"Looks like this Lin Xuan is no ordinary man," Ye You said, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
Empress Profound Ice was a renowned Emperor Realm powerhouse throughout the Nine Heavens.
Even if her man came from the lower realm, he was certainly no mediocrity.
"I think so too," Zheng Song agreed.
"But what's strange is that the Empress seems to treat Lin Xuan as an ordinary person."
"She brought Lin Xuan to the Northern Profound Heaven because she wants him to help look after her children."
"This might be a smokescreen put up by the Empress." Ye You shook his head. "Perhaps she doesn't want others to know what her man really looks like."
Zheng Song asked again, "But if Lin Xuan really is a Great Saint Realm powerhouse, this battle is going to be tough for us."
Ye You fell silent.
If Lin Xuan really was a Great Saint Realm powerhouse, then the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom would surely be doomed this time.
Just then, a mysterious black light appeared in midair.
This was a common way of sending messages in the Devil Realm, known as "Devil Flash."
Zheng Song reached out and grasped the black light. His eyes lit up. "The Empress has already brought her army here!"
"Did Lin Xuan come with her?" Ye You asked hurriedly.
Zheng Song shook his head. "According to our reliable intelligence from the front lines, there's no sign of Lin Xuan."
"This..." Ye You was at a loss for words.
If Lin Xuan were a Great Saint Realm powerhouse, he would definitely come to help the Empress in her campaign against the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom.
But Lin Xuan hadn't shown up. That meant Ye You's guess might have been wrong.
"Whatever the case, Lin Xuan is no ordinary man."
Ye You rose to his feet, a violent aura of devilish baleful intent surging around him.
"Since the Empress is here, let's deal with her first!"
Bright sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the spacious, luxurious bed made of golden-threaded nanmu.
When Lin Xuan woke, he felt a little pressure on his chest.
He opened his eyes and saw a little girl sprawled across his chest, and another across his stomach.
They were Xuanxi and Xuanyou.
Somehow, the other two little girls, Xuanzhu and Xuanhan, had also snuggled under his arms.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw all four of his daughters clinging to him.
Lin Xuan felt his fatherly love swell like a mighty river bursting its banks.
Ding!
The system's voice suddenly rang out.
"Your fatherly love was as steady as a mountain, and your daughters enjoyed the sweetest sleep. Reward: Wuji Sword Technique!"
The Wuji Sword Technique was a top-grade Saint-rank cultivation method.
In the lower realm's Azure Dragon Continent, this single cultivation method would be enough to establish a sword sect that lasted a thousand years.
Even in the Northern Profound Heaven, Saint-rank cultivation methods were exceedingly rare.
And one focused entirely on the Sword Dao, with such immense power, was rarer still.
"I get a reward this good just for sleeping beside my daughters. This life as a stay-at-home dad is amazing!"
Lin Xuan was overjoyed.
So as not to disturb the children, he could only take a few more deep breaths and wait for Xuanxi and Xuanyou to wake.
Fortunately, after Donghuang Ziyou's lessons, the children weren't lazy little sleepyheads.
As soon as the hour of Chen arrived, the children began waking up one after another.
"Huh? Why am I on Daddy's tummy?"
"Daddy's so comfy!"
"Xuanhan, don't put your foot on my face!"
"Oh, right!"
Seeing the four little girls' adorable antics, Lin Xuan was in a good mood from the very start of the day.
After getting up, he stayed with them while the servants helped them brush their teeth and wash their faces.
The four little girls clung to Lin Xuan, begging him to make them something tasty, so he prepared four breakfasts for them himself.
The novel flavors and well-balanced dishes were so delicious that the little girls couldn't get enough.
It was the happiest breakfast they'd had in the past year.
Xuanyou even went so far as to let her Heavenly Dog Beast watch her feast without giving it a single bite.
First thing in the morning, she left the Heavenly Dog Beast to watch her eat her fill, without giving it so much as a morsel.
The Heavenly Dog Beast rubbed against Xuanyou, trying to charm her into giving it something to eat.
Xuanyou thought about it, then kicked the Heavenly Dog Beast away.
After breakfast.
Feng Jinfan, the commander in charge of guarding the Crystal Palace, came to the main hall.
"Emperor Consort, today is the day the four princesses practice swordsmanship. I've come to escort them to the training grounds."
Lin Xuan asked him a few questions about it.
He learned that Donghuang Ziyou had built a training ground especially for the children.
There was a Spirit Gathering Array there for their exclusive use.
Every three days, Feng Jinfan personally took the children to practice swordsmanship in the array.
"Daddy, can you come practice swordsmanship with me?" Xuanzhu tugged at Lin Xuan's hand.
Xuanyou threw herself into Lin Xuan's arms and hugged him tightly. "Daddy has to come!"
Xuanxi and Xuanhan nodded politely. "Mm!"
"Of course I'm coming." Lin Xuan picked Xuanyou up, holding his other three daughters' hands.
Feng Jinfan said enviously, "Emperor Consort, the princesses are so close to you!"
Thinking of the way his own daughter ignored him,
Feng Jinfan felt that, as a father, he was a complete failure compared with Lin Xuan!
Soon, Lin Xuan and his daughters followed Feng Jinfan to the training grounds.
Guards stood all around, clearly keeping a close watch over the place.
Lin Xuan saw a vast, dense cloud of white spiritual energy spinning and rolling in a grove ahead.
The cloud of spiritual energy covered an area at least two li across.
Even from a thousand meters away, at the edge of the formation, he could feel the abundant spiritual energy pouring out.
"The Spirit Gathering Array was specially built by an artifact-array grandmaster at Her Majesty's request. It's meant to help the princesses absorb spiritual energy and improve their cultivation."
"Practicing the Sword Dao in this array will help the princesses grow much faster."
Feng Jinfan led Lin Xuan forward, explaining as they walked.
Lin Xuan nodded slightly.
With the Ten Directions Array Map, he could tell that this formation was an extraordinary feat.
Without grandmaster-level skill, no one could possibly build such a massive array.
Boom!!!
A burst of black light suddenly exploded from the center of the Spirit Gathering Array.
In the blink of an eye, the array fell into chaos.
The vast spiritual energy surged wildly in every direction, like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
Even spiritual energy could become deadly if it reached a high enough concentration and suddenly burst outward.
Lin Xuan saw several guards closest to the Spirit Gathering Array cry out as the exploding spiritual energy sent them flying several zhang away.
The oncoming tide of spiritual energy made even Feng Jinfan's face fill with alarm.
"Not good!"
He shouted and quickly retreated, trying to protect Lin Xuan and the four princesses.
But as he drew close to Lin Xuan, the surging spiritual energy suddenly vanished.
Feng Jinfan felt as though he'd entered a peaceful world.
No matter how violently the tide of spiritual energy surged outside, it couldn't threaten him in the slightest.
Feng Jinfan immediately realized that Lin Xuan was responsible.
"The Emperor Consort neutralized that surging spiritual impact without even batting an eye. He really is extraordinary."
Feng Jinfan couldn't help but look at Lin Xuan with awe.
The other guards were equally impressed when they saw Lin Xuan standing firm, unmoved.
"As expected of the Emperor Consort. He really is formidable!"
"The Emperor Consort is incredible!"
At everyone's praise, Lin Xuan smiled faintly.
That was just how incredible the passive divine skill "Invincible Forbidden Domain" was!
Feng Jinfan then bowed. "Emperor Consort, I'm sorry for frightening you and the princesses!"
"I'll go investigate what caused the Spirit Gathering Array to malfunction."
Before you continue