The middle-aged man turned his head and looked at the beautiful woman kneeling to the side. "Junior Sister Hua," he said, "tell me — if I were to make a move personally, could I take down that brat?"
This beautiful woman was none other than Hua Qingsi, who had parted ways with Yang Kai in the Shattered Star Sea. At the time of their parting, she had been merely at the third stage of the Dao Source Realm, but having gained some fortuitous opportunities in the Shattered Star Sea, she had since advanced to the Emperor Realm.
Yet at this moment she bore none of the dignity befitting an Emperor Realm master. Instead, she looked like a prisoner locked behind bars.
Hearing the middle-aged man's question, Hua Qingsi pressed her lips together and turned her head to the side without answering.
"Junior Sister Hua, you're being dishonest again." A cold sneer curled across the middle-aged man's lips, and his hands suddenly formed a strange set of seals.
The next moment, a scream of agony tore from Hua Qingsi's mouth. Her entire body convulsed as though she were enduring the most unbearable torture known to the world. Her lovely face twisted instantly from the pain, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead in heavy drops, and her robes were drenched in an instant.
"Master!" She forced herself to crawl toward the old man at his feet and cried out on her knees.
But the old man sat unmoved as a mountain, his brows and eyes not even lifting, as though he had heard nothing and seen nothing.
The middle-aged man sneered: "As a disciple of our Master, you go out of your way to protect an outsider. If not for Master's boundless compassion, you would already be dead. He has spared your life so that you might redeem yourself, yet you remain obstinate and unrepentant. As your senior brother, I simply cannot stand by and watch — perhaps a little punishment is in order."
"Master..." Hua Qingsi's voice trembled, her face deathly pale, and through gritted teeth she said, "If you want that item back, I will go speak to him. Please, Master, r-restrain yourself and spare his life. He is not an... unreasonable person. Your disciple has some acquaintance with him and can... can surely persuade him. Please, Master... give your disciple this one chance."
"Insolent!" The middle-aged man flew into a rage when he saw that despite her agony she still refused to beg for mercy and instead kept making excuses for another. He shifted his hand seals once more, and Hua Qingsi let out a piercing shriek, curling into a tight ball.
The old man let out a faint sigh, a look of helpless resignation crossing his face. "A girl grown is a girl gone," he said. "Always turning her elbow outward."
He waved his hand, and only then did the middle-aged man withdraw the seals.
The old man raised his palm and lifted Hua Qingsi off the ground with an invisible force. "I know," he spoke. "Your advancement to the Emperor Realm was entirely thanks to him. But do not forget who taught you and raised you."
"It was... it was Master. Your disciple will never forget Master's kindness in raising and nurturing me." Hua Qingsi opened her weak eyelids and said.
The old man nodded. "So long as you understand. Had it been any other matter, I might well have granted your wish. After all, you are now an Emperor Realm cultivator, and as my disciple, you bring me no small measure of pride. However... this matter is of the utmost importance. The fewer who know, the better. I sent you to gather intelligence back then precisely because I placed great trust in you — but you disappointed me."
Hearing these words, a flash of guilt crossed Hua Qingsi's eyes.
Though at the time she had been beyond her own control — her Soul Imprinted by Yang Kai and dragged into the Small World — she had indeed failed her Master's trust. Later, when Yang Kai had returned her freedom, she had lost all desire to report back, for Yang Kai had shown her kindness, and she could not repay kindness with betrayal. She had simply planned to live under an assumed name, never to return to the Star God Palace again, treating the old Hua Qingsi as good as dead.
Yet she had never expected her Master to send Senior Brother Wu Ming to track down the Thousand Leaves Sect. Not only had they captured her, but the Thousand Leaves Sect had been dragged into a catastrophe that ended in its total annihilation.
She had been placed under a secret technique and did not remember ever having revealed anything to her Master, but she knew that the destruction of the Thousand Leaves Sect had been caused by her — and that it had been a ploy by her Master to lure Yang Kai out.
Within the Thousand Leaves Sect were several people Yang Kai held in great regard. As long as they were captured, Yang Kai would certainly not let the matter rest.
Facts had proven that this brilliant gambit was no misstep — Yang Kai had indeed been lured to Flowing Shadow City, right into the trap.
"That brat dared to steal my treasure — how could I possibly let him go? Qingsi, stop worrying about it. Once this matter is settled, you will return with me to the Star God Palace and enter seclusion for Cultivation." The old man waved his hand, his tone seemingly placid, yet a glint of barely concealed excitement flickered through his eyes.
A year ago, when Wu Ming had brought Hua Qingsi back to the Star God Palace, the old man had used a secret technique to force her to reveal many secrets. He had not only learned exactly who had ended up with his lost treasure but had also discovered that this person possessed a spatial Artifact of truly vast proportions.
That alone would have been one thing. Spatial Artifacts, though precious and rare, were still just spatial Artifacts — without cultivating spatial abilities, one could hardly wield them freely.
The crux of the matter was that within that spatial Artifact were many rare and extraordinary items. What caught his attention most were two divine trees — one brimming with vibrant life, the other a shimmering blend of gold and silver.
As an Elder of the Star God Palace who had cultivated to the third stage of the Emperor Realm, the old man had lived long enough to have seen virtually everything. After carefully inquiring about the characteristics of the two divine trees, he could all but confirm that one of them was the legendary Tree of Immortality.
The Tree of Immortality — legend held that refining it would grant one an undying, indestructible body. For any warrior, this was an unimaginable temptation. He was already advanced in years and had long resigned himself to the fact that he would never break through again, never expecting such a fortuitous opportunity to fall from the heavens.
If he could obtain the Tree of Immortality and refine it, there was a very real chance he could achieve the body of a Great Emperor — and then he would stand as an equal to the Great Emperor Ming Yue!
As for the gold-and-silver divine tree, he had a vague suspicion about its identity but did not dare be too certain. Regardless, both trees were treasures of heaven and earth — anyone who obtained even one would be blessed with extraordinary fortune. Yet here they were, both in the hands of a single person.
All he had to do was kill that man, and these supreme treasures would be his. Once he refined the Tree of Immortality, what corner of this world would be beyond his reach?
This closely guarded secret, the old man had shared with no one — not even Wu Ming, whom he relied upon most heavily. Wu Ming assumed his Master was merely scheming to reclaim a treasure lost many years ago, never suspecting the true depth of his ambitions. Meanwhile, the old man had quietly resolved that after this affair was concluded, even Hua Qingsi would have to be silenced.
Hua Qingsi's expression darkened. She knew that nothing she said now would make a difference.
Wu Ming stood off to the side, cast a glance at Hua Qingsi, and let out a cold laugh. "Junior Sister Hua," he taunted, "don't tell me you've fallen for that brat?"