Azure Spirit Realm, Realm Lord's Hall.
Zhou Ming sat cross-legged in the seat of honor, his eyes gently closed.
Just then, a ripple spread through the space outside the hall.
Liu Yuan stepped out of the void and strode into the hall, a trace of gravity on his face.
"Senior."
Liu Yuan approached Zhou Ming and bowed respectfully.
Zhou Ming slowly opened his eyes and regarded him calmly.
Liu Yuan offered up a container filled with fortune.
"Senior, this is the fortune I collected on this expedition."
Zhou Ming beckoned, drawing the container into his hand. The fortune within once again became a torrent and poured into his body.
"You handled this well."
Feeling the shackles within him loosen a little more, Zhou Ming offered a casual word of praise.
Yet Liu Yuan showed no joy. He took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in the Hunyuan Realm, leaving nothing out.
"...That is what happened. Ancestor Xuantian refused to submit, so I killed him with a talisman."
"But a fellow Daoist of his was present. Seeing that things were going badly, that man escaped through the Hunyuan Realm's cross-realm formation."
A trace of worry colored Liu Yuan's voice.
"I fear that once word spreads, it may attract the attention of the great powers in the central 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.
"It doesn't matter."
Zhou Ming's tone was as mild as if he were discussing some trivial matter.
"If they know, they know."
"In the face of absolute strength, what preparations could they possibly make, even if they learned of it beforehand?"
Liu Yuan's heart jolted at those words.
The anxiety he had felt