Su Mubai remained silent for a long time.
The Council Hall was eerily quiet. Only the sea breeze occasionally drifted through the window, stirring the corners of the sea chart on the wall with a faint rustle.
"The Netherworld Venerable," Su Mubai finally began, his voice so low it seemed to rise from beneath the earth. "His true identity will likely come as quite a shock to you, Island Master."
"Let's hear it." Chen Ming's expression remained unchanged, his tone calm.
"His surname is Wang, and his given name is Chan." Su Mubai spoke each word distinctly. "Three hundred years ago, he was the eldest legitimate son of Tianxing City's lord. Gifted with extraordinary talent, he reached late Golden Core before the age of a hundred and was hailed as one of the geniuses in the Chaotic Star Sea most likely to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Later, he violated the sect's rules and was expelled from Tianxing City. From then on, he vanished without a trace. Everyone thought he had died, but he hadn't-through a chance encounter, he obtained part of the Netherworld Patriarch's legacy. He changed his name, established the Netherworld Hall, and endured in silence for three hundred years, all so that one day he could return to Tianxing City and reclaim everything that should have been his."
Chen Ming's pupils contracted slightly.
Wang Chan.
He was no stranger to that name.
He had seen the name recorded many times in the ancient texts Shen Qinghe had left behind-the city lord who preceded Jiang Yue, the current lord of Tianxing City, had borne the surname Wang. During that old city lord's reign, Tianxing City had reached unprecedented heights of prosperity, its influence extending across more than half the Chaotic Star Sea. Even the Star Palace