At the gates of the Imperial Capital of Dali, two youths, one in blue and one in white, drifted toward them.
"Go. Tell your so-called Lord of Great Li to come here and see this young master."
Li Wencheng ordered the guards before the Imperial Palace gates with an air of arrogance.
"Outrageous! You dare speak so disrespectfully before the Imperial Palace gates? I'll take you down!"
Seeing how disrespectful Li Wencheng was, the guards' faces changed dramatically. Zhou Dashan, the Imperial Gate Commander, flew into a rage. He leaped into the air, his palms transforming into Eagle Claws.
His attack was fierce, and he was determined to take Li Wencheng down.
Li Wencheng stood his ground without moving. Watching Zhou Dashan's ferocious assault, he gave a disdainful look, then leisurely chatted with the blue-robed youth beside him.
"Third Brother, as expected, Dali is a barren land. He's already in the Grandmaster Realm, yet his Martial Arts techniques are still so shallow. They're simply unbearable to look at."
Li Wencheng flicked his sleeve. The force behind it seemed to weigh a thousand jun, sending Zhou Dashan flying. He slammed into the city wall, then crashed heavily to the ground.
"Since you're still somewhat useful, I'll spare your life today. Now, hurry up and call your Lord of Great Li."
Zhou Dashan's face was deathly pale. Blood spilled from his mouth, and his eyes were filled with shock and fear.
That youth had merely waved his hand, yet his soft sleeve had been like Vajra. If the man hadn't held back, Zhou Dashan's bones and tendons would already have been shattered.
Zhou Dashan also realized that, despite the youth's outrageous words, he seemed to come from an extraordinary background.
So young, yet already in the Grandmaster Realm, and equipped with such exquisite Mystic Methods—there were only a handful of people in all of Dali with such talent.
"Y-you... who exactly are you?"
"Petty mortal creatures aren't worthy of knowing my origins. Hurry up and call your Lord of Great Li. If you delay my important business, I'll flatten your Dali."
Li Wencheng stood proudly before the Imperial Palace gates, not even glancing at Zhou Dashan. He looked down on him, his words full of threats. He spoke less like someone giving an order and more like someone setting a dog to work.
"Wencheng, there's no need to stoop to the level of mortal creatures."
The youth in blue gently chided Li Wencheng, though there was no hint of anger in his voice.
Then he turned to Zhou Dashan, who was still coughing up blood, and said calmly, "I am Li Yiting, and my younger brother is Li Wencheng. We come from the Li Clan Ancient Clan of the Eastern Continent, in the Taixu Profound Realm."
"We've come to the Great Li Imperial Palace today to ask your Lord of Great Li for a small favor."
"What did you say? You're from the Taixu Profound Realm? You're members of an Ancient Clan!"
To Zhou Dashan, Li Yiting's casual words were like a bolt of heavenly thunder. His expression changed in an instant.
As the commander of the Imperial Palace gates, he was no ignorant man; he knew some of the hidden truths.
A Mystic Realm was a world of space created by a Great Divine Ability user. Anyone capable of creating a Mystic Realm had already reached a profound level in the Divine Realm.
Zhou Dashan knew all too well how terrifying the Thirty-Six Ancient Clans of the Eastern Continent were. They stood far above the secular dynasties. Any one of them could wipe out a worldly dynasty like Dali overnight.
No wonder that youth was so young yet possessed such terrifying strength. Only an Ancient Clan of such power could raise a young prodigy like him.
These were people he absolutely must not offend. If he angered the two youths before him, it could bring the destruction of Dali.
"Please wait here, sirs. I'll go report this at once."
Forcing himself to stand despite his serious injuries, Zhou Dashan hurried into the Imperial Palace. He didn't head for the Golden Throne Hall, however, but for the Purple Gold Pavilion.
"Those two young masters really are from the Taixu Profound Realm, from the Li Clan Ancient Clan!"
Watching Zhou Dashan hurry away in such disarray despite his injuries, Li Yiting and Li Wencheng exchanged a smile. Suddenly, a soft, chilly voice reached their ears.
"Who's there? Who spoke?"
Li Yiting's expression changed dramatically. He hadn't noticed the voice at all.
If this mysterious visitor meant them harm, he could take his and Wencheng's lives in the blink of an eye.
Daoist auras swirled madly in Li Yiting's eyes as he searched the empty air. At last, he spotted a trace of something unusual in one part of the void.
He clasped his hands and bowed toward the south. "Your cultivation is profound, sir. Why hide yourself? It hardly befits an expert of your stature."
"Hahahaha! As expected of a scion of an Ancient Clan. You're merely a Great Grandmaster, yet you managed to catch a glimpse of my concealment technique. In the past hundred years, you're the first."
Just thirty feet south of Li Yiting, a figure in an embroidered python robe slowly appeared in the air.
Seeing that the man stood no more than thirty feet away, Li Yiting's face grew grim. Using a secret technique from his clan, he had sensed only a faint fluctuation in the space to the south.
He had never imagined that the mysterious man was only thirty feet from him. At such close range, killing him would have been as easy as raising a hand.
It seemed this mysterious visitor's strength far exceeded anything he had imagined.
"You have quite a skill, sir. I admit I underestimated Dali. I never expected anyone in this barren land, in these times, to have reached Entering the Dao. Such talent would make you a figure of consequence even among the Li Clan Ancient Clan."
Li Yiting knew that revealing his identity had drawn out the truly powerful figures of Dali. Faced with such a formidable expert, he set aside his arrogance.
Li Lianying stood in the air, gazing down at the two handsome young men. He no longer had any doubts.
They weren't even twenty, yet they had already become Great Grandmasters. Such prodigies would certainly be among the young elite, even in the Ancient Clans.
"What favor do you two wish to ask of the Lord of Great Li?"
"Rest assured, if there's anything Dali can do to help, we certainly won't stand by and do nothing."
Seeing that Li Lianying had shown his willingness to help, Li Yiting stopped holding back. "Senior, I've come to Dali to ask the Lord of Great Li to help us find someone."
"Find someone?"
Li Lianying was astonished. He'd thought the two members of an Ancient Clan would make some grand request. He hadn't expected they only wanted someone found.
"May I ask who you're looking for? Her name, and what she looks like?"
"I don't know her name or what she looks like. But she's an orphan girl, eighteen years old, and was adopted by a family in the mortal world."
"If your Dali can muster the strength of the entire nation to find an orphan girl who fits that description, I'll reward you handsomely."
Looking at Li Lianying in the air, Li Yiting smiled faintly and continued, "Senior, your Lifespan is running short. How about I offer you a Pine Crane Pill as payment?"
"What did you say? A Pine Crane Pill!"
Li Lianying's aura surged, his eyes gleaming. His heart was in turmoil.
"That's right. If you help me with this, I'll give you a Pine Crane Pill from our clan's collection, Senior."
"Fine, but I want two."
Li Yiting didn't quibble over Li Lianying's bargaining. He agreed readily. "Fine. Two it is."
"Rest assured. In half a month, I'll bring you every orphan girl in Dali who fits that description."
With those words, Li Lianying's figure quietly vanished from the air.