At this moment, the real Lu Yang's mind was struck by enlightenment, receiving a phrase that could predict future events of Heavenly Initiation, highlighting his path and destiny.

Every man must die, either by the hands of the Yingtian Immortal or by the Qilin Immortal.

In any case, death is inevitable.

If the Qilin Immortal were to witness this scene, Lu Yang would have no idea how to survive.

"What, Ah He? I am not the Qilin Immortal," said Fairy Eternity, the foremost among the Five Ancient Immortals. She would diminish her own value by pretending to be the Qilin Immortal, for she walked with integrity and sat with dignity.

"Not him?" Jin Caiwei looked at Fairy Eternity skeptically. Do I look stupid? Who are you trying to fool?

Could it be anyone other than Ah He who was so close to Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi?

"Indeed, she is not my husband."

Ao Ling looked down at this little girl, a smile that was not quite a smile on her face: "Little girl, the affairs of the ancient times are complex and intricate, how could you possibly understand them all?"

"Don't you dare call me little girl!" Jin Caiwei was furious. She hated being referred to that way, especially by Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi!

But hearing what Ao Ling said, could it be that Lu Yang really wasn't the Qilin Immortal?

Jin Caiwei began to feel uncertain.

Her knowledge of ancient affairs was indeed not comprehensive. For instance, she knew nothing about the Ancient Heavenly Court, while Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi had long been its members, clearly indicating an inequality in knowledge between the two sides.

"If he is not the Qilin Immortal, who else could he be!" Among the Four Ancient Immortals, only the Qilin Immortal met all the criteria.

If there were no outsiders present, Ao Ling would not mind disclosing the identity of Immortal Sister to Jin Caiwei, but now was clearly not the appropriate moment.

Ao Ling looked at the only outsider present: "Who is this man?"

"His name is Xia Tian, and he's a recent addition to my ranks," she replied.

"A follower?"

Ao Ling gave Xia Tian another glance. She knew that Immortal Sister's standards were exceptionally high, and she didn't just take in followers casually. If this Xia Tian had become a follower of Immortal Sister, he must have something special about him.

But looking at him, his cultivation level seemed ordinary, and if it came to a fight, even Elder Brother Lu Yang might best him. What did Immortal Sister see in him?

Well, it didn't matter. Immortal Sister had her reasons for everything she did.

Facing three Semi-Immortals, Emperor Xia didn't show any fear. Being a Semi-Immortal was one thing, but he had the backing of an ancient ancestor, acting as a present-day spokesperson for that great venerable being—his status was not inferior to that of a Semi-Immortal.

But could he still enjoy secretly roaming around if he revealed his identity?

Emperor Xia thought to himself, why was it that when his eldest son went out, he enjoyed life, but when he himself went out, he either encountered those clamoring to execute him or ran into three Ancient Semi-Immortals, neither of which provided a good opportunity to reveal his identity.

"Lianyi, have those lying on the ground go to the Ministry of Punishments to turn themselves in. I have things to discuss," Fairy Eternity said, referring to the panic-stricken Tribulation Cultivators.

"Alright."

Jiang Lianyi approached the few Tribulation Cultivators. The cultivators wanted to escape, but with the dragon's might oppressing them, they couldn't even move.

Jiang Lianyi activated the outline of the Survival Of The Fittest Dao Fruit, leaving an imprint on each of the Tribulation Cultivators, putting them under her control.

Witnessing this, Jin Caiwei scoffed coldly, reminded of the imprint left by Jiang Lianyi on Jin Que.

That happened just before the founding ceremony of the Demon Nation when the Gold Clan Leader accidentally entered an inn and saw Jiang Lianyi, who had not long been revived. To avoid drawing attention, Jiang Lianyi ordered the Clan Leader not to speak of her.

Although the Gold Clan Leader remained silent, Jin Caiwei had encountered Jiang Lianyi more than once and immediately recognized the imprint left by her.

"You seven, go and turn yourselves in at the Ministry of Punishments, confess all your crimes, but you must not reveal any information about me, Ao Ling, or Jin Caiwei," she commanded.

Being able to become Tribulation Cultivators means this wasn't their first or second time engaging in such matters.

Jiang Lianyi, Ao Ling, and Jin Caiwei, after all, have special identities. If the Ministry of Punishments were to learn that the two of them had come to the Imperial City, then Emperor Xia would become aware, potentially creating issues out of thin air.

The fewer troubles, the better.

"Yes!" Seven Tribulation Cultivators stood up and shouted in unison.

Ao Ling withdrew her dragon presence, and the seven Tribulation Cultivators staggered to their feet, appearing no different from usual. However, their destination was somewhere they would certainly never choose to go in the past.

They were indeed unwilling to surrender themselves to the Ministry of Punishments, but under the effect of the Survival Of The Fittest Dao Fruit Outline, they had no room to resist, not even able to exhibit a reluctant expression.

...

Ministry of Punishments.

Ever since passing the hot potato that was the Fourth Prince over to His Majesty, Xu Xin felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and his steps were much lighter.

The subordinates he had trained could also hold up the sky on their own. During his seclusion, they fulfilled their duties impeccably, handling the Ministry's cases in an orderly fashion and even revised the latest edition of "Possession Laws".

Even Xu Xin felt that he wasn't far from reaching the Transcendance Tribulation Stage. His pleasant mood was conducive to a breakthrough; nourishing his nature with his heart, it was an extremely profound state.

"I wonder how Daoist Buyu's little disciple is doing now. Speaking of which, this lad is indeed talented."

Xu Xin shook his head with a wry smile. After coming out of seclusion, he heard a lot of news about Lu Yang: the great battle in the Luo Tian Forest, crushing his peers with an invincible posture, composing poetry at Lotus Pavilion, attracting Ye Mengyin's favor, and so on.

Putting aside the stubborn insistence on decimating nine generations, Daoist Buyu's little disciple was still far more pleasing to the eye than Daoist Buyu himself.

At that moment, the Minister of Justice walked in, hesitant to speak.

"What is it?" asked Xu Xin, in a good mood and thus, more gentle in tone than before.

"To report to the superior, outside... never mind, perhaps you should see it for yourself," the Minister of Justice felt it unbelievable to explain, better to let Xu Xin see it in person.

"Very well," Xu Xin, accompanied by the Minister of Justice, went to the reception area and saw seven familiar figures.

"Shi Lei, Bai Yiwen, Zhao Tuo..."

These were all clients of the Fifth Prince.

Shi Lei, as if not seeing Xu Xin, recounted his past wrongdoings like spilling beans.

"We followed the orders of the Fifth Prince, leaked the imperial examination questions, and profited from it..."

"The Fifth Prince, in his effort to win over officials, had us arrange for their nephews and relatives to be placed within the dynasty..."

"This time at the auction as well, someone bought an item the Fifth Prince had set his sights on, and even after the Fifth Prince revealed his identity, they still refused to give face and bought the item at a high price, causing the Fifth Prince to lose face. We received orders to retrieve the item by any means necessary, and afterwards, we disguised ourselves..."

As clients of the Fifth Prince, every deed they did was inevitably tied to the Fifth Prince.

Xu Xin: "..."

No, the issue with the Fourth Prince had just ended, and now the Fifth Prince was popping up?

You seven, did you see the Fourth Prince get caught and suddenly have a change of heart, coming together to surrender?

"Hold on a second. Why are you suddenly deciding to surrender?" Xu Xin couldn't help but ask. These seven didn't seem like the type to be struck by a sudden bout of conscience.

Influenced by the Survival Of The Fittest Dao Fruit Outline, Shi Lei and the others couldn't reveal the information about Jiang Lianyi and the other two ancient Semi-Immortals. Initially, it was Immortal Sister who commanded Jiang Lianyi, and Jiang Lianyi who ordered them, the seven of them.

"It was Lu Yang who told us to come and surrender."