A month later.
Liu Mengyu, Ao Cheng, Su Xin, and the second batch of one hundred thousand Immortal King cultivators who had joined the battle gathered at the Imperial Court.
Among the crowd were Hua Ziyang and the Young Ancestors of the various peaks.
The Emperors were scattered throughout the crowd as well.
They kept a low profile, concealing their presence and radiance. They didn't stand out among the crowd, no different from ordinary Immortal Kings.
"Who's Ziyang?" someone suddenly asked in a low voice.
The Immortal Kings glanced around curiously.
Ziyang was the first person to step forward after the heirs of the various Hegemon Grade powers, and he had declared, "A man lives for his pride."
Everyone wanted to meet this cultivator from a fallen sect.
At the front of the crowd, Liu Mengyu, Ao Cheng, and the other heirs turned to look as well, equally eager to meet this man of such remarkable conviction.
"Ahem..."
Under the crowd's expectant gaze, a white-robed young man pushed his way through. His face was sallow, and he coughed from time to time, wearing a humble, genial smile.
"You're Ziyang?" The Immortal King who had spoken first eyed the young man in white and asked curiously.
"That's me." Hua Ziyang cupped his fists. As he spoke, he coughed several more times.
The Immortal Kings looked at Hua Ziyang, finding him nothing like they'd imagined. He was a sickly young man.
They had pictured someone who could say, "A man lives for his pride. Even if he's the last one left in his sect, his backbone remains," as an old Immortal King who had lived for a very long time.
"I've shattered your expectations. I'm Ziyang—a defeated remnant from a fallen sect. This time... I don't expect to return." Hua Ziyang gave