"Dispense with the formalities, dispense with the formalities!"
Yuheng Immortal Venerable stroked his beard and smiled, his gaze lingering on Jiang Hao for a moment longer than others, and he sighed with emotion:
"Jiang Hao's cultivation has reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal Late Stage, with the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm in sight. Nangong's Sword Intent is also Reaching the Gods, with his sharpness contained within.
Excellent! Truly excellent! You are indeed the outstanding talents produced by my Lingxu Heavenly Palace, and worthy disciples of our Lingxu Heavenly Palace's Dao Child!"
"The Sect is fully aware of your deeds outside. Upon your return today, the Sect has prepared a grand banquet to welcome the two Elders!"
The Peak Masters were also understanding people. They knew Han Xuanji was keeping many secrets from them, but so what?
Han Xuanji had previously rendered great service by exposing Demon Race spies, clearly showing his devotion to the Sect.
Just then, an even more ancient aura descended upon the area.
In the sky, clouds gathered, manifesting a blurry phantom figure dressed in ancient Daoist robes.
As soon as this phantom appeared, everyone, including the Peak Masters, straightened their expressions and bowed respectfully:
"Greetings to Ancestor Shenhui!"
The one who arrived was precisely one of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Old Ancestors of the Lingxu Heavenly Palace, who had only returned a century ago from a top-tier Secret Realm.
Ancestor Shenhui's phantom gaze fell upon Jiang Hao and Nangong Wenjian, lingered for a moment, and slowly spoke:
"With your return, the Luck of the Lingxu Heavenly Palace has increased by thirty percent. This is a blessing for the Sect."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shaken.
"Thank you for the Old Ancestor's commendation!"
Jiang Hao and Nangong Wenjian quickly bowed, feeling slightly surprised internally.
They hadn't expected the commotion to be so great, alarming even a Sect Old Ancestor who was rarely seen in a thousand years.
Ancestor Shenhui's phantom nodded slightly, said nothing more, and slowly dissipated. However, the shock brought by the Grand Unity Golden Immortal pressure lingered in everyone's hearts for a long time.
With the Old Ancestor setting the tone, the specifications for the welcoming banquet were naturally raised to the highest level.
However, Jiang Hao and Nangong Wenjian's thoughts were clearly elsewhere. After exchanging pleasantries with the Peak Masters, they stated that they needed to return to the Myriad Phenomena Garden first to report back to their Master.
The Peak Masters all felt this was only natural.
"That is as it should be. The Dao Child is likely waiting for the two of you. The banquet can wait."
Under the gaze of countless envious and respectful eyes, Jiang Hao and Nangong Wenjian bade farewell to the crowd and headed toward the Myriad Phenomena Garden with Su Ming.
Passing through the familiar Formation, the quiet and serene atmosphere of the garden instantly enveloped them.
Feeling the Innate Qi which was even denser than before, Jiang Hao took a deep breath, a complicated smile appearing on his face as he mocked himself:
"Fighting outside for a hundred years, earning some fleeting fame, and experiencing life-and-death perils—it seems magnificent, but suddenly I feel... that for my own Great Dao Cultivation, it might be less substantial than devoting myself to quiet cultivation right here in this garden."
Hearing this, Su Ming smiled:
"Senior Brother Jiang, those words mean you have broken through a layer of delusion. Tempering the heart in the Mortal World is ultimately for the sake of Clarity of Mind and Insight into Nature."
"Your experiences outside are all precious insights. Now that you return with these insights to quietly cultivate and settle down, what you gain and comprehend will surely far surpass simple solitary bitter cultivation."
Speaking of this, Su Ming paused, a flash of pride in his eyes,
"However, my current strength might actually be... slightly superior to yours, Brother Jiang."
Hearing this, Jiang Hao became a little unconvinced:
"You rascal, Su Ming! After being apart for so long, not only has your cultivation grown, but your verbal skills have also improved?"
"How about we spar sometime?"
"Deal."
Su Ming had been waiting for exactly those words.
He didn't think that, as a Chaos Demon God, he couldn't defeat a Chaos Physique.
"Junior Brother Jiang! Senior Brother Nangong! You're finally back!"
A shout like muffled thunder rang out. Lin Potian's massive figure rushed over like a savage bull and crashed directly into Jiang Hao.
Lin Potian had a straightforward personality, and his relationship with Jiang Hao was excellent. They often sparred privately to verify their learning.
Jiang Hao's figure didn't move. Instead, he smiled, turned, and gave Lin Potian a solid hug:
"Senior Brother Lin, your strength has grown again."
Li Taiqing also walked over slowly, maintaining his usual gentle appearance, and nodded to Jiang Hao and Nangong Wenjian:
"It's good that you returned safely. The garden is tranquil, perfect for settling down."
Nangong Wenjian nodded slightly to Li Taiqing and said in a deep voice:
"Senior Brother Li's sword seems... different."
"A slight improvement, nothing compared to the sharpness Junior Brother Nangong forged amidst ten thousand soldiers."
Li Taiqing did not care for such things; his sharpness was more contained compared to Nangong Wenjian's.
"Is that so?"
Nangong Wenjian didn't chat much. As fellow cultivators of the Sword Dao, they often discussed it, so there was no rush now... On the other side, while everyone was exchanging greetings, Little Red was already eager to see Han Xuanji.
"Come in."
Han Xuanji said.
Hearing this, a streak of crimson light impatiently darted into the Quiet Room where Han Xuanji was located. Little Red puffed out its chest, its tail feathers shimmering with radiance.
Han Xuanji sat quietly upon the chaos green lotus, slightly lifting his eyelids to glance at it:
"Look at the state of you."
Little Red shrank its neck but immediately moved a few steps closer, blinking its Phoenix eyes, showing intense anticipation:
"Master, I handled the task you assigned perfectly!
That boy Lu Fan successfully ascended the Human Emperor's Throne. Although there were a few waves of foolish Demon Race members and minor villains trying to cause trouble, hehe, I didn't even need to go all out. Just revealing a bit of my aura was enough to scare them witless!
The deterrent effect was absolutely top-notch!
And the 'reward' you promised..."
It deliberately drew out the tone, lightly flapping its wings, adopting a 'you know what I mean' look.
This fellow is exactly the same as when it was a Nether Crow.
It's a waste of such a magnificent appearance.
Han Xuanji was speechless, but the creature had indeed rendered considerable service:
"Your injuries are mostly Dao Injuries, which normally require a great deal of time to heal on their own."
Little Red's crimson feathers momentarily stiffened upon hearing this, and a trace of helplessness flashed in its eyes.
This was the terrifying aspect of the Dao-Devouring Worms; they mercilessly devoured even the Origin power of the Hunyuan Taiji Realm.
The Innate Divine Ability of the Nine Nether Devouring Phoenix is to devour all things and convert them for its own use, but under Han Xuanji's restraint, it couldn't act recklessly, only consuming those foolish enough to cross its path.
Unfortunately, the Demon Race wasn't stupid and didn't continue sending people to their deaths.
"Given your meritorious service in this protection mission, I shall use this as your reward."
As his voice fell, Han Xuanji raised his right hand. On the tip of his index finger, a speck of profound, ultimate dark light quietly appeared.
This dark light was completely different from ordinary Spiritual Qi or energy; it was precisely the demon god origin power Han Xuanji had signed for previously.
These were demon god origin forces signed for in the Guixu Land, belonging to the Primordial Chaos Level of power. Their intrinsic essence was the same as Little Red's, making them perfect for repairing its Dao Injury.
"Good stuff!"
Little Red's eyes instantly lit up, and a nearly instinctive craving surged within it.
This demon god origin was practically a tailor-made great tonic for it!