"Is the Young Master still in seclusion?"
"Yes."
"Sigh, it's already been half a year. Plenty of people have come to visit during this time."
"There's nothing we can do. The Young Master announced his seclusion right after the Dragon Tiger Summit ended. As his subordinates, how could we possibly interfere?"
The two speakers were Peerless Great Emperor and the two Jiao brothers of Huaishan.
Since the conclusion of the last Dragon Tiger Summit, Jiang Chen had announced his seclusion. At first, everyone figured it would last only a few days, then they figured a few months.
Who could have predicted that half a year would pass, and Jiang Chen still hadn't emerged?
"Brother Mo, we're newcomers here. The Young Master this time—is he—" Jiao Yun couldn't help probing. He too had sensed that something was different about this seclusion.
Mo Wushuang sighed softly. "I haven't been here much longer than you two. However, Miss Huang'er's departure was certainly a factor in the Young Master's seclusion."
"Who would have thought that Miss Huang'er is actually a young lady from Myriad Abyss Island! Our Young Master is truly impressive—to have caught the eye of a daughter of Myriad Abyss Island," Jiao Yun said, eyes bright with excitement.
"Jiao Yun, don't be so frivolous in front of the Young Master." Mo Wushuang frowned.
Jiao Yun chuckled sheepishly. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. This is pure admiration. Brother Mo, the two of us have lived half our lives without understanding a thing. During our time here at Peacock Sacred Mountain, we've seen so much, thought so much—we truly, wholeheartedly submit to Young Master Zhen now."
"Exactly. If some major power had been willing to treat us like this before, we Huaishan brothers wouldn't have bothered being rogue cultivators! This Dragon Tiger Summit—our two brothers have finally seen things clearly. Rogue Great Emperors may seem free and unburdened, with impressive status. But compared to those sect heavyweights, we're nothing but paupers!" Jiao Feng said in his deep, rumbling voice.
This was something Mo Wushuang deeply agreed with.
He hadn't originally grasped the gap between rogue Great Emperors and sect powerhouses. But the sheer level of this auction and the enormous number of participants had made him truly realize that major sect forces—even without being sect masters—possessed wealth far beyond what rogue cultivators could dream of.
"Gentlemen, I told you long ago that following Young Master Zhen, you won't lose out. You'll only win. There's still a long road ahead," Mo Wushuang said with a smile.
"Mm-hmm. Our two brothers have finally found where we belong. From now on, we're Young Master Zhen's people, following him forward! There's hope!" This time, the words came straight from the Huaishan brothers' hearts.
"Brother Mo, you'll have to look after us in the future too," Jiao Yun said with an ingratiating grin.
"We're all one family—brothers, naturally we look out for each other. You've both seen Young Master Zhen's connections and Young Master Zhen's abilities. We cultivators used to be frogs in a well, thinking that rampaging across the Upper Eight Regions meant we'd reached the pinnacle of the world. That elder from Myriad Abyss Island will surely cause a storm across the Human Domain. This time, the stagnant situation in the Human Domain will finally have some fresh air blown into it."
"Right. Our brothers have always heard that there are old monsters in the Human Domain who might also be at the Heavenly Seat level. But it's never been confirmed. This time, with that elder from Myriad Abyss Island appearing, hopefully he can draw out those reclusive old monsters from Myriad Abyss Island as well. It'd broaden our horizons and give us something to aspire to, wouldn't it?"
If the true pinnacle of martial arts in the Human Domain was only the peak of the Emperor realm, that would be far too boring. After all, they had already stepped onto the Emperor realm themselves.
But if there were Heavenly Seat powerhouses in the Human Domain, then things would become much more interesting.
"The Human Domain is hard to say. Even if there truly are Heavenly Seat powerhouses, they would certainly be few and far between." On this point, Mo Wushuang had his own understanding.
The potential of the Human Domain was precisely this: until the Boundary Stele was broken, the cultivators of the Human Domain would forever be frogs at the bottom of a well.
They simply couldn't glimpse the full picture of the Divine Abyss Continent, nor could they experience the majestic grandeur of the ancient era—a golden age when myriad races stood tall.
While they were talking, the sealed chamber's door suddenly opened from within.
"Young Master, you've emerged from seclusion?"
"We welcome the Young Master's return!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Mo Wushuang and the Huaishan brothers hurried forward.
After half a year of seclusion, Jiang Chen had finally emerged.
Jang Chen smiled faintly at the three of them. "Gentlemen, what a coincidence—your entire conversation just happened to reach my ears. Fortunately, you weren't saying anything bad about me."
Hearing Jiang Chen's relaxed tone, all three felt relieved.
It seemed the Young Master had already freed himself from the tangle of romantic feelings—at least he had resolved the heart demon that had plagued him.
"Heh heh, from now on, our two brothers will only say good things about the Young Master, only butter him up. If we ever speak ill of the Young Master, may we be cast into the Tongue-Tearing Hell!"
The Huaishan brothers were indeed shrewd characters—it was their survival instinct in the jianghu.
Peerless Great Emperor, however, studied Jiang Chen and said with a smile, "Young Master, congratulations. It seems this seclusion brought you tremendous gains."