The Azure Spirit Realm, the Realm Lord's Hall.
Zhou Ming sat cross-legged in the seat of honor, his eyes lightly closed.
Just then, a ripple stirred in the space outside the hall.
Liu Yuan stepped out of the void and hurried into the hall, his expression tinged with gravity.
"Senior."
Liu Yuan approached Zhou Ming and bowed.
Zhou Ming slowly opened his eyes and looked at him calmly.
Liu Yuan offered up a vessel filled with fortune.
"Senior, this is the fortune I collected this time."
With a beckoning motion, Zhou Ming drew the vessel into his hand. The fortune within once again became a torrent and poured into his body.
"Well done."
Feeling the shackles within him loosen a little more, Zhou Ming offered a casual word of praise.
Liu Yuan, however, showed no joy. He took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in the Hunyuan Realm.
"...That was what happened. Ancestor Xuantian refused to submit, so I killed him with the talisman."
"But a fellow cultivator of his was there. Seeing things turn against him, he fled through the Hunyuan Realm's cross-realm formation."
A trace of worry crept into Liu Yuan's voice.
"I fear that once word spreads, it will draw the attention of the major powers in the heart of the Flowing Light Domain and disrupt your plans, Senior."
Zhou Ming listened quietly, his expression unchanged.
"So we've been exposed?"
"Yes, we've been exposed." Liu Yuan lowered his head.
"No matter."
Zhou Ming spoke as casually as if discussing something utterly trivial.
"Let them find out."
"Against absolute strength, what preparations could they possibly make, even with advance warning?"
Liu Yuan's heart jolted at those words.
The anxiety brought on by their exposure vanished in an instant.
Indeed, Senior's strength was unfathomable. Even Hunyuan