The beast-drawn chariot slowly landed in the center of the high platform.
A suppressed murmur erupted from the crowd below.
"The royal family has arrived. I wonder if Princess Great Qian will be present again this year? In previous years, she always represented the royal family at the competition!"
"Tsk tsk, that's Ling Xueyao! The most outstanding young talent in the entire Eastern Continent. Just catching a glimpse of her from afar is enough for me to brag about for half my life."
"What are you looking at, Princess Great Qian? Look at Situ Heavenly Sword Sect, the newly promoted Holy Situ Shuang'er! She has a natural beauty and is as cold as ice. In terms of appearance and temperament, she is in no way inferior to the princess, is she?"
"Truly a beauty beyond compare... Within the Eastern Continent, perhaps only this Holy Maiden Situ can rival the Great Qian Princess in both talent and appearance."
"That's not necessarily true. I've heard that Pill Pavilion Wen Jiao, the young master of the Pill Pavilion, is also incredibly beautiful, but she always keeps to herself and avoids going out."
"Hey, you bunch of frogs in a well! The truly stunning one is clearly that mysterious woman in the black dress who appeared at the South City Restaurant a few days ago. That figure, those purple eyes... she's simply a living, breathing beauty, captivating and mesmerizing."
"Come on, that's just hearsay. If such a beauty truly existed, how could she disappear so quickly and never be heard from again?"
The murmurs reached the high platform.
Situ Shuang'er's expression remained unchanged, but her gaze involuntarily swept towards the luxurious beast-drawn carriage.
That scene in the Cangwu Mountain Range still lingers in her heart like a thorn.
That high and mighty princess of the Great Qian Dynasty once declared in front of all the various forces that Chu Yunfei was her consort.
That domineering and arrogant attitude made Situ Shuang'er, who had always considered herself extraordinary, feel resentful for the first time that she had been overshadowed.
At this moment.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the beaded curtain of the imperial carriage was respectfully and slowly lifted.
A tall, bright yellow figure strode out, a warm smile on his face.
The eldest prince, Ling Chengyuan.
Situ Shuang'er's eyes narrowed slightly, then she coldly withdrew her gaze.
The hundreds of thousands of martial artists below were also greatly disappointed, and the previously boiling roar subsided in an instant.
"Why is it the eldest prince? Where is Her Highness the princess?"
"How strange... Not only did the princess not come, but have you noticed that ever since the royal family publicly denied Chu Yunfei's status as the prince consort a few days ago, the princess has not appeared again, and even Chu Yunfei has disappeared without a trace."
"Hey, Chu Yunfei offended the Cangyun Sect and the Puppet Sect, and even angered the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect. Now that he no longer has the royal family backing him up, he's probably already been secretly torn to pieces by the Cangyun Sect and the Puppet Sect. A discarded pawn without the protection of the royal family, how could he possibly survive?"
"What a waste of such heaven-defying combat power! If they could come today, I wonder what kind of storm they would have stirred up... Wait a minute!"
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp cry of surprise suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"Look to the east!"
Everyone instinctively turned their heads.
On the long entrance path to the due east, a clear and steady sound of footsteps pierced through the crowd and gradually approached.
A group of figures dressed in the Pill Pavilion robes walked slowly out of the heavily guarded passageway.
The young man at the head of the group wore a black robe, his dark hair fluttering in the wind.
He didn't deliberately release his aura, nor did he walk fast, yet he always remained in the center of everyone's attention.
It was as if the hundreds of thousands of people in front of him were just an insignificant background.
Chu Yunfei.
The sounds in the square suddenly ceased at that moment.
Moments later, an unbelievable uproar swept in like a tidal wave.
" Chu Yunfei?"
"He's still alive?"
"Hasn't he been missing for half a month already?"
"So many people were sent out by the Cangyun Sect and the Puppet Sect, yet they still couldn't kill him?"
"Judging from this, he's... also going to enter the secret realm!"
Chu Yunfei ignored the stares from his surroundings.
He didn't even bother to conceal the Abyss-Devouring Sword at his waist, letting the ancient black sword sway gently with his steps.
He wanted everyone to see things clearly.
Not only am I alive, but I have appeared with dignity and integrity.
Wen Jiao walked on his left.
She wore a snow-white long dress, her face was exquisitely beautiful, and her brows conveyed a sense of dignity and composure.
To Chu Yunfei's right, a woman in a black dress followed side by side.
The woman had a graceful figure, her black dress clung to her curves, and her face was covered by a thin black veil, revealing only a pair of eerie, beautiful eyes that shimmered with a purple light.
It was the Yao Yue.
Although Yao Yue had recovered her strength to the Eighth Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm, she concealed all her bloodline and cultivation aura with a secret treasure, thus not revealing her identity as a member of the Qingqiu Royal Clan.
Even so, the three of them appearing side by side instantly became the focus of the entire event.
On the seats of the Cangyun Sect.
Qin Hao had just picked up his teacup when he stopped the moment he Chu Yunfei.
Tea spilled down the rim of the cup, soaking his sleeves.
He seemed completely oblivious.
Chu Yunfei really did appear.
Moreover, not only did he appear, but he also walked side by side with Wen Jiao.
What he found most unacceptable was that the mysterious woman in the black dress who had captivated him in the restaurant was now standing beside Chu Yunfei.
Qin Hao slowly put down the teacup, his knuckles tightening little by little.
"Chu, Yun, Fei..."
His voice was filled with suppressed anger, as if it were being squeezed out from between his teeth.
Li Ce, who was standing to the side, opened his eyes and followed his gaze, his expression gradually becoming serious.
Qin Hao did not react immediately.
He forcibly suppressed the surging anger in his chest, and even tried to maintain the dignity befitting a holy son of the Cangyun Sect.
However, when Yao Yue turned her head and whispered a few words to Chu Yunfei, his face finally turned completely gloomy.
That familiar demeanor was far beyond the distance that should exist between ordinary colleagues.
Qin Hao recalled his behavior at the restaurant a few days ago.
He thought himself charming and took the initiative to strike up a conversation, even making outrageous remarks about Chu Yunfei, claiming that he could take Chu Yunfei's head within three moves.
In retrospect, it all seems like a ridiculous one-man show.
Yao Yue, on the other hand, was watching him make a fool of himself from beginning to end.
Elder Li.
Qin Hao gritted his teeth, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse.
"Once I enter the secret realm, I will personally kill Chu Yunfei!"
Li Ce looked at him and said in a deep voice, "Holy Son, there's no need to rush. The situation in the secret realm is complex. Since Chu Yunfei dares to show himself at this time, he must have something to rely on."
I don't care what he has to rely on.
Qin Hao slowly stood up, his aura Divine Sea Realm Second Layer cultivator spreading out uncontrollably.
The white jade armrest beside him cracked silently.
"He cut off my arm, causing me to lose face in the Jingyuan Hall, and just a few days ago he had someone humiliate me at the restaurant!"
Qin Hao stared at Chu Yunfei in the distance, his eyes gradually turning bloodshot.
"Today, in front of all the geniuses of the sects, I will make him wish he were dead!"
Li Ce did not try to persuade him further.
He also locked his divine sense onto Chu Yunfei, his eyes now showing a hint of coldness.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty."
"I will arrange for elite members of the sect to accompany you."
"Once he enters the secret realm, he will have no chance of escape."
On the other side.
Situ Shuang'er had also seen Chu Yunfei's face clearly.
Her fingers tightened suddenly on the sword hilt, and a barely concealed flicker of emotion flashed in her cold eyes.
He is still alive.
This result suddenly eased the tension that had been building up inside her for days.
But the next moment, when she saw Wen Jiao and Yao Yue beside Chu Yunfei, that slight relaxation was quickly replaced by inexplicable irritation.
Why is he always surrounded by so many women?
Wen Jiao is one thing, but...
Who is that woman in the black dress?
What exactly is the relationship between her and Chu Yunfei?
This inexplicable emotion annoyed Situ Shuang'er.
But she quickly suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and regained her cool and aloof expression.
But the hand gripping the sword tightened even more than before.
" Shuang'er Sister Shuang'er."
Standing to the side, Nangong Wuhen crossed his arms, looking down at the black figure below, a cruel sneer spreading across his lips.
"That piece of trash is incredibly tough."
"Originally, I was worried that he had died after being missing for so long. Now that he has come to his death on his own initiative... I will settle this old grudge for my junior sister."
Situ Shuang'er's eyelashes trembled slightly, her fingertips gripping the Ice Soul Sword tightly, and she said coldly:
"No need."
"My affairs are none of your business. I have nothing to do with him anymore."
Nangong Wuhen was met with a cold shoulder, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes, but he did not retaliate.
And at the very end of the Heavenly Sword Sect Sect's seats.
Lin Wanyin was dressed in an elegant palace gown, her hands tightly twisting the brocade handkerchief hidden in her sleeves, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Her beautiful eyes never left Chu Yunfei for a moment, her depths filled with unyielding worry and fear.
"You little rascal..."
Lin Wanyin bit her lip, her heart trembling as she pleaded, "You promised me... you would leave this imperial city alive, you can't break your promise..."
In the middle of the high platform.
The gentle smile on Ling Chengyuan's face paused briefly.
Chu Yunfei did indeed arrive.
Moreover, they entered the arena openly and legitimately alongside the Pill Pavilion, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of cultivators.
He made no attempt to conceal his identity, nor did he deliberately avoid the royal family's gaze.
This wasn't a forced entry into the game.
This is deliberately stepping into the hunting ground.
Ling Chengyuan's hand, hidden in his sleeve, slowly clenched, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"You do have some guts."
He muttered to himself.
Unfortunately, courage can't save your life.
In Ling Chengyuan's view, once Chu Yunfei enters the Heavenly Mystic Secret Realm, he will face an attack from the Cangyun Sect, the Puppet Sect, the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect.
Not to mention, there's also a trap personally set by the Emperor within the secret realm.
No matter how powerful Chu Yunfei appeared in the secret realm, he would ultimately not be able to leave alive.
At that very moment.
At the front of the crowd, the rogue Rogue Cultivator who had seen Yao Yue at the restaurant suddenly pointed at her, his voice trembling with shock.
"She... she's the mysterious woman in the black dress who appeared at the restaurant in the south of the city a few days ago!"
This statement was like a boulder thrown into a lake.
The square, which had just calmed down, erupted into chaos once again.
"Hiss... It really is her! That figure, those purple eyes... I absolutely cannot mistake her!"
"I heard that she only glanced at the restaurant before controlling several rogue Rogue Cultivator the Heavenly Origin Realm to kill each other."
"My God, she's actually following Chu Yunfei?! What's going on?!"
Countless gazes fell upon Yao Yue.
There was fear, there was jealousy, and there was also undisguised greed.
Yao Yue frowned slightly, her purple eyes coldly sweeping over the crowd.
None of the monks who met her gaze dared to continue looking directly at her.
Chu Yunfei noticed this and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Witch, it seems you're more popular than I am."
Yao Yue turned her head to the side, and said with a haughty snort, "Of course, my beauty is no joke. With a flick of my finger, I can charm a whole bunch of human men. Unlike you, a dog of a man who doesn't know how to cherish a woman."
"Ha, you're getting all smug just because I praised you."
"You...!"