“Are you not coming back?” Emperor Ji shot a glance at Cold Moon, his own mood far from pleasant.

A young girl, walking about in such a state — what a spectacle.

Cold Moon stamped her foot in fury, shot one more fierce glare at Feng Jiu, and then turned to return to Emperor Ji’s side.

Night Rakshasa, as the Sovereign of the Heavenly Respect Sect and an elder into the bargain, naturally had to wait for Cold Moon to stand down before making her move against a young person. Otherwise, it would constitute bullying the lesser with the greater in numbers — and if word of that spread to the jianghu in the future, where would her dignity be?

And so, only after Cold Moon had retreated did she fix her gaze on Feng Jiu and say: “Young brother, allow this old one to experience your palm technique — how does that sound?”

“Is this you issuing me a formal challenge?” Feng Jiu looked at her with not the slightest trace of respect in her eyes. “But why should I accept your challenge? I am hardly idle enough to have nothing better to do than this!”

Night Rakshasa was briefly taken aback. She had not expected an outright refusal — things had already come to this point, and even if she refused, could she truly escape this confrontation?

Then, reconsidering, her expression changed entirely, turning most unpleasant.

This insufferable little wretch — whether a boy or a girl — was mocking her for having nothing better to do!

“Furthermore,” Feng Jiu’s words did not stop there. Her eyes remained fixed on Night Rakshasa, and her gaze carried unmistakable contempt.

“People like you go around raising your hand against others at the slightest provocation, then won’t even let them refuse, thinking yourselves masters of heaven and earth. Frankly speaking, you are truly the ones with nothing better to do.”

“Why should anyone agree to fight you, only to take a beating? Do they owe you something? Even if they gave you a beating in return, they would gain nothing from it — so why on earth would anyone fight you?”

“If your own hands are itching and you have nowhere to vent, go vent it on your own husband — what are you coming to find someone like me, a fine young specimen in the prime of youth, for?”

She curled her lips, her disdain growing even heavier — and her expression one of sheer repulsion.

“I’m sorry, but at my age, being in the fresh bloom of youth and talent, I have absolutely no interest in an old faded flower like you. Could you perhaps stop clinging to me?”

“You—!” Night Rakshasa had never in her life heard such brazen words — and the reason was simple: no one had ever dared!

As for the few who were entitled to speak to her standing upright like this, they were all people of rank and standing. And which among people of rank and standing would speak in such an impudent manner?

This manner of provocation was a first for Night Rakshasa — a genuine first.

“What have I said? I am only speaking the truth — I have no interest in you, and that is simply that. You can hardly force me to like you, can you?”

Feng Jiu looked her over, seemingly appraising her, and at last pinched her own nose. “At your age, the proper thing is to live quietly at home, tend to your husband, and raise your children. Going about seducing young and vigorous men everywhere — have you no shame? I find it… nauseating.”

“You… you are seeking death!” At this point, how could Night Rakshasa contain her rage?

This wretch kept saying over and over that she was trying to seduce him, kept expressing such utter disgust for her! When had she ever wanted to seduce anyone? She merely wanted to beat him and cut out his tongue!

This kind of vicious mouth — to say this person was not Feng Jiu’er was genuinely hard to believe.

Yet from the exchange with Cold Moon just now, it appeared equally impossible that this was Feng Jiu’er. After all, the last time they had crossed hands with Feng Jiu’er, that wretched girl’s martial arts had been nothing out of the ordinary. In the span of a mere half year, it was absolutely impossible for her to have progressed so rapidly.

But regardless of whether this was Feng Jiu’er or not — now that Night Rakshasa had been goaded to this degree, this fight could not go unfought.

And so she did not even bother with any preamble, and with a whoosh, sent a palm strike directly at Feng Jiu’s face.

How dare this person claim to be youthful and handsome, and use that as grounds to look down on her! This impudent little runt — she would put him in his place for it. How dare he have no sense of the vast sky and wide earth!

Today, even if she did not kill him outright, she would at minimum beat him until he was crawling on the ground, begging on his knees and kowtowing his apology!

Night Rakshasa struck out, and her palm force was obviously far more formidable than Cold Moon’s. The withered branches and fallen leaves on the ground around them were swept up in her palm wind like a great net cast wide, surging toward Feng Jiu from all sides.

Emperor Ji, seated in his wheelchair, tightened his grip on the armrests, the tips of his fingers barely perceptibly clenching. Every ounce of his attention was fixed on Feng Jiu.

He too was uncertain — was this young man truly Feng Jiu’er or not? If Night Rakshasa could test the matter, he was naturally in favor.

Though, this young man’s tongue was certainly too capable — speaking to Night Rakshasa like that was no different from digging his own grave.

Of course, he also wanted to see whether Zhan Qingcheng had any intention of stepping in to help.

Feng Jiu’er’s martial arts were naturally no match whatsoever for Night Rakshasa’s. And now that Night Rakshasa had been driven to such a state of fury, once she made her move — if he were truly Feng Jiu’er and no one came to his rescue, he would undoubtedly perish.

Would Wu Ya hold back, and not lend a hand? He was absolutely unwilling to watch Feng Jiu’er be wounded and bullied.

Wu Ya — what would he do?

Emperor Ji’s gaze finally came to rest on Zhan Qingcheng.

In the space of a lightning flash, Night Rakshasa’s palm force carried within it a vast reservoir of true energy — even the air itself seemed to crack and snap under the impact of her concentrated inner power.

A furious gale surged toward the white-robed young man, bringing things to a critical juncture — yet Zhan Qingcheng was already standing quietly to one side, merely observing the two, seemingly without the slightest intent to intervene.

Could this white-robed young man truly not be Feng Jiu’er?

At last, the white-robed young man made his move.

Her eyes reflected Night Rakshasa’s figure as she swept her long sleeve outward. Compared to Night Rakshasa’s palm force, the palm wind she sent out seemed pitifully feeble.

Even Night Rakshasa herself wondered if she had struck too hard — why was this white-robed young man’s palm force so weak?

At this rate, her own strike would most certainly take that person’s life.

If it were anyone else, Night Rakshasa might have softened, just a little — might have recalled a fraction of her true energy.

But that damnable young man’s words just now had been truly too offensive! Without punishing him severely, how could she relieve the fury in her heart?

A thunderous boom — both palm forces collided, and the air all around seemed to freeze solid. The broken branches and fallen leaves that had been swept into the air hung suspended in midair, as though glued in place.

A moment later, another boom — a figure went flying obliquely through the air and landed on the ground with a crash.

Night Rakshasa had been the one sent flying.

“This—!” Even Emperor Ji nearly could not hold himself back — nearly rose from his wheelchair. Unfortunately, he was incapable of standing.

But the shock of it was beyond any words to describe. This was simply… simply beyond belief.

He was not Feng Jiu’er! Absolutely not Feng Jiu’er! In the space of a mere half year, Feng Jiu’er’s cultivation could never have reached such a level!

He was simply a young man whose build bore some slight resemblance to Feng Jiu’er, nothing more! Looking again now, even the height was plainly different — this young man was a good deal taller than Feng Jiu’er!

Elder Stone had likewise not anticipated it, and stood there stunned for quite some time before his expression shifted and he rushed forward, helping Night Rakshasa up from the ground: “Palace Sovereign!”