Lin Feng had just received the message from his sect leader. He got so excited that he immediately ran to find Bai Wei, his face full of joy.
"Bai Wei! Master found her!"
Bai Wei looked at him, confused for a second. "Master? Oh... you mean Brother Huai."
Lin Feng scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. He sometimes forgot that in this life, Huai was technically their senior brother. But in his heart, Huai would always be his master, just as he had been a disciple to him in their past life.
He couldn't help but grin. "Can we go back now?"
Bai Wei looked toward the south, where the sky had just calmed after the giant Tai Chi disappeared, they also saw that magnificent tai chi and gained a little improvement in their cyltivation. He nodded his head in approval.
"Let's go back."
They had just left the battlefield when, not far away, an old man finally tore his gaze from the sky.
His chest heaved as he took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Impossible," he muttered to himself, his voice shaking. "Is there someone else besides me still hiding among the mortals?"
A cold trace of real fear crept into his heart. That was a Dao resonance just now. And not some small, ordinary one either. Even the so-called immortals of the upper realm could never cause something like that.
He steadied his breathing, then his eyes slowly drifted down and landed on the two young men in white uniforms walking away from the battlefield.
The old man narrowed his eyes and let out a low chuckle.
He took a step forward and followed them silently through the crowd.
He was very, very interested in Bai Wei.
After Lin Feng and Bai Wei left the front lines, they were welcomed by the officers of the Battle Tower. Their merits from the battlefield had already been recorded onto their Holy Tokens.
Many of the soldiers were sad to see the two young heroes of humanity leaving so soon.
The two of them were walking away with heavy hearts when an old voice called out from behind them.
"Young ones. Please stop."
Lin Feng and Bai Wei turned around.
Behind them stood an old man who looked to be eighty or ninety, his back slightly hunched. He wore simple light-green robes that fluttered in the wind. His long white hair was tied back with a plain green ribbon, and a long white beard covered his wrinkled face.
Lin Feng asked politely, "Yes, senior? Do you need something from us?"
The old man walked closer, shaking his head with a laugh. "Hahaha. Little ones. I like you both. You were very good with those moves of yours on the battlefield."
Lin Feng and Bai Wei frowned at the same time. "You saw us? On the battlefield?"
That was strange. They were cultivators. Their memories were perfect. It was impossible to forget a face they had seen, and yet neither of them could remember this old man at all.
They both instinctively tried to sense his cultivation, and found... nothing. It was like staring into empty air.
The old man gave them a mysterious smile. "It is not good to peek, young ones. You cannot see through me."
Lin Feng's frown deepened. As a reincarnated Galaxy Sovereign, there were only two people in this world he could not see through.
They are his master, and the Grand Elder. How was this possible? Could this old man also be an immortal?
He swallowed and moved half a step in front of Bai Wei.
The old man chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm just interested in that ancient pine." He lifted a finger and pointed directly at Bai Wei.
Lin Feng's blood ran cold. He immediately drew his sword and leveled it at the old man.
At that exact instant, another figure appeared in front of them.
Ji Wuxuan , the peak Galaxy Sovereign Huai had secretly sent to protect them. Both Lin Feng and Bai Wei were startled. They had thought Elder Wuxuan never followed them to the battlefield.
The old man just laughed. "Hahahaha. Don't worry, don't worry. I don't want to refine him. I want to take him as my disciple."
Ji Wuxuan's eyes turned cold. He stepped forward. "Old man. I know you are powerful. But if you dare to touch a single hair on the young master's head, I will do everything I can to kill you." As he spoke, a wave of killing intent rolled off him unconsciously.
The old man only chuckled.
With that one sound, Ji Wuxuan's entire power froze. In a single second, the mighty peak Galaxy Sovereign was suppressed into something no different from a mortal.
Ji Wuxuan stared at the old man in pure horror.
Lin Feng tensed, ready to move, when the old man spoke calmly. "This is just a warning. Do not be a hindrance to my decision. Let the boy choose for himself."
Lin Feng was about to attack anyway when a gentle hand pressed down on his shoulder. Bai Wei shook his head at him, then stepped forward and gave the old man a respectful bow.
"Please forgive our offense, Your Highness."
He glanced at Lin Feng and Ji Wuxuan, then said clearly, "I already have a master. I cannot accept your offer. Please let us go."
The old man sneered. "Master? Do you even understand what mistake you are making? In this entire lower plane, who do you think could teach you better than me? Have you lost your mind?"
Bai Wei did not waver. "It is my decision. Even if someone from the higher realm ordered me to take a new master, I would refuse. I already have one, and he will always be my master."
The old man was left speechless for a moment. "But..."
Bai Wei continued, his voice steady, "And even if I ever wanted another master, I already have someone else in mind."
The old man's pride was clearly stung now. He frowned deeply. "Then I want to see this person. You rejected me, and you claim you already have someone in mind? I want to see who you would choose over me."
Bai Wei nodded, a small, confident smile appearing on his face. "Then follow us, Your Highness. I promise you will not be disappointed."
The old man stroked his beard. "I will, but only on one condition."
Bai Wei lowered his head to think, then looked up. "What is your condition, Your Highness?"
"If that person is not strong enough," the old man said, "you will take me as your master instead. Can you promise me that?"
Lin Feng nearly stumbled. Dream on, old man, he thought to himself. You have no idea who my master is.
Bai Wei simply nodded. "I accept."
Ji Wuxuan, still recovering, let out a silent sigh of relief in his heart. In front of their Sect Master, this old man would not be able to do anything.
The old man waved his sleeve, and instantly Ji Wuxuan's cultivation returned.
Lin Feng reached for his storage ring to take out his battleship, but the old man scoffed. "Hmph. You don't need that piece of trash. Just tell me where you want to go. I'll take you there myself."
Lin Feng frowned, but Bai Wei gave him another slight shake of the head. Bai Wei then quietly sent the spatial coordinates for the Jade Serenity Palace to the old man.
The old man smiled. He reached out with his bare hand and tore open space like paper. A wave of gentle power enveloped the three of them, and in the next breath, he pulled them all straight into the spatial tunnel.
***
Inside the Jade Serenity Palace,
The main hall had completely changed.
On the highest throne sat Huai, wearing a long white robe embroidered with golden designs. Beside him, on a slightly lower throne, sat Wuhe.
To Huai's right, the first seat was occupied by Bai Liuli, and the seat beside her was taken by Mei Ling.
The left side was filled with the other elders of the Jade Serenity Palace. Most of them were women, aside from Huai, Wuhe, and a few male elders.
At that moment, the sky above the Jade Serenity Palace tore open.
The old man arrived with the other three, floating high above the palace. He looked down at the ground and his voice boomed like thunder.
"Come out!"
Everyone inside the hall felt the pressure he released. It was already far above a Galaxy Sovereign. In an instant, the people inside felt their bodies being pressed toward the ground.
Huai frowned slightly. Wuhe's eyes turned cold as he looked up through the ceiling toward the sky. "He is a Divine Lord. What is he doing in this lower plane?"
Huai nodded calmly, then waved his hand once. Instantly, all of that pressure vanished.
He didn't even stand up. He stayed seated leisurely, leaning to the side against Wuhe, his head propped on his hand for support.
Without using any aura at all, he simply said, "Come down, old man. I'm lazy."
Those words rang directly into the deepest part of the old man's soul. His eyes went wide in shock, and in the next second, his entire cultivation was sealed.
He fell straight down from the sky. He tore through the roof of the great hall and crashed onto the floor right in front of Huai and the others.
His fine robe was a mess, his long white hair was tangled from the wind, and his face was pressed into the cold stone from the hard landing. Two of his front teeth were knocked out, and blood was visible at the corner of his mouth.
Right after him, Lin Feng, Bai Wei, and Ji Wuxuan landed gracefully beside him.
Everyone looked at the old man with pity. Lin Feng clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk. I told you not to act cocky in front of my master."
The old man slowly lifted his head. He saw the ethereal being sitting on the throne above. Huai was not wearing his veil this time.
The moment the old man saw his face, his whole body shuddered violently.
"A Divine... a true Divine being..." he stammered. "I was right. So it was you who resonated with the Dao just a few minutes ago... but... but what are you doing here, in this lower plane?"
Huai remained in the same lazy position and chuckled. "Then you tell me first. What are you doing here, old man?"
The old man felt a chill run through his entire body. This was a person who could seal his cultivation without using any aura at all. Even he could not do such a thing. He remembered he didn't asked for mercy yet...
Still lying on the ground, he hurriedly said, "Your Highness! I was rude just now. Please forgive me."
Huai sat still for a moment, then gave a small nod and waved his hand.
Suddenly, the old man was covered in a pure white qi. In an instant, all of his old hidden injuries, and even the fresh wounds from his fall, were completely healed. His body changed as well. He grew younger and younger, until his appearance stopped at that of a handsome young man around thirty years old.
Everyone in the hall watched the process, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
The old man himself was dumbfounded as he looked down at his own body.
He touched his face, felt his smooth skin, felt the vibrant life flowing through his meridians again after tens of thousands of years. An immense happiness and joy welled up inside him so suddenly that his eyes instantly filled with tears...