In the Grand Harmony Hall, Ji Xia sat high on the throne, his eyes blazing like twin suns. Within these blazing suns hovered two three-legged golden crows, exuding an extraordinary and divine aura.
At this moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression revealed puzzlement.
He had been quietly awaiting the arrival of the Lord of the Southern Forbidden Forest in the Grand Harmony Hall when, by chance, his attention was drawn to the martial arena, where Ji Lin and Shi Yang were sparring.
Since returning to Tai Cang, Ji Xia had been preoccupied with countless matters. Coupled with his daily studies of ancient texts, he had paid little attention to the two of them. Even Qianqian and Luo Shang were only seen once every few days.
But today, when he used his Great Sun Spirit Eyes to survey the royal palace, he witnessed a scene that perplexed him.
In the martial arena, Shi Yang was clearly holding back his true strength. Even with casual manipulations of his spiritual essence, he unleashed astonishingly powerful supernatural abilities.
Ji Lin, however, demonstrated equally extraordinary combat prowess. Employing supernatural techniques and martial arts in three or five moves, the arena resounded with roaring echoes, and the ground beneath them collapsed under their intense exchanges.
What puzzled Ji Xia was the astonishing speed of Shi Yang and Ji Lin's cultivation progress.
After only a few days of absence, Ji Lin's pitch-black snowy mountain within his body had already transformed into a Spirit Wheel!
Meanwhile, the Spirit Wheel within Shi Yang was completely shrouded in blue light. The fluctuations of spiritual essence radiating from his every gesture indicated the presence of three Spirit Marks, marking the third tier of supernatural abilities!
This rate of advancement was nothing short of terrifying. Just days ago, Shi Yang had only recently broken through to the supernatural realm. And now, he had already inscribed three Spirit Marks?
And Ji Lin—his cultivation progress bordered on the unimaginable. In just over a month, he had ascended from the second or third tier to the supernatural realm!
"Why was there no phenomenon accompanying Ji Lin's breakthrough to the supernatural realm?"
Ji Xia had been residing in the royal palace. With his cultivation, any phenomenon occurring in Fengfu City would have been impossible to escape the notice of his Great Sun Spirit Eyes.
He redirected his gaze to Ji Lin's pitch-black Spirit Wheel, shrouded in dark mist.
"A black Spirit Wheel?"
Ji Xia pondered deeply:
"I've seen many supernatural experts. Nearly all of their Spirit Wheels are blue. Only mine, after cultivating the Golden Crow Primordial Saint Scripture and tempering it with spiritual flames, turned into dark gold."
"Ji Lin's snowy mountain and Spirit Wheel are entirely black. There must be some profound secrets within."
As he thought about this, a faint smile appeared in his heart:
"Though Ji Lin grows stronger by the day, his wisdom develops slowly. When he sees me, it's as if he's seeing his father."
But Ji Lin wasn't the only one shrouded in mystery. Shi Yang was equally enigmatic.
This formidable individual was someone Ji Xia had rescued by chance.
Looking back, since the day he had saved Shi Yang from the butcher's yard of the donkey-headed men, Ji Xia had repeatedly used his Great Sun Spirit Eyes to examine him. Yet, he had never been able to see through Shi Yang's snowy mountain or Spirit Wheel, as they were always concealed by a blue glow.
"Regardless, he is a pure human, loyal to Tai Cang, and obedient to my commands. Since that's the case, why pry into his past?"
Everyone has their secrets. Ji Xia himself harbored many: the Immortal Bane Tree, the Great Sun Spirit Furnace, and his Jovian Starline bloodline were some of his greatest mysteries.
If anyone sought to uncover his secrets, he too would feel immensely uneasy.
With this in mind, Ji Xia felt at ease. As the suns in his eyes were about to descend, he noticed a gray-clad youth walking toward the royal palace from outside its gates.
This youth strode unimpeded into the palace. The guards at the gates appeared as if bewitched, opening the doors wide for him.
Ji Xia observed closely. The youth's feet did not touch the ground. With each step, a misty surge of spiritual essence appeared beneath him, lifting him. As soon as his foot lifted, the essence dissipated.
It was an extraordinary sight.
The youth arrived before the Grand Harmony Hall. Neither Shi Yang and Ji Lin in the martial arena nor the royal guards passing in neat formation noticed him in the slightest.
Stopping before the hall, the youth murmured as if speaking to himself, "Pei Heng of the Southern Forbidden greets the Lord of Tai Cang. I request an audience."
The voice was soft yet traveled a great distance to reach Ji Xia's ears. It seemed to be composed of six or seven distinct tones intertwined, sounding remarkably strange.
Ji Xia's heart skipped a beat. He had already guessed part of the truth, but hearing the youth's words still left him somewhat incredulous.
The Lord of the Southern Forbidden Forest turned out to be a shapeshifted demon!
For a demon beast to shapeshift meant that it had already reached the Spirit Mansion Realm!
Spirit Mansion cultivators were rare. Even Da Fu, with its population in the tens of millions, boasted only a single Spirit Mansion expert, King Fu Sheng.
Despite Da Fu's wealthy noble families and deep heritage, not a single Spirit Mansion cultivator had emerged.
Ji Xia had long anticipated the power of the Southern Forbidden Forest, but he had never imagined that its ruler, his neighbor all along, was a Spirit Mansion demon!
What was even more peculiar was that this demon, capable of annihilating any kingdom within tens of thousands of miles save for Da Fu, was showing such deference to the humble ruler of Tai Cang.
Though he had entered the royal palace and arrived before the Grand Harmony Hall, he refrained from barging in. Instead, he stopped outside and transmitted his voice to Ji Xia.
In the boundless wilderness, strength was everything. It was not uncommon for demons of such caliber to consume hundreds of thousands of humans on a whim.
Like the demon hawk Ji Xia had encountered in the desert, which devoured tens of thousands of insect-toothed tribespeople in a fit of whimsy.
This gray-clad youth's courtesy left Ji Xia no room for negligence. With the suns in his eyes descending, he personally descended from his throne, stepped out of the Grand Harmony Hall, and saluted the youth from afar.
"Ji Xia of Tai Cang greets the senior."
Unexpectedly, the gray-clad youth returned the gesture, placing a hand to his chest and bowing.
"Pei Heng of the Southern Forbidden greets the Lord of Tai Cang."
Ji Xia was taken aback. A Spirit Mansion cultivator bowing to him?
Although he was the ruler of a nation, insignificant kingdoms like Tai Cang, Gouquan, and Zhouqing held no presence in the vast wilderness.
Even a single Spirit-Taming cultivator would compel rulers of such kingdoms to grovel and kneel.
His heart surged with emotion, though his expression remained composed. He stepped aside and said to the gray-clad youth, "Senior, please enter the Grand Harmony Hall. I have already ordered a feast to be prepared in your honor."
The gray-clad youth took a single step, crossing a great distance to stand before Ji Xia. A faint smile appeared on his pale face as he made a welcoming gesture and said, "You are the host. Naturally, you should lead the way."
Ji Xia's expression twitched as he said, "Senior, the doors to my Grand Harmony Hall are wide enough. Shall we enter together?"
The gray-clad youth laughed heartily. "Then let us enter together."
The two entered the Grand Harmony Hall, and the youth seated himself at a lower table without hesitation.
Ji Xia considered for a moment and refrained from taking the principal seat, instead sitting across from the youth. He lightly tapped the table, signaling the attendants.
Immediately, palace maidens arrived, serving wine and a sumptuous array of dishes. The table was laden with delicacies, rich in flavor and presentation, without a hint of frugality.
With a wave of his hand, Ji Xia directed two maidens to stand on either side, pouring wine for them. He lifted his cup, raised it toward Pei Heng, and smiled.
"We humans have little else to offer. Please, senior, sample our humble fare."
Pei Heng hesitated briefly before joining Ji Xia in a toast. At Ji Xia's urging, he picked up his chopsticks and tasted several dishes.
After a moment of tasting, he sighed. "I recall over a thousand years ago when I often shapeshifted and wandered among human kingdoms, traveling and savoring delicacies. Who would have thought that a millennium would pass in the blink of an eye? I have not tasted mortal cuisine in over a thousand years. Today, I find the flavors just as delightful as ever."
Ji Xia's mouth twitched. Over a thousand years?
Aside from a few extraordinary demon beasts, the lifespan of a Spirit Mansion cultivator was limited to a millennium. Yet this Lord of the Southern Forbidden Forest was casually telling him that he had been wandering the mortal world over a thousand years ago!
In other words, this senior had already been a Spirit Mansion cultivator a thousand years ago.