Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: An Unexpected Visitor, Part One

As soon as he had finished speaking, Elder Xiao took the lead and sped toward the mountain gate. Ji Mo and Su Ye followed the other disciples behind him, while Mu Baiyun was also among the welcoming party. When he spotted Ji Mo, a flash of delight crossed his face and vanished in an instant. Yet since Elder Xiao had been lecturing them earlier, he could not come over to greet her. Now that everyone was surging toward the mountain gate together, he immediately seized an opening, moved to Ji Mo’s side, and murmured, “Junior Sister Ji, it is wonderful to see you again.”

“Senior Brother Mu.” Ji Mo smiled and nodded at him. She had a good relationship with Mu Baiyun; they had met through a bout of sparring, and later the two had worked side by side on the shore of Blue Moon Lake, supporting one another through danger. There had long been a sense of mutual admiration between them.

“Be quiet!” Elder Xiao, with eyes that watched in all directions and ears that missed nothing, caught the low exchange and could not help but turn back to scold in Ji Mo’s direction. Ji Mo glanced at him, shrugged, and cast Mu Baiyun an helpless look. Mu Baiyun returned an expression of complete understanding. The two of them said no more, and simply followed the crowd onward.

When everyone was still some ten-odd li from the mountain gate, Ji Mo heard a voice full of arrogance coming from afar in the direction of the gate. “Is this how you Moonwatch Sect welcomes guests? A guest has been waiting at the mountain gate for ages, and not a single person in charge has shown up. For a mere fifth-rank sect, you certainly put on a grand display. Prince Yun, in my view, we should just go in ourselves.”

“Hahaha, I wonder which honored guests have arrived. If my Moonwatch Sect has been remiss in any way, I ask for your understanding.” Hearing this, Xiao Peng was infuriated, though his mouth still gave a hearty laugh. He quickened his pace, and the ten-odd li vanished in the blink of an eye. As the words faded, he had already appeared before the mountain gate. Ji Mo and the others arrived not long after.

After landing, Ji Mo looked up and saw a team of several dozen people gathered at the gate. At the front of this group stood a black-bearded elder, about fifty years of age, with remarkable bearing and an extraordinary countenance. Yet the one who had spoken was a silver-robed youth standing to the elder’s right. This man was quite handsome, though the overbearing arrogance in his eyes and brows made him rather unpleasant to behold.

What truly drew Ji Mo’s attention, however, were the four people standing behind the silver-robed youth, all positioned slightly to his left. Leading them was an old man with half-black, half-white hair and beard. His face was gentle and calm; even when he was not smiling, he gave off an inexplicable sense of warmth and familiarity. Behind him were three others. Two were Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the black-clad young man had a fiercely grim and sharp aura about him, and should have been a Condensation Core cultivator.

“Prince Yun, I did not expect you to be leading the party yourself this time. May I ask who these honored guests are?” Elder Xiao had clearly also noticed those few people, but he did not recognize any of them. He could only rest his gaze on the black-bearded elder, with inquiry in his eyes. This man was a peer prince of the current Cloudsea Dynasty and had visited Moonwatch Sect several times, so Elder Xiao was not unfamiliar with him.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Prince Yun’s face. He pointed at the silver-robed youth and the four behind him as he introduced them. “Elder Xiao, these five are all honored guests from the Vast Prosperity Empire.”

Honored guests from the Vast Prosperity Empire? What are they doing at Moonwatch Sect? Elder Xiao’s heart lurched. Especially when his gaze fell upon the kindly old man behind the silver-robed youth, his eyes contracted sharply. He could not see through this visitor at all.

One had to know that Elder Xiao, as the Grand Elder of Spirit Sword Peak, was himself an advanced Nascent Soul cultivator. If he could not see through this man at all, did that not mean the man’s cultivation was far above his own? Still, Elder Xiao had lived for over a thousand years and experienced more than most in his long life. Though shocked, he would not show it on his face. He chuckled twice, then cupped his fists and said, “So you are honored guests from the Vast Prosperity Empire. Xiao has been remiss in not coming out earlier to welcome you. Please forgive me.”

“Heh, there is no need for such courtesy, Elder Xiao. We have merely come out of admiration to see your sect’s arena matches. It is said that in the past hundred years, Moonwatch Sect has produced many disciples of extraordinary talent. I brought a few unworthy disciples of my own out to handle some business, and upon arriving in your lands and hearing of this matter, I came along with Prince Yun. If there is anything presumptuous in our visit, I ask your indulgence.” The old man behind the silver-robed youth stepped forward from the crowd. His expression softened as he revealed a very warm smile, and he replied in an even, measured tone.

As for the silver-robed youth, who had been brimming with arrogance, he was evidently highly respectful of this elder. The moment the old man stepped forward, the youth immediately retreated to his side and fell silent.

“Not at all, not at all. For Your Excellency to grace my Moonwatch Sect with your presence is truly our blessing. May I ask how I should address Your Excellency and your esteemed disciples?” Elder Xiao’s heart was tight with caution. He did not believe for a moment that these people had traveled all the way here from the Vast Prosperity Empire merely to watch a disciples’ arena competition at a fifth-rank sect. Yet since they had already come knocking at the door, he could only steel himself and deal with them.

“My surname is Rong, and I come from Sea King Sect. These three are disciples of my sect. As for this one, he is not of Sea King Sect, but His Highness the Tenth Prince of the Vast Prosperity Imperial Family,” the elder surnamed Rong replied.

Sea King Sect? Did the Vast Prosperity Empire even have such a sect? Elder Xiao’s mind spun rapidly, but he could not recall any faction of that name in the Vast Prosperity Empire. Could it be some obscure little sect? But could an obscure little sect produce a master like the elder surnamed Rong? His gaze unconsciously drifted to the silver-robed youth. Though the youth was arrogantly haughty toward his own side, when facing the elder surnamed Rong, he clearly carried a faint trace of fear.

Seeing this, Elder Xiao grew even more alarmed. The dignified Tenth Prince of the Vast Prosperity Empire was actually so fearful of these people. What on earth was their background? One had to know that the imperial family of the Vast Prosperity Empire was not like that of the Cloudsea Dynasty; they wielded absolute authority there. Even the combined influence of the three third-rank sects within Vast Prosperity could only fall a little short of the imperial family.

Moreover, the Tenth Prince’s name was known throughout the entire Vast Prosperity Empire. He was said to possess exceptional talent and astonishing battle power, and to be greatly favored by the current monarch. Among his peers, there were not many who could even hope to match him. Equally famed as his brilliance was his personality. Rumor had it that this Tenth Prince was extremely overbearing and arrogant. For someone like that to feel such fear toward these people made it plain how terrifying they must be.

Yet Elder Xiao had never once heard of any Sea King Sect. The more this was so, the more mysterious the elder surnamed Rong seemed, and the more unsettled Elder Xiao became. Human beings had a natural curiosity and fear toward the unknown, but when the power the other side displayed far exceeded one’s ability to satisfy that curiosity, all that remained in the heart was unease.