Heavenly Demon Sect, outside the mountain gate.
A solitary, imposing black figure stepped forward under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers.
Lu Ning’s features were cold and severe, her gaze indifferent, as if the nine roaring golden flood dragons before her and the three thousand murderous Golden Divine Guards were no more than specks of dust in her eyes.
“Sect Master!”
Ying Yi’s figure appeared at Lu Ning’s side like a wraith, dropping to one knee, her voice tinged with urgency.
She had been ordered by the Saintess to protect the Sect Master; now that the Sect Master had placed herself in danger, she could not shirk responsibility.
Lu Ning did not look at her, her gaze still fixed straight ahead on the golden war chariot floating above the sea of clouds.
“This seat is unharmed.”
She spoke blandly.
“You have a more important task to do.”
Ying Yi hesitated, raising her head, looking in confusion at Lu Ning’s back.
“Go to Hundred Flowers Valley.”
Lu Ning’s voice rang out through a secret transmission technique.
“Find Qing Huan, tell her I’ve accepted an invitation to the Great Wilderness Imperial Dynasty as a guest. Have her finish up her current affairs, then come straight to the Great Wilderness Imperial Dynasty’s Imperial City, the ‘Heavenly Capital,’ to meet me. I trust her.”
Ying Yi’s pupils contracted sharply.
Go to the Great Wilderness Imperial Dynasty as a guest?
How is that any different from walking into certain death?
“Sect Master, you mustn’t!”
Ying Yi said anxiously.
“I am willing to lay down my life to protect you!”
“That is an order.”
As the words fell, Ying Yi’s body trembled violently.
She understood.
The Sect Master was planning to use herself as bait, drawing the full attention of the Great Wilderness Imperial Dynasty to protect everyone in the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“Your subordinate obeys!”
With that, Ying Yi’s figure melted into the shadows once more; without the slightest hesitation, she raced toward Hundred Flowers Valley.
With all her preparations complete, the last stone in Lu Ning’s heart finally settled.
She lifted her gaze, peering across a thousand-zhang distance to meet the eyes of the figure atop the golden war chariot.
On the chariot, a woman stood by the rail.
She wore a splendid golden palace gown, its hem embroidered with a soaring Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix in divine fire gold thread.
Her dazzling golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, tied simply with a single golden phoenix hairpin.
Her features were exquisitely sculpted, as if carved by a master, her upturned phoenix eyes filled with an innate arrogance and coldness.
She was the Princess Royal of the Great Wilderness Imperial Dynasty—Ji Linglong.
“Lu Ning.”
Ji Linglong’s red lips parted, her voice echoing through the clouds.
“You finally deign to come out.”
Hearing this, Lu Ning’s lips curled ever so slightly.
She showed no anger, only replied in a calm tone: “Ji Linglong, after all these years, your temper is as fierce as ever.”
“Insolence!”
Behind Ji Linglong, a golden-armored general barked sternly, “How dare you call the Princess Royal by name!”
Ji Linglong raised her hand, halting the general.
She stared at Lu Ning, her phoenix eyes blazing with years of suppressed fury and hatred.
“Lu Ning, do you remember, atop Tianshan in those days, how you humiliated this princess?”
“Oh?”
Lu Ning made a show of reminiscing.
“This seat has defeated a thousand, if not eight hundred, useless fools over the years. How exactly I humiliated you—no clear memory, I’m afraid.”
“You!”
Ji Linglong was so angered by her casual attitude that her delicate figure trembled, her impressive chest heaving violently.
She glared at Lu Ning, speaking slowly: “It seems, if this princess doesn’t make you pay in blood today, you’ll never learn your lesson!”
As her words landed, her aura exploded!
A terrifying mid-Divine Transformation pressure crashed down like the heavens themselves upon Lu Ning and the entire Heavenly Demon Sect’s gate!
Within the gate, the elders’ faces all changed dramatically.
Yet Lu Ning, who bore the brunt of the force, remained standing, tall and unbending as a pine.
Her wide Sect Master’s robe fluttered without wind, a similarly domineering, lofty, formless aura radiating from within her, easily holding Ji Linglong’s pressure at bay.
Of course, this was only the surface.
In reality, Lu Ning was panicking inside.
She was relying entirely on this body’s deep-seated “royal aura” to prop herself up.
“Hmm?”
A hint of surprise flashed in Ji Linglong’s phoenix eyes.
She hadn’t expected the rumored gravely wounded Lu Ning to so effortlessly withstand her pressure.
Could the rumors be false?
The several Divine Transformation Realm guardians behind her exchanged glances, their expressions growing grave.
If Lu Ning was still at peak Divine Transformation, uninjured, they truly might be unable to do anything to her today.
“Interesting.”
Ji Linglong suppressed her doubts, sneering coldly.
“Seems your injuries aren’t as severe as rumored.”
“But, it matters not.”
“Today, this princess has come to claim your life.”
“Men!”
She commanded sharply, “Deploy the ‘Nine Dragons Burning Heaven Formation’! Burn this demon and her entire sect gate to ashes for me!”
“Yes!”
The nine golden flood dragons let out earth-shattering roars, their massive bodies beginning to move, forming a profound formation in the sky.
A terrifying fiery aura began to permeate the world.
Everyone in the Heavenly Demon Sect was tense to the extreme.
As the atmosphere grew explosive, war about to break out—
Lu Ning suddenly laughed.
“Heh.”
She shook her head, giving Ji Linglong a look as if dealing with a willful little girl.
“Ji Linglong, is there any need to involve the innocent disciples of the sect in our personal grudge?”
“You’ve come today with such fanfare—aren’t you just here to make me bow my head, to retrieve the face you lost back then?”
“Very well.”
Lu Ning spread her arms, her expression calm.
“I’ll grant your wish.”
“How do you want to do this?”
Hearing this, Ji Linglong was stunned.
The Golden Divine Guards behind her were stunned.
Even the elders and disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect were stunned.
They had imagined countless possibilities—yet never expected their proud-to-the-bone Sect Master would choose to yield?
“Sect Master, you mustn’t!”
Elder Yanmo inside the gate cried anxiously.
Lu Ning ignored him.
She gazed quietly at Ji Linglong, awaiting her response.
Suspicion and wariness flickered in Ji Linglong’s eyes.
She didn’t believe Lu Ning would surrender so easily.
With her understanding of this man, he would rather die standing than live kneeling.
There had to be a plot!
“You… what do you mean?”
Ji Linglong asked coldly.
“The meaning is simple.”
Lu Ning lowered her arms, speaking indifferently, “Every grievance has its cause and every debt its debtor. Our enmity—let it be settled between us two.”
“As long as you agree not to harm a single person, plant, or blade of grass in my Heavenly Demon Sect—”
“This seat will let you do as you wish.”
At these words, the entire scene was shaken.
Especially among the disciples and elders of the Heavenly Demon Sect; looking at Lu Ning’s back, their gazes changed completely.
So, the Sect Master wasn’t yielding.
He was choosing to sacrifice himself to protect the entire sect!
With his strength, those enemies could do nothing to him; what he truly feared was being stalled and thus leaving the sect vulnerable to attack.
What courage! What sense of duty!
For a moment, countless disciples were moved to tears, their respect for the Sect Master soaring to unprecedented heights.
Even a few elders who’d harbored doubts now felt a wave of shame.
Ji Linglong looked at Lu Ning, a storm raging in her heart.
She didn’t understand.
This man had once regarded all life as ants, utterly selfish to the extreme—how could he go so far for the sake of the sect?
Could it be that the serious injury had changed his nature?
“Fine. Very well.”
Suppressing her myriad emotions, Ji Linglong revealed a mocking smile.
“Since you’re so sincere, this princess will give you a chance.”
She looked down at Lu Ning, like an empress regarding her spoils of war.
“This princess still lacks a servant to pour tea.”
“This princess can let the Heavenly Demon Sect off the hook, even wipe clean all our past grudges—but you must return with me to the Great Wilderness Imperial Dynasty, serve as my personal attendant for one month, obeying my every order.”
“Are you willing?”
Ji Linglong’s words brimmed with utter humiliation.
To make the dignified Sect Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, a great Devil Dao powerhouse, serve as a mere tea-serving attendant?
That was likely more unbearable than death!
Everyone expected Lu Ning to erupt in fury.
Yet, against all expectations, Lu Ning only nodded calmly.
“I can.”
“Let’s go.”
After a brief moment of astonishment, Ji Linglong had the golden war chariot stop before Lu Ning.
As Lu Ning approached her, beneath the remorseful and reverent gazes of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s disciples and elders, the massive golden chariot let out a roar, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into the sky.