Ning Fan's expression grew somewhat grave. He had already exhausted his entire repertoire in the fierce battle against Luo Ming. If another expert of that caliber appeared now, he feared he truly would not be able to withstand them.

Through the gathering mist, he could vaguely discern a graceful young girl standing at the far end of the rosy clouds. As she took a light, elegant step forward, the ten-thousand-zhang canopy of brilliant light beneath her feet suddenly condensed into a floating bridge. She stepped upon it, gliding toward Ning Fan and the others with absolute poise.

"We pay our respects to the Saintess."

"We pay our respects to Her Highness the Saintess."

The moment the girl stepped off the bridge and stood still, Luo Ming, Ji Wuxi, Fang Qi, Shao Hong, and the others instantly dropped to their knees and kowtowed. In the entire space between heaven and earth, only Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao remained standing.

"The Saintess?" Ning Fan murmured to himself.

He scrutinized the girl from head to toe. She looked quite young, roughly the same age as himself and Yun Qingyao. She wore a luxurious black gauze dress crafted from a peculiar material that seemed to swallow the surrounding light.

Her hair was elegantly coiled up, with the rest of her long locks cascading down like a black waterfall. Every gesture she made exuded a lofty, cold, and aloof charm.

Even though her face was concealed behind a thin veil of black silk, her silhouette and demeanor alone made it clear that she possessed a breathtaking beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall, the moon hide and flowers blush. Her appearance was not a single bit inferior to Yun Qingyao's.

The Spirit Void Fairy.

The name instantly flashed across Ning Fan's mind. Such an exquisite countenance could only belong to the legendary number one beauty of the Yin-Yang Divine Sect, the Spirit Void Fairy.

Furthermore, she held the revered position of the Sect's Saintess.

But something was amiss.

The Spirit Void Fairy's cultivation realm was unfathomably profound, and her status was exceptionally noble. Why would someone of her stature suddenly appear here?

A mere Spirit Vein should not possess enough allure to warrant a personal visit from the Saintess.

"Why do you not kneel upon beholding this Palace?" the Spirit Void Fairy asked, her icy voice cutting through the air as her gaze locked onto Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao.

Yun Qingyao instinctively shrank back, hiding behind Ning Fan's shoulder.

"Spirit Void Fairy, could it be that you wish to become my mother?" Ning Fan suddenly asked.

As his words echoed across the clearing, a look of profound astonishment flickered across the Spirit Void Fairy's face. In all her years, she had never heard such an outrageous, absurd statement.

"What did you say?"

"Hehe," Ning Fan chuckled with a grin. "I, Ning Fan, kneel only to heaven, earth, and my parents-with the sole exception of a potential future Master. For the Spirit Void Fairy to demand my knees, it naturally follows that you must wish to be my mother."

He failed to notice that the moment his playful words left his lips, the faces of Ji Wuxi, Fang Qi, Shao Hong, and the others behind him turned pale with horror.

This was the Saintess of the Sect. Even if she did not wield concrete executive power, she remained a lofty existence, deeply revered by ordinary disciples.

Ning Fan's words were incredibly reckless. It would surprise no one if the Spirit Void Fairy struck him down on the spot!

Sure enough, a flash of subtle anger surfaced on the Spirit Void Fairy's face. Her True Essence began to surge wildly around her, but in the very next instant, she abruptly froze and reined in her power.

"Hmm?"

"A Protection Order? You carry the Sect's Protection Order on your person? No... you are clearly in the Profound Extreme Realm. How could you possibly still possess a Protection Order?"

She stared at him, her voice filled with deep suspicion.

The Protection Order was enforced by a unique restriction. The greater the gap between an outsider's cultivation and the holder's realm, the more acutely they could sense its warding presence.

Of course, if someone was truly willing to endure the severe punishments decreed by the Sect's laws for violating the order, the ward would mean nothing-just like the situation with the Ninth Elder earlier.

As for why Luo Ming, Ji Wuxi, and the others had been able to attack Ning Fan, it was because they were actively competing for cultivation resources inside a Fated Chance ground. The original intent of the Protection Order was never to serve as an invincible shield that allowed a disciple to act tyrannically and unopposed while seizing treasures from others.

Hearing the Spirit Void Fairy's remarks, Luo Ming and the others finally realized the truth.

Indeed, Ning Fan still possessed a Protection Order. None of them had ever imagined that they would find themselves locked in a struggle against a new disciple who carried such a protective ward.

"Nothing is impossible," Ning Fan said, shrugging his shoulders. "I am the top-ranked A-grade disciple of this year's batch. I am entitled to a full six months under the Protection Order."

"A new disciple?" The Spirit Void Fairy raised an eyebrow, a flicker of disbelief crossing her beautiful eyes. Once the full weight of Ning Fan's words sank in, her gaze filled with genuine shock.

A new disciple?!

That meant the Profound Extreme Realm youth standing before her had entered the Sect less than a single week ago!

How could this be possible? Such a cultivation speed crossed the boundary into the truly absurd.

"A Dual Cultivation Physique? Are both of you blessed with it?" The Spirit Void Fairy instantly pierced through to the core of the matter, her eyes narrowing as she questioned them.

Ning Fan shrugged again, offering no reply.

In truth, he did not even know if he possessed a specialized Dual Cultivation Physique himself. However, Yun Qingyao almost certainly did, given the massive, staggering breakthroughs he achieved every time they cultivated together.

"Remarkable. With talent of this caliber, our Divine Sect will surely prosper and flourish for eternity," the Spirit Void Fairy noted, slowly nodding her head.

Yet, in the very next moment, a highly amused curve traced the corners of her lips beneath the veil.

"However, Junior Brother, this Saintess must remind you of one thing: the protection period legally expires the moment a cultivator breaks through to the Profound Extreme Realm. I shall personally instruct the Elders to look into this matter. Once you step outside this Fated Chance ground, someone will immediately arrive to verify your cultivation. If you are indeed in the Profound Extreme Realm, your Protection Order will be revoked on the spot."

This time, it was Ning Fan's turn to lose his smile.

"Ah?!"

The Protection Order was getting revoked just like that?

The top-ranked A-grade disciple was supposed to enjoy a full six months of absolute immunity, and now it was vanishing into thin air?

In truth, according to the Sect's standard projections, it should have taken the top A-grade disciple roughly six months of arduous training just to touch the threshold of the Profound Extreme Realm. The Protection Order was explicitly designed to give them a safe environment to achieve that very breakthrough.

No one could have anticipated that Ning Fan would be such a freak of nature, shattering the realm barrier before he had even used a fraction of his allotted time.

'Wait... she said she would personally instruct them to verify it?'

'In other words, if she didn't stick her nose in, wouldn't the Protection Order have naturally remained active for a while longer?'

'Absolutely!'

The restriction that automatically dissolved the Protection Order for Profound Extreme Realm cultivators required a formal verification process by the Sect's administrative branch. If he had just kept a low profile, he could have easily extended his immunity.

Ning Fan's mouth twitched in silent regret.

What a disaster. He had simply shot his mouth off for a bit of witty banter, only to provoke the Spirit Void Fairy into fast-tracking the revocation of his ultimate safety shield. Talk about a loss that completely outweighed the gain!

But even if it meant maintaining his Protection Order, kneeling down to the Spirit Void Fairy was something he would absolutely never do.

"This Saintess has important matters to attend to and will waste no more time on you unseemly lots," the Spirit Void Fairy declared, turning away. She paid no further attention to Ning Fan or the others, her lotus steps gliding gracefully toward the center of the Spirit Vein.

Ning Fan and the other cultivators locked their gazes onto her back. They were intensely curious about what exactly could have drawn the esteemed Sect Saintess to a place like this.

Standing directly before the glowing reservoir, the Spirit Void Fairy's fingers rapidly blurred as she performed a succession of complex hand seals. Her True Essence erupted, surging out wildly in massive waves that immediately began to interweave with the liquid essence of the Spirit Vein.

The originally placid, glowing river instantly became turbulent under her influence, turning into a churning vortex of spiritual energy that tossed and turned like a raging sea.

Masses of pale-blue fluid splashed violently into the air...

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