"When an Immortal King travels... heavenly soldiers and generals truly follow at his side..."

"I'll probably only witness such a spectacle once in my lifetime..."

"Some of those Immortal Soldiers have incredibly profound cultivation. Some are only at Golden Core Realm like us, yet their spiritual aura and presence far surpass ours!"

"That's the aura nurtured by serving at an Immortal King's side year after year!"

Countless eyes, filled with awe, longing, and reverence, watched as the Nine Generation King entered the teahouse alongside the woman at his side. At that moment, they could already imagine the fate awaiting those reckless people.

"A powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake."

"They knew full well of the Taiyue Sect master's wife's ties to the Nine Generation King's Manor, yet they still dared to kidnap her daughter. They've already got half a foot in the gates of hell..."

The crowd murmured among themselves, yearning to see what was happening inside the teahouse. However, none of them dared to move rashly, afraid the countless Immortal Soldiers might mistake them for troublemakers and cut them down on the spot.

***

Inside the teahouse, Daoist Longshe, who faced the window, suddenly grew excited. He glanced at the soup pot—at the remaining broth and the segments of serpent meat still emitting a strange fragrance—and resentment clouded his eyes. He lifted his head and looked at Fang Chen coldly. "Young Lord, this soup may have tasted delicious, but now that the Nine Generation King has arrived in person, how do you plan to respond?"

Li Zhi's eyes shone with excitement, gleaming brightly. She shot Fang Chen a venomous look, already plotting revenge in her mind.

Abbess Qing He could not see what was happening around her. Her spirit was gradually dimming. She wanted to say something, but lacked the strength. Her lips parted slightly, yet no sound emerged.

At that moment, the Nine Generation King stepped into the teahouse, accompanied by his concubine, Madam Lan, and the others behind them.

The shopkeeper and the waiters were already kneeling on the ground, trembling all over—not from fear, but from excitement.

The Nine Generation King swept his gaze casually across the room. His eyes pierced through layers of space and settled on Fang Chen's face.

His expression stiffened.

Before anyone understood what was happening, the Nine Generation King slowly turned and exited the teahouse. The others could only follow him back out.

Madam Lan was surprised but did not dare ask.

The Nine Generation King glanced around, as though confirming where he was.

"This place... is Taiyue City?" he muttered, puzzled.

Madam Lan quickly replied, "Your Highness, this is indeed Taiyue City."

The crowd was bewildered. How could the mighty Nine Generation King not recognize Taiyue City, which lay under his jurisdiction?

Without further comment, the Nine Generation King led the group back into the teahouse and headed straight for the second floor.

Daoist Longshe immediately set down the soup pot, turned around, and prostrated himself in salute. "Greetings, Nine Generation King!"

Li Zhi's eyes shone.

"What a fragrant aroma." Madam Lan cast a curious glance at the soup pot. "What's being cooked here?"

The beautiful woman quickly stepped forward and said respectfully, "Madam Lan, these two cultivators kidnapped my daughter and forced Daoist Longshe to stew the exotic serpent that had accompanied him since childhood."

Daoist Longshe, as though finally finding a pillar to lean on, cried out mournfully, "I beg the Nine Generation King to uphold justice for me! Since the very beginning of my cultivation, that serpent has been by my side! Over the years, our bond grew deep. I even regarded it as my Dao companion! Yet today, these two forced me to stew it with my own hands! My heart is filled with grief. I beg you to deliver justice, Nine Generation King!"

The dozen or so Nascent Soul Realm cultivators behind him wore complicated expressions.

The Taiyue Sect master was visibly moved, glaring angrily at Fang Chen.

"Your actions are truly vicious!"

"There's no need for you to worry," Madam Lan smiled faintly. She glanced at Li Zhi before saying to the Nine Generation King, "Your Highness, should we not first rescue the little girl?"

Gratitude instantly filled Li Zhi's eyes.

The Nine Generation King did not respond. He merely looked at Fang Chen and Xia Ji, then let out a soft sigh. A trace of respect appeared on his face as he cupped his fists.

"Greetings, First Rate Sect Leader Fang and First Rate Sect Leader Xia."

The faces of everyone in the teahouse went rigid from shock.

First Rate Sect Leader Fang!? First Rate Sect Leader Xia!?

A wave of fear surged into Madam Lan's eyes, and she started trembling.

The beautiful woman, the Taiyue Sect master, Daoist Longshe, and the others stood stunned for a long moment before comprehending the meaning of what he just said. Terror flooded their hearts.

"First Rate Sect Leader!? They are First Rate Sect Leaders?!"

The beautiful woman's face turned deathly pale, devoid of all color. She stared blankly at Fang Chen and Xia Ji, unwilling to believe it. How could exalted people like that appear in such a small place, and two of them at once?

More importantly, how could beings of that stature possibly know someone like Abbess Qing He, a naïve figure with no backing or powerful connections!?

"They're First Rate Sect Leaders?"

Li Zhi felt as though her mind had been struck by a heavy blow. Her thoughts went blank.

At that moment, the elderly woman beside the beautiful woman finally remembered why Fang Chen's face had seemed familiar.

Her wrinkled face was filled with terror.

Many years ago, she and the beautiful woman had served in the royal manor. Once, she had accompanied Madam Lan to offer incense at the Three Thousand Dao Sect.

Within the Central Continent Empire, the Three Thousand Dao Sect' status had already faintly surpassed even the Desolate Academy. It was known as the strongest Dao Sect!

On that visit, she had seen the portrait of the ancestor of the Three Thousand Dao Sect. Was it not the very man standing before her now?

The elderly woman felt nothing but bitterness. Who would have imagined that in a small place like Taiyue City, they would encounter such calamity?

Fang Chen glanced at Li Zhi and asked the Nine Generation King with a faint smile, "This little girl. Does she hold your bloodline?"

The crowd was shocked once more, but after what they had already witnessed, this revelation could no longer astonish them deeply.

The Taiyue Sect master's expression was a storm of shifting emotion.

A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in the beautiful woman's eyes as she looked toward the Nine Generation King. If the Nine Generation King pleaded for her and her daughter today, everything could return to how it was!

After a moment of silence, the Nine Generation King nodded. "Yes."

The Taiyue Sect master's face turned bleak, but he did not flare up. He simply lowered his head without a word.

Li Zhi was stunned. She had never imagined that her biological father would be the Nine Generation King.

After the shock came ecstasy! Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at him. If her father was an Immortal King, she could live in the royal manor from now on!

"Did you know that your daughter has been committing atrocities here?" Fang Chen asked calmly.

The Nine Generation King fell silent again, then forced a bitter smile. "First Rate Sect Leader Fang, she is young. She did not consider her actions thoroughly—"

"Youth is not an excuse."

Fang Chen shook his head and looked at Abbess Qing He. "The year I first met Qing He, she too was young. Yet her heart was compassionate, more compassionate than anyone."

Seeing Qing He's appearance, the Nine Generation King had already begun to understand what had happened. His previously composed face now showed a trace of shock. "Is she... an old acquaintance of yours, First Rate Sect Leader Fang?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Longshe and the other Nascent Soul cultivators lowered their heads even further.

If Abbess Qing He was a First Rate Sect Leader's old acquaintance, then Li Zhi's fate today was already clear.

What of the Nine Generation King? Before a First Rate Sect Leader, even an Immortal King was nothing.