The atmosphere was amiable in the ancient palace, where both the guests and the host were having a pleasant time chatting with each other.

After an incense stick of time, the banquet came to an end. Everyone had excused themselves, and only Lin Xun and Heng Xiao were left in the hall.

Only then did Heng Xiao ask, “Little friend, perhaps you can inform me about the real identity of She Zi and She Ling?”

Lin Xun considered it briefly and said, “This matter is quite complicated, Senior. I hope that after I tell you about it, you will not bring it up again in the future, or else it may put Xuanji Dao Sect in trouble.”

Heng Xiao's expression instantly became serious as he nodded.

“If my guess is correct, then they actually are disciples of Holy Illumination Ancient Sect.”

Even though Heng Xiao had mentally prepared himself, the answer still made him stiff with shock, “How…how is that possible?”

Phantasm Empyrean Island was one of the seven major lineages in Cloud State. Although ranked fourth, it had an ancient and rich heritage.

As the leader of Xuanji Dao Sect that was based in the same state, Heng Xiao knew their situation like the back of his hand.

Yet, he could never have imagined that Phantasm Empyrean Island would be involved with Holy Illumination Ancient Sect.

Holy Illumination Ancient Sect was one of the Three Dark Giants of the Underworld. All its members were like assassins in the shadows who would resort to anything, even the most bizarre and vicious methods, to achieve their goals. Just its name alone was enough to scare people witless.

Not only the Primordial Chaos World, but the entire Ancient Nebula Road seethed with hatred and resentment upon the mention of the Underworld!

“Are you certain, little friend?” Heng Xiao's expression flickered dimly.

Lin Xun nodded as there was nothing to hide about this.

Heng Xiao fell silent for a while, then said in a heavy tone, “No wonder I never once heard about characters like She Zi and She Ling in Phantasm Empyrean Island. Turns out they both come from Holy Illumination Ancient Sect.

“Something big must have happened in Phantasm Empyrean Island that I don’t know about, that’s the only reason why they would cooperate with Holy Illumination Ancient Sect!”

Saying that, he cupped his fist. “Thank you for telling me about this. Our sect would have been kept in the dark about something so important otherwise.”

Lin Xun smiled. “It’s nothing at all, Senior, I just happen to be present at the right time. Still, it’s best that you don't divulge this matter, lest you get targeted by those conniving assassins.”

Heng Xiao breathed in deeply and nodded.

He then asked, “By the way, since you’ve come to our sect, is there something that you need from us?”

Lin Xun said, “I would like to see your founding ancestor Senior Bo Yazi.”

Heng Xiao was dumbfounded. Never in his dreams could he have expected this to be Lin Xun’s request.

He shook his head with a bitter smile. “It’s a huge challenge you’ve thrown at me. Ancestor Bo Yazi, who certified his dao in the ancient era, left the sect long ago and hasn’t been seen again since. Not to mention me, even our old seniors of many previous generations have no idea whether he’s still alive or not.”

Stunned, Lin Xun pondered, “When Senior Bo Yazi left in the first place, did he leave any item behind, such as a letter, a token, or anything that could be a message?”

If it were anyone else asking this, Heng Xiao would have been angry. How could anyone just ask to see something that their founding ancestor had left behind?

However, it was Lin Xun that he was facing, so it was impossible to get angry. Heng Xiao just asked, “Can you tell me why you’re asking about this?”

Lin Xun patiently explained, “A friend of mine is an old acquaintance of Senior Bo Yazi, that's why I took the liberty of coming to visit.”

Heng Xiao was astonished.

A friend of Jin Duyi knows Ancestor Bo Yazi?

A strange emotion flashed in his eyes as he contemplated for a moment. Finally, he said, “Please come with me.”

He then got up and marched out of the palace.

Sacred Wind Dao Mountain was expansive and undulating.

Return Trove Peak was one of the peaks there that had been the forbidden zone of Xuanji Dao Sect since ancient times. Only the very top dignitaries who held real power in the sect could gain entry to it.

Return Trove Peak was ten thousand feet tall, steep and dangerous without even a blade of grass on it. It was like a huge black sword that thrust into the sky.

After bringing Lin Xun through a series of restrictive and protective arrays, Heng Xiao arrived before Return Trove Peak.

“This is where Ancestor Bo Yazi certified his dao, and it was also here that he single-handedly built the eternal foundation of Xuanji Dao Sect,” introduced Heng Xiao with a reverent expression.

Lin Xun tilted his head up to take in the full view of Return Trove Peak. Desolate and rugged with the top being covered in fog all year round, the mountain seemed quite mysterious. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Heng Xiao grew solemn as he bowed toward a cave at the foot of the mountain. “Greetings, Senior. This is Disciple Heng Xiao.”

“Why did you come?” rang an old and dry voice.

Lin Xun was startled to suddenly notice the old man in front of the cave. His hair and beard were unkempt, and his face was as withered as a tree bark.

He was sitting cross-legged on a rock, but his aura felt as though it had fused together with the entire mountain. He could be seen with the naked eye but was impossible to be detected by spirit senses!

Heng Xiao's voice was respectful as he stated Lin Xun's intention.

At the same time, he transmitted to Lin Xun, “This is the guardian of our sect. He was here when I first joined the sect as a teenager and he has always remained here since then, never taking a step out of this mountain.”

Lin Xun immediately cupped his fist, “Greetings, Senior, I am Jin Duyi.”

This withered old man was undoubtedly a well-concealed expert!

“Young man, you said that your friend knew Bo Yazi?” The old man's eyes remained shut, his voice dry and his expression as calm as a rock.

The astonishing thing was that he directly referred to his sect’s founding ancestor by the name Bo Yazi!

“That’s correct.” Lin Xun nodded.

Senior Brother Li Xuanwei…well…certainly counts as a friend.

“Hmph!” The old man suddenly opened his eyes

In that instant, it was as if the beginning of chaos was unfolding in those eyes. They reflected the thrive and wither of life as well as astronomical changes in the universe.

Being stared at by those eyes, Lin Xun stiffened from head to toe and found it difficult to even breathe. He was greatly shaken, thinking that this old man was definitely an Emperor!

The old man said icily, “You are young, but you talk big. Bo Yazi left 134,936 years ago. Lofty, withdrawn, and proud as he is, he has only a handful of friends his whole life. Now you’re telling me that he has another friend that I’ve never heard about?

“And let’s not forget that Bo Yazi's friends are all from the ancient era. How could they possibly be friends with a young man like you?”

His question went straight to the core of the problem.

Heng Xiao's expression faltered slightly, not expecting that the senior would be so discourteous to Lin Xun.

Lin Xun, however, calmly said, “I’m never one to brag. Since the start of my cultivation, I’ve seen many characters from the ancient era. Even before I became a Saint, I had a group of quasi-Emperor friends and had conversations with Emperor experts. If you judge things by their age, then I can only say that you are a little biased, Senior.”

Heng Xiao's heart leaped to his throat. Who would have thought that this young man was even more boorish in his speech and attitude than the senior?!

What actually shocked him the most was the implication in Lin Xun's words.

He had been friends with quasi-Emperors and chatted with Emperors even before becoming a Saint?!

No matter how one thought of it, it just sounded unbelievable…

The withered old man was also caught off guard. “You said I'm biased?”

Lin Xun simply skipped the nonsense and flipped his hand. A variety of treasures appeared on his palm, glowing with different phenomena.

These were all gifts from those terrifyingly powerful creatures he had saved with the Blameless Lamp in the Blood Kill Battlefield.

The true feather from the celestial phoenix skeleton.

The seven-inch azure sword scabbard from the giant skeleton who carried a broken sword.

The string of sparkling sapphire bells from the fox skeleton.

The snow-white fang from the serpent skeleton.

The white shell from the old turtle skeleton.

And many other things.

Blade Emperor Qingyang, who had been trapped in the Mulberry Woodland, had upon his departure given Lin Xun a token[1]. Thanks to the token, he had been able to employ Yu Qingyang's help during his time in Great Yu World.

Now, Lin Xun was presenting these treasures to prove his point to the withered old man!

The latter’s eyes bloomed with a brilliant light as they swept over the treasures one by one.

“The Celestial Phoenix Clan’s True Origin Feather, Giant Que Clan's Azure Sword Scabbard, Nine Orifice Divine Fox Clan’s Bells of Allure, Winged Sky Serpent Clan’s Life True Tooth, Great Void Dragon Turtle Clan’s Heavenly Luck True Armor… These are indeed the tokens of those clans. Their value is beyond measure, and they are not to be easily given to outsiders.”

When the old man said this, there was a strange look on his face, seemingly unexpected, seemingly surprised.

Meanwhile, Heng Xiao was gasping.

The Celestial Phoenix Clan was on the same level as the True Dragon Clan. They were extremely mysterious, rumored to reside in an unknown place called ‘Celestial Phoenix Mountain.’

The Giant Que Clan was one of the Great Ten Battle Clans in the Ancient Nebula Road, which was rooted in Central Plain State of the Primordial Chaos World!

And then the Orifice Divine Fox Clan, Winged Sky Serpent Clan, etc.

Each of these clans had been a famous force in the ancient era. The tokens of their clans were simply unattainable for ordinary people!

Heng Xiao now viewed Lin Xun in a completely new light.

At first, he had thought that the other party was from the Imperial Jintian Clan, only to find out later that his surname was Jin and not Jintian.

He had been even more mystified to learn later on that Jin Duyi wished to see his sect’s founding ancestor.

Now, looking at the precious tokens representing various powerful clans, he couldn’t help but wonder, who exactly was this guy Jin Duyi…?

Whoosh~

Lin Xun put away the tokens and asked, “Perhaps you believe me now, Senior?”

After a moment of silence, the withered old man said, “They provide nothing to prove that your friend is an acquaintance of Bo Yazi. Give me a good enough proof, and I will tell you where Bo Yazi headed to after he had departed from the sect.”

Lin Xun raised his eyebrows, somewhat hesitant.

If he honestly said that Bo Yazi was only an apprentice that his senior brother had casually accepted, then this old man…might fly into a rage…

Meanwhile, Heng Xiao was also surprised.

So this senior actually knows the whereabouts of our founding ancestor?

But why has he never mentioned this before?

The old man looked indifferent as he said in his old, hoarse voice, “Let me just ask you then, young man, what is the reason for you coming here to find Bo Yazi?”

Although his attitude was still very aloof, his question let Lin Xun know that there was room for discussion.

He chose his words carefully, “I am here to ask Senior Bo Yazi about a matter.”

The old man asked, “What is it?”

Lin Xun took a deep breath and looked at him earnestly, saying, “I want to know the whereabouts of Senior Bo Yazi's teacher.”

1. See chapters 1462-1463 ?