“By the way, Lin Xiao, have you already taken me as your master?” After discussing the Sacred Emperor Ruins, Dongfang Kaiyuan suddenly asked.
Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned, having completely forgotten about this.
During the southeast region’s youth assembly, Dongfang Kaiyuan personally aided him before entering the Sacred Emperor Ruins.
Given his assistance and Lin Xiao’s talent, which had topped the southeast region’s youth and earned him the shengshi token, the Gun Dragon Sect surely knew of Dongfang Kaiyuan’s intent to take him as a disciple and was willing to make him the sect leader’s direct disciple.
Just a day ago, Dongfang Kaiyuan had given him a “disciple acceptance gift,” clearly considering him his direct disciple.
Lin Xiao had accepted the benefits, and now, Dongfang Kaiyuan was ready to formalize the mentorship.
At this, Yun Jing, Zhong Moyang, and others nearby exchanged odd looks.
“Sect Leader, I’m truly sorry, but I’ve already taken a master. He passed away not long ago, so I can’t take another master so soon and thus haven’t become your direct disciple,” Lin Xiao said awkwardly.
“What?” Dongfang Kaiyuan froze, his expression unreadable.
What kind of excuse was this about having a master who had passed away?
It was blatantly obvious!
Clearly, Lin Xiao was refusing to become his direct disciple.
Dongfang Kaiyuan felt a surge of frustration.
How could it be? Back then, Lin Xiao was just a Martial Venerable, yet he was unwilling to be his disciple?
Was he, a genius who held the shengshi token a century ago and now stood at the southeast region’s peak, so inadequate that even a Martial Venerable looked down on him?
Dongfang Kaiyuan grew increasingly conflicted.
But, coming to his senses and considering Lin Xiao’s current strength, he felt some relief.
Lin Xiao could now kill Martial Emperors, so he indeed had no need to take him as a master.
Dongfang Kaiyuan was no longer qualified to be his master.
Lin Xiao not having taken him as a master was, in a way, a good thing. Otherwise, it would feel awkward now, as he had nothing left to teach Lin Xiao.
Even if Lin Xiao became his direct disciple, it would be in name only.
“Very well, a genius like you, I wouldn’t dare be your master,” Dongfang Kaiyuan sighed helplessly.
As one of the southeast region’s top geniuses from a century ago and now a peak figure, to feel inadequate to be someone’s master was unprecedented.
He once looked down on everyone, but now, when he took interest, the other party was unwilling and he was unqualified. The blow came too suddenly.
“I never thought the Sect Leader would face such a setback. It won’t be long before he takes another disciple,” Yun Jing thought.
Zhong Moyang shared the same thought. Their Sect Leader had high standards, never taking direct disciples or teaching personally, which was a loss for the Gun Dragon Sect.
This setback might prompt a change in the future.
“You flatter me, Sect Leader,” Lin Xiao responded modestly, then shifted the topic.
After a brief exchange, Lin Xiao and the Martial Emperors sat in various parts of the valley, refining spirit stones and pills to replenish their primal energy.
Lin Xiao noticed the Martial Emperors consumed spirit stones voraciously. If not for their affiliation with major forces, a single force’s wealth might not suffice for one recovery.
A Martial Emperor’s dantian could hold an immense amount of primal energy.
Time passed quickly, and by the third day, Yu Huang, Mu Huang, and Tang Huang arrived.
By then, even Jin Huang and Fan Huang had fully recovered, and the other Martial Emperors were at their peak.
Lin Xiao’s dantian energy was also fully restored.
However, he knew his energy reserves couldn’t compare to the Martial Emperors’, so he asked Zi Ling for several high-grade primal energy pills.
Of course, there was a limit to how many primal energy pills one could take consecutively, as the body couldn’t handle too many.
Thus, even with the pills, Lin Xiao knew he couldn’t fight like a Martial Emperor.
If he reached his limit multiple times, a Martial Emperor’s energy might not even be half depleted.
With a major battle involving many Martial Emperors and the Ling Sword Sect watching closely, exhausting his energy would be dangerous.
At noon, with the sun high, twenty-six Martial Emperors and Lin Xiao stood aboard three Sky Control Boats.
The Ling Sword Sect, Absolute Blade Sect, Xiang Huang, Duan Huang, and nine others stood on one boat.
Sheng Qianyu, Qu Huang, Zhen Huang, Fan Huang, Jin Huang, Yu Huang, Mu Huang, and Tang Huang stood on another.
Lin Xiao, the Gun Dragon Sect, Nine Heavens Sect, Ling Huang, Zi Huang, and Jin Huang stood on the third.
The three boats represented three factions: the Ling Sword Sect faction opposed the Gun Dragon Sect faction, with Sheng Qianyu’s group as neutral.
Today, their goal was unified: to head to the Demon Sect and eliminate the three sects.
What happened after was another matter.
“Go!”
With Sheng Qianyu’s light command, the three Sky Control Boats moved, streaking toward the horizon like streams of light.
“Let’s go to the Demon Sect to watch the battle,” an elder with a Sky Control Boat said among the crowd.
“This battle will be earth-shaking. With little time left in my life, seeing this makes it worthwhile,” an elderly figure said.
“We need to get the news first to prepare,” a serious middle-aged man said.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement.
With the Martial Emperors gone, the crowd was no longer restricted. Those with Sky Control Boats rushed in the direction the Martial Emperors had gone.
Most without boats felt regret. The Demon Sect was too far, and even pushing a Sky Control Boat to its limit with vast resources would take a day or two. Flying would take months.
By then, the news would have returned before they covered a fraction of the distance.
Of course, no one could leak the plan to the Demon Sect now, as the Martial Emperors’ boats were pushed to their limits, impossible to surpass.
Besides the Nine Heavens Sect and Gun Dragon Sect, few present could afford such resources.
Naturally, the two sects also sent people.
In the sky, the three Sky Control Boats sped through the void like lightning.
After a day and night, they entered a lush mountain forest at low altitude.
It was early morning, with the sun rising, mist stretching for miles, and faint ape cries and beast roars echoing.
The boats slowed but were still several times faster than a Martial Emperor flying.
“We’ve entered the Demon Sect’s thousand-mile range. Head straight into their protective formation,” Sheng Qianyu said to the other two boats.
The controllers nodded, continuing toward the Demon Sect as thicker mist appeared in their view.
“If the Temple of Fate is the Demon, Evil, and Nether Sects, then the Demon Sect is their southeast region branch, and Youyu is likely there,” Lin Xiao thought, his heart racing.
He recalled the woman with whom he’d had many unexpected encounters.
