Chapter 134: Good Disciple, Don't You Remember Your Master?

Inside the grand hall, the fragrance of tea curled through the air.

The young man picked up his spirit tea from the wooden table and gave it a gentle swirl. Ripples spread across the surface, reflecting his seemingly calm face, but as his fingertips tightened, the cup trembled uncontrollably.

The tremor was subtle, but not enough to hide from a perceptive eye.

'How is this possible?'

His mind surged with monstrous waves, but he fought to maintain a composed surface.

'That old devil isn't dead... He didn't die!'

The tea nearly sloshed over the rim. He hurriedly steadied his wrist and lowered his head for a sip, using the cup to hide the flash of terror in his eyes.

Years ago, that devil had stolen his Golden Sun True Flame, forcibly planted a Divine Sense Restrictive Spell in his mind, and forced him to breed Soul-Eating Insects day and night. He had groveled at that old devil's feet for decades, walking on thin ice, stepping as if near a deep abyss.

He had only managed to escape when the devil's whereabouts became unknown. After expending an unfathomable amount of effort, he finally wore away that restrictive spell and successfully formed his Nascent Soul.

He thought the future would be as boundless as the sea and sky, that no one would ever control him again.

He was even waiting for the next opening of the Cross-Domain Teleportation Array, planning to head to the Heavenly Abyss Sea, seek out Soul Wraith Island, and wash away his grievances in blood.

But now, not only was that old devil alive, he had become a Grand Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Those words pressed against his chest like a massive mountain, leaving him unable to breathe.

'Damn it... Damn it!'

He clenched his teeth, forcefully suppressing the rising tide of dread. He had achieved nascent soul formation, but he hadn't even fully grasped his own strength yet. Confronting a Grand Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage was out of the question—as long as a Deity Transformation expert didn't appear, they were unrivaled in this world.

He recalled the look in the old devil's eyes when he planted that restrictive spell in his sea of consciousness all those years ago.

Indifferent, mocking, and ice-cold—as if looking at a disposable tool. That bone-deep terror still sent chills down his spine whenever he thought of it.

'No... I absolutely cannot stay here.'

His mind raced.

'The Azure Sun Sect is holding a massive disciple recruitment. That devil knows the origins of the Golden Sun True Flame, so he will definitely come knocking. He is now a Grand Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. Who could possibly stop him?'

He had waited so long for this day and fought so hard to escape that old devil's grasp. He refused to go back, and he refused to spend his days trembling in constant fear.

'I can't drag this out... I have to leave quickly.'

He lowered his eyes and downed the rest of his tea. It had gone cold, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

Inside the hall, the white-haired old man and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance, both catching a hint of oddity in the other's eyes. Their newly inducted junior brother had been perfectly fine a moment ago. Why had he lost his composure so completely upon hearing the name of that newly ascended Grand Cultivator from the Heavenly Abyss Sea?

The two exchanged another look. The middle-aged man caught the hint, coughed lightly, and smiled as he changed the subject.

"Heh, don't worry, Junior Brother. Our Azure Sun Sect has absolutely no ties to the Demonic Path of the Heavenly Abyss Sea, much less any grievances with them, so there won't be any issues. Speaking of which, since you want to travel, have you decided where you'd like to go?"

Pulling himself from his chaotic thoughts, the young man forced a smile and gave a slight nod.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I plan to wander around the Southern Heaven Alliance first. As for the rest... I haven't decided yet."

He didn't elaborate, nor did he reveal any further oddity, though the fingertips gripping his teacup were still trembling faintly.

Seeing this, the other two didn't pry. This new junior brother of theirs hadn't even disclosed his cultivation method or origins; asking too many questions would only make things unpleasant. The days ahead are long; they could take their time understanding him.

Outside the window, twilight deepened. The tea's fragrance slowly faded from the hall, leaving nothing but silence in the room.

"Right, Senior Brothers," the young man suddenly changed the subject, maintaining his polite tone.

"I haven't been at the Azure Sun Sect for long, so I still don't know much about it. Both of you are Nascent Soul cultivators, which makes us a significant force within the Southern Heaven Alliance. Why does the sect remain completely hidden from the world? Is there some hidden reason behind this?"

At these words, the other two men's expressions shifted simultaneously. They looked troubled, as if he had poked at a memory they were unwilling to bring up.

The white-haired old man in the main seat gently shook his head and let out a sigh.

"There is much you don't know, Junior Brother. A thousand years ago, our Azure Sun Sect was actually an incredibly famous major sect in Lingchuan. We were worshipped by ten thousand sects and stood as a sacred cultivation ground in the hearts of countless cultivators of that era. We were not the slightest bit inferior to any of the four major alliances of today."

He paused, his gaze growing distant.

"All of this starts with our sect's founder, Heavenly Sun Supreme One. Rumor has it that the founder was not from Lingchuan, but came from the other side of Blood-Demon Valley. As for more of his deeds, my knowledge is limited.

"I only know that the founder established the Azure Sun Sect while he was still at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage. Relying on two supreme treasures in his possession, his divine abilities were no weaker than a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. He roamed Lingchuan unchecked, and no one dared cross his path. In that era, the Azure Sun Sect enjoyed unparalleled prosperity."

His tone suddenly dropped, growing somber.

"Unfortunately, the sect had only been established for a little over a century, so its foundations were still shallow. Aside from the founder, the sect only had a few Golden Core elders.

"The founder later went missing. At that time, the sect was watched over by only one newly advanced Nascent Soul Supreme Elder, making it inevitable that we would be coveted by scoundrels. As for what happened next, I'm sure you can guess the gist of it without me having to say more."

The white-haired old man let out a long sigh.

"Fortunately, we still had that Supreme Elder, who managed to preserve the foundation of our Azure Sun Sect. For centuries afterward, the sect remained completely hidden from the world to recuperate and rebuild.

"Thankfully, Junior Brother and I managed to live up to expectations, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm one after another before our master passed away. We strictly followed our master's teachings—we didn't flaunt our power, and we didn't spend our days and nights dreaming of revenge. We simply waited until today, when you finally arrived, Junior Brother."

The middle-aged man beside him also nodded and sighed deeply, seemingly reluctant to dwell on the events of the past.

Noticing the oppressive atmosphere in the hall, the white-haired old man waved his hand and burst into a loud laugh.

"What's past is past. Now that our Azure Sun Sect has welcomed a new lease on life, it's something worth celebrating. Why all this sighing? Hahaha."

He looked at the young man.

"As for the sect's past, I won't be able to explain it clearly anytime soon. If you want to know more, Junior Brother, you can go check the Scripture Pavilion. There are Ancient Records there detailing the sect's history."

The young man blinked with a faint smile, as if calculating something in his mind. He stood up and bowed slightly to the two.

"Thank you both for clearing my doubts, Senior Brothers. Since that's the case, I still have important matters to attend to, so I won't stay any longer."

With that, he transformed into a streak of azure spiritual light and flew out of the grand hall, heading straight toward the Azure Sun Sect's Scripture Pavilion.

As he flew, he anxiously deliberated in his heart.

'Heavenly Sun Supreme One wasn't from Lingchuan? The other side of Blood-Demon Valley... just what kind of place is it? If the human race flourishes there and demonic beasts roam, maybe I can find a way to cross over. When that time comes, no matter how immense Old Devil Jiuyou's divine abilities are, he won't be able to find me. I'll wait until I cultivate to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, or even the legendary Deity Transformation realm, before coming back to settle the score with him.'

While lost in thought, he arrived at the front doors of the Scripture Pavilion.

The area was completely silent—so silent that it felt abnormal.

'Strange. Why is there no one guarding a critical sect location like the Scripture Pavilion?'

His mind stirred slightly, but driven by anxiety, he didn't think much of it and quickly stepped into the pavilion.

But the moment he crossed the threshold, he spotted a figure standing at the far end of the bookshelves.

A slender figure in a blue brocade robe stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His posture was straight as a pine, and not a single wrinkle could be seen on his robes. It was as if he had been standing there for a long time, or perhaps, as if he had been waiting specifically for him.

The young man's footsteps jerked to a halt.

A chill shot straight up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He subconsciously sent out his Divine Sense to probe, but he couldn't see through the person's cultivation in the slightest. The young man was horrified; it felt as though he wasn't standing before a cultivator, but rather a boundless stretch of darkness.

"Who are you? Why have you trespassed into our Azure Sun Sect's Scripture Pavilion?"

His Divine Sense locked firmly onto the figure. His whole body went taut, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Yet the figure was completely unhurried, still holding a Bamboo Scroll in his hand as if he had just pulled it from the shelf.

Then, the blue-robed figure slowly turned around. A crisp voice rang out softly through the pavilion. It wasn't loud, yet it struck the young man's eardrums like a heavy hammer.

"Good—dis—ci—ple—what's wrong? It's been a century since we last met, and you've forgotten your master so quickly?"