Qi Xin was clear-hearted. With a single look from his patriarch, he could understand its meaning.
Though he appeared to have been expelled, it was actually a disguised form of protection—for himself, and for the Heavenly Secrets Dao Palace.
Qi Xin's expression grew several shades deeper. It seemed his patriarch had long seen through part of the schemes in his heart, but he did not regret them.
Ji Yan was like a venomous snake constantly watching you from the shadows. At the moment you let your guard down most, he would strike a fatal blow. His methods were incomparably vicious; he cared neither for gains and losses nor consequences.
And what he lacked now was precisely such a Dao companion!
Qi Xin and Ji Yan had clashed many times over the years—internally within Star Pivot, and externally in the Mist Nether of the Taiyi Great World. Each had won and lost; it was quite interesting.
Yet Qi Xin had never regarded Ji Yan as an enemy, but as a friend he had never met.
Of course, to carry weight in Ji Yan's heart, he naturally needed the recommendation of a sufficiently prestigious powerhouse. He did not wish to waste any time slowly building ties. Time never waited for anyone.
"Qi Xin, set out."
Ke Ding spoke blandly. Tortoise-shell patterns actually surfaced across his face, then vanished in an instant. He disappeared from the Heavenly Secrets Dao Palace, and Qi Xin answered as he stepped forward, borne along by Ke Ding's immortal power.
The world spun around him.
Qi Xin's heart jolted. He was now standing atop a vast, decaying yellow leaf. Everything around him was hazy; he could not distinguish sky from earth and could only make out Patriarch Ke Ding's ethereal back.
His gaze was profound, and he did