Saint Emperor Devourer of Heaven

The Immortal Boat landed west of Nine Dragons City, near the mountain gate of the Jinyun Immortal Sect.

Guardian Zhou instructed Deacon Zhuang to take Jun Wu Xie and Mo Qingli to the Affairs Hall to register their entry and obtain their disciple identities.

He stated that it was inconvenient for him to appear in person.

Otherwise, it would inevitably raise suspicion for a guardian of the Dao Learning Hall to personally handle matters for two handyman disciples, which would be detrimental to concealing their identities and attract too much attention.

Jun Wu Xie and Mo Qingli naturally understood his decision.

Indeed, even if the handyman disciples were royalty, it wouldn't warrant a guardian's accompaniment, as that would surely arouse suspicion and speculation about their identities.

Guardian Zhou and the others were suppressing information to prevent others in the sect from knowing about their experiences and secrets within the Great Tomb, so it was better to keep a low profile.

"After you take Yuan Chu and Su Qingqian to the Affairs Hall to register their entry, secretly inform Deacon Li and ask him to look after them."

"Yes."

Deacon Zhuang responded and led Jun Wu Xie and Su Qingqian away.

Guardian Zhou then put away the Immortal Boat, and waited until their figures disappeared from sight before heading towards the mountain gate.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Guardian Zhou deliberately separated from them when entering the sect.

...

After returning to the sect, Guardian Zhou went directly to the Headmaster's residence.

The Jinyun Headmaster's residence was built near a cliff.

The environment here was very beautiful, with forests on two sides, a small stream valley behind, and a cliff and sea of clouds in front.

The Headmaster's residence was not magnificent or imposing; it was simply a courtyard with a few buildings.

When Guardian Zhou arrived, the Jinyun Headmaster was sitting at a bluestone table by the cliff, looking at the chessboard on the table, playing chess alone.

Although he was alone, he was engrossed in the game.

Each time he made a move, the black pieces on the opposite side would move accordingly, as if an invisible hand was playing against him.

Guardian Zhou quietly approached the Headmaster, watching silently, afraid of disturbing him.

The Jinyun Headmaster seemed unaware of his arrival, his gaze still fixed on the chessboard.

Only after the game was finished did he put away the chess pieces and say, "What's the situation?"

Clearly, he was not unaware of Zhou Protector's arrival.

"Reporting to the Headmaster, the mission was successfully completed. Yuan Chu and Su Qingqian have been brought back.

At this moment, they should be registering their entry in the Affairs Hall, officially becoming disciples of our Jinyun Immortal Sect."

"Very good. You've worked hard on this trip.

The journey must have been turbulent, did you suffer any losses?"

The Jinyun Headmaster put away the chess pieces and turned to look at Guardian Zhou.

He was a middle-aged man who looked to be about fifty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard, and hardly any wrinkles on his face.

His eyes were very calm, but they were etched with vicissitudes, and although he was not angry, he had a somewhat chilling majesty.

"It was expected that the journey would be turbulent, but the opponents we encountered were a bit unexpected."

"Oh?"

Hearing Guardian Zhou say this, the Jinyun Headmaster was also a little curious.

Anyone who would come to rob them should be on the expected list.

Were there actually unexpected people?

"It's a force that's almost been forgotten by the world, one that once terrified the world, causing many powerful figures to have sleepless nights."

Upon hearing this, the Jinyun Headmaster's originally calm gaze, his eyes constricted in an instant, and then a cold light burst out.

"Are you saying it's the Floating World Three Thousand?"

The corner of the Jinyun Headmaster's eye twitched, his expression became solemn, and there was a look of surprise on his face, no longer as calm as before.

"Exactly. On our return, we encountered an assassination attempt by the Floating World Three Thousand assassins just outside the White Sand Ancient Town.

Who would have thought that the Floating World Three Thousand, who had disappeared for tens of thousands of years, would suddenly appear in this era, at this time!"

"This situation is becoming increasingly unclear, increasingly complex.

Now, even the Floating World Three Thousand, who disappeared for tens of thousands of years, have appeared.

It's truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly.

The doomsday torrent is about to begin, and there will be endless bloodshed and unimaginable cruelty in the doomsday.

Before that, the Floating World Three Thousand have appeared."

The Jinyun Headmaster frowned, "You fought with them, what is their strength like?"

"Very strong. This time, they sent four assassins, three in the early Chaos Realm and one at the peak of the Chaos Realm.

Those three assassins in the early Chaos Realm are already capable of challenging most guardians at the peak of the Chaos Realm from top-tier Dao lineages.

If the three of them join forces, most guardians at the peak of the Chaos Realm from top-tier Dao lineages would not be their match, and even in a head-on confrontation, they would probably not escape death. Not to mention if they were to hide and assassinate.

The leader of the assassins is even more terrifying.

If I hadn't brought the imitation of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, I wouldn't have lasted three rounds against him, unless I released the suppression of my realm!"

"The lowest-level assassins of the Floating World Three Thousand were able to assassinate disciples of various top-tier Dao lineages across two or three minor realms back then, not to mention the ace assassins.

This organization is even more terrifying than the Soul Hunting Immortal Hall.

Now, their ability to assassinate across borders seems to be even stronger than it was back then.

Our Mixed Origin Great World is likely to be swept up in a bloody storm even before the doomsday torrent arrives.

This notorious organization, once it emerges, will surely bring disaster to the world, making every force feel insecure.

Alas, it seems that we must quickly notify the disciples who are out training to be more careful, and to avoid acting alone as much as possible outside the sect and the Nine Dragons Imperial City."

Speaking of this, the Jinyun Headmaster paused slightly, then turned to look at the surging sea of clouds and said, "What do you feel about Yuan Chu and Su Qingqian after interacting with them?"

"I feel pretty good. Perhaps because they are rogue cultivators, they have been walking on thin ice all their lives, so they are very cautious and relatively low-key, but they still have a sense of pride in their bones."

"Heh."

The Jinyun Headmaster turned to look at Guardian Zhou, "How many people don't have a bit of pride in their bones?

If a person loses even the most basic pride, then they can only be a slave forever, living under the breath of others, destined to be unsuccessful.

This is not a weakness, but an advantage.

Sometimes, the greater a person's ability, the greater the potential harm to the world.

And inner pride is precisely an important link for them to uphold their principles and bottom line.

Do you think they sincerely joined our Jinyun Immortal Sect?"

"Reporting to the Headmaster, I think they should be.

No matter what, our Jinyun Immortal Sect is a top-tier Dao lineage.

How many people in this world don't want to become disciples of a top-tier Dao lineage?"

"They are not ordinary rogue cultivators.

Imagine if you were trapped in the Great Tomb for tens of thousands of years.

That long torment, coupled with the special environment you're in, how would your state of mind change?

But from the moment I asked you, you have never mentioned anything abnormal about Yuan Chu and Su Qingqian's mentality.

There are only two possibilities: one is that they were not trapped in the Great Tomb for tens of thousands of years at all, and the other is that their Dao hearts are extremely firm, unlike ordinary people.

After all, they are young, and without a Dao heart that far exceeds others, being in the Great Tomb for tens of thousands of years, their hearts would probably have been distorted long ago."

"Headmaster, please rest assured, they have shared memories about the Great Tomb, and one of those memories is indeed a scene from the shallow parts of the Great Tomb.

As for saying that their Dao hearts are different from ordinary people, I strongly agree with that. They are indeed extraordinary in their temperament and handle matters calmly."

"Protect them well, and don't let anything go wrong.

They are the key to whether we can glimpse the secrets of the Great Tomb and obtain opportunities and good fortune in the future.

Also, we can cultivate them a little. With their temperament, not to mention their talent, they are worth cultivating.

After all, being able to come out of the Great Tomb alive, their talent can't be too bad.

If I'm not mistaken, they must have special methods."

"I will protect them well. As for special methods, so far, I haven't discovered them, but their talent is not weak, belonging to the one-in-ten-thousand category.

Although they can't be compared with the sect's geniuses, as long as they cultivate well, they can at least become elite disciples in the future, and even if they advance to core disciples, it's not impossible."

Guardian Zhou did not tell the truth, he concealed the matter of Yuan Chu's special talisman path.

The Jinyun Headmaster did not say anything upon hearing this, but simply looked quietly at the tumbling and changing sea of clouds.

Guardian Zhou stood beside him, slightly behind him by half a body length, and also fell silent.

"Do you have anything else?"

After a long time, the Jinyun Headmaster spoke faintly.

"Yes, there is another situation that has not been reported.

This time, in addition to the Floating World Three Thousand, there were also people from the Xuan Yuan Immortal Sect who intercepted us halfway, led by two guardians, who eventually died at the hands of the Floating World Three Thousand's assassin leader."

"You never say things halfway.

You were silent for a long time in the middle, and only mentioned the Xuan Yuan Immortal Sect at this time."

The Jinyun Headmaster turned to look at Guardian Zhou, his gaze very deep, "Speak, what else do you want to say?"

"Headmaster, what I want to say is about Hua Feiyu."

After considering it again and again, Guardian Zhou decided to have a good talk with the Headmaster about this matter.

The Jinyun Headmaster frowned slightly when he heard him mention Hua Feiyu, and there was a slight change in his eyes.

Elder Zhou saw this, but did not stop this topic, and said, "I don't know what your plans are in your heart, Headmaster. It seems that you still haven't made a decision so far."

The Jinyun Headmaster was silent.

Then he turned and returned to the bluestone table, flicked his sleeve, and a piece of black and white light flew out and landed steadily on the chessboard carved on the table.

Guardian Zhou followed to the bluestone table, looking at the chess game on the table.

"Bo Ren, the situation we are facing now is like this chess game.

Although I am the one playing the game, I don't know how to perfectly solve this chess game.

You tell me, how should I make a move to solve this game?"

The Jinyun Headmaster pointed to the chess game on the table.

On that chessboard, the white pieces were scattered, and the black pieces were all over, besieging the white pieces.

"It is indeed difficult to choose, but it is not a solution to continue like this."

Protector Zhou, as he spoke, reached out to the chessboard, directly removing the black pieces one by one. "This is how we can resolve this situation. After all, we are both players and pieces within the game."

"You make it sound so easy, but reality isn't as simple as removing pieces."

"Removing these black pieces here won't cause you or me any heartache, and it won't affect the sect."

"But if we were to remove them in reality, it would be a heavy blow to our Dao lineage."

"We might even become sinners of the sect. How would we face our ancestors?"

"How could I not know that? But there are no other solutions now, or rather, the other solutions are too unlikely to succeed."

"Unlikely, but at least there's still hope. We haven't reached that point yet."

"Right now, it's impossible for this Sect Leader to overturn the table as you suggest."

"That would bring unbearable weight to the sect."

"After all, this era will usher in a cataclysmic flood!"

"Therefore, we must strive to find someone who can replace Hua Feiyu!"

"Otherwise, we may have to let him ascend to the position of Sect Leader in the future and control Jinyun."

"Sect Leader, absolutely not!"

"Hua Feiyu acts fiercely and is too domineering. He already dares to trample on the sect's rules. If he becomes Sect Leader in the future, what will be able to restrain him?"

"Have you forgotten what he said in the sect last time?"

"He actually said in front of so many disciples that the sect rules were made for the weak, and that he was a strong man beyond the rules, saying that he was the rule!"

"Such remarks have had a huge impact on the hearts of the sect's disciples!"

"That time, you only gave him a minor punishment, but it made the sect's disciples, and even many of the higher-ups, think that you had tacitly approved of it, believing that he was the next Sect Leader for sure. Therefore, they have flocked to his camp, becoming his supporters!"

"Originally, only some of the core disciples followed his lead, but now most of the core disciples have become his people."

"If this continues, our situation will only become more passive!"

"If it were you, what would you do?"

"The punishment wasn't that minor back then. He suffered quite a bit."

"I can't just cripple him, can I?"

"He is the most talented person in the history of our Jinyun Immortal Sect."

"His aptitude is approaching that of our founding ancestor."

"The old ancestors of the sect's foundation all love him very much and are very indulgent towards him."

"Plus, given the uniqueness of this era, if we didn't have him, our Jinyun Immortal Sect would have an even more difficult future, and we might not even see hope!"

"So, there's no point in discussing this with me now."

"The only thing we can do is—find someone who can replace him!"

"Sect Leader, I really want to know, in your heart, do you still have a sliver of expectation for Hua Feiyu?"

"Expectation? What expectations can I have?"

The Jinyun Sect Leader said this, but he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

After all, he was the chief disciple he had personally taught.

For hundreds of years, he had completely treated Hua Feiyu as his own son, pouring so much effort and emotion into him.

To say there were no expectations would be deceiving himself.

Deep down, he still hoped that Hua Feiyu would one day change his ways, curb his ambition, and change his temperament.

"Sect Leader, perhaps Yuan Chu and Su Qingqian may offer a glimmer of hope..."

Protector Zhou thought for a moment and still said this.

He actually knew that the Sect Leader still held illusions about Hua Feiyu in his heart and had not completely given up that sliver of expectation.

However, the Sect Leader's determination to find someone to replace Hua Feiyu seemed very firm.

"Oh?"

A glint flashed in the Jinyun Sect Leader's eyes. "Why do you say that? Did you see some talent in them that made you feel hopeful?"

"That's not the case. After all, we haven't found anyone who can replace Hua Feiyu yet."

"Yuan Chu and Su Qingqian can be considered as backups."

"We can focus on nurturing them, protect them, and then observe the situation based on their growth."

"In any case, they were able to come out of the Great Tomb Fortress alive, so they must be people with great fortune."

"Those with great fortune usually have great opportunities and great creations!"

"Although their talents are not particularly outstanding now, who can say what will happen in the future?"

"Since ancient times, there have been people who had ordinary talents at the beginning, but who possessed great fortune and transformed all the way, becoming amazingly talented."

"There's nothing to say about this. Just the fact that they have the secrets of the Great Tomb Fortress, we have to protect them well and not let anything happen to them."

"As for focusing on nurturing them, it depends on their own good fortune."

"Right now, they are just miscellaneous disciples. We'll talk about it when they can enter the Elite Hall."

"You have people remind them to understand the situation within the sect well, not to conflict with Hua Feiyu's people, and even more not to take Hua Feiyu's side, otherwise..."

"Retreat."

"Yes."

Protector Zhou took two steps back, turned around and left.

Only after leaving the peak where the Sect Leader was located did he stop, look back, and then continue to leave.

Sigh.

Protector Zhou couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Even now, the Sect Leader still harbors a trace of expectation for Hua Feiyu and still has feelings for Hua Feiyu.

It must be said that Hua Feiyu's talent is too amazing, which is indeed likable.

It's just that this child's ambition is too great, and he doesn't take the rules seriously, which is the case wherever he goes.

Many times, as long as things don't go according to his wishes, he won't even give the elders face.

He always acts according to his own will, being the only one who matters, and other people's opinions are nothing.

If such a person becomes the Sect Leader, I don't know what the Jinyun Immortal Sect will become.