I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

In the heart of Kowloon City stands a magnificent restaurant, resembling a small palace, hundreds of meters high.

The top floor of the restaurant overlooks most of the city.

There were four unusual guests in the window seat.

They were all at the half-step Dominator Realm, prominent figures in the Northern Region.

Xuan Yuan, the Supreme Elder of the Xuan Tian Sect.

Chongxu Daoren is the Supreme Elder of the Chuyun Sect.

The other two are Gongzi Xin and Su Yun, the patriarchs of their respective families.

The four were old acquaintances who gathered together on the occasion of the Hidden Dragon Competition.

"When we were young, we were also part of such grand events. Time waits for no one."

"The great era is approaching, but we are already old. We are truly born at the wrong time."

"The limitations imposed by heaven and earth are beyond human control."

The four men, whose combined age was several thousand years, gazed at the strange phenomenon of nine dragons and nine phoenixes appearing in the sky and the cheers echoing throughout the city, and sighed deeply.

"They're all so flirtatious."

Xuan Yuan grumbled loudly in dissatisfaction.

"Xuan Yuan, your temper hasn't changed at all."

The three of them were not surprised; that was just Xuan Yuan's temperament.

"Xuan Yuan, Nalan Li has been squeezed out of the list, so your Xuan Tian Sect only has Luo Cheng left?!"

The Taoist Chongxu of the Chuyun Sect wore a white-haired Taoist robe and had a gray-white goatee.

Xuan Yuan grunted, unwilling to answer the question.

"This is something that sects cannot avoid. The seedlings they have carefully cultivated have perished before they even had a chance to bring glory to the sect," said Daoist Chongxu.

“I’ve met Li Yingyi before, what a pity,” said Gongzi Xin.

Xuan Yuan curled his lip. Li Yingyi's death had already been settled in the Xuan Tian Sect; he deserved to die.

However, family scandals should not be aired in public, and Xuantian Sect will not publicize the poor character of its disciples.

"Xuanyuan, it's widely rumored that the Xuantian Sect is the source of its fortune. Is there no major movement this time?" Chongxu Daoist asked.

As a fellow sect elder, he was more concerned about these things.

"Is there a masked Xuantian Sect disciple in the Taiyi Treasure Vault? He defeated the Five Demon Lords with a single sword strike! Could he be your secret trump card?" Gongzi Xin asked.

"You're talking about our Emperor Xuan," Xuan Yuan said, annoyed.

"really?!"

The three people present were taken aback. They seemed to have heard the rumor before, but they thought it was just a joke.

Now that Xuan Yuan himself has confirmed it, we know it's true.

"So he was already at the third level of the Yuantai Realm back then? What a pity! What a pity!"

Daoist Chongxu shook his head repeatedly, his face full of regret, but he felt a little comforted.

With such a terrifying rate of growth, if he hadn't perished, he would have become another Xuan Tian Sect Master in the future.

At that time, the Northern Region will truly have to be renamed the Xuan Tian Northern Region.

Xuan Yuan groaned, his eyes reddening.

The other three were greatly surprised to see this; it didn't seem like Xuan Yuan at all.

"Brother, could that Xuan Tianzi be your disciple?" Su Yun's full head of silver hair looked as if it had been gently coated with a layer of silver frost by the moonlight. His hair was neatly combed back and held up with a plain hairpin, without a single strand out of place.

Xuan Yuan sighed. He was often furious with Shen Ming and had suffered a lot because of him.

When Shen Mingzhen truly perished in the Burial Sky Sea, he felt deeply saddened.

"I'll take my leave now."

Xuan Yuan didn't want anyone to see his sad side, so he got up and left.

The remaining three looked at each other, wondering how to comfort their old friend.

……

Xuan Yuan went straight back to the Nine Dragons Palace, where he was in charge of leading the Xuan Tian Sect disciples in the Hidden Dragon Ranking competition.

Among the disciples were Nalan Li and Luo Cheng. On the day of their arrival, an unusual phenomenon of two dragons and two phoenixes appeared in the sky.

It sounds rather shabby, but it's actually quite good, because before today, only the Ji family had the phenomenon of five dragons.

"Ok?"

Upon arriving outside the Erlong Hall, Xuan Yuan saw his disciples gathered outside, peering in with their heads sticking out.

"What happened?"

Xuan Yuan asked.

“Elder Xuan Yuan, the person who caused the Nine Dragons and Nine Phoenixes phenomenon and the guest Yuan Yao are inside. They say they want to see you,” a Xuan Tian Sect disciple said.

Nine dragons and nine phoenixes!

Xuan Yuan raised an eyebrow; he had also witnessed the strange phenomenon earlier.

"Are there no other Supreme Realm experts accompanying him and the guest?"

He deduced that it was a rival force of the Xuantian Sect, using this opportunity to come and mock them.

The reason I think this way is because Xuan Yuan himself is like that.

If their Xuantian Sect had a prodigy with nine dragons and nine phoenixes, their laughter would resound throughout the entire Nine Dragons City.

"He's the only one."

"What does it look like?"

"I didn't see clearly; I was teleported directly into the hall."

"Row."

Xuan Yuan went inside and, sure enough, saw the guest Yuan Yao standing outside, with another figure standing beside her.

Xuan Yuan frowned and stepped forward, gradually making out the person's figure.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, his body trembling with excitement.

"Elder Xuan Yuan."

Shen Ming recognized him and took the initiative to go up and greet him.

Of the nine elders of the "Xuan" generation, this one was the most familiar to them and took good care of him. Last time, when he was giving guidance on the Dragon Elephant Microparticles, he was so exhausted that he fainted.

Xuan Yuan rubbed his eyes, his divine sense sweeping over Shen Ming's entire body, his eyes reddening.

"You kid..."

A sentence slipped out, then I remembered there were outsiders present.

Yuan Yao understood immediately and tactfully took her leave.

"You've been in Kowloon City the whole time? Did the Kowloon City Lord trap you in the treasury?!"

Xuan Yuan realized this because at that time, people who had left Kowloon City were not allowed to go back in.

"No, I inexplicably ended up outside the treasure vault and appeared in the Burial Sky Sea," Shen Ming said truthfully.

"...Then, how did you get back?"

This did match what Li Xiaoluo had said back then, but Xuan Yuan found it hard to believe.

"I was at sea for three months and only came ashore a few days ago," Shen Mingzhu said, always ready to answer any questions.

Xuan Yuan asked how to escape from the forbidden zone of life, but when he heard Shen Ming talk about his experience, he felt heartbroken.

“The sect leader wanted to save you back then. We thought you had no hope, so we and Elder Xuanjian stopped him. Don’t blame the sect leader. If you have to blame someone, blame… well, blame Xuanjian,” Xuanyuan said.

"Elder, what are you talking about? In the struggle for opportunity, life and death are predestined. The sect is unaware of my situation. Sending the sect leader into the forbidden zone is gambling with the future of the entire sect," Shen Ming said.

Xuan Yuan's heart trembled. He had been worried that Shen Ming would blame the sect for this, but he hadn't expected him to be so sensible.

Sensible children grow up amidst grievances. Considering Shen Ming's status as an illegitimate child, Xuan Yuan was determined to beat up the Transmission Elder once he returned.

"Elder, has Miss Li, who was with me, come out yet?"

This is what Shen Ming has been most concerned about these days.

He pulled Li Miaozhen towards the Taiyi Treasure Vault; if the two of them perished together, there would be nothing more to say.

If he were to live alone, he would feel guilty that Miss Li died in the treasure vault.

"Yes, she's out. I promised to restore her freedom and let her go."

"That's good."

Shen Ming breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.