When Yunxi appeared before the gates of the Haoran Sect, the current Sect Master arrived in a flash with the Peak Masters of every peak to welcome her.
"Haoran Sect welcomes Immortal Emperor Ranxi!"
With a sweep of her divine sense, Yunxi discovered that the current Sect Master was still an old acquaintance—Yugeng's second disciple, Zhou Lingchuan. His cultivation was at the Golden Immortal Realm, more than sufficient for the position of Sect Master.
Yunxi smiled faintly and said:
"So it's Zhou Lingchuan. I never expected you to have become Sect Master already. It seems I returned to the Haoran Sect too seldom and missed your succession ceremony."
Zhou Lingchuan did not dare act presumptuously before Yunxi. No matter what their relationship had been in the past, the gulf in their current strength was an uncrossable chasm. Thus, he respectfully replied:
"Though Your Majesty never said so openly, the sect has remained under your invisible protection all these years. Even if you did not return often, every sect in the Immortal Domain gave the Haoran Sect some measure of respect. That was why the Haoran Sect could survive and develop independently until today, and at least not bring shame upon you."
Yunxi found that Zhou Lingchuan, now that he was Sect Master, had become quite skilled with words—at the very least, far better than Sheng Yuhong. She smiled and said:
"It was not that I did not wish to return to the sect. After ascending, I provoked a cultivation family in the Central Domain. To avoid implicating the Haoran Sect, I could only journey far away. Later, I repeatedly clashed with Evil Immortals, and I was even less willing to let the sect be caught in the crossfire, so I could only keep my distance.
"Yet even so, my ten