"You can rest easy on that front," Yang Guang assured him.
"While the Mystic Maiden Palace can be a bit overbearing at times, they have an excellent reputation. They are considered a righteous, orthodox sect. Furthermore, the Palace is a strictly female-only order. Since Mengchen was taken specifically for her peerless talent, they have undoubtedly poured immense resources into her cultivation. I believe she hasnât suffered any grievances there."
Wang Yue felt a weight lift from his heart. His thoughts drifted back to the mysterious force that had been secretly protecting Jinling.
He was now more certain than ever that those protectors had been dispatched by his second aunt.
If that were the case, she likely held significant authority within the Mystic Maiden Palace; there was no longer any need to worry about her safety.
However, his desire to bring her home remained unshaken. "Does the Patriarch know the location of the Mystic Maiden Palace?"
"On that... Iâm afraid Iâm powerless to help," Yang Guang said, shaking his head.
"Among the Ten Supreme Powers, the Three Sects and Four Families are relatively easy to find. But âOne Palace and Two Hallsâ are incredibly enigmatic. Iâve discussed this with friends from other Sacred Lands, but not a single person knows the coordinates of those three organizations."
"That mysterious?"
Wang Yue was impressed but not discouraged.
Since he was almost certain the secret guardians in Jinling were her people, finding the Palace was simply a matter of tracking them down and asking.
Though the Yang family was reclusive, they were eager to befriend someone like Wang Yue.
Not only was there a shared history and the debt of saving Yang Linâs life, but Wang Yueâs sheer power was enough of a reason.
A youth under twenty who likely possessed the strength of a peak-Transcendence master was something even a Sacred Land like the Yangs couldnât produce; such a feat was perhaps only possible for the Ten Supreme Powers.
The fact that Wang Yue came from the secular world and had never even interacted with the Sacred Lands before was nothing short of terrifying.
Yang Guang couldnât help but marvel inwardlyâWang Yue was truly the son of the girl he had scouted all those years ago; his talent likely far surpassed even his motherâs.
With friendship as the goal, the Yangs treated Wang Yue with lavish hospitality, which he was happy to accept.
He felt no ill will toward them now.
In fact, he felt a sense of gratitude.
The events of the past werenât Yang Guangâs faultâthey were entirely the work of Su Yixuan. Moreover, Yang Guang had never revealed Su Mengyanâs existence to the Mystic Maiden Palace.
When they had taken the first twin, they had compensated the Yangs with a fortune in resources; had the Yang family "contributed" the second twin, the rewards would have been even greater. If the Palace had taken both sisters, Wang Yue wouldnât even exist today.
In a way, the Yang family had done him a great favor.
With both sides eager to bond, the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious. Yang Guang personally took Wang Yue on a tour of the village.
There wasnât much to see in terms of landmarks, but it gave Yang Guang a chance to brief Wang Yue on the familyâs standingâessential knowledge if they were to be allies.
Wang Yue was once again stunned by the depth of the Yang familyâs foundation.
Beyond the three Transcendence masters he had already met, the family had over ten more hidden elders in that realm, including three top-tier powerhouses at the seventh level of Transcendence or higher.
These elders were all over a hundred years oldâthe eldest being over four hundredâand lived in seclusion, intervening only in times of great crisis.
Since the Great Change had occurred less than five hundred years ago, the accumulation of power was still in its early stages.
In another thousand years, the strength of the Sacred Lands would become truly staggering.
No one knew exactly how long a Transcendence master could live, but a millennium was a conservative estimate. As the generations stacked up, the number of powerhouses would only grow.
In the secular world, with very few exceptions like Xuan Ji, the strongest were usually at the Heaven Yuan Realm. Unless a cataclysmic war wiped out the Transcendence masters of the Sacred Lands, the gap between the two worlds would only widen with time.
At noon, Yang Village held a grand banquet to give Wang Yue the highest level of welcome.
Nearly everyoneâmen, women, and childrenâattended, save for the secluded elders.
When the adults learned Wang Yue was Su Mengchenâs biological nephew, their warmth redoubled.
It was easy to see how much the village had adored his six-year-old aunt. It made sense; as his other aunt had described, one sister was spirited and lively while the other was sweet and charming.
A girl as lovely and talented as Su Mengchen was a once-in-a-millennium treasure.
Yang Lin, whose wounds had largely healed after a morning of rest, joined the party.
Wang Yue felt a momentary awkwardness facing the man, knowing their history. However, that awkwardness vanished when he spotted the elegant, beautiful woman by Yang Linâs side.
Though the two didnât display any overt intimacy, Wang Yue had a sharp eye for romance. He grinned and said, "Brother Yang Lin, this must be my sister-in-law."
Since Yang Lin clearly had another woman, the old betrothal was naturally void. Wang Yue felt comfortable calling him "Brother."
Yang Lin looked at the woman beside him and smiled softly. "Xiuyun is indeed my soulmate, but we are not married."
"Why not? Are you still waiting for my aunt?" Wang Yue asked.
Yang Lin laughed bitterly. "When Mengchen came here, I was only ten. What did I know of romance? Iâve always treated her like a younger sister, and that feeling hasnât changed."
"Then why arenât you married?"
This time, it was Yang Guang who sighed.
"The betrothal. When the Mystic Maiden Palace took her, they never officially annulled the engagement. If Yang Lin were to marry Xiuyun and the Palace ever brought up the old agreement, we would have no way to explain ourselves."
Wang Yue was speechless. The Palace likely hadnât mentioned the annulment because they didnât deign to think about it; the chance of them "bringing it up" was less than one in ten thousand. The Yangs surely knew this, yet they still didnât dare risk it. This was the tragedy of the weak.
"But the Yang family isnât weak," Wang Yue countered. "You have three late-stage Transcendence powerhouses. Do you really need to fear them that much?"
Yang Guang shook his head helplessly.
"Our strength is nothing compared to theirs. Among the Ten Supreme Powers, every single one has a horde of late-stage and peak-Transcendence masters. Some even have those who have surpassed the Transcendence Realm."
"Surpassed it?" Wang Yue was stunned. He had always assumed Transcendence was the limit of martial arts.
"Yes. Above Transcendence is the Void-Refining Realm.
At that stage, you no longer just glide for short distances; you fly through the air as freely as an immortal. But the real difference is combat power.
It is said that a newly ascended âImmortalâ of the Void-Refining Realm can stand still and let peak-Transcendence masters attack them without losing a single hair.
In return, a peak-Transcendence master couldnât survive a single strike from them.
The Yang family seems strong, but a single Void-Refining Immortal could wipe us all out."
"Void-Refining... Immortals?" Wang Yue whispered. Rather than feeling discouraged, his heart flared with a new, driving ambition.