“Xianyue, don’t speak so harshly. I happen to be heading to the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect as well, we can travel together,” the young man said with a smile.
“Why are you going to our sect?” Huangfu Xianyue frowned.
“To discuss our wedding date with my future father-in-law,” the young man said with a teasing grin.
Huangfu Xianyue looked at him with disgust and then said to Xu Zimo, “Let’s go.”
“Hey, friend, what’s your name?” The young man suddenly stepped forward, blocking Xu Zimo’s path with a smile.
“Lin Qiu,” Xu Zimo said indifferently.
“Nice to meet you. Gong Yu, from the Eternal God Sect,” the young man extended his hand with a smile. “Xianyue is my fiancée. You better remember that.”
“No need to get acquainted,” Xu Zimo ignored the handshake and walked past him directly.
The surrounding blue-robed youths immediately drew their swords and slowly began to encircle them.
“Gong Yu, Lin Qiu is my friend. What are you trying to do?” Huangfu Xianyue shouted.
“Let them go,” Gong Yu looked at his hand still hanging in midair and chuckled calmly.
Watching Xu Zimo and the others leave, a nearby youth walked up and asked, “Senior Brother Yu, you’re just going to let them go like that?”
“No rush. No one I’ve set my eyes on has ever escaped,” Gong Yu said with a grin.
...
After leaving Heaven Tower, Huangfu Xianyue looked visibly upset.
“Who was that Gong Yu?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile.
“Just an arrogant fool,” Huangfu Xianyue replied.
“He’s my sister’s fiancé,” Huangfu Hao explained.
“From the Eternal God Sect, huh? Not bad,” Xu Zimo said.
As the strongest sect in the Southern Region, the Eternal God Sect had declined in power somewhat after their Eternal Godly Monarch entered the Immortal Dao Bridge.
Still, with three known Grand Empyreans, the sect was above all other empyrean sects.
“If he were the God Child of the Eternal God Sect, I might accept it. But some spoiled rich kid being my future husband? Not happening,” Huangfu Xianyue said coldly.
“But Father has already agreed to the marriage,” Huangfu Hao added.
“I’ll handle it,” Huangfu Xianyue said. “Let’s head up the mountain.”
The World Sovereign Empyrean Sect was located behind Heaven World City. After exiting the south city gate and walking for about two miles, they arrived at a large mountain.
The mountain was shrouded in a faint mist, grand and elegant, almost dreamlike.
When the group reached the foot of the mountain, spatial ripples appeared, and two figures emerged from the void.
“Greetings, Holy Maiden,” the two gatekeeping disciples greeted respectfully.
“Returning to the sect,” Huangfu Xianyue replied calmly.
The two disciples each held a long halberd and drew them through the air.
The space in front of them split open, revealing a portal of void.
“So the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect is indeed within its own realm,” Xu Zimo muttered softly.
As everyone stepped through the void portal, their bodies were gently swallowed by a spatial force.
In the next moment, they arrived in a different world.
Countless peaks stood proudly on the ground or floated in the air.
Some were shrouded in mist, others filled with immortal pavilions and towers.
Cranes soared through the skies. Disciples flew on swords. In the distant horizon, someone slashed through sun, moon, and stars with a single flying sword.
Giant beasts inhaled and exhaled, triggering cosmic phenomena.
All of this could be summed up by one word from Xu Zimo, "Vast."
“I live on Goddess Mountain. You can pick a courtyard on my mountain to stay in. It’ll also make it easier for me to temper your demonic body,” Huangfu Xianyue said.
“Sure,” Xu Zimo nodded.
“You two take him to settle in. I need to speak with Father,” Huangfu Xianyue said to Huangfu Hao.
As Huangfu Xianyue left, Huangfu Hao smiled and said, “Come with me.”
Xu Zimo nodded. Compared to when they met at the Heaven Tower, Huangfu Hao didn’t seem like a rich brat at all.
There was only one explanation, he was pretending before.
Clearly, Huangfu Xianyue was scheming something with him, though Xu Zimo wasn’t sure what yet.
Still, since he came here to seek a method to fuse the blood lizard, this wasn’t a bad outcome.
Goddess Mountain was the traditional residence of the Holy Maidens of the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect. It was located to the left of the main sect.
The three arrived in front of Goddess Mountain, where the scenery differed from elsewhere.
While most places were still lush and green, here it felt as though autumn had arrived early, with golden leaves carpeting the ground.
A gentle autumn breeze blew, carrying a few falling leaves through the air.
The ground glowed golden with fallen leaves, and the entire mountain radiated a sense of melancholy and solitude.
Sunset and lone birds flew together. The autumn waters stretched to the distant skies.
The mountain wasn’t particularly tall but was beautifully graceful, as if it didn’t belong to the same dimension as its surroundings.
In front of the mountain stood a stone stele engraved with three large characters: The Goddess Mountain.
Next to the characters was a carving of a graceful woman ascending into the heavens.
Huangfu Hao placed his hand on the stele, and a rift opened in the barrier surrounding the mountain.
“I’ll help you choose a courtyard first, and then we’ll get you registered. You’ll officially be disciples of the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect,” Huangfu Hao said.
“That easy?” Jiu You asked.
“Well, you’re going through the back door. You’ll understand the sect better over time,” Huangfu Hao replied with a chuckle.
The group walked up the mountain along stone paths made of yellow granite strewn with fallen blossoms.
The yellowing leaves still clung heavily to the trees, giving the peak a unique atmosphere.
Halfway up the mountain, there were a few elegant courtyards.
Artificial hills and streams surrounded the yards, with ginkgo and maple trees planted around them. The ginkgo leaves emitted a faint fragrance.
The courtyard on the left was where Huangfu Xianyue lived.
Xu Zimo thought for a moment and chose the courtyard in the middle.
That afternoon, Huangfu Hao bustled about and brought back disciple tags and the official robes of the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect.
“Brother Huangfu,” Xu Zimo asked before he left, “where do we practice sect techniques?”
“You mean the One World Tower?” Huangfu Hao explained the route simply, then added, “But you need merit points. Without them, it’s useless.”
After Huangfu Hao left, Jiu You asked, “So what do we do now?”
“I’m heading to the One World Tower to look around. You can wander around on your own. I probably won’t need you this time,” Xu Zimo waved his hand.
Later that afternoon, Huangfu Xianyue returned and immediately came to visit Xu Zimo’s courtyard.
“How does it feel, Young Master Lin?” Huangfu Xianyue asked.