Spirit Void Heavenly Palace, Purple Firmament Peak.
Years have passed, and Spirit Void Heavenly Palace seems to have not changed much from what it was back then.
"This is Purple Firmament Peak of the Spirit Void Heavenly Palace? Legend has it that this is the place where the Mystic Heaven Dao Ancestor attained enlightenment, and countless great figures have been born here."
"It is said that when the Dao Ancestor entered the palace, the Heavenly Palace bell tolled nine times, and upon his birth, he suppressed all the supreme geniuses of the Immortal Realm."
A young cultivator dressed in the robes of True Disciple spoke eloquently.
"That can't be right?"
A woman in the crowd shook her head in rebuttal:
"I have carefully studied the classics. When the Dao Ancestor entered the palace, it did not cause too much of a stir. At that time, he was an ascendant from the Spirit Realm, but his talent had already been revealed. He was chosen by the wise eyes of the Immortal Emperor Yunmiao, which was a beautiful story in the world."
However, what you said later was indeed quite similar: the Dao Ancestor had only cultivated for ten thousand years, yet he was already invincible upon his birth.
At that time, he had already stood at the pinnacle of the Immortal Realm...
"If that's the case, then he's even more powerful. He suppressed the Immortal Realm after ten thousand years of cultivation, and then he even suppressed Chaos... Such a person has only appeared once in countless years."
As they were talking, a young cultivator nearby came over and asked curiously:
" Han Yu, I heard that you also have the surname Han, the same as that Dao Ancestor. Could it be that your Han Household really has some connection with that Dao Ancestor?"
The woman who had spoken earlier quickly waved her hand and shook her head repeatedly:
"I wouldn't dare to try and climb such a high branch, but our Han Household's distant ancestor did indeed have some connection with the Dao Ancestor. He was a disciple of the Dao Ancestor's disciple, so we can be considered to be of the same lineage."
When Han Yu said this, his tone was somewhat cautious, but deep in his eyes there was a hint of pride that he had hidden very well.
"That's still quite remarkable."
Someone nearby sighed, "What kind of person is the Mystic Heaven Dao Ancestor? His disciples are all supreme beings. If only we could also become disciples of the Wuji Dao Ancestor..."
As they were talking, Han Xuanji walked slowly down the stone steps outside the mountain gate.
He didn't deliberately linger, but slowed his pace a little compared to before.
The disciples were chatting and laughing and didn't notice him. Only Han Yu caught a glimpse of that figure out of the corner of his eye when he turned his head. He was slightly taken aback, feeling that the person looked somewhat familiar.
Does he seem somewhat like the legendary Dao Ancestor?
When she blinked and looked again, the person was already far away.
Han Yu stood there, gazing in the direction where the figure had disappeared. After a moment's thought, he shook his head, concluding that he must have been mistaken.
How could someone of that caliber possibly appear before the gates of the Spirit Void Heavenly Palace?
She withdrew her gaze, turned around, and rejoined the conversation, never looking back.
Han Xuanji walked up the mountain path at a leisurely pace, the mountain shadows on both sides remaining unchanged, and the sound of the wind unchanged as before.
He paused for a moment halfway up the mountain, glanced back at the palace shrouded in mist, and without lingering, disappeared from the spot.
The next second.
Han Xuanji appeared at the Mystic Heaven Dao Palace without attracting anyone's attention.
The restrictions in the Dao Palace were useless to him. He didn't even need to deliberately avoid them; the layers of array patterns made way for him on their own, as if paying homage to him.
He passed through several palaces and arrived at a secluded spot in the back mountains.
A Little White Tiger was curled up in a fluffy ball on a huge soft cushion, its tail resting on its nose, fast asleep.
It looks much the same as it did back then; its size hasn't increased much, and its fur is still snow-white. Only the markings on its back are clearer than before, with a faint glow flowing through them.
If you don't look closely, you might mistake it for a small white cat with unique markings.
Several disciples of the Mystic Heaven Dao Palace were serving him respectfully, and none of them were deceived by his cute appearance.
That was the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye, a man of high status whom no one dared to offend.
But at this moment, it lay there, its tail swaying gently, sleeping on its back, completely unlike the majestic Immortal Emperor Bai Ye of the outside world.
Han Xuanji stood at the door, looked around for a moment, and his eyes held a hint of helplessness.
"So lazy!"
Han Xuanji did not conceal her voice, but her aura was so ordinary that no one noticed her.
These words immediately surprised several Dao Palace disciples nearby.
The courtyard fell silent instantly.
The Mystic Heaven Dao Palace disciples serving nearby didn't react at first, but when they realized what someone had said to Immortal Emperor Bai Ye, they were all stunned.
This is the Mystic Heaven Dao Palace, the residence of the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye. Even when other Immortal Emperor come to pay their respects, they must first announce their arrival outside the palace and wait for the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye's response before they can enter.
This guy, on the other hand, just walked straight to the door and said, "How lazy."
That's the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye!
The disciples looked at each other, unsure how to react.
Someone tried to step forward and stop them, but the moment they looked over, they were speechless. The man's face left them incredulous, or rather, so shocked that they were speechless.
This commotion naturally caught the attention of the Little White Tiger on the cushion nearby.
Its ears twitched first, then its eyelids opened slightly, revealing a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.
It is the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye; who dares to disturb it?
Wait, that voice sounds familiar.
Upon closer inspection, the slight displeasure on its face froze, replaced by an incredulous bewilderment.
It blinked, making sure it wasn't seeing things, and then its whole body sprang up from the cushion.
The small white figure transformed into a streak of light and pounced on Han Xuanji. Its two front paws clung tightly to his clothes, its tail was taut, and its head was buried in his shoulder, making a sound that was both a whimper and a spoiled whimper.
It didn't say much, just kept repeating in a muffled voice:
"Master, you're back... you're finally back... I've waited so, so long..."
Han Xuanji looked down at the fluffy Little White Tiger in his arms, feeling its slightly trembling body. He gently patted its back, his tone a mixture of helplessness and indulgence:
"Alright, how old are you, still crying?"
The Little White Tiger didn't raise its head; it simply buried its head even deeper and flicked its tail slightly in protest.
The disciples standing nearby were completely dumbfounded.
They watched as the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye, who was usually treated with utmost respect by even the great Immortal Emperor, now nestled in the arms of a strange man like a lost kitten, his former " Immortal Emperor's majesty" completely vanished.
Someone opened their mouth, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word, and could only stand there blankly, as if they were hallucinating.
Han Xuanji felt those gazes, raised his head, glanced at the disciples, and said in a gentle tone:
"You may all leave; there's no need to serve you anymore."
The disciples, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly bowed and left the courtyard.
Only after they had walked out of the back mountain did they dare to breathe heavily.
The leader grabbed his companion and asked in a low voice:
"Who exactly is that person? How... how could the Immortal Emperor Bai Ye be like that?"
The person who was being pulled stood there stunned for a long time, then murmured:
"Who else could it be that could make someone like Immortal Emperor Bai Ye...? And you don't even recognize the Ancestor? I'm starting to doubt you."
The group fell silent, exchanged glances, and none of them uttered the name aloud, but each of them already knew the answer in their hearts.
Countless beings in the Immortal Realm and even the Chaos Realm speak of this name with a sense of awe.
The Mystic Heaven Dao Palace mentioned this name quite often, and everyone there usually felt proud of it.
But the thought of this great man actually appearing before them made even the disciples who had cultivated for many years feel somewhat unsettled.
They kept recalling how they had performed.