The Sacred Lotus Tree in the valley had begun radiating a layer of luminous light shortly after Chu Feng and the other young cultivators entered.
The sight filled Shengguang Baimei and all the Sacred Valley elders with joy.
Because this was a radiance the Sacred Lotus Tree had never displayed before.
Moreover, the light was exceptionally gentle, leading them to believe that Miss Meng Lai and the others must be cultivating with extraordinary smoothness.
"So it truly is the legendary full bloom. Miss Meng Lai really is remarkable."
But suddenly, an elder's hearty laughter, like the roar of a savage beast, thundered across the distant sky.
It shattered the joy everyone had been indulging in.
Turning to look, the elders grew even more delighted. Nearly all of them rushed forward to greet the newcomers, with the sole exception of Shengguang Baimei.
The arrivals were two males, one old and one young.
The young man was quite thin, though his features were rather handsome—yet there was something sinister about his bearing. His skin was pale, lacking in color to an unsettling degree. While the pallor had a certain beauty to it, it was also somewhat frightening, as if he were not a creature of the living world.
As for the elder, his white hair was as thick and voluminous as the mane of a great lion.
Add to that his sharp, upswept brows and fierce gaze, and at first glance one might mistake him for a lion demon who had cultivated into human form.
The elder was not only tall, but powerfully built as well.
The young man already stood over two meters—tall by human standards.
Yet beside this elder he appeared quite short, for the old man stood at least nine meters in height.
With his massive, sturdy frame, he looked almost like a giant. It was a rather intimidating sight.
"Lord Shishen!"
"Master Qianyu, you've finally returned!"
Everyone rushed forward to greet them, their faces alight with wild elation.
Because this Lord Shishen was none other than the one figure within Sacred Valley who, aside from the Sacred Lord, could match Shengguang Baimei in both status and strength. His name was Shengguang Shishen.
As for the young man called Shengguang Qianyu, he was Shengguang Shishen's disciple—and naturally, his own status was far from ordinary as well.
Shengguang Shishen had taken his disciple out for training a long time ago. By all accounts they should have returned much sooner, yet their arrival had been delayed for an extended period.
During that time, the people of Sacred Valley had grown rather worried about them.
Now seeing them return safely, everyone was naturally overjoyed.
After all, master and disciple—Shengguang Shishen and Shengguang Qianyu—were an indispensable fighting force for Sacred Valley.
"Lord Shishen, what took you so long this time?"
Shengguang Buyu asked with concern.
"Don't even mention it. We should have been back ages ago, but we ran into some trouble along the way. Still, nothing came of it, nothing came of it."
"Now tell me about this full bloom."
"Oh, and can my disciple still enter?"
Shengguang Shishen asked.
"Lord Shishen, I'm afraid Master Qianyu can no longer go in."
"Because the barrier gate has already closed."
Shengguang Buyu replied.
"Closed?"
"Even if it's closed, it can be opened again, can't it?"
"My Qianyu certainly has the talent for it."
Shengguang Shishen said, a touch of displeasure in his voice.
"It's not that simple, Lord Shishen."
"The truth is, this full bloom was not triggered by anyone from Sacred Valley—it was triggered by an outsider."
"He has already entered within, and the barrier gate will not reopen."
Shengguang Buyu said.
"An outsider?"
At the word "outsider," both Shengguang Shishen and his disciple Shengguang Qianyu looked thoroughly surprised.
"Elder Buyu, what happened? Tell me everything."
Shengguang Shishen asked with curiosity.
Shengguang Buyu did not hold back. He recounted the entire sequence of events, telling Shengguang Shishen the truth of what had transpired.
"Such a genius has actually appeared in this era?"
"Are the young cultivators of the outside world really this extraordinary now?"
Upon hearing the full account, Shengguang Shishen was visibly stunned.
Because at the same time, he thought of another young cultivator he had recently encountered.
"Master, don't you think the person Elder Buyu is describing sounds a lot like the one we met before?"
Shengguang Qianyu said thoughtfully.
"You mean the one we encountered at the Daylight Star River?"
Shengguang Shishen asked.
"Yes, exactly that one."
Shengguang Qianyu said.
"Elder Buyu, show me the appearance of the boy who triggered the full bloom at once."