Xiao Liu

At the zenith above the Southern Domain's sky.

After leaving the Sea Clan, Ye Chang'an brought Shangguan Shi here.

"Hall Master, what are we doing here?"

Shangguan Shi asked curiously.

But Ye Chang'an did not answer him.

Just moments ago, someone had transmitted a voice to him, so after leaving the Sea Clan, Ye Chang'an directly brought Shangguan Shi to the zenith of the sky.

"I've already arrived. You should come out now."

Seeing no one around, Ye Chang'an spoke aloud.

Sure enough, the next moment, a middle-aged man clad in flowing cloud-patterned gold-trimmed robes appeared not far before Ye Chang'an.

The middle-aged man bore an imposing air of authority, with not a trace of aura leaking out—one glance told that he had long held a position of power.

Though he could sense no aura, just from the man's presence, Ye Chang'an knew this middle-aged man was extremely powerful.

"If I'm not mistaken, you should be from the Heavenly Dao Hall," Ye Chang'an said first.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man looked at Ye Chang'an with keen interest:

"It seems you managed to pry some things out of Jin Xuan."

The middle-aged man directly guessed that Ye Chang'an must have learned about the Heavenly Dao Hall from Jin Xuan.

Hearing the middle-aged man mention Jin Xuan, a smile appeared on Ye Chang'an's face:

"Sorry about that—I killed one of your people from the Heavenly Dao Hall."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man showed no anger, still maintaining his interest:

"No blame on you. I warned him to be careful. Since he didn't listen, he should accept the consequences of his own arrogance."

The middle-aged man's reaction secretly startled Ye Chang'an.

He hadn't expected such a response.

In Ye Chang'an's view, after Qin Qi killed Jin Xuan, the typical scenario of "the young one falls, the old one comes" should have played out.

But this man seemed to bear no ill will.

This left Ye Chang'an momentarily baffled.

"It seems you're not here for revenge."

"That's right. I've been observing you for a month now. I'm simply interested in someone like you, who emerged from the lower realm."

The middle-aged man stated bluntly.

"Interested in me?"

Ye Chang'an was taken aback.

"Correct. Aside from the depths of the cosmos, everything in the world is monitored and controlled by our Heavenly Dao Hall.

But you are someone I cannot see through, so I wanted to get to know you."

As he spoke, the curiosity on the middle-aged man's face grew heavier.

"What do you want to know?"

Ye Chang'an followed along.

"The force behind you. Given your cultivation level, you certainly couldn't have killed Jin Xuan yourself. So I'm very interested in the power backing you."

"You want to know just how strong the force behind me really is, don't you?"

Seeing through the middle-aged man's thoughts, Ye Chang'an called him out directly.

Realizing his intention had been exposed, the middle-aged man no longer hid it:

"You're right. I want to know exactly how strong the force behind you is."

"Why should I tell you?"

"What if I told you this concerns the Cosmic Origin?"

At the mention of the Cosmic Origin, the middle-aged man's brow furrowed slightly, as if he had lost some of his earlier ease.

"The Cosmic Origin?"

"That's right. I can't go into specifics, but if the Cosmic Origin goes wrong, the entire universe will face disaster."

Seeing the middle-aged man's expression turn somewhat grave, Ye Chang'an asked curiously:

"Disaster? What kind of disaster?"

As for the so-called disaster, Ye Chang'an wasn't worried.

He had the Primordial Divine Hall, after all—no need to panic.

He was simply curious, so he asked.

Seeing Ye Chang'an inquire, the middle-aged man thought he had a chance:

"The world shatters, the cosmos falls silent."

"Sounds like a pretty big deal indeed." Ye Chang'an rubbed his chin and nodded.

"Exactly. That's why the force behind you might play a crucial role."

Hearing Ye Chang'an's words, the Middle-aged Man quickly spoke up.

"You're right. The force behind me should be able to play a big role. But... what does that have to do with me?"

The Middle-aged Man: ???

"What does it have to do with you? You think you can escape when the time comes?"

At this, the Middle-aged Man's mind went blank.

Why did that sound so strange?

As long as you're within this universe, there's no getting away.

And he says it has nothing to do with him?

He didn't look like an idiot, did he?

Seeing the Middle-aged Man's expression, Ye Chang'an paid it no mind.

The other party didn't know how strong his Primordial Divine Hall was, so it was only natural he didn't understand.

The key point was that he really could stay out of it.

"It really has nothing to do with me, so you can go back now."

With that, Ye Chang'an had no intention of saying more to the Middle-aged Man.

"You think you can remain untouched in a situation like that?" Seeing Ye Chang'an about to leave, the Middle-aged Man quickly appeared before him.

"System, can Xiao Liu handle this?"

Not wanting to keep talking, Ye Chang'an directly contacted the system to call someone.

[Absolutely no problem.]

Hearing this, the corner of Ye Chang'an's mouth lifted.

"Xiao Liu, make him keep his distance from me."

The moment those words left his mouth, the Middle-aged Man was stunned, then suddenly delighted.

The Middle-aged Man knew that Ye Chang'an was about to call out the person behind him.

Perfect—now he could gauge their strength.

In an instant, a young woman in a purple dress appeared in the void.

She had willow-leaf brows and phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, an elegant bearing, and a celestial beauty.

The moment she appeared, the Middle-aged Man froze in place.

It wasn't just because of Xiao Liu's beauty, but because he couldn't see through her aura at all.

He could tell she was very young, yet with his own cultivation level, he couldn't fathom hers.

This left the Middle-aged Man completely bewildered.

A terrifying thought surged in his mind.

This young woman was far stronger than him!

"Xiao Liu greets the Hall Master."

As soon as she appeared, Xiao Liu bowed directly to Ye Chang'an.

Hearing Xiao Liu's words, the Middle-aged Man's heart jolted violently.

Hall Master?!

You're calling him Hall Master?!

What kind of Hall Master is he? A Heavenly Venerate Realm cultivator can be your Hall Master?

"Rise." Ye Chang'an gestured for Xiao Liu to stand.

"Sixth Senior Sister."

Shangguan Shi beside him also greeted Xiao Liu with a smile.

"Tenth Junior Brother."

Xiao Liu responded with a light smile.

"Are you a Dao Master Realm expert?" The Middle-aged Man's voice was tense as he voiced the guess in his heart.

Hearing this, Xiao Liu turned to look at the Middle-aged Man, her expression calm:

"That's none of your concern. But the Hall Master wants you to keep your distance from him."

The middle-aged man, who had been about to say something more, swallowed his words directly, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

"The Cosmic Origin has nothing to do with me, so you may leave."

With that, Ye Chang'an vanished before the middle-aged man, taking Xiao Liu and Shangguan Shi with him.

The middle-aged man remained alone in the void, staring at the spot where Ye Chang'an and the other two had stood, a hint of loss in his eyes.

"Wait! Sixth Senior Sister? Tenth Junior Brother? Doesn't that mean there's someone above that woman!"

The middle-aged man, still rooted to the spot, suddenly recalled how Xiao Liu and Shangguan Shi had addressed each other, as if he had stumbled upon something monumental. His pupils contracted sharply, and the shock within him was beyond measure.

"Just who is he? Is there really such a powerful force in the universe?"

"How did a Heavenly Venerate Realm cultivator become a Hall Master? Or is it that the Heavenly Venerate Realm is merely what he deliberately let me see."

The middle-aged man muttered to himself.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching by the author—maybe it's just been renamed!