"None of these sects would dare offend Yaoguang Holy Land."
"Ah, looks like I'll have to rely on myself..."
Huang Xuan left Qiankun Grotto-Heaven dejectedly. He shot into the sky, plunged through the clouds, and headed into the distance.
"If I'd known Yaoguang Holy Land was this overbearing, I should've wiped them out in my previous life!"
Huang Xuan thought viciously.
A Great Emperor was invincible in his age. With a single hand, he could destroy any force. Even Supreme Dao Holy Lands were no more than a casual flick of his wrist!
But there was no point saying any of that now.
He absolutely couldn't return to Yaoguang Holy Land.
Nor could he go to any other supreme force.
Living under the watch of an Emperor Weapon for too long was far too risky!
And none of the Nine Great Immortal Sects in the Eastern Domain would take him in...
It seemed he could only join one of the smaller sects for now and find a way to obtain more cultivation resources later.
"If I remember right, the closest sect is Yellow Wind Valley. I'll go there."
Having settled on a destination, Huang Xuan picked up speed, intending to head to the nearest city and take a Space Domain Gate.
The Eastern Domain was vast beyond measure. An ordinary cultivator flying at full speed would need hundreds of years just to reach its end.
For long-distance travel, unless one was a top-tier powerhouse who could cross the void, the fastest—and most common—method was to take a Space Domain Gate!
As long as he teleported to the one nearest Yellow Wind Valley, he could save a great deal of time.
"Little friend, please wait."
An old man in gray robes appeared in Huang Xuan's path. He stood there with a smile.
"Who are you?"
Huang Xuan regarded him warily. They were high in the sky, with no one around. If the man meant him harm, he would be in grave danger.
When he spotted the Eight Trigrams Seal on the old man's chest, he understood. "You're from Qiankun Grotto-Heaven!"
"Indeed."
The gray-robed old man chuckled, looking Huang Xuan over with satisfaction. "Would you be willing to join Qiankun Grotto-Heaven?"
Huang Xuan was a little surprised. "Didn't you reject me? What kind of act is this?"
Then he caught on and added, "You were just putting on a show for Yaoguang Holy Land?!"
"Little friend, you truly are remarkably clever."
The gray-robed old man smiled and nodded, growing even more pleased with Huang Xuan. Not only was his aptitude exceptional, he was sharp-witted, too.
Talents like him had become exceedingly rare.
That was why Qiankun Grotto-Heaven was willing to take such a great risk and recruit Huang Xuan!
"What do you say? Give it some thought," the gray-robed old man said.
He was confident Huang Xuan wouldn't refuse him!
Sure enough, under his expectant gaze, Huang Xuan nodded and was just about to speak when a figure dressed in white suddenly descended from the sky!
Hua Yunfei was truly impressed. Qiankun Grotto-Heaven was actually quite the acting sect.
Huang Xuan had nowhere else to go, so Hua Yunfei could have easily recruited him into Kaoshan Sect.
Who would've thought someone would cut in at the last moment!
"Who might you be?"
The gray-robed old man warily stared at Hua Yunfei. This man had descended from the sky without his Spiritual Sense detecting him at all. He had only noticed him once he appeared in sight!
Hua Yunfei didn't waste his breath. Pointing at Huang Xuan, he said, "I'm taking him. You can go back!"
"Uh..."
Huang Xuan stared at Hua Yunfei, baffled. He didn't think he knew the man.
"Senior, you..." Huang Xuan ventured.
But before he could finish, the gray-robed old man gave a cold snort. "Huang Xuan just nodded and agreed to join Qiankun Grotto-Heaven. It's not right for you to barge in and try to take him."
If he hadn't been unable to see through Hua Yunfei's strength, he wouldn't have bothered arguing.
"That's true."
Hua Yunfei nodded. "But so what?"
"You!"
The gray-robed old man's expression turned cold. This man was getting too big for his boots!
"How about this? To make it fair, let Huang Xuan choose for himself. If he chooses Qiankun Grotto-Heaven, I'll leave at once and won't go back on my word."
Hua Yunfei wasn't being too overbearing.
"Fine!"
The gray-robed old man's expression eased. If the other party was willing to be reasonable, things would be easy.
He looked at Huang Xuan. "Little friend, you already nodded just now. That counts as agreeing to come back to Qiankun Grotto-Heaven with me, doesn't it?"
"Here, I can promise you that if you agree, once you join the sect, we'll devote our resources to you and cultivate you with everything we have!"
Huang Xuan was tempted.
What he lacked most right now was cultivation resources. With them, he could rise quickly.
He could also gain the strength to search for the Mysterious Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum sooner!
Just then, Hua Yunfei sent Huang Xuan a voice transmission. He said only four words!
Huang Xuan's eyes instantly widened, and he whipped his head toward Hua Yunfei!
After a long silence, Huang Xuan looked at the gray-robed old man. "I'm sorry, senior. I'm willing to leave with this senior. I'm deeply grateful for Qiankun Grotto-Heaven's sincerity."
"Why? Didn't you just..."
The gray-robed old man couldn't believe it and was about to press him, but Hua Yunfei cut him off. "Huang Xuan has made his choice. Stop wasting your breath and hurry back to report to your sect!"
"You!"
The gray-robed old man's chest heaved, and he was so furious he nearly attacked!
Damn it! The duck was already in his mouth, and now it was gone!
Who was this man who'd suddenly appeared, and what had he done? Huang Xuan had chosen him without the slightest hesitation!
"This old man is furious!"
The gray-robed old man flung his sleeve, his face dark, and sped away into the distance in a fit of anger.
If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he might lose control and attack.
Suddenly, the corner of Hua Yunfei's mouth lifted. He fixed his gaze on the gray-robed old man's back. His pupils turned gold, and deep violet light glimmered in his eyes.
"Ah!"
The gray-robed old man suddenly clutched his head and screamed in agony, his face twisted. He felt a powerful force of soul energy rush into his sea of consciousness!
That soul energy was forcibly altering his memories!
The gray-robed old man tried to resist, but to his shock, despite his cultivation at the Heavenly Human Realm, he couldn't do a thing against this sudden surge of soul energy!
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the gray-robed old man stood there with a puzzled expression and muttered:
"Huang Xuan actually vanished. That kid sure is fast—he really lives up to his reputation as a top Heavenly Prodigy. He's got some real skill!"
"I'd better go back and report to the cave master. I couldn't find him. Surely the old man can't be blamed for that?"
His figure faded and disappeared from the spot.
Meanwhile, Hua Yunfei took Huang Xuan higher into the clouds and entered the flying boat hidden there.
"Nice surroundings!"
Huang Xuan truly was a Great Emperor reborn. He'd seen it all. Even this luxurious flying boat, which had made the Sage Remnant Soul covet it, earned only a "nice" from him.
When the two returned, Lin Yang and the other four immediately came over.
None of the five had met Huang Xuan before. They looked at him curiously, wondering who he was and why Hua Yunfei had gone to fetch him in person.
Huang Xuan had no mind to pay attention to them. Hua Yunfei's four-word voice transmission still had his heart pounding.
"Great Emperor Xuanhuang!"
Those were the words Hua Yunfei had called out to him, with absolute certainty, as if he knew Huang Xuan was Great Emperor Xuanhuang.
Huang Xuan couldn't understand. He'd never met Hua Yunfei before, so how did he know his identity?
Could it be...
Was this man not only in possession of an Ultimate Emperor Weapon, but also a Great Sage Level powerhouse?!
To see through his identity, one needed to be at least a Great Sage, or a Sage Tier cultivator holding an Ultimate Emperor Weapon!
Anyone else would need to send their Spiritual Sense into his body at close range and examine him thoroughly before they had any chance of figuring it out.
But Hua Yunfei didn't seem to have an Ultimate Emperor Weapon on him, and his cultivation didn't look like that of someone in the Great Sage Realm, either.
Where did the problem lie?
Before you continue