Huangfu Lingxuan's expression turned serious, and his aura leaked slightly. "Shangguan Qingyin, you know my character, right?"

"Hmm?" Shangguan Qingyin squinted her eyes, unperturbed and unafraid of Huangfu Lingxuan's aura.

However, Huangfu Meizhen and Song Tianzun were different. Both of them moved away as soon as they sensed Huangfu Lingxuan's aura.

Huangfu Meizhen hugged Song Tianzun's arm tightly because her grandfather had never shown such a side before. 'Crap! Grandpa seems really angry!'

'Sigh! Mother! Why do you have to discuss those people with Grandpa Lingxuan?' Song Tianzun only dared to say in his heart.

Huangfu Lingxuan spoke again; his tone became heavy and unfriendly. "Not even Emperor Xuanyuan dares to monitor my personal affairs, and I also have already warned Song Zhentian not to meddle in my affairs. Yet, you deliberately monitor me, so what do you think I should do to you?"

"What are you going to do to me?" Shangguan Qingyin casually asked.

"This." Shangguan Qingyin was sent flying backward after Huangfu Lingxuan said that, shocking Huangfu Meizhen and Song Tianzhu.

Shangguan Qingyin hurriedly stabilized herself and landed a short distance away, but her expression was full of shock. "You... you've broken through to the Saint level?"

"That's right, my cultivation broke through to the Saint Realm a long time ago, and I purposely hid my strength," Huangfu Lingxuan casually replied. "I'm warning you for the first and last time; you must not interfere in my personal affairs. I can see your plans for Tang Xiao and the others, and I've promised them to protect them, so I want you to stay away from them. Even though you are the queen of this Song Kingdom, I have never been afraid of you or Song Zhentian."

Naturally, Shangguan Qingyin was furious with Huangfu Lingxuan's attitude, but she quickly calmed herself down. "Old Huangfu, you have misunderstood me, and I don't have any plans regarding Tang Xiao and his wives."

"I didn't misunderstand you at all," Huangfu Lingxuan replied with a shake of her head. "I know you want to draw them into the royal family's circle to elevate this kingdom's status, and this kingdom will have a better status than the Taixu Kingdom and the Shenwu Kingdom."

Shangguan Qingyin furrowed her brows, but she did not refute Huangfu Lingxuan. "Why do you protect them to such an extent? We'll be in-laws soon, but you chose them over us."

"I didn't choose anyone, and I just wanted to keep my promise to Tang Xiao." Shangguan Qingyin didn't believe Huangfu Lingxuan's words. "As you already know, I retired long ago because I wanted a quiet life, and I handed over all my sect affairs to my granddaughter. Just like me, Tang Xiao wanted peace for himself and all his wives as long as they lived in this realm, and I always kept my promises. Therefore, I won't let you drag them into a vicious cycle within this kingdom, and I want them to cultivate peacefully because they still have a long future ahead of them."

Shangguan Qingyin took a deep breath and nodded to Huangfu Lingxuan. "Alright, I will never disturb Tang Xiao and his wives. Since my business here is finished, I will return to the royal palace right now."

Seeing Shangguan Qingyin leaving, Song Tianzun immediately said goodbye to Huangfu Lingxuan and Huangfu Meizhen before following his mother.

Huangfu Meizhen sighed softly and sat down beside her grandfather. "Do you really need to act like that to her, Grandpa?"

"Meizhen, you will marry Song Tianzun soon, and you will become the future queen of this kingdom. However, the situation in the royal family is uncertain now, and the Song Clan's foundation could collapse at any moment." Huangfu Meizhen raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. "Emperor Xuanyuan hasn't told me about his decision to marry Xuanyuan Yueyao to your lover, but I'm guessing he made that decision to indirectly protect the Song Clan."

"You mean?"

Huangfu Lingxuan nodded. "Emperor Xuanyuan couldn't use his power to help the Song Clan directly, but the situation would be different if Song Tianzun and Xuanyuan Yueyao married. If they married, the Song Royal Family would become in-laws with the Xuanyuan Royal Family, and he could order his clan members to support them. If people attacked either clan, they would face the wrath of both clans due to their familial relationship."

"Are you sure about that, Grandpa? Could it be that Emperor Xuanyuan has other plans for the Song Clan and the Song Kingdom?"

"No," Huangfu Lingxuan denied. "I've known Emperor Xuanyuan for a long time, and I have some ideas of his thoughts. Although he hasn't told me anything, I'm confident in my analysis of his plans. Furthermore, he must have known about your relationship with Song Tianzun, so he didn't force Shangguan Qingyin and Song Zhentian to make his niece their eldest son's first wife."

"Grandpa."

Huangfu Lingxuan lovingly stroked her head. "Meizhen, you must remember that the responsibilities of a queen are far greater and heavier than those of a sect master, so you must prepare yourself from now on. You can still manage our sect for now, but you must also learn the etiquette of the royal family so you won't embarrass our Huang Clan when you become the queen of this kingdom in the future."

"Grandpa." Huangfu Meizhen pursed her lips. "Honestly, Tianzun has taught me a lot about royal family etiquette since we officially established our relationship, so I'm confident I can handle the situation. It's just that I didn't expect our relationship to become public so soon, especially after we get married next month."

"Haha," Huangfu Lingxuan laughed. "If only your parents were still alive, they would be happy to hear about your relationship with Song Tianzun. By the way, where is Tang Xiao now? I know you sent Huangfu Jun to follow them and protect them from behind."

Huangfu Meizhen sighed. "Uncle Jun just informed me that Tang Xiao and the others have just crossed the border, and they're heading towards the snow mountains in the Shenwu Kingdom."

"Why are they going to that kingdom?" Huangfu Meizhen explained to her grandfather about Tang Xiao and the others' destination. "Did you ask Huangfu Jun to get rid of those rogue cultivators?"

"No," Huangfu Meizhen answered with a shake of her head. "They won't develop as cultivators if we protect them too much, so I forbade Uncle Jun from dealing with those rogue cultivators, but I asked him to make a move if they were having trouble dealing with their enemies."

Huangfu Lingxuan nodded slightly. "Your decision is correct, Meizhen. Besides, Tang Xiao is no ordinary cultivator, and he is much stronger than he appears. I've long wanted to know his true strength, and I will assess his strength if he fights those rogue cultivators."

"I think so too." Huangfu Meizhen rose to her feet. "I have to go back to the sect now, Grandpa."

"Alright," Huangfu Lingxuan sighed after his granddaughter left, and he immediately contacted Huangfu Jun, ordering him to do something. "Tang Xiao, I want to see how deep your strength is, so don't disappoint me."

.

.

.

"Mother." Shangguan Qingyin stopped in her tracks and looked at her eldest son. "Are you angry with Grandpa Lingxuan?"

Shangguan Qingyin shook her head slightly. "At first, I was indeed furious with Old Huang's actions, but I know that he only wanted to protect Tang Xiao and his wives, so I don't blame him."

Song Tianzun was relieved by that. "Mother, Tang Xiao is a talented cultivator with a long future, and he will probably become Emperor Xuanyuan's equal in the future. Honestly, I want to get close to him, but I don't intend to drag him into the mire of trouble in our royal family."

"Do you think Tang Xiao can become Emperor Xuanyuan's equal in the future?"

Song Tianzun nodded. "Even though I haven't seen Tang Xiao's abilities for myself, Meizhen has been watching him since he joined her sect, and she told me a few things about him." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Including his golden aptitude?"

"Yes," Song Tianzun nodded again. "On this island, only Tang Xiao and Emperor Xuanyang have golden aptitude, so I'm sure that he will be his equal in the future."

Shangguan Qingyin sighed. "Honestly, I wanted to pull Tang Xiao over to our side, but it was obviously impossible with Old Huangfu protecting him. However, I have other plans for him, and my plans might change the future of our two clans."

"What are your plans, Mother? If Grandpa Lingxuan finds out about your plans, he will be enraged."

"This plan of mine has nothing to do with my previous plan, and I believe Old Huangfu will not be angry." Song Tianzun raised an eyebrow. "Alright, you don't need to think about it, and you can start preparing yourself for your wedding with Huangfu Meizhen.

Song Tianzun sighed as he watched his mother leave, and he immediately turned to leave the royal palace.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Qingyin contacted someone, and she urged that person to come to the royal palace as soon as possible.

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.

.

Time passed quickly, and night finally arrived.

Tang Xiao asked everyone to rest, as night travel would not be optimal for them. After finding a clean river, they immediately headed there, and the female cultivators right away went to clean themselves.

Tang Xiao and Fei Cangyu made dinner for everyone and started a bonfire as usual. "We will arrive at the foot of the snow mountain tomorrow, Brother Xiao."

"Yes," Tang Xiao looked towards the snow mountain. "We haven't encountered any other cultivators or demons so far, but we can't let down our guard, and we must always be on the lookout for any changes in the situation."