The Pleasure Palace bracelet hummed faintly against my wrist as Yue and I blurred through the southern skies, our enhanced cultivation turning the landscape below into a streaking mosaic of green forests and jagged peaks.

The wind whipped at our robes, but neither of us felt the chill—my Great Vehicle aura wrapped around us like a protective shroud, while Yue's Peak Soul Formation power let her match my pace effortlessly, her bow slung across her back and her green hair streaming like a banner.

We didn't speak much at first.

The system's warning about the Draconic Spiritual Vine's impending detonation hung between us like a storm cloud, its 72-hour countdown ticking away in the back of my mind.

Lily Quin—that scheming woman—had turned what should have been a slow depletion into a realm-shaking catastrophe, and every second we wasted brought us closer to a blast that could wipe out half the continent. Including us, if we weren't careful.

Yue broke the silence after a while, her voice cutting through the rush of air like one of her arrows. "Mei's going to be alright with that... whatever that pink-haired thing was?"

I glanced at her, noting the faint worry lines creasing her bronze forehead. "She is a nature spirit, so she'll keep Mei's natural affinity stable. Focus on what's ahead—we're walking into Immortal Sect territory, and they're not going to roll out the welcome mat."

She snorted, adjusting her grip on her bow mid-flight. "After what you did to their expedition force? I'd be surprised if they didn't throw everything they've got at us. But hey, more target practice for me."

We pushed harder, qi surging through our meridians as the Immortal Sect's distant peaks came into view—massive spires of white jade and spirit stone that pierced the clouds like arrogant fingers.

But something was off.

Even from miles out, I could sense chaotic energy signatures flaring erratically, like a hornet's nest kicked over.

"Contacts," Yue said sharply, her archer's eyes picking them up before mine did. "Five... no, seven. Nascent Soul level, coming fast. And they're not in formation—looks desperate."

I extended my senses, confirming it. Seven elders, their white robes tattered and auras ragged, streaking toward us on flying swords. They weren't charging in a coordinated assault; it was more like a frantic blockade, positioning themselves to cut us off from the sect's heart—and the Vine's location.

"They're targeting us," I muttered. "Not trying to engage—just delay."

We didn't slow. I accelerated, Yue matching me stride for stride, but the elders fanned out in a loose net, their qi barriers snapping into place like a hastily thrown web. One of them, a grizzled man with a scarred face, raised a hand crackling with formation energy.

"Stop! By order of the Immortal Sect, you will not pass!" His voice boomed, amplified by qi, but there was a desperate edge to it, like a man shouting at a tidal wave.

I didn't bother responding. With a casual wave, I unleashed a pulse of Great Vehicle qi—nothing lethal, just enough to scatter them like leaves in a gale. But they didn't scatter. Instead, they burned their life force in unison, auras flaring brighter as they reinforced their barriers, holding position through sheer suicidal determination.

"What the—?" Yue cursed, nocking an arrow. "They're not backing down. Fine, let's—"

That's when it happened. The elders' attacks didn't come at me—they veered sharply, all seven streams of destructive qi converging on Yue like guided missiles. Formation chains, explosive talismans, and raw blasts of elemental force—all aimed at her, ignoring me completely.

My blood ran cold. "Yue!"

She reacted instantly, twisting mid-air and loosing a barrage of qi-arrows that intercepted most of the assault in explosions of light and force. But one chain slipped through, wrapping around her ankle and yanking her off-course, dragging her toward the ground while the elders pressed the attack, their faces twisted in fanatic determination.

I blurred forward, my hand closing around the chain and shattering it with a squeeze. "You dare target my wife?"

The scarred elder spat blood from the backlash but didn't retreat, his eyes wild with a mix of fear and resolve. "We have our orders! The women die—the Emperor falls!"

They charged again, burning even more life force, their attacks a desperate flurry aimed solely at Yue. I intercepted, my palm strikes turning two of them into mist before they could close, but the remaining five adapted, weaving around me with suicidal speed, forcing me to shield her rather than counter.

"They're not even trying to hit you," Yue growled, firing another arrow that pierced one elder's shoulder, making him spin away in a spray of blood. "It's like they think taking me out will—ah, shit!"

Another talisman detonated near her, forcing her to dodge while I crushed the attacker's skull with a qi-infused punch.

These bastards weren't strong enough to threaten me, but their focus on Yue was turning the fight into a chaotic mess, buying time as more distant signatures began approaching from the sect's direction.

"They're stalling," I realized, rage boiling over as I vaporized another elder with a casual blast. "Trying to keep us from the Vine. Someone's pulling their strings—Lily?"

The last three elders didn't falter, even as their comrades' blood painted the sky. They burned brighter, life essence pouring out in a final desperate assault—all aimed at Yue, forcing her to weave through explosions and chains while I chased them down.

"You should leave, husband," Yue said suddenly, her voice steady despite the chaos. "I'll handle them. Get to the Vine—stop whatever's happening there."

I wanted to argue—the thought of leaving her against these fanatics twisted my gut—but she was right. The clock was ticking, and every second wasted here brought the detonation closer. "Yue, I—"

Before I could finish, reinforcements arrived—not enemies, but our own. Zhang Wuji blurred into view like a living shadow, his perfect blade severing one elder's arm mid-attack, while a squad of our newly organized followers formed a protective perimeter around Yue, their mixed qi creating a hasty but effective barrier.

"Please leave, my Emperor," Zhang Wuji said calmly, his sword already moving to intercept another strike. "We will protect the Empress. The Vine requires your personal attention."

The other followers echoed him, their voices firm: "Go, Emperor! We've got this!"

I met Yue's eyes one last time—she nodded, bow drawn and ready, a fierce smile on her lips. "Don't worry about me. Just make that woman pay for whatever she did to Mei."

With a final nod, I turned and accelerated toward the Immortal Sect's heart, qi blazing around me as I left the skirmish behind.

The distant peaks grew closer, but so did the ominous pulse of corrupted energy from the Vine—unstable, growing, a catastrophe waiting to erupt.

'But how is she doing all this?'There was definitely confusion, given how aware I was of the original plot. I knew she was a princess in the upper realm, entangled in her own throne mess that would have kept her busy.

Though even after my provocation, which I had done intentionally, thinking she would attack me— which she did—I had made sure that she was punished by the domain master.

It was a clear plan on my part, where I wanted her to break the very basic rule of the realms: never to attack the lower realm without the permission of the domain master, which she broke and would have been punished for it.

But now...

Somehow, the draconic vine had activated much sooner than its original plot.

The Immortal Sect was moving so vigorously as if ordered by something much stronger than them.

Everything seemed to have become too chaotic.

And while moving, with my eyes closed, I started to analyze the plot of the novel clearly.

Given that the early plot focused more on Zhou Chen and his adventure, it wasn't shown in particular what happened to the umpire and Immortal Sect before its destruction.

But that destruction should have been delayed naturally until either I stabilized it or left with my wives to the upper realm, uncaring about what happened down here.

Even if I wasn't able to stabilize that vine, it was clear that someone powerful enough to influence the arrogant Immortal Sect people had made a move.

Though I didn't know who it was, given that I had already reached the early Great Vehicle realm, which is just the peak of mortal cultivation, below the middle and late, it was enough for me to sense if someone strong tried to intervene.

But I couldn't sense anyone. Just one thing came to clarity in my mind:

'It's impossible for Lily to do all this... who?'

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