Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Taoist Jin, there are some issues outside, and we might be delayed for a while,"

one of the Royal Guards driving the carriage called out from behind the curtain to the inside.

Before this, he had already used the Guards' special communication method to inform the second carriage of Royal Guards and the commander of the Great Xia Imperial Guards.

Jin Xu responded from inside the carriage but made no move.

Meanwhile, Kui Lei on the second carriage flashed out of the carriage and arrived in front of the first one. She took out her magic weapon from her storage ring.

A gigantic saber taller than herself.

At the same time, in an inconspicuous corner of the surrounding streets, several small Teleportation Arrays lit up continuously.

A large number of Royal Guards and Great Xia retainers emerged from them, passing through the crowd, and surrounded the middle-aged man with the goat beard using hand seals.

In addition, a small group of Royal Guards was responsible for dispersing the bystanders around them, urging them to leave quickly through the Teleportation Arrays.

The tremors caused by the orderly steps of the city's defense forces were also approaching quickly from a distance.

The two ends of this long street would be blockaded by military formations in two breaths' time.

On the rooftops of the surrounding taverns and tea houses, a large number of soldiers who had teleported in revealed themselves clad in heavy armor and wielding magic crossbows.

The spirit-breaking crossbow arrows, gleaming with eerily luminous light, were already drawn.

The arrowheads were unanimously aimed at the middle-aged man with the goat beard on the street.

All of this happened swiftly and orderly; the entire process had not taken more than ten breaths to complete.

The middle-aged man with the goat beard, now surrounded in the center, looked around at the encircling Royal Guards and Great Xia retainers, then glanced at the soldiers on the rooftops nearby. A look of admiration appeared on his serious face.

"Worthy of being the premier dynasty of the Nine Provinces, the defense of this imperial city is indeed strict. I had previously thought that the grand Great Xia Empress would only be accompanied by a Void Refinement Realm night watchman,"

the middle-aged man stroked his beard and praised.

Kui Lei, holding the saber magic weapon, felt a slight grip tighten around the handle upon hearing his words; her pupils shrank slightly.

It seemed as if he had been targeting them for some time.

Yet she had only become aware of him when he chose to reveal himself.

"If this man had directly attempted an assassination on Her Majesty earlier... Oh, but we have the uncle-by-marriage here.

Then, there's no problem."

Recalling that Jin Xu was seated in the carriage behind her, Kui Lei's mind relaxed by seven, eight, nine, or maybe even ten parts. She adjusted her grip on the sword and spoke out loud.

"Your Excellency, to stop the Great Xia uncle-by-marriage's carriage within our Great Xia capital, do you not take us a bit too lightly?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the encircling Guards and retainers readied their magic, some taking out their talismans, and others preparing their magic weapons — ready to take action at a moment's disagreement.

The man with the goat beard now wore a grave expression again. He looked around at the diverse postures of the Cultivators surrounding him and his face showed a smile that was not quite a smile.

"I admire the response time and order of all you fellow Daoists," he said. "But as for the strength... heh, it's still a bit lacking.

I have come specifically to see the Great Xia uncle-by-marriage and would prefer not to create a disturbance.

Perhaps it would be best if all you fellow Daoists put away your Divine Abilities,

to avoid any misunderstandings."

This man with the goat beard seemed to be rather emotionally unstable; just seconds ago, he had expressed his admiration, and now he was suddenly deriding them.

After he finished speaking, the faces of the surrounding Cultivators showed their displeasure.

We're all Cultivators; why should anyone be afraid?

Even if we cannot perceive your level of cultivation, we still have the advantage in numbers.

Furthermore, Her Majesty and the uncle-by-marriage are inside the carriage, watching everything.

Now, if we were to be intimidated by a few words,

Goodness, that would reflect poorly on our careers!

Hence, after the goat-bearded man finished his persuasion, not a single one backed down. Instead, each showed an eagerness to act and looked towards Kui Lei in front of the carriage.

She had emerged from Empress Xia Yunzhao's carriage and held a high position herself. In this moment, everyone present tacitly agreed she represented the will of the Great Xia Empress.

"Judging by your attire, you are from the Tingyu Building. For a person from an assassin organization to stop a carriage in the street and ask to see the Great Xia uncle-by-marriage is simply ridiculous. Gentlemen, let's take him down first, and once he's in prison, we'll see if the Great Xia uncle-by-marriage is in the mood to meet him."

"Make your move!"

As soon as Kui Lei finished speaking, she swung her saber, striking the ground and sending sparks flying.

She then activated her Escape Technique and charged forward at extreme speed.

The cultivators surrounding them heard the order, some with grins splitting their faces, charged forward just like Kui Lei.

Some offering hidden support sought the right moment from the shadows.

Others raised their talismans and hurled them fiercely.

The soldiers on both sides of the street, armed with crossbows, fired their Spirit-breaking Crossbow Arrows and immediately began to reload.

The middle-aged man with a goat beard, seeing this unfold, let out a soft sigh.

Then!

A terrifying storm of Spiritual Power swept through the area, causing the airborne Spirit-breaking Crossbow Arrows to fall from the sky.

Kui Lei and the others who had charged forward could no longer advance even half a step.

The hidden supports revealed themselves, forced into visibility.

The talismans thrown by the talismanic cultivators didn't even have time to activate before they spontaneously combusted in mid-air, turning to ash.

"Ah, such admirable courage, but what a pity, the cultivation is too weak."

The man with the goat beard, after unleashing that overwhelming wave of Spiritual Power, made no further moves.

Instead, he stepped toward the carriage where Jin Xu was located.

At this moment, the three Dragon Horses pulling the carriage had become so terrified they were frozen in place, perhaps seeing their ancestors already.

But as quick as it is to speak, just as the middle-aged man with a goat beard unleashed his Spiritual Power and moved toward the first carriage.

The carriage where Xia Yunzhao was exploded with a roar.

A figure full of heroic spirit shot up into the sky, and it was none other than the Empress of Great Xia.

Xia Yunzhao flew to the air, waving her long sleeves. A Qi-Fate Golden Dragon rose spiraling from above the Imperial City.

After the dragon's roar, the Qi-Fate Golden Dragon reached her side and began to encircle her.

All these events may sound complicated, but they happened in a flash of lightning.

The man with the goat beard lifted his head to look at the Empress of Great Xia rising into the sky. His serious face gently shook, seemingly a sigh that meeting the Great Xia Imperial Uncle was not easy.

And Xia Yunzhao in the sky at this moment, with a solemn expression, flowing robes, and the Golden Dragon circling, was like a deity descending to earth.

She stared at the middle-aged man on the ground with her phoenix eyes and emotionlessly began, "You..."

However, she had hardly begun to speak when she heard Jin Xu's telepathic message.

"Leave it to me."

At the same time, Taoist Jin lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down.

He took two steps forward and came face to face with the middle-aged man with the goat beard. Before he could speak, the man spoke first.

"Taoist Jin Xu, you truly have the appearance of a banished immortal, extraordinary and handsome. It seems the rumors are not false.

Since you've descended from the carriage of the Great Xia Imperial Uncle, you must be the same person as that mysterious Great Xia Imperial Uncle, right?"

The man with the goat beard started with a compliment, then he straightforwardly revealed Taoist Jin's identity.

"You know me?"

Jin Xu's eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

There were not few who knew him, and there were some who knew of his identity as the Great Xia Imperial Uncle.

But knowing that the little Taoist was the Great Xia Imperial Uncle, there truly weren't many.

"Hehe, I not only know you, but I also know your mentor is from Xuanxu Temple, and your master is Tianxing Taoist."

The serious expression on the man with the goat beard carried a smile.

After saying this,

he unexpectedly knelt on one knee in front of Jin Xu.

Taoist Jin: "Um!?"