Two days later.
Heaven Cry Mountain.
An earthy-yellow streak of light tore across the sky.
One moment, it had still been on the horizon; the next, it appeared atop the mountain peak.
As the yellow light split open, a middle-aged man who looked to be somewhere in his forties slowly descended. He wore a yellow robe, his features dignified and imposing.
"Greetings, Master of the Xia Family!" A woman in a purple dress, with a slender waist, waist-length hair, and skin like congealed cream, immediately bowed when she saw Xia Xuanyan appear.
"Every time I see the cult master's figure and appearance, it always feels especially jarring."
The woman smiled faintly. The figure of a sixteen-year-old girl paired with an aged face full of wrinkles only made the contrast even more jarring, yet her voice was instead ethereal like a young girl's. "The Xia Family Head possesses heaven-reaching methods and eternal youth. How could this old woman have heaven-reaching methods like yours? I can only barely maintain youth in form."
"Let us not speak of such things!" Xia Xuanyan shook his head, then his expression turned grave. "Cult Master, did your previous curse killing against that Dongling Marquis fail?"
Hearing this, Heaven Cry Cult Master hesitated slightly, then nodded.
"Since it clearly failed, why did the cult master not notify me sooner?" Xia Xuanyan frowned, his tone somewhat displeased.
Heaven Cry Cult Master showed an apologetic look. "I originally wanted to remedy it."
Xia Xuanyan glanced at her indifferently, disbelief showing in his eyes, then said, "Do you know that he has now entered the realm of a Nascent Soul Immortal?"
"What?" Heaven Cry Cult Master's expression froze, then she shook her head again and again. "Impossible! At his age, and with no prior word of him setting foot on