And at this moment, within the Ancestor Temple.
Ye Xuan stood at the ancient entrance to the Ancestor Temple, staring at the statue on the hall's upper platform, which had been blurred by the smoke of incense, lost in a trance.
Despite the endless passage of time, the statue still possessed a vast divine presence that inspired a sense of worship in those who beheld it.
Beneath the statue of Lie Tian Great Emperor, there was a Divine Altar, within which the smoke swirled, as misty as clouds and haze.
For some reason, the smoke seemed about to disperse, yet also ready to condense at any moment.
Amidst the faint outlines, it formed a character 'Ye', carrying with it a certain divinity.
"How long do you plan to watch?"
Just as Ye Xuan was lost in his trance, an elderly voice echoed within the Ancestor Temple, seeming to carry a hint of dissatisfaction.
Returning to his senses, Ye Xuan looked at the white-haired and bearded old man sitting before the statue and smiled lightly, "Seeing the statue of Lie Tian Great Emperor has reminded me of many things."
Upon hearing this, the white-haired and bearded elder snorted coldly, "That is our ancestral master's effigy, how do the young people nowadays show no courtesy whatsoever?"
Ye Xuan smiled again but said nothing.
Seeing that Ye Xuan had not moved, Qiu Wenhan's expression darkened slightly, and he spoke more sternly, "Once you come to the Ancestor Temple, you must pay homage to our ancestral master. That is the rule of our Emperor Immortal Sect. You have been standing there for a long time, which is beyond proper etiquette. Aren't you going to pay your respects?"
"Pay respects?" Ye Xuan's gaze drifted, settling on the 'Ye' character within the Divine Altar, and he sighed, "Let's not, I'm just taking a look and then I'll leave."
At these words, Qiu Wenhan's eyebrows slowly creased, his turbid eyes fixed on Ye Xuan as he spoke softly, "Disrespecting our ancestral master is a grave sin that warrants expulsion from the Sect. Are you sure you won't bow?"
"Must it be so?" Ye Xuan asked.
Qiu Wenhan nodded, "It must, it is the rule of our Emperor Immortal Sect that has been upheld since ancient times!"
Ye Xuan shrugged his shoulders and spoke slowly, "If something happens later, can you take responsibility?"
These words made Qiu Wenhan respond with an amused laugh, "You young people really speak amusingly. I've guarded the Ancestor Temple for three thousand years, and this is the first time I've heard such a thing."
"Can you guarantee it?" Ye Xuan asked with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Qiu Wenhan waved his large sleeve, "Just bow. This old man will watch, and if something happens, I will bear it."
"Fine." Seeing that Qiu Wenhan did not take it seriously, Ye Xuan, feeling too lazy to argue further, walked before the statue of Lie Tian Great Emperor, glanced at it, and then slowly bowed.
Boom————
At the very moment Ye Xuan bowed, the entire Ancestor Temple was flooded with divine light, almost bursting forth from the temple itself.
Immediately afterwards, a powerful suction force erupted from the statue of Lie Tian Great Emperor, drawing the majestic divine light directly into the statue.
In that instant, the whole statue appeared utterly ordinary, as if a trace of divinity within it had vanished.
The white-haired Qiu Wenhan stared blankly at this scene, his heart seeming to stop beating, looking at the black-robed youth, he felt as if his scalp was exploding!
In his three thousand years of guarding the Ancestor Temple, he had never witnessed such a spectacle!
Just now, that strand of divinity on the ancestral master's statue had flared to an extreme, and then it was abruptly retracted and disappeared.
All of this was keenly perceived by Qiu Wenhan.
For a moment, Qiu Wenhan felt as though his brain wasn't quite working.
"Stop!"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Qiu Wenhan, seeing Ye Xuan was about to bow again, hurriedly stopped him, speaking anxiously, "Don't bow anymore, the ancestral master's statue is about to collapse!"
Qiu Wenhan had not noticed in the moment he stopped Ye Xuan, from within the Divine Altar, the 'Ye' character ascended and formed a vague silhouette atop the statue of Lie Tian Great Emperor.
It was merely a back view, looking somewhat thin, but it possessed a strange and terrifying aura.
That figure was present for only the blink of an eye before disappearing, turning back into the 'Ye' character and returning to the Divine Altar.
If Lie Tian Great Emperor were still alive and had seen this moment, he would have bowed respectfully.
For that silhouette represented the visage of the Emperor Master, the teacher of Lie Tian Great Emperor!
This scene, Ye Xuan saw it clearly, a trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant. He turned to Qiu Wenhan and asked with puzzlement, "You're not going to bow anymore?"
"No more bowing, no more bowing," Qiu Wenhan hastily said, his eyes looking at Ye Xuan completely changed as he enthusiastically said, "Young brother, what is your name? From which peak are you?"
"My name is Ye Xuan," Ye Xuan said calmly, sitting on the cushion and pondering for a moment before saying, "I should be from Emperor Peak?"
As the strongest cultivation sacred land of Lie Tian Heavenly Country, Emperor Immortal Sect is divided into nine major peaks, and Emperor Peak is one of those Nine Peaks.
"Ye Xuan, Emperor Peak?" Qiu Wenhan muttered to himself, seeming somewhat unfamiliar, and said slowly, "Emperor Peak is the peak where the Sect Master belongs, I didn't expect that at such a young age, you have already joined Emperor Peak."
Ye Xuan shook his head and said, "Strictly speaking, I am not a disciple of Emperor Immortal Sect, I am the son-in-law of Emperor Immortal Sect."
"Son-in-law?" Qiu Wenhan was taken aback for a moment, then he looked at Ye Xuan with an incredulous gaze, "Are you the idiot who married Youwei?"
Qiu Wenhan was astounded.
"Old man, you know that what you just said is kind of asking for a beating, right?" Ye Xuan glanced sideways at Qiu Wenhan.
If other members of Emperor Immortal Sect heard this, they would probably die of laughter.
Who is Qiu Wenhan? As someone who has guarded the Ancestor Temple for three thousand years, even if the Sect Master of Emperor Immortal Sect came, he would have to respectfully call him Uncle Master Qiu. Yet, Ye Xuan dared to say that Qiu Wenhan was asking for a beating.
However, Qiu Wenhan seriously said, "It was rash of me, I hope you won't take offense, young brother."
What a joke, could someone who caused such a divine miracle in the Ancestor Temple be the rumored idiot?
Even if that were the case! That was in the past!
Now, and in the future, he certainly would not be!
Without really taking offense, Ye Xuan then asked, "You have been guarding the Ancestor Temple for three thousand years, do you still understand the current situation of Emperor Immortal Sect?"
Qiu Wenhan pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "To tell the truth, ever since that earth-shaking event ninety thousand years ago, Emperor Immortal Sect has always been in a precarious situation."
"Ninety thousand years ago?" Ye Xuan's heart stirred, but he kept a calm facade as he asked, "What event?"
Qiu Wenhan paused, then chuckled, "You should read more books when you're free. Not knowing about this, I will tell you about it."
"Ninety thousand years ago, Empress Changxi and Emperor Mu both ascended the Emperor Position, took hold of Tian Ming, and the appearance of the Double Emperors was indeed a shock to the world."
"Empress Changxi, Emperor Mu..." Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, were they Changxi and Mu Yun, those two traitors?
Their ascension to the Emperor Position was something Ye Xuan knew all too well.
It was after their rise to the Emperor Position that he initiated that plan. However, after he sealed that Monster Body, Changxi and Mu Yun betrayed him, seeking to leave him for dead.
With a long sigh, Qiu Wenhan said, "After the Double Emperors appeared, instead of ushering in a golden age, the world instead witnessed a rapid depletion of nature's spiritual energy, entering the difficult End of Dharma Era. Not to mention elsewhere, just speaking of the Southern Domain of the East Desolation Great Domain, there are now very few Great Cultivators still in the world."
Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed instantly, a chill flashing across them.
Those two traitors, could they be trying to manipulate his Monster Body?!
Qiu Wenhan, unaware of what Ye Xuan was thinking, continued on his own, "Our Emperor Immortal Sect used to be a cultivation sacred land that commanded respect in the East Desolate Great Domain, but it was suddenly attacked by Heaven Suppressing Ancient Sect. You probably don't know, the Double Emperors both came from Heaven Suppressing Ancient Sect, a place full of powerful individuals far beyond our own sect."
"In that battle, our sect suffered a devastating defeat and were eventually pushed back to our Ancestral Land. Since then, our sect has never recovered. Moreover, every three years, we have to pay a massive amount of cultivation resources to Heaven Suppressing Ancient Sect."
"No matter what, at least our Emperor Immortal Sect still rules an Upper Country, and it will certainly return to its former glory in the future!"
Qiu Wenhan brought his mind back to the present and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Old age makes one talkative, young brother, don't take it too seriously."
"But to speak frankly, young brother, I am very optimistic about you!"
As he spoke, Qiu Wenhan's gaze pierced intensely towards Ye Xuan.
The divine miracle that occurred in the Ancestor Temple made him contemplate a lot, maybe the Great Ancestor saw some future, and that future might just rest on the young man before him!
"Heaven Suppressing Ancient Sect..." Ye Xuan murmured, filled with all sorts of doubts.
The Double Emperors were personally taught by him, when had they come out of Heaven Suppressing Ancient Sect?
And why did Heaven Suppressing Ancient Sect attack Emperor Immortal Sect?
Just what had these two traitors done...