"Nie Xiaotian... So Father and the others really did escape!"

Hidden in the shadows, Nie Yun clenched his fists upon hearing Huangg Ling’s words, his face flushing with excitement.

’Based on the information Tie Lan gave me, I knew there was a chance Father and the others had escaped their clutches, but I could never be sure. Now that Huangg Ling has said it, it must be true. Not only has my brother’s strength soared, but they’ve also evaded capture!’

’It’s good that they escaped. So it really is related to the Divine Holy Empire’s Royal Family. Damn them!’

Forcibly suppressing his excitement, Nie Yun steadied his breathing and looked at Huangg Ling again, his eyes blazing with fury.

’I was confused before, but seeing this, a lot of things are making sense now. The Divine Holy Empire’s Royal Family, Fengg Yu and the others, are at the bottom of the hierarchy among the Seven Great Empires. The only reason they would move against my parents is that they were ordered to by Huangg Ling!’

’But I still haven’t figured out why Huangg Ling knows about the Luoo Qu Tomb and the Phecda Sword, or what the deal is with that Demon in the Zi Qiong Mountain Range.’

"Nie Xiaotian and the others... I don’t know about that! I have no idea why that cripple, Nie Tong, suddenly exploded with power, reaching Ultimate Venerable Peak in one go. Even Celestial List Powerhouses were no match for him... I didn’t know this would happen, so you can’t blame me!"

Thinking of the young man, Tuxin looked even more helpless.

’That kid, Nie Tong, was supposed to be a cripple with no True Qi fluctuations in his body. No one paid him any mind. Who could have possibly imagined he’d suddenly erupt with power, kill several Ultimate Venerable-level Celestial List Powerhouses with a single sword strike, and then vanish without a trace?’

"Enough. We’re done talking about this," Huangg Ling cut off Tuxin’s excuses with a wave of his hand and a snort. "Contact Lord Hua right now and give him a detailed report. See if you can mitigate your failure. Otherwise, no one gets this year’s share, and you will suffer the agony of the ant swarm for forty-nine days!"

’Lord Hua? The agony of the ant swarm?’ Nie Yun was completely baffled.

’Huangg Ling is the current Emperor of the Divine Holy Empire, a status that puts him among the most revered figures on the entire Qi Sea Continent. For someone like him to address another as ’Lord’... what is this person’s background?’

’The agony of the ant swarm... I feel like I’ve heard of this punishment in my past life, but for some reason, I can’t quite place it right now.’

"Alright, I’ll report it immediately. But first, you need to tell me what’s going on with that Nie Yun," Tuxin said with a grunt. "Last time, I passed on the news about his master, and Lord Hua took it very seriously. He ordered me to investigate thoroughly. If I don’t have any new information to send back, I’m afraid we’ll both be punished!"

’It seems this Lord Hua is from the Floating Heaven Continent!’ Nie Yun’s understanding deepened.

’Last time, I deliberately tricked Tuxin by claiming my master was a Supreme Elder of the Cloud Transformation Sect. It was a complete bluff, but I can’t believe he actually fell for it and passed the message on.’

’Tuxin is from the Floating Heaven Continent, and he sent the information back there. It’s obvious this Lord Hua must be from the Floating Heaven Continent as well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so concerned about the title ’Supreme Elder of the Cloud Transformation Sect.’’

’With the Floating Heaven Continent getting involved in my affairs, things have become even more complicated.’

"Yes, about that. Nie Yun only arrived in Guangming City today. At the Seven Empires’ banquet, I deliberately had a few of the other Sovereigns provoke him into action, just to test his true strength. And the result was..."

Huangg Ling then gave a detailed account of Nie Yun’s actions and words at the banquet.

"So, you’re saying... he wasn’t even using his full strength? He killed the top three experts on the Celestial List without revealing his full power? Could he have already reached the Secret Realm?" After hearing Huangg Ling’s description, Tuxin’s breathing grew ragged and his face turned pale. "When I fought him over two months ago, he definitely wasn’t this strong. He must have advanced in the last two months! To go from the Ordinary Supreme Peak to this level in less than three months... It must be his master’s doing! This has to be reported immediately!"

"You’re saying his cultivation only recently improved? If that’s the case, it would explain things... But still, that rate of advancement is simply unbelievable!" Huangg Ling was also astonished.

’My network of information is vast, and I know a fair bit about what Nie Yun did in the Divine Wind Empire. If he’d had this kind of strength three months ago, he wouldn’t have needed so long to fight Tuxin. He could have killed him with a single breath!’

’To help a disciple’s strength skyrocket so quickly in just over two months... this master is simply heaven-defying!’

"Let’s go. Grab your things. We’re going to the altar!"

Tuxin turned, went back into the room, and retrieved a magic staff before striding outside.

The magic staff was taller than a man and was inlaid with an azure gemstone that shimmered faintly, containing a peculiar Spiritual Power.

’A Blue Pure Stone? That can only be found on the Floating Heaven Continent. Looks like my guess was right!’

’The Blue Pure Stone is a type of stone that contains Spatial Power. Although it’s a far cry from the Nine Nether Cold Pearl, it’s still an incredibly rare treasure. In my past life, I saw one sell for the high price of ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones at an auction on the Floating Heaven Continent.’

"You go to the altar first and wait for me. I’m going to get the Imperial Crown!"

Huangg Ling nodded, then leaped into the air and vanished into the night moments later.

After they both departed, Nie Yun slipped out from his hiding place and silently followed Tuxin.

’Huangg Ling is too powerful, and his soul has reached the Great Perfection Realm. If I tried to follow him, I’d be discovered with the slightest misstep. Following Tuxin, however, poses no such risk.’

One walked ahead while the other followed behind. Before long, they arrived at a sealed courtyard deep within the Imperial Palace.

In the center of the courtyard was a high, open-air platform. Its surface was entirely engraved with the trajectories of celestial bodies, all depicted with gemstones. The gems reflected the faint moonlight, making it look as if fallen stars were scattered across the ground.

’The Nine Heavens Star Shifting Array? This kind of array is used for long-distance teleportation. The higher the cultivation of the person being teleported, the more energy it consumes. To get here from the Floating Heaven Continent, even someone at Tuxin’s level would probably require over a hundred Top-Grade Spirit Stones. What an extravagant expense!’

’The Nine Heavens Star Shifting Array consumes an enormous amount of Spirit Stones for long-distance travel. The stronger the person being teleported, the higher the grade of Spirit Stones required. Even for someone of Tuxin’s strength, it would likely take over a hundred Top-Grade Spirit Stones. Not to mention that Lord Hua. Even if he wanted to come here himself, he probably couldn’t afford to burn through that many Spirit Stones!’

’The Teleportation Array I used in my past life was obviously not this one. But it also had its limits; the most it could transport was a powerhouse at around the Mid-Stage Ultimate Venerable Realm.’

"Alright, let’s begin!"

Huangg Ling flew over once more. This time, he held a golden Imperial Crown that glittered in the moonlight.

"This crown... This Imperial Crown..."

Seeing the Imperial Crown, Nie Yun’s eyes widened. It wasn’t that he coveted the object, but that the Nameless Technique inside his body had once again... stirred.