Fang Chen felt somewhat helpless as the argument continued unabated. The quarrel between the Sect Master and the Peak Masters dragged on for a full tea session. Even then, it didn’t show signs of dying down any time soon. it only escalated.

There were even a few who rolled up their sleeves, clearly ready to confront the Sect Master directly within the hall. The Sect Master, on the other hand, was equally unyielding, hurling sharp remarks that hit the mark every time, provoking even more ire from those he targeted.

Finally, the Sect Master slowly turned, revealing a stunning profile, which immediately caused the noise in the hall to die down. Fang Chen thought the Sect Master was about to fully face them, but to his surprise, he only turned halfway and stopped.

"Are you planning to revolt?" the Sect Master said calmly.

"If you don’t drop the Sect Master act and give us an explanation, we might very well do so. What about it? I’ll go and establish my own sect, calling it the True Immortal Sword Sect. We’ll have our disciples challenge yours every day. Let’s see how you handle that!"

The bearded sword cultivator spoke boldly, making Fang Chen feel a chill. Such words would be considered extremely rebellious in most sects.

"Exactly! We’re going to revolt!"

"You think you can take all the benefits for yourself while leaving us with the dirty work? We’ve let you off once or twice and now you think you’re just going to run roughshod over us?"

"Everyone, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s take action and see if he has improved at all after sitting in this position for so many years!"

The atmosphere was far more intense than before, with everyone speaking in unison.

Outside the hall, Qin Hucheng and others seemed to be quite accustomed to the scene. They showed no signs of urgency and continued to watch the spectacle with great interest.

A sword cultivator offered Qin Hucheng a handful of melon seeds. "Senior Brother Qin, would you like some melon seeds?"

Qin Hucheng casually took a handful and began to munch on them. As the sword cultivator was about to retract his hand, a thin, withered arm reached out and scooped up all the melon seeds, leaving him with none.

The sword cultivator was immediately enraged. About to protest, he turned to face the newcomer. However, he was momentarily taken aback and quickly bowed in respect. "I pay my respects to the Supreme Emperor."

The surrounding disciples quickly followed suit and bowed. Qin Hucheng did the same.

The old man had a thin and withered appearance. He nodded expressionlessly. Eating the melon seeds, he walked into the hall.

At the moment, the bearded sword cultivator was angrily shouting, "If it weren’t for your father being a Profound Immortal, do you think you could sit in that seat?"

"My father may be a Profound Immortal, but he has been in seclusion for many years, perhaps he has already passed away. My position here has nothing to do with him," the Sect Master said calmly.

The crowd had not noticed the old man, but Fang Chen did. He turned to look at the old man and saw a sour expression on his face. When the old man noticed Fang Chen’s gaze, he managed to force a smile and nodded in acknowledgment.

The old man then slowly approached the group, and the Peak Masters who had been about to speak immediately fell silent.

The bearded sword cultivator, puzzled and uncertain, said, "Supreme Emperor, the Sect Master just said you might have died while cultivating. He’s your son by the way. That’s just outrageous."

Fang Chen was shocked.

Supreme Emperor?

It seemed this old man was a Profound Immortal and was the Sect Master’s father.

The withered old man looked at the bearded sword cultivator and asked casually, "Little Ming, did you just say that if it weren’t for me being a Profound Immortal, he wouldn’t be in the position of Sect Master? Is that really what you think?" ʀãΝỐВĚS

The bearded sword cultivator’s expression shifted slightly. He immediately shook his head. "Huh? I was just angry and saying whatever. Just an outburst. I never really thought that way."

"An outburst? That’s good to hear," the withered old man said lightly, casually spitting out the melon seed shells.

It wasn’t clear whether that was by accident or intent, but the shells landed squarely on the bearded sword cultivator’s face.

The bearded cultivator remained still, seemingly unaware of it.

The withered old man then walked up to the Sect Master.

"Father," the Void Immortal Sword Sect Master called out, still only revealing his side profile.

The withered old man nodded, and then, with a swift kick, sent the Sect Master stumbling and crashing a considerable distance away. Despite this, the Sect Master continued to maintain the angle that only showed his side profile to everyone present.

Fang Chen found this quite intriguing but refrained from using his divine soul. Just as the previous Greenwood Sect Ancestor could see his Divine Soul, the Supreme Emperor, being a Profound Immortal, might also be able to perceive it.

"It seems my body is still holding up and not yet at the point of dying in seclusion," the withered old man mused.

The Void Immortal Sword Sect Master remained silent, not daring to speak.

"Kid, your name is Fang Chen, right? Fang is a good surname," the withered old man said, his gaze falling on Fang Chen as he continued to munch on melon seeds and smile.

Fang Chen remained silent. In such a situation, speaking too much could only lead to mistakes. Staying silent seemed to be the better choice.

"It looks like you’re intimidated by them. Don’t be afraid; these little brats are always like this. It’s also my fault for not educating them properly." The withered old man chuckled. "Since you’re new to the Void Immortal Sword Sect and still have much to learn, I won’t waste your time. Kneel and kowtow to your master, and then you can return to the Extreme Sword Peak."

"Father?!"

"Supreme Emperor?!"

The Sect Master of the Void Immortal Sword Sect and the bearded sword cultivator, among others, were both shocked and enraged.

"Supreme Emperor, you are already a Profound Immortal in the Tribulation Realm. Instead of spending your energy on accepting disciples, why not focus on how to ascend?" someone advised.

"Father, your lifespan is limited. If he doesn’t grow up by the time you pass away, won’t I have to teach him anyway? Since that’s the case, it’s better if I take him on as my disciple directly," the Void Immortal Sword Sect Master said in a deep voice.

"What do you know about my lifespan? If you don’t advance to the Tribulation Realm, I might have to bury you personally," the withered old man sneered. "Get out of here. Today, I’m going to accept a disciple. No one can stop me."

"This…."

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The bearded sword cultivator was about to speak when an invisible force struck him, sending him flying out of sight.

"We’ll take our leave first."

The others quickly cupped their fists in farewell and turned to leave.

Fang Chen instinctively looked at the Void Immortal Sword Sect Master, expecting him to turn around and leave too. However, the Sect Master merely stayed silent for a few breaths before heading to the back hall.

"Finally, some peace and quiet," said the withered old man, chuckling.

He nodded to Fang Chen. "Come on, kneel down and kowtow to pay respects to your master. Our Void Immortal Sword Sect doesn’t fuss over small details. After you finish, you’ll be a disciple of mine, Wang Zhenlong."

"Senior, does the Void Immortal Sword Sect allow for two masters?" Fang Chen asked after a moment's thought.

The withered man turned angry. "What?! You’ve already taken a master?"

However, his expression soon eased up, seemingly realizing something. "Oh… you mean the Heavenly Cloud Emperor… that’s fine, that doesn’t count."

He smiled as he looked at Fang Chen.

Fang Chen couldn’t help but be a bit surprised; it seemed that the Void Immortal Sword Sect had quietly investigated his background. After all, the Heavenly Cloud Emperor had appeared publicly twice: once in the Grand Xia and once in the Southern Heavenly Sect. Given the Void Immortal Sword Sect’s strength, discovering these things wouldn’t be difficult if they wanted to.

Fang Chen promptly knelt in front of Wang Zhenlong and respectfully kowtowed nine times. "I, Disciple Fang Chen, pay my respects to Master."