"Adoptive Father!" A young man in his twenties charged into the inner hall of a large estate in the celestial realm.

A man in his forties stepped out of the study room. He had sharp brows, bright eyes, and a striking scar across the right side of his face.

"What made you so flustered?!"

In the Fleeting Cloud Celestial Realm, anyone who wanted to restore lost limbs and scars had to reach the Great Golden Immortal Realm. This middle-aged man had only reached the Profound Immortal Realm, not even the Origin Immortal Realm.

The young man who had rushed into the inner hall was at the ninth-level High Immortal Realm. While profound immortals were not the lowest of the low, they were only mid-level.

The celestial realm was vast, and only a minority had reached the Immortal King Realm. Most people hovered around the Heavenly Immortal, High Immortal, True Immortal, Spirit Immortal, and Profound Immortal Realms. People who were at the Origin Immortal Realm could rule here as overlords. Then again, an overlord only meant the ruler of a city or a mountain range.

The celestial realm was so vast that even immortal emperors did not dare to claim they had set foot in every corner.

The Fleeting Cloud Celestial Realm had existed for hundreds of millions of years, with countless cities and territories stretching endlessly into the distance.

The middle-aged man went by the name Chen Ping. Despite his appearance, he was already close to two hundred years in age. But reaching the Profound Immortal Realm at his age could not be considered young.

Some prodigies could even reach the Profound Immortal Realm in their twenties. The young man who entered was a child Chen Ping had adopted twenty years ago to help him manage his business.

"Foster Father, I just heard news of Uncle Liu!" Chen An said excitedly.

A glint of surprise flashed across Chen Ping's eyes before he quickly calmed himself. He asked, "Which Uncle Liu are you talking about?"

He chose to ask cautiously for safety's sake.

"Uncle Liu Wuxie!" Chen An quickly shared everything he had heard with his foster father.

Upon hearing Liu Wuxie's name, Chen Ping staggered, and Chen An hurried over to support him.

"Foster Father, what's wrong?" Chen An asked anxiously. He had seen how his foster father had barely eaten or slept over the years, spending most of his time locked in his study room.

"What news?" Chen Ping quickly regained his composure and brought Chen An into the study room to guard against eavesdroppers.

Chen An had never met Liu Wuxie before, but he often heard stories about him from his foster father.

Back then, Chen Ping and Liu Wuxie were orphans who grew up together, sharing a bond as close as brothers. Later, a mysterious old Taoist had taken Liu Wuxie away, while Chen Ping remained in Moon Reverence City.

Later, Chen Ping heard that Liu Wuxie had become an immortal emperor in just a hundred years. After Liu Wuxie became an immortal emperor, he returned to visit Chen Ping, and the two brothers drank wine together to their hearts' content.

Chen Ping knew well that he and Liu Wuxie no longer belonged to the same world, so he quietly distanced himself. However, Liu Wuxie did not mind at all and helped Chen Ping establish a chamber of commerce to sell various goods.

A few years ago, Chen Ping had fallen into chronic depression after hearing that enemies had surrounded Liu Wuxie on the Soul-Severing Cliff and killed him.

"Not long ago, two cultivators came to our Peace and Stability Merchant Association to make purchases. I overheard them saying that Liu Wuxie has reincarnated," Chen An said uncertainly. Not many people in the celestial realm knew about it at the moment.

When those two cultivators came to shop at the Peace and Stability Merchant Association, one of them accidentally revealed that their ancestor had been among those who had attacked Liu Wuxie in the past.

"I knew it! I knew that he wouldn't die so easily!" Chen Ping murmured as tears slid down his cheeks.

If not for Liu Wuxie, he would still be at the bottom of the celestial realm. He would not even have reached the High Immortal Realm, let alone the Profound Immortal Realm. His current accomplishments were thanks to Liu Wuxie's help.

"Foster Father, are you alright?" Chen An asked, worried to see his foster father crying.

"I'm fine. Where are those two cultivators?" Chen Ping asked, curious to learn more about Liu Wuxie.

"They have already left the city. They both had a high cultivation, at least at the Origin Immortal Realm. They were likely passing through our city, and it's baffling why they came to buy such ordinary goods," Chen An replied with a frown.

"Don't mention this to anyone else," Chen Ping said, issuing a gag order. This news was far too important to leak.

Chen An nodded. "I understand." He had been the only person in the chamber of commerce who had heard it.

"Foster Father, what kind of person is Uncle Liu?" he asked. He was not familiar with Liu Wuxie, and most of what he knew came from his foster father.

It had been 20 years since Chen Ping had last met Liu Wuxie, and Chen An was not around back then.

"He's someone worthy of admiration," Chen Ping replied, but he did not go into detail. Even he did not know if Chen An's news was accurate.

"Foster Father, the White Tiger Merchant Association has frequently stolen our business, and they have now cornered us," Chen An said, changing the topic. The White Tiger Merchant Association had aggressively pressured them in recent months.

"The White Tiger Merchant Association only dares to act so recklessly because it managed to curry favor with the Azure Bamboo Gang. We'll shrink our operations for the time being and avoid a frontal confrontation with them," Chen Ping said, sending Chen An away.

He then walked to the other side of the study room, opened a row of bookshelves, and revealed the portrait of a young man hanging on the wall.

"Brother, I have been waiting for you," Chen Ping said, wiping away his tears before closing the bookshelves.

......

Liu Wuxie stood on a mountain summit, allowing the biting cold wind to sweep toward him. He knew that what had to come would eventually come, and the immortals from various forces had gradually returned.

Beams of immortal light tore through the sky, but strangely, the Indigo Bamboo Star's planet lord, Emperor Haoyuan, was nowhere to be seen.

A powerful spatial fluctuation rippled above the Heavenly Dragon Sect as an old man appeared out of thin air. The moment he appeared, Hua Feiyu stepped before him.

"Junior Hua Feiyu greets Ancestor Leng Zizhen!" Hua Feiyu bowed.

This old man was the Heavenly Dragon Sect's only immortal, who had been in seclusion for countless years. The Heavenly Dragon Sect still preserved Leng Zizhen's portrait, which was why Hua Feiyu recognized him at once.

Leng Zizhen had been in seclusion for fifty thousand years, and Hua Feiyu had not even been born back then. Thus, they naturally did not know each other.

Hua Feiyu had only learned about this ancestor after becoming the sect master and reading many ancient texts from the sect.

"Are you the current sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Sect?" Leng Zizhen asked. Only the Heavenly Dragon Sect's sect master would address him this way.

"That's right. I am Hua Feiyu, and I welcome the Ancestor's return," Hua Feiyu said respectfully, gesturing for the ancestor to enter.

"Where is the Heavenly Dragon Sect?" Leng Zizhen asked, looking at the empty Heavenly Dragon Sect.

"Ancestor, everyone from the Heavenly Dragon Sect has moved into Nightmare City. I'll explain everything to you in detail once we're there," Hua Feiyu replied respectfully. He had also reached the Immortal Realm, but he still had to maintain respect before Leng Zizhen, who had already reached the fourth-level Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Clearly, Leng Zizhen had made some progress in his cultivation during his seclusion in the Skyfall Realm. Then again, someone at the fourth-level Heavenly Immortal Realm was still somewhat inferior compared to immortals who had broken through hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Liu Wuxie naturally sensed Leng Zizhen the moment he appeared, but he did not come over to greet him. His gaze remained locked in the direction of the Grand Unity Sect and the Lingqiong Clan.

The upper echelons of the Grand Unity Sect had disappeared entirely. Logically speaking, they should have returned now that the immortals had come back. As long as they appeared, Liu Wuxie would strike without hesitation and annihilate them.

However, strangely, the upper echelons of the Grand Unity Sect were nowhere to be seen, including the immortal.

Leng Zizhen followed Hua Feiyu into the depths of Nightmare City, where the Heavenly Dragon Sect had built an equally luxurious residence, no inferior to the Heavenly Dragon Sect's original main hall. Disciples moved between the buildings and cultivated diligently.

Dong Wu and the upper echelons of the Heavenly Dragon Sect had long been waiting in the main hall, filled with anticipation after hearing of the immortal's return.

When Leng Zizhen came in, he sat in the highest seat the moment he entered. Displeasure immediately appeared on Dong Wu's and the others' faces. They all wanted to speak, but Hua Feiyu raised his hand and stopped them.

Dong Wu and the other elders could only step forward and cup their hands together. "We welcome the Ancestor's return!"

When Leng Zizhen swept his gaze around and saw only sixty-odd elders, he could not help but look surprised. He asked, "Did something happen in the Heavenly Dragon Sect? Why are there so few cultivators at the Quasi-Immortal Realm and the Heaven Gaze Realm?"

So many years had passed, and the Heavenly Dragon Sect should have grown stronger than before, not weaker.

"Ancestor, many elders are still in seclusion at the moment," Dong Wu stepped forward and reported.

The two teams trained relentlessly every day. Although they had already reached the Quasi-Immortal Realm, their coordination still contained many flaws. According to Liu Wuxie’s standards, their combined strike needed to be powerful enough to kill first-level Heavenly Immortals with ease.

"This is outrageous! What could be more important than my return?!" Leng Zizhen roared, slamming his palm down on the armrest. As an immortal, all the upper echelons should have been present to welcome him.

That was why Leng Zizhen looked extremely displeased when he heard that the elders were still in seclusion instead of welcoming him.

"Ancestor, please calm down. They're really in seclusion, and they've all reached a critical moment," Hua Feiyu said, stepping forward to calm the ancestor.

"Order everyone to come out immediately!" Leng Zizhen said. He had no intention of listening to Hua Feiyu's explanation.

His request troubled Hua Feiyu.

"Ancestor, please forgive me, but I cannot obey your request," Hua Feiyu said after drawing a deep breath.

At his words, the entire hall trembled as a powerful shockwave spread outward. Fear gripped everyone's hearts. The rage of a heavenly immortal could easily leave corpses covering thousands of miles, not to mention one at the fourth-level Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Aside from Hua Feiyu, no one there could withstand this powerful aura. Many people lowered their heads and clenched their fists. They had initially assumed that the ancestor's return would further strengthen the Heavenly Dragon Sect's overall power, but who could have expected this situation?

Then again, this was not surprising, as mortals were nothing more than ants in the eyes of immortals.

"Who gave you the courage to disobey my orders?!" Leng Zizhen snapped, increasing the aura he released and seizing authority from Hua Feiyu, declaring himself the Heavenly Dragon Sect's master.

"And who gave you the balls to point fingers here and there?" A voice came from outside the main hall.

Liu Wuxie had returned to the Heavenly Dragon Sect after failing to find the Grand Unity Sect's ancestor, only to witness this scene.