"Grandfather, you've finally agreed to see your Yafei. I thought you'd forgotten all about me." The moment she saw her grandfather, Yafei was overjoyed. She threw herself into Yasei Zongyun's arms with a sweet, delicate cry.
"Haha, how could I forget my only precious granddaughter? I just came out of seclusion — haven't even seen the Island Master yet — and came straight to you." Yasei Zongyun laughed heartily, his eyes brimming with doting affection. His legendary spoiling of Yafei was well known to all.
"Grandfather, did you break through?" Hearing that her grandfather had just emerged from seclusion, Yafei's eyes widened, her face filled with eager anticipation.
"Has your grandfather ever failed when going into seclusion?" Yasei Zongyun laughed again, but his answer confirmed her hopes.
"That's wonderful! Grandfather broke through again! With your current cultivation, can you rival the Island Master now?!" The moment she heard the confirmation, the smile on Yafei's face grew even brighter. This grandfather of hers was her greatest pillar of support — the stronger he became, the more untouchable she would be.
"Silly girl, how could I possibly compare to the Island Master? However, my position as the third powerhouse of the Zhu Xian Archipelago is now absolutely unshakable." Yasei Zongyun was beaming, clearly thrilled beyond measure.
As the saying goes, good fortune lifts the spirits — and how much more so for a martial arts expert who had achieved yet another breakthrough?
"Third? Weren't you always the second-strongest of the Zhu Xian Archipelago, Grandfather? Is there someone besides the Island Master who surpasses you?" Yafei's slender brows furrowed slightly, clearly dissatisfied with this result. She refused to believe that anyone other than the Island Master had the right to stand above the grandfather she was so proud of.
"Silly girl, have you forgotten the former Island Master of our Zhu Xian Archipelago — the current Grand Elder?" Yasei Zongyun asked with a smile.
"The Grand Elder? You mean Murong Yun's grandfather? Isn't he long past his natural lifespan? Don't tell me he's still alive?!" Yafei's face was filled with shock. She had seen the so-called Grand Elder once when she was a child, but even back then, the old man had been like a living corpse — requiring massive quantities of rare treasures every single day just to cling to life.
So many years had passed since then. She had never seen the Grand Elder again, and no one ever spoke of him. The Zhu Xian Archipelago's current glory was entirely built by the present Island Master's own hands.
Because of this, Yafei had long assumed the Grand Elder was already dead. After all, he had been so frail back then — how could he have survived all these years?
"Oh, child, you must never say such things! The Grand Elder has been alive and well this entire time." Yasei Zongyun hurriedly admonished her with a grave expression.
"Could it be… could it be that the Grand Elder broke through again and earned himself more time?" Yafei could think of only one possibility.
"Mm. The Grand Elder broke through long ago. He has been in seclusion ever since, cultivating diligently, and has made entirely new progress."
"If he can succeed in yet another breakthrough, then even the Master of the Remnant Night Demon Sect and Huangfu Haoyue of the Burning Heaven Holy Cult — even if they were still around — would be no match for him. He would be truly invincible under heaven." Yasei Zongyun declared.
"Grandfather, I often hear you speak of the Remnant Night Demon Sect and the Burning Heaven Holy Cult. Were those two powers — now defunct — really that formidable?" Yafei asked curiously.
Though both the Remnant Night Demon Sect and the Burning Heaven Holy Cult had still existed during her childhood, she had been far too young then. She spent her days playing and knew nothing of such matters. Her grandfather and parents never discussed these things with her, so she had never witnessed the glory of the Remnant Night Demon Sect or the Burning Heaven Holy Cult firsthand.
"Heh, back in those days, those two powers did indeed press our Zhu Xian Archipelago until we could barely breathe. But those hard days are long over."
"As long as the Grand Elder succeeds in his breakthrough this time, then even if the Remnant Night Demon Sect and the Burning Heaven Holy Cult still existed, they would still be trampled under our Zhu Xian Archipelago's feet." Yasei Zongyun spoke with absolute confidence.
"Then, Grandfather — does the Grand Elder have a good chance of breaking through?" Yafei pressed eagerly. As a member of the Zhu Xian Archipelago, though she wished above all for her grandfather's strength, she equally desired the Archipelago's supremacy.
"There's always hope, of course. But at the Martial King realm, each successive stage becomes exponentially harder to reach. The Grand Elder's current rank represents a bottleneck that is extremely difficult to overcome. In the past, both the Demon Lord of the Remnant Night Demon Sect and that once-in-a-generation Huangfu Haoyue were both stuck at this very level."
"However, our Zhu Xian Archipelago now commands the entire Eastern Sea. As long as we gather sufficient resources, the Grand Elder's chances of breaking through remain quite promising." Yasei Zongyun said.
"Grandfather, if the Demon Lord of the Remnant Night Demon Sect and Huangfu Haoyue were still alive, do you think they would have broken through to the realm you described by now?" Yafei asked curiously. Having heard her grandfather mention these two names time and again, she knew deep down that they must have been extraordinarily powerful.
"That…" This was a question Yasei Zongyun found difficult to answer. After all, the fact that those two had stalled at that level was something from over a decade ago.
With their talent — Huangfu Haoyue's in particular — there was no way to estimate what realm they might have reached after all these years. In truth, he was merely comparing the Grand Elder's current cultivation to what those two had achieved back then. It was, in reality, a rather self-deceptive comparison.
"I'm sure they couldn't have broken through either. Besides, they're long gone. Our Zhu Xian Archipelago is the greatest power in the world now — that is an indisputable fact."
"Back then, the Remnant Night Demon Sect and the Burning Heaven Holy Cult split the world between them. But our Zhu Xian Archipelago now dominates the world alone. On that point alone, they cannot compare to us." Seeming to sense her grandfather's discomfort, the clever Yafei quickly chimed in with a cheerful grin.
"Haha, exactly! My Yafei speaks the truth. Our Zhu Xian Archipelago's achievements today are beyond what the Remnant Night Demon Sect or the Burning Heaven Holy Cult could ever match." Hearing Yafei's words, Yasei Zongyun burst into hearty laughter once more.
"Sigh, but what a shame. No matter how powerful our Zhu Xian Archipelago is, there are always some self-important people who refuse to take us seriously." At this, Yafei's expression suddenly turned sour.
"Hm? What do you mean, Yafei?!" At once, Yasei Zongyun's sharp brows shot upward, a flash of displeasure crossing his face. He could tell immediately that his precious granddaughter had been bullied again.
"Grandfather, have you heard of Daoist Aunt Qiushui from Yuanyang Terrace?" Yafei asked instead of answering directly.
"I've heard of Yuanyang Terrace — a place where a bunch of self-righteous nobodies hide away. But this Daoist Aunt Qiushui, I haven't heard of her." Yasei Zongyun shook his head.
"Hmph, so she's a nobody. Grandfather, let me tell you — this person called Daoist Aunt Qiushui is absurdly arrogant. Not only does she not place our Zhu Xian Archipelago in her eyes, she doesn't even regard you with any respect!"
Seeing her opportunity, Yasei Zongyun's expression darkened. But Yafei seized the moment to stoke the flames, not only recounting her grievances but also embroidering the tale with embellished accounts of Qiushui Daogu's insolence — all in the hopes of goading her grandfather into confronting the woman and exacting revenge on her behalf.