It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 544: The Highest Stakes Holy Grail War!

After explaining the situation with Lin Ling to the Princess and resorting to some gentle persuasion and a touch of ‘charm’, Mu Zhian finally convinced her to agree to his request.

Using her as a medium to connect Lin Ling with the Great Dao through the Dao Comprehension Flower.

After that, if the Great Dao sensed it was Lin Ling, it likely wouldn’t refuse.

Although strengthening the Eastern Continent for no reason didn’t seem to benefit Cloud Province… this was, after all, Mu Zhian’s request.

And Mu Zhian had promised to fulfill any of her requests, as long as they weren’t too outrageous, if she agreed.

In other words, if she wanted, she could use this opportunity to have her fill of the cake… as much as she desired!

Although tempted to do something right there in the Forbidden Zone Holy Maiden’s bedchamber, considering he was a guest, staying in her room for too long wouldn’t be appropriate, so the Princess ultimately dismissed the idea.

After seeing the Princess off, Mu Zhian was about to go see if there were any familiar faces among the cultivators gathered in the Forbidden Zone. But the moment he stepped out of the bedchamber, he saw Bai Ruoxi standing in the courtyard.

The beautiful woman in a white palace dress stood by the pond, her gentle and compassionate eyes gazing at Mu Zhian.

Seeing the young man emerge, she walked over, naturally took his arm, and said softly, “Is everything settled, Mu Lang?”

At first glance, the beauty beside him looked no older than twenty, her face beautiful and refined. But perhaps because of her shared soul with Gong Lianyue, a mysterious aura surrounded her, making her seem extraordinary.

Yet her beautiful eyes, like autumn water, gazed at him so affectionately, it made his heart melt.

“The coronation ceremony should begin in three days. Mu Lang, you’ve been in the Forbidden Zone for so long, you must be exhausted. Let’s go back for two days,” she said with a gentle smile, as if not noticing that the Princess had just left the bedchamber.

Mu Zhian initially wanted to refuse, as he was waiting for Mu Zhi to appear.

After all, judging by Yuanluo’s words earlier, Mu Zhi clearly knew quite a bit about the Mu family.

But he thought about it, the various Forbidden Lands would probably arrive the day before the coronation ceremony.

After all, the Forbidden Lands had always been at odds with the known powers of the Nine Provinces. Like lone wolves, they wouldn’t come so early and make things difficult for themselves.

And it seemed like it had been a while since he had properly satisfied Nai Xi. Looking at her gentle and vulnerable eyes, Mu Zhian’s heart softened, and he followed Bai Ruoxi through the spatial rift she tore open, returning to the Garden of Heavenly Harmony in the Two Polarities Sect.

Of course, during this time, he also had Wei Mengrou secretly observe the movements of the Forbidden Lands, instructing her to keep a close eye on the Forbidden Land of Life once they arrived.

In the courtyard of the Garden of Heavenly Harmony, Bai Ruoxi sat with her legs crossed under the pavilion, while Mu Zhian lay with his head in her lap, his eyes closed slightly, seemingly enjoying the moment.

“Why does Mu Lang care so much about the master of the Forbidden Land of Life? You’ve never even met her, you don’t even know her, right?”

Bai Ruoxi gently stroked Mu Zhian’s hair and asked softly.

Her intoxicating fragrance, the soft and heavy weight of her thighs on his head, the gentle touch… Mu Zhian couldn’t help but close his eyes slightly, a pleasant feeling spreading through him.

As expected, Nai Xi’s lap pillows are the best… This heavy, soft feeling is so comforting.

“Mu Lang?” Seeing Mu Zhian’s silence, Bai Ruoxi called out again tentatively, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Mu Zhian came back to his senses and opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see Bai Ruoxi’s face, blocked by her ample bosom.

“Not long ago, Cloud Province was secretly eroded by the Heavenly Dao, and the Forbidden Land of Life’s rule power tried to expand outwards. I want to see what the master of the Forbidden Land of Life is planning,” Mu Zhian said.

Bai Ruoxi was stunned for a moment, her gentle demeanor instantly vanishing as she looked at the young man in her lap with a flat expression.

“The Princess of Cloud Province is known as the woman closest to the Great Dao. She seems gentle, but she’s actually very difficult to approach. Yet, she actually appeared in Mu Lang’s room today… When did you become involved with the Princess?”

“Mu Lang, you’re so concerned about the Forbidden Land of Life, could it be because of the Princess?”

Just as Bai Ruoxi finished speaking, Gong Lianyue’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind, “The Innate Celestial Furnace naturally attracts the opposite sex, and he’s also a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. It’s not strange for the Princess to take a liking to him… You should just listen to me and take him to the Sword Palace.”

Bai Ruoxi gently shook her head and transmitted her voice, “No, that would hurt Mu Lang. He doesn’t like overly assertive women.”

Gong Lianyue snorted coldly, “You were too gentle in the past. If I were in your body from the start, I wouldn’t have let those vixens get close to him.”

Bai Ruoxi was taken aback, “But even after you were in my body, more vixens still approached Mu Lang…”

“And haven’t you been saying you have nothing to do with Mu Lang… Even if other vixens approached him at the time, on what grounds could you stop them?”

As they spoke, they seemed to forget they were a ‘vixen’ themselves.

Being rebuked by her own ‘sword’, even Gong Lianyue was speechless for a moment, unable to find a retort.

Then, she quickly sneered, “In any case, now that he’s reached Soul Transformation, the secret of his Innate Celestial Furnace won’t be hidden for much longer… Or rather, many probably already know he possesses it.”

“If you don’t do something, there will be more and more vixens around him in the future, and by then…”

The light in Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful eyes dimmed slightly. Although her gaze remained gentle, for some reason, it made Mu Zhian feel uneasy, and he sat up from her lap.

He said frankly, “Regarding the Princess and me, it all started when I went to Yu State.”

The light returned to Bai Ruoxi’s eyes, and she tilted her head slightly, asking doubtfully, “What do you mean, Mu Lang?”

“The Princess is innately connected to the Great Dao, and she happened to be visiting Yu State when I went to see Luo Tan.”

Mu Zhian sighed softly, “At that time, she thought I had ulterior motives towards Luo Tan, coveting her Innate Celestial Furnace, so she was quite hostile towards me.”

“Even after learning about my Innate Celestial Furnace constitution, her attitude only softened slightly… Until one day, I needed an ingredient for the Nine Cauldrons Nascent Soul Pill and had no choice but to go to Cloud Province with her.”

Bai Ruoxi’s eyes flickered, hearing the helplessness in Mu Zhian’s tone:

“At that time, I happened to notice that Cloud Province was being eroded by the Heavenly Dao. The Princess told me the truth… Then, we resolved the issue together, and our relationship finally improved somewhat.”

Bai Ruoxi said softly, “So the Princess came looking for you this time because of the Forbidden Land of Life incident?”

Mu Zhian shook his head, “Not just because of that.”

“You should have also noticed that although I’ve reached Soul Transformation, I haven’t comprehended any Dao Rhyme. The three Daos of Heaven, Earth, and Human aren’t suitable for me, so… I need the Great Dao.”

He placed his hand on the back of Bai Ruoxi’s hand, gently squeezing her soft, small hand, and whispered, “Ruoxi… I’m sorry.”

So, in the end, the Princess is also after Mu Lang’s body…

A rare coldness appeared on Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful and refined face.

“She’s already married, yet she’s having an affair with Mu Lang. And Mu Lang, there are other ways to reach Soul Transformation…”

Although she said that, Bai Ruoxi wasn’t as angry as before.

After all, the fish in the pond all knew about Mu Zhian’s promiscuity, and Bai Ruoxi naturally knew him very well.

Or rather, hadn’t she tacitly approved of Mu Zhian going to Yu State before?

Thinking of this, the young woman suddenly sighed softly, “I originally thought that if Mu Lang reached Soul Transformation sooner, he would have the means to protect himself. But now I regret it a bit…”

“Reaching Soul Transformation too early doesn’t seem entirely beneficial for Mu Lang.”

She fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Mu Zhian gazed at Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful face and suddenly said with a smile, “You had me return to the sect, it wasn’t just to be alone with me, was it?”

“You also didn’t want trouble finding me, right?”

After reaching Soul Transformation, the Spirit Dragon’s shielding technique would no longer be effective. The exposure of his Innate Celestial Furnace was only a matter of time.

And once the secret of the Innate Celestial Furnace was exposed, Mu Zhian would become a target.

The ancient beings of the Forbidden Lands had been wondering how the Jade Empress transcended, and once they knew Mu Zhian possessed the Innate Celestial Furnace, this question would be answered.

The Jade Empress and Gong Lianyue were both women connected to Mu Zhian.

And both had transcended.

Just thinking about it, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots.

And once this matter was exposed, there would be two sides.

Those who wanted to recruit Mu Zhian, and those who were hostile towards him.

The female rulers of the Forbidden Lands would naturally want to obtain Mu Zhian, have him submit to their whims, and continuously provide them with the Spiritual Energy from his Innate Celestial Furnace.

And the other ancient beings, upon learning Mu Zhian possessed the Innate Celestial Furnace, would try to kill him by any means necessary.

This was obvious.

After all, if Mu Zhian continued like this, as the number of transcended Empresses in the Nine Provinces increased, it would eventually threaten their position.

Many Forbidden Lands were emerging from seclusion this time precisely because they wanted to meet the owner of the Innate Celestial Furnace who reached Soul Transformation in the Forbidden Zone.

It could be said that the Eastern Continent’s Forbidden Zone was now the center of the storm.

And Bai Ruoxi wanted to pull Mu Zhian out of it.

Bai Ruoxi was stunned for a moment, then said, “Mu Lang is truly clever, nothing gets past you.”

Mu Zhian couldn’t help but smile, “It was just a simple guess. If you truly wanted to be alone with me, you could have just taken me back to the Sword Palace, why return to the Two Polarities Sect?”

“Although the Sword Palace is impregnable, the Two Polarities Sect’s formations are much safer. You came to the Two Polarities Sect for this reason, right?”

Bai Ruoxi was speechless.

Although she knew Mu Zhian was clever, she didn’t expect him to have guessed everything without her even saying anything.

“But regardless, I still have to return to the Forbidden Zone in two days to witness Sister Lingxuan’s coronation ceremony,” Mu Zhian said.

Seeing Bai Ruoxi about to speak, he gently placed a finger against her red lips and said with a smile, “It’s been a few days since I reached Soul Transformation, do you really think no one has guessed who the owner of the Innate Celestial Furnace is yet?”

Mu Zhian continued, “Actually, no matter where I am, they will eventually find out. Instead of passively waiting for those hidden enemies to come to me, it’s better to use myself as bait and see how many factions are interested in me this time.”

“Are you that confident in your own abilities, Mu Lang?”

Bai Ruoxi said faintly, “No one will cause trouble during the Forbidden Zone’s coronation ceremony, but once they confirm you possess the Innate Celestial Furnace… I’m afraid there will be quite a commotion in the Nine Provinces after you leave the Forbidden Zone.”

“Are you confident you can protect yourself, Mu Lang?”

“I’m not.”

Mu Zhian shrugged, answering frankly.

Just as Bai Ruoxi was about to speak, she heard the young man’s gentle voice, his eyes gazing at her warmly, “But I’m confident in you.”

He gently caressed her delicate face, looked into her gentle and compassionate eyes, and said with a smile, “You’ll protect me, right?”

Bai Ruoxi was stunned for a moment, then pursed her lips slightly, a gentle, all-encompassing smile appearing on her face as she tilted her head, “Of course.”

A blush quickly spread across her cheeks, and she lowered her head slightly, whispering, “By the way, I haven’t tasted Heavenly Court Spiritual Energy since you reached Soul Transformation Realm…”

Then, she looked up at him shyly and timidly, “Mu Lang…”

Mu Zhian: “This is the courtyard, what if someone comes in…”

Bai Ruoxi: “I’ll sense anyone approaching, so it’s fine.”

Although her words were hesitant, her bright eyes stared intently at Mu Zhian, her rosy lips parting slightly, her breath sweet.

And on her head, a pair of fox ears quietly appeared, twitching slightly in arousal.

Mu Zhian’s Spiritual Energy was incredibly alluring to the opposite sex, and it had been a long time since he had properly satisfied Bai Ruoxi. Being alone with him now naturally stirred her heart.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, as Mu Zhian was still watching the girl kneeling beside him, clumsily yet earnestly trying to please him… a black envelope silently appeared in the void before him.

The envelope was so dark it was almost purple, emanating a mysterious and eerie aura.

Mu Zhian opened the envelope and saw the illusory figure of a little girl appear before him.

Her skin was slightly pale, and she wore a loose black dress adorned with complex star patterns. A playful smile played on her lips, her eyes slightly dark.

The master of the Forbidden Land of Life, Mu Zhi!

She opened her lips slightly, and her sweet, syrupy voice echoed through the Garden of Heavenly Harmony, “I’m here to see you, Big Brother~”

“I trust you’re ready?”

At the same time, a faint buzzing sound seemed to echo through the world.

Mu Zhian turned his head slightly and looked towards a certain direction outside the Two Polarities Sect.

He could sense faint, ominous auras emanating from the Western Regions, Cloud Province, Yu State, and other places.

A Forbidden Land had emerged!

Mu Zhian looked at the letter in his hand and couldn’t help but smile, not surprised at all.

He had long known that with him as bait, it wouldn’t be difficult to lure out Mu Zhi, or even other Forbidden Lands.

Just then, Mu Zhian suddenly saw Mu Zhi’s illusory figure raise a small hand, making a hand seal.

The small, adorable little girl revealed a dangerous smile.

A secret technique?!

Mu Zhian’s heart skipped a beat as he saw Mu Zhi’s illusory figure gradually solidify.

At the same time, she reached out towards him.

Weng!

Just then, a vibrating sound suddenly came from before Mu Zhian.

The beauty who had been serving Mu Zhian just moments ago quietly stood up, a golden halo appearing behind her.

Bai Ruoxi drew the Bronze Sword from the halo and gently swung it towards Mu Zhi.

Bang!

The void trembled, and the illusory figure instantly shattered.

Deep within the Forbidden Land of Life, Mu Zhi seemed to sense something and abruptly opened her eyes.

The black letter in her hand was burning, someone’s reply faintly visible on it.

Mu Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly.

She recognized Gong Lianyue’s handwriting.

Two words faintly appeared.

“Stay away.”