Zhou Bufan and the others had no idea when the old man had appeared, but it was utterly audacious that he directly addressed Immortal King Xuanzhen by name. It was a blatant act of rebellion.

The nearby cultivators were equally stunned. Figures like Qi Jian and the Immortal Qin Clan's Patriarch exchanged bewildered glances.

Who is this old man, and when did he arrive?

To address an Immortal King by name… is he courting death?

Yet, no one noticed the flicker of terror in the eyes of Ouyang Xuanzhen, Immortal King Gu Xi, and Dragon Sovereign as they recognized the old man.

Ouyang Xuanzhen's hands, hidden within his sleeves, trembled slightly.

Immortal King Gu Xi turned ashen, a stark contrast to his previous confidence. He had calculated that the Void Immortal Sword Sect wouldn't involve itself in the affairs that were happening, but he could've never expected this.

Dragon Sovereign remained outwardly calm, though he subtly distanced himself from Ouyang Xuanzhen.

Fang Chen's smile deepened as he stepped forward with Li Daoye and the others, bowing respectfully before the old man. "Greetings, Senior Xun."

"Senior Xun?"

Li Daoye and his group were puzzled, but Fang Chen's respectful demeanor made it clear that this old man was no ordinary figure.

Senior Xun chuckled and nodded, winking at Fang Chen.

See? I wasn't lying, was I?

Senior Xun turned his gaze to Ouyang Xuanzhen and said with a faint smile, "Ouyang Xuanzhen, do I need to personally feed you this tea?"

Ouyang Xuanzhen's expression shifted to one of panic as he hastily descended to the ground and bowed deeply. "I… Xuanzhen, pay my respects to you, Emperor Xun."

Immortal King Gu Xi and Dragon Sovereign quickly followed suit, landing on the ground and cupping their hands in reverence.

"I, Gu Xi, pay my respects to you, Emperor Xun."

"I, Dragon Sovereign, pay my respects to you, Emperor Xun."

The sight was like a sledgehammer smashing into the hearts of all the cultivators present.

The once-dominant Immortal Kings and Dragon Sovereign, revered across the realm, were now bowing like obedient juniors.

The atmosphere turned suffocatingly silent. The crowd could hardly breathe as they stared in shock at the old man, their minds reeling with disbelief.

Who… exactly is this Emperor Xun?

The weight of the revelation left everyone stunned. It felt as if an invisible hammer had smashed into their very souls, leaving them breathless and paralyzed. ṙÁ𐌽𝔬𝐛È𝒮

Why are the three Immortal Kings—Ouyang Xuanzhen, Immortal King Gu Xi, and Dragon Sovereign—bowing and paying respects to this old man?

"Emperor Xun?!" Qi Jian suddenly shuddered, his face turning pale. He scrambled to land on the ground, falling to his knees. "Qi Jian, the Azure Dao Manor Prefect! Greetings, Sovereign Emperor! May Your Majesty live eternally, your legacy undying!"

The proclamation jolted the crowd.

"Wait…" the Wei Clan Patriarch uttered in a trembling voice as he tried to make sense of the situation.

The Sovereign Emperor?

The reverence in the voices of the three Immortal Kings and Qi Jian made his blood run cold. His knees weakened, and he fell to the ground.

The Wei Clan Patriarch muttered, "This… How could it be him?"

Whether or not they fully grasped the old man's identity, the sight of the three Immortal Kings obediently standing at ground level was enough. None of the other cultivators dared to remain airborne. One by one, they descended, following the Immortal Kings' lead in bowing deeply.

The atmosphere was stifling as whispers of Emperor Xun spread among the crowd, disbelief etched on every face.

The old man, now revealed to be the former Sovereign Emperor, waved his hand. "Emperor Xun? That title belongs to the past. I abdicated the throne long ago."

He squinted as he glanced at Dragon Sovereign. "These two may be clueless, but you? Shouldn't you know better?"

Dragon Sovereign visibly flinched, lowering his head even further. "Apologies, Dean. It was a slip of the tongue."

"Dean?!"

The title sent shockwaves through the crowd.

A figure who could make Dragon Sovereign bow his head and call him "Dean" and who had once sat upon the Sovereign Emperor's throne…. There was only one person in existence that he could be!

The old man was not only the dean of the legendary Desolate Academy but also the founder of the Desolate Sect, a supreme existence revered as a First Rate Sect Leader!

Xu Qingsong's face turned deathly pale, his expression hollow. "How could it be him? Impossible…"

It was common knowledge that Fang Chen had entered the Desolate Academy, but it had only been a short time ago. How could he have already garnered such favor that the dean of the academy, a figure of unmatched prestige, would personally stand by his side today?

The crowd descended into chaos, their minds racing with fear, awe, and disbelief. Fang Chen, a mere junior, had managed to draw out a figure of such caliber….

At that moment, Xu Qingsong even began to doubt Fang Chen's origins. Could Fang Chen actually be the illegitimate child of the dean?

Meanwhile, the Langya Clan cultivators, led by their patriarch, stood low-profile amidst the crowd. When the three Immortal Kings appeared, fear took root in their hearts. Their emotions underwent earth-shattering changes in the span of a few moments.

The Langya Patriarch's face flushed with emotion, his feelings surging like tidal waves crashing against rocky shores. "The Dean of the Desolate Academy... the former Sovereign Emperor of the Central Continent Empire, and now the Grand Patriarch of the Desolate Sect... Such a being has actually come to support Daoist Fang…"

It took great effort to suppress the shock in his heart. Through a sound transmission, he instructed his clan members not to speak rashly at this critical moment and to quietly wait for the situation to unfold.

In contrast, the Immortal Qin Clan Patriarch, Wei Clan Patriarch, and other leaders of the Immortal Qin Clan had expressions that couldn't be more grim.

Even with their Dao Union Realm cultivation, they found it hard to suppress the overwhelming shock in their hearts.

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through their minds—thoughts of Chu Lan, her husband, and her two children.

At that moment, the Immortal Qin Clan Patriarch urged anxiously, "Quickly, quickly return these two to the Great Thousand Dao Sect!"

The guards didn't dare to block their path any longer and immediately adopted a respectful demeanor as they turned to the siblings. "Young Master, Young Lady, please… return to the Grand Thousand Dao Sect."

The siblings exchanged glances. Initially, they had wanted their patriarch to face some consequences. But upon further thought, they realized they didn't want this matter to bring unforeseen disaster to the Immortal Qin Clan. With no other choice, they quietly disembarked from the immortal ship and swiftly headed toward the Great Thousand Dao Sect.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

A cultivator from the Purple Sun Dao Sect, who was at the Nascent Soul Realm, stood next to Zhou Bufan with a strange expression on his face. He looked like he was crying and laughing at the same time.

"It's over, I'm finished...."

He was the one who had smashed the cup earlier, and he was also the one who had said that Fang Chen was finished.

The Daoist beggar, who had knelt down again at some point, picked up his teacup and drank it in one go, a look of enjoyment spreading across his face. He then proceeded to pour more tea for himself.

It was only upon a closer look that someone might notice that his arm was trembling slightly, and a thin layer of cold sweat had already formed all over him.

In the crowd, Qi Gongxu's sons exchanged looks with one another, looking a little confused. "Did Father actually make the right choice this time?"

With their limited experience, they couldn't immediately make sense of what was happening. All they felt was that… perhaps, they really… were about to rise to power?

"Next time, don't make a slip of the tongue. The current Sovereign Emperor is still in his position, and he might be watching you right now." Elder Xun smiled and then turned to look at Ouyang Xuanzhen. "Come on, weren't you asking Fang Chen to serve you tea? This old man here has brought you a cup. Drink it while it's still hot."

With that, a flash of fiery energy surged, and the tea instantly became scalding hot, emitting white steam. Aside from some clueless onlookers, every cultivator present knew that the tea was a vile liquid from the mortal world.

Ouyang Xuanzhen's face turned pale, and he gulped.

If he drank the tea, how could the Great Expansion Dao Sect ever maintain its standing in the world? Not only were there Immortal Kings present, but there was also a First Rate Sect Leader. It was impossible to silence him. Once the news spread, no matter who mentioned the Great Expansion Dao Sect, it would be overshadowed by this incident...

Ouyang Xuanzhen suddenly raised his arm and shouted loudly. His voice rumbled like thunder, shaking the entire Azure Dao Manor. "Master, I, Ouyang Xuanzhen, truly wish for the Three Thousand Dao Sect to rise again. In the ancient era, all Daoist arts originated from the Three Thousand Dao Sect. This truth cannot be erased by time. When the Three Thousand Dao Sect flourishes, my Dao Sect flourishes!"

Countless beings were drawn to his words. They gazing up at the sky, their expressions filled with awe.

At this moment, all Dao cultivators understood. The Three Thousand Dao Sect would reappear in the world today.

"Alright." Elder Xun nodded lightly. "If you don't want to drink this tea, find someone else to drink it. I can't keep holding it for nothing, can I?"

Ouyang Xuanzhen waved at Xu Qingsong. "You, come forward."