Main Plane, Xiaoyao Immortal Palace territory, at one of the Main Plane's teleportation entrances.
Two silver-armored guards stood to either side, perfectly still like statues.
Suddenly, the void not far away rippled.
The two guards looked up, their eyes filled with vigilance.
A crack was soon torn open in the rippling void, and a figure stepped out from within.
When the two guards saw the newcomer, the wariness in their eyes finally faded. They bowed deeply and spoke almost in unison. "Palace Lord Sima!"
"Mm, you've worked hard." The newcomer nodded at them before asking, "The entrance should be opening soon, right?"
"It'll open in about five minutes." The silver-armored guard on the left checked the timer on his wrist and nodded.
"Five minutes. Then we'll wait..." Palace Lord Sima murmured, seemingly to himself.
The two silver-armored guards exchanged glances. According to the usual rules, the newcomers who arrived from the Higher Planes every hundred years were to be guided in batches by the two of them to the Xiaoyao Immortal Palace Registration Office for registration. Yet this time, a Vice Palace Lord had come personally—something that had never happened before.
"Could some important figure be coming through the passage this time?"
The two silver-armored guards exchanged a knowing look. Clearly, they had both thought of the same thing.
But given their status, they could not exactly question the Vice Palace Lord. They could only wait patiently alongside him, while eagerly wondering what kind of important figure was worthy of a Vice Palace Lord from a six-star holy land coming out personally to receive them.
Five minutes passed quickly. The teleportation gate let out a crisp crack, then slowly opened amid the heavy rumble of rollers.
Once the gate had fully opened, the black-hole-like void behind it seemed to be