Nine Spirits World, the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace.
That day, the mountain gates swung wide. Celestial music rang out, heavenly cranes danced overhead, golden boys and jade maidens led the way hand in hand, and divine generals of the Heavenly Palace stood guard on either side with banners and procession placards. It was a grand welcome fit for an honored guest.
And an honored guest had indeed arrived.
The tenth-strongest cultivator across the two domains, their foremost swordsman, their only master of swordsmanship, the sole inheritor of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion—the Great Sun Sword Heir had descended upon this place today.
Setting allegiances aside, this heavenly lord deserved such an elaborate welcome at any Immortal Order. It would have been proper for a mighty cultivator to greet him in person or send an avatar.
But for the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace to do the same was rather darkly comical.
The Eastern Extreme Demon Sect and the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace were blood enemies through the ages, mortal foes. Countless disciples of each had died at the other's hands. The bones amassed over ten thousand years could have formed mountains and covered an entire world.
Jiang Ding walked quietly among Heavenly Lord Dingding, palace master of the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace, and the many hall masters.
He patiently waited for the long, solemn ceremony around him to end, showing them a measure of respect. He did not wipe out their entire sect on the spot or treat them as prisoners.
"Fellow Daoist Dingding, there is something I'm curious about. Could you clear it up for me?"
Jiang Ding asked softly.
"On Senior Gui Cong's orders, the Black Tortoise Heavenly Palace's core seeds took refuge in the Heavenly Palace alongside the Black Tortoise Daoist Heir. They included talented disciples from Qi