A soft voice echoed from within the hall.
"Come in."
Qing Yin Xianyun stepped inside at the summons, drawing the gazes of the surrounding elders.
As the future hope of the Moon God Pavilion, she bore countless glories and expectations, her status naturally exalted. Thus, her entry into the grand hall was met with unanimous acceptance.
Even so, the privilege of standing alongside Elder Xiong and his son was an honor that stirred envy and longing in the hearts of many elders.
As Qing Yin Xianyun entered the hall, $2he saw her master and Elder Xiong's father and son conversing by a tea table.
Not daring to disturb them, she stood quietly to the side, waiting for an opportunity to later recommend Yi Feng.
The Moon God Pavilion Master exchanged a few pleasantries, his tone warm and amiable.
When the conversation reached a lull, he smiled and inquired,
"Elder Xiong, after your last message, you delayed your return within days. You must have been extremely busy lately?"At these words, Qing Yin Xianyun also turned her curious gaze toward them.
Xiong Fen and his son sighed deeply, their expressions heavy with emotion.
"Ah, we appreciate your concern, Pavilion Master. To be frank, we nearly lost our lives in the void!"
Whoosh!
The Moon God Pavilion Master and Qing Yin Xianyun widened their eyes in unison, unable to conceal their shock!
They could hardly fathom it—
Xiong Fen and his son had already ascended to such a terrifying faction, yet they had still almost perished. The danger they faced was beyond imagination!
Before the Pavilion Master could voice his astonishment, $2iong Fen stroked his beard and spoke with deep emotion.
"That day, we were on a mission to the Waterfrost Star. Everything was proceeding smoothly until we encountered a group who sought to kill us and seize our treasures!"
What kind of mission required a journey to the Waterfrost Star? Truly, a transcendent faction!
Questions swirled in the Moon God Pavilion Master's mind, the opening of the tale already leaving him awestruck.
Instantly, the leader of the Heavenly Sect sat up straighter!
"Who would dare covet Elder Xiong's treasures? Surely, these individuals must have been formidable?"
Xiong Fen took over, his eyes cold.
"Indeed!"
"They were no ordinary foes. Over a dozen attendants were all at the third tier of the Heavenly Rank, and their leader, a young master, possessed extraordinary cultivation! My son and I were captured and had no choice but to call for our captain's aid. Yet even when our captain arrived with reinforcements, they were overwhelmed by the enemy's coordinated assault!"
The Moon God Pavilion Master's eyes trembled with fear!
"Attendants all at the third tier of the Heavenly Rank!"
"Even your captain was defeated?!"
"This group was truly monstrous, far beyond anything we could imagine! How did the two of you escape?"
Though the Moon God Pavilion Master held considerable status and prestige within the Southern Li Celestial Domain, hearing that individuals no weaker than himself served as mere attendants shattered his worldview, leaving him visibly shaken!
If third-tier Heavenly Rank experts were mere attendants, what kind of supreme being stood behind them?
And for Xiong Fen to emerge unscathed—just how terrifying was the faction backing him?
Even knowing that Elder Xiong had long transcended the Celestial Domain's level, he never imagined the father and son had encountered such existences. The gap between them seemed to widen further.
Seeing the Pavilion Master's stunned expression, $2iong Zhong solemnly nodded and continued the tale.
"That day was perilous beyond measure!"
"To be honest, when I saw our captain defeated, I felt a flicker of panic—but my faith never wavered!"
"Later, Lord Bai himself came to our rescue. With a single punch, he annihilated all ten Heavenly Rank experts, then engaged in a cataclysmic battle with that mysterious young master across thousands of miles. His fist winds shook heaven and earth!"
"A single strike from him could flatten an entire Heavenly Sect!"
"After an earth-shattering battle that toppled glaciers and split ice layers into fathomless chasms across the Waterfrost Star, Lord Bai finally saved us, allowing us to return alive!"
"Even now, the memory fills me with dread!"
Thud!
The Moon God Pavilion Master's heart clenched at the tale!
Though he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, the description alone painted a scene of unimaginable terror. A single punch capable of leveling a Heavenly Sect—what kind of monstrous cultivation was that?!
Before such a being, he was nothing but an ant!
Unconsciously sighing in awe, the Pavilion Master's eyes brimmed with reverence.
"To think such a supreme expert exists in this world..."
"Lord Bai must be at least at the fifth tier of the Heavenly Rank or beyond! Might this lord be considered a leading figure in your faction?"
Beside him, Qing Yin Xianyun also listened with trembling eyes, her gaze tense.
The once lofty Pavilion Master and Holy Maiden now wore expressions of caution, barely maintaining their composure like ordinary rogue cultivators—a feat in itself.
Noting their reactions, Xiong Fen's eyes gleamed with approval.
To hear such shocking tales and still hold their ground was no small feat. The Moon God Pavilion's future was indeed promising.
Alas, their perspective remained too limited.
This was a gap forged by their circumstances.
With their current understanding, they could scarcely fathom the true might of Dark Shadow Island.
Xiong Fen harbored no disdain, but he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
With a smile, he stroked his beard and spoke.
"Pavilion Master, you still underestimate the faction behind us. Your vision is too narrow."
The Moon God Pavilion Master froze at these words, his face a mask of shock.
"This..."
Qing Yin Xianyun was equally stunned, her beautiful eyes widening!
A fifth-tier Heavenly Rank expert—what kind of terrifying existence was that? Even across the entire Lan Star, such a figure would rank among the supreme elites!
For her master to speculate that such a being was merely a leading figure, not the faction's leader, was already an audacious assumption, nearly placing that mysterious faction on par with the entire Lan Star!
And yet, even this was deemed "narrow vision"?
Could it be that such a figure wasn't even considered a leading presence?!
If that were truly the case...
Just how horrifying was the strength of that mysterious sect?!
The mere thought made Qing Yin Xianyun clench her jade-like fingers within her sleeves, her breath turning cautious.
The seated Moon God Pavilion Master, with his greater experience and broader perspective, ventured a bolder guess. Suddenly, his face paled, his body stiffening in his chair!
"Could it be—?!"
Before he could finish, Xiong Fen burst into laughter, stroking his beard.
"Hahaha..."
Beside him, Xiong Zhong lowered his voice and smiled meaningfully.
"Indeed."
"Lord Bai is undoubtedly a being of terrifying power!"
"However, within our sect, he is not considered a true leading figure. Our faction has at least several dozen—nearly a hundred—such existences!"
Hiss—!!!
The Moon God Pavilion Master sucked in a sharp breath!
Several dozen—nearly a hundred?!
Over a hundred experts surpassing the fifth tier of the Heavenly Rank?!
What kind of nightmarish concept was this?!
To put it bluntly, in his understanding, even if the entire Lan Star pooled its resources, it might not muster so many supreme experts!
The high-tier combat power of this terrifying sect rivaled that of the entire Lan Star?!
Such a truth was nothing short of horrifying!
Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, the Moon God Pavilion Master was utterly dumbfounded. Disbelief flooded his expression, stripping away his usual air of inscrutability.
"This... this is impossible!"
"How could a single sect amass so many supreme experts? Even with tens of thousands of years of heritage, it's unthinkable to gather so many geniuses and possess such unfathomable depth!"
Overwhelming doubt twisted his features, his worldview on the verge of collapse!
Qing Yin Xianyun was even more terrified, her face turning ashen!
Seeing the expressions on their faces, it was hard to believe such a terrifying truth. The father and son also wore looks of solemnity, refraining from further explanation for the moment. They knew full well that such a horrifying revelation would be difficult for anyone to accept immediately.
Only after forming a seal with his hands and sealing off the great hall did Xiong Fen finally speak in a grave tone, his face stern.
"Since we’ve come this far, I’ll reveal another top-secret truth—one you must never disclose!"
A top-secret truth?
The Moon God Pavilion Master felt his throat tighten, an unprecedented pressure spreading through his entire body. Unconsciously, he leaned in closer, nodding nervously.
"Understood..."
Qing Yin Xianyun also held her breath, watching intently.
Seeing how cautious the two were, Xiong Fen lowered his voice and continued.
"To be frank..."
"The reason our sect has so many formidable experts is solely because of the Master’s existence!"
"The Master possesses countless Great Daos and has long ascended to an unfathomable level. Lord Bai and the other esteemed figures are all his disciples. Even the most prodigious and peerless experts are merely his loyal servants!"
"Someone once overheard one of these great figures lamenting, ‘All I’ve learned in my life amounts to less than one ten-thousandth of our Master’s knowledge. I am utterly ashamed.’"
"In the presence of such a transcendent being, no one in our sect dares to harbor even a trace of arrogance. Celestial-tier cultivators like me are nothing more than ants—countless and insignificant!"
"To follow the Master in this lifetime is an opportunity most wouldn’t dare dream of. Merely catching a glimpse of his visage in an image is the greatest honor of our lives. And now, this very opportunity may be bestowed upon the Moon God Pavilion!"
Whoosh!
The moment the words left his mouth, the Moon God Pavilion Master shot to his feet, frozen in shock!
The great hall fell into sudden silence, an almost suffocating pressure filling the air. Not a sound could be heard, yet the master of this celestial sect trembled uncontrollably.