“ qù ， gàn má bù qù ， nà lín xiǎo zi hǎo dà de míng qì ， hé kuàng wǒ yě xiǎng wèn yī xià ， rú yān de xiāo xī 。” wàng tíng lóu zhè yī cì méi yǒu yóu yù ， liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng fù zá yǐ jí 。
“去，干嘛不去，那林小子好大的名气，何况我也想问一下，如嫣的消息。”望亭楼这一次没有犹豫，脸上的表情复杂以极。
"Go, why not go? That Lin kid has quite a reputation. Besides, I want to ask about Yuanyan's whereabouts," Wang Tinglou did not hesitate this time; his expression was extremely complex.
“ zěn me ， jiàn gē jié hūn le ， xián dì yě nài bú zhù jì mò ？” nài lóng zhēn rén yé yú de xiào shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ 。
“怎么，见哥结婚了，贤弟也耐不住寂寞？”鼐龙真人揶揄的笑声传入耳朵。
"Why, since Brother Nai is getting married, you're still unable to bear the loneliness?" Nailong True Man's mocking laughter entered his ears.
“ hú shuō ， wǒ guān xīn rú yān ， zhǐ bù guò yīn wèi tā shì bīng ér de mèi mèi ér yǐ ， nǐ dāng wǒ xiàng nǐ ， dào chù niān huā rě cǎo dì 。” wàng tíng lóu liǎn shàng yī hóng ， qì jí bài huài de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ 。
“胡说，我关心如嫣，只不过因为她是冰儿的妹妹而已，你当我像你，到处拈花惹草地。”望亭楼脸上一红，气急败坏的声音传入耳朵。
"Nonsense! I care about Yuanyan only because she is Ice's sister. Don't think that I'm like you, going around picking flowers and making trouble," Wang Tinglou blushed as he spoke angrily.
“ hē hē ， tíng lóu ， méi dǐ qì hái fǎn bó ， nǐ shén me shí hòu bié zhè yàng mù tou kě jiù hǎo wán le 。”
“呵呵，亭楼，没底气还反驳，你什么时候别这样木头可就好玩了。”
"Haha, Tinglou, losing your nerve to argue, how much more fun it would be if you were not so wooden."
nài lóng zhēn rén dà xiào ， hún shēn jīng máng yì qǐ ， fēng chí diàn chè de lí kāi le yuán dì 。
鼐龙真人大笑，浑身精芒一起，风驰电掣的离开了原地。
Nailong True Man laughed loudly. His body was covered in a faint glow as he left the spot at lightning speed.
wàng tíng lóu bèi qì dé liǎn hóng bó zi cū ， lüè yī chí yí ， hái shì gēn le shàng qù 。
望亭楼被气得脸红脖子粗，略一迟疑，还是跟了上去。
Wang Tinglou was so angry that his face turned red and his neck swelled. After a moment's hesitation, he followed him anyway.
“ wǒ shuō ， zhè jiū jìng shì zěn me huí shì ？” nà hēi páo shào nián de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， gāng gāng nà yí mù ， jiāng suǒ yǒu rén dōu kàn dāi le 。” nǐ wèn wǒ ， wǒ yòu nǎ lǐ xiǎo de 。”
“我说，这究竟是怎么回事？”那黑袍少年的声音传入耳朵，刚刚那一幕，将所有人都看呆了。”你问我，我又哪里晓得。”
"Hey, what exactly is going on?" The voice of the black-robed youth entered his ears. Everyone had been stunned by what just happened.
páng biān ， nà pǒ yǒu jǐ fēn zī sè de nǚ zǐ ， duò le duò zú ， yě shì yī liǎn de máng rán zhī sè 。
旁边，那颇有几分姿色的女子，跺了跺足，也是一脸的茫然之色。
"I don't know where you heard that," said another man beside them, who was quite attractive.
tā men jì rán shì nài lóng zhēn rén de zhī jiāo hǎo yǒu ， wàng tíng lóu ， zì rán shì zhī dào de 。
他们既然是鼐龙真人的知交好友，望亭楼，自然是知道的。
Since Wang Tinglou and Nailong True Man were close friends, he naturally knew about it.
jù shuō ， shì yī wèi yóu xià jiè fēi shēng ér lái de xiū xiān zhě 。
据说，是一位由下界飞升而来的修仙者。
It seemed to be a cultivator who had ascended from the lower realms. Initially, his cultivation wasn’t impressive, but for some reason, this Separation-Union level existence had become very close with Nailong True Man, even saying they had sworn brotherhood.
qǐ chū ， xiū wèi bìng bù rú hé ， rán ér bù zhī wèi shén me ， jiù zhè me yī míng lí hé jí bié de cún zài ， què yǔ nài lóng zhēn rén shèn shì tóu yuán ， shèn zhì kě yǐ shuō ， yǒu guò mìng de jiāo qíng 。
起初，修为并不如何，然而不知为什么，就这么一名离合级别的存在，却与鼐龙真人甚是投缘，甚至可以说，有过命的交情。
Everyone was surprised, but since Nailong wanted such a brother, no one would meddle in it. At first, it seemed strange, but gradually, everyone got used to it.
dà jiā jīng qí guī jīng qí ， dàn nài lóng yào rèn zhè me yī wèi xiōng dì ， tā men zì rán yě bú huì duō guǎn xián shì 。
大家惊奇归惊奇，但鼐龙要认这么一位兄弟，他们自然也不会多管闲事。
Indeed, Wang Tinglou was quite remarkable; he became a Spirit Separation cultivator in just a few thousand years. Although still insignificant compared to them, advancing from Spirit Separation to Transcending Tribulation was the hardest part.
kāi shǐ jué de fěi yí suǒ sī ， dàn jiàn jiàn de ， yě jiù xí yǐ wéi cháng le 。
开始觉得匪夷所思，但渐渐的，也就习以为常了。
But no matter how quickly one could cultivate with Nailong True Man’s guidance, it was still impressive.
yào shuō ， zhè wàng tíng lǒu yě dàng zhēn liǎo de ， duǎn duǎn de shù qiān nián ， jiù chéng wéi le fēn shén jí bié de xiū xiān zhě ， suī rán yǔ tā men xiāng bǐ ， yī jiù bù zhí yī tí ， bì jìng yóu fēn shén jìn jiē dù jié ， cái shì zuì nán dì 。
要说，这望亭搂也当真了得，短短的数千年，就成为了分神级别的修仙者，虽然与他们相比，依旧不值一提，毕竟由分神进阶渡劫，才是最难地。
It seemed that this truly was a genius. With some good fortune, he might have a chance to advance to Transcending Tribulation and become like them.
dàn bù guǎn rú hé néng xiū liàn dé zhè me xùn sù ， nǎ pà shì yǒu nài lóng zhēn rén de tí xié zhǐ diǎn ， nà yě shì fēi cháng liǎo de 。
但不管如何能修炼得这么迅速，哪怕是有鼐龙真人的提携指点，那也是非常了得。
Wang Tinglou and Nailong were brothers who always acted without formalities; no one found it strange. But what about the Lin kid they just mentioned?
kàn lái zhè què shí shì yī wèi tiān cái méi cuò ， ruò shì yǒu yī xiē jī yuán de huà ， dào yě yǒu yī sī jī huì jìn jiē dào dù jié ， chéng wéi tā men yì bān cún zài de 。
看来这确实是一位天才没错，若是有一些机缘的话，倒也有一丝机会进阶到渡劫，成为他们一般存在的。
Could there be an outstanding great being here?
wàng tíng lóu shì nài lóng xiōng dì ， liǎng rén xiàng lái méi dà méi xiǎo ， dà jiā bù xī qí 。
望亭楼是鼐龙兄弟，两人向来没大没小，大家不稀奇。
"Is there any Lin cultivator in the late Tribulation stage?" The black-robed youth pondered deeply.
kě gāng gāng tā men suǒ tí de nà lín xiǎo zi shì zěn me huí shì ？
可刚刚他们所提的那林小子是怎么回事？
"No, I don't think so."
nán dào shì nǎ wèi liǎo bù qǐ de dà néng lái dào le zhè lǐ ？
难道是哪位了不起的大能来到了这里？
"I have never heard of such a person," said an old woman with white hair.
“ yǒu nǎ wèi dù jié hòu qī de tóng dào xìng lín me ？” nà hēi páo shào nián kǔ kǔ sī suǒ 。
“有哪位渡劫后期的同道姓林么？”那黑袍少年苦苦思索。
She had some acquaintance with Nailong True Man and was invited as a guest. However, she only knew him superficially and did not participate in the jokes just now. But her position was close enough to hear everything clearly. Seeing that Nailong True Man went to welcome a distinguished guest, she couldn't help but interject.
“ hǎo xiàng méi yǒu 。”
“好像没有。”
"Then it must be Lady Long from Mount Tianmu, whose knowledge is well-known far and wide. Since you say so, there truly isn’t any Lin cultivator in the late Tribulation stage," said the man with his hand on his forehead.
“ lǎo shēn yě méi yǒu tīng shuō guò 。” yī bái fà cāng cāng de lǎo yù jiē kǒu le 。
“老身也没有听说过。”一白发苍苍的老妪接口了。
"Respected One, your praise is too generous."
tā yǔ nài lóng zhēn rén yǒu diǎn jiāo qíng ， gù ér yě shì shòu yāo de bīn kè ， dàn yě zhǐ shì fàn fàn zhī jiāo ér yǐ ， gāng gāng de wán xiào dǎ qù tā dōu méi yǒu cān yù ， bù guò qià hǎo ， zhàn de wèi zhì què shì jiào jìn ， gù ér quán dōu tīng dé qīng chǔ ， cǐ shí jiàn nài lóng zhēn rén qián qù yíng jiē guì kè ， tā rěn bú zhù jiē kǒu le 。
她与鼐龙真人有点交情，故而也是受邀的宾客，但也只是泛泛之交而已，刚刚的玩笑打趣她都没有参与，不过恰好，站的位置却是较近，故而全都听得清楚，此时见鼐龙真人前去迎接贵客，她忍不住接口了。
The old woman did not dare to be presumptuous. The man before her looked only seventeen or eighteen years old but was actually an ancient monster known as Flying Dragon Respected One, a human cultivator who had somehow inherited some true dragon blood through good fortune. His magical power was extensive, and he was quite famous among those at the Transcending Tribulation stage.
“ yuán lái shì tiān mù shān de lóng fū rén ， jiǔ wén fū rén jiàn shí guǎng bó nǐ jì rán zhè me shuō ， kàn lái shì zhēn méi yǒu xìng lín de dù jié hòu qī tóng dào le 。” nà shào nián mú yàng de nán zi yǐ shǒu fú é ， rú cǐ zhè bān de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ 。
“原来是天目山的龙夫人，久闻夫人见识广博你既然这么说，看来是真没有姓林的渡劫后期同道了。”那少年模样的男子以手扶额，如此这般的声音传入耳朵。
The discussion wasn't limited to this place; almost all the cultivators present were desperately trying to recall which great existence might be named Lin.
“ zūn zhě miù zàn le 。”
“尊者谬赞了。”
After all, there were so many guests invited by their senior mentors, not to mention a hundred or more main guests. Most of them were led by Nailong's maidservants when they arrived at Cloud Sea, with only a few personally welcomed by him.
nà lǎo yù què bù gǎn tuō dà ， yǎn qián de nán zi kàn zhe zhǐ yǒu shí qī bā suì nián jì ， rán ér zhǐ shì kàn zhe nián qīng ér yǐ ， qí shí shì yī bù zhī dào huó le duō shǎo nián de lǎo guài wù dào hào fēi lóng zūn zhě ， suī shì rén zú xiū shì ， dàn jī yuán qiǎo hé ， què jì chéng le yī mǎo xiē zhēn lóng xuè mài ， fǎ lì guǎng bó ， zài tā men dù jié jí bié de cún zài zhōng ， yě shì yī hè hè yǒu míng de rén wù 。
那老妪却不敢托大，眼前的男子看着只有十七八岁年纪，然而只是看着年轻而已，其实是一不知道活了多少年的老怪物道号飞龙尊者，虽是人族修士，但机缘巧合，却继承了一冇些真龙血脉，法力广博，在他们渡劫级别的存在中，也是一赫赫有名的人物。
Everyone was eager to know who the great figure that just arrived was.
qí shí tǎo lùn yuǎn bù jú xiàn yú cǐ chù ， jī hū qián lái guān lǐ de suǒ yǒu xiū xiān zhě dōu zài pīn mìng huí yì ， nǎ yī wèi dà néng cún zài ， shì xìng lín lái zhe 。
其实讨论远不局限于此处，几乎前来观礼的所有修仙者都在拼命回忆，哪一位大能存在，是姓林来着。
However... there wasn’t any Lin cultivator in the late Tribulation stage.
bì jìng lái le zhè me duō bīn kè ， liáng suí shī mén zhǎng bèi de mén rén dì zǐ bù tí ， guāng shì shōu dào yāo qǐng de zhǔ kè jiù yǒu bǎi wèi zhī duō 。
毕竟来了这么多宾客，踉随师门长辈的门人弟子不提，光是收到邀请的主客就有百位之多。
Who else could be worthy enough for Nailong True Man to personally welcome?
tā men lái dào yún hǎi de shí hòu fā chū chuán yīn fú jué dà bù fèn dōu shì nài lóng pài shì nǚ qián lái yǐn lù ， zhēn zhèng yóu tā qīn zì yíng jiē de liáo liáo kě shǔ 。
他们来到云海的时候发出传音符绝大部分都是鼐龙派侍女前来引路，真正由他亲自迎接的寥寥可数。
To be honest, Lin Xuan's fame had grown quite significantly. In some ways, he was at his peak, but it depended on what level you were talking about.
suǒ yǐ dà jiā hěn xiǎng zhī dào gāng gāng lái de ， jiū jìng shì nǎ wèi jīng tiān dòng dì de dà rén wù 。
所以大家很想知道刚刚来的，究竟是哪位惊天动地的大人物。
Lin Xuan might be a Spirit Separation cultivator, but who among the guests here was of which rank?
rán ér ……， xiǎng bù qǐ lái ， dù jié hòu qī zhōng ， gēn běn jiù méi yǒu yī wèi xìng lín de cún zài 。
然而……，想不起来，渡劫后期中，根本就没有一位姓林的存在。
Transcending Tribulation old monsters!
kě chú le nà ge jí bié de xiū xiān zhě ， hái yǒu shuí ， zhí de nài lóng zhēn rén qīn yíng ne ？
可除了那个级别的修仙者，还有谁，值得鼐龙真人亲迎呢？
No matter how famous Lin Xuan was, they would never take him seriously. He was just a pawn in the grand scheme of things, and even the old monsters from other realms hadn’t heard of him.
píng xīn lái shuō ， lín xuān rú jīn de míng qì ， yě suàn bù xiǎo ， shèn zhì cóng mǒu zhǒng chéng dù shàng ， kě yǐ shuō shì rú rì zhōng tiān ， dàn nà yě yào kàn ， zài shén me céng miàn 。
平心来说，林轩如今的名气，也算不小，甚至从某种程度上，可以说是如日中天，但那也要看，在什么层面。
For example, True Apex Sect’s Senior Grandmaster Tianji had only heard his name but dismissed it with a smile. Dividing into Spirit Separation stages? What was so special about that? Even if he were exceptionally powerful, there would be limits to his abilities in their eyes; they saw him as nothing more than a joke.
lín xuān zài qiáng ， bì jìng zhǐ shì fēn shén jí bié de xiū xiān zhě ， ér yǎn qián de bīn kè ， shì xiē shén me jí bié de ？
林轩再强，毕竟只是分神级别的修仙者，而眼前的宾客，是些什么级别的？
---
dù jié qī lǎo guài wù ！
渡劫期老怪物！
Cloud Sea was vast and beautiful, like an earthly paradise. From the outside, it appeared white and indistinct, but two figures hovered just beyond its edge.
lín xuān míng qì zài dà ， yòu zěn me kě néng rù dé le tā men de fǎ yǎn ？
林轩名气再大，又怎么可能入得了他们的法眼？
One was an ordinary-looking youth, while the other was a graceful woman dressed in court attire.
ér qiě lín xuān yě jǐn jǐn shì zài nài lóng jiè hùn dé fēng shēng shuǐ qǐ ， fàng yǎn zhěng gè líng jiè ， tā yòu suàn dé le shén me ， xiǎo zú zi ér yǐ 。
而且林轩也仅仅是在鼐龙界混得风生水起，放眼整个灵界，他又算得了什么，小卒子而已。
"Is this Lady Cloud? Did you have any old acquaintance with Nailong True Man?"
qí tā jiè miàn de lǎo guài wù ， gēn běn jiù méi yǒu tīng shuō ， biàn shì nài lóng jiè de jǐ míng dù jié qī xiū xiān zhě ， bǐ rú shuō zhēn jí mén dà zhǎng lǎo ， tiān jí zhēn rén ， tīng shì tīng shuō guò zhè ge míng zì ， dàn yě yī xiào zhì zhī ， qū qū fēn shén qī ， yǒu shén me liǎo bù qǐ ， jí biàn zài lì hài ， nà yě shì yǒu xiàn dù dì ， zài tā men zhè zhǒng dù jié qī lǎo guài de yǎn lǐ ， bù guò shì yí gè xiào huà ér yǐ 。
其他界面的老怪物，根本就没有听说，便是鼐龙界的几名渡劫期修仙者，比如说真极门大长老，天极真人，听是听说过这个名字，但也一笑置之，区区分神期，有什么了不起，即便再厉害，那也是有限度地，再他们这种渡劫期老怪的眼里，不过是一个笑话而已。
"Yes, not much of one. I only met Senior Nailong when I was very young," said Yun Ruyan with a sigh.
yún hǎi miàn jī guǎng kuò ， lǐ miàn de měi lì ， shuō rén jiān xiān jìng ， nà shì yì diǎn yě bù wèi guò ， rán ér cóng wài miàn kàn ， chú le yī piàn bái méng méng ， què shén me yě kàn bù qīng chǔ 。
云海面积广阔，里面的美丽，说人间仙境，那是一点也不为过，然而从外面看，除了一片白蒙蒙，却什么也看不清楚。
"You were very young then?"
cǐ shí yǒu liǎng gè rén yǐng ， jiù zài yún hǎi wài xuán fú 。
此时有两个人影，就在云海外悬浮。
"Yes."
yí gè shì róng mào pǔ tōng de shào nián ， lìng wài yí gè ， zé shì juàn xiù piào liàng de gōng zhuāng shào fù 。
一个是容貌普通的少年，另外一个，则是隽秀漂亮的宫装少妇。
The woman nodded: "Back then, our Cloud Family was far more powerful than it is now. We ranked fifth on the list at Wan Xiao Immortal Palace?"
“ xiān zi lái shì yún jiā zhī zhǔ ， yǐ qián yǔ nài lóng zhēn rén yǒu jiù me ？”
“仙子来是云家之主，以前与鼐龙真人有旧么？”
"Fifth place?"
“ yǒu jiù ， yě shuō bù shàng ， qiè shēn zhǐ shì zài hěn xiǎo de shí hòu ， jiàn guò nài lóng qián bèi yí miàn ér yǐ 。” yún ruò yán tàn le kǒu qì 。
“有旧，也说不上，妾身只是在很小的时候，见过鼐龙前辈一面而已。”云若颜叹了口气。
Lin Xuan was startled; among the top ten forces today, all had Transcending Tribulation cultivators. Could it be...
“ hěn xiǎo de shí hòu ？”
“很小的时候？”
"Yes, in the past, my Cloud Family did have a late-stage Transcending Tribulation ancestor. He was a powerful existence from the middle stage. When I was very young, he was still alive and got along well with Senior Nailong. I remember once when True Man Nailong visited our family to meet him."
“ ń 。”
“嗯。”
"So what happened later?"
gōng zhuāng nǚ zǐ diǎn le diǎn tóu ：“ nà shí hòu wǒ yún jiā ， yuǎn bǐ xiàn zài qiáng dà ， zài wàn xiǎo xiān gōng de bǎng dān shàng ， pái míng dì wǔ ？”
宫装女子点了点头：“那时候我云家，远比现在强大，在万晓仙宫的榜单上，排名第五？”
"Later..."
“ pái míng dì wǔ ？”
“排名第五？”
Yun Ruyan's face showed sadness: "The heavens did not favor my Cloud Family. Not long after, the ancestor faced a heavenly tribulation. Despite his preparations, he was unable to survive it, and our Cloud Family fell from grace. Many former enemies came knocking, and without the protection of the ancestor, we were on the brink of extinction. Fortunately, True Man Nailong was loyal and, out of past favors with the ancestor, promised to protect us. Otherwise..."
lín xuān xià le yī tiào ， rú jīn pái míng qián shí de shì lì ， kě dōu shì yōng yǒu dù jié qī ， yún jiā céng pái míng dì wǔ ， nán dào shuō ……
林轩吓了一跳，如今排名前十的势力，可都是拥有渡劫期，云家曾排名第五，难道说……
The woman's face was filled with gratitude. Among cultivators, although some might be cold-hearted, such a favor could not be easily forgotten.
"Go, why not go? That Lin kid has quite a reputation. Besides, I want to ask about Yuanyan's whereabouts," Wang Tinglou did not hesitate this time; his expression was extremely complex.
"Why, since Brother Nai is getting married, you're still unable to bear the loneliness?" Nailong True Man's mocking laughter entered his ears.
"Nonsense! I care about Yuanyan only because she is Ice's sister. Don't think that I'm like you, going around picking flowers and making trouble," Wang Tinglou blushed as he spoke angrily.
"Haha, Tinglou, losing your nerve to argue, how much more fun it would be if you were not so wooden."
Nailong True Man laughed loudly. His body was covered in a faint glow as he left the spot at lightning speed.
Wang Tinglou was so angry that his face turned red and his neck swelled. After a moment's hesitation, he followed him anyway.
"Hey, what exactly is going on?" The voice of the black-robed youth entered his ears. Everyone had been stunned by what just happened.
"I don't know where you heard that," said another man beside them, who was quite attractive.
Since Wang Tinglou and Nailong True Man were close friends, he naturally knew about it.
It seemed to be a cultivator who had ascended from the lower realms. Initially, his cultivation wasn’t impressive, but for some reason, this Separation-Union level existence had become very close with Nailong True Man, even saying they had sworn brotherhood.
Everyone was surprised, but since Nailong wanted such a brother, no one would meddle in it. At first, it seemed strange, but gradually, everyone got used to it.
Indeed, Wang Tinglou was quite remarkable; he became a Spirit Separation cultivator in just a few thousand years. Although still insignificant compared to them, advancing from Spirit Separation to Transcending Tribulation was the hardest part.
But no matter how quickly one could cultivate with Nailong True Man’s guidance, it was still impressive.
It seemed that this truly was a genius. With some good fortune, he might have a chance to advance to Transcending Tribulation and become like them.
Wang Tinglou and Nailong were brothers who always acted without formalities; no one found it strange. But what about the Lin kid they just mentioned?
Could there be an outstanding great being here?
"Is there any Lin cultivator in the late Tribulation stage?" The black-robed youth pondered deeply.
"No, I don't think so."
"I have never heard of such a person," said an old woman with white hair.
She had some acquaintance with Nailong True Man and was invited as a guest. However, she only knew him superficially and did not participate in the jokes just now. But her position was close enough to hear everything clearly. Seeing that Nailong True Man went to welcome a distinguished guest, she couldn't help but interject.
"Then it must be Lady Long from Mount Tianmu, whose knowledge is well-known far and wide. Since you say so, there truly isn’t any Lin cultivator in the late Tribulation stage," said the man with his hand on his forehead.
"Respected One, your praise is too generous."
The old woman did not dare to be presumptuous. The man before her looked only seventeen or eighteen years old but was actually an ancient monster known as Flying Dragon Respected One, a human cultivator who had somehow inherited some true dragon blood through good fortune. His magical power was extensive, and he was quite famous among those at the Transcending Tribulation stage.
The discussion wasn't limited to this place; almost all the cultivators present were desperately trying to recall which great existence might be named Lin.
After all, there were so many guests invited by their senior mentors, not to mention a hundred or more main guests. Most of them were led by Nailong's maidservants when they arrived at Cloud Sea, with only a few personally welcomed by him.
Everyone was eager to know who the great figure that just arrived was.
However... there wasn’t any Lin cultivator in the late Tribulation stage.
Who else could be worthy enough for Nailong True Man to personally welcome?
To be honest, Lin Xuan's fame had grown quite significantly. In some ways, he was at his peak, but it depended on what level you were talking about.
Lin Xuan might be a Spirit Separation cultivator, but who among the guests here was of which rank?
Transcending Tribulation old monsters!
No matter how famous Lin Xuan was, they would never take him seriously. He was just a pawn in the grand scheme of things, and even the old monsters from other realms hadn’t heard of him.
For example, True Apex Sect’s Senior Grandmaster Tianji had only heard his name but dismissed it with a smile. Dividing into Spirit Separation stages? What was so special about that? Even if he were exceptionally powerful, there would be limits to his abilities in their eyes; they saw him as nothing more than a joke.
---
Cloud Sea was vast and beautiful, like an earthly paradise. From the outside, it appeared white and indistinct, but two figures hovered just beyond its edge.
One was an ordinary-looking youth, while the other was a graceful woman dressed in court attire.
"Is this Lady Cloud? Did you have any old acquaintance with Nailong True Man?"
"Yes, not much of one. I only met Senior Nailong when I was very young," said Yun Ruyan with a sigh.
"You were very young then?"
"Yes."
The woman nodded: "Back then, our Cloud Family was far more powerful than it is now. We ranked fifth on the list at Wan Xiao Immortal Palace?"
"Fifth place?"
Lin Xuan was startled; among the top ten forces today, all had Transcending Tribulation cultivators. Could it be...
"Yes, in the past, my Cloud Family did have a late-stage Transcending Tribulation ancestor. He was a powerful existence from the middle stage. When I was very young, he was still alive and got along well with Senior Nailong. I remember once when True Man Nailong visited our family to meet him."
"So what happened later?"
"Later..."
Yun Ruyan's face showed sadness: "The heavens did not favor my Cloud Family. Not long after, the ancestor faced a heavenly tribulation. Despite his preparations, he was unable to survive it, and our Cloud Family fell from grace. Many former enemies came knocking, and without the protection of the ancestor, we were on the brink of extinction. Fortunately, True Man Nailong was loyal and, out of past favors with the ancestor, promised to protect us. Otherwise..."
The woman's face was filled with gratitude. Among cultivators, although some might be cold-hearted, such a favor could not be easily forgotten.