No, You Are Not My Daughter!

Everyone present seemed to have been struck senseless by that bolt of lightning, standing there charred and rigid.

Ji Shouqian was even more bewildered, terrified, and confused.

Yes, the expression on his face before death vividly embodied his utter dumbfoundedness. He had no idea what had happened.

King Ji Yonghao swept his gaze toward An Bulang, and the two exchanged a look.

An Bulang smiled and nodded.

King Ji Yonghao concealed the shock in his eyes well. His confidence seemed to grow as he looked up at the heavens and roared, "Heavenly God, you say I am guilty? Then strike me dead! What does killing some freak prove? Strike this king instead!!"

Rumble...

Another bolt of lightning descended from the cloud-choked sky.

Blue lightning crashed viciously onto someone, and the eardrums of nearly every official present seemed to tear apart.

A bolt had truly fallen, but it had not struck King Ji Yonghao.

Jia Yuxuan's eyes flew wide open. His entire body turned blackened and scorched, and before he could even cry out, he toppled over stiffly.

Hiss... Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

"Th-this... my grandson..." Jia Gucheng's eyes widened, his voice turning hurried as his fists slowly clenched.

An Bulang smiled faintly. He had merely randomly selected one lucky official from among those who had stepped forward to receive the Lightning Gift Package.

As for why it was Jia Yuxuan, it was merely a coincidence.

"This is bad. Someone has tampered with the formation. Clearly, the Formation Eye, Ji Shouqian, has already been destroyed, yet it is still operating. Someone has plainly seized the magpie's nest!"

Elder Wu Xuzi of the Soaring Dragon Empire's royal family spoke in a grave voice.

The other two elders, Huan Yin and Huan Ling, also changed expressions.

"Impossible. If someone else had taken control of the grand formation, how could we have failed to notice?" Huan Yin asked, her beautiful eyes wide.

Qin Shiyue was equally perplexed. "Setting up the grand formation is one thing, but evading our detection in reverse and secretly manipulating it without anyone noticing is an entirely different level of difficulty. Who could possibly be so capable?"

Elder Wu Xuzi looked toward the White-robed Youth in the distance. "The only person here capable of doing this is him... We still underestimated him."

Qin Shiyue froze at first, then bit her red lips with pearly teeth. Fury nearly burst from her bright eyes. "Him again. It was An Bulang again..."

"Hahaha..." King Ji Yonghao laughed atop the altar. "Didn't you say the Heavenly God had manifested? Fine, then I'll put it your way—the Heavenly God really has manifested! The Heavenly God wants to strike dead sinners who have committed wrongs, which is why Ji Shouqian and Jia Yuxuan died! They are the true sinners!"

As he spoke, he turned his ambiguous gaze toward the officials standing with Jia Yuxuan, those who had harbored ulterior motives and tried to force him to kneel. Smiling without quite smiling, he said, "Now, the Heavenly God will continue to manifest..."

"Spare us, Your Majesty!"

"Spare us, Your Majesty!!"

Thud, thud, thud...

One by one, the less resolute officials had already dropped to their knees, begging loudly for mercy.

The changes on the scene had exceeded everyone's expectations. Even the officials of the Crown Prince's faction were left flustered and at a loss.

"Father, why are you threatening and murdering important court officials during the heaven-worship ceremony?" Ji Wuye stepped forward, looking heartbroken and indignant.

"Ji Wuye, aren't you afraid the Heavenly God will send lightning to strike you down for spouting such nonsense?"

A clear voice, as refreshing as a flowing spring, suddenly rang out and fell distinctly into every ear.

"Who goes there?!" Ji Wuye's gaze turned cold.

At that moment, a young girl in a sky-blue princess dress, her face covered by a white mist-like veil, slowly walked toward the altar.

Her youthful figure was as supple as a willow branch, every curve perfect. Her jet-black hair cascaded to her slender waist, and the skin beneath her collar was snowy white and crystalline. Though her full face could not be seen, her brows were like kingfisher feathers and her eyes held autumn waters, already enough to captivate the heart.

With just one glance, everyone felt as if they were seeing a fairy descend to the mortal world.

Under the gaze of all, the girl let out a silver-bell laugh. "My dear brother, have you even forgotten me? I am your younger sister, Ji Yinyin."

"Ji Yinyin?" Ji Wuye stared blankly for a moment, then his eyelids twitched as he snapped, "Do you take me for a fool?!"

Qin Shiyue sneered as well. "It is not as though we have never seen Ji Yinyin before. She is an ugly freak. Never mind that we cannot see your face—just this skin, like congealed cream and white jade, is not something she could possibly possess."

"I have seen Ji Yinyin too. She is an incomparably ugly princess."

"Wasn't she always the royal family's scandal? No one in the royal family did not consider her a disgrace."

"Thinking about it now, it really was not easy for her to survive so long without being dealt with."

"This woman has such extraordinary bearing. She absolutely cannot be Ji Yinyin!"

Whether they were civil and military officials beside the altar or members of the royal family, everyone began discussing fervently.

"Alas..." The girl shook her head helplessly. "Why won't you believe me? You forced me to reveal my true face..."

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Today, I'll let you see the true appearance of me, Ji Yinyin!!"

Before everyone's eyes, the girl abruptly tore away the veil covering her face.

That flawless, exquisite face appeared before everyone without reservation, causing every breath to catch.

She was simply too beautiful! They had never seen such a beautiful woman.

That was a face no mortal world could possibly possess!

No matter who it was, they all bowed beneath her beauty. Men's hearts pounded, while women paled into insignificance.

"I do not deserve to be a woman." One of the consorts had already begun sobbing miserably.

Seeing the shocked expressions around her, Ji Yinyin felt utterly vindicated, as though more than a decade of grievance and resentment had finally been vented completely!

She shouted, "Open your dog eyes and look carefully! Am I Ji Yinyin or not?!"

The entire scene fell into strange silence.

King Ji Yonghao said, "No! You are not my daughter!"

Ji Wuye shook his head repeatedly. "My little sister cannot possibly be this cute."

Ji Yinyin: "..."

Perhaps feeling that he had been too arbitrary, King Ji Yonghao tactfully added, "Fairy Maiden, who are you? Why are you pretending to be my daughter?"

"I... I am Ji Yinyin! Look at my features. Can't you see even a trace of resemblance?" Ji Yinyin was so furious she nearly vomited blood, biting her lower lip with pearly teeth.

King Ji Yonghao and Ji Wuye looked utterly lost. They stared at Ji Yinyin for a long while, trying to find some clue, but in the end, they had no choice but to give up. How could this beautiful fairy maiden possibly be Ji Yinyin?

Ji Yinyin was utterly despairing. Why was this developing so differently from what she had imagined?

She had clearly planned to stun everyone today and finally hold her head high...

At this moment, Elder Wu Xuzi beside Qin Shiyue became incomparably excited.

His face flushed red as he stared at Ji Yinyin with blazing eyes and said, "Whether she is Ji Yinyin or not, we must obtain her!"

Qin Shiyue was somewhat jealous of Ji Yinyin's beauty. Hearing this, she could not help asking, "Why?"

"I can sense that the spiritual energy within her body is exceptionally pure, and her aptitude is peerless. She is absolutely the greatest cultivation genius I have ever seen. Added to her unparalleled beauty... our sovereign will definitely like her very much!!" A look of fervor and excitement gradually appeared on Elder Wu Xuzi's face.

Qin Shiyue frowned. "You want her to become my father's core disciple?"

"No, she is going to become your mother!" Elder Wu Xuzi said excitedly. "The position of empress is currently vacant. With such aptitude and such beauty, she should become the empress of the Soaring Dragon Empire!!"

Qin Shiyue: "???"

Qin Shiyue's beautiful eyes widened, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Ji Yinyin was going to become her mother?!

The scene had already begun to descend into chaos.

An Bulang realized that ever since his beautiful disciple had appeared, the entire tone of the scene seemed to have gone off the rails.

He immediately stepped forward to personally take charge.

"That's right, this young lady is indeed Ji Yinyin!"

"Also, Crown Prince Ji Wuye, do not forget your rebellion plan! Hurry up and get on with the serious business!!"

An Bulang looked at the handsome Ji Wuye and earnestly exhorted him.