Kong Xuan could not help but laugh. "Don't panic. Back then, I once asked Teacher to divine your whereabouts. Teacher only said, 'The time has not yet come,' so I did not press the matter. Now that the destined time has arrived, this brother has naturally come in person to take you back to the mountain."
Winged Immortal froze. "G-Go back... where?"
Kong Xuan answered with a smile, "Naturally, you will return to the sect with me."
He lowered his eyes without speaking. Ripples flickered in their depths as his thoughts churned without end.
The Golden Winged Great Roc was born with proud bones. He loved roaming the eight wildernesses, used dragons as bait, and hated restraint most of all. If he entered a Dao Field, where rules were strict and laws stood like mountains, would that not be a cage that broke his wings?
Kong Xuan saw through him at a glance. Raising a hand, he patted his shoulder and said warmly, "Though teacher is a Sage Supreme, his temperament is exceedingly gentle. There are no cumbersome rites in our sect; we value only respect for elders and worthies, and fellow disciples watching over one another. The mountain gate is vast, stretching more than hundreds of millions of li in every direction. It is filled with spiritual ganoderma and precious herbs born at the dawn of creation, strange roots and exotic species—all treasures of heaven and earth that even the Purple Mansion could scarcely find. Immortal peaks rise in layered green, blessed lands lie scattered like stars; you may choose any secluded place, carve out a dwelling, and live there. Your cultivation has stagnated these years—you have not even crossed the threshold of Taiyi—so you truly need to temper yourself with single-minded focus. Fortunately, the island's spiritual energy is