Immortal Dao City. The Domain Lord's Mansion.
Upon a magnificent plaza paved with white jade, immortal energy swirled, creating a scene as dreamlike as a celestial paradise.
When Ye Donghuang arrived, he saw the City Lord of Immortal Dao City, Ye Taixuan, carefully attending to two guests. Ye Taixuan was one of his own outstanding descendants, with a cultivation level comparable to a Peak Great Divine Power Realm Martial Artist.
One of the guests was a seemingly gentle old man in a white Daoist robe, his features kind and benevolent. But the moment Ye Donghuang saw him, his heart jolted.
'It's actually him. Great Elder Yuan Haowen of the Vast Heaven Immortal Sect. Why did he come here in person?'
As the Great Elder of the Vast Heaven Immortal Sect, Yuan Haowen's status on the entire Profound Sun Continent was second only to the Lord of the Vast Heaven, Yuan Haotian.
More importantly, he was Yuan Haotian's own grandfather.
An expert at the Void Immortal Peak Level.
Even a man like Ye Donghuangâa Domain Lord, an Overlord Level figure who commanded the hundreds of billions of Immortal Cultivators in the Eastern Domainâhad to lower his head and act with cautious deference before such an existence.
But this was not what surprised Ye Donghuang the most.
What truly shocked him was the other person.
He didn't recognize this person at all.
It was the aloof beauty in a magnificent, light-blue robe standing beside Great Elder Yuan Haowen.
The woman's expression was exceedingly cold, but surprisingly, Yuan Haowenâthe Great Elder of the Vast Heaven Immortal Sect and one of the three most powerful figures on the Profound Sun Continentâseemed to be doing his utmost to curry favor with her.
'I can't see through this woman's aura at all. Could she be... a True Immortal?'
A jolt went through Ye Donghuang's mind.
He immediately stepped forward.
"Donghuang, you've arrived! Quick, come and pay your respects to Miss Nangong Tianling from the Star God Palace."
It was then that Yuan Haowen noticed Ye Donghuang's arrival and enthusiastically made the introduction.
Ye Donghuang was stunned yet again upon hearing this.
From that single sentence, he understood that the newcomer was not a True Immortal, but a True God.
On the Profound Sun Continent, Immortal Cultivators generally looked down on Martial Cultivators, and would even go so far as to slaughter them on sight.
However, that was only true on the Profound Sun Continent.
In the outside world, the great powers of the Martial Daoâespecially the Thirty-Three Great Emperors' Dojos and the Four Great Sacred Landsâwere entities they neither could nor dared provoke.
And the Star God Palace was a subordinate power to one of those Thirty-Three Great Emperors' Dojos.
It was presided over by a Star God.
"So, it is Your Excellency, Star God Nangong. I am Ye Donghuang. It is an honor."
Of course, Ye Donghuang didn't act overly obsequious.
After all, their traditions were different.
Moreover, the Ye Family's origins were quite extraordinary.
Deep down, he had his own pride.
He just didn't dare to be insolent.
"Ye Donghuang? As this god understands it, you are descendants of the Profound Sun Emperor, are you not?"
Nangong Tianling, who had been standing aloof without having asked a single question, suddenly glanced at Ye Donghuang and asked in a flat voice.
The moment she spoke,
Ye Donghuang's expression stiffened.
He gave a stiff nod.
"The Profound Sun Emperor may have had his faults, but he was still one of the most distinguished elders of our Martial Arts Realm. For his descendants to have fallen so low as to cultivate the Immortal Dao... how utterly depraved!"
She showed no courtesy whatsoever.
Her disdain was expressed with blatant clarity.
Nangong Tianling's words instantly caused the expressions of the few Immortal Cultivators present to sour.
Although in the Celestial Cloud Region, the Immortal Cultivators of the Profound Celestial Sect were quick to call Martial Cultivators "lowly," the truth was that in this world, Martial Cultivators were still the dominant force.
Especially the Thirty-Three Great Emperors' Dojos and the Four Great Sacred Landsâwhich one of them was not world-renowned?
Anyone with true ambition would never choose the Immortal Dao.
The Immortal Dao might have had profound origins and been easier to cultivate, but a mere three hundred thousand years had passed since its appearance and rise. This was despite the fact that the great Immortal Ancestor was rumored to be the reincarnation of an Ancient Saint Emperor, a being who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Celestial Emperor Yuan Shi.
In the eyes of these Great Emperor Level powers, however, it was still considered second-rate.
That was why Nangong Tianling had spoken as she did.
However, no matter how indignant or resentful they felt, not one of these Immortal Cultivatorsâthe strongest of whom was only at the Void Immortal Peakâdared utter a single dissenting word in the presence of a Martial Arts True God. On the contrary, they had to force smiles onto their faces.
They could only agree with her.
The humiliation was simply unbearable.
Fortunately, Nangong Tianling hadn't come here just to humiliate and berate the Ye Family.
On the contrary, she had come because she had a use for them.
Therefore, after that single, dismissive comment, she didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, she said, "This god has come to visit a small place in your Eastern Domain called Celestial Cloud. A descendant of an old friend of mine lives there. I once promised her that I would come at this time to bring him out."
"However, this god has never been to this place. I've heard your Ye Family has been scheming in that small region for many years and has left an aura imprint there. Therefore, this god wishes to borrow your aura imprint to gain entry. I wonder, Patriarch Ye, if you would be willing to grant this god such a favor?"
Although she was asking for help, Nangong Tianling's tone contained not the slightest hint of a plea.
Instead, it was terrifyingly indifferent.
It gave one the distinct feeling that disaster would befall them if they refused.
At this moment, Yuan Haowen also spoke up. "Donghuang, Miss Tianling is one of the four Vice Palace Lords of the Star God Palace. Her status is noble, and this matter has already alarmed Vast Heaven. If it weren't for pressing sect business, Vast Heaven would have personally accompanied Miss Tianling here. So, if you truly have an aura imprint in the Celestial Cloud Region, hand it over. You must do everything in your power to help Miss Tianling get inside."
"You know how special that place is. Even for a True God, forcefully breaking into one of the Four Great Forbidden Lands is impossible."
This last sentence, however, helped them save a bit of face.
It was a subtle way of stating that if Ye Donghuang refused to help, then no matter how powerful Nangong Tianling was, she would be unable to enter the region.
Of course, did Ye Donghuang dare refuse?
Without the slightest hesitation, and regardless of how rude Nangong Tianling had been, Ye Donghuang agreed at once.
"Your Excellency, please wait a moment. I will immediately send word to my Servant in the Celestial Cloud Region and make the necessary preparations. It won't be long before Your Excellency can cross over."
The methods of a True God were far superior to those of a Demigod.
With his own power, Ye Donghuang could only send a Will Clone over.
Moreover, the Will Clone's strength could not exceed one percent of his own.
It was also subject to immense restrictions.
Therefore, if Ye Donghuang wanted to make moves in the Celestial Cloud Region, he had to rely on schemes.
But Nangong Tianling was different.
As a True God, she only needed to sense the location of the aura imprint to tear open the void and arrive there directly, even if she wasn't the one who had left the imprint.
It made no difference whatsoever.
So, she just gave a slight nod.
Nangong Tianling said no more.
Ye Donghuang immediately hurried off to make preparations.
Not long after, Xuan Tianxin, the ancestor of the Profound Celestial Sect who was trapped and helpless in the Carefree Sect, found his gloomy expression instantly replaced by a radiant one.
The gloom that had plagued him for days while being trapped was swept away.
The reason was simple: the Lord of Immortal Dao, whom he served, had sent him a message.