeed an accident."

Anyway, the curse will be lifted soon.

"Oh, actually I thought you two were really—" A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she put two thumbs together in a gesture.

This topic is far too inappropriate. Yi Chen frowned: "Master."

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore," Master Zhiyue laughed so hard he bent over. "Even if it's true, it's no big deal."

"Of course not," Yi Chen said coldly without hesitation.

Master Zhiyue rested his chin on his hand, squinted, and wagged his finger. "He's grown up. We're not related by blood, and you like him a lot anyway. What's wrong with him? Tell me."

These words were truly astonishing, like thunder exploding in Yi Chen's heart, startling the water in the pond.

Yi Chen's eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise flashing across them, his voice choked as if a sword had been slit in his throat.

He likes... How could he like his disciple?

Impossible.

One voice fiercely resisted in my mind, while another quietly grew.

The frustration, anxiety, and vague sense of loss that had been lingering in his heart all these days surged up, but Yi Chen suppressed these turbulent emotions and pushed them back to the bottom of the frozen lake.

Chu Xianlan's previous antics were to be forgiven; as a young man just beginning to experience love, he mistakenly identified dependence and affection, thus blurring the lines, which is understandable.

As a teacher, how could I not understand this?

How can you not understand?

Yi Chen's eyes dimmed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "This matter is against the rules and defies common sense. It is absolutely impossible. Master, please do not mention it again."

Master Zhiyue touched his arm and felt that the temperature around him had dropped considerably, and even his breath turned into white mist, making him feel chilly.

It was just a joke, why are you getting so worked up?

The "like" she mentioned wasn't that kind of "like".

"Are you that angry?" Seeing that things weren't going well, she quickly tried to coax her apprentice, "Oh, don't talk about it anymore, don't be angry, be good."

In fact, having reached the level of the True Man Pointing at the Moon, he had long since seen through many things in the world.

Logically speaking, the purpose of cultivating to become stronger is to live freely. If you become stronger but are still bound by empty fame, etiquette, and worldly rules, then what is the point of cultivation?

Rules, rules, aren't rules made by humans?! What kind of human rules should a half-demon follow?!

Vulgar! Stuffy!

These were the thoughts that Master Zhiyue was internally complaining about. But when he looked up, his icy disciple opposite him suddenly changed his demeanor and stared straight at him.

"Huh?" Master Zhiyue scratched the back of his head, opened his mouth, and said, "Did I accidentally let something slip?"

On the other side, Chu Xianlan led Hua Ling on a tour of the Jade Capital Pavilion.

Hua Ling crossed her arms and looked around, picking and choosing, "The spiritual energy here is thin... the feng shui there is so-so... tsk, is this all the Jade Capital Pavilion has to offer? Achoo! Why is it so cold!"

Chu Xianlan stepped onto the stairs and said helplessly, "The Lingtai is just up the stairs."

That was where he and his master usually meditated, and it was also the highest point of the Jade Capital Pavilion.

Sure enough, Hua Ling's eyes lit up, and she immediately clapped her hands, "This is it! This is the place!"

A seed with a faint pink glow appeared in her palm and she placed it in Chu Xianlan's hand.

"Dig a hole first, bury it deep, quick, quick, quick."

Soon, a small mound of earth rose up beside the altar. Hua Ling took a deep breath, and her small body emitted a fluorescent glow.

In an instant, the entire spiritual platform was surrounded by pale green spiritual energy, as if spring had come back to life. The rich wood-type spiritual energy melted the snow on the ground, and countless tender green spiritual plants sprouted from the soil.

Chu Xianlan was surprised to see that the peach tree seed that had just been planted grew rapidly, its branches stretched out, and in the blink of an eye it grew into a small tree. Before long, pink and white peach blossoms covered the branches.

The ice and snow around Lingtai melted, and spring arrived with flowers in bloom.

"How is it? Not bad, right? Now you have a place where it doesn't snow." Hua Ling clapped her hands, her mission accomplished.

Looking at the vibrant spring scenery before her, Chu Xianlan nodded sincerely, "It really is, yes, it's quite nice."

"Then, give it to me." Hua Ling stretched out her hand to him, speaking with a matter of course.

"Take what?"

"These are rare treasures! Your grandmaster just gave you so many precious items; everyone who sees them gets a share, so hand them over immediately!"

"They're malnourished, really malnourished! They'll eat anything good." Hua Ling was also envious of those high-grade ingredients, pointing to her mouth, waiting to be fed.

"Ah~~~~"