207: My score isn't settled yet.

Inside the underground hollow, the air seemed to solidify.

Cold Moon's words, "very durable," delivered with a moist, warm breath, made hearts tremble, yet caused the other four women present to itch with resentment.

Su Lin felt a numbness at the base of his ears, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Before he could push away his increasingly audacious Eldest Disciple, four waves of hair-raising Killing Intent radiated from behind him.

"Durable, is it?"

Su Hongling clenched her newly healed fists, making them crackle, while a literal fire burned in her red eyes.

"That's perfect! This old lady hasn't fought enough! Eldest Senior Sister, since your body is so sturdy, why don't you serve as my punching bag for a bit?"

"I think that works."

Luo Ximei sneered repeatedly, her Devilish Qi transforming into a black comb as she neurotically groomed her long hair.

"Durable is good; only something durable can withstand being toyed with."

Chu Weiwei was even more direct; she climbed up from the ground and patted the dust off her skirt.

"Since Eldest Senior Sister is so energetic, then Weiwei is relieved."

She shook a bottle, producing a sloshing sound of liquid.

"Weiwei will take this opportunity to conduct an experiment and see whether Immortal Qi is more powerful, or my poison."

Even Mu Qingxue, who had remained mostly silent, silently walked up behind Su Lin.

She reached out a hand and placed it on Su Lin's shoulder; a bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped him, as if she were staking a claim.

"Revered Master is tired."

Her voice was as cold as ice shards.

"There is no need to do those unfinished things.

What Revered Master needs right now is quiet rest.

I will freeze this place so Revered Master can have a good sleep."

Facing the blatant threats from her four Junior Sisters, Cold Moon merely gave a contemptuous smile.

She did not let go of Su Lin; instead, she more audaciously leaned her head against his shoulder, her provocative gaze sweeping over everyone.

"What? Planning a rebellion?"

She slightly tilted her chin. Her majesty as an Empress, mixed with the newly acquired Immortal Qi, instantly transformed into an invisible storm that swept across the area.

"Do not forget, this is Southern Yu."

"If you dare to make a move, I do not mind throwing you all into the turbulent Void Realm for a bath."

"You!!"

Su Hongling was so angry she hopped in place, raising her fist to charge, only to find that countless platinum-colored chains had sprouted beneath her feet, binding her firmly in place.

Not just her—Luo Ximei, Chu Weiwei, and Mu Qingxue were also trapped by these chains, unable to move.

Luo Ximei's expression changed drastically. Although the True Immortal Origin within her was powerful, it was completely incomparable in scale to Cold Moon, who was backed by the entire scar of heaven.

"Let me go! You bastard who abuses her power for personal gain!" Su Hongling shouted and yelled.

"Enough!"

Su Lin finally reached the end of his patience.

He abruptly broke free from Cold Moon's embrace, took a step back, and straightened his rumpled collar, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"All of you, settle down!"

This angry roar, laced with the Divine Soul shock of the Body Integration Stage Great Perfection, finally caused this group of hot-headed disciple to calm down slightly.

Su Lin's stern gaze swept over each of them.

"Look at yourselves right now!"

"Every one of you is covered in blood, hair disheveled—how are you any different from vengeful ghosts that just crawled out of a mass grave?"

"And you still want to do those kinds of things?"

He pointed at Cold Moon, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment.

"Look at you, your dragon robe has turned into rags, your face isn't even wiped clean, and you're in the mood to think about such nonsense?"

Cold Moon subconsciously touched her face and indeed felt a hand full of blood and dust left over from the battle.

Her originally arrogant expression instantly froze.

For an Empress who was extremely meticulous about her appearance, having her beloved point out that she looked like a madwoman was more painful than being killed.

"And you lot."

Su Lin pointed at the other four.

The ones named lowered their heads one after another, their arrogant momentum instantly deflating.

Su Lin took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

"The priority right now is not arguing or fighting for favor."

He pointed to the pitch-black hole above, which, though sealed, remained dark.

"We need to go up."

"In the Nanyu Imperial City above, there is still a mess waiting to be cleaned up."

"That Sima Rongrong and those rebellious officials—if they aren't handled, this Nanyu Divine Dynasty will fall into chaos sooner or later."

Upon hearing the name Sima Rongrong, Cold Moon's gaze instantly turned cold.

The lingering romantic atmosphere around her vanished, replaced by a monarch's lethal intent.

"Revered Master is right."

She slowly straightened up. Though her clothes were in tatters, her Aura of ruling over the world was stronger than ever.

"My accounts haven't been settled yet."

She waved her hand, and the Platinum Chains binding her Junior Sisters instantly dissipated.

"Let's go."

Cold Moon said indifferently.

"Follow me... back to the palace."

...In front of the Taiji Hall in the Nanyu Imperial City.

That sudden rain of blood had long since ceased, but the air still held an incredibly oppressive atmosphere.

Tens of thousands of Imperial Guards held long spears, surrounding the entire square so tightly that not even water could leak through.

On the jade steps before the hall, Sima Rongrong sat slumped on the ground in a black robe, her face ashen as death.

Behind her knelt a vast crowd of officials and members of the imperial family who had participated in the rebellion.

They were all trembling.

Because just moments ago, they had seen with their own eyes that the void rift, which symbolized destruction, had been forcibly repaired. Immediately after, a pillar of platinum light that connected heaven and earth shot up from underground—a sign that the Imperial Dao Dragon Qi had recovered, or even ascended!

The Empress... was not dead!

Not only was she alive, she had become even stronger!

"It's over... everything is over..."

Sima Rongrong murmured to herself, her eyes hollow.

She had schemed everything, colluded with foreign races, sabotaged the formation, and even risked eternal infamy, all to seize that supreme imperial throne.

But now, everything had become a phantom bubble.

Just then.

"Boom!"

The void in front of the hall suddenly shattered.

Five figures stepped out from the light and shadow.

Leading them was the Empress who terrified them to their core, Cold Moon.

At this moment, although her robes were damaged and she was covered in blood, the phantom of the platinum Ancestral Dragon swirling around her left everyone present without the courage to even look directly at her.

It was a true Mandate of Heaven that stood above mortal imperial power!

"Kneel!"

Cold Moon offered no superfluous words, only coldly spitting out two words.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Like waves of wheat blown by the wind, tens of thousands of people on the square—whether Imperial Guards or officials, whether in the Foundation Establishment Stage or Soul Transformation Stage—all felt their knees buckle at this moment and knelt heavily on the ground.

Not a single person dared to look up.

Not a single person dared to make a sound.

This was the absolute dominance brought by absolute strength.

Standing behind Cold Moon, Su Lin couldn't help but feel some admiration as he watched this scene.

His Eldest Disciple was indeed an expert at handling politics.

"Sima Rongrong."

Cold Moon's voice echoed before the hall, devoid of any discernible emotion.

"Do you confess your crimes?"

Sima Rongrong trembled all over and with difficulty raised her head to look at the high-and-mighty figure, letting out a miserable laugh.

"The winner takes all... I have nothing to say."

"I only ask Your Majesty... to give me a quick end."

"A quick end?"

Cold Moon sneered, her laughter bone-chillingly cold.

"You wish."

She turned around and looked at her four Junior Sisters, a cruel smile appearing on her face.

"My Junior Sisters, didn't you say down there that you hadn't had enough fun?"

"This person..."

Cold Moon pointed at Sima Rongrong.

"Is handed over to you."

"As long as you leave her with a breath of life, don't let her die."

"Really?!"

The eyes of the four Junior Sisters instantly lit up.

They had suppressed a stomach full of anger from being restrained by Cold Moon below and were just worrying about having nowhere to vent it.

Now that a ready-made punching bag had been delivered to them, it was like someone providing a pillow just as they were getting sleepy!

"Hehehe..."

Su Hongling was the first to rush up, clenching her fists and laughing like a villain.

"Old hag, I didn't get to fight to my heart's content down there, so I'll use you for practice now!"

"Ten Thousand Poisons Heart-Devouring Pill!"

Chu Weiwei pulled out a handful of multicolored pills and stuffed them all into Sima Rongrong's mouth at once.

"Soul Search and Spirit Capture!"

Luo Ximei was not to be outdone; her Devilish Qi transformed into claws that directly gripped Sima Rongrong's skull.

"Let me see what kind of trash is packed inside this brain of yours!"

"Ice Seal... Localized."

Mu Qingxue was the most ruthless; with a flick of her finger, she magnified the other's sense of pain tenfold and then froze her vocal cords so she couldn't even scream if she wanted to.

Su Lin truly couldn't bear to watch the scene that followed.

He turned around, facing away from that wretched sight, and gave a silent sigh.

What a sin.

But he couldn't blame his disciple for being cruel.

The cultivation world was a place where the weak were prey to the strong; kindness to an enemy was cruelty to oneself.

Furthermore, this Sima Rongrong had almost caused the entire Southern Yu continent to crash and nearly caused Cold Moon's death and the dissipation of her Dao.

Dying ten thousand times would not be enough... After dealing with the traitor, the next step was to reorganize the court.

Cold Moon demonstrated her iron-fisted methods as an Empress.

Purging, promoting, appeasing, and deterring.

A series of orders were issued like flowing water, and the originally turbulent Nanyu Imperial City restored order within a mere half-day.

Of course, this was also inseparable from the deterrence of the four Mahayana Stage powerhouses standing at the palace gates like guardian gods.

Who would dare to cause trouble at a time like this?

Did they think their lives were too long?

Night fell.

Calm was restored within the imperial palace once more.

Su Lin truly couldn't stand watching these girls wandering around covered in blood.

"All of you, go and wash yourselves clean!"

Su Lin stood at the door, holding several sets of clean clothes he had found in the palace storehouse, his face dark like a dormitory supervisor.

"Whoever doesn't wash up properly won't be allowed to eat tonight!"

"We know..."

Several lazy voices came from inside, accompanied by the sloshing of water.

The side hall drew from a geothermal spring; it was steaming hot and filled with white mist.

In a massive white jade pool, five peerless beauties were soaking in the water.

Yes, five.

In addition to the four Junior Sisters, Cold Moon was also there.

At this moment, they had shed their murderous equipment and put down their facades as powerhouses.

In that hazy mist, their skin was as white as snow and their curves were exquisite, like a magnificent painting of beauties bathing.

Only... the atmosphere in this painting was slightly off.

"Hey! Su Hongling! Stop splashing the water!"

Luo Ximei wiped a water droplet from her face and moved aside in disgust.

"You're covered in mud; you're making the water dirty!"

"If you think it's dirty, then don't wash!"

Su Hongling swam around in the water like a fish, deliberately splashing water everywhere.

"Old Man told us to wash, what do you care how I do it!"

"Second Senior Sister, your foot touched me."

Mu Qingxue spoke coldly, a thin layer of frost forming on the water's surface around her.

"If you keep moving around, I'll freeze you to the bottom of the pool."

"Tch, stingy."

Su Hongling curled her lip and swam to the other side, just as she bumped into Chu Weiwei, who was scattering flower petals into the water.

"Oh no! My beauty petals!"

Chu Weiwei cried out in distress, "Second Senior Sister, you owe me! These were for me to maintain my skin for Revered Master to see!"

"Enough, everyone shut up."

Cold Moon leaned against the edge of the pool, her arms spread out over the jade rim. Her wet long hair clung to her back, making her look exceptionally languid.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the soak in the hot spring; her skin, reshaped by Immortal Qi, radiated a lustrous glow in the water.

"You're so noisy just taking a bath; no wonder Revered Master finds you annoying."

"Finds us annoying?"

Luo Ximei swam over and leaned against the edge opposite Cold Moon, her eyes fixed on Cold Moon's chest, her tone sour.

"Eldest Senior Sister, do you think that because you've become stronger and your figure has improved, you can take Revered Master all for yourself?"

"Is that not the case?"

Cold Moon opened her eyes, her lips curling into a confident arc.

She puffed out her chest, her perfect curves faintly visible beneath the water.

"My current body is a perfect Immortal Spirit Body.

Whether it's the feel, or... the endurance, it's a hundred times better than yours."

She deliberately lowered her voice, her tone suggestive.

"Revered Master will definitely like me more."

"In your dreams!!"

At this, the other four all exploded.

"So what if you have an Immortal Spirit Body?!"

Su Hongling stood up abruptly, showing off her tight, explosive thighs.

"This muscle, this elasticity, when I wrap... ahem, it's definitely more exciting than you!"

"Vulgar!"

Chu Weiwei snorted in disdain and pulled a small bottle from the water.

"Knowing how to condition oneself is the right way! Weiwei can use medicinal baths to make herself fragrant and make her skin as soft as water; Revered Master won't be able to let go once he touches it!"

"You're all too shallow."

Mu Qingxue said indifferently.

"Revered Master likes peace and elegance."

She condensed an Ice Lotus flower at her fingertips.

"Someone as pure as ice and clean as jade like me is Revered Master's favorite."

"Heh."

Luo Ximei let out a meaningful, cold laugh.

She stood up from the water, her devilish figure fully revealed; especially that innate charm of hers was practically a walking aphrodisiac.

"Only someone like me, who can be both a disciple and a vixen, can truly capture Revered Master's heart."

The water temperature rose higher and higher, and the atmosphere grew hotter.

Just as they were arguing and preparing to start a physical contest.

"Are you finished washing?"

Su Lin's somewhat impatient voice came from outside the door.

"The food is getting cold."

"Coming, coming!!"

Five voices rang out simultaneously.

This was immediately followed by a flurry of splashing sounds as they left the water and the rustle of clothes being put on.

A moment later.

In the side parlor of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

A massive round table was laid out with delicacies meticulously prepared by the Imperial Kitchen.

Though it couldn't compare to the eight treasures demon-subduing feast personally made by Su Lin, it was still full of color, aroma, and flavor.

Su Lin sat in the seat of honor and breathed a slight sigh of relief as he looked at his five refreshed and fragrant disciple before him.

They finally looked like human beings again.

Cold Moon had changed into casual wear; her purple long dress made her look noble and elegant, with less of a monarch's sharpness and more of a woman's softness.

Su Hongling had also rarely put on a normal red ruqun; although it still couldn't hide her wild nature, at least she looked much more pleasant to the eye.

Luo Ximei, Chu Weiwei, and Mu Qingxue had also each changed into clothes that best showcased their figures and suited their temperaments.