A flame without temperature, yet capable of bringing a tremendous breath of life.

"We've seen Elder Mo of the Dan King Sect..."

Jian Wuqing and a few others hurriedly clasped their hands in greeting, their hearts, however, secretly streaming with cold sweat.

It was just a flame.

The pressure it exerted on them, though, was far more terrifying than when the Three Great Demon Sects attacked...

"Elder? Do I seem very old to you?"

The flame danced, like an elf, possessing a unique life; the figure ingrained within it seemed to exist in a void, reality permeated with a touch of illusion.

"..." The group fell silent as if facing a harsh winter.

"Forget it, I won't hold it against you."

The flame flickered slightly, its crisp voice sounding not like that of a mysterious individual who had lived for thousands of years, but rather like that of a young girl of sixteen. "I don't wish to make things difficult for you juniors, nor do I want to get involved with your Sword Sect. The matter Wang Mu promised, if you can't do it, then say no more."

"Just ask him to come out and see me. If he can't do it, then I'll look for him myself."

"It's not easy for me to come out of seclusion; don't waste my time..."

The group exchanged glances once again.

From these words, they felt an endless sense of oppression...

"Exactly what is this request?" Jian Wuqing asked through gritted teeth. "How would we know we can't do it if the senior doesn't say?"

"Humph!" Granny Gu glanced at them. "It's not just that you can't do it; even if that Yan Sword Immortal of yours came here, he couldn't do it either. Cut the nonsense, where is Wang Mu?"

"What if... we don't say?" Jian Wuqing said somberly.

No sooner had he spoken than the golden-green flame suddenly swelled, as if the entire Sword Sect, along with the great hall, had been instantaneously frozen in place.

"Senior, tell us! If we truly can't do it, we will give you an explanation!" Jian Wuqing's face was flushed red, his breathing constricted, and his voice was halting.

"Fine!"

Granny Gu glanced at the flame as if it had given its assent and couldn't help but smile. "Very well, since it has come to this, I'll tell you. Wang Mu once promised the Dan King Sect that once he reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would have Dongfang Mu appear in our Dan King Sect for a meeting."

"If you cannot produce Wang Mu, that's okay; bringing Dongfang Mu would also suffice."

As soon as she finished speaking, the six Peak Leaders were utterly stunned.

"This... who is Dongfang Mu?"

Lu Youlian asked in a low voice; being the youngest among the Peak Leaders, she seemed unfamiliar with the name.

"Is the senior referring to..." Jian Wuqing whispered, "that ancient sage, Dongfang Mu, from a thousand years ago?"

"Exactly, it's him," Granny Gu affirmed.

Jian Wuqing's vision darkened, and he nearly collapsed.

That kid Wang Mu actually agreed to something like this?

Lu Youlian seemed to recall something, her eyes widening in shock.

The others felt a chill grip their hearts.

How long has that person been dead? He was already a figure recorded in the earliest history of the Cultivation World... In fact, the great cosmic upheaval of those years was inseparable from him, so any cultivator a few hundred years old would know a thing or two. But how could such an incredibly distant figure... possibly still be alive?

Why would that kid Wang Mu agree to such a thing… no, *why* would he agree to something like this?

Wu Dayong couldn't figure it out. Could Dongfang Mu have connections with the Dan King Sect?

To exchange such a condition for a Heavenly Heart Protecting God Pill was clearly no simple matter… However, thinking about it now was pointless.

Everyone was at a loss.

"So? An explanation?" Granny Gu looked at them. "Where is it?"

Nobody spoke, overcome with a torrent of emotions.

This was indeed something that, never mind them, even Elder Yan couldn't accomplish if he came out of seclusion now…

Who could possess the ability to resurrect such an ancient sage…

While everyone remained silent, a majestic voice suddenly came from outside:

"Why trouble them?"

The voice, with its profound resonance, seemed like a call from ancient times, a thousand years reverberating, unavoidably inducing a feeling as if one had been transported back a millennium…

The assembly in the great hall was stunned.

Led by Jian Wuqing, the six Peak Leaders immediately rushed out.

Granny Gu narrowed her eyes and followed them outside.

The flame flickered and dimmed, disappearing from sight.

「Meanwhile, outside.」

The great hall's plaza was silent.

Disciples lined either side, their faces filled with curiosity as they looked at the mysterious man who had suddenly entered Upper Cloud Peak.

At this moment, all the disciples of Upper Cloud Peak were gathered near the great hall; not even the mountain guards remained at their posts.

However, none of them recognized the man…

"Why does this man look somewhat familiar to me..."

"His aura is so strange; just standing there, it feels as if... he is the master of heaven and earth. Could he be the Son of Heaven?"

"He looks quite handsome... and he's actually wearing plain clothes... Could he be a villager?"

"You can't be serious! With that presence, you're telling me he's a villager? I think he has even more presence than our Sect Master..."

"But... why do I feel like he isn't very strong... His aura is just so strange..."

The disciples whispered amongst themselves.

In the center, a man dressed in a simple blue robe stood in the middle of the plaza. He gazed intently, at times at the Four Symbols Elixir Furnace in the air, and at others, towards the great hall.

His demeanor was calm, and while carrying an air of casual elegance, he also possessed an unrestrained and carefree poise that seemed to transcend the mundane world.

It was his true nature on display.

Merely standing at the center with his hands clasped behind his back, he exuded a sense of grand power that seemed to illuminate everything beneath it, inspiring an inexplicable palpitation in the hearts of those who looked upon him.

It was as if he were blessed by some mighty karmic force.

Any cultivator would feel it.

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